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	Don't Let Anyone Talk You Out of Heaven by Rita Bennett, from the CRA Newsletter, Winter, 2000 Who would have thought when I researched my book on Heaven that Believers1 would come along and challenge whether there is a Heaven! That's what the world system tends to do. It's funny how unbelievers and some believers at times end up in the same camp. How, you say, can that be? I'm glad you asked that. I'll tell you some of the theories so you can be prepared not to get talked out of Heaven. First let us look at Heaven and see what it is. Heaven is a home from where we were created and where we will be totally at peace returning to our Creator God. Heaven is a real place, not only a spiritual place. There we will find: unconditional love, tangible peace, beauty, acceptance, history, music, praise, worship, dancing, friendship, fulfillment, amazing light, rainbows, shining gemstones, food, learning, wisdom, thirst-quenching drinks, delicious fruit in variety, trust, joy, kindness, health, acceptance, eternal life . . . for starters. Heaven is the abode of our Triune God, His angels and the saints who have died. Heaven is a mystery since we haven't talked to or read about anyone who has been there for an extended period of time and then come to earth, other than Jesus Christ. After His "Operation Rescue" for the human race was completed, He then ascended to His Father in Heaven. He also told us He would come back to get us and take us there to be with Him and then later we'd return with Him to finish building the Kingdom on earth. Why Believe? Why should I believe Jesus' words are true? Because I have had a personal relationship with Him for over fifty years. During this time He speaks to me through: prayer, ever deepening study of His Word (the Bible), others of His servants, inner knowing, gifts of the Spirit, dreams (at times), helping others, and life's circumstances. During these five decades, I've watched Him heal the physically ill, cast out evil spirits, mend the brokenhearted, heal the abused, restore marriages, give people abilities beyond themselves, perform miracles, and much more. Christ, when on earth and now through us, His people, has done all these things as we follow the instructions He left in His Word and by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I have never had a vision of Jesus or of angels though I know people who have. I have, however, talked to quite a number of people who have gone to Heaven, and reported that they've seen and spoken to Jesus Christ during a near-death experience. Two times during my Christian life, I feel our resurrected Lord Jesus has specifically communicated with me. The first was when I had just come back to Christ as a young woman and was filled with the Holy Spirit. Soon after, I prayed for an answer to a perplexing concern and during that night I believe Jesus spoke a one sentence answer to me that settled the question for good. Then in 1996, when I returned home after taking a tour group to Israel, Jesus spoke to me in a dream. He reminded me of the battles ahead but the victory I have through Him. Also He spoke to me about the bride of Christ and the Wedding ahead. The fellowship in this dream seemed like a reward for taking 24 people to His homeland and for going myself. Those two personal experiences were 36 years apart so I can't say such encounters happen to me very often! You may ask, "How can you give your life to a Person you've never seen, and have only had a few vis-a-vis intimate experiences with?" Because He came to live in me by the indwelling Holy Spirit when I was a child. Most of the time I hear from Jesus through prayer, His Word, or an inner knowing. I'm actually hearing from Him in these ways many times a day. We're always in fellowship; that is, unless I blow it and have to repent to restore our lines of communication. Jesus has proved His love to me over and over, day after day, year after year. Consequently, I believe what He says about the future is also true, though His ways will always be beyond my ways (Isaiah 55:8-11). After all, He is God! Why then should I believe some "Johnny come lately" with his newly espoused theories, even though he may have many degrees after his name? Challenges about Heaven One of the ways to try to keep us out of the joy of believing in Heaven is the teaching of "soul sleep." This teaching is basically the idea that when a Christian dies he goes to sleep, is buried, and doesn't get up until resurrection day. Actually soul sleep was for Old Testament Believers who died before Christ's death and resurrection. All the faithful of the Old Testament were resting or sleeping "in Abraham's bosom," as Scripture calls it. That was the way it was before Jesus' work of salvation was completed. The apostle Paul, who actually had a Heaven and Back experience (HBE or NDE), told New Testament Believers, "So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord." (2 Cor. 5:6-8, also see 9,10 NKJV). The apostle says further, "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain . . . For I am in a strait between two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better" (Philippians 1:21, 23 KJV mod). The word dead is often referred to as sleep in New Testament translations but it doesn't mean "soul sleep." It's simply another term for being dead. But, according to Paul, he is saying in these verses that the Believer who dies is alive and present with our Lord (although still in a spirit form before bodily resurrection). Paul had experienced Heaven in an NDE before he was martyred some time after. He talks humbly about "a man" (obviously himself) who was caught up into Paradise (a biblical term for Heaven) and heard things that he was not allowed to tell others about in detail (2 Cor. 12:3-4). Paul knew about Heaven first hand, through his brief experience, and came back to tell us about it. It encourages us to hear this witness from such a faithful Apostle. When the Firstfruits Believers came out of the earth at the resurrection of Jesus (Yeshua, as he was known then), they had been asleep previous to the resurrection, but now they were very much awake as are all Believers since that time (Matthew 27:50-54). That Firstfruits group was meant to be a witness to us today, which shows there are followers of Jesus in Heaven right now. Jesus had already taken those who were resting in "Abraham's bosom" into Heaven when He, as the Great High Priest, "led captivity captive" and brought them into His Kingdom during His three days in the grave. Though Jesus body was in the grave, He was very active doing the greatest spiritual warfare seen on the planet, even preaching to the prisoners in hell who because of Him had one more chance to believe. That's why the Apostles' Creed truthfully proclaims, "He descended into hell." Now since Christ's victorious resurrection, there are no more second chances for those who have died and no more people asleep in "Abraham's bosom." And even the lost are seemingly not asleep in New Testament times as Jesus gives us an example of the brother who wanted Abraham to go and warn his siblings not to fall into Gehenna or the place of departed lost spirits. "And he said to him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rise from the dead." Here Jesus is speaking of His own coming death and resurrection (Luke 16:24-31 NKJV). Judgment Day for the lost will occur following the 1,000 year Millennium, which is 1,000 years after the resurrection of the just. A Concern Some Believers feel that the idea of the Church, or the body of Messiah, being caught away to be with the Lord for a time of rejoicing is not valid. They are convinced that our judgment for works, receiving rewards and gifts, the Wedding Supper of the Lamb, and commissioning to fulfill the work of healing the earth will all take place here on terra firma. They do however believe in the 2nd Advent or return of Christ for the Sabbath Millennium. Unfortunately, if one couples "soul sleep" with this model of Christ's Second Coming, then none of us, living or dead, will have the joy of entering Heaven for quite some time! Heaven will be empty of human inhabitants, except for a very few, counting from the biblical history time span of 4,000 years, plus 2,000 years since Christ was here on earth, add on the 1,000 year Millennium - that means Heaven is not needed for 7,000 years! Some figure after the 7th Millennium, Heaven might then finally be needed and inhabited by God's children. In discounting the need for Heaven, one clergy said"The Bible doesn't say much about Heaven." I, too, didn't know how many references there were to Heaven until I did my research in 1996. At that time, I looked up all the places Heaven is mentioned in the Bible. I found 151 actual references to Heaven, meaning "the location and abode of God, angels and the saints." When counting references, one must discount the places where heaven is merely recorded as (1) the atmosphere around the earth, or (2) outer space where sun, moon and stars are located. The Hebrew name for Heaven, the place, is shaymayim which has a double meaning of a physical place and a spiritual place. Some leaders believe in the spiritual but not the physical place. The interesting thing about the word shaymayim (ouranos in Greek) is that it has a dual meaning, not a singular meaning. The very name of Heaven confirms that it is a real place. If Heaven is not to be inhabited, or not for a very long time, why do 151 verses in the Bible tell us that there is a place called Heaven, The Heavenly City, The New Jerusalem, Paradise, etc. that God has prepared for those who love Him? Why are Jesus' own words recorded 39 of the 51 times Heaven is mentioned in the gospel accounts? Why did God go to all that trouble if no human has been there or will be there for ages to come? What Does the Bible Teach Are there Scripture references to back up the idea of a lift-off event for the bride of Christ?Why did Jesus say these words to His beloved disciples before His death? "I am going now to prepare a place for you, and after I have gone and prepared you a place, I shall return to take you with me" (John 14:1-3 JB). If He's going to take us with Him to the very place He came from, then that has to be the place called Heaven. The Greek is clear here. (See Stern's Complete Jewish Bible.) This verse indicates Christ will come to take His beloved to His Father's House; this is not a location on earth but a place He is preparing now. Jesus is not presently over in Jerusalem preparing a place for us though He will be there in the future. He presently is in a location outside our dimension. He ascended into Heaven 2,000 years ago. Another Scripture confirmation is the Wedding Supper for Christ and His bride (Rev.19:6-11). It's quite clear that the wedding takes place in Heaven as immediately following it says, "I saw Heaven standing open. . . And there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True" (Rev. 19:12-16 NIV). Here Jesus is ready to return to earth at His Second Advent. See Through Jewish Eyes Many scholars believe that to understand the picture of the bride and groom in relation to Christ that one must look at the wedding scene through Jewish eyes. When I began to look at Jesus' words in this way, it made great sense. After all, in His incarnation He became a part of the Tribe of Judah. Briefly, the Jewish groom is betrothed to the bride and then, without consummating the marriage, goes to prepare a home for his wife. The father tells the son when he feels his building project is complete. Then the son gathers together his groomsmen and surprises his bride, perhaps coming late at night. A groomsman calls out in a loud voice "The Bridegroom is coming." A shofar is blown. The bride with her light in the window quickly dresses and with her bridesmaids is taken to the groom's home. The couple retires to their private quarters while a seven-day party ensues. The evening of the seventh day, the bride and groom appear and the bride is introduced to the guests gathered. A great marriage feast follows. At Jesus' first miracle, they were three days into the party when He created more wine at His mother's request. Maybe some wedding parties were shorter, we're not told how much longer this particular party continued. But the Jewish wedding is certainly a type of Christ's return for the ecclesia (called-out ones), and His wedding. Of course, God the Son's marriage is beyond and above any human relationships on earth. Without our return with Jesus to His heavenly Home, the picture of the Jewish Bridegroom and His bride is not complete. Some teachers today believe, instead, that Jesus in John 14: 1-3 is speaking of preparing a place in earthly Jerusalem and that all Believers are to go over there to meet Him when He returns. At one time I logistically tried to figure if, for example, we would come back with Him to have the Wedding in old Jerusalem. That made me realize it is too tiny to house all Believers who have ever lived and died right up to now, or on into a future time. If you've traveled to Jerusalem, you'll know what I mean. (Of course, these folks with this hypothesis will have to anticipate that the group of devoted disciples will be a much smaller number!) No, it seems like a much larger place will be needed and that takes me back to the Heaven, shaymayim, concept for the Wedding of all Weddings.2 There's Really Enough Room For those who have researched the capacity of Heaven to hold all the Believers, we really don't need to worry that there is not enough room. Heaven, in its cube shape, has been figured by theologian Judson Cornwall, and others, to be 3 billion, 375 million (3,375,000,000) cubic miles (Rev. 21:16). That means it can hold 28 billion up to 30 trillion people. Heaven will more than take care of everyone with a nice piece of property to boot. If you want to have a small but glorious view of what Heaven may be like, go to the brand new location on our Website called "Heaven Tour " at www.EmotionallyFree.org. There you will find eiight (soon to be more) pictures created by my friend and accomplished artist Sally Moser. We have worked together on this project off and on for several years. In 1996 when studying Revelation and writing my book, I envisioned a picture of what I call "The Front Door of Heaven." I gave this childlike sketch to Sally with the request for her to draw it as close to scale as possible and make it beautiful; I also requested a number of other scenes. That was the beginning and we went on from there. My book has many word pictures and now we have visual images on-line to help you experience a little bit more of Heaven in your life. Some amazing biblical discoveries came about during this project. Other Scriptures to Confirm You may ask what other Scriptures confirm a time away, a honeymoon if you will, with our Lord? Another excellent one is described by Paul, the apostle: "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever"3 (I Thes. 4:16-17 NIV). The "Complete Jewish Bible" says, "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a rousing cry, with a call from one of the ruling angels, and with God's shofar; those who died united with the Messiah will be the first to rise; then we who are left still alive will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and thus we will always be with the Lord. So encourage each other with these words" (I Thes. 4:16-18, by David Stern). "Nestle's Greek Interlinear" text says, "then we the [ones] living - remaining together with them shall be seized in the clouds to a meeting of the Lord in the air; and so always with [the] Lord we shall be" (vs. 17). All three translations are wonderful. Supernatural Experiences that Confirm Yacov Rambsel, researcher on the mysterious Yeshua codes, was interviewed on TBN this January. Today Bible scholars such as Yacov are discovering Bible Codes which are Equidistance Letter Sequence (ELS) of letters in the Bible that then forms words or phrases. It's a bible in the Bible. Mr. Rambsel enthusiastically told the audience that the rapture of the Church is found in Genesis! He discovered Yeshua spelled out every 26th letter, and following His name found bride, and then rapture - in that order! Other Witnesses Early in "To Heaven and Back" I give personal testimonies of seven people who died and returned with supernatural accounts of what happened to them. When these people got to Heaven, they were alive and interactive with our Lord Jesus and/or the angels. Heaven was active. The people there were not asleep but very much alive and in a real place. Are You Ready? There are other Scriptures that you can research for yourselves on the subject of Heaven. I want to encourage you in case some well-meaning person tries to talk you out of a real Heaven, or out of your spiritual honeymoon, as some have experienced. Christians and Messianic Believers maintain various interpretations of these future events; it is fortunate our salvation does not depend on how we interpret them. Are you living ready for this "beyond all adventures" of being caught away with the Lord Jesus, whichever way it occurs? Be sure you know the Bridegroom personally and have been issued your wedding garment. It's required to get into the Wedding Party. (Matthew 22:11,12) What you have to do is ask Jesus the Christ (Yeshua Ha Mashiach) to come into your life and reveal Himself to you. Thank Him for dying and paying the penalty for your sins. Ask Him to forgive and cleanse the disobedient acts that separate you from Him. Confess that He died for you and rose again from the dead. Realize that you can't get to Heaven by good works but it's by faith alone in the Messiah Jesus, God's only beloved Son. Tell someone you have received God incarnate, Jesus Christ, as Lord. Read Romans 10:9-11. Begin reading the Gospel of John daily and praying the Lord's Prayer each day (slowly as an outline for prayer). Pray for God to lead you into a fellowship of Believers. For those who have already been in the family of God, and also you new family members, I have to admit there is still a lot we don't understand. Yet we do have some strong encouragement from our Bridegroom Jesus Himself and the apostle Paul, who was chosen to record about two-thirds of the New Testament. Confirmation keeps rolling in, so "keep looking up." And because of God's grace, I'll see you at the Wedding! Notes: (1) We'll be using the term Believers to include all, who for redemption, look to Jesus Christ (or Yeshua Ha Mashiach) including Christians, Messianics, and Jewish Believers. (2) See Chapter thirteen in "To Heaven and Back," "Your Heavenly Wedding." (3) In reference to the words "caught up together with them" we find "caught up" in the Latin Bible translation reads, "simul rapiemur cum illis." This is where the English word "rapture" comes from. (3a)The New Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible says, "caught up" means: "to seize, catch (away, up), pluck, pull, take (by force)." (P. 16 Greek Dictionary, and # 726) The material published in CRA Newsletters is protected by copyright. Please write for permission to use it. © 2000 Rita Bennett.