How could I describe heaven and what it looks like?
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How could I describe heaven and what it looks like?
Well according to the county western song, I understand it looks a lot like TEXAS.
But seriously while we have some examples in the bible, we have no real context to compare it to. And we have to look at the ideas of the New Jersulam that will come here on earth.
But the most important thing is not what the looks is like but what the love and the closeness with God will be.
None of us can really say for sure, but I prefer to think of it as the most beautiful place you could ever wish to see.
Heaven is not a place it's a person!! YES, I believe in Heaven, but isn't it more rewarding to know that you will be in the presence of JESUS CHRIST!!
Interesting! Heaven can in my opinion be the contrast to the worstest things in life. It's envitable as humans that we know evil and destruction and pain, just as the envitablity of hppiness. :-)Quote:
Originally Posted by jade_delaney
That's most people view, but no one said that it IS how it looks like.. We stereotyped heaven, people question if we'll look the way we do, if wisdom will pass with us... I even wonder if I can play wideogames up there, but I guess God's grace and presence will be the only thing I'll need.Quote:
Originally Posted by tinsign
I think Heaven will be formed by the individual person. That person's deepest loves and closest people will be there. A land of the sweetst memories.. It will be the most inviting and comfortable place you could image. Full of beauty and overwhelming love.
Ask a child... with their purity and innocence, I bet they have a closer answer than any of us could come up with.:)
Interesting paradox, but heaven is probably so beautiful that we would kill ourselves to get there more quick.
NO
Probrobly the most beautiful place you can imagine, then more beautiful than that!
What does heaven look like.
The bible talks about streets of gold as clear as crystal and walls made of precious
Stones. More than anything else, heaven is a spiritual condition where one spiritual being is in touch with another spiritual being and there is total communication and fellowship.
Being in God's presence will bring an intensity of great joy that will far exceed anything we could know here on earth. Not only that but there will be no death or sorrow, or sickness or poverty.
The bible also talks about crowns and thrones in heaven. This tells us that heaven is not just a hugh democracy where there is no differentiation of function. There will be different functions and different levels of responsibility assigned to different people. There will still be levels of order and structure throughout God's universe.
We do know that we will be able to recognize our love ones in heaven and that we will
Experience great joy over being reunited with them. There will be an opening of understanding into all the secrets and mysteries of the universe. Also in heaven there will be no fear of any kind of evil and God will provide generously for His people.
What is heaven like ? It is better than anything any human being could ever imagine when he tries to picture the best thing that could ever happen to him.
Maggie 3
jade_delaney,
There is no biblical description of what heaven looks like but Jesus does mention some things about the Kingdom of God and what it is like to be there in some of His parables.
We know form scripture that there will be no given in marriage and that there will be no sadness only joy.
In it we will be close to the most beautiful person in the universe so I suspect thateverything else there will refelct that beauty.
Peace and kindness,
Fred
How on earth can anyone tell what the Heaven looks like? It is totally pointless to pretend to explain what Heaven if as much as it is also totally pointless to try to describe GOD in any way.Quote:
Originally Posted by jade_delaney
Nobody has seen GOD or Heaven and come back to explain what they resembled.
If anything, I would say that neither one can be described by men for lack of qualifying words. Most probably Heaven may be what we can experience when we are finally given the possibility of contemplating GOD in all ITS splendor and magnificence. The same as Hell is probably the knowledge that we can never see GOD.
And, by the same token, probably both GOD and Heaven and Hell are conceptually unethereal, that is they have nothing to do with our physical Universe, or in other words they occupy no space whatsoever but at the same time they are everywhere!
As I said we do not have the adequate words to explain and we DO NOT KNOW!
Gromitt82
gromitt82,
Keep in mind that Jesus told us some of what heaven is like in His parables.
BUT... not what it looks like.
Fred
Right you are! This is why I say that probably the mere fact of being able to visualize or contemplate GOD may already be HEAVEN! Regarding Jesus' parables though they were meant to be applicable to all of us for as long as mankind exists the examples and the language used were basically to make them understandable to those He was speaking to.Quote:
Originally Posted by arcura
And when He says, for instance, "sitting next to my Father" that mus be a figure of speech insofar the Father, the Son and the Holy Espirit are a Trinity in One and Only GOD
Gromitt82
gromitt82,
Yes I understand that to be a figure of speech.
It's like speaking of the eye of God or the hand of God.
God the Father is spirit and thus has no parts.
Peace and kindness,
Fred
That is exactly what I mean. Some people speak of Heaven as if convinced Heaven occupies a place in Space which implies, I would say, that Heaven is a sort of physical garden of eden located in some far away corner of some far away galaxy.Quote:
Originally Posted by arcura
I think this is trying to translate our earthly way of thinking along with our limitations as far as understanding what GOD is like but I think we should try to be more generous and consider that if GOD has created our Universe GOD mus necessarily be over and abobe it and so has to be GOD's Kingdom.
I do not even know what I mean to say. I get lost when I think of these incomprehensible matters... So I have to conclude that GOD and ITS Kingdom will ONLY be disclosed to us in all its splendor when we undertake that one way journey...
Gromitt82
gromitt82,
Yes.
I think that the kingdom of God is very spiritual, but it has the concept of we having glorified bodies such as Jesus has after He rose from the dead.
That does boggle my mind.
Apparently such person can appear to have physical bodies od some sort such as when such appeared as recorded in the bible, the men who came to dine with Abraham is an example and also when Moses and Elijah appeared at Jesus' transfiguration.Peace and kindness,
Fred
GOD is, of course, almighty. If GOD is our Creator and the Creator of the Universe it must no pose any problem to mahe Moses and Elijah appear nest to Jesus in his transfiguration and let Jesus' Mother or some saints appear to us in their physical bodies. Which does not of course necessarily implies that our physical bodies should meet in Paradise as we are down here.Quote:
Originally Posted by arcura
If, as in all likelihood, there are other living entities in our Universe (many scientists believe so right now) these forms of live do not have to coincide with ours but they have also been created -no question about that - by the creator.
And if they are capable of adoting GOD as we are they must have a soul like we do.
And if this is so, our should will not probably differ from theirs, which would -in my opinion- lead to believe that in Paradise there will be a gathering of Souls or spiritual forms instead of bodies.
It is a boggling idea, but not necessarily impossible!
Gromitt82
gromitt82,
As you say it is possible.
I'm open to any ideas on what heaven is like and what we will be like when there.
I just offered my thoughts on what I (at the moment) think about that.
Thanks for yours,
Fred
The point is that we might be talking about Heaven for ages and we would not probably get any nearer than what we are now of the truth.Quote:
Originally Posted by arcura
I am convinced that even the most learned theologians have no idea whatsoever as to what Heaven is like. I guess it is the kind of destination they will only find out what it looks like (those who deserve to go there, of course) until our time has come.
I suppose that our own expectations and hopes induce us to prefer and share a certain criteria. In my case, for instance, I share the concept that Heaven is being able to see GOD at long last.
When St. John was in Patmos he had a dream he refers to in his Revelation, where an angel tols him that Heaven would be Zion. And he describes the size of Zion or New Jerusalam or Heaven as being 12,000 acres long and 12,000 acres Wide and 12,000 acres High.
Which, as you can imagine, it is just another idea quite adapted, however, to the time when John wrote about it.
Best regards,
Gromitt82
gromitt82 ,
Yes it is another idea and unlike the one which suggests that heaven is strictly spiritual.
Fred
Quote:
Originally Posted by arcura
Absolutely. As I said there are lots of explanations but nobody knows for sure. It is beyond our capacity of comprehension. When we hear the scientists speaking about the size of our known Universe and saying it may have 160 billion light-tears wide our mind boggles, as you say.
Where could the Heaven be located if having a pfysical strcture?
Maybe in some kind of parallel Universe? Or in another dimension? Who knows? And. On the other hand, who cares? The important thing, I guess, is that those that follow Jesus' message and walk the line as He told us to, have been promised to enjoy one day this unknown Kingdom where we shall find the explanation to all the question marks that afflict us down here.
God bless,
Gromitt82
gromitt82,
I think that I must wait till I know for sure where heaven is and what it looks like.
That's something really worth waiting for.
Peace and kindness,
Fred
Read Revelation chapter 21 & 22 It has a lot to say about heaven.
Read it, it is truth, if you can't understand it in your bible, get an easy reading
Bible and read it.
Blessings, Maggie 3
Maggie 3,
What you have found in Scripture about what heaven looks like is good, but what of those descriptions are really spiritual like the hand of God which is spiritual.
Perhaps they are descriptions of things glorified like our heavenly bodies will be after we pass over.
Peace and kindness,
Fred
Fred, I think we have been given a little taste
Of what heaven will be like in our spiritual glorified bodies when the time comes for us to be there.
Maggie 3
THANKS Maggie 3
Fred
So it's all that and then some, but you don't want to go?Quote:
Originally Posted by stan200
Make up your mind.
https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/christ...en-415551.html
Stan20,
Thanks for you view of heaven.
I do think that God will have things for us to do, but what they are is a mystery to me right now.
Peace and kindness,
Fred
Arcura, read Stans other thread. He's not sure that heaven exists, and if it does, he doesn't want to go there. He'd rather just sleep.Quote:
Originally Posted by arcura
I posted the link in my previous post.
Altenweg,
What make you think that stan200 does not want to go to heaven?
Fred
The link I posted Arcura.
This is a direct quote;
Quote:
I am a Christian. I accepted Christ as my Savior back in 1998. Lately like over the summer I've lost the desire to go to heaven when I die. I'm beginning to even doubt there is a heaven but if there is one I don't want to go.
If it was up to me I'd like to just be put to sleep forever. Can a Christian lose his salvation if he decides during his life that he does not want to go to heaven?
Altenweg,
I think we were posting at almost the same time.
Immediately after I asked my question I got your message to me.
Thanks,
Fred
Jade,
The bible doesn't say too much about what heaven will look like.. we are told there is a street of gold like pure glass and precious stones. In fact we aren't even told really told to look forward to heaven... we are always told we will be with the LORD. Paul says for the Christian to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. The Lord himself told the thief that hung on the cross... today thou shalt be with ME in paradise. So I guess my point is... who cares what heaven will look like? We won't... not with the LORD JESUS there... no way, no how! He is ALL we are going to be interested in. and... whatever the Lord has in store of us... psst... we won't be disappointed. ;)
Classy,
Excellent point, well made.
Fred
Fred,
Thanks! :)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Maggie 3
I naturally respect your ideas about Heaven or rather St. John’s description in the Book of Revelation, chapters 21 and 22.
The difference between how I believe you – and St. John - look at this matter lies on the fact that you seem to consider God as a physical entity whereas I can only imagine God as a spiritual unit that embrace and surround the entire Universe.
Evidently, if St. John or anybody else have had any vision of God during their living existence it must have been in the appearance of something resembling a form they were able to understand or absorb. This was probably the case with Moses at the Sinai.
But this is only because our intelligence and capacity of understanding and comprehension is so limited that we can only assume earthly bodies.
But even with our limited intellect we should be able to understand that God must necessarily be something else, something like a tremendous spiritual power in order to have been able to build the Universe.
Otherwise, it would be kind of hard to imagine a nice and white bearded old man sitting in his Celestial Throne and greeting with friendly pats on the head all newcomers...
Of course, “God’s dwelling is with the human race” (Rev. 21:3). With the human race and with every other races that may exist in our Universe. Living beings are probably God’s second chef d’ouvre, his first “magnum opus” being, no doubt, our Universe. Because God embraces and surround all of us, as I said before.
But we must also bear in mind when St. John wrote this Book. He uses a considerable amount of representation so make his writing understandable to those who were supposed to rea dit, i.e. people of his time.
For instance, when he writes “I am the Alpha and the Omega” (Rev. 21:6) he is alluding to a figure of speech very understandable for those who spoke Greek. But not real! For God is eternal, which mean God has no beginning and no end. Alpha is the beginning of the Greek alphabet and Omega the end. Similarly, the “burning pool of fire and sulfur, which is the second death." (Rev. 21:8) is a very graphic way of referring to the suffering implied in realizing what God is like but not being able to share God’s glory.
In describing the city of Jerusalem descending from Heaven John is only alluding to the Israelites. (Rev. 21:12-24). John could hardly refer to other people he had no notion of. He only says that “the nations will walk by its light”
Going by this description more or less literally, we should have to imagine that, at least, part of Heaven would be in the new Jerusalem.
In his Book, Johm gives us to understand that the end of time, or the Second Coming is about to happen: "Behold, I am coming soon." (Rev.
22: 7) - “the appointed time 7 is near” (22:10).
But, so far the Parousia seems to be far away, no matter what many believe...
(Rev. 22:19) “and if anyone takes away from the words in this prophetic book, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city described in this book”.
I’m, of course, not disputing the truthness of this prophecy. I’m just interpreting in the light of what St. John would probably write if he had to write his Book now.
To sum it up, I do not see here any explanation of what Heaven is like or of Heaven location.
Gromitt82
gromitt82,
I agree with you on that.
Notice the many old paintings which depict God in human form.
One of the most famous is very big on the celeing of the chaple in Rome.
Also I do believe that When God says the He is the beginning and the end I believe it to be of something like the universe or creation but not of Him.
Peace and kindness,
Fred
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