Matthew 22:30: Like Angels in Heaven

a reply to: LifeisGrand
"And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who possess the Spirit" - 1 Corinthians ch2 v13 (RSV)
The literal Greek of that last phrase is just "spirituals to spirituals", but I think the RSV expands it correctly.
In other words, the Spirit needs to be on both sides of the human communication.

originally posted by: LifeisGrand
a reply to: DISRAELI

True, sleep is referred to as death. But you see at that time, those of us alive who are swept away have no reason to sleep in death.

All the other spirit-begotten children of God have had to sleep in death. They were not raised to heavenly life right away. They have to wait for Jesus' coming in his kingdom glory, and his revelation in heaven.

So no in this sense it does not mean we will not die. It means we will not have to "sleep" or wait in death. The change, the death and resurrection of those alive will be instantaneous, there will be no longer a need to sleep, or wait for his return, for he will have already returned!

But Jesus told the thief in the cross that asked for forgiveness Today you will be with me in paradise. I always thought we went immediately to heaven upon death but after the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ then our bodies would change again.

a reply to: maybee
I find I can understand the puzzle best by thinking of "time" as something which is part of the structure of the physical universe.
Therefore it would not contain God, who is not contained by the physical universe.
Then the dying man could go straight into the presence of God, as you say, and from that viewpoint there would be no "time-interval" between death and the second coming which would need to be covered by "sleep" or by any other kind of theory.

a reply to: DISRAELI

Just speculating of course but what if we do go immediately to heaven but just a soul or spiritual body until the 2nd coming THEN our spirit joins our old earthly body and is completely transformed into one.

The time concept is mind boggling but I figure GOD made us this way as our earthly, mortal brains could not process such. We'd probably go insane.

I know on the great and terrible day, many will probably think graves breaking open is a zombie apocalypse

An additional thought on angels. The Angel Gabriel is refereed to as "he" and "him" so I assumed angels do have specific sex ie male and female????

a reply to: maybee
I don't think the Bible specifies any female angels, so I think it's more likely that "he" is simply the default option for describing personality.
The few names that are used (Michael, Gabriel, Raphael), have been treated afterwards as male names, with feminine endings added when they were given to girls.

Of course the angels in school nativity plays are cast as girls, but I'm sure that's a combination of Victorian sentimentality and the teachers' need to find enough parts for that half of the class.

Does anyone think we do indeed have guardian angels. Do each and every one of us have an assigned angel so to speak who helps look out and guide us???

originally posted by: maybee
Does anyone think we do indeed have guardian angels. Do each and every one of us have an assigned angel so to speak who helps look out and guide us???

No.

When Jesus said:

(Matthew 18:10) . . .See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I tell you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my Father who is in heaven.

He was not talking about every single person. Rather, he was talking about the spirit-begotten children of God.


ETA:

We can prove this. Because where the spirit of Jehovah is, there is peace and unity. Wherever there is hatred, division, racism, war, hatred, crime, and all sorts of badness Jehovah and his angels are not present.

Do you understand?

Jesus did not send his followers from house to house and tell them that the peace or holy spirit, along with God's angels would bless every household.

Only the households that accepted the message of peace from Jehovah.

If you reject Jehovah's message of peace by his witnesses you do not receive holy spirit, you do not receive a blessing, you do not receive angels. You remain a part of this demonic system in Satan's control....




If you run across one of them, you would be careful how you tread. Because their "angels" have instant access to Jehovah in heaven.


This is significant, because even Jesus needs to gain permission to come before the throne of Jehovah God:

(Daniel 7:13) . . .“I kept watching in the visions of the night, and look! with the clouds of the heavens, someone like a son of man was coming; and he gained access to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him up close before that One.

That is, every member of the anointed Christian congregation do have angels watching over them, that have immediate and instant access before Jehovah. But they only number a very few.

Most angels today are involved in the preaching and teaching work of Jehovah's witnesses on earth:

(Matthew 24:14) And this good news of the Kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.


(Revelation 14:6, 7) . . .And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, and he had everlasting good news to declare to those who dwell on the earth, to every nation and tribe and tongue and people. 7 He was saying in a loud voice: “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of judgment by him has arrived, so worship the One who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and the springs of water.”


(Revelation 14:3) . . .And they are singing what seems to be a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders, and no one was able to master that song except the 144,000, who have been bought from the earth.


(Matthew 10:11-14) . . .“Into whatever city or village you enter, search out who in it is deserving, and stay there until you leave. 12 When you enter the house, greet the household. 13 If the house is deserving, let the peace you wish it come upon it; but if it is not deserving, let the peace from you return upon you. 14 Wherever anyone does not receive you or listen to your words, on going out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet.


(James 3:14-16) . . .But if you have bitter jealousy and contentiousness in your hearts, do not be bragging and lying against the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above; it is earthly, animalistic, demonic. 16 For wherever there are jealousy and contentiousness, there will also be disorder and every vile thing.