Where is Heaven?, page 1

WARNING: Be advised this thread contains references to God, Jesus, Christian, Christianity, faith, and Christian teachings. The assumption on which it is based is that the Bible is the Word of God, that God is the God of the Bible, and that Christianity is as valid today as it was when Jesus was on the earth. Those who are anti-Christianity AND those with other specific biases against the content should be cautioned that reading this post may endanger your belief system.

The Conspiracy is spiritual, with the anti-christ principalities and powers in high places making the teaching of Christianity in its currently practiced forms weak and ineffectual.

Why is that teaching in Christianity, while preaching the need for faith and for accepting the Bible as the Word of God, God-breathed, and though written by man, was protected throughout generations by the Spirit of God, holds that Heaven is a "reward" for after we die?

I know and so do any teachers of the Word I've set under that the "Kingdom of God is within you". Jesus said so in Luke 17:21. The same with Colossians 1:13 where God being spoken of, it is written "Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son".

Yet, the pointing of most teaching is to the future, "when you die, you'll reside in Heaven in the sweet-by-and-by". Yet the last quote above says HATH, and even accounting for the KJV English "HATH" is past tense. This is a misdirection no doubt authored by the father of lies himself. And we have not seen the conspiracy for what it is, satan's doings in leading us to miss the entire point of the New Testament.

If we are now translated into the Kingdom of His dear Son, where the Son lives, in other words, why is it that so few Christians believe and act like the power and authority and glory of that Kingdom is "within" them?

Those taught by Christians also know that Jesus said His followers would do "greater works" than He did, (John 14:12) while on earth, surely He didn't mean His followers would do greater healings, or other miracles, in HEAVEN, than He did on Earth.

By definition, the Heaven where God resides on His throne would require no such power and miraculous doings, since no one there will be sick, or die, or need to be healed of blindness or lameness, or have devils cast out of them.

The teachings in general are very vague when it comes to Heaven. Where it is, what goes on there, and so on is pretty much left up to the individual's own study and imagination. It is enough apparently that we are to "slog through" life attempting to live the Christian life and guiltily failing time after time, or substituting the "good life" and "prosperity" for the life of goodness and mercy.

Christianity has been too long under the impression that heaven has little to do with the here and now. That, while we have been given all things pertaining to life and godliness, as the Bible says (2 Pet 1:2), and while most would say Christians have the Holy Spirit residing in them, only a certain few among Christians are REALLY called to preach to the lost, even fewer, those who have the GIFTS of the Spirit, so the teaching goes, are called to heal the sick, cast out demons, raise the dead and DO the greater works Jesus said His followers would accomplish.

This is so fallacious it is almost amazing that Christians live in the belief that it is true. First of all, all His followers are called to "save the lost" by proclaiming the Gospel (Good News) of Jesus' salvation for all sinners. THAT is preaching to the lost.
Secondly, Jesus sent His followers out to preach, heal the sick, and raise the dead. Where are these things taking place among Christians? Only in a very few isolated instances are there reports of the dead being raised, for instance. And even those are regarded with suspicion throughout much of Christianity. If we are not even doing the works He did, how are we to do the greater? We don't believe we will and that is the state of the matter at this time.

This is a strong delusion sent to Christians from another plane and that is where the enemy of all mankind plots his strategies.

It will take great faith to overcome the current teaching, but that it can be done by taking in a different view of many Scriptures which point to the power and glory that are ours once we accept that they are. As with all else having to do with Christianity, it is by faith we receive the Truth.

Test this for yourself, consider, for instance, that the Word says "For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily" (him=Jesus) (Col 2:9) and now consider that the Spirit who lives in you is the Spirit of Jesus, THAT Jesus in Whom the fulness of the Godhead dwells. Where does the fulness of the Godhead dwell then?

Consider John 14:23 "Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him."

That certainly is the fulness of the Godhead "bodily", since it in no way implies that will happen "in the future by-and-by". but now while we are in the body that is obedient to His words.

And certainly we'd have to say that since Jesus and His Father are within we who are obedient and love God, their power and the authority and the glory are ours as well.

What else can this possibly mean?

Since it can only be true, why is the power and authority and glory of God, Jesus, and the heavenly kingdom not manifesting here and now? Can it really be that NONE love God, or obey Him? Of course not! Or as Paul said, "God forbid!"

No, it is because the teaching is that we are weak, sinners, that only in the future heaven will the glory be ours, when we are in white robes and playing our harps, and no longer able to help ANYONE believe. That at best we can hope only to live "the good life" and "prosper" here and now!

May the Lord Himself remove the blinders from Christian eyes, including my own!