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Add to Favorites"Heaven is supposed to be the greatest place that we can imagine", and of course "we can not be physically present there in flesh and body". "It is the abode of the almighty" and "a place where we may reach if we have a pure and unspoilt soul".
So what exactly can we make out of all this jargon. If you are an atheist you may not agree with the concept of god, but that does not mean that you automatically discount the existence of heaven as well. If you are a devout follower of a religion that believes in heaven, you may still not be fully convinced that there is such a place like heaven in this universe itself.
Traditional wisdom is often of a mystical character. Ages of accumulation and reinforcement of human instinct is, as a rule, impossible to fully express or comprehend in words. As a result, in case of such traditional wisdom, what is often said, may often literally mean something that was never the intention of the saying. It is a result of inadequacies of our languages, and our abilities to communicate, rather than a lack of understanding of these phenomenon.
The concept of heaven is another such traditional wisdom expressed to us by our ancestors in a mystical manner. Whether it is a place like a different planet or a different city, is a matter of legend and literature, not understanding. But one thing is sure, in way or another,the heaven does exist, and if I was asked to bet, I would put my money on it being a state of one's consciousness that allows the person to be at a level of such great fulfillment, satisfaction and happiness that can only be imagined and aspired for in ordinary life. It is thus a state of being, not of being in any place, that is referred by being in heaven.
The mystique of heaven is interspersed with the mystery of death and soul. There is also that concept of karma that states that heaven is a result of one's good deeds in life, opposite to hell that results from one's sins. If you think rationally, the moral of the story is simple - be good and you will be in heaven. As a rational person it is not very difficult to understand how being good can help you be happy in life. So the mystery of heaven in actual terms may be not very difficult to understand.
Learn more about this author, V. Kumar.
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Place
Ezekiel the Priest in the book of Ezekiel says in the first chapter and first verse: Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.
In Matthew he says:
3:16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
In Mark he states : Mark 1:10 And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:
1:11 And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
As Stephen was being accused in Acts:
7:55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
7:56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
The four different books demonstrate to us that the Heavens' opened up. For the Heavens to open up something must have been there to see beyond what we see with these earthly eyes. However if we had the faith and were filled with the spirit of the Lord we might be able to see what we cannot see earthly.
It is a coincidence that today my husband and I went to a funeral where the sermon was actually on this very subject. "Heaven is a real place," the preacher said. "Heaven is upward and not too far away either," he said. Every time the Bible speaks of Heaven it speaks of looking upward. When Jesus prayed he prayed looking upward. He had been there, He knew where it was, He knew where His Father was, He left the glory and portals of Heaven to come down to earth to redeem man from his sins.
So yes I believe with all my heart that Heaven is a real place and one day it will open up and we will all see the beauty and grandeur of what a real Heaven is.
My sister who recently had a stroke and nearly died and perhaps did die has a beautiful testimony but barely a voice to declare it. With her actions and the few words that she can say she demonstrated to me and my other sisters what Heaven was like. "So much love," she said as she held her chest and then pointed upward. We asked her if she saw Jesus and she said, "Yes." She tried to describe Him. She said He asked her if she wanted to come through the doors, She said to Him, "Not yet." He smiled and said "Not yet?" To which she answered again, "No not yet." She saw many faces she knew but could not tell the names. She said she no longer feared dying. She always points upward when she speaks of where she went that morning of her stroke and with peace and in all seriousness shakes her head that she has seen Heaven and is not afraid to die.
My mother who was 83 always was so fearful of everything and so afraid to be alone, shortly before she died she had a heart attack but was brought back to us for a few days. She no longer seemed to be afraid and when she passed away it was in the night and alone from any of her family, but Jesus was there and she was not afraid. I believe she had gotten a glimpse of Heaven as well and her fear subsided as she fell asleep in the arms of her Lord.
Heaven is real just as we are real who are alive enjoying this place called earth. Because God planned it all and told us a little about what He has in store for us in His Holy Word if we love and serve Him and I believe Him.
Learn more about this author, Mary E. Preece.
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