What will we do in Heaven?

 

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HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED 

 

WHAT WE WILL DO IN HEAVEN?

 

FIND OUT HERE 

Is it you? Are you sure?

 

There are over 8 billion people on earth. Obviously, they will not all go to Heaven.

If you were to die today, are you sure, very sure, that you will go to Heaven? Why do you think so? Let's consider this:

"Not everyone who calls me 'Lord, Lord' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only those who do what my Father in Heaven wants them to do." Matthew 7:21.

What does God want us to do?

^"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"

Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matthew 22:36-40

And how about this?

"And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors." Matthew 6:12

You see, those two conditions alone, that of love and of forgiveness, will be a yardstick by which we will be judged for entry to Heaven. And there's yet another:

"Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me." Matthew 25:31 onwards.

It is not enough for people to say they'll get to Heaven because they believe in God and Jesus. Satan believes in God and tried to tempt Jesus; so that's hardly a measure for us to compare with.

It is also not correct to say you'll get to Heaven because Jesus died for us. He redeemed us, and once saved always saved. True, He did this for us; but He also expects a response from us. His sacrifice is not just a passive entry to Paradise for us.

There's a story I heard about a news reporter in the First World War. The reporter was in a field hospital watching the wounded and how they were cared for. He saw a nun tending a badly injured soldier. She was carefully cleaning a gangrenous wound. The reporter said, "I would not do that for a million pounds!" The nun replied, "Neither would I." 

Have we as much love as that nun showed the soldier? 

Do we truly forgive with all our heart those who wronged us?

Do we care for those worse off than us in deeds and not just words?

Are you and I sure that we will go to Heaven? Why?

Who is God?

 

Who is God? 

In most peoples' imagination, God is an old man with a beard, wearing a toga or similar garment as they did in ancient Rome or Greece, and sitting on a throne on a cloud somewhere.

This is because that's how the painters of masterpieces portrayed Him. No doubt taking their clue from Genesis 1:27 where it says: "So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them."

We, being humans, and perhaps somewhat arrogant, interpreted this to mean that if we look humans then it follows that God looks human too. And if He has always existed, (A Ω - Alpha and Omega - Jesus says, "I am the Alpha and the Omega" in the Book of Revelation, specifically in Revelation 1:8, 21:6 and 22:13. In this text, Jesus identifies Himself as the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, symbolizing that He is the beginning and the end, and eternally exists as the Almighty); therefore it follows that He is old and has a beard. 

In reality, the quotation from Genesis 1:27 does not mean that God looks like a human. It means humans were created with a unique likeness to God in their moral, spiritual, and intellectual nature, not in physical form. This likeness is often interpreted as the capacity for reason, creativity, free will, and a spiritual dimension.

The last bit is important - "spiritual dimension".

What this means is that God is a spirit. (And so are we - but more of this later).

There is around us an invisible spiritual world which we cannot see. It is inhabited by invisible spiritual living "beings" whom we call spirits. For example angels; they are invisible spirits. Also the souls of people who have departed before us.  

We are both visible in human form and invisible in our spiritual form - our soul.

As C S Lewis described it: You don't have a soul. You are a soul; you have a body.

God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are invisible living spirits in this spiritual world that exists around us.

And of course, so is Satan and his demons. Remember, Satan was an angel who rebelled against God.

So, having established that God is a living spirit, we ask the question again: Who is God?

Jesus described God as His Father, and our Father. He is a loving, omnipotent, all-knowing, creator God, Who created the universe and all that is in it, including us humans. His desire is that we all, having lived for a period here on earth, would return to Him and live with Him for eternity in Heaven. That is to say, our soul, once the body we have has perished at death, would keep on living for eternity in Heaven.

The invitation to go to Heaven is open for all of us. We need to respond to it. (RSVP).

God wishes us to make the conscious decision to go to Heaven once our body dies. He has given us the free will to make that decision for ourselves without any force or coercion whatsoever. 

No one goes to Heaven against their will.

How does one go to Heaven?

"Not everyone who calls me 'Lord, Lord' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only those who do what my Father in Heaven wants them to do." Matthew 7:21.

"For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day." John 6:40.

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Why Heaven?

 

It seems everyone wants to get to Heaven. Even those who do not believe in God; given a choice they'd rather go to Heaven than have their backside roasted in Hell for eternity.

What is Heaven? 

Jesus taught us that it is a place. It is more than just a state of being. It is a physical place and we will be there in our resurrected bodies as well as our souls. Jesus described Heaven as a mansion with many rooms; and that He was going there to prepare a place for us.

A lot of people imagine Heaven as a big palace where they get to stay for eternity and enjoy all the amenities, comfortable living, indoor and outdoors swimming pools, a gymnasium, cinema lounge and whatever else they imagine it to be.

They imagine Heaven as a place to be in without considering why they should be there.

The reality is that Heaven is a place where we go to meet Someone. To meet God who created us, and who loves us and wishes us to be there.

So if someone does not believe in God, he will hardly go to Heaven regardless of how good he has been in life. 

If someone has been an obnoxious pain in the **** all his life; what makes him think that God would want to spend eternity with him?

You cannot wish your way into Heaven.

This is worth repeating: You cannot wish your way into Heaven.

There are people who believe they are good really, and perhaps they are, and that by living life as best they can this will be enough for them to go to Heaven. They wish they'll be there one day. This is false hope based on false teaching. 

To go to Heaven one must believe in God our Father; and love and obey Him; and follow Jesus to show us the way.  

"Not everyone who calls me 'Lord, Lord' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only those who do what my Father in Heaven wants them to do." Matthew 7:21.

"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6

It seems simple enough. One should either believe it or claim that Jesus is a liar. 

Unequal Rewards in Heaven

 

The good thing about hopping from one Blog to another on the Internet is that I learn something new everyday - well almost!

The problem though, is to know whether what I have learnt is true, or just someone's opinion.

For example, I learnt the other day that when we get to Heaven our "rewards" will not be the same, but will be commensurate with how well we responded to God's grace when here on earth.

I'll admit this confused me somewhat. I never realised there were rewards as such in Heaven. I thought that once there that was reward enough; if reward is the right word to use in this context.

I doubt very much that if Heaven was a mansion with many rooms, some Saint or other would have the top penthouse apartment facing whatever one faces when looking out of Heaven's window, and I would have a dingy cupboard space somewhere deep in the bowels of said mansion.

Have any of you heard of the notion of unequal rewards in Heaven?

I understand this was at one time Catholic dogma originating from the Council of Florence many years ago.

I asked a priest about it. Here's what he wrote:

"The Council of Florence was in the 15th century. One of the most important principles in the study of theology, sacred scripture and church history (including the general councils) is that we always seek to understand them within the context of their own time. 

The visualisation of Heaven as some kind of an hierarchical body was very common in the middle ages, for the simple reason that the whole of society worked in that way. They had no concept of social mobility or equality as we would have these days, and it would’ve seemed unthinkable to them that people in Heaven would be as it were outside of their own social circle!

We almost certainly are not bound to believe that there is any kind of hierarchical or social structure in Heaven. What we are promised is that each and every one of us will have all that is necessary for our personal bliss."

So there you have it; it is no longer Catholic belief that there's a hierarchy in Heaven amongst those souls there.

But how about your Church and your beliefs?  

Have you ever heard about unequal rewards in Heaven?

Heads I win, Tails you lose.

 

It's amazing how many people claim that they are not "spiritual" and they don't believe in God or Christianity in general, yet they hope to go to Heaven. Without even having a concept of what Heaven is and what they would do if they get there. 

Most people think it is a nice place like somewhere they have experienced here on earth only better; with Angels and Saints and whatever else they imagine or may have been taught or read about at some time or other.

For avoidance of doubt, going to Heaven is not a question of luck. It is not a lottery. It is not the result of tossing a coin to see whether it lands heads or tails. 

God does not play games with us.

Whether we go to Heaven or not starts right here on earth in this lifetime. We lay down the foundation, the ground work, and the path to our eventual eternal destiny. 

No one goes to hell by mistake or through bad luck; and no one goes to Heaven against their will.

One cannot claim not to believe in God yet hope to spend eternity with Him in Heaven. To those who do not believe in Him, God provides plenty of opportunities in their lifetimes to think about and reconsider their options. No one will get a surprise when it is their turn to meet their Creator God.

Yet there is a belief in today's secular world that all that is required of us is to be generally good to enter Heaven.

True, God's invitation is to everyone. But we have to respond to His invitation. It is not an automatic entry pass to Paradise.

To get to Heaven we must believe in God, honour and love Him, and obey Him.

A life without a strong foundation and belief in God cannot expect to spend eternity with Him in Heaven.

Meanwhile, many are sleep-walking their way into hell.

AMAZON LINK HERE

What Jesus said about ... (series)

 

What Jesus said about ... Heaven.

"In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?" John 14:2

Jesus mentions Heaven several times in His teachings but there is only one description of the place as quoted above. He describes Heaven as a place with many rooms. This is because it was the only imagery that the people of the time could understand. They had seen many mansions and palaces so to describe Heaven in such terms would engender an image and a place that they would all long for. Certainly better than the place with acrid smell and burning flesh and gnashing of teeth which He describes graphically on many occasions.

If you were to die today, are you sure you will go to Heaven? And what do you expect to find when you get there?

God, Jesus, The Holy Spirits and the Saints and Angels are spirits. They exist in an invisible world. We are immortal spirits too, (souls), inhabiting a temporary body which in time will decay and turn to dust. The implications here are that when we go to Heaven we will not need a physical place with many rooms and hot and cold running water and a mini-fridge with drinks and chocolates.  

Some Christians also believe that at some stage our souls will re-unite with our bodies and we will live for eternity in these new bodies without blemish, illness or whatever disabilities we may have. I have often asked why will we be re-united with our bodies; and as yet got no satisfactory answer. But that aside, one would ask, if we are to have a body will we need a physical place like a mansion to live in?

Another reference to Heaven by Jesus deals with the immediacy of getting there. 

"And He said to him, (the thief crucified beside Him),  “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:43.

He did not say you'll be with me at Judgement Day, or after spending some time in Purgatory, or at any other future date. He said: today.

Other references to Heaven deal with our attitude towards it and how to get there. "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:19-21.

"The Kingdom of Heaven is like this. A man happens to find a treasure hidden in a field. He covers it up again, and is so happy that he goes and sells everything he has, and then goes back and buys that field. Also, the Kingdom of Heaven is like this. A man is looking for fine pearls, and when he finds one that is unusually fine, he goes and sells everything he has, and buys that pearl. Also, the Kingdom of Heaven is like this. Some fishermen throw their net out in the lake and catch all kinds of fish. When the net is full, they pull it to shore and sit down to divide the fish: the good ones go into the buckets, the worthless ones are thrown away. It will be like this at the end of the age: the angels will go out and gather up the evil people from among the good and will throw them into the fiery furnace, where they will cry and gnash their teeth." Matthew 13:44 onwards.  

 

AMAZON LINK HERE

Let's get real

 

This article is likely to be harsh, brutal even. It was inspired by a discussion on TV.

It seems that in the 21st Century we have bred a generation of "entitled" people who believe the whole world owes them something as of right, even God. This selfish attitude is symbolised in the belief amongst some Christians that a loving God would not really send any of His creations to Hell for eternity.  Surely God would not do that, they say. A loving parent certainly wouldn't, so if God is our Father, as Jesus said, then He would not let His children perish in Hell for eternity.

Such belief is wrong and totally stupid. For a start, God does not send anyone to Hell. People choose to go to Hell by their own behaviour here on earth and when they die they are judged accordingly by a fair and just Creator God. Hell exists for sure, as does Heaven. Jesus taught this so many times as recorded in the Gospels and elsewhere in the Bible. Whichever is our eventual destiny is up to us and no one else.

Another false belief is that God is forgiving, and He will eventually forgive all of us anyway, even the devil. Another load of nonsense. Of course, God is forgiving, but He is no fool; no push-over. He will forgive those who, in this life, genuinely repent of their sins and seek His forgiveness. 

The devil exists all right, he is no euphemism for being naughty and doing wrong. He is a living spirit like angels. In fact the devil was an angel originally who rebelled against God. God in His infinite love and mercy let him and his followers go free throughout the world. Their rebellion is accentuated by the fact that they roam free to encourage us to follow their example and turn away from God.

God can hardly forgive someone who has never asked for forgiveness and is intent to work against God's wishes and Commandments. This applies to the devil and also includes us.

Yet another contorted logic questions why a loving God does not hear or answer our prayers. Let's get real about this. God owes us nothing. He loves us and listens to all our prayers but that does not mean He has to answer. 

He does not have to explain why some prayers are answered and others are not, or why some things happen to us like tragedies, disasters and so on. If God answered every prayer then there would be no more funerals in the world and we would live for ever. God is not a magician or genie ready to respond to our every selfish demand. He is God. We are not. It is time we remembered this and treat Him with love and respect rather than serve Him in an advisory capacity.

There is right now a lot of false teachings amongst the Christian communities; and this does no good to either Christians, or to those who are interested in joining our beliefs. 

Christianity requires Faith. Faith is to believe when your common sense tells you not to. 

To be sure of the things we hope for and to be certain of the things we cannot see. (Hebrews 11:1)

Heavenly Thoughts

 

"Don't let your worries get the best of you, remember, Moses started out as a basket case"

 Some people are kind, polite, and sweet-spirited - until you try to sit in their pews.

 Many folks want to serve God in an advisory capacity.
         

It is easier to preach ten sermons than it is to live one.

 

The good Lord didn't create anything without a purpose, but mosquitoes come close.

When you get to your wit's end, you'll find God lives there.

People are funny, they want the front of the bus, the middle of the road, and the back of the church.

Opportunity may knock once, but temptation bangs on your front door forever.

Quit griping about your church; if it was perfect, you couldn't belong.

If the church wants a better pastor, it only needs to pray for the one it has.

God Himself does not propose to judge a man until he is dead. So why should you?

Some minds are like concrete, thoroughly mixed up and permanently set.

I don't know why some people change churches; what difference does it make which one you stay home from?

We were called to be witnesses, not lawyers or judges

Be ye fishers of men. You catch them - He'll clean them.

Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous.

Don't put a question mark where God put a period.

God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

God loves everyone, but probably prefers "fruits of the Spirit" over "religious nuts!"

God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.

He who angers you, controls you!

Prayer: Don't give God instructions -- just report for duty!

The task ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us.

The Will of God will never take you to where the Grace of God will not protect you.

We don't change the message, the message changes us.

You can tell how big a person is by what it takes to discourage him.

Peace starts with a smile. The world will never know peace until it learns to forgive.

"Father, bless the person reading this in whatever it is that You know they need."

The choice even un-believers would make.

 

If you were to go in the streets and ask people, "Would you rather go to Heaven when you die or hell?" most people, in fact I guess all, would say they want to go to Heaven; even though they may not have any idea where or what Heaven is and what happens there. Even atheists, and unbelievers, if pressed to make a choice, would choose going to Heaven. Because no one wants his backside roasted for eternity.

The thing is, Jesus doesn't only reference hell, He describes it in great detail. He says it is a place of eternal torment (Luke 16:23), of unquenchable fire (Mark 9:43), where the worm does not die (Mark 9:48), the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 13:42).

All very graphic images to frighten the pants off any hard-headed individual.

However, He describes Heaven as "In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. (John 14:2).

A totally different imagery suggesting that Heaven is a physical place with buildings built of bricks and mortar, and rooms, and no doubt all the amenities we would wish.

But is Heaven really so? I doubt it is a physical place since, as Christians believe, when we die our souls go to Heaven; and being spiritual in nature, I doubt that a soul would require a room with a bed and hot and cold running water!

Some Christians, including Catholics, believe that at some stage after we die, our souls would be re-united with our bodies. These will be new bodies with all the imperfections, pains, illnesses, age-related problems and so on taken away. 

I ask the question: WHY?

Why do we need new bodies? No one has given me a good answer.

If essentially we are souls inhabiting a fragile body which at some stage deteriorates and is no more; then why should such a soul require a body whether going to Heaven or hell?

I once asked a priest, "if I am to have a new healthy and fit body, will my friends recognise me in Heaven?" He replied, "Don't worry, people will recognise you all right!" (What did he mean?)

Now imagine you are in Heaven and you recognise someone there you do not think should be in Heaven. That person was really really really bad when on earth. What would you do? Challenge Saint Peter and suggest that his computer records on that person are wrong?

What if someone recognises you and thinks you should not be there? How would you defend your position and right to be in Heaven?

My good friend Father Francis Maple in one of his sermons makes a good point about our relationship with God by referring to a leaning tree. Here's what he says:
 
I think of a life as a tree. If a tree leans in one direction when it dies it will fall in that direction. It is not going to fall in the opposite direction. So, too, with our lives. If all the time we are leaning towards God, very likely, with God's grace we shall fall into His arms when we die. But if our lives never point to God, it is very likely that when we die we shall die in enmity with God.

 AMAZON LINK HERE

The difficult questions

 

Every so often I like to ask myself some difficult questions. Then I answer them to myself. Then I think about my answers and wonder if I answered them correctly.

OK ... do you want to play? Let's share these questions that come to mind every now and then.

If you were to die today are you sure, 100%, that you will go to Heaven?

Why? Why are you sure, or not sure?

If you are sure you'll get to Heaven what makes you so certain? Don't come up with stock phrases like because God loves me, Jesus died for me, because I am a good Christian and so on. If God asks you, and He might, "Why do you want to come into Heaven?" what will you tell Him? No fibbing now; He knows what's on your mind, "Why do you want to come into Heaven?"

Difficult questions don't you think? Why do we want to go to Heaven? Is it because we're afraid of the other place? Saying that "we love God and Jesus" are superfluous meaningless answers. 

Is loving God and Jesus in itself enough to get us into Heaven?

Or should we do something else? How can we be good Christians? Is it by what we do? By good works?

Let's face it. There is nothing we can do that God needs from us. He will not be found wanting or lacking in any way if we do not do certain things. He is omnipotent, has always been in existence as a spirit, and all knowing Creator. He does not need anything from us. No amount of prayers, lit candles, flowers, good works or anything else will make Him greater, better, richer, happier than what He already is. He does not need us in that sense of us giving Him something in order to enter Heaven. 

Good works will not earn us brownie points and a star to get us in Heaven. But ... and this bit is important ...  if we are to live like Christ and to follow His example then we will do good works. Just like He did. Every time He met someone in need He stopped and treated that individual as an important person and spent time with him and responded to his needs.

Can we honestly say we do the same every time? Every time? How about that person you met the other day and did nothing to help?

See the subtle difference? Good works will not make us enter Heaven; but if we are to copy Christ's examples we will do good works. That's what will differentiate us between the sheep and the goats when Christ judges us.

And of course we need Faith. We need to believe because we believe in honest (best we can manage) Faith; not because we're afraid of going to the other place.  

Heaven is open for everyone. But no one goes to Heaven against their will. No one is forced there.

As for the other place, God does not send people there. They choose to go there by their behaviour, attitude, stubbornness, defiance and enmity of God.     

So there you have it. Difficult questions. Why should I be the only one struggling with them? Help me out with some answers because I think being a Christian is very difficult. 

Do you find being a Christian easy going?

What happens next?

 

This article is to help us test understanding and beliefs. Please share your views in the comments box below or write to me at the "Contact Us" tab at the top right.

Let's start a discussion.

When someone dies we say they are in Heaven. This suggests that for them, a judgement has already happened and they are now either in Heaven or hell. Let's not discuss the belief in Purgatory for now.

Jesus implies this in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. Luke 16:19-31

Both individuals died and Lazarus was sent to Abraham's side (meaning Heaven), and the rich man to Hades (hell).

Also, when on the Cross, Jesus said to the repentant thief that "today" he will be in Paradise.

So, this being the case, what is, and when is the final judgement? When Jesus will come and divide the goats from the sheep?

Does our judgement happen the moment we die and we go to our eventual destination? Or do we wait for judgement day?

Also, the Bible teaches that when we are "resurrected" we will have new bodies. That is, we will not be just souls but have a body. Just like Jesus did when He was resurrected. 

When Jesus was transfigured on the mountain, (Matthew 17:1-9), the disciples saw Moses and Elijah  with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration.They recognised them as bodies not as souls, or ghosts. So what happened I wonder? Where they already resurrected in their new bodies before the "Rapture"?

How about all the people in the past like Saint Peter, Mary, Joseph, Thomas etc ... Where are they now? In Heaven as bodies or as souls? Or are they also waiting for judgement day?

Your views and comments, especially with Bible references, would be appreciated. Especially if you know any pastors etc who could add their views too. 

What do you think?

NOTE: CATHOLIC CHURCH TEACHING.

The moment you die your Particular Judgement takes place.  

It is then decided by God if you will go straight to Heaven or spend time in Purgatory or you will go straight to Hell.

No one can say that when someone dies they are in Heaven.  

Only God knows that.  

You may think that that good person is in Heaven, but you may be wrong.

The Final Judgement takes place at the end of the world when God will divide the sheep from the goats.

Our Particular Judgement takes place the moment we die but there is the General Judgement for all at the end of time.

When resurrected we will have new bodies.

Peter and the rest of the Apostles are souls in Heaven. 

They have to wait until the end of the world before they have their resurrected bodies.  

Catholics believe that Mary has her resurrected body because she was assumed body and soul into Heaven.

What would you say?

 

This man goes to Heaven and knocks at the door. Saint Peter opens up and asks, "Yes? What do you want?"

The man says, "I want to go to Heaven!"

Saint Peter asks, "Why?"

The man responds, "Because I want to spend eternity with God."

Saint Peter replies, "And what makes you think God wants to spend eternity with you?"

Now let us consider for a moment that Saint Peter asks this question of you. What would you say?

Some might respond that God loves them, and that they have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus on the Cross, or that they are saved, or that they have done good works throughout their lives, or a variety of other reasons, (or excuses), as to why they are fit and worthy to enter Heaven. 

Most often, sadly, these are phrases that people have learnt by heart to explain/justify their faith in entering Paradise. Harsh criticism from me perhaps, but let's consider further.

In reality, why do you think you should go to Heaven for eternity?

"Not everyone who calls me 'Lord, Lord' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only those who do what my Father in Heaven wants them to do." Matthew 7:21.

What does God, our Father in Heaven, wants us to do? Do we "earn" entry to Heaven or is it a free gift for us from God through Jesus?

The Bible is full of examples and instructions on what we should do; like helping others, being kind, generous to the poor, forgiving more than seven times, blah ... blah ... blah ...

But is this enough? There are many people who do not believe in God who are very kind, generous, forgiving and so on; much more so than some Christians I have known.

Surely they deserve to enter Heaven. 

Fortunately, the decision is not mine to make; nor yours. Only God decides who enters Heaven. And it could be that certain individuals deliberately exclude themselves from Heaven by their deliberate actions and obstinate beliefs.

"The Gates of hell are locked on the inside" C S Lewis. 

But for those hoping and wishing to enter Heaven, the same question applies. Why should they be allowed in? Why should you, or I, enter Heaven?

Having accepted that no one is really worthy to enter Heaven on their own merit, and that God desires that all of us should spend eternity with Him, then what distinguishes you, (or me), from any other good person wishing to enter? What have we done in life that distinguishes us from all those people who are excluded from Paradise?

Is it faith alone? Or good deeds too that God requires?

"My brothers and sisters, what good is it for people to say that they have faith if their actions do not prove it? Can that faith save them? Suppose there are brothers or sisters who need clothes and don't have enough to eat. What good is there in your saying to them, “God bless you! Keep warm and eat well!” — if you don't give them the necessities of life? So it is with faith: if it is alone and includes no actions, then it is dead." James 2:14-17.

So the question still arises: If you are sure you will get into Heaven; ask yourself WHY?

Stock phrases like "God loves me" and "I am saved" will really not do.

Points to ponder next time we carry out a self-examen.

Could it be clearer than that?

 

Matthew 25:31-46 is a little too long to reprint here. You'll have to read it yourself. But let me paraphrase.

On the day of judgement Jesus will separate people to His right and to His left.

He will say to those on His right, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” 

They will ask Him when did they do these things. And He will respond "Whatever you did for the least amongst you; you did it for Me!"

Then He will say to those on the left, "You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels ... ... ..."

They saw similar people in their lives and ignored them and did nothing to help.

Could it be clearer than that?

A Star Role In A Film For You

I would like you to star in a film I am making in your mind. 

You have just arrived in Heaven. You are excited, with more than a degree of trepidation also. You do not know what to expect. You are so happy that at last you have made it to Heaven but you are not sure what it's like here and what you will find.

You are quickly made to feel welcome. The place is so calm, and quiet and serene. You've never felt like this before. 

In no time you get to meet Jesus. Your emotions are all over the place. You don't know what to say or do.

He says, "Peace be with you," and you feel calm and still as a joyful feeling surrounds you.

Over a short period of time you get to meet other people here. Relatives and friends who passed away before you. You hug, you embrace as tears of joy run down your cheeks. You exchange stories, fond memories and tales of times gone by. You laugh and smile as you finally understand how and why certain periods in your life turned out as they did. How at the time you may have felt alone and afraid but Jesus was always near at hand to help. 

In time, you begin to notice that certain people you know are not here in Heaven. You begin to wonder why. Did they exclude themselves from this place by something they did or said? Do they not want to be here? Why not?

You recall in your mind how those people were in life when you knew them then. You loved them and they loved you, despite perhaps some disagreements or clashes in personality or no chemistry between you. But you loved them. Deep inside they were good people really. Their attitude and manners may have been different to yours but they were good people. And now, they are not here. They are not in Heaven with you.

You miss them. You never thought you'd miss them when you were alive on earth. But now, in Heaven, you miss them. You'd expected they'd be here with you for eternity. And they are not. You miss them.

There's nothing you can do to change this. For some reason, they have excluded themselves from this place.

You sit down and think ... "Is there anything I could have done back then that would have ensured those people are with me in Heaven now?"

Face to face with Paul ... and Thomas

 

It just happened so quickly. Unexpected. One minute I was OK and the next I was at the Pearly Gate. Hoping to enter Heaven. An Angel there checked my identity and then led me to an interview room. It was empty apart from a computer on a desk. The Angel said that St Peter was busy and someone else would soon attend to me.

Moments later two men came in. They looked like from the New Testament by the way they dressed and by their beards. They introduced themselves as Paul and Thomas. I smiled feebly.

They tried in vain to get the computer to work. Paul slapped it hard on the side but nothing happened. It would not start. They lamented the old days when they had large tomes and everything was written on it in indelible ink. 

They searched in an old shoebox for any notes which Saint Peter had left about me. 

"Ah ... here's something," said Thomas, "let me see. It says here you're a regular sinner. Wobbly faith. And ..."

They both read the note quietly and then Paul asked, "Why do you want to get into Heaven?"

"To be with God for eternity," I replied eagerly.

"And what makes you think He wants to be with you for eternity?" asked Thomas.

It was like a double act. Abbott and Costello. Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. Laurel and Hardy. They looked at each other. Threw my notes away and started the interview.

"It said in your notes that you have a wobbly faith. Whenever things go wrong, you hesitate and doubt. What do you say about that?" asked Thomas.

I hesitated. I did not want to remind him of his nom-de-plume being Doubting Thomas in case that ruined my chances to enter Heaven.

"See ... you're hesitating right now," said Paul, "you must be direct. Act forthrightly ... with determination!"

Again, I kept quiet. I remember reading that before he fell off his horse on the way to Damascus he was forthright enough at persecuting Christians. I did not want to say anything because he was bigger than me.

"Let's give you a chance," said Thomas, "you can throw a dice ... here it is ... if you get any number from 1 to 5 you're not entering Heaven. You're going down with no parachute!" 

My lips trembled. I did not like the odds. I mumbled ..."what if I throw a 6?" I asked.

"You get to throw the dice again," said Paul.

It was obvious they had rehearsed this routine before. I felt a cold sweat on my brow.

That's when they turned serious.

"Look ..." said Paul gently, "God's invitation is open to everyone. He loves us all and He wishes we all love Him back, obey His Commandments and accept Jesus His Son as our Saviour. We are all sinners. I more than most. This is all we have to do to enter Heaven!"

I smiled weakly.

"We have all sinned in our life," continued Thomas still in the double act mode yet seriously this time, "God understands our weakness. He forgives time and again. Just like Jesus forgives time and again since He walked on earth, and now every day when He sees the wounds on His body which He suffered for us."

He stopped for a second or two then said, "God will forgive, as long as we repent honestly and want to be forgiven. Ask Peter about that when you meet him!"

I smiled again at this hint of a good outcome for me.

"Now wake up from your dream and tell everyone about it," said Paul.

The long line to Heaven

 

You're standing there in this long line of people stretching for miles and miles ahead of you, and similar longer distance behind you. All waiting to get into Heaven. You see the Pearly Gate in the horizon. It looks so tiny from this distance.

Ahead of you an Englishman murmurs to a Texan standing near him, "it's a long queue, don't you know? And it's moving slowly ... what?"

The Texan replies, "in America we call it a line, not a queue!"

"But we're not in America now, old boy," says the Englishman, "we're waiting to enter Heaven. Why is it taking so long?"

"Probably computer problems," informs his friend, "you know what it's like! New version of an old program. It was easier in the old days when St Peter had all our records in big tomes and a quill pen. The only way they can make this queue shorter is by asking people to stand closer to each other!"

You look again ahead and behind you. There are people of every race, every country and every religion it seems. People are speaking in different languages. You wonder whether St Peter at the Gate will understand them. He learned to speak every language at Pentecost. But now it's different. There are so many new languages and dialects and accents. Will he be able to understand that group from Glasgow over there? Not even the British can understand them.

Your mind wanders to your family. Your spouse, your children, siblings, parents, uncles and aunts and cousins. Where are they? you wonder. Ahead of you in the queue? Or behind you? Or are they in Heaven already? Or, God forbid, have they gone down without a parachute?

It would be awful if you are in Heaven and they are not.

Or, what if they are in Heaven and you are sent down to hotter climes?

You start thinking about your life. You were not exactly an angel were you? Remember that great argument you had with that family member? It wasn't your finest moment was it? If you think about it, you could have behaved better.

And your behaviour at work was not exemplary either, was it? Or your behaviour in life generally. With your spouse, your children, neighbours or colleagues. You may well have reasons, or excuses, to explain it all. But will St Peter see it this way? Or, more important, will God agree with your view of things?

You remember Christ's words, "‘Not everyone who calls me 'Lord, Lord' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only those who do what my Father in Heaven wants them to do."

But what exactly did God want me to do? You ask yourself as you feel a cold seat on your brow.

Your mind starts to wander again about those homeless people you saw in the park regularly on your way home from work.

You remember that once some colleagues in the pub were joking about Christianity and mocking the very existence of God. And you stood there, saying nothing, sipping your beer quietly.

How about the way you dealt with your staff at work? Yes, there were targets to be met, and budgets and profits to be achieved. But did you need to behave that way towards your team? Was that leadership or what some would call tyranny? 

Were you always gentle and kind towards those lesser able that you? Did you care and love your neighbour as your Lord commanded? Did you live as an example to be emulated or avoided?

In other words - were you Christ to other people?

The Wedding Feast

 

The Gospel reading today is from Matthew Chapter 22:1-14 Jesus tells a parable about a king preparing a wedding feast for his son. He invites many guests who do not turn up, so eventually, he invites all the people his servants can find in the streets until the wedding hall is full of guests.

Read the story in the Bible. It is not very long.

What Jesus is teaching here is that we are all invited to Heaven. God's invitation is for everyone.

But many don't answer the call. Some even respond violently to the invitation by beating and killing the messengers. Just like we did when we beat and killed the prophets, and just as we still do now in many countries; persecuting and killing people for their religion. Here in the UK we use more subtle methods by mocking and ridiculing anyone who is a Christian. Often you see on TV and hear on radio snide remarks about God and Christianity. Remarks like, "I'm an atheist myself. I don't understand people who still believe in a bearded old man sitting on a cloud looking after us!"

If a politician here stood on a Christian ticket he would not last long. Celebrities who have declared they are Christian are often ridiculed.

At the end of this parable there's an intriguing bit. The King enters the hall full of guests and sees a man not wearing wedding clothes. He is angry with him and gets him tied up and thrown out into the street.

Now this seems rather harsh treatment for someone not wearing the right clothes. Until we stop and understand Jewish tradition.

Jesus was talking to the Jews who understood very well that there are special clothes to wear at weddings. Almost every family had such special clothes in case they were invited to a wedding; even the poor would either have such clothes or borrow some.

No one would dare go to a wedding without special clothes. Even more important, traditionally the host of the wedding also provided special garments for those who did not have any, so they can borrow them for the occasion. So it was more offensive to the King for this guest to wear no garment.

Who does this guest represent? It is all those so-called Christians who pretend they are believers, who believe and hope they will go to Heaven; yet their lifestyles and behaviour is far from what you would expect from Christianity. 

Note the distinction between those invited guests who refused to attend and the one with no special clothing. Those who refused to accept God did it knowingly and openly. The guest with the wrong clothes represents those who half-heartedly accept God as an insurance policy ... just in case ... believers in name only.

But how about us? It is just not enough spending a lifetime on our knees praying, or going to church, if our deeds are far from what is expected of us as followers of Christ.

Jesus said, "Not everyone who calls me Lord will enter the Kingdom of God, but only those who do what my Father wants them to do". (Matthew 7:21).

Animals in Heaven

You know what it's like. People start a conversation at work, or at a party. At first you listen and say nothing, and then you get drawn in even if you don't want to, someone says, "what do you think about this?" and you mumble and offer an opinion, and before you know it you are in the debate you did not want to partake in in the first place.

A few friends were discussing religion and the conversation turned to Heaven. What it is like. Who will and who will not be there. What if someone we don't like is there. And so on.

Then someone asked whether animals go to Heaven.

Some thought this unlikely since animals have no souls; others believed they’ll meet their pets in Heaven. Their pet cat or dog will be there waiting for them.

This set me thinking.

Which animals in particular would go to Heaven? The good ones? Whilst the bad ones are destined for hell.

Are there bad animals? Do they think, plot and plan like humans, or are they slaves to their own instincts? Can they possibly sin? When a dog is bad and bites people is it because he is inherently evil, or is it a defence mechanism? Just instinct?

Would all animals go to Heaven? Including the cows, pigs, sheep and chickens we kill to eat?

I would hate to come face to face with my Sunday roast admonishing me for what I have done.

What about the mosquito I killed in the garden this morning? Will it haunt me for eternity? Buzzing around me and biting my bottom. For I heard somewhere that they wear gowns open at the back in Heaven, just like the ones you get in hospital. This is to allow your angel wings to grow on your shoulders apparently.

And all those fishes caught by Peter and the disciples when asked to cast their nets in the lake by Jesus. Will they be there too?

The point I’m trying to make here is that religion relies on Faith. When Christians engage in debate such as this not only do they risk confusing themselves, but they also risk confusing those who are new in their walk with the Lord.

I really don’t know whether my beloved Max will greet me in Heaven wagging his tail. In the meantime, I try to steer clear from such hypothetical discussions.

Sunday Sermon

Have you noticed how Sunday sermons these days are full of niceties and platitudes and sentiments that everyone would generally agree with. At least round where I am, the sermons are always like that.

The priests talk about a loving and forgiving God, full of kindness and mercy, and the fact that He loves us all and welcomes us to Heaven.

Of course, all this is true, and is indeed Biblical. We read that "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

Jesus did indeed come to this earth to reach out to humanity. He came so that we may see Him, hear and listen to Him, and witness His love for us. He died so that we may be redeemed once more.

It is of course right that sermons should proclaim this message. That God loves and welcomes us all into His Kingdom.

But this is only half of the reality that is God. Priests do God no favours by preaching half of the truth for fear of "frightening the horses". 

There are many people who turn down God's invitation to love and to join Him in His Kingdom. People who constantly, and willingly, defy God. People who stand up against Him, daring not to believe in His existence, (which is indeed a privilege afforded them by God), and also proclaiming their defiance and belief for others to emulate and to follow. 

Whilst God is ever loving, merciful and forgiving, He is also just.

Surely the time will come that these people who willingly and intentionally oppose God will be judged and found wanting.

The ever merciful God will say to them, "OK ... you've made your decision, let your will be done!"

And they will have excluded themselves from God's love and from His Kingdom.

But you don't hear this message from the pulpit on Sunday, do you? At least I don't in the churches I attend.

I can't remember when a priest last talked about hell, about Satan, about the results and effects of our disobedience and turning our backs on God. 

The Church needs the people. They are the clients and customers of this big business called Religion. No successful business turns its customers away.

The Church will not talk about the devil and hell in case customers stop going to church altogether. Already regular church attendances are at an all time low. About 5% of the population in the UK according to latest statistics.  

Besides, if you were to ask people if they believe in hell, or the devil, or the final judgement by God, I would guess the numbers would be just as low. Although most would also claim and believe they'll go to Heaven, whatever they perceive it to be.

Surely, the Church, and its priests, bear a responsibility for the current state of affairs. Their job, which they took on freely and willingly, is to shepherd the herds of sheep back into the arms of a loving God who welcomes all to His eternal Kingdom.

I believe when a priest gets to meet God face to face, he will be asked, "How many of the people I put in your care did you lead into Heaven?"

Meanwhile, I fear many of us are sleep-walking our way into hell. Willingly so.