|
||||||||||
 |
|
|
||||||||
Commentary on "Heaven"
Day 4: Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Overview
This lesson opens with the statement that: 'When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, we enter into a new kind of existence'. In essence, when we have been born again, we are now part of the Kingdom of God.
Problems
The lesson speaks of having 'received eternal life'. To orthodox Christians this phrase translates to 'assurance of salvation' and the knowledge that we will never be separated from the love of God. This sounds contradictory if you keep in mind the doctrine of Investigative Judgment. You can not have it both ways. Either your salvation is eternal now or it isn't eternal life. The Bible is very clear. When our spirit is brought to life by the Holy Spirit, we are 'born again' and we join the Kingdom of God. Our spirit will never again die. When we die our physical death, our soul will be with Christ because our spirit has received eternal life.
I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean. But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died. Let not then your good be evil spoken of: For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. (Romans 14:14-17 KJV)
The lesson uses Romans 17:17 as a reference. You will notice in the above expanded passage that, among other things, the Adventist health message has nothing to do with the Kingdom of God. We are citizens of the Kingdom of God now and are not restricted by rules of what to eat or drink. While good health is important it is not part of our spiritual growth or the salvation message and unrelated to being part of the Kingdom of God.
In the teacher's version of the lesson it is stated that there are; two primary meanings to "heaven", one being the dwelling place or throne of God and the other being the home of the redeemed. These definitions seem to miss the point of what or where heaven is. Jesus ascended "up" which is not a physical dimension just as hell, the place of the wicked dead, is "down" and certainly is not at the center of the earth. The truth of the matter is that the first meaning of heaven, the dwelling place or throne of God, is the whole understanding of heaven. When we are with God, we are in heaven simply because that is where God is. And, when the New Jerusalem is brought to the earth made new we will still be in heaven because God will dwell with us from his throne.
Summary
- Since we are already members of the Kingdom of God, our eternity has already begun. There is no investigative judgment to determine if we are member of the Kingdom of God. Furthermore, once we join God in heaven, whether at our physical death that ends with this present life or simply ascend to him at his return, we will never leave heaven. We will still be in heaven when God brings the New Jerusalem to the earth made new because he will reign from his throne that is a central part of the New Jerusalem.
Copyright 2009 BibleStudiesForAdventists.com. All rights reserved. Revised May 11, 2009. This website is published by Life Assurance Ministries, Glendale, Arizona, USA, the publisher of Proclamation! Magazine. Contact email: BibleStudiesForAdventists@gmail.com.
The Sabbath School Bible Study Guide and the corresponding E.G. White Notes are published by Pacific Press Publishing Association, which is owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist church. The current quarter's editions are pictured above.
Official Adventist Resources
Standard Edition Study Guide Week 9
Teacher's Edition Study Guide Week 9
Easy Reading Edition Study Guide Week 9
Search the Complete Published Ellen G. White Writings
