Dear in Christ,
One of the main objections against Universal Reconciliation is that it teaches that everyone gets to “go to heaven”, irrespective of their beliefs. Before we examine whether everyone will “go to heaven”, let us examine whether Christian saints will “go to heaven” after their death.
Time and again we get to hear about people who visited heaven and had chit chat with Jesus and sat in his lap, before coming back. Their testimonies almost invariably would mention the gold paved streets of heaven and the mansions made of precious gems and jewels. One needs not to make a trip to heaven to give such “testimonies”, it's available right there in the 21st chapter of Revelation. These frequent-flyers to heaven and those who trust their “testimonies” haven't noticed that all these descriptions are about the New Jerusalem that comes down from God out of heaven. (Rev 21:1, 2)
By the means of sermons of priests, pastors and preachers and bedtime stories of our grannies, the idea that our afterlife would be in a place called heaven, where we will be living in mansions made of precious stones and going out for jogging and evening walks on streets paved with gold and would be spending most of our eternity singing Hallelujah to the Almighty God, got intertwined into our brains.
Apostle Paul, to whom many of the hidden mysteries were revealed, didn't venture to tell us much beyond:
While we are alive on this planet, we acquire land, build fencing or walls around it to ensure that none encroaches into our property. In order to ensure that none encroaches into our heavenly mansion (Joh 14:2), we make enemies for ourselves here, we look up on everyone with suspicion. We forget Jesus' instructions to love and bless our enemies (Mat 5:44; Luk 6:27, 35). We oppress them on the basis of their religion, language, skin color, ethnicity, sexual orientation, to name a few. Nonetheless, we look forward to our own private mansion in heaven.
Continuously singing paeans to God and His Christ and praising them all the time is not LOVE!
Many do misconstrue the Kingdom of Heaven to be the same as heaven (as in the dwelling place of God, especially, the Old Testament God).
Irrespective of whether you are a Preterist, who believes that the fulfillment of the book of Revelation is behind us, OR a futurist, who believes that it lies ahead of us, once it is fulfilled, God would be on this planet earth. Hard to believe, isn't it?
Even the throne of God would be in the New Jerusalem, that came down out of heaven!
So, next time around, whenever you feel like telling someone to “go to hell”, tell them to “go to heaven”, instead!
One of the main objections against Universal Reconciliation is that it teaches that everyone gets to “go to heaven”, irrespective of their beliefs. Before we examine whether everyone will “go to heaven”, let us examine whether Christian saints will “go to heaven” after their death.
Time and again we get to hear about people who visited heaven and had chit chat with Jesus and sat in his lap, before coming back. Their testimonies almost invariably would mention the gold paved streets of heaven and the mansions made of precious gems and jewels. One needs not to make a trip to heaven to give such “testimonies”, it's available right there in the 21st chapter of Revelation. These frequent-flyers to heaven and those who trust their “testimonies” haven't noticed that all these descriptions are about the New Jerusalem that comes down from God out of heaven. (Rev 21:1, 2)
By the means of sermons of priests, pastors and preachers and bedtime stories of our grannies, the idea that our afterlife would be in a place called heaven, where we will be living in mansions made of precious stones and going out for jogging and evening walks on streets paved with gold and would be spending most of our eternity singing Hallelujah to the Almighty God, got intertwined into our brains.
Apostle Paul, to whom many of the hidden mysteries were revealed, didn't venture to tell us much beyond:
1Co 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.The rewards that God has kept in store for his faithful is beyond human imagination and perception.
Our ideas about afterlife is not much different from our present existence!
While we are alive on this planet, we acquire land, build fencing or walls around it to ensure that none encroaches into our property. In order to ensure that none encroaches into our heavenly mansion (Joh 14:2), we make enemies for ourselves here, we look up on everyone with suspicion. We forget Jesus' instructions to love and bless our enemies (Mat 5:44; Luk 6:27, 35). We oppress them on the basis of their religion, language, skin color, ethnicity, sexual orientation, to name a few. Nonetheless, we look forward to our own private mansion in heaven.
Continuously singing paeans to God and His Christ and praising them all the time is not LOVE!
1Jn 4:20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?For a vast majority of Christians, only those who subscribe to their beliefs alone are their brothers. Unfortunately, the Bible doesn't yield such a definition. If anyone could be your neighbor, anyone could be your brother; it's not essential that Jesus had to utter a parable to that effect.
Many do misconstrue the Kingdom of Heaven to be the same as heaven (as in the dwelling place of God, especially, the Old Testament God).
If you were to go to heaven, God won't be there!
Irrespective of whether you are a Preterist, who believes that the fulfillment of the book of Revelation is behind us, OR a futurist, who believes that it lies ahead of us, once it is fulfilled, God would be on this planet earth. Hard to believe, isn't it?
Rev 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.Isn't it obvious that the New Jerusalem that comes down from God out of heaven is not in heaven? The tabernacle of God is in the New Jerusalem and NOT in a remote location called heaven! Still can't believe? Please read the passages in as many translations as possible and if need be, in Greek as well.
Rev 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
Even the throne of God would be in the New Jerusalem, that came down out of heaven!
Rev 22:1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.The expression “In the midst of the street of it”in Rev 22:2 connects it to the city, the New Jerusalem, detailed in the previous chapter. So, the throne of God would be in the city that came down out of heaven. In case if you plan to “go to heaven”, your plight would be that of Cain, totally separated from the presence of God, because God's dwelling and His is throne is in New Jerusalem which comes down out of heaven.
Rev 22:2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
So, next time around, whenever you feel like telling someone to “go to hell”, tell them to “go to heaven”, instead!
In Christ,
Tomsan Kattackal
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