Lent 23 day 3

 Heaven part 2

I've been wanting to write about this for a while but haven't ever seemed to find the right time or place.  I'm hoping today is is 😀

Heaven is our portion when we die.  According to Jesus He has prepared a place for us there and we are going to be with Him forever.  Whilst we can never be sure of anyone's eternal destination because we can never truly know the hearts and minds of others, we can nonetheless surmise that those of our friends who professed Jesus as Lord and who have died are now safely ensconced in their heavenly mansions. ( I do hope there isn't too much cleaning and tidying to do there!)  But following on from yesterdays blog Id just like to point out that the only person Jesus talked to in heaven was God.  He didnt converse with angels or with Moses or Abraham or the patriarchs in heaven whilst He was here on earth.  In fact, the only recorded conversation Jesus had with anyone who had died were with Lazarus, who was resurrected , and in Luke 9 ( and Matthew 17) with Moses and Elijah, who came back to earth to have the conversation.   


Deuteronomy 18:11 says we should not ' consult with the dead'.  In fact it says that this is something God detests.  The Bible doesnt tell us that talking to the dead is nonsense and not possible.  It seems to imply that it is possible but that we should not do it.  Those who dismiss mediums and seances out of hand as being fantasists should perhaps beware.  Not fantasy.  But definitely not advisable. Leviticus 19 and 20 warn against consulting the dead and 1 Chronicles 10:13-14 says Saul died because he consulted a medium.   As Christians Im sure most of us would never go anywhere near a medium or a psychic, but perhaps we have talked to our departed family members and friends as though they are still here.  Maybe we have stood by a graveside and had a conversation with someone who is in heaven?   Asked what we should do about something?  



Im not out to condemn anyone and I dont necessarily think that expressing how much we miss someone is the same as ' consulting' with them.  Indeed Jesus is only too happy to hear how we feel in our moments of loss and grief.  Jesus is the one who can send us the comforter.   We surely should be talking to Him not the person who has gone.  I think we need to be clear that once someone is in heaven they are ' out of bounds' when it comes to communicating with them.   Those who have gone before us are now part of the cloud of witnesses who cheer us on from the sidelines.  They are part of the host of worshipers described in Revelation.  They are far too busy gazing on the beauty of Jesus to look back to earth.  And what is more, if the focus of our attention ever switches from Jesus to people who have died ( however amazing their faith might have been) we hurt God's heart. He is the source of all our wisdom, our hope, our futures.  Unlike our Catholic friends we cannot pray to saints.  Why would we when we have Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith and the lover of our souls to talk to instead?  Jesus told a parable about inviting people to a banquet.  The person who wanted to go back and bury his father was told to leave the dead behind if he wanted to accept the invitation.  It seems harsh, but if Jesus asks us to do it then it must a) be possible and b) be for our own good.

Im a great believer in remembering people.  God remembers people.  The Bible is littered with huge long lists of names of people who have died because God wanted each of their names to be recorded forever.  Just because we don't talk to those who have died doesn't mean we shouldn't talk about them.  None of us want to be forgotten.  But let us fix our eyes on Jesus who is the only one in heaven who really matters.  When I get there I really do hope I get to wave to some much loved people who have gone before me.  But mostly I hope I will be so caught up in the glory and beauty and majesty of Jesus that I barely notice anyone or anything else.  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Lent 2023 day 41

Image
 After nearly 40 years of being a Christian its not too often these days that I hear something in a sermon Ive never heard before. But yesterday I did. So, apologies to readers from MCC but Im pinching this directly from Rory Blake-Knox because I thought it was fascinating. Ezekiel chapter 10 tells of the departure of the glory of God from the temple in Jerusalem. God had had enough of the idolatry and disobedience of His people so He decided to remove His presence from the place He had been dwelling with His people since Moses built the tabernacle and later Solomon constructed the mighty temple.   The exit route is detailed by Ezekiel.  First the glory leaves the Holy of Holies and moves to the threshold. God then leaves the temple and moves to the east gate of the city The east gate is probably the one referred to as "the gates of righteousness" and "the gate of the LORD" in Psalm 118:19-20 and the "everlasting doors" in Psalm 24:7, 9. It is called the ...
Read more

Lent 2023 day 44

Image
 Yesterday  I asked why you read this blog. Your answers were interesting. One thing that made me think was the fact that you know me and know my history and church background and therefore can trust my motivation and my thinking even if you dont always agree with what I say. This is REALLY important.  And I suggest that as these days unfold we are going to need to be increasingly careful about who we listen to and make sure that we really do know and trust those we follow, receive from and submit to.  Whilst there is a danger that this can make us closed to ideas from outwith our immediate circle of influence, God will make sure we hear what we need to hear and learn what we need to learn.  Discernment is paramount as we know that in the last days the deceiver will be out in force ever-so-slightly distorting and twisting the truth so that it sounds plausible but leads to blindness not sight.   I think that one of the reasons I don't listen to, watch o...
Read more

Lent 2023 day 45

Image
 I had the loveliest day yesterday. Church laid on afternoon tea, free for anyone in the village or church who wanted to come and about 40 people, mainly elderly ladies came along to enjoy fine china, linen tablecloths and loads of delicious food.  As I stood in the kitchen looking through the serving hatch at the bustle and fellowship and feasting that was going on I felt two things.   1) I was struck by the honour it was to serve these older ladies (hardly any of whom I know) with tea and buns.  This is what Jesus would have been doing today if He'd been here on earth.  Its simple, there are no strings attached. The only agenda is to be a blessing.  Most of these ladies dont come to our church but they increasingly come to events we put on. And so we are building community. 2) I was incredibly proud of us as a church  ( and Rory our pastor in particular) for the heart and service and sense of fun.  We are good news in our little location....
Read more