For a little while now I’ve been struggling a bit with the idea of heaven. Specifically, what is the point of Jesus coming again if we all go to heaven and live with God when we die? I mean isn’t heaven…well…heaven? I’ve kind of put that thought at the back of my mind and figured I’d get around to it eventually. I was reading Paul’s second letter to Timothy this morning and verse 9 said “this grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Saviour, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” And I got to wondering about Jesus, what really did he teach?
So I decided to go back to Matthew, chapter 4, and then I started wondering what the “gospel” or “good news” Jesus came down to earth to share with us really was? I wanted to really understand it. So far I’ve gotten the idea that he preached the gospel/good news that the kingdom of heaven, or the kingdom of God was at hand. He called his listeners to repent and believe. At this point he wasn’t saying anything about grace. So then what does it mean when he says the kingdom of God is at hand. Looking at the world we live in, it doesn’t really feel as if God’s kingdom has been established on earth to me.
I believe that Jesus lived and died and rose again. I believe that he said he is the way, the truth and the life. I read one site that said you can only get to the kingdom of heaven through grace. But I feel as if I need to really understand this to take the next step in my spiritual growth. Maybe when I really understand this I’ll also have an answer to my question about heaven, and Jesus coming again. I’ll keep you updated as I go.
God bless,
Meredith
finchmeredith1 
When I got married, I inherited a new name. I suddenly had a new car, new furniture, and as a teacher’s wife, a good salary and I will inherit a good pension some day in the distant future. My husband has my heart, I belong to him. When I accepted Jesus as my personal Savior, with all the faith poured out toward what He did for me, it took some time for me to realize that as His child, soon to be His bride, I inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. I have been given a new name, written on a white stone. I belong to Christ, so I inherit Christs home, because once acceptance of who He is, as His beloved child, we belong to Him and therefore inherit Heaven, His home. That is why Jesus said…when near Him, the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. No one knows the hour, the day, or minute, we see the Kingdom, but the Father. Just be ready, always! And know He is already preparing our inheritance!
God bless
Sharon
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I love the way you put that. It’s funny, I often use my experience as a mother to clarify my understanding of being a child of God, but I never thought of using my marriage in the same way. I also love that God is building a community around me to help me as I grow and walk in faith toward a deeper understanding and knowledge and love of Him. God bless you!
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(Hi! This is Robin H./Nocturnal_Ether from Instagram) but I think the reason Jesus has promised to come back to Earth and set up His kingdom here, is because it will be the final step to setting Creation back to rights. When God created man in the Garden, we had that perfect existence where nothing separated us from God, and there was a purpose to our days. Adam and Eve didnt just lay about the Garden, they took care of it… Had jobs I guess you could say. But their choices ruined the perfect union with God, so now life is HARD; hard both spiritually and physically. So when Jesus came the first time, that was focusing on redeeming mankind spiritually, prepare the way for the Holy Spirit, and giving the world time to accept His gift, even as it deteriorates around us. So Jesus coming back brings together the spiritual redemption and sanctification, and the eventual physical one. Our God is a creative being (the first and best one of course), so if anything I think it would give Him joy to set the physical world to perfection again and then giving it back to His saints to live with Him.
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Hi Robin! Thank you so much for sharing this with me. I love that viewpoint and clarification. It does really seem that we are promised a physical body, it’s just trying to wrap my head around and develop a deeper understanding of what I am reading, and then get a context for how it forms and reforms and shapes and reshapes my faith. So hard sometimes.
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