ONE HEARTBEAT AWAY - PART 40

                                             ONE HEARTBEAT                AWAY

                                                      PART 40


(Mark Cahill's Book)

"Imagine There's No Heaven."

In his song Imagine, John Lennon didn't
take what God's Word says about eternity seriously. (full lyrics can be found on the 
Internet.) 

The world as Lennon imagined it, had 
"no heaven,"  "no hell,"  "no countries," 
"nothing to kill or die for,"   "no religions," 
 and "no possessions."

Lennon's imaginings about what would 
make this world happy, were dead wrong. 
People want happiness, but getting rid 
of possessions, countries and God  has 
proven not to be the way to achieve that happiness.

Is it really a good idea to throw out God, 
and all the things the Bible says He wants for us - possessions, countries, and so on?  
Not if God is real. And all the evidence 
examined so far, says He is.

As far as what is out there after we die, 
let's find out if those destinations Lennon denied  actually do exist. Since God has a much better view of eternity than we do - and He wants us to know the truth so that we can spend eternity with Him - let's see what the Bible has to say about what awaits us on the other side. You may be surprised at what you find.

According to a Bana 
Group Survey,  a 
majority of Americans
(76%) believe heaven  exists. 46% of those
describe it as 
" a state of eternal existence in God's 
presence,"  while 30% view it as "an actual place of rest and reward, where souls go after death."  Another 14% 
think heaven is just "symbolic."

What do you think heaven is like?  
Many people picture heaven as an 
ultimate playground, where they can 
be re-united with all their old friends 
and family and enjoy endless fun and 
pleasure. They believe that the whole 
purpose of heaven will be personal 
enjoyment and that they will have 
every whim catered to. But if everyone 
is selfishly thinking of himself, doesn't that sound a bit like life on earth, 
where people are striving to get what they want, even at the expense of others? 

In fact, according to C.S. Lewis, 
" a ruthless, sleepless, unsmiling 
concentration upon self ... is the mark 
of hell, "  not of heaven . That is not the 
way God's Word describes the Kingdom 
of Heaven. The Bible describes heaven 
as:

"...a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be 
called their God: for He hath prepared 
for them a city."  
(Hebrews 11: 16)

Jesus said that heaven contains many 
dwelling places, and that He would go 
there to prepare a place for us 
(John 14:2)

In heaven there will be no material decay     or corruption; it will  be a place where we can safely trust             everything to be good.

But lay up for yourselves treasures in 
heaven, where neither moth nor rust 
doth corrupt, and where thieves do not  
break through nor steal. 
(Matthew 6:20).

We will have new "spiritual" bodies that 
have a physical substance. They will be 
whole and healthy and free from all the
 physical flaws from which we suffer on
 earth. 
(1st Corinthians 15:44)

There will be no more hunger or thirst, 
no more tears or pain, for all of eternity.
(Revelation 7:16-17).  In heaven, the Bible explains we will receive rewards and be able to rest from our labors. Heaven is a place of comfort for the weary, and it is a better country than you live in now. It is where God and His angels will be. We have to ask ourselves if it is where we will be.


next post 3rd  October