What will Heaven be like?

1
What will Heaven be like?

• Will we recognize others?
• Will others recognize us?
• Searchers Class

2
What is death?

• James 226 The body apart from the spirit is
  dead
• Death is not
• Non-existence
• Extinction
• Life is the union of body and spirit

3
What is death?

• Death Separation
• Genesis 258 gave up the ghost
• Genesis 3518 soul was departing
• 1 Kings 1722 soul came in again
• Psalm 9012 we fly away
• Acts 759 receive my spirit

4
Does the spirit survive apart from the body?

• 2 Corinthians 56-8 - 6So we are always
  confident, knowing that while we are at home in
  the body we are absent from the Lord. 7For we
  walk by faith, not by sight. 8We are confident,
  yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the
  body and to be present with the Lord.

5
Does the spirit survive apart from the body?

• Philippians 121-24 - 21For to me, to live is
  Christ, and to die is gain. 22But if I live on in
  the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor
  yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. 23For I am
  hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to
  depart and be with Christ, which is far better.
  24Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more
  needful for you.

6
Logic demands recognition Without it we will

• Spend eternity with strangers
• Have no memory of our life
• Not understand your reward
• Not appreciate where you are
• Find heaven less attractive

7
Scriptural Evidence

• Pauls joy in heaven
• Philippians 41 - Therefore, my beloved and
  longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand
  fast in the Lord, beloved.
• 2 Corinthians 114 - (as also you have understood
  us in part), that we are your boast as you also
  are ours, in the day of the Lord Jesus.

8
Scriptural Evidence

• Pauls joy in heaven
• 1 Thessalonians 219 - For what is our hope, or
  joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in
  the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His
  coming?
• 2 Corinthians 414 - knowing that He who raised
  up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with
  Jesus, and will present us with you.

9
Scriptural Evidence

• Comfort of Scriptures
• 1 Thessalonians 413-14 - 13But I do not want you
  to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who
  have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who
  have no hope. 14For if we believe that Jesus died
  and rose again, even so God will bring with Him
  those who sleep in Jesus.
• Verse 18 - Therefore comfort one another with
  these words.

10
Scriptural Evidence

• Comfort of Scriptures
• Two classes of dead
• Dead in Christ
• Dead out of Christ
• Differences are in the type of sorrow and
  strength of hope

11
Scriptural Evidence

• Reward and Punishment
• In our system of justice, a person not capable of
  understanding the nature of the crime will not be
  punished for that crime
• We will remember in judgment Matthew 722
• Beheaded saints remembered Revelation 69-10

12
Scriptural Evidence

• Reward and Punishment
• Beheaded saints remembered Revelation 69-10
• NOTE These souls
• Were personalities in the spirit realm
• Were aware of their surroundings
• Knew why there were there
• Sought justice for their murder

13
Scriptural Evidence

• A Case Study Luke 16
• Parable or not?
• Doesnt matter
• Parables never use error to teach truth
• Falsehood to teach truth is an Allegory
• Provides a glimpse after death

14
Scriptural Evidence

• A Case Study Luke 16
• Key words Son remember
• Knew Abraham
• Knew Lazarus
• Knew he had 5 brothers
• Knew their lifestyle
• Knew he was in pain

15
Scriptural Evidence

• Resurrection Victory
• 1 Corinthians 1555-57 - 55O Death, where is
  your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?
  56The sting of death is sin, and the strength of
  sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God, who gives
  us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

16
Scriptural Evidence

• Gathered to his people
• Abraham Genesis 258
• Isaac Genesis 3229
• Jacob Genesis 4929, 33
• Moses and Aaron Deuteronomy 3250

17
Scriptural Evidence

• Gathered to his people
• This statement is NOT about where the body is
  buried
• Moses was not buried with his people God buried
  him
• Jacob was still in Egypt It would be 400 years
  before his body was buried

18
Scriptural Evidence

• Infant son of David
• 2 Samuel 1223 - But now he is dead why should I
  fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to
  him, but he shall not return to me.

19
Scriptural Evidence

• Men of Nineveh
• Matthew 1241 - The men of Nineveh will rise up
  in the judgment with this generation and condemn
  it, because they repented at the preaching of
  Jonah and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.

20
Scriptural Evidence

• Matthew 2223-33 Whose wife will she be?
• In the resurrection
• You do not marry
• You are like the angels
• God is not the God of the dead
• Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are alive
• Jehovah is still their God

21
Objections Answered

• We will lose our physical characteristics
• Death is separation of body and spirit
• Resurrection is the reunion of body and spirit
• We will have a BODY!
• Job 1926 - And after my skin is destroyed, this
  I know, That in my flesh I shall see God,

22
Objections Answered

• We will lose our physical characteristics
• 1 John 32 - Beloved, now we are children of God
  and it has not yet been revealed what we shall
  be, but we know that when He is revealed, we
  shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

23
Objections Answered

• We will lose our physical characteristics
• 1 Corinthians 1535-38 - 35But someone will say,
  How are the dead raised up? And with what body
  do they come? 36Foolish one, what you sow is not
  made alive unless it dies. 37And what you sow,
  you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere
  grainperhaps wheat or some other grain. 38But
  God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each
  seed its own body.

24
Objections Answered

• We will not be married
• Do angels know each other?
• We will be like the angels
• We will be there as children of God
• We will not maintain earthly, human relationships

25
Objections Answered

• What if my loved one is not there?
• Ask What if they ARE present and you dont know
  them?
• The objection assumes
• God cant make me happy
• My love for family is greater than Gods love for
  them
• The question assumes that we will argue with
  Gods judgment.
• It assumes that we will ignore their choice to
  live in sin.

26
Conclusions

• Recognition is demanded in
• Resurrection
• Pauls joy in heaven
• The comfort of Scripture
• Understanding the reward
• Davids infant son
• The men of Nineveh
• Abraham being alive