The Answerer

‘Will we ever know when paradise will come? Truly and honestly! I would not like to die before the event?’

Please don’t worry because if you love God, you will see it.’ Thank you for the question, I call that a beautiful question – and a lovely thought too. Jesus’ disciples wanted to know exactly the same thing as you do.

You can read how they asked Jesus in Matthew chapter 24, verse 3. ’When will this happen? What will be the sign of your coming?’ Read all of chapter 24 – it is good stuff!!

But Jesus then described the awful things that would happen in the months before His ’Second Coming’. Jesus said: ’No one knows the day or hour. The angels in heaven don’t know and The Son (Jesus) doesn’t know. Only the Father (God) knows.’ (verse 36) So...nobody knows but we can be assured that it will happen and believers need not worry – God is in control of such things. I think that God is waiting and hoping that all the world will hear and understand the Gospel (The Good News), of Jesus. Did you know that one or two billion people have never heard exactly what the message about Jesus is all about? That’s a sad fact. They all have to hear before ’Paradise’ comes. That’s in the Bible, but many countries will not allow Christian missionaries into their country, ’No Sir.’

So-do not be anxious but be patient. Paul wrote to the early Christians: ’…no mere man has ever seen, heard or even imagined what wonderful things God has ready for those who love the Lord.’ (First Corinthians chapter 2 verse 9)

Note well: Moses, Abraham, Jacob and his 12 sons have been enjoying those good things for about 3,000 years? (I wonder if they eat ice-cream up there?)

Heaven is where God is, ’Yes sir’ it is!

We are not told where but we are told by Jesus that He has gone to prepare it for those who love Him. Everyone on earth, in Japan, the USA, China and Australia point upwards to refer to heaven. Jesus also said that He would come back to take us there one day. His promises come true. I am looking forward to it and to catching up with dear friends and some other special people.

Ps. I hope there will be laughter in heaven.

Joke time:

Q: ’Why couldn’t the sailors on the ship play cards?’

A: ’The Captain was standing on the deck.’

People kill each other - For many reasons:

All of them break God’s ’Ten Commandments’. Hate, envy, jealousy, revenge, and unpaid money debts are a few reasons. Human passion and anger take away our normal common sense and human compassion. These days, alcohol and drugs seem to be making some people very angry and violent. Next morning they feel very different in a Police cell but murder has been done and cannot be reversed. The hot temper and anger have gone but what happened is final. All so very sad for the victim’s family.

In a war, young men are taught (prepared mentally), to kill the enemy and ignore normal feelings. In some wars it is easy – in others it is difficult to kill an enemy person. It is unnatural for most of us to kill. God said in The Ten Commandments: ’Thou shalt not kill.’ Or ’Do not murder.’ It’s a complicated world. (in World War I on one Christmas Day, German and Allied troops forgot the war, and after hearing the ’other side’ who were not too far away, singing Christmas carols the soldiers came out of their trenches to shake hands, say ’Merry Christmas’ and exchange simple gifts of food. The ’top brass’ were furious: and explained loudly that they were: ’…to hate the enemy and kill them.’

I can only imagine what you think it might be like. You would be different to me.

We can all imagine our favourite things: lots of free ice-cream (except one!! A town in the USA celebrates a ’Garlic Week’ – and garlic ice-cream is on their menu! Phew – not for me!), no school or homework, chocolate ’goodies’ everywhere and millions of flowers, birds and butterflies. (I would choose a walk through an unspoilt forest, on a neat boardwalk with lots of birds, especially hummingbirds, butterflies and flowers. (No biting ants or spiders please.)

Jesus told his disciples that He was going to prepare a place for them and would later come and get them to be with Him for ever. That promise was not for just 12 disciples…it includes all believers. Should be pretty good if Jesus prepares it. We all, I am sure, change our idea of what we would like heaven to be like as we all grow older and desire different things. Our ideas will change.

The disciple John, the only Disciple to survive to old age, had a vision of heaven. He heard a loud voice say: ’He (God) will wipe all tears from their eyes and there will be no more death, suffering, crying or pain. These things of the past are gone forever.’ (Revelation chapter 21 verse 2). Sounds good, especially if you have suffered a lot.

To me, God’s heaven is a ’cool’ place to spend the next 10,000 or so years.

Please note: Our place in heaven is a choice to believe in Jesus and the Bible and daily follow Him as best we can, or to ignore Jesus, the Bible and stay away from heaven. It’s our choice. There will be no evil there.