Our Heavenly Dwelling

Okay, folks. If you're a Christian, you'll love this. If you're not, at least READ this post. If you never read another post of mine again, or if you choose never to read another "religious" post of mine again, at least read this one:

Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. (2 Corinthians 5:1-10)

I absolutely love this passage. I try to quote this passage when debating with atheists, to show my true faith and belief in the afterlife. Of course, since atheists don't believe in God and don't consider the Bible scriptures to be sacred, it means nothing to them.

But it means everything to me. Literally everything. It gives me a reason to be who I am here on Earth: someone who loves... someone who cares... someone who tries to do right as often as possible... someone who works hard... who worships God and believes in Christ... who goes to Church... who lives life to the fullest while using my heart, mind, body, soul, money, time and skills to help others. I certainly don't do it as much as I'd like, but in living that way, I know I have reward of Heaven after I die. That I have a place with Christ up in the Lord's eternal kingdom.

Think about it... if there wasn't Heaven, or Hell for that matter... what would keep people grounded? If life here on Earth is all that we have, and there is no reward/no punishment, then what would make people be kind? Or polite? Or honest? Or hardworking? If none of what you do here in life matters, then why not just run wild, spending money, stealing, partying, having sex, lying, cheating and living only for yourself? Some might just say, "Well, I'm a good person -- it's just who I am." But WHAT are you? What makes you that way? What inside you drives you to be good? Some might just say, "Oh, it's Karma." But doesn't that still mean that there is a higher power, giving the good to those who do good, and giving the bad to those who do bad?

In this passage, the Apostle Paul is telling Christians in Corinth and people everywhere that the afterlife is not just about your soul. That indeed you do get a resurrected body in Heaven. And to those who are followers of Christ, the Holy Spirit lives within us as collateral to secure that place in Heaven. In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul explains that Heavenly body more:

All flesh is not the same: Men have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.

So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. (1 Corinthians 15:35-44)

This truth -- and it is truth because these are the words of God -- shows us that we have the capability to have eternity in us now, with the hope of a perfect, beautiful, everlasting life in the Kingdom of Heaven. This truth should give us great guidance, courage, patience and faith to endure anything and everything that life throws at us. And most of all, we should not ever be scared of or angry at death. It is simply a passage to a greater life. Notice that Paul describes our life/body here on Earth as a tent, whereas our life/body in Heaven is an eternal house. That metaphor is quite clear -- our life here on Earth is only temporary. Fleeting in fact. Doesn't a tent really signify a short stay -- like a couple of days or weeks -- when you apply it to real life? Even in the days of Arab Bedouins (nomads), a tent may only represent a home for a few months, until they move on. In the grand scheme of it all, life here is but only a few short days compared to the eternity we could live in Heaven -- IF we're believers of Christ. "We live in faith, not by sight." Meaning while we're in this house, this body, we can only live by faith alone. That in this body, we can't see God. The next one we will, but in this one we can't. We have to always believe and know that one day we WILL see him. I know it's hard living on faith alone. It takes work, persistence, dedication. However, I put that much effort (if not more) into my job, and into my family relationships. Is it too much to ask that I do that for God, too? Especially when I know that by doing so, I will get an awesome, amazing reward that will last forever and ever???

So, my friends, my advice is this: Live hard, love often, help others, pray daily, believe in Christ and remember that we are judged on this small blip of a life here on Earth. For such a small, insignificant part of time, our lives are huge -- they represent a lot. What we believe in down here will affect the kind of house we get up there. Our actions here will determine the kind of home we'll have once we pass on. We could earn a house up in Heaven -- amazing and glorious next to God. Or, we could earn a house down in that other place -- the fiery, hot place of suffering and punishment. And I, who have been longing for a nice big, beautiful home of my own for so long now here on Earth, am SO looking forward to it. Will I see you there???

Some say that a good, just, loving God would not put people in a house of suffering for all eternity. But He has given us free will! We have the ability to choose!! Look at it this way folks. I just read an article about how 1 out of every 100 Americans is in prison. Many for life. Isn't that bizarre? We all know the kinds of things that will get us thrown in jail: dealing drugs, stealing, assault, murder, etc. But people do them anyway. They have free will to live life in any way that they choose. But they choose to live the WRONG way. And therefore, they get punished. Many of them are in there until the day they die. We don't think it's unfair -- after all, it was their choice. They KNEW what not to do. They knew the rules, and how they should live. It's the same thing with God. He gave us the rules. In fact, there is only one major rule -- believe in Christ and know God. That's all you have to do to stay out of eternal jail. He gave us free will, so that we can choose ourselves. He gave us a guidebook, and real humans who lived to hear it first hand. In fact, there are groups every couple of miles or so that do nothing but help spread that message (churches). But still people choose to live the way THEY want to live. God gives us about 60-100 years to make the decision to live the right way... some less, some more. And He actually tells us in the Bible that it doesn't matter if you finally decide to live the right way in the very last minute of your life on your death bed. All that matters is that you decide. And many never do. And many don't get the opportunity to lie in a death bed, facing their mortality and able to make that conscious decision before they go. Some go very suddenly. Some don't have full capacity of their minds at the end. If you get hit by a bus tomorrow, think about how awful it would be that you never made that decision to know Christ while here on Earth. That you purposely chose to ignore the one thing that would give you everlasting life up in Heaven after your body dies here. He's not an angry God or a spiteful God. He gives you chances over and over and over. He throws hints at you and signals at you. (Uh, you're reading this now, right???) And if after all that you STILL choose not to believe... well, then. You pretty much asked for it. I'm not trying to sound harsh or holier-than-thou (no pun intended) -- I'm just telling the very open and honest truth.

How do you guarantee that you'll get there? Many insist that by doing good deeds and being a good person here on Earth, you'll have that body with God. But this same book that quotes those words above also states this:

"Stop grumbling among yourselves," Jesus answered. "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate the manna (bread) in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."

Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"

Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever." (John 6:43-58)

Once I dated an atheist guy who insisted that he couldn't understand or comprehend the "body and blood of Christ." I would shrug and say "it's symbolism" and he would came back and say, "NO, they really believe it's real! But it's just crackers and grape juice!"

Now that I am a Christian, I know that it is both REAL and SYMBOLIC. How can that be? Well, take a look at a Baptism. Baptisms are done with Holy Water -- water that has been blessed by a man of God. It is symbolic water, but it is also REAL, blessed, sacred water. Yet it is still only water. Get it? Or it's like a wedding ring. A wedding ring is just a simple (or elaborate) band. It literally has the capability to signify anything. But when worn on the third finger on the left hand, it undeniably means "marriage." Without question, that ring not only signifies "marriage" but is a piece of jewelry that could only be defined as "a wedding ring." Yet it's still just a ring.

By taking the body and blood of Christ via communion... by accepting Christ and believing that he died on the cross for our sins... by asking him to come into our hearts and walk with us while we're in this "tent" here on Earth, we are guaranteeing a grand eternal "house" up in Heaven, living right next door to God. A house with no pain, no suffering, no negative thoughts, no anger, no disappointment -- nothing but love, beauty, happiness and glory.

What have you got to lose? Are you SO confident in your disbelief that you're willing to give that up? Are you so stubborn that you really think that the way YOU feel and live right now is the right way? Think about all the stubborn people you know in life... aren't they usually a little close-minded and short-sighted? Don't you just shake your head and say, "Why on Earth don't they get it?" It's the same with you. Are you saying right now, "Oh, well I don't NOT believe in God... I'm just not really all that practicing." Not good enough, folks. Quit being short-sighted. You can't say, "Oh, well... I don't NOT want to earn a paycheck, I just don't really want to work." Why "on Earth" don't you get it? You have got to jump into it feet first and devote your entire heart and soul into it. It's not hard -- once you jump, it's like a thrill ride. It is AWESOME! Trust me that when you arrive at your House in God's Heaven and look back at your life on Earth, you'll think, "THANK GOD I made that decision to follow Christ." And when you look around and don't see your loved ones, you'll think, "Oh, no! Why didn't I spend more time helping them to see, too?" That's why I'm here, my friends... that's why I am here.

And to read more about Eternal Life, check out this post of mine: Your Path In Life... Does It Lead To Heaven?

Holler at me if you need to... I'd love to chat more about this. It's my favorite topic.