When the Lord Comes, Then WhatBy
Dewey Maggard
At the risk of being looked upon as a heretic, I submit these biblical facts to support my own personal concept. The concept as to what my heaven will be like Where will it be? These are the two really important questions that most people have in their minds today. As I have discussed this question with many people in the Christian community, including ministers, I find that most have a vague concept-nothing really concrete- Oh, yes in the Minds of the everyone I have talked with, heaven seems to be somewhere above in the ethereal regions, the upper stratospheres. It is going to be a nice place. It is where Jesus is. It is in the upper regions because that is what they think Jesus meant when he said, \ldblquote In my Father\rquote s house are many mansions, if it were not so, I would have told you-that where I am, ye may be also.
Let us remember that Jesus spoke many times to his audience in parables. Parables with symbolic language and metaphors that would cause people to think. When I look up into the starry heaven, I see those many mansions, they are places of His abode-it is He who is ethereal- in all places at all times- ever existent. Therefore every where I look in that expanse is His beautiful home (mansions) For who can look up and not see beauty in the sky. Therefore, when viewed with this in mind, I see no reason why I should believe that I am going to inhabit something that I can not comprehend. Where ever He is (our Lord) that we may be with Him also- Look at it this way. He is the Prince of Peace. Therefore he is Peace personified in the body of Jesus. Heaven, then is a place of Peace and everlasting righteousness. Indeed there is a heaven, which is God the Father’ s abode. In an hour of rejoicing Jesus offered a prayer in Luke 6:10 addressing the Father as Lord of heaven and earth. There is a distinction of course. When Jesus said I go to prepare a place for you, He was speaking of His role as our Mediator, our high priest. That is the office in the heavenly mansion where he is daily preparing a place for us through his mediatorial work in our behalf- and this continues to take place until \lquote the fullness of time. When we look at the beatitudes, we see a factual clue as to our whereabouts so far as a future time. Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth Matt 5:5. Jesus was quoting from Psalms 37; 11 in the overall view of the beatitudes as David says, But the meek shall inherit the earth and delight themselves in the abundance of peace. A real eye opener as to how long this will be is given to us also by the Psalmist. This time span of the meek in the earth shall be as long as the moon endureth. Let us read it. In His days, shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth. This then tells us here what John has told us- there will be a time for new heavens where there will also be no sun (see Psalm 72; 5) We see here the Psalmist gives us information that John in Revelation gives in more depth. All of it ties or links together. Here is an obscure verse that should instruct us that heaven can be within the realms of our own known enviornment. Here is substantiation for that. Ps 78; 26. He caused an east wind to blow in heaven and by his power he brought in the south wind. Now Vs 27, He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea;\rdblquote Of course, he is speaking of one of the Wilderness experiences. Yet, I give this example to show that heaven can certainly be in the environment of the earth. That is what your bible says. It is in harmony with the meek shall inherit the earth not heaven. As up in the stratosphere. Actually the apostle Paul tells us there are seven heavens. There are abundant facts in scripture to help us to realize that our future home is going to be on this earth. Job has said it quite clear. See Job 19:25″ For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: Vs 26 and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God. This of course is in harmony with The Vision of the Valley of the Bones (See Ezek 37th Chapter. This then brings us to the Resurrection of the righteous as given to us in Rev 20; Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of the prison. Vs 8 And shall go out to deceive THE NATIONS WHICH ARE IN THE FOUR QUARTERS OF THE EARTH. Gog and Magog to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is the sand of the sea. This then would be all the wicked that is now the resurrection of the damned as spoken of by John. Now, I would like to back up to the Question again as to where. First let me say there are numerous of references as to it being a tangible place; not some ethereal place out in the stratosphere of the ethereal parts of space. The reason for this is we are given dimensions of the Holy City. We are given the specifications as to what the foundation stones will be- all twelve are named. One of those foundation stones mentioned is Chrysoprase,which is quite rare today. I own a few pieces about the size of your little fingernail. In Nero’s time, he had life-sized statuary of this substance. It is precious.Well some math whizzes have come up with a city with dimensions that would go from Approximately at a square base measuring 900 miles. No wonder Eye hath not seen nor ear perceived what things He has in store for us. We understand the height of the City will be equal to the same dimensions of the foundation stones. Revelation 21; 16 says everthing is foursquare, height, width and breadth. Obviously then, this is part of the new earth for that is what John tells us in the very first verse of Rev 21.1-2 At this point in time, it is done. And God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and be their God. Then this says it is a New Earth- God has now restored Eden as it once was and then some. WE find the pure river of water of life and on either side of it is the tree of life, which bares 12 manner of fruits \endash and there will be no more curse. (Rev 22)And back to the beginning; it is the meek who shall inherit this wonderful place. The meek are those who love one another who are like little children trusting their father.
The sanctimonious who flaunt their brand of truth- are not included in the beatitudes as I read them. No wonder we are given the verse that says My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Satan has people so busy with points of doctrine they get lost in a quagmire of hopeless speculative tenets of doctrine. The scriptures do not tell me that the Third Angels message is going to save me. IT does not tell me there are any specific years involving an investigative judgment. Rather, my Bible tells me judgment has taken place all along the way according to the deeds, which have been recorded, for each individual. The man who would builds his barns and take his ease- Luke 16:20 God said to this man, thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee. (in part). This among other examples tell us judgment has or is taking place\emdash There is absolutely no reason why we have to have an investigative I cant find anyplace in my bible that tells me this. Therefore we must must be careful about listening to men or women about non biblical interpretations which are speculative in nature. We need not concern ourselves with one school who thinks there is a secret Rapture of those being taken to heaven. This is not scriptural. This thinking came into existence through a man named Larkin in 1919 I believe. Dispensationalism etc We need not concern ourselves with those Evangelicals who believe they are going to heaven right now as this is not scriptural. However, these folks site what they Think is valid- for everyone believes Enoch, Elijah, and Abraham- are there along with the 4 and twenty elders, (which is plainly told as future event. Then of course the Muslim people believe Mohammed is up there. Then we have a group of people who believe the 500 who were resurrected at Christ s resurrection are already in heaven. Yet the scriptures tell us that God is no respecter of persons. Look it up. Acts 10:34. He also tells us through John 3:13 that no man hath ascended to heaven except he that came down from heaven even the Son of Man. That should be clear enough, yet there are millions of people today who insist on everyone going to their version of heaven right now- since those mentioned above are supposedly there. There is ample scriptural evidence to discount that belief. I am willing to give it point by point in another writing at a later time.We know where Lazarus ‘grave is. That is what Jesus’ followers have told us. Now, doesn’t it seem strange that Jesus allowed Lazarus to die again? Remember Lazarus was a really close friend of Jesus. Then why didn’t Jesus take one of His best friends with him to heaven when he went.? No doubt Lazarus will be in the earth made new. The reason he is not in heaven and went back to a grave until the resurrection of the righteous, is because the scripture tells us God is no respecter of persons. (Acts 10:34) Jer 4;27 plainly says that he will not make a full end. End of what; Here Jeremiah is talking about a desolate earth alright- but it will not be made totally desolate- as it will be a place of restoration during the thousand years when Christ is here with his people where we are told he will rule with a rod of iron\emdash Rev 2:27 Of course this is during the 1000 year period when we shall reign with him- this is what scripture tells us. See Zech 14th chapter. As a final thought for dwelling on the earth made new as our heaven, please refer to Isa 65th and 66th chapters. There is a pleasant glimpse. Also we are told we shall build and another shall not inhabit. Isa 65;21, They shall build houses and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them..Vs 22, They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat; for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. In Vs 25, it says They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord. Therefore in view of all of this, I ask you then why insist on inhabiting other worlds simply because there are other worlds out in the expanses doesn t mean we are going to inhabit them. God has given us a pretty good picture if we but study the blueprints closely. We do not need speculative ideas that are supposed to give us superiority over our fellowmen. Let us therefore seek to be meek; seek to learn to be like little children and have faith in our Heavenly Father. And let us have a better measure of Love in our hearts to truly love one another.. This is the Anchor of my own Hope. My anchor is holding me in place so that I do not drift into treacherous waters. May you also have a strong cable to an anchor like mine. Hold fast to the profession of your faith-###
