This is a record of our thoughts as we Read-Through-Bible-In-A-Year. Any thoughts (including quotes from kids, pictures, songs, videos, etc.) that you think relevant to the reading can be added! You can even post from your email. Just send an email to joel.shank.784873@blogger.com and your comments will be immediately posted and sent to everyone's email on this blog. You can attach pictures and imbed links in your email as well to be posted.
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Genesis 4-7
We were talking about how Enoch walked with God and T.J. Has a good question. Since God Took Enoch, is there a human in heaven since he didn't die?
Awesome question T.J.! For those of you who don't know, T.J. is my nephew. Very insightful young man to ask such a perceptive question. Yes, I am proud of my nephew. AND, he is also quite the talented athlete on his rip-stick. Just saying...
Okay, about the question, anyone can feel free to weigh in with thoughts. I just spoke with my teammate here, Pat Moore, and we have a couple of thoughts that may help you answer the question:
- Yes, there are people in heaven - Enoch was taken to heaven without dying, and even Jesus was taken to heaven after being resurrected. - But what about all people who have died who have trusted in God's forgiveness? Aren't they in heaven right now too? 2 Corinthians 5:1-8 says that when believers die ("absent from the body") we will be present with the Lord. So, anyone who has died that has trusted in Jesus is present with God in heaven right now in some sense. - 1 Corinthians 15:50-57 says that one day we all will receive new, resurrected bodies one day that will last forever - but only when Jesus returns to earth. So, after death, a believer is waiting on his/her new body until the resurrection. We will be with God, though not for sure what our body/spirit will look like in the mean time until we get our new bodies. - Does that mean people who die stay in a sort of "sleep" in God's presence until Jesus comes back? Well, it sounds a little frightening to some, and especially to children, that one could spend any amount of time without a physical body, even if in a sort of "soul sleep." That is how some strong Christians believe. Nothing wrong with it per say, but it helps when Jesus said in John 11:25 that "he who lives and believes in Me will never die." This means that in some sense, we will be alive and awake in God's presence after we die. But we will still be waiting for our new bodies until Jesus returns to earth; we aren't really sure about what our body or spirit will look like at that point in God's presence. But that's okay, I tell my kids. God is the one who was with us before we were born, and he'll take care of us in heaven. I'm not sure how it's all going to work; it's okay to leave some of that with God. He knows what's best for us. - The way I have explained death and heaven to my kids based upon these verses, is that after we die, we are with God until the day we get new bodies that will be perfect, almost superhuman, and we will never die - we will always be together. (kids especially need to hear that last part. Heaven is sometimes an abstract concept that kids will sometimes say, "I don't want to go and leave you!" Being together is tangible, so at least they can get excited about being together forever instead of being alone with God in heaven). I told Liza just the other day that "When we close our eyes in death, we immediately open them in heaven with God!" based on the verse that says we will never die, and "in the twinkling of an eye we shall be changed."
Awesome question T.J.! For those of you who don't know, T.J. is my nephew. Very insightful young man to ask such a perceptive question. Yes, I am proud of my nephew. AND, he is also quite the talented athlete on his rip-stick. Just saying...
ReplyDeleteOkay, about the question, anyone can feel free to weigh in with thoughts. I just spoke with my teammate here, Pat Moore, and we have a couple of thoughts that may help you answer the question:
- Yes, there are people in heaven - Enoch was taken to heaven without dying, and even Jesus was taken to heaven after being resurrected.
- But what about all people who have died who have trusted in God's forgiveness? Aren't they in heaven right now too? 2 Corinthians 5:1-8 says that when believers die ("absent from the body") we will be present with the Lord. So, anyone who has died that has trusted in Jesus is present with God in heaven right now in some sense.
- 1 Corinthians 15:50-57 says that one day we all will receive new, resurrected bodies one day that will last forever - but only when Jesus returns to earth. So, after death, a believer is waiting on his/her new body until the resurrection. We will be with God, though not for sure what our body/spirit will look like in the mean time until we get our new bodies.
- Does that mean people who die stay in a sort of "sleep" in God's presence until Jesus comes back? Well, it sounds a little frightening to some, and especially to children, that one could spend any amount of time without a physical body, even if in a sort of "soul sleep." That is how some strong Christians believe. Nothing wrong with it per say, but it helps when Jesus said in John 11:25 that "he who lives and believes in Me will never die." This means that in some sense, we will be alive and awake in God's presence after we die. But we will still be waiting for our new bodies until Jesus returns to earth; we aren't really sure about what our body or spirit will look like at that point in God's presence. But that's okay, I tell my kids. God is the one who was with us before we were born, and he'll take care of us in heaven. I'm not sure how it's all going to work; it's okay to leave some of that with God. He knows what's best for us.
- The way I have explained death and heaven to my kids based upon these verses, is that after we die, we are with God until the day we get new bodies that will be perfect, almost superhuman, and we will never die - we will always be together. (kids especially need to hear that last part. Heaven is sometimes an abstract concept that kids will sometimes say, "I don't want to go and leave you!" Being together is tangible, so at least they can get excited about being together forever instead of being alone with God in heaven). I told Liza just the other day that "When we close our eyes in death, we immediately open them in heaven with God!" based on the verse that says we will never die, and "in the twinkling of an eye we shall be changed."
Just some ideas!