The Heaven of Jesus To you it has been given to know the secrets (mysteries) of the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 13:11 According to the Gospels, Jesus said a lot about heaven. Consistent with his method of teaching, he did not give concrete descriptions of or direct answers about heaven. Rather, he provided thought-provoking images … Continue reading The Heaven of Jesus
Category: Spirituality
Heaven
Heaven Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. Psalm 139:7-8 Unlike the relatively few biblical references about hell, references to heaven abound in the Bible. I find this to … Continue reading Heaven
Free Will and Hell
Free Will and Hell Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. Matthew 12:32 No series of reflections on hell would be complete without mentioning free will. Among the amazing … Continue reading Free Will and Hell
Hell and Suffering
Hell and Suffering My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer; and by night, but find no rest. Psalm 22:1-2 The contemporary image of Hell is of a … Continue reading Hell and Suffering
Merry Christmas!
‘Twas the morning of Christmas, when Love came to earth, By way of a tiny and humble child’s birth; His parents had traveled so far from their home, For the census decreed by Augustus, in Rome. Arriving in Bethlehem, with no place to stay, The new baby slept in a manger of hay; With cattle … Continue reading Merry Christmas!
Hell and Sin
Hell and Sin But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you get is sanctification. The end is eternal life. Romans 6:22 The concept of hell that I carried with me from childhood was one of eternal punishment and misery. Humans were sent to hell for reasons that … Continue reading Hell and Sin
The Pit and Purgatory
The Pit and Purgatory Can a blind person lead a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit? Luke 6:19 One of the most common biblical reference to contemporary images of Hell today is the Pit. When we do not count the pit references that seem to mean a regular hole in the ground … Continue reading The Pit and Purgatory
