Heaven: Is it a Real Place or a Myth?

LESSON 1

You are welcome to another edition of Insights from God's Word, a Bible study programme that is committed to sharing God's Word by allowing the Bible to speak for itself.

In this edition, we continue with our series on Heaven. The topic for this study is: Heaven: Is it a Real Place or a Myth? Beloved, right from ancient times, there have been people in our world who have doubted the reality of a real place called heaven. And now, in our 21st century world of Science and Technology, belief in a real place called heaven has further dwindled. In fact, there are many in our world today who just can't fathom the idea of a real place called heaven. Many of these people think of heaven as just a myth or a matter of speculation, and never a reality.

But friends, when we open the pages of God's sacred Word, we come away with an entirely different perspective on the reality of heaven. Yes, we have not yet seen or experienced the real place called heaven, but through faith, we know this place exists simply because God's Word says so (Hebrews 11:1). From the prayer our Lord taught His disciples, we learn something about the reality of heaven. This prayer, popularly known as the Lord's Prayer, opens with these well-known lines: "9 Our Father which art in HEAVEN, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in HEAVEN" (Matthew 6:9-10; Capital Emphasis Added). Beloved, the first line of this prayer clearly teaches us that the God we serve resides in Heaven. Moreover, the line: "Thy will be done in earth, as it is in HEAVEN" clearly suggests that even as the earth is a real place so is heaven also a real place. In fact, anytime we say the Lord's Prayer, we are actually affirming our faith in the reality of heaven.

Friends, besides the Lord’s Prayer, we also learn from several other Scriptures that our God dwells in heaven. For instance, from Psalm 103:19, we read the following: "The LORD hath prepared his throne in the HEAVENS; and his kingdom ruleth over all" (Capital Emphasis Added).

From Job 22:12, we read the following from the prophet Moses: "Is not God in the height of HEAVEN? and behold the height of the stars, how high they are!" (Capital Emphasis Added).

Moreover, from 2 Chronicles 7:14, we read the following precious words that solidify our faith in the reality of heaven:

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from HEAVEN, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land" (Capital Emphasis Added).

Beloved, the various texts of Scripture we have considered so far make it very clear that heaven is actually a real place and not a myth. And that, the God we serve dwells in heaven. As we progress in this series on Heaven, we are going to uncover more of these precious faith building texts about the reality of heaven.

Exhortation: "1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also" (John 14:1-3).

"For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Philippians 3:20, NKJV).

In our next study, we will consider the topic: The Three Types of Heaven. The Bible study reference for this study is 2 Corinthians 12:1-2. Please do well to go through this study reference before the next study is released.

NOTE: Unless otherwise specified, all Scriptural References are from the King James Version of the Bible.

Stay blessed and keep shining for King Jesus.

Maranatha!

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