Tag Archives: Heaven

Heavenly Thoughts

Posted in Religious, Spiritual by

                                                                       Heavenly Thoughts                                                        

For this discourse, let us agree/submit that there IS a life in the hereafter and let us call it Heaven (H).

When souls arrive in (H) do they leave the Earthly beliefs and their bad actions behind?

All the politics, hatreds, prejudices, thievery, abuses, religious differences, and all so many more,  Earthly human tendencies and other things that prey on our dispositions.

If so, how can this be so?

Will the Earthly person, all of a sudden, have a (H) soul that sees the light of all understanding? Or, does the final trip just erase those Earthly and human traits in the process of acceptance in (H)?

But, or, so again, how can a racist person full of prejudice, an abuser of any sorts, a thief of renown, or any person full of hatred of their fellow man, become, all of a sudden, a righteous person in (H)? How can this person mingle with those they hate in an environment of love, knowing that those around them are the people they despised and acted against on Earth?

I don’t know how this could be so, but still wonder what the ground rules are in (H) for existing there. I know someone who thinks everyone goes to (H), but I doubt if they know the rules either and how it works there.

The great mysteries of life are still there to be found eventually and it will be exciting to find out someday, but I am not in a hurry to learn them right now.

The Place 2019-002

Posted in Contemplation, Religious by

The Place      2019-002

The Place is not – where it is  at or how did it get there.  The Place is not the when we arrive or why we ended up there.  The Place IS – because it is and that is the reason for its existence.

Many will find it to be magnificent. Some will be in awe to its greatness.  ALL will find it to be the epitome of life everlasting.  The Place does not have tickets for admission but does have a cost for entry.

Once in, there are no rules, but there are expectations, duties, and responsibilities and the like. There are no formal attire requirements for everyone will be the same in entirety and very transparent, for there is or will be no form to cover, to hide from or to see.  You will meet people that you know and be known by all that see and hear you.

Stories that you wondered about before, will be told and then known in detail once and for all. Habits that were formed will be lost, replaced with new standards to live by on a regular basis.  Pains and aches that mattered before will not be factors or anything to be concerned with now.

Past anxieties will be forgotten and any before despairs will be history again, never to see the light of day. The human frailties are a thing of the past, gone forever now.

Communication will be easy, what you say will be understood by all, and what others say you will know instantly the meaning. Universal knowledge will be the norm.

Race, creed, nationality, tribes, clans are gone, but not forgotten, just enhanced for understanding by all.

Peace reigns, love rules, togetherness is the common trait.  Any past hatreds, prejudices, differences are now wiped clean, with nothing to be held against the before thoughts.

If Heaven were to have another name it would be this Place.

 

Peace,

Den Betts

betts@gmail.com     Email

thebettsden.com      Blog site

Where is Heaven 2018-80

Posted in Religious by

Where is Heaven?

I asked this before, “Where is Heaven” and one person answered – “Here and now, Heaven on Earth”, without any explanation, which was fine.! There have been many opinions as to exactly where Heaven is located, some quite bizarre, most, if not all, being incorrect.

So, where is it that eternal life accommodates the multitude of those that have traveled on the final journey to the hereafter?

Not in the clouds with harps and choruses singing in tune.  The few stories in Scripture, sometimes refer to “UP” as the direction to look for Heaven as a reference and that is OK, but this does not make a definitive answer as to where, how far up or anything else. In Mark 16:19, it states, “Jesus was taken up in Heaven and sits at the right hand of God.”

So, it is typical, and I could say correct, to look up when we pray to God. Another is Colossians 3:1 where the Apostle Paul states, “Since then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on those above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not in Earthly things.”

My question is then, “Where is UP?” It could be a figure of speech, but not a direction to explicitly go to, and does it imply, how high up is it?  I believe my friend Paul was correct when he said, “Here and Now”.

Heaven is NOT on a planet elsewhere in the Universe and a far distance from Earth, as another friend suggested.  Sort of like the 4th or 5th rock from the Sun.

I prayed to God and feel like He answered me by saying “You are here now also, the same answer as Paul’s, since I was in my living rom I looked around and saw Earthly possessions I have and nothing else.

Do I know for sure –” No!” I believe Heaven is here and now, not far away as I said.  It is NOT a “Heaven on Earth” existence, but instead a Heaven that is here on Earth, in its existence.

How so!?

The easy or most understood explanation would be to say “Heaven exists in a way similar to a Parallel Universe, that our souls inhabit together in one plane while our Earthly bodies are in another. This goes beyond theory’s that abound on this subject, and it could be the way it is.  This is an easy way of describing Heaven’s existence of where it is at, without trying to figure out some convoluted explanation.

A Parallel Universe is one, where it – “Heaven” exists on Earth, but the worldly inhabitants of Earth do not comingle with the souls there. We cannot see them (the Souls) and they cannot see us (our Earthly bodies) or react to us, yet we are together in the same p lace (Earth) at the same time.

Oh yes, “What about “UP”.  I ask, “How high is UP and then state, “It can be as high as needed or desired by God.” It will be interesting to see if there are stages or levels in Heaven. If souls do not have human form or are “wispy” in nature, then Height is not a problem for those there.

One more thought!  “Who is there in Heaven, and if God loves all of us, does all of mankind that has passed away actually reside? there? What does that mean?

All is all, means no exclusions; the good, the bad and otherwise. Why not, and give this a ponder, are there again stages or levels of souls being placed there in Heaven, dictated by God? Will see!

I believe in God!  I also, believe in a hereafter called Heaven. Where and how it is, will be found out eventually and the mysteries of life (and death) will be known.

Amen!

Peace,
Den Betts                            Email: bettsden@gmail.lcom     Blog:  thebettsden.com

Heaven- Where, What, When, Why 2018-77

Posted in Religious by

Heaven – Where, What, When, Why        2018-77

What is Heaven!?  Then I ask, where is it and what can we expect if we get there?

Questions without any definitive answers that are exact. I also ask; are we going to like it, if, and when we get there? In reality, there are too many questions about Heaven that cannot be answered.

Scripture does mention Heaven many times (80) in both the Old and New Testaments but does not give information about the four W’s as listed in the title of this post.

Eternity is a VERY long time and will we be satisfied with the time we spend there; perhaps doing the same thing, over and over again. Will we be spoiled by the diversity we had living on Earth during the short journey of living there?  Or, will Heaven be a blessed escape from the reality of what we have now on Earth?

The man-made notion, of sitting on a cloud playing a harp does not entice me, as something to look forward to, and for one thing, I cannot play a harp or any other musical instrument.

How will I communicate with the multitude of people or their spirit type minds that I will meet, or they with mine? Will WE be in a “spirit form” with our souls just like a “Being” without having a human like structure as we have now? Is there an angelic form with wings for some reason?

I do not envision sitting around singing “Kumbaya” as a norm of existence as I am not a great singer. I believe I do have some ideas of what I would like to experience, and they are not very demanding in nature. I do NOT expect to stand around doing nothing, but don’t want to sing songs forever and ever.

Another thing, is TIME in Heaven the same time frame here on Earth? The whole concept of eternity could have a different new meaning whereas a day in Heaven is like a minute on Earth or something along those lines of thought.

Will there be “classes” to study history of mankind or some other subject to keep us occupied? Will we be able to meet with God or Jesus Christ when there, at the onset, and at various other times?

Then, there is the matter of where is Heaven?  Anyone can take a guess, as to the place Heaven is located and most likely, be wrong. Heaven is where it is and where it is, is where it should be; where God has decreed. That is the way it is, and we will find out eventually.

 The mysteries of life are what they are in life, a bunch of those things that are a mystery of life; simple as that. Some things are not for us to know while existing here on Earth as children of God.

For those that believe they know all, they actually know nothing about the mysteries in life, but they can state their thoughts or suppositions regarding different subjects, but it STILL will remain an unknown mystery.

I believe I have an idea of where Heaven is, what it is like, our interactions with others and with God, how we get there, who ends up there, and all those things unknown. Will I share; MAYBE sometime!

For now, I just say, wonder and, somewhat, look forward to it, sometime, but not soon. LOL……..

Peace,
Den Betts   email:   bettsden@gmail.com              Blog:  thebettsden.com

Answers and Questions, plus Pascal 2016-15

Posted in Religious by

Answers and Questions, plus Pascal   2016-15

This may be a depressing post to some, but in reality I feel that it has an upbeat and positive thought process to it. It has a point, which should be evident at the end, hopefully…..

First question: What would you do, what would you say, what would you accomplish or, in general, WISH for,  IF you knew you had only 14 hours to live? See what I mean—depressing!

A convicted person, who is on death row, has to at least think about it if he/she has only so long to live, and they may not be able to do or say the things they would like to say or do anyhow……

But in my scenario, you DO have some time to do or say something, what or how would you spend your existing time. I realize, some exotic answers are on the minds of some.

Would you tell someone how much you love them? This would be the chance to do so or tell them again!

Would you let someone know how much you are sorry for your actions in the past? Hey, you might have been holding back for a LONG time, so now would be your chance.

Before I go on, let me say that I am NOT telling you to make a decision that would precipitate this action, this is just an exercise. You are not allowed, under a decent code of deeds to willingly do something to yourself. I think of some that are so depressed that suicide is their only recourse, but they do not think of those that are left behind and their actions are a somewhat selfish act for their own purposes, which is so very, very sad. That is the disclaimer for this posting, so understand it…..,please!

Onward!!! I probably can think of a good many things I would do or could say in the time period I would have left here on Earth. Death is a certainty for all of us at some time. We all think we will live forever, in our mind; especially this thought was true when I was much younger, and I believe this is a normal thought process.

Now to the crux of this discourse: Life on earth is usually less than 100 years.  That is such a small amount of time in the whole concept of how long Earth has been around. Modern conveniences are relatively new to us; again less than 100 years.  We will probably NOT see Mars being inhabited or a Star Trek type space ship being manned, going through space, so those things are future things beyond our reality of happening.

Next question— For those that have doubts or think they are certain and KNOW there is NOT a God,  I ask — REALLY, what IF they are wrong? Eternity of life is on the line!!!!

BUT, what is eternity? That is a very, very, very long time period. Some could say it is forever. IF those that do not believe in the hereafter or of a God that promises such a long life, then it does not matter to them. I brought this subject up before and will do so again, namely Pascal’s Wager.

A French philosopher (1623-62) Blaise Pascal came up with the thought that humans all bet with their lives, either that God exists or that he does not. Life ends abruptly or continues. If it is based on the assumption that the stakes are infinite if God exists and that there is at least a small probability that God, in fact, exists,  Pascal argued that the stakes are infinite IF God exists and that there is at least a small probability that God, in fact, does exist.  (Whew, long sentence!!!)

He argued that a rational person should live as though God exists and seek to believe in God. The neat thing is, if God does NOT actually exist, such a person will have only a finite loss (such as pleasures, luxury, etc.), whereas they stand to receive infinite gains (as represented by eternity in Heaven) and avoid infinite losses (eternity in Hell).

Pascal’s Wager was groundbreaking because it opened a new territory in the “Probability Theory”, but that is another matter for another time.

The possible answer could be in Pascal’s Wager where he used the following logic based on a God and used Christianity as a measure, but other religions also have the same thought process:

  1. God is, or God is not. Reason cannot decide between the two alternatives.
  2. A Game is being played… where heads or tails will turn up.
  3. You must wager (it is not optional).
  4. Let us weigh the gain and the loss in wagering that God is. Let us estimate these two chances. If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing.
  5. Wager, then, without hesitation that He is. (…) There is here an infinity of an infinitely happy life to gain, a chance of gain against a finite number of chances of loss, and what you stake is finite. And so our proposition is of infinite force, when there is the finite to stake in a game– where there are equal risks of gain and of loss, and the infinite to gain. Confusing? Think about it for a moment or so!
  6. But some cannot believe. They should then “at least learn the inability to believe…” and “Endeavour then to convince themselves!!!!”

That’s it!!   Choices in life; to actually believe or to at least wager if you have doubts and if all else fails convince yourself that you are taking a chance in a lifetime to live forever or not. When the time comes, the countdown time will end.

In the meantime, I pray that belief in the Triune God of the Father, The Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit will be with you in the reality of your mind. I have a another question then: “If you do believe in the Triune God, how are you living your life to get Closer to God; and with that thought, I will be posting another blog to address this last question just made……………………………………………….

Den Betts