Today I woke up overwhelmed, anxious and fearful, this video transformed my perspective and lifted my spirits. Every day I put on the armor of God. The first piece is the helmet of the hope of salvation. This video explains that hope. With that hope we know what we are fighting for and how to best utilize the other weapons.
Imagine being able to run up to Jesus, jump into his arms, hug him tight, and thank him directly for what he did for us... Oh, what a day, glorious day, that will be!
There could be a long line, lol. I don't know how that works. I think everything will be so joyous. We'll have joyous reunions w/ loved ones. We'll have joyous reunions w/ saints of old that we know through the bible and history. I think we'll know people we never knew here though. We'll be so connected up there, that we'll just have this unlimited knowledge of the other beings, as if we knew them too. I have a sense of that.
I did an in-depth study on the topic of heaven about a year and a half ago and it completely changed my life in the BEST way possible. "Heaven will make amends for everything." I believe that quote is from one of Tim Keller's books. When you have a proper understanding of heaven, it really calms your soul and allows you to face even the greatest suffering with a sense of peace.
It's not small and silly. That's a constant torment. People that don't have it take it for granted. While it may sound small to others, it's because they don't know. I've had very short bouts of it, but I've known some that got hit w/ it hard. I knew at least one that had it bad enough that it affected his balance. He wanted to die if he had to keep living that way, but it suddenly resolved for him.
I’ve had short bouts of tinnitus. A friend told me of this technique and how it helped her. I tried it and it helped mine go away. Maybe check it out. It’s a video on TH-cam. Sorry I don’t remember the guys name. Im sure a search will bring it up. God bless
Very encouraging. Been meditating on this verse in Isaiah 65 lately as I am going through a long and difficult trial. Isaiah 65:17-18 (ESV) 17 “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. 18 But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness. Gavin’s reflection on how God will heal our hurts and turn them, somehow, to glory brought me to tears. I so desire relief from both my circumstances and my sometimes sinful responses. I long for the day when this trial will not come to mind. I long to be conformed more and more to the image of Christ and be a total gladness to the Lord.
Man did the thought of infinite progressive joy hit home! How Good is God. Thanks Dr. Ortlund for this gospel centered video, we need more of this light in our world filled of darkness.
This reminds of a hymn where it says, "Just one glimpse of His dear face, all sorrow will erase, so bravely run the race till we see Christ!" It will be worth it all when we see Jesus! Thanks for the encouraging video Gavin!
What a wonderful note to start off a new year. I do pray that all of your children become filled with faith in the Lord, and should He tarry, do great things in Him. Come soon, Lord! I look forward to meeting you all one day 🙂
Thanks so much for making this kind of video, Gavin! Maybe I'm not alone in this, but in my Christian life so far I feel I haven't put enough emphasis on eternal rewards and realities. Feeling like if I did that that I wouldn't be able to focus on "the task at hand". But lately im realizing its just the opposite!: The more I put my hope in Heaven and the resurrection, "and the grace that is to be beought at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:13), the more energy I feel I am given to serve, and I am able to serve in a lightness, a joy, and an effectiveness that I've never had before! All glory to the Holy Spirit Who has led me in this truth recently. I also realized, while reading Acts especially, that the early church was constantly talking about the resurrection and hope of glory!! So I asked myself, why am I not talking about it as much? Or thinking about it as something that is REALLY happening? Praise God that it is! Ps. I love your devotional videos the most. I showed a Godly older woman from my church one of your videos and she absolutely loved it too. Your voice is very calming, and you can tell you really believe what you are saying. Such an encouragement! Would you please consider making more devotional-like content? Thanks for everything you do to edify the body of Christ. Praying for God to annoint Truth Unites so that this generation would love God and people more than the last.
Wonderful, thanks so much Gavin. I am one of those who struggles to grasp hold of heaven even though I know my faith is assured. I'm the first of my family to believe and although I've ministered to them (Dad, Mom, Step Dad, Brother) only my Dad made a faith decision before he died. The others have walked away from God. It's hard to be happy about heaven when also dealing with having a heart for the lost. I struggle with the duality I think. Thanks for helping me step into that space of hope, even though it seems like it's unsure footing for me. So thankful for your ministry and so blessed by it. P.S. I'm a dad of 4 and its a wild adventure raising all these kids in Christ! God bless you and your wife with 5!
Very encouraging thanks. A propos of your final point, Kallistos Ware had a marvellous quip: 'In eternity, we will never have to say to God, ' You're repeating yourself.''
Feeling the tender love of the Lord as He provided through this video! Had to stay up late to wait for emergency maintenance help for plumbing issues. Was watching videos and discouraged. Saw your upload and was struck as my prayer for encouragement was answered through your desire to leave this video encouraged. And then to see the parallels between your recent move from a beloved community to a new place God called your family to and my family’s own imminent move. Thank you for your encouragement, Gavin! The Lord used this to give my heart courage and joy tonight.
I love this , thank you Gavin and praise God for the great hope of heaven. Early on we taught our children about the physical nature of heaven and the new earth and it has been the subject of so many wonderful conversations. The joy of hearing their wondering and musings on what that time will look like has been a source of great joy to me already.
I certainly do not think of heaven nearly enough. I'm so well acquainted with this cursed world. It's difficult to imagine a place where there is no possibility for darkness or boredom or suffering or fear.
I'm very mixed, because I do think of heaven quite a bit. I also struggle w/ all the suffering, so try and focus on heaven more at times. I busied my mind to comfort myself and give myself something to look forward to by watching NDE stories. That worked for a awhile, but then backfired, because how long and hard this world is was standing out too much in stark contrast.
When I Stand before the throne, Dressed in beauty not my own, When I see thee as thou art, Love thee with unsinning heart, Then oh lord, shall I fully know Not till then how much I owe Robert Murray McCheyne
Praise God!! You are so awesome, Gavin, I'm overwhelmed with gratitude to have the chance to learn from you, from your work and content. Thank you! God bless you and your family during this time
Psalm 122:8 is a favorite. “The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.“ In the margin, I have written a quote by Alec Motyer that thrills me every time I read it: “It is hard to say which is more comforting-the fact that it starts now or that it runs on, not to the end of time but to time without end.” I’ve been singing the Gloria Patri since I was five years old: “Glory be to the Father to the Son and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, it now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen” I’ve been thinking about and longing for heaven as long as I can remember and I am one day closer. Hallelujah!
My impression of heaven is very similar. In a word- fulfillment. Fulfillment of everything I lack and yearn for on earth. A perfect and whole love and feeling of belonging
In sort of… childish terms, it’s like there will always be some new game to play, some new movie to watch or a book to read. New forms of art to enjoy. A new project to help build. A new food to eat. A new instrument to play and a new song to hear. And, on top of that, all the old stuff to remember fondly and to enjoy again. All the people we’ve read about in the Bible can and will become good friends. We’ll have dinner at Moses’ house and play board games with Apostle Paul. Just awesome.
God bless you and your family and thank you for reminding us of the hope of heaven. My dad's passing was some years ago and it's still affecting me today. I often wonder what it's like for him now with the Lord.
Such a blessing Gavin. Thank you so much for this video! I am now going to try and practice "thinking about heaven until it makes you happy". Praise God for his wondrous plan!
This was lovely and soul-stirring! Christopher Holmes' chapter on the beatific vision in The Lord is Good: Seeking the God of the Psalter is similarly full of hope and expectation. Thank you so much for this!
Bless you, Gavin, and pray for you and your family. I am persuaded that God will use you in a mighty way. Love most of your videos, and the timing of this one is perfect. Recently, my wife's mother was promoted to Glory, and she has many questions about Heaven. I know she will be thrilled to watch and learn. God Bless you, Brother!
I’m so glad that Gavin is interacting with Feser’s work! I’m currently reading his book on metaphysics, and he is the philosopher that i’m most enjoying reading (man have such a great mind). I’m moved forward to see this video! Great video Gavin, God Bless you!
Thank you for this wonderful description of heaven. I do not want to sound trite but if there is tennis or golf, there there has to be winners and losers. Blessings from uk.
I am one of those people who is so scared of heaven. I often get panic attacks with a sudden re-realization that heaven really is real and that I will spend eternity there. I often try pondering these things you’ve shared to help ease my fears, but I still really struggle with the fear of all the unknown aspects of heaven. If anyone has any practical advice on how to help, I am all ears!
Randy Alcorn's book Heaven is very good. He uses a lot of biblical references and I share his convictions (with biblical support) about things like animals and our pets in heaven. We really will dwell on the New Earth. Believers will rule and reign with Christ. We will have immortal bodies which means no more sickness for us. Personally, I long to never be tempted to sin, to be able to truly love God and others without my fallen nature fighting me constantly. I'm sick of this world with its lies and deceptions. Imagine a world with perfect judgment and no more wars. Even during the millennium on God's holy mountain animals will not attack each other. Babies will play with snakes and not get hurt.
Honestly I read Randy Alcorn’s book about a decade ago and it was right after that that I started getting these panic attacks. The book made heaven feel all just that more real, which made it more scary. I don’t even know how to explain it. The people I’ve tried to explain this to just think I’m crazy 😆
I love these kinds of videos from you where talking about the wonder and beauty of the gospel or the nature of God literally causes my jaw to drop in awe. I watch your videos against Catholicism as well, because I think it’s healthy to have my faith challenged, but those videos just do not carry the same magnitude in changing my heart and intensifying my yearning for my God.
What I long for is the worship of the holy Triune God, with all the angels and saints. Lord, grant me the strength to be a living sacrifice of worship now in this life. I want to live to glorify You on this earth while I can in this .
Thank you for this video. Since virtually all people quoted in this video, including even C.S. Lewis, did not have accurate knowledge of the physical world, I wonder how this lack of understanding impacted their understanding of the “physical world” in heaven.
Thanks, Gavin. Here's one of my favorite sections on our future hope: For behold, I am creating a new heavens and a new earth; And the former things will not be remembered or come upon the heart. But be joyful and rejoice forever in what I create; For behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing and her people for joy. I will also rejoice in Jerusalem and be joyful in My people; And there will no longer be heard in her the voice of weeping and the voice of crying. No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, Or an old man who does not fulfill his days; For the youth will die at the age of one hundred, And the one who does not reach the age of one hundred will be thought accursed. They will build houses and inhabit them; They will also plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They will not build and another inhabit; They will not plant and another eat; For as the lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of My people, And My chosen ones will wear out the work of their hands. They will not labor in vain, Or bear children for terror; For they are the seed of those blessed by Yahweh, And their offspring with them. Isaiah 65:17-25 (LSB)
One thing I know is that there is complete healing in heaven. It will be full, complete and permanent. I don't know about all the details and don't care about them. Being free from all suffering is enough. That never happens on this earth. Some people get to have a fairly happy and fulfilling life, where trials aren't too overwhelming, or aren't for too long. Others have a harder route.
Dr. Ortlund, I'm excited for you & your family's new beginnings in Tennessee. It was good to see your dad (Ray) in your "What is Revival?" video. When it comes to paranormal phenomena, the domains that I operate in are extreme. They involve great conflict and spiritual warfare. Some things, in the spirit world, are worse than people can imagine. It's absolutely horrible. I (we) need you, your family, friends & associates to stay healthy. It happens that you are a very important person in current & future operations, actions & events in spiritual battle. These are not normal Demons here! They are very powerful. They are in the highest echelons of badass entities. Stay safe, keep praying.
I've had the audiobook of Randy Alcorn's Heaven book. It's been on my list of books to listen to for months. Ill have to bring it up higher on the list.
The unfathomable but true fact of delight in the joy of others builds my faith in its eternal antecedent in heaven. I was serendipitously reading Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "This Lime-tree Bower my Prison" just before watching this video, and he speaks to this phenomenon. So my friend Struck with deep joy may stand, as I have stood, Silent with swimming sense; yea, gazing round On the wide landscape, gaze till all doth seem Less gross than bodily; and of such hues As veil the Almighty Spirit, when yet he makes Spirits perceive his presence. A delight Comes sudden on my heart, and I am glad As I myself were there!
This is an awesome video, literally. Thank you, Gavin. I published a book last year on this, "Embodied Afterlife: The Hope of an Immediate Resurrection."
Thoughts on your last point. I've thought of the continual increasing joy as being caused not by heaven itself getting better, but our capacity to enjoy it getting greater forever. I've heard Piper describe the fulfilling joy of heaven being like throwing different sizes of vessels into the ocean. Every vessel is fulfilled yet some have greater capacities. This is used to describe in his view the distinction of reward in heaven. Yet imagine we take this image and imagine that the vessels begin to grow once they touch the water and expand all the more into the vast infinite ocean. Heaven will thus become more and more fulfilling and yet we will perpetually be fulfilled to the max.
Could someone please tell me how the entire idea of going to heaven is found in scripture in the first place? Everything I have ever read in scripture, from both the Old and New Testaments, doesn't seem to support "heaven" as this final destination of believers. On the contrary, the O.T. Saints went to scheol when they passed on. In the NT, we have Hades, and paradise, which appear to be two sections of the same place. Finally in Revelation, the New Jerusalem comes down out of heaven to the earth, and finally we are promised a new heaven and a new earth. I'm just puzzled as to why Christians accept "heaven" as an idea without much scriptural support. I'm asking honestly. Much grace to you!
@@pennymacias5702 Since I wrote my comment, I've been really thinking about this, and the only thing I can think of are the verses concerning entering the "Kingdom of the Heavens". Perhaps "of the heavens" is taken to mean where the kingdom will be established, rather than where the kingdom originates, where it comes from, or what its ultimate nature is. The problem is that there is just too much in the Bible that contradicts the idea of a place called "heaven" as an ultimate destination of believers. The book of Revelation is so clear about exactly what will take place in the last days. Aside from some temporary events that take place in the heavens, every major event is essentially directed from the heavens toward the earth. Now I have great respect for Gavin. He usually thinks about everything so thoroughly, that I can't imagine that he just missed something so obvious. I have also recently heard William Lane Craig go on about "what heaven will be like" and such, so there must be a good reason for doing that, I just can't find it in the Bible. My best guess is that they are using "heaven" in a non-literal way, but rather loosely in the kind of popular way that it has been used historically, and despite the fact that it is not accurate. I mean, everything Gavin says about "heaven" is generally true. It just doesn't doesn't apply to a place called "heaven," but rather to the the New Jerusalem, which one could argue is the ultimate consummation of the Church, which is the bride of Christ, and which is seen coming down from the heavens to the earth, and not going up from the earth to the heavens.
My biggest hope is having my sin nature gone. So sick of listening to my carnal mind. So sick of knowing I have a choice to sin and doing it. When Paul says "who will save me from this body of death?"......thanks to God for Yeshua. The fight against myself and other humans who constantly choose evil and hide that evil to oppress those who seek to live after the Holy Spirit.
19:57 I believe the term "iterative" (in the mathematical/computer science sense) works to a limited degree. Speaking temporally, each successive moment builds on the previous one to attain greater heights of joy (and everything else - singling out joy for brevity). "Compounded/compounding" (in the financial sense) would sort of work as well. Compounded joy would function like compounded interest such that not only is each moment greater than the moment before, but the gap between each successive moment grows larger and larger. So not only is joy ever-increasing, but the "amount" by which it is increasing is also ever-increasing.
To quote NT Wright..."Heaven is important, but it's not the end of the world." Two things you may have forgot (or didn't know) 1. The end of all things, the eschaton, takes place after Christ returns, the general resurrection and judgment and the fusion of heaven and earth (recreating or cleansing it in the process) to form the final home for everybody (elohim and humans) and everything. 2. The setting up of a new divine council (kingdom/monarchical government) made up of a hierarchy of saints proven in and through their time of testing on earth to serve and help rule and reign with Christ the King (and, dare I say, Mary, the Queen Mother) over the New Creation and a multitude of redeemed image bearers of God no man can number.. And then the real fun begins. And some of it will involve judging angels.
I love the entire video, but the progressive nature of joy particularly hit me. I remember watching the series “The Good Place” several years back. For those who haven’t seen it, it has more of a secular take on heaven/hell. It has this dualistic element of good and evil, but no conception of a Good and infinite God. Spoilers: At the end of the series, the protagonists make it into “the good place” but over time get bored with it and go back to earth by form of what seemed like reincarnation. This is really the only natural conclusion of a “secular heaven”-finite creatures can only experience finite joy in the absence of an infinite and perfectly good God. It was such a disappointment at the time (it felt incredibly nihilistic), but now I can see it as an honest depiction of heaven if you subscribe to that framework absent of God.
Thank you for this perspective. What would you say to a Christian who struggles with a fear of Eternity due to an inability to understand it and fearing being stuck in it?
Ah, you're definitely not alone. Apeirophobia (from Ancient Greek: ᾰ̓́πειρος, romanized: ápeiros, lit. 'infinite, boundless') is the phobia of infinity or eternity, causing discomfort and sometimes panic attacks.
As a Christian, when you're in a depressed &/or anxious state your mind tends to haunt & hammer you with these passages of scripture. Hebrews 6:4-6 Matthew 7:21-23 When depressed, it's like: "My sin is ever before me!". One feels as if they are eternally and irrevocably damned & even the assurance of their salvation [if they have any at all] is just a deception sent by God. I totally understand.
You're an unusually empathetic and compassionate individual, concerned about people's eternal destiny & peace of mind. Most Christians [especially kids] are just worried that heaven might be an unending church service. =D
Hi Gavin, watched this video multiple times to try to remember everything you said, it is really an amazing feeling to have such a loving and good God. Anyways, I am 16 years old and I try to understand more about the RCC and EO church. I struggle to find time as well as books important to read in order to come to a conclusion on the matter of who is right. I live in Sweden where the churches are mostly lutheran (although many of them have gone astray), and personally I go to a mostly baptist church. Do you have any advise for me in order to get everything to make sence of the traditions, and to come to a conclusion? I am a fairly convinced protestant, but I want to be open to know the teachings of other traditions aswell, because I really am after the truth of God, and what his church really is. I understand you get comments like this all the time, and if you don't feel like answering that is perfectly understandable. Anyways, thank you for everthing you are doing on this channel.
Hey Gavin! The idea that we will get different rewards in heaven based on what we do on earth stresses me out. That's a lot of pressure I feel, because it makes me think every little thing I do may have eternal consequences, and if I mess up I'll miss out on some reward. Is this right? And how does this work with the ever-increasing nature of heaven? Any insight you have would be greatly appreciated. Anyways thank for the video! I love your channel
I'd say just concern yourself w/ temporal consequences. Every thing you do has a ripple effect and can effect people for good, in ways that you don't see. So that can be great. Whatever bad we do is part of our struggle w/ the flesh, and can have bad effects on others or ourselves, but the good thing about that is these mistakes won't have eternal consequences. Life in heaven will cancel all our wrongs, and hurts and mistakes won't matter anymore in the presence of perfect love and perfect happiness. I don't worry about rewards, whatsoever and don't care about them. I just want to get to heaven. I don't care if I'm the lowest rung on the ladder, just will be so glad to be there.
I think it's important to distinguish between heaven (where saints go when they die prior to the Second Advent) and the new earth (where we will live forever, after Christ's millennial reign). We have a "spirit body" in heaven, yet this spirit body will be able to feel physical experiences such as sights, sounds, smells, etc. It won't be the resurrected body, but it will be good!
If in the resurrection we are perfect and have no health issues, why did Jesus still have his wounds in the resurrected form? He still had all those terrible scars. Does that mean we too will keep our scars, whether they are deformities like burn scars, amputations, and even emotional scars like from s.. abuse? This is not comforting to me at all
My life here has been full of heart break. Nothing but a disappointment. Loneliness and pain. If God wants me happy in Heaven, why did He give me this kind of life? That's what puzzles me. I'm a Christian but as I get older, I'm losing hope and faith. God has apparently forsaken me to a desolate old age. I wish I could believe a beautiful Heaven awaits, but if it does God won't let me in. He just doesn't like me that much. 😔
Hi sister, if you have been born again then your name is written in the Lamb's book of Life. You are seated in heavenly places with Christ. All things have become knew and the old has passed. The Lord rejoices over you with singing! He loves you dearly. I encourage you to meditate on the truths of God in his word. Pray and renew your mind in Christ. Agree with God, this is how we submit to God and when we do the devil will flee. Take every thought captive by replacing satan's lies with the truth. Do not come into agreement with satan's condemnation. Praying for you now 🙏
In simplicity, I still do not fully comprehend how we will know family as we know them now. Rev 21:4. No more pain, or crying...etc. I suppose God makes a way for us to know loved ones without the pain/heartache from the world? I do not see a clear scriptural reference to knowing family in heaven? Thanks.
Doc Gavin, could you do a vid explaining the Divine Comedy? I watched Wendigoon's video on the Divine Comedy and Dante at times sounds like a protestant. watch his video on it you might find it interesting how he interpreted the whole book.
I know this isn't exactly what you were addressing, but if heaven is irreversible and we'll never sin, did that change at some point? Or another question is could angels still sin? Because if we assume the traditional fallen angel view of Satan, what allowed him to commit the ultimate sin in heaven, and why couldn't that happen again?
Can someone prove me from the bible that the angels are singing? As for now i couldnt find a verse that specificly talks about singing of the angels. Am I right about that?
Since Jesus told Mary not to cling to him but later instructed the disciples to touch him does this mean he already was offered as the first fruits and had applied his blood between these two times? So He went did this and then ascended? Most assume he did this after his ascension.
I have a question! Do you think God as creator is an important enough aspect of his character that he would create again? Could he just keep creating new worlds for us to explore? Would creation be something he does in heaven, or was creation a one and done ordeal? I'm thinking of God as being creative and making humans creative and imaginative as well since we are imago dei.
I know this is the wrong thread, but TH-cam keeps deleting my comment, so I’m seeing if it shows here in response to the “He Gets Us” question: The message wasn’t for Christians. Their site makes it clear their messaging is both for believing and unbelieving people, without any intention of drawing people to worship Jesus as Lord. The goal is apparently to bridge the gap and make both sides like Jesus and feel understood by him to promote less animosity. “For some, [the story of Jesus] has been a religious experience, and for others, it’s simply a call to love others better. No matter what your response is to his story, we encourage you to explore it from a new perspective.” They say many things to this effect. This is a soft progressive. It’s the purpose of the movement. I’m sure my words weren’t the most pithy, but they at least communicate the correct message. I spent about five minutes on them, so I’m sure they could be refined. If the message misconstrues Jesus to 50% of the audience, it’s not worth millions of dollars to air.
I've seen no biblical evidence that angels sing. They may, but I don't believe that can be shown biblically. I have wondered if that is a form of worship reserved for mankind. Not a big issue, but an interesting thought.
Heaven is to the Christian what the Promised Land was to the Israelites following Moses. Only greater. We have to dwell in this desert but how much should we dwell upon it? Jesus leads us, His Spirit is with us, He daily sustains us. The mornings might be beautiful, the sunsets wonderful. Our family is growing, our love abounding, but this is not our home. That which was promised still lies ahead. Should we not ponder it, talk about it, teach it, share it, and invite others to join us on the way?
One of the most reassuring thoughts about heaven is the inability for me to sin.
It's going to be so amazing for us to be relieved of that burden of failing Christ.
Today I woke up overwhelmed, anxious and fearful, this video transformed my perspective and lifted my spirits.
Every day I put on the armor of God. The first piece is the helmet of the hope of salvation. This video explains that hope. With that hope we know what we are fighting for and how to best utilize the other weapons.
I'm with you, praying for us in this spiritual warfare
Imagine being able to run up to Jesus, jump into his arms, hug him tight, and thank him directly for what he did for us... Oh, what a day, glorious day, that will be!
There could be a long line, lol. I don't know how that works. I think everything will be so joyous. We'll have joyous reunions w/ loved ones. We'll have joyous reunions w/ saints of old that we know through the bible and history. I think we'll know people we never knew here though. We'll be so connected up there, that we'll just have this unlimited knowledge of the other beings, as if we knew them too. I have a sense of that.
@@saintejeannedarc9460Jesus is omnipresent. Don't think we'll have to stand in line lol.
Dang, that new video background of the study at the new house looks AWESOME! Quite distinguished 🧐📚
thanks man! It would be cool to use for videos, but there is no door on the room. With 5 young children, I suspect that will create sound issues haha!
I did an in-depth study on the topic of heaven about a year and a half ago and it completely changed my life in the BEST way possible. "Heaven will make amends for everything." I believe that quote is from one of Tim Keller's books. When you have a proper understanding of heaven, it really calms your soul and allows you to face even the greatest suffering with a sense of peace.
Do you think it is helpful to call heaven a different dimension?
Heaven is refreshingly new in every moment. No boredom, no repetition, no 'been there, done that' thinking.
One of the things I look forward to, as small and silly as it seems, is no more tinnitus. Clear hearing, the full scope God intended.
It's not small and silly. That's a constant torment. People that don't have it take it for granted. While it may sound small to others, it's because they don't know. I've had very short bouts of it, but I've known some that got hit w/ it hard. I knew at least one that had it bad enough that it affected his balance. He wanted to die if he had to keep living that way, but it suddenly resolved for him.
I'm right there with you...
I’ve had short bouts of tinnitus. A friend told me of this technique and how it helped her. I tried it and it helped mine go away. Maybe check it out. It’s a video on TH-cam. Sorry I don’t remember the guys name. Im sure a search will bring it up. God bless
Very encouraging. Been meditating on this verse in Isaiah 65 lately as I am going through a long and difficult trial.
Isaiah 65:17-18 (ESV) 17 “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. 18 But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness.
Gavin’s reflection on how God will heal our hurts and turn them, somehow, to glory brought me to tears.
I so desire relief from both my circumstances and my sometimes sinful responses. I long for the day when this trial will not come to mind. I long to be conformed more and more to the image of Christ and be a total gladness to the Lord.
Your last paragraph articulates where I am to a tea!
Man did the thought of infinite progressive joy hit home! How Good is God. Thanks Dr. Ortlund for this gospel centered video, we need more of this light in our world filled of darkness.
The description of heaven in Pilgrim’s Progress always gave me a lot of hope
This reminds of a hymn where it says, "Just one glimpse of His dear face, all sorrow will erase, so bravely run the race till we see Christ!" It will be worth it all when we see Jesus! Thanks for the encouraging video Gavin!
Thank you. I’m tearing up the whole way through your post🥺🙏🥰.. I’ll endeavour to think of heaven every single day ❤
What a wonderful note to start off a new year. I do pray that all of your children become filled with faith in the Lord, and should He tarry, do great things in Him. Come soon, Lord! I look forward to meeting you all one day 🙂
That new background looks awesome! Seems like a comfortable and nice space.
My dad loved Narnia and LOTR and we had that quote from the Last Battle at his funeral. Great hope.
Just beautiful.
I so enjoy these academic discussions. I enjoy that you don't talk down to your listeners.
Thanks so much for making this kind of video, Gavin!
Maybe I'm not alone in this, but in my Christian life so far I feel I haven't put enough emphasis on eternal rewards and realities. Feeling like if I did that that I wouldn't be able to focus on "the task at hand". But lately im realizing its just the opposite!: The more I put my hope in Heaven and the resurrection, "and the grace that is to be beought at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:13), the more energy I feel I am given to serve, and I am able to serve in a lightness, a joy, and an effectiveness that I've never had before! All glory to the Holy Spirit Who has led me in this truth recently.
I also realized, while reading Acts especially, that the early church was constantly talking about the resurrection and hope of glory!! So I asked myself, why am I not talking about it as much? Or thinking about it as something that is REALLY happening? Praise God that it is!
Ps. I love your devotional videos the most. I showed a Godly older woman from my church one of your videos and she absolutely loved it too. Your voice is very calming, and you can tell you really believe what you are saying. Such an encouragement! Would you please consider making more devotional-like content?
Thanks for everything you do to edify the body of Christ. Praying for God to annoint Truth Unites so that this generation would love God and people more than the last.
Welcome to TN! Glad to have ya ❤.
NEW TRUTH UNITES VIDEO!!!!
Wonderful, thanks so much Gavin. I am one of those who struggles to grasp hold of heaven even though I know my faith is assured. I'm the first of my family to believe and although I've ministered to them (Dad, Mom, Step Dad, Brother) only my Dad made a faith decision before he died. The others have walked away from God. It's hard to be happy about heaven when also dealing with having a heart for the lost. I struggle with the duality I think. Thanks for helping me step into that space of hope, even though it seems like it's unsure footing for me.
So thankful for your ministry and so blessed by it. P.S. I'm a dad of 4 and its a wild adventure raising all these kids in Christ! God bless you and your wife with 5!
Very encouraging thanks.
A propos of your final point, Kallistos Ware had a marvellous quip:
'In eternity, we will never have to say to God, ' You're repeating yourself.''
look forward to your 2024 teaching and hearing of your settled in
Randy Alcon’s book on heaven really helped me a lot.
Feeling the tender love of the Lord as He provided through this video! Had to stay up late to wait for emergency maintenance help for plumbing issues. Was watching videos and discouraged. Saw your upload and was struck as my prayer for encouragement was answered through your desire to leave this video encouraged. And then to see the parallels between your recent move from a beloved community to a new place God called your family to and my family’s own imminent move. Thank you for your encouragement, Gavin! The Lord used this to give my heart courage and joy tonight.
Dr. Ortlund I personally would love if you made more devotional videos like this
God bless brother, cant wait to see you in Heaven 🙏
I love the exercise of imagining heaven until you feel joy. Very helpful!
Im related to jonathan edwards yet i never heard a sermon by him. Loved the reference for heaven is a world of love! I want to check it out.
Welcome to Nashville. It's a great city!
I love this , thank you Gavin and praise God for the great hope of heaven. Early on we taught our children about the physical nature of heaven and the new earth and it has been the subject of so many wonderful conversations. The joy of hearing their wondering and musings on what that time will look like has been a source of great joy to me already.
What a great reminder of what our Father has in store for us. Thanks bro, you’re a blessing to the saints.
I certainly do not think of heaven nearly enough. I'm so well acquainted with this cursed world. It's difficult to imagine a place where there is no possibility for darkness or boredom or suffering or fear.
I'm very mixed, because I do think of heaven quite a bit. I also struggle w/ all the suffering, so try and focus on heaven more at times. I busied my mind to comfort myself and give myself something to look forward to by watching NDE stories. That worked for a awhile, but then backfired, because how long and hard this world is was standing out too much in stark contrast.
When I Stand before the throne,
Dressed in beauty not my own,
When I see thee as thou art,
Love thee with unsinning heart,
Then oh lord, shall I fully know
Not till then how much I owe
Robert Murray McCheyne
Great video Gavin. Been really struggling lately with things that are completely out of my control. This message was exactly what I needed.
Praise God!! You are so awesome, Gavin, I'm overwhelmed with gratitude to have the chance to learn from you, from your work and content. Thank you!
God bless you and your family during this time
Psalm 122:8 is a favorite. “The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.“ In the margin, I have written a quote by Alec Motyer that thrills me every time I read it: “It is hard to say which is more comforting-the fact that it starts now or that it runs on, not to the end of time but to time without end.”
I’ve been singing the Gloria Patri since I was five years old: “Glory be to the Father to the Son and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, it now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen”
I’ve been thinking about and longing for heaven as long as I can remember and I am one day closer. Hallelujah!
What a beautiful line from Motyer.
Great timing! Yesterday my kids (all under 9 yo rn) asked me to describe heaven to them ❤
My impression of heaven is very similar. In a word- fulfillment. Fulfillment of everything I lack and yearn for on earth. A perfect and whole love and feeling of belonging
I love that video on the beatific vision! That really enriches my understanding of what we are to anticipate from our union with Christ.
Thank you so much for this video Gavin, what wonderful and beautiful reminders. Will be praying for your kids!
In sort of… childish terms, it’s like there will always be some new game to play, some new movie to watch or a book to read. New forms of art to enjoy. A new project to help build. A new food to eat. A new instrument to play and a new song to hear. And, on top of that, all the old stuff to remember fondly and to enjoy again.
All the people we’ve read about in the Bible can and will become good friends. We’ll have dinner at Moses’ house and play board games with Apostle Paul.
Just awesome.
God bless you and your family and thank you for reminding us of the hope of heaven. My dad's passing was some years ago and it's still affecting me today. I often wonder what it's like for him now with the Lord.
Such a blessing Gavin. Thank you so much for this video! I am now going to try and practice "thinking about heaven until it makes you happy". Praise God for his wondrous plan!
They ask how a perfect joy could be ever growing. I ask how could it not be?
This was lovely and soul-stirring! Christopher Holmes' chapter on the beatific vision in The Lord is Good: Seeking the God of the Psalter is similarly full of hope and expectation. Thank you so much for this!
The background is incredible
love "Heaven" and you added some more to the joy
Thank you. I'm not old yet, but as time goes on and I lose more and more loved ones, I am comforted to know they have rest.
Praying for new friends for your wife and children. 🙏
Thank you for this video
Bless you, Gavin, and pray for you and your family. I am persuaded that God will use you in a mighty way.
Love most of your videos, and the timing of this one is perfect. Recently, my wife's mother was promoted to Glory, and she has many questions about Heaven. I know she will be thrilled to watch and learn.
God Bless you, Brother!
I’m so glad that Gavin is interacting with Feser’s work! I’m currently reading his book on metaphysics, and he is the philosopher that i’m most enjoying reading (man have such a great mind). I’m moved forward to see this video!
Great video Gavin, God Bless you!
This was such a good video. I have NEVER done this before.
An excellent video! Thank you!
Thank you for this wonderful description of heaven. I do not want to sound trite but if there is tennis or golf, there there has to be winners and losers. Blessings from uk.
I am one of those people who is so scared of heaven. I often get panic attacks with a sudden re-realization that heaven really is real and that I will spend eternity there. I often try pondering these things you’ve shared to help ease my fears, but I still really struggle with the fear of all the unknown aspects of heaven. If anyone has any practical advice on how to help, I am all ears!
Randy Alcorn's book Heaven is very good. He uses a lot of biblical references and I share his convictions (with biblical support) about things like animals and our pets in heaven. We really will dwell on the New Earth. Believers will rule and reign with Christ. We will have immortal bodies which means no more sickness for us. Personally, I long to never be tempted to sin, to be able to truly love God and others without my fallen nature fighting me constantly. I'm sick of this world with its lies and deceptions. Imagine a world with perfect judgment and no more wars. Even during the millennium on God's holy mountain animals will not attack each other. Babies will play with snakes and not get hurt.
Honestly I read Randy Alcorn’s book about a decade ago and it was right after that that I started getting these panic attacks. The book made heaven feel all just that more real, which made it more scary. I don’t even know how to explain it. The people I’ve tried to explain this to just think I’m crazy 😆
@@KlickSipYT I don't think you're crazy, but I do think satan might be attacking you through this. I would pray and ask Jesus for help and strength
Great video thanks
I love these kinds of videos from you where talking about the wonder and beauty of the gospel or the nature of God literally causes my jaw to drop in awe. I watch your videos against Catholicism as well, because I think it’s healthy to have my faith challenged, but those videos just do not carry the same magnitude in changing my heart and intensifying my yearning for my God.
What I long for is the worship of the holy Triune God, with all the angels and saints. Lord, grant me the strength to be a living sacrifice of worship now in this life. I want to live to glorify You on this earth while I can in this .
Thank you for this video. Since virtually all people quoted in this video, including even C.S. Lewis, did not have accurate knowledge of the physical world, I wonder how this lack of understanding impacted their understanding of the “physical world” in heaven.
Thanks, Gavin. Here's one of my favorite sections on our future hope:
For behold, I am creating a new heavens and a new earth;
And the former things will not be remembered or come upon the heart.
But be joyful and rejoice forever in what I create;
For behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing and her people for joy.
I will also rejoice in Jerusalem and be joyful in My people;
And there will no longer be heard in her the voice of weeping and the voice of crying.
No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days,
Or an old man who does not fulfill his days;
For the youth will die at the age of one hundred,
And the one who does not reach the age of one hundred will be thought accursed.
They will build houses and inhabit them;
They will also plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
They will not build and another inhabit;
They will not plant and another eat;
For as the lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of My people,
And My chosen ones will wear out the work of their hands.
They will not labor in vain,
Or bear children for terror;
For they are the seed of those blessed by Yahweh,
And their offspring with them.
Isaiah 65:17-25 (LSB)
The reason why I'm watching this video because my friend made me had a life crisis
One thing I know is that there is complete healing in heaven. It will be full, complete and permanent. I don't know about all the details and don't care about them. Being free from all suffering is enough. That never happens on this earth. Some people get to have a fairly happy and fulfilling life, where trials aren't too overwhelming, or aren't for too long. Others have a harder route.
Dr. Ortlund, I'm excited for you & your family's new beginnings in Tennessee. It was good to see your dad (Ray) in your "What is Revival?" video.
When it comes to paranormal phenomena, the domains that I operate in are extreme. They involve great conflict and spiritual warfare. Some things, in the spirit world, are worse than people can imagine. It's absolutely horrible.
I (we) need you, your family, friends & associates to stay healthy. It happens that you are a very important person in current & future operations, actions & events in spiritual battle.
These are not normal Demons here! They are very powerful. They are in the highest echelons of badass entities. Stay safe, keep praying.
I've had the audiobook of Randy Alcorn's Heaven book. It's been on my list of books to listen to for months. Ill have to bring it up higher on the list.
The unfathomable but true fact of delight in the joy of others builds my faith in its eternal antecedent in heaven. I was serendipitously reading Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "This Lime-tree Bower my Prison" just before watching this video, and he speaks to this phenomenon.
So my friend
Struck with deep joy may stand, as I have stood,
Silent with swimming sense; yea, gazing round
On the wide landscape, gaze till all doth seem
Less gross than bodily; and of such hues
As veil the Almighty Spirit, when yet he makes
Spirits perceive his presence.
A delight
Comes sudden on my heart, and I am glad
As I myself were there!
This is an awesome video, literally. Thank you, Gavin. I published a book last year on this, "Embodied Afterlife: The Hope of an Immediate Resurrection."
Aqui do Brasil assistindo seus vídeos com legenda. Vale muito a pena para mim. Obrigado🙏🙌
Thoughts on your last point. I've thought of the continual increasing joy as being caused not by heaven itself getting better, but our capacity to enjoy it getting greater forever. I've heard Piper describe the fulfilling joy of heaven being like throwing different sizes of vessels into the ocean. Every vessel is fulfilled yet some have greater capacities. This is used to describe in his view the distinction of reward in heaven. Yet imagine we take this image and imagine that the vessels begin to grow once they touch the water and expand all the more into the vast infinite ocean. Heaven will thus become more and more fulfilling and yet we will perpetually be fulfilled to the max.
Could someone please tell me how the entire idea of going to heaven is found in scripture in the first place? Everything I have ever read in scripture, from both the Old and New Testaments, doesn't seem to support "heaven" as this final destination of believers. On the contrary, the O.T. Saints went to scheol when they passed on. In the NT, we have Hades, and paradise, which appear to be two sections of the same place. Finally in Revelation, the New Jerusalem comes down out of heaven to the earth, and finally we are promised a new heaven and a new earth. I'm just puzzled as to why Christians accept "heaven" as an idea without much scriptural support. I'm asking honestly. Much grace to you!
Typically when Christians say, "Heaven" they're conflating Paradise and the Resurrection.
I have wondered the same thing
@@pennymacias5702 Since I wrote my comment, I've been really thinking about this, and the only thing I can think of are the verses concerning entering the "Kingdom of the Heavens". Perhaps "of the heavens" is taken to mean where the kingdom will be established, rather than where the kingdom originates, where it comes from, or what its ultimate nature is. The problem is that there is just too much in the Bible that contradicts the idea of a place called "heaven" as an ultimate destination of believers. The book of Revelation is so clear about exactly what will take place in the last days. Aside from some temporary events that take place in the heavens, every major event is essentially directed from the heavens toward the earth.
Now I have great respect for Gavin. He usually thinks about everything so thoroughly, that I can't imagine that he just missed something so obvious. I have also recently heard William Lane Craig go on about "what heaven will be like" and such, so there must be a good reason for doing that, I just can't find it in the Bible. My best guess is that they are using "heaven" in a non-literal way, but rather loosely in the kind of popular way that it has been used historically, and despite the fact that it is not accurate.
I mean, everything Gavin says about "heaven" is generally true. It just doesn't doesn't apply to a place called "heaven," but rather to the the New Jerusalem, which one could argue is the ultimate consummation of the Church, which is the bride of Christ, and which is seen coming down from the heavens to the earth, and not going up from the earth to the heavens.
My biggest hope is having my sin nature gone. So sick of listening to my carnal mind. So sick of knowing I have a choice to sin and doing it. When Paul says "who will save me from this body of death?"......thanks to God for Yeshua. The fight against myself and other humans who constantly choose evil and hide that evil to oppress those who seek to live after the Holy Spirit.
Amen love this video…but I’m curious, what do you believe happens when a Christian passes away before Christ returns?
"To be absent in the body is to be present w/ the Lord". We go to heaven.
19:57 I believe the term "iterative" (in the mathematical/computer science sense) works to a limited degree. Speaking temporally, each successive moment builds on the previous one to attain greater heights of joy (and everything else - singling out joy for brevity). "Compounded/compounding" (in the financial sense) would sort of work as well. Compounded joy would function like compounded interest such that not only is each moment greater than the moment before, but the gap between each successive moment grows larger and larger. So not only is joy ever-increasing, but the "amount" by which it is increasing is also ever-increasing.
This has me thinking about talking to a christian from the 3rd century about our lives.
To quote NT Wright..."Heaven is important, but it's not the end of the world." Two things you may have forgot (or didn't know) 1. The end of all things, the eschaton, takes place after Christ returns, the general resurrection and judgment and the fusion of heaven and earth (recreating or cleansing it in the process) to form the final home for everybody (elohim and humans) and everything. 2. The setting up of a new divine council (kingdom/monarchical government) made up of a hierarchy of saints proven in and through their time of testing on earth to serve and help rule and reign with Christ the King (and, dare I say, Mary, the Queen Mother) over the New Creation and a multitude of redeemed image bearers of God no man can number..
And then the real fun begins. And some of it will involve judging angels.
I love the entire video, but the progressive nature of joy particularly hit me. I remember watching the series “The Good Place” several years back. For those who haven’t seen it, it has more of a secular take on heaven/hell. It has this dualistic element of good and evil, but no conception of a Good and infinite God. Spoilers: At the end of the series, the protagonists make it into “the good place” but over time get bored with it and go back to earth by form of what seemed like reincarnation. This is really the only natural conclusion of a “secular heaven”-finite creatures can only experience finite joy in the absence of an infinite and perfectly good God. It was such a disappointment at the time (it felt incredibly nihilistic), but now I can see it as an honest depiction of heaven if you subscribe to that framework absent of God.
Thank you for this perspective. What would you say to a Christian who struggles with a fear of Eternity due to an inability to understand it and fearing being stuck in it?
Ah, you're definitely not alone.
Apeirophobia (from Ancient Greek: ᾰ̓́πειρος, romanized: ápeiros, lit. 'infinite, boundless') is the phobia of infinity or eternity, causing discomfort and sometimes panic attacks.
As a Christian, when you're in a depressed &/or anxious state your mind tends to haunt & hammer you with these passages of scripture.
Hebrews 6:4-6
Matthew 7:21-23
When depressed, it's like:
"My sin is ever before me!".
One feels as if they are eternally and irrevocably damned & even the assurance of their salvation [if they have any at all] is just a deception sent by God.
I totally understand.
You're an unusually empathetic and compassionate individual, concerned about people's eternal destiny & peace of mind.
Most Christians [especially kids] are just worried that heaven might be an unending church service. =D
Happy New Year! 🎉
Hi Gavin, watched this video multiple times to try to remember everything you said, it is really an amazing feeling to have such a loving and good God. Anyways, I am 16 years old and I try to understand more about the RCC and EO church. I struggle to find time as well as books important to read in order to come to a conclusion on the matter of who is right. I live in Sweden where the churches are mostly lutheran (although many of them have gone astray), and personally I go to a mostly baptist church. Do you have any advise for me in order to get everything to make sence of the traditions, and to come to a conclusion? I am a fairly convinced protestant, but I want to be open to know the teachings of other traditions aswell, because I really am after the truth of God, and what his church really is. I understand you get comments like this all the time, and if you don't feel like answering that is perfectly understandable. Anyways, thank you for everthing you are doing on this channel.
Max, Gavin had en ex EO priest who wrote a book titled "Disillusioned" his name is Joshua Schooping. I found the book very helpfull and well written.
Hey Gavin! The idea that we will get different rewards in heaven based on what we do on earth stresses me out. That's a lot of pressure I feel, because it makes me think every little thing I do may have eternal consequences, and if I mess up I'll miss out on some reward. Is this right? And how does this work with the ever-increasing nature of heaven? Any insight you have would be greatly appreciated. Anyways thank for the video! I love your channel
I'd say just concern yourself w/ temporal consequences. Every thing you do has a ripple effect and can effect people for good, in ways that you don't see. So that can be great. Whatever bad we do is part of our struggle w/ the flesh, and can have bad effects on others or ourselves, but the good thing about that is these mistakes won't have eternal consequences. Life in heaven will cancel all our wrongs, and hurts and mistakes won't matter anymore in the presence of perfect love and perfect happiness.
I don't worry about rewards, whatsoever and don't care about them. I just want to get to heaven. I don't care if I'm the lowest rung on the ladder, just will be so glad to be there.
I often tell my wife that heaven will be a land of no more “I think so” or “I don’t know”.
I’m really excited about heaven but I’m scared about eternity anytime I think about I feel weird.I know I’m gonna enjoy it though.
I think it's important to distinguish between heaven (where saints go when they die prior to the Second Advent) and the new earth (where we will live forever, after Christ's millennial reign). We have a "spirit body" in heaven, yet this spirit body will be able to feel physical experiences such as sights, sounds, smells, etc. It won't be the resurrected body, but it will be good!
Now that you are in Tennessee are you ever going to do any pastoral work again? I would drive from Raleigh to go to one of your church services!
If in the resurrection we are perfect and have no health issues, why did Jesus still have his wounds in the resurrected form? He still had all those terrible scars. Does that mean we too will keep our scars, whether they are deformities like burn scars, amputations, and even emotional scars like from s.. abuse? This is not comforting to me at all
My life here has been full of heart break. Nothing but a disappointment. Loneliness and pain. If God wants me happy in Heaven, why did He give me this kind of life? That's what puzzles me. I'm a Christian but as I get older, I'm losing hope and faith. God has apparently forsaken me to a desolate old age. I wish I could believe a beautiful Heaven awaits, but if it does God won't let me in. He just doesn't like me that much. 😔
I'll talk to someone that is here with me about your circumstances.
Hi sister, if you have been born again then your name is written in the Lamb's book of Life. You are seated in heavenly places with Christ. All things have become knew and the old has passed.
The Lord rejoices over you with singing! He loves you dearly.
I encourage you to meditate on the truths of God in his word. Pray and renew your mind in Christ. Agree with God, this is how we submit to God and when we do the devil will flee.
Take every thought captive by replacing satan's lies with the truth. Do not come into agreement with satan's condemnation. Praying for you now 🙏
Do we celebrate holidays in heaven? Christmas? Easter?
But in my background thinking you might go to heaven is presumption… so why are we allowed to think about it?
In simplicity, I still do not fully comprehend how we will know family as we know them now. Rev 21:4. No more pain, or crying...etc. I suppose God makes a way for us to know loved ones without the pain/heartache from the world? I do not see a clear scriptural reference to knowing family in heaven? Thanks.
💖
Can't wate!
Doc Gavin, could you do a vid explaining the Divine Comedy? I watched Wendigoon's video on the Divine Comedy and Dante at times sounds like a protestant. watch his video on it you might find it interesting how he interpreted the whole book.
I cried at the 11:30 discussion
I know this isn't exactly what you were addressing, but if heaven is irreversible and we'll never sin, did that change at some point? Or another question is could angels still sin? Because if we assume the traditional fallen angel view of Satan, what allowed him to commit the ultimate sin in heaven, and why couldn't that happen again?
Can someone prove me from the bible that the angels are singing? As for now i couldnt find a verse that specificly talks about singing of the angels. Am I right about that?
Since Jesus told Mary not to cling to him but later instructed the disciples to touch him does this mean he already was offered as the first fruits and had applied his blood between these two times? So He went did this and then ascended? Most assume he did this after his ascension.
I have a question! Do you think God as creator is an important enough aspect of his character that he would create again? Could he just keep creating new worlds for us to explore? Would creation be something he does in heaven, or was creation a one and done ordeal? I'm thinking of God as being creative and making humans creative and imaginative as well since we are imago dei.
I know this is the wrong thread, but TH-cam keeps deleting my comment, so I’m seeing if it shows here in response to the “He Gets Us” question:
The message wasn’t for Christians. Their site makes it clear their messaging is both for believing and unbelieving people, without any intention of drawing people to worship Jesus as Lord. The goal is apparently to bridge the gap and make both sides like Jesus and feel understood by him to promote less animosity.
“For some, [the story of Jesus] has been a religious experience, and for others, it’s simply a call to love others better.
No matter what your response is to his story, we encourage you to explore it from a new perspective.”
They say many things to this effect. This is a soft progressive. It’s the purpose of the movement.
I’m sure my words weren’t the most pithy, but they at least communicate the correct message. I spent about five minutes on them, so I’m sure they could be refined. If the message misconstrues Jesus to 50% of the audience, it’s not worth millions of dollars to air.
I've seen no biblical evidence that angels sing. They may, but I don't believe that can be shown biblically. I have wondered if that is a form of worship reserved for mankind. Not a big issue, but an interesting thought.
Heaven is to the Christian what the Promised Land was to the Israelites following Moses. Only greater.
We have to dwell in this desert but how much should we dwell upon it?
Jesus leads us, His Spirit is with us, He daily sustains us. The mornings might be beautiful, the sunsets wonderful. Our family is growing, our love abounding, but this is not our home. That which was promised still lies ahead.
Should we not ponder it, talk about it, teach it, share it, and invite others to join us on the way?
Do you think Bach is/will still be composing music in Heaven? How fantastic would that be? Soli Deo Gloria