Eastern Christianity The Eastern Orthodox Church teaches that three other persons were taken bodily into heaven: Enoch, Elijah (Elias) and the Theotokos (Virgin Mary).
The World English Bible translates the passage as: Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will. enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he who. does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Even though our body dies, our spirit—which is the essence of who we are—lives on. Our spirit goes to the spirit world. The spirit world is a waiting period until we receive the gift of resurrection, when our spirits will reunite with our bodies.
In fact, the Bible indicates we will know each other more fully than we do now. The Apostle Paul declared, "Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known" (1 Corinthians 13:12). It's true that our appearance will change, because God will give us new bodies, similar to Jesus' resurrection body.
"Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of Heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in Heaven" (Matthew 7:21).
You enter heaven by forgiveness and through the righteousness that Jesus gives you. You do not enter into heaven by the Christian life. It's always true that where faith is birthed, works will follow, but salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
Jesus Christ is the only way to Heaven. He came down from Heaven to show us the way. He is the Lamb of God who took away the sin of the whole world. On the Cross, our salvation is complete.
In this sequel to The Five People You Meet in Heaven, Eddie, the amusement park mechanic appears to Annie as a guide in heaven. Annie, who has just married her love Paolo, is enjoying a hot-air balloon ride with him when a horrific accident occurs. The tale transitions between Annie's current life and her past.
God will give everyone relationships that will meet those heart-felt needs completely. If you never had a parent you could trust, you'll find trustworthy parents everywhere in heaven. If you never had a child, those longings too will be fulfilled. If you never had a spouse, likewise.
Heaven will be an infinite world of new discoveries, and Jesus Christ will unfold them to you. Thomas Boston says: The divine perfections will be an unbounded field, in which the glorified shall walk eternally, seeing more and more of God; since they can never come to the end of the infinite.
No matter what a person's preference is, from the Christian perspective, cremation does not prevent one from going to Heaven.
He said, “When the soul leaves the body, it can take a long time or it can happen very quickly. No matter how, it is painful. It is painful for the one who is dying, and it is painful for those who are left behind. The separation of the soul from the body, that is the ending of life.
After someone dies, it's normal to see or hear them. Some people also reporting sensing the smell or warmth of someone close to them, or just feel a very strong sense of their presence. Sometimes these feelings can be very powerful. They may be comforting but also feel disturbing.
Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God” (I Cor. 6:9-10).
Sacred Scripture teaches that Enoch and Elijah were assumed into heaven while still alive and not experiencing physical death.
Later Christian tradition attributed the duty of greeting the souls of the faithful at the Gates of Heaven to Saint Peter.
The second person Eddie meets in heaven is his captain from World War II. They fought together in the Philippines where Eddie's troop, including the captain, was taken prisoner by four Filipino guards. Eddie, the captain, and three other soldiers were held in a bunker and forced to work in a coal mine all day.
This book can be read as a standalone but I do recommend you read The Five People You Meet In Heaven first.
In heaven, the last person Eddie meets is a little girl named Tala. She reveals that she was killed at Eddie's hands during the war—she was the small shadow Eddie saw moving in the flaming hut. Eddie falls into a deep despair, now believing that he deserved the darkness he felt all of his life.
least commandments, and teach others to do so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of. Heaven; but whoever shall do and teach them. shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.
And at the present time, the angels are greater than we are, because God made us "a little lower than the heavenly beings" (Psalm 8:5). But the Bible also says that in heaven we will be higher than the angels -- and the reason is because we will be like Christ.
Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
The Bible does not say in any part that it is only the 144,000 that will go to heaven. The revelation to John supports Matthew 8:11, which says that many will come from every corner of the earth to sit with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The number 144,000 that were sealed or chosen are not pre-chosen.
While Jesus told Nicodemus, “Amen, Amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit” (John 3:5), he did not set baptism as a hindrance to salvation but just the opposite. We so often judge things by human standards, but God is not restrained by our standards.
It is not something that exists eternally but rather part of creation. The first line of the Bible states that heaven is created along with the creation of the earth (Genesis 1). It is primarily God's dwelling place in the biblical tradition: a parallel realm where everything operates according to God's will.