“Heaven - A Nice place or what?”

A. Your Attitude

1. What do you think of when you hear the word Heaven"?

2. Do you want to be in heaven? Read Matthew 13:44-46, then answer the following.

[a] What attitude did Jesus have towards possessing the kingdom of heaven?

[b] Do these parables suggest that the Kingdom of heaven can be bought? If not, what do they mean?

[c] Are you willing to give up all you have to possess the Kingdom of heaven?

B. Old Testament Hopes

3. Some people would suggest that there is no mention of heaven in the Old Testament, & that the Israelites only longed for earth-bound promises. That however, is a very limiting generalisation, which fails to account for all the evidence. Read 2 such pieces of that extra evidence:­

{I} Isaiah 65: 17-25

{II} Daniel 12: 1-4

4. In the various covenants of the Old Testament, there are many blessings which God promises his faithful people. They include not destroying the earth with a flood again (Genesis 9:11), of a promised land, descendants & blessing to all nations (Genesis 12:1-3), prosperity (Deuteronomy 28:1-14), and a son of David on the throne forever (2 Samuel 7:16).

[a] List all the blessings he promised in Deuteronomy 28:1-14

5. Through the Old Testament, there are several earthly hopes which will culminate in disappointment & shattered hopes, until it is revealed by God, that these earthly hopes are a poor shadow of the awaited heavenly hope. These hopes include:­-

{i} A return to paradise

{ii} A promised land

{iii} An extended time of rest

{iv} An eternal Kingdom of God

 {v} A holy city

{vi} An eternal house of the lord

                  {vii} An innumerable people

[A] A Return to Paradise

[a] Read Genesis 2:8-17. After Adam & Eve had eaten from that tree, God kicked them out of paradise. Read Genesis 3:22-24. Why do you think eating from the tree of life is denied them?

[b] Read Genesis 13:10. How is the Jordan plain described?

[c] Read Exodus 3:8. How is the Jordan plain described?

[d] Read Numbers 13:23-25.27. How is the Jordan plain described?

[e] But what could happen to paradise? Read Deuteronomy 28:15.21-24.38-42.63.

[f] Read Isaiah 51:1- 3. What hope 1s described for after the return to Canaan?

[g] Read Ezekiel 36:33-36. When is this transformation to occur?

[h] Read Ezekiel 47:1-12. What does this description remind you of?

[B] A Promised Land

[a] In Genesis 12:1 and 13:1 0-17. What does God promise Abraham? Notice how the land and paradise are linked (as in Exodus 3:8). What extent of land is promised?

[b] Read Deuteronomy 1:29-40. How did Moses summarise what had happened with their first attempt to enter the promised land? Were the hopes completely dashed?

[c] Read Joshua 1:11-15. Is God giving the land, or do they have to take it, or what?

[d] Read Jeremiah 16:10-15. What short and long term promises does God make?

[e] Read Obadiah 15-21. When will they possess the land?

[g] Look at Ezekiel 47:13-48:29. What other period of Israel's history is this like?

[C] An Extended Time Of Rest

[a] In Genesis 2: 1-3, we find the culmination of creation is God's rest, especially, as we also find in chapter 2 & 3, as He rests with the companionship of Mankind.

[b] But what happens to mankind's rest after sin? Read Genesis 3:16-19.

[c] What does Deuteronomy 12:8-10 say the Israelites hoped for in the land? (see also Joshua 1:13).

[d] Is it possible for rest to be achieved on earth? Read 2 Samuel 7:1.

[e] But would the rest last? See Judges 3:11, 30; 5:31.

[f] The exile was a time of no rest, but what promises were made for after it? See Micah 4:1-5. When would this occur?

[D] An Eternal Kingdom of God

[a] How were the people of Israel described in Exodus 19:6?

[b] Because of the Israelites' rebellion in Exodus 19, God set apart a special clan among them to be priests. Yet His desire was for a kingdom of priests. This could be looking forward to the time of the kings, but who else could be meant as the king here? (see 1 Sam 12:12)

[c] Read 1 Samuel 8. How would the earthly kings corrupt the kingship they had known?

[d] Read 2 Samuel 7:11-16. What does this say about the kingdom?

[e] The Kingdom after Solomon was divided into 2. Israel (the northern part) was destroyed by Assyria in 722BC, the people never to return. Judah (the southern part) was destroyed by Babylon in 587BC. God's promise of a never ending kingdom seemed lost, yet some hope was restored after about 70 years, when Jerusalem was reinhabited by some Israelites. But the promise of a future king, of the line of David, was held high. Read Obadiah 20-21; Zechariah 9:9-10.

[E] A Holy City

[a] Read 1 Kings 11 :36. Why was Jerusalem special? Where was God's Name especially found?

[b] Read Psalm 48 & 87. Where is Mount Zion? What is described to be so special about Zion?

[c] Read 2 Kings 20:31-36. Who protects Jerusalem? From this, people thought Jerusalem would never fall (see Micah 3: 11). They argued against any prophet (such as Jeremiah 26) who dared suggest it would. Yet their hopes were dashed when it was violated in 597BC, & fell in 587BC.

[d] What views of the holy city are described by the prophets, as they looked forward to the last days, in Micah 4:1-5 (also Isaiah 2:1-5), Isaiah 66:10-13?

[e] Read Ezekiel 48:30-35. What does this remind you of?

[F] An Eternal House of the Lord

[a] Read Exodus 25:8-9. The tabernacle was to be a dwelling place or house for God on earth. Who drew up the plans for it?

[b] Read 2 Sam 7: 1-7. What is the house of the Lord here? Why is David not to build it?

[c] Solomon built the Temple, and as the Ark entered it, what happened? (1 Kings 8:10-13).

[d] How long did David want to live in the House of the Lord? (Psalm 27:4; 23:6).

[e] On the fall of Jerusalem, the House of the Lord was destroyed. What happened at the laying of the foundation stone of the new temple? (Ezra 3:10-13)

[f] How did the New house compare with the Old one? (Haggai 2:1-5)

[g] Look at Ezekiel 40-43. This temple was never built. What do you think the significance of this vision is?

[G] An Innumerable People

[a] Read Genesis 12:1-3; 14:13-17. What did God promise Abraham?

[b] Read Exodus 1:6-7. Was this the total filling of God's promise about people, or was more to come?

[c] Scan over Numbers 26. These are the numbers of Israelites left after the 40 years in the desert. How many were over the age of 60?

[d] Read 2 Samuel 24:1-17. Had the population grown? Why was it wrong to take a census of the army?

[e] But not all descendants of Abraham were faithful. Read 1 Kings 19:13-18. How many people at that time were faithful?

[gJ How does Jonah resist the blessing of God passing through the Jews to other nations? (see Jonah 1-4)

[h] Many were killed in the destruction of Israel and Judah. Jeremiah 52:28-30 says there were 3 groups taken into exile, the largest of which was 3,023. (ie the total was less than 10,000). The return to Jerusalem was a series of small groups wandering back. But what was their hope? Read Zechariah 8:11-23.

6. The Old Testament hopes of God blessing people were centred mainly on how God dealt with the descendants of Abraham. Yet each of their hopes became stuck in man's sinful responses. Paradise was lost, the land was ravaged, peace and rest were shattered by enemies or internal disquiet, the city was ravaged and abused, as was the Temple, and the people were not faithful and often fought against God's plans. The frustration with the earth-bound hopes, found joy and hope as God revealed more of the "other-worldly" hopes of the after- life, which we know as heaven.

C. New Testament Hopes

7. Most of the mentions of heaven in the New Testament are surprisingly similar to the hopes

of the Old Testament, except they are given a future hope for after death.

{i} A return to paradise

{ii} A promised land

{iii} An extended time of rest

{iv} An eternal Kingdom of God

{v} A holy city

{vi} An eternal house of the Lord

{vii} An innumerable people

The next series of questions will examine the New Testament hopes, especially how they are fulfilled in and through Jesus Christ.

[A] A Return to Paradise

[a] As Jesus spoke to the crucified man, what promise did he make? (Luke 23:43)

[b] As he was caught up into heaven, how does Paul describe heaven in 2 Corinthians 12: 1-4?

[c] The tree of life was not for humans to eat after Adam & Eve sinned. But what is the promise in Revelation 2: 7?

[d] Read Revelation 22:1-2. How does this relate to Ezekiel 47:1-12?

[B] A Promised Land

[a] Read Hebrews 11:13-16. What were the Old Testament faithful people looking forward to?

[b] What do the descriptions of Christians in 1 Peter 1:1 mean? How does this reflect Hebrews

11:13-16?

[C] An Extended Time Of Rest

[a] Read Hebrews 3:18-4:13. Have we entered an extended time of rest? Will we enter an extended time of rest? How do we enter it?

[b] As God rested in paradise with Adam and Eve, He used to walk in the garden in the cool of the night in the presence of man. How will the new rest reflect this? (see Rev 7: 15- 17; 21:3-4)

[D] An Eternal Kingdom of God

[a] The notion of the kingdom of priests is given a new twist in the New Testament. Who are the priests in this kingdom? (see 1 Peter 2:4-10).

[b] In John 18:33-40, Pilate asks Jesus if he is the king of the Jews. How did Jesus answer?

[c] How does his answer in [b] reflect the concerns of His gospel, as summarized by him in Mark 1:15?

[d] Many of the parables were concerned with the Kingdom. Choose two of the following to find out what he said:

[E] A Holy City

[a] Read Hebrews 11:8-10, 12:12 and 13:14. What was the author of Hebrews hope for city living?

[b] Revelation 21 has a long description of the New Jerusalem. How does this compare with Isaiah 66:10-13 & Ezekiel 48:30-35?

[Fl An Eternal House of the Lord

[a] In John 2:16, what House is on view?

[b] In John 14:2, what house is now on view?

[c] How do the 2 views of God's house (in [a] and [b] above) reflect the Old Testament view of His house?

[d] Is the heavenly house a heavenly temple? (see Revelation 21:22)

[G] An Innumerable People

[a] As Abraham was promised innumerable descendants, read Revelation 7 to find out how this promise will be fulfilled.

[b] Then read Revelation 14:1-5 to see who can be one of the 144,000.

[c] Jesus said that the road to heaven was narrow and few would go there (Matthew 7:13-14). How does that compare with the innumerable people?

8. How do we enter heaven? Discuss.