Being heaven-bent is not
being so heavenly-minded that we are of no earthly good for that is a
misinterpretation of Col. 3:2. Heaven-bent is an inner disposition or
inclination of the mind or will that has the feet on the ground (seeking those
things above) and the head (thinking on those things above) in heaven, being grounded
in the Word, thinking of heaven, and seeking Christlikeness on earth. There is
a liking or preference for the eternal over the temporal; it’s enjoyable and
agreeable to the inner man (cf. Abraham’s sojourning, not fixed on real estate,
Heb 11:10). The tense of the verb “set” is in the present suggesting continuous
action or habitual; the command is to “keep on thinking about” on the things
above, a constant setting of the mind, seeking (Col 3:1) and thinking (Col 3:2)
on things above. The “not on things on the earth” refers to the things of the
former life regarding sinfulness (Col 3:5, 6) or anything, for that matter, out of the will of God for a believer.
Instead of a wait and see
we need to see (understand) and wait patiently (God is not on our timeline, 2
Pet 3:8, 9) by trusting in the only absolutely trustworthy spiritual data available
to man, the Word of God, the supreme and final authority on all matters of
faith and practice! We will be in
heaven one day because Jesus said we would (Jn 14:2-3) for He satisfied the
just demands of the Father for the penalty of man’s sin and bought our passage
to heaven by the offering up of His own blood on the cross to propitiate
(satisfy) God’s offended holiness and terrible wrath against us (Isa 53:11; Col
2:11, 12, 13, 14; Rom 3:25; Heb2:17; 1 Jn 2:2).
In the offering up of Jesus
to satisfy the penalty for sin, our
sin, our shame, and rebellion against God, we see how God so loved us in the
giving up of His only Son to the cruel cross for man in order that man has the
opportunity to avoid paying a personal penalty that could never be satisfied on
man’s own terms or effort. He gave us a way out, folks (Jn 3:16; Rom 5:8, 9; 1
Jn 4:10); Christ paid that debt and lived; if we pay it we die, separated
forever from God in a very unforgiving place, the lake of fire. In receiving God’s offer of salvation by faith (Eph 2:8, 9), we are forgiven
for sin and enter into a covenant relationship with God forever.
The icing on the cake is
that through the Holy Spirit; we gain access to heaven into the very presence
of God in eternity and avoid all that personal liability for our sin debt
because Jesus paid it in full, as our Substitute for our sin. The cross is the
best illustration of mercy (Eph 2:4; 1 Pet 1:3) and grace (Rom 3:24; 5:1-2; 20-21;
Eph 2:8-9; Titus 3:7) in the Bible. It reminds me of the refrain, “Jesus paid
it all, All to Him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as
snow” (Isa 1:18; Titus 3:5, Elvina Hall, 1865).
I am of the opinion we
all could use some attitude adjustment in the here and now, resulting in a
mental and spiritual makeover on how we look at life being on the verge of
leaving for heaven (Rom 12:2). What is obviously missing in many of our lives is
the excitement and anticipation of being
with our Savior and a new way of life in a sinless heaven; instead of “looking
for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus
Christ” (Titus 2:13; 2 Tim 4:8), we are lost in the humdrum of life on earth.
There is no doubt we should be the most joyful people on earth since the Bible is truthful about our heavenly destination, but the circumstances of life had robbed us of that joy. We are blinded to the reality of heaven because we are so focused on what's happening around us that we have lost sight of where we are headed. Lost in the bush we need a 1 Jn 1:9 experience to get back on the path of right thinking and priorities by realigning our seeking and thinking on the things above. It is so easy to get caught up in the jungle; the flesh loves blazing paths in that thicket where the thorns and briers choke the life out of you.
There is no doubt we should be the most joyful people on earth since the Bible is truthful about our heavenly destination, but the circumstances of life had robbed us of that joy. We are blinded to the reality of heaven because we are so focused on what's happening around us that we have lost sight of where we are headed. Lost in the bush we need a 1 Jn 1:9 experience to get back on the path of right thinking and priorities by realigning our seeking and thinking on the things above. It is so easy to get caught up in the jungle; the flesh loves blazing paths in that thicket where the thorns and briers choke the life out of you.
With the final
heaven in the future, we see the non-physical realm of heaven married to
physical elements in the eternal state (Rev 21:3). For example, we will have
eternal glorified physical bodies solid to the touch but not spirit-form like
the Holy Spirit or the Father (Jn 4:24). The precise nature of our physical
bodies is unknown. There will literally be a new heaven and a new earth (Rev
21:1), a literal dwelling place for the saints and angels in a new heavenly city (Rev 21:2), gates (Rev 21:12), a literal street of gold (Rev 21:21), a literal
river (Rev 22:1), a literal tree of life (Rev 22:2), and a literal et cetera!!
By implication, it is a
new heavenly realm without stars, moons, or planets in space (Rev 21:23). The
wonders of space will be replaced by the marvels of the Son, but the
configuration of the former starry expanse is unknown. The new earth will be
without seas that naturally separated peoples of the old earth (Rev 21:1b). There
is but one tongue (as in pre-Babel times), one people, one desire to serve and
worship the Lord God Almighty, and the Lamb (Rev 21:24). There are no memorials
or any evidence or trace of the advancements of former civilizations or of the
history of the ravages of sinful man over the past millennia on the new earth
(Isa 65:17b; cf. 1 Jn 2:17). We will be part of the new “history of God” under
a theocracy in a celestial environment for eternity.
The dwelling place of all the inhabitants in the city of
New Jerusalem will be adequate and very spacious: ~1500 cubic miles (furlong = 660′ x 12,000
furlongs) or ~1400 cubic miles (Roman furlong or stadium
= 607.67716535433′ x 12,000 furlongs) or ~1,960,000 square surface miles
of living space, suspended over the earth (Rev 21:2, 10). This is going to be
an awesome eternal environment without sin, death, pain, sickness, sadness,
worries, darkness, and anything negative or unholy in all the realm of eternity
(cf.; 2 Pet 3:13; Rev 21:25, 27). If you got time read about our new home in
the future (Rev 21:10-21). It will be free of those things that plague the earthly
cities of today: slums, polluted air and water, corruption, crime, congestion,
etc.
100 millennia (100,000
years) from now we will still be singing God’s praise! At 1000 millennia (1
million years) it will still be going on! Reaching 10,000 millennia (10 million
years) the hallelujahs are still pouring forth! At 100,000 millennia (100
million years) our voices are going stronger in praise and adoration to God Almighty
and the Lamb. Finally, by 1 million millennia (100 trillion years), we just got
warmed up for another round of anthems to Jesus, and on and on we go in the joy
of the Lord. We will do more than just stand around and sing, but it is going
to be nothing like we have ever experienced. It will be eternally fresh and
new.
Obviously, time
has no meaning in eternity, but you get the idea it’s going to be a long and
never-ending stretch, “unto the ages of the ages!” And it’s all good, but not
so good for those in the lake of fire who rejected God's outreach for salvation
and in the process lost heaven and eternal life for a life without God in
eternal death or separation! They will be forgotten after the sentencing at the
Great White Throne to be tormented day and night forever and ever (Rev
20:11-15; cf. Rev 20:10).
Are you getting excited
about this unique port of call called heaven coming our way in the future? It’s
really going to happen to us, and the best part is that Jesus is going to be
there and loved ones who are saved! Don’t allow the mundane things of this life
to get you so distracted, disappointed, discouraged, and deviated from thinking
and longing for the things above where God resides. Our lives are fixing to
change for the better eternally! That’s grounds for shouting!
We’re not done
yet; so be looking for part 3 where we will get into the whereabouts of heaven
and why you want to be primed, pumped, and prepared for we are going to be there one day, right on
schedule! We need to be seeking and thinking about things above, serving our Lord
in holiness and joy, and looking for our blessed Lord while being like Him on
earth!
Are you the most joyful
person on earth or have you lost sight of Him and heaven caught up in the bush
for something incomparably less and unworthy of your affections? If we are not
heaven-bent we are inclined on things below. And John reminds us that this
world is passing away (1 Jn 2:17). Quit investing in fodder for the fire, be
heaven-bent…. <><
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| To Part 3 |
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