Heaven in the Gospel
When I thought that God is omniscient, omnipresent, and almighty, I stopped thinking about contents of religions.
A religion might tell us 100 million truths, facts, theories, and items, but God can even hint a higher level of knowledge and thinking where we can find one trillion times more truths, facts, theories, and items that what any religion in this world can teach us.
In other word, when a religion guides us to the summit of Mt. Everest, God will simply take us to the moon and further to Mars. So, I decided to just look up at the moon instead of reading tens, hundreds, or thousands of religious books.
Ability and capacity of God are infinite. It is beyond our ability and capacity.
So, from this consideration, we can get one conclusion. What does God want us to do, if He does not expect us to fully understand Him and His work?
One of the answers must be that He wants us to enter Heaven but not to fall into the hell.
And, Christ Jesus gave us interesting hints about Heaven.
Mark 1:11 And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Mark 6:41 And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all.
Mark 7:34 And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened.
Mark 8:11 And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him.
Mark 10:21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
Mark 11:25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
Mark 11:26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
Mark 11:30 The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? answer me.
Mark 11:31 And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then did ye not believe him?
Mark 12:25 For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven.
Mark 13:25 And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.
Mark 13:27 And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.
Mark 13:31 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
Mark 13:32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.
Mark 14:62 And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
Mark 16:19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.
Put simply, if we love God, we should love to go to Heaven by any means since God is in Heaven. And if we don't love God and observe teaching of God, we would not mind Heaven. Accordingly, Christ Jesus must have tried to make people love God before teach them things about Heaven.
So, I think that Christ Jesus talked about Heaven in far less times than leaders of other religions or authors of creeds of other religions, including some faction of Buddhists.
Buddhism teaches that the Buddhist paradise is a place one can ascend to if he should become completely clean leaving the world full of uncleanness, impurity, desire, and worldly passions. If one reaches Nirvana, the paradise, he or she will never be born again in this world as a man, an insect, or whatever creature that lives and dies.
*** *** *** ***
Joh 1:19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?
Joh 1:20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.
Joh 1:21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.
Joh 1:22 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?
Joh 1:23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.