The Joyful Anticipation of Judgment

There are two sides to court cases -- the defense and the prosecution. One side (the prosecution) represents the victim(s) of a crime, and the other (the defense) represents the alleged perpetrator of that crime. In court cases, a verdict of guilty will elicit very different responses depending on which of those sides one falls. For the defense, a guilty verdict will almost certainly result in...

Mercy Healings

“For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.”Romans 8:19-21 (NIV) Paul...

A Second Look: I Thessalonians 4 & Meeting the Lord in the Air

The Bible tells the story of the restoration of God's good world, not humanity's escape from it. This post is a part of our examination of common passages in scripture that have traditionally been interpreted as communicating the idea that the ultimate goal for humans is to leave the physical world to live in the spiritual location of heaven for all eternity. . For the Lord himself will come...

A Second Look: II Peter 3 & The Destruction of The World

The Bible tells the story of the restoration of God's good world, not humanity's escape from it. This post is a part of our examination of common passages in scripture that have traditionally been interpreted as communicating the idea that the ultimate goal for humans is to leave the physical world to live in the spiritual location of heaven for all eternity. . But the day of the Lord will...

A Second Look: Philippians 3 & Our Heavenly Citizenship

The Bible tells the story of the restoration of God's good world, not humanity's escape from it. This post is a part of our examination of common passages in scripture that have traditionally been interpreted as communicating the idea that the ultimate goal for humans is to leave the physical world to live in the spiritual location of heaven for all eternity. . But our citizenship is in...

This World Is Our Home

Photo Credit: Eberhard Grossgasteiger . Let's talk about going to heaven. Generally speaking, the prevailing belief in Christianity is that when a faithful Christian dies, their soul leaves their body and goes to be with God in heaven for the rest of eternity. Furthermore, the belief is that the faithful that are alive at Jesus' second coming will have their souls taken from their bodies and...