I would theorize the gate to heaven is wide open. The problem is finding it.
Is heaven an actual place or just a state of being?
[Edited by Admin for clarification]
greeetings
if I may
How to enter or open, or how to open to enter?
He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.
Matt 10:39
"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.
Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, there are the few who find it. the part is difficult more than a lifetime
Matt 7:13-14
The gate and difficult don’t sacrifice the Lord, they sacrifice falsely destruction, these are many
The gate and the broad, the narrow gate
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
Romans 12:1
The gate and the broad, the narrow gate, the least of these little ones
Then there is a recap
There are those who have been chosen since the foundation of the world, have been chosen. These are the few who will not go through the Great Tribulation; they’re already marked by Christ from the creation and the Father for as in the word
But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.
You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these who testify of Me.
John 5:38-39
These are those who testify Christ’s deity in heaven, then, there are those who confess the name of Christ on earth
Matthew 10: 32
For then, there will be great tribulation, such as not having been since the beginning of the world until this time, nor ever shall it be.
And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened
Matt 24:21-22
those days will be shortened.
After
This is just beginning
After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
Rev 7:9-10
After the Great Tribulation, these are those who come out wearing their white garments in the blood of the Lamb
As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither can the sand of the sea be measured: so, will I multiply the seed of David, my servant, and the Levites that minister unto me.
Moreover, the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying,
Jer 33:22-23
That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sand which is upon the seashore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies
Gen 22:17
And I said to him, “Sir, you know.” So, he said to me, "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation and wash their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Therefore, they are before the throne of God and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them.
Rev 7:14-15
The sand of the Seas and the stars and heaven are then those who will come out of the Greatest Tribulation ever, the entire earth
These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, wash their robes, and make them white in the blood of the Lamb.
For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.
For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.
But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: “A dog returns to his vomit,” and “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.”
2 Peter 2:20-22
The question was Why is salvation selected means Limited Atonement
And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answered again and said unto them, Children, how hard it is for them to trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God!
It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
Mark 10:24-25
But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.
Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.
And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all.
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Mark 10:42-45
Limited Atonement that Christ died only for sins of His elect
And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
1 John 2:2
When Christ says for the whole world, it means Christ, the Judge, and can justify all of humanity
This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance.
For to this end, we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially those who believe.
These things command and teach.
1 Tim 4:9-11
The bate into Heaven! Is tnat a real physical gate, a metaphorical gate or a spiritual gate?
We are able to go through this gate, what ever its format, once we have accepted Jesus as our saviour.
Without having done this, as John Bunyon’s Pilgrims Progress reports, there is a way into Hell even at thevery door step of heaven.
( not a biblical ref, but how many are familiar with this classic Christian story? )
I would say the gate into heaven is a spiritual gate, which is more real than a physical gate. It is the gate to peace of mind which comes about when we repent of our sin. See Matthew 4:17 and Psalm 118:20.
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I believe you will find that heaven is peace of mind (what good is heaven if we don’t have peace of mind?), and that peace of mind is achieved by repenting of our sin. Jesus said this:
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17 RSV
The psalmist said this:
This is the gate of the LORD;
the righteous shall enter through it. Psalm 18:20 RSV
Jesus said,’ In my Fathers house are many rooms’
And ’ I go to prepare a place for you. ’
Both these indicate that heaven is a real place.
People sometimes talk figuratively:
[2] if it had not been the LORD who was on our side,
when men rose up against us,
[3] then they would have swallowed us up alive,
when their anger was kindled against us; Psalm 124:2-3 RSV
Certainly we’ll go somewhere when we die, and we all call it “heaven,” but I don’t think that is the heaven that Jesus or the psalmist are talking about.
This is the gate of the LORD;
the righteous shall enter through it. Psalm 118:20 RSV
From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17 RSV
BE
I am reminded of:
Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it. And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!” (Genesis 28:16-17)
And:
"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Matthew 7:13-14)
And:
Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door {gate} of the sheep. " (John 10:7)
I think people differ in their opinions of what heaven is.
Some people speak of “heaven on earth.” If heaven is a place, then how can there be heaven on earth?
But Matthew 4:17 suggests to me that heaven on earth exists (“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”)
I hear you. I too have thought about the location of “Heaven” extensively.
I think I have come to accept and understand that there IS a real location of Heaven, but it may be more of a metaphysical location, i.e. not like any location you and I have visited (so far). More real, more permanent, more reliable, etc. I do read in The Scriptures of Heaven’s many similarities to our current physical locations, but without the decay and destruction we constantly feel. I think like this because I believe we are created to both have a location and to reside in a location forever. I believe we are created in our Creators “image”; i.e. we are created to reflect our creator, but we are not created to ever be exactly equal, or entirely the same as our Creator. Our creator has no location, but I suspect we always will. I further expect our eternal home will look and feel very much like our current earthly home, more like Eden, but unstained by the possibility of sin, unthreatened by looming death, without any burden of sorrow, and not subject to decay; where neither moth nor rust destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. (Matt. 6:20)
I do not see “Heaven”, and “The Kingdom of Heaven” to be synonymous however. To me, Heaven is the eventual residence of being fully in the presence of God, unseparated, not estranged, completely free of any vestages of the old man for ever more. There we commune with Jesus and with each other as God and Adam did in the garden; “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.” (1 Corinthians 13:12)
The “Kingdom of Heaven” to me is more of a political construct, one where Undefinable God The Father is “On the Throne”, Jesus is King, and The Holy spirit respected as LORD unifier of the The Sons of God (I’m sure vision of the eternal Kingdom is far too infantile). I believe I am as fully in the Kingdom of God as I will ever be. When I was born from above (John 3:3) I became, and I remain a full citizen of that holy eternal kingdom. I will never lose my citizenship; I will never emigrate. When Jesus said “The Kingdom of God is at hand” He was saying "I am right here, and I am about to die, and by virtue of my death and resurrection I will forever be King of all creation. The evil prince of the power of the air, along with his greatest weapon of death will be conquered once and-for-all. "
My meager thoughts, for what their worth.
KP
I might ask, “What good is heaven if we don’t have peace of mind”? I might follow that up with, “Are heaven and peace of mind the same thing?”
I might theorize that to attain peace of mind, we must repent of our sin. And that leads us to Matthew 4:17: “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Certainly there is a place we will go when we die, which most people call heaven. Technically, maybe “The Resurrection” would be a more accurate term.
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Bob
This may sound a little strange, (it usually does when I bring it up with others), but try this on:
“Nobody actually changes situation when their temporal body ceases to function; The living go on living, and the dead remain dead.”
Of course much will be different for both the living and the dead at that moment; many new experiences for both to be sure. But the one thing that does not change is life. Jesus said “I AM the… life”. All who are In Christ are “alive” now, and will remain alive forever more. To be “in Christ” is to be “In the place of the living”. I think of myself as being IN Christ; a citizen IN the Kingdom of Heaven, “seated in heavenly places” (Ephesians 2:4-6). I also see myself as an ambasador of Jesus, on temproary assignment to NW Ohio.
“Peace of mind” as you mentioned speaks of an absence of mental conflict. All conflict ceases in Jesus for those that are in Him; He is the prince of Peace, . For a little while we will have tribulation, but we can be of good cheer, (have peace of mind) because Jesus has overcome the world (John 16:33)
Peace (shalom)
KP
I would theorize conflict is the result of sin. If we repent of our sin, we remove the conflict. In other words, if I can repent of my sin, I will remove my conflict.
If you aren’t interested in heaven (twice recently I’ve posted about the gate to heaven, with little response), then what ARE you interested in?
Hi,
I have not seen your post about heaven"s gate.
Other than it being made out of pearl (think how big that clam must have been) I don’t know what you are asking about.
The gate is usually not a conversation starter.
(My other pun, "it’s not open for discussion.')
Seriously, lay it on us.
Just know that it may take some time to get back to you.
I am not on the Internet all day long.
Blessings
Here is how I started my last thread about the gate to heaven:
I believe you will find that heaven is peace of mind (what good is heaven if we don’t have peace of mind?), and that peace of mind is achieved by repenting of our sin. Jesus said this:
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17 RSV
The psalmist said this:
This is the gate of the LORD;
the righteous shall enter through it. Psalm 18:20 RSV
They are two different things. Heaven is an actual physical place created by God per Genesis and described in many other passages. The Kingdom of God is the spiritual kingdom to which every Christian belongs with God reigning now and eternally.
I would say there is a place we go when we die, which we commonly call “heaven.” However, I believe the heaven Jesus talks about is peace of mind. Another name for the place we go when we die would be “the resurrection.”
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We call it heaven because God calls it heaven.
Christians, having received the Holy Spirit, are members of the Kingdom of Heaven and therefore have peace in Christ. I feel like you are mixing, condensing, and confusing terminology when there is no need. The bible outlines these terms quite nicely.