NowTHINK!AboutIt

Eye Witnesses To Heaven – Are They Genuine?

February 24, 2011 by EnnisP 2 Comments

There are two categories of people that refuse to believe eye witness reports of heaven.

One is the atheist-type who rejects any idea of an afterlife that includes heaven and God.

But, since atheists have very few standard beliefs and they suggest so many different afterlife possibilities it would take too long to consider their ideas.

We will save them and their concepts for another post.

The other category of individual who refuses to accept any eye witness reports of heaven is the conservative Christian. A few passages in the Bible seem to stand in the way so they approach the topic incredulously, intending to discredit the idea.

There are, of course, all kinds of so called death experience tales being pushed, many of which are strange and unusual to say the least but there are also reasons to expect temporary glimpses of heaven on the odd occasion.

Heaven is never given geographic coordinates but we know it isn’t far away. Paul said to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, so our last breath on earth is the doorway to heaven and the transition is instantaneous.

The after-life is so close we shouldn’t be surprised visions of heaven or hell overlap our last minuets in this world.

Rather than ignore the subject and leave it open for shady suggestions we should explore the topic thoroughly from a biblical perspective. A fair look at the key passages may clarify the issue. [Read more…] about Eye Witnesses To Heaven – Are They Genuine?

90 Minutes In Heaven by Don Piper

February 22, 2011 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

From Heaven To
Almost Hell

“90 Minutes in Heaven” is a true story that covers 15 years of Don Piper’s life and is best described as a tragedy with an unusual twist. We know what is happening in Don’s life now and where his journey eventually ends.

What is surprising is the beginning.

Traveling home from a church conference, Don’s car is met head-on by an eighteen-wheeler. The car was totaled and so was Don, at least for the better part of two hours.

Don was trapped in his car with all four limbs broken, those on the left side mangled. Pronounced dead by medical personnel, he remained in his car for 90 minutes (hence the name of the book) while traffic was being cleared.

[do_widget id=media_image-4]

Though glum it wasn’t all bad. Don, while dead, found himself in heaven experiencing what he confesses is difficult to put into words:

Being met by a host of friends and family who seemed to know he was coming.
Being enveloped by a light the brilliance of which was beyond earthly comprehension.
The ravages of old age, slumped postures and wrinkles, gone.
Time had no meaning.
Joy pulsating through him.
An array of colors not known on earth.
Celestial tunes that surpassed anything he had ever heard.

But, for whatever reason, after experiencing a taste of heavenly bliss, God sent Don back to earth. . .and excruciating pain. His dream was countered with a nightmare.

Confined to a bed for over a year and living with constant pain, he longed for death – his return ticket to heaven.

Initially the pain was so severe and constant, sleep only came when he passed out. [Read more…] about 90 Minutes In Heaven by Don Piper

Divorce – Is It Really A Sin?

February 19, 2011 by EnnisP 4 Comments

Can It Be More Sinful
To Stay Married
Than Get Divorced

Divorce is a touchy subject and has been for a very long time.

General discussions on the topic will often generate friction – especially in religious circles.

When it happens between people we know, conversations are hushed as if something terribly sinful has happened.

Whispered responses and righteous posturing, however, serve no biblical purpose. It only evokes a sense of condemnation in those breaking-up and that, on top of the negative feelings already caused by the experience.

Heck, even people trying to support parting couples feel tainted.

But in spite of popular ideas to the contrary, divorce is not the bad-dy some people make it out to be and should not be viewed as sin. Divorce “may” be caused by sin but should never be considered a punishable or shameful offense.

Controversial statement, I know, but if divorce was a sin God would never have written it into law.

Remember this. Marriage was designed for sinless people in a perfect world. Those conditions no longer exist. The only marriage candidates left are sinful people and the world is no longer a museum of family values and virtue. We shouldn’t be surprised when marriages wobble and we mustn’t become judgmental when they fall part.

Marriage was NOT designed to handle the pressures brought on by one bite of the forbidden fruit. Something else was needed to do that – divorce.

Divorce was legislated as a means of alleviating some of the pressures. It is the safety valve, so to speak – the humane way of dealing with the problems that arise when two human natures – both sinful – are united in one relationship. Even when one person, for sinful reasons, decides they can no longer remain in the marriage, divorce is still a solution for the other. Who would want to stay where they aren’t wanted.

No, I’m not suggesting that every failure can now be excused because we are sinners. I’m saying that divorce, which is not a sin, was created as a means of graciously managing unbearable, sometimes unsafe, marriage situations.

And contrary to what is commonly suggested, the problems that follow a divorce are not caused by the divorce. They are only reflections of the pre-divorce state of the marriage and they are compounded by culturally generated condemning attitudes, usually condescendingly expressed, by friends and family.

Whatever we do in response to divorce should be helpful. Unfortunately, our responses often add to the hurt and divorce gets the blame. [Read more…] about Divorce – Is It Really A Sin?

Maybe God Does Keep Score

February 10, 2011 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

No, I don’t believe God watches football or any other sport for that matter – even though Dallas fans suggest the Boys are His team – but maybe He does keep score. Not the score on the field but the one tallied from life outside the game.

And, no, I don’t think opposing sides in any match can be strictly represented as “The Good Guys vs The Bad Guys,” but one bad apple can smudge the image of an entire team.

We really need to broaden our thinking. Integrity does influence the outcome in any competition and football, like any other sport is complex and therefore, far more than “just a game.” It is multi-dimensional to say the least:

It’s a buisness.
A means of income and those who win take home the most.
A measure of achievement.
An exhibition of camaraderie.
A great source of entertainment.
As well as a means of modeling good character, or bad, as the case may be – on and off the field of play.

And the most recent Super Bowl, XLV-2011, illustrates the point well. Both teams, Green Bay and Pittsburgh, are hard working teams that match up well. Lots of talent, experience and heart on both sides of the ball. There wasn’t much to separate them at the start.

One team, however, had a flaw which is difficult to overcome. A high profile, stand out player, Big Ben, was charged not once but twice with sexual assault the most recent happening in March 2010. In the 2010 case, which involved a 20 year old college student, the charges were dropped but unfortunately for Ben the smear didn’t go away. [Read more…] about Maybe God Does Keep Score

Heaven Assumed In The Bible

February 4, 2011 by EnnisP 1 Comment

Whatever You Expect After Death
Requires Faith

Some people don’t accept heaven as a reality. They have never seen it, touched it or visited so they reject the idea.

But, the reality of heaven is not based on personal experience. Like the outer edge of the universe, a place no one has seen or visited, there is good reason to believe it exists. I’ve never been to either place but I have no doubt they are real.

And just like places closer to home, e.g., the north and south poles or the top of Mt. Everest, I have never been to or touched these places but I do believe the people who’ve been there and taken the pics.

Well, heaven is just like these locations. I haven’t been there yet either but others have and some have told us about it. The most recent case was four year old Colton Burpo whose story was told in Heaven Is For Real. Colton told the story and his father, Todd, did the writing.

Colton, however, wasn’t the first to talk about visiting heaven. The Bible mentions several who had similar experiences:

Jesus came down from heaven and returned to heaven and while here He referred to it often.
Paul, in one of his near death experiences visited heaven.
John, who wrote the Book of Revelation, was transported to heaven and described a number of things he saw there.
Stephen had a vision of heaven while being stoned to death.
And following the completion of the Bible many martyrs had the same experience.
Many others even at the threshold of natural death speak of heavenly visions only they can see.

Going further back in history, the Old Testament tells us:

Enoch and Elijah bypassed death and were both transported directly into the presence of God, heaven.
Jacob saw angels descending and ascending a ladder that reached down from heaven, implying that it isn’t very far off.
Isaiah and Ezekiel both recorded visions of heaven.

So the concept is well established in the Bible and even though it is referred to as the third heaven – the first one being earth’s atmosphere and the second outer space – it obviously is very near. Some have crossed over and come back and several more have seen it.

Heaven is described as having physical dimensions but its proximity isn’t calculated only in geographical terms or hard measurements. It’s much closer than you might think. [Read more…] about Heaven Assumed In The Bible