HEAVEN

A Study of the Book by Randy Alcorn

SESSION THREEINTERMEDIATE HEAVEN

ANY GIVEN MEMORIAL• “Grandma’s in heaven with Jesus now,

honey…”–We inherently seek comfort in visualizing our

loves ones peacefully existing in eternal paradise, waiting for us to join them one day.

• But, what does the Bible tell us about where our loved ones have gone, especially prior to judgment day?

TODAY’S QUESTIONS• Is the heaven now the same as the

heaven that will be?

• What will life be like in the “intermediate” heaven?

• Will there be a physical existence in intermediate heaven?

CHRISTOPLATONISM• Plato’s influences:– Physical = Evil, Spiritual = Pure– The spirit’s highest achievement is freedom

from the physical body (Platonism)

• Christian adoption = Christoplatonism– Human spirits are better off without bodies,

therefore heaven is purely spiritual, and we will be in a disembodied state.

BZZZZT!• From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible

does not agree with this absolute assertion.

• Remember Satan’s objectives?– How does the world view existence in

heaven?– How does a vague, disembodied,

unimaginable heavenly experience impact you here and now?

STEP 1: ASLEEP OR NOT?• Some believe that when a Christian dies,

he slumbers until Christ’s coming.– Paul views death “better by far” for being in

the presence of Christ (Philippians 1:23)–Moses, a “dead” man, appears with Jesus on

the mountain (Matthew 17:3)– The slain saints are shown interacting with

God in heaven prior to the completion of world events (Revelation 6:9)

STEP 2: WHERE?• For now, in the presence of God in an

intermediate heaven, “paradise.”– Not your final destination.

• Eventually, with a resurrected body on a New Earth (renewed creation) with God dwelling among us.– Later! Check back in a couple of weeks!

STEP 2: WHERE?• Can heaven change?– God, and only God, is self-existent.– Heaven is His creation, and he chooses to

dwell there. (Not a fish bowl!)– God will replace the current heaven and earth

with a new heaven and earth. (Revelation 21:1)

– Existence in current (intermediate) heaven does not equal all properties of the new (eternal) heaven.

GOD’S ULTIMATE PLAN• Ever wonder what things would have

been like if the whole Adam and Eve thing turned out differently?

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the

cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the

trees of the garden.

Genesis 3:8

Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will

come to him and make our home with him.

John 14:23

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be

with them and be their God.

Revelation 21:3

STEP 3: PHYSICAL?• So, the plan all along is for us (created

being) to enjoy a paradise (created place) where we can dwell with God, and He with us.

• Does that mean that “intermediate” heaven is also physical?

GLIMPSES AND GATEWAYS• The stuff of science and science fiction…

• Stephen was able to see “heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” (Acts 7:55-56)

• Elisha asked God that his servant would be able to briefly see God’s army (2 Kings 6:17)

PHYSICAL “ARTIFACTS”• John observed many physical things in his

revelation.• The temple was a “copy and shadow of

what is in heaven.” (Hebrews 8:5)• There is a New Jerusalem that will

descend from heaven to earth.• The Garden of Eden itself may be

physically preserved in heaven as an artifact for future use?

So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work

the ground from which he had been taken. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east

side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword

flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

Genesis 3:23-24

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the

churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is

in the paradise of God.

Revelation 2:7

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear

as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great

street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month.

And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

Revelation 22:1-2

BODY AND PSUCHE• John saw “souls” of martyrs under the

altar (Revelation 6:9)– Greek word “psuche” translates to “the total

existence of a man,” distinguishing neither body nor spirit.

• John, however, had a bodily experience in heaven (Revelation 10:9-10)– “eat, stomach, mouth, taste, took”

BODY AND PSUCHE• Paul visited heaven, unsure if he was in

body our soul (2 Corinthians 12:3)– This is significant.– He had an experience that felt physical

enough to wonder if he was actually bodily there.

– Definitely distinct from an earthly experience!

• We will one day enjoy resurrected bodies, but are there intermediate forms in heaven now?

"Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the

same way you have seen him go into heaven.“

Acts 1:11

BODIES OF EVIDENCE• We know Christ exists in His resurrected

body, awaiting His return.

• Enoch and Elijah were taken into heaven without experiencing physical death.

• Moses (who had died) appeared with Elijah–Was this a temporary form for Moses, or

merely a temporary relocation of his form?

BOTTOM LINE• Regardless of its properties, existence in

heaven is “better by far.”

• This is something to look forward to, and to be thankful our as our departed loved ones experience it.

• God’s plan for heaven has yet to full unfold!

CLOSING THOUGHTS• What has this session taught you about

the nuggets of truth waiting to be mined from the Bible?

• What in this session taught you about God’s ultimate objective and loving nature in his plan for our heavenly existence?

NEXT WEEKRICH MAN, POOR MAN, MARTYR