Is Heaven a present reality?

[mia]

I believe it is. Someone else has collected these verses that I remember. If Heaven is present reality than how lucky we are to be in the position to help others? For all I know, this is IT, and Jesus lived to show us how to lead our lives. Resurrection is nice, but not necessary to help the Earth and it's inhabitants now. I'm really wondering if my understanding of the life of Jesus is off-base.



Heaven is a Present Reality

As a final proof that heaven is a present reality now, notice these words of Jesus. When speaking of the Kingdom of God in this passage, he explained both where it is and when it is. Notice he spoke of the Kingdom of God in the present tense, and not the future tense.

Luke 17:21, "...for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you."
Matthew 12:28, "...the kingdom of God is come unto you."


Even the apostle John wrote that he was "in the kingdom...of Jesus Christ" (Revelation 1:9); notice he spoke of the kingdom in the present tense, as if it was inside of him.

The reason the Kingdom of God is within us is because God dwells within us! (1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 6:19-20, 2 Corinthians 6:16, Revelation 21:3).

[FreedomFry]

1. Not if you live in Fallujah.

I don't mean to be facetious, but there's an awful lot of hell here on Earth, and finding one's own paradise is a huge challenge few of us have the luxury of pursuing. At least I live in a Blue state; it could be worse.

[mia]

3. ergo

We, being the United States and able to do so much, have chosen instead to make Hell on Earth for others. I agree with you.

[SaintAnne]

2. um

ummmm how interesting. maybe some one should tell the rollers

[Maat]

4. In my faith, heaven is a present reality...and hell can be a present

reality. We believe that they are states of mind we create for ourselves (Church of Religious Science) - has to deal with level of enlightenment.

[SaintAnne]

5. state of mind

heaven might be just a state of mind, but I don't mind that. It makes life a little easier to think about a kind of heaven, even if I know it might not be true.

[mia]

6. The rollers believe that life is after death, just like the

terrorists. Hey, but some of my best friends are rollers. What to do?
Guess those terrorists would have better weapons if they could afford them, but then they'd be just like US.

"He who has the most weapons wins" and God created the Earth and mankind is dead set on destroying it. Chalk us up as another missing link.

[SaintAnne]

7. life after death

they believe life is after death? I thought they believed life was after Jesus came back and destroyed evil completely.

[mia]

8. But don't they ascend into heaven first...

and drink the kool-ade before the know what has happened to the rest of us? Their faith tells them that we are "left behind". The chosen ones will be raptured into Heaven first.
Do you suppose that born-again Bush believes this?

Kool-aid to the rescue.

[Jack Schitt]

9. So basically, when we're dead. We're dead. That's it?

God...now death IS meaningless. :cry:

[mia]

10. No it's Heaven 2 - the sequel

[Jack Schitt]

11. There's no sequel.

:(

[Cadence]

12. Yes.

But it's a little more complicated than that. "Heaven" depends on how you define it. If it's an uninterrupted feeling or state of love yes heaven is a present reality masked in illusion. If "Heaven" is receiving something in terms of something material then it doesn't exist here or there. It's a state of being.

I had a near death experience where I left (my body) and had to come back (which I didn't want to do) because without the polarization of the ego and fear...it was really great. It changes your perspective by a thousand percent and actually I have a hard time talking to people about it because the concepts I have are really different than most people have set up their belief system around. But I can say that as far as a hell I didn't experience it, and I don't think it exists but from what I did experience I think there is a syncing up of what energy you did put out, not from a judgment place more from a place of truth. I don't know how to explain it except that denial isn't a permanent state and if you cause a lot of suffering there is an awareness phase of that which might feel like hell but it is self created and not intended as punishment.
Mostly it's about remembering who you really are as a soul without the illusion of the ego based identity being in a physical body gives you. You "get it" that we are all of the same consciousness and you become awestruck at the brilliance of the force that's behind it all.

Please don't flame me for this. I hardly ever talk about it. It was a traumatic experience that caused the near death to begin with and if you don't like what I say just dismiss it and move on. I'm trying to heal and find my voice in this area and this took a lot for me to say. Thanks.

[mia]

13. your post brought me peace

we are all of the same consciousness and you become awestruck at the brilliance of the force that's behind it all.

Thank You.

[Maat]

15. Now ... that is really trippy .. because that is how my pastor..

describes it. Really enjoyed hearing about your experience, Cadence. My church (Church of Religious Science) defines things much like what you are talking about. How nice to know. Thanks.

[Malebolgia]

14. Aww shit.

Death is the final ending. Christ.

I was hoping to play a harp on a cloud someday with some bearded dude. :( Now, I'll be sharing my coffin with worms for all of eternity. :cry:

[Taverner]

16. If you want an interesting variant on this...

Time is only a convention of ours, so in this idea of "heaven" being in present reality, think that not only that but when you die, you merely continue to "Re-exist" on the plane you currenly exist on...

Hard to think with a linear way of thinking, but if you think of time as infinite, and having no real meaning it makes sense...

[onebigbadwulf]

17. I'd say that hell is.

I think Earth may be a punishment we incurred from a previous life.