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#31──死後上天堂──Going to Heaven When You Die

English version at the bottom of this page

第四部分:結論

第三十一章 死後上天堂

我長大後被教導說第三層天是一個星球,只有當你「接受了耶穌基督為你的主和救主」時,你才能去到的地方──對這,基督教三大教派都有他們各自的說法──這是基督教信仰內關於這個問題的巨大神學爭論中的微小例子。

新教靈恩派教會的教導是這樣的:「第一層天是這大地的大氣層、我們星球的氣候,每個人都得與大地上存在的自然氣候打交道;第二層天是你眼所看不見的世界,稱之為靈界,第二層天對人類事務的支配力大於人所能明白的;第三層天是上帝寶座之所在的世界、是那些在基督裡死去的人現住之地、是那些因信耶穌而重生的人將住之地。」413

羅馬天主教在這方面確甚模棱兩可:「我們定義,天上所有聖徒的靈魂已經、確實地看見了神聖的本質,是以直覺和面對面的方式,如此智慧,沒有任何受造物能干預這異象,但神聖的本質得呈現──被揭開,清晰而公開──是在他們迫切的目光下。此外,在這個異象中,他們享受著神聖的本質,並且憑藉這個異象和享受,他們是真正有福的,且擁有永恆的生命及安息。」414 我的意思是,當然,教皇先生,這可能都是很好的, 但請說清楚點。

東正教對上天堂有這麼的說法:「藉由神道成了肉身這必然的保證,我們對人性神化就能有所期待和盼望,因那使神成為人的,也能使人成為神⋯,讓我們成為獨一全神的形象,要在我們身上沒有任何屬世的東西,好叫我們得與神相交而成為神,從神那裡領受我們作為神而存在,顯然,祂成了無罪的人。」 415

新教浸信會教派有幾個非常具體的步驟:

  1. 了解你的狀況;
  2. 知道罪帶來的懲罰;
  3. 相信基督為你而死。
  4. 單單相信基督是你的救主。 416

我現在不是說有何人的觀點(如果有的話)是錯的還是對的,我只是說(在這裡和那裡)有時教條會變得歪曲,並偏離上帝話語的真理──那關於死後上天堂,聖經實際上是怎麼說的?

「我實實在在的告訴你們、那聽我話、又信差我來者的、就有永生、不至於定罪、是已經出死入生了。」 417

「耶穌對他說、復活在我、生命也在我.信我的人、雖然死了、也必復活.」418

「你們不要把這事看作希奇.時候要到、凡在墳墓裡的、都要聽見他的聲音、就出來.行善的復活得生、作惡的復活定罪。」419

「你們心裡不要憂愁.你們信 神、也當信我。在我父的家裡、有許多住處.若是沒有、我就早已告訴你們了.我去原是為你們預備地方去。我若去為你們預備了地方、就必再來接你們到我那裡去.我在那裡、叫你們也在那裡。」 420

「按著定命、人人都有一死、死後且有審判.像這樣、基督既然一次被獻、擔當了多人的罪、將來要向那等候他的人第二次顯現、並與罪無關、乃是為拯救他們。」 421

「我又看見一個白色的大寶座、與坐在上面的.從他面前天地都逃避、再無可見之處了。 我又看見死了的人、無論大小、都站在寶座前.案卷展開了.並且另有一卷展開、就是生命冊.死了的人都憑著這些案卷所記載的、照他們所行的受審判。於是海交出其中的死人.死亡和陰間也交出其中的死人.他們都照各人所行的受審判。 死亡和陰間也被扔在火湖裡.這火湖就是第二次的死。若有人名字沒記在生命冊上、他就被扔在火湖裡。」 422

「論到睡了的人、我們不願意弟兄們不知道、恐怕你們憂傷、像那些沒有指望的人一樣。 我們若信耶穌死而復活了、那已經在耶穌裡睡了的人、 神也必將他與耶穌一同帶來。我們現在照主的話告訴你們一件事.我們這活著還存留到主降臨的人、斷不能在那已經睡了的人之先.因為主必親自從天降臨、有呼叫的聲音、和天使長的聲音、又有 神的號吹響.那在基督裡死了的人必先復活。以後我們這活著還存留的人、必和他們一同被提到雲裡、在空中與主相遇.這樣、我們就要和主永遠同在。」 423

這很直接──耶穌是道路、真理、生命。 424

413 《三層天和你》(Three Heavens and You)羅伯茨·利亞爾東 (Roberts Liardon)

414 Benedict XII, 1336

415懺悔者馬克西姆斯,約公元650年

416gbcfm.org/heaven – 對不起,我用了大寫字母,他們就是這樣列出的。

417約翰福音5:24

418約翰福音11:25

419約翰福音5:28-29

420約翰福音14:1-3

421希伯來書9:27-28

422啟示錄20:11-15

423帖撒羅尼迦前書4:13-17

424約翰福音14:6

SUPPORT 支 持 (Pauly Hart) 

購買英文版 Buy the book online: Biblical Cosmology Paperback


Part Four : Conclusions

Chapter 31: Going to Heaven When You Die

I grew up being taught that the Third Heaven was a planet. A place where you go only if you “Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.” The three main sects of Christianity all have their spin on it. These are tiny examples from the enormous theological debates on the subject inside the Christian faith.

The Charismatic Protestant Church teaches something like this. “The first heaven is the earth’s atmosphere, the climate of our planet. Everyone deals with the natural climates that exist throughout the earth. The second heaven is the world beyond your eyesight, called the spirit world. The second heaven is more dominant over human affairs than most people realize. The third heaven is the world where the throne of God resides. It’s where those who have died in Christ now live. It’s the place where those who have been born again through faith in Jesus will live one day.”1

The Roman Catholic Religion is really quite ambiguous about it. “We define that the souls of all the saints in heaven have seen and do see the Divine Essence by direct intuition and face to face, in such wise that nothing created intervenes as an object of vision, but the Divine Essence presents itself to their immediate gaze, unveiled, clearly and openly; moreover, that in this vision they enjoy the Divine Essence, and that, in virtue of this vision and this enjoyment, they are truly blessed and possess eternal life and eternal rest”2 I mean, sure Mister Pope, that may all be well and good, but please speak plainly.

Eastern Orthodoxy has this to say about going to heaven: “A sure warrant for looking forward with hope to deification of human nature is provided by the Incarnation of God, which makes man God to the same degree as God Himself became man… Let us become the image of the one whole God, bearing nothing earthly in ourselves, so that we may consort with God and become gods, receiving from God our existence as gods. For it is clear that He Who became man without sin.”3

The Protestant Baptist Denomination has a few really specific steps.

  1. RECOGNIZE YOUR CONDITION.
  2. REALIZE THE PENALTY FOR SIN.
  3. BELIEVE CHRIST DIED FOR YOU.
  4. TRUST CHRIST ALONE AS YOUR SAVIOR.4

Now I am not saying what (if anything) is wrong or right about anyone’s viewpoint. I am only saying that (here and there) sometimes dogma becomes perverted and errs from the truth of the Word of God. What does the Bible actually say about going to heaven when you die?

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” 5

“Jesus said unto her, I AM the resurrection and the life; he that believes in me, though he is dead, yet shall he live;” 6

“Do not ye wonder in this, for the hour cometh, in which all men that be in burials, shall hear the voice of God’s Son. And they that have done good things, shall go into again-rising of life; but they that have done evil things, into again-rising of doom.” 7

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” 8

“Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” 9

“Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.”10

“Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”11

That’s pretty straight forward. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.12

Footnotes

1 Three Heavens and You, Roberts Liardon

2 Benedict XII, 1336

3 Maximus the Confessor, circa 650AD

4 gbcfm.org/heaven – Sorry for the all caps , that’s how they listed it.

5 John 5:24 KJV

6 John 11:25 JUB

7 John 5:28,29 WYC

8 John 14:1-3 CEB

9 Hebrews 9:27-28 NIV

10 Revelation 20:11-15 HNB

11 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 NIV

12 John 14:6 NIV

──Biblical Cosmology by Pauly Hart
Permission for VineMedia to use

SUPPORT – Pauly Hart

Buy the book online: Biblical Cosmology Paperback


見證

奪回(三)──陳影音 Esther

八歲開始偷竊,十六歲開始吸毒;四次牢獄,接近二十多年的偷竊習慣及毒癮…人的盡頭、神的開始…

teddy hung

丟棄萬事 得著基督──FORMER MAFIA BOSS BECAME A FOLLOWER OF JESUS CHRIST

黑社會大佬信耶穌?當神帶他去了地獄與天堂,便震撼地起了天翻地覆的改變…在人不能,在神凡事都能…

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