THE SON OF MAN

Jesus was born (but not conceived) as any normal human being, from the womb of a woman. He was part of the family of Joseph and Mary and was raised as a son of Joseph. The Bible says, “the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him” (Luke 2:40). By the time he was twelve years old, when he was at the Passover in Jerusalem talking to the teachers in the temple, he amazed them all with his knowledge regarding the Tanakh (Old Testament). “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men” (Luke 2:52).

Jesus started his ministry in his early thirties and began preaching and teaching. His first sermon was “repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.” This was an entirely different message than any other learned rabbi had ever taught. Jesus was also unique in that he could cure people of their diverse diseases and drive out demons from possessed people. He did this out of love and care for his people. During his three-year ministry, he performed many miracles.

One miracle that was unique is recorded in John 1, where Jesus heals a man who was born blind. The Pharisees were in an uproar about this, as it indicated Jesus was more than a teacher or healer. They made a big stink about it because the miracle took place on a Sabbath. When the Pharisees questioned the man about it, he told them,

“Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes! Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him. Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing” (John 9:30-33).

Many Bible teachers only portray Jesus as a gentle, humble, meek, and mild-mannered individual. He is pictured as holding a baby lamb in one arm and a little child in the other. While it is true that he fits all the above descriptions, they do not adequately describe his true character. They forget the times he showed his righteous anger by overturning the money changers and sellers of merchandise tables in the temple or the many times he called out the religious elites for their hypocrisy. Although Jesus had a compassionate nature, he was far from weak.

“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36). Of course, Jesus showed the ultimate compassion for his fellow man when he died on the cross for their sins. Jesus exemplified all of the “fruit of the spirit” characteristics: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.

Does meekness, gentleness, humbleness, compassion, and caring for your fellow man constitute weakness? Far from it, it shows just the opposite. It shows tremendous strength of character and empathy. Just think of the great strength it took to be willing to die such a horrible death on the cross for crimes and sins that you did not commit.

Jesus was quite a man. He was our role model for what a human being should be and how we should live our lives. He exhibited a love for children and respect for women and Gentiles. However, all these traits were not what the Jews were looking for in their Messiah. Even Jesus’ miracles and healings weren’t enough to convince them. Every time he performed a miracle, they wanted to see an even greater sign from heaven to prove he was from God. The Jews were expecting a man of war, another David, to save them from their subjugation to the Romans and establish another glorious earthly kingdom by way of war. Of course, this was not God’s will at this time.

Jesus the man was not to be this great warrior king that would “make Israel great again.” He had a much more important mission to achieve, namely redeeming mankind from sin and death. Jesus could only do this by submitting to the will of his heavenly Father and laying down his life as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. Jesus’ death was proof to the Jewish elites that he was not their Messiah. However, His resurrection was much more problematic, but of course, they still found a way to not believe. They still awaited their warrior Messiah.

In 132 AD, the Jews in Judea thought Simon Bar Kokhba could be “the man of war” they were looking for, as he led a popular revolt against Rome. He was killed in 135 AD, and his troops were completely decimated. The entire Jewish population of Judea was deported and replaced with Gentiles. The province’s name was changed from Judea to Syria-Palestine.

Jesus lived his life on earth as a man of peace. He was not a man of war. Ironically, what the unbelieving world didn’t know was that Jesus had a life before his first advent (birth, life, death) in the first century AD. In a previous pre-first advent life, He was, indeed, the ultimate “man of war.” To get a better idea of what I am talking about, we need to go back to the very beginning.

GOD, THE WORD

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not … which lights every man that comes into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own, and His own received him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1-5,9-14).

In this passage of scripture, John is referring to the creation account in Genesis 1, which begins with “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth” (KJV). The Hebrew word for “God” is “Elohim,” which means Gods or gods, as in plural. This is a direct reference to God as the Trinity or Godhead, which consists of one God who has revealed Himself in three divine Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Some scholars believe verse 1 of John 1 is actually referring to pre-creation (and possibly when the angels were created) and verse 2 is referring to the creation account of Genesis 1; otherwise, the two sentences appear to be redundant.

Before Jesus was born into the world during His first advent, He was the second Person of the Trinity and was known as the Word or the Son. He acted as the voice of God that spoke every animate and inanimate object into existence. “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist” (Colossians 1:15-17).

The Word created the spirit beings known as angels sometime before the Creation account mentioned in Genesis 1. Job said they were present when God created the heavens and the earth. “When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy” (Job 38:7). Man was made in God’s image on the sixth day of creation. Mankind would succumb to the wiles of the Devil/Satan and rebel (sin) against God, as one-third of the angels had done in the distant past. However, these events didn’t catch Elohim unaware, as He is omniscient and knows the end from the beginning.

THE SON OF GOD

Elohim had His ultimate plan in place to redeem mankind from sin and death, which were the results of their rebellion against Him. His plan was foreordained before the foundation of the world (1 Peter 1:19-20). The fall of the human race required an atoning sacrifice for sin, which God Himself would procure. The Word, the second Person of Elohim, would literally become the Son of the Father and would become a man, born of a woman (Son of man), that would sacrifice his earthly life, and His innocent blood would be shed for the redemption of mankind. All that chose to accept His graceful sacrifice would be saved from the second death and hell. God provided that sacrifice in Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Son of man. In His grace, God redeemed the human race and brought glory to Himself.

Unfortunately for the rebellious angels, redemption would not be available for them. All the angels were continually in God’s presence and had knowledge of the glory of God. Therefore, they had no excuse for rebelling and turning against Him. They were not tempted by a superior being, as mankind was. Lucifer and the other angels chose to rebel against God despite the fact they knew it was the utmost evil.

“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they” (Hebrews 1:1-4).

The pre-incarnate Word used many approaches to send his messages to people in Old Testament times. “He spoke to Isaiah in visions, to Jacob in a dream, and to Abraham and Moses personally (as the Angel of the Lord). In New Testament times, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, spoke to people in person and relayed the Father’s message of salvation and the Kingdom of God to all who would listen. Not only is Jesus God’s spokesman, but He is also God Himself – the very God who spoke in Old Testament times. Jesus’ more excellent name is the Son of God. This name given to him by His Father is greater than the names and titles of the angels.” ^{1}

God has never called any angel a Son (as is begotten). The author of Hebrews 1:5 is quoting Psalm 2:7 when he says, “You are my Son, this day have I begotten you. I will be to you a Father, and You shall be to me a Son.” Jesus is God’s firstborn (unique) Son. In Jewish families, the firstborn son usually held the place of highest privilege and responsibility. Jesus was superior to any created being, such as angels. Sometimes in the Old Testament, angels were called sons of God (Genesis 6:2,4; Job1:5,6; Job 2:1; Job 38:37), as is the elect Church sometimes called in the New Testament (Matthew 5:9; Luke 20:36; Romans 8:14,19; Galatians 3:26). He goes on to say, “And let all the angels of God worship him.’ And of the angels He says, ‘Who makes His angels spirits, and His ministers a flame of fire'” (Hebrews 1:6-7).

Hebrews 1:8-9 likewise quotes Psalm 45:6-7 when the Father is declaring to the Son the following: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever: a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness, and hated iniquity, therefore God, even your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows.” Notice in the first sentence how the Father is calling the Son “God.” Then in the next sentence, the Father is saying He is the Son’s “God.” They are both God, the first and second Persons of the Godhead. Another example of this Godhead is found in Hebrews 1:13, which is quoting Psalm 110:1. The Psalm verse says, “The LORD (YHWH or Yahweh) said unto my Lord, Sit you at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”

This same quote is found in Matthew 22 when Jesus was questioning the Pharisees. Jesus asked them, saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He? They said to him, ‘The Son of David.’ Jesus said to them, ‘How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord’? saying: ‘The LORD said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool’? If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his Son?’ And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore” (Matthew 22:42-46).

THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

Jesus is given many names and/or titles throughout the Old Testament. They include the Lord, Jehovah, the Lord Jehovah, Jehovah’s Shepherd, Jehovah of Hosts, The Messenger of the Covenant, Adonai, Messiah (Anointed One), Branch, Immanuel, Holy One, King of Glory, Man of Sorrows, Sure Foundation, Chief Cornerstone, Shiloh, A Great Light, Prince of Princes, Root of Jesse, Star out of Jacob, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace, the Angel of God, the Angel of His Presence, and the Angel of the Lord. Only one time is the term “Son of God” used in the Old Testament (KJV), and that is in Daniel 3:25. This term might be interpreted as a “son of the Gods” instead. King Nebuchadnezzar is probably talking about an angel, as he is referring to the same Person in Daniel 3:28 as an angel.

There are many more names for Jesus in the New Testament as well, including Son of God, Son of man, Chief Shepherd, Good Shepherd, Alpha and Omega, Lamb of God, Chief Cornerstone, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Bread of Life, The Word, The Rock, The True Vine, Messiah, Christ, Light of the World, and of course Yeshua (Joshua) or Jesus. The “Word” is only used in the Gospel of John (John 1) and is referring to the second Person of the Godhead, the Son. John uses it as another name for the Son or the pre-incarnate Jesus.

“The word Jehovah is based on the Hebrew term for the God of the Hebrews, YHWH (or Yahweh). It is usually rendered in English Bibles as LORD. Many conservative theologians recognize that the name Jehovah, Yahweh, or LORD typically applies to the Triune God collectively. But it also, in many cases, refers to the individual Persons of the Trinity, including Jesus Christ.” The Lord Jesus Christ is the second Person of the Trinity and is God; as are the other two Persons of the Trinity: the Father and the Holy Spirit. He is sometimes referred to as the Son or the Son of God.” ^{2}

The literal translation of the Hebrew word mashiach (המשיח, messiah), is “anointed,” which refers to a ritual of consecrating someone or something by putting holy oil upon them/it. So, the word “messiah” literally means anointed or anointed one. Anytime you see the word “anoint” (Hebrew – ū·mā·šaḥ·tā) in the Old Testament, it is a form of the word messiah. Special people were anointed with olive oil to signify God’s call on that person’s life, such as a prophet, priest, or king. The Greek word for mashiach (messiah) is “christos” or “christ” in English. There are 39 instances of its occurring in the Greek Septuagint LXX.

The word Christ is used extensively in the New Testament, meaning messiah or anointed one, usually in reference to Jesus. Jesus wasn’t ever anointed with olive oil but was anointed with the Holy Spirit during his baptism. “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:16-17).

THE ANGEL OF THE LORD

In the Old Testament, it was sometimes necessary for God to manifest Himself to human beings in a visible form, either individually or collectively. This is called a theophany. The word theophany comes from the Greek words “theos” (God) and “phaneia” (to appear). God usually makes his presence known to man in the form of a man Himself, or sometimes even as an angel.

“Old Testament theophanies involving Christ are called Christophanies. So a Christophany is a particular kind of theophany that includes a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ in human form. It does not include visions (or dreams) of God or metaphors involving God, but actual temporary appearances of God in the form of a human being. In the Old Testament, Christ appeared in His pre-incarnate state. But in the New Testament, God appears not as a temporary human being but as one who is entirely permanent in the God-man, Jesus Christ.” ^{3}

Most of the Christophanies in the Old Testament are accomplished by the entity called “The Angel of the Lord.” The word Angel is translated as messenger, and Lord is translated as Jehovah or Yahweh in the Hebrew language. So the Angel of the Lord is not actually a created angel but is the Messenger of God. As Christ is the second Person of the Triune God in the New Testament, the Angel of the Lord is the second Person of the Trinity in the Old Testament. The Angel of the Lord is the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ, “whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2). They are One and the same. They both had the same mission to accomplish for God the Father. The Father sent them to the earth at different times to deal with mankind and to accomplish His eternal will and plan of salvation for all humankind.

“The combined testimony of these theophany passages (regarding the 2nd Person of the Trinity) portrays the Son of God as exceedingly active in the Old Testament, dealing with sin, providing for those in need, guiding in the path of the will of God, protecting His people from their enemies and, in general, executing the providence of God. The revelation of the person of the Son of God thus afforded is in complete harmony with the New Testament revelation. The testimony of Scripture has been so complete on this point that, in general, scholars who accept the inspiration and infallibility of Scripture are agreed that the Angel of Jehovah is the Christ of the Old Testament. Not only Christian theologians but Jewish scholars as well have come to the conclusion that the Angel of Jehovah is more than an angel.” ^{4}

For more information on the biblical Angel of the Lord, I have written six articles on this subject. Here is the first one: The Angel of the Lord: Part 1 :: By Randy Nettles – Rapture Ready

Micah prophesied that the promised Messiah would come out of Bethlehem Ephratah, which is, of course, where Jesus was born. He also said his goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. “But you, Bethlehem Ephratah, though you be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2). Jesus is this ruler/king who came forth in the fullness of time and is the Messiah/Christ. His work and travels have been going on from beyond His earthly ministry and the time of his human birth into the ancient past when He interceded into the affairs of man on behalf of the Father God. When Jesus made a physical appearance, it was as the Angel of the Lord. Sometimes he resembled a man and sometimes an angel.

The Angel of the Lord, in the form of a man, walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. As a “man,” He warned Abraham about His plans for Sodom and Gomorrah. As an angel, He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. “Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven” (Genesis 19:24).

This is an interesting verse, as it appears the Angel of the Lord was funneling brimstone and fire from the Father God in heaven. As a man, He wrestled with Jacob before he blessed him and changed his name to Israel. “And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved” (Genesis 32:30). Jesus was the angel in the burning bush that was not consumed, that called out to Moses at Mount Horeb and told him, “I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God” (Exodus 3:6).

A MAN OF WAR

The Angel of the Lord overthrew the Egyptians during the Red Sea crossing and drowned them. Afterward, the children of Israel sang the song of Moses. In this song, the Lord is described as “a man of war.” Here is part of this song to the Lord: “The Lord is a man of war: the Lord is his name … In the greatness of Your excellence, You have overthrown those who rose against You; You sent forth Your wrath; It consumed them like stubble. And with the blast of Your nostrils, the waters were gathered together; the floods stood upright like a heap; the depths congealed in the heart of the sea … You blew with Your wind, the sea covered them; they sank like lead in the mighty waters” (Exodus 15:3, 7-8, 10).

During the Exodus, He was the angel that accompanied the children of Israel during their forty years of wandering in the desert. “And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people (Exodus 13:21-22). And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them” (Exodus 14:19).

It was the second Person (the Son or Word) of Elohim, in His Shekinah glory, who came down Mt. Sinai in fire, smoke, thunder, lightning, and clouds. Nobody, including Moses, saw Him clearly as he was obscured from their sight. However, it was a Christophany of the Son/Word, the being known as the Angel of the Lord in angelic form, who met with Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy elders upon the mountain. “And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness. And upon the nobles of the children of Israel, he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink” (Exodus 24:10-11).

Moses spoke to the Angel of the Lord, face to face, as a man speaks to his friend, according to Exodus 33:11. In verse 18, Moses asks the Angel of the Lord to show him His glory. Moses wanted to see God’s (the second Person of the Trinity) true Shekinah’s glorious form. The Lord told Moses, “And he said, You cannot see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and you shall stand upon a rock: And it shall come to pass, while my glory passes by, that I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: And I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen” (Exodus 33:20-23). Moses’ face shown for some time after that encounter with the Lord.

No one can see the face of God (be it Father or Son) in His Shekinah glory and live. The only way you can see His face is through a vision, theophany, or in some environment where His features are obscured. However, when we are raptured and receive our new spiritual bodies that are made for eternity, we will be able to gaze upon the face of God forevermore. I suppose our faces will shine even brighter than Moses’ did!

VISIONS OF GOD

Both Daniel and John had a vision of God. Daniel saw the Ancient of Days, the Father. Here is his description: “I watched till thrones were put in place, and the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, and its wheels a burning fire; A fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, and the books were opened” (Daniel 7:9-10).

John’s vision was of God, the Son: “One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength” (Revelation 1:12-16).

The descriptions of the Father and Son sound similar, don’t they? In the New Testament, Jesus said, “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30). “Jesus said to him [Philip], ‘Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father?'” (John 14:9).

More to come in part II.

Randy Nettles

rgeanie55@gmail.com

Endnotes:

{1} Life Application Study Bible – KJV – pg.2446

{2} Finding Jesus in the Old Testament by David Limbaugh, Regenery Publishing, pg.148

{3} ibid – pgs. 150-151

{4} Jesus Christ Our Lord by John F. Walvoord, Moody Publishers, pg. 53

 

 

INTRODUCTION

Talk to Christians about heaven and what that will be like, and you have so many variant answers. That is normal, for none of us knows any details, and a lot of what we think is more in line with our own assumptions.

What will you do there?
Will we meet our friends and family?
Will we eat and drink?
Do we have jobs or work to do “to keep us busy”?
Will we live in special rooms (that old mansion/room debate of John 14:1)?
Can we talk individually to Jesus?
AND dozens and dozens of other questions we wonder about.

Now I do not intend to speak on any of those except the second one. One thing I will make clear absolutely is that I totally reject all these accounts and stories about people being taken to heaven to look around. I even heard of one where the claim was made that Jesus took him around and showed him all these wonders and the people he met. No one has ascended into heaven except the Son of Man who has come down from heaven. A lot of these stories come from the Pentecostal/Charismatic side of the fence, and if any of the readers on RR belong to that organization of people, I do not wish to insult you.

Some of the accounts in this area of “going to heaven to visit” center around near-death experiences with people recovering from a coma or being declared dead and then being revived. All I will say about that is that the brain is an incredibly complex organ, and we all know how we daydream, even getting carried away in our thoughts; some can have the most graphic and fanciful dreams (more so when seriously ill). It is not my area of expertise in any shape or form, but I am prepared to say none of these experiences of people leaving the body and having a conducted tour in heaven can be classed as people going to heaven and returning.

The accounts I have heard of people relating journeys who detailed their time in heaven when taken there miraculously and returned, and the things they say, are nonsense, e.g., Jesus taking them around on a tour of heaven or being given a message to bring back with them. All these people are either grossly deluded or are liars.

I was alerted to what Terry James wrote of his own experience, a near-death experience. No one has the right to dismiss the honest experience of a Christian brother. However, I want to make it clear that these experiences that are mingled with medical procedures and operations (near-death experiences) are NOT what I am talking about when I write of those who claim they have been taken to heaven to talk with people and who go on guided tours. That is false.

NOW THE QUESTION

Getting back to that second question in the list – Will we meet our friends and family in heaven? Many things I will say cannot be proven, so we look partly at speculation.

I suppose all of us have a great desire to reunite with family, relatives, and people who meant so much to us. Take the case of a mother who lost a very young child, or a man who lost his wife in childbirth a year after marriage, or a spouse tragically lost in a motor accident. These are heart-rending examples, but they are part of the trauma we can have in this world. Is there not a burning desire to reunite in heaven? Would God ever deny that?

That brings us to another aspect. Will we know people in glory? For example, that mother who lost a very small child: will she know that one? At the Rapture, the new bodies of those who have died, and the bodies of those living at the time of the Rapture, will they have the same bodies (appearances) as when we know them, and if not, what body will they have? I know these questions cannot be answered. The resurrected body of the Lord gives some hint.

Will we know Peter, John, Gideon, and almost anyone else? If so, how will we know them? Speculation will not answer those questions. Remember Peter, James, and John on the Mount of Transfiguration; well, they knew Moses and Elijah, but how? I am sure Elijah did not greet them and say, ‘Hello, I am Elijah.’ In Paradise and Hell (Sheol), before the ascension into heaven, the rich man knew Lazarus, and that may seem an easy one because they were of the same timeframe; however, they did not have bodies because they were spirits. How can one spirit know another one before the resurrected body and even then after that?

It is a big mystery. I am sure a man or woman who dies at age 95, wrinkled and in pain, even disfigured, will not have a 95-year-old body in the resurrection. We just don’t know, and there is no profit in continuing with the questions. Now that we may have thought about these things, I am going to make a suggestion with no proof whatever.

I think, in the resurrection we will all enjoy at the Rapture – because we are all one Church, all one Bride, all one Pearl, all one Spiritual House, all the Household of God, all members the one Body – we shall all know one another from the time of Adam to the last soul saved. There will be no strangers in heaven, no aliens (not the science fiction type), no orphans. I know that is gigantic, but it sort of makes sense to me, but our thinking is not God’s thinking, so who can say?

Who can possibly imagine what joy it will be, fully redeemed, fully in completed holiness, bathed in love and light, and every single saint the same way? Righteousness will be everywhere, BUT none of it is our own, for we are the Righteousness of God in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” All our filthy garments of unrighteousness will be gone and remembered no more forever.

WHAT IS THE CRUX OF HEAVEN?

What is the first thing you want to do in heaven? I have heard some really materialistic views on this. Some want to examine their room and take in all the gold and see what they are going to have. Can I say that is the most selfish thing? Heaven is not about materialism or riches or pleasing your worldly behavior.

Two verses should be our aspiration. Consider this incident: John 12:20-21 “Now there were certain Greeks among those who were going up to worship at the feast. These therefore came to Philip who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and began to ask him saying, ‘Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”

WE WISH TO SEE JESUS! There can be no higher aspiration than the one that desires to see Jesus. The question that is the title of this message is, “Whom will YOU meet in heaven?” Just for a moment, I will change the emphasis of that and ask, “Whom do YOU want to see in heaven?”

“Well, there is my brother, my children, yes, my grandparents, and Queen Elizabeth because she is/was a Christian and… and…”

“Hold on there for a moment! Let me ask you, “WHOM do you want to see in heaven?” Now we are getting to the point. Matthew 10:37 “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me, and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.” There we have our answer! It is Jesus we must desire to see more than ANY other thing or person. He is heaven’s delight, our dear Bridegroom, the Head of the Church, AND the individual Saviour of us all. It is the Lord Jesus Christ we ought to have an undying desire to see when we first touch base with heaven. Every single thing subsequent to that is secondary.

BUT, you know what? I have the greatest confidence that you will not enter heaven and be confused like a fish out of water. I feel certain that the Lord will be there to meet you as soon as you pass from here. 2Corinthians 5:6-8 “Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord—for we walk by faith, not by sight—we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.”

There is a verse penned by David even while his own life was in danger from his enemies. It is a very unusual verse and throws quite a light on a righteous death and the Lord. Psalm 116:15 “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His godly ones.” Taking that verse at face value, we are safe in thinking that the Lord will immediately welcome His precious saints when they pass from the body to Him. My life is in the Lord’s hands. My times rest with Him. Psalm 31:14-15 “But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD. I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in Your hand; Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me.”

NOW… WHOM DO “I” WANT TO MEET IN HEAVEN?

Now going back to the original question yet again – “Who will YOU meet in heaven?”

And this time, I’d like to ask, “Apart from the Lord and your relatives, whom would you like to meet?” This answer would be different for each one of us. [Someone said he’d like to meet Eve and ask why she did it.] Well, that is not what I mean. I would like to share with you just three whom I would love to meet. If not limited to three, we would fill books!

1. JEREMIAH: I love the prophetic books, all of them. I have been studying them since the age of 16 (62 years ago!), as you might gather from all my articles. Jeremiah has a very special place in my heart, and I can’t really say why. Maybe it is his style; maybe I can relate to his suffering and his aspirations; maybe it is the content of his prophecy. Here we have a humble and faithful prophet of the Lord who wrote in troubled times, and his generation did not relate to him, as some saw him as a traitor because he called for the people to surrender to Nebuchadnezzar before their own destruction that was inevitable.

My heart goes out to Jeremiah, a man set in his time as Christians are today, a time of looming destruction, and all we can do is warn and plead the message of God. The Tribulation is not far away. But who has believed our report? Who takes heed; only the ones and twos. People’s hearts are as sinful as they were in Jeremiah’s time and made of the same granite rock. Jeremiah was a man of faithfulness, and he warms my heart. I’d love to spend time with Jeremiah – but what is “time” in heaven, and can that be done one on one?

2. JOSIAH. Of all the kings of Israel and Judah, I love Josiah the best. He may not have been as mighty as David or Hezekiah, but this man had a heart for the Lord like none other besides David. Not one indiscretion was recorded against him. Everyone else, yes, but not Josiah. Sadly, he died at age 39, a young man, and in very troubling times, as great Babylon began to make its appearance. Also, I believe he would have known Jeremiah.

Josiah’s father was a wicked man, Amon, descended from the most wicked king ever to sit on the throne of Judah (Manasseh) and who had the longest reign. How despairing it was to have such horrible wickedness reigning for such a long time (Manasseh was king for 55 years), only to be followed by another wicked king – but then came Josiah.

Goodness does not come from out of evil, so how could Josiah result from evil Amon and Manasseh? There is a profound but simple answer to that. It is GRACE. The grace of God that calls a man or woman to Himself. Josiah was faithful to his call all his life. I want to meet him because of the admiration I have for him.

Josiah’s sons returned to the wickedness of their grandfather and great-grandfather. They had the godly example of their father but chose the path of wickedness and suffered under Nebuchadnezzar for that. The leaders of the world today are exactly in the same time frame as the sons of Josiah. Most are wicked men and women and are sitting on the edge of destruction also, as the Tribulation is “just around the corner.”

Of course, I’d love to be with Abraham and David and John and Paul, but that is too overwhelming for me here now. It is like, “they are too far above me,” and I’d hide away, peeking around a corner. However, considering what I said earlier, I am sure heaven will not be like that.

There is only one more I will do, and when I first read about this woman in the works of Eusebius, I was horrified and filled with love and sympathy for her; such pathos. In history, there are some accounts of people that leave an indelible mark in our souls for the extent of their suffering because they loved the Lord, but Satan hated them. I am going to quote for this last one, the account recorded for us by the Christian historian Eusebius (280 – 360 AD).

The great and horrible persecution in 177 AD in the City of Lyon (in France) and throughout the churches was stirred up by the mob and executed by the Roman authorities in the time of Emperor Marcus Aurelius (one of the 10 great persecutors). We will look at a young woman named Blandina who suffered tortures from the deepest hell. (A letter was written from the church at Lyon detailing all the persecutions at that time.) Eusebius quoted the whole letter in his works, but this is the section on Blandina.

3. BLANDINA

“For while we all trembled, and Blandina’s earthly mistress, who was herself also one of the witnesses, feared that on account of the weakness of her [Blandina] body, she would be unable to make bold confession, Blandina was filled with such power as to be delivered and raised above those who were torturing her by turns from morning till evening in every manner, so that they acknowledged that they were conquered, and could do nothing more to her. And they were astonished at her endurance, as her entire body was mangled and broken; and they testified that one of these forms of torture was sufficient to destroy life, not to speak of so many and so great sufferings.

“Maturus, therefore, and Sanctus and Blandina and Attalus were led to the amphitheater to be exposed to the wild beasts, and to give to the heathen public a spectacle of cruelty, a day for fighting with wild beasts being specially appointed on account of our people.

“But Blandina was suspended on a stake, and exposed to be devoured by the wild beasts who should attack her. And because she appeared as if hanging on a cross, and because of her earnest prayers, she inspired the combatants with great zeal. For they looked on her in her conflict, and beheld with their outward eyes, in the form of their sister, Him who was crucified for them, that he might persuade those who believe on him, that every one who suffers for the glory of Christ, has fellowship always with the living God.

“As none of the wild beasts at that time touched her, she was taken down from the stake, and cast again into prison. She was preserved thus for another contest, that, being victorious in more conflicts, she might make the punishment of the crooked serpent irrevocable; and, though small and weak and despised, yet clothed with Christ the mighty and conquering Athlete, she might arouse the zeal of the brethren, and, having overcome the adversary many times might receive, through her conflict, the crown incorruptible.

“After all these, on the last day of the contests, Blandina was again brought in, with Ponticus, a boy about fifteen years old. They had been brought every day to witness the sufferings of the others, and had been pressed to swear by the idols. But because they remained steadfast, and because the multitude despised them, they became furious, so that they had no compassion for the youth of the boy nor respect for the sex of the woman.

“Therefore they exposed them to all the terrible sufferings and took them through the entire round of tortures, repeatedly urging them to swear, but were unable to effect this; for Ponticus, encouraged by his sister [Blandina] so that even the heathen could see that she was confirming and strengthening him, having nobly endured every torture, gave up the ghost.

“But the blessed Blandina, last of all, having, as a noble mother, encouraged her children and sent them before her victorious to the King, endured herself all their conflicts and hastened after them, glad and rejoicing in her departure as if called to a marriage supper, rather than cast to wild beasts.

“And, after the scourging, after the wild beasts, after the roasting seat [roasted on red hot iron chairs], she was finally enclosed in a net, and thrown before a bull. And having been tossed about by the animal, but feeling none of the things which were happening to her, on account of her hope and firm hold upon what had been entrusted to her, and her communion with Christ, she also was sacrificed [died]. And the heathen themselves confessed that never among them had a woman endured so many and such terrible tortures.

“After the bodies of the martyrs had been exposed for six days, they were burned to ashes and thrown into the Rhone River. The bodies of those who had been suffocated in prison were thrown to the dogs, and guards were stationed to prevent the remaining Christians from burying them. So the pagan authorities vainly hoped to prevent the hope of resurrection for the Christians, being ignorant of the fact that, for the Christian, being absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

“The willingness of Blandina and her fellow Christians to embrace these excruciating tortures, followed by an equally agonizing death, might have appeared madness to the mocking crowds in the arena, but it was based on a clear conviction – that Jesus Christ had risen from the dead and was standing by their side. As once He had suffered the excruciating agony of being nailed to the cross, so they were willing to follow him and share his sufferings in order that they might share his risen glory in eternity.”

They would have reckoned with the Apostle Paul that “our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all,” or as Paul to the Hebrews puts it, they “were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection.”

Blandina’s testimony is a golden light through all the centuries. How can we ever know what this woman suffered? I want to meet her, one of faithfulness and courage. Today she is peacefully with her Lord wearing the martyr’s crown.

Maybe someone reads this and is not a Christian, and you do not have the glorious hope before you because you are not saved. You could never endure what Blandina did because you do not have the hope of heaven before your eyes. Do not let it pass and then go to a lost eternity. Repent and turn to God, receiving Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour.

ronaldf@aapt.net.au