Where is God in heaven?

Since we learned that God is really everywhere (see our recent post "Where is God?"), we can say, “Yes, God is in heaven. 

The Bible teaches that heaven is the place where all the people who have accepted Jesus Christ, God’s Son, as their Lord and Savior will spend eternity. In your new Bible, please read John 3:16, John 1:12, John 14:6 and Romans 10:9! Though heaven is a place, it is a spiritual place, not a physical place. Just like God is spirit and we can’t see, smell, touch, taste or hear him, we also can’t use our senses to see, smell, touch, taste or hear heaven. Although our human minds cannot truly know exactly what heaven will be like, the Bible describes heaven as an unimaginably wonderful place, where we are always in the presence of God! You can read about this in Revelation 21:3-4!

What’s the difference between all the religions?

What an awesome question!!! But, it’s also a very complicated question because there are so many different religions out there. It would be impossible to discuss every individual religion and show you the various differences of each belief in a short post.

So, instead, I think I’d like to tell you about our religion: Christianity. Let me first start by saying that there are a lot of different religious beliefs that use words that sound like they are Christians when, in fact, they are not. For example, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints are the Mormons. They do not believe the same thing we do. The Jehovah’s Witnesses use a name of God for their religion but they do not believe that Jesus is God. There are Buddhists, Muslims, Taoists, Shintoists and a whole bunch of other religions that have their own belief system that may recognize Jesus as a teacher or a prophet but not as God. There are groups that use names that sound official, like Scientologists, that make them sound like they use scientific methods to prove God’s existence. There are even certain denominations of Christian-based religions that may have different rituals or beliefs than our church. Names such as Seventh Day Adventists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Catholics and a whole host of others believe that Jesus is the Son of God but may differ in their beliefs on certain parts of the Bible.

The important thing for us to remember and to be able to tell people is what we believe in and that is: Jesus Christ, is the Son of God and is God and died an atoning death on the cross so that we could be saved. He is the only person in history or any other religious belief system who overcame death, being resurrected three days after His crucifixion. We believe that the only way to Heaven and God, the Father, is through the salvation offered to us by Jesus Christ through the forgiveness of sins. (John 14:6) We believe in one God, who reveals himself in three separate persons: God, the Father; God, the Son; and God, the Holy Spirit. That is a very difficult concept to grasp but it’s true. Did you know that no other religion can make the claim that, “It is by grace, you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves but it is the gift of God – not by works so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) This means we can’t earn God’s grace. We can’t work our way to Heaven by doing good things! God saves us through grace and He gives it to us freely. All we have to do is accept it.

And how do we do that? “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) By confessing our sins and accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are saved! “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.“ (John 1:12)

And why would God do this? “For God so loved the world that He gave his One and Only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) It’s because God loves us. No other religion can make that boast either. Our God loves us so much, He freely sacrificed His Son for us and all we have to do is accept Jesus as our Savior and repent, or turn away, from our sins and we become saved. We become God’s children. Isn’t that awesome?

Is suicide a sin?

Wow. Thanks for a tough question! I believe the Bible is very clear on this matter: the answer is Yes. But, don’t forget, suicide is just one of a number of sins mankind has committed against God. To God, suicide is the same as stealing, worshipping false gods, not honoring your parents and even taking the Lord’s name in vain. He doesn’t make one sin worse than another. To God, sin is sin.

Let me explain why the Bible says it’s a sin. In the New Testament, there are two places in 1 Corinthians where I believe God speaks to this. First off, let me just say that the word “suicide” is not mentioned anywhere in the Bible. But, listen to these two verses:

“Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

The Apostle Paul is telling the people of Corinth that their bodies are temples of the Lord and that the Holy Spirit lives in that temple. Basically, your body is sacred and God won’t take kindly to anyone who destroys His temple. Furthermore, God really stresses that we’re to honor Him with our bodies. Killing our own bodies does not honor God and also violates one of God’s original commandments:

“You shall not murder.” (Exodus 20:13)

Remember, God is the One who decides how long your life will be (Psalm 139: 15-16, Psalm 39:4). When a person decides to commit suicide, they are taking that decision away from God. Is that a sin? Absolutely. It also the ultimate waste of a life that Jesus gave His own life for! He didn’t suffer and die on the cross just to have a person throw away the life He gave everything for. So, yes, suicide is a sin.

But, also realize that we all sin and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23). The Bible also tells us that there is no one righteous, not one! (Romans 3:10) The only person who was completely perfect and lived without sin was Jesus Christ, who was crucified for all of our sins. He paid the price for all of us so that we could have eternal life with God, the Father. And it is through the power of His resurrection that we are saved! The Holy Bible is very clear on this:

“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12)

So, if you admit your sins, believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins and then commit to repenting (or turning away from the sins) and following Jesus, then you become God’s child. And, because you are God’s child, you are an heir to the inheritance of eternal life with Him in Heaven!!! Isn’t that awesome???

Do we get a second chance if we are left behind?

In the book Left Behind for Kids, it talks about kids who were left behind and then come to Christ. In church we learned there would be no more chances. I’m confused!

Wowee! This is an awesome question! It is also a very difficult question to answer because of the various theological debates that have been going on for centuries concerning the end times. That is a very fancy way to say that Bible scholars have argued for a long time over the interpretation of the Book of Revelation and other prophetic books of the Bible regarding the end times.

So, I am going to answer your question based on the Left Behind for Kids premise. The authors of that series, Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, are respected Christian scholars and authors. In fact, Dr. LaHaye is a nationally recognized speaker on Bible prophesy. He is also a minister and has written 45 books on a bunch of Biblical subjects, including Bible prophesy. So, while their books are fictionalized (made-up) accounts, they have written their stories on their interpretation of the Holy Bible.

The Left Behind series authors, for both the kid and the adult versions, base their stories on the “pre-tribulation rapture” theory. That basically means that the authors believe that Jesus will “take away” his people before the Tribulation period. Some Christian scholars believe there is a mid-tribulation rapture, some believe there is a post-tribulation rapture and some believe there is no such thing as the rapture. I won’t get into who is right or wrong but let’s assume the authors interpretation is correct and there is a pre-Tribulation rapture (by the way, on an interesting side note, you won’t find the word “rapture” anywhere in the Holy Bible).

So, that means that before all the bad stuff happens involving the anti-Christ, Jesus will take away all the people, including kids, that are saved and who believe in Him. That doesn’t mean that those people who are “left behind” are doomed though. According to the authors’ interpretation of Scripture, those people who are not taken during the rapture still get a second chance to come to Christ although life is supposed to get a lot tougher during that period of time.

Scripture also supports the belief that you can be saved anytime before Christ’s second coming. If you look in Matthew 24, up to the point when Christ returns, those who are “left behind” can be saved. Once He returns, though, it’s too late. That’s why we are all warned by Jesus when He says:

“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. “ (Matthew 24:36-44)

Don’t ever forget that we have a God of “second chances.” He loves you and does not want you to perish. But, you have to be truly repentant (sorry) and believe that Jesus is who He says He is.

“Yet to all who received Him, to all who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12)

How old was Jesus when he made the Bible?

Actually, Jesus didn’t make or write the Bible. The Bible includes the life of Jesus, and of course, that’s WAAAAYYYYY important, but it also contains stories of others. Adam & Eve, Noah, Joseph, Moses, Joshua – remember all those guys? They all lived before Jesus walked the earth.

The Bible is God’s story. God used many men and women to tell his story over many thousands of years. The best part of that story, though, is that Jesus came to earth, lived a perfect life, then was crucified, and rose again. His victory over death proves he was everything he said was – God’s Son. Read 1 Corinthians 15:1-4.

And if we will believe in him, he will call us God’s children, and we can live with him forever. That is amazing! Read John 1:12.

How do you know God’s real?

I know God is real because I see his hand in creation. When I look in amazement at the stars and the universe, when I realize that cabbages and kangaroos exist on the same planet, when I see a child being born, and when I try to understand how unbelievably complex living creatures are – then I know God is real.

Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

I know God is real because I see his hand in history. I have studied history, and especially the Bible and the history of the Bible, and I am amazed at the generations and generations of people – for thousands of years – who have worshiped God and followed his commands, who have grappled with the same questions and issues and challenges that you and I grapple with today, and who have written down so many of their experiences in the pages of history.

Job 19:25 I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. (Job lived somewhere between 1400 and 700 BC, a very long ago! He is an awesome example of a man who trusted God when all was well and who continued to do so when everything went wrong.)

I know God is real because I see him working in the lives of people. I know (because of history) that he has worked in the lives of millions of people, and I also know that he has been at work in my own life, and the lives of people with whom I hang out every day – and that includes TRACK kids! The stories I have are just awesome!

Romans 8:16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.
and John 1:12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—

I hope my answer helps give you some extra confidence that God is real. He is very real, and even better – he loves you, and he wants you to know him. Now that’s cool!