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know it does say in Revelation
22: 12 that Christ is coming back to
earth, bringing everybody's reward
with him. But that's just one verse,
and ...
Well, that's off the subject any–
way. Now notice that sorne are go–
ing to be great and sorne are going
to be "least in the kingdom of
heaven" (Matt. 5: 19-20), and it talks
about
entering
the kingdom of
heaven. And Matthew 18:1-4 shows
the same things again. Surely that
proves we're going to leave the
earth behind and live in heaven.
Now doesn't it?
What? You think the Kingdom of
heaven is a specific kingdom
on
earth?
A government with laws and
people and land, with Christ as
King, that the saved will enter by
being born again by resurrection
from their graves (see Col. 1: 18 ;
Rom. 1:4; 6:5), just like being born
in this life, for example, into the
kingdom of the Netherlands?
Hmph! That's not what I've been
taught! In fact, none of the well–
respected , established churches
teach that! [Editor's note: We have
a free booklet on this subject en–
titled
Just What Do You Mean- the
Kingdom of God?
Also, another
booklet of interest:
What Js the Re–
ward ofthe Saved?)
Justin Martyr
what?!
Considered
those who believe souls go to
heaven heretics? Now where do you
get that? Chapter 80 of his
Dialogue
with Trypho?
Yes,
I
know Justin was
one of the earliest and greatest of
the church fathers. Irenaeus didn' t
believe in going to heaven either?
Nor other early Christians? Oh!
Well, now let's look at sorne more of
the proofwe go to heaven.
You know, when
1
think about all
those great men of the Bible,
I
can
hardly wait to get there and be with
them. Noah , Abraham, Moses,
David ...
You say David's not in heaven?
Well,
why not?
David is one of the
greatest OId Testament saints! Oh,
1
know he committed sorne sins, but
he repented. And we know he was
saved, because he is going to be king
over Israel again in the millennium
(Jer. 30:9), and the Bible even says
he was, or became, a man after
The
PLAIN TRUTH April 1978
God's own heart (Acts 13:22). Acts
2:34? What does
that
say?
"For David is not ascended into
the heavens"?
Well , maybe David didn't, but
the rest did. No? Why not?
"No one has ascended into
~~M
oreover,
1
also in–
formed you that tbere are
sorne who are Christians in
name, but in reality are god–
less and impious heretics
whose doctrines are entirely
blasphemoús, atheistic, and
foolish . However, tbat you
may be assured that
1
am not
making this admission in your
presence only,
I
promise to
write up our whole debate in
book forro as well as
1
can,
and in it
1
will insert the ad–
mission
1
just made to you, for
1
do not desire to be a follower
of men and their teachings,
but of God and His doctrines.
If you have ever encountered
any so-called Christians who
do not believe this doctrine [of
the millennium], but dare to
blaspheme the God of Abra–
ham and God of Isaac and the
God of Jacob by asserting that
there is no resurrection from
the dead, but that their souls
are taken up to heaven at the
very moment of their death,
do not consider them to be
real Christians . . . .
' '
Justin Martyr, Dialogue
with Trypho, chapter 80
heaven but ... the Son of man
[Jesus]" (John 3: 13). "[God] hast
made them [the dead in Christ) a
kingdom [the kingdom of heaven, or
kingdom of God, as all the New
Testament writers except Matthew
cal!
it] and priests to our God, and
they shall reign
on earth"
(Rev.
5: 10). How long? "They ... reigned
with Christ a thousand years [the
millennium which Jeremiah said
David would reign in]" (Rev. 20:4).
Well, anyway, Christians have a
"house" in heaven to live in.
11
Co–
rinthians 5:1-2 tells us that, and says
it is "eterna!
in the heavens. "
What? Now Jook, who's writing
this article, anyway, you or me? OK,
so it
doesn't
prove our spirit body or
house is going to remain eternally in
the heavens or that it will be there
when we dwell in it. But the Bible
does prove there are people
10
heaven.
Revelation 5:3 says "no man in
heaven" was able to open the scroll ,
so there are men there. And Revela–
tion 19: 1 says there was a sound of
"a great multitude in heaven." Just
don ' t pay any attention to these
newfangled modero translations
that change those scriptures. Who
do they think they are, anyway,
claiming the Greek text is superior
to the good old King James Bible!
And why do you suppose Paul
wanted to "depart and be with
Christ" (Phi!.
l
:23) if people don' t
go to heaven? He was anxious to die
because he would immediately be
with Christ in heaven.
lt
doesn't say
that? Oh,
I
know it doesn't exactly
say
it , but that's what it means. You
mean, you would rather believe
Paul wanted to
die
just to be fin–
ished with all the labor and per–
secution he had to sutfer, even
though he knew he would remain
unconscious for thousands of years
until the resurrection and the sec–
ond coming of Christ?
Yes, I know by then he was an old
man and tired, and maybe ailing,
and death would come as a welcome
relief. OK, you go ahead and be–
lieve Christians
don't
go to heaven,
if you want to. l've tried my best to
teach you the truth.
Oh, all right, if you insist!
1
con–
cede the words "going to heaven" or
"when we all get to heaven" are
not
found anywhere in the Bible.
What's that? Uh, no,
1
don't guess
1
was really able to prove we will go
to heaven at death. But surely
1
have taught you something profit–
able in this article.
1
sure hope
so.
o
27