Gumby, And just where does the bible say that god lives? Is it not in the heavens?
Yes, but what is heaven and where is it?
After they received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the apostles spoke of Heaven as something they were experiencing while in their bodies. So, the apostles did follow Jesus afterwards, because Heaven came to them! Once they received the spirit, they did "...follow his steps" (1 Peter 2:21).
John 14:2-3, "In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."
Compare John 14:2-3 with John 14:22-23. The word "mansions" in verse 2 is translated from the same Greek word as "abode" in verse 23! As a matter of fact, these are the only two places in scripture where this Greek word #3438, mone, appears!
John 14:22-23, "Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him."
Jesus was saying that those in whom He would come to dwell in were the mansions in his Father's house. Believers are "God's building" (1 Corinthians 3:9), and "as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house" (1 Peter 2:5). This "spiritual house" is the "mansion, " it is the "place," that Jesus prepared for us in John 14:2-3. (See also Ephesians 2:19-22).
And how will Jesus and the Father come unto us and make their abode with us?
John 14:16, "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;"
And who is the Comforter? Jesus tells us:
John 14:26, "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost,"
The Comforter is the Holy Spirit! It is the Holy Spirit dwelling within us!
Notice also how the apostles wrote that they were "together with Christ in the heavenlies" while in their physical bodies, thus fulfilling this verse as well. Christ did come again, and received them, and Christ was in them, and by Christ being in them, heaven was in them, because that is where Christ is!
2 Corinthians 5:1-2, "For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:"
In verse 1, the "earthly house of this tabernacle" refers to the physical body, in which the spirit is represented as dwelling or sojourning for a time, and from which it is to be liberated at death. When our bodies are dissolved, our spirit will return to "a house not made with hands." This house is not a literal house, but spiritual. In other words, we have a "spirit," and it will be housed with God, who is "eternal in the heavens." This coincides with Ecclesiastes 12:7, "the spirit shall return unto God."
In verse 2, it says we desire to be clothed with this house "which is from heaven." Notice this verse does not says this house is in heaven, but from heaven. God's throne is in heaven. Our "spiritual body" will be clothed by God from heaven, not in Heaven.
Heathen,
there are scriptures in the new testament that suggest first dying and being resurrected
Yes there is,
Romans 6:6-8, "Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:" Ephesians 4:22-24, "That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness."
Colossians 3:9-10, "Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:"
In other words, when scripture speaks of the dead, it is speaking of those who are dead in trespass and sins:
Ephesians 2:1, "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;" Colossians 2:13, "And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;"
You see, people can be dead while they live (1 Timothy 5:6), but faith in Christ can change us so we "are alive from the dead" (Romans 6:13). The whole point of these passages is to explain that, "the body without the spirit is dead" (James 2:26). So, today, we are alive from the dead, because death is swallowed up when we receive the Holy Spirit.
In Matthew 8:22, Jesus associated the physical life with spiritual death, where, in speaking of living people, He said, "Let the dead bury their own dead."
look at Romans 8:10 in this light:
Romans 8:10, "And if Christ be in you, the body is dead [the body of sin, the old man] because of sin; but the Spirit is life [the spiritual body, the new man] because of righteousness."
This verse says if we have Christin us, then we have the Spiritin us, and if we have the Spiritin us, then we have eternal lifein us! This is what Paul meant in Romans 10:6 when he explained that the meaning of the phrase "ascend into heaven" means to "bring Christ down from above." If we have Christ in us, we are inheaven! Therefore, heaven is a present realitynow, and not a future hope. Heaven is within us!
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) while writing the book of Revelation. 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).
A few more thoughts,
In scripture, eternal life is defined as knowing Christ Jesus while in this physical body! Look at this definition of "life eternal":
John 17:3, "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."
You see, eternal life does not mean we become immortal (to live for ever and ever), it means to know God, and to know His Truth! In fact, the word "immortal" only appears once in the entire King James Bible! (1 Timothy 1:17). Only once!! Incredible, considering we hear the "immortal soul" preached all the time. The term "immortal soul" does not appear anywhere in scripture. The word "immortality" appears three times in scripture, and it is not in reference to any "soul," it is in reference to God, because only God has immortality, not us (1 Timothy 6:15-16).
1 John 5:11-12, "And this is the record, that God hath[passed tense] given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath[present tense] life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have[present tense] eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. " 1 John 3:14, "We know that we have passed [passed tense] from death unto [eternal] life, because we love the brethren..."
Listen to what Christ himself said:
John 5:24-25, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath[present tense] everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed [passed tense] from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is [present tense], when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live."
Now, You might ask, "But, doesn't the bible say the body must die in order to receive eternal life?" Well, yes, the body must die first. But, not our physical body!
Romans 8:10, "And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness."
Well, this verse says if Christ is in you, then your "body" is dead. What "body" is this verse talking about? Obviously not your physical body. By "body" is meant the "body of sin," the sinful part of our nature. In other words, our "old man," which is corrupt because of sinful deeds. And once we are "born again" and put on the "new man," then this is when we receive eternal life and when heaven comes to us.
So if you don't have God's spirit you are considered dead to God.
That's why God could say to Adam "in that day you will die" and spiritually Adam did die.
Acadian
