DOWN AND UP
John 3:13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
How often we fall into a certain way of thinking. Usually erroneous ideas and concepts are formulated in early childhood from fanciful bedtime stories and the unfortunate ignorance of adults. Is it society, parents, or the ignorant that are to blame for the idea that children are to be shielded from the reality of sin? Rather than tell children the truth of life’s greatest bane to our livelihood we’d rather invent a fantastical unreality for their fertile imaginations. These imaginations develop into a distorted understanding and view of the world. In our world is this ever present, pervasive, and diabolical invention of a heaven that waits to open wide its gates of eternal splendor and welcome us home.
Heaven waits for us, doesn’t it? Why else would someone opt for suicide to solve their problems? Why wouldn’t the suffering beg for death? When faced with the hopeless devastations of this life we grasp that fanciful tendril of childhood memory and take real steps to achieve heaven’s imagined peace. Is there anything wrong with that fancy?
Where did the dead go before Jesus came down from Heaven? I’m not talking about a fanciful, imagined, or man-made heaven, but the location of the throne and glory of God. If Heaven waits for us all, why didn’t they go there? The above passage is very clear in stating the less-than obvious. “And no man hath ascended up to heaven …”, if Heaven is open to all men, how can this be true? It seems clear to anyone willing to accept God’s Word that men who died before Jesus came down from Heaven did not go up to Heaven. If Heaven was barred from those who died before Jesus came, why do we tend to continue in the fancy that Heaven is open to everyone now? Where is the logic in that? Isn’t Heaven supposed to be for everyone? At least, isn’t that what many believe?
Heaven is not an “open house” for people to inspect, peruse, and examine before making a bid for purchase. (There is that other fanciful notion that people can accrue a balance of good deeds in Heaven’s bank to purchase a piece of Heaven. Who decided good deeds was the accepted currency of Heaven or that Heaven had a currency?) Neither is Heaven a reward for aggravated living. (Our life and living is based on our actions and the actions of others.) If man’s standard of living is sin, and many must agree this is true, why would there be a reward for it? The sin of others affects our lives. Our sin affects our life. Our sin affects the lives of others. Is there reward for living a sin-filled life? Doesn’t sin deserve punishment rather than reward?
People are quick to forgive their own transgressions but slow to forgive others for the same offenses. To remove any bias and rightly understand ourselves we must let another be our judge. Would you allow just anyone to be your judge? Many welcome the judgment of God by the example and evidence of God’s justice. Yet, God, in His judgment of all men, has already declared, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 3:23). But, who else would you have as judge? Suppose your parents were to examine your life, would it hold up to even their judgment? How about the parents that continually allowed that bully down the street to terrorize your young life? Should his parents be judge? Every form of justice in every society demands a judge to be unbiased, true, and uninfluenced. Is there any such man? Perhaps we should hope instead to be judged by an unbiased, uninfluenced, and true God. Would you trust in the judgment of those that have repeatedly allowed injustice? Injustice is man’s invention. Who would trust the judgment of any man with their soul?
Judgment and justice is God’s. Yet, judgment has already been passed by God on all men and all men have been found guilty of sin. Is there any justice in that? Isn’t there justice in saying a man who murdered his wife is guilty of murder? Isn’t there justice in pronouncing a man a liar who is guilty of bearing false witness? Every person is guilty of transgressing God’s law and man’s laws. Not one person should expect Heaven to open wide its gates and welcome them in. It must be true then that Heaven is only a fanciful lie to entertain and distract children from the reality of life!
But, there is a way up to Heaven. It isn’t the way of good deeds, fanciful invention, or man’s judgment and injustice. It is the way of God’s mercy and grace. It is the only way rather than many. Already, people confuse and confound the one way. What would happen with many ways? By this one way every believer who died before Jesus came down from heaven waited for the day of Heaven’s opening in a place called Paradise. No man could enter Heaven until the way had been made for all men. This way had been described, pronounced, and proclaimed to the world before Jesus came down. Who better to lead the way up into the glory of God than the only one who had come down from the glory of God? Where did the pope come from? Buddha? Where did Mohamed come from? Before Jesus came it was believed Christ would come and make the way for all men. When Jesus came he was the Christ that gave his life for all men and paid the penalty for sin. When Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose from the grave, the gates of Heaven were swung open for the first time. As Paradise was emptied and its residents walked into the glory of God for the first time in all eternity, there must have been an unparalleled celebration the likes of which will never again be seen. And, at the head of the procession of emptied paradise was Jesus Christ our redeemer. Imagine the joy of the saints who received the promise of their belief. Imagine the joy of Christ when he ushered in these saints into the glory of God. Who would suggest or grant Peter, Paul, or John keeper of the gates of Heaven when Jesus opened those very gates? No man can gain us entrance but the God-man Jesus Christ. No one could have made the way but one without guilt or stain who would make the blood sacrifice for our filthy, bloody, rags of sinful flesh. God offers both justice and mercy through Jesus Christ for all men who would believe and receive the gift of eternal life. This gift includes a wonder and majesty beyond any fanciful story ever told.
The question is, of course, do we trust in fancy or reality? Which is reality and which is fancy? Some believe there is no God and all is fancy while others believe in God and on Christ for eternal life. Regardless of a belief there is a reality. The answer is whether our belief coincides with reality. The ground is solid and someone who jumps from a ten story building believing the ground is soft will undoubtedly die from hitting the solid ground they did not believe in. Their belief did not coincide with reality. There are many people dying from their actions today that don’t believe their actions will kill. Drunk drivers believe they can safely drive, yet every day they drive themselves into the grave and take others with them. There is the belief of Heaven and Hell. Both are a reality? One cannot be without the other. Justice demands it.
Will unbelief take you down or will belief lift you up?
Does your belief coincide with the reality beyond death?
