Heaven: My Celestial Home

By Joseph John Bowman

This book is written to describe the “After-Life” with God. Everyone hopes, and many assume, that this home will be theirs. The author uses references from God’s holy book, the Bible. The book differentiates between the atmospheric Heaven, the starry Heaven, and Heaven the abode of God. Heaven is a perfect place where there is

• Language: English
• Publisher: TOPLINK PUBLISHING, LLC
• Release date: Nov 19, 2018
• ISBN: 9781970066432

Joseph John Bowman

The author is a Canadian born in British Columbia. He was saved at the age of seven. At the age of thirteen, he was baptized by immersion in a small town in B.C. Following that, he came into the fellowship of the local Church. He then moved to Edmonton, Alberta to attend a Bible School and has lived there for over forty years. He met his wife there, and they have two sons and seven grandchildren. He has served in the place he worships as an elder and Bible teacher as well as an evangelist. During the last ten years, he has spent much time putting the truths of the Bible to paper. He has spent more time studying his Bible, and as a result, trusts that these thoughts on the Scriptures will be a help and encouragement to you.

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Heaven

My Celestial Home

Joseph John Bowman

Copyright © 2018 by Joseph John Bowman.

Paperback: 978-1-970066-42-5

eBook: 978-1-970066-43-2

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

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Contents

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter 1 My Father’s House

Chapter 2 Paradise

Chapter 3 The Kingdom Of Heaven

Chapter 4 The Right Hand Of God

Chapter 5 The Kingdom Of God

Chapter 6 The Kingdom Of Christ

Chapter 7 The Kingdom Of His Dear Son

Chapter 8 The Ivory Palaces

Chapter 9 The Holy Habitation Of God

Chapter 10 The Sanctuary Of God

Chapter 11 The Third Heaven

Chapter 12 The New Heavens And The New Earth

Chapter 13 The New Jerusalem

Chapter 14 A Place And People Prepared

Chapter 15 Who Will Be There?

Chapter 16 The Believer’s Crowns

Chapter 17 At Home With The Lord

Chapter 18 Will You Be There?

Conclusion

Bibliography

About the Author

Endnotes

To my dear friend

David Robert McPhee,

who passed into the presence of the Lord,

whom he loved and served,

on Sunday, June 5, 2005.

And

My young friend

Jeffery Paul Kinakin

whom the Lord took into His presence

on May 21, 2014

Foreword

Heaven! It is a place of much interest but also conjecture. How could we understand a place that is so unlike everything we have experienced and known? The author of this book is not interested in myth and the ideas of men but fact, that is, what the Bible teaches about Heaven.

In this book, you will learn what Heaven is like, how a way has been provided for us to be there, and how we know for sure that we will be there. These are subjects of utmost importance, and once our days on earth are over and it is time to meet God, our opinions and ideas are irrelevant. The only thing that matters is what the Bible has to say about Heaven and if I am ready to meet God.

J. Mark Richards, February 2016

Preface

The fact that Heaven is an actual place is a truth dear to every born-again believer. It tells us of a final resting place that is awaiting us prepared for us by our Lord Jesus Christ. While we may suffer greatly during our time on earth, we have the confidence that there is coming a day when pain and sorrow will be no more, for our light affliction is but for a moment (2 Cor. 4:17). Paul is telling us that, great though our problems may be, because of the ages of eternity, they are considered to be light. Not only are they light, they are momentary and passing. We see the fleeting aspect of them in the view of eternity in the following words of the verse, Worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory (2 Cor. 4:17). Every Christian has the hope that someday he or she will be absent from the body and present with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8).

As we consider the wonderful future that lies ahead of each one of us, let us do so in anticipation of that coming day of glory that will never fade away. We have pointed to various aspects of what Heaven will be like and our enjoyment of that place.

However, it all came to have a special meaning to me upon the passing in the death of my dear friend, David McPhee, who had been a constant source of spiritual inspiration over the years. After his passing into the presence of the Lord, his dear wife Verna asked if it were possible to put together a paper on Heaven.

Over the last ten years, I have tried to compile in an understandable manner some of the truths that are brought forward clearly in our Bible. They are in numerous places and portrayed by various pictures. Some are clear, and others are hidden, but as we look at them in light of other scriptures, they come well-defined .

I have enjoyed this study very much and believe, as a result of it being written, there has been growth in spiritual matters. I trust, as you read what I have written, you will do so with an open Bible in front of you. Read your Bible daily, and as you do so, the Spirit of God will give you understanding in all things concerning our Lord Jesus Christ and the things of God, for there is no other place where we can find the revelations of God to us. Read it, and pray about it. I have seen many pictures of Heaven in my readings of the scriptures over the years. For God has promised blessings to those who read His Word. I trust you will enjoy this book as much as I have and will grow in the things of God as a result of reading it.

Acknowledgements

I would like to acknowledge all of the valuable help that my dear wife, Joanie, gave me. Not only did she put up with my spending untold hours studying and being on my computer, she gave endless help in editing and proofreading this manuscript. She spent much time reading and rereading the text. Without the much-appreciated suggestions that she gave, the contents of this book would never have reached its final stages. She gave the push that was needed to reach the final aspects of this work. As well, she has supported me through it with her prayers and patience. Thank you very much for all of your help.

I want to express my appreciation to my dear friend Ramon Zamilpa for the help he has given to me in technical matters. I would not have been unable to put the text together in the way it is if it had not been for his help. As well he has given me help in putting the text in various mediums that I would not have the expertise to do if left on my own. His help will be invaluable in the ongoing marketing of this book.

David’s life was an inspiration to all of us, and as he did in life, so he has gone ahead in death. David was saved when a young man in Scotland and came to Canada shortly after. He entered into the fellowship of the saints who met in the Westend Gospel Hall (now the Parkview Street Gospel Hall) in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He married his wife, Verna, and they raised two daughters, who gave them seven grandsons. He served faithfully at Westend doing the work of an elder and being devoted to the Lord and loyal to the people of God and the Word of God. He loved the assembly, and he was constant in his love to the Lord. Because of the way he guided the people of God in His things, we all miss him.

David was in the Edmonton Assembly and ministered to the saints there just a month before he passed into the presence of his Lord. He spoke on the subject of not wasting our time here in our service for our Lord. At that time, he was unaware that in his body was the disease that would kill him. David sought to please and serve his Lord and God in all he did and everywhere he went. The Scriptures tell us that, for David, it was not death, but he fell asleep and awoke, absent from the body and present with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8).

This paper’s composition was at the request of his dear wife and companion Verna, who has been a constant source of joy to all who know her. I trust that these few thoughts will bring comfort to her heart, for she looks forward to that day when she will reunite with all those who have gone on before. More than anything else, though her desire will be, as Fanny Crosby has so ably put it, to see my Savior first of all.

At this time, I also want to dedicate this paper to another dear friend, Jeffery Paul Kinakin, who passed into the presence of his Lord on May 21, 2014. I knew Jeffery since he was five years old. My wife Joanie knew him since his birth. He had accepted Christ as his personal Saviour at the age of eight at the camp at Salem Acres in Alberta. At the age of nine, he was diagnosed with diabetes and suffered with it all his life until his passing at the age of forty-two. He lived to prove his salvation in his daily activities. He was baptized and received into the fellowship of the assembly in Edmonton, where he took a much-appreciated part. He showed a gift in the gospel and took a regular part in children’s meetings, where he showed forth his love of children and his ability to relate to them. The last public function of his life was preaching the gospel to the children. Even when he was unable to attend assembly services because of his pain, anyone who contacted him was aware of the love he had for his Lord. He made clear his desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.

At 4:00 a.m. on May 21, 2014, the Lord peacefully took him Home, and he now is in that land of fadeless day. There is now no pain or sorrow, tears, or suffering, for all has been made new. Jeffery is now able to sing the songs of the redeemed with an unsinning heart and praise the One who died to save him from his sins. He is in that land where there is no separation, fear, or trials. We read that there is no night there. What a privilege Jeffery has, as he is now in the presence of his Saviour for all eternity. The hymn writer James Hill well wrote, What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see.

One day the redeemed know we will see Jeffery again. More importantly we will find that One whom both David and Jeffery are worshipping now and who is the constant theme of the praises of Heaven. How we thank God for their lives and praise Him for their eternal salvation and the place He has given them eternal in the heavenlies.

Introduction

I want to look for a little while at the subject of Heaven. There are certain pertinent questions asked concerning this place: Where is it? Who is in it? What is in it? How do I get there? We trust the Lord to lead and guide as we study His Word.

There is not much recorded in Scripture about Heaven. There are more teachings about Hell and its sufferings than about Heaven and its glories. The point emphasized is that Hell is a place to be avoided at all costs while Heave1n is beyond description. As well, Heaven and all that it entails is to be accepted by faith. The writer to the Hebrews says, Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Heb. 11:1). Our lives as believers are lives of faith, and as such, we do not need outside proof of what we believe.

Our God is a gracious God and shows His grace in revealing His plans and programs, even though we do not deserve it. We just need to search these truths out in His Word. As well (and this is essential), we need the guiding hand of the Holy Spirit of God leading us into all truth.

We will look at the works of individuals who are knowledgeable in scriptural matters. Chief amongst these men is W. E. Vine with his Word Study Concordance, James Strong in his Strong’s Concordance, and Thomas Newberry’s Newberry Bible. These men and others have prepared long and detailed studies of the Greek and Hebrew words associated with the Old and New Testaments.

Three different tenses are used in the Old Testament: the singular tense, the dual tense (for two items), and the plural tense (for three or more). These tenses are clearly brought out in Newberry’s Englishman’s Bible. Heaven, as we will see, is a generic term for three different phases of Heaven. There is the atmospheric Heaven, the starry Heaven, and, lastly, Heaven as the abode of God. The tense used shows these three different aspects of Heaven. The singular is the atmospheric Heaven, the dual is the starry Heaven, and the plural tense tells us about God’s Heaven.

Certain terms are used to talk about Heaven as the dwelling place of God: my Father’s house, paradise, the kingdom of God, the kingdom of Heaven, and the ivory palaces. We also read about the holy habitation of God. In regards to the dwelling place of God in the tabernacle, we will examine the Holy of Holies. We learn about the Heaven of Heavens, and Paul speaks of the Third Heaven. We also read about the New Heavens where we are celebrating the marriage supper of the Lamb. It is a place prepared for those who are being made ready to dwell there. As well, we have read of those in Heaven being in His presence, before the throne of God, seated on thrones while wearing crowns clothed in white raiment and being present with the Lord. We will also study the New Jerusalem, the New Heaven, and the New Earth. These places are all found entwined in the midst of the references we have to Heaven. Some references are more recognized with their teaching on Heaven than others. It is emphasized that, while they all refer to the eternal state, some will refer to Heaven as the abode of God. Others relate to the New Jerusalem, and still other references will deal with conditions that will exist on the New Earth.

In conclusion, the author would encourage you to read this book with an open Bible as your guide. You will appreciate these writings more as you study them with the Word of God before you.

For the Word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Heb. 4:12).

As I end my introduction, I want to leave you with a poem written by a dear friend and brother in the Lord, Melvin