Thread by @LekeAlder

#Illuminare – TOURISM SITES IN HEAVEN starts now

1. There’s that mistaken belief heaven is a one-way ticket. Truth is, it’s not. Only hell is. According to the Bible. Revelation 21:1-3. #Illuminare

2. In Christian theology hell is a one-way ticket. There’s no return flight from that dimension. But heaven isn’t a one-way ticket. The Bible says the righteous are coming back to earth after a relatively brief stay in heaven, albeit as citizens of a new earth – Revelation 21:1-3

3. “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband... #Illuminare

4. ...I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.” Revelation 21:1-3 NLT. #Illuminare

5. Revelation 21:1-3 suggests God will have a base on earth and domicile with mankind. He’ll live with humanity. #Illuminare

6. Now, no one knows when these events will take place. Timelines are typically messed up in Revelation. The concept of time in Revelation is closer to the fundamental understanding of time in Physics - more like what you’ll read in a Carlo Rovelli book. #Illuminare

7. But it seems pretty certain we’re not going to stay in heaven for ever. We’re going to occupy a new earth. At some point in history we’re going to be talking about New Earth same way we talk about New York. There is Old York. #Illuminare

8. Based on Revelation therefore it would be fair to see heaven as a transit camp. Atypical of God however he builds an impressive transit camp. It’s made up of mansions. (God goes for maximal excellence in everything). #Illuminare

9. It’s what Jesus was talking about when he said, “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.” John 14:2 KJV. #Illuminare

10. Many translations refer to those mansions as rooms in God’s house. That gives us the sense of scale. God doesn’t do things in moderation. Grandeur is native to God. #Illuminare

11. Of course the predominant theological understanding is that Christians will permanently stay in Heaven. But that’s an unresearched position. #Illuminare

12. The validity of a theology should not be determined by how long it’s been held but the authority of God’s word. #Illuminare

13. Neither should the validity of a theology be based on populism. A theology is not valid because many people subscribe to it, it’s whether it’s backed by God’s word. #Illuminare

14. And so when it comes to the question of Christians staying permanently in heaven the critical question is, what does God’s word say? #Illuminare

15. It would seem therefore that we’re mere tourists in heaven; which of course begs the question, what are the tourist sites in heaven? #Illuminare

16. It’s like going to a new country. There’ll be places you’ve heard of, tourist sites people have spoken about. You’ll naturally want to explore those places. #Illuminare

17. If you’re going to London for example you’ll probably want to see Buckingham Palace, see the change of guards, perchance catch the Queen on her way to the market. (Yeah right!) #Illuminare

18. You’d probably want to go to Hyde Park, visit The British Museum, The London Eye, Tower of London, buy something on Oxford Street... I’d also recommend the Tate Modern. #Illuminare

19. It will therefore be quite natural to want to visit those tourist sites mentioned in the Bible when we get to Heaven. There are quite a few. God has a tourist map. #Illuminare

20. Of course, some believe all we’ll do in heaven is worship God. After all there are those four creatures in front of God’s throne telling God he’s special every moment of their existence: #Illuminare

21. “Day after day and night after night they keep on saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty - the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.” Revelation 4:8 NLT. #Illuminare

22. “Holy, Holy, Holy” just means God is thrice set apart, unique, and special. Holiness is about being set apart. It’s how we got the word “sanctification.” The Greek word is hagios. Means different. #Illuminare

23. Those beasts we’re told give “glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who lives for ever and ever.” Revelation 4:9 KJV. They have a synchronised program with the Fab 24 – the Twenty and Four Elders: #Illuminare

24. “Whenever the living beings give glory and honour and thanks to the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever), the twenty-four elders fall down and worship the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever).” Revelation 4:9-10 NLT.

25. Yes, there’ll be worship in heaven and all that but we must not forget heaven is a political expression. It’s under a government. That it’s a political domain is why Satan led an insurrection. #Illuminare

26. Note that Satan is described in scriptures as a corrupt public servant who traded favours while in heaven like a Mafia don: #Illuminare

27. “Through the abundance of your commerce you were internally filled with lawlessness and violence, and you sinned.” Ezekiel 28:16 AMP. #Illuminare

28. “You profaned your sanctuaries by the great quantity of your sins and the enormity of your guilt, by the unrighteousness of your trade.” Ezekiel 28:18 AMP. #Illuminare

29. So there’s a whole lot going on in heaven, just like in any political environment. Heaven is not a church, it’s a political expression. #Illuminare

30. There are public servants performing various functions. It has a standing army. That’s the “host of Heaven” we often talk about. Luke 2:13. #Illuminare

31. What are the tourist attractions in heaven? What places are must-see, what places can we look forward to? #Illuminare

32. Truth is, the narrative of scriptures is more like, “Wait till you get here!” Not much is given away. We don’t know much about the geography of heaven. We don’t have much of a map. And heaven is vast! It’s actually a dimension. #Illuminare

33. A clue to the vastness of heaven lies in the fact it holds a humongous population of humans, possibly a hundred billion or more. And that’s just humans. #Illuminare

34. Think of all the righteous dead over generations and over millennia. Heaven holds them all, conveniently. That’s a LOT of people! #Illuminare

35. And that’s the past not the future dead. Heaven has to be large enough to hold successive generations of humans very, very, very far into the future. It can’t be “full”. It’s not a local cemetery. The visa is always open. Romans 10:9. #Illuminare

36. There’s an angel population in heaven and they’re many. The angels who circle the throne of God alone are a hundred million. Revelation 5:11. Hebrews 12:22 describes angels as “innumerable.” Trillions? #Illuminare

37. To appreciate the census figure of the angelic population in heaven consider that for every earthling born there’s a guardian angel. Matthew 18:10. #Illuminare

38. Going by current population of earth we should assume there are at least 4.6 billion guardian angels dedicated to humans. Matthew 18:10. #Illuminare

39. Then there are those angels with ministerial portfolios. Some are in charge of natural resources. There’s an angel in charge of water resources on earth for instance. Revelation 16:5. #Illuminare

40. We don’t know how many such ministerial portfolios exist, or the size of the civil service departments those angels head. #Illuminare

41. Who knows, may be there’s an angel in charge of methane rivers on Saturn, just as there’s an angel in charge of earth’s waters. #Illuminare

42. Humans in essence are immigrants to Heaven. Heaven has a native population of creatures and angels. We know at least two tribes of angels – Cherubims and Seraphims. #Illuminare

43. The first generation of humans in heaven were probably a spectacle. Some must have arrived with their reputation preceding them. Think of that thief on the right hand of Jesus. Luke 23:33-43. He’ll be instantly popular. #Illuminare

44. No human qualifies for the residency programme in heaven. When the Bible says salvation is by grace it’s the underscoring of our non qualification. Ephesians 2:8-9. #Illuminare

45. Those who imagine they’d make heaven on their own qualification don’t realise the difference between morality and righteousness. God’s visa program is based on imputed righteousness not human morality. #Illuminare

46. Morality is a human society regulatory protocol. It’s not the basis of salvation. Imputed righteousness is. We are donees of grace – unmerited favour. Ephesians 2:8-9. #Illuminare

47. The reason some people imagine their morality will qualify them for heaven is because they do not realise the full ambit of God’s jurisdiction. They think God judges only actions - what lawyers call actus reus. #Illuminare

48. But God judges the heart - our thoughts, motivations and intent, not just actions. God judges what lawyers call mens rea – our mental state. In God’s criminal code both action and imagination create liability. Matthew 5:28. #Illuminare

49. And the thoughts of man are continually evil. “We all arrive at your doorstep sooner or later, loaded with guilt, our sins too much for us.” Psalm 65:2 MSG. #Illuminare

50. There are eight tourist attractions in heaven that are mentioned in the Bible. They are The Throne Room, The Temple, The Altar, The Great White Throne, The Holy Mountain of God, The River of Water of Life, The Great Street and Mount of Assembly. #Illuminare

51. Let’s start with the Throne Room. Of course you know it’s not a room in that sense. That’s God’s palace. And it’s not small. It’s a domain. His throne is surrounded by thrones: #Illuminare

52. “A throne stood in heaven, with One seated on the throne. Twenty-four other thrones surrounded the throne; and seated on these thrones were twenty-four elders dressed in white clothing, with crowns of gold on their heads... #Illuminare

53. ...From the throne came flashes of lightning and rumbling sounds and peals of thunder. Seven lamps of fire were burning in front of the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God, and in front of the throne there was something like a sea... #Illuminare

54. ...or large expanse of glass, like the clearest crystal. In the centre and around the throne were four living creatures who were full of eyes in front and behind, seeing everything and knowing everything that is around them.” Revelation 4:2, 4-6 AMP. #Illuminare

55. The next tourist attraction is the Temple: “After that, another angel came from the Temple in heaven...” Revelation 14:17 NLT. #Illuminare

56. Next you have the Altar. It’s in the temple. That’s where prayers are processed: “Then another angel with a gold incense burner came and stood at the altar... #Illuminare

57. ...And a great amount of incense was given to him to mix with the prayers of God’s people as an offering on the gold altar before the throne... #Illuminare

58. ...The smoke of the incense, mixed with the prayers of God’s holy people, ascended up to God from the altar where the angel had poured them out.” Revelation 8:3-4 NLT. #Illuminare

59. Next we have the Great White Throne. That’s God’s famous judgment seat: “And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide.” Revelation 20:11 NLT. Think of it as the Supreme Court. #Illuminare

60. Next is the Holy Mountain. If you’re a volcanologist you’ll be interested in this attraction. It exhibits volcanic phenomena. Satan had access to it: #Illuminare

61. “I ordained and anointed you as the mighty angelic guardian. You had access to the holy mountain of God and walked among the stones of fire.” Ezekiel 28:14 NLT. #Illuminare

62. There’s also the River of Water of Life flowing down Great Street. Kind of like Central Park in the middle of Broad Street: #Illuminare

63. “Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. It flowed down the centre of the main street.” Revelation 22:1. #Illuminare

64. Then there’s the Mount of Assembly at Zaphon. That was the pinnacle of Satan’s ambition: “I will climb up to the sky. Above the stars of El I will set up my throne. I will rule on the mountain of assembly on the remote slopes of Zaphon.” Isaiah 14:13. #Illuminare

65. There are supplementary sites to see as well. Of course there are those mansions Jesus spoke about. John 14:2. Would be nice to see the architectural styles and different layouts. Are they all the same? #Illuminare

66. There must be vineyards in heaven as well. Jesus said, “I tell you, from now on I will not drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” Matthew 26:29 NET. #Illuminare

67. Perhaps we’ll be able to do a virtual reality tour of the New Jerusalem like John did. From all accounts it’s something else: #Illuminare

68. “The wall was jasper, the colour of Glory, and the City was pure gold, translucent as glass. The foundations of the City walls were garnished with every precious gem imaginable.” Revelation 21:18. #Illuminare

69. “The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate a single pearl. The main street of the City was pure gold, translucent as glass.” Revelation 21:21. #Illuminare

70. It’s almost like visiting Universal Studios theme park in Orlando, Florida. This virtual reality tour has to be a star attraction. #Illuminare

71. If you’ll like to qualify for heaven’s resident visa program please pray this prayer: “Father I acknowledge that I am a sinner, that Jesus died for me, that you raised him from the dead. Father please forgive me. I accept Jesus today as my Lord and my Saviour. Amen.”

72. To read Tourism Sites in Heaven, go to myilluminare.com/tourism-sites-…. #Illuminare

73. To read the series, The Church and Politics, go to myilluminare.com/the-church-and…. #Illuminare

74. To read and download FREE copies of Understanding Tithing (Parts 1, 2, 3 and 4), please go to myilluminare.com. #Illuminare

75. To read my new book on the science of Genesis, order or subscribe for The Genesis Project at genesisprojectonline.com. #Illuminare

76. © Leke Alder | [e-mail]. #Illuminare