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Malloy is reasonably helpful, giving him some advice and the fair warning when he thinks it's really time for Miller to make a run for it, but he doesn't get too involved. Revelation 21:9-14 contains a somewhat strange statement - the angel tells John he is going to show him the "bride of the Lamb," and then proceeds to show him a city. How do you make sense of this? Note also Revelation 19:6-9, Jeremiah 3:14, Jeremiah 31:31-33. While Daniel would surely be concerned with the length of time his people would suffer in the Great Tribulation, the emphasis of this paragraph does not seem to fall on the length of Israel’s suffering but on its purpose. The suffering will end when its purpose has been fulfilled: “as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed” (verse 7). Picture the scene. You are standing at the very gates of heaven. It's more beautiful than you ever dreamed possible. This is where you want to spend eternity. This is where you belong. But before you enter, the Lord himself asks what possible reason you have to claim admission. You pause, knowing that all eternity hangs on your answer. What will you say? Daniel was in mourning, although we are not told why he mourned, apparently for some period of time. We know the vision he received was in response to his request to understand that which the angel was sent to explain:
Twice in three verses, Jesus calls heaven a place. He means that heaven ("my Father's house") is a real place, as real as New York, London or Chicago. The place called heaven is just as real as the place you call home. It's a real place filled with real people, which is why the Bible sometimes compares heaven to a mansion with many rooms ( John 14:1-3) and sometimes to an enormous city teeming with people ( Revelation 21). Heaven is the Dwelling Place of GodThe Blessed Virgin Mary is the mother of Jesus. The Church gives her the title “Mother of God”, because her son Jesus is true God and true man.
In the Christian understanding, human beings are a unity of body and soul, of matter and spirit. We are created in the image and likeness of God, and we are made for eternal life with him. Deep down we sense that our true homeland is in heaven. Then I, Daniel, looked and behold, two others were standing, one on this bank of the river, and the other on that bank of the river. 6 And one said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long will it be until the end of these wonders?” 7 And I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time; and as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed.
Introduction
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” Three-and-a-half years is the measure of Israel’s stubborn unbelief. God takes this long to break this people, shatter their power, and turn them to faith in the Messiah whom they have rejected. Three-and-a-half years is not the measure of God’s severity, but the measure of Israel’s sin and of God’s patience. The Outcome of Israel’s Distress In those days I, Daniel, had been mourning for three entire weeks. 3 I did not eat any tasty food, nor did meat or wine enter my mouth, nor did I use any ointment at all, until the entire three weeks were completed (Daniel 10:2-3). The pastor questioned the wisdom of continuing, but he decided to once again read the precious words from the text of Romans 8: “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels,…” Gratefully, he completed the service.
The Bible also tells us that heaven is the dwelling place of God. His throne is there, the angels are there, and the Lord Jesus Christ is in heaven. Philippians 3:20 says very plainly that "our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ." That's why Jesus told the thief on the Cross, "Today you will be with me in paradise" ( Luke 23:43). Heaven is Not That Far Away Peggy lives with her brother Keith, a college student; their father, Philip, has been absent for most of their lives, but does occasionally send money; he appears to travel a lot. According to verse 1, who will be rescued, and from what will they be rescued? Is there any clue in the text as to how will they be rescued?In his very helpful book on heaven, W.A. Criswell makes the additional point that individual personality survives into eternity. I'll be the same person then that I am now-only with all the imperfections and limitations of sin finally removed. This is a wonderful thought-that the essence of who we are will remain throughout eternity-yet vastly improved by God's grace. [Note: W.A. Criswell and Paige Patterson, Heaven, Tyndale House Publishers, 1991, pp. 33-38. He also says that in heaven we can eat all we want and not get fat. I certainly hope he's right about that.] The prophecy of Daniel is not the revelation of God’s plan of salvation; it is the revelation of God’s plan for the future. It reveals how God’s salvation will be fulfilled, not how it is made possible. Daniel focuses on the manifestation of God’s salvation in history, not its means through the coming, death, burial, and resurrection of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. The best part of heaven will be seeing Jesus himself face to face. We will worship the Son of God and celebrate his great victory over sin while the endless ages of eternity roll on and on. The best music you've ever heard will pale compared to the music of heaven. The most awesome worship you've experienced on earth is but a dim reflection of the praise we will render around the throne of God. How can I be sure I am going to Heaven?
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