Heaven and Hell, Part 2

If a person acts upon that spirit of love in their heart, they will have great joy and happiness which is the kingdom of heaven in this life. If a person lives by this spirit they will also have all they need and all they desire.

Luke 12:29-31 And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Psalms 34:9-10 O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.

There is no want to those who seek the kingdom of heaven; there is no want to those who fear God; there is no want to those who seek after God. These three promises from the Bible are three ways of saying the same thing. To seek the Lord means to feel and to seek Love and the joy it brings which is to seek the kingdom of heaven. To fear God is to understand and to fear the justice of God. The fear of God is repentance. After stating "there is no want them that fear Him" David goes on to define the fear of God.

Psalms 34:11-14 Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD. What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.

To fear God is to depart from evil and do righteousness. So when we realize we have sinned, when we depart from evil, when we seek after love, we will have everything we need. Our prayers, even our unspoken prayers, are answered.

John 14:12-14 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

Christ stated very clearly that prayer is answered, but one must pray in the name of the Lord. Looking at the Bible we see the Lord has many names. In which name are we to pray?

Exodus 6:3 And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.

Exodus 3:14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

Zechariah 6:12 And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD:

Matthew 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Matthew 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Revelation 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

Praying in the name of the Lord does not mean praying in any particular name or title of the Lord. It does not mean ending prayers with the phrase “In the name of the Lord we pray” as people always do. We think of doing something in someone's name as doing it in their honor; but biblically speaking, a person's name is very significant.

Genesis 16:11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.

Genesis 17:5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.

Genesis 17:15 And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.

Genesis 32:28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.

Hosea 1:4 And the LORD said unto him, Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel.

Hosea 1:6 And she conceived again, and bare a daughter. And God said unto him, Call her name Loruhamah: for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel; but I will utterly take them away.

Hosea 1:9 Then said God, Call his name Loammi: for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God.

John 1:42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.

Acts 13:9 Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him,

Ecclesiastes 7:1 A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth.

A person's name is part of the person it represents. This is why a person's name changes when the person it represents changes. This is why Abram’s name was changed to Abraham, and Saul’s name was changed to Paul. Praying in the “name” of the Lord means more than praying in God's honor; it means more than ending prayer by proclaiming any particular title of God. A person's name is the essence of who they are, what they are.

A person's name is inseparable from the person it represents.

John 1:11-13 He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Those who believe on His name are said to be born, "not of the will of the flesh", but were born "of God". It is the spirit in the heart of the child of God that is born of God; the flesh is born of flesh.

John 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

The spirit is born of God, so the spirit of compassion we feel in our heart believes in the name of the Lord. Yet, many good people have lived and died without ever hearing the name “Jesus”. How can it be said their spirits believed in His name? Did they believe in the name “Jesus” or the name “YHWH” having never heard these words?

It could have been written “even to them that believe on the name Jesus”, but it was not. It could have been written “even to them that believe on the name YHWH”, but it was not. Instead it is written "even to them that believe on His name". In other words we must believe in the generic or nonspecific “Name of the Lord”. A name is something that represents who and what a person is. It is not necessary to believe in any particular name or title of the Lord; we must believe in who God is. The Lord has many names and titles, but we must believe in what God is. What is God? God is Love.

1 John 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

The spirit in the child of God does indeed believe in Love; it believes in the name of God. It believes in the essence of God even if the person who possesses that spirit never heard the word “YHWH”. Even if the person who possesses that spirit does not believe in God their spirit still believes in the Name of God. Like God, the spirit in the heart of the child of God is love. The spirits in the hearts of the children of God are called by “His name” (love) and they are created by Him for His glory.

Isaiah 43:7 Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.

God is Love; Christ is Love. If we believe in love, we believe in the name of God. Our prayers are answered when we pray in His name which means we receive what we ask of God if we make the request while our heart is full of Love.

John 17:26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them

Christ declared the name of the Lord to His apostles, but He did not simple tell them that God's name is YHWH. Christ declared the name of the Lord "that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them". By having this love in their hearts the apostles had the name of the Lord. The essence of God is Love; the “name” of God is Love. Not merely the word love, but rather a strong feeling of love and compassion; that feeling itself is the “name (or essence) of God”.

John 14:14-15 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. If ye love me, keep my commandments.

The verse that says "If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it" is followed by the words "If ye love me, keep my commandments". Asking something in the Lord's name requires keeping His commandments. Asking something in the Lord's name is keeping His commandments. His commandments are to Love God and love one another. When we pray while following these commandments we are praying in His name.

We must follow His commandments while praying, we must be filled with this love while praying; otherwise we are not praying in His name. God is the absolute perfection of Infinite Love, Mercy and Compassion. When we feel His Love, we are calling His name; when we believe in His Love, we believe in His name; when we ask in His Love, we are asking in His name.

John 14:14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

1 John 3:22-23 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

In one verse it is written we receive what we ask when we ask in His name. In another verse it is written we receive what we ask because we keep His commandments. To keep His commandments, to love God, to love and forgive others, is asking in His name.

To pray in the name of Christ is to pray with Christ in your heart. God has always looked into the hearts of His children, but in true prayer He enters into our hearts and communes with us.

True prayer is to pray with great emotion, with perfect love. It is to feel the presence and the great Love of God. It is to pray with great love for God, pure love and forgiveness for all His children. It is to pray with genuine repentance for one's own shortcomings.

True pray is something we seldom achieve. The saints are those who worship God in Spirit and in truth, and they will on occasion experience the great joy of true prayer. Sometimes a child of God who does not lead an exceptionally spiritual life is backed into a corner. Facing the death of a loved one, people sometimes become temporarily spiritual. Sometimes the sadness and fear will produce a genuine sense of repentance, love and forgiveness of others. If prayer is true prayer and a person's heart is filled with these emotions, their prayer is answered.

Psalms 34:18 The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

Mark 10:15 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.

It is not necessary to be a little child to go to the eternal Heaven, but to achieve the heaven of true prayer in this lifetime we must be like a little child who does not hate anyone. We must posses the love a little child has for his father who gave him life. We must be like a tearful little child who has done something wrong and must now tell his father.

All of the children of God are sinners and less than perfect and true prayer always includes repentance. It always includes praise to the Lord who died for us while we were yet sinners, who gave us life; and has provided for us eternal life even though we do not deserve it. True prayer is very genuine and very emotional; it is not merely conversation.

Matthew 4:6-7 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

Prayer is not to be used to test God. It is not to be used to prove or disprove the existence of God. Do not entertain the notion of trying to fool God. God knows the mind and the heart, and all of creation is in the palm of His hand.

We are not to ask God for what we can do ourselves. If someone is sick, take them to the doctor. Should a farmer leave his seed in the barn and ask God to magically put food on the table? God gave most of us the ability to provide for ourselves, and we are to use the two hands God gave us.

Pray for world peace, but do not expect such a prayer to be answered. Pray for your brother to have a good marriage with his wife, but do not blame God should they divorce. If you want your brother and his wife to stay together, talk to your brother and his wife. If you want world peace talk to the people of the world.

Mark 9:28-29 And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.

Do not expect prayer to be answered immediately. When asking for something great, be patient. Have faith and continue to pray daily. Fasting is giving up food, but a true fast is when we give up sin and live by the commandments of Christ.

Psalms 37:4-5 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

When asking for something great from God, Love God with all your heart and all your soul and love your neighbor as yourself. Follow these commandments daily even when not in prayer, even if you did not live by these commandments before and you may not live by them after God answers your prayer. Have faith if it takes time. Anything you ask with great love in your heart will be granted.

Matthew 6:9-13 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Christ provided a guideline for prayer, not an example that must be repeated word for word. The words are not as important as the emotion. Following this guideline a person in true prayer does not ask for wealth or power, but we ask for "our daily bread". When we feel the Spirit of God, we are not concerned with material possessions. Our needs and desires are met, but our needs and our desires are different in that state of mind. If we were to genuinely pray for great wealth it would be granted; but when God is in the heart, wealth is not in the mind. It is not possible to truly pray for personal gain. In order to achieve true prayer, pray for something or someone who is very close to your heart.

The first and foremost thing in all true pray is to praise God. This is the first commandment of Moses and the first commandment of Christ. There is nothing more important than to Love God with all your heart and all your soul. When Christ taught His disciples how to pray the guideline He gave them began and ended with praise to God.

With God there is Justice, and only Love will have eternal life. With God there is Mercy, and He condemns no one. He even died for us in order for our souls to be resurrected to eternal life. With God there is Love and this great Love God has for us is beyond our ability to express and beyond our ability to comprehend. We should always pray that, "Thy will be done", because the will of God is Love, Mercy, and Justice.

Prayer is answered, but there is a catch to it. True prayer not only means being filled with Love, forgiveness and repentance; it also means loving God with all your being. True prayer means believing in the absolute Righteousness of God and fully supporting the will of God. We pray that “Thy will be done” because we fully understand that the will of God is infinitely Righteous. If a man's wife is dying of cancer in true prayer he would pray in this manner, "My God, and my Savior, if it be in Your great will to heal my wife then I will praise You; but if it be it Your great will that she die of this disease then I will praise You still the more. It is Your will that I exist and have life; it is Your will that my wife exists. It is Your will we be resurrected to eternal life. Whatever happens to my wife and me, You will set all things straight. Your will be done. We praise Your great Name".

1 Chronicles 29:13 Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.

Psalms 9:2 I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.

Psalms 86:12 I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.

Psalms 135:3 Praise the LORD; for the LORD is good: sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant.

Psalms 148:13 Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven.

We are told to praise the Name of God meaning we are to praise the essence of God. God is Love; to praise God is to praise Love; to worship God is to worship Love. God is worthy of praise.

The greatest truth that can be spoken is that God is worthy of praise.

True prayer is not a once in a lifetime act through which we somehow deserve eternal life. In prayer we discover the spirit placed in the heart by God, that spirit is not created there by us when we pray for all good things come from God. That spirit must already be in our heart in order for us to be able to pray. We are saved by that Spirit, not by finding it. In prayer we are given a glimpse of the eternal Heaven to come, and our needs in this world are met.

On Earth few will experience the highest levels of true prayer. Most of God's children will only experience joy equivalent to a mustard seed. Most will not experience the quantity and quality of joy that is available to all His children.

Matthew 7:13-14 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Walking the strait and narrow during our lifetime means to experience the love of prayer. It is not what gets a person to Heaven; it is heaven. The strait and narrow way is heaven here in this world. Few find the gate that "Leadeth unto life". Those children of God who do not experience the highest level of prayer in this life will still have eternal Heaven waiting for them, but they miss out on the greatest peace and joy this world has to offer.

John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

John 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

Prayer is comforting. At the highest level of prayer there is a sensation that someone is present with us even though we are alone. That presence is called the Holy Spirit, and it is God Himself who is with us.

God is infinite Love, Mercy and Justice beyond all understanding. His Righteous perfection is beyond comprehension. God is repulsed by evil, and this not only means that God is repulsed by Satan; we are also part evil so we too are repulsive to God when we are selfish or self-righteous. God watches over us, but He will not enter into our hearts and commune with us unless we lay aside all evil. We must feel mercy and truly forgive all who have sinned against us. We must feel unselfish love for others. We must feel justice or the fear of God which means heartfelt remorse and repentance for our sins.

Matthew 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

The children of God are not perfect. We have all sinned; but when true prayer is achieved, we achieve perfection. We are perfect in prayer even if only temporarily. We feel genuine repentance and great Love for God and true love and forgiveness for others. In this state of perfection we are worthy for the Loving and perfect Holy Spirit of God to enter into us and commune with us. Our flesh is still unworthy, but with the resurrection of Christ our spirit is judged separately. When we allow our spirit of Love to fill our thoughts we are worthy to feel and to commune with God.

When we achieve the perfection of true prayer we commune with God. The Eucharist or communion service is symbolic of prayer. The bread of communion represents the body of Christ that is taken into our body just as God comes into our spirit during prayer.

Luke 22:19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.

The first communion took place at the time of the Passover. The bread of communion is a type of Passover as the two traditions are the same in many ways. Both are centered on a sacrificed lamb. Both communion and the Passover are symbolic of prayer.

Exodus 12:8-11 And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire. And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD'S passover.

In the Passover the lamb had to be eaten at night, the night represented this life before the sunrise of eternal Heaven. Eating the lamb provides pleasure just as communing with God provides joy. By eating the lamb, the lamb becomes part of the one who eats it just as the Holy Spirit becomes part of us in prayer.

None of the lamb was to be left until the morning meaning the spirit in our hearts should not be wasted or ignored. If part of the lamb was wasted and still remained in the morning, it would be burned with fire. This fire represents the hell or suffering in this lifetime which is a result of ignoring and thereby wasting the inward love and living a life of selfishness.

Exodus 16:4 Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.

Another symbol of heaven in this world was the manna given to the children of Israel. This manna was provided by God; it did not grow from Earth. It was provided on their journey through the wilderness of sin before crossing Jordan into the Promised Land. It was a free gift of God symbolic of the gift of the Holy Spirit in this life before we cross into eternal Heaven.

Exodus 16:15-21 And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat. This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents. And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less. And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating. And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning. Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them. And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted.

Some gathered more manna than others yet all were given enough "according to his eating". Whatever amount of love a person has in their heart, it must not be wasted. "Let no man leave of it till the morning." When the morning of resurrection and judgment comes, it is too late. The manna that was not consumed "bred worms and stank". This is the pain and emptiness of hell in this world which is the result of ignoring the love in one's heart.

During the Passover hell in this life was compared to fire, and in the wilderness of sin it was compared to worms. Punishment is represented by worms and fire which is why the eternal Hell is said to be a place where "Their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched".

Isaiah 66:24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.

Mark 9:43-44 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

Many Christians believe these words to mean Hell is a place of eternal torment, but they merely point out that Hell on the Day of Judgment is eternal. It is a worm that does not come to an end and a fire that does not come to an end, but there is no mention of torment. The eternal Hell on the Day of Judgment is called the Lake of Fire, and it is eternal destruction not eternal torture.

Proverbs 10:29 The way of the LORD is strength to the upright: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity.

Isaiah 1:28 And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the LORD shall be consumed.

2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;

The verdict on the Day of Judgment will last for all eternity. It is death without resurrection, but those who have love in their hearts need not fear the Day of Judgment. The love in the heart of the child of God knows God; it obeys the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ even in those who do not believe in Jesus Christ.