The Holy Bible is God’s manual for Christians on earth, with guide lines that will assist them figure-out and comply, by choice, with conditions which would qualify them to occupy a ‘pride of place’ in heaven with eternal bliss, as promised through scriptural provisions.
The condition provided in the scriptures that would qualify any human on earth to make heaven, is such that must be fused with the combination of the old and new testament if there has to be an establishment of balance in the total concept. The Old Testament has it that “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.
“You must not have any other god but me. You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected – even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me.
“But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations of those who love me and obey my commands. You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name. Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God.
“On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.
“Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you. You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely against your neighbor. You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belong to your neighbor”. (Exodus 20:2-17 (NLT).
Relating this portion of the Bible to the provision of the New Testament which has it that “then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying. Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (matthew 22:35-40 (NKJV), it is obvious that the old testament cannot be discarded for the new, neither the new for the old in view of the consideration of the laws that one must abide by, in order to be qualified to make heaven after departing for the earth either by death or rapture.
Most humans who profess to be Christians today, cannot meet these requirements because they still live in flesh and blood! It is written that “for whosoever shall keep the law and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, do not commit adultery, said also, do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law” (James 2:10-11 (KJV).
Some Christians today may feel that they are on the right path. Some think that their pattern of Christianity is superior while others are inferior.
There is a wide spread segregation, segmentation and fragmentation among Christians. Most Christian denomination do not share common and corresponding beliefs in their practise and preaching, therefore they institute conflicting opinion, positions and interpretation to the provisions in the Holy scripture in such that, those who want to join the Christian fold may either be confused as regards the line to toe, or withdraw completely from becoming Christians as a result of the ‘too many’ conflicting Christian positions and practice that most Christian leaders hold today.
Under this arrangement, it should be understood that some people on earth do not share the same beliefs as it relates to Godliness. Some do not even believe that Heaven and Hell truly exist. Whatever belief people may hold unto, the context with which this composition is arranged, allows for the establishment of the fact that Heaven and Hell fire truly exist, and that the Holy Bible is the standard for true Christian practice.
In the book “4 hour interviews in Hell”, written by Yemi Bankole, he expresses in the content of the book how some things which people may consider as ‘minor’ kind of lifestyle, or “it doesn’t matter” conceptualised notion, metamorphosing into becoming the things that has made, and will yet make people to miss Heaven; which by interpretation, would be concluded upon that Heaven is really for because the things people may not expect, may eventually turn out to become the thing that would make them miss eternal bliss in Heaven.
In the book, the writer tries to polarise between the prevalent skepticism of some people about hell, and the controversy of others against its existence. Using the book as a correcting fluid for both, the text in consonance with the scripture dismisses as a trash, the ubiquitous doctrines of annihilation, purgatory, eternal security and the likes. Circling around characters of varying shapes of backgrounds, the arrangement of events in the text beam eternal truth about the reality of hell to Christians, Muslims, pagans, backsliders, agnostics, atheist, church leaders and members alike.
The book gives an account of the event that took place on a Saturday evening in July, 1974.
Dare Matins was pursuing a grade II certificate in the Teachers’ Training College, and was visited by his friend Allen Bamgbose, a young Naval; Officer. By rule of thumb, these two friends were not less than thirty years of age as that time. When the two friends, met, as usual, the events of the past are always recalled. That was when Allen shared his experience as one topic led to another.
Allen narrated his dream about hell which he had. In his speech, he talked about the shocking experience that he had in his dream concerning the things he saw and the reality in them. He concentrated more on how “little sins” that humans commit, turn out to become the source of great damnation.
In his narration he talked about his former class mate Rita. Rita, according to him, was involved in organising concerts, carols and quiz competition in school fellowship. She was good at sword drill and impromptu speech. Rita yielded to a sinful affair with a boy at home during a short break.
She thought of repenting in the campus chapel when the school resumed. But on returning from home she had a motor accident. The next thing she discovered was that she missed heaven. He had so much to tell concerning his experience and how ‘little sins’ could lead people to eternal damnation.
The main issue that makes heaven far in this context is that there is no man that would be able to stand if God should consider iniquity! Many people who profess to be Christians still tell lies, they still cheat, and engage themselves in known and unknown sins which comes with detrimental results.
The Bible condemns the act of inequality among people in the church as recorded in the book of James chapter 2. Yet most reputable church leaders are guilty of this. The Bible condemns covetousness, yet most Christians still covet material things. The Bible advocates love as the hallmark of Christianity, yet some Christians still have segmented and segregated groups of common interest against others in the church.
Some church leaders will speak “thus saith the lord” when in actual sense the lord did not speak; but they just want to achieve somethings based on their personal emotions and instinct. Some have turned the house of God into becoming a market place by way of selling anointed oil to people under false pretence, thereby making money for their private purse.
There abound plethora of reasons why the context of this construction admits that heaven is far. All those areas cannot be exhausted because the conclusion of the matter is to the effect that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, if the lord will mark iniquity, no man can stand; if a man keeps the whole law and offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
These factors, and many more, are the things that makes heaven far, and they take their foundation from Biblical provisions. However, still according to the scripture, men, shall be saved by grace because no man can question God if he decides otherwise!.
Culled from nigerianobservernews.com
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