Is There a Mother in Heaven? Part 10 of 10—What’s Forever For?

Here is an important question to consider: Why not forever marriage in heaven? Why does it seem so offensive to many?

Think about it. We make close, intimate ties on earth with our spouses—okay, some of us do. Nevertheless, does it make sense that God would take two loving, intimate spouses, then tear them apart to live singly for eternity just because they died? That would be akin to some kind of hell, I would think—a hell in heaven!

Michael Martin Murphy put it this way, “And if love never lasts forever, tell me what’s forever for?” Or to put it another way, “And if marriage doesn’t lasts forever, what’s marriage for?”

Is There a Mother in Heaven? Part 9 of 10—No Marriage in Heaven?

This idea of forever marriage speaks deeply of the importance of marriage in eternity. This would suggest that marriage is apparently more than a mere temporary arrangement—in other words, not “Till death do you part,” which is a temporary arrangement.

The question can then be asked: If God would have his children be married—i.e., not just married, but married forever!—then what about God himself? Would it be of any less importance to him? Modern thinking would have us believe so.

What purpose would it serve God, if all his children had forever spouses and he did not? His children would then be in possession of something that he himself did not possess! Pretty unthinkable, I would imagine.

Is There a Mother in Heaven? Part 8 of 10—Is Marriage Forever?

Remember what Jesus said? God did the joining. Let no man put it asunder. Man cannot break what God has joined together. That sounds pretty forever to me!

Yet, how easy we break those marriage vows here on earth. Divorce is rampant, even among professed Christians. I, myself, have been divorced three times! Not that I’m proud of the fact; I’m not.

Originally there was no divorce, but as Jesus said:

“Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.” ( Matthew 19:8.)

This means that God originally, and still does, intend marriage to last forever. And here’s something else to remember:

Is There a Mother in Heaven? Part 7 of 10—Is There Marriage in Heaven?

If there were no Mother in heaven, then God, the Father, would be forever single. Of course, this is how 99.999 percent of all Christianity view him anyway (guesstimate mine).

But if God were forever single, then why would he care if his children were married or not? What purpose could it possibly serve?

If man were modeled after God, and the scriptures tell us he was, then why would he require his children to do something he himself was unwilling to do—i.e., be married?

Remember, in the Lord’s Prayer Jesus addressed the Father:

“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10.)

Is There a Mother in Heaven? Part 6 of 10—God Does Not Play Dice

Finally, I cannot believe that God, the Father, could be both male and female, that both could be created in his own male likeness and image. To me, this goes beyond all good sense and reason. And remember, God does use the pronoun “us” in his proclamation of intended and actual creation. (See Genesis 1:26-27.)

In short, I believe in a God of order who works by natural laws—eternal laws! Look around you. His creations speak—no, shout!—of order. And to create a female out of a male does not speak to me of order or of any natural law.

Even cloning, as abhorrent as I think it is, duplicates the DNA. Thus, a clone will have the same sex as its source.

Also, if you look at the fact that man and woman are inherently different in form and in nature, you should be able to see they both could not be modeled after the same personage. All you have to do is compare yourself with your spouse or significant other . . . whatever that is.

Is There a Mother in Heaven? Part 5 of 10—Are We a Reflection of God’s Nature?

If the man Adam looked like God in form, and if man was modeled after God’s own being, to be a shadow of himself, then surely the reverse is also true: God, in form, looks like the man he created after his own image. Stephen’s pre-death experience would certainly lend credence to this idea (see Acts 7:55-56).

The same idea may be implied in the relationship between our asserted Mother in heaven and the woman.

In regards to the man, the same language used in Genesis 1:26-27 was used later when Adam was compared with his son Seth:

Is There a Mother in Heaven? Part 4 of 10—Modeling Man and Woman

I think of the earth and all its inhabitants as a sort of microcosm of heaven—that is, the heaven where I believe we all came from. Of course, heaven is on a much higher plane than earth, yet who’s to say what the earth was patterned after? It might as well be patterned after heaven as any other place.

What we do know is the pattern after which man and woman were created.

“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness . . .
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” (Genesis 1:26-27.)

Wherever we came from, it would seem that the patterns for creating earthly man and woman resided in heaven, for that is where God resides.

What Is Revelation?

According to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Greek#602), the word “revelation” comes from apŏkalupsis, meaning “disclosure.” apŏkalupsis has been translated variously in the King James Version of the Bible as “appearing, coming, lighten, manifestation, be revealed,” as well as “revelation.” (ibid.)

From this, we can see that the Greek word apŏkalupsis has been transliterated rather than translated into the word “apocalypse,” which is one of the names the Book of Revelation commonly goes by: The Apocalypse. But it could also be known as The Disclosure, The Appearing, The Coming, The Enlightening, The Manifestation or The Revealing.

In any event, the apŏkalupsis is a revealing of some pretty nasty events that are to occur during the last days, which are now upon us. It also reveals some other important items and events as well.

Whence Cometh Satan? (Part 2 of 3)

So, what exactly was this war in heaven fought over? Of course, we have no way of really knowing, save the heavens become open to us. Nevertheless, perhaps we can paint a picture of what might possibly have occurred, relying heavily upon conjecture. But that’s what we’re all about here: expressing opinions.

Let us look back and try to imagine the scene that took place.

We know this war took place in heaven, a place where one wouldn’t ordinarily think of as having conflict of any kind, let alone a war. I believe this war took place before Adam and Eve were placed on earth in their physical forms. I also believe this war occurred before “the morning stars [i.e., daughters of God] sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy” (Job 38:7).

Of course, there’s no way to know for sure, except there does seem to be a logical pattern of progression here. First, a war fought in heaven. Second, the conclusion of the war. Third, God’s announcement of the physical creation of the earth and the laying of its cornerstone.

Whence Cometh Satan? (Part 1 of 3)

A lot of sermons have been preached about Satan. However, I wonder how many people, preachers included, actually know who Satan is and where he came from. Do we know why he is so determined to fight against God and all those who seek to do good in Christ’s name? Do we know why he is so hateful and downright evil?

To answer these questions, we have to go back before the physical creation of the earth, for that is where we first meet the one we call Satan, otherwise known as Lucifer, or the Devil.

There’s a curious verse in the epistle of Jude (KJV) that refers to the “first estate.” Nothing further is mentioned, nor is there any other reference to it in the entire Bible. Even so, I think we can make some assumptions regarding this verse.

“And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.” (Jude 6).

What of So-Called Past Lives? (Part 2 of 2)

The question may then be asked: Why were the sons and daughters of God so excited about the laying of the earth’s foundations and cornerstone​, whatever the latter may have consisted?

Could it not be anticipation for something they had been looking forward to for a very long time? Could it be they understood God was creating a new home for them in a new setting? New opportunities for growth and development?

With a new setting came different types of bodies to deal with, consisting of grosser material, but fashioned after the manner of their spirit bodies, which were created in the image and likeness of God. Trials and suffering would be part of their learning experiences, although they had no way of knowing or understanding the lengths, widths and depths of that sorrow and suffering. These would be the refiner’s fire spoken of in “Who Are We? (Part 2)”.

Who Are We? (Part 3 of 3)

“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:” (John 1:11-12).

These are they who have received God. However, it isn’t enough to merely receive God; God must, in turn, receive them (review Hebrews 12:5-7). And when God receives one such, he chastens them. He tries them in the furnace of affliction that they might be refined as silver and gold.

“Wherefore come out from among them [i.e., unbelievers, infidels and idol worshipers], and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing [temples with idols] ; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” (2 Corinthians 6:17-18).

Again, we see God taking the role of father (Father) to us, calling us his sons and daughters . . . if we separate ourselves from the unbelievers, etc.

Who Are We? (Part 2 of 3)

If we are truly sons and daughters of God as the scriptures tell us (see Who Are We? (Part 1 of 3), then what about all the scriptures that tell us we may become sons and daughters of God? This certainly presents a spiritual conundrum. But there is an answer.

Adam and Eve were created in a paradisaical state. Yet, God introduced the idea of death to them, even though they likely had no conception of what that meant. How could they? Nothing had ever died before! Still, God warned them not to partake of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil or they would die.

We do not know what the tree of knowledge of good and evil was, nor what sort of fruit it bore. What we do know is that by eating it, Adam and Eve would die. The only thing we can assume is whenever they partook of this forbidden fruit, some sort of change came over their bodies that made dying possible. We don’t know what that change was; we may never know. But something happened, and as a result of their disobedience, they became subject to death and were ushered out of their paradisaical glory.

Whatever changes took place in Adam and Eve’s bodies must also have taken place in the bodies of all the animals, for they became wild and ferocious, or at least wild. So, we know the change wasn’t necessarily in the fruit itself because the animals didn’t eat the fruit, but yet they, too, were subject to death.

Who Are We? (Part 1 of 3)

“Who are we?” is certainly one of the most important and widely discussed religious and philosophical questions known to mankind. Yet, when all the arguments have been laid on the table, there is still no consensus among the various parties.

The wise philosophers (in their own eyes) depend on their innate reasoning powers to reach their conclusions. Yet, those conclusions vary widely. There are as many opinions as there are philosophers.

The great religions of the world—Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, etc.—do not fair any better. They cannot even agree on a single God, let alone the answer to this important question. Sadly, Christianity, with its multitude of factions, is not united on the issue, either.

Nevertheless, being of the Christian faith, I must ask: Who does the Bible say we are?

Is There One Creation Story or Two? (Part 3 of 3)

Day 6 opens with the creation of “the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so” (Genesis 1:24). You’ll again note that each living thing was to reproduce after its kind, not evolve from one living thing into something else. Christian Darwinians take note.

Then came the creation of the male and female, formed in the image and likeness of God himself. Many feel this was the creation of Adam and Eve. But was it?

"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness . . . So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” (Genesis 1:26-27).

Interestingly, the Hebrew word for man is ’adam (small a), while the word for Adam is ’Adam (large A—both minus the diacritical marks). ’adam (small a) means “ruddy, i.e. a human being (an individual or the species, mankind, etc.)” (James Strong, Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary, Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Abingdon Press, 1973.)

Is There One Creation Story or Two? (Part 1 of 3)

It has long been an established “fact” that Genesis 1 is the chronology of the physical creation of the earth. But is it really?

At first glance, it would certainly seem so. Everything appears to follow a certain logical order leading up to the creation of the male and female in verses 26-28. Yet, there are other indications that there may be more than meets the casual eye on this subject.

Whatever the case may be, there is so little information in the creation story as to leave one with many more questions than answers. And perhaps it was intended to be so. Either that, or we have lost a great deal of information over the ages through multitudes of translations and apparent omissions.

Remember also: This was Moses’ version of what he saw. I’m sure he was quite speechless after seeing all this. Think of the time Moses lived in. I would have to wonder if he even had the vocabulary to verbalize what he saw. Hence, we have this really short version in our Bibles.

Personally, I don’t believe God ever intended Genesis 1 to be a full account of the creation of heaven and earth. If he did, then why don’t we have it?

Is There a Mother in Heaven? Part 3 of 10—We Must Know God

Whether there is or is not a Mother in heaven is determined in large part on what kind of a God our Father in heaven is. Would you agree to that?

If God is as the Catholic and other churches describe him, then we can pretty much rule out there being a Mother in heaven. If, on the other hand, our heavenly Father is a personal God, the door is at least open to the idea. Let’s see why this is so.

Here’s what Jesus said:

Is There a Mother in Heaven? Part 2 of 10—What Kind of God?

What if there were a Mother in heaven? How would that impact what we know about God, who is also known as our Father in heaven?

I guess it all depends on what we think we know about God. As it is, different Christian sects teach so many different things about God, they seem, at times, to be worshiping different Gods. Yet, they all operate under the banner of Christianity.

While this isn’t the time for a long exposition on what the Bible actually teaches about God, we have to start somewhere. And that somewhere is the Catholic Church.

Is There a Mother in Heaven? Part 1 of 10—Two Questions

This is the sort of subject matter you’re more likely to hear in New Age circles than you are in Christian circles. Yet, I’m sure there are many sincere Christians who have wondered whether or not we have a Mother in heaven. It’s only natural.

Unfortunately, the Bible is silent in the matter, and I’m guessing our pulpits are as well.

Or are they?