Theology Case

Theology 104

Theology

To be a theologian is to question God. Theology is the study of the nature of God and religious truth; rational inquiry into religious questions. The bible is composed of quotes, scripture, and the story behind that which we were made. A popular question that is brought to mind is that of a Heaven or Hell. In this reflection paper I will discuss Heaven, Angels (prophets), and a bit on the eternal security needed to fulfill this goal in life. It has been said that if you live a Righteous life you will have eternal security and will follow the stairs to the Gates of Heaven as a prophet.

Heaven

"Heaven is the place where God most fully makes known his presence to bless" (Etzel, 2012). Heaven is the place where God dwells. It is a location that is holy spiritual in nature. In the Bible Heaven is a term that has three distinct meanings. It is known as the abode of God and the angels, and the final destination of all who have put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. The word Heaven is also used in scripture to refer to the Earth's atmosphere, and again in reference to interstellar space; two out of the three heavens apostle Paul talked about in the book. There are many different names for Heaven in the Holy Scripture:

In Holy Scripture Heaven is called:

* the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3),

* the kingdom of God (Mark 9:46),

* the kingdom of the Father (Matthew 13:43),

* the kingdom of Christ (Luke 22:30),

* the house of the Father (John 14:2),

* city of God, the heavenly Jerusalem (Hebrews 12),

* the holy place (Hebrews 9:12; Douay-Rheims Version: holies),

* paradise (2 Corinthians 12:4),

* life (Matthew 7:14),

* life everlasting (Matthew 19:16),

* the joy of the Lord (Matthew 25:21),

* crown of life (James 1:12),

* crown of justice (2 Timothy 4:8),

* crown of glory (1 Peter 5:4),

* incorruptible crown (1 Corinthians 9:25),

* great reward (Matthew 5:12),

* inheritance of Christ (Ephesians 1:18),

* Eternal inheritance (Hebrews 9:15).

Practical biblical encouragements regarding how heaven should affect you today: don't fear heaven, don't forget heaven, and don't forget how you inherited heaven (Etzel, 2012). If you believe in the Lord you are already closer to a spot in heaven. "For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die, our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies" (Etzel, 2012).

Angels

"An angel is a messenger, a guardian and an advocate, an entity created to carry out a specific mission for a specific time. Just as there are no two people exactly alike,