ONE FAMILY PLAN
Heaven is...
The City
“For he was [waiting expectantly and confidently] looking forward to the city which has fixed and firm foundations, whose Architect and Builder is God.” (Hebrews 11:10, Amplified)
“You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven, and to a judge who is God of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant.” (Hebrews 12.22-24)
New Jerusalem
“Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem… And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.’” (Revelation 21:2-4)
A Great Mountain
“And he carried me away IN THE SPIRIT to A GREAT AND HIGH MOUNTAIN, and shewed me THAT GREAT CITY, THE HOLY JERUSALEM, descending out of heaven from God…” (Rev 21:10)
The Temple
“They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: ‘See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.’” (Hebrews 8:5)
“…Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men…” (Rev 21:3)
Within
“The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” (Christianity, Luke 17:20-21)
“What the undeveloped man seeks is outside; what the advanced man seeks is within himself.” (Confucianism, Analects 15:20)
“If you think the Law is outside yourself, you are embracing not the absolute Law but some inferior teaching.” (Buddhism, Major writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, “On Attaining Buddahood,” 3-5)
“If human beings knew their own inner secrets, they would never look elsewhere seeking for happiness and peace.” (Sufism, Sufi writings)
“God bides hidden in the hearts of all.” (Hinduism, Katha Upanishad 2)
“God is in thy heart, yet thou searchest for Him in the wilderness.” (Sikhism, Guru Nanak, vol. 1, 330)
The Garden of Eden
“For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.” (Isaiah 51:3)
“Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering…” (Ezekiel 28:13)
“And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation…” (2 Cor 5:18)
In The Spirit
“And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: AND THE SPIRIT of the LORD shall rest upon him, THE SPIRIT of wisdom and understanding, THE SPIRIT of counsel and might, THE SPIRIT of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD…” (Isaiah 11:1-2)
“WHITHER SHALL I GO FROM THY SPIRIT? or whither shall I flee from thy presence…” (Psalm 139:7) “The words that I speak unto you, they ARE SPIRIT, and they are life.” (John 6:63) “…behold, I WILL POUR OUT MY SPIRIT UNTO YOU, I WILL MAKE KNOWN MY WORDS UNTO YOU.” (Proverbs 1:23) “…HE THAT IS JOINED UNTO THE LORD IS ONE SPIRIT.” (1 Cor 6:17)
“Jesus, FULL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT...” (Luke 4:1) “And Jesus returned to Galilee IN THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT…” (Luke 4:14) “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised…” (Luke 4:18)
“And he carried me away IN THE SPIRIT to A GREAT AND HIGH MOUNTAIN, and shewed me THAT GREAT CITY, THE HOLY JERUSALEM, descending out of heaven from God…” (Rev 21:10)
Nirvana
“When a son of the Buddha fulfils his course, In the world to come he becomes Buddha.” (Buddhism. Lotus Sutra 2)
Moksha
“He in whom desire has been stilled suffers no rebirth. After death, having attained to the highest, desiring only the Self, he goes to no other world. Realizing Brahman, he becomes Brahman. Freed from the body, he becomes one with the immortal spirit, Brahman, the Light eternal.” (Hinduism. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 4.4.6-7)
“Where men of goodwill and good deeds rejoice, Their bodies now made free from all disease,
Their limbs made whole from lameness or defect--In that heaven may we behold our parents and our sons!” (Hinduism. Atharva Veda 6.120.3)
Paradise
“And those Foremost [in faith] will be Foremost [in the hereafter]. These will be those nearest to God; In Gardens of Bliss; A number of people from those of old, and a few from those of later times. They will be on thrones encrusted, reclining on them, facing each other. Round about them will serve youths of perpetual freshness, with goblets, shining beakers, and cups filled out of clear-flowing fountains; No after-ache will they receive therefrom, nor will they suffer intoxication; And with fruits, any that they may select, And the flesh of fowls, any that they may desire. And there will be companions with beautiful, big and lustrous eyes, Like unto pearls well-guarded: A reward for the deeds of their past life. No frivolity will they hear therein, nor any taint of ill, Only the saying ‘Peace! Peace!’” (Islam. Qur'an 56.10-27)
“All who obey God and the Apostle are in the company of those on whom is the grace of God--of the Prophets who teach, the sincere lovers of Truth, the witnesses [martyrs] who testify, and the righteous who do good: Ah! what a beautiful fellowship!” (Islam. Qur'an 4.69)
God-Consciousness
“Higher than all stands the Realm of Grace--None can have access there except heroes of supreme might, Inspired by God-consciousness. In that sphere abide numberless heroines like Sita of surpassing praise And beauty indescribable. Those to God united suffer not mortality nor delusion. In that sphere abide devotees assembled from the various universes, Cherishing the holy Eternal ever in their hearts. In everlasting bliss. The formless Supreme Being abides in the Realm of Eternity. Over His creation He casts His glance of grace. In that realm are contained all the continents and universes, Exceeding in number all count. Of creation, worlds upon worlds abide therein--All obedient to His Will; He watches over them in bliss, And has each constantly in mind. Saith Nanak, Such is that realm's [glory] that to try to describe it is to attempt the impossible.” (Sikhism. Adi Granth, Japuji 37 M.1, p. 8)
The Resurrection
“In the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.” (Christianity, Matthew 22.30)
“There the wicked cease from troubling, and there the weary are at rest. There the prisoners are at ease together; they hear not the voice of the taskmaster. The small and the great are there, and the slave is free from his master.” (Judaism and Christianity, Job 3.17-19)
“Not like this world is the World to Come. In the World to Come there is neither eating nor drinking, nor procreation of children or business transactions, no envy or hatred or rivalry; but the righteous sit enthroned, their crowns on their heads, and enjoy the luster of the Divine Splendor (Shechinah).” (Judaism. Talmud, Berakot 17a)
“Chuang Tzu said, ‘Were I to prevail upon God to allow your body to be born again, and your bones and flesh to be renewed, so that you could return to your parents, to your wife, and to the friends of your youth, would you be willing?’ At this, the skull opened its eyes wide and knitted its brows and said, ‘How should I cast aside happiness greater than that of a king, and mingle once again in the toils and troubles of mortality?’” (Taoism. Chuang Tzu 18)
“To the highest regions, in due order, to those regions where there is no delusion, and to those regions which are full of light where the glorious gods dwell--who have long life, great power, great luster, can change their shape at will, are beautiful as on their first day, and have the brilliance of many suns--to such places go those who are trained in self-control and penance, both monks and householders who have obtained liberation by absence of passion.” (Jainism. Uttaradhyayana Sutra 5.26-28)
“What is heaven? Heaven is created by those people who love here on earth with unselfishness and an absolute, God-centered love. This is the most basic principle, and all other principles you learn are the expansion of this basic truth.” (Unification Church. Sun Myung Moon, 4-18-77)
