Kingdom of Heaven? (Earth, paradise, prophecy, vain, Jerusalem)

[Sunstone]

Heaven was invented in 1852 by the Acme Latex Corporation, Reality Division, as a retirement home for its corporate executives.

[yirme]

Originally Posted by Riverwolf

No one's answered the question I asked. I didn't ask for prophecies, and specifically said not the rewards. I asked what might the place be like? Not based on religious texts, but on one's own ideas.

the question has been answered, but the answer was not perceived.

[Riverwolf]

Yirme, all you said was an old, cliche'd prophecy that has been spoken ever since Jesus was alive. Now, that is not an answer to the question I have asked. If you prefer to speak in riddles, that's fine. I rather enjoy doing it myself. But give me one more riddle so that I might be able to understand your answer better.

After all, meanings can be perceived differently. A Christian would perceive your answer as perfectly fine. I'm not a Christian, I'm a kind of Neo-pagan. However, I'm also a story-teller with a passion for landscapes and fantasy settings. Middle-Earth, Hyrule, Atlantis, etc... so if the Kingdom of Heaven were among such places, what might it be like based on your personal ideas? Or is it just like Earth without all the things that make life worth living?

[yirme]

Originally Posted by Riverwolf

Yirme, all you said was an old, cliche'd prophecy that has been spoken ever since Jesus was alive. Now, that is not an answer to the question I have asked. If you prefer to speak in riddles, that's fine. I rather enjoy doing it myself. But give me one more riddle so that I might be able to understand your answer better.

After all, meanings can be perceived differently. A Christian would perceive your answer as perfectly fine. I'm not a Christian, I'm a kind of Neo-pagan. However, I'm also a story-teller with a passion for landscapes and fantasy settings. Middle-Earth, Hyrule, Atlantis, etc... so if the Kingdom of Heaven were among such places, what might it be like based on your personal ideas? Or is it just like Earth without all the things that make life worth living?

peace,

is it a prophecy or is it a statement that was as true then as it is now?
i was reading "the triple flame: the inner secrets of sufism" this morning and i came across this statement on page 79: "when a good state of consciousness and light press against each other as if they were one, they will see Me in the dunya, in the world, in awwal and akhirah, the time of creation and the divine kingdom hereafter, they will say that I am One, Rahman the Merciful...." The Triple Flame: The Inner Secrets ... - Google Book Search

there are many levels of what people perceive as heaven, with those of the lower levels unable to ascend to the higher levels except through faith and good deeds, by forming a good state of consciousness cleansed of "inner filth". some would describe it as a feeling, a "state of consciousness", others as a place, and yet others would say it is just being in the arms of another person(the latter 2 possibly causing an extremely peaceful feeling and thus being linked to heaven in the mind), but many cannot tell the difference between heaven and hell. as one evolves to higher levels of heaven, what might have previously seemed like heaven on earth is clearly hell on earth. by hanging onto the ideas of what we think of as heaven, we could be holding ourselves back from the higher levels of heaven.
if we describe heaven by things that we see and understand at this time through our earthly senses, then, "the kingdom of heaven is at hand." and if it is a state of consciousness which we can attain, a sort of "enlightenment", like dying before we die, then, "the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
i understand this may not have been the answer you were searching for, but here it is anyway
i do not consider myself christian as defined by modern christianity, i do however follow the teachings of jesus christ. hyrule is an awesome place
haha, sorry for such a long winded answer.

peace

[Riverwolf]

No, that's what I was looking for. Thanks.

[Sk8Joyful]

Originally Posted by Riverwolf

What might the Kingdom of Heaven be like?

Not necissarily the rewards given to the just, but the kingdom itself. NO DEBATING PLEASE!!

GOD/Jesus Christ himself answered this:
Jesus said, " Unless you become like a LITTLE child you can in no wise enter the Kingdom of God."

Heaven's kingdom has its beginnings, in your Soul (spirit), Mind (incldg. brain) & Heart (rest of body).

So the Kingdom of Heaven essentially & foremost consists of blissful~joyful people...displaying
all qualities of successful children.

And such, Jesus said "They shall inherit the earth..., in HEAVEN forevermore".

[Dunemeister]

Originally Posted by Riverwolf

No one's answered the question I asked. I didn't ask for prophecies, and specifically said not the rewards. I asked what might the place be like? Not based on religious texts, but on one's own ideas.

What if my ideas are informed by religious texts? What's wrong with that?

[arthra]

Originally Posted by Riverwolf

What might the Kingdom of Heaven be like? Not necissarily the rewards given to the just, but the kingdom itself. What's do you think it's like? Its layout, its countries(if any) the inhabitants, etc. Does it have creatures there like on Earth? Continents? Is it a planet or a flat plane that goes for eternity? Is it like Earth at all, or something completely different?

...You get the idea. NO DEBATING PLEASE!!

This question has been speculated on for many years.. I think when I read Swedenborg it was among the most detailed I'd read but detailed descriptions are also found in Buddhist literature as well..

My own view is that the spiritual significance of the concept of "heaven" is when we are close to God... so it's a condition not a locale and many of the descriptions of heaven found in Holy Books are to be taken symbolically rather than literally.

- Art

[Charity]

In my minds eye a view from the main gate reveals light illuminating like mirrors from buildings. The city itself is built on hills, with cathedral type buildings, which must be the dwelling places. There are streets made of gold that lead to each building. The city itself is like a compound surrounded by a wall of marble, gold and pearl, with 4 gates, one for the north, one for the south, east, and west sides of the city. The gate we are all entering is the eastern gate. All you can see outside the city are green hills, with trees that have leaves some of green and some of the brilliant fall colors. I would think that looks strange, but to have all this beauty, it is like an artist with a paint brush, all that beauty just for us. There are rivers, ponds, and off to the left I see a hillside covered with what must be every type and color of flower imaginable. The people that are now starting to walk in my direction, Yes familiar faces that I knew I would one day see again. What a glorious way to spend forever.
Thoughts of home
By Charity

[Riverwolf]