Heaven

Good Night, Sweet Prince, and Flights of Angels Sing Thee to Thy Rest

/ Bob

Death, not space, is the Final Frontier. And no other faith than that established by Jesus Christ has conquered death and the grave. All religions have addressed the issue of passing from this life to the next, but none so completely, honestly, and thoroughly as has Christianity. And it’s all because of the Love of God. “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:37-39)

In Luke 16 Jesus paints a picture with his story of Lazarus being carried into the bosom of Abraham – carried there by angels. In Acts 7 Stephen, as he is dying, looks into the glory of Heaven and sees the Father with the Son standing at His right side. While no angels are specifically mentioned we have numerous accounts of those who have seen Heaven and its glory and there are always angels in attendance. The angels are singing Stephen to his rest.

Finally, as we see in the 2nd Chapter of 2 Kings, Elijah is ushered into Heaven on a flaming chariot with flaming horses and flaming horsemen – angels. The slaves on the plantations read this account of Elijah’s departure and sang, “Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin’ for to carry me home.” They dreamed of a deliverance that transcended their earthly bondage. In one of the verses they sang, “I looked over Jordan and what did I see – Comin’ for the carry me home? A band of angels comin’ after me. Comin’ for to carry me home.”

As Horatio lamented over the loss of Hamlet, he said, “Now cracks a noble heart. Good night, sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.” May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, August 17, 2025. It is part of a series in a Bible study curriculum called Connect 360, published by the GC2 Press of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The overall title of the current set of lessons is Heaven & Angels: Our Eternal Home and Its Heavenly Hosts. You can find print and digital versions of this series online at https://gc2press.org/heaven-angels-study-guide/ . Handouts with class presentation content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com . Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .


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Class Notes – 08.17.2025 – Lesson 12 – Angels in DeathDownload

Look in the Book . . . The Book of Life

/ Bob

In the 3rd Chapter of Revelation Jesus comforts some of the people of Sardis with this statement, “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.” (Revelation 3:5) As we have looked at the judgments that each of us will face we find a focus on the records department of Heaven – specifically The Book of Life. When we were kids we would excitedly look in the newest edition of the phone book to find our name. Seeing our name in the Book of Life will be infinitely more thrilling and the inclusion of our name will have eternal consequences.

We see the Book of Life referenced throughout the Bible, both in the Old and New Testaments. It is always seen as a place where we will find the names of those who have chosen to follow God. References to those found in the Book also include the good things they have done. What they have done is not the reason for their salvation, but rather the proof of their relationship with the Father.

Those whose name is not found in the Book of Life face an eternity in Hell. 2 Peter 3:9 shows us the heart of God concerning this fact. He does not want to see any of the people He created perish in the Pit. His desire is for everyone to be saved. That’s His heart cry and it should be our heart cry as well. As those whose names are in the Book, we must look at all of the people within our sphere of influence with a desire to lead them to the truth. We must ask, “Are their names written in the Book of Life?” It truly is a life or death situation – an eternal life or eternal death situation.

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, July 20, 2025. It is part of a series in a Bible study curriculum called Connect 360, published by the GC2 Press of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The overall title of the current set of lessons is Heaven & Angels: Our Eternal Home and Its Heavenly Hosts. You can find print and digital versions of this series online at https://gc2press.org/heaven-angels-study-guide/ . Handouts with class presentation content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com . Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .


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Class Notes – 07.20.2025 – Lesson 7 – The Book of LifeDownload

Are You Ready to Meet Jesus? – Part 1

/ Bob

Meeting important people like the President of the United States or your favorite NFL quarterback is an event that brings on much anticipation, anxiety, and excitement. It also brings on an urgency to properly prepare for the event – to make sure you have the right clothes and the right words to say when you finally come face to face. One day each and every one of us is going to meet the most famous and influential person ever to exist. He is known as Father, Son, & Holy Spirit. Are you ready to meet Him?

Consider what that meeting will be like. How we will react to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords when we come into His presence? So many images come to mind, but one image tends to be absent from these ponderings – the image of Judgment. In Hebrews 9:27 we read that we all are going to die and that after that will come judgment. We sometimes joke that the only 2 sure things in life are death and taxes. However, once you die you’ll no longer have to worry about taxes, but judgment? Yep, it’s still coming.

Sunday morning’s lesson was a time to consider our readiness to meet Jesus. We also began a discussion of judgement.  We will continue the study on judgment and then hopefully we will discuss how to make sure we make it to Heaven.  That is the gist of Lesson 7 entitled “Making Your Reservation in Heaven.”   God is patient with us and doesn’t want anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9) but He is also a God of Justice and Judgment. We need to make sure where we stand on His scales of Justice before we stand before Him in Judgment.

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, July 6, 2025. It is part of a series in a Bible study curriculum called Connect 360, published by the GC2 Press of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The overall title of the current set of lessons is Heaven & Angels: Our Eternal Home and Its Heavenly Hosts. You can find print and digital versions of this series online at https://gc2press.org/heaven-angels-study-guide/ . Handouts with class presentation content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com . Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .


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Class Notes – 07.06.2025 – Lesson 6 – Meeting the KingDownload

Heavenly Questions – Work and Relationships in Heaven

/ Bob

Will we have work to do in Heaven or will we float around on clouds playing our lyres? I’m figuring that such mental conjurrings are the result of not being able to comprehend Heaven and forcing the brain to conceive of some ethereal existence which is totally contrary to our existence hereon earth. Or perhaps it’s from watching too many Tom and Jerry cartons where Tom dies and immediately floats up to the clouds in hiss glistening, white gown. Either way, we know it ain’t gonna be the same as here and now so then and there must be something really strange. However, work will definitely be a part of Heaven. Furthermore, our personhood and the personhood of those around us – not our ethereal gowns and heavenly banjos – will be a part of what makes Heaven heavenly.

Consider the following reasonings:

– God created a perfect world called the Garden of Eden.

– The New Heaven and the New Earth are called “paradiesos” – Greek for Paradise or garden.

– God will be reconstructing His perfect Garden – Paradise – which we call Heaven.

– When Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden, they were given work to do.

– We will work in the Garden, that is Paradise, by tending to the Garden, cultivating our new world and enjoying God and all other Paradise residents forever. It won’t be boring and since we will exist outside of time, we won’t even have time to get bored.

‘Nuff said.

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, June 1, 2025. It is part of a series in a Bible study curriculum called Connect 360, published by the GC2 Press of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The overall title of the current set of lessons is Heaven & Angels: Our Eternal Home and Its Heavenly Hosts. You can find print and digital versions of this series online at https://gc2press.org/heaven-angels-study-guide/ . Handouts with class presentation content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com . Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .


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Class Notes – 06.01.2025 – Heavenly Questions & Lesson 4–Exploring HeavenDownload

Heavenly Questions – Will There Be Pets and Time in Heaven?

/ Bob

As we ask the question, “In Heaven, will we be aware of events happening on earth?” we need to answer the question of the significance or insignificance of time in Heaven. We addressed that question as well as the question, “Will there be animals and pets in Heaven?” in Sunday morning’s session.

So, concerning the presence of animals in Heaven, the scripture gives many passages which point out the importance of animals in God’s creation and the value He places on them. From the Creation account to the deliverance of animals on the ark to Jesus himself declaring the care God provides for the birds we see God’s heart when it comes to the animal kingdom.

Pets, however, are not mentioned specifically in scripture largely because people did not keep pets in Israel in the first century, unlike the Roman culture of the day in which the keeping of all kinds of pets was somewhat common. There is the story of Nathan exhorting David and using the tender relationship between a man and his lamb, but that’s about it. So . . . . will there be pets in Heaven? I believe so, but it’s my opinion – not biblical fact.

God has blessed us with animals to enjoy at the beginning of time. Those who are pet owners know that they are blessed by the animals they affectionately consider to be a part of the family. In the 84th Psalm – a Psalm in which David declares the blessings of dwelling in the House of the Lord – David says, “For the LORD God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The LORD will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.” (Psalm 84:11) That promise of God not withholding any good thing is one that I personally believe could apply to the good thing that God has given us here on earth in the relationship with our pets.

Concerning time – God is timeless. He exists outside of time. And yet we are told very specifically in Revelation that we – being very much tied to time – will dwell with God. We cannot in our space-time continuum conceive of existence outside of time, but it will happen. At that point, events which take place within the space-time continuum here on earth will be viewed from a radically different viewpoint. The insignificance of time in Heaven will be very significant indeed.

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, May 25, 2025. It is part of a series in a Bible study curriculum called Connect 360, published by the GC2 Press of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The overall title of the current set of lessons is Heaven & Angels: Our Eternal Home and Its Heavenly Hosts. You can find print and digital versions of this series online at https://gc2press.org/heaven-angels-study-guide/ . Handouts with class presentation content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com . Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .


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Class Notes – 05.25.2025 -Heavenly Questions – Pets and WorkDownload

Heavenly Questions – Answers to Questions About Heaven: Awareness of Earthly Events in Heaven

/ Bob

Today’s question is “In Heaven, will we be aware of events happening on earth?” My answer is, “I don’t know.” It’s one of those Biblical questions that doesn’t have a definitive answer. Therefore, we look to the scriptures for guidance as we ponder the question. We begin by acknowledging that we cannot know all there is to know or there would be no need of faith. We look to the Bible and only the Bible. We avoid proof-texting, that is basing our beliefs on a single verse taken out of context. Finally, we let the Spirit guide us.

So, concerning our awareness in Heaven of earthly events we read that everyone in Heaven rejoices over a sinner who repents. (Luke 15:7 & 10) We saw that Samuel had knowledge in Sheol of Saul’s past, present, and future events. (1 Samuel 28:15-19) We saw in the account of the Transfiguration that Moses and Elijah were aware of the impending death of Jesus. (Luke 9:30-31) Then we have accounts of citizens of Heaven questioning earthly events and rejoicing over earthly events. (Revelation 6:9-11; & 18:20) These passages are descriptive and do not necessarily prescribe any set pattern, but they do give us something to think about.

We then looked at passages that describe how we will think and perceive things with complete understanding for we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him and we will not see things as in a dim mirror, but fully and completely. (! Corinthians 13:12; 1 John 3:2) The conclusion to draw from this is that whether we are aware of any earthly events or not, we will see them all through the loving and understanding eyes of Jesus. It will be beyond our wildest comprehension for “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9)

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, May 18, 2025. It is part of a series in a Bible study curriculum called Connect 360, published by the GC2 Press of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The overall title of the current set of lessons is Heaven & Angels: Our Eternal Home and Its Heavenly Hosts. You can find print and digital versions of this series online at https://gc2press.org/heaven-angels-study-guide/ . Handouts with class presentation content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com . Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .


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Class Notes – 05.18.2025 -Heavenly QuestionsDownload

Opening the Door to Heaven– Hebrews 11:8-16

/ Bob

Is Heaven real? What is Heaven? Where is Heaven? Why is there a Heaven? These are just a few of the questions we will be answering in the coming weeks. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. What we sometimes forget is that He created Heaven on earth when He created the Garden of Eden. Those first inhabitants of that Garden contaminated it with their sin. That act of corruption caused God to banish them from the Garden . . . until . . . when He so chooses . . . He restores His Garden – His Heaven on Earth when He establishes the New Heaven and the New Earth.

I n Revelation 2:7b Jesus says, “To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise [Garden] of God.” In Revelation 21:1-4 John records, “Then I saw ‘a new heaven and a new earth,’  for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’ ”

Finally, in Revelation 22 John speaks of the restored Garden as he describes the River of the Water of Life flowing through it with the The Tree of Life – yes, The Tree of Life from the original Garden – growing on both sides of the River. The restoration will be complete and we will dwell in Paradise – the Garden of God – for all eternity. We call it Heaven, but in reality we’ll be home – home where we belonged in the first place.

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, April 27, 2025. It is part of a series in a Bible study curriculum called Connect 360, published by the GC2 Press of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The overall title of the current set of lessons is Heaven & Angels: Our Eternal Home and Its Heavenly Hosts. You can find print and digital versions of this series online at https://gc2press.org/heaven-angels-study-guide/ . Handouts with class presentation content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com . Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .


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Class Notes – 04.27.2025 -Welcome to Heaven – Hebrews 11.8-16Download

What Happens When We Die? – Part 1

/ Bob

Where Happens When We Die? – Part One

This discussion began with questions about the meaning of 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 in which Paul describes what will happen to those who die before Jesus returns. Since he was addressing Christians, his thoughts centered around the life of the Christian after death. Obviously, what happens when we die is a question that would be answered differently for the believer and the nonbeliever. But like Paul, we are looking at the Christians expectations and hopes for the future.

The fact is that God created a perfect world and placed in it perfect human beings. The problem was that those human beings sinned and God‘s perfect world was polluted by sin. So they were banished from the garden in which he had placed them, and since that time we have lived with a sinful nature in a fallen world.

It was only when Jesus paid the price for our sin that we found the final solution to our problem. And the final solution is wonderful. Because of what Christ did for us on the cross, and because he rose again as the first fruits of the resurrection, we also can look forward to the hope of resurrection.

When we die, we go to be with Jesus, but that presence with Christ is separated from our earthly bodies. When Jesus returns, our resurrected bodies will reunite with our spirit and soul, and we will dwell in the new earth – the new garden – that will come at the end of time. So what will happen when we die? It’s all good. . . . for the ones who believe.

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, January 22, 2023. It is the 1st lesson in a series of Bible study sessions entitled Living the Agape Life – a Bible study curriculum developed by Bob Young with input from the members of the Agape Life Class. Handouts with slide content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com .

Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .

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class-notes-01.22-29.2023-what-happens-when-we-dieDownload
scripture-references-01.22-and-29.2023-what-happens-when-we-dieDownload

This World Is Not My Home

/ Bob

When the world is caving in around us and all seems lost, it is easy for us to lose our perspective. We begin to think that life is hopeless. No matter which way we turn we hit a dead end. Just when we seem to get our feet on the ground something comes along to undercut us and leave us writhing in pain or wallowing in self-pity. Our perspective is limited. We see only the problem, only the bleakness of our situation. In his first letter, Peter addresses the situations which can tear us apart and reminds us of where our focus should be. In other words, he brings things into proper perspective for proper living in an improper world.

This letter was written at a time when Christians were held in contempt by both Jews and Romans. And if this wasn’t bad enough, Nero – Emperor of Rome, blamed the Christians for burning down Rome which led to some 250 years of tortuous persecution of Christians all across the Roman Empire. 1 Peter was written in this time when Satan was doing all he could to snuff out the young church. 1 Peter offers excellent, practical advice on how to deal with such persecution but it also goes to the heart of the matter.

The fact is that we, as Christians, are aliens in this world. This world is not our home – heaven is. And since this world is not our home, we shouldn’t expect anyone to treat us as though we are one of them. Jesus said that in this world we would have tribulation. (John 16:33) That’s what we should expect. We have a different way of looking at things – a different perspective. And when we dare to express our perspective, we can expect people to laugh at us, look at us side-eyed, avoid us, ignore us, and treat us like the creepy neighbor who makes you shudder every time you see them. If we aren’t being treated differently, perhaps it is because we look and act so much like the rest of the world that they can’t tell we’re Christians. Ouch!

What we learn from 1 Peter is that our hope is held fast in heaven and our trials here on earth are but momentary interruptions on our way to glory. And those trials and tribulations actually make us stronger for the next trial. We keep looking ahead to Jesus and every step of the way on the bumpy road called life brings us one step closer to an eternity with Him. With that perspective we can endure the junk that Satan throws in our way and do so with joy – even laughing in his face. And it’s all because this world is not our home; we’re just a passing through. As we learn from 1 Peter 1:9 we are filled with joy in this world because we are receiving the goal of our faith, the salvation of our souls in the real world.

Next week we will look at 2 Peter 1 as we study the Pursuit of Godliness.

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, April 3, 2022. It is part of a series of Bible study sessions from The Gospel Project – a Bible study curriculum developed by Lifeway Christian Resources. Handouts with slide content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com

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Naughty or Nice?

/ Bob

It hangs over us all year long, but the magnitude of “The List” grows as Christmas Day approaches. And so it has been for our entire lives. We joke about it as adults, but the meaning behind it remains firmly entrenched in our moral code – a moral code that seems to tap dance its way through and around the very Word of God. While the Bible is full of instances where justice reigned down on those who did evil in the sight of God (i.e. Sodom and Gomorrah, Ananias and Sapphira) and while the Bible admonishes us to choose good over evil, it seems that without careful thought we can step into a belief system where we determine our destiny by our own actions and, in so doing, ignore the way God loves those who are naughty AND nice.

In something of a playful way, we use the naughty and nice concept to control the behavior of children. In a much more serious sense, we use the naughty and nice concept to control our own behaviors and the behaviors of those in our society. Unfortunately, most religions rely heavily on the concept of naughty and nice to sustain their moral code – a practice that is ultimately futile since all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God. No one can measure up but the belief system (religion) continues with the never-ending pursuit of perfection. If you will just do enough “do’s” and avoid enough “don’ts” then you will end up on the nice list and go to Heaven, but if you fail to do the do’s and you are very adept at doing the don’ts then it’s the naughty list for you and a one-way, expense paid trip to Hell. That’s the way religion works – always has and always will because we as humans want to control our own destiny and most religions provide just such a tool for us to do that. It’s a win-win. We get to control our lives and religion profits by helping us do it.

However, God laid out a different plan through His Son, Jesus. God so loved the world that He gave us His only Son, Jesus, so that all who believed in Him would not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16) For it is by grace we are saved and not because we are on the nice list. Otherwise, we would tend to boast about being on the nice list instead of rejoicing that we know the One Who put us there in the first place. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Naughty or Nice? God declares us righteous through the blood of Jesus. (Romans 5:9) God declares that we are on the Nice List because of Him. And not only that – He takes the list of the bad things we have done and drops them into the Sea of Forgetfulness and remembers them no more. (Micah 7:19) Again, it’s not because of what we have done or haven’t done, but it’s solely because of Who He Is.

I enjoy the fun of Santa and I don’t have a problem with teasing folks about the naughty or nice list. However, if you’re talking naughty or nice – you’re naughty. God said so and your actions back Him up. But because of Jesus you can be on the Nice List. How sweet is that? Sweeter than any Christmas candy or any sugar plum you can imagine.

The difference between Hell and Heaven is not Naughty or Nice. The difference between Hell and Heaven is a Savior – Jesus Christ.

Merry Christmas!