How to get to heaven (written from the perspective of primarily the Scriptures of the Hebrew Bible)

- - Learn how to go to heaven

- - Who will be allowed to enter heaven

- - The requirements of God for us humans to enter heaven

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********** WONDERING - HOW TO GET TO HEAVEN **********

Perhaps you are wondering what requirements God has for us to go into heaven.

God is the One who decides who enters heaven.

And He uses the requirements that He has established in the Scriptures.

********** ALL HAVE SINNED **********

In Psalm 14:3 is declared - "All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.";
and in Ecclesiastes 7:20 - "There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins."

In Psalm 51:4 is described that furthermore, God regards our sins as being against Him - "Against you [God], you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight...".

********** SIN SEPARATES US FROM GOD **********

Thereby, our sins produce a serious result, as pronounced in Isaiah 59:2 - "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear."

Our sins automatically alienate and separate us from God and cause all of us humans to fall short of the glory of God.

Because all of us commit sins, we utterly fail to attain the perfect righteousness that God requires in order for us to enter the glory of God in heaven.

********** FACE JUDGMENT **********

Furthermore, the perfect justice of God mandates that He "bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil" - Ecclesiastes 12:14.

From his perfect justice, God must punish people with everlasting torment in "the pit of destruction" (hell), for every sin they commit in their life (Isaiah 38:17-18).
And, they will be eternally shut out from the presence of God and from the majesty of His power.

********** NO WAY TO SAVE OURSELVES **********

By God's design, he has made us humans completely incapable of successfully removing our own overall state of sinfulness by means of our own power or abilities or actions or merits - as stated in Isaiah 64:6 - "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away".

Following the Law, offering of sacrifices, being religious, participating in a religious ceremony, being a good person, or doing good deeds do not remove our overall state of sinfulness that generates our predicamental condition of eternal separation from God.
And likewise, these actions do not remedy this absolute necessity of being eternally punished for our sins.

For example, in Psalm 51:16 is declared "You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings", which means it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

God has designed that "The law of the LORD is perfect" (Psalm 19:7) but no mere human is able to keep the Law perfectly, not even Adam and Eve, who had only one easy simple law to keep (Genesis 2:16-17; 3:6).

The same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year proves that the Law and its commanded sacrifices are insufficient in making perfect those who draw near to worship.

The Law makes nothing perfect, and instead, through the Law we are convicted as being lawbreakers - sinners.

Through the Law, we become conscious of sin, and by means of the Law, the whole world is held accountable to God.

Consequently, by God's design, the perfection in righteousness that we need in order to be allowed into heaven cannot be gained through the Law.

Our repeated failures to keep the Law perfectly and the corresponding ongoing offering of sacrifices are designed by God to regularly remind us of our sins and our need for God to solve or remedy our overall state of sinfulness for us, as verified in Psalm 51:1-2 - "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.  Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.  For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me."

A main reason that humans cannot accomplish perfect righteousness for salvation from eternal punishment for our own sins is because God has established that no one can boast that they got into heaven by means of their own efforts or goodness, as verified in Psalm 89:48 - "What man can live and not see death, or save himself from the power of 'Sheol' (hell)?"

********** GOD HAS DESIGNATED THE MESSIAH TO PROVIDED A WAY OF SALVATION **********

A careful search and proper interpretation of the Scriptures reveals that God has indeed arranged for the providing of a way for us humans to acquire the perfect righteousness that is required in order to be accepted by God into heaven eternally.

In Daniel 9:24-25 is a clear description that as "decreed", "the Messiah [the Anointed One], the ruler [or commander]" will "put an end to sins, atone for wickedness, bring in everlasting righteousness...".

The Messiah will "bring in everlasting righteousness" - He will make available to us the perfect and eternal righteousness that we need for eternal acceptance by God and entry into heaven.

The Messiah will "put an end to sins" - He will close up or seal or make an end of the eternal consequences of our sins.

The Messiah will "atone for wickedness" - He will sufficiently pay the penalty - the required punishment - the reparation for our wickedness.

God has "decreed" or authoritatively ordered and put into force of law that the Messiah will "come" and accomplish these actions.

To summarize, God has designated that the Messiah is authorized to end the eternal consequences of sins, by the Messiah personally suffering the required punishment for sins, which will "put an end to sins, atone for wickedness, bring in everlasting righteousness..." - Daniel 9:24.
And this personal suffering of the Messiah for sins will provide a way for us humans to acquire the eternal perfect righteousness that we so desperately need in order to avoid eternal punishment.

********** THE NATURE OF THE MESSIAH **********

From analyzing these activities of the Messiah as described in Daniel 9:24, an obvious conclusion is that the Messiah will have to be deity - in order to provide suffering for sins that is eternal and not merely temporary.

The Messiah will also have to be human - in order to represent the human race - to provide comprehensive suffering that sufficiently atones for all of the kinds and quantities of sins that are committed and for humans of the past, the present, and the future.

The Messiah will also have to be perfect himself - that he personally has never sinned - otherwise he would not be able to fully atone for the sins of other humans if he has his own sins to deal with.

In some manner, the Messiah will have to be God Himself - in order to endure that infinite amount and intensity of suffering - for eternity.

Therefore, the Messiah will have to be a God-man - God Himself who has taken upon Himself humanity - simultaneously 100 percent perfect God and 100 percent perfect human.

Indeed, it is true that man cannot become God, but it is certainly possible for God to become man - while continuing to be fully deity.

********** THE MESSIAH CAME **********

Now, the question is: Has the Messiah come yet?

The Scriptures of the Hebrew Bible do not disclose the identity of the specific person who is the Messiah.

However, the Scriptures do cite and predict numerous specific, and distinct, and distinguishing characteristics about the Messiah, which happen to point conclusively to only one person - Jesus of Nazareth, who lived about 2,000 years ago.

Detailed eyewitness accounts regarding the birth, the ministry activities, and the death by crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth were written as the Books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, which later were compiled as part of the New Testament of the (Christian) Bible.

These eyewitness accounts contain substantial and specific descriptions about Jesus of Nazareth that precisely align with the characteristics of the Messiah that are described and predicted in the Scriptures of the Hebrew Bible, which were written about 700 years or more before the time of Jesus of Nazareth.

Some easily distinguishable significant verses of Scriptures of the Hebrew Bible that occurred or were fulfilled by Jesus of Nazareth are: Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12; Psalm 22:7-8; Psalm 22:14-18; Psalm 41:7-9; Isaiah 9:6-7; and Isaiah 50:6, for examples.

Within the eyewitness accounts of Jesus of Nazareth are descriptions of numerous miracles that Jesus performed in God's name, which testify concerning him and indicate that he possessed the nature of deity - being an exact representation of the essence of God Himself.

The eyewitness descriptions of his prolonged excruciating torture and death indicate that Jesus of Nazareth also possessed the nature of human and a human body, as He suffered immensely, shed his blood that was dripping down upon the altar of a wooden cross, and died like a pure and innocent lamb at Passover.

The eyewitness descriptions of his resurrection from the dead on the third day indicate that Jesus of Nazareth was successful in being and providing the ultimate and final atoning sacrifice for sins - that God demonstrated His satisfaction with Jesus' sacrificial death by resurrecting Jesus from the dead, which eyewitnesses later confirmed.

The descriptions of all of the recorded supernatural occurrences regarding Jesus of Nazareth strongly support Jesus' statements of claims, for example such as:
- - "before Abraham was born, I am!!" (John 8:58);
- - "I and the Father are one." (John 10:30);
- - "I am" - the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed [One] (Mark 14:61-62);
- - "I give them [believers in Jesus] eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand." (John 10:28).

********** SALVATION BY FAITH **********

During the time period in human history before the arrival of Jesus of Nazareth, salvation was acquired by believing God - that in the future He would send the Messiah to provide a permanent solution for our own sin problem, that includes giving us the perfect righteousness that is required in order to enter heaven.

Since the time of Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah, salvation is still acquired by believing God - but now believing that the Messiah, Jesus, has already come and the providing of permanent forgiveness of sins and eternal life in heaven was accomplished by means of Jesus' sacrificial atoning death on the cross and that he resurrected from the dead on the third day.

"Righteousness is credited" to us and salvation is granted to us humans when we personally "believe God" like Abram did in Genesis 15:6, that God has indeed sent His promised Messiah, Jesus, who "was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment [on the cross] that brought us peace [with God] was upon him, and by his wounds we are [spiritually] healed eternally" - Isaiah 53:5.

When we personally place our faith in Jesus for the suffering and death that He accomplished on the cross to atone for our own sins, God credits to us the perfect righteousness of Jesus that we need in order to enter heaven.

By means of our faith in Jesus as the Messiah, God applies to us personally what is requested in Psalm 51:1-2 - "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.  Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin" - by means of the sacrifice of Jesus' blood and life on the cross.

In effect, this sacrifice of Jesus' blood and life demonstrate God's love and mercy for each of us personally, even though we are sinners, and instead we deserve eternal punishment for our own sins.

For God so loved the world that He gave Jesus, the Messiah, as a sacrifice of atonement, on the cross, - that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.

Jesus, the Messiah, is the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to God except through Jesus the Messiah.

Certainly, the Messiah will do in the future all that the Scriptures proclaim He will do in that time - including the physical saving and restoration of Israel.
But first, He already came about 2,000 years ago with a different mission, in which He accomplished the providing of a way to attain eternal spiritual salvation, as clearly described in Isaiah 52:13-53:12, for example.

********** NOW OFFERING YOU SALVATION **********

Through Jesus, God now offers you salvation - you can be eternally pardoned of eternal punishment in Sheol (hell) and instead enter heaven and live forever with God.

Are you ready to place your faith in Jesus the Messiah, that He died on the cross to pay the punishment for your sins, and that He rose from the dead on the third day?

If so, you can express this in prayer to God now, and you must be sincere.

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     Dear God, I know that I am a sinner, and that I deserve eternal punishment.  But right now I believe in Jesus, that as the Messiah He died on the cross to take the punishment for my sins, and that He rose from the dead on the third day.  So please forgive me of my sins, through the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross, so that I can have eternal life in heaven.  Thank you.  Amen.

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If you have now genuinely placed your faith in Jesus the Messiah, then you have eternal life in heaven, from this moment forward forever - which aligns with the declarative prediction in Jeremiah 31:31,34, ""The time is coming," declares the Lord, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah."";  ""For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.""

Indeed, this attainment of salvation through faith in Jesus, the Messiah, is the "new covenant" that is predicted in Jeremiah 31:31-34.
This "new covenant" has been implemented by God, and it is recorded and thoroughly explained in the New Testament of the (Christian) Bible.

Now that you have eternal life in heaven that is free of charge from Jesus, you will want to study and learn what God teaches in the New Testament of the (Christian) Bible, so that you can grow and mature in this faith in Jesus the Messiah.

Jesus died for you.

So now in gratitude, you should live for Him.

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This document is from the website www.believerassist.com. 

A link to the website - in English. 

The Scripture verses were taken from the New International Version of the Bible.

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Works Cited: (quoted or referred to in various places within this document)
Bible. “The Holy Bible: New International Version.” The Bible Library CD-ROM. Oklahoma City, OK: Ellis Enterprises, 1988.

Copyrights:
Scriptures taken from Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc®
Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Copyright © 2022 Mel W. Coddington, and permission is hereby granted that this document may be used, copied, and distributed non-commercially to non-profit organizations, individuals, churches, ministries, and schools worldwide, provided the copies are distributed at no charge and retain this sources documentation as supplied herein. This document is not for sale, resale, or for use as a gift or premium to be offered in connection with solicitations or contributions.
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