MY 15-PARAGRAPH THESIS TO REFUTE DR ABEL DAMINA'S DAMNABLE HERESY ABOUT HEAVEN - CHIDI OTAMIRI
STOP COMPLICATING SIMPLE SCRIPTURES
"God doesn't live in heaven. If your goal is to go to heaven, it's a stupid goal." Dr Abel Damina
"God didn't create heaven for Himself; He created it for man. Jesus Christ (not God) is the One who lives in heaven." Dr Abel Damina
What a theological hodgepodge and a doctrinal mishmash!
1. The ministry of a teacher of the word of God could be likened to that of a computer programmer. One way to distinguish between an experienced and an inexperienced programmer is in their ability to fix minor problems in a codebase without causing a disruption or a ripple effect in other parts of the code that are dependent on the modified section.
2. The Bible is like an application that is built with several codes that are all connected in an unbreakable harmony. Any attempt to alter a seemingly negligible part of the Bible could disrupt the whole system of God's word. This is why God will always guard His word jealousy to preserve its integrity. A good teacher of God's word interprets the scripture in such a way that the unity and integrity of the scripture is preserved.
3. In trying to resolve the issue of where God was (or is) when He created the world, Dr Damina, in his ill-researched sermon, ended up causing or attempting to cause a "disruption" of the word of God. Speaking as a guest minister in a popular Nigerian church, he said God doesn't live in heaven and that the goal of going to heaven by anyone is a stup1d goal. His logic for this regrettable and probably naive conclusion was that since God created heaven and earth in the beginning, God must have been somewhere else before He created heaven and that where God was before creation is still where He is today. Some other notable pastors also share this same view.
4. While Dr Damina was speaking, those in the audience were screaming in excitement for such a deep "rhema". Sadly, their expressions revealed their shallowness and the spiritual ignorance of the average Christian in Nigeria. I couldn't have been so easily deceived even as a much younger believer.
5. Let me summarily state some Biblical facts to refute the damnable heresy of Dr Damina and his likes so as to help to preserve the faith of younger believers.
6. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for "heaven" is "שָׁמַיִם" (shamayim), which refers to the sky, atmosphere, solar system, and the abode of God. It's one word with different meanings. Shamayim itself is a plural noun which implies that there are different heavens. One needs to understand the context to be able to know which heaven is being referred to in any passage in the Bible.
7. The heaven which God created in the beginning wasn't the eternal heaven where He dwells, but the physical heaven. To further corroborate this fact, when we read the story of creation in General chapters 1 and 2, we'll discover that the word "heaven(s)" (shamayim) was used nine times. If we decide to isolate the first mention of heaven in verse 1 and analyze the eight other times when "heaven(s)" was mentioned, we'll discover that the Bible was referring to the physical heaven. Thus, contextually, we can safely and boldly infer that the heaven mentioned in verse 1 was also a physical heaven.
8. After God created the physical heaven (planets and space) and earth in the beginning in Genesis 1:1, there was chaos and voidness on the earth and water covered the face of the earth that was under the physical heaven. This was caused by Satan and his host of demons. Then God had to commence a "re-creation" to restore order in the universe. He created light, contained the waters in the different water bodies, created the atmosphere (sky) which is also called the "firmament" or the "firmament of the heaven" (see Genesis 1:14, 15, 17, 20).
9. Please note that the heaven (not the dwelling place of God) and earth which God created in the beginning will pass away someday according to the words of Jesus Christ in Matthew 24:35.
10. God is eternal and has no beginning of days or ending. So also is heaven His dwelling place. We can't tell the mystery of the existence of God and of heaven. We may find ourselves dabbling in error when we try to dig out "rhema" from things that are beyond our understanding.
11. The Bible is awash with several verses that state that God dwells in heaven in the realm of eternity: Psalm 11:4; Isaiah 66:1; Matthew 5:34; 6:9, etc. It will amount to twisting the word of God when we dare to assert that God doesn't live in heaven.
12. However, we need to also know that God and heaven are shrouded in a mystery that we can't fully comprehend as humans. For instance, in the book of Revelation, the Bible recorded that the New Jerusalem (Paradise) will come down from God (Revelation 21:2). Thus, we can boldly state that while God dwells in heaven, heaven also is located in Him.
13. It is for the hope of going to heaven at last that saints like Paul laboured hard to receive a crown in glory. Paul, for instance, brought his body under strict discipline so that He could reach his eternal goal in heaven and not be a castaway (see 1 Corinthians 9:24-27; Philippians 3:20; Colossians 1:4, 5). It will be deceptive to try to make believers to lose focus on heaven or to describe the goal of going to heaven as being stup1d. While we occupy the kingdoms of this world for our Lord, we must always look up to heaven our eternal home.
For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come." Hebrews 13:14
14. We need to know the simplicity of the truth of God's word and shun all those who may want to complicate the word of God with their so-called high-sounding rhema.
15. Please help spread this message to save the gullible and vulnerable ones from marauding false teachers.
God bless you and His church
From a Jealous Gatekeeper.
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