Dwell pastor Chris Hearty will be teaching a new class, The Promise of Paradise, starting March 27 and running four weeks. You can register at this link.
Chris answers some questions about the class:
What will the class cover?
The thrust of this class will cover Heaven. I'm really looking forward to helping paint a mental picture of the Biblical details we are given about what we can expect for our next life. Eternal rewards is a topic I am especially excited to cover. These rewards will affect us maybe more than we think about sometimes.
Is "paradise" the same as "heaven?"
On the one hand we could answer that by saying "yes" in the broadest terms. However, actually I think that there is a subtle difference. Some theologians make a distinction between what Heaven will look like for us the moment we pass on, from the future eternal Heaven that we will experience following the Millennial Kingdom. I'd like to explore some of this in class.
Does the Bible share a lot of information about paradise?
Surprisingly there is a lot in Scripture. Actually, it shouldn't be surprising because it's a major promise from God to His people, of course He would want to clue us into what we can expect! Some of it can be easily missed, while some is more specific and detailed. In both cases we want to develop our understanding based on the foundation we find in Scripture rather than tradition, media or urban legend.
What do you hope people come away with from the class?
My prayer and hope is that all of us in class can walk away with a deeper excitement for what God has in store of us and an urgency to bring as many people with us as possible. Some of us may be a little intimidated in thinking about what happens, perhaps because of misunderstandings, but just a little digging through the Bible will yield tremendous comfort.