Who could go to Heaven?
누가 천국에 갈 수 있을까?
신명기(Deu) 1장
35. 이 악한 세대 사람들 중에는 내가 그들의 조상에게 주기로 맹세한 좋은 땅을 볼 자가 하나도 없으리라
35. “No one from this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your ancestors,
36. 오직 여분네의 아들 갈렙은 온전히 여호와께 순종하였은즉 그는 그것을 볼 것이요 그가 밟은 땅을 내가 그와 그의 자손에게 주리라 하시고
36. except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land he set his feet on, because he followed the LORD wholeheartedly.”
38. 네 앞에 서 있는 눈의 아들 여호수아는 그리로 들어갈 것이니 너는 그를 담대하게 하라 그가 이스라엘에게 그 땅을 기업으로 차지하게 하리라
38. But your assistant, Joshua son of Nun, will enter it. Encourage him, because he will lead Israel to inherit it.
42. 여호와께서 내게 이르시되 너는 그들에게 이르기를 너희는 올라가지 말라 싸우지도 말라 내가 너희 중에 있지 아니하니 너희가 대적에게 패할까 하노라 하시기로
42. But the LORD said to me, “Tell them, ‘Do not go up and fight, because I will not be with you. You will be defeated by your enemies.’ ”
43. 내가 너희에게 말하였으나 너희가 듣지 아니하고 여호와의 명령을 거역하고 거리낌 없이 산지로 올라가매
43. So I told you, but you would not listen. You rebelled against the LORD’s command and in your arrogance you marched up into the hill country.
45. 너희가 돌아와 여호와 앞에서 통곡하나 여호와께서 너희의 소리를 듣지 아니하시며 너희에게 귀를 기울이지 아니하셨으므로
45. You came back and wept before the LORD, but he paid no attention to your weeping and turned a deaf ear to you.
Who could go to the Heaven, the good land that God has promised? We say that anyone who believes in Jesus could go to Heaven with faith, but theses days I have been thinking of that couldn't be true, which doesn't come from the doubt about the Heaven, but rather it comes from the warnings that the Lord tells us very often.
It seems that it is easy to go into the land, but not many could go there as we see through Caleb and Joshua who went to the land with faith and only by following Him wholeheartedly. Then I come to the conclusion that it is totally different from what we think. It is not that easy to go to Heaven, Canaan, which is described as a symbolical land we should go and fight and conquer.
Jesus also warned that we should love Him with our heart and souls, and with all our strength, and love our neighbors as ourselves as well. If I don't follow His words with all my heart, soul and with all my strength, He wouldn't be with me and wouldn't listen to my prayer although i ask Him with cries and shouts.
Then, how should I love and follow Him wholeheartedly?
I hope that this year, 2024, could be the year of seeking the way of it, trying to get closer and closer to His Word by meditating on it day and night and acting right away what He tells me to do without doubt and with faith.
One more thing I should do is not acting with my thoughts before He tells me to go or stop. My first step of following Him should be a good listener and I should follow Him as Jesus' deciples followed Him, deserting everything and every families, not depending on anyone or anything. This seems not easy at all because I have too many things and I rely on my family too much, so it seems harder than when I was younger. However, I would try to do it all this year as I believe that this is the only way to go to Him and to His land, although this idea could be argumental to other people, so-called Christians.
