29/08/2024
Clarifying Abel Damina on the Concept of Heaven
Dear friends, while Dr Abel Damina continues to speak against some wrong practices and teachings in Christendom, of which some have been proven to be right; nevertheless, we have to be alert and guard against some other teachings of his that are false and do not sit well with Scripture and what the Church teaches. Another teaching we must debunk today is his concept of heaven, and the good we have to do is to share this teaching and make it go viral to reach many persons who have consumed his viral teachings.
Now, according to Damina: "Heaven is not up there in the sky but is an immaterial reality. Therefore, no one dies and goes to heaven in the afterlife—we are already in heaven. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that a believer dies and goes to heaven. It is not heaven at last, but heaven at first."
Sadly, this is a false teaching, in what I shall call a mixture of falsity and truth; that is 90% false and 10% truth. Let us break it down in 10 points, viz:
1. Damina says: "Heaven is not up there in the sky but is an immaterial reality.” In response to this, the Church teaches through Sacred Scripture that heaven is both a place (up there) and a state (immaterial reality). How can we understand this better? Sacred Scriptural references to Heaven as the Abode of God. In Psalm 11:4: "The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven..." This verse clearly depicts God's throne in heaven, indicating it as His dwelling place. The Hebrew word used for heaven here is “שָׁמַיִם,” (shamayim). This word is often used in the Old Testament to describe the physical sky or the abode of God, indicating a place that is "above" or distinct from the earth. Even in Greek, Heaven is understood as “οὐρανός,” (ouranos). This is used in the New Testament to describe both the sky and the dwelling place of God. It’s also used in a physical sense, as in Matthew 24:30, where it describes the "heavens" shaking. Then, in Matthew 6:9, in the popular “Lord’s Prayer,” Jesus teaches us to pray, "Our Father who art in heaven..." This indicates that heaven is the location where God dwells.
2. As we continue to search the Scriptures, we also read in John 14:2-3: "In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." The term "place" in Greek is “τόπος” (topos). This suggests a physical location that Jesus is preparing for the righteous, indicating that heaven is indeed a place where we go after death.
3. Sacred Scripture also tells us in Acts 1:9-11 that Jesus ASCENDED into Heaven in the presence of His disciples. The angels told the disciples that Jesus was "taken up" into heaven and would return in the same way. The phrase "taken up" in Greek is “ἀνελήμφθη” (anelēmphthē ), which indicates a directional movement, implying that heaven is "above."
4. Dr. Abel Damina goes on to say that “Therefore, no one dies and goes to heaven in the afterlife—we are already in heaven. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that a believer dies and goes to heaven.”
But the Bible does not teach this. In 2 Corinthians 5:8, we read that the righteous go to heaven after death, viz: “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." Here, Paul is stating that to be absent from the body (to die) is to be present with the Lord. This indicates that believers do go to be with the Lord (in heaven) after death. Also, Philippians 1:23 reads: "For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better." Here, Paul’s expression of desire to "depart and be with Christ" clearly implies that after death, he expects to be with Christ in heaven; because the Bible says “after death comes judgement” (Heb. 9:27).
5. Proving further that believers go to heaven immediately after death, we read in Luke 23:43, that Jesus tells the thief on the cross, "Today you will be with me in Paradise." The word "Paradise" in the New Testament is παράδεισος (paradeisos), and this kind of paradise is understood as heaven, because in 2 Corinthians 12:2-4, Paul uses "Paradise" and "the third heaven" interchangeably. He describes a man (most likely himself) being "caught up to the third heaven" (Greek: τρίτου οὐρανοῦ) and then says that he was "caught up to Paradise" (Greek: παράδεισον). This suggests that Paul viewed Paradise as synonymous with the highest heaven, where God dwells. This connection implies that "Paradise" is another term for "Heaven," particularly the abode of God and the blessed.
6. Please note that the term “Paradise” “παράδεισος” (paradeisos) is derived from an Old Persian word meaning "garden" or "enclosed park," and it corresponds to the Hebrew word (pardes), which also means "orchard" or "garden" (as seen in Nehemiah 2:8, Ecclesiastes 2:5). This explains why the Garden of Eden (Hebrew: Gan Eden), described in Genesis 2:8-10, is often associated with Paradise. Hence, in Jewish and Christian thought, Eden is a prototype of heaven, a place of perfect communion with God before the fall of man. So, when we use the word “paradise” in another sense to mean heaven, kindly understand the context.
7. For Damina to say "it is not heaven at last," then I wonder where he got that idea from. The Bible teaches us that Heaven is also the final destination for the righteous; that is, heaven at last. We read in Revelation 21:1-4, where a description of a new heaven and a new earth is clearly mentioned, where God will dwell with His people. The depiction of a new heaven implies a place of eternal dwelling for the righteous. Also, Matthew tells us in chapter 25 how heaven is our final goal/destination. Inasmuch as the concept of the “Kingdom” is used in place of heaven in that chapter, Matthew predominantly uses the phrase "Kingdom of Heaven" (Greek: ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν - hē basileia tōn ouranōn). This explains why we read in Matthew 19:23-24, where “Heaven” and the “Kingdom” are coined, viz: "And Jesus said to his disciples, 'Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.'"
8. Dr. Damina was correct to say that “Heaven is immaterial” or better understood as a "State." The Catholic Church through the Bible believes and teaches that as well. In Luke 17:20-21: Jesus says, "The kingdom of God is within you" or "in your midst," indicating that the reality of God’s reign can be present within believers, not limited to a physical location. This makes us understand Heaven as the state of being in perfect communion with God. This reality starts once a person begins the new life in Christ in this life, and ultimately reaches its full realization at the end of time; thus, transcending the limitations of physical space and is often described as the "beatific vision," where the soul sees and knows God fully (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:12). Nevertheless, a good reconciliation of Heaven as a Place and State/immaterial reality can be done here. Needless to say, Heaven as a Place and a State are not mutually exclusive but are complementary. The "Place" aspect of heaven speaks to the reality of a future, transformed creation where God and His people dwell together in a renewed physical existence (cf. Revelation 21:1-3). The "State" aspect illustrates the spiritual and relational dimension of heaven, where the essence of heaven is the eternal communion with God, which can begin even now in the life of grace, and reach its fullness at the end of time. That is why the Church Fathers, such as St. Augustine, often described heaven as a state of the soul that begins on earth through the life of grace and is perfected in the afterlife. Yet, they also affirmed the belief in a future resurrection of the body and a renewed creation, thus integrating the spatial understanding of heaven.
9. For this reason, the Catholic Church teaches that heaven is both a place and a state. The Catechism, CCC 1023 explains that those who die in God’s grace and friendship and are perfectly purified live forever with Christ, seeing Him "face to face" (the beatific vision), while CCC 1024 states that this perfect life with the Most Holy Trinity—this communion of life and love with the Trinity, with the Virgin Mary, the angels, and all the blessed—is called "heaven." Heaven is the ultimate end and fulfilment of the deepest human longings, the state of supreme, definitive happiness.
10. Therefore, Dr Damina, Heaven is both a place and a state, a dual reality that reflects the fullness of Christian hope. As a place, heaven is where God dwells and where holy souls go after death, and above all, where believers will dwell in resurrected bodies in the new creation. As a state, it is the eternal communion with God, a reality that begins in this life through grace and is perfected in the beatific vision. This understanding is rooted in Scripture and upheld by the Church’s teachings, offering a holistic view of the eternal destiny of believers.
Dear friends in Christ, the task lies in your hands to share this post to reach as many persons as possible and also tag Dr Damina as I have done so that he might come to a better understanding of heaven, while looking forward to his response.
Shalom!
© Fr. Chinaka Justin Mbaeri (Fr. CJay)
