The journey to heaven began in the Old Testament, when God gave the Ten Commandments, and ended in the New Testament with the birth, life, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the departure of Jesus Christ to heaven.
First, this post’s focus is on the Old Testament account. The ten commandments are found in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5:7-21. They state:
You shall have no other gods before me.
You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it, you shall not do any work, neither you nor your son or daughter, nor your male of female servant, nor your ox, your donkey, or any of your animals, not any foreigner residing in your town, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore, the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.
Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
You shall not murder
You shall not commit adultery
You shall not steal
You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor
You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. You shall not set your desire on your neighbor’s house or land, his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
Keeping these commandments was cumbersome. And in the sanctuary, the priest presents the people to the Lord annually by going into the holy of holies, where the Lord resides. He advocates for the people if their conduct was good he comes out alive, if not (hither to a bell has been tied to him, the people could hear the sound of it as he moved around) that is there is no sound means the people’s conduct was bad, and the priest has died and he would be pulled out with the rope. This process would begin again with a new priest.
Thank you for reading! A new post will be published on 4/13/26. It will serve as a conclusion to this topic.
