Exploring the Beliefs of the Christian Israelite Church

Seminar: Getting Closer to God

Exploring Beyond the Physical Realm

Welcome to our video library for the seminar, ‘Getting Closer to God – Exploring Beyond the Physical Realm.’ In a fast-paced world driven by scientific and technological achievements, we often find ourselves facing life's deepest questions regarding our true identity, purpose, and worth. This series provides a structured scriptural study into the boundaries between our material universe and the divine, examining the Hebrew understanding of the heavens, the framework of spirit, soul, and body, and the powerful eternal promises made to Biblical Israel. Whether you are revisiting these truths or discovering them for the first time, we invite you to explore these presentations at your own pace.

Video Chapters

00:00:00 Introduction

00:05:10 Presentation 1 - Are We Getting Closer to Heaven or Just Further Away from Earth?

00:22:14 Closing comments on Presentation 1 and Introduction to Presentation 2

00:23:55 Presentation 2 - The Different Heavens, The Spiritual Creation and War in Heaven, and Our Makeup (Spirit, Soul and Body)

00:53:50 Closing comments on Presentation 2 and Introduction to Presentation 3

00:57:12 Presentation 3 - Crossing the Dimensions and the Promise of Immortality

01:26:28 Closing comments

01:33:22 End

Presentation 1: Are We Getting Closer to Heaven or Just Further Away from Earth?

In this presentation, we explore the rapid acceleration of human technology and science. While options once considered science fiction are now our everyday reality, future technology inevitably hits the limits of physics. Despite how clever humanity has become, science alone cannot solve our deepest questions: Who are we? Why are we here? What gives our lives true meaning and worth?

God is a Spirit who created the universe. While spacecraft can take us far into the physical heavens, they cannot take us into the actual presence of God. We simply use laws of physics we didn't invent to travel to places we didn't create. As the heavens declare the glory of God, the larger our universe becomes, the larger our understanding of Him should be. We can move our physical bodies through space, but can wisdom keep pace with our knowledge, and can we truly settle our souls?

Key Topics in This Video:

  • The limits of human science and technology in answering life's big questions.

  • Why physical space travel cannot bring us into the presence of God.

  • How an expanding universe expands our understanding of the Creator.

  • The balance between human knowledge and spiritual wisdom.

Presentation 2: The Different Heavens, The Spiritual Creation and War in Heaven, and Our Makeup (Spirit, Soul and Body)

This session examines the traditional Hebrew view of the heavens to understand why we cannot reach the highest realm on our own. We look at the first heaven (the sky), the second heaven (the spiritual realm), and the third heaven—the heaven of heavens beyond creation where God dwells. Drawing from the insights of the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians, we look at what lies beyond our immediate physical sight.

We also dive into God’s creation of the spirits, the war in heaven, and the unique structural makeup of human beings as spirit, soul, and body. Finally, the presentation answers essential scriptural questions about what happens to us at the moment of death, what takes place when Jesus Christ returns, and what occurs at the resurrection. Ultimately, we look at why God is infinitely greater than the physical realm and any physical issues we face.

Key Topics in This Video:

  • Unpacking the first, second, and third heavens.

  • The Apostle Paul’s journey to the third heaven in 2 Corinthians.

  • Understanding the human framework: Spirit, soul, and body.

  • What scripture says about death, Christ's return, and the resurrection.

Presentation 3: Crossing the Dimensions and the Promise of Immortality

How do we actually get closer to God? In this final presentation, we look closely at the boundary between the spiritual and physical realms. We address the core struggle of mankind: Can we truly get close to God in our fallen state?

Ever since Adam and Eve, the entry of evil has acted as a veil over mankind, interfering with our direct fellowship with God. To understand how this barrier can be crossed, we examine the scriptural examples of Enoch and Elijah, who crossed space and time from the physical to a different dimension. We also look at how Jesus appeared in both spiritual and physical forms after His resurrection, defying the laws of physics. We consider the Book of Revelation, and how individuals move from this physical dimension into the presence of God.

Finally, we look at the promise for mankind: how we will be changed according to 1 Corinthians, how we can partake of the fruit of immortality, and how evil can be entirely removed so we can be fully redeemed in spirit, soul, and body.

Key Topics in This Video:

  • Understanding the core struggle of our fallen state and the veil of evil inherited from Adam and Eve.

  • Scriptural examples of Enoch, Elijah, and the resurrected Christ defying physical boundaries and dimensions.

  • How individuals move from the physical dimension into the presence of God according to the Book of Revelation.

  • The promise of 1 Corinthians regarding how we will be changed to receive the fruit of immortality and full redemption.

Reference: Presentation 2 referenced the booklet ‘The Hope of the Life of the Body’. An online version of this booklet can be viewed by clicking on the link below.