A strong emphasis has always been placed on the importance of hearing the word of God. Not just knowing about him, but truly knowing him through his word.
The word of God is what leads us to salvation and keeps us saved. The word of God is what reminds us of who we are in relation to God and who he is.
The Bible is a collection of many different books, which were written by many different people. Some are attributed to apostles or people close to Jesus, while others are written by unknown authors. All of them were directed by the Holy Spirit which allowed for the truth about God to be conveyed through these various writers.
This fact allows for variation in writing style, which some perceive as being good or bad depending on what appeals to them.
Brigham Young
The next person who was attributed with this phrase was Brigham Young, the second president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
He is said to have said “I shall hear in heaven” many times, and it is even inscribed on his tombstone. However, a historian named Richard Jensen says that there is no record of him saying this phrase before his death in 1877.
It appears that this inscription was put on his tombstone several years after his death, most likely by members of the Church who loved and respected him.
Thus, it seems that despite its widespread use today, this phrase was not actually spoken by Brigham Young. And even if he did say it at some point during his life, he did not say it as a response to being asked whether or not he would enter into heaven.
Perhaps this confusion came about because he was such a powerful leader and figure during his lifetime? People may have assumed that he would enter into heaven because of how great a job he did while on earth.
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was a major prophet who came before Jesus. He baptized people in the river Jordan, saying that they should repent for their sins as water was cleansed when he baptised them.
John the Baptist was very prominent in the New Testament, as he was mentioned several times and even saw him as a precursor to Jesus.
Many early Christians believed that John the Baptist had already gone to heaven before Jesus’s death on the cross. This is why many early Christians also believed that John would “hear” Jesus in heaven before anyone else.
This belief may have come from a misunderstanding of one of John’s statements: “I shall hear in heaven, and [my] testimony shall be established: I neither did nor spoke anything unless it were God who spoke through me, either by truth or by delusion [or by dream-imagery—i.e., visions]; I will recount, therefore, none of these things from my own memory; for I bear witness only to what I have heard and what has been revealed to me [of God].
Jesus Christ
The phrase “I shall hear in heaven” was attributed to Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He said it in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
Jesus said this phrase during his sermon called the Beatitudes. During this sermon, he talked about how people should act and how they will be treated in the afterlife.
In the Beatitudes, Jesus talked about how people who are poor in this world will be rich in heaven and how those who are persecuted will be rewarded. He also talked about being joyful and holy.
This phrase has been widely quoted throughout history by Christians and non-Christians alike. It is a powerful statement that encourages people to do good things for reward in heaven.
However, some people believe that being “heard in heaven” means that your name is written in a book up there, but nobody really listens to you.
God the Father
One of the most common attributions of the phrase “I shall hear in heaven” is God the Father. Many people believe that this statement refers to God hearing our prayers and pleas for help, forgiveness, and blessings.
However, this statement can be problematic. When we say that we shall hear in heaven, are we saying that only those in heaven will hear? Does that mean those on earth are deaf to God? Or does it mean that all of us will hear God’s voice in heaven?
These questions can lead to other issues as well.
Joseph Smith Jr.
Joseph Smith Jr. was the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. He is also credited for founding the Mormon religion, which is one of the largest religions in the United States today.
Smith had a controversial life that included several different religious experiences that influenced his later work. As a boy, he described spiritual encounters with God, Jesus, and angels. Later in his life, he claimed to have found golden plates which became the source material for the religious text The Book of Mormon.
His early life was marked by spiritual inquiry and various Christian denominations. In his late twenties, he founded the Church of Christ which became known as Mormonism later in his life. He was persecuted several times during his career due to both his religion and his claims of visions and angelic encounters.
The phrase “I shall hear in heaven” was attributed to Joseph Smith Jr.
Frederick Douglass
Another famous person who used “I shall hear in heaven” was abolitionist Frederick Douglass. In his 1857 autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, he wrote:
I shall hear him say to me, ‘Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning. I was hungry and you gave me meat, thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you took me in.’ And I shall answer him and say: ‘My Father!’ … Then he will take me into the presence of my Saviour.
Douglass clearly believed in Heaven but didn’t specify whether he thought people would “hear” anyone in Heaven. Unlike many Christians today who believe people will recognize each other in Heaven by their faces but not by their names (and perhaps by their personalities), Douglass seemed to imply that people would recognize each other by name as well as by face.
W. E. B. Du Bois
In 2018, the phrase “I shall hear in heaven” was attributed to W. E. B. Du Bois, an African-American scholar, writer, activist, and historian of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Du Bois was one of the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1910 and a co-founder of the Pan-African Conference that same year. He was also a professor at Harvard University and founder of its Department of Sociology.
Du Bois made significant contributions to black scholarship during his time, including his collection and publication of oral histories from former slaves in his work The Negro: The Indian’s Disappearing Brother. This work helped establish him as a leader in black history.
In 2018, several posts attributed this saying to Du Bois after it began circulating on social media.
Martin Luther King Jr.10) Gandhi
Martin Luther King Jr. was a prominent figure in the civil rights movement in the United States. He is known for his speeches on equality, most notably his “I Have a Dream” speech.
Although King was not religious, he had a strong belief in God. In fact, he referred to God as the “living reality” of all things. He also said that he believed in a God who “is an indwelling presence” and that “in every living moment I shall hear in heaven.”
King believed that spirituality was important, even if you did not believe in any specific religion. He said that spirituality is something that comes from within each individual and has to do with one’s own sense of morality and ethics.
He also believed that religion can sometimes hinder people from being more spiritual. By focusing on rules and regulations laid out by clergy members, people may lose sight of their own inner morality and ethics.
