Building Christians Up From The Foundation & Unto Perfection
Hebrews 6:1-3
Hebrews 6:1-3
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Before you read: This article is part of a larger series that builds on itself from the foundation up, with each study building on the last. If something in this article does not make sense to you or if you believe it to be incorrect please be sure you have read over the entire course before passing your final judgment. Also be sure to visit this page’s FAQ And Objections Page
Where will Christians live after the resurrection? If we are in Heaven what will it be like there? Are we going to just be floating around on clouds playing harps?
For now those who die go to be in this place called Heaven, also known as paradise. It’s a place known as the third Heaven where Gods throne is. You can read more about that in Unit 2.
This may come as a shock to most people, but the Bible doesn’t say we will be in Heaven for eternity. It actually tells us we will live on Earth for eternity.
Revelation 5:10
10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
There are a lot of details that take place between now and then. We will go over them in the future. But before we get into those things we should know about the place Jesus has prepared for those who love Him.
Isaiah 24:19-20
19 The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. 20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.
2 Peter 3:10
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
Revelation 21:5
And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
Revelation 21:1-3
1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
God had created us to live on Earth and that is where we will be. However, this old Earth will be made new. Even the Heavens will be made new. There will also be a city called new Jerusalem which is described in detail in Chapter 21 of Revelation. That is the place prepared for us.
Normally when people talk about “heaven” they are talking about the new Earth. We are given only a glimpse of what it will be like in the new Earth. But there are a few things that will NOT be there.
Revelation 21:4
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
Revelation 7:16
16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
Revelation 22:3-5
3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: 4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. 5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
Death will be a thing of the past. There will be nothing to harm or cause pain there.
It’s a place that is perfect in temperature. No hot summer days where we work by the sweat of our brow. In fact, if you remember, that was a consequence of the fall of man in the first place. The ground no longer yielded itself to man without having to be worked. In this new place we will return to a type of the garden of Eden.
Revelation 21:27
27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
With Satan cast into Hell and only the righteous in Heaven there will be no temptation. Being in the presence of God how could we break the commands to have no other God? How could we covet when we have everything? What would there be to lie about? With nothing to want for there is nothing to be tempted by.
I know what you are thinking. Adam and Eve were tempted. But we already have the knowledge of good and evil. Ask yourself, what would have happened if they had eaten from the tree of life FIRST? Knowing good and evil isn’t a sin. Choosing the evil is a sin. In this new place there will be no reason to choose evil!
We will spend every day (as there will be no night) in the presence of the God of life, of joy, and the giver of all good things. If you have ever experienced anything close to it then you know that its a joy so strong that your human body could not survive it. Thankfully we will have NEW bodies!
But the Bible also tells us about a reward.
Revelation 21:7
7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
Isaiah 40:10
10 Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.
Matthew 10:41
41 He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.
There are a lot of people that believe there will be special rewards there for the best of us. They believe one of us may have 3 crowns while another has 4. Some believe they will be given land and servants as referenced in the parable of the man who gave his three servants talents (a form of money). They think we will rule over them with Jesus.
But while the Bible tells us that our treasure should be in Heaven and we will be given crowns these things are still EARTHLY treasures. They are believed to be the rewards in Heaven because they are rewards people receive on Earth. It’s the man who sets him mind on the things of earth that looks at them as the reward.
This kind of doctrine violates certain scriptures. Especially Mark 10:42-44.
Mark 10:42-44
42 But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. 43 But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: 44 And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.
Matthew 19:29-30
29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. 30 But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.
Then going on into chapter 20 He tells us of the man who hired people to work in his field. He offered those in the morning a set amount and they worked all day. But then he went out again later in the day and hired more people. They did not do as much and the first workers expected to receive a greater reward. But they all got the same reward.
God is not going to reward us by setting others under us. This is a subtle trick of Satan rooted in pride. It also leads to other doctrinal errors. So what IS our reward?
Genesis 15:1
1 After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
Isaiah 52:12
12 For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the Lord will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your reward.
And this is what it all comes down to. God will dwell in His fullness with men on the Earth. He is our reward that is now in Heaven where thieves can’t get to and rust can’t corrupt. Where your treasure is there will your heart be too. Let your treasures be Jesus. And let your desire be to worship Him all the days of your eternal life.
And this is the place that Christians will spend eternity. It’s on Earth with God.
Now, there are a lot of things between now and then. Some of the verses in the Bible speak of what it will be like while God reigns on Earth but are not talking about the NEW Earth. There is a period of time that Jesus will rule on Earth for 1,000 years BEFORE this.
It’s easy to get the two mixed up and tangled together. So in the next study we are going to talk about what the 1,000 year reign of Jesus will be like.
Continue To Unit 6A:4 – The Millennial Reign of Christ OR
Return To Christianity 101 Unit 6A – The Resurrection & the Big Picture
October 13, 2019 at 9:52 pm | | No comment
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