Eternal Sons of God
Lesson Aim: To help Christians contemplate how our lives will be in heaven.
Introduction
The following is a list of fundamental Bible truths, or theologies, used for the building blocks of this series of lessons. If the reader did not approach this study with an understanding of them, please re-study the lessons again with these theologies in mind. The critics should critique the following list first before taking up other points. For, if we are not able to agree on the following theologies, the hypotheses made in these lessons would not have much meaning. In other words, please don’t make a major criticism on minor points without first giving strong consideration to these major premises.
- God’s kingdom faithful Christians will inherit was in existence before God created the world.
- Mankind was created to be children in God’s kingdom.
- God’s design of mankind is consistent with God’s purpose for creating us.
- The main problem of mankind is that we obtained the knowledge of good and evil while in our physical bodies.
- Bible history shows God and Satan dealt with mankind the way God created us. We must do the same.
- There has always been a law of life, that is, a description of the phenomenon of zoe, and a transgression of this law is sin.
- The quality of life in the kingdom of God can be understood by a study of Jesus Christ.
- Jesus’ purpose in His sacrifice for our sins is to give Christians a new birth and justification in order for us to have peace with God. In this peaceful relationship, we can grow in our sanctification in Christ and hope to share in His glory, eternally.
- The two realms available for mature people are “the world” and “in Christ,” and an understanding of the way the word church is used in the Bible demands the presence of these realms.
- The spiritual blessings in Christ develop a healthy mental environment that strongly influences the character of faithful Christians.
- Jesus is now actively reigning over the church which is the man-dimension of God’s kingdom. His present goals are to reconcile all mankind by evangelism and sanctification. Later He will resurrect and judge us.
- There will be rewards at judgment based on our works that will allow faithful Christians to inherit God’s kingdom and eternal life.
Our physical death, resurrection and Judgment have been discussed in the first seven lessons in this final part. Based upon what we now know let us conclude our study by contemplating our home in heaven.
Lesson
Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for 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. John 14:1-3
As we would expect, the scriptures at the end of the Bible describe our home in heaven. Please read Revelation 21:9-22:5. By concluding this series of study with John’s vision, we have come full circle in the Bible story. In the third chapter of Genesis mankind was separated from the tree of life; however, in the last chapter of Revelation faithful Christians will be brought back to the same tree in heaven.
Since God is spirit and “does not dwell in houses made by human hands,” we know the description of heaven in Revelation must be understood in a spiritual sense (John 4:24; Acts 7:48). The Apostle Paul said; “Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man.” Acts 17:29. How then shall we think of heaven? Since heaven is not physical we must not attempt to perceive it in that way. It does not really matter how we perceive heaven as long as it will be good for our needs.
Usually, places and things have meaning to us based upon characteristics other than physical criterion. For instance, many people the world over think of the Hawaiian Islands as a desirable place to visit. After we analyze our perceptions, we may find the appeal is mostly physical. After a few days in Hawaii our other needs might begin to cry out. If we could not find satisfaction for them, we would be unhappy in Hawaii.
Jesus said He would go and prepare a place for us. We do not know what our resurrected bodies will be like, but we are sure Jesus does because we will be like Him in this respect (I John 3:2). Therefore, we know He has prepared the perfect place for us after we receive our glorious bodies. Even so, this is not the most important thing. Most people have never been to Hawaii, in fact, many live in deplorable places, physically, still they are happy. Their happiness is not based on the physical environment. It is the result of their position and their hope of having their needs satisfied.
Jesus said, “Where I am, there you may be also.” Our happiness does not so much depend upon what is there, but it does depend on who is there, or for that matter, who is not there. Speaking of heaven, John said, “And nothing unclean and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the lamb’s book of life.” Rev. 21:27. The quality of life in a particular society has a strong appeal to those who are looking for a good life, as in eternal life. Of course, the opposite is also true, we witness the spiritually dead going about in the world. They are corrupted by sin and so are their associates. In the following scriptures Peter admonished Christians to keep ourselves prepared for the quality of life in heaven.
Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, on account of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. II Pet. 3:11-13
Another thing that greatly influences the capacity for a place to make us happy is our position among the inhabitants. Most of us would welcome an invitation from our national leader to visit our capital city as his or her guest. With this prestigious invitation in hand our visit would be much better than just going as a tourist; however, if one of our parents were the national leader this would enhance our position a thousand fold. Our Father in heaven has indeed extended an invitation to faithful Christians to join Him. Jesus has promised He will bring “many sons to glory.” Heb. 2:10.
Heaven will be arranged in such a way that our spiritual bodies and self will be in a state of satisfaction. In other words, whatever needs our spiritual being will have will be satisfied by the heaven Jesus showed the Apostle John in the Revelation. Everybody there will be righteous; because of our inheritance of eternal life, we will be able to do right all the time. We will not need a sacrifice because we will not sin. Our position will be a son of God, and it will satisfy our need to achieve.
Righteousness will permeate us and all heavenly beings. This will make it easy to satisfy our need for social acceptance. Because we inherited God’s kingdom we will be able to keep ourselves under His rule; therefore, everything will work out all right eternally. God’s power will insure our eternal security. With our needs all kept in a permanent state of satisfaction, we will have permanent happiness. This is what will make heaven, heavenly. A beautiful city remains beautiful to those who find satisfaction for their needs in the society of this city. Heaven is described as a beautiful place. Since God is spirit and faithful Christians will be spiritual in our resurrection, we know it will be beautiful to us for reasons other than streets of gold and gates of pearl.
The following seems to be the most appropriate scripture with which to close this series of lessons on the Kingdom of God. It clearly depicts sons of God in our spiritual bodies with our inheritance of the kingdom of God and eternal life. Heaven in this context is presented as our bride. A bride is able to satisfy all of the needs of her husband because he gets her for his own.
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them, and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.’ And He who sits on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ And He said, ‘Write, for these words are faithful and true.’ And He said to me, ‘It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. He who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.’ Rev. 21:1-7