Truth Magazine

By Mike Willis

The word “paradise” stirs our highest hopes. “Paradise” is an Anglicized form of the Greek word paradeisos. It is used in English to refer to the Garden of Eden and then to the eternal bliss of which that Garden is a type – heaven. The word appears but these three times in the English Bible:

And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise (Lk. 23:43).

How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter (2 Cor. 12:4).

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God (Rev. 2:7).

The word “paradise” originated in Persian use where it referred to a garden or park. The Hebrew word pardes occurs in three places to refer to a garden (Neh. 2:8; Eccl. 2:5; Song of Sol. 4:13). The Greek word paradeisos was used in the Septuagint translation (LXX) to refer to the garden of Eden (Gen. 2:8-10; 13:10; etc.). Hence, in later Jewish thought and through a natural process, the word was transferred to a higher meaning to refer to “happiness of the righteous in a future blissful state.” McClintock and Strong’s Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature (VII:652) states, “The origin of this application (of paradise to a future place of bliss, mw) must be assigned to the Jews of the middle period between the Old and New Testament . . . Hence, we see that it was in the acceptation of the current Jewish phraseology that the expression was used by our Lord and the apostles.”

McClintock and Strong also commented about the word paradise taking on this higher meaning to refer to one’s eternal abode with God. They said,

It was natural that this higher meaning should at length become the exclusive one, and be associated with new thoughts. Paradise, with no other word to qualify it, was the bright region which man had lost which was guarded by the flaming sword. Soon a new hope sprang up. Over and above all questions as to where the primeval garden had been, there came the belief that it did not belong entirely to the past. There was a paradise still into which man might have hope to enter (VII:656-657).

In the passages from the New Testament, paradise is used in two senses:

1. To refer to the intermediate state of the righteous dead. When Jesus spoke to the thief on the cross, he said, “Today shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). At his death, he entered the hadean world (Acts 2:27), the abode of the righteous dead, also known as “Abraham’s bosom” (cf. Lk. 16:22). That which distinguished “paradise” was that the penitent thief would be with Jesus – he would enjoy the fellowship of God’s Son.

This appears to be the sense in which “paradise” is used in 2 Corinthians 12:4. Paul was caught up in the “third heaven” which was described as “paradise.” The third heaven or paradise is the abode of the righteous dead.

When Paul speaks of the intermediate state of the righteous dead, fellowship with Christ is its sole content (2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; 2 Tim. 4:18; Rom. 8:38-39). There is no speculation about the nature of existence with Christ.

2. To refer to the eternal state of the righteous dead. In Revelation 2:7 paradise is promised to those who overcome the temptations of sin. In the paradise of God one will be able to eat of the “tree of life.” The tree of life is elsewhere represented in the book of Revelation as being in the New Jerusalem (22:2,14) where one also has access to the water of life (22: 1), the Old Serpent is destroyed (22:2), and one has freedom from suffering, affliction and death (21:4). H. Bietenhard and Colin Brown commented on this use of Paradise saying,

The thought takes up that of Gen. 3, where after eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, man is barred from the tree of life. Those who overcome the trials and temptations of this world (in particular the opposition of the Nicolaitans) are promised not only restoration of what Adam lost but access to life in a way which Adam never had. Rev. 22:1f., 14 gives a final vision of the tree of life in its final vision of paradise (though it does not use the word) in terms of the new Jerusalem: “And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. . . Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city” (The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology 11:763).

Even in the description of heaven as the Paradise of God the main motif is that one has “fellowship with Christ.” Joachim Jeremias wrote about paradise saying, “What really matters is not the felicity of Paradise but the restoration of the communion with God which was broken by Adam’s fall” (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament V:773).

Jesus is the one who restores the Paradise of God. He offers to mankind the bread of life (Jn. 6) and the water of life (Jn. 4) in the gospel which grants us entrance into the Paradise of God.

There seem to be several themes emphasized by the word paradise. In the beginning – in the original paradise – man dwelt in perfect peace with God. God was in constant communion with man. Man had access to the tree of life which enabled him to live forever (Gen. 3:22). God provided for man’s every physical, social and spiritual need (Gen. 2:9). Paradise was lost to man through sin. When man sinned, he broke his communion with God (3:8), lost access to the tree of life (3:22), was subject to physical death (3:19) and was driven into an environment which was hostile to him (3:18). To prevent his re-entering the garden, the Lord placed an angel with a flaming sword (3:24).

Paradise can be regained through Jesus Christ. Those who overcome sin’s temptations through the blood of the Lamb are granted entrance anew into the Paradise of God where they once again have communion with the Lord (Lk. 23:43), access to the tree of life (Rev. 2:7). Everything that was lost through sin is restored through Christ.

The song “Paradise Valley” by Virgil O. Stamps expresses our hope to gain entrance into the paradise which was lost through sin.

As I travel thru life, with its trouble and strife,

I’ve a glorious hope to give cheer on the way;

Soon my toil will be o’er and I’ll rest on that shore

Where the night has been turned into day.

As I roam the hillside, or I list to the tide,

As I pluck the sweet flowers that grow in the dale;

A faint picture is there of a land bright and fair

Where perennial flowers ne’er fail.

Tho’ your garden is rare, it is naught to compare

With the flowers that bloom in the garden above,

In the midst of it grows Sharon’s perfect sweet Rose

‘Tis the wonderful Flower we love.

Up in the beautiful Paradise valley,

By the side of the river of life,

Up in the valley, the wonderful valley,

We’ll be free from all pain and all strife;

There we shall live in the rose-tinted garden,

‘Neath the shade of the evergreen tree,

How I long for the paradise valley,

Where the beauty of heaven I’ll see.

What a blessed hope we have to regain entrance into the Paradise of God.

Guardian of Truth XXXV: 20, pp. 624-625
October 17, 1991

By Hoyt Houchen

Man is confronted with many mysteries, thus causing him to ponder on many questions. He is made to wonder about death, immortality, what is beyond and shall we know each other in heaven. The subject of future recognition in heaven that is discussed in this article pertains to saints. As we give attention to this question, we are aware that our soul’s salvation does not depend upon the answer; nevertheless, it is thought provoking and motivates us to delve into the Scriptures to determine if they provide the answer. Some questions which concern us are not answered in the Scriptures, thus they remain mysteries and must be classified in the file of curiosity. We do not believe, however, that the question under consideration is in that category. Every devoted Christian has probably given thought to this question. When one of our loved ones (a saint) departs from this life, we are sustained by the hope that we shall be united with him in heaven. Shall we recognize each other? We address ourselves to this question. While the Bible does give some teaching about future recognition, nevertheless, there are questions which remain unanswered, especially those involving details or specifics. The Bible teaches that heaven is real, but shall we as saints know each other in heaven?

A significant phrase is found in Genesis 25:8 where we are told, “And Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years, and was gathered to his people.” “He was gathered to his people. ” This phrase, or a slight variation of it, is used with reference to Ishmael’s death (Gen.25:17), the death of Isaac (Gen.35:29), the death of Jacob (Gen.49:29,33) and to Moses and Aaron (Deut.32:50). Moses was not buried in the sepulchers of his fathers, but in an unknown place “in the valley of Moab” (Deut.34:6). So, the phrase “gathered unto his people” would not refer to the burial of the body, but to the reunion of the spirit with those who had died before.

On the occasion of David’s child who had died, he said: “Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me” (2 Sam. 12:23). David realized that someday he would go to be with the child.

Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “. . . we are your glorying, even as ye also are ours, in the day of our Lord Jesus” (2 Cor. 1:14). Paul also wrote to these brethren: “knowing that he that raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also with Jesus, and shall present us with you” (2 Cor. 4:14). And, he wrote to the Thessalonians: “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of glorying? Are not even ye, before our Lord Jesus at his coming?” These are times of future rejoicing and glorying, thus it seems reasonable that Paul in these verses is referring to the “day” when the Lord Jesus will come to judge the world. Paul and his readers will be in one another’s presence at that time.

The passage in 1 Thessalonians 4:13,14 is one of hope and comfort for Christians whose loved ones had died. Paul admonished his readers that they “sorrow not, even as the rest, who have no hope” (v.13). Their hope was not only that of the loved being at home with God, but it is also reasonable that there was the hope of someday seeing that beloved saint and being with him forever. This Scripture affords us the same hope today.

The foregoing Scriptures are some which convey the idea that the faithful who die will be united with the other faithful who have already departed from this life. There will be a meeting together.

Will there be future recognition? There are two passages in particular which lend evidence to this. (1) The transfiguration (Matt. 17:18; Mk. 9:2-8; Lk. 9:28-36). Christ was transfigured on the mountain and there appeared with him Moses and Elijah. Moses had been dead for nearly fifteen hundred years, and his body lay in an unknown grave. Elijah did not die, for he was taken up into heaven by a whirlwind (2 Kgs. 2:11). The body of Moses turned to dust and Elijah had been changed. These men were clothed with different bodies from what they had here upon earth, but they appeared to the disciples and were talking with Jesus. They were both recognized. (2) The rich man and Lazarus (Lk. 16:19-31). Although some classify this account as a parable, a parable represents something that actually occurs. The rich man recognized Lazarus and Abraham in the unseen world. He still possessed memory, for he was told to remember that in this world he had good things and Lazarus evil things. He also remembered that he had five brothers still living. He requested that they be warned, lest they too, should come to torment. A great gulf in Hades separated the righteous from the wicked, and although it was too late for the rich man to be changed, there was recognition.

The Scriptures teach that at the resurrection of the dead, it is our physical bodies that will be changed, not our spirits. This is made clear in 1 Corinthians 15 (see vv. 35-38). This body will be changed from a mortal body to an immortal one. “For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immorality” (v. 53). There can be no doubt that the mortal and the corruptible refer to the physical body. Certainly, the spirit is neither corruptible nor mortal. When we are raised from the dead, we shall have a body which pleases God to give us. It will be a changed body (vv. 51,52). “It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body” (v. 44). This being true, we shall not be known in heaven by our natural (physical) bodies as we are known here upon the earth, but this is not to suppose that our spiritual bodies will be without form and features. Jesus, Moses and Elijah were transfigured. Webster defines “transfiguration” as “a change in form or appearance” (Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, 1252). They were transfigured, but they were recognized. The Lord will clothe us with bodies which he has prepared; they will be fashioned anew to be “conformed to the body of his glory” (Phil. 3:21). Our bodies will be transformed into the likeness of his body in the glorified state. John wrote, “Beloved, now are we children of God, and it is not yet manifest what we shall be. We know that, if he shall be manifested, we shall be like him; for we shall see him even as he is” (1 Jn. 3:2). If we shall recognize God in his manifested form, then, does it not stand to reason that we shall recognize one another in whatever likeness he shall prepare for us? There will be recognition in heaven. How the resurrection and transformation will take place, our finite minds cannot comprehend it, much less can we explain it. By the same faith that we accept all the miracles in the Bible, let us anticipate this great miracle which is yet to occur, and believe it with all our hearts.

The very thought of knowing one another in “the land that is fairer than day” is a great hope for Christians and should motivate us to endeavor even more to please God, and be assured that someday we can live forever in that most wonderful and indescribable place known as heaven.

Guardian of Truth XXXV: 20, pp. 623-624
October 17, 1991

By Jerry Crolius

In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His promise, interposed with an oath, in order that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have strong encouragement, we who have fled for refuge in laying hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek (Heb. 6:17-20).

Friends, two things will never change: God’s purpose and God’s promise. God purposed heaven for mankind, and God promised it through his Word. With infinite grace, God’s purpose and promise have been carried out through Jesus Christ in the offering up of his life for the sins of mankind. And people who understand this truth have fled to Jesus for refuge in the hope of heaven to come. You see, the hope of heaven is mankind’s one and only possession that provides strong encouragement in this life; it is a true anchor of the soul, firm and secure.

Hope Defined

Webster’s defines hope as “desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment” and uses the words trust and reliance as synonyms. The hope of heaven isn’t just wishful thinking, Paul assures us, because this “hope does not disappoint” (Rom. 5:5). We’re like Abraham when he was promised a son in his old age, who “in hope against hope he believed, in order that he might become a father of many nations, according to that which had been spoken, ‘So shall your descendants be.”‘ As Abraham’s spiritual children, we believe, in hope against hope, that “the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Tit. 2:13). We desire, and expect, heaven to be our eternal home, though with reverence and awe we exclaim, “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and unfathomable his ways!” (Rom. 11:33).

A Joyful Hope

The possibility of heaven is often too great for us to comprehend, but “by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope” (Gal. 5:5, NIV). Like Paul, “we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God” (Rom. 5:2) and we try to obtain what Paul prayed we might have, that “the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 15:13). Like the early Christians, “having therefore such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech” (2 Cor. 3:12). We take heed to Peter’s command to “sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you” (1 Pet. 3:15). We are going to “obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven” (1 Pet. 1:4) and we want others to obtain it too. In this we “greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, (we) have been distressed by various trials” (1 Pet. 1:6).

In sickness or in health, in sorrow or in cheer, in abundance or in want, we are joyful. We stay positive, upbeat, optimistic. We know there is evil and sin in this world. We know life is difficult. We know people will hurt us, lie to us, gossip about us, be unfair to us, but it doesn’t matter. We have a home with God awaiting us, and the only sorrow we never overcome is the awareness that so many of our friends, neighbors, associates, and family won’t share that home with us. But we keep trying to show them our joy. We keep trying to interest them in the zeal, enthusiasm, peace, and joy that we have found in the hope of heaven through Christ.

A Living Hope

Brethren, we must be greatly affected by this hope of heaven that now dominates our thinking. Since “God . . . according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Pet. 1:3), we had better let our hope live! Our hope must produce a way of life that truly reflects our eagerness for saying. Notice the general construction: Since we have this hope of heaven (19-21), . . . let us (1) draw near to God, (2) hold fast our confession without wavering, and (3) consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking the assembly (22-25). Our hope has to have life! It has to work! Our hope has to produce something!

It has always amazed me that people who call themselves Christians and profess to want to go to heaven have a difficult time making the assemblies of the church a high priority in their lives. I wonder how often they think of heaven. I mean really think of heaven. What could be more important, after all, in respect to getting to heaven and seeing that others get there too, than worshiping God, encouraging brethren, and growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord?

It equally amazes me that many Christians make little time during the week for prayer, Bible study, family devotion, meditation, or singing. Is our hope living, brethren? We often exercise our bodies more than we exercise godliness (which is best defined as “god-wardness” rather than “godlikeness”), even though Paul told Timothy “bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come,” and went on to say that “it is for this that we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God” (1 Tim. 4:8-10). Is our “life to come” really what we labor and strive for? “Prescribe and teach these things,” Paul concluded (1 Tim. 4:1 1), as he emphasized the need for Timothy to teach brethren to be godward, reverent, prayerful, studious, committed Christians who put their hope on heaven rather than on this life. Our hope must be a living hope.

“Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all good things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed” (1 Tim. 6:17-19). Our hope of heaven keeps our minds off of the pleasures of this world and puts them on the needs of our brethren. I wonder if some Christians in the USA are going to face the judgment seat of God trying to explain why they spent most of their “extra money” on expensive food, vacations, clothes, cars, etc., when there were so many opportunities to support the gospel or provide for the needy. “Gird your minds for action, be sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (I Pet. 1: 13). We must have a living hope that works the works of God.

“Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as he is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as he is pure” (1 Jn. 3:2-3). I wonder if some Christians are going to face the judgment seat of Christ trying to explain why they kept allowing so much impurity into their lives through the TV, movies, radio, and magazines, or why they maintained such a close friendship with worldly pleasures such as dancing, drinking, smoking, immodest clothing, and gambling. We can’t just say we hope for heaven, we must live as one who truly has crucified himself to the things of this world.

A Persevering Hope

After speaking of the hope we have in the resurrection of an eternal spiritual body, Paul says, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Cor. 15:58). Heaven gets us through the valleys. Heaven gives us the strength to suffer physically. Heaven helps us overcome temptation. Heaven keeps us preaching, teaching, or shepherding. Heaven gives us the courage to risk our livelihoods, comforts, friendships, and even our lives, for the cause of Christ. The song says it well, “Earth holds no treasures but perish with using, However precious they be; Yet there’s a country to which I am going, Heaven holds all to me.”

There’s a bank in my area whose motto is “Whatever It Takes.” That’s what a Christian is willing to go through in this life to get to heaven. “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (2 Cor. 4:16-5:1). Whatever it takes. Suffering, sacrifice, servanthood, submission – whatever it takes. “But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it” (Rom. 8:25). Heaven holds all for us.

Conclusion

It is impossible for God to lie. He purposed heaven for mankind and he promised us a home with him there, and nothing will ever change God’s mind. Strong encouragement. An anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast. But only for those who have fled for refuge in laying hold of the hope set before them.

There is great joy in having fled for refuge because “though you have not seen Him, you love him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls” (1 Pet. 1:8-9). Joy in Christ overcomes sorrow in the world. This is the message of the book of Revelation. Hope is an anchor to the soul.

But we must flee for refuge in order to be anchored in the hope of heaven. We must have a living hope that flees from the lusts of this world and bears fruit for God. We must “deny ungodliness and worldly desires and live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Tit. 2:13). How easy it is for us to deceive ourselves, but “do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap” (Gal. 6:7).

And surely our hope must persevere. “Be faithful until death, and I will give you a crown of life” (Rev.2:10). But it is the hope of heaven itself that allows us to persevere! “Just as it is written, ‘For thy sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us” (Rom. 8:36-37).

When we pray for others we try to pray for their greatest needs. Paul must have done this too, for he said in Ephesians 1:18-19, “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.” May it be so.

Guardian of Truth XXXV: 20, pp. 629-631
October 17, 1991

By Wayne T. Galloway

“The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ, shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:16-17). What will it be like to “always be with the Lord”?

The Bible describes heaven as a wondrous place. Revelation 21:3 says of the new Jerusalem. “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.” Even with such beautiful descriptions we are still left wondering what heaven will be like. Who will be there and what assurance do I have of being there?

Heaven is the dwelling place of God. In both the Old and New Testaments there are many references to heaven as the abode of God (Isa. 63:15; Neh. 1:4; Dan. 2:37,44; Matt. 5:16). The root idea of habitation, tabernacle or dwelling place is in all seven words used in the Bible describing heaven. Thus in a particular way heaven is portrayed as the dwelling of God (cf. Psa. 33:14; 61:4: 65:4).

On the other hand, the Bible affirms that “heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain God” (1 Kgs. 8:27; cf. Acts 7:48) and that God is not limited by place. We learn from this that, heaven is not so much a description of a place as it is a description of the presence of God. Our going to heaven has less to do with going to a place and more to do with our being in God’s presence (1 Thess. 4:17; Rev. 21:3).

For Jesus heaven was synonymous with his Father’s presence. In Matthew 11:25 Jesus prayed, “Father, Lord of heaven and earth,” which sets heaven as the sphere where God the Father exercises lordship as he does on earth. God’s not being limited by space reflects his transcendence, but the fact that God dwells in heaven, that he is “God Most High” (Psa. 7:17), is not meant to overawe, or to suggest that God is remote (off in some far away place).

Intimacy with the Father is suggested in Jesus’ expression “My Father in heaven” (Matt. 7:21; 10:32,33; 12:50; 18:10,19). And lest we think that Jesus thought that God was only intimate with him he spoke of God’s intimacy with us in the expression “your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:16,45,48; 6:1; 7:11; 18:14: 23:9). Not only is he “the Son of the Most High” (Lk. 1:32) but we are “sons of the Most High” (Lk. 6:35).

Not only is God, the Father, in heaven but evidence indicates that the Son and the Holy Spirit are there too. The Son descended from heaven and became incarnate (Jn. 3:13, 37; 6:38,42). He has sat down on the right hand of the Majesty in the heavens (Heb. 8:1; 1 Pet. 3:22). Heaven is the scene of his present life and activity (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25; 9:24). Revelation describes him as the Lamb of heaven (21:22: 22: 1). It was from heaven that the Holy Spirit descended on Pentecost (1 Pet. 1:12).

There are angelic beings in heaven. These beings serve as messengers and servants of God (Matt. 18: 10; 22:30; 24:36; 28:2; Mk. 12:25; 13:32; Lk. 2:15). Included here are cherubim, seraphim, archangels, and the living beings of Ezekiel and Revelation. They are concerned with our salvation (1 Pet. 1:12). They come from and return to heaven (Matt. 28:2; Lk. 2:15; 22:43). In the visions of John they appear engaged in the worship of God (Rev. 5:11), in the revelations of God (7:lff: 10:1ff), in the blowing of trumpets of judgment (8:7ff), and in other announcements of doom (22:6).

There are other spirit beings that are associated with heaven who oppose the will of God. Included here is Satan and his angels. These have been banished from heaven as a consequence of the saving work of Christ (Lk. 10: 18; Jn. 12:31; Rev. 12:7-10; 20:10). God has committed them to pits of darkness and reserved them for judgment (2 Pet. 2:4).

The saints of God from all ages will be present in heaven. This is a specially qualified group of people washed white in the blood of the Lamb (Rev. 1:5; 5:9: 7:13-17). Their names are written in the Lamb’s book of life (Rev. 3:5; 13:8: 20:12,15; 21:27).

These are specially privileged as citizens in the commonwealth of heaven. Paul states, “Our citizenship is in heaven” (Phil. 3:20). The idea of citizenship in the ancient world was associated with the privileges of being a subject of the Roman Empire. Paul, the Roman citizen, here points to the superior privileges enjoyed by the citizens of heaven. Such privileges are not for the unrighteous (1 Cor. 6:9, 10), but for those washed, sanctified and justified (1 Cor. 6:11).

Included within these special privileges is an eternal dwelling, a body built by God (2 Cor. 5:1-2), that fits us to be with the Lord forever (1 Thess. 4:17). In the presence of God there is a total absence of evil and its attendant circumstances (Rev. 21-3-4). There is access to the river of life and the tree of life (Rev. 22:1-5).

Becoming a citizen in this kingdom involves a conscious, deliberate decision more radical even than becoming a soldier in the legions of Caesar. Entrance into the Roman military was gained through a life-changing oath, in which the individual forfeited all other allegiances and loyalties. He committed himself without reservation to Caesar and his cause. His time, fortunes, concerns, and even life itself belonged to his king. He would live for him, labor for him, fight for him, and die for him. He had no claim on himself; his king and the empire were his reason for living. Nothing was held back.

1 Peter 1:3-9 describes entrance into God’s kingdom as being born again through the resurrection of Jesus Christ (v. 3; cf. Rom. 6; Col. 2:12; 1 Pet. 1:22-23; 3:21). This occurs through faith (v. 5; cf. Col. 2:12) and results in obe01lience even in trials (v. 6ff: Heb. 11:1-12:3). Nothing can be held back. I become and remain a citizen in God’s kingdom as a result of my dependence upon him and what he has done in Christ to deliver me. My allegiance to my king is evident in his Lordship over my life. It is so complete “it is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20).

Those in opposition to God will not be in heaven. ‘The devil and his angels will not be there (2 Pet. 2:4). The unrighteous will not be there (1 Cor. 6:9-10). Those not led by the Spirit will not be there (Gal. 5:19-21). The dogs, the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying will not be there (Rev. 22:15). All those who do not know God and who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, “away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power” (2 Thess. 1:8-9).

What a grand and glorious experience to be in the presence of God, with his heavenly beings and the saints of all the ages. I am unable to imagine what it will be like. Yet, even so, “Come, Lord Jesus.”

Guardian of Truth XXXV: 20, pp. 626-627
October 17, 1991