Which world is passing away and which world is ‘eternal’. Perhaps using the word ‘eternal’ can mislead creatures who have only lived in a world measured by time. To us the word ‘eternal’ suggests only one kind of difference-a difference in the 'length of time', that is, a greater duration of time. 'Forever'. 'Unending'. But even here the only difference is more of the same--more time than we have experienced on earth. While the element of time certainly may be included, I believe, it is wrong to limit the meaning of ‘eternal’ to the category of ‘time’.  To do so obscures the extent of the difference between this world and the next. Perhaps a broader conception of the difference between this world and the ‘dimension’ beyond the death of the body would be better, such as expressed by the general term ‘otherness’. It is to repeatedly show some of the many, many references to the eternal framework of Christianity in all its ‘otherness’ that this meditation was written.

After observing how many times and in how many ways God chose to point in his written Word point to the other world, to the ‘eternal’ world’, to the ‘age to come’ in which the destiny of believers and unbelievers will take place perhaps we who are believers will take the words of the eternal Creator God for what they are--awesome, ‘bulging’ with truths that are beyond comparison with anything we experience in this world, beyond anything we experience in the ‘life’ that precedes the death of the body. Then perhaps we will respond appropriately as the apostle Paul says: “Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.” (2 Corinthians 7:1)

Some of the Bible verses which point to, or contain hints about, the ‘eternal’ dimension are displayed in 8 somewhat subjectively chosen categories. Some verses are included in more than one category since the concepts frequently overlap or intertwine. But to keep the number of duplicate verse references down many possible inclusions have been deliberately set aside. The 8 categories are as follows:
       1 ---The greatness of the eternal God
       2 ---The overcoming of Death for the believer
       3 --- Resurrection: The central theme of the Gospel
       4 ---The nature of the promised eternal kingdom of God
       5 ---This world itself is not a permanent fixture in God's plan 
       6 ---The ‘organic’ connection between the this world/next world theme and the biblical teachings about sin/righteousness  
       7 ---The worthwhileness or value of our existence in this world compared with the worthwhileness of life in the ‘eternal’ world/kingdom
       8 ---Truths believers are told to remember, to be looking at, to be feeding upon  

(1)    THE GREATNESS OF THE ETERNAL GOD    

Not only are we creatures that have not been alive on this earth very long but this world is itself a creation of the Eternal God. Now let’s look at a few of the verses in the Bible that remind us of insignificance of this world when compared to the greatness of God.

Verses about God point to a reality that is much more real, much more enduring, very ‘other’. Intangible. Ethereal. Otherworldly.

·       “Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other.” (Deuteronomy 4:39)

·       "See now that I myself am He! There is no god besides me. I put to death and I bring to life, I have wounded and I will heal, and no one can deliver out of my hand." (Deuteronomy 32:39)

·       "You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God." (James 4:4)  Let’s repeat this verse with the insertion of a biblically equivalent expression for the word ‘God’ (a word that is like an empty container that can be filled with whatever contents an individual wants to fill it with). Let’s fill it with a term has a ‘large’ meaning: "You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward the Creator? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of the Creator.” This designation brings to mind instantly something of the greatness of God; that he is not a creation like us. The eternal God does not differ from us only in detail such as being more powerful and wiser, sort of a man ‘writ large’. He is so ‘other’ that we cannot conceive of all his ‘otherness’,

·       Jesus said to his disciples, "For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:40)

·       "For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son (Jesus) gives life to whom he is pleased to give it." (John 5:21)

·       In the last book of the Bible Jesus (the risen Lord) says, "I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades." (Revelation 1:18)

·       "Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you." (Psalm 73:25)

Do not these verses make us think? Do not these verses and many others make us draw in our breath at the thought of Him with whom we have to do? Do not these verses make us think about Him who chose us (in Christ) from before the foundation of the world to be blameless, to have a share with saints in the kingdom of light, to be citizens of heaven? What a loving and merciful God was the Creator who sent his Son to die in our place that we might live! The verses in this category remind us how insignificant our life in this world is since we are not immortal beings, not ‘eternal’ beings, not even beings that are the ‘center of the universe’ that our physical eyes can see around us.  

In the Old Testament portion of God’s word the psalmist expresses the most appropriate verbal response to who God is, saying,

·       Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD from the heavens, praise him in the heights above.
      Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his heavenly hosts. Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars. Praise       him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. Let them praise the name of the LORD, for he commanded and            they were created. He set them in place for ever and ever; he gave a decree that will never pass away. 
      Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy     
      winds that do his bidding,  you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, flying birds, kings of the earth and all nations,
      you princes and all rulers on earth, young men and maidens, old men and children. Let them praise the name of the LORD, for
      his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.  He has raised up for his people a horn, the praise of
      all his saints, of Israel, the people close to his heart.” (Psalm 48:1-14)

(2)    THE OVERCOMING OF DEATH FOR BELIEVERS  

More pointers to the ‘eternal’ or ‘other’ dimension are embedded in the verses that speak of the overcoming of what the world almost universally considers the end of life. And what is the universal event that the world looks upon as the end of human existence? Death. Death is the biggest event in this world. Nobody and nothing living in this world is not affected by it.  

How many times have we heard  some form of the statement: ‘You only go around once; take all you can get before you die’ ? The Bible itself includes statements of this point of view.

·       "Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give all he has for his own life." (Job 2:4; see also Luke 12:13,16-19)

God is not unaware of how people on earth feel about life and death. The Gospel deals with just that. The Bible says explicitly that it was to deal not only with the fact of death but also with the fear of death that Christ came: “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too (Jesus Christ) shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil--and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” (Hebrews 2:14-15)

While death is the big event that ends bodily life in this world the Gospel contains a different message about death: It says ‘death’ is not the end.

·       "The last enemy to be destroyed is death." (1 Corinthians 15:26)

·       "When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’ " (1 Corinthians 15:54-55)

·       "Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death." (Psalm 68:20)  

In the last book of the Bible the apostle John describes his vision of the glorified Lord who then speaks.  

• "I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone ‘like a son of man,’ dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

    When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: ‘Do not be afraid. I am the First and
    the Last I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.’ "
   (Revelation 1:12-18)

·       The apostle Paul’s testimony: "through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death." (Romans 8:2)

In the Old Testament portion of God’s word we read of God’s promise:

·       "I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O
       grave, is your destruction?  I will have no compassion," (Hosea 13:14)

·       "He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of
       his people from all the earth. The Lord has spoken." (Isaiah 25:8)

·       "It has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and
       immortality to light through the gospel." (2 Timothy 1:10)

·       "And this is what he (God) promised us—even eternal life." (1 John 2:25)

·       "But God raised him (Christ) from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep
       its hold on him." (Acts 2:24)

·       "For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him."
      (Romans 6:9)

·       It was the fact that Jesus the Christ was raised from the dead that showed that the Christ was who he said he was. The apostle
      Paul said, "the gospel he (God) promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to
      his human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of
      God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 1:2-4)

·       "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or
       sword?" (Romans 8:35)

·       "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17)

·       "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory,
      which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." (2 Corinthians 3:18)

·       "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned."
      (Isaiah 9:2)

·       "For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God." (1
       Peter 1:23)

Death never was the end of life or the end of existence. More pointers to the ‘eternal’ or ‘other’ dimension are embedded in the verses that speak of what happens after the death of the body on earth. This includes both believers and unbelievers even though the post-death destinies of each group differs enormously.

·       "Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt."
      (Daniel 12:2)

·       Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be
      condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. 25 I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead     
      will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live….A time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his
      voice and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned." (John
       5:24-25, 28-29)

·       "Then he (the Son of Man, the risen Lord) will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire
       prepared for the devil and his angels." (Matthew 25:41)

·       God’s people (believers) "will go out and look upon the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; their worm will not die, nor
      will their fire be quenched," (Isaiah 66:24)  

Lies, lies, and more lies. Christianity is full of them if there is no dimension of existence after the death of the body. Christianity rests on an eternal foundation.   

                     (3)       THE FACT OF JESUS’ RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD 
                             AND BELIEVERS’  RESURRECTION  FROM THE DEAD 
                                       IS THE CENTRAL THEME OF THE GOSPEL  

More pointers to the ‘eternal’ or ‘other’ dimension are embedded in the verses that speak of the resurrection. It is the resurrection, the resurrection from the dead, that is repeatedly pointed out as the fundamental feature of the Gospel, as the distinguishing feature of what happened to Christ, and as the essence of what he ‘enabled’ to happen to believers.

That the resurrection was not an alteration or addition to God’s original plan but was an integral part of God’s plan from the beginning is clearly stated in the words of Jesus.

·       “Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them, ‘We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man (a title only Jesus frequently used when referring to himself) will be betrayed to the chief priests and the
      teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!"  (Matthew 20:17-19)

The concept of the resurrection while not accepted by every Jew in Old Testament times or later is found in the Old Testament. Declarations of belief in that truth were ‘seeds’ that ‘flowered’ after the resurrection of Jesus.

·       Job--"I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!" (Job 19:25-27)

·       The apostle Peter in his sermon at Pentecost speaks of the faith of King David (an Old Testament king who authored many of the psalms), saying, "Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay." (Acts 2:31 ; see also Psalm 16:10)

·       "But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy. Your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead." (Isaiah 26:19)

·       In the Old Testament book of Daniel the resurrection is clearly foretold.  “Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.” (Daniel 12:2)                                                                                                      

·       Martha, the sister of Lazarus, said to Jesus, "‘I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.’ " (John 11:24)

·       "We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him." (1 Thessalonians 4:14)

·       Knowing God’s statements recorded in the Old Testament, the apostle Paul stated his belief in the coming resurrection when defending himself before a heathen king, saying, "I have the same hope in God as these men, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked." (Acts 24:15)

·       "‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ " (Luke 24:7)

·       “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise  to be condemned." (John 5:28-29)

Many times verses imply a resurrection or the dead being raised to life when the word ‘resurrection’ is not used. This is as true in the Old Testament portion of God’s word as in the New Testament portion. In the New Testament book of Hebrews the faith of Old Testament saints is held up as an example for post-resurrection-of-Christ Christians to learn from. Believers who lived before Christ were not unfamiliar with the idea of resurrection from the dead:  “Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection.” (Hebrews 11:35)  When Moses scorned the riches of Egypt he was looking into the future that God promised. “He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.” (Hebrews 11:26)

Remember the theme of this meditation is not the importance of the resurrection per se but that the verses that speak of the resurrection are verses which show that what is ‘real’ does end when death occurs but continues beyond death, beyond the life on earth.

                                               THE CENTRALITY OF THE RESURRECTION TO THE GOSPEL

·       The resurrection is corner stone, a lynch pin of the whole salvation work of God. Without the resurrection there is no Gospel. The apostle Paul put it very bluntly, saying, "If there is no  resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised." (1 Corinthians 15:13)  "And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins." (1 Corinthians 15:17)

·       The apostle Paul who was willing to go through extreme dangers and afflictions for the cause of the Gospel which he believed, said, "If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for merely human reasons, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.l" (1 Corinthians 15:32)

·       "With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all." (Acts 4:33 )

·       Because the idea of the already-happened resurrection of Jesus was such a fundamental teaching of the Gospel it was this belief that the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem especially didn’t want to spread. (Matthew 27:62-64) "They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead." (Acts 4:2; see also 10:40 -43)             

·       On an occasion when a sect of the Jewish leadership (Sadducees) tried to entangle Jesus with a theoretical discussion of provisions in the Law regarding marriage Jesus equated a disbelief in the ‘resurrection’ with a denial of the power of God, saying "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of  the living." (Matthew 22:29-32)

·       On at least one recorded occasion Jesus even identified himself with the resurrection and what it produced, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;" (John 11:25)

(Do not confuse the ‘life’ we experience on earth with what God promises to every believer. The presence or absence of the life that people (doctors, scientists) can measure and observe is not the same as ‘the life’ that God promises to all believers. (1 Timothy 6:19))

·       It was the fact of the resurrection of Christ that showed that the Christ was who he said he was.  In the Bible we read, "Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God--the gospel he (God) promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 1:2-4) 

·       " Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead," (1 Peter 1:3)

·       "Men of Israel , listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him." (Acts 2:22-24)

·       "Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God  and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years." (Revelation 20:6)

·       Being a witness to Jesus’ resurrection was considered so important that after the betrayal of Judas, the death of Christ on the cross, and the resurrection of Jesus the apostle Peter even indicated that being a witness of Jesus’ resurrection was a requirement for the person who would replace Judas among the apostles." Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us (the original 12 disciples/apostles) the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from John's baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection." (Acts 1:21-22)

Remember the theme of this meditation is not the importance of the resurrection but that those verses that show its importance are reminders that what is ‘real’ goes beyond death, beyond this life which we experience on earth.

·       In the last book of the Bible a future time in God’s history, a time beyond death, is indicated.  While the word ‘resurrection’ does not appear in the verse the fact that people will be alive=capable of being rewarded or punished is assumed--"The nations were angry; and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name, both small and great— and for destroying those who destroy the earth.” (Revelation 11:18)

·       "Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring  you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel." (Ezekiel 37:12)

·       "And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books." (Revelation 20:12)

·       Jesus spoke of  the resurrection of believers as a definite coming event when he told the host who invited him to dinner about the kind of people he should invite to his banquets, saying, "and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." (Luke 14:14)                         

·       Jesus even bestowed some of the power the eternal age, the ‘resurrection power’ on his apostles, saying, "Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons." (Matthew 10:8)

·       "So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable;" (1 Corinthians 15:42)

·       "By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also." (1 Corinthians 6:14)

·       Jesus said, "And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day." (John 6:39)

·       Jesus said, "For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:40)

·       Jesus said, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:44)

·       "We were therefore buried with him (Jesus) through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." (Romans 6:4)

·       "If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection." (Romans 6:5)

·       "And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you." (Romans 8:11)

·       " Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God." (Colossians 3:1)

·       This is one of those things described as the ‘things above’ in Colossians 3:1-2. It is what the apostle Paul was looking forward to "and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead." (Philippians 3:10-11)

·       The apostle Paul said to the saints at Corinth, "because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. “ (2 Corinthians 4:14)

·       "If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection." (Romans 6:5)

The apostle Paul said, "Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel," (2 Timothy 2:8)

Remember the theme of this meditation is not the importance of the resurrection but that those verses that show its importance ‘contain’ implicit pointers to the ‘real’ dimension which goes beyond death, the dimension that is ‘bigger’ than this life on earth.  

More pointers to the ‘eternal’ or ‘other’ dimension are embedded in the verses that speak of the ‘nature’ of the promised eternal kingdom of God . While this ‘category’ of verses has a heading, for me to a large extent it is a catch-all category for verses which say or imply something of the ‘incomparability’, the awesomeness of, what the eternal salvation of sinners includes but the verses do not seem to fit nicely into other categories.

·       “I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable." (1 Corinthians 15:50)

·       Wow! Unbelievable!. “Creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.” (Romans 8:21)

·       “The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are considered worthy of taking part in that age and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God's children, since they are children of the resurrection.” (Luke 20:34-36)

·       After Jesus had been arrested and brought before the Roman governor of Judea Jesus said to him, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place." (John 18:36)

·       Wow! Unbelievable!. The apostle Paul addressing the believers in the church at Corinth said, “So then, no more boasting about men! All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are of Christ,  and Christ is of God." (1 Corinthians 3:21-23)

·       In the apostle Paul’s letter to the believers in Rome he said “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?...  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:35, 37-39)

·       “Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, ‘they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.’ " (Revelation 14:13)

·       “Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory." (1 Timothy 3:16) 

·       ‘The fullness of Christ’  Wow!  Awesome!. What believers have to look forward to-- “until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." (Ephesians 4:13)

·       “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of  death." (Hebrews 2:14-15)

·       “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval." (John 6:27)

·       “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14)

The many, many verses which point out that the Gospel, the work of Christ, overcame the phenomenon of death are gathered in a separate category above (#2).

·       “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints," (Ephesians 1:18)

·       In the apostle Peter’s 1^st letter he says to his readers or hearers, “These (trials and afflictions) have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy," (1 Peter 1:7-8)

·       There is more to salvation than can be put into words: “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express." (Romans 8:26)

·       “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified." (1 Corinthians 2:2)

·       Jesus said to the people who were questioning his source of the power to exorsize demons from people, “But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you." (Luke 11:20)

·       “We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first." (Hebrews 3:14)

·       There is more to salvation than can be put into words: “So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer." (2 Corinthians 5:16)

·       The apostle Paul said, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." (Galatians 6:14)

·       There is more to salvation than can be put into words: “My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ," (Colossians 2:2)

·       “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." (John 17:3)

• What did the apostle Paul pray for? “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”   (Ephesians 3:16-19)

·       “until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." (Ephesians 4:13)

·       The apostle Paul stated his mission: “My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ," (Colossians 2:2)

·       “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death." (Hebrews  2:14-15)

·     “For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world." (1 John 2:16)

·       There is more involved in salvation than an augmenting of earthly experiences. “Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life." (Revelation 2:10)

·       There is more to salvation than words can express. “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.’ " (1 Corinthians 1:27-31)

·       “Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out." (John 12:31)  

More pointers to the ‘eternal’ or ‘other’ dimension are embedded in the verses that reveal that this world is not a permanent part of God’s creation.

While we see or know of people who ‘pass out’ of this world in death that does not speak to the issue of what is real, what lasts forever.  What speaks of that issue is the fact that the world itself is ‘passing away’. This world does not last forever. This world is not ‘eternal’. The word of God says so many times.

·       "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." (Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31 ; Luke 21:33 )

·       "I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished." (Matthew 5:18)

·       "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare." (2 Peter 3:10) 

• In his letters to the churches the apostle Paul exhorts his hearers or readers not to be engrossed in the things of this world. Why? Because “this world in its present form is passing away." (1 Corinthians 7:31)

·       In the last book of the Bible which records the vision God gave to the apostle John we read, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea." (Revelation 21:1)

·       "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Revelation 21:4)

·       "These (trials) have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." (1 Peter 1:7)

·       "The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever." (1 John 2:17)

The saints who lived before the coming of Christ to this earth were extremely conscious of the fact that this world was not their ‘homeland’.

·       "By faith he (Abraham) made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God." (Hebrews 11:9-10)

·       "All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own." (Hebrews 11:13-14)

·       "Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them." (Hebrews 11:16 ) h

·       "He (Moses) regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt , because he was looking ahead to his reward." (Hebrews 11:26)

·       "For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come." (Hebrews 13:14; cf. Revelation 21:1-2)

Uncategorized statements about God’s creation and the ‘other’ dimension.

·       "He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed." (Daniel 7:14)

·       "when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears." (1 Corinthians 13:10)

·       "Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining." (1 John 2:8)

·       "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17)

If what we see and feel is ‘passing away’ does that mean reality Is ‘passing away? Are the promises of God ‘passing away’? Or are they eternal?

Observe how often the word of God says to its readers or hearers that this world is ‘passing away’! This is a truth which reminds us that what we see around us is only part of God’s larger picture which is made up of both time and eternity, both this world and the next..

Because we are in this portion of life for such short time (“Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow." --Psalm 144:4) we should use the time we have intelligently.  

                   (6) THE ‘ORGANIC’ CONNECTION BETWEEN THE THIS-WORLD / NEXT-WORLD THEME  
                                    AND THE BIBLICAL TEACHINGS ABOUT SIN / RIGHTEOUSNESS  

More pointers to the ‘eternal’ or ‘other’ dimension are embedded in the verses that show the connection between the phenomena of sin in this world and the righteousness (holiness) in the eternal kingdom of the Holy God.

It is not just a coincidence that there is a connection between the sin that is the indelible characteristic of this ephemeral world and the total holiness and righteousness – which is the indelible character of the eternal kingdom of the holy God. The connection was planned; it is ‘built-in’; It is part of God’s eternal creation.

The verses that point out the fundamental difference between this ephemeral world which is dominated by sin and the eternal kingdom of the Holy God is another set a verses that remind believers of what is ‘included’ in the permanent and eternal home that God promised every believer. (‘The things above’)

This world is pervaded by and dominated by sin. The eternal world, the kingdom of God, is pervaded and absolutely dominated by holiness and righteousness. Sin is completely excluded. Sin could not be present there. What the Holy God purposed and promised excludes sin (He excludes that which is contrary to the holy nature of himself and which therefore is offensive to Him.)

·       “For he chose us in him (in Christ) before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.” (Ephesians 1:4)

·       It was for the very purpose to make us holy that Christ  was sent to die in our place: “But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation” (Colossians 1:22)

·       "He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work." (1 John 3:8)

·       “just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” (Eph 5:25 -27; see also Jude 1:24 -25)

·       "For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant." (Hebrews 9:15)

·       The apostle Paul put it this way, saying,  “But I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord!  So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.” But the apostle does not stop there. In the next verse he says, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 7:23-24, 25; 8:1-2)

·       "This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother." (1 John 3:10)

·       "Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life." (Revelation 2:10)

·       “Then he (Jesus) left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, ‘Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field. He answered, ‘The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. (a title Jesus often used of himself)  The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil      one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.” (Matthew 13:36-43)

The world or dimension in which the promise of ‘eternal life’ takes place is described-- “Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life. “ (Revelation 21:27)  What is it? ‘God’s kingdom’. The apostle John’s description of God’s eternal kingdom points to the ‘otherness’ of that kingdom—

·       “I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.  On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it.” (Revelation 21:22-26)

·       "What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16:26)  

·       The verses in Luke go further; they connect the statements about ‘gaining the whole world vs. losing his soul’ with the attitude of individuals towards Jesus’ words in the present and how the Son of Man will view the disobedient one when the end comes. Jesus said, “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” (Luke 9:25-26)

·       The miracles Jesus wrought were significant. Jesus said to Jews who were questioning the source of Jesus’ miraculous powers, "But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you." (Luke 11:20)

·       “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.” (Romans 8:26-27)

·       "Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us." (Romans 8:34)

·       " Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what  we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1)

·       "God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain," (Hebrews 6:18 -19)

·       " His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." (2 Peter 1:3)

The purpose of Jesus’ coming and sacrificial death of Christ was not to cleanse or purify this world which is passing away but to overcome the ‘enemies’ of God and of his people, to overcome things’ which are not of this world, things which are not flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12; Colossians 1:15-17; 2.10, 12, 15). The Bible speaks of the victory; the Bible speaks of Christ "who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him." (1 Peter 3:22)  

More pointers to the ‘eternal’ or ‘other’ dimension are embedded in the verses that compare the value or ‘worthwhileness” of life in the eternal world or kingdom of God with the value or worthwhileness of life in ‘this’ world.

·       The apostle Paul was very explicit on this matter, saying, "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." (Romans 8:18)

·       “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far;” (Philippians 1:21-23)

·       Jesus said, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?" (Matthew 6:25)

·       Jesus said, "What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16:26)  

·       The verses in Luke go further than the preceding quote from Matthew. The verses in the Gospel according to Luke not only include the words about ‘gaining the whole world while forfeiting his soul’ but they also reveal a connection between the attitude the individual has towards Jesus’ words in this present world and how the Son of Man (the risen Lord) will view the disobedient one on judgment day. “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?  If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” (Luke 9:25-26)

·       The apostle Paul described his attitude toward his life on this earth, saying,  “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace." (Acts 20:24)

·       "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:17-18)

·       In his letter to the congregation of believers at Rome the apostle Paul described the awesome position of believers, saying, “"What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?....in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:31-35,37-39)

·       "He (Moses) regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt , because he was looking ahead to his reward." (Hebrews 11:26)

·       "For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world." (1 John 2:16)

·       "And this is what he promised us—even eternal life." (1 John  2:25)

·       "For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:40)

·       "God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain," (Hebrews 6:18-19)

·       “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined, he  also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.” (Romans 8:28-30)

·        "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." (Romans 8:18)

·       "And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life." (Matthew 19:29 )

·        "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17)

·       "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:17-18)

·       "But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for  whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which  Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself  yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:7-14)

It makes a tremendous difference which world our heart is in! In fact, it makes the difference between the inheritance of eternal life and the destiny of eternal separation from the Holy God.

·       "We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised." (Hebrews 6:12)

·       "He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work." (1 John 3:8)

·       "This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother." (1 John 3:10)

·       "who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him." (1 Peter 3:22)

More pointers to the ‘eternal’ or ‘other’ dimension are embedded in the verses that tell believers what they should be looking at. 

·       "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” (Colossians 3:1-4)

·       “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

·       "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:2)

·       "Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature." (Romans 13:14)

·       "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18)  

• "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1)

·       "We live by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7) That is, physical sight.

Many, many exhortations directed at believers contain reminders of, or imply the existence of the eternal dimension.

One of those reminders that believers should pay attention to tells believers that they should not be looking at the things of this world, the things that attract the attention and interest of individuals who are still citizens of this world (that is, unbelievers). 

•  "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal." (Matthew 6:19)  The unavoidable inference from this statement is that there is another ‘place’ or dimension your treasures can be stored in. Where you store your treasure makes all the difference in eternity as well as in this world of time. The rest of that quote says, "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:20-21)
  

• Even the way the apostle Paul summed up the behavior of unbelievers speaks of the eternal dimension in contrast with the present dimension: "They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen." (Romans 1:25)  
  

• In Jesus’ parable of the sower and the seed (the gospel message) "The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful." (Matthew 13:22; see also Mark 4:19; Luke 8:14)  
  

•  Psalm 37 contrasts the future of evil men beyond this life even though some of them enjoy much success and prosperity in this world. Psalm 37 tells believers not to be envious of the success of evil doers in this world because they will be cut off ---“For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land (Psalm 37:9)

Another category of reminders about the ‘age to come’ is in the example of saints who lived before the coming, before the sacrifice and before the resurrection of the Christ revealed: 

·       "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients (Old Testament believers) were commended for.” (Hebrews 11:1-2)

·       "By faith he (Abraham) made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and  builder is God." (Hebrews 11:9-10)

·       "All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own." (Hebrews 11:13-14)

·       "Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them." (Hebrews 11:16)

·       "He (Moses) chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time.  He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt , because he was looking ahead to his reward.” (Hebrews 11:25-26; see also vv.11:13-16; Acts 5:28 & 41)

·       "For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come." (Hebrews 13:14; cf. Revelation 21:1-2)

Even what the Bible says about the purposes for which Jesus the Christ died on the Cross contains a reminder of the existence of different ‘dimensions’. Christ’s death delivered believers, his people from the penalty for their sins. It was Jesus the Christ "who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father," (Galatians 1:4)

Another category of reminders about the ‘age to come’ are the verses which speak of a dimension which is populated with entities or ‘beings’ that are not flesh and blood. Even the weapons that we are to use to defend ourselves from the attacks of such non-physical 'beings' are not physical.

·       The apostle Paul tells believers “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12)

·       In another place the apostle says, "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." (2 Corinthians 4:4)

·       Not only is our struggle not against opponents of flesh and blood but the kind of armor God tells us to use to resist them is not physical armor--“be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes....Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:10-11,13-17)

·       The weapons we use are not physical—they do not occupy time and space. The weapons believers are to use are not the kind the world uses. “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)  Knowledge takes up no physical space in this world yet it is part of ‘truth’ and reaches into eternity.

·       On at least one occasion eternal life itself is equated with a kind of knowledge.  In Jesus’ recorded prayer to the Father he said, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (John 17:3)

·       “This is what the Lord says: ‘Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord." (Jeremiah 9:23-24

·       "For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ." (2 Corinthians 4:6)  

·       Jesus faced ‘temptations’ as we do.  “The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. So if you worship me, it will all be yours." (Luke 4:5-7)

·       Jesus resisted with the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10)—that intangible reality called knowledge, specifically, knowledge of the word of God. Jesus responded by saying, "It is written: `Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.' " (Luke 4.8)            

·       "So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer." (2 Corinthians 5:16)

·       The apostle Paul put into words how completely he was affected by the gospel message, saying, "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." (Galatians 6:14)

·       Elsewhere the apostle declared, "For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified." (1 Corinthians 2:2)  

• The apostle Paul described his attitude toward his life on this earth, saying,  “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace." (Acts 20:24)

·       "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:14)  

Other verses remind believers of the truth that the ‘dimension’ that they are part is not just the life on earth that ends in death but is a much bigger dimension that includes not  just the people who are on earth at this moment. Believers, citizens of heaven, share a reality with believers who have no existence now in this world. There is a dimension, a reality which is larger than this world.

·       "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." (Hebrews 12:1)

·       "In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood." (Hebrews 12:4)

·       "There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example (many of the Jews who were delivered from slavery in Egypt) of disobedience." (Hebrews 4:9-11)

·       "Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away and the ransomed of the Lord will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads." (Isaiah 35:10)

·       "Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. " (Revelation 7:16-17)

Other verses which point to the existence of another dimension are the verses which speak of God’s/Christ’s supremacy not being limited to this dimension, to this world or to this moment in history.

·       The apostle Paul prayed for believers, saying, “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.” (Ephesians 1:18-21)

·       Believers are told about their savior: "And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross." (Colossians 2:15)

·       Who is this Christ? “The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” (Hebrews 1:3)

·       The word of God speaks of the Christ as him "who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him." (1 Peter 3:22)

·       "The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life." (John 12:25)

Other verses which point to the existence of another dimension are those that include exhortations about how to live in the heavenly dimension that God made believers citizens of.

·       "Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses." (1 Timothy 6:12)

·       Jesus said, "For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:40) What happens in this world, in this ‘dimension’, is not the whole picture because this is not the only ‘dimension’ that is real. Eternity is a lot more enduring than time.

·       ^“ But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” Titus 3:4-7)

·       " Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time." (1 Peter 1:3-5)

·       " Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed." (1 Peter 1:13)

·       "The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray." (1 Peter 4:7)

·       "Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God." (1 Peter 1:21)

·       "When they hurled their insults at him (Jesus Christ), he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly." (1 Peter 2:23)

After bringing to mind the cost of redeeming believers from the penalty for their sins the believer “does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God." (1 Peter 4:2)

·       "Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear." (1 Peter 1:17)

·       "Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul." (1 Peter 2:11)

·       "To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example,l that you should follow in his steps." (1 Peter 2:21)  

Looking at what we should be looking at (the real dimension) reminds us that it, not this world, is the ‘main event’. Looking at what we should be looking at (the real dimension) reminds us that the life in this world is, at most, only a threshold to the ‘main event’—for believers the eternal inheritance; for unbelievers eternal separation from God. 

·       "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." (1 Peter 2:9) The activity of believers while on earth is not to grab as much as possible but to witness to the eternal Christ who gave his life on earth that believers might live forever in the eternal kingdom of God .

·       "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander." (1 Peter 3:15-16)

As recorded in the last book of the Bible what did the apostle John get a glimpse of? The next dimension. The age to come. "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Revelation 21:1-4)  

Take to heart all the pointers to, and reminders of, the age to come, the eternal dimension. The contrast between the present age and the next dimension is definite and profound. What did Jesus say to his disciples on the very night of his betrayal? "In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." (John 14:2) What 'pointer' could be clearer than this? "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” (Colossians 3:1-4) How vivid is the distinction between this world and the next! Jesus said to his disciples,  "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

·       “Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.  As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.  But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do.” (1 Peter 1:13-15)

In each of these ‘categories’ the fact that there is an ‘age to come’ is explicitly stated or implied. In each of the preceding ‘categories’ the reality of the ‘other dimension is an underlying theme. Each verse presumes the reality of the ‘other’ dimension or the ‘age to come’. In this meditation at least 149 individual or groups of verses pointing to (or assuming) the existence of another age or dimension beyond the death of the body on earth have been quoted. (For anyone interested in looking further into this subject see the file 'Some verses which in context point to the existence of another dimension.') How many pointers and reminders do we need in order to remember that it is the eternal, the everlasting consequences (both for us and for others) that ‘gives the meaning’ to the choices we make while on earth? Over and over God reminds believers of the difference between seeking rewards in this world or waiting patiently for the rewards, the blessings that the eternal God promised (Matthew 6:1-8,16-21; 1 Timothy 6:17-19; Hebrews 11:26)

Ask yourself as I should, ‘How often do I make decisions with thoughts of what God did for me and with thoughts of the eternal dimension in mind?’

Getting back to the thought that this meditation began with, ‘what is reality?’ Is what people (including believers) experience in this world the only experience that is ‘real’? Is what believers experience in this world the only reality? Is this world and its values the ‘world’ that will last forever? This is a vitally important consideration that gives meaning to the verses which set forth God’s commands etc. the same way seeing a two dimensional drawing becomes much more meaningful and vivid when the 3^rd dimension is included.

It has been the purpose of this meditation to bring the ‘eternal dimension’ into constant view so that the eternal significance of the Christian Faith might be appreciated.

Focusing attention on the commands themselves, the instructions themselves, the exhortations themselves even though they are God’s can give the impression that the commands, as it were, ‘stand by themselves’ like a self-fulfilling incantations. But such a belief is not true. Such a belief negates and excludes the truth—which is that only when the commands, the exhortations, etc are recognized to be the statements of the Eternal God, the Creator who knows and planned the ‘end’ from the beginning do they have any power or meaning. Unbelievers can make their behavior appear to be like the behavior that is commanded but they have not obeyed God; they have not pleased God by their behavior because by definition they lack the requisite ingredient that pleases God—which is belief in him. The word of God states this truth unambiguously: “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) Unbelievers cannot ‘heed’ or respond to God. They therefore cannot be responding to his manifestations or to his commands since by definition they do not believe God even exists. (Romans 8:7)

Learning the commands of God is not enough. Learning the commands of God does not make up for the greatest sin, the greatest affront to God--not believing in the Eternal God and the eternal dimension.

The voice of logic within us tells us that the consequences of heeding or not heeding the eternal Creator God’s words are absolutely meaningless and non-existent under certain conditions.  What conditions are those? If there is no such thing as an ‘eternal dimension. Unless we believe in the existence of the ‘eternal dimension’, unless we believe in the ‘kingdom of God’, unless we believe that ‘heaven’ is a real time and place there is no gospel. Without the eternal dimension, without the age to come, there could be no eternal consequences and the promises of God would be lies, deliberately created illusions.

If the commands, instructions, exhortations recorded in the Bible are not the utterances of the eternal God but were statements I had thought up, or, were words that were heard coming up from the bottom of a well or out of a cave why pay attention to them? What would give them eternal significance? Why obey them? They are only full of meaning, full of authority when the person hearing them knows they are the words of the eternal Creator God. The commands of God do not stand by themselves. It is terribly wrong to think that all that matters is to perform the commanded activities in the commanded way. To have such a thought is to miss the essential point, the point that the Bible expresses so clearly. In Hebrews 11:6 God says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” The eternal God Creator cannot be pleased by the actions of any unbeliever whose motivation was necessarily something other than to please a god who in the unbeliever’s opinion does not exist.

The ‘pre-requisite’ for pleasing the God is not conforming one’s behavior to a set of standards but having a ‘supernatural’ fear of, and ‘supernatural’ love for, the eternal God who revealed his thoughts, desires in those commandments, instructions, and exhortations.    

The Bible says "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." (Colossians 3:-1-2) Not just once. Not just twice. Not just three times. But for as long as you live. "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." (Colossians 3:-1-2)  "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21) The same contrast  is vividly expressed in the apostle Paul’s letter to Timothy where he tells Timothy: “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” (1 Timothy 6:17-19)

Even concern for our body, our life in this world is not excluded from the command addressed to believers, the command to "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." The preservation of our physical life in this world is one of those ‘earthly things’ which believers are not to set their heart upon. The preservation of our physical life in this world is not the ultimate consideration. The most significant event which happens to the body in this world—death---should not be the ultimate concern of believers but what happens in the next world should be. Remember Jesus’ words addressed to his disciples: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28).

Believing the truth at one time in the past is not enough. The Bible says so.

• “We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.” (Hebrews 2.14)  
  

• ”We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised." (Hebrews 6:12)

Believing the truth is not like a permanent inoculation; it does not make it impossible for sin to creep in. (Matthew 12:43 -45) It does insulate the mind from the words, the teachings, the ideas that all people (including believers) are immersed in constantly.  Since believers living in this world of mass communications are bombarded with the beliefs of the world constantly from dawn ‘til dark, 7 days a week, year in and year out is it any wonder that some Christians have unwittingly absorbed much of the world’s thinking? What we believers need is to repeatedly bombard our minds with the existence and the ‘otherworldiness’ of the ‘eternal’ dimension (which the Bible refers to many times calling it by various names such as ‘heaven’, ‘the age to come’, ‘eternal life’, ‘the kingdom of God’, etc.  

While the promises God has made to believers are unconditional, while the promises God made to the individuals who persevere to the end are unconditional (Matthew 10:22 ) there are conditions of salvation—not that our behavior conforms perfectly to every command of God but that we be believers.  

• The apostle Paul did not look back but said, ”I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:14)  

The apostle Paul --who endured so many hardships and afflictions-- prayed for the believers in Ephesus (and us), saying “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.” (Ephesians 1:18-21)  

This world and your experiences in it are not the whole story! In the last book of the Bible what reality did the apostle John have a vision of? “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.  I saw the Holy City , the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’ " (Revelation 21:1-4)  

Addressing believers, the apostle Peter said, “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.” (2 Peter 3:11-13)

A personal message: Was the apostle Peter speaking about me or you when he said this?