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    Holding the mouse over the verse references in blue will automatically bring up that verse in a particular translation. The translation  that appears was deliberately chosen (NKJV) not to be the one that is most often used in the verses quoted in this meditation--NIV. To see those verses in other translations after holding the mouse on verse references in blue in the box that appears click on the word 'more' in the lower left corner and then choose a different translation.  Occasionally links on my page are to another file of mine.  

     

    Jan. 2010

    WHY READ THE BIBLE?
    By Cameron Paine

      INTRODUCTION

                                                                       "If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men." (1 Corinthians 15:19)

To read the Bible as a 'how to' book is to miss the point of the Bible. To read the Bible as a 'how to' book is to miss the message of the Gospel. To read the Bible as a 'how to' book is to think that the message of the gospel is that God gives everyone who receives him the power to overcome his or her sins and that it tells people how they should act in this world in order to improve their quality of life in this world'; But that is to miss the point. What matters is what happens to an individual when his/her body dies or when Christ appears again. The Bible says, "If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men." (1 Corinthians 15:19) Shortly before his sacrificial death 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) The Bible is not a collection of instructions about how to behave in order to win or to keep God's approval. That is impossible for human beings. Every desire, every thought since birth! (James 2:10) On the contrary, since the sacrificial death of the Christ the ethical instructions and exhortations in the Bible tell believers how to say 'thank you' to Christ--to God. The instructions and exhortations in the Bible are put there to tell believers what kind of behaviors are pleasing to Christ, to God. To be acceptable to God/Christ our behavior must be a response to God--a recognition of what God has done (Hebrews 11:6). No behavior is pleasing to God/Christ unless it is a manifestation of our humble appreciation of God/Christ for what he has already done for us--bestowing on us that incredible and undeserved gift of salvation-eternal life. God/Christ sees not only our our works, our visible behavior, but also our motivations--whether our primary or greatest concern is to please him.

It is the purpose of this meditation to show how true it is that the Bible is not a 'how to behave in order to win or to keep God's/Christ's approval' (or 'how to get into heaven') book. The purpose of this meditation is to show that conformity to the commands and exhortations in the Bible have no affect on anyone's eternal destiny if the person conforming his or her behavior to the commands and exhortations in the Bible does not recognize the existence of the eternal God of the Bible and the reality of the eternal dimension. This is true regardless of how the eternal dimension is spoken of (as the 'kingdom of God', as 'heaven', as the 'eternal inheritance', as 'forever', etc.) Put another way, conformity to the commands in the Bible is not pleasing to God--the God of eternity--unless the reality of the eternal dimension is believed in.

The many verses illustrating the theme that it is 'in' the eternal dimension that the inheritance and the real life of every believer takes place Are looked at under 5 headings. The categories into which some of the many, many, verses in the New Testament portion of God's word where the eternal dimension is referred to are listed below:

--Heading 1 -- The eternal dimension and what God/Christ 'created'
--Heading 2 -- The  eternal dimension and where God's word says believers should be focusing their thoughts and their hopes 
 --Heading 3 -- The eternal dimension and the actions of believers
--Heading 4 -- The church--the earthly home of believers--is an eternal institution
 --Heading 5 -- The eternal dimension and the Bible

--Further thoughts on the importance of the eternal dimension



General Comments: The term 'creation' itself is likely to be associated only with physical creation, with what we can see, hear, etc. and with what science tells us or shows us. But this associating of the term 'creation' only with what our senses and scientific instruments register/record is a faulty practice; this associating of the term 'creation' only with what our senses and scientific instruments register/record is an example of a preconception; a pre-existing belief--everything that our senses and scientific gadgets are unable to record are excluded from the concept of 'creation'. But the message of the Bible is that nothing exists that God is not the creator of.

According to the Bible the 'greater' part of God's creation is not of this world; according to the Bible the 'greater' part of God's creation is the eternal or the forever part.

The eternal dimension is not just an addendum, an add-on, a minor supplement, a padding, a side issue, an annex, a future decoration, anymore than the universe with all its stars and galaxies is an after-thought, an add-on, a minor addition, a padding, a side issue, an annex, a future decoration. The eternal dimension is not something that has no connection to our earthly existence or to the total dimension of God's creation; to treat the belief in the eternal dimension of which the Bible speaks (and assumes) as if it were only a possibility is not good enough; the effect, is to deny (block out) the message of the Bible; anybody who does so CANNOT 'hear' the gospel. If Jesus Christ is not what the Bible says he is--if he is not from heaven, if he is not from the eternal dimension, if he is not the eternal/creator God why pay attention to him. Why pay heed to a liar? Jesus said to his disciples, "I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father." (John 16:28) Was this statement of God a lie? The apostle Paul said in so many words, 'If you don't believe what the Bible says about the resurrection of Christ, the resurrection of believers, your faith is a lie. "If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins." (1 Corinthians 15.17)

The present, that is, our life on earth before the death of the body, is not the total extent of reality. The present is not the whole picture. What our physical senses--smell, sight, hearing, physical sensations etc. register does not include all of existence which the Bible speaks about. (Earthly life is not the whole picture any more than the length of a field--a single dimension--is the whole picture). Speaking of the total life of an individual using the familiar but perhaps inappropriate concepts of time we would say 'The period of life on earth' is no more than an introduction, a fragmentary preamble, a probationary period, a segment of existence that precedes the 'eternal life' or 'eternal-separation-from-God' segment that follows.

But in the final analysis, perhaps, there are no words that can describe the total relationship of life on earth to eternal life. We can only point to a few differences. This life ends in death. That life does not end at all. Eternal life is by definition forever, that is, unending. A comparison that the Bible makes between the life we experience on earth and the eternal life that the Bible speaks of is as great as the difference between life and death. 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." (John 5:24; cf. 1 Timothy 6:19) In the last book of the Bible we read of the apostle John's final vision of the end of earthly history: "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 21-4)

The New Testament portion of God's word (the portion of the Bible written down after God had revealed more of his purpose--the appearance, the death and resurrection of the Christ) is permeated, is saturated, with statements about, or allusions to, God's promised inheritance--the 'eternal', the everlasting dimension. These references or allusions are like 'slits in the 'envelope of time' or cracks in a building through which we get a whiff of what is outside'--namely, eternity. Over and over, God's writers remind believers of the existence of this dimension of reality--the eternal dimension.

A few of the expressions or pointers to the eternal dimension--those that appear repeatedly in the New Testament are listed below. Each of these expressions or pointers are like 'slits in the envelope of time' that clearly point to a dimension more beautiful, more inclusive, and more lasting (forever) than the present life on earth.

1. Repeated Pointers to the Eternal Dimension embodied in the terms 'Heaven' or the 'Kingdom of God'
     2.  Repeated Pointers to the Eternal Dimension embodied in the term 'Forever'
3.  Repeated Pointers to the Eternal Dimension embodied in the term 'Day of...'
 

4.  Repeated Pointers to the Eternal Dimension embodied in the term 'Inherit' or 'Inheritance'

The apostle Paul wrote this to the believers in Ephesus: 18 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. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way." (Ephesians 1:18-23) Oh, how gracious is our God to repeatedly remind believers of our eternal inheritance through the 'slits in the envelope of time'!


5. Repeated Pointers to the Eternal Dimension embodied in the term Comes, coming,

Up to now we have been looking at those frequently occurring terms found in the New Testament portion of the Bible that point to the 'eternal dimension'. But there are many other individual statements in the Bible which point to the eternal dimension.

Don't ignore these many pointers to the eternal dimension. God is merciful to include them!

The 'eternal dimension' is not something that begins after our bodies die. In some respects believers are immortal now--believers are citizens of heaven now. Believers are citizens of eternity. But while on earth believers only get a whiff or a taste of eternity. While on earth believers are to behave as people from another land--a heavenly one, an eternal one.
An illustration makes the point. People from Australia have an accent which 'tells' me that those people are from there. The people who are from there are from there. They don't have try to sound different; they are different because they are from there. A turtle does not put out effort to look like a turtle. A bird does not have to put out an effort to look like a bird or to fly like a bird. A citizen of heaven does not have to prove he is what he is. If he or she is a citizen of heaven that fact will show up the same way the accent of people from Australia shows up. (1 Peter 2:9, 11; Psalm 56:13; Ephesians 1:18; Philippians 2:15; 1 Thessalonians 2:12)


2 -- THE ETERNAL DIMENSION AND WHERE GOD'S WORD SAYS BELIEVERS 
SHOULD BE FOCUSING THEIR THOUGHTS AND THEIR HOPES 


Does the Bible say to believers 'our attention should be focused on what our senses or scientific instruments can register' --what the Bible says is passing away-- or on the things above, our eternal inheritance?

 


 Believers are repeatedly reminded to set their minds on the things above, not the things of this world which are passing away.

What God wants to see is not behavior that conforms to an ethical standard. What he wants to see is behavior which springs from a fear of the eternal God. "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; see also Hebrews 11:6) In God's eyes sometimes there is a vast difference between the two kinds of behavior. The behavior that God wants to see cannot appear apart from God's having called the individual out of darkness into his marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9; Romans 8:7), apart from God's saving work!

The behavior that God looks for in believers is not independent of belief. The behavior that God looks for in believers is not independent of the faith. The apostle Paul says of the believers in Colossae: "we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints--the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel." (Colossians 1:5)

Where believers focus their attention and hope is extremely important. When you read the Bible do you jump over the frequent pointers to your inheritance and the eternal dimension?

Is not Christ our example? "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.... In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood." (Hebrews 12:2, 4)

    3 -- THE ETERNAL DIMENSION AND THE ACTIONS OF BELIEVERS

What is the purpose of the behavior that is acceptable to God? --to leave this world a better place in which unbelievers would have even less reason to thing about eternity or to set their hopes on that godly (and eternal) inheritance which believers look forward to? This world is passing away. And regarding heaven, it is obvious that believers can do nothing to improve heaven--where there is no crying, no sin, no death! (Revelation 21:4)

Believers have no stake in this world. Why is that? Because they know this world is passing away no matter how much it seems to be changed. What the New Testament says about Moses is such a shining example of how believers should look at this life and the next. It says, "He 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)

The 'standards' that prevail in the eternal dimension have an other-worldly quality or dimension to them. For that very reason the 'standards' that believers are under now have a different quality to them--they include God's eternal perspective. Why does God cause believers to face 'painful situations? For the same reason a parent inflicts a spanking on a child who runs into the street. To discipline us, to shape us.  "Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.  No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." (Hebrews 12:10-11; see also 1 Corinthians 11:32; 1 Peter 1:7; Job 42:5-6)

    4 -- THE CHURCH --THE EARTHLY HOME OF BELIEVERS--IS AN ETERNAL  INSTITUTION

How is the eternal dimension brought to our attention in connection with the church, the gatherings of believers?--The church is a manifestation of the eternal Christ's body.

The church did not come into existence in recent or in ancient history. The church on earth is a manifestation of a heavenly or eternal reality. As one biblical scholar put it, 'The active sense of the people of God assembled in the heavenlies with Christ dominates the New Testament conception of the church...It is the heavenly reality which gives such significance to the earthly gathering of even two or three in Christ's name.'1


The Church is more that a momentary gathering of like-minded people who happened to be living in the same geographical area at a particular time in history. No, the church has roots in eternity past and also a more perfect existence in the eternal dimension. Listen to the words that the writer of the Book of Hebrews speaks to his hearers or readers: "You have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly,  to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven" (Hebrews 12:22)



    5 -- THE ETERNAL DIMENSION AND THE BIBLE

How does the eternal dimension show up in a discussion of the Bible? The eternal dimension is not part of this world which is passing away. The truths revealed in the Bible will never become untrue or outdated.

    • "Heaven and earth will pass away but my words will never pass away" (Matthew 24.35)
    • "The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever." (Isaiah 40:8)
    • "but the word of the Lord stands forever." And this is the word that was preached to you." (1 Peter 1:25)
    • Its effects are not limited to this world. "By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment
      and destruction of ungodly men...       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. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you
      to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming."       (2 Peter 3:7,10-12).

Who reads a book on Mathematics to learn about history? Who watches a crime drama on TV to learn what happened in history? Who reads a book on Social Customs in New Guinea if his objective is to learn to draw? We choose to read books or other sources of information that we believe contain relevant information, not irrelevant information.


Is the author of the Bible qualified to speaks on such matters? As with any book who the author is is an extremely important matter. What are the records in the Bible but the explanations of the eternal God/Creator or of those special human beings that the eternal God/Creator not only called out of darkness into his marvelous light but was chosen and appointed to record the eternal God/Creator's thoughts for his revelation, the Bible. If we don't believe there is an eternal Creator--and that he has the power to appoint human beings to speak and write his words--why read his book? Because we believe it is a good collection of wisdom? How do we know it is more full of truth than other collections of wisdom and history?


Who is qualified to speak about eternal realities? Who is qualified to speak about life after death? To be immersed in the eternal perspective--Think of someone who has been there. Is there anybody who can talk more authoritatively about what he saw. Only such a 'person' can say what it is really like there. No one ever expressed this truth more eloquently than Jesus himself who said to Nicodemas, a prominent religious teacher among the Jews, "I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?  No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven--the Son of Man." (John 3:12-13)

The eternal dimension is the backdrop or framework of all that is. Not only is the eternal dimension the backdrop of earthly existence, the framework, the 'big' picture, it is necessarily also much more awesome than the wisdom of this world which is by definition very limited, that is, totally confined to the thoughts of individuals who have never been in 'heaven'. The wisdom of this world is necessarily one dimensional. The wisdom of this world cannot incorporate the fact of birth-death-new life throughout eternity .
On another occasion Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.  For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.  Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.  This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever." (John 6:53-58) It is not surprising that when some of Jesus' disciples heard Jesus say these 'hard things' they ceased from following him. It is happening today. Yes. The words of the 'man' from heaven recorded in the Bible do challenge our limited view of life and death...


What does Jesus say? "Heaven and earth will pass away but my words will never pass away" (Luke 21:33) The apostle Peter puts it this way: "The word of the Lord stands forever. And this is the word that was preached to you." (1 Peter 1:25)


    FURTHER THOUGHTS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ETERNAL DIMENSION



The actions of God and the revelations of God recorded in the New Testament portion of God's word came later in God's history. Hence it is not surprising that the New Testament portion of God's word reveals a great deal more of God's eternal purpose and plan. God did not do or reveal his every purpose of mercy at the beginning or in the Old Testament portion of his word. Christ had not yet come, Christ had not taught about heaven or the kingdom of God, the death of the Christ had not yet paid for the sins of God's people, and Jesus the Christ had not been resurrected. The Bible says it was God "who has saved us and called us to a holy life--not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,  but 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 1:9-10) The apostle Paul told the believers in the Galatian church--"But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons." (Galatians 4:5) Salvation was not an afterthought! God's plan from the very beginning included the eternal salvation for every believer. (John 3:16;10:28-30; Ephesians 1:4-5; 2 Timothy 1:9-10)

It is not surprising that it is in that portion God's revelations that was written down after the teachings of the Christ had been made known, after God the Father had provided the 'payment' for the sins of believers by the sacrificial death of the Christ, after the resurrection of the Christ which demonstrated God's power over death that the eternal dimension is more clearly set forth. The truth is that God's creation includes more than this life; it includes the eternal dimension. That is the 'big picture'.


An illustration of a 'big picture' and a 'smaller picture' may help set forth the relationship of the eternal dimension and life on earth. Such a comparison of the 'big picture' and the 'smaller picture' is easier to visualize when the feature of reality involved is physical space. Think of the scale of maps. The most detailed map shows the street you live on--(where you live in time and space). While the details of where you live may not be visible on the next larger map which shows the state you live in that map nevertheless includes where you live. While the details of where you live may not be visible on the next larger map which shows the part of the nation you live in that map nevertheless includes where you live. While the details of where you live may not be visible on the next larger map which shows the part of the world you live in that map nevertheless includes where you live. While the details of where you live may not be visible on the next larger map which shows the part of the universe you live in that map nevertheless includes where you live. The planet you live on is not the big picture; it is only one of millions of planets or stars. Who knows how far this comparison could go...? The eternal dimension is the 'big picture' which 'includes' the more detailed picture of life in this world but the details are too small to be visible!

It is not hard to visualize a comparison of physical space. But it is not so easy--and perhaps not even possible--to compare the smaller picture of life in this world--in time--with the big picture, with the eternal picture (in time?) Is 'time' included in, or a part of, eternity? When it comes to comparing the 'speck of time we live in' with the more inclusive 'eternal dimension' which the Bible speaks of I am at a loss to know how to illustrate the comparison. How do you compare time with the eternal dimension? "Do not forget," says the apostle Peter, "this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day." (2 Peter 3:8)
The 'eternal dimension' to which the Bible refers constantly is the principal 'part' of God's creation. In contrast, life on earth is no more than a miniscule 'preface'. Even calling it a 'preface' or 'miniscule' part of God's creation may be inaccurate and misleading because using any earthly comparison is probably totally inappropriate to describe the relationship of the eternal dimension and life in this world.
While the Bible, especially in the New Testament is saturated with references to the eternal dimension, the existence of that dimension which is more long lasting and more 'real' than the life that we experience on earth is a fact whether or not it is expressly referred to in God's word. The eternal dimension is like a foundation; it is there whether it is being specifically looked at or not. It might be thought of as 'big picture' of which the present life on earth is only a miniscule part --even as the planet earth is a miniscule part of the bigger picture--the universe.

While it is in the New Testament portion of God's word which occurred after the sacrificial death of Jesus and his resurrection that the eternal dimension is clearly alluded to, or referred to, many, many times yet it is the outlook and example of believers who lived in Old Testament times that 'New Testament believers' are instructed to take note of. It is in the 11th chapter of the book of Hebrews--a book in the New Testament--that the truth is explicitly revealed that there were many believers on earth in Old Testament times who were looking forward to their home in the eternal dimension. There were many believers on earth in Old Testament times who knew they had a home and an inheritance in the eternal dimension even though it was long before the coming of the Christ, before his sacrificial death, before his resurrection' from the dead. (Hebrews 11:9-10; 11:12-16; 13:14)

In the verses immediately following this amazing 11th chapter of Hebrews it is the vision and obedience of those believers who lived in Old Testament times that believers in New Testament are told to observe and imitate: "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.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:1, 2)

While the eternal dimension does not appear to be clearly set forth in the Old Testament portion of God's word yet it is the faith of 'Old Testament believers' that is pointed to as a model for New Testament believers. Abraham was the 'Father of all who believe'. (Romans 4:9-12) Abraham's faith was awesome. (Genesis 22:1-12) This is a mystery. How beyond our understanding are the ways of God!

How important is the eternal dimension? It is terribly important, more than that, it is indispensable to remember the eternal dimension.

    Without the eternal dimension the Bible would be a jumble of untruths. Without the eternal dimension, without the eternal inheritance, without eternal salvation the Bible becomes meaningless. If it is not true that the Eternal/Creator God exists and that the world that we know is His creation then the Bible is a pack of lies and illusions. The Bible could not exist without the eternal dimension anymore than a tall building could exist without a foundation.

    Believing in the eternal dimension is not an option. There have been many people in history as well as in the present who scoff at the Bible because they don't believe in the existence of the eternal dimension. Because that attitude or belief--that the eternal dimension does not and cannot exist--so undermines the message of the Bible that the apostle Peter speaks of just such people. The apostle 'quotes' what critics of the Bible were, in effect, saying in his day: 'that the Bible is not true because our logic and our observations of history prove it.' The apostle says to believers,     "First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, 'Where is this `coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.' " (2 Peter 3:3-4) The apostle Peter (God's empowered writer) points out the particular truth of the eternal God which these critics of the Bible were choosing to disregard. And what was that truth? --the truth that God is controlling history in ways that are 'outside' of earthly history. Speaking of the scoffers, the apostle says, "But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water.  By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed.  By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men." (2 Peter 3:5-7)

Could this be the reason that the New Testament unmistakably points to the eternal dimension in more than a hundred different verses? There is no topic in the New Testament that does not contain references or allusions to the eternal dimension. It is so important to remember that this world is not the center piece of God's reality! God's word says this world is passing away. "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 (believers) are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness." (2 Peter 3:11-13) .

It is fascinating to ponder the fact that there is no phrase or concept that is used more frequently in the Bible as an obvious pointer to the existence of the eternal dimension than the phrase 'this coming'.

(The 'coming' which the scoffers were referring to is a fact spoken of many times in the New Testament. Matthew 24:3; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:11; 17:31; Romans 13:11; 1 Corinthians 15:23; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-16; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; Hebrews 9:28; Revelation 1:7)

The Bible itself speaks of the relative importance of the 'life' on earth and the 'life' in the eternal dimension.

Sometimes statements or the actions of God in the Bible are so 'big' that they defy our logic or our finite conceptions of time and reality.

  • Another example is Jesus' words: "Jesus said to her (the sister of a man who had died recently), 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;  and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25) Over and over again the statements of him (the God-who sees the end from the beginning, him who understands 'eternity') challenge our limited view of life and death. So many truths set forth in God's word can only fit into the eternal dimension...
  • To believers the Bible says, "But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven." (Hebrews 12:22-23)
Perhaps there are no statements in the Bible that set forth the awesomeness, the incredibleness, the 'fantasticness' of the content of every believer's eternal inheritance more conspicuously than than this declaration of the apostle Paul to the believers in the Corinthian church: "All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas (= revered teachers in the early Christian Church) 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; cf. Romans 8:37-39)  

How prone we are to be so wrapped up in our thoughts and desires concerning our life in this world that we 'read over' and do not 'hear' the constantly repeated pointers to the eternal dimension that God includes in his word, the repeated pointers to the inheritance that is ours in eternity-- that "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 1:4-5) The Bible says that in the beginning God breathed the breath of life into man (Genesis 2:7). Is it wrong to think of the sacrifical death of Christ and his resurrection as 'Christ breathing the breath of 'eternal life' into man?
But we had better read the Bible with the knowledge that we are hearing or reading the words of the Eternal Creator God who speaks of matters we have never experienced or even conceived. The Bible says, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard,what God has prepared for those who love him" (1 Corinthians 2:9) All of God's word must be taken at face value or it is not taken at all. All or nothing. How does the apostle Peter put it? "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)  If it is not true that the Eternal/Creator God exists and that the world that we know is His creation then the Bible is a pack of lies and illusions. "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)

    This world is not the home and the inheritance that God promised you (if you are a believer)! The references or allusions to the eternal dimension are like slits in the 'envelope of time' or cracks in a building through which we get a whiff of the eternity that lies 'outside' (of time?). Do the 'whiffs' of eternity that come through these 'slits' remind you of the eternal inheritance that is yours or do you just read over them? When you read God's word are you reminded of how big the 'big picture' is and how small --by comparison-- the issues that loom so large in your life here are?

    The original question of this meditation was 'Why read the Bible?' To learn how to get into heaven? To learn how to say 'thank you' to God/Christ? To be reminded of the eternal dimension where your home, your eternal inheritance, your real life is?

1

Edmund P. Clowney in International Library of Philosophy and Theology--Biblical and Theological Studies-- Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company Philadelphia, Pa 1969, p.13.

 

 

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