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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.  

 

July 2010

 

 

WHAT SHOULD BELIEVERS BE FOCUSING ON? 

 

 

by Cameron Paine
                 
                                                                                             

Introduction

What is Christianity all about?  What is the message of the Bible all about? There is a central point. The same way there is the center of a wheel--the hub. There are many spokes to the wheel but if they are not connected to the hub they will all fly off in different directions. Where all the spokes connect--the hub is where all the spokes point', where they come together. Where all the connections in Christianity point is the point that believers should be focusing their attention upon!

 

 

While picturing a wheel and hub is one way of having a mental picture of the focal point of the Gospel message, another way to think of the focal point is to think of the time of transition when a caterpillar changes into a butterfly. There is no other point like it. There is no returning to the previous state. That is an example of the decisive transition of human beings from earth into eternity. But even this example is not perfect in that does not go far enough. What happens to the caterpillar is a change that takes place entirely with the category of time--'this life'. But the decisive transition of human beings is not like that. It involves a transition into a 'dimension' which is beyond time. It is a transition out of time, into that dimension called 'eternity'. The decisive transition of human beings involves a change from this life (in time) to  eternal life or life in eternity which is not a continuation of 'time'. 'Salvation' which the Bible, the gospel, speaks of frequently--since it is the essence of God's purpose for believers--refers essentially to the new heaven and new earth, the kingdom of God, life in eternity, not this life on earth. It is this transition from life on earth and in time to life in eternity beyond time that this meditation focuses upon.   

 
The Bible points to this one time transition from life on earth to the eternal dimension, the 'main' act in God’s drama in many ways.
    

The material covered in this meditation is set forth in 5 headings (one of which contains two subheadings)

1.    Why believers should focus their attention on that portion of God’s drama in which all the promises of God
         are fulfilled.          

2.    God’s word is full of reminders or pointers to the fact that the time of the decisive transition into the
         'eternal act of God's drama (the act that never ends) is near        

5.     Two Ideas that tend to take the focus off the eternal stage of God’s drama

--How the idea that salvation is a 'reward ' is a misleading idea that draws attention away from the 'main
   act'

                                

 

1-- WHY BELIEVERS SHOULD FOCUS THEIR ATTENTION ON THE GOAL OF 

CHRISTIANITY-- THAT PORTION OF GOD'S DRAMA IN WHICH 

ALL THE PROMISES OF GOD ARE FULFILLED

 

The eternal stage of God’s drama is so important. Why? Because it will go on forever. Because in it all the promises of God are fulfilled. It is called an eternal inheritance. It is  called a kingdom. Other statements in the Bible which reveal its value: what will take place in the eternal dimension, the never-ending portion of God’s drama is called ‘life’. To show how different ‘life’ there is from the life we experience on this earth the Bible speaks of the life on earth as ‘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) And again, in the apostle Paul's letter to Timothy he describes the result of obedience in these terms ... 19 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 6.19) There is no comparison between the blessings in that never-ending stage of God’s drama and what happens in this brief life in this dark world of sin, suffering and death.

That there is more to what happens in the eternal stage in God’s drama than we can understand or project from this life is hinted at by the fundamental need for miracles. At the end of the book of John we read, "Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that by believing you may have life in his name." (John 20:30-31) Even having the ability to 'see' or be a citizen of the kingdom of God depends upon a miracle-- Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. Jesus said  "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit." (John 3:3,5)

The function and importance of miracles is clearly illustrated by the abundance of miracles in the New Testament. A well known miracle is found in the account of Jesus and his disciples when they were crossing the Sea of Galilee in a boat. "A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” (Mark  4:37-41) In the Gospel according Luke this same occasion is spoken of. "One day Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.’ So they got into a  boat and set out. As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, ‘Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.’ " (Luke 8:21-25)  What do miracles bring to mind? That the powers of the eternal God and his Son are so far beyond what the laws God created to govern this world can do!

 

2--  IN MANY DIFFERENT WAYS GOD REMINDS READERS OR LISTENERS OF THE

 FACT THAT THE TIME OF THE TRANSITIONS OUT OF THIS LIFE AND

INTO THE MAIN  'ACT' OF GOD'S  DRAMA (THE ETERNAL STAGE,

     PROMISES ARE FULFILLED) is NEAR   

 

 

 

 

Over and over again God brings to our minds what the goal or hub of the Christian message is. He does this in many different ways, through the use of many different terms! What does the entire New Testament look forward to--the inheritance, the promise of eternal life, the decisive transition from this life into the next--the never-ending act of God.

What does the New Testament (especially) tell believers to be focusing upon? God never stops talking about the fact that decisive moment in God's history which everyone will 'face', which everyone will 'go through' is near. In this meditation only thirteen of the more obvious names, labels or phrases which God uses to point his readers (or listeners) to this 'decisive transition' are listed. (In a totally random order). And only some of the verses in each category are shown. Since each of the terms refer to the same ‘time’ or occasion many of the quoted verses appear in multiple categories.

One of the ways God points to this unique transition time is in his frequent references--

-- to the ‘day of judgment’
-- to what God has prepared for his children being vastly more than we can imagine or conceive 
-- to what God promised      
-- to 'eternal life'   (because it is at that 'time' that a ‘Christian’ event or a promise of God will be fulfilled.) 
-- to 'salvation'   (because it is at that 'time' that a ‘Christian’   event or a promise of God will be fulfilled.)                                                                   -- to redemption   (because it is at that 'time' that a  ‘Christian’ event or a promise of God will be fulfilled.) 
-- to the inheritance  (because it is at that 'time' that a  ‘Christian’ event or a promise of God will be fulfilled).  
-- to the need to wait   for the time when God's promises will be fulfilled.   
-- to our resurrection   (because it is at that 'time' that a `Christian' event or a promise of God will be fulfilled.)  
-- to the return of the Christ   (because it is at that 'time' that a `Christian' event or a promise of God will be fulfilled.)   
-- to the day of the Lord   (because it is at that 'time' that a `Christian' event or a promise of God will be fulfilled.)
-- to 'the hope'   (because it is at that 'time' that a `Christian' event or a promise of God will be fulfilled.)
-- to the kingdom of God  (or kingdom of heaven) because it  is at that 'time' that a ‘Christian' event or a promise of God
    will be fulfilled.     

However, before showing some of God’s exact words in each category, an explanation why most of the quoted verses are from the New Testament may be appropriate. While the statements that God revealed to his people prior to the appearance of Jesus on earth and in history are absolutely true, those revelations were not as full and understandable as God's revelations/truths revealed by Jesus' and the apostles’ teachings after God had accomplished his purpose in history by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and by his subsequent resurrection from the dead.   An illustration of the way to understand some of the differences between God's revelations the Old Testament and those in the New Testament is to think of the difference between a partially completed undertaking in contrast to the completed project. 

 

 

The actual differences between the revealed ways of God prior to the appearance of Christ on earth, his teachings, his sacrificial death and resurrection, and those which prevailed after the appearance of Jesus the Christ are most clearly described in the New Testament Book of Hebrews. --"The law (revealed by God in the Old Testament) is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship." (Hebrews 10:1) ; -- "(for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God." (Hebrews 7:19)

Now let's get back to the various ways God points to the coming transition time from life on earth to the unending act in God's drama.

1. Some of the portions of Scripture in which God points to this unique transition time is in God's frequent references to -- the day of judgment.

 

---or we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad." (2 Corinthians 5:10)

---“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 3:7)

---"Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous." (Psalm 1:5)

---“But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken." (Matthew 12:36)

---"As (the apostle) Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the  judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, ...” (Acts 24:25)

---"if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment." (2 Peter 2:9)

---“In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him." (1 John 4:17)

---Jesus, who had sent his apostles out to preach, said this about the towns that rejected their message: "I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town." (Matthew 10:15)

  

 

Each of these references brings to mind the truth that the eternal and unending part of God's drama is looming.

 

2. Many times God’s word speaks of what is included in the ‘eternal life’ that God has prepared for his children as being more that what anybody on earth can know, or even imagine, or conceive.  

 

 

There is more to God's truth contained in his promises than 'meets the eye'. Life in the eternal  stage of God's drama is beyond our comprehension.   

 

---The Bible itself when comparing life on earth with eternal life calls the former 'death'. Jesus said bluntly, "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) 

 

 

---On another occasion the Bible speaks of life in the eternal dimension as "the life that is truly life.”  (1 Timothy 6:19)

---In the last book of God’s word the realities that prevail in that eternal dimension are described -- “There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has  passed away." (Revelation 21:4)  

 

---"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"    (1 Corinthians 2.9)

Even to be able to 'see' eternal truths requires a miraculous transformation in the viewer brought about by God.  Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."  And again,  "Jesus answered, 'I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.' " (John 3.3, 5)

 

---That our understanding of the present will be greater when we are in the next dimension is spoken of in the apostle Paul’s statement to the believers in Corinth. In that statement the apostle says that there will come a 'time' when in the eternal dimension that they will understand more fully what the apostles had done for them by proclaiming the Gospel to them,  saying, "as you have understood us in part, you will come to understand fully that you can boast of us just as we will boast of you in the day of the Lord Jesus."  (2 Corinthians 1:14) 
 

Each of these references brings to mind the truth that eternal and unending part of God's drama is looming.

 

3.  Some of the portions of Scripture in which God points us to this unique transition time is in God's frequent references to what God had promised.   

---"It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith." (Romans 4:13)  
 

---"Yet he (Abraham) did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised." (Romans 4:20-21)  

---"Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law (the Jews) but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all." (Romans 4:16)  

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

---"In other words, it is not the natural children who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring." (Romans 9:8) 

---"For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God." (2 Corinthians 1:20)  

---When on 'trial' because of his belief the apostle Paul said, "And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised  our fathers that I am on trial today." (Acts 26:6)  

---"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) 

---"For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise." (Galatians 3:18)

---"But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe." (Galatians 3:22)  

---"If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the  promise." (Galatians 3:29)  

---The apostle Paul says to the believers in the church at Ephesus who had not always been believers, "remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world." (Ephesians 2:12)  

---"a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised  before the beginning of time," (Titus 1:2)  

---The writer of the book of Hebrews tells or warns the believers to whom he was writing, "Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it." (Hebrews 4:1)  

---"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)  

---"You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised." (Hebrews 10:36)  

---In the 11th chapter of the book of Hebrews many Old Testament saints are spoken of. "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." (Hebrews 11:13) Are believes today not in the same position in regard to 'the things promised'? 

--- "Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?" (James 2:5)  

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


Each of these references brings to mind the truth that the eternal and unending part of God's drama is looming.  

 

4. Some of the portions of Scripture in which God points us to this unique transition time is in God's frequent references to eternal life  

  

---Jesus, the king in eternity, after he had separated the sheep from the goats (the 'born again people from the unbelievers') he  addressed the goats saying, “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” (Matthew 25:46)

---Jesus telling his faithful disciples that none of them "will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life." (Mark 10:30; cf. Luke 18.30)  

---The Bible tells people why God sent his Son as a sacrifice-- "that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life." (John 3:15)  

 

---"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.” (John 3:36)  

---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, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:9)  

---Jesus said, "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand." (John 10:28-29) .

  

---"Jesus said to her (Martha, the sister of Lazarus who had died), "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 11:25-26)  

 

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

 

---"When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed." (Acts 13:48) 

---"To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life." (Romans 2:7)  

---"But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life." (Romans 6:22)  

 

---"The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the spirit will reap eternal life." (Galatians 6:8)

  

---"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)

 

---"a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time," (Titus 1:2) 

---"so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life." (Titus 3:7)

 

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

---"And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son." (1 John 5:11)

  

---"I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." (1 John 5:13)

Each of these references brings to mind the truth that eternal and unending part of God's drama is looming.

5. Some of the portions of Scripture in which God points us to this unique transition time is in God's frequent references to Salvation  

Our salvation is a present possession God bestows on believers. At the same time it is also a future reality which will be received and more fully enjoyed in the eternal dimension.  

---"My soul faints with longing for your salvation, but I have put my hope in your word." (Psalm 119:81)  

 

---"The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him." (Exodus  15:2)

---"Of David. The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1)  

---"But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation." (Psalm 13:5)  

 

---"For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David. My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him." (Psalm 62:1)  

 

---"My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge." (Psalm 62:7)  

---"I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels." (Isaiah 61:10)  

 

---"Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints." (Jude 3)

  

---"to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins," (Luke 1:77)  

 

---"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile." (Romans 1:16)  

---"And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit," (Ephesians 1:13)

Our salvation is not only a present possession God bestows on believers but at the same time will be an even more intense reality in the eternal stage.  

 

---"Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But my salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail." (Isaiah  51:6)  

---"for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls." (1 Peter 1:9)  

---"And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first  believed." (Romans 13:11)  

---“Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." (Ephesians 6:17)  

---“So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring  salvation to those who are waiting for him." (Hebrews 9:28)  

---"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 1:5)  

---“Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: 'Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For  the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.' " (Revelation  12:10)  

Each of these references brings to mind the truth that eternal and unending part of God's drama is looming.

6. Some of the portions of Scripture in which God points us to this unique transition time is in God's frequent references to redemption 

---"When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Luke 21:28) 

  

---"and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." (Romans 3:24)  

---"Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies." (Romans 8:23)  

---"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."  (1 Corinthians 1:30)  

---"In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace" (Ephesians 1:7)

--- "who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory." (Ephesians 1:14)  

---"And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." (Ephesians 4:30) 

---According to the apostle Paul what has God done for us? ”For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." (Colossians 1:13-14) 

---According to the Bible what did Jesus accomplish? "He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption." (Hebrews 9:12)

Each of these references brings to mind the truth that eternal and unending part of God's drama is looming.

7. Some of the portions of Scripture in which God points us to this unique transition time is in God's frequent references to the  inheritance.  

---God speaking to his Son, Jesus--"Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession." (Psalm 2:8)

---The psalmist: "The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance."  (Psalm 16:6)  

---The psalmist: "Save your people and bless your inheritance; be their shepherd and carry them forever." (Psalm 28:9)  

 

---The psalmist: "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance." (Psalm 33:12)  

---The psalmist: "Remember the people you purchased of old, the tribe of your inheritance, whom you redeemed— Mount Zion, where you dwelt." (Psalm 74:2)  

 

---The psalmist: "Rise up, O God, judge the earth, for all the nations are your inheritance." (Psalm 82:8)  

---The psalmist: "For the Lord will not reject his people; he will never forsake his inheritance." (Psalm 94:14)  

---"When you cry out for help, let your collection of idols save you! The wind will carry all of them off, a mere breath will blow them away. But the man who makes me his refuge will inherit the land and possess my holy mountain.” (Isaiah 57:13)  

---"Why, O Lord, do you make us wander from your ways and harden our hearts so we do not revere you? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes that are your inheritance." (Isaiah 63:17)  

 

---"He who is the Portion of Jacob is not like these, for he is the Maker of all things, including the tribe of his inheritance— the Lord Almighty is his name." (Jeremiah 51:19)  

---"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)  

---“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world." (Matthew 25:34) 

---“Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified." (Acts 20:32)

---"Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."  (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)

 

---"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) 

---"For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through  promise." (Galatians 3:18)

---"and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God." (Galatians 5:21) 

---The apostle Paul says to the believers in the Ephesian church--"And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory." (Ephesians 1:13-14)  

---How often the apostle Paul prayed for his converts!  "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) 

---"For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God." (Ephesians 5:5)

---"giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light." (Colossians 1:12)  

---"since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." (Colossians 3:24) 

--- "Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?" (Hebrews 1:14) 

---"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)  

---"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) 

---"He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son." (Revelation 21:7)  

---"Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?" (James 2:5) 

---"and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you," (1 Peter 1:4)

   

---"Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing." (1 Peter 3:9)

Each of these references brings to mind the truth that eternal and unending part of God's drama is looming.

8. Some of the portions of Scripture in which God points us to this unique transition time is in God's frequent references to the need to wait

---"Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life." (Jude 1:21)   

---"and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath." (1 Thessalonians 1:10)  

---"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)  

---"Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body."

(Mark 15:43)  

 

---Jesus tells his disciples how faithful servants should behave--"like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him." (Luke 12:36)  

 

--- John the Baptist said, "The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete." (John 3:29)  

---The coming of the eternal dimension is not an insignificant 'event'--"The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed." (Romans 8:19)  

 

---"Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies." (Romans  8:23)

 

The apostle Paul stated a truth: "If we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently." (Romans 8:25)  

--- The apostle Paul says to believers in Corinth: "Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed." (1 Corinthians 1:7)  

 

---"Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God." (1 Corinthians 4:5)

---"while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ," (Titus 2:13)  

---"And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised." (Hebrews 6:15)

  

---"so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him." (Hebrews 9:28)

   

---"Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains." (James 5:7)  

---How important the activity of waiting is is revealed in the last book of the Bible. In a vision even Christians who had died for the faith are told to 'wait'.  "Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed." (Revelation 6:11) And who waits with anticipation for what his heart is not set on?  Who waits eagerly for what he doesn't think about? (focus on)?

Each of the quoted verses brings to mind the truth that eternal and unending part of God's drama is looming.

9. Some of the portions of Scripture in which God points us to this unique transition time is in God's frequent references to the resurrection of believers.
  

---(refers to Christ)  “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 1:4)  

---"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 20:35-36)  

---"At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven." (Matthew 22:30)  

---"Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;' " (John 11:25)  

---(King David said,)--"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) 

---The religious leaders of the Jews "were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead." (Acts 4:2)  

---"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)  

---"They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection." (Acts 17:18)  

---"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)

---How fundamental the concept and fact of the resurrection is: "If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised." (1 Corinthians 15:13)

Without the resurrection (the overcoming of death) there would be no gospel, no Christianity. 

---"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)  

---The apostle Paul speaks about his own aim in life: "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." (Philippians 3:10-11)  

---The concept of the resurrection is fundamental to the Christian witness. In the book of Hebrews that concept is included among the elementary teachings of the Christian message:  "Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity,  not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment." (Hebrews 6:1-2)  

---"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) 

---"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)  

---"and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ," (1 Peter 3:21)  

Each of the quoted verses brings to mind the truth that the eternal and unending part of God's drama is looming.

10. Some of the portions of Scripture in which God points to this unique transition time is in God's frequent references to the return of Christ. 

---"and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath." (1 Thessalonians 1:10)  

---"For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you?" (1 Thessalonians 2:19) 

---"May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones." (1 Thessalonians 3:13)  

---"May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thessalonians 5:23)  

---"Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 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. According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
        After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words." (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) 

---"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)   

---"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)  

---"May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our  Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thessalonians 5:23)  

Each of the quoted verses brings to mind the truth that the eternal and unending part of God's drama is looming.

11. One of the ways God points to this unique transition time is in God's frequent references to the Day of the Lord.

--- "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)  

--- “See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes."  (Malachi 4:5)  

---“hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord." (1 Corinthians 5:5)

--- "as you have understood us in part, you will come to understand fully that you can boast of us just as we will boast of you in the day of the Lord Jesus." (2 Corinthians 1:14)  

---"for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night." (1 Thessalonians 5:2)

Each of the quoted verses brings to mind the truth that the eternal and unending part of God's drama is looming.

12. Some of the portions of Scripture in which God points to this unique transition time is in his frequents references to the hope (of salvation)  

---“Oh, that my words were recorded, that they were written on a scroll, that they were inscribed with an iron tool on lead, or engraved in rock forever! 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 19:23-27)

---"through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." (Romans 5:2-5)  

---"For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently." (Romans 8:24-25)  

---"May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope," (2 Thessalonians 2:16)

---"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)  

---"So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded." (Hebrews 10:35)  

---"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)  

---"Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 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. According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words." (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) 

---"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 apostle Paul's statement about his life and mission on earth: "That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day." (2 Timothy 1:12)   

---"You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised." (Hebrews 10:36)

---"Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." (Ephesians 6:17)

---"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that  it did not know him." (1 John 3:1)  

Each of the quoted verses brings to mind the truth that the eternal and unending part of God's drama is looming.

13. Some of the portions of Scripture in which God points to this unique transition time is in God's frequent references to the kingdom of God  

---Jesus speaking-"But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you." (Matthew 12:28) 

---“Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit." (Matthew 21:43)  

---“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!'” (Mark 1:15)  

---Jesus speaking-"And he said to them, “I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power.” (Mark 9:1)

--- Jesus speaking-"And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell," (Mark 9:47) 

---Jesus speaking-“I tell you the truth, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew in the kingdom of God.” (Mark 14:25) 

---After the crucifixion of Jesus "Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body." (Mark 15:43)

---Jesus speaking-"But he said, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I as sent.” (Luke 4:43) 

---Jesus speaking-"I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John (the Baptist); yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God  is greater than he.” (Luke 7:28) 
  

---Jesus speaking to his disciples said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, ‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.’" (Luke 8:10) 

---Jesus speaking to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:27) 

---"Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:60)
 

---"Jesus replied, 'No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62)  

---“The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it." (Luke 16:16)
  

---“I tell you the truth,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God" 30 will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life." (Luke 18:29-30)

---"In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” (John 3:3)

---"Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit." (John 3:5)  

---Luke, the author of Acts (as well as his Gospel), sums up some of the message of the apostle Paul and Barnabas, saying, 'they were' "strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. 'We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,' they said." (Acts 14:22)  

 

---"They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. From morning till evening he (the apostle Paul) explained and declared to them the kingdom of God and tried to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets." (Acts 28:23) 

---"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit," (Romans 14:17) 

---"Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God." (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)

 

---"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) 

  

---"All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering." (2 Thessalonians 1:5)  

---“Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser (Satan) of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down." (Revelation 12:10)

Roughly 200 verses or sections of scripture in the New Testament have been cited in the examples listed here--which includes only the more obvious names, labels or phrases God uses to direct the attention of readers or listeners to the 'time' when God’s promises (whether ‘good’ or ‘bad’) will be fulfilled. How many more verses are there in the New Testament in which the references to the fulfillment of God's promises and the irreversible entrance into the eternal dimension are less obvious? How many reminders do we need? How many reminders of the fact that the time of the decisive and irreversible transition into the never-ending stage of God’s drama is both all important and is 'near' do we need? 
  

Here in the many statements of God about the ‘events’ or fulfillments we see a further example of the inappropriateness of applying human conceptions of ‘time’ to statements in the Bible.  The Bible says of many of these ‘events’ or times when the promises of God are fulfilled that that ‘time’ is near.  This is good time to recall the teaching of the Bible about ‘time’--“But do not forget 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) It is the Bible itself that  associates these events or promises of God with that point in ‘time’ when the transition to the eternal dimension (the final and never-ending act in God’s drama) will occur. ‘Time’ is such a mysterious category of thought!  

 

An example that reveals how beyond our human calculations the meaning of ‘time’ is when viewed from the Lord’s eternal perspective is the occasion when Jesus was debating with the religious rulers of the Jews. Jesus said, "Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.” ‘You are not yet fifty years old,’ the Jews said to him, ‘and you have seen Abraham!’ "  58 ‘I tell you the truth,’ Jesus answered, ‘before Abraham was born, I am!’ "(John 8:56-58)

 

 

 

3-- WAYS GOD tells believers THAT IT IS important FOR US TO REMEMBER

 THAT THIS IS GOD'S DRAMA  AND THAT the 'never ending’ act IN

 God's drama (WHEN ALL GOD'S PROMISES WILL BE FULFILLED)

  IS 'NEAR' 

The 'main' event which is also the eternal stage (the never-ending stage) in God's drama is the goal or hub, or heart, or crux, or quintessence of the Christian message. That is when all God’s promises will be fulfilled. That is what the gospel or the Christian message is all about.  The coming of that day is what believers should be remembering and should be the reason they are behaving as they do. To his disciples Jesus said, "You also must be ready, because the Son of Man (a title Jesus frequently used of himself) will come at an hour when you do not expect him." (Matthew 24.44; see also the warning in 24.48-51) 

---"Alas for that day! For the day of the Lord is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty." (Joel 1:15)  

---"Be silent before the Sovereign Lord, for the day of the Lord  is near. The Lord has prepared a sacrifice; he has consecrated those he has invited." (Zephaniah 1:7)  

---The apostle Paul wrote of his confidence in the believers in Phillipi saying that he is "confident of this, that he (God) who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6)  

---“From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” (Matthew 4:17)

---When Jesus sent his apostles out to witness he said to them: "As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’" (Matthew 10:7)

---When Jesus sent his apostles out to witness he also said to them: "Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God is near you.’" (Luke 10:9) 

---“The time has come,” he (Jesus) said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15)   

---“ ‘Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.’" (Luke 10:11)  

---"When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Luke 21:28) 

---(an Old Testament example of God's ways)--“As the time drew near for God to fulfill his promise to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt greatly increased." (Acts 7:17)

---To the believers in the church at Rome, the apostle Paul said,  "And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when  we first believed." (Romans 13:11)  

---"You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near." (James 5:8)

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

---"Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near." (Revelation 1:3) 

We should be concerned when God in his word says that the ‘time’ of an event is ‘near’. That is what God says. Therefore it is true-- absolutely true. The truth of what God said is not the issue. But our understanding of it is--is the issue. We are dealing with the eternal God and his creation, his reality which includes more than we know, more than we can think, more than we can understand or even conceive of. God's deeds and ways do not have to conform to our ways or limited conceptions.

Time is a mysterious phenomenon. When reading any of God's statements which expressly or by implication include statements about ‘time’ it is vital to remember that the way the eternal Creator God's speaks of ‘time’ has a 'timeless' quality about it that makes it impossible to fit God’s teachings into any human time scale or scheme. In the Bible we read: "scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 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." 5 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. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7 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 3:3-7)  

It is so easy to be a scoffer and to think to oneself that the Biblical statements about all 'events' associated with the beginning of the eternal, unending act in God's drama (those 'events' mentioned above) are not 'looming', are not 'near' despite the fact that the Bible says they 'are near'. Because God's ways are beyond our ways or understanding does not mean we should feel free to set aside God's explicit commands--'be always ready....   The apostle Peter says bluntly, “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief." (2 Peter 3:8-10)  

Another way the ‘timelessness’ or 'mysteriousness' of 'time' shows up is in the way God’s gifts are spoken of.  Many of the gifts God bestows are both ‘current’ realities and at the same ‘time’  realities to be waited for. This ‘double’ aspect of many (all?) of God’s gifts, that is, being a reality now but also being a reality which will be 'experienced' more fully in the eternal dimension, includes the gifts of salvation, the gift of immortality, the gift of being made new creatures, the gift of being made citizens of heaven, the gift of the kingdom, etc. For example, believers are heirs to an inheritance now. But later they will be enjoyers of that inheritance which they are heirs to now. (Psalm 16:11)

Perhaps even this explanation falls short of the real truth and therefore is misleading. In what way? Because my explanation applies earthly concepts of time to explain the issue, words such as ‘now’ and ‘later’. We are saved ‘now’. But later we will be enjoyers of the inheritance to which we are heirs to now. In eternity there is no ‘now’ and ‘later’. We are part of the ‘eternal now’. Who can even conceive of the eternal now. The quote by the apostle Peter puts God’s mystery into words: “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” (2 Peter 3:8)

Are not believers now in the same position as those Old Testament saints who were waiting for the fulfillment of God's promises in the eternal stage of God's drama? (Hebrews 11:13) Is the ‘time’ of God’s fulfillment of his promises (which this meditation speaks of constantly) ‘closer’ now than it was then?   Many times in the Bible we get a flash or glimpse of the mysteriousness of God’s realities such as ‘time’, etc. (2 Peter 3:8) Is there any place in the universe where the realities that God promised are not ‘near’ in space and in time?

To the individuals who already are saved because they trusted in the sacrificial death of Jesus, the apostle Peter says, "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)  It is so easy to be like the scoffers who say that God's predictions and warnings do not need to be taken seriously. Who has never had such a thought?  

 

A similar ‘double aspect’ which looks back in time is expressed in the Bible:  “God, 9 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, 10 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 1:8-10)  

Israel "Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming. It is close at hand— a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness." (Joel 2:1)
  

It matters what believers focus on.   "It is good to wait quietly ('patiently' - Net Bible) for the salvation of the Lord." (Lamentations 3:26) 

---"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)  

---"May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones."  (1 Thessalonians 3:13)  

---"May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thessalonians 5:23)  

---"But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint 
us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thessalonians 5:8-9)

---"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." (Hebrews 6:18)  

---The apostle Paul says to the believers in Thessalonica, "Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 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. According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words." (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) 

---The Bible records the words of Job who lived in Old Testament times:  “Oh, that my words were recorded, that they were written on a scroll, that they were inscribed with an iron tool on lead, or engraved in rock forever! 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 19:23-27) 

This is what believers should be remembering and focusing on--that there will come a 'time' when the 'main' part of God's drama will  begin. There will come a 'time' when all God’s promises (whether of 'good' or of suffering) will be fulfilled and there will be no more 'time' to try again! (Matthew 7:23; 25:10-13) There will come a 'time' when this world will cease to exist as it has been and currently is. But 'waiting' for that 'time' takes effort and perseverance. Who can even conceive of such a ‘time’? 

4--How having this focus on the 'main' act (the never ending act) is

 for believers the indispensable source of strength and

 perseverance in doing God’s will while on earth  

(2 Peter 3:11-14) 

Having this focus on the 'main' (eternity) stage is not an ‘academic’ distinction but is fundamental to the behavior of believers in the same way that for a military commander 'seeing' the the objective of winning the battle is a necessity to the kind of strategy to be considered for achieving that result. Who can aim at an objective he cannot see in his mind?  None of God's words are merely 'academic' or superfluous or impractical. The importance of having that focus on the 'main' stage, the unending stage of God's drama, is extremely relevant to how believers behave is demonstrated by the fact that many, many, references to the main stage, the eternal stage, the ‘never ending’ stage, of God’s drama are found in those books which are overflowing with the God's commands regarding the behavior he desires to see in his people. 

When the apostle Peter asked Jesus whether Jesus' teachings applied to everybody or just to the apostles, “The Lord answered, ‘Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he (Christ) returns." Luke 12:42-43) Even the apostles were called to be servants. (John 13:3-5, 12-17) Was any group or category of people more called to be an example to other believers and to the world than the apostles?

---"For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." (1 Timothy 4:8)

---"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will  receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." (James 1:12)  

---"To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life." (Romans 2:7)

---"To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations—" (Revelation 2:26)  

---Jesus said to his disciples, "All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved." (Matthew 10:22)  

---The writer of the book of Hebrews says to the believers who read or hear the book--"We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. 12 We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those  who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised." (Hebrews 6:11–12)  

---In the chapter in the Bible that more clearly than any other that speaks of the saints of 'Old Testament' we read, “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. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 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 11:13-16) Are not believers ever since that time in the same position as those Old Testament saints waiting for the fulfillment of God's promises in the eternal stage of God's drama? 

---Jesus' promise to his people: "He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels." (Revelation 3:5)  

---God speaks, saying, "He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son." (Revelation 21:7)  

---"Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God." (Psalm 42:11) 

Remember the words of Job. (Job 19:23-27)   

---"Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God." (1 John 5:5) 

---"They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death." (Revelation 12:11)  

---"he who stands firm to the end will be saved." (Matthew 24:13)  

---"But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved." (Hebrews 10:39)  

---"But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever—yes, for ever and ever.’" (Daniel 7:18)

---"But Christ is faithful as a son over God’s house. And we (believers) are his house,  if  we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast." (Hebrews 3:6)

---The apostle Paul prays of the believers in Thessalonica, saying, "May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our  Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones." (1 Thessalonians 3:13) 

---“Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.... 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)

Keep your eye on the goal...  

 

Being concerned to behave as God wants to see his people behave is not an option for believers. It is not something believers have God's  permission to do. Believers do not have the authority to choose not to do what God commands without bringing their belief in Jesus and their eternal salvation into question. The Bible reminds us of that fact: “This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power 10 on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed.” (2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; see also Matthew 25:45-46)  

To have our attention focused on the 'main' event, on the eternal stage of God's drama is not relevant just to believers. Everyone, not just believers, will enter 'eternity' --some to heaven and eternal life (the believers), others (all unbelievers) to 'a less pleasant existence'- separated from God permanently. (Luke 16:22-23; 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 --quoted in preceding paragraph)

 

      5-- Two Ideas that tend to take the focus off  the eternal stage of God’s drama  

 

  

 

 

1.--How  the idea that salvation is a 'reward ' draws attention away from what salvation really is--an incomparable, more-than-earthly, un-ending gift of God. 

 

Even though in the Bible there is a great abundance of verses that describe God's actions toward individuals as being a 'reward' this does not include 'salvation'. Becoming a citizen of heaven (Philippians 3.20-21), becoming immortal (1 Corinthians 15.54, 2 Timothy 1:10), being made an heir of God (Romans 8:17) is not reward for our behavior. On the contrary, many verses in God's word indicate salvation to be a gift of God, not something our behavior 'earned'. In fact, that is the message of the Gospel. The message of the gospel is that Christ earned the blessing of salvation for God's people. The blessing of salvation could only be 'earned' by Christ, by the sacrificial obedience and sacrificial death of him who was without sin. (Hebrews 4:14) The actions of believers are not pure enough to pay the price for our sins and thus earn our salvation. (Isaiah 64:6; Galatians 3:22) The fact that it was God's act in Christ that qualified believers for entry into heaven for eternity (Colossians 1.13) must not be obscured or set aside by, or because of, our earthly conception of 'rewards'.    

 

More thoughts on the associations that the term 'rewards' has--To the mind of today an idea that is almost 'embedded' in the concept 'reward' is the idea that there is a definite correlation between the 'value' of the reward and work or deed or behavior that reward is for. The common conception of a 'reward'? A payback, compensation, when you stick your hand into a light socket what is the payback? A shock. When you do a job what do you get? a particular wage or salary. The employer (or many employers in the region) has decided that doing a particular kind of work deserves a particular wage. There is connection or correlation between the two items, the work and the wage. When you answer all the questions on an exam correctly you get an ‘A’. For all your correct answers you earn credits. The idea that there is a correlation between the behavior of an individual and that he (or she) deserves the reward is almost built into the idea of 'reward'. This is the reason the idea of reward is terribly dangerous. It so easily and so frequently becomes associated with the idea that the salvation God bestows upon his people is at least to some degree correlated with the 'quality' of their behavior, as if the sinner's behavior deserved the 'reward' of salvation. But that is a terrible re-interpretation of the gift of salvation. So often rewards on earth are nothing more than a token, a gesture, a ‘pat on the back’, even a bribe. There is no equivalence between the 'value' of salvation and the 'value' of any human being's behavior because everyone on earth is a sinner. Everyone deserves death as the 'reward' for his or her thoughts and actions since the day of birth. The actions of believers are not pure. The Bible itself tells us that the actions of believers are not pure enough to pay the price for our sins and thus earn our salvation. (Isaiah 64:6; Galatians 3:22) Even the best behavior of human beings is 'infected' with sin. And what does the Bible say about sin? "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). The Bible does not say, 'the wages of a sin of a certain magnitude is worthy of death but that "the wages of sin is death". All sin is included whether it be in thought, word or deed. (Matthew 5:19,27-28) The commission of any one sin whether it be a sin of thought, word or deed, makes the individual who committed that one sin a law breaker--who deserves the death penalty. (James 2:10-11) The wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23)

Verses in God’s word in which God's 'contribution' is called a 'reward'.  (There is a great abundance of such verses.)

 

---"The Lord rewards every man for his righteousness and faithfulness." (1 Samuel 26:23)  
 

---"Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight." (Psalm 18:24)  

---Referring to the commandments and revealed laws of God the psalmist says, "By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward." (Psalm

  19:11)

---The wicked man earns deceptive wages, but he who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward." (Proverbs 11:18)

---"Misfortune pursues the sinner, but prosperity is the reward of the righteous." (Proverbs 13:21)  

 

---"He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has done." (Proverbs 19:17) 

---“For I, the Lord, love justice; I hate robbery and iniquity. In my faithfulness I will reward them and make an everlasting covenant with them." (Isaiah 61:8)  
 

---“Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done." (Revelation 22:12)

---"The faithless will be fully repaid for their ways, and the good man rewarded for his." (Proverbs 14:14)  

---"May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.” (Ruth 2:12)  

---"and that you, O Lord, are loving. Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done." (Psalm 62:12)  

---“I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.” (Jeremiah 17:10) 

---"Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matthew 5:12)  

 

---“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven." (Matthew 6:1)

---“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full." (Matthew 6:2)  

 

---"For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done." (Matthew 16:27)


 ---"because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free." (Ephesians 6:8)  

---"since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." (Colossians 3:24)  

---"But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked." (Luke 6:35)  

---"since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." (Colossians 3:24)

---"And 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)  

---"Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully." (2 John 8)  

---"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)

---“Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done." (Revelation 22:12)  

---"great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds. Your eyes are open to all the ways of men; you reward everyone according to his conduct and as his deeds deserve." (Jeremiah 32:19)  

Yes, there are a great many verses in the Bible which speak of God's rewards. But we must be careful. Even when the Bible speaks of God giving rewards we must be careful not to assume that the term ‘rewards’ does not imply what so often on earth it does imply--that there is an equivalence or a correlation between the value of the ‘work’ (behavior) of believers and the value of what God bestows on individuals because of their ‘works’. What an insult it is to God to look upon God's gift of salvation as a reward for acceptable behavior as if there was (or could be) an equivalence between the value of 'a moment of God pleasing behavior' and the value of God's gift of eternal salvation. (For example, 'Your sister yelled at you; you did not yell back and god 'rewarded' you with a billion dollars for your good behavior'?)

 

 

A few of the verses in which God's 'contribution' is not called a reward---

 

---"After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.” (Genesis 15:1)  
 

 

 

 

---"See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him." (Isaiah 40:10)

 

 

 

---"The Lord has made proclamation to the ends of the earth: “Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your Savior comes! See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.’ ” (Isaiah 62:11)  

 

 

 

---The apostle Paul in his letter to Timothy says,  "So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, 9 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, 10 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 1:10; see also Ephesians 1:4-5) 

While it is possible that believers whose behavior in this life has exhibited a greater degree of concern for what pleases God (his commands) may enjoy some additional benefits or 'bonuses' in the new heavens and new earth, the fact that he or she is a citizen of heaven, the fact that he or she present at all in the new heavens and new earth is not reward for believers' 'good choices and/or good behavior' but instead is the result of God’s choice to not treat him or her according to his or her iniquities! (Psalm 32:1-2; 103:10-12; Romans 4:7-8; 5.1-2). It was God's choice to treat him or her according to Christ's perfect righteous behavior and sacrificial death. While there is mystery in God's ways and words, (Isaiah 55:8-9; Romans 11:33; 2 Peter 1:10) for us whose understanding is limited by our logic and earthly experience we must be careful not to insert our understanding of 'rewards' into the Bible and effectively undermine and negate the vital truth that is the foundational component of the Christian message, namely, the indispensable part that Christ's perfect obedience, his sacrificial death and therefore his resurrection occupies in the message of salvation (the gospel).


The Bible says the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23) The Bible also says everyone is under the power of sin unless he has been delivered from that power or jurisdiction by God. (Galatians 3:22) According to the Bible everyone except Jesus the perfect one deserves the death penalty. But it was God’s choice to treat everyone who believes in Christ as if they were righteous (Genesis 15.6; Romans 4:3) Believers "shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3.16) Believers have been delivered from the penalty that their sins deserve. What does God say to believers? "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. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not  received mercy, but now you have received mercy." (1 Peter 2:9-10)  It is God who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. It was Jesus who paid the price for our sins by dying for us when we were yet sinners. (Romans 5.8) It is God who has qualified us “to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.” (Colossians 1:12,13)


It is so important to remember the fact of God being the qualifier of believers for entry into, and residence in, heaven for eternity (Colossians 1.13). That truth must not be set aside by, or because of, the associations we have with earthly 'rewards' where there is correlation between the ‘value’ of deeds done and the ‘reward’.

  

2. The second idea that diverts attention from the awesomeness of the eternal salvation promised in the Bible is the belief that what the Bible is primarily designed to set forth is behavioral standards and guidelines for human beings on earth. 

The reality which God’s word speaks of is so much greater than human behavior and its consequences. It is far greater than we can even conceive or imagine!  It is so important to remember this fact--that the scope of what the Bible reveals is so much more inclusive than just advice or wisdom regarding how to live in this world in the period between the birth and death of the body. It is insulting to God (the creator of everything that is) to think that what God’s word deals with is nothing more than information about human behavior on earth and its consequences. That is only one tiny aspect of the total picture which the Bible sets forth. Physical Creation which our microscopes and telescopes reveal is not necessarily part of the new heavens and new earth. Put another way we would have to say that the physical creation we are familiar with is not necessarily part of the eternal stage in God's drama any more than our physical bodies are. God’s promise of eternal existence does not end, but 'begins' when our present bodies die.  

How great is the scope of God's drama which 'began' before God created the earth (Ephesians 1:3-4) and which will continue indefinitely after this world has past away. (1 Corinthians 7:31; 2 Peter 3:10)

---"For by him (Jesus) all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him." (Colossians 1:16)  

---"Then the end will come, when he (Jesus) hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. (Corinthians 15:24)

  

 

God is more than what he created. God is not a creation of God like all creatures are. God is not under the control of his creation or the laws he made to govern it. (It is not possible to believe in the God of the Bible without believing he is the Creator.) The Creator can do what he wants to do with his creation.  Who are we to dictate to God the rules he must play by? Isn't thinking he must conform to our rules a reversal of roles between the creator and the created? "Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use? (Romans 9:21–22) "What if God, choosing to  show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? (2 Timothy 1:8–10)

God's ways are so far beyond our comprehension. We can not put them in a box or categorize them. God's word speaks of the need for miracles--things beyond our understanding so that we are given glimpses of the powers of the eternal dimension. “Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may a have life in his name." (John 20:30)  

What do miracles bring to mind? That the powers of the eternal God and his Son are so far beyond what the laws of physics, the laws of 'nature' that govern this world can do!  

There are many miracles recorded in the Bible. In the first chapter of the Gospel according to Luke we are told of the virgin Mary’s negative response to the  message the angel had said to her, “You will be with child and give birth to a son.” The angel responded to Mary’s negative response-(‘but I am a virgin’), with the words, “For nothing is impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37; cf. Romans 4:20-21) 

God's ways are not our ways. The apostle Paul had a thorn in his life.  Because of this the apostle prayed--"Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will  boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:8-10)  

 

 

It was this same apostle who also said, 36 "As it is written: 'For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.' 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons neither the present nor the future, nor any powers 39 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 8:36-39) 

 

 

And what is the eternal Christ doing for us now? Interceding. In the father's presence Jesus re-asserts the truth that Jesus' death paid the price for the sins of God's people and earned their salvation. (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25; 10:14; 1 John 2:1, 2) Mystery! mystery! How full of mystery are God's ways, God's truths. It was part of God's plans for his people from the beginning that they would be redeemed from their sins by the blood of Christ. (2 Timothy 1:9-10; Ephesians 1:4-5; Isaiah 55:8-9; Romans 11:33) 

Concluding thoughts

 

What 'time' in your life should you (or your heart) really be concerned about? --The ‘earthly introduction’ that will soon be over? Or, the 'main' act of God’s drama, the 'eternity' stage, the stage that 'lasts' forever when all God’s promises are fulfilled? Think about it.  What 'time' in your life should you (or your heart) really be concerned about? --The ‘earthly introduction’ that will soon be over? Or, the 'main' act of God’s drama, the 'eternity' stage, the stage that 'lasts' forever which is also the stage in which all God’s promises are fulfilled? God's statements about Christianity and eternal life appear everywhere in the Bible, especially in the New Testament--written down for us after the coming, after the teaching, after the obedient life, after the sacrificial death, and after the resurrection of Jesus, God's Son.  According to the Bible, the attention of believers is not to be focused on the present time in our life or even a later time in our life on earth. Why take God's written promises seriously if they are all pointing to a 'time' that does not and never will exist? What does faith in God/Christ mean if there is no eternal dimension? What does faith in God/Christ mean if the life we experience on this earth is all there is? 
      

In the same way that the spokes of a wheel will fall apart if the hub is removed so will Christianity fall apart if the promises of God will never be fulfilled, if the decisive transition to eternal life, to the new heavens and earth, is a lie and figment of imagination.  What does your faith mean? Is your faith limited to this world and this life which is passing away?  

---"But Christ is faithful as a son over God's house. And we are his house,  if  we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast." (Hebrews 3:6)

---"But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever-yes, for ever and ever." (Daniel 7:18)

---"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)

---“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12 It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ." (Titus 2:11-13)

---"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)  

  

---“But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.” (1 Thessalonians 5:8)

    
---“Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming." (2 Peter 3:11-12)  

 

 

 

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