The Hope Of Heaven. The Calling, Inheritance & Destiny Of The Church(Part 2).

(Part 2). 


We're still considering the solemn times in present day christendom whereby men with an open bible, are boldly and unashamedly teaching rebellion against the heavenly hope, calling, inheritance and citizenship/homeland of the believer in Christ. 

 The delusion of dominionists(those who hold unto the teaching that the church is called to dominate and take over this world and it's systems), stems from a lack of understanding of the heavenly calling of the church: they are confused about the eternal, heavenly inheritance/birthright and citizenship of the church. 

 As earlier stated in the first part of this meditation, some teach that we are not saved to go to heaven yet scripture clearly says we're born again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fades not away, reserved in heaven for us - 1st Peter 1:3-4. Now let's pause for a while and focus on the implications of the words: "incorruptible, undefiled and unfading inheritance, reserved in heaven for you".

 In Matthew 6:19-20 the Lord Jesus revealed something remarkable about the character/nature of heaven as a place where there is nothing like corruption and decay; in doing this he struck a contrast between heaven and earth. "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal". Corruption/degradation is what tends to death, and in death, decay/decomposition sets in. Death in itself is simply termination/truncation of life. None of these exists in heaven. 

 In the old testament we see heaven severally referred to as "God's dwelling place", "his holy dwelling place" - 1st kings 8 & 2nd Chronicles 6). In Isaiah 66:1 God says heaven is my throne. Now in the new testament we often hear Jesus talk about the Father in heaven, the Father's house, our heavenly Father, and he also called heaven the throne of God - Matthew 6:9,14; 14:2; 5:34. Then in Acts 7:48 scripture says "the Most High dwells not in places made with hands". If heaven is the throne/dwelling place of God, then it follows that heaven is not made with hands for God does not dwell in places made with hands. In Hebrews 9:24 we see scripture draw a contrast between the holy places made with hands upon the earth and heaven itself where God is/dwells. 

 In several portions of scripture, heaven(God's throne/dwelling place is spoken of in connection to incorruptibility, as it's character thus what is heavenly is eternal, unfading and incorruptible, what is heavenly is that which is not made with hands, that which has eternal foundations thus it remains/abides and cannot be shaken/moved (Please see Hebrews 9:24; 11:10&16; 12:26-28). 
 Now 2nd Corinthians 5:1 says that if our earthly house of this tabernacle(our earthly body) is dissolved in death, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Mark the words "eternal in the heavens" & not temporal in the heavens. 

 *We're taking our time to trace out these outlines of truth in scriptures because what we're dealing with is not a small matter or a trivial issue; what we're tracing out is the eternal destiny of the church; the place of her eternal, unfading and unchanging inheritance & joint-heirship with Christ, as secured by the so great salvation & so great mystery of her union/oneness with Christ. 
 God's promise to Israel in Isaiah 66:22 is that as the new heavens and the new earth, which he will make, shall remain/abide before him, so shall the seed and name of Israel remain/abide. The "new heavens" which he speaks of here in verse 22 is clearly not the "heaven" which he spoke of earlier in verse 1 when he said "the heaven is my throne...". God is not going to make a new throne or constitute a new kingdom free from the bondage of corruption, the heaven which is his throne where he sits is eternal and incorruptible, absolutely beyond the reach of corruption, decay and change. Israel's promise of an eternal place, inheritance and name is in the new heavens and earth God will make, and as long as the new heavens and earth will abide/remain, so shall Isreal abide in the place of her inheritance. 

 Unlike Israel, the eternal inheritance and placement of the church of Christ is not that which is reserved in the new heavens and earth which God will make, but in heaven(the throne of God) where there are mansions in the Father's house, eternal dwelling places not made with hands. The church as kings and priests unto God, is not called to function in holy places made with hands upon the earth but in the heavenly courts and throne room, where redeemed saints are yet to literally sit on thrones around the throne of God ruling and reigning with Christ over all things both in heaven and on earth. 

 The thought that heaven will one day descend/collapse into the earth and cease to be heaven/God's dwelling place as God relocates to earth, is completely alien to scripture and contrary to what it teaches. The descent of the new Jerusalem captured in the vision of Revelation 21:1-2 is figurative as much as the preceding vision of Revelation 20:11 where the present heavens and earth fled from the face of him who sat on the white throne, is figurative. The descent of the new Jerusalem signifies heaven descending & coming into an eternal embrace with the earth; masting the earth with the glory & influence of God's kingdom. Not that heaven will literally move out of it's place(ie. relocate to earth) & cease to be heaven; the heavenly kingdom which we are receiving now(being discipled into now by faith) is a kingdom which cannot be moved even when it extends to establish it's rule & influence upon the earth, it remains an unmoveable & eternal kingdom. 
 Will take time to give a more detailed explanation of this in subsequent series. The heaven of heavens which is the throne of God is eternal, not subject to corruption/decay and thus it is not subject to change. 
 According to Hebrews 1:10-12 & Romans 8:20-21, what the Lord God will change as a vesture is the creation that is subject to vanity & the bondage of corruption; the present earth and the heavens above it, which are reserved unto fire(2nd Peter 3:7). In essence what God will purge by fire in bringing in new heavens and earth that will abide forever, is the creation subject to the bondage of corruption, the creation where death, corruption and decay obtains, thus it is a purging to bring in incorruptibility, a dissolution of the corruptible by fire to bring in the incorruptible such that there shall be no more death, no more pain, no more sorrow etc. 

 If the believer in Christ is not saved to go to the place of his eternal & incorruptible inheritance, where else is he saved to go to? 
 It is in the context of this eternal, incorruptible and unfading heavenly inheritance we're born unto, as presented in 1st Peter 1:3-4, that scripture went ahead in the next chapter to say that we're strangers & pilgrims here on earth - 1st Peter 2:11. Then in the 3rd chapter, scripture clearly shows us that the heaven where our eternal inheritance is reserved for us, is the very heaven where our Lord Jesus went into & sat down on the righthand of God. 1st Peter 3:21-22. This is the place which according to his promise in John 14, he went to prepare a place for us, even the Father's house where many sons are to be brought to glory, to behold & fellowship with the glory which he had with the Father before the world began. Compare John 14:1-3 & 17:5, 24. Those who are born again unto an eternal inheritance in heaven, can't be anything else but strangers & pilgrims upon the earth, enroute the heavenly city/homeland, which is the place of their eternal inheritance, citizenship and abode. 
 If heaven is not where we're saved to go to, why would the Lord admonish us to lay up treasures in heaven & not on earth? Is it not foolishness for us to be laying up treasures in a heaven we're not going to? Why would the Lord speak of us having our reward in heaven? 
 If heaven is not where we're saved to go to, it implies that we as the kings & priests of God, loosened from our sins in the blood of Christ, are not redeemed to be finally brought into the true tabernacle/sanctuary not made with hands. 

Do you know the implication of the teaching/assertion by some that we're not saved to go to heaven? This implies that we're not saved to go to the Father's house; sons are not redeemed to be brought to glory. This implies that the goal of the Father in working in us, is not the adoption/placement of sons in glory(in the Father's house). Imagine the kings & priests of the new testament asserting that the heavenly sanctuary is not where they're going to? Such a doctrine could have only come out/issued from the unbridled pride of arrogance which ignorantly embraces a knowledge which is unscriptural, and teaches/emphasises it with all authority. It implies that where Christ who is our Highpriest & forerunner has entered/gone in for us, is not where we're going to....this is nothing but teaching rebellion.

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