Heaven and the Reward of the Saints
Samuel Smith
23 Jan'19
5
LESSON 11
HEAVEN AND THE REWARD OF THE SAINTS
You are welcome to another edition of Insights from God's Word, a Bible study programme that is committed to sharing God's Word by allowing the Bible to speak for itself.Friends, I want to thank the Lord so much for how far He has brought us. This study will be the last in our series on Heaven. It is captioned: Heaven and the Reward of the Saints. It's my prayer that the Lord will use this study to encourage us on our daily upward journey to the city of God.
Beloved, the Bible is full of several precious promises for those who receive Christ as their Lord and personal Saviour. The ultimate of these promises, I believe, is the heavenly city that God has prepared for those who love Him. The apostle Paul refers to this promise as the blessed hope of God's children (
For instance, from the book of Hebrews, we read concerning the patriarch Abraham the following: "For he looked for a CITY which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God" (
The apostle Paul, in the same chapter of Hebrews, also testifies of Moses the following: "24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; 25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; 26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the REWARD" (
Besides Abraham and Moses, Paul also spoke about other heroes of faith in Hebrews 11 who had looked forward to a better country in the heavens. From
Beloved, after Christ had ascended to heaven, the apostles never ceased to preach unto the young Christian church the reality and importance of the heavenly city that God has prepared for those who love Him. Outlined below are just a few examples of the apostles' exhortations to the early believers about the city of God in heaven:
i) "Looking for that BLESSED HOPE, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" (
ii) "For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in HEAVEN a better and an enduring substance" (
iii) "3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, RESERVED IN HEAVEN for you" (
iv) "20 For our CITIZENSHIP IS IN HEAVEN, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself" (
Friends, the New Jerusalem is a real city that Christ has prepared for all His children. And to convince us of the reality of this blessed hope, Christ gave us just a little glimpse of the splendour of the heavenly city through His apostle John. From Revelation 21, we obtain some amazing pictures about the beloved city of God:
A) NAME
The name of the heavenly city is New Jerusalem (
B) SIZE
The city lies in a perfect square. Its perimeter is 12,000 furlongs. A furlong is 1/8 mile. Thus, the city's perimeter in miles would equal 1,500. That is, 375 miles long on each side (
C) WALLS
The wall that surrounds the city is made of solid jasper. The wall is 144 cubits or 216 feet high (a cubic is 18 inches) (
D) GATES
The city has 12 gates which are named after the 12 sons of Jacob. This means there will be three gates on each side of the city. The gates are made of pearl (
E) STREET
The street of the city is made up of pure gold. The surface of the street is at it were, a transparent glass (
F) FOUNDATIONS
The city has 12 foundations which are named after the 12 apostles. The 12 foundations are made of 12 different precious stones (
G) LIGHT
The city has no need of the sun or moon to lighten it. This is because the overpowering glory of the Father and the Son will be there (
G) APPEARANCE
The city is described as a bride adorned for her husband (
HOW WILL LIFE BE LIKE IN THE NEW JERUSALEM CITY IN HEAVEN?
A) The saints will go through the records of God's judgement."And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years" (
Within the 1000 - year period, the Lord will commit unto the saints the work of checking out His judgement (
B) The saints will reign with Christ
Besides the work of judgement, we are also told that the saints will reign with Christ for one thousand years. What a blessed future awaits the people of God! The close relationship that we will have with God is what will give us our ultimate pleasure in heaven and on the new earth to come. The Scripture teaches that we will see Him face to face (
C) The people of God will have a fulfilling social life in heaven
In heaven, we will have the opportunity to socialize and interact with our family, friends and people that we knew on the Earth. This will be made possible because the identities that we have on Earth now will be preserved after our translation. The Bible clearly teaches that when Christ resurrected from the dead, the disciples could identify Him. For instance, Mary could identify His unique call (
The Bible makes it clear that when Christ appears the second time, we will be like Him (
Moreover, we will also socialize and interact with God's children who have lived throughout the various ages of human history. The apostle Matthew records the following in relation to social life in heaven: "And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven" (
Think about having lunch with Abraham and discussing how he felt when he raised the knife to slay Isaac, his only begotten son; reflect about taking a walk with Elijah and recounting the experiences of mount Carmel; Ponder over spending a night at Moses' apartment and talking over how he felt when God told him he wasn't going to make it to the promised land; Think about going through the book of Romans with Paul. Beloved, it is refreshing to ponder on the fact that we will be able to befriend and spend quality time with the redeemed of all ages because we have all eternity at our disposal.
Besides our human family, we will also enjoy the companionship of holy angels in heaven. With great interest, we will listen to the precious stories of how our guardian angels have protected us from evil, and shielded us from temptation (
"There is singing up in heaven such as we have never known, Where the angels sing the praises of the Lamb upon the throne; Their sweet harps are ever tuneful and their voices always clear, O that we might be more like them while we serve the Master here!" (Johnson Oatman, JR.)Now unchained from the shackles of sin, we will be able to travel and explore the universe of God (
D) What about the marriage relationship? Will there be marriage in heaven and the new earth?
Concerning social relationships in heaven and on the New Earth, many have pondered whether the relationship of marriage will be continued after this life. The Scripture has a straightforward answer to this question. From the words of Christ Himself, we learn the following:
i) "For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven" (
ii) "35 But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: 36 Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection" (
Thus friends, there will be no marriage after the resurrection, neither in heaven nor in the new earth. Our highest pleasure, just like that of the angels, will be to serve and worship the Lord. And this pleasure, I believe, will be more superior and fulfilling than any form of pleasure that marriage couples have ever experienced on this earth. In fact, the book of Psalms makes it clear that the saints will enjoy pleasures forever more in the presence of the Lord (
Unlike our experiences on earth, we will have joy immeasurable as we relate with God and the rich treasures of His creation. For instance the animals, instead of being ferocious, will rather be real companions and true friends (
Friends, our experience in heaven and the new earth to come is going to be superb. As we read from the prophet Ezekiel, never fading flowers are going to perfume the environment. Like Eden, we are going to enjoy as our food the amazing fruits that dangle nicely on numerous magnificent trees. The tree of life that man was prevented from eating after his sin will now be made available to us. From
21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."
(
HOW CAN I BE PART OF THE INHABITANTS OF THE NEW JERUSALEM CITY?
Beloved, it is a clear fact that this present world has nothing better to offer us; for it is filled with the bitter curse of sin. Our fondest aspirations of the future are always cut short by sickness, sorrow, and death. Maybe you are pondering in your heart, how can I be part of the inhabitants of the New Jerusalem? How can I be part of the true paradise that God has prepared for His children? Beloved, it is quite very simple. FromFrom
My dear friend, Christ is inviting you and I to take the water of life freely. I wholly accepted His invitation some years ago. And I have never regretted for making that decision. Will you accept His invitation today? The only thing that can prevent you from entering into the gates of the New Jerusalem is by refusing to accept the precious gift of salvation that God offers us in the Person of His Son. You don't have to worry about where you are coming from or what you've done in the past. The salvation that Christ offers us is able to cover all our sins and our past (
STATEMENTS REFLECTING BIBLICAL PASSAGES: ELLEN G. WHITE'S COMMENTS ON HEAVEN AND THE REWARD OF THE SAINTS
In relation to the inheritance of the saints in heaven and the new earth to come, Ellen White pens down the following beautiful words:1. "I saw a very great number of angels bring from the city glorious crowns--a crown for every saint, with his name written thereon. As Jesus called for the crowns, angels presented them to Him, and with His own right hand the lovely Jesus placed the crowns on the heads of the saints. In the same manner the angels brought the harps, and Jesus presented them also to the saints. The commanding angels first struck the note, and then every voice was raised in grateful, happy praise, and every hand skillfully swept over the strings of the harp, sending forth melodious music in rich and perfect strains. . . .2. "Jesus lifted the veil from the future life. "In the resurrection," He said, "they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven" [
Within the city there was everything to feast the eye. Rich glory they beheld everywhere. Then Jesus looked upon His redeemed saints; their countenances were radiant with glory; and as He fixed His loving eyes upon them, He said, with His rich, musical voice, "I behold the travail of My soul, and am satisfied. This rich glory is yours to enjoy eternally. Your sorrows are ended. There shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain." . . .
I then saw Jesus leading His people to the tree of life. . . . Upon the tree of life was most beautiful fruit, of which the saints could partake freely; in the city was a most glorious throne, from which proceeded a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal. On each side of this river was the tree of life, and on the banks of the river were other beautiful trees bearing fruit. . . .
Language is altogether too feeble to attempt a description of heaven. As the scene rises before me, I am lost in amazement. Carried away with the surpassing splendor and excellent glory, I lay down the pen, and exclaim, "Oh, what love! what wondrous love!" The most exalted language fails to describe the glory of heaven or the matchless depths of a Savior’s love." - Maranatha, Page 311.
3. "There are men today who express their belief that there will be marriages and births in the new earth; but those who believe the Scriptures cannot accept such doctrines. The doctrine that children will be born in the new earth is not a part of the "sure word of prophecy." The words of Christ are too plain to be misunderstood. They should forever settle the question of marriages and births in the new earth. Neither those who shall be raised from the dead, nor those who shall be translated without seeing death, will marry or be given in marriage. They will be as the angels of God, members of the royal family." - Notebook Leaflets from the Elmshaven Library, vol. 2, Page 163.
4. "There, when the veil that darkens our vision shall be removed, and our eyes shall behold that world of beauty of which we now catch glimpses through the microscope, when we look on the glories of the heavens, now scanned afar through the telescope, when, the blight of sin removed, the whole earth shall appear "in the beauty of the Lord our God," what a field will be open to our study! There the student of science may read the records of creation and discern no reminders of the law of evil. He may listen to the music of nature's voices and detect no note of wailing or undertone of sorrow. . . . All the treasures of the universe will be open to the study of God's children. With unutterable delight we shall enter into the joy and the wisdom of unfallen beings. We shall share the treasures gained through ages upon ages spent in contemplation of God's handiwork."--Ed 303, 307 (1903).
5. "Unfettered by mortality, they wing their tireless flight to worlds afar--worlds that thrilled with sorrow at the spectacle of human woe, and rang with songs of gladness at the tidings of a ransomed soul. . . . With undimmed vision they gaze upon the glory of creation--suns and stars and systems, all in their appointed order circling the throne of Deity. Upon all things, from the least to the greatest, the Creator's name is written, and in all are the riches of His power displayed." --GC 677, 678 (1911).
Exhortation: "23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. 24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. 25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. 26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. 27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life" (
Stay blessed and keep shining for King Jesus.
Maranatha!
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