Pondering the mysteries of life after death, one question arises: what will our eternal existence alongside God entail?
Some say if all they will do in heaven is sit around praising Jesus, singing songs, for all eternity, they would rather not. They have a thought process that superimposes human activity on the spiritual world, thinking that everything should be the same in eternity, just as it was on earth. People who have this thought process forget that life on earth is based on sin. This sort of thinking originates with the concept or attitude of (me), of what is desired, and lusted after. (sinfulness). Now don’t imagine that I know what it’s going to be like living with Jesus for all eternity. I do not know what our spiritual, eternal life will be like, but we are given clues in the scriptures about what we can expect.
1 Corinthians 6:3 Paul was angry because believers were taking one another to court. Paul told them, “Do you not realize that we will judge angels? So you should surely be able to resolve ordinary disputes in this life.”
Paul’s message to both the Corinthians and to us is centered on the idea that the Bible tells the story of God’s creation of humanity and his deep longing for us to become part of his divine family. The Bible purposely incorporates language borrowed from familial connections to portray God, Jesus, the inhabitants of the spiritual realm, and all believers, including both you and me, as a unified entity. Humanity is called to be both members of God’s family and active participants in His governance over all of creation.
As an illustration, in the biblical account, God gave Adam and Eve a command, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, filling the earth and exercising dominion over every living creature that roams the earth” (Genesis). This task was specifically designated for those who are considered God’s imagers. Their role would be to serve as steward-kings over all of creation in service to God. It was the duty of humanity to populate the earth and transform it into a global Eden, as part of their mission to expand the kingdom of God. Recognizing the enormity of the task, God decided that Adam and Eve alone were insufficient, leading to the divine plan for them to conceive and raise children. It is widely understood that Adam and Eve, along with their offspring, failed. Humanity sinned. If that event had not taken place, the earth would have undergone a gradual transformation into a paradise-like global Eden. Imagine the possibilities if we had opted for a different path – we might have enjoyed eternal life on a perfected planet, surrounded by God and his spiritual family. Because of God’s affection for humanity, he granted forgiveness to Adam and Eve. However, it was predetermined that the rest of humanity would inevitably follow the same path as Adam and Eve. The inherent nature of humanity is such that we all engage in sinful behaviors, and only with God’s intervention can we escape the inevitable consequence of death. Since we are mortal, we are also susceptible to committing sins. We needed salvation. (Paraphrase from Heiser, Michael S.. Supernatural).
In the afterlife, those of us who believe and follow Jesus will live eternally with God in a new Eden, without temptation, without self-indulgences, without sin. We will live under a new heaven and on a new earth just as it is stated in 2 Peter 2:13, “But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.” And in Revelation 20:1-4, “Then I saw (a new heaven and a new earth,) a for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
In eternity, we are family, and we will walk with God in the new global Eden. Who knows what else we will see and do throughout eternity? It is unimaginably difficult to comprehend what it will be like and what we will do for all eternity with God. I suspect just as God commanded Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply, we just might hear those same words. God loves us and wants to be in a relationship with us, his family for all eternity. I’m writing about this, and there is no way possible that I cannot fathom what eternity with God will be like. Our marriage with Jesus is our relationship with God.
Our worship of God will extend throughout eternity. There is a possibility that the prophets of old will be the ones teaching us. Not only will we have a great time with fellowship, but there will also be various recreational activities to partake in. Just like the extended duration of a millennium, eternity holds the promise of immense fun and enjoyment. If Adam and Eve had not sinned, I believe that God’s intention for them would have been to live in eternity. It is my belief that our spiritual maturity is something that we will carry with us into the realm of heaven. While we will all experience growth in spiritual maturity, it is important to acknowledge that we may not all reach the same level. We cannot expect God to pump our brains with all His knowledge with no effort on our part. As we move forward, we will continue our efforts to both learn and teach, just as we are currently doing. We should prioritize the study and learning of the Bible in this life, as the knowledge we gain will have eternal significance in heaven. We must persistently dedicate ourselves to preparing for eternity. Although the overall atmosphere in heaven will be one of joy. (Paraphrase of Owen Weber’s work from 2008.)
One thing is this: When we get to heaven I believe whatever we are doing, there will no longer be the need to wish we were doing something else.
So, until then, we keep on following Jesus and learning all we can about our eternal family. Perhaps, as we learn, we could apply that knowledge in this life while we await the Lord’s return.
In closing:
The Word Brings Salvation (Isaiah 65:1-16)
Romans 10:8-10, But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved.
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
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