How Our Transformation Will Affect Our Life in Paradise
Paradise is a place of indescribable love, joy, peace, and beauty. Paradise was at one time on this earth in or near present-day Iraq. It was a garden containing all that people would ever desire, including the Presence of God Himself.
God made man and put him in the garden, and this is where God intends for man to be—in a beautiful garden of delight on the earth.
But man at that time was not "man" as God intends man to be. The Lord Jesus is the first Man to appear on the earth as God wants man to be—in the moral image of God, capable of union with another, capable of limitless fruitfulness and limitless dominion.
The garden was perfect but man was imperfect.
The garden will be brought back to earth with the coming of the Lord. But what about the people?
The description of the new heaven and earth, given in the last two chapters of the Bible, portrays the new world of righteousness that is to come. The new Jerusalem, the Bride of the Lamb, the Kingdom of God, will come down out of the spiritual Heaven until it is visible in the sky and then descend to remain forever on a great and high mountain of the new earth.
On the new earth will be nations of saved people who will be governed forever by the Bride of the Lamb, the royal priesthood, the Israel of God.
The new Jerusalem will be the Throne of God now dwelling among saved mankind.
All the earth will be a paradise where there is no more pain or death.
The glorified Church, the new Jerusalem will be available to any of the people of the new world who wish to come and be refreshed with the Presence and Virtue of God in Christ in the saints.
And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. (Isaiah 2:3)
The saved nations from time to time will come to the new Jerusalem to be blessed by the Presence of Christ in His saints.
And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. (Zechariah 14:16)
The Holy Spirit will issue as the River of Life from the Presence of God. The Tree of Life, which is God in Christ in the saints, will be available to the saved nations of the earth.
We see from this pattern that there are least in the Kingdom and greatest in the Kingdom. It is not just a matter of regaining Paradise. The question is, What will be our role in the new world? Will it really make a difference in our destiny whether or not we live the victorious Christian life, or is it sufficient to just enter Paradise by the skin of our teeth, so to speak?
We have already mentioned the resurrecting and glorifying of our body. It appears certain that the Lord Jesus will not clothe a worldly, sinful, disobedient personality with a body like His own. It is not impossible that when the Lord returns, only those members of His Church who have followed Him closely will receive back their body from death. If this is true, we may find some of God’s elect in Spirit-filled glorified flesh and bone bodies, ministering to the nations of the earth (who still are flesh and blood) and also to the remainder of the Church who are contained in the spirit realm. If this proves to be the case, then attaining the first resurrection from the dead is very desirable.
We have mentioned that the kind of house from Heaven that will clothe our resurrected flesh and bone will reveal in itself the good and the evil we have practiced. This is shown clearly, not only in II Corinthians 5:10 but also in the following:
For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. (Galatians 6:8)
We shall reap either corruption or eternal life in the day of resurrection, depending on the kind of "sowing" we have done throughout our lifetime.
How would you enjoy being in Paradise in a corrupt state?
The Scripture mentions crowns and white raiment. The crowns portray the authority that will be given to the conquerors. The raiment speaks, we believe, of that which will cover our resurrected flesh and bones in the Day of the Lord.
Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. (II Timothy 4:8)
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. (James 1:12)
And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. (I Peter 5:4) Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. (Revelation 2:10)
As for the robe of white raiment, the "house" created by the righteous behaviour proceeding from Christ’s work and Presence in us:
He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. (Revelation 3:5)
I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. (Revelation 3:18)
After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindred's, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; (Revelation 7:9)
And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine line is the righteousness [righteous deeds] of saints. (Revelation 19:8)
And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. (Revelation 19:14)
We see from the above that there are crowns and robes to be gained. Of the inhabitants of Paradise, some will wear the crowns of Divine authority. Some will be robed in the white raiment of the priests of God. Whether we are crowned with authority and robed as a priest depends on our diligence in following Christ.
These evidences of authority and power are not issued automatically because we have made a profession of faith in Christ but are the result of the Divine program of redemption with which we have cooperated.
For those who overcome demonic pressures and temptations of the last days there are valuable attributes of character that are gained as through Christ we conquer the adversary.
Courage is one such attribute. Christ’s courage is formed in us as we fight onward against every dread, every terror the enemy sets before us.
Faith in God is increased in us as we have to depend on the Lord in the midst of the evil and complexities in which we are attempting to serve the Lord.
Stern, uncompromising, continual obedience to God no matter what He requires of us is one of the most valuable qualities of personality we can gain in our present struggle. Even the Lord Jesus learned obedience through the things He suffered on the earth.
Tribulation creates patience in us. Patience is a mark of perfection. The development of patience in us forms a door through which other people can enter the Presence of God. The gates of the new Jerusalem are pearl—that which is created by a patient response to irritations.
Finally the most valuable characteristic anyone can possess—closeness to God. The overcomers forever shall be pillars in the Temple of God and shall "go no more out."