What about the remainder?
What about the remainder?
One problem in our thinking is that we picture the highest Heaven or the deepest Hell. Unless I am mistaken, there are many places of eternal abode in between the highest Heaven and the deepest Hell.
If that is true, perhaps those Christian believers who never gained victory over their flesh and self-will, will not be thrown into the deepest Hell or incarcerated for eternity in the Lake of Fire.
I will say one thing, though. Any person, young or old, who knowingly and consistently disobeys the Lord Jesus Christ, will find his or her home in the Lake of Fire with Satan and the wickedest of mankind.
God is compassionate toward human beings. He is not going to place a decent human being in Hell unless that person has been confronted with Christ and has said, "No thank you." That individual is in about as great trouble as is possible for a human being.
However, as I said, God is strict and means exactly what He says. So when He states that it is the victorious Christians who shall inherit His Glory, He means just that. We need to understand that, because American Christians have become soft morally, or so it appears.
God is not like the mother who tells her child that if he or she does such and such a thing, he or she will have no birthday present. The mother knows she cannot make good on that threat, and so does the child.
But our God, the Consuming Fire of Israel who demonstrated His attitude toward homosexuality by His fire on Sodom and the other cities of the plain, is not like a foolish mother who makes threats she cannot enforce.
To be a member of the Bride of the Lamb.
Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, "Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." (Revelation 21:9)
The new Jerusalem is the Wife of the Lamb. This means that the Christian people who compose the Wife of the Lamb are joined together in Christ in a union made by the Father.
My opinion is that we are made one with the Lamb by eating His flesh and drinking His blood. No more complete union is possible.
Most of us probably never have considered what an awesome state of being this is. My personal opinion is that the Lamb is more excited about having a counterpart, a suitable helper, than we are to be a part of such a work of God.
I think the concept of a "Lamb" is more pleasing to God the Father than any other description of the Lord Jesus. The mighty Christ is a warrior. But the Lamb reveals the meekness of the Nature of Christ, and God the Father is ever a lover of meekness.
My opinion, and I never have read of another teacher saying this, is that the thousand-year Kingdom Age, often referred to as the "Millennium," is for the purpose of refining the personalities of the Royal Priesthood, who compose the heavenly Zion. They will govern the works of God's hands, perhaps for eternity, bringing God to the saved people from the nations, and the people from the nations to God.
During the time that the Royal Priesthood is being perfected, a firstfruits of the Church will be governing the nations on our present earth.
It is no small honor to be a member of the Church, the Royal Priesthood, and those who love sin and their self-will have no place here.
Remember the parable of the Lord that told of the many people who were invited to the wedding. A man was found at the party who was not wearing a wedding garment. The king threw him outside into the darkness. This parable warns us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. "Many are invited to be a member of the Bride of the Lamb, but few are chosen."
To be part of the Temple of God.
in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:22)
There apparently was a temple of God in Heaven, although the Bible does not tell much about it, as far as I can tell.
In my distress I called upon the Lord, And cried to my God for help; He heard my voice out of His temple, And my cry for help before Him came into His ears. (Psalms 18:6)
Why would God desire to reproduce Himself in a company of sons, making them into a house, resting place, and throne for Himself?
It seems God desires a living house. He is reproducing Himself in a number of sons and daughters. He wants to be among them, closer to them than He is in His temple in Heaven.
God desires a resting place. His creation, due to the rebellion of the angels, is chaotic. The earth is the valley of the shadow of death. God cannot enjoy rest in the current state of affairs!
God loves His creatures and wishes to be among them so He can enjoy their love, counsel them, heal all their diseases, and meet all their other needs.
Since we are being made a house and resting place for the Lord God, it is important that we cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit. Our physical body is the temple of the Spirit of God, and we need to keep that in mind.
It is difficult to always remember that we will be the house and place of rest for God for eternity, isn't it? It is for this reason that we must seek iron righteousness of behavior, fiery holiness of person and actions, and stern obedience to God. God will never receive us until we are absolutely obedient to Him, particularly to His Son the Lord Jesus Christ.
The various aspects of God's dealings with us are a reaction to the rebellion of Satan and his angels. It is God's Throne that is at issue here. Satan wants to mount that throne and control the creation.
Therefore God is placing His Throne in Christ, and also in those who are living in the rest of God.
He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. (Revelation 3:21)
We understand, therefore, that God's sons are being brought to the highest possible glory of authority and responsibility, not just to Heaven to lie down in a mansion. Because of this highest of callings, we must be willing and faithful as we pass through many fires, remaining obedient and believing steadfastly that God loves us and is bringing us to eternal righteousness, love, joy, and peace.
When God is finished creating us in the image of Christ we will be able to bring the Presence and will of God wherever we go. When people see us they will be able to perceive Christ, and God in Him.
To be a member of the Body of Christ.
For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. (I Corinthians 12:12)
The term "Christ" means the Divine Deliverer upon whom the anointing of the Spirit of God rests. It is not a proper name, like "Jesus." This title is taken from the sixty-first chapter of the Book of Isaiah.
We are informed that "Christ" has a body with many members. The whole "Christ," Head and Body, is the Servant of the Lord to do all God's will, particularly the bringing of justice to the nations of the earth.
This is why our focus on going to Heaven to live forever in a mansion misses the goal of our calling as members of the Royal Priesthood. There are grievous needs in the earth today!
"Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations." (Isaiah 42:1)
As I stated previously, God's Servant is Christ—Head and Body. The verses that follow Isaiah, 42:1 tell of the responsibilities of the Servant of the Lord.
When the Lord Jesus returns to earth, His purpose is to descend to the earth, drive out the evil, and govern the nations of people who have remained alive through all the turmoil of those days.
But Jesus will not do this alone. He is going to set up a staging area in the air, the former place of Satan's throne. Then those saints who have come with Him are going to descend to the earth and take up their bodies, now clothed in incorruptible life.
At the same times, Christ will summon those Christians on the earth who are living in the rest of God, in that state of being in which they always are aware of God's will for them and always have the desire, wisdom, and strength to do God's revealed will.
Then both groups, those who came with the Lord, and the remnant from the earth, will be caught up together to the staging area in the air where Jesus, the army of angels, and the white war-stallions are waiting.
After this the entire army of saints and angels, led by the Lord Jesus Christ, will descend, destroy the wicked forces of evil, and set up His Kingdom on the earth.
The remnant who reign with Christ are a firstfruits of His Body. The majority of His Body, the Church, will remain in the heavenly Zion until they are mature enough in Christ to serve the nations as members of the Royal Priesthood.
The entire Christ, Head and Body, is the new Jerusalem.
Today we have hundreds of competing Christian denominations, the largest of which is the Roman Catholic Church. Obviously these millions of believers are not one in Christ and the Father such that the world will believe that God has sent the Lord Jesus.
Therefore, it appears likely that a great work of glory and tribulation will be necessary if the remnant of believers are to be prepared to go to Christ when He appears and have their bodies transformed into incorruption.
Perhaps that is the meaning of the following passage:
Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness will cover the earth and deep darkness the peoples; but the Lord will rise upon you and His glory will appear upon you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. (Isaiah 60:1-3)
There only is one Body of Christ. All of the Christian organizations that are not of the Body of Christ are set forth in the Book of Revelation as "Babylon the Great." They are the works of the human mind, talents, and energy. They are doomed to be destroyed in the last days.
Next Part To be the light of the world.