Redemption also is future.

What we have now is an earnest, the guarantee of a redemption that will be ours provided we endure to the end of the race.

Which is the earnest of [deposit on] our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:14)

And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. (Ephesians 4:30)

Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (I Peter 1:5)

When the Lord returns we shall be released from all that remains of our sinful personality and brought into the glorious freedom of the sons of God. This will take place provided we have faithfully followed the Lord in all He has shown us. It absolutely is not true that the final redemption from sin will be our inheritance even though we have not been faithful today. The current teaching that all believers will be set free in the Lord when He comes even though they have not followed the Lord is not at all true. The present teaching of unconditional grace is a grievous perversion of the doctrine of the Apostle Paul.

So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. (Hebrews 9:28)

The salvation that will come with the appearing of the Lord will be experienced only by those who continually are looking to Him in all areas of their personality and behavior. The redemption of the last days is not for the lukewarm.

The concept that the purpose of salvation is to bring us to Heaven to live forever is so much a part of Christian thinking that it may require a generation or two before the scriptural goals, transformation into the moral image of Jesus Christ and untroubled rest in the Father's will, really take hold in our minds. These two scriptural goals have nothing to do with making our home in Heaven but with our eligibility to serve the Lord God in whatever part of His Kingdom He desires.

The idea of salvation being for the purpose of bringing us to Heaven to live forever cannot be found in the Scriptures. It probably came from the philosophy of Gnosticism, an ancient emphasis on knowledge as the key to salvation.

No matter how the concept of "going to Heaven" originated, the truth is no intelligent discussion of the way of salvation can be attempted until the goal of salvation is clearly defined in terms of the Scriptures.

There is a Heaven, the abode of Christ and the saints in the present hour. But God created man on the earth, and the purpose of salvation is to forgive our sins and then to prepare us in righteousness, holiness, and obedience so we can live once more in Paradise on the earth. This is what we really desire, but our religion has brought confusion to our minds.

Our redemption is drawing near. We are to look up for it is coming to us from Heaven. In that day we shall be completely free from sin in body, soul, and spirit. We shall be able to serve the Lord in the fullness of righteousness, peace, and joy. The glory of the Kingdom of God will be ours to enjoy for eternity. (from The Day of Redemption)