Another popular myth is as follows:

The concept that Heaven, the spirit Paradise, is the eternal home of the saved and that the purpose of the Divine salvation is to bring us to Heaven to live forever in a mansion. How this myth started we have no idea. It is not found in the Old Testament or the New Testament. Here is a thesis waiting to be developed by a candidate for a doctorate in theology: at what point in Church history did theologians first present eternal residence in the spirit paradise as the goal of redemption rather than participation in a Kingdom that is to come to the earth? This viewpoint may be a reflection of early Gnosticism which teaches that matter is evil and spirit is good.

The goal of the new-covenant grace is to conform the believer to the image of the Lord Jesus in spirit, in soul, and, at the Lord's coming, in body; and also to bring the believer into untroubled rest in the Father through Christ.

As soon as these two goals have been attained the believer is qualified to serve as a living stone in the eternal Temple of God; as a member of the Wife of the Lamb; as a brother of Christ; as a judge of men and angels; and in all the other roles and responsibilities of the royal priesthood.

The Hebrew Prophets spoke of the coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, the everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. (Isaiah 9:6,7)

During the Church Age the Lord has been calling out and training the nobility of the Kingdom. Those who suffer with Christ will govern, as Paul says.

To ignore the two Scriptural goals and the consequent areas of service and to present the goal of the Divine salvation as eternal residence in the spirit Paradise is to completely misunderstand the new covenant.

Because the Gospel of the Kingdom has been assigned an incorrect goal the work of the Gospel is performed inefficiently. Most of the resources of the Christian institutions are directed toward the gaining of new believers. The result is multitudes upon multitudes of spiritual babies who represent no threat to the kingdom of Satan and are of little use to the Kingdom of God. They still are part of the problem rather than of the solution. The problem has to do with the performing of God's will in the earth.

A wiser use of money and energy would be to assign part of the resources to evangelism and part to building up the believers into the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. What good is it to keep on adding babies if they are not being brought to maturity, when the goal is to construct a nobility that is able to govern the creation of God?

To be continued.