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The Daily Word of Righteousness
Out of the World of Out of the Evil?, #3
And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. (Revelation 21:3)
The Kingdom of God is internal with respect to Christ being formed in us, and external with respect to the appearing of Christ and of those in whom Christ has been formed.
To our knowledge, no passage of the Scriptures implies that our arrival in Heaven will result in a change in what we are or that Heaven will be our permanent home. In fact, the Scriptures suggest that the earth is the eternal home of mankind. We always must abide by the written Word of God.
There is a passage of Scripture which, at first glance, appears to teach that the goal of salvation is to pass from the earth into Heaven. Let us examine it carefully, for doctrine that comes from the Lord Jesus never contradicts the Scriptures.
These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city. (Hebrews 11:13-16)
If the above passage were stating that salvation is the shifting of the permanent home of the saved of mankind from earth to Heaven it would be in opposition to the Book of Revelation. The Book of Revelation reveals that the overcomers will be on earth with Christ during the thousand-year period, ruling the nations with a rod of iron. We shall "ever be with the Lord," and the Lord Jesus will rule from the Throne of David in Jerusalem, according to our understanding (Luke 1:32).
In addition, the Old Testament in many places teaches that the saints will be prominent on the earth during the thousand-year period (Isaiah 61:9, for example).
Then, during the new heaven and earth reign of Christ that follows the thousand-year period, the Church, the Bride of the Lamb, the new Jerusalem, will not be established forever in Heaven but on the new earth (Revelation 21:24).
Neither during the thousand-year period nor during the new heaven and earth reign of Christ will the saints be abiding permanently in the place called Heaven (although the life and ways of Heaven will be in us and we will be able to go to Heaven whenever we desire). The new covenant does not bring men from earth to Heaven, it brings the Life of God to men and women while they are on the earth, and returns them to the earth in the day of resurrection.
To be continued.