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The Daily Word of Righteousness
Out of the World of Out of the Evil?, #4
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10)
The Kingdom will come to the earth. God's will shall be done in the earth.
Hebrews 11:13-16 (above) is not in opposition to the remainder of the Scriptures. The doctrine of the heroes of faith looking for a heavenly country does not mean they were attempting to move from the earth to Heaven.
Rather, the concept is that the patriarchs were attempting to move from the sin, death, and instability of the present world system to a place in God that has foundations. The place, the city that has foundations, is the Lord Jesus Christ and God in Him. It is the "Jerusalem which is above" which is the "mother of us all," the new Jerusalem (Galatians 4:26).
The new Jerusalem is in the heavenlies now. After the thousand-year period has been concluded, the new Jerusalem will descend to its eternal resting place on a "great and high mountain" of the new earth. This is the true character of the Kingdom of God—that which the patriarchs were seeking.
The saints of old were looking for a city that is to come to the earth.
For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. (Hebrews 13:14)
Let us examine three facts indicating that the pilgrimage of the heroes of faith is not from earth to Heaven but from the person and rule of Satan to the Person and rule of Christ:
The context of the Book of Hebrews.
The "promises" the patriarchs have not as yet received.
Hebrews 11:40.
When interpreting any passage of Scripture it is helpful to view the overall concept, the general idea of what is being taught. What is the Book of Hebrews all about? The Book of Hebrews is a warning to Christian people, saved people, believers who had suffered persecution for the Gospel's sake, not to neglect their salvation but to press into the rest of God.
Is the "rest" of God Heaven? Are we who have been saved for many years, as were the saints to whom Hebrews was addressed, still attempting to press into Heaven?
When Hebrews, Chapter Four speaks of our coming short of the "rest" of God, is the author suggesting that those Christians may not be candidates for Heaven even though their property had been confiscated for the Gospel's sake (Hebrews 10:34)?
Or is he not rather referring to growth in Christ, speaking of those who are spiritual babies and still need milk (Hebrews 5:12-6:9)?
The Book of Hebrews is an exhortation to Christian people to mature spiritually and to enter the rest where every enemy in our personality has been overcome and we are abiding in Christ in God.
The goal of redemption addressed in the Book of Hebrews is as follows:
Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. (Hebrews 4:1)
The "rest" of God refers to the inheritance, the land of promise, Canaan.
God's elect are moving from Egypt (the world system, not the earth) to Canaan. What does Canaan typify? Does Canaan symbolize Heaven?
To be continued.