God will not seal the doom of an immature, self-centered person by clothing him or her with eternal life.

The new body will be an aid to righteous living. But the new body alone cannot live a holy life. Being in Heaven will not guarantee a loving obedience to God on our part. Satan and his angels originally were in Heaven and it is not recorded that there was a law of sin governing their bodies. Yet, they rebelled against God!

It is the love of righteousness and hatred of sin and rebellion inherent in the Nature of Christ that must govern the spirit and soul of the believer, and his body as well. Righteousness, holiness, and obedience are developed in us while we are on the earth in mortal bodies.

We demonstrate now, in the present life, our determination to live the kind of life found in Heaven, that characterizes the inhabitants of Heaven—those with whom we are seeking fellowship. We show our determination by putting to death the deeds of our fleshly body. We reveal on earth whether or not we are citizens of Heaven. Living in the appetites and lusts of the flesh works against our being prepared for the heavenly attitude and behavior.

There is this about Enoch, Elijah, Moses, and the other heroes of faith: they please God. They are the kind of people God and Jesus enjoy having around themselves. David is a man after God's own heart.

Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus as He prayed on the mountain and they discussed "his decease that he should accomplish at Jerusalem" (Luke 9:31). There is a heavenly fellowship and it is pleasing to the Lord, just as the fellowship of like-minded people is enjoyable to us.

If we say we love God and enjoy His company, and we do not obey God or cooperate with His Spirit in putting to death the deeds of our fleshly nature, there is a question about whether we really love God after all (I John 2:15).

The maturing of Christ in us, which is the same as the maturing of the fruit of the Spirit, will create in our personality a heavenly attitude radiating blessing and good will toward all God's creatures, and terror toward the workers of darkness.

If this kind of attitude and actions is being developed in us, our ruling with Christ over the nations of the earth will bring about the kind of environment for earth's peoples that God desires. There will be a peaceful, happy, and righteous spiritual and social environment. Persons who, through Christ, can accomplish such a government, will be clothed by the Spirit of God with a body of eternal life and invested with Divine authority and power over the earth.

The "dew" of the Holy Spirit on the grave of a saint is as the natural dew on a plant—it will result in return to life.

Thy dead men will live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. (Isaiah 26:19)

To be continued.