“In the same way that we've worked from our earthy origins, let's embrace our heavenly ends." 1 Corinthians 15:49 (MSG)
(NOTE: “the last Adam, the life-giving Spirit “ to which the apostle Paul refers is Jesus)
Here’s the pattern. Adam was formed out of the earth and humanity grew from Adam. (even the most recent secular research appears to confirm common ancestry) Then, 2000 years ago, God became a man . . . this is the Grande Miracle which we call the incarnation. People who believe in and follow this God/man Jesus receive His Spirit and are thereby put onto the path of being transformed into the character of God.
At death, the “you”, which has been in the process of being transformed into the image of Christ, enters into a state of rest and refreshment in the temporary intermediate “heaven” of which the Bible speaks. This state, it must be emphasized is not the end state, not the goal, not our final destiny.
The Bible does not end with believers going to heaven when they die and then staying there.
When Jesus, the current ruler of the cosmos, comes to complete the task of defeating evil and restoring the universe, including planet earth and its inhabitants, (we call this the “second coming”), then believers will receive a new body and be relocated onto the resurrected earth with joys and responsibilities of living together in joy and harmony as they join God in the ongoing creation of the cosmos.
Wow, that is really deep! As a Catholic growing up, I believed in heaven as my final destiny and not as a place of temporary rest.
ReplyDeleteI was taught about "Purgatory",as a temporary place for those who weren't quite good enough to go directly to heaven! Is there any connection there?
Susan,
ReplyDeletegood question and I see where you see a connection. In an around the 10th century AD some church theologians saw the need to figure out how a sinful human could immediately be transformed into holiness, so they "invented" purgatory. Perhaps the biblical concept of first heaven, then resurrection played into, but I'm not sure. Yet I'm so glad you "got" the point which is the really good news. We don't just languish in some ethereal, disembodied state. No, humans are built for creativity and activity and spiritual/material beign. Matter was created to be good and it too will be redeemed and restored. Your destiny is to be physically alive on a recreated earth joining God and others in the continuing, ongoing, management and creativity of the universe. That's what the bible means when it says, "we will rule with Him"