The greatest most sought-after questions humanity asks itself are: What happens to me and my loved ones after death? What is our ultimate destiny in this universe? For the 6,000 years of humanity people have wanted to know what happens next. God has NOT left us uniformed as to His desire and goal for each and every one of us as it is His good pleasure to give us the Kingdom (Luke 12:32). God has made our destiny clear, we are to be adopted into His family and we are to help rule His kingdom of God as Kings and Priests forever and ever. This destiny, given to us directly from the Word of God is so much more comprehensive and wonderful than any other “life after death” belief man has devised. This destiny of man has been hidden from mankind by the deception of Satan since the Garden of Eden. God has revealed it to His people and His people preach and teach it every single Sabbath day: We know it as the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the coming Kingdom of God!
We need to know what God has promised and to whom is His promise made.
Part 1) The Promise to Abraham: We possess the same inheritance in the Kingdom of God that Abraham was promised. Gal. 3:16 and 27-29 Paul makes it very clear, the Christians of the Church of God are the heirs of the promise of Abraham! All people who are baptized into the body of Christ are heirs with Abraham. Jews, gentiles, males, females, all races and all peoples are “heirs according to the promise”. We are to inherit whatever was promised to Abraham. Jesus confirmed these promises made unto the fathers (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, see Gen. 26: 2-5 and 35: 9-12) are valid for both Israelite and Gentile alike (Rom. 15: 8-12; Eph. 2:19).
What was the promise of God made to Abraham? First in Gen. 12:6-7 God gave “land” to Abraham. Second, God expanded the inheritance in Gen. 13:14-15 to “all the land” that Abraham could see from the mountain top. God promised this land to Abraham and his seed (descendants) “forever”. A third expansion of the inheritance is given to Abraham in Gen. 15:18 the land from the Nile to the Euphrates. The inheritance is continuing to expand! We are Christ’s and we are Abrahams’ seed (Gal. 3:29). This is the beginning of our spiritual inheritance with God. How far does the Kingdom of God, the inheritance of Abraham’s seed expand? We see in Romans 4:12-13 that Abraham and his seed would inherit the “world” through the righteousness of faith. Jesus Christ is the giver of the Kingdom of God and the future inheritance for Abraham. The Greek word translated as “world” in this context is Kosmos, or the universe. Daniel 7:14, 18, 27 tells us the Kingdom of God will rule forever and ever and the saints (Christians, the called-out ones of God) will possess it forever and it will expand forever throughout the universe.
The inheritance of Abraham and his spiritual seed is not just the land of Israel but the entire world and the universe. God made this promise to Abraham because Abraham obeyed Hic commandments (Gen. 26:5). We are heirs together with Abraham!
Part 2) Has Abraham or anyone else received their inheritance yet? No! Starting with the first lie told to mankind in the Garden of Eden by Satan, man has been deceived by Satan as to our future with God. We are to be a part of God’s family through adoption. In Genesis 3:1-4 we read where the serpent beguiled Eve and told her she would NOT die. This is the beginning of the false doctrine of mankind having an immortal soul. It is this foundational lie of Satan the Devil, the deceiver of man (Eph. 2:2, II Cor. 4:4 and Rev. 12:9), that humanity has in inherent immortal soul and thus when one dies, we go to either heaven and live forever with God or to hell and live forever with Satan. The false doctrines of the “immortal soul, “heaven” and “hell” are the result of Satan’s lie to Eve in the Garden of Eden. See the www.cscog7.org one-page Biblical studies on the #1 Immortal Soul, #2 Heaven and #3 Hell for a full Biblical explanation of these subjects. The false doctrine of the immortal soul, heaven and hell, given by Satan to Eve has prevented mankind from knowing the true knowledge and destiny God has in store for us.
We all die and return to dust after our physical life ends (Gen. 3: 19). We then await the coming resurrection at either the return of Jesus Christ (I Thes.4: 13-18, I Cor. 15: 50-53) or at the final judgement of mankind (Rev. 20. 12-15). “For as in Adam, all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive (I Cor. 15:22). “For the living know they will die: but he dead do not know anything…” (Eph. 9:5-6). Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are all dead and dust and awaiting their resurrection to the family of God at the return of Jesus Christ. We know for a certain fact they have NOT yet received their promise because the Bible says so. Hebrews 11 is known as the faith chapter and much of it has to do with Father Abraham. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sara all “died in the faith not having received the promises, but having seen them a far off” (Heb. 11:8-13). Abraham is dead, John 8:52-53. King David is dead, Acts 2:29, 30. Hebrews 11 tells us of the faithful to God, Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sara, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gedeon, Barak, Samson, Jephthae, David, Samuel, the prophets and in verse 39 AND THESE ALL, HAVING OBTAINED A GOOD REPORT THROUGH FAITH, RECEIVED NOT THE PROMISE; God having provided something better for us, that they without us should not be made perfect (Heb. 11:39-40).
No one as of yet has received the promised inheritance to Abraham and his seed. What did the author of Hebrews mean by “something better for us”?
Part 3: What does God have in store for His faithful and when does this happen?
God’s faithful will be (A) resurrected to eternal life with Jesus Christ at the second coming of Jesus. The resurrected saints of God will (B) live forever as a part of God’s family and (C) will take part in ruling the earth and the ever-expanding Kingdom of God.
- The resurrection of the saints to His eternal Kingdom. Paul tells us in I Thes. 4:13-18 and I Cor 15: 12-14, 16-17,50-52 about the resurrection of the dead to eternal life with Jesus. We should be comforted by these words. This is the first resurrection to life spoken of in Rev. 20:4. This resurrection occurs at the return of Jesus and begins the 1,000-year reign over earth by Jesus and His family of believer’s (Rev. 20:4-5).
- The newly resurrected saints are the adopted family of God. Abraham was unconditionally promised by God that he would receive his reward and we have the same reward as
Abram because Abram kept His commandments, statutes and laws (Gen. 26:5). God has made us “heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:7). One of the most remarkable passages in the Bible is found in Romans 8 and plainly tells us God’s plan for mankind. Rom. 8:14-18 “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father, The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ: if so be that we suffer with him, that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” We will be the “sons of God” (John 1:12). Sons of God, children of God, heirs of His Kingdom (Gal. 4:5-7; II Cor. 6:18). Jesus states in Rev. 21:7 “He that over cometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son”. A Kingdom has four distinct parts: 1) Land, 2) subjects, 3) Law and 4) a Ruler (king). The resurrected sons and daughters of God will inherit the Kingdom of God with Jesus and Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God’s Kingdom will be here on EARTH and begins at the return of Jesus Christ and His resurrecting of the saints and called out ones of God (John 14:3; Zech. 14:4,5,9; Matt. 5:5; 25:31,34; Acts 2:11-12). What will the “glory which shall be revealed in us” be? Romans 6:5 “For if we have been planted together in his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:” We will be like Christ in a spiritual body that can not die which lives forever as a part of the family of God! This is the destiny of man which Satan has tried to hide. This is the ultimate destiny of man which led Satan to lie to Eve and prepare a false gospel about an immortal soul. We can not even come close to perceiving what all God has prepared for His obedient saints (I Cor. 2:9-10). What does Jesus say about the adopted family of God? He says “Ye are gods” (John 10:34 and Psalm 82:6). - God’s newly resurrected family will take part in ruling the earth and the ever-expanding Kingdom of God. “And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed “(Dan. 7:14). “But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even for ever and ever” (Dan. 18, 22,27). God’s kingdom is an “everlasting kingdom” and the saints “possess” it with Him. God promised us eternal life with Him before the world began and He cannot lie (Titus 1:2). Concerning the faithful family of God, “…and they shall reign for ever and ever” (Rev. 22:5c). The resurrected saints of God will not just idly “sit around” they will RULE this earth with Jesus Christ as their King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Look closely at Rev. 5:10 “And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.” Do we comprehend the gift God is giving to His people? The gift of being in His glorious family as His adopted children. The gift of helping to rule this earth as literal KINGS and PRIESTS of God! “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man: That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height: And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen” (Ephesians 3:14-21).
The God given destiny of mankind is more than we can imagine. We are to become actual adopted members of the family of God and to live forever like Him in spiritual bodies ruling this earth as His servant Kings and Priests for ever and ever and ever. Amen.
“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, Counselor, The mighty God, The ever-lasting 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 forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this” (Isaiah 9:6-8).
Glory, glory halleluiah, His truth is marching on! For the fate of those who will be called of God later see www.cscog7.org one-page Biblical study titled “Final Judgement”.
