Everlasting Joy

Prophetic charts or time-lines usually end with the word eternity. This study delves into that endless future which lies beyond the charts. Even if this present creation endures for another thousand years, it cannot compare with that everlasting future hope which the Scriptures speak of again and again.

An endless future requires a new creation, one, which will never end. That is exactly what God intends to provide. “Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered nor will they come to mind” (Isa. 65:17 N.I.V.).

The Apostle John was given a preview of that tremendous event. He wrote, “I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away” (Rev. 21:1 N.I.V.).

Peter describes how this present creation will end. “The heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up…nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth” (11 Peter 3:10 N.K.J.V.).

The passing away of this old world and the creation of the new divide's the temporal from the eternal. It will be in the new creation that God's promise of an everlasting future will be realized. That is the ultimate hope of all God's people.

Keeping these things in mind, let us consider God's promise to Abraham, “I will give to you and to your descendants…all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession” (Gen. 17:8 N.A.S.). For this promise to be fulfilled, both the land, and its inhabitants must continue forever. This promise looks beyond this present earth and beyond this present life.

Did Abraham understand this? Certainly he did! “By faith he made his home in the promised land, like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (Heb. 11:9-10 N.I.V.).

Did he pass on this concept of God's promise to his descendants? The Scriptures show that he did! “From this one man…came descendants as numerous as the stars…all these people were still living by faith when they died…they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth…they were longing for a better country – a heavenly one” (Heb. 11:12-16 N.I.V.).

The following excerpts indicate that both Abraham and his descendants looked forward to a future beyond death:

When God tested Abraham's faith, by asking him to offer up Isaac as a sacrifice to God he was ready to do it because he, “reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death” (Heb. 11:19 N.I.V.).

Abraham imparted his faith to Isaac and Isaac passed it on to his two sons Jacob and Esau. “(With eyes of) faith, Isaac looking far into the future, invoked blessings upon Jacob and Esau” (Heb. 11:20 The Amplified Bible). And so on and on it went from generation to generation.

Hebrews, Chapter Eleven, presents a roll call of those counted righteous because of their faith. From Abel to Noah to Abraham, Moses, David, the prophets, and even includes the righteous of our day! “These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect” (Heb. 11:39-40 N.I.V.).

The full extent of the promise is revealed very clearly by the Apostle Paul, “It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith…so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed, to all Abraham's offspring…He is the father of us all. As it is written: 'I have made you a father of nations.' He is our father in the sight of God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were” (Rom. 4:13-17 N.I.V.).

To the Church in Rome Paul wrote, “…not all who are descended from Israel are Israel…it is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring” (Rom. 9:6-8 N.I.V.).

To the Gentile Christians in Galatia Paul said, “Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise” (Gal. 4:28 N.I.V.) “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Gal. 3:29).

To the Ephesians Paul revealed a mystery that God had revealed to him: one not well understood by previous generations. “This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise of Christ Jesus” (Eph. 3:1-6 N.I.V.).

God did not choose Abraham to be the father of nations because of his race but because he was a man of faith. It is not race but righteousness that comes through faith, which qualifies one to become an heir with Abraham of God's everlasting future.

David understood this. He wrote, “The righteous will inherit the land for ever” (Psa. 37:29 N.I.V.). It is one thing to inherit land but quite another to inherit it forever.

This was not an afterthought but an integral part of God's plan from the very beginning. It was vividly portrayed by the tree of life, which was already there in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit. After their fall they were driven out of Eden and away from the tree of life lest they eat of that tree and “live forever” (Gen 3:22-24).

The tree of life, which is the promise of eternal life, will not be available to us again until we enter God's presence in the new creation. This was the Spirit's message to the churches, “To him that overcomes I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God” (Rev. 2:7 N.I.V.)

John saw that tree in his vision of God's greater creation. “The angel showed me the river of the water of life…flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb…on each side of the river stood the tree of life…and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations” (Rev. 22:1-2 N.I.V.).

In the new creation all of Abraham's offspring will have access to the tree of life. They will live forever! They will know the reality of these words from the wonderful hymn “Amazing Grace”:

When we've been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,

We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we first begun.

It may seem unnecessary to say, but the word everlasting really does mean forever. The Holy Spirit apparently saw the need to add such terms as “will never end” to prophecies, which speak of everlasting things to make certain we really do get the message! For example:

“Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom…forever” (Isa. 9:7 N.I.V.).

“The Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end” (Luke 1:32,33 N.I.V.).

“His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away and his kingdom is one that will not be destroyed” (Daniel 7:14 N.I.V.).

Why would an eternal Being plan for anything less? One “to whom a thousand years are like the flight of yesterday, like an hour passing in the night” (Psa. 90:3,4 Moffatt).

Many will ask, “How about the millennium”?

The millennium most people visualize will end in rebellion and flames. Dr. C.I. Scofield, who was an avid proponent of an earthly millennial reign, closed his chapter on that subject with these words, “Now in conclusion, are you asking me to tell you what is to be the end of all this? Alas, dear friends, one shrinks from opening that page, but it must be” (P 117 Addresses on Prophecy).

One aspect of an earthly reign would involve the co-existence of mortals with celestial beings. When we consider Scriptures, which speak of images, that seems very unlikely.

God said. “Let us make man in our own image…So God created man in his own image…male and female he created them” (Gen. 1:26-27 N.I.V.).

Then came sin. And then we read, “When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image” (Gen. 5:3 N.I.V.). Let's face it, today we are more like Adam than we are like God. Being like God is essential to our future hope.

Paul wrote, “Just as each of us now has a body like Adam's we shall some day have a body like Christ's” (1 Cor. 15:49 The Living Bible).

John said, “We know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2 N.I.V.).

John had already seen him before and after his resurrection. He wrote, “I myself have seen him with my own eyes…I have touched him with my own hands” (1 John 1:1 The Living Bible).

John looked forward to seeing him as he will be when he comes in power and glory.

Mary Magdalene saw Jesus after his resurrection and her first thought was that he was the gardener. No one will ever mistake Jesus for a gardener again!

In Hebrews 2:9 we read, “We see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor” (N.I.V.).

As Jesus' earthly ministry was coming to a close, he prayed, “Now glorify Thou Me, Father, with Thine own glory which I had in Thy presence before the world existed” (John 17:5 The Berkeley Version).

Will Jesus lay aside his heavenly glory again to mingle with mortals once more? No! Never! “He comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels” (Luke 9:26 N.I.V.).

His glory will be second to none. John saw two previews of his future heavenly glory, but only in a vision. Peter, James and John all saw the first vision. “His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as light”. Jesus told them to tell the vision to no one until after his resurrection. (Matt. 17:1-9 New K.J.V.).

Later, John saw a vision of him after his ascension into the heavens. “His eyes were like a flame of fire…His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead” (Rev. 1:14-17 N.I.V.).

These were previews of Jesus heavenly glory – and of ours, too! We shall be like him; “The righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matt. 13:43 N.I.V.).

Peter wrote, “When the chief shepherd shall appear you shall receive a crown of glory that will never fade away” (1 Peter 5:4 N.I.V.).

Jesus became like us so that some day we might become like him. In fact, that is the only way we can ever live in his glorious presence. “This mortal must put on immorality (1 Cor. 15:53 K.J.V.).

Even angelic beings overwhelm mere mortals. “An angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightening…The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men” (Matt. 28:2 N.I.V.).

We will not be like angels only; we shall be like Jesus. “Just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven” (1 Cor. 15:49 N.I.V.).

This is not only an exciting future hope, but, an absolute necessity. Moses wanted to see God but God said to him, “No man can see me and live” (Ex. 33:20).

This is why Paul wrote, “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God nor can the perishable inherit the imperishable” (1 Cor. 50:50 N.I.V.).

Entrance into that future kingdom requires a resurrection of the dead and the transformation of the living. “The trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Cor. 15:52 K.J.V.).

That is our inheritance: “Having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Tit. 3:7 N.K.J.V.).

“We who are refugees from this dying world…grasp the hope that he holds out to us. This hope we hold as the utterly reliable anchor for our souls” (Heb. 6:17-19 Phillips).

God gave John a wonderful vision that is the center piece of our hope. “I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away…a great voice from heaven said, 'Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them and they shall be his people…and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things have passed away” (Rev. 21:1-4 K.J.V.).

What a wonderful day it will be when, “The ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away” (Isa. 35:10 K.J.V.).

So far all we see are little hints of something beyond imagination. There are so many types and shadows of things to come, that is overwhelms us. The deliverance from Egypt, the tabernacle in the wilderness, the temple, the priests, the sacrifices, the king, the throne, the kingdom, the land, the miracles of Jesus, the church, the good news of the gospel, the promise of an everlasting future all look forward to something better and greater and more glorious.

“Now we see but a poor reflection; then we shall see face to face” (1 Cor. 13:12 N.I.V.).

“As for me…I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness” (Psa. 17:15 K.J.V.).