ETERNAL
INHERITANCE –WHEN?
15 And
for this cause he is the mediator of the new
testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the
transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might
receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
One cannot read the Scriptures long before they read of God ‘s promise
made to Abraham whereby he promises him a city whose builder and maker is God.
There are many passages in Holy Writ which speak of this eternal inheritance
that awaits those who belong to Christ.
But when is this inheritance received in its fulfillment?
We want to examine this promise that was made to Old Testament saints
and see if we can determine when and to whom was or is this promise of eternal
inheritance made.
In Hebrews 11 we read there that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were heirs of
this promise and that “they all died in faith, not having received the
promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and
embraced them..” Then throughout this chapter, called by many
expositors the “hall of faith” we read of the many trials of faith many went through
waiting for the promised inheritance.
In verse 35 we read this is stated as “a better resurrection” which
is the heart of the promise. Then in
verses 39-40 we read “And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not
the promise, God having provided some better things for us, that they without
us should not be made perfect.”
The point we want to emphasize is that Old Testament Israel, to whom
this promise was made, all died not
receiving this promise of a better city and a better resurrection. But can it
still be said that those that have died in faith are still awaiting a
fulfilment of this promise or is the promise completely fuflilled at the cross
and all that have died have now received the promise?
It would be important to look at how Paul viewed this hope
and see if indeed he thought Old Testament saints have received the promise. In
Acts 23:6 “ But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other
Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the
son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in
question.” We can see from this passage
that it was for the hope and
resurrection of the dead that Paul was being questioned on. Note his similar language in chapter
24 verse 21 “Except it be for his one
voice, that I cried standing among them, Touching the resurrection of the dead
I am called in question by
you this day.” Again showing that what he was persecuted for preaching was this
hope of Israel the resurrection of the
dead.
One further verse needs to be looked at to show that Paul was in fact
preaching a future hope of Israel which the Old Testament saints never had come
to embrace but were still waiting for it. In Acts 26:6-8 we read “And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise
made of God unto our fathers: Unto which promise our
twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come. For which
hope’s sake, king Agrippa, I am
accused of the Jews. Why should it be thought a thing incredible
with you, that God should raise the
dead.”
So we can
see from these passages that the hope of Israel, which the Old Testament saints
had not yet received and
were
eagerly waiting for, was the resurrection of the dead. It was the promised
inheritance, which was the city that
hath
foundations was what the saints that have all gone before us have a hope for.
But when is this to be realized? Isn’t it when one dies and
goes to heaven that they receive all these promises? When Paul spoke in Acts 26
that was obviously not the case for he said that the 12 tribes were hoping to
come to that promise and nothing in the context points to merely waiting to die
but rather waiting for the resurrection of the dead. If we fail to see that the
hope of Israel, the eternal inheritance is tied to the promise of the
resurrection of the dead we will fail to see when this hope is fulfilled and if
there are any recipients of that hope.
That brings us to the New Heavens and New Earth promises
which are a direct link to where the faithful “inherit all things.” In Hebrews
11:15 And
truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they
might have had opportunity to have returned.
But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore
God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.”
There are two things we
need to observe in these two verses and see their link to the New Heavens and
New Earth. The first is the phrase “God is not ashamed to be called their
God.” In Revelation 21:3 in the New Heavens and New Earth “and
they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their
God.” We see similar language here where in Hebrews God is called their God and
in Revelation he will “be their God.”
But there is another similarlity and that is the phrase in Hebrews 11:16
“prepared for them a city.” In Revelaton 21:2 the holy city new Jersusalem is “prepared as a bride adorn
for her husband.” We see here the similar statements of a prepared city where
God will be their God. Is this not ample proof that the New Heavens and
New Earth is in fact what the fulfilled promise of eternal inheritance is? In
verse 7 we read “He who overcometh will inherit all things.” There again is
another reference to the inheritance awaiting those that have gone before.
When one looks at the Old
Testament promises of the New Covenant such as Jeremiah 31:31ff and similar
passages, they will see the similar language that John uses in Revelation 21
clearing indicating a connection between the New Covenant and the New Heavens
and New Earth.
So what do we have so far?
We have OT saints waiting for the hope of Israel, the resurrection of the dead
where they will receive their inheritance, where and when God will be called
their God, where they will be called his people and where he has prepared a
city for them the New Jersusalem.
But isn’t this heaven where
all of those that have died in the faith enter into at death? If one does not
hold to a fulfilled eschatology and believes that there are still promises in
the bible yet unfulfilled, such as the New Heavens and New Earth and the resurrection
of the dead, then there is no basis to say one enters this eternal state upon
death. But we do believe that those dying in the Lord do in fact receive all
these promises because we believe that all prophecy and all promises have been
fuflilled including the resurrection of the dead.
We now set out to show that
this is the biblical position and to deny it is to fall into the error of soul
sleep for those who have died in faith or to believe in some intermediate state
for them at this present time. A state in which they are not in the presence of
the Lord.
The section of Scripture
that we want to next examine as proof of our assertion is 1Peter 1. In this first chapter of first Peter we
have overwhelming evidence to support
the concept that the receiving of the
inheritance by the saints of God, which
includes the salvation of the soul, was expected in the lifetime of those then
living. In verse 4 he speaks of an inheritence that is reserved for them in
heaven. Then in verse 5 he speaks of a salvation that is ready to be revealed.
Then in verse 9 he qualifies all this by speaking of the saints receiving the
end of their faith the salvation of their souls. Then he goes on in verse 10 to
speak of this salvation saying that it is the very salvation the Old Testament
prophets spoke of. Verse 12 is a verse that we believe is seldom looked at in
the context. He says there that the prophets had it revealed that the salvation
was “not unto themselves but unto US….”
Peter is quite clear that it was to those first century Christians, the
US, that this salvation of the soul
(verse 9) that the Old Testament Prophets spoke of would be realized.
Now for those that still
are not convinced the next verse closes the case. He then says “Wherefore…” and gives some admonitions “..gird up
the loins of your mind, be sober, and HOPE
TO THE END for the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation
of Jesus Christ..”
Now we ask this question to
our readers “the end of what?” They were to hope to the end for a grace to be
brought to them. And at the end how was it going to be brought to them? By the
revelation of Jesus Christ. So the
revelation of Jesus Christ comes at the end of something at which time the
grace (salvation of the soul verse 9, the inheritance verse 4) will be brought
to them.
It is quite clear that the
resurrection of the dead, the hope of Israel, the inheritance, the new heavens
and new earth and the second coming of Christ ( the revelation of Jesus
Christ), and final salvation are all tied together. This is not denied by any
Christian regardless of their eshatological view. But we ask when was this said to take place. At the end of
what? If it is indeed the end of the
Christian age, which is the end of the physical heavens and earth then there is
a real important question that needs to be addressed and it is this:
“Since
the the first century Christians died not receiving this promise since the
revelation of Jesus Christ has not happened yet then have they received this
grace that was to be brought to them at that revelation of Jesus Christ?”
To
say yes is to say they received it apart from the second coming of Christ and
the resurrection of the dead. But what
many want is to say that a believer goes to be with the Lord upon death in some
intermediate state but to do so denying past fulfillment of prophecy is to say that the believer enters the presence of God before they have received
“the grace that is being brought to you…” which is the “salvation of their
souls.” This is the dilemma of the futurist who does not believe in soul sleep.
He is stuck in the middle between denying past fulfillment of prophecy but
still wanting those that died in the Lord to receive their hope at death. Peter
told these saints to HOPE for this UNTO THE END when Christ was revealed. If
the revelation of Jesus Christ is received at death to saints now then on what
point in redemptive history did this take place? We know from Hebrews 11 that
the faithful of the Old Testament “all died in faith not receiving the
promises….” Heb 11:13, so what happened that makes those to whom Peter was
writing ones that died in faith RECEIVING
the promises? This is a question that cannot be ignored by those that
embrace the futurism of the promise.
Some will point to the cross as the point at which saints receive the
promise. But if that is the case why did Paul state in Acts 26 that the 12
tribes were still awaiting the hope of the promise?
We
know a most dear and precious servant of the Lord, serving God in His church as
a pastor that has acknowledged that a believer receives his glorified body at
death. Now this dear brother does not embrace all the tenets of fulfilled
eschatology, but he has acknowledged that when one dies they enter eternity and
therefore are above time so they are now in their final state. He stated that
from the eternity side all the saints enter eternity at the same moment ,
after time is finished. Now we deeply
respect this dear brother more than any other we know but there is an
inconsistency in this if one does not embrace all the tenets of fulfilled
eschatology. The inconsistency is the one we just mentioned about the Old
Testament saints. We know they did not receiving the promise and Hebrews
11:39-40 tells us why “And all these,
having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God
having provided some better things for us, that they WITHOUT US should not be
made perfect.” Another inconsistency is that in the New Testament eternal life
is called a hope (Titus 1:3 1John 2:25) and a hope that is seen is not a hope.
So a saint dies before the fulfillement of that hope, the second coming of
Christ, then they are not in possession of eternal life yet and cannot be in
the presence of God who “inhabits eternity.”
So
there is a big dilemma and an inconsistency for any that reject fulfilled
redemption for a futurist fulfillment of the “one hope “of the gospel. They are
forced to say that no saint has as yet received any of the promises that are fulfilled at the resurrection,
second coming and the bringing in of the New Heavens and New Earth for as we
have seen it is in there that God is promised to be their God and they are
promised to be his people.
But
those that embrace fulfilled redemption and past fulfillment know that at the
comsumation of the Old Covenant Christ came to complete the work he started at
the cross which was to “finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins,
and to make reconcilation for iniquity, and to BRING IN EVERLASTING
RIGHTEOUSNESS….”
And
this he did indeed that is why when one dies in faith he immediately is in the
full presense of the Lord of glory forever and forever.
Please direct your comments to Mike
Krall.