By Rick Combs
Lately, I have become a big fan of the TV series, Heartland. It is now in its’ 14th season. One day while beginning to watch Season 5, my curiosity got the better of me and I decided to watch the last episode of Season 13. The 14th season had not launched yet. I found it fascinating to see where the characters, plots, situations had progressed to some 9 years later.
Then I went back to watching Season 5, episode 1. Something very interesting caught my attention. Having knowledge of the future of the Heartland show, gave me an entirely different outlook of where the show was in Season 5. I had a future perspective of the characters and what was happening to them.
Knowing the future gave me a proper perspective of the present!
This is what HOPE is; knowledge of the future that gives us a proper perspective of the present. It is God’s plan and purpose to reconcile all things – governmental structures – unto Jesus Christ that He might be all in all; the head of all creation. The time period is the “ages to come” – Ephesians 2:7. Beyond the Millennial – 1000 year reign of the Lord. God will bring heaven and earth together to function under one head; the Lord Jesus Christ (Revelation 21; Ephesians 1:11, 14, 18; Colossians 1:12; 3:24). Remember, creation consists of heaven and earth.
This is our heavenly inheritance! For all believers in Christ. Romans 8:17 says that we are “joint-heirs” with Christ meaning that we receive every spiritual blessing that Christ receives as a son of God. Thus, we are “blessed”, “accepted”, have an “inheritance”, and are “sealed” with the Holy Spirit. It is important to recognize that ALL believers in Christ are heirs of God, not just the ones who obey God while on earth. This is the case because heirship is based on faith, not on performance.
1 Corinthians 3:10-15 tells us that we all will appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ (2 Cor. 5:10; Romans 14:10-12) to be evaluated for our work here on earth and given positions in Christ’s Heavenly Government. The heavenly realm is HUGE! It will take multitudes of members of the Body to fill those positions forever. Our reward within that heirship is based upon how much sound doctrine we built up in our inner man.
1 Corinthians 5:1“For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens”. What Paul is saying; when our natural sinful body is in the grave, we will receive a new body (house) not made of temporary natural substance, but is fit for the heavens eternally.
Are you tired of that body of sin you have to carry around every day? I don’t know about you, but my body (flesh) gives me a lot of trouble! I can relate well with the Apostle Paul when in a state of exhaustion writes, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” (Romans 7:24) Well, I have good news! Philippians 3:21 proclaims, “Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself”.
Amazing! So, when you are going through hell, just keep going… to the other side. One day you will leave that old crusty sinful vile body behind for a new glorious resurrection body; just like the one the Lord Jesus has. Members of His Body are ONE with Him. We are so intimately connected to Him that it is beyond anything we can comprehend. In order to function in our duties in the heavenlies, we will need a body with the capabilities to operate in that realm.
Oh what a glorious day that will be!
Knowing the future gives us a proper perspective of the present!
Romans 15:13 “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost”.
Grace and peace unto you…