Can anyone prove heaven is our eternal home?

The closest scripture I can find to the saints being in heaven (not the same as living/residing in heaven mind you) is in Revelation.

I've always been taught that the elect "go to heaven" immediately after death. I can't find much scripture supporting that either.

Rev. 6:9-11

"When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, 'O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?' Then they were each given a white robe and TOLD TO REST a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been."

Notice the slain saints are not walking around in heaven. They are told to REST a little longer.

Rev. 15:2

"And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire-and also THOSE WHO HAD CONQUERED the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps in their hands."

This is AFTER the tribulation (after the 2nd coming).

Rev. 7:9-10

"After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands"

Rev. 7:13-14 describes who they are (when they are)

"Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, 'Who are these, clothed in white robes and from where have they come? I said to him, 'Sir, you know.' And he said to me, 'THESE ARE THE ONES COMING OUT OF THE GREAT TRIBULATION. They have washed their clothes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."

Post-tribulation saints...

Rev. 7:15 describes their role

"Therefore they are before the throne of God,
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence."

And where will the throne be?

Rev. 20:4-5

"Then I saw thrones and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. THEY CAME TO LIFE AND REIGNED WITH CHRIST FOR A THOUSAND YEARS. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended."

So I guess I have a few questions:

1. Can anyone show where the Bible says we will live in heaven with God (or that anyone else who has lived in an earthly body is currently in heaven).

2. What is the point of the "resurrection of the righteous" if we can just instantly beam to heaven when we die? ("flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God" 1 Cor 15:50)

3 What is the point of a judgement if the wicked are automatically thrown into punishment after death (as so many teach)?

Thanks!

John 14:1-4 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

Do you believe?

The answer to your question is no it cannot be proved, it takes faith, "by this you know that you have eternal life"

1 John 5:10-15 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

Ask for assurance.

In Christ: Phillip

Christinyou - I do believe and I have assurance.

I did not mean to discuss salvation but rather WHERE salvation will be lived out and WHEN we will receive the inheritance.

And by proof, I mean evidence in the scripture (I'm not trying to be Thomas here).

njhoover,

You start to live out/walk out your salvation the moment you are born-again and the Spirit of God is given to you as an "earnest of your inheritance".

In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. Eph 1:13-14

'Earnest' there is from the Greek word 'Arrabon' - this is Gk. word No 728 in Strong's Concordance system. The meaning is 'pledge' or 'part of the full purchase money – or property – given in advance as security that the full amount will indeed be paid.'

Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. 2Co 1:21-22

From Hebrews 11
vs 1 “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.”

vs 6 “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

Such magnificent realities of God cannot be measured (or proven) by our natural and rational senses. There is no “objective” proof for one in a state of unbelief. We come to know as we accept this by faith – through a life of surrendered trust in our God.

By the time one can "prove" it (ie for a skeptic), it's too late - wouldn't you say?

Diane

How about this one in Hebrews:

Hbr 12:23 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels,
12:24 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn [who are] registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect,

The heavenly Jerusalem, where the Church of The Firstborn (Jesus) are!.

Also Ephesians tells us that we have ALRAEDY been raised up and are seated in Christ in the heaven.

Eph 2:6 and raised [us] up together, and made [us] sit together in the heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus,

So When we leave this mortal life we just catch up to where we already belong. Like going home we say! Like an ambassador who serves and lives in a foreign country, when we retire we go back to our heavenly home. Praise God!

The following doesn't sound like we are going to be in heaven but on the earth reigning with our King!....

• To him that OVERCOMETH will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. (Rev 2.7)

• He that OVERCOMETH shall not be hurt of the second death. (Rev 2.11)

• To him that OVERCOMETH will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. (Rev 2.17)

• He that OVERCOMETH and keepeth my works UNTO THE END, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. (Rev 2.26)

• He that OVERCOMETH the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. (Rev 3.5)

• Him that OVERCOMETH will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. (Rev 3.12)

• To him that OVERCOMETH will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. (Rev 3.21).

• He that OVERCOMETH shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. (Rev 21.7)

God bless,
Lisa

PS: A good book that goes into great detail about this is "The Crucible and the Crown." Used at amazon.com it's 3.99 + 3.99 s/h.
http://www.amazon.com/Crucible-Crown-Church-Tribulation/dp/0967354803/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1320769786&sr=8-4

Well, I can prove it isn´t, does that help? :-)

"Rev 21:1-3 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. (2) And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. (3) And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God."

It seems clear from the end of Revelation that our 'eternal' home will be the new Earth and God will dwell amongst us. What that new earth will be like, is probably impossible to imagine, especially as we consider what the Lord appeared like at the beginning of Revelation. Both Jerusalem and the Bride are pictures of the church, so this picture is very clear.

I have focussed on your word 'eternal' and the time from Rev 21 onwards is clear. Until then, there is perhaps more to debate.

Kind regards
Mike

I made a bo-bo using the word "inheritance." I know we receive part of our inheritance in part when we become followers of Christ.

The main reason I started this thread is because I have a concept of where we live out eternity and I wanted to see if people much wiser than I am could shoot holes in it.

From my understanding of the scriptures, the ONLY time we go to heaven is immediately following the resurrection of the righteous. Then we spend the rest of the time (1) reigning on earth with Christ in the millennium and (2) living with him and the Father in New Jerusalem on the new earth.

Jesus tells us in John 14 that in his Father's house are many mansions and that he goes to prepare a place for us. SO, where that physical location is matters not to me. I just know it will exceed our most wonderful imagination and that is good enough for me. :-)

Does a saint get there upon death? Good question! Since I am unsure what will happen to the spirit upon the body's decease, I just know that it belongs to God and he will take good care of it. :-)

I love the fact there will be no sin in heaven, nor anything that makes a lie. The weather will be perfect...no floods or hurricanes or tornadoes, or tears..it just will be wonderful. If we believe this why do we allow so many stupid things distract us from our goal? (And what is meant by stupid? I will let you decide - I suspect its identity will differ amongst us all.)

The problem I have with using 2 Corinthians 5:8 to support an instantaneous heaven dwelling is 1 Corinthians 15:50 "flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable."

That says to me, without our imperishable bodies, we cannot inhabit the kingdom of God.

As for Luke 23:43, there's no way the verse means the thief would be with Jesus THAT day in heaven.

The ESV translates the passage as, "And he said to him, 'Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.'"

Notice the placement of the comma. It indicates the translator's assumption that the thief went immediately to heaven with Jesus. In the Greek, there are no such punctuation marks to indicate this is the case.

John 20:17 says, "Jesus said to her, 'Do not cling to me, FOR I HAVE NOT YET ASCENDED to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'’”

And John 3:13 says, "NO ONE HAS ASCENDED into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man."

Therefore, it is impossible for the thief to have been in heaven that day - regardless of whether you think we go to heaven instantly after death.

Neil, I agree with you somewhat. I think you can believe God, be dependent on Him, in love and reverential awe, know that the Blood of Jesus cleanses all sin and be released from the bonds of death AND still be interested in questions like "do we go immediately to heaven when we die or not" etc...

"2Co 5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be *absent from the body*, and to be present with the Lord.

Why would anyone think that if we died tonight, that we wouldn't be "present with The LORD"?"

I think people read too much into this passage. If "soul-sleep" is what occurs to saints and sinners immediately after death, then the first thing you will experience after you die (as a saint) will be Christ. Thus: to be away from the body is to be with Christ. Once you have left your earthly body, the next conscious event you experience is to be with Christ.

"njhoover, just wondering if you believe in "soul sleep"?

I would wonder 'where' Elijah and Enoch took off 'to'.

I would wonder - Did Jesus have to 'wake up' Moses and Elijah to appear on the Mount with Him in front of His disciples.

I also wonder why you would think that The Saints in Rev 7 are those 'after the Coming of The LORD and after the resurrection' and not in Heaven - when this is still the period of the sixth seal - before the 7 trumpets are given to the 7 angels... if you're post-trib."

Jesus-is-GOD, yes I do believe in soul sleep as is supported by the Old Testament belief in Sheol as well as 1 Corinthians 15:51 and Acts 7:60.

Enoch and Elijah can be explained by John 3:13 ("No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.") and 2 Corinthians 12:2 ("I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the THIRD HEAVEN"). There are 3 heavens: the sky (1), outer space (2), God's abode (3). I think Enoch and Elijah are in one of the first 2.

I believe the appearance of Moses and Elijah at the transfiguration can be explained as a vision. It may be the partial fulfillment of Luke 9:27 / Matthew 16:28 ("some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom"). The other fulfillment being John's Revelation.

Just because the saints appear in heaven in Revelation 7:14 - seemingly before the coming of the Lord - does not these scenes are in chronological order. For instance: the plagues of the Seven Bowls (15:1-16:21) may be a retelling of the plagues of the Seven Trumpets (Rev 8:1-11:19). Notice what the elder says to John, "These are they which CAME OUT of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." The passage does not make it clear whether the saints which came out of the tribulation are slowly trickling in (as you suppose) or are the grand sum of saints following the second coming of Christ (as I believe).

Yes, I believe Christ will come after the tribulation.

Jesus-is-GOD I think you did a pretty good job at shooting down my proof-texts but I'm curious as to how you would explain the need for the resurrection of the righteous at all.

If we go to heaven immediately and receive our imperishable bodies right away then why resurrect our dead bodies at all? It seems pointless to me. They're just old useless bones and dust! Clearly if we're in heaven, there's no need to bring our sleeping/dead/resting/Sheol-dwelling souls to life either. Therefore, since neither body nor soul requires resurrection, the resurrection is not necessary!

We know that this is not the case as 1 Corinthians 15:13 says, "IF THERE IS NO RESURRECTION of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised."

A progressive resurrection of the righteous is not possible as 1 Corinthians 15:52 makes clear: "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, AT THE LAST TRUMPET. For the trumpet will sound, and the DEAD WILL BE RAISED IMPERISHABLE, and WE SHALL BE CHANGED."

These dead are raised and (then and only then) raised imperishable.

This trumpet can only be associated with Christ's return (each saint who dies isn't treated to a trumpet):

"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and WITH THE TRUMP of God: and the DEAD IN CHRIST SHALL RISE first: then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

I see a progression in that passage: trump > dead in Christ rise.

If the saints are already in heaven at the second coming and accompany Christ to earth, why does the text call them "dead" and why would they possibly need to "rise?" They're already (quite literally) risen and they have already received IMPERISHABLE bodies!

Just stuff to think about.

Jesus-is-GOD you have an interesting take and I cannot deny you've divided the word to arrive at your position.

As for Jude: most translations do not use the word "saints" to describe the 10 thousands that come with Christ. Instead most translations opt for "holy ones" (see for your self: http://bible.cc/jude/1-14.htm). Notably the KJV translates the word as "saints." I would argue that just like how Luke 23:45 is usually translated as "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise," with the comma before today indicating he was with Christ THAT DAY. The same is true for Jude 1:14 - the translation reflects the theological understanding (bias) of the translator.

The word used in Jude 1:14 is hagios which literally translates as set apart, holy or sacred. I would argue this means they are angels. This interpretation agrees with Matthew 25:31 ("When the Son of Man comes in his glory, AND ALL THE ANGELS WITH HIM..."). This doesn't completely shoot down your interpretation that they're saints, but just be aware of the ambiguous vocabulary.

"I know the language can sound confusing and make it appear that there's no one in Heaven now."

I don't think the language is confusing, but it's just a mater of interpretation I guess.

As for New Jerusalem - I think the fact that John saw it coming out of heaven (Rev. 21:2) is evidence enough that it's a tangible place.

I know Revelation 20:4-6 is pretty specific about who will be reigning, but given all Paul says about the first resurrection indicates to me that it will be these beheaded saints IN ADDITION to the rest of the "dead in Christ" who will reign with Christ for a thousand years.

Thanks for your time and insights.

Again: the translation reflects the translator's bias. H.R. Charles translates that same word as "holy ones."

Just remember: the Bible IS inerrant, but our TRANSLATIONS are just that - translations. Keep this in mind when you read the word like a child.

We are here on this Earth in the flesh, but we will ascend into the heavenlies in a glorified body, and sit on the very Throne of God Himself, even as it is written in Revelation 3:21 that we should.

Even the Apostle John did not know what we would become...think about that one.

Did the Apostle John not write to us and say: Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed WHAT we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we SHALL BE like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 1 John 3:2

And John was with Jesus on the mount of transfiguration and saw Jesus glorified...but he says what we are to become has not yet been revealed.

You see, what satan tried to steal away from God, God freely gives to us His elect saints, and this truly drives him insanely mad with such vile loathe and putrid hatred/vitriol.

And to which of these angels did God ever say “sit on my throne”?

... but The Lord Jesus tells us if we overcome the world, we will sit on His throne even as He overcame and is sat down on His Fathers throne.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%203:21&version=NKJV

The throne of God is in Heaven.

Quote:

"""So in other words what we have today... we dont know if we can trust it because it may not be accurate?"""

So, ask the Holy Spirit to confirm truth.

He will give us all truth, even truth we don't understand, and make it understandable.

In Christ: Phillip

"So in other words what we have today... we dont know if we can trust it because it may not be accurate?"

If the translations were inerrant we could just throw away the Greek Hebrew and Aramaic scriptures because what would be the use?

"The throne of God is in Heaven."

Yeah it's in heaven NOW. Scriptures are clear, we will be ruling with Christ on earth for the millennium AND THEN WHAT?

"I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God..." (Rev. 21:2)

And:

"And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it." (Rev 21:22)

So God will dwell on earth.

No heavenly abode required for the saints to sit on the throne of God.

"Well, that's good then. So can you see yet, that the Saints in Rev 6 & 7 are in Heaven and not asleep?"

No, I still don't think you're right.

"Your Verse - "And I saw **no temple therein**: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it." (Rev 21:22)"

I interpret this verse as referring to the post-millennium service of the saints, where there is no temple.

"Those in chpt 7 - Rev 7:15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His *TEMPLE*: and He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them."

I believe this verse refers to the saints' service in the third temple, described in Ezekiel and yet to be built, during the millennium.

"2Kings 2:11 - Elijah taken to Heaven."

Again, there are 3 heavens and it was impossible for anyone to go to heaven before Christ was risen (John 3:13).

"Eph 3:14,15 - Whole family in Heaven."

I don't think it's far fetched to say this refers to the angels (family in heaven) and men (family on earth).

"Luke 16:19-31 - A place of consciousness."

This is a parable - the purpose of which is to teach a lesson. If you assume the characters in this parable are real, you must also assume the characters in every parable are real from the wedding virgins to the vineyard owner.

The story's purpose is not to provide a literal description of what happens immediately after death, but as a lesson to the Israelites (rich man) of their fate for rejecting the covenant and God's adoption of the Gentiles (Lazarus, whose name means "he whom God helps").

Jesus-is-GOD you stated you believe we are disembodied spirits before the second coming of Christ either in heaven or hell (if my understanding of what you said is correct).
If this is true, why would the rich man need to lift up his EYES (Luke 16:23) or need water on his TONGUE (16:24). Why would Lazarus have a FINGER to dip in cool water?

Do we have spirit eyes, tongues and fingers?

Thanks for challenging me. I hope you don't think I'm hard headed for not agreeing with your interpretation of scriptures.

Njhoover I love making it simple and short. My stand is on this: I'll rather be absent from the body and present with the Lord. I guess yours will be to be absent from the body and sleeping in the dust waiting His return. Stephen saw something. When he was about to leave his body, he saw where he was headed and he prayed Christ to receive his spirit. Christ stood to do just that. I guess you don't sit to welcome relatives when they come visiting. You sit when the person is not welcomed. John saw the visions of heaven. It was one of the brethren, departed faithful soul that carried him about in heaven and even rebuked him when he tried to worship him. Maybe that was HOSEA or Isaiah or Zacharias. And don't bother about what the greek says, this brother that took John around in heaven will surely be one of the Saints coming wit Christ to rule. Love you. Thats my stand beloved.

If the Spirit of Christ is in us and is joined to our soul by the promised Holy Spirit, when we die does the spirit of Christ die and the Holy Spirit also, for we are His Temple? The body must die for flesh and blood cannot enter the kingdom of God, unless resurrected or it must be changed in the twinkling of an eye, either way we are eternally with the Lord, then and only then in body.

In Christ: Phillip

HezWelling on 2011/11/9 wrote:

"you are in dependence of Him....or not."

I am dependent on Him.

"you either fear Him in love and reverential awe......or not."

I have reverential awe toward God, but I do not fear God, for love cast out all fear. I love Him and He me.

1 JOHn 4:15-5:1
Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. THERE IS NO FEAR IN LOVE, BUT PERFECT LOVE CASTE OUT FEAR, BECAUSE FEAR INVOLVES PUNISHMENT, AND THE ONE WHO FEARS IS NOT PERFECTED IN LOVE. We love, because He first loved us. If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also. (NASU)

HezWelling WROTE: "either you know that the Blood of Jesus cleanses all sin....or not."

Yes, Jesus atoning blood has cleansed me of all my sins for all time.

HezWelling WROTE: "either God the Holy Ghost has released you from the bonds of death, that is the fear of death, the grip of it..............or not."

Yes, the Holy Spirit has released me from the bonds of death. And to Make this part clear, I reference Ephesians 4-12

4. He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.

God knew us, and chose us, before He created the foundation of the world [cosmos], that we would be Holy and Blameless before Him

5. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,

We were predestined to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to His kind will.

6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

And this God freely bestowed upon us in Jesus.

7. In HIM we have REDEMPTION THROUGH HIS BLOOD, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace

In Jesus we have redemption through His Blood, the forgiveness of our sins, by His rich graces we are redeemed

8 which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight

It's a gift to us, well planned out before time.

9 He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him,

He revealed this truth of his kind intention through Jesus Christ

10 with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth.

According to God's timing and plan etc.

11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will,

We Have Obtained an inheritance, as predestined according to God's will, work, and purpose

12 to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.

The early Christians receiving the fulfillment of the above plans of God first.

13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation — having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise

We listened to the message of truth (gospel), and we (Christians) believed Jesus's message, we were sealed in Jesus with the Holy Spirit that Jesus promised (the indwelling Paraclete, God in me).

14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory.

The Holy Spirit in us is Jesus pledge (i.e. Security down payment) of our inheritance until (the time of) the full ransom of Jesus's acquisition of us unto the praise of His glory.

Here is a more literal translation of Eph 1:14

"[from verse 13 - our being sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise = which in verse 14] is the pledge (from the Greek meaning - part of the purchase property given in advance as security for the rest) of our inheritance until the redemption of the acquisition.

Jesus paid the price for us on the cross, He sealed us as His possession by giving us the indwelling Holy Spirit, and He will give us our great inheritance when He redeems His acquisition of us at His 2nd coming.

Which means; We are already saved, sealed by the indwelling Holy Spirit, God in each Christian and our Helper and advocate, we are heaven bound, and none can take us from Jesus hand. We have already obtained rights to entering into the Kingdom when Jesus returns for us, and He will bring us into the Kingdom. God created the Kingdom at the same time He created the Cosmos. He sent us into the Cosmos to purify and refine us to do the good that HE desires us to do, and He predestined us to enter the Kingdom.