Eternal Pleasures at God's Right Hand

The phrase I am using as a title come from psalm 16 which was recorded by David. Like many scriptures it operates on multiple levels. The song is prophetic, its doctrinal yet also a personal spiritual declaration by a man who loved God and spent a lot of his time thinking about his personal relationship with His Creator.

The best known portion of the Psalm is the part quoted in Acts 2:25-28. This quotation confirms to us that its David's writing, and that it is/was inspired prophecy. The quotation is used to show that the death and resurrection of Jesus was foretold long before it happend. So, the psalm is important to us as an example of the unity of scripture even over a span of 10 centuries.

BUT, we do not want to overlook the meaning the words and emotions expressed in this psalm had for the man who wrote it... and to those of us who read it today. The psalm is part of the first collection of psalms generally understood to correspond with the days when David's life was full or tumoil. He was threatened daily by king Saul's who wanted to hunt him down and murder him. So, the meditations and thoughts here are from a person looking death in the face and finding God.

At the end of Psalm 16 there is a phrase I would like to explore with you. It comes after the portion quoted in Acts 2 regarding resurrection... and it dips a toe into what lays beyond resurrection. Let's read Psalm 16:11.

Today, I would like to explore with you the idea of "eternal pleasures at your right hand" [NIV]... or, "at your right hand pleasures forevermore" [NKJV].

What do you, or I, know about eternal pleasures that await us on the other side of resurrection? What can we know? Is there any way to actively, and realistically, contemplate, think about, meditate on, and look forward to eternity?

I think that most of what lays ahead for us cannot be known in any great detail at this time. We are limited, mortal beings, composed of flesh. We are not yet of spirit. There is only so much we ever could understand without misinterpreting what we are given. I also think that people who try to explore such things too deeply venture off into strange ideas that can lead themselves, and others, astray.

Most of humanity's speculations revolve around our notions about either pleasure [a state of being where there is only pleasure] or pain and suffering [a time and place where there is absolutely no pain or exposure to suffering].

Eastern religions [IE. Hinduism, Buddhism] focus on release from an endless cycle of pain and suffering [reincarnation and karma]. The release they teach [nirvana] is so complete that the end is to have your very personality anihilated and absorbed back into the universe. You gain peace when you stop thinking your own thoughts, having your own will etc..

Islam presents eternity as filled with sensual pleasures, food, drink, shade.... the emphasis on pleasures is especially focused on male desires. Its very simple and very primitive Note: Islam also teaches a version of hell.

Universal Christianity presents what lays ahead as a time filled with pleasures... but not sensual pleasures. Rather they focus on pleasures that take place in the realm of pure thought.  A great example of this is achieving bliss through gazing into the face of God... and merely being in His presence... a mystical and personal connection to God. Its an outlook deeply influenced by Platonic philosophy. Note: Universal Christianity also teaches their own version of hell.

All these human speculations are a mixture of truth and error. To stay true to the scriptures we must be careful... we must take the limited information provided... we must not try to fill in all the blanks... we may see some things… but we must rely on trust and faith in God for what remains unclear or unknown.

With that said I put it to you that we can build out the structure of our eternal hope in a meaningful and inspiring way. I think we can gain insight in the eternal pleasures at God's riht hand in the following limited ways:

I believe that the bible tells us those eternal pleasures come from good, positive, loving, connected relationships... between God and resurrected humans, but also among the resurrected human beings themselves. Eternity is not about a future of mental contemplation, or revelling in all the sensual pleasure we missed out on in the flesh, or the blissful ignorance of non-being.

Its about together in peace, harmony, and righteousness.

The scriptures tell us that we can understand certain spiritual matters through what we see in the created world. But that requires some effort of concentration. The created world is a mixture of pleasure and pain, joy and suffering... some people look at the same world and see only horror. We have to fix our eyes on what is good. In life we are given little glimpses of eternity through the good things we see in nature...

There is refreshment after a cool rain... there is playfulness among the animals God has placed among us... there is the joy of human love... a husband for his wife... a parent for their sons and daughters... a mother for her child… the company of friends. I know all such things have a darker flip side, but looking at the good that is there can help us envision God bestowed pleaures in eternity.

Romans 8:18-21 God promises a future when the creation itself wil be renewed. What will He change... I don't know. Can you envision a reality where there is only the good? Not completely.

Romans 8:22-25 Hope that is seen is not hope... We cannot see it now... or understand how it would all work... we may have fleeting moments when we can experience the thrill and joy of goodness, and we should hold on to those.

Romans 8:26-27 We are weak but through His spirit we can have faith... we must let faith fill in the blank areas where we do not understand. "I believe, help me in my unbelief". Allow yourself to trust and have confidence in God that there are indeed eternal pleasures at His right hand.

The gospels give us a glimpse into the relationship between God and human beings... but also the potential for relationships of human beings... one to another. Jesus was God made human and His fellowship with people was an example of what human beings are capable of.

The bible tells you that eternity will be filled with many, many children of God... all raised to eternal life... each with unique gifts and reward... but all bearing the mind and likeness of Christ... which is also the mind of God.

Because there will be many... because every one will be unique... there will be relationships... interactions among individuals. Can you contemplate a reality wherein every individual [including yourself] treats others as Jesus did?

To do that you have to make yourself a student of His life. Study the gospels to get the knowledge into your mind... BUT DON”T STOP THERE… start putting that knowledge into practice... practice walking as Jesus walked... then persevere when obstacles get in your way... let the love of God build up and grow in you... the love that will allow you to not only enjoy eternal pleasures... but to be a part of the eternal pleasure of others.

How God treated Israel is really an extension of the previous point.

The ups and downs of Israel and Judah are there for us to learn from. A lot of what we gather from our study of Israel's long history is a cautionary tale. IE. Don't let yourself fall into the same misakes they did!

Plus, when you understand that Jesus Christ was also the rock Who was with Israel in all their triumphs and all their failures... you can put that together with what you learn from the gospels to give yourself a fuller picture of your savior. The gospels only account for 18% of the bible... there is so much more information there!

When you read the OT carefully... and when you read with a mind not poisoned by bad theological assumptions... you will see that although there are moments of sterness and discipline... the history of Israel is the history of God's great love, His gifts, His blessings, His compassion, His patience, His mercy, His willingness to forgive and to eagerness to redeem.

All of these will be yours for etenity... this is how the Master of the Universe treats others. So there will be no need for fear, no need for tears. Because God is all this you can have confidence, peace, rest, and eternal pleasures for ever more.

Psalm 16:5-6 your portion… His gifts, your cup ... His judgments, your lot… His providence.

Psalm 16 actually touches on this point so lets go there.

Psalm 16:2-3 David took great delight in the Godly people around him... the sancitified ones and their noble/virtuous lives. For you and me that would equate to taking great delight in the people of God's Church. The sanctified ones of the new covenant.

Like the discussion we had earlier about creation... people are not always delightful every moment of every day. You have to remember they are all working their way through issues, trials, sins, and personal defects... just like you [that's where God's spirit of forgiveness, patience, and mercy come into play].

 But through these same people you also experience a glimpse of Godly relationships... that it is possible to live together in unity and peace... to live out the kind of relationships that will make eternity pleasurable... yet interesting... with variety... perhaps even adventure.

So, when you see your brothers and sisters fellowshipping, enjoying one another's company, showing kindly affection for one another, caring for one another, praying for one another, helping each other with tasks or burdens, encouraging one another, teaching one another... you are seeing little glimpses of the pleasures your eternal future has in store.

Philippians 4:8-9 Not everything you see is good... not every moment is conducted in the spirit of unity. [But, now hopefully you have built up a knowledge of what good and can separate what it good from what is evil]. Then hold on to what is good... think of those things and build the substance of your hope and your faith.

Just as nature can be transformed... human beings can be transformed. Paul likens it to passing through a fire where everything unworthy of the kingdom of God is burned away 1 Corinthians 3:11-13.

What is going to make it through that transformation will be only what contributes to an eternal life of pleasures at God's right hand. Revelation 22:14

Psalm 16:7-8 the psalm does not sing of inward peace of mind... it sings of wise guidance given for daily needs and concerns.

When we are troubled we often have trouble sleeping, The psalm tells us that God will speak to us in those hours of need... guiding our heart.

Finally, we can be confident because God is at our right hand... and if He is at our right hand then we are at His left hand... and the left hand is the hand that bears the sheild... the sheild of faith. “ I believe… help me in my unbelief”.