Life Part 3: Eternal Life

In the first sermon in this three-part series, in part one we had an incredible human experience. God gave humans a fabulous gift of a God-created world of wonders in which to live and enjoy. And He created human life to be fully lived and appreciated on His terms. And that kind of a life, it would be a great life, a good life, and is for those who live it. In the second of this series, life, part two, children of God, we see God inviting human beings to be physical sons and daughters of His family through a covenant that is made through His son, Jesus Christ. If you missed those initial sermons, part one and part two, you can listen to them.

Human lives have a natural conclusion. No matter whether they're lived well, sort of on that physical level, obeying the laws that God put into this physical world, or whether one is invited to step up to being a child of God in the flesh, we do have a 70-year or so conclusion to this life, and we find that in Hebrews chapter 9 and verse 27, where it says, and it is appointed for men to die. It is appointed for men to die. This life will end with a certain natural conclusion, and that is what happens.

Today, I'd like to examine a third level of life that God wants all humans to experience at some time, just as the first level of life with its incredible human experience was eclipsed by the second level of life being a human son or daughter of God. This third level of life really just goes on, and it has an eclipsing with a majestic life that God wants all humans all humans in their own time, their own order to experience. The title of this sermon is Life Part Three, Eternal Life. Eternal life. What does that mean? Eternal life. What does God have planned for us in eternal life? Death is a temporary condition. It's not something that terminates anything except a human experience for a short time. The Bible refers to it as sleep, not something permanent, but rather a rest. A life lived, a rest as God's plan for humanity continues to roll out across time. Others have their opportunities, and the various phases of God's plan of salvation roll out. But let's continue here with this verse in Hebrews chapter nine and verse 27. And it is appointed for men to die once. Yes, we're to die, but it's appointed for us to only die once. That's all God wants you and me to experience, is one death. There are more available, but He only wants us to experience one of them going on. But after this death, the judgment. The judgment is a very important word. A lot of people don't like to hear about the judgment. They just want to hear about eternal life. They want to skip from having a nice life now straight into living forever. Don't tell me about this judgment. But the judgment is very, very important. And those who lived that second level of life as humans, as the sons and daughters of God, await a judgment. A judgment. Why will we be judged? Why is there a judgment? Well, because in level two, the children of God become the children of God through a contract, through an agreement, through a life or death, binding agreement on both parties. It's a big deal. Jesus Christ came to this earth and lived and died a horrible death so that you and I could have a contract. It's also called a covenant, a new covenant, a covenant for that particular group of individuals called in Satan's evil age to become children of God at this point in time. And so after we live this physical life, we await, as it says here, after this, the judgment. The terms of that covenant or that contract are simple. Be firstfruits or pretty clear. That's it. Grow into what Jesus Christ grew into as the first of the first fruits. Be like him. Be fruit for the harvest. Be a lamb like him. You know, change from being goatish into lambish, sheep. Or there's another death. But God does, you know, Hebrews chapter, sorry, 2 Peter chapter 3 and verse 9 is very clear. God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life. So the second death thing is that's not God's will. That's not God's will. But we have to understand then that a decision or a judgment must be made as per the contract. Did I fulfill the contract that I made at baptism to live right in God's eyes and to become Christ-like and to grow up into Christ? Did I take the time to learn and then do, to hear and to do, what I had agreed to do in my new contract with God? So a judgment must be made as to whether each individual performed the terms of the contract. Did they become sheep or are they still goats? Did they become wheat or are they still tares?

So continuing on in verse 28, notice carefully here, that after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many.

If you're baptized, that should be in your past. Jesus offered his life, he was sacrificed once, for the sins of many. When we were baptized, his blood cleansed us of sin. And as Romans 6 states, then we were buried with him in baptism and we came up, directed, we should then walk with him in a newness of life.

Have we been doing that? Have we been doing that? He was offered once to bear the sins of many.

So we should have left that sin, those sins behind, that sinful mindset behind. And yes, it does take some time. And yes, we are still working at coming out of our Egypt because it is a journey. But, you know, most of that should be in the rearview mirror, as it says here, to bear the sins of many. The tools of the new covenant, the Holy Spirit in particular, gave us what we need to conquer and to change and to grow, to change us from unrighteous sheep into unrighteous goats into righteous sheep. In other words, doing right in God's eyes. And so then comes the judgment. The judgment is essentially Jesus Christ. He has to judge.

It's a decision he has to make. And basically what he does is ask, did this person convert from the present state, the carnal human state, into a Christ-like sheep? Is he a first-fruit, grain, wheat harvest ready to bring in like Jesus Christ?

If so, continuing in verse 28, to those who eagerly wait for him, he will appear a second time apart from sin. And those will appear with him apart from sin because they, as we'll see, they have put that behind them. Just like he died and put sin behind, we die with him in Romans 6, and we put sin behind. And therefore, we are no longer slaves to sin, as that chapter speaks about. So he will appear a second time apart from sin, apart separated. That word apart means separate from sin.

Just like the bride who has clothed herself in righteousness, the righteous acts, for salvation, for salvation. So that's the process. There's this distinction of those who are saved or have salvation, and it's basically twofold. As we read here right in this verse, we see twofold. Those who have put sin behind them and eagerly await for him.

Eagerly await for him isn't just, oh, he's going to show up. No, eagerly wait for him as the king of kings, as the new ruler of the world, as the one who is going to reign on this earth and bring righteousness and the kingdom of God, the rules and the order of the kingdom of God. And we eagerly wait for him in conjunction with our participation in that, with our assisting him as the bride. And it says, for salvation. It's not just for our salvation, but for all salvation. He's returning to continue this plan of bringing more people through the three phases of life that God wants all humans to experience. So we have those who are saved have this twofold mindset. First of all, they are righteous, and second, they are eager for his rulership.

That's what they're eager for. That's why we pray. We're told by him in the model prayer outline, pray, your kingdom, or rather now, your rulership come, your rule come in my life, in the church, as the head of the church, as my Lord, my Master, and my soon-coming king.

Well, he's already our king, but he's coming the soon-coming king for the world, the world at large, to replace the ruler of this world. In 2 Timothy chapter 4 and verse 8, remember when the Apostle Paul speaks of looking forward to this time of eternal life, notice what he says.

2 Timothy 4 and verse 8, Finally there is laid up for me the crown, or the victory. This crown is a wreath of leaves. All it meant in the races of the day, in the Roman races, was you won.

You're a victor. You conquered. You conquered those who opposed you, and you won. So he says, there's laid up for me the victory of righteousness. That's not a status. That's a goal that you work through. You find things you put sin and leaven out and mindsets out, and you find things that you can do better and more Christ-like, and you run this race, and it's work, yes. But in the end, you are right with God. You're doing right with God, and there is a victory.

There is a ribbon, you might call it, in modern times. There is a, I don't know, the cup, you know, the award of some type, for having accomplished it, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that day, and not to me only, but also those who have, notice, loved his appearing. There's those two elements again. Right, righteousness, and they love his rule.

They pray for his rule to come, his rulership to come. That's what Christ is bringing to this earth, is his rulership. And he will rule the nations, and he will supplant the ruler, the current ruler of this world. So, as we see then, judgment's a very important matter. So, before we go rushing into the beauty of the third level of life that God wants us to attain, and talk about how wonderful that will be, we must realize that we have a responsibility every day in order to be approved, to receive that gift.

When we think about judgment, we can't just wish. You know, some people say, I hope I'll be in the kingdom. And it's kind of like saying, well, I have some goals. One of my goals is to be in the kingdom. It's kind of like a bucket list, you know. One of my goals, you might say, is to be married. One of my goals is to be educated. One of my goals is to, I don't know, be employed. One of my goals is to, you know, you can come up with, oh, be righteous.

So, now, you've heard all my goals. Those are my goals. I didn't name a single goal. A lot of people think those are goals. Being married, being employed, being righteous, all that stuff, you know, having a home.

Those aren't goals. Those are statuses. Let's walk back through them. That's a status. Married or single is a status. Employed, unemployed. Right? Righteous, unrighteous. Many of the things that we think of as a goal merely is a status that we wish we had. Educated, uneducated. Home, homeless. Where are the goals? There aren't any goals. The goals in those things involve the incremental processes of achieving the status. And that's the difference between the five foolish virgins and the five wise virgins. The five foolish virgins, if you could use this analogy, were enjoying life level one and doing so within the boundaries and the laws of God and having a very incredible, wonderful life.

And those at life level two were developing the nature of God as children of God. And so when the bridegroom came, some said, oh, I, one of my goals is to be with Jesus Christ in the kingdom. And he said, depart from me, I never knew you. Like, what? But I've always wanted to be in the kingdom. I've always wanted an education. I've always wanted to be married. I've always wanted a house. You know, but just never had any goals. And I didn't pursue the work of those things, including the work of daily conquering, selfish, carnal, human nature and replacing it with right.

The five wise virgins had lots of oil as a byproduct of their life. It represented who they were. And the others had never done that. So you'll always have those who wish they were this or wish they were that, but they didn't ever set the interim goals that work through the process that achieve a certain status.

So to be in God's kingdom is like saying, I want a good marriage or a good job. But we are doing a good job. But we are judged by someone. You want to be married, but you're judged by others.

Are you skilled to be a spouse? Have you developed the skills in order to be a spouse?

Have you developed the skills in order to be the employee of that job or that career that you'd like to have? Have you developed the skills and the mindset to be a first fruit with Jesus Christ and a sheep? That's what he is going to ask. Let's notice the timing of this judgment of the new covenant saints. We find it in Revelation 11 and verse 15. Revelation 11 and verse 15. And while you might think, well, this sermon isn't really all that great and happy. Oh, it's going to be great and wonderful and exciting for those who receive the reward. We just have to remember, we have to do the work. We have to do the preparation. We have to be very involved in the process. It's going to be great in that day. Here in Revelation chapter 11 and verse 15, it says, then the seventh angel sounded. So we have seven trumpets. This is the last trumpet. Dropping down to verse 18, in the context, it says, the nations were angry, and your wrath has come, and the time of the dead. You want to know the timing of the resurrection? Here it is. Seventh trumpet. The time of the dead that they should be judged.

This is the decision, the final decision, who will be given eternal life, and that you should reward your servants, the prophets and the saints. So we will receive a reward.

Let's witness the judgment that's coming to us as the New Covenant Church in Matthew 25 and verse 31.

Matthew 25 and verse 31, Jesus actually describes what he's going to do and how he's going to do it.

This is autobiography, you know, from autobiographical, from the judge himself. It's pretty interesting. Matthew chapter 25 and verse 31, there's a little allegory to it, but essentially he says, when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and that's seventh trump sounds, Jesus Christ comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. Verse 33, and he will set the sheep. You know, at this point some goats have become sheep, and some goats are goats. There are those who wanted to really become firstfruits like Christ and be a lamb-like individual, and he will set those on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

You know the difference between sheep and goats. If you've ever owned them, goats can't really do anything with a goat. You just, goats are just so headstrong and so tough. They don't care if you've got a fence or not. The fence is really the secondary thing to a goat. But a sheep, a sheep is much, much different. Much, much different. So one is going to have a self-directed life, strong in the head. Not so many rules. Fences don't apply to me, etc., etc. As I've told you probably before, when we had goats, they like to stand on top of our nice new car. Not what their master wanted of them, but they didn't care. So here he says, then the king will say to those on his right hand, the sheep, come, you blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Here we begin to see something about this third level of life. This is what God has prepared from the foundation of the world, from all we see in the skies and on the earth. This is all about life three, life level three. This is what God really wants us to ascribe to. This is the life, the life that God wants us to experience. Oh, after the other ones, but this is the life. Now, sadly, some won't like level two developing and living as God's children. They won't like that. Dropping down to verse 41, then he will say to those on the left hand, want to be like the God family and think and act like the God family and develop the holy righteous character of the God family. Depart from me, you cursed. Wow! The first group on the right, he said, are blessed, blessed of my father.

Live and inherit the kingdom. But to those on the left, depart from me, you cursed into the everlasting fire, the same fire prepared for the devil and his angels. There's a termination of sinful beings. Verse 46, and these will go away into everlasting punishment. In other words, one has everlasting life. We just read these have everlasting death. That's their punishment.

But notice the righteous into eternal life. Note that the third level is, as the King James version says, life eternal. Just flip the words, life, eternal. Remember that word that we looked at last time, Greek zoae, which refers to the God family life. From Thayer, lexicon, it says, life of the absolute fullness, both essential and ethical, which belongs to God. This is God-type life, God-family life. And then the word eternal comes from eonios, like eons, but eonios. Thayer says, that is life without beginning, without end, that which always has been and always will be.

So like God has life without beginning, we will join the family at that point, and we will have life without end. And we will be part of a family that has had life without beginning or end. We will join them in that. So those who are judged as righteous will enter into this life, this God's life, which is eternal. Now, it's not just a live forever. It is, remember, life, godly life, the God-family type of life, mindset of life. You're joining the family of God, the kingdom of God, and that is eternal. That is forever. And so God is only going to have individuals joining in that who are of His mindset, of His kind. Notice their progression. If we go to Revelation chapter 19 and verse 6, this speaks of you and me. Revelation chapter 19 and verse 6, it's not a status. You and I don't have some status that we have reached just because we're baptized or just because we're in the church or we have God's Spirit. It's a process we are processing towards this state. Revelation 19.6 says, Alleluia, for the God omnipotent reigns at the end of the verse. So we know here Jesus Christ now is reigning and ruling. Now let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.

There's where the work is. There's the work of developing that whole bottle of olive oil to fill the lamp, to convert from being a goatish individual, headstrong, self-centered, lawless into a sheep that is fulfilling what the Master says and can be led by the Master. From tares that really just take up space, the roots go down and rob other grain-producing plants from nutrients. They kind of look similar, but there's nothing really of value. They've kind of been a drain the whole time. So then, you see, God then looks and says, hmm, is this individual made herself ready as part of the Bride of Christ, or have they just sort of been a leech? They like the creation. They like this and like that. I'll tell you something about life and living. I did some research here online. You look up life and a good life, and the question always pops up. What are the greatest things in life? What do humans really want out of life? And I won't tell you all of them, but they're hilarious. There's no group or institution or psychological group out there that agrees on what the important things on life are. Some have the top one, the top two, the top five, the top 20, and they all vary. But they all are exactly the same in one way. They're all about me. They're all about the self. Just about self. Grabbing everything you can for self. But these individuals who are made ready, it says in verse 8, were granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous axe. That is not about me. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, and by this we know love that He gave His life for us. Therefore, we should lay down our lives for the brethren. That's right. That's right in God's eyes. Love the Lord with your heart, soul and might. Love your neighbor as yourself. So it is outgoing concern, not incoming wants.

So the judgment then has declared that righteous, right living saints receive eternal life.

And the timing again is the last trumpet, as it says here in verse 6. Again at the end, hallelujah for the Lord God omnipotent reigns. Now let's go over to some familiar scriptures in 1 Corinthians 15, 51. These get pretty exciting for those who have achieved the goal of conquering.

In 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verse 51, the Apostle Paul says, we shall not all sleep.

Yes, it's given to men to die, to sleep. But we shall all be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet. Verse 52, for the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible. Incorruptible means they can't perish. They cannot perish. Incorruptible, they cannot perish. And we shall be changed. So at that point, the judgment is already made. God raises either to a human life that's going in the lake of fire or to a spirit being that is, it cannot corrupt. It cannot die and go back to the soil or something. It cannot perish. We shall be changed. We go to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and verse 14, sort of a sister scripture, sister passage to this one in Corinthians that the Apostle Paul wrote. 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and verse 14, for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who sleep in Jesus. Not all those who sleep will be brought at his second coming, but those who sleep in Jesus. Verse 16, for the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God. There's that last seventh trumpet blows, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then those who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Now there's a lot of excitement in those words, because some then wonder what limitations will you have, where will you go, what will you be. You will always be with the Lord, Jesus Christ. You'll dwell in the spirit realm, the dimension where the God family and spirit life is. You will, wherever Jesus Christ goes, as he interacts with his Father and within the kingdom, you'll be with him. Always be with him. Now what details can we know about our upcoming life eternal, this life of God that is without end? Let's go to John chapter 10 and verse 10. Jesus will tell us a little bit more about what we're looking forward to and what we're working so hard for. John chapter 10 will break into the middle of this verse where he says, I have come that they may have life. There's that word zoe again. Zoe. Thayer includes also with this word, in this context now, after the resurrection, to be consummated by new accessions, among them a more perfect body and to last forever. So this word zoe even includes the eternal aspects, the spirit body aspects of life to those who are resurrected. It is God-plain life, spirit dimension life, formed as a God-family being, a creature of the God-family. So he says that they may have this life and that they may have it more abundantly. The word abundantly in the Greek is paresos and abundantly sounds, abundantly sounds kind of a little more. It's not what it means. Abundantly means super abundant according to Strong's. Excessive.

So here Jesus is telling about this life. It's going to be a God-plain, God-being, and it's going to be super, super abundant to the point of being excessive compared to life as a son or daughter of God in the flesh. Thayers says this word means over and above, super added, exceedingly abundantly, supremely, and this, much more than all, much more than all. So here Jesus is trying to tell us a little bit about what we're working for here and what he and the Father have wanted for us since the foundation of the world.

So this is our biblical destination intended by God. Let's go to Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 13.

Hebrews 11 verse 13 will come back to where we are now. Then we're going to leap forward right in this one passage. Hebrews 11 beginning in verse 13. Talking about those who have had their 70-some years at the end of their life. They died various ways, naturally, sometimes by persecution or other means, but our forefathers in the faith, our brothers and sisters, all died in the faith, not having received the promises yet, but having seen them far off or assured of them, they embraced them, and they confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. Just as the Israelites in Egypt were strangers and pilgrims traveling for six days out of Egypt, they were sort of despised. They weren't of Egypt, and they were of God. They were children of God heading for their promised land with God. Verse 15, And truly if they had called to mind that country in which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. They could have turned right back around and headed back to Egypt. Or you and I, if we liked this world, could turn around and leave the faith.

But, verse 16, notice this, now they desire a better that is a heavenly country.

Heavenly, heaven, third heaven, heavenly dimension, the spirit dimension, is what you and I desire.

We desire to be where God is, where Christ is, in the heavenly dimension. And there is a heavenly country. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them, a heavenly city. Now, let's go to Revelation 21 and follow along here with this heavenly city that God is preparing for us. In Revelation 21 and verse 1, now I saw a new heaven and a new earth.

It's hard for us as humans to think that our nursery, I'll call it, of the physical earth and the air we need to breathe and the beautiful stars and the plants and the nickel core that's in the middle of the earth and the planets we see around and etc., etc. Hard to think that this isn't, you know, so valuable or, you know, eternally lasting consequential.

But it's not. Heavenly things don't rest. They don't fade away. They don't decay. They don't need glowing balls of radiation, you know, to infect and burn on them. They don't need things that are always decaying and planets or stars that are collapsing or new ones growing and things falling apart and decaying. No, I saw a new heaven. New? What is heaven? Well, he's looking up from somewhere in his vision. He says, I'm looking up. This is new. I'm looking up. This is new. He didn't describe what's there, but he says, I see a new sky and a new place I'm standing on here. For the first sky and the first place I was standing on, they passed away.

You can read about that in 2 Peter chapter 3. Burned up. Dissolved. And there was no more sea.

No need for most of the earth to be covered in a substance that you can't drink. It doesn't really produce much. Takes up a lot of space. Didn't see that. Dropping down, verse 2, then I, John, saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of the sky. He's looking up. He's seeing this coming down out of the sky. He's so impressed by it. He says, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband. This thing is gorgeous. It knocks you off your feet.

Some of you ladies have never experienced what your husbands have experienced. But when you came rolling around the corner to walk down the aisle, we had a little chat the other day. All of us had tears. Everyone that we talked to, we all grieved. Yep, we just overwhelmed. And here John is saying, wow, this is really something.

In verse 5, I believe, he says, yeah, in Revelation 21, verse 5, he says, He who sat on the throne, who cannot lie, said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said to me, to John, he says, You write, for these words are true and faithful.

So God is going to do this. Now, dropping down to verse 7, verse I love in the Bible, He who conquers is what that word overcomes, is translated as elsewhere. He who conquers shall inherit all things. Whoa, did you read that? Not only do we get to live here, we get to inherit all things. We get to be co-heirs with Christ. We get to receive the firstborn son receives the birthright. We get to co-inherit that because we're his bride. And I will be his God, and he shall be my son. In the spirit sense, like Jesus Christ is the Son of God now, we will be sons in that family relationship. Verse 9, then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls with the seven last plagues earlier in Revelation, came to me and talked with me and said, Come and I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife. The Lamb's wife.

So here we're all we're way past the millennium. We're way past the second resurrection. We're way past the end of all that's physical, that is burned up. And now all that's spirit, all those who are in God's kingdom now are spirit beings. We have this beautiful city coming down to this new earth.

And he says, Let me show you the bride, the Lamb's wife. This is a permanent status for the firstfruits who in Revelation 7 had become the Lamb's wife. I'm sorry. Revelation chapter 19, verse 7, became the Lamb's wife.

In verse 10, He carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of the sky from God, having the glory of God, the brightness of the God family. God in Christ is so bright, and He has His glory. Her light was like a most precious stone, like jasper, clear as crystal.

So in one sense, the bride is being represented as New Jerusalem. I'll show you the bride, and He shows him New Jerusalem. That is bride that has the brightness of God. What else can we learn about this? Let's go to Romans chapter 9, verse 23. Romans chapter 9, verse 23, there's so much to look forward to as spirit beings in the family of God.

Romans 9, verse 23, says that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy which He had prepared beforehand for glory, even us whom He called. God has a glory. There's two types of glory. There's actually probably more than two types, but there's two main types of glory. One is to be honored and revered, respected. That's a glory that the New Testament word uses. And the other is to just be bright. The glory is just so, so, so bright. And so God prepared us beforehand for glory, to be bright, even us whom He called.

Let's go to John 17.9 now and look at these two main meanings in a single passage. John 17, in verse 9. This is the great prayer that was recorded that Jesus prayed before He died. He's praying to God the Father.

And the word glory we're going to read here comes from the Greek word doxa, D-O-X-A. One is that view or that opinion or that esteem of, that I was speaking about, the view or the esteem that an individual has or gives to another. We give God glory. We don't give Him brightness, right? We give Him esteem. We give Him praise. Our view, our opinion of Him is very, very good. So in John 17, in verse 9, Jesus is saying, He's praying for you and me. He says, I pray for them. I do not pray for the world, but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. And verse 10, and all mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them.

So here's the word glory. He is glorified in us. He is praised by His Father, and He is praised by us. Dropping down to verse 22. And the glory which you gave me I have given them.

So God the Father said of Jesus, this is my Son in whom I am well pleased. He glorified His Son.

And the glory, that glory which God gave Him, that opinion, that view, I have given them that they may be one just as we are one. So He then praises us that we are lambs like Him, and we're growing, and we're overcoming, and we're becoming more sheep-like.

And in doing so, as we love one another with God's Spirit, we're becoming more at one. You know, love, joy, peace. Peace is Iranian, the Greek. It means to join or to harmonize.

So He is excited at that level for us. Now, glory, this word dox also means most glorious and exalted and bright, like in verse five. And now, O Father, glorify me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was. That is bright. That is brightness. Sometimes I wonder how many BTUs or, you know, units of kinetic energy or power a God being just burns through in brightness. I don't know the source of that. I don't know how that is. Is it fission? Or, you know, what there's a power that creates this brightness that we could understand on a physical level is that needs some pretty big batteries or a whole power plant. But that's what God is. So Jesus says this glory that I've had with You, restore that to me at my resurrection. Dropping down to verse 24, notice this, Father, I desire that they also whom You gave me may be with me where I am.

Oh, we're going to be with Him where He is. Notice that they may behold my glory, which You have given me, for You love me before the foundation of the world.

So we're going to see that bright. We're going to be with Him. We're going to see this glory.

Well, it's pretty exciting.

Now let's go to verse 2.

As You have given Jesus Christ authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. Oh, here comes this life, God life, that is forever, never ceases, to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. So there we are, with that glory, sitting on the throne with Christ, being part of that family, because, He said, we know Him and His Son. That's interesting.

So in order to get there, you and I must know God. He says, this is eternal life, that they may know You. How do we know God? Let's go to John chapter 8, back to John chapter 8 in verse 54, and let Jesus answer this for us.

John chapter 8 in verse 54. Jesus said, I, if I honor myself, my honor is nothing. It is my Father who honors me, of whom you say He is your God.

So now let's back this back to life level one. Having a wonderful life, keeping some laws of God, it's great. He is my God, right? I call Him my God. I say, oh God made the creation. That's wonderful. Okay. That's where these individuals were. They were not at level two. They were at level one, and they were proclaiming that all the good things in life were from God. Okay. Now, verse 55, yet you have not known Him. So these individuals who are saying He is their God and doing some of what He says and enjoying some of the benefits of a great life, Jesus said, you have not known Him. But I know Him, and if I say I don't know Him, I be a liar. But I do know Him, notice, and keep His word. That's where you go to level two. Jesus Christ was at level two. You and I are at level two right now. We are keeping His word, and we know Him. Let's go to 1 John 2 and verse 4, back just before Revelation. 1 John chapter 2, and verse 4 says, He who says I know Him and does not keep His commandments. This is much more than just acknowledging God and staying within some fence lines. He who says I know Him and does not keep His commandments. How many commandments are there in here? How much work do we have to do? What are the laws, the statutes, the commandments, the teachings of God that Abraham kept, that David kept, is a liar, and the truth is not in Him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the agape of God is perfected in Him. See, that's what we're developing. The mindset, the agape of God that's being perfected is being perfected in Him. And by this we know that we are in Him. Verse 6, He who says he abides in God ought also to walk just as he walked. So this walk with God, walking as children of God, holds the promise of eternal life.

The God family life now, we love it, will be upgraded to God family life in an eternal body with glory in a most glorious and exalted state that is just unbelievable. And we'll see all that God will roll out for eternity going forward. Let's see how this all comes together when we conquer our daily goals of living a God family life. Turn with me now to Romans chapter 6 and verse 4.

Romans chapter 6 and verse 4. Jesus Christ died, therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death.

Our old person died, his literal body died, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so also we should walk in newness of life. That's the life of obeying all that God directs us to. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection. We shall be in the likeness of His resurrection to spirit, composition, glory. Verse 8. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we also shall live with Him. Verse 22. But now having been set free from sin, that's in our past, and have become slaves of God, godliness, you have your fruit to holiness and the end, everlasting life. Life that lasts forever. God-family life that lasts forever.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. So again, God's purpose for creating humans is much more than just having a nice time, a great time. Very good, the creation, he said, was. Ecclesiastes 3, verse 11, it says, He has made everything beautiful in its time. And it is. It's a glorious creation. We can give Him a lot of thanks for it. We have wonderful bodies He's made. But as it continues in verse 11, also He has put eternity in their hearts. The word eternity from Brown Driver's Briggs means continual existence. He's put continued existence in our heart. We want to keep existing. But the human imagination is blind to the path. Jesus said in Luke chapter 10 and verse 21 that we are blessed because our eyes are open and our ears hear, but they can't see.

Others then just add speculative imagination and come up with things like, I don't know, go to heaven at death, have a mortal soul, reincarnation into some other creature, birth as another person, becoming a star in the night sky, becoming an angel, or just becoming an essence, an essence with all the other essences. But we still, you see, that eternity in the heart is there. It's only through the no covenant that Jesus Christ provides us with the way, the way to eternal life, the truth, and that life. So we should not mock or, you know, be condescending to others who don't see the path to eternity because our eyes have been open and we can appreciate. We can appreciate. Let's go to Romans chapter 9 and verse 9 and take this up a notch. Now we've seen that we'll be in the presence of glory and brightness. Let's see a little bit more. Romans chapter 9, we're going to drop down to verse 23. Romans 9 verse 23, and that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy which he had prepared beforehand for glory.

We are prepared for that glory. Even us whom he called, that word called is from the Greek kaleo, means to be called by name, called by name, or invited by name. You know, we're individuals that God has specifically called by name, and we are called to reach a specific destination.

Let's go back to John chapter 3 and verse 36 and find more about this destination.

John chapter 3 and verse 36. Here's what Jesus said. He who believes in the Son, Jesus Christ, and the word belief from Thayer's lexicon, it's used in the New Testament of the conviction and trust to which a man is impelled by a certain inner and higher prerogative and law. So those who believe in the Son are compelled by this higher prerogative in law.

And he who does not believe the Son, or actually has everlasting life, that one that's compelled, you see, has everlasting life. The promise awaits him. And he who does not believe the Son is not led by the Spirit, is not compelled, shall not see life. But the wrath of God abides on him.

It's a different end. We don't want to have that end.

In 1 Thessalonians chapter 2 and verse 2, again we begin to rise up just a little bit higher here, 1 Thessalonians chapter 2 and verse 12.

1 Thessalonians 2 and verse 12.

That you would walk worthy, walk, remember? Path, direction, walk, it's a journey, it's a process, we're moving, coming like Jesus Christ and God. That you would walk worthy of God who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. He wants us to come into not only his kingdom, but also into glory. You know, the sons, the family of God are individuals who are like God. In James chapter 1 and verse 18, it says, of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, who is Jesus Christ, that we might be a kind of first fruits of his creatures. If you've ever had a child, or you've seen somebody have a child and watch that child grow up, that child becomes like the parents. It doesn't always stay a baby. You know, people always like to keep Jesus either a baby or dead on a cross. But when you have an individual, you don't get to keep them somehow stunted, you know, in a box. This person grows and they become capable, and they may be smarter than you are. They may rise to level of status and stature, capabilities, abilities that are far beyond the parents, or at least equal to the parents. And in every way, shape, and form, as they then have their own children, they're real family members. And so when it says here that we are a kind of his creatures, God is not, you know, creating little mini-dwarfs, you know, or single-celled amoeba, that he wants family. He just wants family that's going to fit in with the God-family life and be family.

Of the Godkind. In 1 John chapter 3 and verse 2, the Apostle John here at the end of the New Testament period gives us a glimpse here of something that is profound. 1 John 3 and verse 2, Beloved, now we are children of God. We're at level 2. We're children of God in the flesh.

And it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when he is revealed, we shall be like him. Look at what Jesus Christ is like. You look in Ezekiel chapter 1, the description of what God and that throne is like. You read about God and the power and the brightness, and then you say, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Remember when he prayed to the Father, I want them to see me as I am. And everyone, verse 3, who has this hope in him, purifies himself just as he is pure.

The righteous acts of the saint, the bride, purifying herself, becoming Christ-like.

Ooh, it gets even better. Romans chapter 8 and verse 16. Romans chapter 8 and verse 16 says, the Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. You and I right now are children of God. We're at level 2 life. God is being well pleased as we grow and develop more of his holy righteous character. Verse 17, and if children then heirs, heirs of God, not just heirs of what God has, yes, but heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him, notice that we also may be glorified together. We are going to have the brightness that Jesus Christ has with that power, that other type of glory. And if children then heirs, heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ. It's an incredible offering that God is giving us. You know, Daniel was given a glimpse in Daniel chapter 12. Go back to Daniel chapter 12 and verse 1 as we begin to wrap this up. He was given a vision in the future. He was able to see and understand things that would happen far, far out in the future and in the end time. Notice what he says.

Daniel 12 and verse 1, at that time Michael, the archangel, will stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people. And there will be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation even at that time, just as Jesus said. And at the time your people shall be delivered, everyone found written in the book, the book of life. Some to shame. See, here's a judgment. Some to shame and everlasting contempt. Verse 3, those who are wise, the wise virgins in Jesus's parables, shall shine like the brightness of the firmament.

And those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever, like the brightest things that a human has ever seen, we're going to have that. In Revelation chapter 20 and verse 6, it says, blessed and holy. The word blessed in the Greek has a lot of energy to it.

Supremely blessed. You know, blessed beyond blessings.

Fully blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and Christ and shall reign with him for a thousand years. There's responsibility that comes not just all this power and glory and beauty and everything, but actual rulership that takes place. Where, as it says in Revelation chapter 19 and verse 11, we see the king of kings, Jesus Christ, coming to reign on a white horse, and he who sat upon him was faithful and in truth, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. And at that point the bride is with him. Verse 13, he was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the word of God. In verse 14, the armies in heaven, who we just read of in verses 7 through 9, the bride, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed him on white horses. They were with him. Some of these in time things that take place as Jesus Christ goes out to establish his rule and to conquer Satan, he's assisted by the bride. Now out of his mouth goes a sharp sword that he would strike the nations, and he himself will rule them with a rod of iron. Let's go to Revelation 2 and verse 26 and see that includes you and me. Revelation 2 and verse 26, Jesus said, He who conquers and keeps my works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations. He will rule them with a rod of iron. They will be dashed to pieces like potter's vessels, as I also have received from my Father. There's a lot of responsibility. There's a lot of involvement, assistance as the bride, co-assisting him with a rod of iron.

I'd like to conclude with a couple of scriptures. One is Psalm 149, verse 5.

Psalm 149 and verse 5. Now this is such an incredible future that those who are currently at level two are being offered. Psalm 149 and verse 5 says, Let the saints be joyful in glory. Let them sing aloud on their beds.

Let the high praises of God be in their mouth and a two-edged sword in their hand, to execute vengeance on the nations and punishments on the people, to bind their kings with chains and their nobles with fetters of iron, to execute on them the written judgment. This honor have all his saints. You and I have fabulous opportunity as humans, pre-baptism, to live an awesome life and see the wonders of God's creation. And as we stay within the bounds that the Bible gives us, that can be a great life. And some are then invited to step up to being a son or a daughter of God, the literal children of God in which Christ and the Father dwell, and we dwell in them spiritually through God's Spirit. And through the New Covenant, we're able to develop a familial relationship with promises. And once those promises are rolled out at the second coming of Christ, we will step up into an unbelievable status with a future and awesome abilities that we do not have now, and in gifts and blessings that the God family alone possesses. And this is what God wants. And as much as you might want it for yourself, turn that around and want it for God, because this is why God has gone to all this work. This is why Jesus Christ has come and lived and died here. They want it. They want it for their family, and they want you to be part of it. Let's conclude by reading Jesus' words in John 6 and verse 39. John 6 and verse 39, this is the will of the Father who sent me, that of all he has given me, I should lose nothing, but I should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of him who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the last day.