Ephesians 1:3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
It is not uncommon to hear unbelievers scoff about heaven, especially when they are told it is a prepared place for a prepared people according to Bible teaching terms.
Precious few accept God's terms for immortality and new life in The Resurrection. They stumble at it, and their reaction is in the cynical retort, which goes something like this: "While you Christians are pushing clouds around looking for one another, all us sinners will be having a real good time down below!"
Very little is said in the Bible about Heaven and the new Resurrection Life. We are led to believe that it will be so wonderful that we would not be able to begin to comprehend its Glory even if it were fully described for us now.
However, let us examine the subject with a few pertinent questions:
Who will go? The teaching of tradition (which is not in accord with Scripture) is that all saints of all dispensations will be included in the first resurrection. A great number of believers find their theology in hymn books. One such is titled, "When we all get to Heaven," But the Scriptures teach that Heaven is the peculiar Hope of The Body of Christ as taught in Ephesians. Some believers will be raised for citizenship in the New Earth. This will be their "heaven" or, more accurately, Paradise. Others will have a residence in the New Jerusalem as their heaven.
When will it be? We believe that the members of The Dispensation of The Mystery, which is The Church of The One Body of Christ, will realize their Hope first (Colossians 3:4). And this will happen about the time that God reverses the decree of Acts 28:28. After what is known as The Tribulation God will begin raising the dead . . . "Every Man In His Own Order" (1 Corinthians 15:23). This completely cancels out the idea of one great general resurrection. Believers will realize their particular Hope in Resurrection when their sphere of blessing is ready for habitation.
Why? Why does God bother to condescend to save and purify through the cleansing blood of His Son our poor, weak, and sinful humanity? Eternity will reveal and unfold the answer best. But a good answer can be found in Ephesians 1:12, "That We Should Be To The Praise Of His Glory."
