Thread: Will everyone be equal in heaven?

Originally Posted by Colonel

What if one doesn't want to rule ?

You can wash my chariot when it gets dirty and serve me food and drink 24/7

Originally Posted by Cardinal TT

You can wash my chariot when it gets dirty and serve me food and drink 24/7

And be like Jesus who came to serve, I see.

Originally Posted by Colonel

And be like Jesus who came to serve, I see.

I am helping you develop your serving gifts for eternity

Originally Posted by Cardinal TT

I am helping you develop your serving gifts for eternity

Thank you. Your reward will be 70 servants on the new earth.

Since my natural gifts are so clearly related to servitude, does that mean that I dont get to rule and reign with Jesus no matter how well I hrrm serve him and the others in this life ?

Okay, thats enough exercise for my brain for one day.

Originally Posted by CatchyUsername

Yes, but recall that one of my points is that we have to consider the whole of scripture. Without looking up the Hebrew of 2 Tim, I'm not certain it's all that important, considering everything else I'm saying. Besides, it could be merely emphasizing what I'm saying.

The entire context of Revelation and Jesus speaking to the Church really boils down to the fact that Jesus is imploring them to consider their strengths and weaknesses. So He specifically tells them what their weaknesses are, then he actually explains to them WHY they should overcome the very thing He just rebuked them about. He's saying, "Hey, you have really fallen short here, but if you overcome this, here is an amazing thing I have for you in the next age."

But let's consider another point I made.

Someone who has real faith, but really never makes any attempt to truly die to self, and live their lives will make it to heaven. But remember....and this is vitally important. It would go against God's justice and nature to put that person in charge of ruling over something because they were not motivated enough IN THIS LIFE with love for Jesus as a primary motivation, to truly live for Him. It would literally go against His very own Words! So while Jesus loves them, welcomes them to heaven, and their faith is counted as absolutely and wholly precious, they went no further. Like I said, there is no magic wand that whips people into some sort of super saint when they go to heaven. Everything that we are and have done for Christ in this age, is merely preparation for the next age. All this life is, is a test based on how deeply we go in love for Christ, His ways, and His people. How did we steward the things He has freely given us?

That is why scripture is packed full of admonishments, parables, warnings, etc.....in this regard.

And again, to emphasize. This literally has nothing to do with works or trying to gain rewards at all. As I said, because God's Kingdom is a kingdom of love, then what one does with a pure heart proves your love for Jesus. It's all quite brilliant when you think about it. Love is advanced, the gospel is advanced, and all the while, the lover of Jesus is growing in the knowledge of Him and preparing for the next age. And justice is served.

Brilliant.

Good stuff. I think another way to put it is that our model for living needs to be on an upward transformational trajectory that will at some point, converge into our final heavenly state.

Originally Posted by Colonel

Daniel 12:1 "At that time Michael shall stand up,
The great prince who stands*watch*over the sons of your people;
And there shall be a time of trouble,
Such as never was since there was a nation,
Even*to that time.
And at that time your people shall be delivered,
Every one who is found written in the book.
2*And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake,
Some to everlasting life,
Some to shame*and*everlasting contempt.
3 Those who are wise shall*shine*Like the brightness of the firmament, And those who turn many to righteousness Like the stars*forever and ever.

Many Christians think that the glory of heaven is a matter of living forever, having escaped hell, living in some kind of luxury, doing great things, even being in charge of great things. That is not it. It is in the fact that Jesus who is the light of creation, the light and life of all things, will live in and through us and all those things mentioned. The greatest reward one could be given would be to shine with that light and life, even brighter than the others, like one star is brighter than the other. His light is what adds value and adds life to all things anyway. The presence, glory and saturation of his being in all things. I can vividly recall the presence of the Spirit filling out the room until I literally thought that the air had been replaced by that substance, that happened about 15 years ago. Wigglesworth said that he would rather have the presence of the Spirit for 5 minutes than the whole world handed to him with a fence around it, and I understand exactly what he was saying. It will be like that in heaven as well, and on the new earth.