By Jonathan Brentner
Do you know that as believers, we will someday receive an inheritance that far exceeds any earthly fortune not only in value, but also in longevity?
The New Testament often refers to our unending legacy in passages such as Ephesians 1:11–14:
In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. (Emphasis added)
This inheritance belongs to us simply because of who we are in Christ; It's already ours even though we don't already possess it.
Our Inheritance of a Kingdom
What is this inheritance that the Lord has promised to us? James, the brother of Jesus, identifies it for us:
Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? (James 2:5, emphasis added).
Our inheritance is a kingdom, a word we see throughout Scripture. How then do we understand the nature of this realm?
In his letter to the Colossians, Paul wrote that as believers, God “has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son” (1:12). But since we already belong to this spiritual realm, our future inheritance must be something different.
Similarly, because we are already members of the “body of Christ,” or the Church (1 Corinthians 12:27), this also can’t be our future inheritance of a kingdom.
A Physical Kingdom
If our inheritance of a kingdom must be something other than the Lord's spiritual kingdom or the church, what is it?
The only other realm identified in Scripture is Jesus’ millennial reign. The Apostle John defines its length as one-thousand years in Revelation 20:1-10 and several passages throughout the Old Testament provide many details of Jesus' future reign over the nations, one that has never existed in all of human history.
At His Second Coming, the Father will give His Son, Jesus, the nations as His “heritage” (Psalm 2:7-9; Daniel 7:13-14). Amazingly, Jesus will share the wonders, privileges, and prestige of His future domain with us. As “joint-heirs with Christ” to this glorious future realm (Romans 8:17), we will reign with him in the millennial kingdom and then forevermore (Revelation 2:26–27, 5:9–10).
If these things seem a bit daunting, it's because we are not yet ready to experience this future realm or reign with the Savior.
Jesus Will Make Us Fit for the Kingdom
In 1 Corinthians 15:50, the apostle clarifies that not only do we not yet possess this future realm, but it’s impossible for us to do so at the moment.
I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. (emphasis added)
Our "perishable" “flesh and blood” bodies patterned after Adam (1 Corinthians 15:47–49) cannot “inherit the imperishable.” It’s impossible. Fortunately, Paul doesn't keep us in suspense with what seems to be awful news, but quickly reveals how Jesus will someday solve our current dilemma.
Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 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. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. (1 Corinthians 15:51-53)
At His appearing, Jesus will transform our "perishable" bodies into “imperishable” ones. It doesn’t matter if we are alive or already with the Lord, He will make us eligible recipients of our inheritance of a kingdom. Until then, we wait with full assurance that someday we will receive what’s promised to us because at His appearing, Jesus will make us fit to share in glorious His kingdom by transforming our bodies to be like His (see Philippians 3:21)..
A Sigh of Relief
Isn’t it over-the-top good news to know that the church can't possibly be the kingdom promised to us as our inheritance? It can't even be an outpost of it.
What makes anyone think that our glorious inheritance as New Testament saints can even remotely be a temporal realm rife with division, false teaching, and far too many other problems to list at this time? The fact that its members get sick and die also demonstrates that it’s certainly not what we will someday inherit with gloriously transformed bodies. It's not even close to how Scripture describes Jesus' glorious rule over the planet.
At His appearing, the Lord will bestow upon us a priceless and never-ending legacy that will dwarf even the most substantial bequeaths in this life. Jesus Himself will make us fit as heirs to His kingdom by giving us bodies like His, ones that will last forever without aging, sickness, pain, or death.
What could possibly be better than what awaits us in eternity? Is it any wonder that we watch and eagerly long for Jesus’ appearing?
Do you know that as believers, we will someday receive an inheritance that far exceeds any earthly fortune not only in value, but also in longevity?
The New Testament often refers to our unending legacy in passages such as Ephesians 1:11–14:
In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. (Emphasis added)
This inheritance belongs to us simply because of who we are in Christ; It's already ours even though we don't already possess it.
Our Inheritance of a Kingdom
What is this inheritance that the Lord has promised to us? James, the brother of Jesus, identifies it for us:
Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? (James 2:5, emphasis added).
Our inheritance is a kingdom, a word we see throughout Scripture. How then do we understand the nature of this realm?
In his letter to the Colossians, Paul wrote that as believers, God “has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son” (1:12). But since we already belong to this spiritual realm, our future inheritance must be something different.
Similarly, because we are already members of the “body of Christ,” or the Church (1 Corinthians 12:27), this also can’t be our future inheritance of a kingdom.
A Physical Kingdom
If our inheritance of a kingdom must be something other than the Lord's spiritual kingdom or the church, what is it?
The only other realm identified in Scripture is Jesus’ millennial reign. The Apostle John defines its length as one-thousand years in Revelation 20:1-10 and several passages throughout the Old Testament provide many details of Jesus' future reign over the nations, one that has never existed in all of human history.
At His Second Coming, the Father will give His Son, Jesus, the nations as His “heritage” (Psalm 2:7-9; Daniel 7:13-14). Amazingly, Jesus will share the wonders, privileges, and prestige of His future domain with us. As “joint-heirs with Christ” to this glorious future realm (Romans 8:17), we will reign with him in the millennial kingdom and then forevermore (Revelation 2:26–27, 5:9–10).
If these things seem a bit daunting, it's because we are not yet ready to experience this future realm or reign with the Savior.
Jesus Will Make Us Fit for the Kingdom
In 1 Corinthians 15:50, the apostle clarifies that not only do we not yet possess this future realm, but it’s impossible for us to do so at the moment.
I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. (emphasis added)
Our "perishable" “flesh and blood” bodies patterned after Adam (1 Corinthians 15:47–49) cannot “inherit the imperishable.” It’s impossible. Fortunately, Paul doesn't keep us in suspense with what seems to be awful news, but quickly reveals how Jesus will someday solve our current dilemma.
Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 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. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. (1 Corinthians 15:51-53)
At His appearing, Jesus will transform our "perishable" bodies into “imperishable” ones. It doesn’t matter if we are alive or already with the Lord, He will make us eligible recipients of our inheritance of a kingdom. Until then, we wait with full assurance that someday we will receive what’s promised to us because at His appearing, Jesus will make us fit to share in glorious His kingdom by transforming our bodies to be like His (see Philippians 3:21)..
A Sigh of Relief
Isn’t it over-the-top good news to know that the church can't possibly be the kingdom promised to us as our inheritance? It can't even be an outpost of it.
What makes anyone think that our glorious inheritance as New Testament saints can even remotely be a temporal realm rife with division, false teaching, and far too many other problems to list at this time? The fact that its members get sick and die also demonstrates that it’s certainly not what we will someday inherit with gloriously transformed bodies. It's not even close to how Scripture describes Jesus' glorious rule over the planet.
At His appearing, the Lord will bestow upon us a priceless and never-ending legacy that will dwarf even the most substantial bequeaths in this life. Jesus Himself will make us fit as heirs to His kingdom by giving us bodies like His, ones that will last forever without aging, sickness, pain, or death.
What could possibly be better than what awaits us in eternity? Is it any wonder that we watch and eagerly long for Jesus’ appearing?
