We know we are mortal. Our lives have a ‘deadline’. Life on earth as we know it will not go on forever (my mind wanders to that well-known song by Freddy Mercury). As we age, we become so much more aware of the end. What is that ‘end’ going to be like? What will happen as my eyes close, and I leave this place? Will it be the end, or will it not?
Am I afraid to die, or do I see it as a journey of entering something else?
I know, for sure, that I am not afraid to die. I know I live now to be rewarded in the ‘next’. How I live on this planet will affect what God has for me.
In my last article, I wrote about the journey of the soul. Our souls and bodies are brought together, because, in the ultimate end, we too shall live eternally in resurrected bodies:
‘Through the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, we see God’s plan to bring the spiritual and physical together. This is the ultimate redemption of His world (in the world to come). His plan has always been to bring us together holistically. We are beings who are physically and spiritually intertwined.’ (a personal quote from my previous article).
Picture for me the camp of Israel. In the centre, you have God’s presence in the Tabernacle. Then around the Tabernacle, you have the camp of the Levites, the priests. Then around the priests, you have all the tribes of Israel, positioned at different points.
Think about another image. Moses met with the Lord at the top of Mount Sinai. God invited Moses, Aaron and his sons, and the tribal elders to a banquet partway up the mountain. At the bottom of the mount, you had the rest of the Israelites.
Three levels. Three encampments. Three places of God’s holiness. What could this mean for life after death?
Rewards
Irenaeus, a significant church father, who heard the teachings of Polycarp (a disciple of John), is well known for his rebuke of gnostic ideas. He disregarded the teachings that physical resurrection would not happen. The Gnostics believed that bodily resurrection would not take place and that our spirits would be the only part of us that would live eternally with God. However, Irenaeus believed that he had gained revelation and understanding of eternity through the disciples of the apostles. His teachings relate to what we may know as the Messianic Era (the Messiah’s reign on earth for a thousand years) and the New Jerusalem (or the ‘new world’).
According to what Irenaeus wrote, the new world will also consist of three levels for us to live in (and we will be living in perfectly resurrected bodies):
Some will live in the new Jerusalem.
Some will live in Paradise (think of what Jesus said to the thief on the cross)
And some will go to the highest level (where God’s throne is).
Jesus will be present in all three of these. However, there will be different layers of revelation at each.
Think about the parable of Matthew chapter 13. Consider what we learn from each sower. Do these correlate with our rewards in the world to come? Has God sent us into this world to take us on a journey of lessons and therefore reward us accordingly?
Jesus taught us to ‘store up treasure in heaven’ through what we do now by our thoughts, words and actions. I am reminded of Paul’s words:
“If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw,their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.”
(1 Corinthians chapter 3, verses 12-15)
Some of us will just scrape through. Others will receive some of what He has for us. And yet others will gain all the rewards He has prepared.
I don’t believe we are going to be disembodied spirits living forever. We may do for a time, while we wait for the Messiah to return. In the beginning, God made the Garden of Eden, a perfectly beautiful physical place where He dwelt with His creation. Since sin entered the world, we have been on a pilgrimage to return to that place where God and humankind dwell together.
And that is our life beyond death. Receiving the rewards He has for us. Death is not the end. It is just the beginning.
Fiona Murray has a passion for telling stories, both real and fictional, to engage the reader in the greatest hope of all, Jesus Christ. She has been a primary school teacher, teacher aide, personnel administrator for a mission organization and financial assistant for a community trust, all of which has grown her love for detail and creativity. Fiona is also undertaking further theology study to enhance her writing. She is married to Alan, and they live in Selwyn, Canterbury (NZ) with their children.