O céu é a Recompensa dos Salvos?
A Bíblia mostra claramente que Jesus vai voltar aqui à terra e governar as nações com os Seus santos.
Mas, onde habitará a família de Deus? O que estarão fazendo os seus membros? Existe alguma base bíblica para a ideia popular de que eles estarão tocando harpas em algum no céu por toda a eternidade?
O que disse Jesus a respeito da recompensa dos justos?
"Na casa de meu Pai há muitas moradas [quartos]; se não fosse assim, eu vo-lo teria dito, pois vou preparar-vos lugar. E, se eu for e vos preparar lugar, virei outra vez e vos levarei para mim mesmo, para que, onde eu estiver, estejais vós também" (João 14:2-3).
Esta é a questão crucial: Onde Cristo estará? Várias passagens da escritura mostram, claramente, que Jesus retornará para esta Terra e governará as nações com os Seus santos (comparar Apocalipse 19; 20:1-6).
Onde governarão os justos?
"Digno és [Cristo] de tomar o livro e de abrir os seus selos, porque foste morto e com o teu sangue compraste para Deus homens de toda tribo, e língua, e povo, e nação; e para o nosso Deus os fizeste reis e sacerdotes; e eles reinarão sobre a terra" (Apocalipse 5:9-10).
Os santos justos ajudarão Jesus Cristo a reinar sobre as nações durante o Seu governo milenar. Como exemplo específico, a Bíblia declara que os doze apóstolos reinarão sobre os descendentes das doze tribos de Israel (Lucas 22:28-30; comparar Mateus 19:28). A Escritura revela que o rei Davi governará sobre as tribos unificadas de Israel (Ezequiel 37:21-25). Enquanto outros vão supervisionar a administração de várias cidades (Lucas 19:16-19). Essa é a verdade bíblica que poucos entendem.
O que disse o apóstolo Paulo acerca das atividades futuras daqueles que recebem a vida eterna?
"Não sabeis vós que os santos hão de julgar o mundo? Ora, se o mundo deve ser julgado por vós, sois, porventura, indignos de julgar as coisas mínimas?" (1 Coríntios 6:2).
Através do apóstolo João, no livro de Apocalipse, o que Jesus Cristo indica claramente sobre esse assunto?
"E ao que vencer e guardar até ao fim as minhas obras, eu lhe darei poder sobre as nações" (Apocalipse 2:26).
"Ao que vencer, lhe concederei que se assente comigo no meu trono, assim como eu venci e me assentei com meu Pai no seu trono" (Apocalipse 3:21).
Os escritos apostólicos mostram que o verdadeiro papel dos santos ressuscitados governando o mundo de amanhã era muito bem conhecido e entendido pela Igreja do primeiro século. Entretanto, muitos séculos depois, uma apostasia [abandono da doutrina] cresceu e aumentou até que hoje em dia poucos compreendem esse grande ensinamento bíblico. A proclamação dessas verdades bíblicas, incompreendidas pela maioria das pessoas, continua sendo um objetivo importante nos ensinamentos publicados pela Igreja de Deus Unida.
Simplesmente ir da Terra para o céu não é a recompensa prometida para os que forem salvos. Ajudar Jesus Cristo a governar sobre as nações desta Terra é a recompensa prometida! (Para saber mais sobre esse assunto, solicite gratuitamente os guias de estudo bíblico O Evangelho do Reino de Deus, O que Acontece depois da Morte e Qual é o Seu Destino?).
Será que um dia os justos vão viver eternamente com o próprio Deus Pai?
"E eu, João, vi a Santa Cidade, a nova Jerusalém, que de Deus descia do céu, adereçada como uma esposa ataviada para o seu marido. E ouvi uma grande voz do céu, que dizia: 'Eis aqui o tabernáculo de Deus com os homens, pois com eles habitará, e eles serão o seu povo, e o mesmo Deus estará com eles e será o Seu Deus'" (Apocalipse 21:2-3).
Deus, nosso Pai celestial, prometeu fazer Sua nova sede , ou totalmente renovada, na Terra (versículo 1), habitando para sempre com aqueles que foram transformados em espíritos e glorificados para viver eternamente com Ele.
The crucial question is where will Christ be? Several scriptural passages clearly show that Jesus will return here to earth and rule the nations with His saints.
What did the apostle Paul say about the future activities of those who receive everlasting life?
“Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters?” (1 Corinthians 6:2).
What does Jesus Christ, through the apostle John, plainly state in the book of Revelation on this subject?
“And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations” (Revelation 2:26).
“To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne” (Revelation 3:21).
The apostolic writings show that the true role of the resurrected saints ruling in the world of tomorrow was widely taught and understood in the first-century Church. However, over the many centuries since, an apostasy grew and grew until today relatively few comprehend this major biblical teaching. The proclamation of these largely misunderstood Bible truths remains an important goal of the teachings and publishing efforts of the United Church of God.
Simply moving from the earth to heaven is not the promised reward of the saved. Assisting Jesus Christ in ruling over the nations of this earth and ultimately inheriting all things as part of the family of God is! (For further understanding, download or request our free study guides What Happens After Death? and The Gospel of the Kingdom).
Will the righteous ever dwell with God the Father Himself?
“Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God” (Revelation 21:2-3).
God, our Heavenly Father, has promised to ultimately establish His headquarters on the new, or totally transformed, earth (verse 1), dwelling forever with those who have been changed into immortal spirit beings like Him.
How to Learn More From This Bible Study Course
How can you get the most benefit from this Bible study course? Here are some useful tips you can use to significantly expand the knowledge and understanding of the Bible you’ll gain in going through this course’s lessons.
- If you do not have a Bible, we suggest that you buy one soon so you can check all the biblical references in each lesson and study on your own. We recommend the New King James Version as a first translation. In case you choose to buy a used Bible, the older King James Version is usually more readily available in used book stores.
- You will greatly benefit from looking up in your own Bible every scriptural reference. This is important! Only then can you be certain that your understanding comes specifically from Scripture. Our goal in this course is to assist you in learning and correctly applying the truths of the Bible. The greatest benefit comes from reading the Scriptures directly from your own Bible.
- Many thousands of students of the Bible have found that writing out or typing each scripture has increased their comprehension and doubled or tripled what they remember. Reproducing each scripture forces you to look at and carefully consider every word.
- An exhaustive Bible concordance can also be helpful, enabling you to find every verse in the Bible in which a particular word is used. Most exhaustive concordances also contain an abbreviated lexicon (dictionary) of Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek words to help you better understand their original meaning. Bible software programs also typically have similar functions and are very helpful for studying Scripture. But you don’t have to have special software. For those with online access, the easiest method for such word searches is to use the Internet, particularly at sites with online Bibles and other resources for biblical study.
- If possible, use various translations of the Bible in your study. Many Bible versions are available online or as part of Bible software packages. Since English has changed considerably since the King James Version was first published in 1611, many Bible students find that a more modern translation greatly helps their study and comprehension. Here are some strengths and weakness of the three major types of Bible translations.
In some translations, like the King James, the New King James and English Standard Version, the translators do their best to render every word in the original language into its equivalent or close equivalent in English. This can sometimes make the meaning difficult to grasp in our own language. Yet the Hebrew or Greek text is reflected rather accurately. These are known as literal, or word-for-word, translations. These are the best translations to use when accuracy is vital.
In other translations, such as the New International Version, the translators have attempted to correctly render the thought or meaning of each sentence as close to the thought of the original as possible. These are generally called literary or thought-for-thought translations. This approach makes the meaning considerably easier to grasp, provided the translators’ own understanding is accurate. The risk in this type of translation, however, lies in the understanding of the translators. Errors can be introduced if their perception of the original meaning is flawed.
Last, and least reliable, are the paraphrased versions of the Bible. In these versions the translators simply tell, in their own words, what they think the original author meant. They can be useful, but only if the translators have clearly and accurately understood the original text. These loose translations are far more prone to contain major misinterpretations of the Scriptures than the other two types. For that reason we should never use them to establish what the Bible teaches. But, occasionally, they can be helpful in making difficult language more comprehensible.
- We sometimes recommend study guides or other publications from the United Church of God, an International Association. We recommend that you download or request and care-fully study each of them. They address specific aspects of these lessons in much greater depth. These materials are available free for the asking from our website (beyondtoday.org) or by contacting any of our offices on the back page of this lesson. We hope you will request your free copies. If you have any questions about material covered in these lessons, please contact our office nearest you. We look forward to serving you.
Course Content
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