Tag: truly life

Purpose In the Kingdom of God

The content explores the concept of purpose in life and after death, emphasizing the importance of serving God and others. While earthly pleasures may seem fulfilling, true satisfaction comes from meaningful engagement. It highlights biblical passages about eternal life, suggesting that purpose exists beyond rest, with joyful, fulfilling activities in Heaven and the New Earth.

What would you do if money and health were not issues? If you had no other purpose than to enjoy yourself, would you be happy? I think I would be for awhile. I would travel, golf, hangout with my kids and grandkids, hike, explore, ski, and much more. Many people think of retirement like that, only to be disappointed by restrictions and a nagging need for purpose.

As a person who is already a part of the Kingdom of God. There is an enormous amount of purpose to be had. We glorify God through doing a great job at our job. We are to show kindness and forgiveness to others. We are to be good stewards of time, money, skills, our body, our planet, our knowledge of Scripture, our relationships and more. We are to make disciples. We are to counteract evil. If you can’t find something to do as a disciple of Jesus, you are not looking hard enough.

But what about after death? Eternity is a long time. Will we be able to experience new things and enjoy fun things we already enjoy? I expect so. Will there be purpose? While there is never enough information about our existence in Heaven and the New Earth for my taste, there actually is more about purpose than there is about entertainment.

But let’s start with this passage:

13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!”

Revelation 14:13 (ESV)

This passage has unintentionally put into people’s minds that eternal life is a bunch of naps. “Resting from labors” is not sitting around. It is no longer experiencing the physical drag of work. When I have something to do, even something I will enjoy, there is a part of me that doesn’t want to do it. My body doesn’t want to give up the energy. That experience will be done. Nothing will be laborious. There will be purposeful, comforting, exhilarating, entertaining, loving, bonding, but not laborious.

I am not sure about the experience of being damned. The Bible speaks of fire and decay(worms). Jesus’ experience speaks of being abandoned by God and hopelessness. I would expect purposelessness and maybe laborious activity.

Can we know anything more specific about the purpose of the redeemed?

“Therefore they are before the throne of God,
    and serve him day and night in his temple;
    and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.

Revelation 7:15 (ESV)

This is still rather vague. What type of “service” does God need? Honestly nothing. But just as we are allowed to be a part of God’s work here, we are also allowed to be in the direct presence of God and with purpose. Don’t read into this that direct worship is all that we do. Also, don’t pull into it visions of working a night shift here. This service is fundamentally different.

Another purpose section comes from Isaiah 65. Isaiah 65 is a hard passage to interpret in light of other Scriptures. See a bigger discussion here: https://afterdeathsite.com/2022/05/24/wrestling-with-isaiah-65/ But Isaiah, speaking of the New Earth, includes a number of familiar functions.

They shall build houses and inhabit them;
    they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 They shall not build and another inhabit;
    they shall not plant and another eat;
for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be,
    and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
23 They shall not labor in vain
    or bear children for calamity,
for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the Lord,
    and their descendants with them.

Isaiah 65:21-23 (ESV)

This section is about the New Earth. It says so. Will we build and plant and have kids? Looking at other Scriptures, I can say that our days won’t be limited like a tree. We have eternal life. Will we go through cycles or does Isaiah 65 just compare the sorrows of current life to the absence of sorrows in the New Earth? It is hard to say, but I would not count out any of the purposes listed here.

Obviously, there is much we have left to discover about life in Heaven and the New Earth. It will be an experience that is “truly life”, and that includes purpose. Probably it includes familiar things and things that we have never imagined. None of it will be laborious. It will be joy.

Life That Is Truly Life

People do crazy stuff sometimes. They jump out of airplanes, ski off the tops of mountains, kayak off of waterfalls. Often this is done for the adrenaline rush that comes with flirting with death. People also do dangerous “recreational” drugs to experience something beyond the boredom or the pain of their daily lives. These risky or reckless behaviors are often described as wanting to feel alive. What is being “alive” supposed to feel like? Let’s ask a crazier question, “Are you alive?”

Feelings are very much subject to the chemistry of our bodies. Depression is chemically mediated in our brains. It can have a cause in negative experiences, but it is then enshrined in brain chemistry. That is why medicines can help. Fixing relationships, changing how you think about your life, feeling hope can all help. These things also modify brain chemistry. So what is real? Is what you think real or what is happening to what you think with? Both. You are not a soul riding along in a body. You are a body and soul, even if those things are not what they should be at this time.

One of the unfortunate aspects of how our bodies have been modified by sin and the curse, is the strong tendency for our brains to seek pleasure and to become addicted to it. Life becomes a balancing act where we want to have pleasure but remain in control of ourselves. Some people have this tendency worse than others; they have an addictive personality. This is often seen as being “weak willed”. It is more being poorly constructed. “Friends” actor Matthew Perry, who drown at his home this week, freely shared how he became addicted early and could not shake it even with the best of care. This did not make him a weak or bad person. He was a person who could not handle any drugs of alcohol because of how sin and the curse had modified him.

We all need to have realistic expectations of how this life will feel and a clear understanding of why we are alive. Living under sin (we all have a sinful nature, for a better explanation of this go here: https://givingchrist.com/2023/10/10/what-is-sinful-nature/ This reality does create a far from ideal existence. Add to it what the Bible calls “the curse”, which is basically God not tightly controlling how the universe works, and you have the ingredients of a life than is disappointing at best. (Go to givingchrist.com and search “the curse” in the search box at the bottom of the page)

This explains an intriguing little phrase in the Bible:

17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

1 Timothy 6:17-19 (ESV)

I am especially interested in the last two words here: “truly life”. Does “truly life mean our experience here not real or is it not worthy of the title “life”?

Recently scientists and noted personalities like Elon Musk have played with the idea that the whole universe is actually a simulation. It is like the movie, “The Matrix”. The reasons for this are because our planet seems too good to be true within the laws of physics. Because the odds are against it, we must be in a simulation. Others note that physical limits like the speed of light suggest a limiting processor speed.

This seems like a desperate attempt to get around that the world is a creation. The complexity of the universe that seems extraneous to the world’s existence is either God being creative for His own pleasure or some type of consequence of the curse. Living in a creation does not make it a simulation. However, living in a fallen creation does make it unpleasant and incomplete. That is why people who have Near Death Experiences (NDE) say that they feel more alive when they were clinically dead.

There will be heightened senses, greater joy, deeper love, engrossing amazement when we get out from under sin and the curse. It will be life that truly deserves the title life. In fact, this won’t be completed at your physical death, unless Jesus is coming again at that time. The fullness of your life will be accomplished at your resurrection from the dead (Search “resurrection of the dead” in the search box above). It is also a gift for those who are connected by faith and baptism to Jesus. It is not the general fate of mankind.

In the meantime, the muted nature of our experience now doesn’t make it worthless. This is God’s creation and it still has a purpose and so do you. You are not created for thrills and highs. You are created to know God, to know His love for you, to reflect his love for you to others. This is true in even the most miserable of situations (especially then). You want to be here to accomplish God’s plans for you.

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)

Having God work through you is a high that doesn’t do harm. It is a foretaste of life that is truly life.

And This Is Eternal Life

When you think about eternal life, what do you imagine it is like? Many of us think of loved ones that went before us. We might think of having new abilities or being in beautiful surroundings. I don’t think that is wrong. But Jesus gives us something to ponder about eternal life.

In Jesus’ “high priestly prayer” He says:

3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

John 17:3 (ESV)

What does this mean? Let’s start with something simple. Eternal life is not the same as eternal existence. We have been created to be eternal creatures. There is nothing that can stop that. Having our bodies fail does not mean we cease to exist. Part of us is temporarily gone, but we continue on. It is more of a move.

The Bible reserves the word “life” for something worth having. Existence in Sheol or the final lake of fire (Hell) is not worth having. Paul even casts a little dispersion on this “life”.

17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

1 Timothy 6:17-19 (ESV)

Apparently, this life isn’t “truly” life. Paul not only was a conduit of revelation from God, he had an out-of-body experience that he refers to in 2 Corinthians. He speaks from experience. So the best this life has to offer doesn’t quite deserve the title “life”. It is damaged by sin, sinful nature, the curse, and the presence of Satan.

In Revelation 7, the inhabitants of Heaven have a term for this life. Referring to the people now in Heaven, an elder says:

“These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

Revelation 7:14 (ESV)

“Great tribulation” may refer to a specific period of world history or it may refer to it all. At very least, any other time is the usual “tribulation” and not life.

What does it mean to “know God” in this context. God is the source of every good thing. It is not that being with God is doing churchly stuff and being with Satan is having a raucous party with your friends. The ability to enjoy a party comes from God. Friends comes from God. Even alcohol comes from God. This doesn’t provide a reason to abuse it. Being known and not forsaken by God means that God will continue to fill your existence with good things. Many of which you have never conceived.

The second part about knowing “Jesus Christ whom You have sent” has a combination of meanings. Jesus will be a daily part of our existence. We will enjoy a wonderful, face-to-face relationship. But Jesus also is the only way to know the Father. Our connection with Jesus fulfills God’s Law for us and pays for our sinfulness. Without Jesus there will be no “life”.

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

John 14:6 (ESV)

There are many smaller ways to make a person’s life better and we should pursue doing them if we can. Things like providing the basic necessities of living. But the deepest, most important way to give life is to give Jesus. My other blog http://givingchrist.com talks about various aspects of sharing the story and promise of Jesus, and what can stand in the way of real life. May nothing stand in your way, because truly having life is the most important asset we can have.

Life That Is Truly Life

I have no experience beyond what we all experience as being alive:  I am self-aware, my body carries out its functions, I experience a range of sensations and emotions and so forth.  It is not all good, but it certainly isn’t all that bad either.  At present, given the choice, I would choose to remain alive.  But it doesn’t take too much imagination to image something better, and what if there are experiences that I can’t even imagine because I have no frame of reference?

Paul, who had an out of body experience, throws out an intriguing phrase in 1 Timothy 6:

As for the rich in the present age, charge them not to be haughty,, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.  They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasures for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of life that is truly life.

What does God have in store for those that He saves?  Can there be a life so good that it would seem ridiculous to call our current experience “life”?  Imagine life free of pain, illness, hunger, thirst, exhaustion, boredom.  Imagine interacting with God face-to-face.  Imagine an existence with rich relationships with everyone: no conflicts, biases, loneliness or alienation.  These are just things readily imaginable.

There also can be breathtaking beauty.  Even in this world, you can see the creative genius of God and it is gorgeous.  Look into deep space and you can see God’s creative outlets, there for us to see from afar.  What beauty will surround us in Heaven and the New Earth?

The Timothy text speaks of “treasures”.  If you understand Scripture at all, you understand that we don’t deserve or earn a place with God.  We are sinners.  We deserve exile.  But the death of Jesus gives us a place with God.  It is a gift.  It is grace.  No further treasure beyond admittance should be expected, but the Bible frequently speaks of treasure and reward for faithful stewardship of what God gives us.  What could this treasure be?  Whatever it is, Jesus makes it clear that it is worth any sacrifice or suffering experienced here.

As we get closer to the end of our life on Earth, few of us are as forward thinking as we should be.  Because of our limited experience we long for the past and prefer to stay here, even if we are in pain.  The Words of the Bible try to turn us around to think about a future that is truly life.  Even the experiences of those who have had out of body experiences of Heaven affirm that the sights, sounds and feelings they had far outstrip the experiences of this life.

In length, in quality, in richness of experience, there is more.  There is life that is “truly life”, and Jesus makes it possible.

Check out my other blog, “Giving Christ”, which has many more articles about the role of Jesus and the power of God’s plan, the Gospel.Giving Christ