Rulers of the Universe
(Heaven, Part 8)
Daniel 7:9-18; 7:26-27; Revelation 5:9-10
I. Introduction
There’s a way cool song by Queen from the movie Highlander
called 'Princes of the Universe.' Now I do not recommend this
music group or this movie due to the immorality factor! But here
are some of the lyrics to that song:
PRINCES OF THE UNIVERSE
Here we are, born to be kings,
We're the princes of the universe.
Here we belong, fighting to survive
In a world with the darkest powers.
I am immortal, I have inside me blood of kings.
Take me to the future of your world.
While these lyrics refer to the fictional Scottish Swordsmen in the
movie who are evil-fighting, immortal beings, they also tell the story
of our destiny as the children of God. In our current mortal
state of frailty and sinfulness, living in a world so full of violence
and evil, we lose sight of the truth, or perhaps you never even knew
this truth, that the human race is destined to be glorious, immortal,
co-rulers with Christ of the universe. This is what we were
created for, and this destiny is what we reclaim when we become
adopted, royal children of the King of Kings.
In this, our eighth sermon in our series on Heaven, we are going to
explore our destiny as co-rulers with Christ over all creation.
Let us pray… Scripture readings…
II. Our Destiny: Co-Rulers with Christ
The books of the Bible called “Daniel” and
“Revelation” are considered the two
“apocalyptic” books. This genre uses symbolic imagery
to foretell of divine cataclysmic intervention at the end of this world
to destroy evil, and usher in a new age of peace, justice and joy.
“Daniel” and “Revelation” both use similar
imagery and language, and both address the same end time events of
God’s triumph over evil in ushering in the eternal kingdom of
God. In the two passages we are about to read, we are shown what
will happen when Christ returns, and executes final judgment and
assigns each one their eternal destiny.
Daniel 7:9-18, Dan 7:26-27, Rev 5:9-10
III. Becoming Immortals
This is the destiny of human beings who surrender their life now to
Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. All of God’s adopted human
children will reign with Christ on the New Earth for eternity in
God’s perfect kingdom. Let’s review the timeline of
events leading up to the time when we will take our place as rulers of
the universe.
Creation=>Fall=>Redemption=>Consummation
First Coming of Christ=>Already-But-Not-Yet-Kingdom=>Second
Coming of Christ=>New Heaven & New Earth (God’s
Eternal Kingdom and our co-rulership with Christ)
When Christ returns, He will execute the final judgment of all
humans. We explored the details of this eternal, destiny-defining
judgment in the last two sermons. As we just read in Daniel, and
as we also read in Revelation, when Christ sits on the throne of
judgment, there will be two sets of heavenly books opened.
One set of books will be the record of each of our lives. The other set of books will be what the Bible calls the Lamb’s Book of Life.
Jesus is often called the Lamb of God scarified for the sins of the
world. This is the book that contains the names of all whose
sins have been forgiven by the life, death, and resurrection of
Christ. If you have fully surrendered your life to Christ, your
name is in this book. All those whose names are not found in this
Book of Life, will be condemned to eternal darkness outside the kingdom
of God. But all those whose names are found in Christ’s
Book of Life will be rewarded with eternal life in God’s kingdom,
and given a position of eternal leadership over God’s kingdom.
Now for us to take our place as immortals, as princes and princesses of
the universe, we will need to be transformed into immortal beings with
the power and glory needed for such positions of rulership. And
this is exactly what we will receive when we put on our Resurrection
Bodies.
Let’s read about these new glorious bodies from 1Corinthians 15:42-54.
Now, as with all the topics we have explored so far in our Heaven
study, there are some things that we know for sure from the Bible, and
some things was can only make Biblically-informed speculations
about. So, let’s look at what we know for sure, and what we
are fairly certain about when it comes to our Resurrection bodies.
Based on this passage from 1 Corinthians 15, and others associated Bible passages about our Resurrection, this we know for sure:
• In the Greek
version of 1 Cor 15, it says that right now, we have a “natural
body, a “Psuchikos Soma.” “Psuchikos”
means of the earth, natural. “Soma” simply means a
body with substance, as opposed to a pure spiritual
being.
• The human spirit/soul was designed to always be housed in some type of a physical body.
• Our Resurrection bodies in the Corinthians
passage are called a “spiritual body,” a “Pneumatikos
Soma.” “Pneumatikos” means of the heavens, of
the spiritual realm.
• Why does this matter? Because just as
many don’t think of Heaven as including a new physical Earth,
many don’t think of our eternal bodies as being in any sense
physical. However, life on a New physical Earth will require a
new physical body.
• Our Resurrected body will be a physical human
body, a “soma,” only a body that is free from sin,
corruption, and the Curse
• Because of sin, our current bodies are
“perishable,” a cause of “dishonor,” and
“weak.”
• Our new Resurrection Bodies will be
“immortal,” “glorious,” and
“powerful.”
• Our new bodies will have different degrees of
beauty, power, and abilities. In other words, there will still be
great diversity in looks and skills.
• Our current bodies bear the likeness of Adam,
the first created human, after he had rebelled against God and was
placed under the Curse.
• But our new bodies will bear the likeness of Jesus Christ after He was resurrected.
• We will not get these new bodies until the
Second Coming of Christ, meaning that those humans who are in heaven
right now, are still waiting for their Resurrection bodies.
All this we can assert to be clear and mostly certain from the Bible.
Now here is what many scholars and theologians speculate about our new bodies based on what the Bible seems to indicate:
• Many believe
our bodies will be like that of the Resurrected Christ. Our
passage from Corinthians says we will bear the likeness of Christ.
• And Phil 3:20-21 reveals:
“Our
citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from
there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to
bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so
that they will be like his glorious body.”
• If so, we can make these speculations:
-
Christ could choose to eat.
Perhaps we will be able to enjoy the
pleasure of eating and drinking. Being perfect, we will perhaps
find healthy food to be more enjoyable than junk food!
-
Christ could be touched.
Perhaps we will enjoy the pleasure of physical contact like hugs, and pure and wholesome sensuality.
-
Christ still bore the scars of the cross. This indicates many possibilities.
Perhaps we will in some way glorify God’s grace through our new bodies revealing the trials God used in our life.
Perhaps we will be still able to get
hurt and need healing in some sense, (otherwise there would be no
thrill in risky recreation!).
Perhaps will still get tired and need rest (and so enjoy a nap is some tropical paradise!).
-
Christ still had to walk, but he could also walk through walls.
So perhaps we will possess both physical limitations and supernatural abilities in our new bodies.
There is no indication that we will be able to fly (without technology).
- Christ at times still appears like the pre-resurrected Jesus, and at other times appears as a glorious being.
So there seems to be both continuity and newness in how we look.
Perhaps we will both bear some resemblance to our current bodies, and yet take on a new glorious look.
IV. Crowned Princes and Princesses
So, one of the major eternal rewards we will receive as Christians, as
God’s adopted human children, will be these new glorified,
Resurrection bodies! The other major reward we will receive is
that our destiny is to co-rule with Christ over God’s eternal
kingdom.
Listen to some of the Bible passages that reveal this destiny:
The Reward of Rulership
"Well
done, my good servant!' his master replied. 'Because you have been
trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.'" (Luke 19:17)
"They will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him.” (Rev 20:6)
“The throne of God and of the
Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They
will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There
will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or
the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And
they will reign for ever and ever.” (Rev 22:3-5)
"If we endure, we shall also reign with him." (2 Timothy 2:12)
"To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne.” (Rev 3:21)
"To him who overcomes and does my
will to the end, I will give authority over the nations….just as
I have received authority from my Father.” (Rev 2:26-28)
“Then the sovereignty, power
and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed
over to the saints, the people of the Most High.” (Dan 7:26)
“With your blood (Jesus Christ)
you purchased men and women for God from every tribe and language and
people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests
to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth." (Rev 5:9-10)
Ruler of Maui or Janitor in Greenland
We discovered in our last two sermons how we each will receive a
different degree of reward based on how well we loved God and others
right now.
One major way our rewards will vary will be in what position of
leadership we will have for eternity. This is seen in parables
such as the one of the faithful servants in Luke mentioned
earlier. The servant who doubled his ten bags of gold was placed
in charge of ten cities. The one who doubled his five bags of
gold was placed in charge of five cities. Again, this indicates
that we will be judged based on how well we used the gifts, resources,
and opportunities granted to us, and that our positions of power will
differ.
Still another way the Bible reveals that our destiny involves eternal
positions of rulership, and that these rewards are given according to
our service now, is through the metaphor of “Crowns.”
Crowns as Rewards
Crowns are a common symbol of ruling authority. (This list is taken from Randy Alcorn)
The Crown of Life - given for faithfulness to Christ in persecution or martyrdom.
"Blessed
is they who persevere under trial, because when they have stood the
test, they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to
those who love him." (James 1:12)
"Do not be afraid of what you are
about to suffer . . . Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I
will give you the crown of life." (Revelation 2:10)
The Incorruptible Crown - given for determination, discipline and victory in the Christian life.
“Do
you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the
prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in
the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that
will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever." (1 Corinthians 9:24-25)
The Crown of Glory - given for faithfully representing Christ in a position of spiritual leadership.
“To
the elders among you, be shepherds of God's flock that is under your
care, serving as overseers-not because you must, but because you are
willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to
serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples
to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the
crown of glory that will never fade away." (1 Peter 5:1-4)
The Crown of Righteousness - given for purifying and readying yourself to meet Christ at his return.
"The
time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have
finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me
the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will
award to me on that day-and not only to me, but also to all who have
longed for his appearing." (2 Tim. 4:6-8)
The Crown of Rejoicing - given for pouring oneself into others in evangelism and discipleship.
"For
what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the
presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you?" (1 Thessalonians 2:19)
". . . my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown . . ." (Philippians 4:1)
Casting Down Our Crowns
Regardless of how high a position we may earn, in God’s perfect
kingdom, we will rule with perfect love, perfect wisdom, and perfect
justice. No more corrupt governments! No more ruling for
personal glory or power. We will rule in perfect and full
submission to Jesus Christ, the Kings of Kings, and Lord of Lords!
"The
twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and
worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before
the throne and say: 'You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory
and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they
were created and have their being.'" (Revelation 4:10-11)
V. The Present Power of our Eternal Destiny
Now you may or may not find hearing of the destiny of the human race to
be exciting. So let me give you three life-defining applications
of these truths.
1. Knowing that you
are rewarded with an eternal position in the kingdom of God should
provide a powerful motivation to live a life now of overcoming faith,
pleasure-delaying hope, and sacrificial love.
2. Embracing your destiny as a co-ruler with Christ,
gives meaning to current trial and suffering. All life right now
is training ground for our eternal positions of leadership. There
are lessons to be learned and character to be formed that cannot be
accomplished any other way but through trials. This is the
eternal purpose of current suffering.
3. Remembering the glorious purpose and eternal
destiny of the human race should cause us to treat every person we meet
with dignity and grace. C.S. Lewis, in his classic literary
style, reminds us that every person we meet is on the path of becoming
either an eternal splendor or immortal horror. Which are you
helping others to become?
C.S. Lewis from The Weight of Glory
It is maybe possible to think too much of your own potential glory hereafter.
But it is impossible to think too often or too deeply about that of your neighbors.
The weight of my neighbors' glory should be laid daily on my back.
So heavy a weight it is that only humility can carry it.
It's a serious thing to live in a society of immortals.
To remember that millions of years from now,
the dullest and most uninteresting person you meet
may one day be an incredible creature,
who if you saw him now you would be strongly tempted to worship,
or, a horror as you only now meet in a nightmare.
All day long we are in some degrees helping each other
to one or the other of these destinations.
It is therefore in light of these overwhelming possibilities,
it is with the proper amount of awe and circumspection
that we should conduct all of our dealings with one another,
all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics.
There are no ordinary people.
You have never talked to a mere mortal.
Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations, these are mortal,
and their life is to our life as the life of a gnat.
But it is immortals with whom we joke, work, marry, snub, and exploit.
Immortal horrors or everlasting splendors,
your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses.