¿Es el cielo la recompensa de los salvos?
Pero ¿dónde residirá la familia de Dios? ¿En qué se ocuparán sus miembros? ¿Existe alguna base bíblica que apoye la idea tan común de que eternamente estarán tocando arpas en alguna parte del cielo?
Pero ¿dónde residirá la familia de Dios? ¿En qué se ocuparán sus miembros? ¿Existe alguna base bíblica que apoye la idea tan común de que eternamente estarán tocando arpas en alguna parte del cielo?
¿Qué dijo Jesús acerca de la recompensa de los justos?
“En la casa de mi Padre muchas moradas hay; si así no fuera, yo os lo hubiera dicho; voy, pues, a preparar lugar para vosotros. Y si me fuere y os preparare lugar, vendré otra vez, y os tomaré a mí mismo, para que donde yo estoy, vosotros también estéis” (Juan 14:2-3).
La pregunta crucial es ¿dónde estará Jesús? Varios pasajes de la Biblia muestran claramente que volverá a la tierra y que gobernará a las naciones con sus santos (comparar Apocalipsis 19; 20:1-6).
¿Dónde gobernarán los justos?
“Y entonaban este nuevo cántico: ‘Digno eres de recibir el rollo escrito y de romper sus sellos, porque fuiste sacrificado, y con tu sangre compraste para Dios gente de toda raza, lengua, pueblo y nación. De ellos hiciste un reino; los hiciste sacerdotes al servicio de nuestro Dios, y reinarán sobre la tierra’” (Apocalipsis 5:9-10, Nueva Versión Internacional).
Los santos justos ayudarán a Jesucristo a reinar sobre las naciones durante su gobierno milenario. Como un ejemplo específico, en la Biblia vemos que los 12 apóstoles reinarán sobre los descendientes de las 12 tribus de Israel (Lucas 22:28-30; comparar Mateo 19:28). La Escritura incluso revela que el rey David presidirá sobre las 12 tribus reunificadas de Israel (Ezequiel 37:21-25). Otros supervisarán la administración de varias ciudades (Lucas 19:16-19). Esta es una verdad bíblica casi olvidada.
¿Qué dijo el apóstol Pablo acerca de las futuras actividades de los que reciban la vida eterna?
“¿O no sabéis que los santos han de juzgar al mundo? Y si el mundo ha de ser juzgado por vosotros, ¿sois indignos de juzgar cosas muy pequeñas?” (1 Corintios 6:2).
¿Qué declara Jesucristo, por medio del apóstol Juan, sobre este tema?
“Al que venciere y guardare mis obras hasta el fin, yo le daré autoridad sobre las naciones” (Apocalipsis 2:26).
“Al que venciere, le daré que se siente conmigo en mi trono, así como yo he vencido, y me he sentado con mi Padre en su trono” (Apocalipsis 3:21).
Los escritos apostólicos muestran que el papel de los santos resucitados de gobernar en el mundo del futuro, se enseñaba y se entendía claramente en la iglesia del primer siglo. Sin embargo, con el transcurso de los siglos la apostasía creció hasta llegar al punto de que actualmente son relativamente pocos los que comprenden esta enseñanza bíblica. Una de las metas principales de la Iglesia de Dios Unida es proclamar estas verdades bíblicas que han sido olvidadas o malentendidas.
Trasladarse de la tierra al cielo no es la recompensa que ha sido prometida a los salvos. Los hijos de Dios, convertidos en seres espirituales, ¡participarán con Jesucristo en su gobierno sobre todas las naciones de la tierra! (Si desea estudiar este tema más a fondo, no vacile en solicitar dos folletos gratuitos: ¿Qué sucede después de la muerte? y El evangelio del Reino de Dios.)
¿Estarán los justos alguna vez con Dios el Padre?
“Y yo Juan vi la santa ciudad, la nueva Jerusalén, descender del cielo, de Dios, dispuesta como una esposa ataviada para su marido. Y oí una gran voz del cielo que decía: He aquí el tabernáculo de Dios con los hombres, y él morará con ellos; y ellos serán su pueblo, y Dios mismo estará con ellos como su Dios” (Apocalipsis 21:2-3).
Dios, nuestro Padre celestial, ha prometido que finalmente establecerá su sede sobre una tierra nueva, totalmente renovada (v. 1), y habitará para siempre con aquellos que hayan sido transformados en seres espirituales y glorificados.
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.
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