Press of the BeComingOne Church

[Taken from the New Mind Papers  by Walter R. Dolen
 Copyright © 1977-2003 by Walter R. Dolen and/or BeComingOne Church]

NM 25: Kingdom of God

What Others Say

nm1088» Is there a heaven? In many churches members look upon going to heaven as going above the clouds and beholding God always while being in a state of heavenly bliss. Not too much detail is given, except it is a much better place to be than hell. According to many, if you go to hell, you are in a fire suffering forever (Last Judgment). But if you go to heaven you are blessed forever and you will live in one of the heavenly mansions in cities paved with gold. If you get to heaven there will be no work, no suffering, no day, no night. Everyone eats from the tree of life and worships God forever enjoying the beatific vision.

nm1089» In the Koran, one description of heaven for the males is having a continuous supply of virgin "companions," with alcoholic drink and delicate food to eat - a continuous orgy and feast (Sura 56:4-41ff). This belief is not particular to the Koran, for many others also believe that the pleasures forbidden them on earth will be their permissible pleasure in heaven. But are the sinful "pleasures" denied on earth, the rewards of heaven? Or does this have more to do with the other-mind's pleasures being projected into mankind's physical mind in this age? (See "Old Mind" paper [NM 21])

What the Bible Says

But what does the Bible say about the "reward" for Christians? Do they go to heaven?

nm1090» Go to Heaven? Now since the word "heaven" or "heavenly" is used interchangeably with "spirit" or "spiritual" (1Cor 15:44-49; see Duality Paper [BP 4]), then at Christ's coming, when we are infused into the spiritual dimension, we will, so to speak, go to heaven or go to the spiritual dimension. But at Christ's coming is also the end of the Beast of Revelation's rule ("Beast-System Paper" [PR2]), and the beginning of God's rule through his Christ and his saints (Dan 7:11-14,24-27; 2Thess 1:7,10; Rev 19:20-20:4). At Christ's coming there will be clouds in the sky (Isa 13:10; Ezek 32:7; Dan 7:13; Joel 2:31, 3:15; Amos 8:9; Zech 14:7; Mat 24:30; Rev 1:7, 6:12-13) from the effects of the Last War [PR5], the two witnesses will be resurrected and ascend into heaven in a cloud (Rev 11:12), the other Christians also will ascend into heaven at that same time to meet Christ in the air (1Cor 15:23,51-55; 1Thess 4:13-17; 2Thess 2:1) to be with Christ always, and because at that time Christ will come down to earth to rule, the Christians will bring Christ down (Rom 10:6) to rule on earth for the 1000 years (Rev 5:10, 11:15, 20:4), for Christ's kingdom will rule on the earth (Rev 5:10 Greek text; Pss 37:9,29; Mat 5:5). Thus, "heaven" as commonly thought of, is not the "reward" Christians receive, per se. Remember here that any "reward" Christians receive is not earned; we receive all from God as a gift (See NM 8-11).

nm1091» In the New Mind Papers we have given you, here and there, some aspects of the heavenly "rewards." Let's review and put the facts together, so in one place we can see what these "rewards" will be:

• Aeonian Life: This is life in the 1000 year period. This is explained in the "Reward for Christians" paper. [NM 11] This is different from the immortal life.
• Immortality: This is explained also in the "Reward for Christians" paper and in the "Does All Mean All?" paper [NM11; NM 14]. Immortal life is life in an immortal physical body as a New Soul. It is different from the aeonian life, which is life with Christ in the 1000 year period during which others of the old age are in judgment (Last Judgment).
• Life in the Kingdom of God: There are three orders of going into the Kingdom (1Cor 15:20-24). The first was Christ the man. The second "order" occurs at the return of Christ. The third order occurs after the 1000 year period. Life in the Kingdom of God is life under the rulership of God in peace and harmony. What the Kingdom of God will be like in the present universe is outlined in NM19.
• Life Forever in the New Heaven and Earth or New Universe: Most fully this New Universe will start after the small age of 100 years which comes after the 1000 years of the Kingdom of God under Christ (NM 19). It may be as impossible to understand this as it would for a child in the womb to understand how it will be after he/she is born. Our lives up to the time of the creation of the New Universe are in preparation for life in the New Universe.
• Pleasure in the New Life: We will have great pleasure in the New Life only because we have had great suffering in the old life. Pleasure and pain are comparative qualities: both need each other for either to exist (See "Reason Why" [NM 20], and GP 7 of the God Papers). Our very bodies, our New Souls, will be in and of themselves pleasurable (See "New Body" in GP6). We will live both in the physical dimension and the spiritual dimension (GP 6). We will not need to travel by foot, or by car, or by plane, or by space ship, but by and through the spiritual dimension if we so choose ("New Body" in GP6).
• Happiness Forever in the New Life: Because of the very law of knowledge, we will be happy in the New Life ("Reason Why" NM20). Happiness is a comparative quality. You cannot be happy, if you have never known unhappiness. Happiness and unhappiness are comparative qualities: both need each other for either to exist (See "Reason Why" [NM 20]).
• Love and Freedom in the New Life: God will be all in all (1Cor 15:28). "God is love. Whoever lives in love, lives in God, and God in him" (1John 4:16). "God lives in us and his love is made complete in us" (1John 4:12). We will all live in the Freedom and Harmony of the System of Love (See "Freedom and Law" [NM 17]).
 

Jesus Christ: "You are my friends if you do what I command... My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you" (John 15:12,14). "Yes, I am coming soon" (Rev 22:20).

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Index 
NM1  New Mind & Christianity
NM2  Church of God
NM3 Repentance
NM4  Baptism
NM5  Begotton, Born
NM6  Body, Soul, & Spirit
NM7  Age Paper
NM8  Predestination
NM9  Free Will v. Predestination
NM10  Proof Paper
NM11  "Reward" for Christians
NM12  According to Works
NM13 All Saved?
NM14  Does all mean all?
NM15  1000 Years
NM16  Times & Seasons
NM17  Freedom & Law
NM18  Other Papers
NM19  Reason Why
NM20  Other Mind
NM21  Old Mind
NM22  Spirit of man given by God
NM23  Judging
NM24  Last Judgment
NM25  Kingdom of God
NM26  Plan of Creation

• Live an extra 1000 years

• Never die again

• Have a perfect body

• Be happy, always

• Feel great, always

• Be loved, always

• Love, always

• Less fear

Basic Beliefs:
For out of Him, and through Him, and into Him, all things. (Rom 11:36)
In order that may be the God all in all. (1Cor 15:28)
And now abides faith, hope, love ... but the greatest of these is love. (1Cor 13:13)

"Tolerance of evil breeds more evil" 

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Press of the BeComingOne Church

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 Those of the world said: "We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man's [Christ's] blood upon us." 

But Peter and the apostles answered:
"We must obey God rather than men." (Acts 5:28-29)

"All silencing of discussion is an assumption of infallibility ... But the peculiar evil of  silencing the expression of opinion is, that it is robbing the human race ... If the opinion is right, they are deprived of the opportunity of exchanging error for truth; if wrong, they lose, what is almost as great a benefit, the clearer perception and livelier impression of truth, produced by its collision with error." (John Stuart Mill, On Liberty, Chapter 2)