Heirs of the World
“It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.”
Today’s Text: Romans 4:9-17 (Living Life Daily Devotional)
What does it mean to an “heir of the world?”
Some Christians believe that “a new heaven and a new earth” (Revelation 21:1) is not literally a new physical world. In other words, the earth, as we know it today, will not literally be destroyed, such that those who are saved will be “raptured” into a new world.
What Christians believe about the end times depends on how they interpret the Scriptures. Are the things that the Scriptures say about the end times literal or metaphorical, and how can we tell?
What every evangelical Christian does believe, however, is that Jesus Christ will literally return. When he does, our physical bodies will somehow become immortal. How do we wrap our minds around such things?
But if we are not “raptured” into a new world with Jesus Christ, what is the alternative? The alternative is that Jesus will come to us on THIS earth and usher in His divine kingdom. In that scenario, we become heirs of THAT earth where Jesus is literally King.
Yes, Revelation talks about a shiny new city, where the throne of God sits, and pearly gates and streets of gold and a river flowing from the throne and trees of life lining the banks of the river. But all of that language is rich in biblical imagery, and probably metaphor.
One time in seminary, I had a thought that maybe the “heaven and earth” we inherit is basically the same as the world we live in right now, except that there would be no more death, no more evil, no more sin, no more disasters or diseases, no more tragedies or wars. I mentioned that to a professor, and he emphatically said, “I don’t believe that.”
We never spoke in detail about why he didn’t believe that, but why not?
Can you imagine the life that you live right now without death, without evil, without sin, without disasters or diseases, without tragedies or wars? To me, that seems easier to imagine than being “raptured” into an ethereal, heavenly world that is vastly different from this beautiful world that God created for us.
Whatever the case may be, through faith, we have eternal life. And Jesus is coming.
Father, would You hurry the returning of our Lord Jesus? You have given us the gift of life, but, Father, I’ve had enough of the heartache and pain of sin—my sin and other people’s sin. Come, Lord Jesus. Come! In Jesus’s precious name. Amen.
