Eternity….
The place we will spend eternity is what we call Paradise. It is the place the Messiah has gone to prepare for us. In John 14: 2-3 Jesus said, “…I go to prepare a place for you…I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am you may be also”. After Christ returns to rescue the last survivors of Judah, and reigns over all nations on this old earth for a thousand years, he will replace this old world with a new one, and we will be there with him for eternity. (Dan 2:44, Rev 21)
The ‘Bosom of Abraham’ is the place where the life/soul of the faithful children rest/sleep. It refers to a state of peaceful rest in Jehovah’s care until the return of Christ. It is not the same as how selfish souls wait in a restless sleep of nightmares and despair.
Read the parable of Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16 (the characters are not real).
According to Rev 21:9 Holy Jerusalem, the palace of Christ’s earthly Kingdom, is the ‘bride of Christ’ (not the Church). It is the culmination of all that Jehovah intended from the beginning and the establishment of Jehovah‘s throne, on the new earth, with his children, forever. It is described as being adorned “like a bride” in Rev 21.
We can get a glimpse of what Paradise might be like from scripture.
In Genesis 1:1 we read “in the beginning Jehovah created the heavens and the earth”. It makes no mention of how long that creation existed before he said in verse 3, “Let there be light” when he sparked the Sun.
Jehovah ‘spoke’…he didn’t ‘think’ it into being. This supports the fact that all things were created through “the Word” which was the original physical form Jehovah created for himself so he could interact, and exist, with his human children.
It doesn’t matter how long it took…it was 6 Jehovah days. (I’m thinking day-for-a-year make perfect sense here because on the sixth day Adam was created, named all the animals, and acquired a wife)
We also see that it was good. In fact the Creator says it was “very good”. [He did not say, “oops”].
We know that the place where Yahweh put man was very pleasant and extremely beautiful. It was called “the garden of Eden”. The earth was made for one thing….a place for mankind to dwell. It was supposed to be a forever place. A physical place with Sun, Moon, stars, animals, fields and trees, and many more wonderments. This is what we usually think of when we imagine the paradise that will someday be our eternal home. Scripture says that the corrupted physical heavens and the earth will pass away and be made all perfectly, physically, brand new. We could find ourselves there in the blink of an eye, instantly because our Messiah will have already prepared it for us, or it may be like walking through a door way. We will have perfect everlasting physical bodies living on a perfect everlasting physical world. Just the way Jehovah intended it to be from the very beginning.
And the Creator will live with us, and walk with us. We will be His, and He will be ours. For eternity.
We know from reading the Bible that Jehovah walked in the garden with Adam and Eve (He didn’t float). We also know from scripture that a physical “self” was the first thing that was created for this physical dimension in the realm of Jehovah. He was at the beginning and all things were created by Him and through Him and for Him. The Creator can not have a personal relationship with his creation as a spirit being. And Jehovah cannot be confined to be just in one place. But He can do both….He is the Creator.
So he now has a way to have a personal relationship with his children on earth, but still be omniscient (everywhere).
Maybe that makes no sense to you. So let’s have an example:
Suppose you want to create a big aquarium with all your favorite fish but you would like to know them more personally. Fish cannot breathe air and grow legs to dwell in your world, but you can put on fins and dwell in theirs. Jehovah, our creator, made a physical body (put on flesh) so that he could dwell in our world with us. And ultimately he sacrificed that physical body when it became a real human being like us through real human birth. Our judge (Jesus Christ) will know us because he was one of us. He is justified to condemn the wicked because he lived with all the same human weaknesses and sufferings that we did, but did not succumb to them. He stayed focused. He endured to the end.
We will see the truth explained in scripture that Mankind was created on the earth, from the earth, for the earth. Jehovah breathed life into the Human Body. Life is a component of the spirit world. The Bible tells us that each individual human has a personal “Life” identification. We commonly call it “the Soul”. Plants and animals have bodies and life, but not souls. When the body dies this Life/soul departs from the body. Death is separation from life and the Creator. But somehow Jehovah saves and stores that life/soul for us.
David… No one remembers you (God) when he is dead. Who praises you from the grave?” (Psalm 6:5)
Solomon…”The living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing” (Ecclesiastes 9:5)
Solomon…”In the grave, where you are going, there is neither working, nor planning, nor knowledge nor wisdom.” (Ecclesiastes 9:10)
Paul…”For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either…then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost” (1 Co 15:16-18)
Paul…”Brothers we do not want to you to be ignorant about those who have fallen asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men who have no hope” (1 Th 4:13,16)
Jehovah has promised that a judgement day will come when all who have died will be resurrected. Our physical bodies will be re-united with our Life/soul. Those believers who are still living will join the previously resurrected saints, and stand in judgement before the Messiah (he is the only way to Paradise). We will all stand, body and soul, before the Christ and will be judged for the choices we made. Some will be rewarded with eternal life and some will perish forever (John 3:16). Some will be rewarded with new incorruptible physical bodies, and ultimately a beautiful new incorruptible physical home world. Our Messiah will be our King forever. But many will be rejected and separated from the Creator forever, and will perish (cease to exist). Satan and his demons (who were created as eternal beings) will endure the lake of fire forever. Never to harm mankind again.
Jesus said, “I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself, so that where I am you may be also”.
We look forward to our new physical heavens and earth. The “Paradise” that once was, will someday be again. But it will be after Jesus comes again.
But that place is not yet. Christ has gone on before us to prepare that place for us so that when his kingdom is established on the new earth we can be there with him.