(1 Peter 1:3-5, NWT) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for according to his great mercy he gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an incorruptible and undefiled and unfading inheritance. It is reserved in the heavens for YOU, who are being safeguarded by God’s power through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last period of time.
(Colossians 1:3-8, NWT) We thank God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ always when we pray for YOU, since we heard of YOUR faith in connection with Christ Jesus and the love YOU have for all the holy ones because of the hope that is being reserved for YOU in the heavens. This [hope] YOU heard of before by the telling of the truth of that good news which has presented itself to YOU, even as it is bearing fruit and increasing in all the world just as [it is doing] also among YOU, from the day YOU heard and accurately knew the undeserved kindness of God in truth. That is what YOU have learned from Epaphras our beloved fellow slave, who is a faithful minister of the Christ on our behalf, who also disclosed to us YOUR love in a spiritual way.
What does the phrase or concept of “is being reserved for you in the heavens,” or similarly, “it is reserved in the heavens for you” mean?
This phrase often gives the impression that one’s “hope” is ‘a going to heaven’ one as oppose to inheriting the earth, but this is often due to a misunderstanding of what ‘reserved in the heavens’ means.
Consider, for instance, 4 Ezra 7:12-14:
And so the entrances of this world were made narrow and sorrowful and toilsome; they are few and evil, full of dangers and involved in great hardships. But the entrances of the greater world are broad and safe, and really yield fruit of immortality. Therefore unless the living pass through the difficult and vain experiences, they can never receive those things that have been reserved for them.”
We can gleam some insights from this apocalypse that is contemporaneous with the New Testament. (Metzger dates it to about 100 C.E.) We note that there are “things” that are being “reserved” as “safe” and which do “really yield fruit of immortality.” When something is said to be “reserved,” it is another way of saying that it is “safe” or secure. Later in the apocalypse it states,
“For behold, the time will come, when the signs which I have foretold to you will come to pass; the city which now is not seen shall appear, and the land which now is hidden shall be disclosed.” (4 Ezra 7:26)
And also,
And recompense shall follow, and the reward shall be manifested (4 Ezra 7:35a)
It is clear from the above that Jews believed their “reward” was “reserved” so as to be “safe” with God, but which would later “be manifested.”
Similarly, consider also 2 Baruch, an apocalypse dating from ca. 100-140 CE:
For the righteous justly have good hope for the end and go away from this habitation without fear because they possess with you [= God] a store of good works which is preserved in treasuries. (2 Baruch 14:12)
2 Baruch also affirms that the righteous have things “preserved” “with [God].” Consider further Jesus’ words,
(Matthew 6:19-20, NWT) “Stop storing up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break in and steal. Rather, store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
Jesus here tells us to “store up” “treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” To ‘store treasures in heaven’ it is not necessary to go to heaven, just as it is not necessary to go to heaven to receive our reward. It simply means to store things up with God; heaven is here a metonymy, as it is used similarly elsewhere in the Gospels.
(Mark 11:30) Was the baptism by John from heaven or from men? Answer me. . .
Here “heaven” is most obviously used as a metonymy for God, as it is elsewhere in the Bible.
But now looking back at our original verses, we can now note that ‘reserved in the heavens’ is simply a way of saying things are stored up with God. It is also noteworthy that the reward is always said to be revealed to and given us, not that we go to heaven to receive it.
(Revelation 22:12, NWT) “‘Look! I am coming quickly, and the reward I give is with me, to render to each one as his work is.
anomynous609
May 17, 2011 at 8:47 PM
Ivan,
what are your thoughts on Mark 12:35-36
but those who have been counted worthy of gaining that system of things and the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. In fact, neither can they die anymore, for they are like the angels, and they are God’s children by being children of the resurrection.
Do think those on earth will be like this, or do you see some other application or…?
Ivan Monroy
May 17, 2011 at 9:58 PM
Hi!
I think you may have meant Luke 20:35-36.
Yes, I think this applies to Christians whom will live on earth. In the New Earth there will be no marriage apparently.
Note that Jesus also ties in Moses, Abraham, and other Patriarchs into the subject. These will be in the kingdom on earth. (cf Genesis 13:14-18; Matthew 5:3, 5; 8:11)
What do you think?
SANDRA C
May 18, 2011 at 7:06 AM
Marriage is “until death do us part.” Many married Christians who will “come out of the great tribulation” (Rev. 7:14) and survive to live on into God’s New World will STILL be married. They will never die at all. So, how do you reconcile that?
anomynous609
May 18, 2011 at 11:31 AM
>>I think you may have meant Luke 20:35-36.
Oops, I was looking at the parallels and conflated the numbers
>>What do you think?
Ill have to give more time to thinking everything through
But…if all people are marriageless that implies all are genderless, or at least cannot have children.
How then could we ‘be fruitful and become many and fill the Earth and subdue it’? I suppose that you could argue that’s been done already (hence the 2000 years waiting)… but, again, Ill have to take some time to think about it.
I *think* the WT suggested at one point that this *may* (or may not) only be intended for those on heaven.
SANDRA C
May 18, 2011 at 7:10 AM
My comment was directed at Ivan, who said: ‘In the New Earth there will be no marriage apparently.’
Anthony
May 18, 2011 at 7:35 AM
Sandra,
I believe you’ll find even the watchtower confesses this applies to earth. The answer is simply, which is that we shall all be “changed.”. It is exactly the same as for those you mistakenly imagine go to heaven.
A.M.
anomynous609
May 18, 2011 at 12:20 PM
It just says “neither marry nor are given in marriage,” I see nothing to suggest that people are ‘divorced’ after the Great Trib.
Notice that this is the opposite of Noah’s Day
Luke 17:27 they were eating, they were drinking, men were marrying, women were being given in marriage, until that day when Noah entered into the ark, and the flood arrived and destroyed them all
Anthony
May 18, 2011 at 1:15 PM
In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul says the seed must die to be changed. This would account for the lack of marriage.
A.M.
Ivan Monroy
May 18, 2011 at 7:38 AM
Sandra:
What you say may be correct, I don’t know for certain, but it appears that marriage is a thing of this age, not the next.
SANDRA C
May 19, 2011 at 7:43 AM
It is interesting, when Noah and his wife and his sons and their wives went through the flood in the ark, that they were STILL MARRIED when they came out of the ark as flood survivors. Jesus said that ‘just as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be during the great tribulation.’ Hence, as a parallel, those going though the great tribulation in the ark (Jehovah’s organization) will come out as Armageddon survivors being STILL MARRIED.
SANDRA C
May 19, 2011 at 7:49 AM
. . . that is, those who survive Armageddon as “married couples.” If one’s spouse does not survive Armageddon, then that person is not actually in the figurative ark, and so that marriage will be dissolved, because one partner will have died before entering the paradise earth.
SANDRA C
May 18, 2011 at 9:20 AM
Let’s examine these scriptures from the New International Version of the Bible. This is the Word of God saying this (not me), and it clearly shows that the “anointed” holy ones GO TO HEAVEN to be with Christ. Read these scriptures carefully, please. —
Heb. 6:19, 20:
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus, WHO WENT BEFORE US, has entered on our behalf. [Jesus' going before them means that they will follow him there.]
Heb. 8:1-4:
1 The point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in HEAVEN, 2 and who SERVES IN THE SANCTUARY, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man. 3 Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer. 4 If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already men who offer the gifts prescribed by the law. [So, if this is the case, then the anointed associated priests, if they were to be on earth, would not be priests either.]
Heb. 9:1-3:
1 Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. 2 A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand, the table and the consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place. 3 Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place.
11 When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.
23 It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; HE ENTERED HEAVEN ITSELF, now to appear for us in God’s presence.
Hebrews 10:19-23:
19 Therefore, brothers, since WE HAVE CONFIDENCE TO ENTER THE MOST HOLY PLACE by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
Did you notice what it says in Hebrews 10:19? Anointed Christians (the holy ones) “have confidence to enter the MOST HOLY PLACE.” They enter behind the curtain too. Verse 20 of Hebrews 6 states that Christ entered behind the curtain, into the Most Holy, HEAVEN itself, before they do — It says, “CHRIST WENT BEFORE US.” You cannot make it any clearer than this! — It is appropriate because they are to be not just a kingdom of kingly rulers but also a kingdom of PRIESTS.
Rev.1:6 — “and [he] has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father”
Rev. 20:6 — “Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.”
SANDRA C
May 18, 2011 at 9:44 AM
p.s. The TODAY’S NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION of the Bible puts Hebrews 6:19-20 this way:
19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, 20 where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever …”
I find it interesting that this version uses the word “forerunner.” A definition of forerunner is: a person that precedes the coming of someone else. Yes, indeed, Christ precedes anointed Christians in entering heaven itself!
. . . SANDRA C
Anthony
May 18, 2011 at 10:42 AM
Sandra,
You greatly ignore context for each of these. The NASB renders Christ as our “forerunner” in Hebrews 6:20, but as the Word commentary states, the nearest parallel is Hebrews 2:10. He had the same hope as we, he was already perfected as we shall be. He is not a forerunner into a place but into the hope discussed in the very context of hebrews 6,, which is the giving of blessings.
With Hebrews 8 there is no thought of the kingdom. Instead he is contrasted with the levitical priesthood, which will not exist in the kingdom.
Hebrews 9 says nothing about us that I see…
Hebrews 10, if you read carefully, is not about going to heaven, but ‘drawing near to God,’. This is something we have confidence of at present, not a future hope.
A.M.
SANDRA C
May 18, 2011 at 2:13 PM
ANTHONY SAID: “He is not a forerunner into a place but into the hope”
SANDRA C SAYS: You’re wrong, Anthony — Christ was a forerunner into a PLACE, the Most Holy PLACE, which is HEAVEN itself, and anointed Christians have the heavenly “hope” while still alive in the flesh. When they die, it is no longer a hope; they follow Christ to heaven. These scriptures make this clear:
. . . “Jesus, WHO WENT BEFORE US” (indicating that the anointed follow later) — (Heb. 6:20)
. . . Christ serves in the heavenly sanctuary (so will his 144,000 underpriests) — (Heb.8:2)
. . . [Christ] entered the Most Holy Place (heaven itself) once for all — (Heb. 9:12, 24)
What does Hebrews 10:19 say? It says, WE have confidence TO ENTER the Most Holy PLACE.
What is this PLACE? Heb. 9:24 answers that it is HEAVEN.
Anointed Christians are confident that they will ENTER HEAVEN itself — the Most Holy PLACE — just like their forerunner, Christ, did before them.
Anthony
May 18, 2011 at 2:44 PM
Sandra,
How about addressing the contextual points in each verse rather than playing hop scotch to make a point you can’t otherwise make? Specific items are in view with each passage and to avoid them you clip key words and try piecing together a teaching. Hebrews 6 is a bit ambiguous, but the second translation you posted clearly doesn’t necessitate your view. The context is about hope and trust in God, in which he went before us.
Hebrews 10 is unambiguously talking about a present confidence, not a future hope. Keep reading. It is expressly related to our going before God.
I understand your arguments, but you ignore the context and how the author makes use of the language.
I suggest you read 1 Corinthians again. The seed is simply an illustration. Paul says ite is for the resurrevtion of the dead, not just some of the dead. You assumr, without evidence, that some christians will not receive this, yet you can provide not a single scripture to substantiate this.
A.M.
SANDRA C
May 18, 2011 at 2:31 PM
ANTHONY SAID: “In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul says the seed must die to be changed. This would account for the lack of marriage.”
SANDRA C SAYS: The “seed” is Christ and the 144,000 heavenly heirs of the kingdom. Yes, they are “like the angels of heaven, neither do they marry, nor are they given in marriage,” because, as Paul said, “you are neither male nor female in Christ (referring to “Spiritual Israel).” Their resurrection — the first resurrection — is referred to in 1 Cor. 15 re: the change. This has no bearing on the “great crowd” who “come out of the great tribulation.” (Rev. 7:9, 14) Evidently, this great crowd do not die, and, if married on entering the New World, the married couple remain married until the command to “be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth” has been accomplished, according to Jehovah’s will and purpose. We have no information yet on what follows. New scrolls are to be opened, however, during the millennial reign of Christ. No one knows what info they’ll contain.
SANDRA C
May 18, 2011 at 2:57 PM
p.s. Nowhere in the Scriptures does it indicate that the “great crowd” of Armageddon survivors will marry and participate in fulfilling the procreation mandate. Jesus said, as recorded at Luke 20:35: “Those who have been counted worthy of gaining that system of things and the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage.” This applies also to those who died before Christ appeared in the presence of God to present the value of his human sacrifice in behalf of his faithful followers here on earth; so it includes those faithful ones from Abel to John the Baptist.