When the overcoming believers participate in the coming kingdom, they will inherit eternal life and thereby have a fuller enjoyment of the divine life (Matt. 19:29b; cf. Matt. 19:23-24). To inherit eternal life is to be rewarded in the coming age (Luke 18:29-30) with the enjoyment of the divine life in the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens. In the manifestation of the kingdom the overcoming believers will participate in the enjoyment of eternal life with the Lord Jesus.
In the church life today we are enjoying the divine life, the eternal life, but this enjoyment is not in full. In the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens, the overcomers will enjoy the eternal life in a fuller way.
To inherit eternal life is to be rewarded with the crown of life. In Revelation 2:10b the Lord Jesus says, “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” A crown in New Testament usage always denotes a prize in addition to salvation. The crown of life as a prize to the overcomers denotes the overcoming strength, which is the power of the resurrection life (Phil. 3:10); it also signifies that the overcomers have attained to “the out-resurrection from among the dead,” that is, the outstanding resurrection (Phil. 3:11). To be rewarded with the crown of life in the coming kingdom will surely be a fuller enjoyment of eternal life.
To participate in the coming kingdom is also to be rewarded to eat of the tree of life in the paradise of God- the New Jerusalem in the millennium. Revelation 2:7b says, “To him who overcomes, to him I will give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” Here the paradise of God is the New Jerusalem, of which the church is a foretaste today. Strictly speaking, to eat of the tree of life in the paradise of God refers to the particular enjoyment of Christ as our life supply in the New Jerusalem in the coming millennial kingdom, because this is a promise of reward made by the Lord to His overcomers. The enjoyment of Christ as the tree of life in the New Jerusalem in the new heaven and new earth will be the common portion of all God’s redeemed people, whereas the particular enjoyment of Him as the tree of life in the New Jerusalem in the coming millennial kingdom will be a reward only to the overcoming believers. If we overcome all the distractions in the church’s degradation to enjoy Christ as the tree of life in the church today, we shall be rewarded with the eating of the tree of life in the paradise of God in the coming age. This will also be a fuller enjoyment of the eternal life.
For the believers to participate in the coming kingdom also includes their being rewarded to have their names remain in the book of life. Revelation 3:5 says, “He who overcomes, he shall be clothed in white garments, and I will by no means erase his name out of the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.” The name being erased out of the book of life indicates that that name was already written in the book of life. The book of life is a divine record of the names of those who partake of the blessings God has prepared for them. The names of all the saints chosen by God and predestinated to partake of these blessings are written in this book (Luke 10:20). These blessings are in three stages: the church, the millennial kingdom, and eternity. The blessings in the stage of the church, such as forgiveness, redemption, regeneration, eternal life, and the divine nature, are all the initial portions. All God’s chosen ones whose names are written in the book of life have a share in these initial portions to begin their spiritual life. If they cooperate with God’s supplying grace, they will mature in life in the church age, and this earlier maturity in life will constitute a prize with which the Lord will reward them at His coming back. However, those who do not mature in life in the church age will not be ready at the Lord’s coming back to enter into the millennial kingdom and share in the divine blessings of that age as a prize. Therefore, during the millennial kingdom their names will be erased from the book of life. After being disciplined by the Lord and growing in life unto maturity during the millennial kingdom, they will share in the divine blessings in the stage of eternity. Then their names should be written in the book of life again. This means that all God’s chosen ones whose names are written in the book of life and who have been brought into the participation of the divine blessings in the stage of the church shall “by no means perish unto eternity” (John 10:28, lit.), that is, they shall by no means lose the divine blessing of eternity. But some, who will not cooperate with the Lord in the church age, will be dispensationally disciplined by the Lord during the millennial kingdom and will miss the divine blessings in that stage. However, the names of those who have lived an overcoming life in the church age will remain in the book of life during the coming age of the kingdom.
The Lord’s word concerning the crown of life, the tree of life, and the book of life in Revelation indicates that in the manifestation of the kingdom the overcoming believers will enjoy the eternal life in a fuller way. The main enjoyment in the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens will be the enjoyment of different aspects of eternal life. This enjoyment of eternal life will be fuller than the enjoyment we have in the church life today.
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