1. “I do not account of myself to have laid hold; but one thing I do: Forgetting the things which are behind and stretching forward to the things which are before, I pursue toward the goal for the prize to which God in Christ Jesus has called me upward” (Phil. 3:13-14; see also 1 Cor. 9:24; 2 Tim. 4:7-8).
Paul says that he did one thing: he pursued toward the goal for the prize to which God called him. In 1 Corinthians 9:24, he says that all believers are like runners on a racecourse who must run in a specific way to win the prize. In 2 Timothy 4:7-8 he says that the Lord will reward him with a crown of righteousness because he had fought the good fight, finished the course, and kept the faith. For the Lord to reward us with a crown means that He will give us the kingdom with the enjoyment of its glory as a prize. Therefore, to enter the kingdom of the heavens is to obtain the reward. This is something we should pursue, after we are saved (see “Obtaining the Reward,” ch. 47, pp. 793-805).
1. “If we endure, we will also reign with Him” (2 Tim. 2:12; see also Rev. 20:4, 6).
Second Timothy 2:12 and Revelation 20:4 and 6 speak of reigning with Christ through endurance and overcoming. To reign is to exercise authority in the kingdom. Moreover, Revelation 20 shows that this reigning will be in the millennial kingdom, that is, in the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens, so it can be considered as entering the kingdom of the heavens. Thus, entering the kingdom of the heavens will be to reign with the Lord. According to the Bible, the overcoming believers will enter the kingdom of the heavens for the purpose of reigning with the Lord and ruling on the future earth with Him for a thousand years.
1. “The church of the firstborn” (Heb. 12:23).
We Christians, born of God, are the firstfruits of His creatures (James 1:18) that He has reaped in His creation. In that sense we are the firstborn sons of God. Hence, the church, composed of us, is called the church of the firstborn (Heb. 12:23). The birthright of the firstborn includes at least three blessings. The first is the priesthood (1 Pet. 2:9; Rev. 5:10; 1:6). To be a priest is to serve God, to live before Him, to be filled and saturated with Him, and thus to be completely one with Him. This is a great blessing in the universe. The second birthright is the kingship. Second Timothy 2:12 and Revelation 20:4 and 6 speak of the believers as being kings. To be a king is to rule for God, to rule the earth, and to bring God’s authority to men. To be a priest is to represent man before God, and to be a king is to represent God in ruling men. The third birthright is to inherit the earth (Matt. 5:5; Heb. 2:5). In Matthew 5:5 the Lord promised that the meek overcomers would inherit the earth. This refers to ruling the earth in the coming age.
These three blessings are obtained by the church as the firstborn. In this age the believers are priests serving God by bringing man’s need before Him, and they rule and reign over their environment, bringing God’s authority to men. However, the believers cannot fully enjoy these privileges and inherit the earth until the coming millennial kingdom.
Romans 8:17-23 shows that believers obtain the sonship in the future with the redemption of our body when we enter into glory. This will occur during the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens. The blessings that the overcoming believers will enjoy in the kingdom of the heavens are related to the three blessings of the birthright of the church of the firstborn: being priests and kings to God and inheriting the earth. Thus, to enter the kingdom of the heavens is to enjoy the birthright of the church.
2. “Lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one meal gave up his own birthright” (Heb. 12:16; see also 1 Chron. 5:1-2; Gen. 49:3-4).
Hebrews 12 tells us that the church is God’s firstborn and uses the example of Esau as a warning for us to not give up our birthright. If we love the world as Esau did, we will lose the birthright and not be able to enter into the kingdom to enjoy the blessings therein. Although Reuben was the firstborn, he also lost the birthright because he indulged his lusts. Therefore, the three items in his birthright: the priesthood, the kingship, and the double portion of land were divided among the descendants of Levi, Judah, and Joseph. This is a warning to us. If we indulge our lusts like Reuben, we will lose the church’s birthright and not be able to enter into the kingdom.