Heaven
Redemption through Christ has bought back God’s original design. For His glory, our good, we sense the great call of God upon our lives. Adam and Eve and their children were to extend the blessings of Paradise throughout the entire world, but instead of this purpose, Adam sinned and brought a curse upon the ground for man’s sake. Satan, though defeated, still reigns in his kingdom, but not for long.
Salvation, therefore, restores man to his original calling and purpose, and thus guarantees man’s original mandate. Under the perpetual curse of sin there is no purpose for God to be glorify, though His glory cannot be diminished. But because of God’s amazing grace, when sin and the curse are taken completely away, people will be capable of exercising proper stewardship of the earth and the new earth to come. Heaven will rule and His kingdom will come. Though, at this time, we experience God’s kingdom in our hearts.
Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy our God forever. One day in the realm of glory this will take place uninterrupted, but in the mean time God has called us as resurrected beings to carry out his plan for developing a Christ-centered, resurrected culture in a dying, decaying world.
Christ’s mission is to both redeem what was lost in the Fall and to destroy all that competes against God’s dominion, authority, and power He wields. When all is placed and put under His feet, when God rules and mankind rules the earth as kings under Christ, the King of kings, at last all will be as God intends. This period of rebellion will be forever over, and the universe, and all who serve Christ, will participate in the Master’s joy!