The End of the Age: End of the Ages, #4

Chapter 1

The second resurrection

This book is the fourth in the series, The end of the Ages. The series is written in chronological sequence, beginning from this present time and ending in the age to come. In this book, I refer to a number of events that are explained in a lot more detail in the first three books. And so, in order to get a clearer picture as to how those events fit into God’s calendar, I would encourage you to read the first three books in this series. At the outset, I must warn all who read this book that if you have a worldly mindset, you will not enjoy what is written, particularly with regards to what the New Jerusalem and what the new earth will be like. For as you will see, God has not created either the New Jerusalem or the new earth in the image of this world, for all that is in this world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world (1 John 2:16). Nevertheless, for those who desire to know what the Holy Spirit has revealed to the church through the word of God, regarding that which God has prepared for us, then I would encourage you to read this book.

All children

Hebrews 12:22-24 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, (23) to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, (24) to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

Heaven is currently populated with three separate classes of God’s creations. The angels of God are one class and the saints of God which is the church, being another class. But there is a third class of God’s creations in heaven today, and that is all children. All children across the earth, from conception until the age of thirteen, remain spiritually alive to God, and as such they are His children, for God is the Father of all spirits (Hebrews 12:9). Everyone living on the earth dies in spirit when they reach the age of thirteen. The reason they die, is because from the age of thirteen, God holds them accountable for their sin, and because all sin, all therefore die (Romans 7:9). And so, that is the reason why we must be born-again. But because all children are still alive in spirit, they do not have to be born-again, as the saints do. And so, when children die physically, they ascend directly into heaven. When saints fall asleep in the Lord today, they also ascend directly into heaven (2 Corinthians 5:8). It wasn’t always like that though, for under the old covenant, when the saints died, they went to a place Jesus referred to as Abraham’s bosom, which was located under the earth (Luke 16:22). And so, it was only after Christ was raised from the dead, that the old testament saints could be born-again, and it was only then that they could ascend into heaven with Christ for the first time (Ephesians 4:8). Children that died under the old covenant, however, never went to Abraham’s bosom, for they were still spiritually alive to God, and so whereas their believing parents went to Abraham’s bosom, the children went directly to heaven. The prophet David understood that concept, which is why he said of his baby boy that died, I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me (2 Samuel 12:23). In the above passage of scripture, the Holy Spirit speaks about the three different classes of God’s creations in heaven today. For He mentions the angels as one class, and then He mentions the saints as another class, which He calls the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven. And then He speaks about the third class of God’s creations, which He calls the spirits of just men made perfect. The phrase translated the spirits of just men made perfect, can also be translated the spirits of the innocent made perfect. It is children, that God deems to be innocent (Psalm 106:38), and so we see that this class of God’s creations mentioned in this passage, are in fact the children of God. And so now, ever since our Lord Jesus was raised from the dead, both the saints that die and all children that die, go straight to heaven. Currently, both are living together in that part of heaven that our Lord called Paradise (Luke 23:43), which is also called Eden the garden of God. But all of them are there in spirit only, for neither the saints nor the children of God, have received a physical body yet. Nevertheless, there are a number of differences between the saints and the children in heaven. The main difference is that the saints in heaven are a part of the church and are therefore destined to become the bride of Christ, whereas the children in heaven are not part of the church and are therefore not destined to become part of the bride of Christ. Another difference between the two is that the saints in heaven will stand before the judgement seat of Christ to give an account of their lives while they were on the earth (Romans 14:10-12), whereas the children in heaven will not be judged. Another difference between the two, is that the saints have been made both kings and priests to God (Revelation 1:6), whereas the children in heaven are neither priests or kings before God. And so, as priests, the saints will minister before God, in the heavenly city of Jerusalem, whereas the children of God, because they are not priests, will not dwell in the city of Jerusalem to minister to the Lord. As kings, the saints will be joint heirs with Christ, and inherit the world to reign over it. The children of God on the other hand, will not inherit the world to come, for they are not joint heirs with Christ. Nevertheless, they will dwell in God’s new earth as His children, and it is in fact the children of God, over which the saints shall reign as kings, for all eternity. There is another difference between the saints and children in heaven, which is that the saints are filled with the Holy Spirit, whereas the children are not.

Difference in resurrected bodies

Revelation 20:5-6 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.  (6)  Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with Him a thousand years.  

Both the saints and the children of God will receive resurrected bodies at the end of this current dispensation. But it is on this point, that there is another difference between these two classes of God’s creations, for the saints will receive their resurrected bodies, when they return with Christ to reign with Him on the earth for one-thousand years. In the above passage of scripture, this event is called the first resurrection. That same passage speaks of the rest of the dead, not living again until the thousand years are completed. The rest of the dead referred to in this passage, are in fact the children of God that are in heaven today. And so, we see that the children in heaven will only receive their resurrected bodies after the millennial reign of our Lord Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, they will still receive their resurrected bodies before God the Father does away with this present earth. For just as the natural bodies of the saints have been sown into the earth as seed for their resurrected bodies (1 Corinthians 15:44), so it is that the bodies of children have also been sown into this present earth, as seed for their resurrected bodies.

Since the time of Adam, it is estimated that no fewer than twenty five billion children have died and gone to heaven. And so, very clearly the population of children in heaven far exceeds the population of the saints in heaven, of which it is estimated that there are between two and three hundred million. Although for the sake of explaining this concept, I have referred to the children of God as being children, most are adults by now, as they would have all matured in heaven at the same pace that they would have, had they lived out their full lives on the earth. Nevertheless, there is a population of twenty five billion children of God currently residing in heaven, which are waiting to receive their resurrected bodies. And it is at the second resurrection, at the end of our Lord’s millennial reign, that they will finally receive their resurrected bodies. And when they do, they will take up residence in the new earth that God our Father will create.

1 Corinthians 15:37-50 And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain—perhaps wheat or some other grain.  (38)  But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body.  (39)  All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds.  (40)  There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.  ... (42) So also, is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption.  (43)  It is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power.  (44)  It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.  (45)  And so, it is written, The first man Adam became a living being. The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.  (46)  However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual.  (47)  The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven.  (48)  As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly.  (49)  And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.  (50) Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.

So, what will the resurrected bodies of the children of God be like? Most naturally assume that their bodies will be the same as the saints of God, but that is actually not correct. For although scripture does not plainly tell us what their bodies will be like as it does for the saints, as we will see during the course of this teaching, there are numerous aspects regarding the lives of the children of God in the new earth, that point to the fact that the nature of their bodies, will be different to ours. In the above passage of scripture, the apostle Paul describes the resurrected bodies of the saints, as being exactly like the resurrected body of the Lord Jesus. In this passage, he speaks of the bodies of the saints as being heavenly. He also mentions in this passage, celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies. A celestial body is a heavenly body, which is what the saints will have. In this passage, Paul tells us that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. And we know that the bodies of the saints will