Paul and Jesus

Paul does not tell us much about what he thinks will happen after the arrival of Christ in the clouds of heaven when “those who belong to Christ,” whether living or dead, will be glorified and lifted up into the heavens. He refers several times to “inheriting the kingdom of God,” referring to the heavenly glorification that his followers were expecting to receive: “Now this I say brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither does the perishable inherit the imperishable” (1 Corinthians 15:50). He warns his followers any number of times that if they persist in immoral behavior they will “not inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9–10; Galatians 5:21).

In the teachings of John the Baptizer and Jesus, where the proclamation of the kingdom of God is central, the emphasis is on an era of justice, righteousness, and peace among all nations when the “will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven.”¹³ Sometimes this view of the kingdom has been labeled as “earthly” or “physical,” as opposed to a “heavenly” or “spiritual” kingdom, but this is a misunderstanding of the Hebrew notion of the messianic age. Although it is “on earth,” it is surely seen as an era of spiritual advancement, and Jesus regularly spoke about receiving “eternal life” in the age to come:

Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.” (Mark 10:29–30)

According to Jesus, in the “age to come” the Messiah will sit on his throne of glory and judge all the nations (Matthew 25:31). Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the righteous of all ages will be raised from the dead and “sit at table in the kingdom of God” (Luke 13:29). It is spoken of as a “new world,” but there is no idea of leaving the earth and going to heaven: “Truly, I say to you, in the new world [literally, “re-created”] when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Matthew 19:28).

Paul, in contrast, is radically oriented toward a heavenly kingdom; one that flesh and blood cannot inherit. Rather than a reordered earth, however transformed, he envisions a reordered cosmos. He tells his followers at Corinth: “Do you not know that the chosen ones will judge the cosmos? And if the cosmos is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more matters pertaining to this life!” (1 Corinthians 6:2–3). He rebukes the Corinthians for taking their disputes to the Roman legal authorities when in fact their heavenly destiny is to rule with Christ over the entire universe—angels included. Earlier in the same letter he sarcastically chides them for putting their expectations of future glory ahead of the suffering that must come first: “Already you are filled! Already you have become rich! Without us you have become kings! And would that you did already reign, so that we might share the rule with you!” (1 Corinthians 4:8).

Paul is so convinced the end of the age has drawn near that he tells people not to marry and he encourages them to minimize all their dealings within society. Everything is about to be turned upside down. Here are his words:

I mean this brothers, the appointed time has grown very short; and from now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none . . . and those who buy as though they had no goods, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the outward form of this cosmos is passing away. (1 Corinthians 7:29–31)

For Paul the rule of Christ is a cosmic one and involves the subjugation of “things in heaven, things on earth, and things under the earth” (Philippians 2:10). In the heavenly realms this involves, first and foremost, the defeat of the “principalities” and “powers,” including Satan himself and all his angels, who are in rebellion against God—“the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly,” he tells the Romans (Romans 16:20; 8:38). On earth all human rule, authority, and power will be deposed and replaced by the rule of God through Christ and the glorified God-family. “Things under the earth” refers to the world of the dead, Sheol or Hades, where the departed spirits await resurrection and judgment.

Paul’s most comprehensive statement on the future heavenly kingdom of God is as cryptic as it is tantalizing. It has been the subject of endless debate among Paul’s interpreters. In just a dozen or so lines he pulls back the veil a tiny bit and allows us to peek into the future. Here is the full quotation: