16 Truths You Should Know: Believers Will Live With Jesus Forever

Tuesday

Sep082020

Tuesday, September 8, 2020 at 3:30AM

A few weeks ago, I checked out the guest book of an online obituary. Most guests just shared a memory or mentioned how much the deceased person had meant to them, but others tried to comfort the family with something more spiritual—or spiritual sounding, anyway. One person wrote, “Those of us who loved him will carry him always in our hearts.” “He lives on in his beautiful children,” said another.

I’ll leave it to you to judge how much consolation those comments would bring. If I were the one who lost a loved one, I think I would appreciate the kind intentions, but also find the remarks a little hollow. But it was interesting to see what people came up with when they dug deep to find that one phrase they hoped would bring comfort to those left behind by the person who died. Their remarks show that we all long for some sort of never-ending connection to those we love.

After his resurrection, shortly before he ascended to heaven, Jesus gave some words of comfort to his disciples. He would be leaving them and returning to his Father in heaven, and they would miss him. Still, he promised them this:

… I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:20 ESV

How is it that Jesus, who would soon leave them behind on earth, could also pledge to be with them always? Were these hollow words—a bit of wishful thinking—like some obituary guest book remarks?

The answer comes in another of Jesus’ promises to his disciples:

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. (John 14:16-17 ESV)

The disciples were not left alone because the ascended Jesus continued to dwell with them through the real true presence of his Holy Spirit within them. This promise extends to his current followers, too. We receive, not just words of comfort, but an actual Comforter.

Perhaps I should have titled this post Jesus Will Live With Believers Forever. That’s more like what he promises in these verses. But he also told his disciples that he was going to prepare a place for them, and eventually, he would bring them to be present with him (John 14:2-3). So both statements are true: Jesus dwells with all believers through the presence of his Holy Spirit, and all believers will eventually go to dwell with him.

In Death

The apostle Paul writes that in everything that happens—and he includes a long list of possible harrowing circumstances—Christ’s love, and so Christ himself, is with the believer (Romans 8:35-39). Nothing in this world separates us from him, not even our death, because when we die, we to go be with him where he is.

At the moment of death, our soul separates from our body and goes to heaven to be with Jesus. The process of dying will undoubtedly be difficult, but “[a] Christian,” J. I. Packer wrote,

may rightly think of his death-day as a date in Jesus’ diary: when the appointed time comes the Saviour will be there to lead His servant into the light of His own nearer presence and closer communion.¹

Right now, J. I. Packer is experiencing the nearer presence and closer communion he wrote about! Christians call this heavenly fellowship with Christ experienced by the souls of believers who have died the intermediate state, because this is how and where where the believer lives between their death and their resurrection.

The Bible doesn’t tell us much about the place where our souls wait for our resurrection, and despite all the popular so-called “heaven tourism” books, God’s word is the only reliable source of information about the intermediate state. What scripture does say is that being a soul in heaven is better than being a body and soul united together in this fallen world (Philippians 1: 21-23), because in heaven we will be “at home” with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:1-8). We will be with Jesus in a way that’s nearer and better than the way he is with us now. What’s more, at death, our souls are “made perfect” (Hebrews 12:23). In the intermediate state, we no longer struggle with sin, for God makes us completely holy.

Believers can face death with joy, knowing that what comes on the other side is so much better than what we experience here living sin-wrecked lives in a sin-spoiled world. We will be with Jesus, closer to him than ever.

In Resurrection

But the intermediate state, as wonderful as it will be, is not the best there is. We were created in the image of God as body and soul, and in the intermediate state, we won’t have bodies. We will still be waiting for something more and better—the day of Christ’s second advent and our own resurrection. Then we will receive our glorified bodies and begin life with Jesus in the new heavens and the new earth.

It’s then, finally, that we receive it all: a new body, a new earth, and a bodily reunion with all saints we’ve loved. But most important, we will see God face to face, and live in his never-ending presence (Revelation 21:1-4; 22:1-5). And in his presence, the psalmist writes, “there is fullness of joy” (Psalm 16:11).

Believers will have full and eternal joy because they will see God’s face and live in his presence forever. We will never again long for anything.

1 18 Words: The Most Important Words You Will Ever Know by J. I. Packer, page 203.

This is the last post in this series of truths you should know. Here are the previous posts in this series:

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