Biblical
Concept: Sin, Eternity, and Freewill
(The underlines and parentheses are
mine.)
Introduction: After the end of angelic and human
history, and the creation of a new heavens and earth, how will sin be prevented
in the heavenly eternal state?
NAS Genesis 15:16 "Then in the
fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the
Amorite is not yet complete."
(God is allowing human sin to run its course. Also 2 Thessalonians 2:7, Hebrews 2:8, Proverbs
16:4, and Ecclesiastes 3:17.)
NAS 1 John 3:8 the one who practices sin
is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God
appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
Also Ephesians 2:2. (God is allowing angelic sin to run its
course. See also Biblical Concept: Angels
and Election, point 4.)
NAS John 14:16
"And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He
may be with you forever; (The Believer has the indwelling Holy Spirit
eternally.)
NAS Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the
Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed
for the day of redemption. (The believer in Jesus Christ is
sealed/secure and will be brought to the eternal state. “Redemption” is the word: avpolu,trwsij; avpo, = from, away from, lu,w
= to loose, free, release = “to release away from.” For the Believer, the eternal state will be
free from sin and evil.)
NAS 1 Corinthians 15:42 So also is the
resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable
body; 43 it is sown in dishonor, 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. If there is a natural body, there is also
a spiritual body.
(No sin in the heavenly spiritual body.)
NAS Philippians 3:20 For our citizenship
is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus
Christ; 21 who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity
with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even
to subject all things to Himself. (No sin in the heavenly spiritual body.)
NAS Hebrews 10:14 For by one offering He has
perfected for all time those who are sanctified. 15 And the Holy Spirit
also bears witness to us; for after saying, 16 "THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT
I WILL MAKE WITH THEM AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS
UPON THEIR HEART, AND UPON THEIR MIND I WILL WRITE THEM," He
then says, 17 "AND THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS I WILL REMEMBER
NO MORE." (Believers will have perfect
spiritual knowledge in Heaven.)
NAS Hebrews 12:22 But you have come to
Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to
myriads of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the first-born who
are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of
righteous men made perfect, (Believers will be made perfect in spirit in
heaven.)
NAS 1 John 3:1 See how great a love the
Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such
we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know
Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet
what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him,
because we shall see Him just as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope fixed
on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. (In eternity, Believers will be like Christ.)
NAS Revelation 7:13 And one of the elders
answered, saying to me, "These who are clothed in the white robes,
who are they, and from where have they come?" 14 And I said to him,
"My lord, you know." And he said to me, "These are the ones who
come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made
them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 "For this reason, they are before
the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who
sits on the throne shall spread His tabernacle over them. 16 "They
shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; neither shall the sun beat down
on them, nor any heat; 17 for the Lamb in the center of the throne shall be
their shepherd, and shall guide them to springs of the water of life; and God
shall wipe every tear from their eyes." (Heaven has perfect happiness.)
NAS Revelation 19:7 "Let us rejoice
and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come
and His bride has made herself ready." 8 And it was given to her
to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine
linen is the righteous acts of the saints. (Church Age Believers, the heavenly bride of
Christ, will be volitional, prepared and righteous.)
NAS Revelation 19:14 And the armies
which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on
white horses. (Church Age Believers, a heavenly army, will be righteous.)
NAS Revelation
21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and
the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. 2 And I saw
the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready
as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne,
saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell
among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among
them, 4 and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there
shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning,
or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away." 5 And He who
sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new."
And He *said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true." 6 And
He said to me, "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning
and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of
life without cost. 7 "He who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I
will be his God and he will be My son. 8 "But for the cowardly and
unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and
idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with
fire and brimstone, which is the second death." (No sin in heaven.)
NAS Revelation 21:22 And I saw no
temple in it, for the Lord God, the Almighty, and the Lamb, are its
temple. 23 And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine upon
it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24
And the nations shall walk by its light, and the kings of the earth
shall bring their glory into it. 25 And in the daytime (for there shall be
no night there) its gates shall never be closed; 26 and they shall bring the
glory and the honor of the nations into it; 27 and nothing unclean and no
one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only
those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life. (No sin in heaven,
but volition in heaven.)
NAS Revelation 22:1 And he showed me a
river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and
of the Lamb, 2 in the middle of its street. And on either side of the river was
the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit
every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
3 And there shall no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of
the Lamb shall be in it, and His bond-servants shall serve Him; 4 and they
shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. 5 And
there shall no longer be any night; and they shall not have need of the
light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God shall illumine
them; and they shall reign forever and ever. (No sin in heaven, but volition in heaven.)
NAS 2 Peter 3:13 But according to His
promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness
dwells. (No sin in the universe.)
Conclusions
about sin, eternity, and freewill:
Since the original sin of Satan and Adam, sinful angelic and human volition
will commit every possible combination of sin during the ages leading to eternity. God is going to create a final perfect
universe, with no sin. The Holy Spirit
will eternally indwell and seal all Believers away from sin. Every combination of sin will have been
committed and it will be no loss of volition for angels and humans to be
prevented from any future sin. Believers
will not have a nature to sin in their resurrection bodies. Believers will have perfect spiritual wisdom
in heaven, which will prevent sin.
Believers will be made perfect in spirit in heaven, which prevents sin. Believers will have perfect happiness in
heaven, which prevents sin. In eternity,
Believers will be like Christ, which prevents sin. Angels have a holy-elect status in addition to
the qualities of their original creation, which prevents sin. Angels and humans will have true freewill in
heaven, but will have no desire or ability to sin.