Outline
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Obtaining eternal life in the coming age:
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"No one who has left…for My sake and for the gospel's sake, but that he shall receive a hundred times as much now at this time…and in the coming age, eternal life"—Mark 10:29-30.
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"Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life"—Rev. 2:10.
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"To him who overcomes, to him I will give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God"—v. 7.
Morning Nourishment
Mark 10:29-30 …There is no one who has left…for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he shall receive a hundred times as much now at this time…and in the coming age, eternal life.Rev. 2:10 …Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.
Obtaining life in the coming age, which is the time of the millennial kingdom, is related only to the matter of reward in the kingdom age; it is not related to our eternal salvation.
In Mark 10:29-30 the Lord Jesus speaks of the present age and the coming age. The present age is the age today; it is the age of grace in which we live. The coming age is the next age; it is the age of the coming millennial kingdom. The Lord promised that if we leave everything for His sake and for the gospel’s sake, we will obtain eternal life in the coming age. This shows that obtaining eternal life in the coming age is a reward for which we must pay a price, the price of leaving everything for the Lord’s sake and for the gospel’s sake…Previously, we gained eternal life by believing, but in these verses we will obtain eternal life in the coming age only if we leave everything. Therefore, this obtaining is not related to eternal salvation; instead, it is related to our reward in the coming kingdom age. (CWWL, 1932-1949, vol. 3, “Crucial Truths in the Holy Scriptures, Volume 1,” pp. 224-225)
Today’s Reading
Since obtaining eternal life in the coming age requires us to leave everything in this age, it must be related to the reward that the Lord gives in the millennial kingdom. This shows that the Lord especially designated the kingdom age as a period of enjoyment of eternal life as a reward for those who faithfully follow Him.The Lord promises to give the crown of life to those who are faithful unto death [Rev. 2:10]. A crown is a symbol of the glory of reigning as a king. The crown of life is a symbol of the glory of reigning in life…The glory of reigning in life is given to those who are faithful unto death; it is bought at the price of being faithful unto death. This is not related to the free, gracious gift of eternal life obtained by faith in this age; rather, it is the reward of eternal life obtained in the coming age for paying the highest price. This reward is to enjoy the glory of reigning in life in the coming age. This will be in the millennial kingdom.
The Paradise of God spoken of [in verse 7] has the tree of life. Therefore, this Paradise must be the future New Jerusalem because the coming New Jerusalem has the tree of life (22:2). The New Jerusalem and all its blessings have been prepared for us by God and are for our enjoyment in eternity in the new heaven and new earth. In 2:7 the Lord promised that to eat of the fruit of the tree of life in the New Jerusalem would be a reward to the overcoming believers…The Lord will give the fruit of the tree of life in the New Jerusalem as a reward to the overcoming believers in the millennial kingdom. Although all believers will enjoy the New Jerusalem with its blessings in the new heaven and new earth, only the overcomers will have a foretaste of the fruit of the tree of life in the New Jerusalem during the millennial kingdom. To eat the fruit of the tree of life is to enjoy the blessing of eternal life, to enjoy eternal life itself. To have a foretaste of the fruit of the tree of life is to have an early enjoyment of the blessing of eternal life. This enjoyment of the blessing of eternal life is something every saved one will partake of in the new heaven and new earth. However, only the overcomers will enjoy the foretaste of the blessing of eternal life in the millennial kingdom. Before the coming of the new heaven and new earth, the Lord first gives the freshness of the blessing of eternal life, the fruit of the tree of life, as a reward to the overcomers as a foretaste and early enjoyment in the millennial kingdom. Thus, enjoying eternal life in the coming age is different from obtaining eternal life in the present age and enjoying eternal life in eternity. (CWWL, 1932-1949, vol. 3, “Crucial Truths in the Holy Scriptures, Volume 1,” pp. 225-226)
Further Reading: Life-study of 1 John, msg. 4