The Reign of the Servant Kings

By Joseph C. Dillow

A Review-Summary-Outline

www.bibleone.net

 

Chapter 4—The Inheritance:  New Testament

 

We must begin with the end in mind.  For the readers of the Old Testament the “end” was often called the “inheritance.”  It is more specific in the New Testament; it is referred to as “inheriting the kingdom” and “entering into rest.”  Old Testament usage and understanding necessarily informs the thinking of the New Testament writers, which establishes continuity of thought within the Bible.

 

Just as in the Old Testament there are two kinds of inheritance, so it is in the New—all believers have God as their inheritance but all will not inherit the kingdom.  Inheriting the kingdom is not the same as entering it but does mean to possess it and to rule there.

 

There are four words related to “inheritance” in the New Testament:  (1) the verb “to inherit”—kleronomeo, (2) the noun “inheritance”—kleronomia, (3) “heir”—kleronomos, and (4) “lot, portion”—kleros.

 

An Inheritance is a Possession

 

Like its Old Testament counterpart a kleronomia is fundamentally a possession (this seems to be the sense of “inheritance, property” in Matthew 21:38; Mark 12:7; Luke 12:13; 20:14; Acts 7:5; and Ephesians 1:18).  How it is acquired or passed on to one’s descendants is not intrinsic to the word.  The word does not always or even fundamentally mean an estate passed on to a son at the death of a parent, as it does in Galatians 4:7.  To include those contextually derived notions within the semantic value of the word is, again, to commit an illegitimate totality transfer.  Its essential meaning is “inheritance, possession, property.”  Rarely, if ever, does it mean “property transmitted by will.”

 

The Ineritance Is Meritorious Ownership of the Kingdom

 

In the New Testament becoming an heir (kleronomos) can occur through filial or descendant relationship (Matthew 21:38; Mark 12:7; Luke 20:14; Galatians 4:1, 7; Hebrews 1:2; Romans 4:13, 14), through faith (Galatians 3:29; Titus 3:7; Hebrews 11:7), or through some kind of works of obedience (James 2:5—the condition was “to love Him.”  For James it was possible that a true Christian could cease to love Him and instead become a friend of the world and an enemy of God—James 4:4, 5; the same is taught by the apostle John in Revelation 2:4). 

 

The acquisition of the inheritance (kleronomia) is often related to merit (Ephesians 5:5; Colossians 3:24).  In nearly every instance the verb “to inherit” (kleronomeo) includes, contextually, either the presence or absence of some work or character quality as a condition of obtaining or forfeiting the possession (Matthew 5:5; 19:29; 25:34-36; Mark 10:17; Hebrews 6:12; 1 Peter 3:9; Revelation 21:7).  In view of the fact that works are associated with the acquisition of the inheritance, it is prima facie doubtful that the inheritance could be equated with entrance into heaven as is so often done.  Yet in order to sustain the idea of perseverance in holiness, Experimental Predestinarians interpret the passages as descriptions of all true Christians.  Theological exegesis is thus brought in to make every one of these texts say something that they not only do not say but that is in fact contradictory to the rest of the New Testament.

 

The New Testament clearly teaches not only the existence of the carnal Christian (to be lengthily addressed in Chapter 14) but of true Christians who persist in carnality to the point of physical death (Acts 5:1-10; 1 Corinthians 3:15; 5:5; 11:30; Hebrews 10:29; 1 John 5:16, 17).  They will, having been justified, be in the kingdom; however, they will not inherit it.

 

The Case of the Rich Young Ruler

 

A rich young ruler once asked Jesus, “What good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” (Matthew 19:16).  Although the word “have” (echo) is used in this verse, it is the equivalent to “inherit” (kleronomeo), which is specifically seen in the parallel passages to this verse (Mark 10:17; Luke 18:18).  It appears that Jesus understands the question as “how to enter life,” i.e., how to go to heaven; and therefore it appears that Jesus is equating “inheriting eternal life” with “entering into heaven.”  But this conclusion would be too hasty in light of the following:

 

  1. Consistent with its usage throughout the Old Testament, the verb kleronomeo in this passage implies obtaining a possession by merit; and therefore cannot mean to obtain heaven by faith.

 

  1. The ruler is reflecting first-century Jewish theology and not the gospel of the New Testament, which was that works were necessary in order to inherit eternal life.  In part this was correct when eternal life was viewed as an enriched experience of that life given at regeneration.

 

  1. Jesus understood what the ruler was really asking—how to enter heaven.  In the rich young ruler’s mind entering heaven, inheriting heaven life, and having eternal life were all the same thing, and all meant “go to heaven when I die.”

 

So Jesus moves to the heart of the young man’s question, which is how good does one have to be to merit heaven.  The answer:  be perfect if one is to obtain eternal life.  It is true that, if man could keep the commandments, he would merit heaven.  The problem is, of course, that no one can.  This is what Jesus wants the young ruler to see.

 

When the ruler states he has kept all the commandments, then Jesus moves to the heart of the matter by pointing out one that he has not kept, instructing him to sell his wealth (thereby turning from his trust in materialism) and to follow Him (placing his trust alone in Christ).  But this was too difficult a decision for the young ruler, which led Christ to declare the following:

 

Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!" And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, "Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! (Mark 10:23, 24)

 

The young ruler coveted his things because he found security in them; he trusted in them.  This was the real reason behind his unwillingness to part with them and be left trusting in Christ alone.

 

After informing the rich young ruler that he must sell all he has if he would obtain eternal life, the disciples ask; “We have left everything to follow You!  What then will there be for us?” (Matthew 19:27).  Peter’s question deals with rewards.  That they saw a connection between leaving everything and obtaining some reward is obvious.  And in His answer Jesus confirms their theology:

 

So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.  And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” (Matthew 19:28-30)

 

Since eternal life is usually equated with regeneration, how can it be obtained by abandoning father, mother, home, children, etc?  The answer is that eternal life is presented in Scripture as something to be obtained by a “work;” it is always a future acquisition—synonymous in these contexts with a “richer experience” of that life that is given freely at regeneration.  There will be differences in heaven [kingdom], some first and some last, and those who are first are those who have inherited, who have left all for Christ.  Only the reference to eternal life could lead interpreters to forget that the subject matter is discipleship, which is based on works and not regeneration, which is based on faith alone.

 

Sermon on the Mount

 

A major theme of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) is rewards.  The idea of rewards (misthos) is repeatedly emphasized in the Sermon, which is addressed to Christ’s disciples (5:1).  In it one’s inheritance of the “kingdom” (5:3; 10) and the “earth” (5:5) are products of one’s humility (5:3), one’s sacrifice (5:4), one’s meekness (5:5), one’s hunger and thirst for righteousness (5:6), one’s ability to demonstrate mercy (5:7), one’s pureness of heart (5:8), one’s peacemaking ability (5:9), one’s record of being persecuted for righteousness’ sake (5:10-12).

 

The word misthos (reward) means a “payment for work done.”  Jesus is speaking of the inheritance here as a reward for a humble, trusting life.  There is no indication that all Christians have this quality of life.  In fact, it is possible for a Christian to become “saltless” (5:13) and be “thrown out.”  True Christians can lose their saltiness, their testimony for the Lord.  When they do, they forfeit their reward in heaven [kingdom].  Furthermore, Christ specifically says that the disobedient believer who annuls “one of the least of these commandments” will be in the kingdom but will be “least” in contrast to “great” in that kingdom (5:19).

 

What is the content of our inheritance reward?  Christ says it involves inheriting the earth.  No doubt this goes back to the promises to David’s “greater” Son:

 

I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, “You are My Son, today I have begotten You.  Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession.  You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel.” (Psalm 2:7-9)

 

We can become joint rulers with Christ over the nations according to John:

 

And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—He shall rule them with a rod of iron; they shall be dashed to pieces like the potter's vessels'—as I also have received from My Father. (Revelation 2:26, 27)

 

To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. (Revelation 3:21)

 

The apostle Paul echoed a similar theme when he said, “If we endure, we shall also reign with Him [with Christ in the coming Millennial Kingdom] . . . .”  Another passage that refers to the inheritance as a reward is found in Colossians 3:23-25:

 

And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality.

 

The inheritance is a reward that is received (Gk. apolambano, to receive, especially as wages.  The word often means to receive something back that is due, not as a gift—Luke 6:34; 18:30; 23:41; Romans 1:27) as “wages” for work done.  The context is clear; it speaks of the return a person receives because of work, as in an employer-employee relationship.  The inheritance is received as a result of work; it does not come as a gift.  The Greek word for reward (antapodosis) means repayment or reward.  The verb form antapodidomi never means to receive as a gift; it is always used in the New Testament of a repayment due to an obligation (Romans 11:35; 12:19; 1 Thessalonians 3:9; 2 Thessalonians 1:6; Hebrews 10:30).

 

An Inheritance Can Be Forfeited

 

In several passages Paul speaks of the possibility of not “inheriting the kingdom”:

 

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit [“kleronomeo”] the kingdom of God.  And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)

 

While entering the kingdom has often been equated with inheriting the kingdom, there is no semantic or exegetical basis for the equality.  The heirs of the kingdom are its owners and rulers and not just its residents.  In other words, salvation is unchangeable but our inheritance in the kingdom of God is not unchangeable.  The loss of one’s inheritance is not the same as a loss of salvation.

 

It is possible for Christians to lose their inheritance.  The Epistle to the Hebrews illustrates this from the life of Esau:

 

Lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright.  For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit [“kleronomeo”] the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears. (Hebrews 12:16, 17)

 

Esau forfeited his inheritance, but he was still Isaac’s son.  He did not forfeit his relationship to his father.  Furthermore, at the end of his life Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau regarding their future (Hebrews 11:20).

 

A Christian can deny his inheritance rights.  This should not come as a surprise because the inheritance in the Old Testament could be forfeited through disobedience.  This fact surely informed the viewpoint of the New Testament writers!  While this is not the same as losing one’s justification, the consequences for eternity [the kingdom] are serious.  This is amplified in 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 in which the apostle Paul reveals that at the judgment seat of Christ a Christian’s works will be revealed by “fire.”  Only those works done in obedience to the Lord (gold, silver, and precious stones) will survive the searing heat!  Other works outside of God’s will (wood, hay, and stubble) will be burned.  Some will survive with very little to carry with them into the kingdom.  As Paul put it:

 

If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. (1 Corinthians 3:15)

 

In light of this, the following passage becomes clear:

 

Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

(2 Peter 1:10, 11)

 

We are therefore not surprised to read in 1 Corinthians 6:10 that unrighteous Christians will lose their inheritance in the kingdom of God.  Such an interpretation of the passage is consistent with the Epistle to the Hebrews and the Old Testament concept of the forfeiture of inheritance rights by disobedience.

 

But does the passage refer to unrighteous Christians, or does it refer to non-Christians who may have been loosely associated with the church and whose lack of perseverance in holiness has demonstrated that they were not true Christians at all?

 

[Reviewer’s comment:  To shorten a lengthy discourse based on the usage of the Greek language in answer to this question by the author, a brief summation of his findings will follow.]

 

The apostle Paul is speaking to Christians because:

 

  1. The usage of the Greek language suggests it [two paragraphs in the book on this].

 

  1. It is highly unlikely that the wicked of vs. 9 could be non-Christians because Paul says, “Do not be deceived,” the wicked will not inherit the kingdom.  Why would Christians think that non-Christians would inherit God’s kingdom?  [Because this concept was a given, there would have been no reason to so state it]  Wherever inheriting is in question the relationship of a child to a parent is taken implicitly for granted.

 

Paul is not warning non-Christians that they will not inherit the kingdom; he is warning Christians, those who do wrong and do it to their brothers.  It is pointless to argue that true Christians could never be characterized by the things in this list when Paul connects the true Christians of vs. 8 with the individuals in vs. 9.  It is even more futile to argue this way when the entire context of 1 Corinthians describes activities of true Christians that parallel nearly every item in 6:9 & 10.  They were involved in sexual immorality (6:15); covetousness (probable motive in lawsuits, 6:1); drunkenness (1 Corinthians 11:21); dishonoring the Lord’s table (1 Corinthians 11:30—for this reason some of them experienced the sin unto death); adultery (5:1); and they were arrogant (4:18; 5:6).  Yet this group of people that acts unrighteously (Gk. adikeo) and that is guilty of all these things has been washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 6:11).  In fact, Paul had said they were “sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints” in 1 Corinthians 1:2, but that they were “carnal” (1 Corinthians 3:1, 3).

 

That is the terrible inconsistency that grieves the apostle through all sixteen chapters of this book.  His burden in 6:9 & 10 is not to call into question their salvation (he specifically says they are saved in vs. 11) but to warn them that, if they do not change their behavior, they will, like Esau, forfeit their inheritance.

 

This, of course, does not mean that a person who commits one of these sins will not enter heaven.  It does mean that, if he commits such a sin and persists in it without confessing and receiving cleansing (1 John 1:9), he will lose his right to rule with Christ.  Those believers who are walking in such a state, without their sin confessed; face eternal consequences if their Lord should suddenly appear and find them unprepared.  They will truly be ashamed “before Him at His coming” (1 John 2:28).

 

The following parallel passages are to be interpreted the same way. 

 

Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21)

 

For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.  Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. (Ephesians 5:5, 6)

 

In both passages we see the notion of merit and obedience connected with the inheritance.  In neither, however, is there any contextual justification for assuming that those in danger of losing their inheritance are non-Christians who have only professed faith in Christ.  That is a theological notion, derived from the doctrine of perseverance in holiness, which must be forced into the text.

 

In Matthew 25:34 we find once again that inheriting the kingdom is conditioned on obedience and service to the King, a condition far removed from the New Testament teaching of justification by faith alone for entrance into heaven. 

 

Then the King will say to those on His right hand, “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” (Matthew 25:34)

 

[Reviewer’s comment:  This passage is specifically speaking of the Gentiles saved during the Tribulation Period, whose service to the Jews is a sure indication of their regeneration, and who will be granted their inheritance in the Millennial Kingdom.]

 

Why are they being granted this blessing?  It is because they ministered to Christ’s brethren, the Jews, during the terrible holocaust of the great tribulation (25:35-40).  Here, inheriting should be given its full sense of reward for faithful service as the context requires.  Entering “eternal life” in Matthew 25:46 is the equivalent to “inheriting the kingdom” in 25:34.  It does not refer to the entrance into life at regeneration; these sheep are saints already.  Subsequent to becoming saints, they will enter into eternal life, as will be discussed in chapter 7—they are entering into an enriched experience of that life that they had already received at regeneration, available to the faithful believer.

 

Earlier in the context Christ tells us that there are unfaithful Christians:  the wicked hypocritical servant (24:48); the foolish virgins (25:2); and the wicked servant (25:26).  All of these unfaithful Christians are sheep, saved people, as will be argued elsewhere (Chapter 17).

 

[Reviewer’s comment:  The author provides three points as to why there is no mention of the unfaithful sheep (believers) at this judgment, of which the third point will be expressed after this comment.  The reviewer believes, although not dogmatically, that there may be very few if any unfaithful believers at this judgment; since to be a believer at all during the Tribulation Period will indicate that one’s relationship with Christ will of necessity need to be on a level of greater dedication than what is normally experienced during these days.]

 

But, third, the separation of the faithful from the unfaithful does not occur at this time but afterward.  After the kingdom has begun and all those who ae born again have entered it, the wedding feast occurs.  At that time the separation of the wise and foolish virgins occurs.  Because God does not deal with the unfaithful believer at this time, they are not mentioned.

 

Not mentioned in this brief passage regarding the sheep, which are nevertheless taught elsewhere in the Scripture, are the following:

 

  • They are distinguished into various classes according to differing degrees of reward.
  • Some receive five cities and some ten.
  • They will receive resurrection bodies with varying degrees of glory.
  • Some will sit on thrones and some will not.
  • Some will be great in the kingdom and some will be least.

 

The faithful sheep are now being rewarded with the inheritance.  These are those “who are persecuted because of righteousness” to whom belong “the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:5).  These are the faithful Christians to whom the Lord Jesus said: “Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets that were before you” (Matthew 5:12).  These verses from the lips of our Lord in the same gospel make it clear that the sheep in Matthew 25:34 are the faithful sheep; otherwise they would not have inherited the kingdom.  The unfaithful are not mentioned because they are not relevant here, since they receive no reward.  And because inheriting the kingdom is “conditional” upon this faithful perseverance, it cannot be equated with justification and theologically interpreted as continuation in holiness because a perfect perseverance and obedience would be necessary for that (Matthew 5:48).

 

Inheriting the Kingdom

 

The phrase “inherit the kingdom” has occurred several times in the discussion above.  Because of its specific meaning, some additional comment is in order.  We find the phrase in Matthew 25:34; 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10; 15:50; Galatians 5:21; and Ephesians 5:5.  Also, “inherit the land” is found in Matthew 5:5.  All are conditioned on some work done or character traits such as immorality to be absent from our lives.  The very use of the word “inherit” instead of “enter” in these passages suggests that more than just entrance is meant.

 

[Reviewer’s comment:  The author here provides a chart of the above scripture passages listing the phrase used and the conditions required.]

 

But what does it mean to inherit the kingdom?  The Lord’s teaching in the Sermon on the Mount provides a start in understanding this theme:

 

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:3)

 

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. (Matthew 5:5)

 

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:10)

 

The Lord is equating the terms “theirs is the kingdom of heaven” with “inherit the earth.”  He places these “parallel terms” side-by-side.”  The term “inherit the kingdom” is equivalent to the promise to Abraham that his descendants will “inherit the land.”  “To inherit the kingdom of God” is a Jewish thought, an allusion to the promise given to Abraham.  The verb, to inherit, is an allusion to the inheritance of Canaan given to Israel.

 

But he who take refuge in Me, shall inherit the land, and shall possess My holy mountain” (Isaiah 57:13).   The prophet exults that in the coming kingdom “. . . your people shall all be righteous; they shall inherit the land forever . . . .” (Isaiah 60:21).  Throughout the Old Testament the possession of the earth by the righteous is a common theme and refers to the rule of the saints in the future kingdom (Proverbs 10:30; 11:31; Psalm 37:9, 11, 22, 29, 34; 115:16; 136:21, 22.  In Psalm 37 the inheriting of the land follows the removal of evildoers in the kingdom).

 

If the functional equivalence of the terms “inherit the kingdom” and “inherit the land” is accurate, then the understanding of inheriting the land in the Old Testament becomes very relevant to the understanding of the term “inherit the kingdom” in the New.  In particular, the land of Canaan was inherited by Israel on the basis of faith-obedience and this inheritance was an additional blessing to those who were already saved (e.g., Joshua and Caleb).  They obtained the land by being victorious in battle, following the Lord wholeheartedly, and being obedient to all He said in His law.  Similarly, in the New Testament, inheriting the kingdom is conditioned upon spiritual obedience and not faith alone.  Furthermore, in the Old Testament we saw that entering the land was not the same as inheriting it.  There is therefore justification in pressing the obvious point that inheriting the kingdom is not the same as entering the kingdom.

 

The New Testament uses the phrase “enter the kingdom of heaven” eight times.  In contrast to the phrase “inherit the kingdom,” the conditions for entering are:

 

  • Faith alone through rebirth, which comes through believing on Christ (John 1:12, 3: 3, 5, 16; Acts 16:30, 31).
  • By having the humble, simple trust of a child (Matthew 18:3).
  • By exercising the “work” of believing (Matthew 7:21; John 6:29, 40).
  • By having a perfect righteousness, which comes by faith alone (Matthew 5:20; 6:48; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 4:3).

 

And it is difficult for the rich to enter because they trust in riches rather than in Christ (Matthew 19:24).  All must go through many hardships on their path of life as they journey toward the kingdom (Acts 14:22).

 

That inheriting the kingdom is different from entering (in the sense of inhabiting) the kingdom seems to be reinforced in the New Testament by Paul’s use of the phrase in his first letter to the Corinthian church:

 

Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. (1 Corinthians 15:50)

 

It is quite clear to the apostle Paul that men and women in mortal bodies will be in the kingdom.  There will be physical procreation and physical death (Isaiah 65:20; Ezekiel 36:11).  Furthermore, a multitude of unregenerate men in mortal bodies will rebel at the end of the 1,000-year kingdom and will be “devoured,” hardly an experience of resurrected and immortal saints (Revelation 20:7-10).

 

Paul’s statement, in order to be made consistent with the rest of the Bible, requires that there is a difference between being a resident of the kingdom and inheriting it.  Clearly, human beings in mortal bodies do live in the kingdom, but they are not heirs of that kingdom, a privilege that only those in resurrection bodies can share (Paul is not saying here that “all” transformed saints inherit the kingdom, only that “only” transformed saints inherit the kingdom).

 

When the apostle declares that men in mortal bodies will not inherit the kingdom (only resurrected Israel united with a resurrected and transformed church will rule in the kingdom), this obviously requires that the resurrection and transformation of the sheep occurs prior to their “receiving the kingdom” and must be simultaneous with the judgment of the sheep and the goats.  If this is the case, then a problem develops in that there appears to be no saints left in mortal bodies to populate the millennium in contradiction to the Old Testament passages previously discussed.

 

It is appropriate to invoke the analogy of faith and allow other scriptural examples or teachings to explain what is left unsaid regarding this judgment.  To this end the experiences of the Israelites as they journeyed from Egypt to Canaan were to be examples for us (1 Corinthians 10:6, 15).  The New Testament writers appeal to their journey to teach spiritual truth to the New Testament church (Hebrews 3:7-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-15).  The writer to the Hebrews in particular parallels their conquest of Canaan; their rest, with our entrance into rest, the completion of our work and subsequent reward in Canaan in the coming kingdom.

 

A suggested answer—the entire first generation was judged in unbelief and died in the wilderness, with the exception of those under twenty years of age:

 

The carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above.  Except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in. (Numbers 14:29, 30)

 

The passage is instructive in several ways.  Even though God “swore with uplifted hand” that He would give them the land, they will not receive the land because of their disobedience and unbelief.  But equally important it shows that those who had not reached an age of accountability were exempt from the judgment that prohibited their elders from entering the land (entering the land does not parallel the believer’s entrance to heaven; it signifies his willingness to “cross the Jordan” and engage the enemy. 

 

In other words, it is a decision by a regenerate saint to submit to the lordship of Christ and trust God for victory in the spiritual battle).  In a similar way, perhaps the believing children of the sheep who have escaped the judgments of the great tribulation will constitute a kind of “second exodus” and will be the mortal believers who enter into the coming kingdom and who are its subjects, if not its owners.

 

Assuming the functional equivalent between inheriting the “kingdom” and the “land” in Jewish theology, it appears that the basic meaning of “to inherit” (Gk. kleronomeo) is “to possess, to own.”  An inheritance (Gk. kleronomia) is a “possession, property.”  Therefore, when Jesus invites the sheep to inherit the kingdom, He is inviting them to possess the kingdom, to receive it as their own, to acquire it.

 

Because many times, when the word “possess” is used with concrete nouns, it includes the notion of “to have authority over;” there is justification in saying that inheriting land will result in a degree of authority or sovereignty over that land after it has been received (possessed) as an inheritance.

 

However, when one begins to consider the theological concept involved in inheriting the land, and not just the semantic value of the word “inherit,” a justification begins to emerge for investing the phrase “inherit the kingdom” with more than just ownership.  The notion of having authority becomes more prominent, which is implied in the messianic psalm that Jesus quotes in Matthew 5:5, the context referring to the coming fulfillment of the Old Testament hope in the messianic kingdom.

 

Old Testament passages attest that God’s final goal for man during that era is not simply to live there and be happy.  It is much more than this.  His goal is that one day we will rule and have dominion over the earth (Genesis 1:16-18):

 

What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?  For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor.  You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet. (Psalms 8:4-6)

 

Man’s destiny is not just to reside in blessedness in the millennial land of Canaan; it is to be “ruler over the works of [God’s] hands.”  It is rulership that comes to the forefront.  This seems to receive explicit confirmation when Jesus tells the sheep in Matthew 25:34 to “inherit the kingdom.”  It appears that Jesus is lifting a phrase right out of Daniel 7:

 

I was watching; and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them, until the Ancient of Days came, and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom. (Daniel 7:21, 22)

 

The contexts are similar:  both refer to the coming of a Son of Man (Daniel 7:13; Matthew 25:31) and both are in the tribulation period just prior to the second coming where the saints are persecuted.  Jesus evidently had the book of Daniel in mind in the Olivet Discourse because He quotes from it in Matthew 24:15 where He mentions the “abomination of desolation” of Daniel 9:27.  The phrase “possess the kingdom” seems therefore to precisely parallel the phrase “inherit the kingdom” and is the source of this New Testament concept.

 

The Aramaic word (chasan) in Daniel 7:22 translated “possess,” means to “take possession”—“to be strong, overcome; take possession of.”  It conveys more than a mere passive receiving; it conveys a degree of authority in the kingdom, which is confirmed when, in Daniel 7:27, Daniel clarifies what it will mean “to possess the kingdom”:

 

Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. . . . (Daniel 7:27)

 

Possessing the kingdom is therefore the receipt of sovereignty over the nations.  One day the saints will rule the world!  The direct borrowing of the phrase by Jesus seems to justify the conclusion that “to inherit the kingdom” means far more than mere residence there; it is to have authority and rulership there, which then fits in with the following:

 

If we endure, we shall also reign with Him. . . . (2 Timothy 2:12)

 

And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power [authority] over the nations—he shall rule them with a rod of iron . . . . (Revelation 2:26, 27)

 

Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? . . . . (1 Corinthians 6:2)

 

There are several phrases that seem to be equivalent to “inherit the kingdom”—such as “enter into the joy of your Lord” (Matthew 25:21).  This appears to be more than simply an invitation to enter the kingdom; rather, it is entrance into the “Master’s happiness,” the messianic partnership.  Similarly, as will be explained in the next chapter, the phrase used by the writer to the Hebrews, “enter into rest,” is not to be equated with entrance into the kingdom but with obtaining the inheritance, an honor won on the field of battle.

 

In conclusion, “to inherit the kingdom” is a virtual synonym for rulership in the kingdom and not entrance into it, denoting the reception of kingly authority or rulership in it.  All saints will enter the kingdom through faith alone (John 3:3), but only obedient saints who endure, who overcome, and who perform works of righteousness will inherit it, i.e., rule there.

 

The Inheritance in Hebrews

 

The Inheritance

 

The word for the verb “to inherit” (Gk. kleronomeo) occurs four times in the book of Hebrews.  Its usage there is not inconsistent with its usage elsewhere, a reward for a life of faithfulness:

 

  1. Jesus has inherited a superior name to that of the angels (1:4).
  2. Likewise, His companions (Hebrews 1:9—Gk. metochoi) will inherit salvation (1:14).
  3. The promise is inherited through faith and patience (6:12).
  4. Esau forfeited his inheritance due to disobedience (12:17).

 

We (Christians) share in that future-glory, the inheritance-salvation, only if we remain faithful to the end:

 

For we have become partakers (“metochoi”) of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end. (Hebrews 3:14)

 

Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward.  For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise. (Hebrews 10:35, 36)

 

Perseverance to the end, faithfulness, and doing the will of God are the conditions of obtaining the inheritance-salvation in this epistle, conditions that are absent from the Pauline teaching of obtaining salvation (in the sense of final deliverance from hell) on the basis of faith alone.  Here in Hebrews a different salvation is in view:  co-rulership with Christ in the coming kingdom.

 

To equate the inheritance with heaven results in a glaring inconsistency.  It would mean that believers, by entering the Church [through faith alone], are already heirs of the kingdom.  Why then are they uniformly exhorted to become heirs by faithful labor when they are already heirs? 

 

The word for the noun “inheritance” (Gk. kleronomia) is found in two places in Hebrews (11:8; 9:15).  In 11:8 it refers to Abraham’s acquisition of the land of Canaan.  While that land was guaranteed on oath, it was obtained by spiritual obedience.  What is stressed here is that Abraham “obeyed and went.”  Had he not obeyed, he would not have inherited.  The final use of the noun is in the ninth chapter:

 

And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. (Hebrews 9:15)

 

How they obtain this inheritance is not affirmed here, but it is affirmed elsewhere.  It is by “faith and patience” (Hebrews 6:12) and “holding firm to the end” (Hebrews 3:14) that we “inherit what has been promised.”  Sometimes in Hebrews the promise seems to refer to justification by faith.  But in this passage, the conclusion of the warning, we are justified in looking back to 4:1 where the promise of the remaining rest is in view.  This refers to the completion of our task and subsequent entrance into our reward, which is the meaning elsewhere in Hebrews—ownership of the millennial land of Canaan, the future reign of the servant kings, joint rulership with Messiah in the heavenly country, the millennial land of Palestine.

 

The Rights of the Firstborn

 

One of the sternest warnings of the New Testament is found in Hebrews 12:12-29.  The writer of the epistle challenges the readers to pursue sanctification and cautions that without it no one will “see the Lord.”  In view of the other references in Scripture to “seeing the Lord,” it is best to understand the phrase as referring to a “deeper Christian experience.”  (In Matthew 5:8 the peacemakers will “see God,” i.e., they will really know Him and walk with Him.  In Job 42:5 Job came to “see” God as a result of his trial.  The meaning is that he came to know Him more deeply and intimately.)  Then the writer warns them regarding the loss of their inheritance rights:

 

Looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright.  For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears. (Hebrews 12:15-17)

 

Esau was the firstborn son and therefore by birth had the rights and privileges described as belonging to the firstborn.  The law of the firstborn sheds light on the biblical conditions for obtaining the inheritance:

 

  • The firstborn enjoyed special privileges.
  • When the father died, he received a double share of the inheritance (Deuteronomy 21:17).
  • During his life he was preeminent among his brothers (Genesis 43:33).

 

God had originally intended to make the firstborn of the sons of Israel His priests.  However, due to the disobedience in the wilderness He took that blessing from the firstborn and gave it to the Levites instead (Numbers 8:14-18).  To the end of his life it was a father’s prerogative to determine the disposal of his property (1 Chronicles 26:10:  Shimri the first, for though he was not the firstborn, his father made him the first).  If the eldest son was not qualified, then the father could give it to the son who was.

 

The rights and privileges of the firstborn were provisionally given at birth.  The right to the inheritance was his, but he could lose it.  All the sons are heirs, but only those who met the conditions of the firstborn achieved the elevated status and authority and retain their inheritance.  The many New Testament references to something conditional in the future life of the believer may reflect this Old Testament distinction between the firstborn son who retained his privilege and those like Esau who did not.  Those Christians who suffer with Him (Romans 8:17), who endure (2 Timothy 2:15), and who are the overcomers of the book of Revelation are the firstborn sons.

 

Whether or not Esau was saved is not relevant to this discussion.  The writer uses him as an illustration of the fact that the saved can lose their firstborn inheritance rights.  His example is applied to those who have come to the church of the “firstborn ones” (Hebrews 12:23)—the Greek word translated “firstborn” is plural, and therefore the “firstborn ones” are referred to and not Christ as the firstborn.  To come to the “church of the firstborn ones” means to be called to the privilege of being a firstborn son.  All Christians are called to be part of that assembly and by birth have a right to be there.  However, they may forfeit that right and never achieve their calling.  That is the thrust of all the warnings of the book of Hebrews.

 

True Christians fully parallel the description of Esau.  We are children of God and we are firstborn sons.  Because of that we possess the rights of the firstborn.  We do not have to earn these rights.  They are given to us through the grace of God.  However, we must value and keep these rights and are warned by Esau’s example regarding the possibility of not doing so.  But even though we cannot forfeit eternal life, we can forfeit out firstborn rights.

 

Two Kinds of Inheritance

 

Consistent with the Old Testament usage, believers in the New Testament are presented with two different inheritances:

 

  1. An unconditional inheritance of God through faith alone (Galatians 3:29; 4:6, 7; Titus 3:7; 1 Peter 1:3-5).

 

  1. A conditional inheritance of the land within the Millennial Kingdom (Romans 8:16, 17).

 

Romans 8:16, 17 records two inheritances:  (1) one in agreement with Galatians 4:7, which says we are heirs of God by virtue of the fact that we are His children, and (2) a second one in which we are co-heirs with Christ “if indeed we share in His sufferings.”  Being an heir of God is unconditional, but being a joint-heir of the kingdom is conditioned upon our spiritual perseverance.

 

This is a faithful saying: for if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him [unconditional inheritance of salvation through faith alone]

 

If we endure, we shall also reign with Him [conditional co-inheritance of the land through spiritual endurance].

 

If we deny Him, He also will deny us [of our co-inheritance of the land]

 

If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself [we will still be saved, but so as by fire]. (2 Timothy 2:11-13)

 

In Romans 8:17 reigning with Christ is conditioned upon endurance  The converse, to deny Him, will result in the His denying us when He rewards His Church according to the things done in the body, “good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10).  The possibility of being “denied” does not refer to loss of salvation, but it does mean we may be “disqualified for the prize” (1 Corinthians 9:27) and stand ashamed at His coming (1 John 2:28) and be denied a place of being a co-heir in the final destiny of man.

 

The Inheritance and Canaan in Galatians

 

In Galatians the apostle refers to the inheritance and to the heirs:

 

For if the inheritance [“kleronomia”] is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise. . . .  And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs [“kleronomos”] according to the promise. (Galatians 3:18, 29)

 

The promise referred to in 3:18 is found in 3:8 and 16 and recalls the promise to Abraham that all the nations will be blessed through him (Genesis 12:3; 22:18; 26:4; 28:14).  It is significant that the inheritance here is connected not with the land promise but with that aspect of the Abrahamic promise that referred to the gift of justification to the Gentiles.  The heirs of 3:29 become heirs by virtue of being sons, and for no other reason; they are heirs of God, i.e., possessors of eternal life.  Paul does not have the land promise aspect of the Abrahamic Covenant in view.  He is referring to the universal promise to the Gentiles.

 

Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir [“kleronomos”] of God through Christ. (Galatians 4:7)

 

All Christians are heirs of God by faith alone.  But like the Old Testament there are two kinds of inheritance:  (1) an inheritance that is merited and (2) an inheritance that belongs to all Christians because they are sons, and for no other reason.  The fulfillment of the land promise, while ultimately certain for the nation, was conditioned for each generation on the basis of obedience.

 

Paul’s use of kleronomia in 4:30 is similarly explained:

 

Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? "Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman."

 

It should be noted that this usage is found in an illustration from the Old Testament (4:24-31).  He is using the illustration of Hagar and Sarah to refute the notion that law and grace can be mixed.  He says he speaks “figuratively.”  He is using the term “heir” in the general sense of “possessor” to figuratively illustrate that inheritance in general is never appropriated by a mixture of Sinai and the Jerusalem above, Ishmael and Isaac, law and grace; neither is the inheritance of heaven.

 

There is no conflict with the use of the terms and the conclusions pertaining to Galatians 5:21, since the same word can have different meanings in the same book, the same chapter, or even the same verse.  [It is the context that determines the exact meaning of the words, hence the meaning of the passage under consideration]  Take for example the following:

 

  • The word “save” (Gk. sozo) in 1 Timothy 1:15 and 1 Timothy 2:15.
  • The Greek word presbyteros, as “older man” in 1 Timothy 5:1 and as “elder” (an official of the church) in 1 Timothy 5:17.

 

As pointed out earlier in Galatians 5:21 conditions of merit are contextually associated with the obtaining of the inheritance.  In Galatians 4:7 there are no such conditions.  One becomes an heir by faith alone.  But one inherits the kingdom by works.  Since differing conditions are present in the differing contexts, differing meanings of the word are meant.

 

Another reference to the inheritance is found in Ephesians:

 

In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. (Ephesians 1:13, 14)

 

The inheritance here is unmistakably heaven.  It is an inheritance that goes to those who have believed.  As in the Old Testament there are two kinds of inheritance in the New.  All Christians are heirs of God, but not all are heirs of the kingdom and joint-heirs with Christ.

 

Conclusion

 

As is always the case in interpretation, the context of each usage must determine meaning in that context.  While Experimental Predestinarians are willing to grant that the inheritance is heaven, and even that the inheritance in many contexts seems to be a reward, they have failed to integrate these two meanings into a comprehensive system of biblical thought.

 

The following factors lead one to conclude that it is proper in most contexts of the New Testament to understand the inheritance of the saints as their ownership of the coming kingdom rather than their mere residence there:

 

  1. As argued from the Old Testament, Israel’s conquest of the land was achieved by spiritual obedience.  After the victory they inherited.  The inheritance of Canaan was a merited, earned reward for faithful obedience.

 

  1. In every usage of the verb “to inherit” except one (1 Corinthians 15:50), the action implies some work of obedience necessary to obtain the inheritance.

 

  1. Usage in the Old Testament, and the common meaning of the word “inherit” in English, Hebrew, or Greek, implies a distinction between merely being in the land of Canaan and owning it.  In a similar way, by extension of thought, we are justified in drawing a distinction between being a resident of the future kingdom and being an owner (an heir) of that kingdom.

 

  1. We are explicitly told in Colossians 3:24 that the future inheritance comes to us as a reward for obedience.

 

  1. In every instance the phrase “inherit the kingdom” is consistent with its Old Testament analog, “inherit the land.”  The kingdom is always (except in the case of 1 Corinthians 15:50) inherited by means of works.  It is always associated with character qualities that come from acts of obedience.  In one context specific positive works of obedience (service to Christ’s brethren during the tribulation) are the reason for their “inheriting the kingdom” (Matthew 25:34, 35).

 

  1. The phrase “inherit the kingdom” is directly borrowed from Daniel’s term “possess the kingdom” (Daniel 7:22).  It refers to the rulership over the kingdom of the Son of Man given to the saints.  In Jewish rabbinical literature this future inheritance was obtained by works.  That aspect of Jewish theology was not corrected by the New Testament writers but seemingly accepted as the above arguments show.

 

These conclusions now must be developed more fully.  The writer of Hebrews does precisely this.  He explains that, when we have obtained the inheritance by means of a life of perseverance in good works, we will have finished our task and hence will “enter the rest.”