Hope of the body of Christ...

(email I sent to some friends)

As for the hope of the body of Christ, I believe our main hope is to be caught up to meet the Lord in the air and "so shall we ever be with the Lord" (1 Thes. 4:17).

​I don't really see a clear statement that we spend eternity in heaven. Though I do realize that our blessings are said to be "in heavenly places" (Eph. 1:3, Eph. 2:6), but that is "in Christ" . We get raptured pre-trib and so we know we are in heaven for at least 7 years.

I know Christ's kingdom will extend far beyond the earth, but I get the impression that we will be at His side. (1 Cor. 6:2-3, 1 Thes. 4:17, Eph. 1:10, 2 Tim. 2:12, Rom. 8:17, )

Also we are His body and He is our Head, it would make more sense for us to spend eternity primarily in the same place.

Beyond our rapture ("caught up") I doubt that we, nor Christ, will stay in one particular place. I see no need to pin point where our primary habitation will be in eternity because if it was important God would have revealed it to us in the Bible.

Israel does have an earthly hope, but I don't think we have enough scripture on the matter to pin point an exact habitation for the body of Christ in eternity. Ephesians 1:10 seems to imply a fellowship between the new heaven and new earth. 

 

--Eli "Hoss" Caldwell