Rank in Heaven?

friend of said:

What does it mean to be great in the Kingdom of Heaven?

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"Hi everybody. Who needs help today?"

We will be serving each other in love.

friend of said:

Okay. Could you elaborate? What would we be in need of?

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This current life, due to sin, results in many of us missing out on great things God wants us to experience and learn. So lets say you currently have been blessed in this life to be a cook. One of the things you'll get to do is cook for others and share meals together. Even teaching others how to cook, and maybe even continuing to learn cooking yourself, from other cooks.

While reading your OP, Mark 10:41-45 came to mind in regards to our eternal relationship with each other.

41 When the ten other disciples heard what James and John had asked, they were indignant. 42 So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. 43 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

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I get your point but frankly what a boring utopian existence without interaction. We'd be like goldfish without meaningful work or hobbies. Perhaps life will be the same as here but under a system of no oppression along with a government not interested in power and control but more a the head of a family. I dunno.

friend of said:

I just don't see how serving each other would be necessary when we have Christ in heaven, and consequently, have everything. He is the shepherd and we shall not want.

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The ranks are created here. This means you become here what you become. For example saint is above christian. And angel is above saint. And there is many levels of angels.

Hi @friend of

friend of said:

What is rank in heaven? What does it mean to be great in the Kingdom of Heaven?

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There definitely seems to be ranks in New Jerusalem.

You mentioned the Parable in which each worker gets their just reward, but not an equal one. Also we read that the Messiah says…

“Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 5:19

This indicates that their will be a scale of great to least in the Kingdom.

As you alluded to, their won’t be snide people within this hierarchy (if we should even call it that). After all, who will be admitted into New Jerusalem unless their heart is right before the Lord? Also, those who serve are seen as the greater. Therefore, how could a hierarchy exist, like it does today on Earth, if at the top are true ministers and servants of the people?

When New Jerusalem finally descends to the Earth with the return of the Messiah, the saints will rule and reign with Him for 1000 years. Not only over the angels and animals (who will probably be enabled to speak again) but over all the countries of the Earth and those who remain in them in those days.

The Scripture seems to imply in the prophecies that we will not only dwell in New Jerusalem but will also sent out into the Earth to lead for Him, and lead people to Him. The nations then bring in their wealth and worship into New Jerusalem to glorify Him and the King. But surprisingly there will be those who refuse to this, even at that stage. So, in essence, just like how the Gospel spread from Jerusalem in the first century, this is a like a foreshadow of a greater event and Gospel to come. No longer “Repent! The Kingdom is at hand” but “The Kingdom of Yahweh is here!”

As for the countenance, appearance and power of the saints in those days – that’s another subject! But it could potentially be linked to the “rank” you are blessed with. Or everyone may have the same countenance and their rewards may be all that differs.

I hope that helps.

Love & Shalom

friend of said:

Everyone will be royalty in the Kingdom of Heaven after Revelation plays out. If everyone is royal, then all rank will pretty much cease to exist since everyone is equal. Our works on earth will differentiate us, I suppose, but at the end of the day, I can't see anyone ordering anyone else around, (can you?). That type of hierarchy is really prevalent down here, but I doubt it will be around in Heaven/New Jerusalem, since its so divisive and ambition won't be a thing anymore. The parable of the vine workers says that we will all be rewarded for our labors equally, for the most part. What is rank in heaven? What does it mean to be great in the Kingdom of Heaven? Rank seems pointless almost. Will we be ordering around angels and other creatures?

Open thread. God bless you!

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I am not even sure " rank" plays a part in The Kingdom of God. Jesus Christ of Nazareth is King and we are His subjects. There is no marriage or given into marriage. There is no Jew or Gentile, slave or freeman or male or female. We are all equally" one" in Christ. What better reward do we need than meeting our maker and living with Him forever? Be blessed.

friend of said:

I guess what I'm wondering is, what would we ever need from another person? Christ is our all in all and our exceedingly great reward. What more could we ask for? I just don't see how serving each other would be necessary when we have Christ in heaven, and consequently, have everything. He is the shepherd and we shall not want.

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We go to heaven with different "levels" of Godly type Love, so can I be jelous of someone having a greater Love then I have?
It would mean, Paul Loves me more then I can Love Paul back, so is Paul better off then I am or am I better of then Paul is?

There will be people in heaven who never had the opportunity to optain Godly type Love but would have a wonderful child for parent type love, which might be my fault for at least some. These without Godly type Love will need to be protected and preserved for eternity since there is no way to obtain Godly type Love in heaven. Since helping others is what I enjoy doing on earth, I hope to continue help these others in heaven.

It states that there would be those living within the city and those living outside

There will be differences. I don't expect to be on the same level of heavenly ranking as Mother Teresa - far from it.

But we will find that whatever our station, we will be satisfied.

I'm Catholic, and I believe some saints have been granted visions of heaven, purgatory and hell. In the following instance, you might note the reversal of roles between Philip II king of Spain and a (religious) superior viz. ".... the first will be last, and the last will be first ...".

10 Quotes from the Saints on What Heaven Will Be Like

St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori told a story shared with him by a superior of the Jesuit order about a different superior who appeared to him after his death and gave a detailed report about what sort of treatment different people could expect in heaven. According to the departed superior, the rewards of heaven are not equal for all who enter, but all who enter are equally satisfied:

“Now I am in heaven, Philip II, king of Spain, is in heaven as well. We both are enjoying the eternal rewards of paradise, but they are very different for us. My happiness is much greater than his, for it is not like when we were still on earth, for then he was royalty and I was a commoner. We were as far apart as the earth and sky, but now it has been reversed: As lowly as I was compared to the king on earth, I now exceed him in glory in heaven. However, we are both happy, and our hearts are completely satisfied.”

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I expect we will resume the stewardship of creation originally given to Adam. That would include, among other things, preventing entropy and every event of randomness, from the sub-atomic to the multi-galactic, leading to it.

I also expect, from what scripture indicates, is that each person's stewardship will be in keeping with their abilities, so some people will have large portions of creation to manage and others will have smaller portions. But because it is in keeping with each person's abilities, it will be just the right amount to keep each person fruitfully and successfully occupied, neither bored nor overwhelmed.

friend of said:

Everyone will be royalty in the Kingdom of Heaven after Revelation plays out. If everyone is royal, then all rank will pretty much cease to exist since everyone is equal. Our works on earth will differentiate us, I suppose, but at the end of the day, I can't see anyone ordering anyone else around, (can you?). That type of hierarchy is really prevalent down here, but I doubt it will be around in Heaven/New Jerusalem, since its so divisive and ambition won't be a thing anymore. The parable of the vine workers says that we will all be rewarded for our labors equally, for the most part. What is rank in heaven? What does it mean to be great in the Kingdom of Heaven? Rank seems pointless almost. Will we be ordering around angels and other creatures?

Open thread. God bless you!

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Jesus says the greatest in the kingdom is the slave. The bottom tier here are top tier in the kingdom.

When we think about things like rank and glory about what is to come in ways that we think of rank and glory here, then we've deeply missed much of the whole point Jesus was telling us.

The glory of the future age is not like glory in the present age. Glory in the age isn't the glory of kings, celebrities, heroes, warriors, or nobles. It's the glory of the slave, of the lowly. It is the glory that shines through the suffering of Jesus; the glory not of power as we define power, or kingdom like we define kingdom.

In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus says that no one born of women is greater than John the Baptist, and yet the least in the kingdom is greater than John. The historic interpretation is that by this Jesus refers to Himself; He is the least. The greatest--the Eternal Son of God--became least of all, the suffering servant, the Son of Man who comes to serve and not be served, who did not exploit His Deity, but poured Himself out in humiliation, obedience, even to the point of death on the cross.

Whatever crown we may receive, we can anticipate to cast it off and down before God, even as the twenty-four living elders before God's Throne do in the Apocalypse.

The rewards of heaven are not the rewards of temporal joy, but the heavenly reward of having our very notions of value transformed by God's grace. That we should rather to turn the other cheek than to retaliate, or that we should behold the weakest and least in our midst greater. That justice is found in the forgiveness of sinners, even as the Publican walks away justified in the Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican.

"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord,' To the contrary, 'if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." - Romans 12:9-21

-CryptoLutheran

Actually, truth be told, we all know that the front row seats in heaven have been reserved only for members of our own particular denomination and the members of other denominations (if they are even in heaven) will be ranked behind ours in order of adherence to our dogmas and doctrines.

friend of said:

Everyone will be royalty in the Kingdom of Heaven after Revelation plays out. If everyone is royal, then all rank will pretty much cease to exist since everyone is equal. Our works on earth will differentiate us, I suppose, but at the end of the day, I can't see anyone ordering anyone else around, (can you?). That type of hierarchy is really prevalent down here, but I doubt it will be around in Heaven/New Jerusalem, since its so divisive and ambition won't be a thing anymore. The parable of the vine workers says that we will all be rewarded for our labors equally, for the most part. What is rank in heaven? What does it mean to be great in the Kingdom of Heaven? Rank seems pointless almost. Will we be ordering around angels and other creatures?

Open thread. God bless you!

Click to expand...

I wouldn't see it as "ranks," although I have come to currently believe that our works in this life will be recognized and praised in the next world. However, I don't see it changing our equal standing and status in the kingdom. I think we already do this very thing now. We don't glorify Paul, but we hold him in high esteem and with great honor to the praise of the Savior. I won't speculate what the world then will be like, but it seems evident that our works will be plain to all and the praise on account of them will escape us and be entirely directed toward the true Author behind them. This will fill us with exceeding and humble joy. Again, this is my humble opinion about a matter I know nothing of, yet.

I have struggled with the whole concept of spiritual rewards. I know an excellent Christian whose prime motivation in serving the Lord is to gain rewards and lay up treasure in heaven. My question has been, "What advantage does one have in heaven if we are perfectly happy and all of our needs are fully met" It is not as if my friend will be sitting in a bigger and better house with a seat closer to the Throne of God than the rest of us hoi polloi and that we will experience envy of him and regret that we don't deserve a better situation, is it?

friend of said:

Everyone will be royalty in the Kingdom of Heaven after Revelation plays out. If everyone is royal, then all rank will pretty much cease to exist since everyone is equal. Our works on earth will differentiate us, I suppose, but at the end of the day, I can't see anyone ordering anyone else around, (can you?). That type of hierarchy is really prevalent down here, but I doubt it will be around in Heaven/New Jerusalem, since its so divisive and ambition won't be a thing anymore. The parable of the vine workers says that we will all be rewarded for our labors equally, for the most part. What is rank in heaven? What does it mean to be great in the Kingdom of Heaven? Rank seems pointless almost. Will we be ordering around angels and other creatures?

Open thread. God bless you!

Click to expand...

I think heaven will be continued training where we gain more experience, get wiser, grow spiritually, learn more etc. I think this will be happening for a long long time and we are only at the beginning.

I don't know about rank, but I suspect there will be wiser, more experienced beings than us - who we can learn from. So "rank" I don't know about, but older brothers or fathers and mothers helping us progress - that sounds closer to what I think it'll be like.

bbbbbbb said:

Actually, truth be told, we all know that the front row seats in heaven have been reserved only for members of our own particular denomination and the members of other denominations (if they are even in heaven) will be ranked behind ours in order of adherence to our dogmas and doctrines.

Click to expand...