Inheriting the Earth
By Pastor Jim May
Last week we said that the Sunday night services would be considered as a time of teaching for a while and that we would answer questions from any of you who had questions that you didn’t quite understand in scripture or that you would like to hear explained from the Word of God. Questions could also be submitted concerning any area of life. Of course all questions will be screened for merit as well as their appropriateness before the congregation. Any questions that cannot, or should not be answered openly, will be considered as private and you will be notified. Private questions can be answered but not in an open service.
Quite often we take for granted that people know more than they really do. I believe it’s vitally important for you to know what you believe and why, and that what you believe must be founded only upon one thing – what God’s Word says.
Last week’s question was concerning the dinosaurs. Some probably thought that it was a bit frivolous to ask where the dinosaurs fit into the Bible, but in the end, no question is frivolous when it comes to God’s Word for there is nothing that we cannot learn from His Word. The real question in that message was not just where the dinosaurs fit in, but what do we rely on for truth; Man’s wisdom and science, along with its suppositions, theories and self-proclaimed standards, or upon the unchangeable, eternal Word of God. What it came down to in the final analysis is whether we believe in Evolution of Millions of years or whether we believe in a literal 6 days of Creation as described in Genesis. You can’t have it both ways.
Now tonight we are going to plunge into a different question altogether and its one that may well be upon the minds of many of us. It deals with both the here and now, and with Bible prophecy and so we will try to answer it as thoroughly as I can.
The question, simply stated, is this: The Bible says that the meek shall inherit the earth, yet we read that the earth will be destroyed by fire. How can we inherit the earth when there will be no earth to inherit after it is destroyed and we are no longer living to inherit it?
First, let’s establish what we mean when we say meek. What does it mean to be Meek? - Showing patience and humility; gentle and easily imposed on; submissive. humble in spirit or manner, humble and not likely to complain, argue, react strongly etc. But these aren’t exactly what is meant by the Word even though these characteristics should be part of our lives too. Meekness means much more to a Christian.
Meekness means that we have become acutely aware of our sinful condition through the preaching of the Gospel and the convicting power of the Holy Ghost. We have come to realize that we sinners, in need of a Savior, and that even as Born Again Saints of God, we know that we are not sufficient within ourselves. We have come to realize that we must depend upon God for everything.
We have come to realize that our righteousness is nothing more than filthy rags in the eyes of God and that we must fully trust in Him for all things. We recognize that all blessings, and even life itself, are gifts only by the grace of God and nothing we can do will earn them.
Since we have taken on these beliefs and we live by them, we are willing to submit our will to God’s will, even when it is inconvenient and costly to do so. We choose to lead a life of sacrifice and dependence upon God alone.
Meekness means that we realize that we are poor and destitute in ourselves and have no power to overcome outside of Christ. Therefore, we humble ourselves under his hand and live by His will that we may obtain the promises of God.
The world looks at a Christian as a weak and ignorant creature, but we know, as God’s Children, that we have an inner strength through Jesus that the world can’t understand. We know that if we humble ourselves under God’s hand, that He will exalt us in due time. And we accept the fact that though we may not obtain many of the rewards that this world has to offer, we have a greater reward waiting for us in Heaven.
The problem is that most people associate meekness with weakness. They believe that if we are to be called “meek” that we must act like a wet dishcloth and allow every to step all over us. But that not what scriptural meekness is at all.
The meek person in God’s opinion is a strong character who will continue to trust God against all odds and won’t back down when facing persecution. Being a meek person doesn’t mean that y0u have to be a rug to walk on.
Being meek calls for an inner strength that others do not have. Meek doesn’t mean weak, just that we are humbled before God and submissive to his will.
Numbers 12:3, "(Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)"
Was Moses a “namby, pamby weakling”? Of course not. He had his weaknesses in the flesh, but he was a powerful, anointed Prophet of God and faced the greatest power on earth through Pharaoh of Egypt in obedience to God’s commands. He was meek before God, but a lion in face of earthly powers.
Here are some of the promises and scriptures that pertain to meekness in God’s people:
Psalms 22:26, "The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever."
Psalms 25:9, "The meek will he [God] guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way."
Psalms 37:11, "But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace."
Psalms 149:4, "For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation."
Jesus described himself as being meek in Matthew 11:28-30, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
Peter tells us in his first letter that a meek and quiet spirit is a decoration in the life of a Christian. 1 Peter 3:3-4, "Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price."
Now one of the verses referred to in our question for today is Matthew 5:5, "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth."
What does the phrase, “inherit the earth” mean in these scriptures? It doesn’t necessarily mean that we shall inherit this terrestrial ball we call planet earth, even though that is part of the inheritance in a way. What this simply means is that we shall have but the necessities of the life because God will provide them for us. He will never leave us or forsake us. David said that He had never seen their righteous forsaken or his see begging for bread in Psalms 37:25. In Philippians 4:19 Paul says, "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."
This means that we, as Christians, who serve God with meekness, temperance and reverence, have the right to inherit all of the good things of this world. It is part of our inheritance as God’s own children to have all of our needs met in the earth. In that fashion we inherit the earth while we are in it.
The question handed to me also referred to some very strong passages of scripture in the Book of Daniel that point toward this “inheritance of the earth” by God’s people. Let us look at these verses for a moment and then we will do our best to put them into context of all of God’s Word.
In any study of the Bible, Scripture must be compared to scripture and proven by scripture before it can be fully understood and become a doctrine that we can live by.
Daniel 7:13-18, "I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things. These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever."
Who is the Son of Man? Not son of man, in lower case, but Son of Man in upper case, representing an actual name or title and not just a description, for we are all sons of men, but there is only one Son of Man.
Matthew 8:20, "And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head."
Matthew 9:6, "But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house."
Matthew 12:8, "For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day."
I could produce many more references to this Son of Man, but even the Bible says to let every word be established by two or three witness and there you have three. According to these verses then, Jesus Christ, is the Son of man!
Who is the Ancient of Days? This “Ancient of Days” can refer to none other than our eternal Heavenly Father. Daniel refers to him three times with this title or name.
In the scriptures that we just read in Daniel, the Son of Man, the Lord Jesus Christ, comes to the Heavenly Father and is there given dominion, or the power to control and rule, over all things and that power is everlasting.
After his resurrection, Jesus came to his disciples and this is what he said in Matthew 28:18-20, "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen."
In the prophetic announcement of Jesus’ birth we read these words found in Isaiah 9:6-7, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this."
Luke 1:33, "… of his kingdom there shall be no end."
So what we are seeing in Daniel’s vision concerning the Son of Man and the Ancient of Days is that moment when the Lord Jesus Christ ascended into Heaven, received all authority and power and sat down at the right hand of the Father.
Mark 16:19, "So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God."
Hebrews 10:12-13, "But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool."
1 Peter 3:22, "Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him."
Now, the rest of that passage where Daniel is seeing the beasts and the kingdoms rise and fall, we won’t cover tonight as that study will include more of Daniel’s vision than we need to discuss to answer this question.
Now that last verse in Daniel that we read in Daniel 7:18 says, “But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever."
This is describing the fact that we, as the meek, obedient and humble, Children of God, will one day step into Heaven, occupy the New Jerusalem and then come down to live on a new earth that God will create and there we will reign with Christ forever.
This coincides with a vision that God gave to another of his prophets.
John, the Beloved disciple of Jesus, and the last one to remain alive, was thrown into prison for preaching the gospel and eventually was exiled to a prison colony on the Island of Patmos off the coast of Greece. He was there for a long time and grew quite old, but never ceased serving God. He had seen too much, knew too much and come too far to turn away from serving the Lord now. He had some freedom to move about while on the island, after all, there was no way of escape.
One day, while John sat on the seashore, watching the waves, and feeling the breeze, and felt the warmth of the sun on his face, he meditated and prayed. Suddenly, God began to give John a vision of things to come, opening the future to John in a way that had never been done before or since that day.
What John saw in that vision is what we have recorded in the Book of Revelation. Let’s look at few scenes that John saw in that vision. It’s important to know what he saw so that we can better understand what the Word when it states that “the meek shall inherit the earth”.
Revelation 5:6-10, "And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth."
In Daniel this scene is described this way: Daniel 7:26-27, "But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him."
Perhaps we will study the entire Book of Daniel in the near future because if you are going to have a fully understanding of these passages it is really necessary to know what’s happening all the way through the book as far as prophecy is concerned.
Daniel was a prophet of God. He had been led away captive when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had conquered Jerusalem and brought many of the Jews back to Babylon with him as slaves. Among these slaves were Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego – the three young men who were cast into the fiery furnace and came out without even the smell of smoke on their clothing only with their ropes burned away. Daniel was also one of those slaves. Even though they were captives, and had very little freedom, they never ceased to serve the Lord.
Daniel lived through the time when Nebuchadnezzar and Babylonian Kingdom fell to the Medes and the Persians and was around when the new empire came into power. His visions of the future of man’s history on earth began with the Babylonian Empire and continued on for the coming and passing of every world empire right down to the present day, and the Second coming of Christ to set up his 1000 year kingdom, and even on into the eternal kingdom of our Lord. Most of his vision has come to pass, but there are parts that are yet to be fulfilled. If all of Daniel’s prophecies have come true, then we can rest assured that the rest of them will too.
A small part of Daniel’s visions are given in the passages that we have just read, so I will try to give you a short summary on what is happening since a full explanation would take quite some time.
Let me begin by saying that there is an even greater meaning and a second part to the phrase, “the meek shall inherit the earth”. We also have waiting for an inheritance of a New Heaven and a New Earth where there will be no sin, and we will never need anything again, for God will fulfill every desire of our hearts.
Multiple times, the Bible tells us that there is a new world coming.
Isaiah 65:17, "For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind."
Isaiah 66:22, "For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain."
2 Peter 3:10-13, "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness."
So what Daniel is seeing is very closely related to what we have just read about in Revelation. Daniel’s vision revealed future events that would come to pass down through thousands of years of history.
Daniel would not live to see the vast majority of it come to pass and yet his words, inspired by the Holy Ghost, give us such great detail that many of those who doubt God’s Word often claim that they had to be written after the events actually happened. They cannot believe that a man could be given that much detail in a prophetic vision. But if you believe that the Bible is inspired by the Holy Ghost and men wrote what God told them to write, and you understand that God knows the end from the beginning, then there is no problem believing this at all.
At the end of Daniel’s vision as well as the vision of John, we see the final judgments, sentencing and the final end of every soul that ever lived. What will happen to all those who commit sin and are never Born Again? Where will Satan be? Where will all the fallen angels, the false prophets, the false preachers, and all those who serve the devil be?
Revelation 20:10-15, "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."
This judgment is the one known as the Great White Throne Judgment. No one who appears before the Righteous Judge will have chance. There will be no defense. This is just a time of reckoning for all who have rejected Christ. Jesus could have been their Savior, but now he must condemn them eternally for their unrighteousness. Notice that there was no place for the earth, or for the heavens, meaning the air and the sky. All of creation has ceased to exist except these eternal souls who were given the breath of eternal God at their birth. Now they will exist in hell forever. Where is hell? Most people believe it is in the center of the earth. Hell is a real place but it’s in this earth. It is in a spiritual dimension, just as is Heaven. But it is a very real place and it is eternal as well. This earth is not eternal, but created for a time for man to dwell in.
All of the righteous will have already been judged for the works that they have done in the flesh, but they will be saved by grace and the Blood of Jesus. Their judgment will come at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:10, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad."
The earth that we will inherit in the end, as God’s people, won’t be this earth, but a new one. Some say that this present world will be renovated. It just seems to me that God’s Word points toward a creation of a whole new earth, not one that still has the remains of death deep inside, or contains the Lake of Fire.
Revelation 21:1-7, "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son."
This new earth will be one that will be similar to this world in some ways and yet so very different in other ways. The earth will be much as it is now with its beauty and majesty, but every effect of sin and everything that is negative and limiting to God’s people will be no more. The seas will be gone so that all men will have unlimited access to the New Jerusalem. We will live forever in that New Earth and there will be so sickness, pain or death, so you can go wherever you want, for as long as you want, and have no worries about what may happen in your travels.
This is the literal earth that the meek shall inherit. We shall also inherit Heaven and all its beauty for we are joint-heirs with Christ. We will never become as God, but we will forever be called God’s Children and we will have a new earth as our eternal inheritance.
