Nuggets from "Whatever Happened to Heaven?" by Dave Hunt

Nuggets from "Whatever Happened to Heaven?" by Dave Hunt"

Were the martyrs defeated? Was Paul defeated? Were those who died in the arenas or at the stake defeated? No, a thousand times no! They demonstrated genuine victory—the same victory that Christ manifested over hatred, abuse, ridicule, suffering, death, and Satan. The call to a victory that appeals to self and wins earthly kingdoms is really the deceitful call to present defeat (no matter what the outward appearance), and future loss in the world to come.

The nature of Christ’s victory is continually held out to the church as its example. To the Laodiceans Christ writes: “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne’’ (Revelation:3:21To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
See All...). Clearly they were to overcome in the same way that Christ did—by being obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. The challenge and the promise are for us today, as they were to the church at Smyrna: “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life’’ (Revelation:2:10Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
See All...).

Nor does death apply only to the physical body. Essential to the path that Christ asks us to follow is the denial of self as part of the process of the cross in our lives. It is no less victorious to remain alive as a witness for Chirst—a living witness to whom the success, pleasure, and prosperity of worldly victory have no appeal. Such is the triumph of those whose affection has been set on things above, where Christ is and from whence He will soon return to take His own to His Father’s house.