Death and Generations

I have been very impatient with God lately. There is something I have waited on for years. But today, I asked myself why I was irritable. After all, God is incapable of lying, so his promises will eventually come to pass. Abraham, the Patriarch, waited decades for a son. Jesus, our Saviour, is still waiting for God to put everything under his feet.

I realised I was impatient because my life was slowly expiring in annual instalments. Time was creating an unspoken pressure, and I was feeling the weight of it.

So I had to stop panicking by remembering what I have learned about death and eternity.

Life In Four Instalments

As a Christian, I believe life will unfold in four instalments for me - Earth, Heaven, the Millennial Kingdom, and the New Earth. Heaven is an interregnum and is not my final home as a human being. The New Earth is my permanent residence (Revelation 21:1).

Therefore, there are promises God has made to me personally that I know will come to pass in the New Earth. There are things he has asked me to do that are setting the stage for responsibilities I will hold millennia later (Luke 19:17). It sounds radical, but is as real to me as water.

I am reminded of those prophets who predicted the Messiah, only to encounter him in Heaven (Hebrews 11:13).

Building For Eternity

Some Christians intuitively understand the different timeframes and chapters in eternity. It is why they build works of gold that can endure, while holding on to nothing on this earth (1 Corinthians 3:13-14). They are building for eternity, not merely their temporal years on earth.

Those believers see themselves as stewards of all they possess and understand that what will endure is faith, hope and love.

Prototypes, Types and Shadows

In this walk of faith, I believe God works with prototypes, types, and shadows (Hebrews 8:5). A man named Abraham offered his son first, albeit figuratively. Only then did God give his own Son, Jesus. Moses built a tabernacle, a copy of what was in heaven.

God’s will is first established in heaven and then expressed on earth, and then finally in the new heaven and earth. (Matthew 6:10). It is a grand continuum moving toward eternity.

Generations and Infrastructure

All of this unfolds over many generations and vast timelines. What has been done before will happen again, until finally all things are made new.

That is why generational infrastructure matters. The fathers and mothers must lay foundations for the sons and daughters. It is a spiritual relay race of inheritance and responsibility (2 Timothy 2:2).

For instance, without Kathryn Kuhlman (1907 - 1976), Pa Elton (1938 - 1987) or Archbishop Benson Idahosa (1938 - 1998), there would be no new-generation churches. Their labour created the platforms others now stand upon.

We forget there was a time when wearing certain clothes was a serious issue in the Church. There was a period when the doctrine of grace was not widely understood. We now take speaking in tongues for granted as well as the freedom to serve God in the marketplace. There was even an era when worship was not broadly recognised as a substantive ministry through which healing and deliverance could occur. It was only seen as a supporting item before preaching happened.

The older generation laid strong foundations. What a lineage of grace! But how quickly we forget.

An Unbroken Chain

I no longer want to be impatient with God. There is no point. If his promise takes years or millennia, I will do what is in front of me now - building Kingdom prototypes and laying generational foundation stones.

I will add to the unbroken chain of faith that began long before I was born and will continue after I have left this side of eternity.

So help me God.

To join me for a discussion about generations and the Kingdom, register for my hybrid event here.