Our First Day In Heaven

By Michael Zarlengo

In this book, Michael Zarlengo uses Scripture to describe our first day in heaven.

God has incredible rewards waiting for His people. Jesus Christ taught that all Christians should seek to be rewarded when we enter heaven. We will receive our rewards from God based on our actions on earth. As we know, these actions cannot earn us heaven. That only occurs by grace, through faith. However, on our first day in heaven our earthly actions, after salvation, are evaluated by God in order to determine the magnificent rewards He will give us.

Did you know that the Bible describes our rewards and the exact actions we are to carry out in order to receive them? In the New Testament, the apostle Paul uses the Old Testament examples of the Tabernacle and Day of Atonement ceremony to teach us which actions, called gifts, we can bring to God for our rewards. Paul also teaches us that the Tabernacle and the Day of Atonement conceal the secret of what our first day in heaven will be like.

We work hard in this life to retire well. Yet earthly retirement lasts for a short time. Our life in heaven will last for an eternity. Don't you want it to be a well-rewarded time?

• Language: English
• Publisher: eBookIt.com
• Release date: May 10, 2012
• ISBN: 9780970454805

Book preview

Our First Day In Heaven

by

Michael Zarlengo

Scripture quotations not otherwise marked are taken from The HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House and Hodder & Stoughton Limited. The NIV and New International Version trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by International Bible Society. UK trademark number 1448790.

Scripture quotations indicated NASB are taken from The NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, © Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Scripture quotations indicated NKJV are taken from The New King James Version, copyright © 1979,1980,1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations indicated KJV are taken from The King James Version of the Bible.

Artwork: Moses’ Tabernacle in the Wilderness © 1976 John E. Gilman

Our First Day in Heaven; Tabernacle Gifts, Our First Day in Heaven

Copyright © 2012 Michael Zarlengo

All Rights Reserved under International Copyright Law

See full text Tabernacle Gifts for complete theological reference.

Cover Design by eBookIt

Interior Design by Pine Hill Graphics

Published by Pray Like This, Inc.

ISBN-13: 978-0-9704-5480-5

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or other, without written permission from the publisher.

Contents

Chapter 1

A Well Rewarded Eternity

Chapter 2

The Tabernacle

Chapter 3

The Day of Atonement

Chapter 4

The True Picture

Chapter 5

Christ Our Example

Chapter 6

Our First Day in Heaven

Chapter 7

Be Encouraged!

Chapter 1

A Well Rewarded Eternity



There is more to heaven than our admission. As Christians, when we arrive in heaven God will evaluate us on our action or inaction while on earth. Of course, this assessment has nothing to do with our eternal salvation. That was decided by our belief and confession of the Lord Jesus Christ while we were on earth.

This heavenly evaluation will result in many Christians receiving astonishing rewards and yet others will receive little or no reward at all. In heaven, some will live a more rewarded eternity than others. You will want to be one of those well-rewarded Christians. One might ask, Why? Isn’t it good enough that I am saved? Christ requires that each one of us seek to be well rewarded in heaven. This is not greed on our part, but in fact obedience to our Lord.

But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. (Matt. 6:27 KJV)

Furthermore, if we are well rewarded in heaven we will have a higher position with greater opportunities to serve God. As the apostle Paul teaches, our treasure will become a foundation for eternal life, which is considered the true life.

In this way they [Christians] will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. (1 Tim. 6:19)

Finally, Jesus taught that on our first day in heaven each Christian will have the opportunity to bring sacrificial actions or gifts to God. God will then evaluate these gifts and reward us accordingly. It will be especially important for each of us to hear God say, Well done.

"His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ (Matt. 25:21 NKJV)

This all sounds very good, but how do we know exactly what actions will result in being well rewarded? We must know which gifts of ours are considered rewardable by God so that we can be sure of pleasing Him.

The Tabernacle Picture

The New Testament provides us the answer to this question by using the tabernacle and the Day of Atonement from the old covenant as a picture guide to understanding our new covenant truth.

In other words, the New Testament briefly re-describes the tabernacle and the Day of Atonement and then explains its meaning to us. Using these examples, we are taught precisely which gifts God the Father is looking for. We are also provided with the fascinating New Testament description of Jesus Christ’s return to heaven after His resurrection. A spectacular ceremony took place in heaven when Christ brought His seven precious gifts to God the Father and received His seven incredible rewards. This event is our example of what God also desires for us. Finally, the New Testament supplies us with the amazing and detailed description of our own first day in heaven.

In order to discover which gifts we are to bring to our Father, along with the description of our first day in heaven, we too will first briefly look at the depiction of the tabernacle and the Day of Atonement.

When you examine the picture of the tabernacle, what do you see? Do you see a