Do you enjoy learning? What comes to mind when you hear such a question?
What did you experience while studying at the School of Agape Love? Is there a difference between this school and others?
The Kingdom of Heaven is a very interesting place. It has spiritual significance and is established by God within us, but it is also the real name of Eternity—the very place that truly exists, where the King of Heaven, the Lord God, visibly dwells.
It is part of God’s plan for all the redeemed to stand before the great White Throne and see with their own eyes the Divine Face of the Heavenly Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The tree of the knowledge of good and evil will not grow in the Heavenly Kingdom, and nothing forbidden will remain that cannot be touched under penalty of death. All God’s children who have been saved from the world will receive unconditional salvation and Eternal Life. They will have free access to the Tree of Life.
God is the Giver of life, and throughout all Eternity He will bestow it upon all His creation without any conditions. And two enduring memorials—the Tree of Life and the Sabbath—will forever testify of the One Who is the Creator and Life-Giver.
Jesus taught in His prayer in John 17:3: “And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, Whom Thou hast sent.” This knowledge will become our Eternal school of life. It will never end. There will never come a moment in Eternity when one of us will say, “That is all; I have fully known God, and there is nothing more for me to discover in Him.” Billions of Eternal years from now, we will still hear continual exclamations of joy because someone has finally learned something about his God that he had been unable to understand for so long. Now a new depth has opened before him for exploring and knowing a particular aspect of God’s character and His love.
At the very beginning of the Eternal Kingdom, people of every age, social class, period, and culture will enter it. Many of them lived and grew up in very simple and primitive conditions and could not know much, yet they accepted the light given for their salvation and believed in the One Who gave His life for them. These people do not possess the knowledge and light that have been sent to us, but they will be given the unique mind of an Eternal person, capable of receiving and processing all the new information presented to them and conveying it to the heart. Like children, they will learn the foundations of Eternal Life, comprehend the science of love and happiness, study the depth of God’s law, and discover new laws of the Heavenly Kingdom.
Since there will be no temptations in Heaven, a person will accept every truth without critical suspicion, yet with constructive examination.
I believe that we who lived on Earth during the very last days of the history of sin and came to know the depth of God’s love will be asked to lead the educational process under the direct revelations of the Holy Spirit. And, of course, we will agree. Eternal education will differ from earthly education in that every student will possess a capacious mind, an excellent memory, and a unique ability to master the subjects being studied quickly. In a short time, even the least educated person will become one of the most successful students in the Heavenly School of Agape Love. And Agape Love will be the logical conclusion of every truth and every Heavenly teaching that we will continually comprehend throughout all Eternity.
Jesus Himself will become our Chief Teacher, at Whose feet we will joyfully gather to hear new truths and revelations. He will gladly answer any question and give us the true solution to every problem. His lessons will be the most interesting and eagerly anticipated, and we will never grow weary of learning from our Heavenly Friend.
I believe that each one of us will have a Bible, and we will be able to study it in greater detail, discovering amazing depths of God’s wisdom, foreknowledge, and love that we did not notice while reading this Book on Earth. We will be able to speak with the writers of the epistles and with the biblical heroes who served as examples for us, and hear from their own lips the true meaning they placed in their writings. Perhaps we will also be shown the time and circumstances in which the Bible was written. We will study and remember everything carefully so that we never forget it. Holy Scripture will become so living and fascinating that every page will be associated in our minds with real scenes and people who will reveal the whole picture of that time in greater detail.
We will see how rebellion began and how sin arose where there was no reason for it, how it developed and destroyed the strongest family relationships. And in order to stop such an avalanche of curses and lawlessness, the Son of God offered His life. In doing so, He revealed the depth of God’s love, which alone could stand firmly against the power of sin and death.
Eternal Life will delight us so continuously that we will never cease enjoying it. It will be frightening to think that we might have lost it because of some sinful attachment to the world or because we rejected the light sent for our good.
How easy it is to love and remain faithful to God’s law while surrounded by holy beings and dwelling in the Heavenly mansions! Yet how incomprehensible many Eternal values become when one lives in a world of enticements, under the constant pressure of temptations and sinful attacks from those nearby. Who will deliver us from this environment?
Today it is very interesting to journey in imagination into the Heavenly realities of Eternal Life, but everything around me remains the same, and I must continue to fight, study the truth, and overcome through love.
Right now, I have an enormous advantage for achieving complete victory. It consists in the fact that I am on a real battlefield and can test any weapon in action, comprehend the invisible by faith, and choose the Eternal. I am able to meet every attack of the enemy wearing the whole armor of God and possessing the proper warrior spirit called love, happiness, and friendship.
The School of Agape Love gives me another most wonderful advantage. I first comprehend its lessons in theory by studying the materials presented, and then I receive personal revelations from Christ Himself so that I may immediately put them into practice. This is not dry theory, but life with God, in God, and with Him in me.
As I reflect on Eternity, I understand that the laws of Eternal Life are already at work today, and Agape Love is an enduring value given in the perfect form that it will possess throughout all unending life in the Eternal Kingdom of Love.
And the very same Jesus Who will continually gladden my heart is just as kind and accessible today. Although invisible to the eye, He can be heard by the ear and perceived by the mind. He also speaks with me, carries me in His arms, and cares for me better than anyone else in the world.
The beginning of Eternity will change only my surroundings and give me Eternal peace, but it will leave my character and habits unchanged. Therefore, I am now learning the Eternal principles of happiness and love so that I may make them my permanent inheritance and enter Eternity as my own home, where my little house of happiness will become our shared bliss.
But while I am still here, I will continue learning and make every effort to reach Eternity and take my friends with me.
Questions for Reflection
Please read Hebrews 12:18–29; 2 Corinthians 12:1–10; Matthew 23:8; 1 Corinthians 2:9; 13:12; 1 Chronicles 15:22; Jeremiah 31:34; Psalm 119:99; and Isaiah 30:20–22 in the light of this chapter. What did you understand from this chapter? How real is Eternity in your life? What should I do, and how should I live now, so that I will not be ashamed later? If I want to enter Eternity but make no effort and show no interest in doing so, how likely is it that my desire will be fulfilled? Do you think we will continue learning in the Eternal Kingdom? Will God have time to devote to our education? How would you feel if you were asked to organize a school in the Heavenly Kingdom and explain the science of love, friendship, and happiness to its students? Do you enjoy learning? And what have you learned? Do you think you understand everything presented in these chapters? Will schools like this one be needed in Eternity? Do you understand what love is and how it works in your life? Having studied at this school, can you honestly say that you love and know how to wield this weapon? How long do you plan to continue learning? Has your life changed during the time you have been studying?