Acts 2: 17,18: –
17“And in the last days it shall be,” God declares,
“that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams;
18even on my male servants and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.”
All who are chosen to be part of Christ’s church receive the gift of Holy Spirit. And Christ’s church members are sealed with Holy Spirit right up until the great tribulation Christ said will occur before the world’s end.
“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,” (Romans 8:16). That is anointed, which is chosen by God, in this case as his children.
“Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” Revelation 7:3
So servants of God are sealed by receiving God’s Holy Spirit, which bears witness to them that they are God’s children, right up to the great tribulation, or at least fairly close to it.
In Peter’s speech in Acts chapter 2 he said:
“Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” (Acts2:38,39)
Here Peter confirmed that the gift of Holy Spirit was not only given the chosen ones in the apostles’ day, but it will be given to “as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself,” including some children his immediate audience had, some they would have in the future, along with future generations of chosen Christians.
There are many scriptures that indicate there are two classes of Christians, those chosen and anointed by God’s Holy Spirit, and those who are called Christians, who also call themselves Christians, but they are not anointed by God’s Holy Spirit. Note that concept is conveyed in the following scriptures. First Revelation 5:8-10:
“You were slain,
and by Your blood You purchased for God
those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
You have made them to be a kingdom
and priests to serve our God,
and they will reign upon the earth.”
Speaking of these Christians Jesus said at Matthew 19:28:
“Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
In the New World all people will be Christians, as implied at Philippians chapter 2:
9Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name above all names, 10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
But every Christian there will not reign and be a priest with Christ serving God and mankind in that capacity. Those who will be, members of Christ’s church, are chosen in our present world by God. There citizenship is in heaven, meaning that is their place of residence, where they live. But they also come to earth to rule as part of God’s administration over mankind.
Philippians 3:20But our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21who, by the power that enables Him to subject all things to Himself, will transform our lowly bodies to be like His glorious body.…
There are some Christians teaching that no one from earth goes to heaven (except Christ). They claim that vs 20 above means Christ’s church members merely have heavenly citizenship, in that their citizenship is overseen by God in heaven; while they teach no one from earth actually goes to heaven. But look at vs 21 above. What would Christ be doing transforming the bodies of humans into bodies like his glorious body, if those receiving such bodies are to remain on earth? That just doesn’t make any sense. That Christ would transform the bodies of humans into a spiritual body that can enter the heavenly dimension, but forbid humans from entering it. No Christ said his church members must be born again. And they will be born into bodies that can go everywhere Christ goes-*see scriptures below.
Human bodies cannot enter into those heavenly dimensions. And certainly humans living on earth do not need a body similar to Christ’s. Adam and Eve didn’t have such a body. Adam and Eve were flesh and blood. Yet being flesh and blood Adam was told he would die if he ate from the fobidden tree, implying if he didn’t he could keep living.
- 1Corinthians 15: 50Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
- John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
For more info on this topic see:
One Hope or Two?