A Twofold Inheritance!
"He that overcometh shall inherit all things." -Revelation 21:7 [KJV]
"He
shall inherit all things." When? In eternity? Yes. But only in
eternity? O no! In time also. There is a twofold inheritance, though one
and the same; one in time, another in eternity; one the firstfruits,
the other the harvest; one the earnest, the other the full sum. There is
an inheriting here below, and an inheriting above; and he that never
receives any portion of his inheritance below will never receive an
inheritance above.
Now, just in proportion as we overcome, are we put in possession of this inheritance. What are we to inherit? Riches, glory, honour, power, praise? These are worldly things; let the world enjoy them. In inheriting "all things," we are to inherit the things of God; the favour of God, the love of God, the mercy of God, the glory of God; all that a covenant God gives in giving Himself; peace here, glory hereafter; pardon below, salvation above; the beginning of rest on earth, the fulness of rest in heaven.
So that there is a connection, a beautiful, an experimental connection, between overcoming here below, and inheriting here below. But in order to enter into this inheritance, we must be perpetually reminded that we have no strength of our own. And thus our slips, our falls, our backslidings, our frailties, (though we would not, dare not justify them,) are mercifully overruled amongst the "all things" that work together for our good. They teach us our weakness, and by teaching us our weakness, lead us up to Christ's strength; and by leading us up to Christ's strength, to "inherit all things;" for in inheriting Him, we inherit all that He is to God's people.
-preacher J.C. Philpot (1802-1869 A.D.)
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