eschatology, Heavenly Clothing (2 Cor.5)

Paul gives us a brief description of heaven, which is eternal.   And the heavenly clothing described here is more about righteousness and perfection and eternal life. 

I'm thinking back to the fall of man.  After Adam and Eve had eaten the forbidden fruit - they saw their "nakedness".  I had always wondered about that, because they WERE married, after all!  God created the husband-and-wife-relationship and saw that it was "VERY GOOD".  So - their shame would have been from "seeing" (realizing) their disobedience and sinfulness in that moment - after deciding to remove their "clothing" of purity and righteousness.

To enter into heaven, a place of heavenly perfection, we need to be clothed appropriately...

(2 Corinthians 5:1-9)  For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, 3 inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked. 4 For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge.

6 Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight— 8 we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. 9 Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. 

Today's takeaway:  the earth is described as a tent - which is temporary.  And our earthly bodies which come with a sinful nature - are temporary - unless and until we decide to believe in Jesus, Who then clothes us in His righteousness.  His blood covers our sin (our nakedness). 

While we are still on earth, even though we will continue to struggle with our sinful nature, we can have courage and strive to please God in all that we do.  Isaiah 61 is about how it will be for the Israelites when they become a nation of believers and enter the Millennium, but there are a few key phrases in this scripture which are applicable for us right now, building on what was said above...

 (Isaiah 61:1-11) The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted;  He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners;
2 To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God;  to comfort all who mourn,
3 To grant those who mourn in Zion, giving them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting.  So they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.

4 Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins, they will raise up the former devastations;  and they will repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations.
5 Strangers will stand and pasture your flocks, and foreigners will be your farmers and your vinedressers.
6 But you will be called the priests of the Lord;  you will be spoken of as ministers of our God.  You will eat the wealth of nations, and in their riches you will boast.
7 Instead of your shame you will have a double portion, and instead of humiliation they will shout for joy over their portion.  Therefore they will possess a double portion in their land, everlasting joy will be theirs.
8 For I, the Lord, love justice, I hate robbery in the burnt offering;  and I will faithfully give them their recompense and make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Then their offspring will be known among the nations, and their descendants in the midst of the peoples.  All who see them will recognize them because they are the offspring whom the Lord has blessed.

10 I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, my soul will exult in my God;  for He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes the things sown in it to spring up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise.