Do We Enter God's Rest This Side of Paradise?

Hebrews 3 and 4 mention a mysterious rest that is available for believers. I'll apply the SOAP method of devotional Bible study to some of these passages from Hebrews. The SOAP acronym is:

• S for Scripture(s)

  

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• O for Observation
• A for Application
• P for Prayer

Scriptures:

Hebrews 3:16-19, "16 For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? 17 And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? 19 So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief."

Hebrews 4:1-31, "Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. 2 For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened. 3 For we who have believed enter that rest...

Hebrews 4: 8-11, "8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. 9 So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, 10 for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. 11 Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience."

Observation:

Two types of rest from the Old Testament are mentioned. First, the Promised Land rest that Moses and other Israelites failed to enter due to disobedience and unbelief.

The second was the Sabbath rest where we rest from our works "as God did from his."

What does Hebrews 4:3 mean when it says, "For we who have believed enter that rest..."? There's an interpretive problem in that the text doesn't plainly explain what "the rest" means for modern-day Christians.

I think there is a "now/not yet" interpretation. Some of this rest is meant for us now in this life, but we will experience the fullness of the rest in heaven. I think the Promised Land is a likely metaphor for heaven--the eternal life after death.

What is heaven? I think the best thing about heaven will be our ability to stand in the presence of God, unencumbered by our sinful bodies. Our resurrected bodies will be sinless, so we will be able to look at the face of God without dying.

I think the Sabbath could be a metaphor for how we will be free from the toils of labor when we get to heaven. 

To a certain extent, we experience God's presence now, despite our sinful bodies. After all, scripture is clear that Christians are temples of the Holy Spirit, individually and as a group. God lives in the heart of each Christian. 2 Corinthians 4:6-7 says, "6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us."

I think this means that we get glimpses of heaven even before the resurrection. This could be "the rest" that we experience in this life.  1 Corinthians 13:12 says, "12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known." So, we experience God's presence dimly in this present life, but in heaven we'll experience Him fully, face to face. I think this could be "the rest" mentioned in Hebrews 3 and 4.

Application:

One application could be the blessed hope we have, knowing that eternal life awaits us. The hope of eternal life enables us to endure the difficulties of our present life.

Another application concerns the experience of God's "rest" in our current life. We can expect God to make His presence known in our lives today--here and now. How He works can differ from one person to another, but I think we can expect glimpses of Him now, though these experiences are through "a mirror dimly...."

Prayer:

Dear Lord, help me to focus more on eternal life in heaven. Help me to realize that the difficulties of this present existence are nothing compared to the utter joy of heaven. Help me to expect glimpses of your presence in my current life. You are in fact present in each Christian. Help me to stand in faith, believing you are with me even though I don't always feel it. In Jesus name I pray, amen.