I've heard it said there will be great surprise in who is there and who isn't, and someone said that greatest shock would be finding oneself there.

There's also the person who said that when he thinks of himself, there's no way he can imagine being in heaven, but when he thinks of Christ, there's no way he can imagine not being there.

We are not to be anxious about what Christ and God think of us, but about what God thinks of Christ, our Substitute. {FLB 113.6}

Assurance comes only by looking for it in the right place.

This seems to me to be an intermediate step. I'll first explain what I mean, and then see if you agree.

From "The Desire of Ages"



There are other places in the SOP where it speaks of the motivations of shunning hell and gaining heaven. One could see these as contradictory to the above statement, but I think it's a matter of maturity. To a new believer, it's natural to be primarily motivated by hope of reward and fear of punishment. As one grows, however, one becomes enamored of Christ, and one is motivated by the beauties of His character, the beauty of Christ Himself. Other motivations fail, which I think is EGW's point.

So this (being motivated by hope of reward or fear of punishment) is an example what I'm calling an intermediate step.

I think being anxious of what God thinks of Christ is another example. If one is going to be anxious, it's certainly better to be anxious of what God thinks of Christ rather than what He thinks of us. But why be anxious at all about what God thinks? That is, as we come to know God, and see that He is indeed like Jesus Christ, we trust Him, which removes our being anxious. Are we anxious about what Christ thinks of us? If not, we shouldn't be anxious of what God thinks of us either.

If I understand you correctly, I agree with what you're saying. That's why I think the oft-asked question, "Are you saved?" is asked and answered by immature people. Mature people don't normally think in terms of avoiding bad things and gaining good things, but of being with God. (BTW, I touched on this in my sermon on the Consecration chapter of SC.)

But there is another angle. When you are standing naked in front of another person, say your doctor, feelings of self-consciousness and embarrassment are natural. That's because there are physical imperfections. Even if we can't specify what imperfections we are embarrassed about, even if there aren't any that human eyes could see, the feeling remains. I believe that applies spiritually also, even in the 144k.

Of course, there are those who are unashamed in flaunting their physical attributes. They have a supreme sense of pride in their bodies, and don't mind letting others ogle. I think this also happens spiritually, when we are proud of our "body of work."

The solution is to ever remember that God is looking at Christ. So for the embarrassed, don't worry about it because God is looking at Jesus, not you. For the proud, don't think that your accomplishments are all that because God is looking at Jesus, not you.

This is what I'm suggesting is an intermediate step. If we are anxious about God, then it's nice to think of God as looking at Christ instead of us. However, if we're not anxious about God's looking at us, there's no need. Of course, when God looks at us, He sees as as we really are.

God doesn't need a filter; we do. The problem is with how we see God, not how He sees us. If it helps us to perceive of God as looking at Jesus, OK, that's better than being afraid of God. But why be afraid in the first place?

Then we're not seeing the same thing.

You're talking about being afraid of God. I'm talking about being embarrassed.

Try to imagine being in the comfort of your own home, by yourself, completely naked. Afraid? No. Embarrassed? No.

Then install a camera that broadcasts everything on national TV. Afraid? Nothing to be afraid of; still as safe as ever. Embarrassed? Maybe a little.

When the prophets came face-to-face with the undimmed holiness of God, what was the reaction? Fell on their faces. Comeliness turned into corruption.

What about when the 144k are living without a Mediator? They don't strut around proclaiming, "Hey, God's my buddy. There's nothing to worry about." The SOP gives us a different picture.

What about unfallen angels in the presence of God? The ones with 6 wings only use 2 to fly, 67% of their wing area is used to cover themselves. Afraid? I don't think so.

I see what you're seeing, and I agree. I hope you're getting a glimpse now of what I'm seeing.

Tom, did you overlook where I pointed out this insight earlier on this thread? I don't disagree with what you wrote. My comments are completely consistent with the whole picture.

Teresaq, are you afraid to believe God is pleased with your walk and progress in righteousness and true holiness?

Even in the New Earth we shall come far short of the glory of God. This isn't referring to sin, though; instead, it is referring to maturation. Eternity isn't long enough for us to exhaust our potential to become more like Jesus. Becoming more like Jesus has nothing to do with discovering unknown sins and overcoming them. On the contrary, it means maturing more and more in the fruits of the Spirit. You seem to be implying it means gradually outgrowing sinful habits.

Teresaq, you seem to be implying that becoming more and more like Jesus means becoming less and less like Satan. The Bible says that those believers who are abiding in Jesus do not and cannot sin. If we take this promise and description at face value it means they do not and cannot sin while they are abiding in Jesus. If this is the case then it also means their imperfections and defects and weaknesses do not constitute a sin. IOW, they are not sinning simply because they have them. Having them and indulging them are two totally different realities. So as long as believers rein in their defects, weaknesses, and imperfections they are not guilty of sinning. Do you see what I'm getting at?