The aristocracy of the Millennium and the eternal state

1. The aristocracy of the Millennium and the eternal state is not based on physical birth or anything thereafter in the life, it is based on regeneration, the new birth, which occurred at the moment you believed in the Lord Jesus Christ.

2. The aristocracy of the Millennium and the eternal state is not based on human ability or human wisdom or human attractiveness, but on spiritual advance inside the divine dynasphere.

3. The final aristocracy of eternity will rule with Christ. Those who are given a coat of arms at the judgment seat of Christ, those who are entered on the lists of eternal heraldry will rule with Christ in the Millennium and they will have special privileges, rewards, decorations for all eternity that other believers do not have.

4. The final aristocracy of history is the greatest aristocracy of history, the only one which avoids any concept of snobbery since it is not based on class distinction, racial distinction, human achievement or personal attractiveness.

5. Neither race nor nationality has anything to do with the aristocracy of the Millennium and the eternal state.

6. Included in the new order of chivalry will be humble folk, famous folk, the attractive and the unattractive of this life, but they will all have one thing in common: maximum exploitation of logistical grace inside the divine dynasphere. They have used the divine dynasphere and Bible doctrine to advance to maturity.

7. Being born again gives every believer opportunity, it does not guarantee ever believer knighthood forever. It gives opportunity to use your free will, your volition, to achieve spiritual maturity and form that eternal and lasting aristocracy which glorifies our Lord Jesus Christ by its very existence in heaven.

8. While we today associate knighthood and chivalry as a mode of feudal tenure or a personal attribute of integrity, or a scheme of good manners, the aristocracy of eternity is associated with the plan of God for the Church Age believer.

9. Therefore the election to privilege in the Church Age is the greatest opportunity for becoming part of the order of chivalry in the Millennium and the knighthood for the eternal state.

And not only at the judgment seat of Christ will there be the knighting of those who achieve maturity in the Church Age, but with that new knighthood comes a coat of arms. When a person is made a knight he takes up a coat of arms which he wears on his shield and on his breastplate that he takes up from some characteristic of achievement in his life. He also takes up certain colours that are appealing to him, and therefore we have the concept of heraldry given in the last half of verse twelve. The mature believer, the winner, will be awarded an eternal escutcheon, a coat of arms in addition to the uniform of glory. We might call this escutcheon the shield of glory for the coat of arms is emblazoned on the shield.