In this session, I will focus on Christ’s answer to the rich man, who wanted to know how he could inherit eternal life but was unwilling to give up the life he was enjoying to follow Christ. The disciples, who were experiencing a great deal of deprivation following Christ, then wanted to know what their reward would be for devoting their lives to him. Christ’s answer is remarkable in that he promises them that when he sits on his throne and rules the world as the Messiah, they will inherit an Edenic life on a regenerated earth that is a hundred times better than their present life. This abundant life and paradise on earth will occur in this Genesis age. And in addition, they will inherit eternal life in the age to come.
Jesus describes the hundredfold reward in light of Isaiah and the prophets, who describe the messianic kingdom as an Adamic paradise, with the people of God having homes, fields, and large extended families. As such, the departed disciples must be resurrected into their natural body in order for this promise to be fulfilled.
