In the original plan of God mankind was not created to live in heaven.
Angelic rebellion depleted the host of heaven by one-third.
Rom 5:19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.
Sin came into the world because of the transgression of Adam & Eve, our first parents.
Since then the world has been under darkness.
“We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.” (1 Jn 5:19)
Howbeit, God so loved the world and mankind He created that He sent His Son to redeem those who are willing to be redeemed.
Lk 19:10 “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
The assignment God gave to His Son Jesus Christ for planet earth was made up of three distinct jobs, two times of coming to earth with three finishing points, spanning three epochs – Law, Grace and Kingdom.
The first finishing point was on the Cross of Calvary about two thousand years ago.
On the conclusion of His first coming assignment and before He was raptured into heaven, Jesus told His disciples that He was returning to heaven where He came from and would come back to the earth at the appointed time.
Meanwhile, His followers were to occupy and carry out an assignment commonly referred to as the Great Commission.
The following is my paraphrase of the Lord’s Great Commission to those who desire to follow His footsteps.
“As My Father sent Me, so I send you to go into the world and preach the gospel of grace of God to every creature baptizing those who believe in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, making them disciples by teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you to do.”
Prior to His first coming, Gentiles disobeyed God by building a Tower of Babel rather than scatter to the uttermost parts of the earth as commanded.
When Jesus came into the world the Jews rejected Him as their Messiah.
What God is doing now is to take out a people for His name from Jews and Gentiles. They are known as the Ekklesia, the called-out ones.
In the plan of redemption, the Ekklesia was designed as a present to Jesus for His sacrificial work and as a replacement for fallen angels.
When the Ekklesia is fully formed, both sleeping and living saints will be raptured into heaven.
Rapture is the only method of entering heaven in a perfect and glorified state in this dispensation of grace.
~Collins