Most people of the world throughout time have had a variety of images and beliefs as to what the earth is or is not.
Heaven on the other hand may have an almost ethereal grasp on man's inner desires and fundamental hopes for his image of reality.
The images of heaven portrayed by the early European renaissance man were cloudy realms filled with harp playing cherubims and white robed souls idling away eternity staring at a glorified God. These images, and their modern day counter parts, even with an allowance for artistic license seems to stray from a biblical perception of events in heaven and the deeds of those who live there. Has Heaven always been and will it always be a peaceful and bliss filled retirement community?
Order is Heaven's first law. 115
If God made man in his own image then it might be logical that God also made the earth in the image of heaven and therefore the same principles that were applied to the Ten Commandments should also be apply to the Law in Heaven.
Has heaven always been a habitation of peace and tranquillity? Has such force come out from God's Heavenly Kingdom and spread its other than peaceful bliss to the inhabitants of earth?
And I will send an angel before thee; and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite: (Exodus 33:2)
And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of the LORD stand between the earth and the heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders [of Israel, who were] clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces. (1Ch 21:16)
And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I [be] a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty. (2Ki 1:12)
Then the angel of the LORD went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand:... (Isaiah 37:36)
And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost. (Acts 12:23.)
The Angels, who inhabit the realms of God's Heavenly Kingdom do seem to be a violent lot from time to time judging by these quotes. Are they all standing guard or doing battle or can we find a clue that might show their true nature and purpose and motivation?
And the LORD commanded the angel; and he put up his sword again into the sheath thereof. (1Ch 21:27)
It is not violence and war that interests the inhabitants of the Kingdom of God but loyalty, obedience and fidelity to His will. But something more is also evident through a biblical observation of these activities.
And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. .(Mt. 28:2)
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God,... (Luke 2:13 ) And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. (Jude 1:6)
For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast [them] down to hell, and delivered [them] into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; (2 Peter 2:4)
From Genesis to Revelations the angels of the LORD are a busy.
On earth the angels, both loyal and fallen, don't always resort to force. Men have been seduced by Satan, as they are by other men, just as the angels that followed him in heaven were also seduced.
So often the angels only encourage men to choose the way of the LORD and guard against the usurpation's of Satan and those who serve him and his dark dominion.
God,116as the creator of heaven and earth, has a Natural right to rule heaven and earth. If we continue to accept the Bible as a standard from which to reason then it should be concluded that man obtained at least a legal right to hold dominion over the earth and its creatures. As its keeper or steward the earth was entrusted to man.
God gave to man a legal title to the earth and told him to dress it and to keep it. But has he kept it for the service of the LORD?
Satan has been spending thousands of years trying to seduce man to give him the title to those gifts given man by God. Satan wants man's granted dominion and authority over the earth,119 over man's labor,120 his children,121 and over man's right to govern himself under the benevolent authority of God.122
What else have the religious teachers of today taught from their pulpits concerning the Kingdom of God?
Heaven is our eternal reward for the successful passage of the test and trials of this life on this earth. Is this earthly realm only a divisionary testing field between heaven and hell?
Why didn't he establish His Kingdom on earth? Or did He?
Adam lived in the presence of the LORD God. God's Kingdom was in heaven and on earth but Satan defied and man denied God's will. Adam followed after the counsel of the wicked and was banished from God's Kingdom on earth but still lived on earth.
Heaven means to be one with God.124
Was God ever going to reestablish his Kingdom on earth? Didn't He say He would? Has God done His part? Have we done ours?
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of [his] government and peace [there shall be] no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His Kingdom, his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. (Isaiah 9:6,7)
More than seven-hundred years before Jesus began to set up his Father's Kingdom on earth. This prophecy fortold His coming. And like the Kingdom of God in heaven the Kingdom of God on earth would have its violent and contemptuous foes.
And was the promise of His Kingdom fulfilled?
And from the days of John the Baptist until now the Kingdom125 of Heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. (Matthew 11:12)
Now two thousand years later we are told that we are still waiting for the arrival of His Kingdom or that we will only be allowed into the Kingdom upon our death. Jesus proclaimed God's Kingdom was at hand. Was he just fooling the people to get there hopes up prematurely?
He said their kingdom is the Kingdom of Heaven not will be the Kingdom of Heaven. But where is the Kingdom of Heaven, how do we get there or does it come here?
Would we recognize the Kingdom of God on earth?
Who has the dominion over the earth and the land and all the gifts God gave man when he placed him upon this earth?
And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. (Luke 4: 5,6)
Jesus did not take the easy way to gain dominion over the kingdoms of the earth offered him by the god of worldly kingdoms.
We are led and taught to believe that God's Kingdom is a perpetual welfare state of bliss and apathy filled with souls who do nothing but soak up eternal pleasures provided by a god of self indulgence, apathy and sloth. That is an image painted more appropriately by Satan and the foes of God. God's Kingdom is one of possession, courage, loyalty and industry. He created heaven and earth working six days and resting for one. Did He not create man in his own image?
If God's Kingdom is here now who is the king?
And Pilate wrote a title, and put [it] on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING128 OF THE JEWS.129 (John 19:19)
Jesus is unlike most political leaders and their governments. Christ Jesus is not elected to his position of authority nor will he die. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. (Matthew. 28:18)
"liberty is one of the most precious gifts which heaven has bestowed on man; with it we cannot compare the treasures which the earth contains or the sea conceals; for liberty, as honor, we can and ought to risk our lives; and, on the other hand, captivity is the greatest evil that can befall man." 130
So what do we do to enter His Kingdom on earth?
Could the great transgression be when we let another have dominion over us and give service in exchange for the ease of granted benefits? Is it not a sin to make another man or institution a ruler over us instead of God?
So how do we get adopted as children of God?
"Courage leads to heaven; fear, to death." 132
FOOT NOTES
Return 115 -Pope.
Please email your questions or comments to: ekklesia@presys.com
Return 116 Strong's No. 0430 'elohiym {el-o-heem'} 1) (plural) 1a) rulers, judges 1b) divine ones 1c) angels 1d) gods.
Return 117 Strong's No. 5647 `abad {aw-bad'} a primitive root; v 1) to work, serve 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to labour, work, do work 1a2) to work for another, serve another by labour 1a3) to serve as subjects 1a4) to serve (God) 1a5) to serve (with Levitical service) 1b) (Niph) 1b1) to be worked, be tilled (of land) 1b2) to make oneself a servant 1c) (Pual) to be worked 1d) (Hiph) 1d1) to compel to labour/work, cause to labour, cause to serve 1d2) to cause to serve as subjects 1e) (Hoph) to be led/enticed to serve
Return 118 Strong's No. 8104 shamar {shaw-mar'} 1) to keep, guard, observe, give heed 1a1) to keep, have charge of.
Return 119 (see LAW vs. LEGAL)
Return 120 (see EMPLOY vs. enslave)
Return 121 (see Holy Matrimony vs. MARRIAGE)
Return 122 (see CITIZEN vs. Citizen, GOD vs. Government)
Return 123 Milton - Paradise Lost Bk.XII. L.64.
Return 124 Confucius B.C. 551 479.
Return 125 Strong's No. 932 basileia {bas-il-i'-ah} from 935; - kingdom (of God) 71 - kingdom (of heaven) (32) - kingdom (general or evil) (20) - (Thy or Thine) kingdom (6) - His kingdom (6) - the kingdom (5) - (My) kingdom (4) - misc (18) [162] 1) royal power, kingship, dominion, rule; not to be confused with an actual kingdom but rather the right or authority to rule over a kingdom 2) a kingdom or territory 3) used in the N.T. to refer to the rule of the Messiah
Return 126 Strong's No. 1525 eiserchomai {ice-er'-khom-ahee} - enter (107) - go (22) - come in (19) - go in (18) - enter in (17) - come (14) - arise (1) [198] 1) to go out or come in: to enter 1a) of men or animals, as into a house or a city 1b) used of Satan taking possession of the body of a person 1c) of things: -- as food, that enters into the eater's mouth 2) metaphorically 2a) of entrance into any condition, state of things, society, employment; to arise, come into existence, begin to be; to come before the public; to come into life. On line Bible and Concordance. Woodside Bible Fellowship.
Return 127 Eugene Field 1850 - 1895.
Return 128 Strong's No. 935 basileus {bas-il-yooce'} probably from 939 (through the notion of a foundation of power); - king (82) - King (of Jews) (21)- King (God or Christ) (11) - King (of Israel) (4) [118] 1) leader of the people, prince, commander, lord of the land, king.
Return 129 Strong's No. 2453 Ioudaios {ee-oo-dah'-yos} from 2448 (in the sense of 2455 as a country); adj AV - Jew (193) - of Judea (3) - Jewess (2) [198] 1) Jewish, belonging to the Jewish race 2) Jewish as respects to birth, race, religion.
Return 130 Cervantes 1547-1616
Return 131 Strong's No. 4762 strepho {stref'-o} strengthened from the base of 5157; vb AV - turn (11) - turn (one's) self (2) - turn (one) (1) - turn again (1) - turn back again (1) - turn (one) about (1)- be converted (1) [18] 1) to turn, turn around; to turn one's self (i.e. to turn the back to one; used of one who no longer cares for another); metaph. to turn one's self from one's course of conduct, i.e. to change one's mind.
Return 132 Seneca B.C. 3-65 AD.
END OF FOOTNOTES
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