Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 4:17).There are doctrines within the church that teach truths as absolutes. These truths are supposed to be irrefutable and incontrovertible, and yet… there are some exceptions to these axioms. Take, for example, the fact of God’s omnipresence: God is everywhere. We accept this fully and completely, and then circumstances are presented which require churchy exceptions to be made. God is everywhere. This is absolutely true yet with one exception: Hell. Hell is defined as the absence of God’s presence; He created one place in His kingdom where people go who do not want to host His presence and He will not go there! Apart from this one exception, God is everywhere. How could He not be? He created everything, His fingerprint can be seen everywhere and His tangible presence can be felt everywhere. When you point to the sky, His presence is there. When you point to nature, His presence is there. When you point to your fingernail, His presence is there. Even at the subatomic level, they named the smallest particle “the God Particle” (Higgs Boson, 2012). There is even a protein in our human DNA in the shape of a cross called Laminin (Col. 1:17). When we point to a Christian and profess God is in you, we smile with glee in affirmation; however, if we say God is in unbelievers, we immediately discredit the thought as unenlightened. God in you – church people profess – is only possible through faith in God. Is this statement supported by scripture? That is a churchy exception to the axiom that diminishes God’s sovereignty in His creation and in His creatures. Either God is everywhere… or He is not! Some of our exceptions are based entirely upon religious ideas and concepts taught as doctrines of men. So, let’s clarify… there are three types of wisdom: 1) the wisdom of men, 2) the wisdom of this world, and 3) the wisdom of God (which is supreme). For example, is God eternal? We say yes. So, is it fair to say God abides in eternity? We should answer yes… even if we are unaware of the scripture that confirms it: “For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy” (Isa. 57:15). God is everywhere, God is eternal, God inhabits eternity (Isa. 57:15) and God is in you; similarly, your soul is eternal (Psa. 49:8, 9), God placed eternity in your heart (Eccl. 3:11), and you inhabit eternity. The kingdom of God is in you (Luke 17:21), He hid His glory in your heart for you to find Him, and He hid eternity and heaven in your heart as well. That is a remarkable truth to comprehend. Greater yet is this fact: even though we’ve all been prodigals, we’ve never been alone on this earthly sojourn. Immanuel came with us, yet we created a false reality that believes He left us. Nothing could be more erroneous than that. He loves us and wants to save us from the Pit, and He stops at nothing to offer salvation to all. The trick of the enemy was to convince us we are worldly creatures rather than eternal spiritual beings having a human experience. The soul is eternal. You already are eternal! The issue is: what you do on Earth determines where your soul will dwell in eternity (and eternity is a big place with many rooms). We all agree Heaven is God’s home and God’s throne (Matt. 5:34), and Heaven is where His presence abides. When we see from scripture that God inhabits eternity, and Heaven is the eternal bode of God, we must then ask ourselves two serious questions: A) where is Heaven, and vastly more important… B) what is Heaven? These two interrelated questions cause many to remain perplexed about some of our manmade doctrines. For example: if God is in Heaven, and God is everywhere, then why do I need to go to Heaven? Is there some reason why Heaven is not everywhere as well? God is everywhere, the kingdom of God is everywhere – and in you as well (Luke 17:21) – so why do we need to go anywhere in order to be with Jesus in eternity… if eternity is already in our heart? It seems some of our doctrines are very illogical. It also seems most church teachers act like travel agents who market Heaven so we go to this paradisiacal place, yet remain quite clueless about what Heaven is – or where Heaven is. Equally confusing are doctrines that teach us what we must do to inherit eternal life (which they say is in heaven). One of the keys to untangling this Gordian Knot of faith is to trust what Jesus told us. Jesus said:
“No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven” (John 3:13).This scripture is far more remarkable than John 3:16! Jesus told us four phenomenal truths within one sentence:
- No one has ascended into Heaven,
- Except He who came down from Heaven,
- That is Jesus, the Son of man,
- Who is in Heaven!
- Jesus never promised us Heaven
- The Apostles never preached it, and
- Our Creeds don’t teach it!
“The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s; but the earth He has given to the children of men” (Psa. 115:16).Mankind was created as the host of earth (Gen. 2:1). The Lord created us to host His presence in our heart and then manifest His presence in this dying world that was subjected to futility by Satan (Rom. 8:19-21) and held captive in the kingdom of darkness. We were created to be world changers. We were sent to effect a regime change from darkness to light as “the light of the world” (Matt. 5:14). We are the host of earth, Earth is our rightful place and proper domain in God’s kingdom, and this is where we will spend eternity… on the New Earth… after the resurrection and regeneration (Isa. 65:17; 66:22; 2 Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21:1). Heaven is the presence of Jesus! We were sent here to host His presence in our heart and then manifest heaven in the midst of worldly chaos and confusion, but instead, we were instructed by churchy travel agents to seek Heaven more than the one thing we were taught by Jesus to do: seek Him, keep our eyes focused on Him, and host His presence within us. Christ in you – is the hope of glory (Col. 1:27). We’ve been taught to take our eyes off Jesus to focus on attaining Heaven. That – is – religion! Consider this: if Jesus abides in your heart through faith, and Heaven is the presence of Jesus, then Heaven already exists within your heart (as does eternity; Eccl. 3:11). Yet we are taught to seek Heaven as some type of escape-pod leaving Earth rather than establishing the kingdom of Heaven on Earth. The church has been off track for a very long time. We should preach:
“Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10).The gospel message Jesus preached tells us more than we’ve been able to comprehend thus far. Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 4:17) and this term “at hand” means it is knowable, tangible and can be experienced! We need to understand man’s mission and purpose on Earth: we were sent to Earth and put in harms’ way to effect a regime change from darkness to light. We are servant soldiers, we are worshipping warriors, we are regime changers, and we are ambassadors who establish Heaven on Earth in the midst of our enemies. So why do we seek Heaven? Great question! “Now when He [Jesus] was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21 nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20, 21). God is everywhere. The kingdom of God is within you. Heaven is the presence of Jesus. Since Jesus abides in your heart, then likewise so does Heaven. This truth is liberating!
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matt. 6:33).The spirit of religion hoodwinked us into striving to attain Heaven rather than hosting the presence of Jesus in our heart – and the indwelling Spirit (in our spirit) to take this fight to the enemy and take back what rightfully belongs to us: EARTH! We are the host of earth (Gen. 2:1) and Earth is our eternal homeland. Earth is our Promised Land! Devils must be scoffing at our illogical idiotic doctrines.
“The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s; but the earth He has given to the children of men” (Psa. 115:16).Read it again! What you do to advance the kingdom of Heaven on Earth through faith in Jesus – that gives glory to King Jesus – will be recompensed with an inheritance, true riches, and territory on the New Earth. Little or much depends upon one thing: your obedience to King Jesus. Hear His voice, and do what He tells you, and give Him all glory. Comprehend and implement this kingdom principle: you reap what you sow. If all this is true, then why are we unable to make this world a better place? Lack of faith – and small-minded thinking! We lack understanding. Since the Holy Spirit (and ‘kratos’ divine power) dwells in born anew disciples… along with ‘exousia’ authority with ‘dunamis’ power that Jesus gave us (Luke 10:19), then the only thing preventing us from doing the same marvelous works He did – and even greater works than these (John 14:12) – is the absence of His Spirit dwelling within us and a lack of faith (that is hindered by inept manmade doctrines). We cannot advance what we do not comprehend. One final point must be greatly emphasized: Jesus is the King of Heaven when He spoke John 3:13 (as He was standing on Earth). Establishing Heaven on Earth has always been the Lord’s plan to restore His kingdom on Earth – after Satan was cast here. The reason Jesus could say He was in Heaven is because – wherever Kings go, Kings take territory – and then they rename that territory according to their kingdom! Everywhere King Jesus walked – is now territory in His kingdom. If Jesus is in your heart, then that territory also belongs to Him. Selah. Establishing Heaven on Earth is what Jesus did – and man’s earthly mission is to imitate Jesus, our Lord and King, and do what He did! Have dominion! Take territory!
The kingdom of Heaven is neither up nor down… it is IN… and now it’s time to let Heaven out.
Very astute and logic-based students of scripture will find what appears to be an inconsistency in church reasoning: if God is everywhere and He is in us, then why do we need salvation? The restoration of the Lord’s kingdom is very complicated on many levels, yet there are at least three reasons we can discern from scripture:1. Man’s heart is a house. God’s initial presence in everyone’s heart is temporary (meno-G3306) apart from salvation; faith in Jesus makes His presence and His salvation permanent (mone-G3438) in the life of the believer (John 14:23) whereby man’s born again new heart becomes a sanctuary where His presence abides permanently
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- Believing and trusting in Jesus as Lord of Earth and Lord of your life is what saves us
- Little children (both pre and post birth) are under grace – and remain under grace despite what happens to them (whether they die young or are victims of abortion). Sin is only attributed as an offence when there is knowledge of the law and they enter into sin (as disobedience); since little children do not have this knowledge, they are not under law – they are under grace – and their soul remains perfect in His presence!
3. Most preachers can only perceive salvation as one moment in the soul’s eternal existence when in fact there are three:
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- The soul is eternal – both pre and post humanity (Psa. 49:8, 9)
- “Behold, God works all these things, twice, in fact, three times with a man, 30 to bring back his soul from the Pit, that he may be enlightened with the light of life” (Job 33:29, 30)
- We were saved (redeemed from waters below), we are being saved (through sanctification on Earth now), and we will be saved from judgment (in the resurrection). Is, was, and will be… is a recurring theme in scripture
“He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end” (Eccl. 3:11).The heart of the matter – is to comprehend the eternal nature of the soul as ‘mind with heart.’ Your heart – is a house. ‘Meno-G3306’ is a temporary dwelling, like a tent; ‘mone-3438’ is a permanent dwelling where the Lord abides in our heart, like a sanctuary. The Apostle John knew the Father dwells with us as ‘meno’ (a temporary staying place; John 14:10), yet when we return to the Father through faith and repentance, He makes a ‘mone’ (a permanent home in us – to abide ‘with’ us; John 14:23). The Ark of the Covenant is a type and shadow of the spiritual heart within us; initially under a tent, then later in a permanent dwelling. Our journey on this planet is to exchange our temporary place of staying for a permanent home, as a sanctuary and spiritual house in our heart for the Lord to abide. This happens in the Spirit’s new birth when we surrender all to King Jesus, by which we get a new heart and a new spirit (Ezek. 36:26).
“Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8:37).We don’t exchange our soul; we exchange our hardened heart for the betterment of our soul. You had an original ‘meno’ (temporary staying place) in your heart, but what kind of house ‘mone’ (permanent abiding place) are you building in your new heart for Jesus to abide? This teaching has everything to do with our original mandate from God – to have dominion over the earth! We host His presence in our new heart, through which He manifests His power and presence and greater works – through us. From beginning to end – it’s all about Jesus! Our first estate and proper domain is – Earth – and it’s our responsibility as caretakers and good stewards to establish the kingdom of heaven here! That is what Jesus told us to do, but the institutional church has been selling and promoting Heaven somewhere in the outer cosmos. We must keep our focus and affections on Jesus only! Stop wishing for Heaven and start converting this planet from darkness to light – with Christ and His anointing abiding in you! Jesus gave us our message to declare and decree to lost souls in this world of darkness:
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 4:17).The Lord’s Big Picture and Plan regarding life – is the restoration of Heaven on Earth. Preachers spend more time selling heaven then teaching us how the kingdom of God operates. Consider this: the gospel of Jesus Christ is predicated upon the resurrection. Without the resurrection, the gospel of Jesus is utter nonsense. So I ask: how many resurrections are there? Your pastor or priest will say “only one” because if they said “two” as the scriptures indicate, (Rev. 20:5, 1 Thess. 5:13-17), then they would have to reevaluate their doctrines, including the rapture and man’s afterlife residence. They are keeping it too simplified as to make the gospel of salvation disingenuous which compromises your eternal destination and reward as well. There are two resurrections. Does your pastor ever talk about Outer Darkness where hypocrites and unprofitable, lazy, unfaithful stewards go? Jesus talked about Outer darkness three times, and Hades and Death as well, but they will not talk about those places, nor two resurrections, because – if they did – they would also have to reject their “heaven-only” doctrine which they adopted from Catholic mystics – and repent from years of false generational teachings about heaven and eternity. So I ask: how can you be in Heaven if the resurrection happens on Earth? Heaven on Earth has always been the Lord’s plan of restoration for His kingdom. When Jesus took three disciples “into” a mountain (Matt. 17:1-9), “behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him [Jesus].” Moses and Elijah reside in Heaven, yet they appear on Earth with Jesus and three disciples. How is that possible? Heaven is wherever King Jesus is! After Jesus ascended into Heaven (Acts 1:9; into a cloud), the disciples were looking up toward Heaven when two angels stood among them and said: “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven?” Great question! The angels did not descend out of Heaven in the direction the disciples were looking; they merely appeared by coming just a little father from one spiritual reality into their physical reality. “Why do you look up?” Maybe angels do have a sense of humor. Heaven on Earth is our quest to comprehend. Heaven on Earth is Paradise, and it is real.
God is in you!
God is with you!
The kingdom of God is in you!
God placed eternity in your heart!
Dunamis power is resident within you!
You are the offspring of God!
You are the image of God!
You have a divine nature (your spirit)!
You were created a little lower than angels,
You were crowned with glory and honor!
You are more than conquerors!
You are elohims – lacking little of God!!!
The Father is in you!
And you were never alone!
You have a divine identity!!!
… you get your identity from Christ Jesus.
“You are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s” (1 Cor. 3:23)
Christ in you – is the hope of glory (Col. 1:27).
The kingdom of God is in you!
The issue is – do you host the Lord’s presence in your heart?
Make your heart-house a sanctuary for the Lord to abide.