LIFE IN HEAVEN – PART NINE
Saturday – June 23, 2018, Tamuz 10, 5778
Welcome back to this very fascinating study of Life in Heaven. As I have said many times before in this study much of what is written is speculative, hopefully, led of the Holy Spirit and our knowledge of an unchanging God. We are now exploring the third time frame which is from Genesis 1:3 through Genesis 3:6. A common picture of the Garden of Eden is that of two naked people running around in the jungle. How accurate do you suppose that picture to be? There may have been some jungle like areas, but I doubt it. They most likely got naked at times for that is how children come about. Spiritually they were clothed in the Holy Spirit and the fine linen robes of righteousness. How were their physical bodies clothed? Did they wear physical robes much like Jesus wore when He walked the earth. Or do you suppose some other design of fine clothes was popular with them at the time? The only limitation as to what they might wear was whatever limitation they self-imposed. In any event their clothes were fashioned by the finest tailors of Heaven.
Did these persons of the Garden of Eden just live outdoors under a tree or in a cave or was there something else? How do people live in Heaven and how does God live in Heaven? We know that God lives in a house (Heavenly Tabernacle). I have established that the Garden of Eden was no different than Heaven, a magnificent mirror image. Jesus told us that there are mansions in Heaven being built for each of us that are born again. As our groom, Jesus is personally preparing a mansion for each of us (His bride) under the approving eye of the Father. I believe that Scripture supports the idea that these early people (before sin) lived in the very best housing we can imagine. In this time-period between Genesis 1:3 and Genesis 3:6 mankind was at his apex in term of intelligence and purity of thought and speech. These men and women in the image and likeness of God had only the thoughts and Words of God. Their mission was not in the Garden of Eden but in the whole earth. Their rebellion against God started when they resisted leaving the Garden. This may well have been what opened the door for Satan to come into the Garden and tempt them. Satan had been thrown out of Heaven and I seems that the Garden of Eden was an extension of Heaven therefore Satan had not right there unless invited. The man and the woman had authority and they opened the door (as do we) to their own temptation and ultimate fall. They then allowed the thoughts and words of the Serpent to become their own. In our arrogance and pride, we may think or say: “how stupid could they be?” As we extend mercy to them let us examine ourselves for how many ideas, words, and ways we have adopted from the evil one contrary to the Word of God. That is partaking of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
This idea of Heaven extending into the earth is not a novel idea, it is a God idea revealed to His servant David, a man after His own heart. It will occur again with the New Jerusalem, is even present now covertly. Look at the following verses.
Psalm 122:1-3 (KJV)
1 I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.
2 Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.
3 Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together:
Both uses of the word ‘Jerusalem’ in the preceding text is in the pleural. There is this idea of Jerusalem above, the abode of God, and Jerusalem below, the abode of men. The literal text does not say “Our feet shall stand within thy gates” but rather says our feet are or have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem (pleural) conveying the idea of standing in the earthly and the Heavenly Jerusalem’s simultaneously. There is the clear presentation of the idea of our duality. The idea, the reality is that we are standing in both places at the same time right now. Do not try to figure that out with your natural mind, just receive it as it is the Word of God. We see that same idea (reality) in Ephesians where it tells us that we are seated now in the Heavenly place in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2:6 (KJV)
6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
This is present tense, not some future bye and bye theology. As I come to a close for this week let us look in one more place where this idea of our duality is presented.
Hebrews 12:22 (KJV)
22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
Again, present tense, this happened at the moment of our salvation! Yet as you read this I suspect you and I are totally unaware of our presence at the right hand of the Father in Christ Jesus. We must practice mindfulness of this fact, this reality, for it changes our perspective on everything. So, here we are in the earth and in Heaven, praise the Lord! As I finish this segment let us look at the “new heaven and a new earth” coming into place for eternity future.
Revelation 21:1-3 (KJV)
1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
2 And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
Until our next publication, I speak this Scriptural prayer for your life right now, receive it in the name of Jesus, confess it, and walk it out with thanksgiving.
2 Peter 1:2-4 (KJV)
2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
By: Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
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