LIFE IN HEAVEN – PART SEVEN
Saturday – June 9, 2018, Sivan 26, 5778
So, you had the courage to return for round seven, welcome and look for your faith to be built in God, in His Word. Lucifer, called Satan when sin was found in him, as we read last week in the Ezekiel twenty-eight text, was covered with every precious stone; I guess he was the original Rocky. The presence of these physical and perhaps spiritual realm stones explains the following statement by Jesus.
Luke 10:18 (KJV)
18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
The Anointing was absent from Satan when he was cast from Heaven with one third of the angels who rebelled with him. As he entered the earth’s atmosphere the stones were burned away and he hit the ground as a spirit personality with no anointing, no authority, and I suspect really angry. If one studies Revelation chapter twelve carefully it seems that perhaps at the heart of Lucifer’s rebellion was his knowledge of the plan of God for children.
The Scriptural passages and discussions last week give us some insight to life in Heaven in the timeframe of Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2. The Triune God was in Heaven, there were a multitude of angels there and likely in the earth as well. There were different types and ranks of angels with Lucifer in the upper echelon if not the top angel. There were mountains in Heaven, stars, and clouds. Much like earth don’t you think? I believe that one of the most powerful things that God has said is that He changes not (Malachi 3:6). This clears up much and brings stability to the interpretation of Scripture. It seems to me that Heaven has always been like what we see on earth today except with indescribable beauty and no curse. Of course, the Garden of Eden was indistinguishable from Heaven before the Day of Sin and Death. When men (in the image and likeness of God) started to go to Heaven we can imagine a general concept (perhaps better than general) of how Heaven is arranged by looking at the Tabernacle. Please recall that I am still talking about the second of eight “time” periods which is Genesis 1:1 to Genesis 1:2. Before I end this section let us go to one more Scripture which sets this time period apart from our own.
2 Peter 3:3-7 (KJV)
3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
The Apostle Peter is talking here about the very issue of the controversy of a young versus old earth (creation) as I have been laying out for six weeks. People of Peter’s day just as some today are willingly ignorant that there have been one or more other creations before the current one in which we live. Excellent evidence in the physical archeological record exists substantiating this as well as the Scriptural record. Many might say that he is talking of the flood of Noah but be reminded that Noah and his family, eight souls, were continually present in the earth and did not perish whereas there were no survivors in the Jeremiah chapter four text. 2 Peter 3:5 is describing the flood of Genesis 1:2 and 2 Peter 3:6 is that of Noah. The little phrase “then was” indicates at a different time. The world (ordered systems upon the earth) as it stood in the time of Noah did not perish but the creation of Genesis 1:1 certainly did. 2 Peter 3:7 makes it clear that the heavens and earth which are now are not the heavens and earth of Genesis 1:1, there has been a complete renovation. The next renovation of the earth and the heavens will be with fire. There have been three floods of water, two physical and one spiritual. The first known flood is that described in Genesis 1:2 which we have reviewed associated with the revolt of Lucifer, water, physical or spiritual cleanses. The second flood was that of Noah’s time. The third flood, a flood of spiritual water was the Word, the coming of Jesus, resulting in the whole earth and the world being flooded with the Word of God.
Let’s now move into the third of eight-time frames to be discussed and this is found in Genesis 1:3 to Genesis 3:6. This period of time is from the first Words that God spoke to renovate and repopulate the earth and the heavens to the moment that sin corrupted the then perfect man, Adam. Adam was a man created in the image and likeness of God, of like kind with God, a son of God. Recall that sin starts with a corruption of the mind which then corrupts our words and wickedness is brought forth or born (created). Carefully review the following Scriptures reading aloud and giving to contemplative thought.
Genesis 1:3 (KJV)
3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
Genesis 3:6 (KJV)
6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
I have not forgotten that my topic is ‘Life in Heaven”. The life that existed in the Garden of Eden was Heaven in the earth. Just as the third Heaven, the abode of God, has clouds, and stars as well as animated creatures of many kinds so did the Garden of Eden. God has always existed in the Kingdom of God which is synonymous with the Kingdom of Heaven. Everything is encompassed by the Holy Spirit, perhaps the One called the ‘I AM’, and the Kingdom of God is in the Holy Spirit. Wherever the Holy Spirit is, the Kingdom of God is available in fullness. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would not only be with us but in us. The Psalmist and Prophet David said there is nowhere one could go to escape the presence of God.
Luke 17:21 (KJV)
21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
Romans 14:17 (KJV)
17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
John 14:17 (KJV)
17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
Psalm 139:7 (KJV)
7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
I know that I have mixed time periods in the preceding Scriptures but the Truth that the Holy Spirit is present everywhere and always has been everywhere is a transcendent Truth. We must not confuse everywhere present with everywhere manifest. Jesus was referred to as the last Adam (1 Cor 15:45) so we can safely deduct that Adam before sin was just like Jesus. That is to say that He had full dominion (authority and power) in the earth which includes the atmospheric envelope of the earth and was anointed with and filled by the Holy Spirit. Lord willing, I will pick up right here next Saturday. There is much to learn and say about this time period. 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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