Heaven or God’s Kingdom?

King David asked this question of God:

(Psalm 8:3-6) “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lowerthan the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet:”

In these scriptures David asks God WHY He thinks about mankind, mere man. WHY does He care for him? David reiterates God’s appointment of man over everything, including the entire universe He created.

The apostle Paul also offered this insight into God’s sovereignty and His plan for man. In Hebrews 2:7-8 we are told, (vs. 8)

“…there is not anything created by God that was not placed under man’s dominion; BUT NOT YET.”

Paul wrote this about 60 AD. If the time for everything in creation to be under man’s dominion hadn’t happened yet, then when was it going to happen? And just what was Paul talking about?

THE UNIVERSE IS A VERY LARGE PLACE!
Since I was a small child I have imagined being among the stars. David was inspired to write the eighth Psalm (song) after gazing into the heavens and realizing they – the moon and stars, were also included in that dominion. The universe is of infinite expanse where time and space are relative in our human realm. Our human travel is limited by the speed of light. Even at the speed of light,man can barely get to the nearest star system in a lifetime. And that’s just the nearest one! We know, through the latest scientific data acquired by the Hubble Space Telescope, there are galaxies and stars some 14 billion light years in any direction. That means, traveling at the speed of light for one year (six trillion miles), it would take man 14 billion years to reach them if he could travel at the speed of light…which he can’t!

So, how does God travel in the universe? How does He get around? We know there is no place He cannot be. That’s impossible for man but plausible for God. He is able to occupy space and time as only “spirit” can. His Spirit permeates the wholeness of the universe in a way utterly beyond man’s present capabilities. As David expressed it,

(Psalm 139:7-8) “Where shall I go from thy spirit? Or where shall I go from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, you are there…”

The concept of an infinite universe is beyond our human grasp. How then will man have dominion over the universe when we are limited in time and distance? To do that wouldn’t we have to be like God?

JESUS’ EXAMPLE
We can partly understand this if we consider what Jesus was able to do, AFTER His resurrection. His example illustrates what can be done as a “spirit” being with the appearance of a physical man. He was able to travel to heaven and back to earth, as He ascended to the Father and returned to be among his disciples! With His new “body” He was able to appear and disappear at will. While “appearing” in His fleshly body He was even able to eat physical food. These are just a few of the things He could do after His resurrection.

Christ is the ONLY man to have died and be resurrected. He experienced what awaits those yet to be transformed from flesh to spirit. Remember, Christ was the first of the first fruits! There remains therefore a dramatic change for those who qualify to “put off mortality and put on immortality.”

I Corinthians 15:19-28 says,

“If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the first fruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. Then the end (of this age) will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For he ‘has put everything under his feet.’ Now when it says that ‘everything’ has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.”

WE ARE TRUE CHILDREN OF GOD
The apostle John writes that we are children of God and shall be like God, for we shall see Him as He is (I John 3:2). The apostle Peter writes that Jesus Christ is now in heaven at the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject to Him (I Peter 3:22). John also writes that those in the first resurrection will reign with Christ one thousand years on this earth (Revelation 20:6).

Notice what these two verses indicate will happen when Christ returns to this earth:  Revelation 20:6…

“Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.”

 Zechariah 14:4… “On that day (Christ’s return to this earth) his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south.”

On that “great day of the Lord,” Jesus Christ will stand on the Mount of Olives and He will begin ruling this earth. His direct involvement with this world will begin changing everything as we know. It will be a remarkable time leading up to an absolutely unfathomable event!

GOD’S THRONE TO BE ON EARTH
The apostle John writes (Revelation 21 & 22) that the New Jerusalem, the holy city of God comes down from heaven (to this earth) and God speaks out of heaven saying:

“Behold the tabernacle (dwelling place) of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be their God.”

So, in this round about way we can see that man will not go to heaven, rather God Himself will come down to this earth!

Here’s a little more “revelation” and admonition from the apostle John: In Revelation 22, we find that Jesus Christ says (verse 7),

“Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the word of the prophecy in this book.”

Continuing in verses 12-14:

“Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.”

These few verses show very clearly that the saved man or woman will “NOT go to heaven when they die.” Heaven is not the reward of the saved! The reward of the saved is eternal life with Jesus Christ as a part of the family of God…on this earth!

May God help us to not only obey His word…but believe in His promises. He’s going to keep his word. Are we going to keep it as well?

Author: Mr. James Pollitte

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