Heaven, or the Earth?

Today I spoke about the army of the Lord, and the Kingdom of God coming to the earth. It appears to me that for two thousand years the Christian churches have declared that if we believe that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Lord, we will go to Heaven to live in a mansion for eternity. What we will be doing there is not clear, except that it will be enjoyable, if not actually fun!

Where do you suppose this concept of salvation came from? It certainly was not derived from the Old Testament or the New Testament. It clearly is a tradition, not a scriptural idea.

As far as I know, most religions have a Heaven to gain and a Hell to shun. There certainly is a place called “Heaven,” where God and the angels are. There certainly is a place called “Hell,” where the wicked are. No doubt about these two facts. But they are not the main subject of the Bible. The main subject of the Bible is the coming of the righteous Kingdom of God to the earth.

So today we are being oriented correctly to the Bible and to the Kingdom of God. What a massive change in perception? I know from my experience in the public schools that human institutions move with all the speed of a herd of turtles. We are afflicted with “iron lids,” which I believe is an expression of Ralph Waldo Emerson.

(1/27/2008) You know, I don’t think I have the ability to change anyone’s thinking to this great an extent. I guess the Holy Spirit will have to enlighten our minds. We really have had an incorrect view of salvation all these years.

Let me make an initial statement, to see if this helps: God’s purpose in the Lord Jesus Christ is to bring His Presence, His throne, Divine justice, into the earth. Man has gone his way without God for at least 6,000 years. Look at the world. It is getting worse every day. The politicians are making many promises, but there is little they can do. The problems are spiritual in nature and can only be solved by spiritual means, no matter how well intentioned people may be.

We have thought that God’s solution to the problem is to carry His believers to a wondrous world in the spirit realm and send the rest of mankind into the Lake of Fire. All we have to do to escape Hell and the Lake of Fire is to profess faith in Jesus Christ. A change in our behavior is not the main issue, it is to profess faith in Jesus Christ, even though we do not intend to give Him complete control over our decisions.

What an unscriptural wasteland Christian theology is! What a departure from God’s intention!

God is coming to the earth. The Throne is moving from Heaven to the hearts of the saints. Paradise shall restored on the earth. The holy city, the new Jerusalem, which is the glorified Christian Church, shall be located for eternity on the new earth. A new world of righteousness is on the horizon.

What has been the prayer of the Christian people for two thousand years? “Your Kingdom come. Your will be done on the earth as it is in Heaven.”

This is our chief prayer, is it not? What is our chief hope? That we will go to Heaven when we die, to live forever in the spirit world.

Our prayer is for God’s Kingdom to come and His will to be done on the earth. Our hope is that we will escape Hell and go to Heaven when we die.

What is wrong with our thinking? Why cannot we see that this is ridiculous? Why are we wasting time praying that God’s Kingdom will come and His will shall be done in the earth, when we don’t believe it ever is going to happen?

Assuredly if God’s Kingdom is coming to the earth, if His will is going to be done here, if His throne is going to be in the saints of the new Jerusalem on the new earth, and if Paradise is going to be on the earth once again, then most of us would not want to be stuck in the spirit world doing nothing of significance for eternity. I think I am correct in writing this.

Do you, dear reader, have iron lids that are opened with the greatest difficulty? Do you, when you are faced with the obvious, move from that which is unsound to that which is of greater clarity, with all the speed of a herd of turtles?

I hope better things of you. I hope you will move at once from “Heaven thinking” to “Kingdom thinking.” If you are willing to do this, the whole Bible will begin to make more sense.

Several of the Psalms speak of God coming to bring justice to the nations. Several passages in the Old Testament, and the nineteenth chapter of the Book of Revelation, tell of the armies that are going to come from Heaven, destroy the power of the wicked, and then establish a godly society on the earth.

This is what the Bible is about. The Church is a called-out group of people who are being prepared to work with Jesus Christ in bringing Paradise to the earth and maintaining it.

Not everyone will be saved. There will be some who will refuse the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We cannot remain in God’s world and refuse the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

But the great majority of people who have been born on the earth shall indeed be brought over to life on the new earth. They shall be governed by the saints, whose base of operations is the new Jerusalem. They will not be “free moral agents.” They will obey God in all matters. “Your will be done on the earth”!

This is the true Gospel. The Kingdom of God is at hand. The proper response is to repent, that is, to stop our wicked behavior and to begin to walk hand in hand with Jesus. This is the good news. Paradise is on the way back to earth. If we would participate in the marvels that are at hand we must begin at once to practice righteous behavior; love mercy, and walk humbly with our God.

The army that is going to follow Christ from Heaven is being prepared today, both on the earth and in the spirit world. Are you getting your directions from the Commander in Chief? Are you enduring hardships? Are you learning to walk straight ahead in your rank and not injure your fellow soldiers? Are you learning strict obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ? If you are not, you will not be ready to ride behind the Lord Jesus when He returns.

How about it? Are you willing to be trained as a soldier of the army of the Lord? I am, as the Lord helps me.