Heaven has been projected as the hope of mankind in the religious circle. It is widely believed and taught that God’s plan is to take human beings to heaven where He (God) lives so that we will be with Him in heaven.
Many today are truly hoping to go to heaven even though they have not been told exactly how life is in heaven. Many religious leaders have made effort to give a sketchy description of heaven’s environment which greatly varies with the spiritual nature of God who they claim lives in the same heaven.
False hope is a means through which people are brought under bondage. If you hope for something that is not true, it will definitely affect your faith as you draw near to the realization of that hope only to discover it was a misrepresentation. Having hope based on error or false teaching is what will make the love of many to cool off. People will feel offended with the Lord and become disappointed with the truth.
The scripture says; “Hope deferred makes the heart sick; but when dreams come true at last, there is life and joy.” Proverbs 13:12 TLB.
John the Baptist had a wrong hope on what will be the mission of the Christ (Messiah). Though the identity of the Messiah was revealed through him, yet like the Jewish leaders, he misunderstood the mission of the Messiah. He stumbled in faith because of wrong hope. (John 1:29-34, Matthew 11:2-6).
There is really a great confusion about what is the actual hope of mankind. The religious concept of a physical heaven beside the earth has become like a fable in the face of the availability of spiritual knowledge and human technological advancement.
The availability of spiritual knowledge made possible by the operation of the Holy Spirit who reveals and interprets the word and the mind of God has helped to debunk most of the religious doctrines of the old which were not based on divine truths. Jesus contended with the religious leaders of his day regarding their error teachings which did not represent God’s actual truth.
Jesus replied, “Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? Mark 12:24.
Errors are mainly assumptions which are not based on actual truth from God. Most of the errors are imported from other religious doctrines or born out of human idea due to the lack of knowledge of who God is.
SOURCE OF TRUTH
“And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.” 1 John 5:20.
When God spoke to humans through the prophets, He did not reveal all His plans and purpose to them. They knew and prophesied mainly about the Promised Land and not about the Promised kingdom. God only showed them the symbolisms of what He has planned to do and these symbolisms were given to benefit us at our time. In the other hand, God revealed all His plan and purpose concerning mankind and the earth through His Messiah Son Jesus. He commanded us to listen to Jesus. (John 1:17-18, Matthew 17:5).
“This salvation was something the prophets did not fully understand. Though they wrote about it, they had many questions as to what it all could mean. 11They wondered what the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about, for he told them to write down the events which, since then, have happened to Christ: his suffering, and his great glory afterwards. And they wondered when and to whom all this would happen.
12 They were finally told that these things would not occur during their lifetime, but long years later, during yours. And now at last this Good News has been plainly announced to all of us. It was preached to us in the power of the same heaven-sent Holy Spirit who spoke to them; and it is all so strange and wonderful that even the angels in heaven would give a great deal to know more about it.” 1 Peter 1:10-12 TLB.
Jesus said that we should know the truth and the truth will make us free if we indeed abide in his word (teachings) and his word (teachings) abides in us. It means no one can know the truth unless the person abides in him and his word abides in the person. The truth can only be measured and evaluated by the words of Jesus. Claiming that what you have is the truth does not really make it the truth unless it is in line with the words of Jesus Christ.
We should be in bondage to error teachings if we do not abide in his teachings. Error teaching gives false hope and false hope brings disaffection to the truth and disaffection to the truth always leads to outright rejection of God and His plan.
We are going to deal with what really is the hope of human beings and that of the earth where they live. We have to look at what heaven is and see if actually there is a physical heaven where God has planned to transfer human beings.
We have a book (soon to be released) which discussed about the life of mankind, their existence on earth and the future of earth. The book addresses the confusion and the misunderstanding that exists about heaven, earth, the planets, the stars, the heavens, kingdom of heaven and the other realms beneath the earth. It exposes all the symbolisms God used in the scripture to reveal his plan for mankind and the universe.
For us to know whether there is heaven or not and whether we are going to heaven or not, we really have to understand the scriptural concept of heaven. This is important because bible says we cannot know the way unless we know where we are going. You must first know and understand where your destination is before you can be able to know the way to it (John 14:2-7).
WHAT IS HEAVEN?
We have to define heaven using both the scriptural concept as well as the scientific concept. What the scripture call heavens is the same thing science calls planets.
Generally, heaven is a word used to describe a place or a realm of authority especially any such place above the earth. Earth is the existential planet for humankind or mankind. Earth is also a heaven because it is a realm of authority. Earth is here, where we are. Here is called Earth because it is the specific place where physical life exists. Every other place above the earth is referred to as heaven in the scripture and as planets in science.
Our universe is made up of planets, stars, sun and moon. Scripture refers to the planets as the heavens while the sun, the moon and the stars are referred to as the heavenly hosts.
There are three types of heaven. We have the first heaven, the second heaven and the third heaven. These are the three heavenly realms and they includes the heaven where God’s throne is, the heaven where celestial beings are and the heavens of our universe.
“God made the heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their hosts, the Earth and everything on it, the seas and all that is in them and He preserve them all” Nehemiah 9:6.
The first heaven is our universe which is made up of the heavens (planets), the earth, the sea, and their hosts, sun, moon and stars (also known as the celestial bodies). It is called the heaven of heavens due to the numerous heavens (planets) it has.
The second heaven is where the celestial beings are. This heaven is not part of our universe.
The third heaven is where the throne of God is. It is the center of existence.
The scripture in Nehemiah 9:6 says that God made only two heavens. The heaven and the heaven of heavens. The heaven of God’s throne is not mentioned as one of the heavens God made because it is not a physical place.
How Earth Is Also A Heaven
Earth is also a heaven because our universe is made up of heavenly units hosted by the heavenly hosts (the sun, moon and stars). One of the hosting systems of the universe is called the solar system and Earth is a member of the solar system. The solar system is a hosting system of our universe where sun is hosting some planets or heavens of our universe including earth. As a planet like the other planets hosted by the sun in the solar system, earth is a heaven as the other planets of the system are heavens.
Biblically, Earth derived her name as the dwelling place of mankind, vegetation and all that has physical structure (bone, flesh and blood). “The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s; But the earth He has given to the children of men.” Psalm 115:16. Our planet is named Earth due to its physical characteristics that makes biological life and vegetation to thrive on it but it is one of the heavens of the universe.
Scriptural Concept of Heaven:
The scripture has a general application of the word ‘heaven.’ Though all the units of the universe are heavens including earth, but since the scripture is discussing earth as its major subject, it calls earth by its name and refers to all other units of the universe as heaven. God did not call any of these heavens of our universe by any name. He referred to them as the heavens but called their hosts by name such as the sun, moon and the stars.
Mankind gave name to these other heavens such Mars, Venus, Jupiter, Neptune, etc. God was constantly angry that mankind is worshipping the heavens and the host of heaven. Deuteronomy 4:19, 17:3. Most idol gods are called by the name of these heavens.
“And take heed, lest you lift your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun, the moon, and the stars, all the host of heaven, you feel driven to worship them and serve them, which the Lord your God has given to all the peoples under the whole heaven as a heritage.” Deuteronomy 4:19.
Humans developed their calendar in worship and honor of these heavens and the host of heaven. Days of the week and months of the year are all named after these gods and are dedicated to their worship. The calendar which God gave to the children of Israel does not have name for days and months. They are identified by numbers only such as, first month of the year, second month of the year and first day of the month, second day of the month, etc.
Scripture also refers as heaven any place which is above the earth. It does not mean these heavens are higher than the earth in position. It only means you can access these other heavens from earth only by going up from the surface of the earth and not by going down below the surface of the earth. Whatever you have to go up to reach is considered to be above where you have to take off from. So, these other heavens are above the earth because we have to go up from the earth surface to reach them. In this sense, bible also refers to sky as heaven because it is above the earth surface.
Any place below the earth surface is not referred to as heaven. These are places which can be accessed by going down from the surface of the earth and not by going up. Places like the deep, the grave and abyss are not referred to as heavens because they are below the earth surface.
THE FIRST HEAVEN
Genesis chapter one recorded that God created the heavens and the earth in the beginning. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1 NKJV
The heavens and the earth are mentioned in the above scripture as one entity which is our universe. The heavens and the earth were not created separately as different entities. God created the heavens and Earth as one entity or a singularity and later separated them into different units. When God broke up the universe into different units, He called one the Earth and all the other units He called heavens. Science follows God’s pattern and still refers to our planet as earth but the heavens of the universe it calls planets. Both Earth and the other planets which are biblically known as heavens came from one singular matter according to the bible.
The sun, the moon and the stars are called heavenly bodies or the heavenly hosts which God placed in the outer space to host all the heavens including our earth. God made these heavenly hosts and “set them in the space (firmament) of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness.” The heavens and these heavenly bodies are in the same universe with our earth and they make up the first heaven.
THE SECOND HEAVEN
This is the heaven of the spiritual forces. Spiritual forces operate in this heaven. Scripture refers to the second heaven which is the heaven where the spiritual forces operates as the heavenly places and not the heavenly bodies. This second heaven is made up of the realm of the spiritual forces established in a hierarchy.
The physical location of the second heaven is not known, but one thing known is that these heavens is not within the earth and they are not part of our universe. The position of the second heaven is also above the earth because it is completely outside the earth and the universe. Humans have not been able and may likely not be able to discover another universe apart from our universe. Everything out there in the space including those ones humans have visited or seen with telescope such as planets, asteroids, sun, moon and the stars are all the biblical heavens and heavenly hosts of our universe. These are not the spiritual heavens where the spiritual forces are.
THE THIRD HEAVEN
This is the heaven of the throne of God. Many refers to the third heaven as where God lives. God does not live in heaven. He operates from heaven where His throne is. God is Spirit who exists in all that He made, but His throne is in third heaven from where He extends His sovereignty to all existence.
God is the creator of the whole universe, so the heaven where His throne is cannot be part of the universe which He created and which has a beginning.
The setting of this heaven is briefly described in Revelation chapter four. The things that are mentioned frequently about the heaven of God are only thrones. There are no habitational structures or environmental infrastructures such as many seem to think and believe. These kinds of assorted physical materials are seen only in our earth and in the heavens of our universe judging from the reports of the numerous Space explorations. The believe that heaven have houses (mansions) and roads made of Gold or houses with gates made of pearls is not supported in the bible and was not confirmed by Jesus. People confuses the description of New Jerusalem city given in Revelation 21 as the heaven of God.
New Jerusalem city is a spiritual assemble of the kings and priests of God’s kingdom of heaven which will be made up of the Christ and those who will reign with him over the earth. God’s throne for mankind shall be in their midst.
The things in third heaven are thrones. The bible only talks about standing, seating and bowing down as the only three physical activities they do in the heaven of God. Those who are described as sitting down in heaven have thrones. Other beings are described as always standing and their only activity is worshipping or serving the LORD. God is Spirit and all that partakes in the activities of His heaven are spirits also.
Spirits do not sleep, do not lie down, do not grow old, do not die, are not sustained by food or air like us human beings and they are not affected or limited by distance and material objects. Human activities are different from spiritual activities. Heaven of God is the abode of spirits and only spiritual activities are carried out there. It will not be wrong to say that the heaven of God is a realm of authority and control. All they do there is to exercise authority and control over all the other realms. They worship and serve continually as there is no day or night, no time or seasons.
DOES GOD LIVE IN HEAVEN?
Does God really live in heaven in the same sense as we humans live on earth, in a house and in a locality with habitational structures? The answer is no.
“The Lord says, “heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house then could you build for me, what kind of place for me to live in? I myself created the whole universe! I am pleased with those who are humble and repentant, who fear me and obey me.” Isaiah 66:1-2 GNB
That heaven is God’s dwelling place does not mean God lives in heaven as a structural place. It is just as the scripture says that the Jerusalem Temple or the Tabernacle is the dwelling place of God’s name. The dwelling place of God’s name is where God places His name. In the same way, heaven is the dwelling place of God because God’s throne is placed in third heaven.
“Then to the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name —there you are to bring everything I command you: your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, and all the choice possessions you have vowed to the Lord.” Deuteronomy 12:11.
For instance, it is believed that God lives anywhere you have the altar of God on earth. Christians believes God live in their churches. What we actually have is the presence of God – where God appears or interacts with His creation and not an abode of God.
For instance, when Angel Gabriel spoke to Zachariah the High Priest, he did not claim to live where God lives. He said that he stands in the presence of God. It means standing before the throne of God.
The scripture says ‘heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain God’ and the reason is because God is everywhere and do not live in heaven as a place, but as the position of His authority and His supremacy. “But will God indeed dwell with men on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built!” 2 Chronicles 6:18.
God’s supreme throne is in the highest heaven. God has throne in the second heaven as well because He is the God of the spiritual beings, but the highest heaven is where His supreme throne is. The third heaven actually is the highest heaven which is the dwelling place of God’s throne for all existence. In the same way, God will place His throne in New Jerusalem city for mankind and all earthly creations when He regenerates the earth with new perfect Paradise world.
“The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.” Luke 1:19.
The dwelling place of God’s throne for mankind shall be in New Jerusalem city which is an assemble of royal people of God’s kingdom of heaven. The Temple that was in Jerusalem symbolized this, but there shall be no temple in New Jerusalem because like it is in heaven, the throne of God will be in their midst.
“Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Revelation 21:1-5.
God shall bring His dwelling to be among humans when He finally made everyone and everything perfect. In symbolizing what His plan is for the entire humankind, God said to Moses: “I will put my dwelling place among you, and I will not abhor you. I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people.” Leviticus 26:11-12.
DID GOD PROMISE HEAVEN TO HUMANS?
God have been using as symbolisms things that is written in the old testament of bible to reveal His plans to us before the Messiah would come. Jesus said that Moses wrote about him and the scripture testified about him. “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” John 5:39, 46-47.
God called Abraham and made a promise to him. Abraham was not in need of land at the time God called him and promised him a particular land and not just any land. God’s description of that land shows He wasn’t just talking about that land but something more than the land. The land was to be used by God to symbolize His plan for mankind kept secret from the foundation of the world. Since His promise to Abraham symbolized what He has determined as His plan for mankind, we shall look at what that promise is and how it symbolizes God’s promise to mankind. We shall also look at how He fulfilled that promise to Abraham in order to understand how He shall fulfill what He Promised mankind.
God promised a land to Abraham and his descendants. He called it a land that flows with milk and honey. Milk and honey is a metaphor that depicts all goodness referring indirectly to Garden of Eden. God first brought Abraham to the land which He planned to give to him and his descendants. Abraham lived in that land first as a stranger.
God told Abraham that his descendants will be slaves for four hundred years in another country before He will bring them to possesses the same land where Abraham was already. It means God has to symbolically drive them out of the Promised Land and bring them back again after 400 years of slavery. There is no explanation to this other than to symbolize what He has planned to do regarding what happened in Garden of Eden.
Here is what God told Abraham when he was still Abram: “Then He (God) said to Abram: “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. And also, the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” Genesis 15:13-16.
He made a covenant with Abraham to guarantee the fulfilment of this promise. God told Moses that though the children of Israel were stiff-necked people, He will still bring them to the Promised Land because of the covenant He made with Abraham.
God fulfilled His promise regarding the Promised Land and kept the covenant He made with Abraham. His covenant with Abraham was to give them the land and not to keep them in the land. After settling them in the Promised Land in fulfillment of His promise to Abraham, He made another covenant with the people of Israel which will guarantee their stay in this land if they should obey Him.
Giving them the land was what God used to symbolize His determination to give us a kingdom under His kingdom. God used these to symbolize His divine plan concerning the earth and human beings. He shall constitute the earth into a kingdom and bring it under the reign of His kingdom.
Abraham had many children and even Isaac the promised child had two sons too. God gave the name ‘Israel’ to the part of Abraham’s descendants He will use to fulfill this promise. Israel means God’s chosen people. People chosen out of the descendants of Abraham who He called righteous because He has chosen them as his people and not because of their righteousness.
The Promised land was already occupied when God decided to bring the children of Israel there. He destroyed the nations that were there and settled His chosen people of Israel. This land of Israel was used only as a symbolism to symbolize His plan for mankind and the earth.
“This new place of rest he is talking about does not mean the land of Israel that Joshua led them into. If that were what God meant, he would not have spoken long afterwards about “today” being the time to get in. 9 So there is a full complete rest still waiting for the people of God.” Hebrews 4:8-9 TLB.
Land is used to represent kingdom. Land is the same thing as kingdom. You cannot have a kingdom without land and you cannot have a land without being a kingdom.
God’s promise to mankind is a kingdom represented by land. A kingdom that flows with milk and honey. A kingdom which will satisfy all the aspirations of mankind. A kingdom where peace, love and righteousness shall reign. This is what milk and honey symbolizes.
God said to Abraham; “After four generations your descendants will return here to this land, for the sins of the Amorites do not yet warrant their destruction.”.” God said He shall bring them back to the same land when the sin or the wickedness of the people living in that land has reached for punishment which is destruction.
What it means is that the land already will have settlers living there, but God shall destroy that people and their world and will settle His chosen people, the Israel of God in the same land. The hidden message here is that God is going to bring mankind back to His Paradise world which is a kingdom or land that flows with milk and honey. Mankind like Abraham already had a foretaste of this land.
As God promised Abraham to bring back his descendants to the same land, the same way God promised to restore mankind to the same Paradise world from which they were driven out. We shall now look at how God fulfilled that promise to Abraham in order to understand how He shall fulfill what He Promised mankind.
The first thing God did was to declare Jacob and his entire household a holy and righteous people to God. God did this by giving him the name “Israel.” God’s plan to destroy the Amorites and give their land to one arm of Abraham’s descendants can only be justified if the Amorites are unrighteous while Abraham’s descendants are righteous. For their unrighteousness God will destroy the Amorites and for their righteousness, God will give the land to Abraham’s descendants.
Israel means – “I have chosen you and you have become righteous to me no matter what.” Isaiah declared what The Lord God said; “This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me, Says the Lord” Isaiah 54:17. Israel is a name God used to reveal His plan to declare mankind righteous because they are chosen people of God therefore justifying them to take over the earth when the wicked are uprooted. Israel of God actually are the chosen people of God who will be made perfect through salvation of God which is by grace and not by works. They shall be brought back from the land of slavery under the kingdom of darkness and be settled inside the kingdom of God.
“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.” Colossians 1:13.
God came to deliver them from slavery not based on what they did but based on the terms of the covenant He made with Abraham. When He brought them to the Promised Land, He destroyed the people of the land through a war and planted the people of His covenant. All these are symbolic revealing what and how God had planned to save and restore mankind to His Paradise world.
How does all these relate to mankind, the world and the earth?
Firstly, Adam and Eve like Abraham was in this land first before they were driven out of it into a land that is not theirs where they became strangers, serving the people of the world who has been afflicting them for years. They were in the Garden of Eden which is God’s own world for mankind known as the Paradise of God. It is the actual land that flows with milk and honey.
How God contrasts the two worlds in Genesis 3:17-19 shows the world He was going to exile Adam to does not have the milk and honey attributes. There God spelled out a new destiny for man on earth. He declared life without rest for human beings which is the same thing as slavery He decreed for Abraham’s descendants.
Mankind was in this Paradise before they were driven out from it into another world which has a different kingdom from the kingdom of God represented by Garden of Eden. They became strangers and slaves in this strange kingdom (world). God drove them out of the land of peace and rest the same way descendants of Abraham will be driven out of the symbolic land into slavery. God will return mankind to a Paradise world on earth which is the same land He drove them out from the same way He returned Abraham’s descendants back to the same symbolic land they left to go into slavery.
The former settlers shall be uprooted through a battle and the land shall be recovered and be given to the chosen people of God who will be established under the rule of God’s kingdom. There will be war to uproot the former settles of earth as the scripture described in the book of Revelation. This is exactly the same way the Promised Land was recovered from the former settlers through war.
Jesus used the parable about the wicked vineyard tenants to describe the kingdom of heaven. He said the owner of the vineyard will come and destroy the vinedressers and give the vineyard to others (Matthew 21:33-41). The earth is the Lord’s vineyard and His plan is a kingdom in which He will be the sovereign king and humans shall be giving Him the fruits of the earth by worshipping Him alone. A royal kingdom does not permit opposition to the royal throne as everyone in a kingdom is a legal subject to the king. The destruction of the earth shall be to remove everything and everyone who does not pledge fealty to God and His Christ and return those will be made perfect through salvation.
The first thing God will do shall be to declare anyone righteous who shall accept the salvation of God just the same way He first called Jacob and his household Israel. Salvation makes humans an Israel of God and all Israel shall be saved. Becoming an Israel of God is the justification for anyone to inherit the kingdom.
God established covenant with Abraham to bring his descendants back to the same Promised Land which they will leave to go into slavery. Abraham was already in the Promised Land when God told him that his descendants will leave the land and become slaves for 400 years in another land before being restored to the same Land. God has determined to bring them back even before they went into slavery. The covenant that would guarantee their restoration was already in place long time even before their time of going into slavery came.
The scripture says that God in the same way has determined beforehand to restore mankind to the same Paradise world even before they first came into the world. God already has put in place a covenant agreement that will guarantee the restoration of mankind to live permanently in the Paradise world long time even before the world began. He has determined this long before Adam and Eve sinned. Scripture says the Lamb of God for the covenant that will restore humans back to Paradise world was slain before the world began.
“And all the people who belong to this world worshiped the beast. They are the ones whose names were not written in the Book of Life that belongs to the Lamb who was slaughtered before the world was made.” Revelation 13:8 NLT.
Unlike the covenant of Abraham which the promise was orally communicated to the children of Israel from generation to generation, the promise of God’s covenant for the entire humankind was sealed. Though it has been performed spiritually, it will be unknown till it is physically performed by the Christ of God, the chosen one of God who shall be sent from heaven for that purpose.
Revealing this secret was part of Jesus’ mission. He came to declare the coming of the Kingdom of God and to reveal the covenant that would guarantee it. The Jews thought the scripture spoke about the Messiah coming to restore sovereignty to their nation. They were led by that thought to believe Jesus would restore Israel as a kingdom.
“Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:” Matthew 25:35.
This kingdom has been prepared from the foundation of the world the same way the Lamb has been slain before the foundation of the world. God’s promise to mankind is the Promised Kingdom of heaven which will rule over the Paradise world of God for mankind as symbolized by the Promised Land of Abraham’s covenant.
ARE WE GOING TO HEAVEN?
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5.
As already discussed above, heaven of God is where the supreme throne of God is for the spiritual beings and all of existence. God is Spirit and the cause of all existence. He does not have a specific structure or a structural place of abode where He lives. He controls all existence from the highest heaven also known as the third heaven where His supreme throne is, but the earth He made specifically for human beings.
“The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s; But the earth He has given to the children of men.” Psalm 115:16.
Heaven was never meant for humans and God never promised us His heaven. His promise to us is an everlasting life in a Paradise world of earth (a perfect world) under the kingdom of heaven. God will restore His Paradise on earth as the new perfect world to replace the current evil world of Satan. The current world is under the control of Satan who Jesus referred to as the prince of this world (the ruler of the darkness of this world).
“Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” John 12:30-32.
“We know that we are children of God and that all the rest of the world around us is under Satan’s power and control.” 1 John 5:19 TLB.
Paradise of God which Jesus mentioned in Revelation 2 is the perfect world which God first designed for mankind on earth before Adam and Even sinned and were driven into slavery in this Satan’s world.
The Earth is different from its world. The earth is a creation of God while the world is a creation of Satan. The world is about the kingdom that has influence or sovereignty on earth. Satan’s world is different from God’s world which was known as the Garden of Eden from which mankind was driven out. Jesus spoke about the children of the kingdom and the children of this world. They are different because the two worlds also differ from each other. (Luke 16:8, 20:34).
The world is the operating system of the ruler who oversees the earth as his kingdom. These two worlds differ from each other but the earth is where they operate because the earth was made specifically for humans. There will always be an earth but the world is what shall change as well as the nature of the mankind that will be on earth. The changes (regeneration) that God shall make will usher in a perfect world (Paradise of God) which will be occupied by perfect humans.
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” Revelation 2:7.
We are going to return to the paradise world of God on earth and not in heaven. The earth is for the children of men and will always be inhabited by human beings. The kind of world and the kind of man to be in earth are what shall change. The world of the earth and the kind of humans who shall live in God’s perfect world known as Paradise shall be different from what it is right now. God will renew the face of earth by making it new (regeneration).
“Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” Revelation 21:5.
“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.” Isaiah 65:17.
God made the earth specifically for human beings and He said the earth shall always be inhabited. He shall renew the face of the earth and bring in it a perfect world under His sovereignty for perfect people only. The plan of God as revealed is to transform humans into perfect human beings, bring a perfect world on earth and establish over the earth, His throne for humans through which He will reign among them the same way He established His throne in heaven for spiritual beings. Earth will always be inhabited.
“For thus says the Lord, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: “I am the Lord, and there is no other.” Isaiah 45:18.
Though all the righteous shall inherit the new earth with God’s perfect Paradise world, there are few chosen ones to be taken from among humans who shall see God. These shall see God but they will not live with God. They shall be taken to heaven where they shall be transformed into the image of the Christ because they will reign with Jesus Christ over the new earth. After being transformed, they shall be assembled into the New Jerusalem city as the spiritual authority over the new earth.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8.
It is believed among many religious groups that all human beings who does good religiously or walked by faith while alive will go to heaven where God is to be with God after life on earth. This is not true, but it is not completely false. There shall be taken from among human beings few who shall go to heaven. They will not go to heaven to be with God but to see God. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8. They shall see God and not that they shall live with God.
The kingdom which the Father gave to Jesus is the earth and the entire universe. As mentioned before, thrones are what God has and these thrones represents kingdoms.
WHERE WILL JESUS BE?
Jesus said: “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” John 14:2-3.
Jesus told them there are many kingdoms inside the kingdom of God. Kingdom of God is like an empire which has many kingdoms inside it. Jesus had earlier told a parable describing how he will go back to Father to receive a kingdom. He spoke about “A nobleman who was called away to a distant empire to be crowned king and then return.” Luke 19:12. The nobleman will return after being crowned king. He shall return to establish the authority of his kingdom over the land.
Jesus will return to establish the authority of his kingdom over the earth and the entire universe. The way he will establish the authority of his kingdom is symbolized by what Solomon did to establish the authority of his kingdom over all Israel (1 Kings 2:1-46 NET). When God returned the people of Israel to the Promised Land, He established His throne over them symbolizing how He will establish His throne over the perfect world of the new earth. God used David to symbolize the throne of God for the earth. David sat on the throne of God and this made people to erroneously refer to the Christ as the son of David. The throne belongs to God and the Son of God is also Lord over David.
The prophecy which said that the Christ shall receive the throne of his father David was a symbolical divine statement. The statement helps us to look at the person of Solomon and consider the actions he took to establish the authority of his kingdom. The Christ who is the Son of God is symbolized by Solomon and his actions are described by what Solomon did to establish the authority of his kingdom as recorded in 1 kings 2:1-46. “So, the kingdom was now firmly in Solomon’s grip.” NLT. The actions Solomon took to gain complete control of his kingdom is the same thing which the Christ shall do to firmly establish his kingdom.
Now Jesus said: “In My Father’s house are many mansions.” My Father’s house which Jesus mentioned is in the likeness of an Empire which has many kingdoms inside it. He will go and receive a kingdom and return to take his apostles to be with him and reign with him. The apostles knew Jesus has a kingdom and has the high hope to reign with him. So, he’s not going to take them to be with the Father. They will be with Jesus in his own kingdom and that kingdom will be over the new earth.
Jesus has a kingdom which he will receive from the Father and that is the kingdom of heaven which will reign over the new earth. The kingdom of heaven is not the same thing as the kingdom of God. kingdom of heaven is a part of the kingdom of God. kingdom of God is like an Empire which has many kingdoms in it and the kingdom of heaven is one of the kingdoms of the empire. “For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”
“But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials. And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” Luke 22:28-29.
The NLT renders the above scripture like this; “You have stayed with me in my time of trial. And just as my Father has granted me a Kingdom, I now grant you the right to eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom. And you will sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
Jesus was speaking regarding the chosen few who will go to heaven to see God where they shall be transformed into the image of the Christ of God so that they may be with Christ and reign with him in his kingdom which is the kingdom of heaven that will reign over the new earth. They will not be with God, they will be with Jesus Christ.
“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” John 14:3. He will receive them to himself and they will be where He is and not where God is. Jesus will reign over the earth through the kingdom of heaven and he will reign with the apostles and the ones chosen among men.
Jesus will be in New Jerusalem City which shall be set up as the heaven (spiritual seat of authority) of the kingdom of heaven over the earth. It is where the spiritual throne of Jesus Christ shall be. From that heaven he and the chosen few shall be reigning over the earth. New Jerusalem is the heaven of the kingdom of heaven and not the heaven of the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is over all existence while the kingdom of heaven is over mankind and their universe.
“Then Peter answered and said to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore, what shall we have?” So, Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” Matthew 19:27-28.
They will judge the twelve tribes of Israel and these tribes of Israel are not going to be in heaven. The twelve tribes of Israel represent twelves parts of the new earth which will be like the present-day continents of the world. There shall be 4 regions and each region shall have 3 tribes and each tribe shall have a gate through which they will approach the throne of God which is in the midst of the heavenly Jerusalem. The gates represent a central worship point for a given tribe through which they shall come into the spiritual presence of God. Each tribe shall be made up of nations.