What is the Kingdom of Heaven Like?

There is a beautiful song and one of the lines says, “He did not want heaven without us so Jesus, You brought heaven down….” The song is called “What A Beautiful Name” by Hillsong Worship (link to song at end).

I have heard this song many, many times over the years and this line has always stuck out to me. Today this line jumped out and assaulted me!

I have had cause the past while to find some interesting near death experiences of people who actually died and then came back. I find the stories fascinating. Most stories have similarities in many areas and yet each story is different. There are some feel good stories and some stories filled with dread and not so good, even terrifying experiences. But the one thing they all agree on is that there is something after this life, no maybes.

Listening to this song today, it hit me that at the beginning of this earth, man and God walked together. That was Gods original intention. But we know the story, the man, the woman, the garden, the snake, the apple, then came the separation of man and God.

“You did not want heaven without us, So Jesus, You brought heaven down.” Down where? To earth.

Everything Jesus did, said and stood for was for His heavenly Kingdom. He was a spiritual being, God made into man’s image as Jesus, and it was a piece of heaven coming to earth to show us what heaven looks like. An illustration of how to live like heaven, how to engage with heaven while here on earth. Heaven came here to this planet and loved on us for a while.

When Jesus went back to heaven He left us another piece of heaven, the Holy Spirit. He lives inside of us if we invite Him. We who have the Holy Spirit of God have a piece of heaven living within us and now we too get to bring heaven to earth.

Remember the Lords Prayer:

… They Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven…”

Who is going to “do Gods will on earth as it is done in heaven?” US!

When people meet you do they see a glimpse of heaven? Do they see kindness, compassion and love? Or do they see worry, anxiety and fear?

Are you known to be joyful or fretful? Happy or angry? How would restaurant employees describe you after you leave? How would your children describe you, different at home than at church or with others?

I love to throw this out there because really it is a true description of our inner self… someone cuts you off in traffic, or you get behind a vehicle only doing half the speed limit. Do you exhibit anger or grace? What are the kids hearing in the backseat? Are you blessing or cursing that other driver?

All the while you are walking the earth, folks are watching. They see us “doing”, going to church, having Bible studies, talking about God. They see us in our “doing”. But what do they see in our “being?”

Our “being” is those unguarded times where we are ourselves, the true nature of us. You see Oswald Chambers said it best: “We would much rather work for God than believe in Him.”

He says, “It is much easier to do something than to trust in God.” (June 1, My Upmost For His Highest)

Working for God on our own terms is the best description of control I know. We will pick when and how He will use us. If it is uncomfortable or unclear we simply will not do it. When the car sounds weird, the washer and roof leak, the dryer stops, and our bodies start aching - what do you see in yourself? Do we blame God, the enemy, ourselves? Do we trust there is still a plan or we lash out at everything around us?

I say this because I’m talking to me… these things are happening to me right now. Do I still trust that God is in control?

My answer is yes, even though I cannot understand and it may take a bit. My understanding is not a prerequisite of heaven, my faith is. It does NOT mean I handle everything gracefully, but I eventually get to handling everything prayerfully and that makes a way for divine intervention.

We have seen in the media constantly the past few years where national leaders, pastors have been exposed because their private “being” life did not match up with their “doing” life. My goodness we all have stuff we do not want others to see, every single one of us! These folks just had it exposed publicly so please stop judging

It happens to all of us at some point - it has to, God must teach us what our true nature is apart from Him. When we see it, it’s ugly, this humanness in us. It is at that point we need to cry out to God to help us to walk “with Him, by the Holy Spirit” so that our inner nature becomes His nature, His love becomes our love, His compassion becomes our compassion.

It is then that our “doing” and “being” merge together to create a new creation, a heavenly creation who will bring and show Gods Kingdom here on earth.

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8

How would we know what the heavenly Kingdom looks like without knowing the darkness first? It should be a night and day difference that is not forced, or play acting, it’s a uniquely new person, whose old nature has been made new by the grace and work of God and God only. It is a revelation of the beauty of the Kingdom of God, it is a divine creation where “old bones (old nature) are called to come to new life.” It is also called a miracle and it can happen every day! Choose today whom you will serve.

Link to song “What a Beautiful Name”:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nQWFzMvCfLE&ra=m