Life Learning Series

Expanded Consideration

Promise

There may be some doubt, or even anxiety, about whether or not we have a place that is prepared for us in the Kingdom of Heaven. Well, to begin to dispel that doubt, please read these words of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 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 unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. (John 14:1-3)This is the introduction of the possibility of residence therein. However, later on in Scripture, there is a dampener on any thought of assuming that our residence must be in the Kingdom of Heaven. The apostle Paul seems to indicate that there might be some question about its availability, as he writes the phrase, “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect“. This is the thought of the apostle Paul that surrounds that phrase. Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

(Philippians 3:4-14)Fear not, little ones; this is not a reference to the residency that is obtained by those who are so favored by God to reside with Him. This is a matter of whether we can achieve the kind of devotion to service and the mind of righteousness that will bring us to a place of rest in the LORD. The devotion to service and the mind of righteousness are needed now as we travel the journey here, so that we will have a peace that is like unto the peace that was expressed by the apostle Paul.

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A place for me, too

It may not be apparent to many of those who ponder the location in reality of the Kingdom of Heaven by looking up, as an indication of its relative location; but, “up” is relative. It is easy to evaluate the relativity of the word, up, when we think of the positioning of the human body relative to other structures. For a man standing on the ground, the eighth floor is usually perceived to be up, from where he is standing. But for the person standing on the eighth floor, the eighth floor is level with his position in reality. Furthermore, for the person standing on the ninth floor, the eighth floor is down, from his position in reality; unless his mind’s positioning of his perceived reality is, for instance, standing on the seventh floor, or below. The same thing holds true for the kingdom of heaven, except in a much more metaphysical fashion.

One of the things that one needs to do when one is perceiving of the Kingdom of Heaven, is to stop looking at the stars and the planets. The celestial bodies bear absolutely no relationship to the Kingdom of Heaven. It will be clearer when we visualize this Kingdom, if we think of the actions that are performed from there. The LORD spoke of many of these actions through the words of the prophets. One of the times that the LORD spoke directly of the nature of the actions that are performed in the Kingdom of Heaven, was when He delivered the following message to mankind.

Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:6-9)In the latter day, the Prophet Jesus Christ, too, spoke of the actions that emanate from the Kingdom of Heaven. A summary of those actions is included in the last sentence of this, his clarification of reality in the Kingdom of the Father, wrapped in a message of understanding that was given to his disciples.

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