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 Hab 2:14 For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge (Yaw-dah’: Understanding) of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

 How can we know what God is like if it is not written down for us to read and know?  We can know what God is like by knowing what God would say and do.  We can know what God would say and do by knowing the Nature and Character of God.

Our objective today is to emphasize the extreme importance of having a precise and correct knowledge of God.  And to correctly understand His Character, His Nature and His Personality.

Your knowledge and understanding of God is extremely important because your level of receiving FROM God will never exceed your PERCEPTION of God. 

2 Pet 1:1 ¶ Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:  

2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge (Epignosis:  Precise and correct knowledge) of God, and of Jesus our Lord,

3  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life (Zoe) and godliness, through the knowledge (Epignosis: Precise and correct knowledge)  of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: {to: or, by}

According to this text, Grace and Peace are multiplied unto us through our precise and correct knowledge of God….

And also, we will only be able to receive “all things that pertain to life and godliness” through a correct knowledge of God and a Revelation of that knowledge. 

Php 3:10 That I may know (Gnisko: to know with understanding) him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

Paul is talking about Knowing God and Understanding God.  He means Knowing Him with the Understanding of His Nature, His Character and His Person.  To many in the Church, God is a real mystery.  Religion has compromised the Truth of Who God is, What God does and How He does what He does.  My question today is:

Who is this Great God we call our God?

Your personal perception of God (Who He is, What He does, How He works); knowing and understanding His Character, His Nature and His Personality, will determine the kind of relationship you have with Him.  Your perception of God will decide the quality of life and the level of victory you have or don’t have.  How you perceive God to be will affect every facet of your human experience. 

Of all that we know and understand, we certainly need to know and understand God.  Just how do you comprehend Him to be?   What is He like?  What does He do and not do?  What is the Motivation behind His acts and His deeds?  

When you consider God, what picture comes to your mind?  What image is in your heart?  Is He some kind of impersonal and untouchable Power that works in ways you do not understand?  What does He look like?  Are you unsure of what He does?  How He does it?  Why He does it?  Is your concept of God Biblical?  Does it stand the test of Theological Correctness?  

In order to correctly process our perception of God we must go to the Word of God.  Let’s begin in the beginning.  What does Creation tell us about God?

Genesis 1:1 ¶ In the beginning God…    

What about Creation?  What is the foundational purpose of all things and everything that exists?  Why did God, in one majestic fiat of His unimaginable Power, create all things?  Why? For what reason?

It is “By Him (through and because of Him) that all things consist.” 

 Col 1:16  For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

This text tells us at least three things:

1.  God existed before “all things.”

2.  God Created all things

3.  By Him all things consist.  That is; the continuance of the universe (all things created) is dependent on His support and administration.

The Purpose of Creation (There had to be a Reason)

Why is everything like it is?  Why did God make it?  What is going to happen to it?  What does it have to do with me?    What is it for? Why is it here? What does it do?   There is a PURPOSE….    Design, Intelligence, Forethought and Planning are fully realized in all of Creation.  Every atom, every molecule, as well as every sun, moon and star in the all the galactic heavens, has a reason for being. 

There is a Divine and Holy purpose behind every element of God’s Great Creation.  Even those who deny the Biblical explanation of Creation must agree that Something or Someone Big is behind all this expanse of the Heavens and the Earth. 

The underlying purpose of Creation is to Reveal the Nature and Character of God. 

Creation paints a picture of God.  Creation answers the questions about God.  Creation solves the mystery of God.  Creation shows (reveals to) humankind What and Who God really is. 

Rom 1:19 ¶ because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.

20  For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,

Ps 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

Ps 97:6 The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory.

The birth of the Great Charismatic Revival of the ‘60’s came about as a result of a fresh Revelation of the Nature of God.

He is the God of all Creation (From quarks: sub-atomic particles to quasars: distant objects powered by black holes and are a billion times as massive as our sun)  and from molecules to mountains)

Everything that God does He does with you and me in mind…

What is the purpose behind Creation?  

Why did God Create all things?  At least 4 reasons:

1. To Declare His Glory… the heavens declare

2. To Reveal His Power… the earth shows

3. To Provide a Place for His Family… the Word declares

4. Creation of man allows God To Reproduce His Likeness in us

1.   Creation Declares His Glory 

A glimpse of God’s Throne in Heaven:

John caught a glimpse of heaven and wrote what he saw: 

Rev 5:11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;

12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

13  And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

10,000 times 10,000 (that’s a hundred million) and thousands of thousands in addition….

Splendor. Majesty. Honor. Glory.  Power.  Here is a picture of God in all His Excellence and Perfection.  John is straining the limits of his vocabulary to describe the visible and audible expression of God’s Presence.  In the Bible at times His presence is seen as Fire and Lightening.  Sometimes It is heard as Thunder and Wind.  Sometimes it is a Sweet Smelling Aroma… It always is felt and sensed by every emotion of the human experience.  It impacts the very core of the human spirit.

Psalms 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

 Psalms 147:4  He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth

them all by their names.

When we see Him, (Know Him precisely and correctly and completely) we are transformed.  Paul writes:

2Co 3:18  But we all, with open  (unveiled)  face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed ( metamorphoo)  into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

1Jo 4:17  … because as he is, so are we in this world.

2.    Creation Reveals His Power

Nothing known in all of human experience can adequately describe or define the magnitude of God’s Power displayed in Creation.  All that is strains and stretches to reveal God’s Power and Might.  Astronomy.  Physics.  Chemistry.  Mathematics.  Nano-science.  Nuclear potential.  NOTHING can fully explain or describe the Power of our Great God!  Words can’t.  Actions can’t.  Experiments can’t.  Nothing is capable of fully revealing the Power of God. 

But the sum of all of these indescribable works are but a drop in the bucket when compared to the One Mighty Miracle of Creation…  When God opened His mouth and said,  “Let there be….”  And IT WAS.  And it is still “being…”  Scientists affirm that the known universe, the stellar heavens, the far reaches of outer space;  all are still expanding (being created)…  new moons, suns, stars… and it is being created and expanded at the speed of light:  670,616,629 mph.

Consider the size of our solar system.   Imagine if we stood in the produce section of a grocery store and held up a grapefruit representing the Sun:

1 Chronicles 29:11  Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the

power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all.

3.    Creation Provides a Place for His Family

Let me tell you something that is more than wonderful:  God had a longing for a family.  He was driven by a Father’s dream of having children.  A Class of Beings capable of having a relationship with Him.  He wanted fellowship.  So, He created…..

(1) God created the Heavens for the benefit of earth.  Every star, planet, sun, and moon in the stellar heavens has its influence on Earth.  Earth is the reason that the heavens were created.  All the stellar heavens were created to minister to and sustain and bless the earth. 

(2) God created the Earth for the benefit of Man.  Man is the GOAL and PURPOSE of the CREATIVE GENIUS of God.  The Earth has NO REASON for existing apart from man.  All the natural laws that operate on earth operate in order to benefit and minister and sustain human life.  Earth is the only PLANET of BEAUTY in our solar system.   All the NATURAL RESOURSES of earth were made and kept in store by GOD for MAN.  OIL…GAS…ORES…COAL…GOLD…SLIVER…PRESCIOUS STONES…GEMS, ETC. 

(3) God created Man for Himself.    You are the OBJECT of all of GOD’S CREATIVE GENIUS.  He made YOU for HIMSELF.  He chose to reveal Himself personally to you.  He fixed it so that you can understand and respond to Him; 

 4.   Man’s Creation Enabled God to Reproduce His Likeness in us 

We are His WORKMANSHIP Created in CHRIST JESUS.

Eph 2:10  For we are his workmanship,(made from the same fabric)  created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Remember… All His Goodness is focused on you.  You are the objects of His affection.  YOU  are the reason for all that He does.      His attention is toward You…. All His thoughts and designs are for your good and for your benefit.  He is Good.  His Mercy is from Everlasting to Everlasting.  And His Goodness toward you will Never End.  Wow! 

 When God breathed into Adam the breath of Life, something came out of God and went into man.  God imparted His Nature: the very power and majesty of the God head… God infused man with His glory.  His Nature.  His Character.  His Life.  ZOE the God-Kind of life… 

 Man was created in the Image  (likeness, shadow) of God.  He was literally a partaker (a partner; sharer) of the divine nature of God.    

We are destined and designed for the fulfillment of God’s Dream.  His Dream:

Hab 2:14  For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

I am convinced that we have been created and brought into this narrow band of time in order that we might come into the full manifestation of the knowledge of God. 

The full manifestation of the Knowledge of God will be the last thing that takes place before Jesus comes back. 

As we SEE HIM… As we KNOW HIM.  As we UNDERSTAND Him.   We are being transformed into the same Image.

I want to KNOW GOD.   DO YOU?

Word for Today:  January 18

There is a much broader dimension of the Word than most people realize.

The Word of God is not just the Bible.  The Bible is the written inspired, infallible document that is the written Word of God but the Word of God existed before there was a written document called the Holy Bible.

John writes that “in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God…”   God’s Word transcends the Bible.   God’s Word was existent before there was a Bible.

How can we know what God said if it is not written down for us to read and know?  We can know what God said by knowing what God would say.  We can know what God would say by knowing the Nature and Character of God.

God speaks in agreement with His Character, His Nature, and His Personality.   If we know His Character, we will know what He will say or did say…  And we discover and know His Character by receiving revelation knowledge regarding Christ.   Because Jesus is the Perfect and Completed Revelation of Who God is, What God is like and What God does and will do.

if you have seen me, you have seen the Father…  John 14:9

Word for Today:  January 16

God’s Power is adequate but it can be limited.

God is Able but God can be Limited.  God can do all things but God can be prevented from working.  Jesus could do no mighty works in one place because of unbelief.

 And He did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief… Mat 13:58

Unbelief is anti-God and anti-Christ.  Unbelief limits God’s Power and God’s Ability.  Unbelief restrains God in His desire to work for you.

Even though God could… and God would… unbelief and doubt will prevent God from doing it.

Many believers are hindered and kept out of victory because of their own unbelief.  So are churches, denominations, and honest, good and sincere people.

In a sense, it is not necessarily true to declare that “God can do anything…”  He has the Power to do anything, but that power can be hindered, limited and restrained by unbelief and doubt.

God’s effective, operative power depends on us

Matthew 6: 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you…

Kingdom: A realm of Authority and Power.  Rulership.  Dominion.   

Phil 4:6 Be anxious for nothing…  NKJV    

Worry, fear, anxiety, stress, frustration, disappointment, disillusion… Emotional overload… Drama….  all these slander and contradict every promise in the Word of God.  They are outside the Will of God for you.

Notice Jesus is dealing with things that causes any and all of the above.  The crux of the matter.  He’s talking about Survival.  Living.  And He knows the Worries and fears we face in life and our anxiety about the future…    

• What will I have to eat and drink today?
• What will I have to wear tomorrow?  And the days ahead?
• How can I survive at this present time?  When I have nothing stored up?
• What will I do for shelter and protection?
• Who will take care of me?
• What if?……     

So… we need some instruction about how to do this.  How we can overcome worry.  And fear.  And anxiety.  And have assurance that God will take care of us. 

The answer is in the Word and, in fact, is in these words spoken by Jesus Himself.  

1.  Seek (look for) and Find the Kingdom of God.

But seek (zeteo: to look for with the purpose of finding) ye first the kingdom of God,

And Jesus says that this is the FIRST thing we should do.  It becomes our priority.  Our passion.  Our driving force.  Looking for the Kingdom.  Discovering where the Kingdom is. 

In order to overcome anxiety…  (1) Look for the Kingdom.  (2) Find the Kingdom.  (3) Learn how the Kingdom works.  (4) And then, incorporate Kingdom Principles in everyday living. 

And when we succeed in doing this, “All these things (basic living needs) shall be added unto you.” (Mat 6:33). 

When the Kingdom operates in you as God intends for it to, then the Will of God will be done for you.  When the Will of God is done for you…   you will be delivered from all worry, fear, anxiety, and stress.  

Now let’s find the Kingdom.  The Word tells us where it is.  Jesus tells us exactly where it is located.  

• Discover WHERE IT IS

The Kingdom of God is in YOU.     

Luke 17:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within (entos: inside) you.  (that’s why it can’t be seen, or “observed” it is invisible because it inside every believer)  

2 Cor 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.  

God has deposited a TREASURE inside of your human body.  That TREASURE is the Kingdom of God.

• Your Body has become GOD’S HEADQUARTERS.  (His Office, and He’s always “in”)
• Your Mind becomes God’s Operating System. 
• Your Spirit becomes the Controller and Director of your flesh. 

According to the Word, all of Heaven’s Resources are INSIDE the BELIEVER.  Everything God has and all things that pertain to life and godliness (2 Per 1:3) is already inside of the Believer in SEED FORM.  Heaven’s Storehouse is right inside of you… Remember “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”   Where is Christ?  In you.  Where is His Glory?  In you.   What does He possess and what has He given us?  (All things that pertain to life and godliness) They are in you.   They are in you NOW (regardless of outward circumstances or pre-existing problems.  The Answer to ALL THINGS is inside of you and me.

•  Learn HOW IT WORKS

The Kingdom of God works by and through FAITH… (and Not by facts)

It is Supernatural.  It is Eternal.  It functions by Faith and not by Facts. Facts are natural and temporal.  Faith is Supernatural and Eternal.  And it is Faith that pleases the Father (without faith you cannot please God) because GIVING to you is the very thing that pleases God.  (“It’s your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom…”  Lk 12:32) and getting what He has Given you is received only through FAITH.  Jesus prayed, “Thy Kingdom Come thy Will be done in earth as it is in heaven…” (Matt 6:10).  Faith become the door into the resources of the Kingdom of God.

•  The KINGDOM has KEYS

Mt 16:19   And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Keys are for binding and for loosing.  For shutting and for opening.  For stopping and for starting.  They are the scepter of authority for every Believer.

When Jesus conceptualized and prophesied the Church in Matthew 16: 18-19, He gave all the keys to it.

What you do with the Keys determines what HAPPENS to YOU on EARTH.   

• The KINGDOM is DESIGNED to OPERATE on EARTH. 

It is NOT reserved for us just for when we get to heaven. It is on earth that we need the THINGS OF GOD… the POWER of GOD… the AUTHORITY of GOD… the ABILITY of GOD… the GIFTS of the HOLY SPIRIT… the KINGDOM works through the Church (the Body of Christ).  We are GOD’S FAMILY and we are called and commissioned to live heaven’s life here on earth in the very midst of a “crooked and perverse” generation…   

• WHATEVER you NEED can be FOUND in the KINGDOM

And the KINGDOM IS IN YOU.  We do not wait for blessings to “fall from heaven” on us.  “The Glory of the Lord is Risen upon you” (Isa 60) “THE KINGDOM of HEAVEN SUFFERETH VIOLENCE” (religion will pervert the truth and purity of it).  Religion and the organized church has done violence to the kingdom for years.  “AND THE VIOLENT (forceful, determined, strong) TAKE IT BY FORCE…” (Matt 11:12)   

But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Phil 4:19

Receive a Revelation of this Truth and you will be enabled to overcome every obstacle you will ever face and defeat every demon you ever encounter.   

Will YOU RECEIVE IT??

You were born with a Purpose and brought into the Kingdom for a Purpose. 

You are alive today for a Purpose.  You are where you are for a Purpose.  You can know it and rejoice in it BECAUSE IT IS GOOD.  It is better than you can imagine (Jer 29:11). When you discover God’s Purpose you can purpose to do the same things God does.   It places you in agreement with God.  When you are in agreement with God you are in disagreement with the devil, the powers of darkness and every force of evil.   

When your purpose is the same as God’s purpose you have the POWER OF HEAVEN working with you. 

You are, in effect, walking with God.  When you walk with God you are in agreement with Him and when you are in agreement with Him you can “ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you.”   Joh 15:7  

This keeps you in the place of authority and power and control.  It gives you strength to do what needs to be done.  It guarantees your control over every “situation” and “circumstance.” This is exactly what Paul meant when he said:  “now unto Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that worketh in us.”  Eph 3:20

The “power that worketh in us” is the Power of Heaven that is released when you walk in agreement with the Purpose God has designed for you.

It’s a fail-safe thing

God’s Will is for every human being to be saved.   

God wants the entire human race to be birthed into His family.  God wants every man, woman, boy and girl to be SAVED.   POTENTIALLY the entire human race (both born and unborn) were redeemed from sin when Jesus Completed His Redemptive Work on the Cross.   

What is involved in salvation?  God has a part and man has a part.  God’s part is called REGENERATION and man’s part is called REPENTANCE and FAITH.  When we repent of our sin and believe in our heart that Jesus is Messiah and when we openly and unashamedly confess our heart-belief, we are BORN AGAIN (Rom 10:9). 

At that One Magnificent Moment, God impregnates us (natural man) with His Life and we are made a New Creation (Supernatural and God-Birthed).  God’s Life comes into us along with all of God’s Characteristics and we become the Sons of God…  But as many as received Him to them gave He power to become the Sons of God…  John 1:12. 

God’s Life comes into us, God’s Power comes into us, God’s Authority comes into us, God’s Love comes into us, God’s Faith comes into us, God’s Very Nature comes into us…. We are made (Re-created) “in the image” of God. 

And we are conformed to the Image of Jesus Christ, God’s First-Begotten.   (Rom 8:29)

Hallelujah 

Word for Today:  January 15

There are indications everywhere.

There is a witness in the heart of every turned-on believer.  God is moving.  The earth is responding.  The world is waiting.  All creation is anxious… The church is being retooled.  This is the hour.  Something BIG is about to happen.

There is a drawing toward God.  The Holy Spirit is reaching into the hearts of men (all kinds of people) and drawing and attracting…   inexorably, as a magnet draws iron, pulling them toward God.  It is relentless.  It is miraculous. It is supernatural.   There is hunger.  And this hunger is indicative of the Divine Plan and Purpose of God manifesting in this hour.

You feel the drawing.  Right now.  There is a Divine Stirring deep down inside your spirit.  It (your relationship with Jesus) is not like it used to be.  It is changing.  There is a dissatisfaction, an urgency, which is driving you to seek His Face and a determination to be conformed more and more into His Image.

The things of the world are becoming less and less important to you.   The reason for your very existence is coming into focus.

You are being drawn into the Glory of God…

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.  2Co 3:18

Word for Today:  January 12

God’s heart has never changed.

His heart has always been inclined toward man.  It is now and it always has been.  Man was originally created in order that God might have a family.  God wanted companionship.  God wanted fellowship.  God wanted relationship.  God wants to love and He wants to be loved.    God wanted to have a family to love and to bless and to keep unto Himself.

This is the Heart of God.

God wants to have children that will reciprocate His love.  God is Love, God loves and God wants to be loved.  Do you realize that God made the heavens solely for the benefit of earth? Do you know that God made the earth solely for the benefit of man?  Can you believe that God created all animal life and plant life solely for the benefit of man?  Everything and all things that God created by His power, were and are created for the benefit of man.

And God made man for Himself.

All of creation is designed to sustain human life.  Scientists are now beginning to recognize that the entire universe has been created and calibrated to support and sustain human life right here on earth.   The original Plan God had is still the same.   Even though satan entered and Adam sinned and death was brought into the earth, God has Eternally Purposed for Man to be His Own.

You belong

Word for Today:  January 11

We are not what we were.

Yesterday.  Last Week.  Last Year.  10 minutes ago.  We are changing.  We are growing.  We are conforming more and more to the Image of Jesus.

God’s New Creation Army are Champions.   Achievers.   Overcomers.   Supernatural Men and Women and Children.  More than Conquerors.   That’s us.  That’s you and me.

• We are invincible to the forces of darkness.
• We live in health and prosperity and we walk in constant victory.
• We are New Creation Men and Women.

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.  2Cor. 5:17

We live by God’s Law of Life and we have been set free from the law of sin and death.  Sin, satan and failure have no dominion over us.

• We know who we are where we are going.
• We are not moved by fear or doubt or unbelief.
• We walk by faith and live by faith.
• We are a “Peculiar People” and Royalty through our Blood Line.

We are the Ones who will rule and run and reign on the earth in this emerging hour… we are the end-time army destined to defeat and destroy the works of darkness and the powers of the kosmos.

God has waited long and patiently for us to be birthed and developed.  He has Plans for us.  He has Provisions for us.  He has Power for us.

Our Time has come.

Your Time has come

There are probably more flaky ideas about heaven than any other subject in the Bible.  There is little or no teaching about it in most churches today and even less is written about it.  Heaven is a place where we all want to go, but we do not know what we will find when we get there.  We have been told some really wild tales about heaven.  It should not be so.  We need to know the truth. 

The Bible is very plain in describing heaven.  It tells us what heaven is like.  It tells us who is there.  It tells us what heaven is.  It tells us how to get there.  

What do you know about heaven?  How did you find out what you know about heaven?  Did someone tell you?  Preach to you?  Encourage you at some funeral?  Did you study about it in Sunday School, Vacation Bible School or in some Home Prayer Meeting?  Did you hear about heaven from your parents?  From your preacher?  Where did you learn what you know about heaven?  There is only one legitimate source of information and that is the Bible.  Let’s look and see what the Bible says about heaven.

The Bible speaks of different kinds of heavens.  When the Bible says  “heaven” you need to know which heaven it is talking about.

There is the First heaven.  This is the heaven of the atmosphere.  This is the blue sky where the clouds are.  It is the air we breathe.  It is the blanket of air that covers the earth to a depth of approximately 15 – 20 miles.  It is the closest heaven to earth. 

Then, there is the second heaven.  This is the heaven of outer space.  The stars, planets, and galaxies are there.  The second heaven is the heaven of outer space.  Where the sun is.  Where the moon is.  Where the planets are.    The stellar heaven and our solar system and all the universe… these are located in the second heaven.

The third heaven is the dwelling place of God.  It is where God’s Throne is and where God dwells.  It is just as real and just as tangible as the first and the second heaven.   The first heaven and the second heaven are physical and natural.  The third heaven is spiritual and supernatural.  Paul was caught up into the “third” heaven.  John was allowed to see into heaven through a “door that was opened” (Rev 4:1).  The rich man Jesus told about was able to see into heaven from his place of torment in hell.  He saw real people in a real place that he knew and recognized.  He was able to talk to those in heaven and beg them to send him a drop of water to cool his tongue.  It is this third heaven we want to know about.

What is not there:  the curse, sin, tears, death, sorrow, sickness, crying, pain, parting.

Who is not there:  the devil, the fearful, unbelievers, murderers, whoremongers, sorcerers, idolaters, and liars.

Who is there:  God, Jesus, the Holy Ghost, the Redeemed.  Angels and Ministering Spirits.

Men have been taken to heaven and have lived there for thousands of years in their natural bodies (Gen 5:24; 2 Ki 2:1, 11)

One of the cities in heaven is the heavenly Jerusalem (Gal 4:26; Heb 11:10-16; 12:22; 13:14; Rev 3:12;  21:2,10)

The Heaven that we will inhabit forever is a city.   It is a city in preparation.  Jesus said in John 14 that He was going to prepare a place for us and if He went and prepared a place for us He would come again and receive us unto Himself so that where He is we would also be.  (John 14).

In Revelation 21:9 – 22:5 heaven is described

It is a city that is filled with the glory (majesty, magnificence, excellence, preeminence, dignity, grace) of God.  It has an outward appearance of beauty, precision, and wealth that has never been witnessed in the natural.   The light within the city is like reflections from precious gems and priceless jewels.  John describes it as “her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal…” (21:11).  The jasper stone is a beautiful sea-green.

It is a city with walls, foundations, and gates (21:12-14).  It is the biggest and largest city ever known or imagined.  It is 1500 miles square.  It is measured with a gold measuring reed.  (21:15).  (God is extravagant!  Even His yard stick is made of gold!)  It is as long and wide as it is high. 

The wall around the city is over 200 feet high.  It is made of some material that resembles jasper (a precious gem of opaque quartz that is dark green in color).  The wall has 12 foundations (must be huge to support a wall 200 feet high)

            1.  Jasper

            2.  Sapphire:  Precious stone of transparent rich blue

            3.  Chalcedony:  Pale blue translucent quartz with wax-like luster

            4. Emerald:  Rich green gemstone

            5.  Sardonyx:  An onyx having parallel layers of deep orange and red

            6.  Sardius:  Deep orange and red gemstone

            7.  Chrysolyte:  A gold like stone with a dusky green and yellow cast… a type of topaz.

            8.  Beryl:  Transparent bluish-green gem

            9.  Topaz:  Pale green gem with a mixture of yellow

            10. Chrysoprasus:  Yellowish green stone with a bluish hue

            11. Jacinth:  Red and yellow stone… a cinnamon stone

            12.  Amethyst:  Purple or violet stone composed of strong blue and deep red

There are twelve gates in the 200 foot wall that surrounds the city.  Three gates are positioned on each of the four sides of the wall making 12 gates in all.  Each gate is made from one pearl… (21:21) not “pearls” but “pearl” singular.  The city itself is made from pure, transparent gold… nothing like it has ever been seen by human eyes.  It is beyond human comprehension in beauty, opulence, and extravagance.

The street or streets in the Holy City are made of pure transparent gold just as the city.  This is a substance that is unknown to us here on earth.

The city itself is made of pure transparent gold as clear as glass   (21:18).

There is no temple there that is necessary for one to enter into in order to meet with God as it was in the OT.  God and Jesus will be visible and present within the city at all times anywhere for any who come in to worship and have fellowship.  God and the Lamb are the Temple of it  (21:22).

The glory of God and of His Son is of such brilliance that the city has no need of the sun for light.  It is never dark in the New Jerusalem… “there shall be no night there…” (22:5)  for the glorious Light of the Eternal Presence of God continually illuminates the city.

The New Jerusalem will be the eternal headquarters and dwelling place of God throughout Eternity.  The nations of the earth (those who lived from the tribulation period through the millennium will multiply and replenish the earth in order to carry out the original plan and purpose of God as Adam and others would have if man had not sinned.   These are the “sheep nations” of Matthew 25), will flow into the New bringing their gifts and presenting themselves before God and the Lamb forever.  It will be a time of worship, praise, celebration, joy, and fellowship greater than anything the world has ever witnessed. The city is called Mount Zion (Heb 12).

The gates will never be shut.  It will be open eternally for any of the redeemed to pass into and through.  Only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life will be allowed to enter. 

This city of God will have a pure river of water flowing out from the throne of God and of the Lamb (22:1).    “The mount of the congregation in the sides of the north” (Isa 14:12-14);  “the mountain of His holiness” (Psa 48:1).   This city of God will have each of the great broadways (three on each side; 12 in all) proceeding out from each side of the throne of God. These “water of life” rivers will flow in the midst of it.  On either side of these great golden broadways will be rows of the Trees of Life which bear 12 kinds of fruit each month.  The preservation of life will be provided by the leaves of these trees.  Since there will be no sickness or disease in Heaven, these leaves are taken to preserve eternal life and health for all heaven’s inhabitants throughout eternity.

There will be no more of the curse that came as a result Lucifer’s and Adam’s rebellion.  Conditions will be as before the curse and they will continue forever just as if the curse had never happened.  The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in this great city and all the inhabitants of heaven will serve God eternally.  The servants are those who are redeemed, the faithful angels and all of earth’s creatures that have not rebelled or who have been delivered from all possibility of rebellion in all eternity (Eph 1:10; 1 Cor 15:24-28).

All those in the Holy City will be able to see the Face of God.  His Name shall be written in their foreheads and they will rule and reign with God forever.  They will actually assist God in administering the affairs of the universe for ever and ever.  

How to get there:  Romans 10:9-10

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.   For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

DON’T MISS IT

Word for Today:  January 10

Words are carriers.

We speak words and the words we say become carriers.  When our words agree with God’s Word they will carry God’s Power with them.  When our words agree with the negative world system, they will carry the power of the world system with them.

If we could ever learn to talk right, speak the Word and only what the Word says instead of what we see and feel and think, we could experience a radical transformation in our situations and circumstances.

The Devil and his demons must submit to the Word of God that we speak.  When we realize that all the death stuff that is happening to us is caused by the devil and his demons and then get a real revelation of the Power of the Word of God we will be on the road to recovery.  We will be positioned to change things in us and around us.

But as long as we set our tongue in agreement with death, we will have what we say.

We can Search out and find those God Words that contradict our particular problem.  They are in the Bible…. Find them!   If we are sick, look up scriptures about healing.  If we are afraid and depressed, look up scriptures that promise peace and assurance.    If we are struggling financially, look up scriptures that promise God’s provision for us.  If we are held captive by habit or addiction, look up scriptures that promise us deliverance and freedom.  Then we make those scriptures a vital and strategic part of our language.  We begin to articulate audibly and forcefully with our mouth what God has already said about us in His Word.

When we do this, we will begin to see immediate changes.  God honors His Word above His Name.  God sends His Word to accomplish and create His purposes.

So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish (create) that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. Isa 55:11

Ps 107:29   He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still  

Mark 4:35   And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side

Mark 4:36   And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship And there were also with him other little ships

Mark 4:37   And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full

Mark 4:38   And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?

Mark 4:39   And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm

Mark 4:40   And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?

Mark 4:41   And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

What are Storms? 

Storms are circumstances and situations.   Storms are problems.  Storms are crises.  Storms are hindrances and delays and disappointments.  Storms are situations that plague us and harass us and attempt to destroy us.  Storms are sicknesses and physical attacks. Storms are Family conflicts and marriage troubles.  Storms are difficulties and impossibilities in the workplace. Storms are addictions and habits that keep us in bondage.  Storms are demonic.

Where do they come from?  What causes them?

The devil causes storms.  They are demonic attacks.  They are designed to do what the devil wants to do to you… to kill you, to steal your goods, and to completely destroy you.  Storms are planned and birthed in hell.  They are designed for you personally by the devil and his demons.  They are intended to keep you as far away from God and God’s Purpose as possible.  

What is the Purpose of Storms?

The purpose and intent of storms is to stop you before you get where God wants you to be.  Storms arise and winds blow in the process of MINISTRY and SPIRITUAL GROWTH.  When you determine to obey God and Be a Blessing to OTHERS is when you will find yourself in a storm with the devil attempt­ing to sink your boat.  The moment you decide to Go to the Other Side with Jesus, satan will send a storm to stop you and to sink your boat.  You hear the voice of God… the challenge… the command… (this is point A) and you start out toward point B which is the place where God wants you.  And on the way….. you run into a STORM.

            (1) Storms arise and winds blow in the process of MINISTRY and SPIRITUAL GROWTH.  When you determine to obey God and Be a Blessing to OTHERS is when you will find yourself in a storm with the devil attempt­ing to sink your boat.

            (2) Storms will challenge your faith.  You may not be able to see God or hear from God.  You will be tempted to give in to wonder (“Why me?”) and doubt (“What if?”).

            (3) Storms are caused by the devil and they are devices to stop you from getting to the place where God wants you to be!!    God does not cause storms… if He did then Jesus was guilty of rebuk­ing God in this case.

            (4) Storms do not mean that God is not with you.  On the contrary, they are proof that He is with you and that a miracle is about to take place.   Storms are not “punishments” or “chas­tenings” from God… God will not put you in a storm to “teach you something!”   

Some of the most dedicated NT personalities were at times caught in a storm.  The disciples were in the middle of the sea in a storm and saw Jesus walking on the water.

Paul was on the way to Rome and his ship was nearly destroyed in a great storm.

Storms can cause:

Discouragement and despair.  They can move us to a place of giving up and going down with the ship.  They can make us tired and weary.  They can cause us to blame God and get mad at Him.  They can destroy our peace and mess with our minds.  They can make us sick and frustrate us.  Storms can strain our marriage and hurt our home. Storms can separate us from friends and destroy relationships.  Storms can keep us out of the Will of God. 

Here are some common errors believers make in the midst of the storm:

• Some will use their own efforts to “bail out the boat” and try to keep it afloat.  
• Some will look at the storm and try to size it up.  “How long?”  “How strong?”  “What’s wrong?”
• Some will concede to defeat immedi­ately.  

If you are in the midst of a storm, what are you going to do?     How do you intend to handle the situa­tion?  Are you going down with the ship?  Or will you Stand in the Storm?

Notice our Text:

Mark 4:35   And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.   

• It was time to move.  It is late in the day.  Night is at hand.  Let’s go while we can. 
• Jesus wants us to go with Him.  Jesus said “Let us”… not “Let Me” or “You go by yourself…”  He said, “Let US.”   
• Jesus knows that there is a Miracle waiting “on the other side…”  (Remember the Demon Possessed man that got free of the devil?   That what is going to happen to those who Stand in the Storm and make it to the other side….  There will be a miracle waiting for you.

Mark 4:36   And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.

• Jesus wants us to be a part of the inner cir­cle.  Notice He sent the multitudes away.   
• Jesus wants us to “Take Him” just like He is.    He is, Not like we make Him.  Not like religion makes Him.  Not like unbelievers make Him.  But “Like He is…”
• There are many other “ships” that you can get in.  Be sure you get in the ship that Jesus is in.  There is the religious boat.  There is the denomination boat.  There is the performance boat… the good works boat.  There is the “feeling” boat.  The program and method boat.  There is the tradition boat.  Many boats are out there, but Jesus is in only one of them. 

Mark 4:37   And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.

• Storms “arise…”  They start small and get bigger.   
• The storm buffeted the ship… the place where Jesus was.  Where is Jesus now?  He is IN THE BELIEVER.  The fury of hell rages against every believer. 
• The raging waves began to spill over into the ship.  When the outside gets on the inside, un­less a miracle happens, the ship will sink.   
• The ship got full.  Your ship may be full.  The outside may have gotten inside.  But remember, Jesus is in the ship with you and God will come to your rescue.    Don’t panic.

Mark 4:38   And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?

• Jesus was not alarmed.  He refused to be affected by the devil.  satan was no problem to Him.  Nothing satan can do or could do was any danger to Him.  “Nothing shall by any means hurt you…”  Luke 10:19
• He was in the “hinder part” of the ship.  This is where the rudder is located.  He was at the place of choosing the direction of the ship.
• He was asleep.  No worries.  No fears.  No problems.  No danger.  He was at rest.
• He was calm.  His followers were in a frenzy.  They were hysterical.  They were filled with fear. 
• The disciples were certain that they were going to die.  They said so.  “Don’t you care?  We are in serious trouble.  We are going to die.”  
• To accuse Jesus of not caring is to call Him the opposite of Who He is.  What you say is what you get.  What you believe is what will happen.  What you fear is exactly what will come upon you.

Job 3:25   For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me

Mark 4:39   And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm

• Jesus got up.  Jesus spoke up.  Because His faith was UP. 
• He rebuked the wind.  (This is the cause of the waves.  You need to speak to the CAUSE not the RESULT).
• He “said” to the sea.  “Said” means com­manded.  You can command things to happen with the words of your mouth.   No matter how impossible the situation may seem to be. 

Mark 4:40   And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?

• Jesus dealt with the imminent danger, and then He turned to His disciples.  “What’s wrong?” “What’s the matter?”  “Why are you so afraid?”  Why have you decided to die?”  What made you give up?”  “Don’t you know WHO is WITH YOU?”

Mark 4:41   And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

• They were afraid of the wind.  They were afraid of the waves.  They were afraid of the sea.  Then they were even afraid of the answer.  No won­der Jesus accused them of having no faith.
• Then they got to talking to one another.  They did not talk to Jesus, they talked to one an­other.  When you talk to one another, gossip will continue.  When you talk to Jesus, gossip will stop.
• Unless YOU KNOW what Manner of Man Jesus is, you will always find yourself in disturbances and storms and threatening situa­tions. 
• Why should not the wind and sea obey Him?  He created them.  His Word created the wind and the sea.     
• Storms are threatening.  Storms can be frightening.  Storms can be fatal.  Storms can be destructive.  Storms can change things.  Storms can be turned into blessings.

I.  BE CALM   (38)

We are to be like Jesus and Jesus never suffered from PANIC or ANXIETY or NERVOUS TENSION.  He as calm, cool, and collected.  He was ASLEEP.  ASLEEP in the MIDST of the STORM.   

My children slept right through some of the greatest storms of my life. They were as­sured that I had everything under control and that I would keep my cool and see them through.     If God is our Father, and He is, then He will take care of us and see us through.  Hallelujah!!

II. SPEAK THE WORD  (39)

The Word spoken in faith and prayed in faith always produces PEACE.  In this storm, Jesus REBUKED the wind and SAID to the sea…  There is a time to PRAY and there is a time to ARISE and SPEAK THE WORD.  Faith-filled words will make the NATURAL submit to the SPIRITUAL.  If “no-faith” which is what the dis­ciples had (“how is it that ye have no faith…?”) yields to the destructive power of storms then FAITH (which is what Jesus had) makes the de­structive power of storms SUBMIT to the POWER of GOD.    

You cannot SPEAK THE WORD if you do not KNOW THE WORD and you cannot ACT ON THE WORD if you do not BELIEVE THE WORD.  WORDS that were FULL OF GOD’S FAITH released God’s Power and brought cre­ation into existence.  (More stars in the heavens that grains of sand on all the shores of all the seas of the earth)  God’s Word spoken and prayed in FAITH will move mountains and stop storms.

III.  DON’T BE AFRAID  (40)  

Notice the times in the Word that Jesus tells us to “fear not…”  Notice the times He was met with a crisis that He said “Do not be afraid…”  Fear and “no faith” are one and the same!!  You will fear to the exact degree that you have no faith.  Little faith… much fear.  Much faith…little fear.  GREAT FAITH… no fear!!  Fear motivates satan and sets demon forces in action.  Fear is a spirit and must be dealt with accord­ingly.  “God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of love, power  and a sound mind…” EVERY STORM YOU FACE will attempt to GET YOU TO MOVE IN FEAR.  The only place in your life that satan can control is that place that is domi­nated by FEAR.  Fearing it is EXPECTING IT to happen.  (New pajamas, new gown, new under ware new robe in drawer saved for when you get sick and go to the hospital) 

• Jesus did not look at the storm
• Jesus did not listen to the negative confession of His companions
• Jesus did not expect the worst to happen
• Jesus released His faith by the Words He spoke

IV. EXERCISE YOUR AUTHORITY  (41) Take Charge of the Storm

“What manner of man is this?”  Jesus said that you and I would do even GREATER WORKS than He did because He was going to the FATHER.  His return to the FATHER re­leased the HOLY SPIRIT to the CHURCH to function in GOD’S place and DO GOD’S WILL on earth.  What Jesus said is POSSIBLE and any­thing short of it is DOUBT and UNBELIEF.  God has given us (you and me) the ABILITY and POWER and AUTHORITY to do what He says we can do.  “I can’t” is a cop out and cuts across everything God said about His Children.  YOU CAN because GOD SAYS YOU CAN!!  It has nothing to do with how HARD or IMPOSSIBLE the task may be or how VIOLENT your STORM may be.

You are a misfit on earth because you are now made to live and function by heaven’s laws and principles.  You have GOD-POWER… GOD-LIFE… GOD-AUTHORITY living inside of you.  YOU can stand in the storm.  You will conquer your storm.  You will get to the place God wants you to be.  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad be­cause the winds of your storm will be invaded by God and they will drive you to the other side!!  Right where God wants  you to be!!!

“I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me…”   walk through the fire and walk on the water… defy devils and cast out demons… witness with power and preach with effective­ness… possess the wisdom of God and have the mind of Christ… Life your life filled with all the fullness of God!  

YOU WILL SURVIVE