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This study is a brief comparative, meant to spark an interest in deeper study into the Larger Realm of God, its pre-existence and preeminence. It will, from varyious perspectives, compare God’s Heavenly Realm to the Earthly Realm in which we live and reveal how Power from the Heavenly Realm sustaiins the Earthly Realm (represented by the Yellow, inward pointing arrows in the diagram, above. I hope this diagram will aid in comprehending this study, realizing that the Realm of God is not able to be drawn or fully explained by mortal man. God’s realm transcends and engulfs all other realms, whether imagined or what some consider to be reality. God’s Realm is eternal. It has always existed and always will exist. God is a Spirit and His Realm is a spiritual realm. We are told in John 4:23 and 24, “...the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” In 1John 4:1-6, we find, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. 4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. 5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. 6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.” In the image, above, the space outside of the earthly realm (1) cannot be measured. It is both eternal and infinite. In both space and time it is without end, without boundaries. That which immediately surrounds Earth (2), the different spheres to which we have given names, such as atmosphere, stratosphere, ionosphere and those to which we refer to as galaxies and universes (which we have discovered are many) are all contained within the realm of God. There is no limit outward into the spatial reaches, or inward to the very center of the minds of men, women and children on this planet we call Earth. (3) God has established many avenues through which to enter and reside in the earthly realm. In the person of Christ, God resided on Earth, revealing His character and the depth of His love and compassion. Today, He resides in the world in the hearts and minds of men, women and children. When the terms “ Kingdom of God” is considered, people usually think of it as a place “way out there,” if, indeed they even believe it exists. Jesus, however, when the Pharisees demanded to know when the kingdom of God should come, recorded in Luke 17:20 and 21 says, The Realms of Light and Darkness When Jesus said, “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you,” in the text cited above, He was delivering to them the truth of the fact that the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of Christ are One and the same. Just as revealed, in John 10:30. The sight spoken of, here, is spiritual sight — sight which finds its substance in faith. There have always been two classes of people inhabiting the Earth and these two classes have always lived in opposition. The two sides of the image above, represents these two classes, one yielded to God, seeking inner peace and looking forward to His return in glory, the other yielded to earthly aspirations and seeking only a worldly peace, which is always just beyond reach. One is intrinsic and the other extrinsic. One physical the other spiritual. Jesus often used coupled phrases, each phrase representing one of these two classes. In this case those who “think" they see, might realize that their sight is set on worldly, earthly things. We must recognize that, in this text, that Jesus is using a physical representation, “seeing,” of a spiritual principle that is taught throughout the entire Bible. By seeing, it is referring to being able to comprehend or discern “the light”. Jesus also told us that His kingdom is “not of this world.” John 18:36 God’s Spirit is Holy, more particularly, it is the Holy Spirit. Though many speak of the Holy Spirit as an “it,” when spoken of as an individual entity, the Holy Spirit is He (God) not an “it.” A brief consideration of how mankind, as a whole, receives the Holy Spirit. God’s Son, Michael, the archangel (meaning over all angels) came from the Realm of God and when, by the creative power of the Holy Spirit, Mary, was impregnated, the “Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” His Earthly name and the name, by which He would be known from then onward, through all eternity, is Jesus. It is to that name that all shall bow and declare Him to be King of kings and Lord of lords. It was through His earthly experience that the true value of faith was established. We are to place as much faith in the Father’s love as did Jesus, even to the point of sacrificing our lives. This, of ourselves, would not be possible and for the purpose of being able to exercise the faith that come to us as a gift, we are provided with the presence of the Holy Spirit, Who is to guide us into all truth, whatsoever Jesus taught us. In addition, The Holy Spirit of Christ is also to teach us of the things that Jesus said He could not share with us “in person.” This is why Jesus said, “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.” This “Comforter” is none other than the Holy Spirit — the Spirit of Christ. Jesus, in the Old Testament, is also called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. A thorough study of Scripture reveals that Jesus was, indeed, God in the flesh. Jesus, in Whom dwelt “all the fullness of the Godhead, bodily” represents all that lived a righteous life and died a righteous death, spoken of in the book of Hebrews, chapter 11 and, conversely, they represented the Christ, Who was to come. In the Earthly Realm, there are two spirits working, the Holy Spirit of God and the evil spirit of Satan. Both of them are working in those who chose to surrender themselves to that particular (S)spirit. As the Bible teaches, “to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” Romans 6:16 Those who yield their spirit to do the bidding of the evil spirit of Satan, allow themselves to be controlled and do the bidding of his controlling spirit. They readily yield to its enticements and lustful gimmickry. The Lord is working, through our spirit, to gain access to our mind, in which the spirit resides. “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God…” Romans 8:16 “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:26 While God’s Spirit is working to draw mankind unto Himself, Satan is determined to draw those same souls to his evil ways. Satan uses a quite different approach than God does, however. He works in the physical realm, titillating our senses, deceiving us into making faulty determinations and decisions regarding what we see and experience. These deceptions are many and together, they bring us to believe that the physical, earthly realm is the only reality that exists. He strives to distract from and obscure the spiritual reality of God and keep everyone ignorant of the fact that God’s Realm encircles the one over which he has been allowed to reign. God has placed limits upon Satan, by right of being Creator and Sustainer, and only within the limits that God has established, is Satan free to entice and allure God’s children to do his bidding. God leaves the choice to each of us and deals with us on an individual basis — so does Satan. The choices that each person makes, regarding to whom he or she will yield themsleves, and whom they will serve, are individual choices that ultimately determine whether that individual enjoys eternal life or suffers eternal death. Throughout the history of kingdoms, there have been evil kings and godly kings. Quite often, evil kings have had dominion over God's people or so it would seem... However, when we consider God's reasoning in each of these matters, we discover that God was, ultimately, in control and His purposes were always paramount in the issue. The outcome ALWAYS resulted in His will being done in every matter. Let's take a look at two instances, just to briefly explore the point. Joseph in Egypt Joseph had the gift of prophecy and could interpret both his own dreams and the dreams of others. He prophesied, early in life, that his brothers would all be subservient to him in future times. Because of this, great enmity rose up in their hearts and they sold him to a traveling caravan and he was delivered into slavery in Egypt. His brothers meant him harm and had lied to their father, Jacob, telling him that Joseph had been killed and carried away by some beast of the desert. Their hearts were so hardened against Joseph, who meant them no harm whatsoever, that they callously and heartlessly broke their father's spirit in the process of disposing of him. The jealousy and envy of his brothers, however, would ultimately result in the deliverance of all of Israel during a great seven-year famine. Through an incidence involving a baker and a butler (Genesis, Chapter 40), Joseph's gift of dream interpretation became known throughout Egypt. When the pharaoh dreamed a dream, it was discovered that the pharaoh's wise men could not interpret it, so Joseph was called forth and God enabled him to interpret the pharaoh's dream correctly. In the end it was recorded in Genesis 41:39-41, At the beginning of this account, there were two separate kingdoms, Egypt and the kingdom of God, represented in Jacob's faithfulness. At this time in biblical history, God's people, in spite of the faithfulness of Jacob, were on the verge of falling away from Him completely and abandoning His laws, statutes, and judgements. This is made evident in the account of Joseph and how he was treated by his brothers. His brothers, through complicity, had hoped to overcome the possibility of their prophecied subservience to Joseph and, in doing so, would, among themselves, fall heir to the throne of Israel. This, in principle, has a much further reaching and far deeper implication than is apparent in the story, itself. When the principle is applied to today, the worldly are represented in the evil spirit of Joseph's brothers and to keep themselves from becoming subservient to Jesus, they have enslaved God's people (mankind) through debt and worldly propaganda, promising a bright future, as long as they do as their told and believe according to the dictates of the “majority,” which is often those with the most money and power, though they be few. We must ever be mindful of the lesson taught in this account of the faithfulness of Jacob and Joseph. In spite of the many hardships jacob suffered in life, the loss of Joseph being, perhaps, the greatest of those losses, they remained faithful and it resulted in a great blessing of deliverence. Joseph's faithfulness and spirit of innocence, along with the power of God, working in him to foretell the future and having it come to pass as foretold, was proof of God's unlimited power to overrule in the affairs of men. Although the pharaoh did not necessarily submit to God and/or commit his life in service to Him, He did say, Daniel in Babylon The history of this episode in the lives of God's people, begins in the Book of Jeremiah. It is there that the captivity of God's people in Babylon was prophecied and it is there that we find the reasoning behind why God allowed them to be taken into captivity. One would need to read the entire book of Daniel and also gain some level of understanding of the Book of Revelation to more fully discern the intents and purposes of God in the Hebrews captivity in Babylon. In the book of Revelation, Babylon is used as both a representation of Sin[1] and reveal the faulty attributes of false worship. Worship has always been, still is and always will be the central issue regarding Sin. In the end, the deciding factor will also be a matter of worship: who do you worship is determined by who you serve, Sin unto death or God unto righteousness and eternal life. Who a person serves will become increasingly evident as time progresses. Finally, at the end of the world (age) as we know it, when time comes to a close, full evidence is given to the world in regard to the godly character of God's people and the ungodly character of those who follow Satan. ./Continue Here/. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Holy Spirit is received in the same manner that one receives the evil spirit of Satan. By submitting to either the Spirit of God or the spirit of Satan, one yields themselves to either obedience or disobedience, righteousness or unrighteousness. It is that simple. At birth, we inherit a sinful nature – the same nature that Adam “inherited” from Satan, when he disobeyed God and partook of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. In the Earthly realm, this is where and when the spirit of Lucifer was able to beguile (seduce) Adam and Eve. Since that time, every child born into this world has been born with that same sinful nature and anti-God spirit. God is not willing that anyone should perish, so He comes to each of us, where we are, and with loving tenderness, attempts to reveal to us the sinfulness of our ways and invites us to walk in the way He has chosen for us — a way that results in righteousness and, ultimately, eternal life. Paul states it this way in Romans 5:17-19, “For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) 18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. 19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.” The receiving of God’s Holy Spirit is a lifelong process, regardless of length of life. Constantly and consistently every person on planet Earth is given, yet another opportunity to yield to God — another reason to recieve Him as their Savior. It may happen early in life or late in life, but regardless, if it does happen, it will be because of God’s great love for His creation — for each of us as individuals and for all of us as a human race. He has many wonderful things in store for those who yield to His call to righteousness and eternal life in Christ. Enmity in the Earthly Realm This is much like a comparison between the realms of light and darkness in that it represents two classes of people. Yielding to God, makes all the items, in the left-hand column of the above image, available to God’s followers and, conversely, those who deny God and develop their own earthly theories, subject themselves to Satan’s devices and deceptions, listed in the right column. In short, ever man, woman and child is subject to the enmity that was “put” between Satan and his seed and the woman’s Seed. Enmity is a peculiar sounding word with its own peculiar meaning. The word, itself, means hatred, not simply hatred, but deep-seated, intense, hatred and hostility. It is manifested when one or both of two opposing forces, having ill will for one another, act out by word, deed or subtly, often physically. Please understand, at the outset, that there are not two different enmities, but rather, one enmity that is manifested and/or expressed in two different ways. Christ placed the enmity to assure us of both our victory and Satan’s defeat. It feeds itself and on itself, growing in one direction (manifesting evil characteristics) or the other (demonstrating the love of God). Although the word is seldom heard in everyday life, enmity is unquestionably present in every aspect of life and evidenced throughout Scripture. Enmity is, by nature, latent (hidden), unconsciously influencing one's actions, waiting for an opportunity to express and/or exercise itself. It usually denotes antagonism and often causes one, over whom it has control, to act irrationally, even to their own hurt, including forfeiture of life (temporal and/or eternal). Satan’s hatred for God began in Heaven and when he was cast to Earth, the first instance of his hatred against God was expressed in the beguiling of Eve and disobedience of Adam, severing a very crucial spiritual connection between God and man. The entire plan of salvation represents a repairing of this breach. As long as Sin exists in the universe, the breach remains and equally, as long as Sin continues to reign in one’s life, the breach, for that soul has not been healed. In Genesis 3:15, after the fall, we find the very first promise made to Adam and Eve, the father and mother of all mankind. The Lord said, This is represented in the image above. The principle of enmity is spiritual and is only found in God’s Word. Though the word is used in other writings, the enmity of which we are speaking is that which Christ placed at the foundation of the world and which is the central issue in the spiritual battle that is being waged for planet Earth. (Please see the series entitled, “Enmity” for a better understanding of this principle.) In God’s Realm, all things are righteous and all the “doing” that transpires there is unselfish and out of the love of and/or a love for God. This love reaches into the realm of Earth by way of the Holy Spirit and the angels, which are ministering to every man, woman and child on God’s behalf constantly, continually and consistently wooing us into God’s Kingdom on Earth. His earthly Kingdom lives in the hearts of them that hear His voice and submit to its leading. As followers of Christ’s teaching and those mindful of His repeated warnings, we are to watch and pray, living sober, God-centered, Heavenly minded lives. Our conversation should be in Heaven, spiritual. Everything has to do with salvation. The very fact that there are only two choices, salvation and damnation, reveals this fact. More succinctly stated: there is either salvation or no salvation. This is determined by an individual's choice regarding which realm he or she chooses to associate — the Heavenly, Godly Realm or the earthly, sinful realm. Decisions are made, daily, throughout our lives that, together, determine the outcome and purpose of our existence and to which realm we yield ourselves will be maede evident in our actions and attitudes toward our fellow man. The true character will reveal itself and the realm to which a person has yielded, will, sooner or later, become apparent. One of the comparatives that might be recognized is whether a person is becoming more loving, kind, forgiving and compassionate or hateful, judgmental, unkind and begruding. Much more can be said regarding the enmity, and if you visit the link, given above, you will find a continuing series that has been developing since 1992. Vitality Lost In the Beginning, before Adam and Eve’s transgression, everything was full of vitality and all animals, plant life, sea life, fouls of the air and mankind were sustained by the power of God. There was no death or decay, for life’s energy was inherent in each living thing. When I say no death, I’m not just saying that no one ever died, I mean that there was NO death, even at the cellular level – no decay-causing bacteria. “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.” There was nothing in the Garden of Eden that was bad for us, nor anything that would do us harm. Our vitality was greatly diminished, when Adam's (our) spiritual attunement with God was interrupted by the breach caused by Sin. We are told in Genesis 1:29 and 30, “God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. 30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.” Everything that God created was for our good. All the food that God provided was both ‥good” for “meat.” It sustained Adam and Eve in perfect health, until the fall. Praise God that where sin abounds, grace does much more abound. |
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[1] The word “Sin”, here, is capitalized on purpose. In my writings, I use this to signify the difference between the condition or state of Sin and the act of sin, such as a sin or sins that we commit. When Adam fell, “Sin” entered the human experience and mankind, since that first act of rebellion, has suffered under its affliction. The sin(s) we commit are a result of Sin working in us. To put it simply, we sin because of Sin. Return to document. |