Heaven and Earth
Heaven and Earth
David W. Edwards
This is a series of articles on Heaven filling the earth. I wanted to compile them together in one place for study for our readers. The articles read almost like a story as we go through them so having them here will allow our readers to read them as one chapter on the subject.
I hope this series encourages you to seek for the things of heaven to become realities here on the earth, demonstrating to the world that Jesus is a king that loves them. For comments please click here for the individual articles.
God Dares Us To Dream
Normal people don’t change the world. Many live their lives day to day simply fitting in to society. As believers this is a culture in which we must stand out and not stand in. We are the ones who demonstrate to this society that there is more than the every day, more than the normal. We must look beyond ourselves, we must become dreamers. Dreamers believe for the impossible. They are stargazers, they are wanderers, they are the adventurers.
Even if your life seems normal–if you are eternity conscience–then you are different, viewing life from a standpoint and paradigm that those around you fail to have the capacity to realize. Therefore if you live from eternity, your life will stamp the times with meaning and significance for generations to come. You contain in your relationship with Jesus the substance the earth is starving for. Grasping this empowers you to no longer remain the same,–to no longer remain normal. You become something different, something other, something that looks a lot like Jesus. And that something inside of you that will influence the world. So believe for it, dream for it, and simply go for it.
“Here Comes this Dreamer…”
Scripture is full of dreamers. The first dream of calling in the Bible was given to Jacob. Jacob had a dream in which heaven met earth (Genesis 28:12-13 ESV).
And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! And behold, the LORD stood above it and said, “I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring.
This dream is a call for a land to be inhabited by a people where heaven meets the earth. I had never noticed this before: this was not just a dream about land, but about a land filled with people who walked in the presence of God. The dream was the introduction to the vision that took hold of Jacob’s heart.
Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I willnot leave you until I have done what I have promised you (vv 14-15).”
Originally my focus for this was going to be on Joseph being a dreamer, and as I flipped through this passage, the heading captured my attention;Jacob’s Dream. Jacob’s dream was the foundation for all that his son Joseph would do. Joseph’s dream was a fulfilling and continuing Jacob’s.
Joseph dreamed that his brothers were bowing down to him (vv 37:1-11). This was a necessary component of God making a way to bring the people back to His land after the coming famine (See the rest of Genesis and Exodus if this story is unfamiliar to you.) Joseph had several dreams about this and would relay it to his father, who was also a dreamer. Jacob loved Joseph because he was the son of his old age (3), but I also think that he loved him more because he too was a dreamer. However, his brothers despised him because of it.
His brothers were not dreamers like their father and brother. They could not understand the significance of Joseph’s dream and how it related to fulfilling their father’s dream. ”They said to one another, ‘Here comes this dreamer!’ “Compared to his brothers, Joseph was abnormal. He had a dream and saw something from above changing the realities here on the earth.
This is often hard for those around us to hear but being around the ones that have connection to heaven may save them in the long run, as it did Joseph’s brothers. This dream was also vital in his brothers fulfilling their callings as well. Instead of embracing the dream, they were soiled by their places in it. The place you are in may be the gateway, the Bethel experience that takes you higher than you ever thought you would go. In the end the place of serving their younger brother was actually way better than the places they were in when they sold him into slavery.
Let us dream God’s dream.
Let us dream as Jacob, and Joseph, and so many others that went before us, that found something heavenly. Let us dream God’s dream with Him. Our own dreams apart from Him will prove fruitless.
“Imagine” is probably John Lennon’s most famous song. Here are some of the lyrics:
Imagine there’s no Heaven It’s easy if you try No hell below us Above us only sky Imagine all the people Living for today
Imagine there’s no countries It isn’t hard to do Nothing to kill or die for And no religion too Imagine all the people Living life in peace You may say that I’m a dreamer But I’m not the only one I hope someday you’ll join us And the world will be as one
I did not research the song in depth, but it is clear that he dreams of a world of peace. The first two verses show us what are in his mind–things that hinder peace; heaven, hell, countries, and religion. I do understand that he longs for the world to be one and he is dreaming for that to become a reality but his mistake is trying to do it on an earthly level. The very thing that would have propelled him closer to his dream would have been a heavenly vision.
The one thing that can truly unite the world is understanding not religion, but the love of Christ. When we have this we can see people as Jesus sees them and our hate-filled hearts will be filled with love. The sad consequence of hell is that it is not the absence of the love of God, but the rejection of it that sends one there.
In the song John Lennon wants us to join him in rejecting the one thing that would actually make his dream of peace a reality. It is a sad irony. In this song the gut of the matter of man’s struggle with the sanctity of his existence is revealed, which is why the song is so captivating. Also the pulse of the song to me is the same of the desperation of the Muslim morning call to prayer I have heard on the mission field. There is a catastrophic cry in the heart of man. This is the reason for God choosing us. God dares us to dream, to look beyond ourselves, to see all that is possible in Christ.
For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God (Romans 8:19).
The world’s desperate cry will be answered by us when we dream. Dreams create vision. Vision creates calling. Calling creates action. Action creates disciples. Disciples don’t merely change society? Rather, they create the society of heaven here on the earth!
Be a Dreamer
I say imagine a society of dreamers who dream the things of God. “God dares us to dream” is a phrase the He dropped in my spirit one day. I was thinking about how I should be living in heavenly places and doing the things Jesus did as He has commanded me. I was thinking beyond what I was experiencing and it gave me the vision to get there.
Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law (Proverbs 29:18).
God wants us to daydream, to night dream, and to imagine all the things we can become when we dream of Him. God dares us to dream.
Where Heaven Meets Earth
According to Genesis, God’s house is where heaven meets earth. He resides where there is a connection, where there are those–forgive the analogy–who are plugged in. As I edited this study I drove around looking for a wifi connection. I needed a place to connect. In the same way the earth needs those who are connected to Heaven. Anywhere this happens, God’s house is being built and established.
This is a continuation of my last post God Dares Us to Dream. I mentioned Jacob’s dream and described how it was much more than a dream, much more than the way we have always seen it. This was the introduction of heaven kissing earth. Lighting is simply the fact that particles in the atmosphere have a need to connect to the particles on the earth. We are called to be the lighting in our generation. Jesus compared His appearing to lighting flashing in the east being visible in the west.
For just as lightning comes form the wast and flashes event to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. (Matthew 24:27)
We are all lightning bolts. We are the connections of heaven to earth. Jesus announcing that His return would be like lightning is not on accident. It is the ultimatum of heaven and earth colliding. Our lives are prophecies of this. We are living epistles that this is what is going to happen. John G. Lake described the power of God on him as lightnings in his hands. Even though we live on the earth our homes are in heavenly places.
And raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ. (Ephesians 2:6)
We are bi-universal. There is a parallel universe–it is the supernaturalrealm. Not only do we have access there but we also have authority there because we are seated next to the One who owns all authority. We have the authority to administer heaven to earth in Jesus name.
We are called to a higher existence. We are called to live like we were created–in the image of God. There is a chasm of sin that separates men from God that is completely destroyed by faith in Jesus.
This is the magnitude of the impact of Jacob’s dream. His dream is insight into the meaning of life. His dream opens the door to endless possibilities. God showed Jacob how He builds His house in the earth. He uses people who are connected to heaven.
This is apostolic. This is prophetic. This is fulfillment. This is the way its supposed to be. Men connected to God. A father connected to His kids. There was never meant to be a separation with men hidden from the presence of God. This is the very place we are supposed to dwell, to live, to thrive, to function, to be.
And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! And behold,the LORD stood above it and said, “I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. (Genesis 28:12)
As I mentioned previously: “This dream is a call for a land to be inhabited by a people where heaven meets the earth.” This is where God showed His son Jacob that there is a place where heaven meets the earth. There is a place man can once again find God. There is a place where supernatural activity takes place. There is a place in the earth where God will build His house.
This dream is the introduction of God’s house in the earth. Through this He will build a nation. This nation will be one called out from all the other nations to have this relationship with God. Through this nation His Son will come to the earth with His kingdom. Jesus is the ladder, the connection.
Truly, truly I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man. (John 1:51)
This is a statement of monumental proportions. All of Israel not only knew of Jacob’s dream but built their existence on it. And here is Jesus fulfilling it on the earth in plain sight.
Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered Him, “ Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.”Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” (John 1:48-50)
The secret is to believe. When this happens, the connection is established. Here Jesus is explaining to Nathanael that he too will see in the same way and even greater than when Jesus saw him under the fig tree. The ones who see are beckoned to open the eyes of those who do not.
Jesus was telling Nathanael that he was going to see the same things Jacob saw. And by the way, I am the Ladder. I am the one that brings you into this heavenly realm.
Bethel. God’s house. God is building His kingdom in the earth today (Daniel 2:44-45). It is going to be full of these houses. If its not connected to heaven then its not in the network. Our job–our calling–is to be those who are connected and help others to get and stay connected. This network covers and is covering the whole world. God wants everyone, everywhere to experience His kingdom, to experience heaven on earth.
Bethel Church in Redding California is led by Bill Johnson. His book When Heaven Invades Earth is an inspiration. I used to think; “Why don’t they change their name to something new.” However, there could not be a more suitable name for what God is doing in them. There is miracle after miracle happening there. They are a prime example of what I am so feverishly trying to describe. Their heart is to see His Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. Bethel is God’s house and God’s house is where heaven meets the earth.
It is clear that we do not have to wait until eternity to partake of these heavenly things, but that we have access to them now. The culmination of it all is His coming. Until then we prepare the way by generating a “where heaven meets earth” experiences everywhere we go.
Stay tuned, I plan to write more on the topic. I just wrote this out as it flowed. I plan to continue this theme as the Lord adds to it. Thank you.
I encourage that if this is interesting to you and you have not read the title above, to read it. Bill is a leader in everything I am trying to teach here, and he comes with a significantly higher level of experience. Also listen to their podcast, and you will be blessed.
Elements of Heaven and Earth
We exist where worlds collide. We inhabit the dwellings of angels. We function in the midst of the supernatural and the celestial. We reside whereheaven meets earth. We are born of the Spirit (John 3). The Spiritual is our domain. Our address is registered in heaven (Ephesians 2). We have the keys to unlock the sands of time. Our destiny is demonstration of the power. Our call is heaven coming to earth.
Does this sound metaphorical? Does this sound like a dream? I could continue. Are you captivated, intrigued, or angered by these statements? I cannot even capture the essence of them derived from the Word, much less the amplitude of their fulfillment.
Some reserve things like this for the millennium. And yes, that will be grand. However, we have access to all the power of heaven here and now. Imagine such a walk, as Scott Thompson illustrates; that when you die “you don’t go anywhere,” because you already live in heaven here. Do you think that Enoch and Elijah may have figured something out? They did not die, they just transitioned from one reality to another.
Not only is heaven available here on the earth, it is by God’s design for the two to once again become one. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Sin created the separation of the two. Jesus sealed them back together through His love and by His blood. What are we doing? The Church is the body through which the kingdom of heaven is filling the earth. What I am trying to do is open our eyes to more. MORE! Even as Christians there is something inside us that cries out for more. We are created in His image and He is supernatural. Jesus Himself is the embodiment of both the elements of heaven and the elements of earth. In this life we can experience as much of heaven as we have the faith for. And through that we can captivate a generation with the love of God.
I am dreaming out loud here. Can you dream with me? Can we look together through the keyhole in the door and dare to believe for the absolute impossible, the astonishing, the things for which there are no words but our hearts seem to burn for?
This post is a continuation of my previous two posts: God Dares Us to Dreamand Where Heaven Meets Earth. I feel that the surface is just starting to get scratched with the revelations of these matters. If we got just a small glimpse of all that God has for us pertaining to the heavenlies just in this life it would be overwhelming. I am trying to somewhat describe to you particles of vision the Lord has been unlocking to me for a decade. There is a place in God we can go that is awesome. Then we bring some of that awesomness and dish it out to our friends here on the earth.
We don’t quite realize how much apart of heaven we actually are. From day one of our salvation, we are spiritual beings. We are heavenly beings seated at the right hand of Jesus (Eph 2:6). The elements of earth are governed by the elements of heaven. Just as Jesus was a man filled with the Holy Spirit, the elements of heaven make up our being as well.
The moment we are saved we embark on a voyage and set sail on a discovery of God, searching out all things heavenly and finding out the secrets of the mysteries (1 Cor 2; John 3). Adventure is in our nature and drives us to find out what lies beyond the next hill.
Where is heaven? In the midst of those who believe. The beauty of heaven is that there is no substitute for its enchantment. All the other religions of the world are substitutes of this. None of them offer assurance and none offer an actual relationship with God. When heaven is in us they will there is greater reality and that they too can experience God, heaven on earth.
A church in an area where heaven meets earth is like a rock thrown into a small pond that causes a ripple effect that fills the whole pond from shore to shore. Imagine the magnitude of the impact of a meteor. Something of heaven meeting earth. The whole area would be affected by it. Everything would change.
Remember that God lives where heaven meets earth. God’s house is established in the demonstration of the kingdom in the area (Dan 2; 1 Cor 2). A church at its foundation is designed to be supernatural.
A house of God isn’t just supposed to be a place where people talk about Him and sing to Him and take up money for Him. It is supposed to be his dwelling. It is a fellowship of people connected to heaven. Our demarcation is His presence, His Spirit, and His power.
The sound of change is knocking at the door. Understanding and revelation have increased. Let the earth arise to the attention of the moment. Heaven and earth collision. More of God has been released into the atmosphere looking for more hearts to receive Him.
Just imagine what can happen when the possibilities of God–the furthest most unfathomable thing slides right underneath our feet like a galactic surf board that takes us from planet to planet in the firmament of His being.
For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. 1 Cor 2:10
There is something stirring me about the vastness of space. Space, as big and ever expanding as it is, is just the door into the ultimate constitution of spectacular infinitive-ness, glorious and wonderous fathomability of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. May our visions of God be as David before Goliath. The earth will shatter at the sound of the dethroning of principalities because of the presence of Jesus in His people!
God’s heart is larger than worlds and vaster than oceans. He holds the universe in the palm of His hand. (The universe is His iPad) The magnitude of His grandeur is immeasureable. If we traced the expanse of the universe and all the beauty thereof, it would not even touch the infinite pleasure of the hem of His garments. God is much bigger than the universe and His desire is for us to explore Him. The mysteries we find there become food to the ones we are touching with His grace here.
Think of this post as a canvas with some paint on it. Something is beginning to emerge and yet still more is needed to make the understanding complete. I have shared today with you and tried to articulate something I have yet to grasp myself. My goal is to insipire you to dream with me, to open your eyes and take hold of all the heavenly things God has for us in Him.
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of His glory of is inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. Eph 1:18-19a
The Dew of Heaven
In worship at church lately God has really been pointing out the theme of Heaven coming to Earth. If you follow our blog,you may have noticed that my last several post have been on this. It’s as if the more He shares with me on the the matter, the more I now have the perspective and capacity to peer into these realities and to consider the impact of the awakening of our generation to realization of such things.
In God Dares Us to Dream, I was beginning to imagine the possibilities of all that can happen when we begin to dream. Then in Where Heaven Meets Earth the understanding of the knowledge that we are God’s house, connecting heaven and earth started to set in and in the Elements of Heaven and Earth was just me flying around in these revelations trying to wrap my mind around all the awesome things that could happen. And now I am day dreaming of heaven, of the glory of God covering the earth like the dew covers the earth in the morning.
As I looked for images of dew for the article, there were upclose blades ofgrass covered in the dew. I imagine all the people covered and consumed with heaven, with the things we have been discussing, with the presence of God. What does that look like? Maybe if I write 50 of these articles we will have somewhat of an introduction. The point is this; the more we see it the picture will become clearer (1 Cor 13:12) and the image of God will begin to emerge in the earth.
As Bill Johnson so often mentioned in his book; When Heaven Invades Earth, that because in heaven, sickness does not exist; heaven coming to earth would consist of; removing all sickness here. Did Jesus not exemplify this?
Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the Gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people. Mt 4:23
He is the King and His kingdom is the good news that He is proclaiming. So we see with His words and power this kingdom advancing in the earth. Something supernatural is occurring-heaven is touching earth.
Pray then in this way: Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your Name, Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, On earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread… Mt 6:9-11
We just read and example of Jesus administering heaven to the earth. Now, a couple of chapters later, He shows us to pray for this. How do we pray? Your Kingdom come, Your will be done… Where? On Earth! As it is in Heaven…What’s the goal? For the earth to become like heaven. For the kingdom of heaven to physically fill the earth like the dew on the grass in the early morning. Our daily bread, I believe is not just physical, we need manna from heaven, which is Jesus-the very Word and words of God.
We have all these awesome examples of everything the early church did; healing the sick, raising the dead, casting out demons, changing cities and affecting nations. The kingdom of heaven filling the earth through the church. Philip flew around kind of like Elijah would catch rides in tornadoes. And this was the foundation generation for all that those who came after them would accomplish. As Paul mentions in 1 Cor 3, we are both being built and are building the kingdom in the earth. This is our vocation, our occupation and our calling. Your Kingdom Come!
So here we have a few brush strokes on a canvas beginning to realize what heaven coming to earth may look like. We have the essence of the supernatural. We are supernatural kings sent by the King of Kings to establish His rule worldwide. And His return is Him coming to take His place and reign over His kingdom.
I am dreaming of awesome supernatural things to take place. Heaven is a place of limitless possibilities. When heaven comes to earth all of that comes with it. I tried in the last post to describe some of this but words were hard to find that would capture the momentum of my heart in a way that could articulate what I was feeling.
We now attend Bethel Atlanta Church. Every week there are testimonies of heaven touching earth. I even heard in a podcast today that they have had a supernatural testimony everyday since the church was founded and it’s only two years old. So I keep writing on this subject because I am seeing it on a new level and with a new perspective every time we meet.
Scott Thompson, who I mentioned last time, is the director of outreach forJesus Culture. He is also a leader in our church. On Sunday he shared a testimony about the conferance he had just returned from in Cleveland. One of the young girls who was attending had gone back to her hotel room to get something after they had been taught how to give words of knowledge and pray for the sick. Once she returned from her room and stepped off the elevator she heard screaming and people saying, “he’s dead!” She ran over to see what happened. A little boy was found at the bottom of the pool. They tried CPR for 12 minutes but nothing happened. Without even asking she squeezed her way through the crowd and stood over the boy. She leaned over and touched him on the chest and said something like “I command you spirit of death the come off this boy” and “I command you to live in Jesus name.” Nothing happened at first, but she prayed the same thing two or three more times and he began coughing up the water and sat up alive raised from the dead. Stop right here and praise God, come back when you have composed yourself.
Not a Christian superstar, but simply a young girl full of fire and faith presenting a supernatural answer to a supernatural need.
After this, he had the church pray for each other. I prayed for a kid’s pinkie and it was healed. I think the kid may have had more faith than I did. Anyway, afterwards when I was considering what had happened I realized that a supernatural response is a supernatural response. If a pinkie getting healed is totally supernatural then it’s just as supernatural as raising the dead. Both instances require heaven to intervine. A sore pinkie will not instantly heal itself. It needs Holy Ghost. The same Ghost, Spirit, or Breathe is the Breathe that brings life to all and raises the dead. Faith as small as a mustard seed can move a mountain and faith to heal a pinkie can raise the dead. The only difference comes from the mind analysing the situation. I believe this is why Smith Wigglesworth so often said, “Only Believe.”
During worship that morning I was in the back and I just pictured a
mistgently flowing through the sanctuary touching the people. The image was like the dew. Dew, or fog is a cloud that comes down to the earth at night. What a great example in the natural of heaven coming to earth.
Annointing means to be painted with or covered with God. We are covered with God like the dew on the grass, like Adam and Eve walked with God in the cool of the day.
For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. Hab 2:14
The earth was once covered in the waters of judgement. The Lord made a sign of the rainbow to signify that He would never do that again. The rainbow being another natural symbol of heaven meeting earth. Now, He is, in mercy, flooding the earth with His glory.
My heart is just begining to swell with these ideas and revelations. If you have any thoughts on this please comment. When our revelations come together we will see a greater piece of the picture that God is painting in the earth. I will post more on that later in The Fellowship of Revelations.Thanks for following this series on Heaven and Earth and for now I leave you with this verse:
Behold, hnow good and how pleasent it is for brothers to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head coming down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard, It is like the dew of Hermon coming down upon the mountains of Zion; for there the Lord commanded the blessing-life forever. Psalm 133
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