Bearing God’s Image

Bearing God’s image is not just a fact, it is a vocation.

~ N. T. Wright, The Challenge of Jesus

God created man in His image and to be like Him and gave him the job of being fruitful, filling the earth, subduing it and having dominion (Genesis 1:26-28). When creation beheld the face of Adam, it beheld the image and likeness of God. Thus, Adam was well suited to fulfill his divine vocation, his calling in the world. Subduing the earth means to bring it into line with the purpose of God. Having dominion means to exercise the divine authority we have been given and the divine likeness in which we have been made, for divine purposes.

The destiny of man and the destiny of Creation are thus closely related. In Quantum Physics there is a theory called Entanglement, which says that two particles that have ever been connected are so related to one another that, even if they are separated on opposite sides of the universe, the state of one affects the state of the other (Praise, Increase and the Theory of Entanglement).

Genesis 2:7 tells us that God formed Adam from the dust of the ground. No wonder, then, that when Adam rebelled and separated from the life and glory of God, creation came under curse (Genesis 3:17-19). And now all creation is groaning, waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God, to be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious freedom of the children of God (Romans 8:18-22).

This has already begun for us, and for creation, in the resurrection of King Jesus the Messiah, who taught us to pray, “Kingdom of God, come — and keep coming! Will of God, be done — and keep being done — on earth as it is in heaven!” (Matthew 6:10; my translation). The goal is heaven on earth, the two becoming one. The resurrection of King Jesus from the dead is the sign that new creation has already begun and what we do in accord with our divine calling in the world will not be in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58). In Jesus the Messiah, our divine calling is restored.

The Algebra of Authority in Heaven and Earth

Before He ascended to His throne at the right hand of the Father in heaven, King Jesus said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18).

Paul said, “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs — heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:16-17).

If all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus, and we are joint heirs with Him, then all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to us.

Call it the “Algebra of Authority in Heaven and Earth.”

What are you doing with the authority you have received in Jesus the Messiah?

(See also The Authority of Heaven on Earth and Divine Algebra)

The Alignment of Heaven and Earth

Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 18:18)

God’s plan is for everything on earth to be brought into perfect alignment with heaven. In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, He made man in His own image and according to His likeness. Then He blessed man — male and female — to be fruitful and multiply, to fill the earth and subdue it, to have dominion (Genesis 1:28).

The Hebrew word for “subdue” means to bring into subjection. The word for “have dominion” means to rule over, to bring under control. Both words speak of bringing the earth into alignment. Alignment with what? With heaven. Man was created to be like God and given dominion over the earth to bring it into line with the domain of heaven.

Of course, there was a major kink along the way, and that was when Adam decided to rebel and disconnect from the life of God. Jesus, eternal Son of God become flesh, came to restore us back to the Father and His purpose for us on earth — to bring it into line with heaven. Indeed, everything in heaven and earth is brought together in Jesus, the God-Man (Ephesians 1:10).

In Him, the kingdom of heaven comes near to us, and He has authorized us to live and act according to it. He teaches us to pray, in what is commonly known as the Lord’s Prayer, “Kingdom of God, come! Will of God, be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10, my paraphrase). He promises us, “Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 18:18).

To “bind” something, in the Hebrew understanding of Jesus, means to forbid it. To “loose” something means to allow it. In the Greek text, “will be bound” is in the future perfect tense and literally means, “will have already been bound.” Likewise for “will be loosed.” Jesus gives us the authority to forbid on earth what has been forbidden in heaven and allow on earth what is allowed in heaven. In other words, we again have the power to bring earth into alignment with heaven.

We see this same authority reiterated a bit differently in the next verse: “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven” (Matthew 18:19). The Greek word for “agree” is symphoneo, which is where we get our English word, “symphony.” It is about accord, not discord. It is being in harmony. When we are in harmony with each other about anything on earth, it will be done for us by our Father in heaven. Notice again the connection between heaven and earth: When we agree on earth about anything, our Father in heaven will do it for us.

How can this be? Jesus tells us in the next verse: “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20). This is what qualifies us to walk in the promise of verses 18 and 19. It is all about Him. We do not have this authority of ourselves. It comes from Jesus. To gather in His name means that everything we do is about Him. We come together for His agenda, not our own. We act as He would act and ask as He would ask. Jesus is always in alignment with the Father, and when we fellowship with Him, we come to know the Father. Our hearts begin to beat with the rhythms of His heart, and in that is the power to change the world.

As we fellowship together with the Lord Jesus Christ, in harmony with each other and our hearts beating with the passions of God, we are positioned and empowered to receive the promises of God, to change the world and bring earth into alignment with heaven.

Whatever Happens, Please Remain Seated

God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us … made us alive together with Christ … and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:4-6)

Every believer in Jesus Christ has been made alive together with Him, raised up together with Him, and seated together with Him in the heavenlies. Notice carefully that this is not something that has yet to happen; it is an accomplished fact. It is not a future hope, but a present reality.

Where is Jesus seated? Paul tells us in Ephesians 1:20-22. God raised Jesus and seated Him “at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is name, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet.”

Jesus has been seated at the right hand of the Father. It is a throne, a place of ruling and reigning. He is seated far above all principality, power, might and dominion, and every name that can be named. This is a statement about His authority. All has been placed under His feet.

That is where Jesus is seated. In Ephesians 2:6, Paul tells us that we are seated there with Him — in that same place of ruling and reigning! We are not merely “above the fray.” We have authority over it. It is the authority of prayer in the name of Jesus and faith in the Word of God.

We are fully authorized agents of God’s kingdom, given charge by our Lord and High King to pray, “Kingdom of God, come. Will of God, be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).

Do not be shaken by the turmoil of these days. You are a representative of the kingdom of God — indeed, of the King Himself. You have the authority to bring things on earth into line with the plan of God and the purpose of heaven, just as Jesus taught us to pray.

Your place is on the throne of heaven with the Lord Jesus Christ. Whatever happens, please remain seated.

Whose is the Earth?

The earth is the Lord's and all its fullness.
The world and those who dwell therein.

(Psalm 24:1)

The earth belongs to the Lord because He created it. In Genesis 14:22, He is called, “The Lord, God Most High, the Possessor of Heaven and Earth.”

The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord's,
But the earth He has given to the children of men.

(Psalm 115:16)

As Possessor of Heaven and Earth, the Lord has given the earth to the children of men. This is a stewardship. For when God created man, He said, “Let us make man in Our image, according to our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth” (Genesis 1:26). God created man to have rule and reign over the earth, but it was not an authority that could rightly be exercised apart from God.

We know, of course, that Adam rebelled against the authority of God and spiritually disconnected from Him. The earth was cursed because of Adam's treason. Because man was no longer in proper relationship with God, he became vulnerable to the schemes and deceits of the devil. Since then, satan has held powerful influence over man, and has blinded his eyes to the Creator (2 Corinthians 4:3-6).

God gave man the right to rule over the earth, but satan cheated man out of it. We find something very interesting concerning this when Jesus was in the wilderness and satan tried to tempt Him:

Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if you will fall down and worship me.”

Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.” (Matthew 4:8-10)

Notice that Jesus did not dispute satan's right to give Him the kingdom's of the world and all that belonged to them. But He was not about to yield worship to satan, for God alone is to be worshiped. For the works of the devil were about to be destroyed. The Bible says, “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise share in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Hebrews 2:14-15).

Jesus went to the cross, taking all our sin and bondage upon Himself, and destroyed them there. Then God raised Him from the dead. Forty days later, He ascended to His throne in heaven, at the right hand of the Father, where He rules and reigns forever. But before He ascended, He came to His disciples and declared: “All authority has been given to me in heaven and in earth” (Matthew 28:18). Then He commissioned His disciples to make disciples of all the nations — the same nations and kingdoms that satan offered to give Him if He would simply transfer His allegiance!

These are the nations the Father promised the Son when He said, “Ask of Me, and I will give you the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession” (Psalm 2:8). “But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of the God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool” (Hebrews 10:9-10).

The Lord God of Hosts has always been the Possessor of Heaven and Earth. Though He gave stewardship of the earth to the children of men, He has always been the owner. And though Adam lost this inheritance because of the trickery of satan, Jesus, the “Second Adam” has come to destroy the works of the devil. Now the Lord Jesus is receiving the nations unto Himself through the preaching of His Gospel in all the world. We are now in the time of the outworking of His rule and reign in all the earth.

Forbidding and Permitting

Truly I tell you, whatever you forbid and declare to be improper and unlawful on earth must be what is already forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit and declare proper and lawful on earth must be what is already permitted in heaven. (Matthews 18:18 Amplified Bible)

Here is an amazing statement Jesus made to His disciples; amazing because it empowers them with all the authority of heaven to act upon the earth. Read, mark and inwardly digest what this means about the coming together of heaven and earth:

• Whatever you forbid and declare to be improper and unlawful on earth must be what is already forbidden in heaven.
• Whatever you permit and declare proper and lawful on earth must be what is already permitted in heaven.
  

Of course, in order to exercise this authority, you have to know what is going on in heaven — what is forbidden, and what is permitted. You have to be able to “see” what heaven is about. As Jesus told Nicodemus, “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). The kingdom of God is the rule and reign of God in heaven and on earth. In Matthew’s Gospel, it is also called the “kingdom of heaven.”

Unless a person is “born again,” he cannot see the kingdom of heaven. In the Greek text, the words for “born again” actually mean to be born from above. In other words, this new birth is one that takes place in the realm of heaven. It is a work of the Holy Spirit, and we receive it through faith in Jesus Christ. Without this new birth from above, we will not be able to see, understand or participate in what heaven is all about. On the other hand, when we are born of the Spirit of God, we are enabled by Him to see into the spiritual and understand what is going on in the kingdom of heaven.

Now, God’s plan is to bring everything in heaven and earth together in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:10). It is toward this end that Jesus has given us the authority to forbid on earth what is forbidden in heaven, and permit on earth what is permitted in heaven. For example:

• Sin is not permitted in heaven. So you do not have to allow it to have any dominion over you. Instead, you can allow the Lord Jesus Christ to rule and reign in your heart.
• Sickness and disease have no place in heaven. So you do not have to allow it to have any place in your body or on those you love. When you see sickness or disease in someone, you have the authority of heaven to forbid it and declare it to be improper and unlawful. You also have the authority to release the healing power and health of heaven on the earth.
• Lack and poverty are forbidden in heaven. So you can declare that it is improper and unlawful for it to be in your life and in your home. Instead, you can declare that the abundance and provision of heaven is lawful and proper, and release it to meet all your needs.
• There is no demonic oppression in heaven. So you can forbid demonic influences to have any place in your life. Instead, you can be continually filled and led by the Holy Spirit.
• God is love, and everything about heaven fully reflects that. So you can release the love of God on earth wherever it is needed.

If you know the Lord Jesus Christ, you have been given great authority. Everything in heaven now belongs to you, so your life is very important upon earth. What will you do with that authority? What are you forbidding on earth? What are you permitting? Does it correspond with what is forbidden and what is permitted in heaven?

World-Changing Prayer

Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10)

These sentences from the prayer Jesus taught us to pray are cast in the imperative mood. The primary use of an imperative is as command:

Kingdom of God, come! Will of God, be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Some have noted that the imperative mood can have a secondary function as an “imperative entreaty,” that is, for example, as a request one makes of deity. But either way you wish to understand it — command or request — the real point to be understand is that it is an active sense of prayer, not a passive one.

• It is a prayer you pray with full expectation of it being fulfilled, because it is manifestly the will of God for His kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.
• It is not a prayer you pray and then give up on when it does not seem to be coming to pass, saying, “Oh well, I guess it just wasn’t God’s will.”
• It is a prayer you keep pressing until it does come to pass.
• It is not a prayer you wish God would fulfill, or hope God will fulfill; it is a prayer that you expect God to fulfill because He has already expressed His will about it.
• Jesus specifically taught us to pray in this way, so we should have every expectation that when we do, it will come to pass.
• It is not a prayer that ignores the will of God, or tries to overcome the will of God; it is a prayer that enforces the will of God, pressing for it to be done on earth as it is in heaven.
• It is not a sweet little prayer of acquiescence; it is a powerful, dynamic, life-changing, world-changing prayer by which we cooperate with God to see His will being done on earth as it is in heaven.

In this prayer, I do not acquiesce to the will of God — rather, I am counting on the will of God. I expect it to be done fully and completely — and today will not be too soon. In this prayer, I engage with the will of God, and where I see things out of alignment with it, I call for the will of God to be done in those things just as it is being done in heaven. I am full of joy that the will of God will indeed be done on earth as it is in heaven.

The Lord’s prayer is about much more than changing our little minds and adjusting our little attitudes and believing God for our own little needs. It is about more than what God wants to do in us; it is about what God wants to do in the world. As long as we limit this prayer to what God wants to do in us, we are hindering what He wants to do in the world through us. The Lord’s prayer is a mighty big prayer, but so many Christians pray it in such an awfully small way.

Get into alignment with the purposes of God in this world, then step into partnership with Him by calling for His kingdom to come everywhere it does not yet appear. Wherever you see things out of whack with His plan, call for His will to be done there just as it is in heaven. For this is a prayer by which we change the world. We are to pray it until Jesus returns — and expect to see it all happen.

Authority and Power for Miracles

Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons. (Mark 3:14-15)

Jesus had a plan and a purpose. He came to establish His kingdom, destroy the work of the devil and take away the sins of the world. He chose disciples to partner with Him in the work of this ministry, and He gave them assignments. He chose them, first of all, so that they might be with Him — to walk with Him, live with Him, learn from Him.

He also chose them for a threefold assignment: To preach the gospel, heal sicknesses and cast out demons. Now, God will never give us an assignment without also giving us the authority and power to carry out that assignment. So Mark notes the Jesus chose the disciples that He might send them out to have power. The Greek word for “power” here is exousia and actually means “authority.” Jesus chose the disciples to give them the authority to preach, heal sicknesses and expel demons. In Mark 6, we find that this is exactly what they did:

And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power [exousia] over unclean spirits … So they went out and preached that people should repent. And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them. (Mark 6:7, 12-13)

And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power [exousia] over the unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease … These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them saying, “…As you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. (Matthew 10:1, 5, 7-8)

Now, this authority was not just for the original disciples, but for all who would follow Him. Before He ascended to heaven, Jesus gave them a final commission, saying,

All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:18-20)

No commission comes without authority. That is why Jesus began by saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” In commissioning the disciples, He was authorizing them, giving them authority to do what He was sending them out to do. What was He sending them out to do? To preach the gospel, make disciples of all nations, baptize them and teach them to observe everything that Jesus had taught them. Whatever Jesus had taught His own disciples to do, that it what they were to teach their disciples. And what did Jesus teach His own disciples to do? To preach the gospel, heal sicknesses, cast out demons — and even raise the dead!

Here is the assignment and the authority, but where is the power to do it? Luke answers that in how he records the Great Commission, both in the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts:

Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high. (Luke 24:49)

And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father … And He said to them, “… You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. (Acts 1:4, 7-8)

The Greek word for “power” in these verses is dynamis. It is the ability to get things done, even the working of miracles. In fact, in 1 Corinthians 12:9, where Paul speaks of the working of miracles, the Greek word translated “miracles” is dynamis.

Dynamis is the miracle working power of God. When the woman with the issue of blood touched the hem of His garment, Jesus declared, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power [dynamis] going out from Me” (Luke 8:46).

Now, many Christians think that the power Jesus used to work miracles was the power He had because He is the Son of God. But this is not what the Scripture says. Indeed Jesus was (and is) the Son of God. But He was (and is) fully human as well as fully divine. So if it was not His own divine power He used, by what power did He perform miracles? Peter gives us the answer in the words he spoke to Cornelius:

God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power [dynamis], who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. (Acts 10:38)

Jesus did not perform these things out of His own power as the Son of God, but because God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and power, and because God was with Him. That is, He did them out of His humanity, anointed with the Holy Spirit. This is the same Holy Spirit anointing and power that is available for all Jesus’ disciples. It is what He promised us in Acts 1:8, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.”

This dynamis is the power to be witnesses concerning Jesus Christ to all the world. A witness is one who brings evidence and produces proof. God gave us the Holy Spirit and power so that we could give evidence and produce proof about who Jesus Christ is and why He came. That is why Jesus said, in Mark’s version of the Great Commission,

And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover. (Mark 16:17-18)

This miracle working power does not come from us; it comes from God. But it has been given to us, along with divine authority, in order to fulfill the great assignment Jesus has given us — to be witnesses to Jesus Christ in all the world.

On Earth as it is in Heaven

Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10)

Speaking of this verse, someone asked, “Is there sin in heaven? There is here.” Yes, there is sin here. And sickness. And demonic oppression. And strongholds. And enmity. And unforgiveness. And death. But there are none of those things in heaven.

And that is why Jesus taught us to pray, “Kingdom of God, come! Will of God, be done on earth as it is in heaven!” (the Greek has it in the imperative mood).

If the will of God were already being done on earth as it is in heaven, we would not need to be calling for it. But it is not fully being done yet on earth, and so we call it forth.

The kingdom reign of the Lord Jesus Christ has already begun, and His kingdom has been breaking into the world ever since He came. But it has not yet arrived in all its fullness. We are now living in the in-between time, in between the inauguration and the consummation. Some theologians call this "already/not yet." That is it has already begun, but it is not yet completed.

Our job is to keep calling for the kingdom of God to come and keep coming, and to call for the will of God to be done and keep being done on earth exactly as it in heaven.

• When we see sickness, we have the authority of the Lord's Prayer to call for the will of God to be done in that sick body just as it is being done in heaven.
• When we see demonic oppression, we have the authority of the Lord's Prayer to call for the will of God to be done in that person or place just as it is being done in heaven.
• When we see death, even then we have the authority of the Lord's Prayer to call for the will of God to be done in that body as it is in heaven.
• Where there is sin, we have the authority to call for the name of God to be hallowed (that, too, is in the imperative mood), for the kingdom of God to come, and for the will of God to be done on earth as it is in heaven. And we have the further authority to preach the good news of Jesus Christ, who came to destroy the works of the devil, take away the sins of the world and reconcile us to the Father.
  

Church history is full of people being healed and demons being exorcised. There have also been many people raised from the dead in the name of Jesus. These have all been increasing in these latter days.

As believers in Jesus Christ, we have the privilege to pray the prayer the Lord Jesus taught His disciples, and it is a very powerful, world-changing prayer. It does not happen by a passive and rote recital of the words (that would be treating the Lord's Prayer as nothing more than magic), but by an active exercise of the authority we have been given therein.

Painting the Target

Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10)

Many modern weapons use laser-guidance technology. A laser is used to “paint” the target, and the laser-guided weapon locks on to this signal with pinpoint accuracy. It’s quite effective.

Jesus taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Notice that this is in the imperative mood. It is not a polite request, but a powerful command: Kingdom of God, come! Will of God, be done on earth as it is in heaven!

This is a most potent weapon in our spiritual arsenal as we do battle against the evil one, enforcing the victory of Jesus over all his works. Think of it as painting the target.

Wherever we see the works of poverty, sickness, demonic bondage — anything that does not line up with the kingdom of God and His rightness — we can shine this laser beam on it and give the order, “Kingdom of God, come right here!” Wherever we see things that are out of order with the will of God, we can paint the target and call for the will of God to be done there on earth exactly as it is being done in heaven.

As long as we are in this life, until Jesus comes, we are in spiritual warfare. But Paul gives us this wonderful assurance:

Though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every though into captivity to the obedience of Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

In the Lord’s Prayer, the Lord Jesus has given us a very powerful weapon for this warfare.

Know your weapon. Lock and load. Paint your target with the laser light of prayer.

The Pleasure of God on Earth

Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10)

This line is, of course, from the Lord’s Prayer, the prayer Jesus authorized us to pray. It is in the imperative mood; that is, it is a command: Will of God, be done on earth as it is in heaven.

The Greek word for “will” has a semantic range which includes these meanings: determination, choice, purpose, inclination, decree, pleasure, desire, will.

So we might also pray this way:

• Determination of God, be done on earth as it is in heaven.
• Choice of God, be done on earth as it is in heaven.
• Purpose of God, be done on earth as it is in heaven.
• Inclination of God, be done on earth as it is in heaven.
• Decree of God, be done on earth as it is in heaven.
• Pleasure of God, be done on earth as it is in heaven.
• Desire of God, be done on earth as it is in heaven.

We are authorized to announce God’s determinations and choices, to articulate His purposes, manifest His inclinations, and declare His decrees. To us is given the joy of calling for His pleasure and desire to be fulfilled on earth as they are in heaven.

Established in Heaven and Earth

Forever, O LORD,
Your Word is settled in heaven.
Your faithfulness endures to all generations;
You established the earth, and it abides.

(Psalm 119:89-90)

Whatever God settles in heaven is established on the earth. Everything — everything — is established by the Word of God. Whatever God says endures, it abides forever. It is what His faithfulness is about. God means everything He says; He believes it and fully expects it to be completely fulfilled.

By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. (Hebrews 11:3)

The worlds were framed by the Word of God. The word for “world” literally means “ages,” but by implication refers to everything that exists. The word for “framed” means to be perfectly joined together, thoroughly completed and brought into order. In other words, everything that exists was perfectly joined together, thoroughly completed and brought into order by the Word of God.

God’s Word embodies His thoughts and His ways.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways my ways,” says the LORD.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.
For as the rain comes down,
And the snow from heaven,
And do not return there,
But water the earth,
And make it bring forth and bud,
That it may give seed to the sower
And bread to the eater;
So shall My Word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”

(Isaiah 55:8-11)

Whatever God says in heaven shall be accomplished, completely fulfilled on the earth.

Everyone who has received the Lord Jesus Christ and become His disciple has the authority to speak the Word of God on earth and expect to see it come to pass.

Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them. (Matthew 18:18-20)

In the Greek text, the grammatical sense of “will be bound” and “will be loosed” is that whatever we bind or loose on earth will have already been bound or loosed in heaven. This is about the Word of God, for nothing can be established in heaven contrary to the will of God, and the will of God is expressed by the Word of God.

We bind and loose things on earth by speaking the truth of the Word of God. When we agree together on earth, we must be in agreement with the Word of God, and then it will be done for us by our Father in heaven. Our authority is the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the perfect expression of the will and Word of God. When we gather in His name — that is, for His purposes, to act as He would act and ask as He would ask — we have His authority to bring earth into line with heaven.

Remember also that Jesus taught His disciples to pray “Our Father … Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Whatever the Word of God has established in heaven, we can call for it to be established on the earth.

As you read and feed on the Word of God, pay close attention to how it expresses His will in heaven. For as a believer in Jesus Christ, you have every right to call for and expect to see His will done on earth in the same way. Let the Word fill your hearing and your heart (that is how faith comes, Romans 10:17), then begin to pray as Jesus taught. Don’t be afraid to get specific, but target every need you see with what God has said about it in His Word. For His Word, even in your mouth, will fully accomplish His will.

How to Raise the Dead

As you go, preach, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons.” (Matthew 10:7-8)

If we are going to obey the Lord and raise the dead, we have to start somewhere. Here’s a good place to begin.

1. Get a revelation of heaven.

• There are no cemeteries in heaven.
• There are no funeral parlors in heaven.
• There are no undertakers in heaven.
• There are no obituaries in heaven.
  
• There are no memorial services in heaven.
• There are no burials in heaven.
• There are no dead people in heaven.

2. Remember the prayer Jesus taught us:

• Father, reveal who You are.
• Kingdom of God, come!
• Will of God, be done on earth as it is in heaven.

3. Pray that prayer.

We have authority to raise the dead, we just need to learn how to use it.

Father, Reveal Who You Are

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.

(Matthew 6:9)

A young Christian went to her spiritual mentor and said, “Teach me how to pray.” The mentor answered, “Pray the Lord’s Prayer, but take an hour to do it.” The opening line of the Lord’s Prayer is so loaded with meaning, you can spend an hour on it alone. Consider what it teaches us:

First, God is not just our Sovereign Creator, He is our Father. Anytime we see the word “father” we know that it is speaking to us about two things:

• Family name and honor
• Inheritance
  

We bear His name and honor of the Father and share in all that is His.

Second, the inheritance we have in Him is all of heaven itself. This is not just a matter of going to heaven when we die. It has very much to do with this life, for Jesus also teaches us in this prayer to say, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Because we belong to the family of our Father in heaven, we have an inheritance to bring forth on the earth.

Third, God is our Father. All who call on Him in this way are linked together. Our relationship with God brings us into relationship with each other. We are in this family together. We share in the inheritance with each other and with Jesus Christ.

Fourth, there is a uniqueness to the name in which we share. It is a name that is above all principality, power, might and dominion. No other name even comes close to this name. It is the name above all names, and it is full of glory.

In the prayer, “Hallowed be Your name,” we are calling for the revelation of God’s glory — His greatness and goodness — to be made know. The Message Bible puts it well:

Reveal who You are.

In the Bible, a name is not merely a means to get someone’s attention. A name discloses identity, purpose, destiny. In the Garden of Eden, God gave Adam the assignment of calling the animals, of giving them names. It was not a matter of organizing a convenient system of identification, but of establishing what each animal was to be about.

When God makes His name known to us, He is actually revealing Himself to us, showing us who He is and what He is like. He is offering Himself to us in intimate relationship. To receive, believe and call on the name is to receive, believe and call on Him.

The mood of this prayer is imperative — that is, it is a command. That is exactly how Jesus authorized us to pray it. To speak this command does not go against the will of God in any way. We are not making Him do something He doesn’t want to do. No, it is completely in line with His will because He longs to reveal Himself to us. But He will not do it unless we ourselves are willing to receive it.

I am captured by this powerful opening line, and I am praying it wherever I go:

Father, reveal who You are.

• Reveal who You are in the businesses, schools and marketplaces of this city.
• Reveal who You are in the theatres and restaurants.
• Reveal who You are in the bars, strip clubs, porn shops and red light districts.
• Reveal who You are in the prisons, county jails and detentions halls.
• Reveal who You are on the hospital floors, in the E.R., the O.R. and the Paramedic van.
• Reveal who You are in the bodies of the infirm, the sick and the lame.
• Reveal who You are in the eyes of the blind and the ears of the deaf.
• Reveal who You are in the rescue missions, in the streets, under the bridges—wherever destitute souls seek refuge.
• Reveal who You are to all peoples and nations, to heads of state and religious leaders.
• Reveal who You are to the Christian, the Jew, the Muslim—to men of every religion, and to the atheist as well.
• Especially in this hour, reveal who You are in New Orleans, in Gulfport, in Buloxi, in all the places devastated by Katrina. Reveal who You are the lives of all those who have lost everything to this terrible storm. Reveal Yourself as the God of salvation, protection, provision, healing and restoration. Reveal the light of Your glory in this dark hour.
  

Reveal who You are in Jesus’ name, Amen.

The Lord Jesus Christ has authorized you to bring forth the revelation of the Father into this world. Begin now by praying, “Father, reveal who You are.”

Releasing the Glory

If you have received the Lord Jesus Christ, you have been born from above by the Spirit of God (John 3:3). You are an authorized agent of heaven, where you are seated with Christ at the right hand of God the Father (Ephesians 2:6). Not only are you a possessor of the glory of God, but you are also fully qualified to be a releaser of the glory of God.

You see, the whole earth is full of the glory of God (Isaiah 6:3). It is not absent, only veiled (2 Corinthians 4:3-6). But you and I have the privilege of loosing the glory and changing the spiritual temperature of a place, wherever we go, to set an atmosphere that is conducive to the revealing of God’s love, mercy and power.

Here are some simple prayers and faith declarations you can use to begin changing the world by releasing God’s glory. These can be effective in prayer walks through neighborhoods, shopping malls, hospitals, and everywhere else you go:

Rivers of living water. Jesus said, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). The next verse adds, “This He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive.” Wherever you go, you can begin to release the glory by saying: “In the name of Jesus, I release rivers of living water from out of my innermost being.”

Let God arise. Wherever you go, declare as the psalm writer declared: “Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered. Let those also who hate His name flee from before Him. As smoke is driven away, so drive them away. But let the righteous be glad. Let them rejoice before God. Yes, let them rejoice exceedingly” (Psalm 68:2-3). That will help bind the enemies of God and loose an atmosphere of rejoicing.

Kingdom come. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus has given us the authority to call forth the kingdom of God and command the will of God to be done on earth as it is in heaven. You can call for those things to manifest wherever you go: “Kingdom of God, come! Will of God, be done on earth (at Walmart, McDonald’s, school, work—wherever) as it is in heaven!”

The healing hand of God. The early Church set a powerful atmosphere for witness by praying, “Lord, grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus” (Acts 4:29-30). The result is that they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and spoke the Word of God with boldness. Signs, wonders and healing miracles began to show up.

Unfolding the Word. The psalm writer said, “The unfolding of Your words gives light. It gives understanding to the simple” (Psalm 119:30 NASB). Whenever the Word of God is opened up, it brings light into dark places. So wherever you go, watch for the Lord to show you a Scripture, then simply start declaring it. It may be something as simple as “Jesus wept” (John 11:35, very simple but very powerful). Declare it in faith, even if it is only under your breath, trusting that the Word of God will not return empty-handed (Isaiah 55:11).

As you go, releasing the glory of God, recognize that you are preparing the soil for gospel (the good news of Jesus Christ) to penetrate. Watch for opportunities to manifest God’s glory. Ask God to lead you to someone who needs His touch through you. Ask Him also to give you words you can say to them.

• To share the good news of Jesus Christ — the forgiveness of sins and restoration of fellowship with God through Him.
• To pray for someone in distress of who needs healing.
• To speak a word of blessing over someone.
• To give a word of wisdom to someone needing direction.
• To encourage someone with a kind word or action.

This list certainly isn’t exhaustive. Just some things to help you get started. As you go, ask the Lord to show you more. Then watch for His glory to appear.

You were made to release the glory of God, by your life, by your words, even by your presence.

Pursuing Heaven for the Sake of Earth

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. (Colossians 3:1)

Those who have received the Lord Jesus Christ have been born again (actually, born from above) by the Spirit of God (John 3:3). Our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20). We have been raised with Christ and seated with Him in haven at the right hand of the Father (Ephesians 2:6).

So doesn’t it makes perfect sense to seek those things which are above — to go after the things of heaven? It is also a very necessary thing, if we are going to fulfill our calling. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught us to pray, “Kingdom of God, come! Will of God, be done on earth as it is in heaven!” Those phrases are actually given to us in the imperative mood. That is, they are commands. Yes, Jesus has given us the authority to command the kingdom of God to come and His will to be done. We are His partners in this thing.

If we are going to command the will of God to be done on earth as it is in heaven, then ought we not to have a pretty good idea of what is going on in heaven? I don’t know about you, but I want to pray with some specifics. Some Christians pray so generally that it is hard to know where, when, how, or even if their prayers have been answered. Not me — I want to target specific situations with the will of God. In order to do that, I first need to see heaven, to seek those things which are above. I need to do what Paul tells us in the next verse:

Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. (Colossians 3:2)

You might have heard the saying, “He’s so heavenly-minded that he is of no earthly good.” But I tell you that you will not be of any earthly good unless and until you set your mind on the things of heaven, because that’s where the real change comes from.

Set your mind on the things of heaven — where you were born again, where your citizenship is, and where you are seated with the Lord Jesus Christ in the throne room of God. As you begin to see what the will of God being done in heaven looks like, start calling for that will to be done on earth in the same way. Get specific, and start applying the provisions of heaven to the problems of earth.

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The Focus of Our Faith
Paul’s Letters to the Jesus Believers at Colosse
Bite-Size Studies Through Colossians
by Jeff Doles

Preview with Amazon’s “Look Inside.”

Available in paperback and Kindle (Amazon), epub (Google and iTunes) and PDF.

The Glory of God at Walmart

Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;
The whole earth is full of His glory!

(Isaiah 6:3)

The whole earth is full of the glory of the Lord. That is what the angels cried out in Isaiah’s great vision. Not selected parts of the earth, not merely the temple of the LORD — the whole earth is full of His glory. Not used to be, not will be, but is—the whole earth is full of His glory. Wherever you may be right now, whether you recognize it or not, it is filled with God’s glory. This is true of every place you can think of:

• The public school
• The office building
• The warehouse
• The corner drugstore
• The fine dining establishment
• The fast-food eatery and drive-through
• The local Walmart
• The neighborhood pub
• The strip club in the seedy part of town
• The county jail and state prison

All these places are filled with the glory of God — everyone of them. It cannot be otherwise.

So the problem is not a lack of God’s glory being present in the earth. The real problem is the inability of people in those places to experience it. There is a blindedness that keeps them from seeing it and believing. The apostle Paul said,

But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age had blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. (2 Corinthians 4:3-4)

These folks have been blinded by the god of this age (the devil). But God has provided a solution:

For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:5-6)

From the very beginning, God has been in the business of shining light in the darkness. At the Creation, when the earth was shrouded in darkness, God said, “Light, be” and there was light. The apostle John called Jesus “the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world” (John 1:9) and said, “This the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5).

When God commands the light to shine, there is no darkness, no blindness of the heart or mind that can stand up against it.

If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, you have authority from God to speak the Light into dark places. Heaven is full of the light of God, and we have the authority to command the will of God to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Jesus, the Light come into the world to give light to every human being, has given us the authority of His name to pray and speak and act on behalf of the Light.

As believers, we have the Holy Spirit living within us. The glory of God is resident within us, and we have the authority from Him to release it everywhere we go — to leave a trail of glory. To carry the powerful overshadowing glory of God throughout our world (see The Shadow of Glory).

In our neighborhood, there is a building on the corner of the main thoroughfare, and the owners want to open up a “bikini bar.” This building has seen a series of night clubs and bars, probably since it was built. Ugly words have been exchanged between the owners, local residents and businesses, and county commissioners over this matter. Now, a bikini bar is not a good thing. It is a degrading business that exploits the weaknesses of human beings. It does nothing to reveal the glory of God and quite a lot that obscures His glory.

But the glory of God fills that place nonetheless, and will continue to even if the bikini bar successfully opens — only who will know it?

What the Lord has been showing me is that we need to pray for the blinders of the evil one to be removed from their eyes, and for the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ be revealed there. In other words, don’t curse the darkness, turn on the light. And so I have been praying for a revelation of Jesus Christ to come forth in that place, that His name be lifted high there, and that the glory and goodness of God be made manifest in that place. The glory is already there, it just needs to be revealed — so that battle is already half-won.

God is looking for believers who will get into agreement with His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. So wherever you go, pray for His glory to be made manifest and the name of Jesus to be lifted up. Pray for God to cause the blinders to fall from the eyes of all those around you. The atmosphere will begin to change and those places will begin to emerge as fertile fields for the seed of the Gospel to grow and bring many to forgiveness and freedom in Jesus Christ.

I Have Come Down From Heaven

And they said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, “I have come down from heaven?”

(John 6:42)

There are a lot of things Jesus said that really bugged people — made them downright angry. This is one of them.

Jesus said, “I have come down from heaven.” What? How can this be? We know his father, his mother. He grew up around here. How can he say he came down from heaven?

They knew Jesus only in the natural realm and thought they knew all about Him. But they did not understand the spiritual realm, and so they missed His true identity.

You see, Jesus is fully human (still is, by the way, even though He has ascended to heaven) as well as fully divine. But even in His humanity, He has a spiritual dimension — He is spirit, soul and body, just as you and I.

Many people did not understand Jesus in His divinity or even in His full humanity.

He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name; who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

(John 1:11-13)

Though many considered Him only in His earthly dimension, and rejected Him, His coming has opened up wondrous possibilities. As many as receive Him, He gives them the right to become the children of God. It is not about physical birth but about spiritual.

In John 3, Jesus said to Nicodemus, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (v. 3). The words “born again,” literally mean “born from above.” This is spiritual birth, and happens by an action of the Holy Spirit giving new life to our spirit.

All those who have this new birth from above now have the ability to see the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is the rule and reign of God in heaven and on earth. Those who are born again can see it because we are part of it—not only because we are in it on the earth but because we were born there in heaven.

All those who receive the Lord Jesus Christ has the right to be children of God. We are born from above. Not only that, but Paul tells us that we are citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:20).

Even more, we are seated in heaven together with Jesus (Ephesians 2:6). This is not a future event but a present reality. You may have thought you were simply here on the earth and of the earth. But the truth is much greater than that—you are of heaven and seated in heaven with Jesus on His throne

(Makes a great deal of sense, when you think about it. Jesus is the head of the Church, His Body. You don’t imagine that only Jesus’ head is seated on the throne of heaven, do you? No, His body is there as well.)

Now, brace yourself, because here is a real mind-blower for you: If you have received the Lord Jesus Christ, and are therefore born from above, and have your citizenship in heaven, and are currently seated in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus, you can say, just as Jesus did: I have come down from heaven.

Selah on that for a while and let it change your thinking in a radical way. The word “radical” comes from radix, which means “root.” You may have thought that your roots were on the earth (and they are, but only after the flesh). Your real roots, however, are in heaven. You come from a heavenly family, with a name and an inheritance from heaven. You have a heavenly bloodline, a royal bloodline from God’s own throne room.

You are not limited to your viewpoint from earth, you can now view things from heaven, where you are seated. You can see what is going on in heaven and give the command, as Jesus taught us,

Kingdom of God, come!
Will of God, be done on earth as it is in heaven!

You are no longer simply on earth, looking toward heaven. You are of heaven, fully authorized to bring the reality of heaven down to earth.

If you have received the Lord Jesus Christ by faith, you are now born from above. You have the ability to see the kingdom of God at work on the earth because you have come down from heaven.

Asking Into the Glory Realm

And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. (John 14:13)

Here is the promise of answered prayed. There is only one condition, but with two parts: 1. Ask. 2. In the Name of Jesus

Many people do not have what they desire of God simply because they do not ask. Others ask and do not receive because they ask amiss (James 4:3). Or as T.D. Jakes says, they ask like a fool.

Now, to ask in Jesus’ name does not mean to tack “in Jesus’ name” on at the end of your request. Rather, it means to ask as He would ask, for His purposes. In order to do this, you need to know Jesus’ heart. You need to get into your relationship with Him — an ongoing, vital, ever-growing relationship. God is a person, not a cosmic ATM.

Whatever you ask in Jesus’ name, Jesus says He will do. That’s the promise, now take a look at the reason: “That the Father may be glorified in the Son.”

Notice that Jesus did not say, “That My Father,” but “That the Father.” For He is the Father of all who receive the Lord Jesus Christ. “But as many as received Him [Jesus], to them He gave the right to become the children of God” (John 1:12). If you have received Jesus, I hope you are exercising that right and are claiming God as your Father.

Whenever you see God spoken of as the Father, pay close attention, because the Scriptures are telling you something about your inheritance in Him. When you ask anything in Jesus’ name, you are interacting with the inheritance God has for all His children.

Now let’s talk about glory. Glory is the manifestation of the greatness and goodness of God. Jesus said, “That the Father may be glorified.” In other words, answered prayer is about the Father’s glory — His greatness and goodness being made known — and it happens when you ask in Jesus’ name. Your prayer becomes an opportunity for His glory to show up in the world. When you pray with the heart of Jesus, you are entering into the glory realm of God.

“That the Father may be glorified in the Son.” You see, Jesus is all about the Father — glorifying and making Him known, saying what He says and doing what He does, pleasing Him in all things. If you are all about Jesus, and Jesus is all about glorifying the Father, then you will be all about glorifying the Father, too.

When you understand what Jesus is all about, begin asking in His name, and whatever you ask He will do. You will be entering into the realm of your inheritance in God and you will see the glory of the Father show up all over your life.

The Gateway Between Heaven and Earth

My father says that almost the whole world is asleep. Everybody you know, everybody you see, everybody you talk to. He says that only a few people are awake, and they live in a state of constant, total amazement.

— Patricia Graynemore to Joe Banks,
in Joe Versus the Volcano
(One of my favorite movies.)

When everyone is asleep, the few who are truly awake look like dreamers. Consider the story of Jacob, when he went out from Beersheba toward Haran. Along on the way, he spent the night at a certain place and went to sleep with a stone for his pillow.

Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven, and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. (Genesis 28:12)

The Lord appeared to Jacob and confirmed to him that same promise He had made to Abraham and Isaac, telling him that He would bring him back to this land upon which he was resting, and it would belong to him.

Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.” And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” (Genesis 28:16-17)

Jacob went to sleep and dreamed reality. We would call it a dream, because we have been asleep for so long that our perspective is all backwards. What we consider to be reality is actually a shadow, but what Jacob experienced that night was the fundamental nature of reality. For the first time in his life he was seeing things as they really are.

When he came back from his dream, he understood something that had been true all along, only he just had not realized it:

Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it!

For a brief moment, the shadows of the natural, sleepy world were peeled back to reveal the underpinnings of the universe, and Jacob was gripped hard by this truth: “This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”

Yes, there is a portal between heaven and earth, and the angels, God’s messengers, are constantly ascending and descending, ministering to the needs of the saints.

Has it not always been this way? In Isaiah’s vision of the LORD in His holy temple, he heard cry of the seraphim, those fiery angelic beings who minister before the presence of the LORD:

Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts.
The whole earth is full of His glory.

Think of it. The whole earth is full of the glory of God — and always has been! There has never been a time when this was not so. It is woven into the very fabric of the universe, for the worlds were framed by the Word of God, and are not His words filled with His glory?

We do not realize this because we have been asleep for so long. Jacob had what we call a “dream” and Isaiah had what we call a “vision.” These were powerful moments of lucidity and wakefulness to the way things really are. For an instant they saw the truth, the true truth about everything: God is in this place and His glory fills the whole earth. Though Jacob and Isaiah may have fallen back into sleep, it was not as deep as before, and they carried the truth with them, and this truth changed them forevermore.

Now, fast forward to Jesus at about thirty years old. We are in John 1:43-51. Jesus is beginning His ministry and is calling His disciples. He finds Philip and says, “Follow me.” Philip finds Nathanael and says, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets wrote — Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Nathanael asks — it is a rhetorical question.

“Come and see,” is all Philip answers, and they both go to see Jesus.

Seeing them coming, Jesus says, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit.”

“How do you know me?” Nathanael asks.

Jesus answers, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”

“Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel.” Nathanael has suddenly stumbled into a divine moment of lucidity and wakefulness.

Then Jesus declares, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these. Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

Though you may not have realized it as you sit there reading this (wherever “there” may be), the LORD is in that place. There is a portal, a gateway between heaven and earth, and you are at “ground zero” with the angels of God ascending and descending all around you. The whole world may be asleep, but you are invited to come and be one of those who live in a state of constant, total amazement — a life of divine lucidity and wakefulness. You begin by understanding that it is all about Jesus, for He is the one upon whom the angels ascend and descend.