The Heavenly Kingdom, Our Home Sweet Home
“Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth””
Yahveh (God) Almighty, through His Son’s sacrificial blood, has redeemed a people for His own “treasured possession,” who through loving obedience are becoming set apart, holy, and eagerly waiting for His eternal Righteous Kingdom (see 1 Peter 2:9). This “called and chosen and faithful” remnant has truly heard and wholeheartedly heeded the Savior’s call, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me” (Revelation 17:14, Luke 9:23). As supernaturally “born again new creations” through a living faith in Yahshua (Jesus) and His atoning blood, our citizenship is no longer in this dark passing world ruled by Satan, whom our Savior called “the ruler and god of this world” (John 3:3, 2 Corinthians 5:17, John 12:31, 2 Corinthians 4:4). It is written, “For He [our Father] rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13). “Therefore, if you have been raised up with Messiah, keep seeking the things above, where Messiah [Christ] is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Messiah in God” (Colossians 3:1-3). Therefore, we are now the blood redeemed royal children of the Righteous King and eternal citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven!
““The world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever””
The Holy Spirit deposited within the “born again” believer is teaching us how to walk and live as the Royal Righteous Elect, who as foreign students and pilgrims here on earth, are being prepared to “rule and reign” with our Savior in His eternal Kingdom (John 3:3, 1 Peter 2:11, Revelation 20:4). Yahshua’s Spirit is relentlessly beseeching us to forsake the old self and sin nature with all of its gripping worldly desires, enticements, and preoccupations.“The world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever" (1 John 2:17). “So then, my beloved … work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12-13).
““Without holiness no one will see the Lord”, in His eternal Kingdom of Heaven””
As we diligently “work out our salvation”, we must continually strive to stay on “the narrow path that leads to eternal life” (Matthew 7:14). The true holy walk, as followers of our Savior, requires that we “die daily” to our flesh by denying our inherited sin nature and its insatiable worldly desires that war against the indwelling Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 15:31). The Apostle Paul puts it this way “… consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Messiah Yahshua [Christ Jesus]. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its desires and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to Yahveh God … as instruments of righteousness …” (see Romans 6:11-13). “As obedient children, do not be conformed to your former sinful nature … but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written: “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” “Without holiness no one will see the Lord”, in His eternal Kingdom of Heaven (1 Peter 1:14-16, Hebrews 12:14).
Yahshua (Jesus) promised that He went “to prepare a place for us if it were not so He would not have told us” (see John 14:2-3). He said, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love [trust and obey] him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9) “Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things unseen” (Hebrews 11:1). “Without faith it is impossible to please God;” the redeemed “walk by faith not by sight” (Hebrews 11:6, 2 Corinthians 5:7). Hebrews 11 recounts many of the faith filled holy ones who have left us an example of enduring victorious faith. “Therefore, since we also have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let’s rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let’s run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking only at Yahshua [Jesus], the originator and perfecter of the faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1-2). The writer of Hebrews continues saying, “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. If they had longed for the country they came from [the world and its familiar comforts and tangible enticements], they could have gone back. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them”, which is the Heavenly Kingdom, our Home Sweet Home, the blessed hope of the redeemed children of Yahveh God through faith in His Son Yahshua Messiah (Hebrews 12:13-16).
“So many professing believers do not understand and highly esteem the Savior’s sacrificial blood that was mercifully poured out to redeem them to be His eternal bride””
It’s midnight, the hour is late and it is time to reassess the reality that “our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we [the redeemed] eagerly wait for a savior, the Lord Yahshua Messiah (Jesus Christ)” (Philippians 3:20). “Beloved, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls” (1 Peter 2:11). The great Apostle Paul summarized one of the primary purposes of his ministry was to prepare the righteous redeemed to be an acceptable offering, as a pure virgin [undefiled by sin and the flesh’s desires for the world] betrothed as a bride to one husband, Yahshua (Jesus) our eternal Bridegroom (see 2 Corinthians 11:2). So many professing believers do not understand and highly esteem the Savior’s sacrificial blood that was mercifully poured out to redeem them to be His eternal bride. Multitudes call Him Lord and Savior but do not cultivate a personal intimate relationship with Him. They are preoccupied with the passing world rather than occupied as a bride in waiting. So few are joyfully and wholeheartedly preparing to be together forever with their beloved Bridegroom in His soon coming righteous kingdom. The Holy Spirit is strongly cautioning superficial double-minded believers with these inscribed powerful words, ”You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:4). The Apostle is reminding us “you have been redeemed, you have been spoken for, you are the Savior’s betrothed bride.”
“Through the “parable of the ten virgins”, our Savior was giving warnings and cautions that at midnight the Bridegroom arrived and not everyone who professed to know and love Him would enter the Kingdom of Heaven””
There is always a righteous remnant within the multitudes of professing believers, Yahshua (Jesus) referred to them as the wise virgins. He spoke this important parable to all those who profess to know and love Him (Matthew 25:1-13). Messiah was making an eternally vital distinction between the wise and the foolish virgins. The wise are passionately consumed with love and longing for the coming Bridegroom. They make every effort to be ready and waiting with the compelling blessed hope and eternal joy of spending eternity together with Him. The wise remnant are redeeming the time, filling the lamp of their lives with the oil of the Holy Spirit. The foolish virgins, they loved Him as well, so they said. But they were too preoccupied with the world and its passing pleasures and neglected to get ready and be filled with the oil of the Spirit and dressed as a bride eagerly waiting for the Bridegroom. It is written, “Yahshua (Jesus) is coming for those who are eagerly waiting for Him” (Hebrews 9:28). Through the “parable of the ten virgins”, our Savior was giving warnings and cautions that at midnight the Bridegroom arrived and not everyone who professed to know and love Him would enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only the wise virgins who had the oil of His Holy Spirit filling their lives went into “the wedding supper of the Lamb” (Revelation 19:9).
Towards the conclusion of Scripture, these words were prophetically given to John the Revelator, they are written to highly inspire and motivate the remnant to redeem the time and grow up quickly as the holy bride of Yahshua (Jesus), “the Lamb of Yahveh God” (John 1:29). It is written, “HalleluYAH! For Yahveh our God, the Almighty, reigns. Let’s rejoice and be glad and give glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and the bride has made herself ready. It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. … Then he said, “Write, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said … these are true words of God” (Revelation 19:7-9). The foolish virgins who loved Him but did not have their lives filled in the Spirit were caught off guard, unprepared, and Yahshua (Jesus) closed the door to His kingdom on them. He said, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’ “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour” (Matthew 25:12-13). The Holy Spirit is waking us up to be on high alert saying, “So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him” (Matthew 24:44).
Our Savior YAHshua (Jesus) died for us so that we may live together with him forever (1 Thessalonians 5:10). As the Bible says, “After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). We must all have the heart of David, who cried out in the Psalms, saying: “One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple” (Psalm 27:4). Similarly, our souls should long for the courts of YAHveh (God) – to behold the beauty of His face and to reign with Him forever. Forever may seem so impossible but with our God all things are possible. Indeed, His love for us is real and He is making a new heaven and a new earth where his chosen, redeemed people will live. Accordingly, those who hear the call and accept YAHshua (Jesus) as their King and Savior will reign with Him together forever! Our King does not want any to perish but instead wants all of His creation to be with him together forever. Indeed, our great hope is that someday soon we will be with Him, together forever for all our days. Rejoice in this great promise my dear friends and spread this joyous, redemptive news to others!
