Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Heavenly Places, part 2

Can you describe the Heavenly Places?

The heavenly places consist of the first heaven (the atmosphere around earth); the second heaven (outer space); and, third heaven called Mount Zion, the heavenly or New Jerusalem where God lives [Revelation 21:2;  21:10; 3:12 KJV].  Angels are active in all three areas.  There are always angels around the throne in the third heaven.
God sits on a throne:

1 Kings 22:19

And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.

Psalm 11:4

The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD’s throne is in heaven:

Revelation 4:2

And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.

Christ is seated at His right hand:

Hebrews 8:1

Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest [the Lord Jesus Christ], who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;
 
We are positionally seated with Christ, but we’re not there yet:

Ephesians 2:6

And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

God is omnipresent but he does have a form.  We’re made after his image:

Genesis 1:27

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

God is a Spirit:

John 4:24

God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

He’s a spiritual being, but he does have a physical form.  He wears clothing (garments), has hair on his head, sits on a throne and rides around on a chariot guarded by cherubim.

Daniel 7:9-14 describes the future when the Lord Jesus Christ will go to receive the Kingdom from his Father. He (God, the Father) is called the Ancient of Days:

9 I beheld till the thrones [positions of authority] were cast down, and the Ancient of days [capitalized, referring to a person, God the Father; a very good description of God] did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.

10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.

11 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.

12 As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion [again, positions/realms of authority on earth] taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.

13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man [terminology used for Israel’s Messiah] came with the clouds [angels] of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they [angels] brought him near before him.

14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

God, the Father sits, wears a garment, and has a head of hair (v9).  His hair is white.  (That’s another reason why He allows our hair to grow white when we get older.  It’s interesting, that you see in pictures, the judges in England and our founding fathers all wore white wooly wigs which signified wisdom.  The bible talks about silver hair representing wisdom [Proverbs 16:31].)

He sits on a throne which is actually a chariot with wheels (also, v9) and cherubim typified by and associated with fire many places in scripture.

Genesis 3:24

So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

 

Psalm 99:1

The LORD reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubims; let the earth be moved.

Ezekiel 10:1-2, 9

Then I looked, and, behold, in the firmament that was above the head of the cherubims there appeared over them as it were a sapphire stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a throne. And he spake unto the man clothed with linen, and said, Go in between the wheels, even under the cherub,

And when I looked, behold the four wheels by the cherubims, one wheel by one cherub, and another wheel by another cherub: and the appearance of the wheels was as the colour of a beryl stone.

Have you ever heard of the Chariots of Fire?  God sits on a chariot with a throne.  He’s mobile.  God moves around (v10).  He doesn’t just sit there.

In verse 13, the Lord Jesus is referred to as ‘one like the Son of man’ and notice carefully what this verse tells you…

Daniel 7:13
I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they [the clouds] brought him near before him.

Remember what happened at the Lord Jesus’ ascension in Acts 1?

Acts 1:9
And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

These “clouds” are angels!

Daniel is looking into the future when the Lord receives the Kingdom:

Daniel 7:14
And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed

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