TEACH US TO
PRAY (Part 3)
WHICH ART IN HEAVEN
by Doug Fortune
WHICH ART IN HEAVEN
by Doug Fortune
I love the way that the Weymouth New Testament states that verse in John 17, as I believe it really captures the heart of
what eternal life is; "And in this consists the Life of the Ages--in knowing Thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom
Thou hast sent." Eternal Life is really the LIFE OF THE AGES. It is a LIFE that has always been... it is the ever existent
Christ-Life. THAT, my friend is that Life we are called to step into. THAT is that Life that steps into US. "I am
crucified with Christ: nevertheless I LIVE; yet not I, but Christ liveth IN ME: and the life which I now live in the flesh I
live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)
Indeed, the Father determines the blood-type and the "blood" we identify with will determine the "life of the flesh" that we live!
May our "life of the flesh" truly be HIS Life.
"Our Father which ART IN HEAVEN..." The word translated as heaven is ouranos in Greek. Its meanings include- the sky, heaven as the ABODE of God. If indeed heaven is the abode of God, let us look at a couple of verses that will help explain. "Howbeit the most High dwelleth NOT in temples made with hands..." (Acts 7:48) "God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth NOT in temples made with hands;" (Acts 17:24) "...for YE are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell IN them, and walk IN them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people." (2 Corinthians 6:16) "Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is WITHIN you." (Luke 17:21)
It is obvious from the Scriptures that in the New Covenant the abode of God is within US. If then the abode of God is within US, and heaven is the abode of God, then the location of heaven is also just as obvious.
Just who is being addressed in verses such as the following?... "Let the HEAVENS rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof." (Psalm 96:11) "Therefore rejoice, YE HEAVENS, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time." (Revelation 12:12) The abode of God is within US... heaven is the abode of God... WE are the HEAVENS that are to rejoice!
This perhaps sheds a different light as we pray, "Our Father which ART IN HEAVEN..."
We are not praying to some "far off" deity. "Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and WE (Jesus and the Father!) will come unto him, and make our ABODE with him." (John 14:23)
Granted, there seems also to be an unseen "dimension" that people pass into when they die. However I don't believe that "dimension" is heaven because of a geographic position, rather it is heaven because God is abiding in the people that dwell in that dimension. I believ e that this is what Hebrews 12:1 is referring to as it says, " Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a CLOUD of witnesses..." Consider also the following verses that speak of this CLOUD; "And when He had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken up; and a CLOUD received Him out of their sight." (Acts 1:9) "And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a CLOUD with power and great glory." (Luke 21:27)
Having said all that, I believe that heaven is "heaven" not because of a location, but because of the presence of God abiding within individuals, whether those living in this natural realm or the cloud of witnesses that have passed into another dimension. As individuals we are the "heaven" that make up the corporate collective "heavens." So when I pray, "Our Father which art IN heaven..." I can know with absolute certainty that my prayers are not "bouncing off the ceiling." Unless of course it is a ceiling that I have constructed in my mind through an inaccurate "religious" mentality that has a "far off" deity that is unapproachable.
As I think of heaven, I am drawn to Isaiah 66:1 as Father declares, "Thus saith the LORD, The HEAVEN IS My throne, and the earth is My footstool: where is the house that ye build unto Me? and where is the place of My rest?" Notice that He does NOT say that His Throne is in heaven... He says, heaven IS My THRONE. He does NOT say that heaven is located in a "far off place" and His Throne is a large chair in which He sits... He says, HEAVEN IS My THRONE. If Father says that heaven IS His Throne, then I am inclined to believe that heaven IS His Throne.
Having established that, then the question is this, What IS heaven?...
Heaven IS His Throne! And exactly WHAT is His Throne?... His Throne is His "seat" of authority. And exactly WHERE is His Throne, His "seat" of authority?... "for YE are the temple of the living God..." (2 Corinthians 6:16) "Behold, I give unto YOU power (AUTHORITY) to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over ALL the power (AUTHORITY) of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you." (Luke 10:19)
Where is His Throne?...
IN US! We are the "heaven" that His Throne is established in. He confirms this truth as He goes on to say, "...where is the HOUSE that ye build unto Me? and where is the place of My REST?" (Isaiah 66:1) We are the HOUSE, we are the place of His REST, we are His "seat" of authority in the earth. The Psalms declare that, "The LORD hath prepared His throne in the heavens; and His Kingdom ruleth over all." (Psalms 103:19) Once again, WE are the "heavens" and Father has prepared His very Throne, His "seat" of authority, within us. This is why our prayer is so important in bringing the Kingdom of God to bear upon the realm of the earth!
Isaiah 16:5 also speaks of this truth also; "And in MERCY shall the THRONE be established: and He shall sit upon it in truth in the Tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness." (Isaiah 16:5) I believe that the primary reason for the restoration of the Tabernacle of David (Acts 15:16) that we hear so much about these days is the establishment of the Throne of God in the earth. The Tabernacle of David is not all about praise and worship, although worship is one of our primary focuses in our local fellowship. The restored Tabernacle of David is a people with no "veil" of the flesh-life to hide the manifested glory of the indwelling Christ who is seated upon His Throne "judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness." The Tabernacle of David is all about the establishment of the Throne of God and the Kingdom of God in the earth.
(To be continued...)
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