The Kingdom of Heaven

The Kingdom of Heaven is something altogether new for us, though it is and always has been eternal! We get to download His Kingdom by choice before it is imposed upon the world at His Coming!

When we become born again, and we must be born again, God literally creates a new divine nature within us, our new man, giving us both our citizenship in Heaven as well as new DNA! It is like the power of who we were before the fall – shining in the Righteousness of God Himself! We quite literally have become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus – which is an astounding thought!

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Cor 5:21

Hopefully, by understanding the creation of the new man and our new citizenship, we can understand what Jesus meant by, 

For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Matt 5:20

He wasn’t saying, “Unless your righteousness exceeds those guys…" No, He was referring to the earthly code of order in the Mosaic Law, which was simply a type and shadow of His Heavenly Kingdom. Jesus gave us His Righteousness, which supersedes any and all earthly righteousness – it is most Divine!

When Jesus spoke with Nicodemus in John 3:1-12, a Pharisee himself, He challenged him with this,

Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said to Him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born? Jesus answered, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit…If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you Heavenly things?

Beloved, to be born again is to be born out of this world! We haven’t been born into some kind of Christianese earthly religion as a substitute for a linear replacement to Judaism, we have been born into the Heavenly Kingdom of God – we are His new and greater creation which He intended from the beginning! We are the recipients of the Substance that cast His shadow upon the earth in the Mosaic Law – the very prefigurement of the Anatomy of God’s Presence.

Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world….My kingdom is not from here. John 18:36

Before Jesus ascended into heaven, His last words to His disciples were these,

“…wait for the Promise of the Father…for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now…But 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." Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. Acts 1:4-9

So what did baptism in the Holy Spirit look and sound like,

When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2:1-4

This was not ethereal or a mere mental ascent of agreement; they encountered spiritual elements from heaven like wind, like fire and wham-o, they began speaking in tongues of men and angels. Those who saw and heard wanted to know how they, too, could be receive this encounter and Peter stood and boldly proclaimed,

Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38

What about non-Jews, the Gentiles, what did it look like when they received this encounter, 

While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.  For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.

Then Peter answered, “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” And he commanded them to be baptized in the Name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days. Acts 10:44-48

Beloved, don’t settle for less than what Jesus paid in full for you to have freely!

Have you been born again?