“THE HEAVENLY REALMS”
Cathy Hargett
Heaven has been on my heart and in my mind. I have asked the Lord to teach me more about heaven. And several times recently, I have had “pictures” of Him showing me things about heaven.
In one of the pictures, I had the spiritual experience of being with Him seated in the heavenly realms, looking down with Yeshua and Abba from above the earth in an exhilaratingly high place. Another time, I was actually in a fighting brawl with many others, struggling to bring order and peace and conclusion to absolute chaos, and the whole fight seemed endless. Yeshua reached out and pulled me from the middle of the fight and took me somewhere very high and not of this world.
My spirit so longs for completion in the eternal realm. Sometimes I wonder if this longing is because of my natural age (pretty old!) or if it’s mostly the longing for eternity that He has put in every heart. My conclusion is that I believe every heart and spirit that has been sealed by His Spirit longs for this mystery of heaven and the Kingdom to be revealed. Perhaps it’s the way He gets us ready for the transition from these hybrid beings that we are - both earthly/physical and spiritual/eternal, existing in flesh and bones for the time being - into the total spirit/Spirit beings of the eternal Kingdom.
Because of the revelation of Messianic faith, I praise Him that He has allowed me to understand the concept of the restoration of Israel and the coming Kingdom that will reside on planet earth at the end of the age. This revelation has kept my heart enthralled ever since He gave me understanding about it. I was not taught this before Messianic faith became my faith. Mostly what I was taught was something vague about a "heaven” somewhere above where we would all go when we die if we believed in Jesus, but never anything about Yeshua and heaven coming down to a redeemed and glorified earth at the restoration of all things. I have understood much better about the Kingdom when it comes down to earth than about the Kingdom existing now in heaven above at this present age.
Knowing this about heaven coming to earth at the end of the age has so sustained me in hope that I haven’t thought very much about this interim place that is somewhere above right now until the return of Yeshua. The truth is, unless heaven comes down out of the heavenly realms to earth before we die physical deaths, all of us will also experience the heaven that is above. So, where is He now and where are my parents and my loved ones who have gone before me? As my Sister once asked me, “What are they doing up there?”
Even now as I write this I realize that I am only at the beginning of grasping this concept of the heaven above. But I really do want to know more than I know now. I believe if we understand this better, we can be an encouragement to others, not only to comfort at times of loss of those we love, but also so that we are filled with faith and hope and confidence that heaven is real, and that heaven comes to earth!
What do we know – we know that God and Yeshua are seated in the heavenly realms and they are looking down on the creation. The Scripture says that He sits above the circle of the earth and looks down and sees all mankind. He is looking to see if there are any who understand and seek Him. He views the whole earth. And it is clear that this is an actual “place” that is high above this planet because He is always looking down from someplace “up”.
The Apostle Paul speaks about going to a “third heaven”, and this is where God and Yeshua reside at the moment. But His Holy Spirit is here on the earth inside of us. We also know that from this realm He blesses us with every spiritual blessing and that He is seated far above all rule and authority, even now in this present age and in the one to come. So we know there is an age that is coming after this one when He will be here on the earth. In other words, heaven comes down.
When Paul spoke about the third heaven, he said, “whether in the body or out of the body, I do not know”. This tells me that those times when we experience Him so fully, we wonder if we have crossed over from this present age to the eternal one, exemplify what Brother Paul meant. We know there are times that make us feel like we grasp what being “total spirit” is about, and we are no longer these dual-beings made of flesh and spirit/Spirit, but we are totally in the Spirit!
A very profound part of all this contemplation/revelation is to know that this place called heaven is filled with the spirits of righteous men made perfect. Our believing loved ones exist here, in this place that we are bringing into focus. They are in an actual place with Him. I want to know even more about this, and I am asking Him for more revelation. We know it is in a very high location. It is still very much connected with planet earth. But it is a place above all principalities and rulers, and every evil spiritual force.
Stephen saw Yeshua in heaven as he looked up from the earth. He could see Him standing there. Hallelujah! And also in that place are things that have been replicated on the earth, like the temple of God and the ark of the covenant. There are angels and horses and sounds so beautiful in worship. There are people from the tribes and from every nation. It is noisy at times. Do the saints get to look down from there onto the earth?
We know there is a “second heaven” just because we know there is a first and a third one! The first one is the one we can see from earth – the sky He created. It is beautiful and filled with birds and flying creatures. We know that He created the sky and all the starry hosts and that He uses it to reveal the times.
In that “second heaven,” there is warfare and battling and Kingdom victories taking place. There are angelic beings and principalities. There are evil, spiritual forces, too. I believe we spiritually fight in this realm, too, with living our faith and intercessions and worship. Today, I am not focusing on the second heaven as much as I am on the third.
And what I do know is what I’ve understood most clearly up until now – I do know that this high-above-us place will come down to earth at the end of the age. Everything and everyone will fill this place with His glory. Every loved one who is there now will be here. It’s at this point that I must confess that my eyes can only squint to imagine more. Because He has filled our hearts with eternity, we long for this place and for His Kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven. And from eternity’s perspective, it is so, even now. Selah. Amen.
“Therefore if you have been raised up with Messiah, keep seeking the things above – where Messiah is, sitting at the right hand of God. Focus your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” (Colossians 3:1-2)
Highway to Zion Ministries
www.highwaytozion.org
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Thanks for sharing. Blessings on your head from the Lord Jesus, Yeshua HaMashiach.
Steve Martin
Founder
Love For His People
Charlotte, NC USA