Rev 21:1-3, 10 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. . . . 10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

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There is a principle in God’s Word concerning the relationship between heaven and earth. God created both. Heaven was designed to be the dwelling place of God. Earth was designed to be the dwelling place of man. Earth originally was also supposed to be the place where God could commune with man and have a relationship with humanity. In the beginning, Earth was created in the form of Heaven in structure. There are many types of creatures and animals on the earth. A close study of scripture will reveal that there are many types of heavenly creatures and angelic creations in Heaven. In Heaven God reigns supreme and has dominion over everything that is there. When God placed Adam in the garden, He gave Adam complete dominion over the Earth. Adam was created in the image of God, therefore he was given a kingdom to rule over. To have a relationship with someone you must have or develop things in common with them. Thus when God created the World, He designed it to be man’s “heaven” if you will. God and man would have the common ground of ruling and running their respective worlds. That is not to say that man was “God” but that earth, at least in function, was originally created after the likeness of heaven!

We know how that Satan rebelled against God. Satan had a choice, he was not a robot and he chose to rebel against worshipping God. Man and Woman unfortunately made the same choice and by doing so corrupted the earth and it’s intended function. When Satan was cast down from heaven, he was cast “to the earth.” Heaven was and is still holy and righteous, but now the earth had taken on another form, one very much against the nature of heaven, a wicked nature. Simply put, earth no longer resembles heaven in it’s function, but resembles the god of this world, Satan.

In our text, Paul revealed one of the “mysteries” of God. This word “mysteries” is used a little over 20 times in scripture and always refers to something that was once hidden from man but has now been revealed! The mysteries of God that are mentioned in scripture can NOW be easily understood. We could do a whole sermon on the mysteries of God that have been revealed, but I will only list a few here. For example, one mystery was that Jesus would die on the cross and rise again (I Corinthians 2:6-8). It was a mystery for if Satan would have known, he would have never permitted Christ to die! Another mystery was that God would do away with Moses’ law and put in a new system of Grace (Ephesians 2-4). We understand that now, but it was hidden from those who lived before Jesus Christ. Every mystery of God that is mentioned in scripture can now be understood because we are living after the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Jesus told His disciples that it was given to them understanding of the mysteries of God (Mark 4:11).

The mystery that I would like to mention here is the mystery of God’s will:

Our text stated that in the fulness of times, it is God’s intention; God’s will to gather together everything in Christ. Both things in HEAVEN and in EARTH!

That tells me that God desires for earth to be like heaven once again! The mystery of His Will has been revealed! I heard a song the other day on the radio and I laughed and pointed out the irony of the words to my wife. It’s a good song, but there’s one line that I don’t like. It said “For such a time as this, I was made upon this earth. To glorify my God, and do His will, whatever it is. In other words, the writer didn’t really know what the will of God was! There are many Christians today that are in the same quandary. They aren’t really sure of the will of God! Well, the mystery of the will of God has been revealed! It is for Earth and those who dwell upon it to return to the form and resemblance of Heaven! Simply put, God wants heaven on earth! What is the will of God? To have heaven come to Earth!

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That’s why another mystery that Paul wrote of was the mystery of Godliness! It’s not a mystery any more, for it has been revealed and can easily be understood. It’s found in:

What is the mystery of Godliness? God was manifest in the flesh! The world didn’t realize that God was going to come in flesh! They couldn’t even fathom how God could manage such a feat. For the omnipotent God of glory to come down and become as one of His created beings? But God managed!

The Word (Greek: logos - thought, intent, or plan of God) became flesh! It was the plan of God to become flesh! Man didn’t see it coming. The devil’s didn’t see it coming, but they sure recognized it when it happened. (“Why hast thou come to torment us before our time?”). Jesus wasn’t some junior God of a triune God, but was God himself become flesh and coming to pay the awful price of sin. God realized that man had lost his ability to rule his world and be king of the earth because of sin, so God said, I’ll come buy you back! I’ll pay the price for your sin and become the king of this world!

Paul in writing about this else where said:

God wasn’t reconciling the world to THEIRSELF but to HIMSELF!

God became flesh and died for you and I! That little baby that Mary was holding was a result of the will of God! Heaven had come to Earth! When Jesus died on the cross, Heaven’s forgiveness had come to Earth! It was and is the will of God for heaven to come to earth!

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You hang around and listen to me preach enough and you will hear me deliberately repeat myself. Every preacher has a particular theme that he will return time and time again. We preachers get that honest. The best preacher that ever lived, Jesus Christ, did the same thing. He had one theme that He returned to preaching over and over again! That was that God desired for the will of heaven to be done in earth. That God desired for a little bit of heaven to come to earth. Listen to the words of Jesus:

When you pray, pray most of all for the Will of God to be done on earth as it is in heaven! Pray that heaven will come to earth through obedience to the will of God!

Why are we to love our enemies and bless them that curse us? Because doing so brings a little heaven down to earth! For God allows the sun to rise over them that do evil AND them that do good. God allows good things and bad things to happen to those people who are called by His name and the people who curse His name! And He does so that we could learn to do good to those who despitefully use us! It goes against our earthly nature, but by turning the other cheek and even extending a helping hand to those who dislike us, we bring a little heaven to earth. We also get God involved and heap coals of condemnation on their head. Live life heaven’s way, it’s much more fun and healthful!

There is no death in heaven but abundant life eternal! And Jesus came “that ye might have life.” Jesus was heaven come to earth and He came to bring heaven to earth! In a world where everything is going through cycles that will one day lead to death. Your plants are slowly growing older and dying. Your car is slowly growing older and dying. You are slowly growing older and dying. But Jesus said, I’ve come to bring a little heaven to earth! Life everlasting! A well of water that will never be stopped! It’s not God’s will for you to have to fear death! The last enemy that shall be defeated will be death! Everybody’s going to live forever somewhere! But God doesn’t want us to wait until we get to heaven to have the blessings of heaven, so he came to bring everlasting life to earth! Why wait until heaven to enjoy heaven! You can enjoy life and life more abundantly! You can live your life your way and have life for a short time but why not do it God’s way and have life everlasting and -- get this-- your present life will be more abundant life! You haven’t really started living until you live abundantly in Jesus Christ!

You don’t bind something by rope and handcuffs in the spirit. You don’t bind something (like I’ve heard it mistakenly preached) by saying “I bind you in Jesus’ name.” God sometimes responds to our faith and ignorance and does what we really meant instead of what we said (Joshua proved that when he commanded the sun to stand still). But that is called “rebuking” in scripture not binding.

You don’t bind something with words, you bind them with actions! Jesus was saying that your deeds on earth affect the actions of heaven. That is you bind or loose something in heaven by obeying or disobeying God’s Word on earth. Let me prove my point and clarify it. We know from the earlier scripture that God wants us to pray. We also know that God desires to answer our prayers! But notice this scripture that Jesus went on to say:

In other words, if you pray for the reason to make people notice you and for vain reasons, then that is your only reward for praying, for God will not answer it. The Pharisees called on God, they prayed words, but God would not answer their prayer! The devil will do anything he can to keep you from developing a prayer life, because he knows that God will answer prayer. But if you do develop a prayer life, then the devil wants you to get proud of it! Take pride in the fact that you pray 30 minutes or and hour or two hours a day. Because when you begin to take pride in the fact that you pray consistently, then that becomes your reward!

Notice the prayer went to heaven, and when God answers prayer He does so by bringing heaven to earth, but you can bind up the prayer answering abilities of God by how you pray or the lack of prayer! But you can loose the prayer answering abilities of God by praying and doing so with a right attitude and purpose! What you bind on earth is bound in heaven and what you loose on earth is loosed in heaven!

Let me give you another example. Many scriptures teach us to give financially to the church and the work of God. Jesus said that you “ought” to pay tithes. Paul told the Corinth church that they that preached the Gospel should live of the Gospel. Then in Malachi in a scripture that we will read in a few moments, God told the people that they had “robbed” Him by not paying their tithes and offerings.

They had robbed God by not paying their tithes and offerings on EARTH. By disobeying God’s plan for money on earth, then they had bound up God’s ability to bless them financially from heaven! Whatsoever you bind on earth, will be bound in heaven.

Jesus also taught that you can bind up the financial blessing of God by HOW you give.

Did you get that? In other words, if you give but your only reason for giving is for others to see that you have given. If you take pride in paying your tithes and offering so that the other church people will know. If you give so that others will say “look at so and so, and how much they give.” Then you have lost your reward in heaven! That pat on the back was the reward that you get. But you have bound heaven by your actions on earth.

But let’s go back to Malachi and see what happens when you loose the financial blessing on earth by obeying God’s plan:

When you obey the commandments of the Lord, then you loose Him to open the windows of heaven and pour you out blessings that you won’t even be able to contain! God then also removes the curse! Whatsoever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Whether or not you obey God’s Word is what God’s ability to bless you hinges upon!

I wonder how many people who are not faithful in their tithes or tight in their offerings pray to God and ask for financial help. And God is saying, “I would love to, but you have bound me up!” I would love to bless you beyond your wildest dreams, but you have bound me in heaven by your selfishness on earth!

I have used scriptures about money to illustrate a principle, but it applies to a whole lot more areas than just finances! In fact this principle applies to every area of our life! If you want the blessing of God in your marriage, then why don’t you loose Him to bless you by obeying the scriptures and teachings of marriage. Men, it’s not your kingdom. You are to love your wife as “Christ loved the church and gave himself for it.” If God has been merciful to you, then so ought you to be merciful to your wife. The reason that she thinks differently than you is because she needs you, she was created that way! Jesus was willing to put aside some selfish and fleshly desires in order for the needs of the church to be met! Women, it’s not your kingdom either! “Submit yourselves.” Rebellion is not only putting on the pants and making the decision. A lack of submission can also be when you use your powers and emotions to try to affect your husband’s decision to be what you want it to be. Do it God’s Way and see if God will not bless that area of your life! Your marriage was made on earth, but it doesn’t have to be hell! You can have heaven and live your marriage with ABUNDANCE, by loosing the hand of God in it!

This scripture applies to money, but it also applies to your marriage, your family, your job, and every other area of your life! Whatever measuring cup that you use to dish it out is the same one that will measure out your portion! That goes for the size of the cup and the type of the cup! If you want more from your spouse, then begin by giving them more! If you want mercy from others, then give mercy to others. If you want your family saved, then go all out to reach somebody else’s family! If you want somebody to pray for you and be there for you, then pray for somebody and be there for them. If you want God to be faithful to your house, then be faithful to God’s house!

Whatsoever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatsoever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. If you are in need in a certain area of your life, then you are probably binding God by your actions, but His desire, His will, is to bring heaven to earth in your life! That your life would be abundant in every area! That’s the reason for the commandments, that’s the reason for the guidelines! They come from God’s desire to bless! God wants to bring heaven to earth!

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In our other text we see the final plan of God. The old heaven and old earth are passed away, and there is created a new heaven and a new earth! This is the ultimate plan of God. God wants everything to be like it used to be in the garden. Galations 3:19 states that the law of Moses and all of that was added to the plan of God because of man’s sin. It was not the ultimate will of God that sacrifices of his creation to be made. But God had to do that to take care of the sin and provide a way for Him to pay the price Himself on the Cross.

The ultimate plan of God was and still is for heaven to come down to earth. Many people teach that heaven has streets of Gold and pearly gates and all of that, but that is actually not true. “New Jerusalem” has streets of Gold and pearly gates. While it is prepared in heaven, John saw a vision and saw that heavenly city COMING DOWN from heaven and coming to earth!

Rev 21:1-3, 10 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. . . . 10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

When God’s plan is ultimately finished, Heaven will have come down to Earth. The Bible says that God will dwell there. His throne will be in that city. His tabernacle will be in New Jerusalem, the city that CAME DOWN from heaven and came to EARTH! It may cross what you have been taught, but you will spend eternity in heaven, but heaven will be on earth! You are going to spend forever walking on streets of gold, but that heaven will have come to rest upon the new earth! Heaven and earth are going to be joined together as they were always designed to be. You will be praising Jesus Christ and fellowshipping with Him throughout the ages, but you will do so upon the new earth, for the dwelling place of God will be Heaven come to Earth. Jesus Christ will have gathered everything that is in heaven and in earth unto Himself, and the Mystery of God that was revealed to Paul and that I have preached about today will have been finished!

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At this point Jesus is still in the process of gathering everything in the earth unto Himself. Jesus is no respector of persons and what He has done for others, He will also do for you! If He was willing to open up windows of heaven for Elijah’s day. If He was willing to pour out blessings upon the people in Malachi, then it still holds true for you today.

I would like to close with one more portion of scripture:

It was a group of believers that had acted upon the promise of Jesus and gathered together to see what God would do. They were in one purpose and in one building. By doing so, they loosed the hand of Heaven and there came a “sound from HEAVEN.” What’s that sound? Something’s coming from heaven! I’ve obeyed the word of God; I’ve loosed His hand, and now there’s a sound of a blessing coming my way! The Holy Ghost came into that place and sat upon each of them! They began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit flowed through them. If you’ve never received the Gift of the Holy Ghost, you can have it today. If you need some other blessing from heaven, you can have it today. The Spirit of God is here. There is a sound from heaven. Something’s about to arrive from heaven, if you will just loose God’s hand through obedience to His Word!

God’s perfect will is to give you every good and perfect thing! He desires for you to be filled with His Spirit for that’s in heaven. He desires for you to have peace, for that is in heaven. He wants to give you joy, and happiness for that is in heaven. Letting His Spirit to have it’s way is the best place to start! God desires so much to bless you, that He can’t wait until the plan is finished, but He wants heaven to come to earth today! He wants to reveal to you, the mystery of heaven on earth today!