On Earth as in Heaven

The last two entries in this series have been about the kingdom and will of God. You read about what the kingdom of God looks like and you read that to truly live in that kingdom you need to submit to the will of God. This next entry is one that many commentaries lump in with will. But I think that is a mistake.

There is a problem with the view of many Christians today. Many of you are under the impression that the world we live in will be destroyed. You think that when judgement day happens Jesus is going to come and blow up the earth and some incorporeal part of you is going to live with him in heaven with halos and wings and golden gates. I could say that this comes from the writings of Plato, but that would mean little to most of you. I think a more relatable reality is that we have believed all those movies with Kirk Cameron. I hate to tell you, but that's just not what I see in scripture.

Who is in the Heavens

Heaven. If you asked most Americans they would say that heaven is up in the sky. It has puffy clouds and golden gates and angels with harps and halos. But this is not really what Jesus meant when He said that the Father is in heaven. Actually, He said that the Father is in the heavens. He used the plural. For some this might not do anything, but for others this might change the meaning.

Just like the last entry in the series we often overlook this phrase. We think we know what Jesus meant when He said "Our Father, who art in heaven." But the truth is that we probably don't spend as much time understanding this phrase as we should. We need to look at the more than just the translation. The history of the use of this word is just as important as the translation.