… until heaven and earth disappear
Summary: Understanding the Lord’s Prayer begins with understanding the words Jesus used.
Oh, dear! I am so confused! How can “heaven” disappear?
When Jesus is giving his “Sermon on the Mount” to the large crowds that were following him, he talks about the Law and how he (Jesus) will fulfill it. To make his point, he says:
“For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” (Matthew 5:18)
I can understand the earth disappearing. Maybe it gets hit by an asteroid or a rogue planet. Perhaps the core of the earth explodes? God could even make it disappear like a magic trick, and I could grasp that concept. But how does God make heaven disappear if he is in heaven?
The answer is in the word.
The Greek word for heaven is “ouranos.” This word can mean the sky and the stars we see at night, or it can mean the place where God dwells. The two places are not the same.
Let’s look at the very first words in the Bible:
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)
In the beginning, God already existed. We know he existed because, without God, there would not be anyone to create the “heavens and the earth.” So where was God “in the beginning?” The answer is he was in heaven. Not the “heavens” that he created as part of the physical universe, but the “heaven” that Jesus points us to in the Lord’s Prayer.
Jesus says:
“No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.” (John 3: 13)
He doesn’t mean that he came from space. Even now, after humanity has developed the ability to send rockets into space, Jesus’ statement is still true. No one has ever gone into heaven where God resides except the one who came from the place where God lives.
To understand even a little about heaven, we have to be willing to accept the idea that heaven is not a physical place. It is like a science fiction story where people move from one dimension to another. The only difference is that this story is real.
How are we to understand this?
In our meditation titled, “Three-In-One” (Matthew 7:24) we looked at the reality that two-thirds of our existence is invisible. The “body” is physical, but our mind and spirit (soul) are invisible. They have no physical substance. Our minds and spirits exist, but they are not something you can touch.
In the same way, God exists but is not someone we can physically touch unless he chooses to present himself in a physical way.
I don’t know if we are any closer to understanding what heaven is, but can we agree that there are two kinds of heaven? One is the sky and everything above it and the other is this invisible, untouchable place God lives.
Application: Think about the differences between the physical heavens and the place where God lives.
Food for Thought: If you could swim with the fish in the ocean and talk with them, how would you describe where you live?
How could I possibly explain to a fish the concept of a car, or a phone, or even a building. So much background to explain before I could get to the actual item. Not just the items, but why we have them, and what we use them for.
At the very best, I would have to use items naturally found in the ocean to try and get the concept down. Even then, their understanding would be limited, and not reflect the true picture.
This sounds an awful lot like God explaining Heaven to me. There are things there and things happening there that I don’t even know about at a basic level.
1 Corinthians 2:9 However, as it is written:
“What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”
the things God has prepared for those who love him
Unlike the fish, who will never reach dry land, Jesus paved the way for us to be with Him in Heaven.
John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
Not in a “fish bowl,” but as His children, to live in His house. He came to save our soul, I’m afraid there is no hope for a fishes’ sole (wah-waaah-waaahhhhh).
Oh dear…
I am told there is a special place in heaven for punsters. 🙂
Thank you, Chris. Very well said. It is a “deep” subject but I think you “hooked” us with your “line” about soles!
🙂
Thank you for your devotion brother. While I am not convinced that Heaven is not a physical place, I absolutely agree that Heaven is not like anything I have experienced. And all I can know about it is what is revealed in scripture. In 2 Corinthians 5: 1 – 10 and 2 Corinthians 12: 1 – 4, Paul describes Heaven as an amazing place that is pretty much – indescribable. We see a snap shot of it in Revelation chapters 21 and 22.
What I know is that it is that it is beautiful, free from sin, free from pain and death, full of God’s presence and glory and there is worship taking place constantly (Revelation 4: 8 – really all of chapter 4 and 5). And most importantly, Jesus is there and we will be with the Lord. There are many other truths we see in these passages, but I know it is a place worth being grateful for even before we are there.
Rich,
Thank you for your comments today. You have made me think … a lot. 🙂
Is heaven a physical place? What does “physical” mean in a heavenly sense?
Matthew 22: 30 and Mark 12: 25 relate the story where Jesus is talking to the Sadducees and explains that “At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.”
This begs the question, “What are the angels in heaven like?”
The point of today’s “Food for Thought” question is exactly what everyone picked up on; there are things we can’t know. Yet by pondering the clues God gives us we can find a lot to chew on.
Is this helpful in our walk with the Lord?
I think so.
Especially as it relates to the Lord’s Prayer.
As we continue studying this prayer, knowing as much about heaven as possible helps us understand the Lord’s point in having us use this prayer.
Thanks brother. There are many things to marvel over. The tree of life is in the paradise of God according to Revelation 2 and will be in the new Heaven and earth. Just one example of many to ponder. There are trees in Heaven that evidently are like trees here. I know, there is much to be discussed and discovered. But I do see Heaven as having a physical reality as it is described as such. I personally think we were meant to have physical bodies. A theme in scripture is the reverse of the curse. Before the curse were were created to be in a physical body. I think we will still have literal bodies, albeit glorified ones. Not something we should argue about 😊. But to me it is interesting to ponder. I am not saying it is the same as we experience here on this earth. I think it will be very different and much better without decay. But, what do I really know? 😊
11-07-2022, If you could swim with the fish in the ocean and talk with them, how would you describe where you live?
How does a believer explain life with God to a non believer????
I was 33 years old, and was invited to Bible Study Fellowship. I bought a bible. When I first opened and attempted to read my bible on my own, I could not understand a word it was saying. I began at the front, just like I would read a book written by men, and was frustrated. So I tried reading at different points from front to back, still could not understand
The words were in English, but made no sense, and I had no guide.
I bought a copy of the living bible, written for children which helped a little, but I still didn’t get it. I began studying with other men, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the eyes, ears of my heart began to open.
Our bibles tell us, Conviction comes from The Holy Spirit:
Jesus said that when the Holy Spirit comes, He will convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgement. Without the Spirit’s illumination related to our sinful condition, fallen human beings will never be aware of our sinfulness because our minds have been blinded and their understanding has been darkened
John 16:8, 2 Corinthians. 4:4, Ephesians, 4:17-19
The Holy Spirit intercedes for sinners:
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
Romans 8:26-27
The Holy Spirit guides us into all truth:
Jesus tells us the Holy Spirit would guide them into all the truth.
Specifically, the Spirit would reveal what the Son and the Father would have Him disclose, truths about Jesus. Peter later said that God moved the writers of Scripture, and they spoke from God.
John 16:13-15, 2 Peter 1:21
Fish cannot speak to fish, we cannot speak to a fish, just as we under our power cannot lead another to the Lord. Only the Holy Spirit of God can reveal the truth’s of God to another human. We remain on earth as instruments of God, to be used by God as He speaks to the fish through His Holy Spirit, who speaks through each believer. Our job is to get out of the way and let God speak to the fish.
Ron,
Thank you for the excellent words on trusting God’s Spirit! Well said!
Another great meditation!