2023_07_24 Insight Post- Kim Feld

As I read about Solomon completing the Temple construction, I couldn’t help but think of David. Although God had not allowed David to be the one to build the Temple, David was certainly a fundraiser, generous donor, and cheerleader for the effort. Seeing David and Bathsheba’s son as the heir to the throne and Temple builder is such a picture of redemption. Although David’s sin was grave and deserving of death, God’s loving-kindness never left him. David, and sadly those around him, had painful consequences due to his choices, but God remained faithful to the promise He had made to him.

Reading 2 Chronicles 5 and Revelation 7 together gives us an incredible picture. Verse 14 of 2 Chronicles 5 tells us that God’s presence in the form of a thick cloud filled the Temple, making it impossible for the priests to complete their duties. How amazing that must have been! Revelation 7 gives us a picture of the future when all nations gather around God’s throne in praise and adoration. The phrase that kept running through my mind as I read was, “On earth as it is in heaven.”

God’s dwelling in the Temple (although He certainly could not be contained by it) gave a glimpse into the future. Although only the priests were allowed to serve in the most holy area of the Temple, through Jesus’s sacrifice, we all have access to God. Not only that, but those of us who are followers of Christ are part of the royal priesthood (see 1 Peter 2:9). The priesthood doesn’t begin once we get to heaven; we are to live like that now while we are still on the earth.

Please think about this a little. What does “on earth as in heaven” mean to you? The phrase comes from the prayer that Jesus gave us as a model in Matthew 6:

⁹ Pray like this:

Our Father in heaven,
may your name be kept holy.
¹⁰ May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us today the food we need,
¹² and forgive us our sins,
as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
¹³ And don’t let us yield to temptation,
but rescue us from the evil one.

Jesus uses this phrase about God’s will. As I pondered this, I thought about things I struggle with or areas I have yet to see complete freedom. These won’t be issues for me in heaven, but am I doing all I can to bring heaven to earth in these situations? God is every bit as powerful on earth as He is in heaven, and the power that He gives me through His Holy Spirit is enough to ensure ultimate victory over my sin. Please understand me; I’m not talking about physical illness and struggles. I’m talking about patterns of sin. When we allow heaven to come to earth in these areas of our lives, we are freed and show others what God’s power can do. Can others glimpse heaven through the lives you and I are living?

Kim Feld
Executive Director of Education and Outreach