Heaven and Hell are locations within creation as well as the status of a spiritual condition. Heaven is a condition that is full of God’s presence which is evident by light and Hell is the condition where God presence is at minimum and darkness is that evidence. One of the purposes of this blog is to bring understanding surrounding God’s Kingdom and encourage its readers to engage in the presentation of Kingdom evidence.
This week an American Ambassador was killed in the line of duty. But as I read comments, especially from Christians about this event, there seems to be very little understanding of the role of a true ambassador. Jesus is King but when He appeared the first time He was fulfilling the role of an ambassador. Likewise Ambassador Jesus was killed by the very people he was sent to.
The Kingdom is about one thing and that is the Presence of God. Biblical scripture records “where the spirit of the Lord is there is liberty”. Heaven represents a place where that is true and Hell is it opposite. Jesus teaches His disciples to pray and one of the tenants of that prayer is the notion of bringing heaven to earth or bringing God’s Presence to earth.
An ambassador is sent by sovereign kingdom to another foreign and sovereign kingdom with the mission to influence that foreign Kingdom with its values through diplomatic techniques. The ambassador embodies that mission and the embassy building and staff can only fill that mission for diplamatic relations as long as the ambassador is not recalled. Killing of an ambassador does not end relations on the part of the one who sent the ambassador He can simply appoint another ambassador.
Revelation 22:5 There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.
John 1:4-5 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
Biblical scripture ask the question “why do the nations rage?” If we being ambassadors understand that we carry the light of His Presence then raging by darkness at the evidence of light is an expected response. Sometimes however, the response is a reaction to the use of judgment and condemnation as diplomatic techniques. These are never of strategies of God’s Kingdom but these are the devices of worldly and religious kingdoms.
It is not my call to interpret the response of the killing of an American ambassador. But what remains clear is that when Ambassador Jesus was killed darkness saw the light in Jesus as a threat and wanted it removed. We the humans, children of Adam, loved darkness more that the light and through our act of violence God our Father turned what was meant for evil to good and we received our salvation. The killings of God’s Ambassador just embolden His resolved, promoted and authorized His disciples to continue on with the mission.
Love and light in the face of darkness is always a battle for existence for these opposites. If science has proven one thing it is that light will always prevail. Disciples of Christ are encouraged to be salt and light to a world not only to preserve the world but to advance the kingdom. The tree of life was removed so we humans would not remain in a state of eternal separation from God. Likewise we love the enemies of God with His love, in hopes to win them over to God’s Kingdom.
As we remain on mission we provide the world with evidence by using love as a diplomatic tool to spread the Kingdom value of God’s Presence. It is obvious that we are foreigners to this world. Our one desire is to return home where all of our love ones will be waiting. But we understand the importance of our mission and we choose to remain on that mission willing to lay our lives down for our Father’s Kingdom.
We may enjoy the occasional dinner party but we give up the comforts of home, and eat foods of a different culture in hopes of winning converts to our kingdom. We are authorized and are willing to grant asylum to any who ask for it, knowing the Kingdom we serve is able to grant and support full citizenship to any and all. Our evidence is clear because we carry light into darkness and the world is better for it. So let us go in the Spirit of the One who sent us and let us be mindful of the tradition of the true ambassadors who have gone before us.
John 1:6-9 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
EVidence LOCKER 