THE CENTERPIECE OF GOD’S PURPOSE: BRING HEAVEN AND EARTH TOGETHER
9 Having made known to us the mystery (hidden plan) of His will… which He purposed in Himself, 10 that in
the… fullness of the times He might gather together in one ALL things in Christ, both which are in heaven
and which are on earth--in Him. (Ephesians 1:9-10)
A. The centerpiece of God’s eternal purpose is for Jesus to come back to fully establish His Kingdom rule over all the
earth as He joins the heavenly and earthly realms together.
B. Heaven speaks of the supernatural realm where God’s power and presence are openly manifest. It is the place
believers have gone for the last 2,000 years as a “temporary holding pattern” for disembodied spirits. Earth speaks of the
physical realm as the place where natural process, human emotion and physical sensation reach full expression, thus,
requiring a resurrected body.
C. God’s purpose has always been to live together with His people face to face on this earth. This is the most difficult
yet ultimate reality that God determined to accomplish through Christ. The dilemma is that God cannot violate His blazing
holiness and yet will not violate man’s free will. Thus, He had to establish a salvation process that created the context for
Him to dwell face to face with humans. God can only make His habitation on earth after all the nations live in obedience to
His Word. There are many implications to this grand reality of fully removing “the veil.”
3 Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God
Himself will be with them and be their God. (Revelation 21:3)
D. In the Millennial Kingdom, Jesus’ primary mandate is to prepare the earth for the Father’s coming by bringing all the
people and nations to mature righteousness (1 Corinthians 15:24-28). Jesus will raise up a “Millennial leadership team” to
prepare the way for the Father
13 We…look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. (2 Peter 3:13)
E. Jesus will rule the earth with the natural human processes not suspended, yet significantly enhanced by the
supernatural dimension of the Spirit. We see aspects of this when Jesus appeared to teach His disciples for forty days in
His resurrected body (John 20-21; Acts 1).
F. The three types of people who are on earth when Jesus appears in the sky include the redeemed who will be
raptured during Jesus’ worldwide procession across the sky. The reprobate who took the mark of the Beast will be judged.
The resistors are the unsaved survivors of the Tribulation who refused to worship the Antichrist. The resistors are “those
who are left” or “who remain.” These will have an opportunity to be converted after Jesus returns and then populate the
Millennial earth (Isaiah 4:3; 10:20; 11:11; 49:6; 65:8; 66:19; Jeremiah 31:2; Ezekiel 20:38-42; 36:36; Daniel 12:1;
Amos 9:9-10; Joel 2:32; Zechariah 12:14; 13:8; 14:16).
G. As Gentile believers, we most naturally think of worshipping Jesus as God in the supernatural conditions of heaven.
We emphasize Jesus’ deity as the Son of God. Whereas, the Jewish paradigm, thinks of reigning with the Messianic King
as a man in the natural conditions of the earth. They emphasize the Messiah’s humanity as the Son of David.