Tag Archives: cloud of witnesses

Here on Earth as it is in Heaven

June 30th

Rend the Heavens

There’s a song that Rick Pino sings called “Rend the Heavens.” What does it mean? In it he sings “Rend the Heavens as we rend our heart,

This is my job description, this is my occupation,

Let it Reign! Let it Reign!”

Webster Dictionary says: to rend asunder; to tear to pieces. This sounds like it may be our responsibility to humble ourselves, not God’s.

James, the brother of Jesus said: “…purify your hearts you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to morning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” James 4:8-10 (AMP)

Now the middle verse of the bible mentions three things:

 

Micah 6:8 (AMP)

He has told you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
Except to
be just, and to love [and to diligently practice] kindness (compassion),
And to
walk humbly with your God [setting aside any overblown sense of importance or self-righteousness]”

Open Heaven

Now in Mathew 6:10 we see Jesus praying:

“Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

  1. We can conclude that Matthew 6:10 is a plea for God’s kingdom to be inaugurated on earth,
  2. Which allows us to see what God wants every individual believer to do – His commands and precepts.

So this term – open heaven – also is about the results of prayer. If we pray and press through, heaven will comply. One of the greatest examples is when fasting is mixed with prayer:

Daniel 10:12 (AMP)

“Then he said to me, “Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words.”

To see results in prayer, we should pray until an eruption like a volcano takes place. This eruption could manifest in many ways: signs, wonders, miracles, overwhelming peace in the midst of bad news, joy unspeakable and full of glory. There could be many ways a manifestation comes forth. Bottom line is: let it come forth!

 

Sometimes an open heaven comes from obedience to the ordinances or baptism, which the bible commands us to do. This is why we can’t allow the government to shut the church down. Baby dedications, water baptisms, calling the elders to pray for you when you are sick, and communion are ordinances that are done in public.

 

Matthew 3:16 (AMP)

“After Jesus was baptized, He came up immediately out of the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he (John) saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him (Jesus).”

Cloud of Witnesses

 

Hebrews 12:1-2 (AMP)

 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who by faith have testified to the truth of God’s absolute faithfulness]…”

What is this cloud of witnesses in Heaven. In the midst of COVID and the craziness in 2020, why are we here? Why are you here, living? What is your purpose?

Well, Hebrews 11: 39 really shows us:

And all of these, though they gained [divine] approval through their faith, did not receive [the fulfillment of] what was promised, because God had us in mind and had something better for us, so that they [these men and women of authentic faith] would not be made perfect [that is, completed in Him] apart from us.”

So the cloud of witnesses is the great men and women who through the ages lived their lives by faith, hoping to see the end times. They are in Heaven now, cheering us on, watching us. Let’s make a stand for Christ and do great exploits (Daniel 11:32) to honor them and the Lord.

Heaven’s Choir

1) Some members of Heaven’s choir are angels:

 

Luke 2:13-14 (AMP)

 

Then suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host (angelic army) praising God and saying,
‘Glory to God in the highest [heaven],
And on earth peace among men with whom He is well-pleased.’”

 

What different types of angels does the Bible talk about? Several angels are mentioned in the Bible. These angels fall into two basic categories – those who serve God and the fallen angels (also known as demons). Among those angels who serve God, there are some specific types of angels mentioned in Scripture.

Seraphim (singular “seraph”) are angels mentioned only in Isaiah 6. They are shown as serving in the presence of God and have six wings: “Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew” (v. 2).

Cherubim (singular “cherub”; also seen in plural form as “cherubs”) are an interesting class of angels associated with the glory of God. They were depicted on the lid or top of the Ark of the Covenant and other aspects of the tabernacle and temple. In Genesis 3:24, cherubim guarded the Garden of Eden with a flaming sword. In Ezekiel 1 and 10, a visionary description is given of cherubim that includes multiple faces, human-like hands, and wings.

Archangel is mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 and in Jude 1:9 (in reference to Michael). Michael appears to be a warrior (Daniel 10:13-21; 12:1; Revelation 12:7). Gabriel is the other angel mentioned by name in the Bible (Daniel 8 and 9 in the Old Testament) and is a lead angel who seems to take messages from God to humans. For example, Gabriel is the same angel who appeared to Zechariah (Luke 1:19) and to Mary (Luke 1:26).

Other possible categories of angels include those mentioned in Ephesians 6:12: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

In addition, some have attempted to categorize the angels who appear to humans on earth. In each case, the angels appeared in human form (such as in Genesis 18). Other than Michael and Gabriel, names for angels are not given in Scripture (unless Satan is included). Holy angels serve a variety of duties, including relaying messages, performing miracles, facilitating judgment, and ministering to God’s people.

Fallen angels, or demons, are another category of angels. They include Satan (or the devil) who is the chief leader of fallen angels. Some demons are currently bound in judgment (2 Peter 2:4Jude 1:6), while others operate in the world today. All will one day be judged by God and sent into the lake of fire for eternity (Revelation 20:10).

 

2) Others in Heaven’s choir are elders.

 

Revelation 4:10-11 (KJV)

The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

‘Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.’”

What is interesting is that the Greek word “presbuteros” is used, meaning old – not in respect of position, but in seniority of age; of rank or position of responsibility.

 

The number twenty four is representative of earthly conditions. The word “elder” is nowhere applied to angels. Who do you think these people were on earth?

 

3) Heaven’s choir also consists of other human members. They can be humans that have died or will be raptured:

 

Revelation 7:9-10 (ESV)

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’”

So let’s start practicing for Heaven’s choir, “Here on Earth as it is in Heaven” and sing, prophecy, and decree “Dry bones hear the Word of the Lord,” like in the song Rattle!