Heaven or Hell on Earth-?

We commonly think of the Garden of Eden as being Heaven. But, did you notice the word “Hell” is never mentioned in the story. We are told that Adam and Eve got kicked out of the Garden for disobeying God’s one and only rule: “You must NOT eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil,” (Gen. 2:17). But, we are NOT told where they went. The Bible just tells us that they were banished from the Garden ("to work the ground from which he had been taken") so that they could no longer eat from the Tree of Life - to live forever. At this point God’s WiFi was cut off, first causing spiritual death. Not living in the present moment with God, they started focusing on the past (feeling guilty) and the future (feeling anxious). Since they could no longer hear God’s voice in the present moment for comforting guidance, they started making their own decisions about what was right and wrong - based on their Knowledge of Good and Evil. Humans slowly become experts in their Knowledge of Good and Evil, just by living in this world, and many of us similarly continue to eat from the same Tree, as Adam and Eve. For example, every day we see, hear, or may actually experience some good, but a lot of Evil. Daily, we continue to update our Knowledge of Good and Evil by watching or listening to the World’s BAD NEWS. But, since Satan is the “god” of this world (2 Cor. 4:4), we typically get a distorted view - about 97% knowledge of Evil and only 3% knowledge of good - to program our minds - to serve our “gods.”

Earth outside the Garden could be considered “Hell” for some Humans. We know that God created the first Hell for the devil and His immortal angels, because God created them to live forever: “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels,” (Matt. 25:41). On the other hand, earth may be the ONLY heaven that some may experience in their lifetime. Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish (be destroyed) but have eternal life,” (Jn. 3:16). Within this verse contains the entire GOOD NEWS of God’s LOVE - the Gospel. God continues to reach out and draw others into His Love, because God is LOVE (1 Jn. 4:7). God set the pattern and the basis for all true Love relationships with His unconditional Love. When you truly love someone, you are willing to freely give to the point of self-sacrifice. God paid the highest price to show us His Love, by sacrificing His Son. Jesus paid the price for our (past, present, and future) sins, by accepting OUR punishment, and then He offered us the NEW LIFE that he bought for us: “According to the power of God, (Jesus) who has saved us and called us with a Holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,” (2 Tim. 1:8-9).

So, is living on earth - Heaven or Hell for you? I propose that it doesn’t have to be one or the other. According to the Bible, REBORN CHRISTIANS are Citizens of Heaven and simultaneously Aliens on Earth. What? The Apostle Peter said, “Dear friends, I urge you, as ALIENS and Strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your Soul,” (1 Pet. 2:11). The Apostle Paul said, “Our Citizenship is in HEAVEN. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,” (Phil. 3:20). The Bible informs us that our NEW MAN is seated as a Citizen in the Kingdom of God - in heaven with Jesus: “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the Heavenly Realms in Christ Jesus,” (Eph. 2:6). Jesus said, “Except a person be born again from above, he cannot see the Kingdom of God,” (Jn. 3:3). If you have been “born-again,” your second rebirth occurred from above - in Heaven, making you a Citizen of Heaven. Every human being born into this world, is a citizen of some country in this world. Likewise, all believers in Christ that have been reborn from above in heaven are now Citizens in the Kingdom of Heaven. Believers that have been united with Christ in His death and resurrection (spiritual baptism), have been raised, and reborn with Christ in heaven as New Men (New Women), and are seated with Christ in the heavenly realms.

So, are you still eating (filling your mind) from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil or have you started eating from the Tree of Life? We must go to the Cross of Christ to eat from the Tree of Life. Jesus “who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the TREE (the Cross), that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed,” (1 Pet. 2:24). The Apostle John said, ”Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the Tree of Life and may go through the gates into the city,” (Rev. 22:14). White symbolizes Holiness. Sinless perfection is God’s ONLY standard, and we cannot make our OLD MAN holy enough or good enough for God (by following all the Church rules - or by doing good works (Eph. 2:8-9). We need to surrender our OLD MAN (sinful Ego nature) to God to be executed in the Body of Christ on the Tree. When you were Born-again as a New Creature in Christ, you were united with Christ in His death and resurrection (spiritual baptism), and were resurrected and reborn with Christ in heaven as New Men (New Women), and seated with Christ in the heavenly realms.

Satan’s lie to Eve contained a grain of truth, “God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Gen. 3:5). However, Satan did not tell Eve that knowing evil experientially would damage Adam and Eve’s relationship with God causing spiritual death. God has NOT called all Christians to be experts in the knowledge of Good and Evil - so that they can make their own decisions (without God’s advice) and point out to others their evil. God has called Christians to point others to the Tree of Life - to reconnect the God-Wifi, so that we can listen to that still small voice of God to help us make right decisions in this world.

So, if you are thinking about how you can reckon your OLD MAN to be dead: 1.) Turn off the Old Man’s BAD NEWS; 2.) Renew the Spirit of your Mind daily by Putting-On the NEW MAN’s Good News - to abstain from the sinful desires that he programmed into your mind (before he died in-Christ); and 3.) Put-On the NEW MAN. We all must learn to: “Put-On the NEW MAN which was instantly created according to God, in true Righteousness and Holiness,” (Eph. 4:22-24) - to eat from the Tree of Life.

“Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God,” (Rev. 2:7)