The land where you stand and which you see I give to you
“And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.” Then Abram moved his tent, and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the Lord.” (Gen 13:14-18, NKJV)
Our God promised this land to Abraham. This land is in the now Palestine region, and such fertile and rich land in the area is rarely found. For this reason, many nations occupy the land. And just as it is known as the land flowing with milk and honey, it is ideal for agriculture and sheep farming. When God promised to give such land, though it is hard to believe, Abraham didn’t doubt it. God led him to the land and had him look all around – northward, southward, eastward, westward. A seemingly endless stretch of open grassland was before him. And God told him to walk through the land – its length and width – promising to give him that land. So Abraham went throughout the land without being restricted and wherever he went, God said he would give that land to him. That was not just a vague promise but God specifically instructing him to walk in the land and see with own eyes so that it may be imprinted in his heart ahead of time.
In this way, God promised to give him what he had seen with his own eyes and walked throughout. The same applies to us. God promised to give us the kingdom of heaven, yet those who cannot see that kingdom whilst they are on earth will not be able to step on that kingdom or even enter it. If one is unable to travel about in the kingdom of heaven while they are living on earth, he cannot enter that kingdom. That is why during our life in this world, we must see the kingdom of heaven with our own eyes and tread on it with our feet. This is not merely an abstract idea; wherever the Holy Spirit is at work is the kingdom of heaven. Jesus said, “If I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.” Thus for a person who has never cast out demons on earth, to be able to experience the kingdom of heaven and look unto heaven would be nothing more than an abstract concept. But we drive out demons by the Holy Spirit and daily experience the works done by the Holy Spirit as we remain in the church.
The Church is a division of the kingdom of heaven that is in Hades. Hence to live in the Church, to live in Christ, means we are already looking at the kingdom of heaven and walking on it ahead of time. That is why unless one has led a church life, he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. Those that ignore church life on earth will not be able to partake in the First Resurrection. There are some who profess their faith in Jesus yet completely disregard the church, saying that they shouldn’t have to listen to men. However, the one who established the church is none other than Jesus. By the coming of the Holy Spirit, the church was built. So if a person was to ignore the church, his faith is futile. We are not looking unto heaven as somewhere obscure and far away in the distance, we are presently seeing it and walking through it.
If we were to see everything with just the naked eye, we are still living in Hades and bound within the universe. However, we are not bound within the universe; rather, we have come inside the kingdom of heaven – a division of heaven. Though we are living in Hades in terms of physical space, we are in the kingdom of heaven regarding spiritual space. We have come into the kingdom of God. Whoever does not believe this cannot go to that kingdom; anyone that does believe will go into that kingdom. Hence it is important that we confess this. I abide in the kingdom of God. I am living in the kingdom of heaven. If for someone, heaven remains as the City of Zion far away, there is no hope for them. It is not far in the distance, but we are already inside heaven. Thus, the laws of heaven applies to us presently which is why the demons are cast out and our prayers are answered.
The reason we are filled with heavenly joy in our spirit is because we belong to the kingdom of heaven. Though the forces of the devil on earth persecute and attack us, they have nothing to do with us, nor do we fear because we are within the dominion of the kingdom of heaven. We are cut off from them. They may inflict harm upon our flesh but nothing more. Let us pray and ask the Lord to help us to be those who see the kingdom of heaven and traverse through it whilst we are on earth.
God our Father, though our flesh is living in Hades, help us not to be mistaken but to remember that we belong to heaven. Help us to acknowledge that the City of Zion is not far away but that I am living in the kingdom of God within its jurisdiction, ruled by the name of God and filled with the heavenly happiness. Thank you God. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Pastor Ki-Taek Lee
The Director of Sungrak Mission Center