When we approach God, we are instructed to be mindful of His Glory, Holiness, and Power, while understanding that He is our Heavenly Father who not only created us all, but gives to all the very breath of life. Jesus referred to His Father as Daddy, and Paul instructs us to do likewise. Abba (in Aramaic) means daddy, indicating an intimate relationship.
God’s Will in Heaven
In heaven, God’s Will is done willingly, gladly, joyfully and completely. We understand that Satan fell from heaven because of pride in his heart causing him to try to be like God; when in fact, he was a created being just like all the other angels, and like mankind (that God would soon create to occupy the earth and to replace the angels that Satan led astray).
The term ‘heaven’ can refer to:
1 – Outer space: where celestial bodies such as stars, planets, galaxies and moons reside. (Genesis 1:8, 14-17)
2 – The sky: atmosphere surrounding the earth. (Genesis 7:23)
3 – The place where God and angels currently reside. (Genesis 21:17, 22:11, 28:12)
Where God Dwells
God does not reside in the clouds hovering over our planet. His Heaven is far above the unnumbered light-years above this earth. It is untainted by the things of this earth. It is unstained by the devil and his legions in the 2nd and 1st heavens. God’s Heaven has been cleansed by the Blood of Christ, which was necessary after Satan’s rebellion stained God’s House. (Hebrews 9:23-26)
Tabernacle Image of Heaven
When Moses was given the plans to build the Tabernacle in the Wilderness, for the Children of Israel to worship Yahweh in, he was told by God that he should build it exactly ‘like’ the pattern I will show you. (Exodus 25:9) (Hebrews 8:5)
The Catholics teach that there are Nine Choirs of Angels in Heaven.
1 – Seraphim: The highest order guarding God’s throne.
2 – Cherubim: Guardians of God’s glory.
3 – Thrones: These control which angels secure access to the Throne of God.
4 – Dominions: They regulate the duties of angels.
5 – Virtues: They control the elements of nature, sun, stars and planets.
6 – Powers: Warrior angels, defending the cosmos and humans.
7 – Principalities: These angels are over specific areas of the earth, and over organizations that are against Christ and God. Christ defeated the latter at the resurrection and gives this power to his believers. (I also believe that there are good angels who watch over nations and organizations that are promoting God’s Word.)
8 – Archangels: They can be of many hierarchies, as Michael is also a Seraph. They deliver special messages, like the Birth of Christ and the Apocalypse.
9 – Angels: Closest to the material world and human beings. They deliver the prayers to God, and God’s answers and other messages to humans. They can also be our personal guardian angels.
God’s Heaven has a Temple
God’s Heaven has a Temple. (Revelation 7:15, 11:19, 14:17, 15:5,6,8 16:1, 17 Hebrews 4:16, Isa 6:1-7)
The Heavenly Father and Christ are on a Throne
The Bible depicts God the Father sitting on His Throne in the 3rd or highest Heaven. Jesus Christ was seen by Stephen as standing at the right hand of God. (Acts 7:55) Believers are seated with Him, via the Holy Spirit in our human spirits, as we are Born Again and obey His teachings. (Ephesians 2:6)
The Responsibilities of Angels
The Seraphims and Cherubims surround the Throne of God. The Thrones control access to the Throne of God by other angels. The rest of the hierarchy of angels help rule the Universe and the earth, fighting against the devil and his fallen spirits who constantly try to damage the earth and destroy the souls of mankind, as well as deliver prayers and messages to and from God’s Throne, and watch over the people of the earth, especially encamping around those who believe in Christ as their Lord and Savior.
The Tabernacle in the Wilderness shows the inside of God’s Temple & Our Bodies as Temples of Holy Spirit:
Outer Court=Repentance and Salvation
The Outer Court was where the sinner was able to come with his sacrifice for his sins. The priest took his sacrifice and offered it upon the Brazen Altar (a type of repentance), then sprinkled the blood on the sinner and washed him at the Laver of Water (a type of water baptism).
Inner Court=Sanctification Via Holy Spirit & Word of God As We Pray & Worship
The Inner Court, or Holy Place, contained the Table of Shewbread, the Candlestick, and the Altar of Incense. The Table of Shewbread is a type of eating of the Living Bread of Life, which is Christ, and from His Word, the Bible, as the written words of God. The Candlestick is a type of the Holy Spirit filling our hearts, illuminating the Words of God to our hearts and minds. Jesus taught us to worship God in Spirit and in Truth. It takes the Holy Spirit to spiritually discern the things of God for the carnal natural mind of man. (This is why many get nothing from reading the Bible – they approach it from the intellect, and not from the heart or with their spirit-man). The Altar of Incense is a type of our thanksgiving, praise, and prayers offered to God continually.
The Blood of Christ Makes Approaching a Holy God Possible
These were all made possible by the Blood applied to our hearts at the Brazen Altar of Repentance and Salvation. Everything in the Tabernacle was sanctified by the Blood of the sacrifice. Jesus now has become the perfect sacrifice once and for all. Revelation speaks of the prayers of the saints from the Altar of Incense before the Throne of God, being used to judge the earth in the end times.
Inner Court or Holy of Holies=Throne Room of Jehovah God
The Inner Court, or Holy Of Holies, contained the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark contained the sacred items that demonstrated God speaking to Israel through Moses, including a copy of the Law. It was covered with a lid, called the Mercy Seat, and guarded by two Cherubims. This Ark of the Covenant was made after the pattern of the Ark, or Throne of God in Heaven. (The Ark is a type of God’s Throne in Heaven). Paul said we can come before the Throne with boldness, via the Blood of Christ, whenever we have need.
Jesus is the Image of God and Our Example of How to Obey the Will of God
Jesus Christ fulfilled every requirement of the Law as contained in the commandments, and as demonstrated in the Priesthood and the directives of the Tabernacle Plan. Jesus fulfilled the Will of His Father in all that He did while on this earth, and now as He sits at the Right hand of God, awaiting all His enemies to be brought under His command. Jesus is our example as to how to do the Will of our Heavenly Father. His Holy Spirit gives us the power to obey His will for our individual lives.
When You Pray, Visualize
When you pray the Lord’s Prayer, try to picture all of this in your mind’s eye. It will give more meaning to your words, as you pray “Your Will Be Done”, if you picture the angels surrounding the Throne of God in Heaven while He sits on His Throne. His Throne Room is Holy, and we approach it with reverence and awe, in humility and a willingness to obey what He directs for our lives. We become aware that He is surrounded by many levels of angels crying, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty!”. Singing and praise fill His temple. There is peace, love and acceptance for all who will align their conversation and actions with His lifestyle. His angels protect His Glory, just as the Secret Service tries to protect the President of the USA. Other angels are busy fighting the enemy, to protect us from danger and harm and to keep us obedient to God. Still other angels are ready to deliver the directives for our lives, and the answers to our prayers, when God says the time is right. (Jesus came in the Fullness of time). Still other angels surround us as our guardians, and deliver our petitions to our Heavenly Father as a sweet smelling incense that pleases God. Paul said we are to pray and praise and give thanks to God continually, because we have become that priest who is standing in the Holy Place of the Tabernacle offering the Incense upon the Altar of Incense. (a type of the altar of prayer and praise) That incense is wafting up and through the veil that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies, where God’s Ark or Throne is. Jesus rent the veil in the temple in Jerusalem, when He died on the cross, signifying that the way into the Holy of Holies was made perfect with His death, burial and resurrection.
To be continued in The Lord’s Prayer – Your Will Be Done – Part Two