Thoughts about Heaven on Earth

I have been thinking about heaven a lot lately. A few of my friends have gone there before most people expected it. It is funny the way people revert to cultural thinking immediately upon the death of a person. I feel that most people I know believe in heaven. I do. But when people are asked about it they make statements concerning it that cause me to question my understanding and theirs. For instance, questions like, "How many heavens are there?" 7, 3, 2, 1 or none? "Why does everyone want to go there if they don't know what it is?" "Heaven has every person who was good on earth in it, right?" "We will know all the answers to all our questions when we get there."

Where do we get our answers about heaven? As a Christian, I get my answers from the Bible. It says there will be no more sickness or sorrow or pain. We will meet Jesus there and understand the complete fullness of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. How we see heaven might affect our life here on earth if we think about it much.

The Bible says Jesus taught the disciples to pray "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." Many people who are Christians pray this prayer. The "Our Father" is memorized and repeated over and over again; but, we don't think about what we are saying much. We are asking that God's will would be done on earth (as it is in Heaven). What is God's will in heaven? So what would be His will on earth? Since God is King in heaven, then His will is to be King of earth, right? How is He King on earth? Why is His will not being done on earth? Why is there still sickness, pain and death?

The King has a Kingdom. A domain of the King is established by rights. God has a right to the earth since He created it. But many people have different views of how the earth was created and who created it. It seems these views change over time and by the imagination of the ones explaining it. We try to understand our existence and we come up with theories and call it fact. When the first Being who created the earth, or the One who existed before time began, created this planet that we live on, we were not there. Or were we? We were not able to watch creation. Or could we and did we? So since the Bible says God created the heavens and the earth, we make assumptions according to our understanding of the Bible. Many people have different views of the Bible and different understandings of how to interpret it, we have different opinions of creation.

I am not saying that I think there are many stories of creation that are correct; but, I am saying that there are many theories. There is only One Truth. So I am trying to understand the part about heaven on earth that is truth and not theory. God with us the hope of glory. Jesus, the Son of man, Son of God, on earth as He is in heaven. Jesus the Truth, the Way, the Life on earth as He is in heaven. Jesus, the express image of God, on earth as He is in heaven. Jesus, who was in God and God was in Him on earth as He is in heaven. Jesus, who sent His Holy Spirit to be with us and in us on earth as He is in heaven. Jesus, the King of the Jews, on earth as He is in heaven. Jesus, our King, here on earth as He is in heaven. How do we acknowledge this truth? How do we act in His Kingdom? On earth, now, before we get to heaven, we should be accepting and doing His will. We should want His Kingdom to be here on earth as it is in heaven. If we pray the "Our Father" do we understand what we are praying. Are we praying that Jesus will come on earth as He is in heaven now? Or is He on earth as He is in heaven, now? I'm still thinking. I'm still trying to understand the Kingdom. I've been in it a long time, but I am not sure I have truly understood it. I wonder if we ever will fully understand it? Heaven on earth?