God’s provision for every one of His children is to experience ‘days of Heaven upon earth’. Is it possible for us to experience these days now? Deuteronomy 11:18-21 assures us that such an experience is not only possible but preferable for all who are willing to meet the basic conditions which God outlines in His Word.
Deuteronomy 11:21: “That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth.”
- Grammatical Usage: “multiplied” or in Hebrew, “yir·bū” meaning, “nourishingly increase”; “heaven” or “haš·šā·ma·yim” meaning, “lofty abode”; “earth” or “hā·’ā·reṣ” meaning, “field; ground; allotment; walk”.
- Literal Interpretation: That your days may prosper spiritually and physically, and the days of your children, in the land the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, as the days of peace and righteousness in God’s abode are realized in your walk upon the ground.
- Contextual/Comparison: God keeps His Word: God continually uses His Word. The Lord has a five-fold purpose for all His children:
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- First, His plan is that after we have spent a little time down here in the world (John 16:33), and proved the sufficiency of His grace (2 Corinthians 12:9), and the unfolding of His will (Romans 8:28), we shall go to live forever with Him in Heaven (John 14:2).
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- But second, His plan is that we should experience here and now ‘days of Heaven upon earth’. Compare the following characteristics of Heaven and notice that they are the very blessings that God promises to us here and now:
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- Perfect peace: In Heaven: 21:4 On Earth: Isaiah 26:3
- Fullness of joy: In Heaven: Psalm 16:11 On Earth: John 15:11
- Deliverance from sin: In Heaven: 21:27 On Earth: Romans 6:14
- Freedom from fear: In Heaven: 22:3-4 On Earth: 1 John 4:18
- Christ’s presence: In Heaven: 1 Thess. 4:17 On Earth: 28:20
- Privilege of service: In Heaven: Revelation 22:3 On Earth: John 15:16
- Perfect love: In Heaven: 3:14-15 On Earth: 1 John 2:5
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- The centrality of God’s Word is essential to heavenly living ( 18)
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- When we sit, walk, lie down or get up we are to speak – compare Deuteronomy 6:7.
- When we sit. Do you ever speak of Christ when you entertain friends? There is no more honoring or satisfying conversation.
- When we are out walking. Look up Luke 24:13-35. What health-giving benefit there is in taking a walk and meditating upon the Word and holding communion with the Living Word (John 1:1).
- When we get up. Happy is the Christian who begins the day alone with God, seeking Him in His Word, and yielding afresh to His claims!
- When we go to bed. Yes, end the day by reading again from the pages of the Word!
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- How do we realize such in our days?
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- Receive Christ: if the Holy Spirit abides in us, heaven has begun.
As the Holy Spirit lives in the believer, He brings about some life-changing results:
1) The indwelling Spirit comes to a soul dead in sin and creates new life (Titus 3:5). This is the new birth Jesus spoke of in John 3:1–8.
2) The indwelling Spirit confirms to the believer that he belongs to the Lord and is an heir of God and fellow-heir with Christ (Romans 8:15–17).
3) The indwelling Spirit installs the new believer as a member of Christ’s universal church. This is the baptism of the Spirit, according to 1 Corinthians 12:13.
4) The indwelling Spirit gives spiritual gifts (God-given abilities for service) to the believer to edify the church and serve the Lord effectively for His glory (1 Corinthians 12:11).
5) The indwelling Spirit helps the believer understand and apply the Scripture to his daily life (1 Corinthians 2:12).
6) The indwelling Spirit enriches the believer’s prayer life and intercedes for him in prayer (Romans 8:26–27).
7) The indwelling Holy Spirit empowers the yielded believer to live for Christ to do His will (Galatians 5:16). The Spirit leads the believer in paths of righteousness (Romans 8:14).
8) The indwelling Spirit gives evidence of new life by producing the fruit of the Spirit in the believer’s life (Galatians 5:22–23).
9) The indwelling Spirit is grieved when the believer sins (Ephesians 4:30), and He convicts the believer to confess his sin to the Lord so that fellowship is restored (1 John 1:9).
10) The indwelling Spirit seals the believer unto the day of redemption so that the believer’s arrival in the Lord’s presence is guaranteed after this life (Ephesians 1:13–14).
When you accept Christ as your Savior (Romans 10:9–13), the Holy Spirit takes up residence in your heart, bringing with Him an entirely new life of love, relationship, and service to the Lord.
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- Settle the possibility of it in your own mind.
- Observe the ordinances of Christ.
- Avoid all known causes of unfaithfulness causing doubt.
- Maintain God’s possession; demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit.
- Take care of your thoughts.
- Take care of your tongue.
- Take care of your conscience.
- Do not harass yourself concerning the future.
- Study to be steady.
- Be a blessing every day to someone, either by example, instruction, or generosity.
- Be partakers of vital faith in Christ with renewed minds (Romans 12:2)
- Make the glory of God our highest aim.
- Wean our hearts from earthly things.
- Watch against grieving the Holy Spirit.
- Be perpetually employed for God with resigned wills to His own.
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- What is the evidence of such in our days?
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- We enjoy a genuine sense of the Divine presence.
- The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost.
- We exude a spirit of gratitude and praise.
- We possess brotherly love and enjoy fellowship with the saints.
- We obtain great victories over sin and have intense desire for purity.
- We cheerfully obey God’s commands.
- We frequently meditate on the heavenly aspects of life and love.
- Conclusion: Have I surrendered to God and His will with the promise of heaven upon the earth?
