"My kingdom is not of this world...If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews...But My kingdom is not from the world."...And Jesus also said, "You are from below; I AM from above...You are of this world; I AM not of this world...I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I AM He, you will indeed die in your sins."...These statements from Jesus are telling us that He and His kingdom are not of this world but of Another World...Jesus in His Own Words is speaking of someplace different than earth and not of this world and the earth...The someplace different is what I call -Another World...This is where He is from...He is not of this world...He has a Kingdom and it is in what we call the Spiritual World...His Kingdom is Heaven...
Are there two worlds in which we live, this world and Another World?...Science studies this world...Will science be able to find out about Another World by only studying this one?...Can scientists over time find out so much about this world that it will show the fingerprints of the One who created both worlds and all worlds?...Is there really this Kingdom of God that Jesus spoke about?...And where exactly is the Kingdom of God?...And does faith boil down to the simple question, is there the existence of Another World that while we are earth we cannot see it?...Is the Kingdom of God another name for Heaven?...
Jesus many times spoke about the two different worlds...Jesus often spoke of the Kingdom of God, while He was on earth...So we know that there are two worlds, this world and the Kingdom of God...When Jesus said in the Gospel According to John, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you...I do not give to you as the world gives." (John 14:27)...Jesus has came out and told us the peace that He gives is not of this world, this earthly world -but His peace comes from Another World (the Kingdom of God)...He is literally from Another World...Jesus seems to be from another level or space in time, and not one of this earthly world...Jesus tells Nicodemus that He had spoken to him of earthly things and he did not believe; how then would Nicodemus believe if Jesus spoke of heavenly things?...No one has ever gone into heaven except the One who came from heaven—the Son of Man (John 3:12-13)...So Jesus tells Nicodemus and us there is an earthly place and a heavenly place...And as one reads through the four gospels, you really get the impression that He is from Another World...It is like He has been brought up in Another World, which He has, of course...In His teachings, He also talks like this world could be like His Kingdom, if we (each and everyone of us) would learn to love each other completely and unconditionally (and even loving our enemies)...He often speaks and uses the language, in such a way, that is quite different...He often answers someone's question, as if it were a statement...And as we listen to Him in the four gospels, He seems to have an authority and Divine Charisma surrounding Him...He is One, who is so unique, that people who listen to Him might even want to ask, where are You from?...He is from a place separated from earth...It is the place known as heaven...It literally is a different and Another World...And it is a world we can only imagine about...
There is some irony in the two worlds...Our current world seems to be about life and how we experience this life...In Another World it is more about death, and life after our death...And we can believe that there are two worlds, because this world is centralized on One Particular Man's death, and then His coming back to life, and Him showing that His death and only His death actually gives abundant life...But somehow this Particular Man is alive and involved in both worlds...His involvement is with the Holy Spirit and with faith in believing in Him...
We need to have faith to be connected with the One, who is able to be in both worlds...Faith connects these two worlds...So, I think one must have faith, hope, and love to believe in different things like Another World, and to what He is referring about His peace not being from this earthly world...And faith, hope, and love are three different things we have and need on earth which He teaches us in much detail...Faith may be needed to actually believe He is from Another World...And as you read about things that are hard to understand (and many of His teachings are hard for me to grasp), and you try to believe in different things like Another World -you must have faith...Faith in Him...But faith, hope, and love are all needed in keeping the heart open to things that you believe in -and in finding the Truth...And we know one of the reasons Jesus came to earth was to testify to the Truth (John 18:37)...In His Prayer, the LORD's Prayer He tells us that God's Kingdom come, and that thy will be done on earth the same as it is in heaven...Jesus has announced through His Prayer that earth can be like His World...This earthly world can be like the world in heaven, if we can only follow all His Teachings...
Many of God's different and unique characteristics are not known by us, let alone understood by us...God is Spirit (John 4:24), and without a physical body (as we know and think) it makes Him quite different from us...And we start to recognize these different things about God, as we start reading the Bible and the book of Genesis...God would create the heavens and the earth from nothing...We learn something a little unique (if not a lot of unique things) in the first book...In Genesis, God would say let Us (Genesis 1:26) make a man -and (much later) in the Gospel According to John, (John) says that Jesus was with God in the beginning (John 1:1-2)...This is important to know -that Jesus was with God in the beginning...Now some say and believe that in that God is talking to His host of angels in using the word Us in Genesis...Others say God is so complex that Us is the plural form of His Being and His complexity -but St. John writes that Jesus is the Word and the Word is God...And St. John was an eyewitness to Jesus...St. John walked the earth with Him...
But back to Genesis, in the beginning God would create a man named Adam...Adam was the first man on earth...Being the first man on earth would be significant and unique, because (well) he was the first one and man to be on earth...But many years later, there would come to earth another Unique Man, which one of our Great Saints called the Last Adam...And it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam, a life-giving Spirit...The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual...The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven...As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are of heaven...And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man (1 Corinthians 15:45-49)...So, in a way God had two Adams to walk the earth...The first one was a man from made from the dust of the earth (Genesis 2:7), and One Man Divine and from heaven, and is the heavenly Man...The Spiritual Man did not come to earth first, but the natural man did...The first Adam came and first lived in Eden, and lived with his partner Eve...This Last Adam, this Man from heaven has a life-giving Spirit that will never die...This Life Giving Spirit is much like His Father, who is Spirit...This Last Adam was a traveling teaching Minister and was Spiritually gifted and Divine, among other things...
In the Gospel According to John, the author says Jesus was with God in the beginning...That is why I think God said -let Us make a man in Genesis...Jesus was with God since creation started (John 1:2)...Jesus was the Word and the Word would now become flesh, and He would become a Baby...He is going to be born (and is born) and have an earthly virgin mother named Mary...The mother of Jesus would be impregnated by the Holy Spirit...Jesus' mother would remain human (and not be divine) and He would be born of this virgin (Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:18-25), while she was still pregnant...How do these things happen?...They can happen because nothing is impossible for God (Luke 1:37)...So, Jesus would come from Another World to our world...And yet, be born of an earthly virgin woman...He is from above and we are from below (John 8:23)...But when we think about the Virgin Birth -wouldn't our Messiah and Son of God arrive on earth quite differently than how we arrive on earth...I think that is why I have such a hard time trying to understand many of the things He said -He is so unique and different...He is a part of the Trinity of the Godhead, and is now going to be born a Baby, and become a young man, and then would grow to become a Man, just for us -and He is from heaven, from above...And all the while, Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow (Hebrews 13:8)...Was Jesus always part Man -if He was the same before He came to earth?...Or could this just mean that God had always had this plan in eternity to send His Son to us, to help us and pay for our guilt and sin, that we owe to the One Most Moral -and that makes Him the same at all times?...As one thinks about this -what thoughts would this Baby have?...We know He is no regular Baby...This Baby would be Divine, and His Father would be God...What thoughts would He have as He is growing up?...But as we learn in the four gospels, He would grow up very poor, and then comes to teach us and and also He came to save us (from the sins, the guilt, and tragedies of the first Adam and our own -which for some reason, we cannot quite get rid of)...
The Father would have "this Son relationship" from the very beginning -as we read John's Gospel...And God would send His One and Only Son out of Love to us and for us (John 3:16)...So we might assume that Jesus always has been "His Son" from the very beginning (if He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow)?...Then, I think we must also assume that Jesus always had God as a Father and His Father, from the very beginning...That is why and it is easier (for me) to understand that God is Love (1 John 4:8)...C. S. Lewis tells us that for God to be LOVE, He would need to have Someone to LOVE from the very (and in the) beginning...God could not be LOVE, if He had no one to LOVE...God has had His Son, Jesus (with Him) from the beginning, and has always LOVED Him...
The third part of the Trinity is the Holy Spirit...The Holy Spirit that is in us is always seeking God, and is the Spirit of Truth...And the Holy Spirit seems to do its job so very, very subtly...It does it in such a way that much, if not most of the time, we do not even notice the Holy Spirit is in us...But every now and then we feel a mystique moment or a spiritual and sacred moment...And if one believes in God, one can then believe that He has placed the Holy Spirit in us, ever so gently and so very subtly...And the Holy Spirit does not take away our free will or our free choices that LOVE gives us...God is Divine, Jesus is Divine, and the Holy Spirit is Divine...If you believe these things and the Trinity, then you can better see how God and Jesus are from Another World...And it is why Each of the Three Parts of the Trinity are uniquely different...So humble, so loving, so gentle, and so subtle...
Jesus said some quite unusual things and great things, when He visited earth...In the verses about marriage in heaven, for instance...He reassures us about our being resurrected...He specifically says theses words "in the resurrection from the dead" -so we know that their is a resurrection for us...And then we will be children of God, and children of the resurrection (Luke 20:36)...But then He says, we will not marry, nor be given in marriage...So there is no marriage in heaven...There will be great LOVE and much love, but no marriage...After the importance of marriage outlined in Genesis, for one man and one woman meeting and leaving their father and mother with a lifetime loving relationship and they shall become one flesh (Genesis 2:24) -I find this quite unusual, odd, and yet believable that Jesus says there will be no marriage in heaven...
Jesus and His Father have always had a special relationship from the beginning...Genesis does not mention that God has a spouse...Neither does St. John mention, a wife in the beginning, only a Son...So when Jesus teaches us that their will not be husband and wife type relationships in heaven (Luke 20:34-35), we can better see there was not a marriage in the beginning...But it still seems a little contradictory in my earthly thinking not to have a husband-wife relationship in heaven...But we are told our relationships will be more like -children of God...In fact, Jesus says and we can no longer die; for we are like the angels...We then become (after our resurrection) God’s children, since (at that time) we are children of the resurrection (Luke 20:36)...And we are told when God brings his firstborn into the world, He says, "Let all God's angels worship Him...And In speaking of the angels God says, "He makes his angels spirits, and his servants flames of fire...But about the Son God says, "Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of Your kingdom." (Hebrews 1:6-9)...Jesus will be superior and over the angels...So maybe male and female will be like we were when we were young children (and we did not think about marriage), and be angelic and love the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, as well as all the other angels (but this is only a guess)...And the LOVE of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit will cover all our love needs...Jesus always taught that God is the priority in our lives, and not husband, wife, or children...And maybe Jesus will be a Divine Brother, the Greatest Divine Brother one could ever have -and we are like children and angels, with a heavenly Father...And how great that will be -to be like an angel of the Father and Son...What Jesus said are unique and the greatest words ever to be spoken, because they come from God...
In reading the gospels, being from Another World can be very difficult...When you are different, people can have a hard time understanding you...Even defending Someone different (in our world) can be very difficult...Jesus told His Disciples that "You do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world...That is why the world hates you." (John 15:19)...This is still understandable today...Let's say I go to my neighbor's house and knock on their door and I tell them about Jesus and how wonderful He is...Then I go to another neighbor's house to talk about the Absolute Truth that Jesus brings to our world...Then I go the my next neighbor's house with a similar message...Probably what will happen is I would be labeled a "Bible Thumper" or some other nickname by someone -even though I am doing my best to present to them how Jesus is...But He is from this other world...I would be telling my neighbors, about Someone, who is unique and quite different, but from Another World...I might be shunned and might even be avoided by a few of my neighbors after that (I might guess -even though I was trying to just talk about our Savior)...But this (name calling and avoidance) is so small in comparison to what His earliest followers, disciples, and apostles went through...I am sure Jesus' immediate followers were afraid for their very lives, when they immediately stood up after they realized He resurrected and defended all the teachings that He had done in His ministry...After all He was convicted of a crime (blasphemy of God was what He was put on the cross for -yet He is the Son of God)...He was a criminal...The early followers and early Christians were persecuted and many were killed in His name, for following this Criminal...
In reading about His teachings, His miracles, and what He said (and if you believe in Him and what He said) -one can easier understand why, Jesus says I and the Father are One, (and ) if you know Me you know the Father, (and) I was here before Abraham, (and) why He said I can forgive sins...He was sent by His Father, and His Father gave Him the authority to forgive sins...And these other attributes are because He is divine...But these things are still hard to understand (for me)...But knowing He is from Another World makes it easier (at least for me) to follow some of the unusual things He said and taught...
He also made other great and other odd, yet Divine statements...I AM meek and lowly in heart...I AM the bread of life...I AM the Light of this world...I AM the resurrection and the life...I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life...It is also a little easier to understand that He can walk on water and calm raging storms, when you know He is from Another World, and not from earth...His heavenly world is different from the laws of nature of our earthly world...All things were made through Him (John 1:3), even nature...So He understands how to do different things in our world that we find hard to understand...His world (and more importantly, having God as His Father) allows Him to do things, we cannot do on earth...
Because He is so different, I think those who met Him on earth would take notice to His customs, His mannerisms, His ways, His teachings, and the way He spoke so differently...He loved to speak in parables and proverb-like...He admitted speaking differently to His Disciples before His arrest and comments He would no longer use "this kind of language" (John 16:25)...People who met Him would find "this something" about Him, that they could not quite put their finger on...His Presence would make them think about Him -and that He is unique...Those meeting Him, would think, because of these things -this Guy is different...He would (I think) have this Aura of Uniqueness about Him, a Divine Charisma...But, having said that, I think that would be quite natural for One, who says and did come from heaven (John 3:13), might run into a little trouble on earth...Some people do not like different people...And being from heaven and having God as His Father makes Him so wise (you might say, He was home schooled by His Father -the Wisest of the Wise...His Father is the Wisest One of all things -in this complete and yet growing universe...In the very universe that He (and His Father) created...Then we would almost know, why we will find difficulty in some of the things He teaches and says...In fact, sometimes I think, He is almost talking a different language (a heavenly language) (John 16:25)...But it is not a different language that He spoke on earth...But it is because He is from heaven, and knew how to stretch our languages (since He is the Creator of all languages) that makes Him sound different (this is my guess)...He is given and talks with this Authority, and the Authority from His Father...I think we should expect this from our Messiah and One coming from Another World...
If Jesus is truly the Messiah and is who He says He is (John 4:25-26) -we should expect to have to read and re-read many of His quotes and teachings to better understand them...His words are Almighty, they are coming from God...And then to throw in His parables and proverb-like speaking abilities, and Him being the Son of God, things get more complicated and much more interesting for us...And since many of His teachings are in parables (I think) would mean and could mean that some of them (if not all) can be interpreted in many, many different ways...Jesus wants to make us think about His Parables and His teachings...I think this is why He spoke in "this kind of language."...Since His Father created man, each man might see (and read in) a little something different in His Son's parables...So, I would expect His parables to raise many questions, as different people read and reread them...Even when the same person reads them at different times, they may find another meaning or two as they read them at different times and in different situations, and different ages, in their lives...
If you believe that Jesus is from above, and has been with His Father since the beginning, then you certainly understand that He is not only wise, but does know all things (John 21:17)...And could do different things in nature, like walk on water...And heal people with a touch...He does use this wisdom, knowledge, and divinity much of His time to heal people, when He was on earth...When One has Great Wisdom, and is always helping people, and teaching people about God -then (to me) that person cannot be a liar...He not only told the truth and taught the truth, but He stood up and said this about Truth -I AM Truth...In fact, He said not only am I Truth , but added -I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life...No one gets to the Father except through Me (John 14:6)...He also said this when He talked about Truth, that If you hold to my teachings, you are really my disciples and followers...Then you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free (John 8:31-32)...He also told after His arrest that the reason He came to this world was to testify to the Truth (John 18:37)...Jesus is Truth...
If He never lied or sinned (1 Peter 2:22, Hebrews 4:15), then this ties together that He always tells this Truth...How many times in your first thirty three years of your own life could you say you never sinned, or lied, or no deceit came from your lips, mouth or heart?...Can you say that you never, ever lied?...Maybe you once misunderstood something and accidentally told a lie, or maybe you told your child or spouse something or twisted something in the heat of fire -but Jesus never lied nor sinned...Maybe you said an exaggeration one time, that was a lie...Jesus is indeed unique about Truth...Because Truth cannot lie...And because He is unique, He is quite different...Sometimes when we meet people who are different, we want them to change...We want them to be more normal, which can mean, be more like us...However, Jesus said we are the ones who have to change, and we need to change and be more like little children, otherwise we cannot enter the Kingdom of God (Matthew 18:3)...Now that is different (normally one would think of growing older and growing wiser)...We must change our perspective, and try to be more like children...Then we maybe can better realize (after taking a child's perspective) that He comes from above and we come from below (because we really are like little children in comparison to Him and will be God's children after the resurrection)...And like angels as stated earlier...When we read His verses, knowing He is from Another World, then we better can understand His greatness and His unusual and mighty Words...Then we can better see He is the Son of Man and the Son of the Blessed One (Matthew 14:62)...When we believe He is the Messiah and is Divine and His Father is God, the verses become (to me) a little easier to understand...Just knowing and realizing, He is from Another World helps in my reading the four gospels...
Even His death conjures up things from Another World...I would have thought the Most Sacred of All Men would have died in the Temple of God...Or die in a most sacred and holy place...But no this Man dies outside the city of Jerusalem and on a cross...He hung on a cross until He physically died...And He was hung between two criminals...What an odd way and an odd place for a Father to have His Son physically pass away...It seems like a story from Another World...
Now the biggest question is, if I believe that Jesus is from Another World and He is who He says He is, and is the Messiah, the wisest Man to walk the earth, then how does this all relate to me?...I first have to believe in Him, and the One who sent Him, who is His Father...He tells me, He can forgive me of my sins, and that He came for sinners...So, I must believe that I do sin and have sinned...Jesus said He would have St. Peter build His church (Matthew 16:18)...So, when this Disciple, St. Peter, whom He calls the Rock, says that He died on the cross to bear my sins, I must believe that too (1 Peter 2:24)...It is my sins that put Him on the cross...He has forgiven us by His dying on the cross...He forgives the inexcusable...When St. Peter says that salvation is found in no One else, for their is no other name under heaven given to by men by which we can be saved (Acts 4:12) -I must believe that, too...Jesus came to save the world and not to condemn it (John 3:17)...So He is a Savior, who came to save the world, and there is no other Man, who can bring us salvation...When I believe these things, and realize my own limitations on understanding this Other World and heaven He comes from - makes believing in Him easier...But in saying all these things, faith is never easy or not easy - each and everyday...But knowing these things helps my faith...Jesus in saying all the things He said gives us a new possibility...He gives us insight to His World, this Other World...Jesus gives us hope that the reality of this world can be changed, and be like His Kingdom and His World...His World is good, just, and right...The way He lived in our world, was good, just, and right...And I believe He is always speaking from that perspective...Jesus and His Father can make this world right...And He will make the world right when He returns...God's grace will be with us at that time...The Grace of the LORD Jesus will be with God's people, when it happens...Amen (Revelations 22:21)...
From LivingBibleVerses