"The Revelation is obviously not a prose composition. It is a drama, a moving picture of the unfolding kingdom of Christ in a world of carnality, sin, and death — a picture taken not with a cinematograph, but with the camera of divine revelation. Again and again throughout the book of Revelation we have noted that the vast majority of the events portrayed in the visions of John takes place in one of three realms — heaven, earth, or sea. These, of course, are not the literal, outer heavens of the universe, nor the physical planet earth, nor the actual seas of water. As we know, these symbolize three realms of life through when we pass on our journey from the depths of the kingdom of darkness unto the heights of the kingdom of life and light in Christ. As the voice from heaven declared, "Rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you…" (Rev. 12:12)."
Much more in the text:
"You will understand a great mystery when you see clearly that God is judging and bringing to an end the earth man, the flesh man within each of us. And He will also execute this work in all of His redeemed children everywhere! The seven last plagues are destructive — not destroying God’s people, but destroying, removing once and for all and completely the old man of sin who sits in the temple of God ruling over all the thoughts, ways, and religious actions of the Lord’s carnally-minded people — showing himself that HE is god! I believe that God is giving us the true understanding, the correct perception, that the purpose of the plagues is to strip away that man of flesh, that man of sin from the temple of God! As you follow through the book of Revelation you see that it is all a removal. It is the unveiling of Jesus Christ. The unveiling signifies an uncovering, the removal of the covering that has concealed His life within the vessel. All through the book everything is being shaken! The seals are loosed — removed from the scroll. When the trumpets sound, a third part of the trees and all green grass is burnt up; a third part of the creatures in the sea die; a third part of the ships is destroyed; a third part of the sun, moon, and stars disappear; and a third part of men is killed."
"Heaven," on the other hand, is the highest degree of life and plane of consciousness unto which man can attain; the spiritual, divine, heavenly, and incorruptible life in Christ, in the power of His resurrection, sharing His nature, mind, glory, wisdom, righteousness, and power. The "heaven dwellers" are that people that has been truly quickened, transformed, and raised up to sit with Christ in the highest heaven of God’s Spirit. When we have been raised off the earth, and have been released into the "heavens" of the Spirit and dwell there, then we are conscious of the true realities, of things that are not seen, the spiritual realities of the kingdom of God, which are the things eternal. The realities of the kingdom of God are spiritual; they are infinite; they cannot be put into forms, nor can they be touched in earthiness. They are only seen, known, and touched in the spirit and by the spirit."
The realities of the kingdom of God are spiritual; they are infinite; they cannot be put into forms, nor can they be touched in earthiness. They are only seen, known, and touched in the spirit and by the spirit."
John 20:27 KJV Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.
That's before the ascension :)
No it isn't. He ascended into Heaven to present Himself sinless to the councils, then He came back down. That's why Mary wasn't allowed to touch him, she would have imparted sin upon Him.
The ascension of Acts1:1 The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:
3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
I'm not sure what all this proves. When you get resurrected and receive your new body, it won't be a cloud. It'll be glorified flesh that has no blood in it.
God’s kingdom on earth is us, Jesus Christ is ruling in us, making us the light of God, it is interesting the physical of the whole thing is us. Christian doctrine differs on how God’s kingdom comes to earth completely, I haven't really embraced a particular doctrine on the matter, but I prefer to see it as in us first, the finally the whole creation, there will be a time when we are changed, this corruption must put on incorruption.
I agree.
"And now, under the seven last plagues, ALL THESE THINGS AND MANY MORE COMPLETELY PASS AWAY! All the trees are burnt up, every mountain and every island flee away, all the heavens are rolled up as a scroll, for the first heaven and the first earth pass away, and in the end there is no more sea. Babylon the Great falls and is burned with fire — nothing is left but the new heaven and the new earth, the glorious city of God with the Lamb upon the throne, and the glory of God radiating throughout the whole earth. And brother, none of this is happening literally in the outer world! Every bit of it is taking place within God’s people!"
"Let us understand that there are three realms of conscious dwelling. One is the "sea," and it is a beginning, as seen in the first chapter of Genesis. The sea bespeaks the lowest realm of life and consciousness. The consciousness which dwells in the sea, does not know anything about God. When you are raised out of the sea-realm into the "earth," you enter a realm which is higher than the sea, but lower than heaven; an in-between realm which at its highest peak kisses heaven, and at its lowest level embraces the sea; yet, in the true sense it is not entirely heavenly or spiritual, nor absolutely wicked and degenerate. In simple terms it is a realm of mixture. You first meet God in this earth-realm, and this, my beloved, is the carnal religious church realm of the past two thousand years. In this realm you are brought into an earthy conception of God and of spiritual things; you see Christ as a literal flesh and blood man; fleshly Israelites and Jews are God’s chosen people; the temple of God is something the Jews will build some day in the earthly Jerusalem; the cross is the old rugged cross of Golgotha’s hill; hell is a literal place of fire and bodily torment; the coming of Christ is a glorified man crashing down out of the atmospheric clouds; heaven is an astral location out beyond the Milky Way with actual mansions, golden streets, river, and trees; and grace and spiritual life are ministered to saints through physical acts of water baptism, communion, and various other outward church rituals, ceremonies, and sacraments."
"There is a very important truth in these words, "And the first went, and poured out his bowl into the earth, and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast" (Rev. 16:2). How very meaningful is the divine signification as to upon whom the plague falls — "upon the men which had the mark of the beast." How tremendously important, how vitally significant is EVERY WORD OF GOD! We need to pay attention and give earnest heed to the precise terminology of the Holy Spirit for He never speaks carelessly nor apart from divine purpose. It is instructive to note that in every case the collective noun "men," throughout the entire Revelation, refers to men other than the overcoming company of firstfruits — the spiritual elect of the Lord. The singular word "man" is used of both overcomers and men in general, but "men" is never so used, in every case applying only to unbelievers or to those carnal religious folk who bear the mark of the beast and who pay homage to his image — the worldly church systems of man. The chosen and separated elect are "redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and the Lamb" (Rev. 14:4). The message here is clear and unmistakable — "men" signifies the natural man, the carnal man, the Adamic man — indeed, the FLESH! Does that not reveal to us clearly and unquestionably who it is that God is dealing with by the seven last plagues! He is dealing with the earth-realm of carnal Christians who are walking after the flesh! God is laying His hand of dealing upon the flesh within His people and within His church!"