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| Chapter One: The Other World |
One of the foundational premises of this
book is that another world exists beyond
the world we physically live in. This other
world is a realm or a sphere that operates
with boundaries and laws just like our
physical world. Jesus called this world the
“Kingdom of God” or the “Kingdom of
Heaven.” This “Kingdom” will be the
destination for our journey. For the
adventurous or inquisitive reader, the
journey will be a sheer delight.
While some would ask about the
differences in these two terms relating to
the Kingdom, our purpose is to explore the
hidden things of the Kingdom while we
experience the dimensions of the hidden
world by traveling into it. For my purpose,
the Kingdom is the goal we seek. This
brings us to the second important facet of
the other world we are about to travel in.
It has to do with the very nature of the
world we will explore.
The realm of our search is not just another
world, but it is a Kingdom. And where there
is a kingdom, there is a king. Where there is
a king, the world operates by His rules and
His decree. In this case, our King rules over
a world that is not always visible. This
Kingdom is eternal and preeminent above
all other worlds. The nature of this
Kingdom is an expression of the King.
Hence, everything within it reflects or
embodies who He is.
The existence of this other world as a
kingdom has other inherent implications.
book is that another world exists beyond
the world we physically live in. This other
world is a realm or a sphere that operates
with boundaries and laws just like our
physical world. Jesus called this world the
“Kingdom of God” or the “Kingdom of
Heaven.” This “Kingdom” will be the
destination for our journey. For the
adventurous or inquisitive reader, the
journey will be a sheer delight.
While some would ask about the
differences in these two terms relating to
the Kingdom, our purpose is to explore the
hidden things of the Kingdom while we
experience the dimensions of the hidden
world by traveling into it. For my purpose,
the Kingdom is the goal we seek. This
brings us to the second important facet of
the other world we are about to travel in.
It has to do with the very nature of the
world we will explore.
The realm of our search is not just another
world, but it is a Kingdom. And where there
is a kingdom, there is a king. Where there is
a king, the world operates by His rules and
His decree. In this case, our King rules over
a world that is not always visible. This
Kingdom is eternal and preeminent above
all other worlds. The nature of this
Kingdom is an expression of the King.
Hence, everything within it reflects or
embodies who He is.
The existence of this other world as a
kingdom has other inherent implications.
The fact that this Kingdom of God is ruled
by a king tells us something about God.
This God is nothing less than a King. He
rules authoritatively over His world. He
defines the boundaries, the rules, and the
life which exists in His Kingdom. For some
this might seem elementary. In fact, it is so
elementary that most of the world we see
has missed it. At the very least, it demands
further exploration.
The other world or “Kingdom of God” as
Jesus described it is a mystery to most
people. While many know that there is “life
beyond,” they are often uncertain what it
looks like. Even those who have strong
opinions often have difficulty explaining why
they believe as they do. In contrast to the
multitude, Jesus described the Kingdom of
God on the basis of His firsthand
experience. He said that He “came down
from Heaven” (John 6:51). What He was
saying is that He had come from the world
that we are seeking to know about. In my
limited experience, I have found that it is
always best to get directions from
someone who has already been where I
would like to go. The life and words of Jesus
will become our filter, our amplifier, our
telescope, and our interpreter for this new
world experience. As we explore this
hidden world, we will find that He holds the
keys to the mysteries of this Kingdom.
by a king tells us something about God.
This God is nothing less than a King. He
rules authoritatively over His world. He
defines the boundaries, the rules, and the
life which exists in His Kingdom. For some
this might seem elementary. In fact, it is so
elementary that most of the world we see
has missed it. At the very least, it demands
further exploration.
The other world or “Kingdom of God” as
Jesus described it is a mystery to most
people. While many know that there is “life
beyond,” they are often uncertain what it
looks like. Even those who have strong
opinions often have difficulty explaining why
they believe as they do. In contrast to the
multitude, Jesus described the Kingdom of
God on the basis of His firsthand
experience. He said that He “came down
from Heaven” (John 6:51). What He was
saying is that He had come from the world
that we are seeking to know about. In my
limited experience, I have found that it is
always best to get directions from
someone who has already been where I
would like to go. The life and words of Jesus
will become our filter, our amplifier, our
telescope, and our interpreter for this new
world experience. As we explore this
hidden world, we will find that He holds the
keys to the mysteries of this Kingdom.