The other evening we were watching the movie "Scrooged" with Bill Murray, enjoying a little Christmas levity. Like the original "The Christmas Carol" Bill experiences visitations from three Ghosts who take him into the past, the present (other earthly locations) and future. He sees himself and others and realizes the changes he needs to make and is often trying to interact with himself, or with the others that he is seeing, but he is hidden in the spiritual realm in which he is traveling with the ghosts. The story, like original, continues with him coming to consciousness and changing his whole heart and behavior because of what he saw and learned. The message is a wonderful encouragement to look at life with a different perspective, and change the way we act. Scripturally we would call that repentance.
In a similar vein, yesterday during worship at our church, I had an interesting idea pop into my head, that I want to explore. I will lay the biblical foundation first.
Paul wrote the following - Colossians 3:1-3 NIV: "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. [2] Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. [3] For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God."
Paul also wrote the following verses in his letter to the Romans 6:8,11 NIV: "Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him". [11] "In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus."
Continuing that theme, Paul wrote the following - Romans 8:9-11,34 NIV:
[9] "You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. [10] But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. [11] And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you."
[34] "Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died---more than that, who was raised to life---is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us."
John in his Gospel opened with these lines that help us to understand in some small way the eternal reality that exists beyond time - John 1:1-5 NIV:
[1] "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He was with God in the beginning. [3] Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. [4] In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. [5] The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."
And those famous verses from Genesis 1:1-5 NIV:
[1] "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. [2] Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. [3] And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. [4] God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. [5] God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning---the first day."
Finally David wrote the following - Psalm 11:4 NIV: "The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord is on his heavenly throne. He observes everyone on earth; his eyes examine them."
In summary, God exists outside of time, He was there before time was created (Gen. 1:1-4), and will there at the end of time. Heaven is where God exists eternally (Ps 11:4). Jesus is now seated at the Right-hand of the Father (Rom. 8:34). Our lives are hidden in Christ (Col 3:3), even now, as we are in the realm of the Spirit, by evidence of the Holy Spirit living within us (Rom 8:9). Thus, part of our spiritual existence is presently living with Jesus (Rom 6:8), in the eternal realm.
If that is all true, then we exist spiritually in both realms, in both the timeless eternal realm and in this time-based terrestrial realm, for clearly our pirit is present with us here. IF we are also present in the eternal realm, there must be some part of our spirit that can see and experience that heavenly realm. Jesus is sitting at the right-hand of the Father interceding for us, even now in that eternal reality. If we are hidden in Him, then we should be able to hear some of what He is saying, and allow those words to resonate with our spirit here!
In some way, we should have the ability (I am not sure how exactly) to listen to this Heavenly conversation and relay it to our earthly spirit. We can certainly encourage ourselves with this knowledge and allow our perspective to be changed, which should affect our behavior as well. We can set our mind on things above, and allow this new mind-set to change our actions!
We have before us the same opportunity that Scrooge had, and even better we can draw from the truth the Holy Spirit brings! We can speak to ourselves what we are hearing in Heaven and encourage ourselves to change so that we can let His light shine in the darkness!
Amen!
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