"Hell ain’t Underground, Heaven ain’t in the Sky" by Brandi J.W. Ray

 Hell ain’t Underground, Heaven ain’t in the Sky

By: Brandi J.W. Ray 

Last week, I received some marital advice from my Uncle Chris. He said, “Bran, you make it Heaven for your husband. Serving your husband is an act of worship and service to God.” He continued his thought by saying, “Heaven ain’t in the sky nor is Hell underground. What’s in your heart is what you’ll bring to this Earth.” Whew! A word.

Instantly, my mind recalled the Lord’s Prayer, authored by Jesus Himself. Mainly, I replayed the beginning sentence, “Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed will be Thy name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done – on Earth as it is in Heaven.” Repeat after me – “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.”

I remember feeling contrite. My uncle was challenging the God in me; God was using my uncle to hold my obedience accountable. Yet, as my uncle spoke, I deliberately knew I wasn’t ready to make an effort to pick up my cross. I wanted to walk inside my house and pick up where our argument last left off; my hurt wished to attack, my resentment wanted to fester. But God. 

Christians choose to, but our Christianity doesn’t give us permission to make the wrong decision. Our flesh wants to be of the flesh – it wants to hold onto grudges, use our tongues to strike insults and, make the effort to justify it. But, we are called and commanded to remember, “What would Jesus do?” Jesus said to forgive seventy times seven (Matthew 18:21-22), to tame the tongue (Matthew 15:18), and to seek HIS Kingdom (Matthew 6:33).

In context, holding onto grudges creates disharmony; using our tongues for insults generates a cycle of hurt; justifying our wrongs doesn’t make space for healing nor growth. Refusing to grow or allowing such contention and hurt to manifest in your home, being, or relationships can create an environment of Hell. However, contrary to that Hell, is Heaven. Heaven is peaceful and harmonious - it is where tears don’t fall, nor sorrow is felt. Heaven brings about completion and oneness with God.

We do not have to die to live in our punishment. The underground, Satanic rule of Hell isn’t someplace we may only meet at our life’s end. Hell is right here on Earth – when we breed, live in and, reflect Hell in our hearts. Comparably, we do not have to wait till God’s return to reach Heaven. The keys to the Kingdom was left to us when Jesus told the disciples to share His good news. What’s in your heart? What do you hear, embody and, request when you say, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done?” 

 

Summoning the Kingdom 

In Matthew 6, Jesus addresses the audience (disciples included) on how to pray. It is at this moment that Jesus (or the gospels) first introduces The Lord’s Prayer. The usage and structure of Jesus’ initial sentence are vital in understanding why we are praying and who we praying to. Jesus starts Matthew 6:9 by saying, “Pray like this.” Suggesting that this method is preferable to any other form we may practice.

·       “Our Father” – The opening statement declares a few things. First, the usage of “our” means that we (you, Jesus, and I) share the same Father and creator – God. Secondly, it also shows the uniqueness of Jesus in the flesh. Jesus, a member of the trinity and a divine essence, doesn’t say, “Pray to me.” He is intentional in suggesting that even He has a dependence on God. Finally, the phrase, “Our Father” makes the relationship personal. Neither you, myself, or Jesus are distant in our position to God. We are His children, made of His essence and in His likeness. Thus, we (Jesus and us) share in the similar capabilities, characteristics, and qualities of God.

·       “Hallowed will be Thy name” -  The first petition we make is that God’s name is consecrated, set apart, and made Holy. God is worthy of honor, and God is worthy of praise. While the English Language often uses the suffix “ed” to express past tense, the term “hallowed” is present tense. As in, the word “hallowed” can act as a verb and an adjective. Hallowed in this context would suggest that we are describing a being that transcends our wisdom and understanding and are making the name honorable in itself.

·       “Thy Kingdom come” – The second petition can stand with many interpretations. The first interpretation is that we are expressing a desire for God’s Kingdom to arrive. The second interpretation is the confirmation that the Kingdom has already arrived. In reference to desire, one can assume that the desire refers to the day of Jesus’ return or the need for the Kingdom to present itself at the moment of our petition. Pertaining to confirmation, one can assume that Jesus, Himself is the Kingdom or the assurance that following the close of request, the Kingdom will be made apparent.

·       “Thy will be done” – The third petition also can have many interpretations. The first concept can act as resentment – the idea that God is God and, therefore, no matter what, it’ll be God’s way or the highway. The second notion is both confirmation and our willful surrender that God has the authority to enact His will upon us. The last perception is the desire or the invitation to bring about God’s will unto our lives.

·       “On Earth, as it is Heaven” – The final statement from Matthew 6:9-10 is the close of the sentence. The phrase acts as the confirmation that Heaven is already accomplished. It demonstrates absolute and confident expectation of a perfect relationship with God (our Father), that His name is above all names, that His Kingdom has already arrived and is not too far to reach and, that His will already prevails. This phrase is also the final invitation both to and from us. It invites us to have a relationship with our Father, remember that He transcends our wisdom, commit to following and arriving at His Kingdom and, accept, surrender and submit to His will – not in the afterlife but now. 

 

Locating and Defining the Kingdom

·       John 18:36 – As Jesus spoke to Pilate before being handed over to the Romans for His crucifixion, He expresses that His Kingdom is not of this world. Of course, interpretation can lead to the idea that the Kingdom is the Sky Palace, Heaven, that we await. However, referring back to the interpretation of "Thy Kingdom Come," it is possible that the Kingdom had already arrived – Jesus.

·       John 3:3 – In the earlier parts of John, Jesus shares that no one could see the Kingdom unless they were born again. All know that the reference of being "born again" refers to the acceptance of Christ as Lord and Savior.

·       John 3:13 – By the 13th verse, Jesus reiterates that one must enter the Kingdom by coming through Him. Explicitly, Jesus says, "No one has ever gone into Heaven except the one who came from Heaven – the Son of Man."

·       Matthew 16:19 – Jesus shares with his Disciples that HE will give them the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. However, most importantly, He continues by saying, "whatever you bind on Earth will be bound in Heaven" and vice versa. Thus, circling back to the last phrase in Jesus' opening statement of the Lord's Prayer, "on Earth as it is in Heaven."

One can surmise that the entry to the Kingdom of Heaven is through Jesus. However, it extends beyond the acceptance and acknowledgment of Jesus' position in the Trinity. The entry into Heaven begins with our renewal of self. It is our embodiment of Christ – His example, characteristics, and qualities. "Thy Kingdom" is not a spatial reference between Earth and Heaven. "Thy Kingdom" is the correlation and relationship between Earth and Heaven.

Therefore, "Thy Kingdom Come" is confirmation of its arrival. Jesus was physically here, and although we find ourselves awaiting His return, we are not waiting for Heaven, the Kingdom. We are waiting for Heaven, the Sky Palace. What is the difference? Simple. The Sky Palace, Heaven, refers to the physical location of Jesus' residence. The Kingdom, although physically departed (Jesus' crucifixion), did arrive. However, Jesus left a souvenir, a reminder - the Holy Spirit. Accessing the Holy Spirit is our one-way ticket to bringing "Thy Kingdom" on Earth as it is in Heaven. 

 

Accessing the Kingdom

In Galatians 5, Paul tells the church of Galatia to access their freedom. Their freedom, Jesus' crucifixion, unchained them from the strict practices of the former Jewish laws. In short, the strict set of rules of the Jewish laws were often used to suggest that one must do a specific set of things to have approval by God. However, Jesus' death released us from the need to gain God's blessing as it provided us with the gift of grace. Yet, Paul encouraged that despite this grace, one must not use it foolishly to indulge in this world's sins or practices. Instead, one must serve another humbly.

Thus, in Galatians 5:13-26, Paul tells the church to walk by the Spirit. The gratification of self and the flesh is a contradiction to both the Spirit and the Kingdom. The conflict of the Spirit and flesh will bring about dissension that He warns will cause us to lose our inheritance – the Kingdom. Instead, He reminds us that by accepting and surrendering to Christ, we crucified the flesh. Our renewal, or being born again, allows us to bear fruit that brings the Kingdom to our present-day lives. Such fruit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

"Thy Kingdom" and "Thy will" are nothing to wait for, they are accessible and something to commit to and deliver in our day to day experiences. Our grief, our guilt, our flesh bring about Hell on this Earth, and sometimes, we fully allow it to overtake and overcome us at the moment. I hate to break it to you - it ain't always the devil, sometimes it's you. When we partake in our hellish ways, we've wasted precious time enjoying the Kingdom that we already have access to.

Live this life fully, with intention and obedience to God, and discard the idea that your peace and joy will finally come in the afterlife.

'Cause if you ain't right, you won't get right, nor will you have the opportunity to be right with our Savior when He returns.

 

Be kind to yourself,

Brandi J.W. Ray

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