THE GOD OF HEAVEN

While on a mission to China, I visited a temple dedicated to “The God of Heaven”.  According to the history displayed in this temple, there was an account about one of the early emperors of China who constructed and dedicated the temple to “The God of Heaven”.  The emperor had written about an encounter he had with “The God of Heaven” who miraculously had revealed Himself to him.  In all of the temples we visited, this was the only one that had no statues or images of any gods.  The emperor had recorded that “The God of Heaven” was the creator of the heavens and the earth and no images or statues were to be made of Him.

An amazing fact is that the same wording, “The God of Heaven”, is recorded many times in both the Old and New Testaments.  In these passages, we discover that “The God of Heaven” revealed himself to Old Testament believers including Abraham, Ezra, Nehemiah, Daniel, Jonah, and to New Testament believers including Paul and John.  He also revealed Himself to nonbelievers including Cyrus, Artaxerxes, Belshazzar and Nebuchadnezzar.

It should be noted that some of these supernatural appearances occurred in different territories, nations and continents of the world.  However, in every incidence, as with the Chinese Emperor story, these revelations always confirmed and pointed to the One and Only True God.  These biblical accounts did not in any way advocate that the revelation by “The God of Heaven” was to be interpreted as a command to neither begin a new religion or sect nor institute new gods.  But rather it was to clearly indicate the Truth concerning the Living God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior, and Redeemer!

Old Testament

Scripture References:  

Genesis 24:3 “I (Abraham) will make thee swear by the Lord, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell:”

Genesis 24:7The Lord God of heaven, which took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence.”

II Chronicles 26:23 “Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the Lord God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.  Who is there among you of all his people?  The Lord his God be with him, and let him go up.”

Ezra 1:2 “Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.”

Ezra 5:11-12 “And thus they returned us answer, saying, We are servants of the God of heaven and earth, and build the house that was builded these many years ago, which a great king of Israel builded and set up.  But after that our fathers had provoked the God of heaven unto wrath, he gave them into the hand Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house, and carried the people away into Babylon.”

Ezra 6:9-10 “And that which they have need of, both young bullocks, and rams, and lambs, for the burnt offerings of the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to the appointment of the priests which are at Jerusalem, let it be given them day by day without fail: That they may offer sacrifices of sweet savors unto the God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king, and of his sons.”

Ezra 7:12, 21, 23 “Artaxerxes, king of kings unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace, and at such a time.”

Ezra 7:21 “And I, even I Artaxerxes the king, do make a decree to all the treasurers which are beyond the river, that whatsoever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, shall require of you, it be done speedily.”

Ezra 7:23 “Whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be diligently done for the house of the God of heaven: for why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons?”

Nehemiah 1:4-5 “And it came to pass, when I (Nehemiah) heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven.  And said, I beseech thee, O Lord God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments:”

Nehemiah 2:4 “Then the king said unto me (Nehemiah), For what doest thou make request?  So I prayed to the God of heaven.” 

Nehemiah 2:20 “Then answered I them, and said unto them, the God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.”

Psalms 136:26 “O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth forever.”

Daniel 2:17-23 “Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions: that they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 

Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision.  Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.  And Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God forever and ever: for wisdom and might are His: And He changeth the times and the season: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:

He revealeth the deep and secret things: He knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with Him.  I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me how what we desired of thee: for thou has now made known unto us the king’s matter.”

Daniel 2:28 “But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days.  Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these;”

Daniel 2:37 “Thou O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power and strength and glory.”

Daniel 2:44 “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.”

Daniel 5:23 “But hast lifted up thyself (Belshazzar) against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver and gold, of brass, iron, wood and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified: Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written.  And this is the writing that was written, Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin.  This is the interpretation of the thing: Mene; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.  Tekel; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.  Peres; Thy kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”

Jonah 1:9 “And he, (Jonah) said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land.”

New Testament

Scripture References

Acts 17:16-34 “ Now while Paul waited for them (Silas and Timotheus) at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.  Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him.

Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoics, encountered him.  And some said, What will this babbler say?  Other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection.

And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is?  For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean.  (For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing).

Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ Hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.  For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.  Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. 

For God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath and all things; and hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:

For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.  For as much then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.

And at the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent:  Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.  And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter.  So Paul departed from among them.  Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.”

Romans 1:18-25 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.  Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four footed beasts, and creeping things.  Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves; who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever.  Amen.”

Revelation 11:13 “And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of man seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.

Revelation 16:10-11 “And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, and blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.”

Revelation 20:6-10 “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.  And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations, which are in the four quarters of the earth, God and Magog, to gather to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.

And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.  And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever.  And I saw a great  white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.  This is the second death.  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

Revelation 21:1-7 “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth:  for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.  And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.                                            

And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.  And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.  And he said unto me, It is done.  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.  I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.  He that over cometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.”

Revelation 22:16-21 “I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches.  I am the root and offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.  And the Spirit and the bride say, Come.  And let him that heareth say, Come.  And let him that is athirst come.  And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.  He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen, Even so, come, Lord Jesus.  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”

 

 

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