- Signs of the Kingdom, Part XXIV
I have had several prophetic experiences where I was caught up in the heavenly realm. Each was unique. From this I have concluded that the geography of heaven is far more diverse than the geography of earth, and it is seemingly endless in its marvels. I have no trouble believing that we can spend eternity there and never be bored, but rather be exhilarated far beyond what our present, earthly capacities can fathom.
Still, the experience I am about to share with you is the most wonderful of all. I was shown that we can not only experience this in this life here on earth, but we are also called to do so. For His kingdom to come to this world is to bring heaven to this world. The part of heaven I am about to describe to you is not only the most wonderful I have experienced, but also the part of heaven we are called to bring to earth.
In this experience, I was caught up in a realm of heaven that was like a great shopping mall, only the stores were not selling goods but rather serving various unique types of hospitality. Each was hosted by the most wonderful and compelling people, all of whom were serving those who visited them with their very best. The joy in each place was overflowing, contagious, and beyond description.
Just as I was admiring this most wonderful part of heaven and could understand one wanting to spend eternity there, the Lord said He wanted me to experience this place alone. Immediately, He and everyone else disappeared. I was now left alone in what was still the most glorious place in heaven, but it seemed like hell! I have never experienced such loneliness, and could not wait to leave that place.
Then the Lord reappeared and stood next to me again to tell me what I needed to learn from this revelation. The message was: even heaven would not be heaven without Him and those who are there.
The joy of heaven is created by fellowship, and without this fellowship, it is not heaven at all. The first thing the Lord said about His creation in Genesis that was “not good” was loneliness (see Genesis 2:18). Post-COVID, the U.S. Surgeon General has also started talking about the devastating impact of loneliness on people and society. Also noteworthy is the fact that most mass murderers are loners.
We were made for fellowship—first with Him, then with one another. Heaven is not heaven without Him and His people. We cannot bring heaven to earth without bringing His presence and the fellowship I experienced in this “mall of joy” in heaven. There is a Greek word for this kind of fellowship. It is called koinonia.
Koinonia is one of two Greek words translated “church” in the New Testament. Ecclesia, which speaks of church structure and government, is the other. One of the worst mistakes church builders make is to build on ecclesia before there is koinonia.
“If we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another” (see I John 1:7).
The word “fellowship” here is koinonia, not ecclesia. We can have perfect ecclesia (form and government) without koinonia. However, if we abide in the Lord and the Lord is there, we will have koinonia, as this verse says.
There is a big difference between the blessings and the presence of the Lord. The Lord will bless many things He will not inhabit. I have been in churches all over the world that were major blessings, but only three had koinonia.
Koinonia is unnatural and otherworldly. We can have great fellowship with each other at parties, cookouts, and other gatherings, but koinonia goes far beyond fellowship and can only exist where the Lord is present. Once we experience even a hint of this, we are ruined for anything less. It is addictive, because it touches something profound in us for which we were created. This is what the Lord wants to bring to earth, and it can only be brought through those who have it.
We must seek koinonia, which is fellowship with one another in His presence. This is what David sought for Jerusalem when he brought the ark of God to Jerusalem. That’s why he put it in a tabernacle open to the people. This is the only dwelling place of God in Scripture that the Lord said He would rebuild,
“so that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord” (see Acts 15:16-17).
© 2023 Rick Joyner. All Rights Reserved
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