“The Kingdom of God does not come with things that can be observed, nor will they someday say, ‘See it here!’ or ‘See it there!’ For indeed, the Kingdom of God is already within you.” ~ Jesus Christ (Luke 17:20-21)
“Heaven & Hell are both here – both around us, and both within us …

They are both alive in every action, and in every inaction –

nowhere exotic or banished; simply here.”

~ inspired by Chunmun Kamal

In the Gospels, both directly in conversations and indirectly via parables, Jesus Christ made it quite clear that Heaven – at least as far as he was concerned – was, is & forever remains a Here&Now event; a Bliss-full state of Being experienced in all the moments we exude both the humility & the courage to actively & selflessly place the needs of others ahead of our own. And as such, it makes complete sense that — if Heaven for Jesus was a present moment occurrence – then Hell was, is & forever remains a present moment experience as well.
Indeed, Jesus did not mention “Hell” as we know it at all in the Scriptures, but rather is said to have used the name “Gehenna” to describe the suffering we all ultimately experience when reaping the consequences of living a self-centered existence.  As it turns out, Gehenna was the name of a small valley just outside of Jerusalem where children where sacrificed in Old Testament times (see Jeremiah 32:35) and where much of the city’s garbage was burned in Jesus’ day.  To all those listening to Jesus’ during his 3-year ministry, Gehenna was a well-known place of death & decomposition & maggots & fire — a perfect symbolic representation of what Jesus was teaching at the time: namely, that immense pain & discomfort do indeed accompany our inevitable transcendence – that though we are steeped in the stink of weak-willed self-centeredness, we will indeed rise from the rot of greed & fear that infests our lives; that we will in-deed inevitably come to a point in our lives when we choose to burn off our sins of greed & arrogance & violence by leaping into the purifying flames of selfless acts of radical Love.

Gehenna was a foul place of pain & suffering, to be sure … it was indeed a form of “damnation” for those living in Jesus’ time.  And yet Gehenna was also a place of transmutation – it was also a gateway through which one could pass to a place of purity & calm … Fittingly, modern-day visitors to Israel can witness firsthand that the valley of Gehenna herself has been reborn, for she has successfully transcended the centuries of being a center of torture & disgust, and has today become a lovely garden of peace & tranquility.

So too, my Friends, can our own lives be reborn. So too, can we all – in any moment we choose — depart from Hell and enter into Heaven.
But how can we do so?   Rest assured, it is indeed possible, though not in the ways traditionally believed.  Merely being “devout” or “zealous” worshipers in church won’t cut it, and merely  being or “nice” or “friendly” or “tactful” or “polite” or “tolerant” towards others is not nearly enough … Indeed, even performing mere “good deeds” sufficient.

 

No, to enter Jesus’ “Kingdom of Heaven”, it is necessary to face your fears in a fashion much more radical, and enliven a Kindness that is far more complete.  In essence, in order for us to enter this “Kingdom of Heaven”, it is necessary to sacrifice ourselves in some way for the betterment of others …

 

 

*When we are shunned or ridiculed or rejected or even attacked, we can have compassion for our enemies and openly forgive them.

 

*When we are frightened or made uneasy by a stranger, we can look them in the eye and greet them warmly with a smile.

*When we feel unsettled or even disgusted by a homeless person, we can touch them gently on the shoulder and ask how they are doing.

*When we feel poor, we can donate to the poor … When we feel hungry, we can give another food … When we feel thirsty, we can give another a drink … When we feel cold, we can give another our coat.

*When we feel down or depressed or saddened, we can joyously announce to another how grateful we are to be alive.

*When we feel angry or enraged or upset, we can reach out to another with an open act of gentleness.

*When we hear negative criticism or gossip, we can humbly offer soft reminders about the Goodness of the accused.

*When we are judged as unworthy or feel condemned, we can reach out to our accusers and directly forgive them both for their callousness & for their arrogance.

*When we feel bored or annoyed, we can reverently witness to another the raw & miraculous Beauty that always surrounds & ever fills us.

*When we are in doubt about the future of our lives — or the future of our relationships — or the future of our country — or the future of our world, we can stride forth boldly into our moment, and Be the Change we wish to See.

And these are but a few of the many ways we can fully experience the raw Bliss of our innate Oneness – our intimate & complete Interconnection with everyone & everything in our lives.  And the Good News is that, regardless of what happens to us after we die, we can all enter this brilliantly Bliss-full “Kingdom of Heaven” while we still live – right now, in every moment we are alive … right here, in every place we already reside.
Amen … Let it be so.
“Within every arising second, a second has already died. So, instead of focusing on the end, focus on this moment, this very moment … Live in it … Die in it … Be laid on the cross … Be resurrected. It’s all within. This moment, this place, with these people, with this frame of mind … With all that is and all that is within me. I am my Hell … just as much as I am my Heaven.” ~ Chunmun Kamal

“And his disciples asked him, ‘When will the rest for the dead take place, and when will the new world come?’ And Jesus said to them, ‘What you are looking forward to has already arrived; you simply don’t yet realize it.’” ~ Jesus Christ (Gospel of Thomas 51)

“The time is even now fulfilled, and
the Kingdom of Heaven is already at hand.”
~ Jesus Christ (Mark 1:15)

“If man had his way, the plan of redemption would be an endless and bloody conflict. And yet in reality, salvation was bought not by the fists of Jesus, but by his surrender; not by his muscle but by his Love; not by God’s vengeance but by His forgiveness; not by force but by self-sacrifice.  Jesus surrendered in apparent defeat in order that we might walk a similar way and taste victory; he destroyed his enemies by Loving them – by dying for them.  He conquered death by allowing death to conquer him.” ~ inspired by A. W. Tozer

Filed under: Preserving Paradise by Scaughdt