If This Isn't Heaven, I Don't Know What Is

Biblical Reasons Why We Should
And Practical Suggestions on How We Can
Create Heaven on Earth

This is a book of "spiritual exercises." It's like doing 1,000 push-ups. Ouch. Can you imagine how sore you would be?

No pain, no gain.

I unconditionally guarantee that you won't like reading parts of this book. You will be offended. You will be put-off. And the more you read, the sorer you'll become.

But I unconditionally guarantee that if you keep grunting and keep sweating and look up all the Bible verses and pray about it, you will be spiritually stronger than when you began these exercises. You will appreciate the Bible more, and you'll be working and praying more fervently along the lines our Lord taught us, "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

And if the Church -- the Body of Christ -- were to work through these exercises and become spiritually fit, we would be astonished at how much God's will would be done on earth as it is in heaven.

But you will be offended. Reading this book will hurt. You will say, "This is ridiculous. I quit." You may even come up with some holy, spiritual-sounding rationalizations for not doing these exercises. "This isn't what Pastor So-and-So teaches."

Look up the Bible verses. Then keep reading. And praying.

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
James 1:5

I guarantee you'll like the results. And I'm as confident as humanly possible that God will like the results.

I believe the Bible from cover to cover. Find out more about me.

Let me start off with a couple of statements that will absolutely fry you. You will say, "I'm not going to listen to that." You will refuse to do 1,000 push-ups.

And you will not become spiritually strong. You will not be "fit for the Kingdom" (Luke 9:62).

Are you ready?

1.  The "Second Coming of Christ" already happened.

Now why would any sensible Christian even read one paragraph in defense of that proposition?

Titus 3:9 literally says to "avoid moronic questions." Paul said to Timothy:

O Timothy, keep the securities of the faith intact; avoid the profane jargon and contradictions of what is falsely called "knowledge." Certain individuals have failed in the faith by professing that.
1 Timothy 6:20

It would be hard to imagine an argument that is stupider and more worthy to be avoided than "The 'Second Coming of Christ' already happened."

One of the greatest Baptist preachers of the last 200 years, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, wrote a review of an 1878 book that argued that all New Testament prophecies -- including that of the Second Coming -- had already been fulfilled, many of them in the tumultuous events of AD 70 when Jerusalem was destroyed by Roman armies. Spurgeon didn't agree with the conclusion, but he said of the book:

Though the author's theory is carried too far, it has so much of truth in it, and throws so much new light upon obscure portions of the Scriptures, and is accompanied with so much critical research and close reasoning, that it can be injurious to none and may be profitable to all.
(from the October 1878 issue of The Sword and the Trowel Magazine)

In writing the book you are now reading, the author has been motivated to do nothing "injurious," but only that which is "profitable to all." These "spiritual exercises" are not foolish debates, splitting hairs, and majoring on the minors, but are calculated to exercise essential spiritual muscles which are atrophied in many Christians today. The goal is to build up, not to tear down:

Remind them about these things, solemnly calling on them in the Presence of God not to argue about words, since that is of no use and tears down those who listen. Do your utmost to let God see that you at least are a sound workman, with no need to be ashamed of the way you handle the Word of Truth. Avoid all that profane jargon, for it leads people still further into unGodliness.
2 Timothy 2:14-16

The issues covered in this book are not obscure technical twists on a Greek word found only once in the Bible. These issues are BIG questions and major themes discussed in dozens or even hundreds of verses, and you'll be surprised you've never read these verses in this light.

This next idea is so controversial that I must lead into it gently.

Imagine that you could be transported back in time 200 years. Imagine that you stood before a Joint Session of both houses of the United States Congress and they asked you about life in the 21st century. You told them that people would drive from place to place in a matter of minutes in a carriage without horses, while listening to a symphony orchestra or an announcement of how many similar carriages were on the road ahead of you and what the weather would be this afternoon. Every home would be linked together by a network of cables which transmitted sounds and pictures, documents and books, from every corner of the globe to every other corner, and everyone could watch events 3,000 miles away as they were taking place. And by pressing a couple of buttons on a small gadget the size of your hand, you could be connected to people around the world without any wires at all. Then imagine that one of the politicians made a motion that the government should begin work immediately on these projects. Would these politicians have had a single idea where to start to create the automobile, cell phone, television and the internet? If the government had been in charge of cars, cell phones and cable TV would you have a car a cell phone and cable TV today?

Washington D.C. has expanded its power beyond anything that anyone who signed the Constitution could have imagined. But in spite of this increase in power, crime, illiteracy, and sexually transmitted diseases among 12-14 year-olds have increased. In fact, Washington D.C. says it's illegal for teachers in your local school district to teach 12-14 year-olds that God says not to steal, not to kill, and not to have sex before marriage.

Are you ready to stretch a muscle that's never been stretched before?

2. We must Abolish the United States.

This may be worse than denying the Second Coming. This sounds like the mad ravings of an ungodly and lawless anarchist, calculated to foster rebellion, disorder, and conflict. Paul had an even stronger charge to Timothy:

If anyone is teaching otherwise, and will not give his mind to wholesome precepts of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to Godliness, I call him a pompous ignoramus. He is morbidly keen on verbal questions and quibbles, which give rise to jealousy, quarreling, slander, base suspicions, and endless wrangles; all typical of men who have let their reasoning powers become atrophied and have lost grip of the truth, who think of piety in terms of profit; from such withdraw thyself (I Timothy 6:3-5)

Isn't this an idea from which any sensible Christian should withdraw? Doesn't it sound like someone is appealing to fleshly desires, encouraging worldliness, or just plain wasting your time? Isn't this at best a naive and foolish utopian speculation?

I assure you I am not encouraging lawlessness. I am a "theonomist," which is a growing movement of Christians who are committed to taking God's Commandments seriously in every area of life. "Theonomy" comes from two Greek words meaning "God's Law." The reason why crime, addiction, illiteracy and sexually transmitted diseases among 12-14 year-olds are increasing in our day is because "the government" is at war with "self-government," and has replaced God's Law (Theonomy) with Man's Law (autonomy).

Suppose I phrase this idea in this way:

2. In order to save America, we must Abolish the United States.

What does America stand for? (Or, what did it once stand for?) I would say, "Liberty Under God." Liberty unrestrained by the Law of God is what most people think of when they think of "anarchy." But a nation "under God" makes atheists and the ACLU think of a theocratic police state. Let me rephrase this idea one more time.

2. In order to save America,
we must Abolish the Constitution and
establish a Theocratic Utopia.

The word "theocracy" literally means "Under God." People often confuse "theocracy" (government by God) with "ecclesiocracy" -- government by the church (priests and popes).

People are usually critical of "utopian" speculations. But is there really anything wrong with "utopia?"  R.J. Rushdoony wrote:

In 1892 the U.S. Supreme Court declared that America was a Christian nation. As many historians would have to agree it was a Christian "theocracy."

If we eliminated 98.5% of our government, we would have as much government as existed in John Adams' day. Would our society be worse off, or better off? Has the unimaginable expansion of power in Washington, D.C. increased self-government among your neighbors? If we eliminated the U.S. Supreme Court and local schools could again teach students that God says not to kill and not to steal, would be we better off?

How about one final re-statement of this controversial proposition:

2. We should abolish all organized government.

Most Christians do not appreciate the wealth, safety, health, and prosperity which have been given to us by "the Free Market." Capitalist countries -- those with the least "government" -- have a higher standard of living and a more peaceful, orderly society, with a higher standard of living, than socialist countries -- those with the most powerful police states. Liberty Under God has brought us closer to the fulfillment of Micah's "Vine & Fig Tree" vision than an army of armed regulators could have done. And yet, most Christians do not lift a finger to defend capitalism against socialism because they believe Micah's prophecy cannot be fulfilled until Jesus returns and sets up a socialistic government, even though when Jesus was on the earth and the crowds tried to make Him a socialist dictator, He fled them (John 6:15). Jesus said all power had been given to Him in heaven and earth, and He ascended to the right hand of God.

Did you know that Jesus actually told His disciples to be "anarchists?" We'll examine that verse, and many others, and you will be surprised, and you will become spiritually stronger. You will not become a "lawless anarchist." You will become a godly servant like Christ (Mark 10:42-45). (The contrast between godly servants and "archists" is found throughout the Bible. You've heard about "anarchists." Have you ever heard about the opposite: the "archist?" Get ready for the pain that comes from exercising an unexercised muscle.)

These two ideas -- "the Second Coming already happened," and "we should abolish all organized government" -- sound heretical and foolish, but working through the arguments in this book will increase your spiritual strength, and will be "injurious to none."

It doesn't matter to me whether you end up agreeing with everything I write. What's important is that you "attain the stature of Christ," and this process begins with stretching those unexercised muscles.

If you feel that you're not strong enough to do 1,000 push-ups like this, here are some easier spiritual exercises to get you started on this rigorous conditioning program:

Click here for Spiritual Exercises.