[Darris McNeely] I've been working on my next Beyond Today program entitled "When Heaven Comes to Earth" and it brought to mind this unique picture that was taken by the Apollo astronauts back in the 1960s on one of the missions of the Apollo space program, Earthrise over the moon, a stunning shot. As you can see the brilliance of the planet Earth against the bleakness of space over a moonscape that is barren of life. It shows just how privileged the planet Earth is. You know, scientists realize that it takes more than 200 unique parameters of scientific data and laws for life to exist as we know it, human life, especially on the earth. There's been no place replicated, no place found like that in the entire universe. The earth indeed is unique, it is privileged and human life, all life on this earth is unique. And when you look at something like this and you think about what scripture tells us, which is the reality that Heaven is coming to earth, it helps when you take that in mind to a picture like this, to put a lot of scriptures in perspective. 

God said in the book of Genesis to man to dress and to keep the earth, to have dominion over the earth. Man has the responsibility to properly treat the environment. As well, God says that "Heaven is my throne, Earth is my footstool." And when you stop and think about what God says, earth is His footstool, God's not going to destroy the earth, He's not going to let it be destroyed. He is not going to either bring mankind or deceased spirits to Heaven, God's going to bring Heaven to earth. The Kingdom of God is going to come to earth and the reign of Jesus Christ on the earth is going to remake this earth in terms of the human life and the conditions on the earth as beautiful as a picture like that actually portrays this earth to be. That's the missing dimension right now. But God is going to bring that to this earth, which, in a sense, then brings us back to what I'm working toward in my program. What are we doing now to prepare to be with God, with Christ, in that role as He reigns over the earth and as we reign with Him? Something to think about. 

There is a part of the prayer that Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, where He said at the beginning, "As we pray, pray that Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." That really is the key. You and I have the opportunity to do the will of God in our life today, living righteously. And as we do, we fulfilled that in a small way, this part of the Scripture, God's will being done in our life. And in so doing, we prepare for the time when God will bring Heaven to earth, and Christ will reign and we will reign with Him.

That's BT Daily. Join us next time.