as in heaven, also on the earth

... in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Amen.  Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us.  Amen.  Glory to You, our God, Glory to You.

O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, You are everywhere and fill all things, Treasury of blessings, and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (three times).

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it is now, was in the beginning, and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen.

“as in heaven, also on the earth[1]”

[2]

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[1] The incarnation of the Son of God causes earth to function like heaven.  Life on earth may now be lived in the presence of God.  With the coming of the Holy Ghost on the Day of Pentecost, 33 AD, this becomes a powerful reality in the birth of The Church.  The Church is divinized.  We ought not to think of The Church as a scattered bunch of warring political enemies; but rather as an indivisible living organism, a bride in the process of preparation for her wedding.  Divinization is often attributed to individuals; however, in reality it applies to the body as a whole, The Church, not to any individual.  It is impossible to be sanctified and glorified as a distinct individual.

This signals the return to and lasting presence on earth of the Sh^ekinah.  Since around 516 BC the Israelites had been frustrated with an empty worship.  God had departed from among them in 586 BC.  They were able to build a second temple, reconstruct the city walls and defend them, and encourage one another from Scripture they recovered.  However, they never recovered the Arc, its Mercy Seat, the Urim and Thummim, or the Autographs of Moses and the Prophets; the Sh^ekinah would not return until around 4 BC, before the death of Herod.  With the birth and incarnation of Jesus, the Sh^ekinah returns.  With the Day of Pentecost the Sh^ekinah indwells the people of God; so that in The Church, The Holy Ghost recreates and redefines the Temple of God, not as a building made with stones, but as the living body of Christ Himself, with members in both heaven and earth.  This new presence of the Sh^ekinah on earth will last as long as The Church lasts on earth.

Because of the fracturing, the rending of The Church into thousands of little pieces, we may be given pause to wonder, has the Sh^ekinah already begun to depart from us?  Did he begin His departure at 1054 AD?  … at 1202-1204?  … at 1309?  … at 1378?  … at 1449?  … at some other date?

[2] If you have been blessed or helped by any of these meditations, please repost, share, or use any of them as you wish.  No rights are reserved.  They are designed and intended for your free participation.  They were freely received, and are freely given.  No other permission is required for their use.