May-Jun, Year of Our Lord, 1996
Number 963
For
over a year, Vinnie Olson has been paying off his debts so that he
can quit his job with the prison system. In Vinnie's last report,
the big day has arrived:
God has shown me His Kingdom. Now He is granting me repentance from service to opposing worldly governments. May 12th is the last day that I will act on behalf of the Legislatures of Men as a Sworn Enforcer in their Prison System.
Vinnie Olson
The sign on the Hubcap Agency of Heaven in Cedar Rapids, Iowa reads, "SANCTUARY, Enter in Peace, Calling sinners to repentance." Police ignored the sign on the front door and busted down the back door to drag Ambassador Donon VonBillings back to jail for another hearing.
This was Donon's third arrest in the last few months. This time Donon was charged with two counts of "interference with official acts" and jailed for 40 days. The first charge arose because he declined to be fingerprinted. The second charge was for not opening the Sanctuary door.
The heart of the issue is John, Chapter 10. Donon recognizes the voice of the true Shepherd and opens the door. But the State is a stranger whose voice Donon does not recognize. When the State could not enter Donon's Sanctuary through the front door, they busted in another way, the same as a thief and a robber. Donon's response to being cast in jail is to lay down his life for his enemies. He desires to bless, not curse them.
After fasting 40 days, Donon was finally released. This was his third jail fast in the last few months. From November 14 until April 1, he fasted in jail a total of 76 days. All three arrests stemmed from one traffic stop. The State was intent on breaking Donon's convictions. But the repeated jailings only strengthened Donon's faith.
If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
Luke 14:26
"I don't understand you guys. First you go to jail for not having a driver license. Then you just sit there in jail and fast. What's gotten into you people? Are you crazy?"
No, what we are doing is remaining faithful to God's government. It's our way of saying, "NO, we will not submit to your government. We will remain in the Kingdom of Heaven and fast - even unto death."
What's our purpose? To lay our lives down, rather than obey strangers. Look at Jesus. Did He ever consent to anything that Herod or Pilate did? No, He did not. He did not agree to do anything with them. What communion hath light with darkness? It is a tough stand. Jesus had to go the full distance and be hung on the cross. Right now we do not have to be martyrs for Christ. But the day and hour may be here soon. I am watching as people wake up and quit worrying about their own life. They are saying, "I am ready to die."
Fasting in jail for a month or more can be lonely and scary. The only way you can make it is by being determined to die. If you have that attitude, you will succeed. Once you overcome the fear of death, anything is possible. If you just relax, God can take over. You no longer have a fear of anything else. You do not fear the loss of property or wife or children because your own death is the ultimate. That is the greatest thing you can lose, because your life is all you know. And without it, you have nothing. Or at least that is what it appears. Yet, if we have truly accepted Jesus as our Lord and accepted the fact that our Spirit belongs to the Father, we need not be afraid of what happens to our body.
Jails make merchandise of us because of our fears. They know how much we love our life. They throw us in jail and assume we will make agreements with them to save our life. But we don't play their game. Instead, we lay down our life in fasting. Through our weakness, He can be strong. As we fast, evil is exposed and consciences are aroused.
When the ordeal is finally over, we wonder, "Was it worth it? Did we accomplish anything? Was anybody changed? Did we make the road a little straighter for anyone else?" We probably will never know the answers. One thing we do know: if someone dies in their jail because he believes that he belongs to the Kingdom of Heaven, that jail has a serious problem on their hands.
Paul Revere, Pastor
Boulder
Weekly
Feb. 8, 1996
By Wayne Langesen
Religious fanatics beware: Don't let your car tags expire. Don't even think about driving with an invalid driver's license. It could land you in a mental hospital and cause the state to take your kids away.
Just ask Toby James, a man who was arrested Jan. 13 for driving without state license plates or a state-issued driver's license. (See Boulder Weekly, Jan. 18, "Licensed by Heaven"). James belongs to a religious community called the Embassy of Heaven. Members of the group have drivers' licenses and license plates issued by Heaven, rather than the state.
"The state of Colorado likes to put people who are politically incorrect in mental hospitals," James says.
Five days after his arrest, James was taken to Colorado State Hospital in Pueblo, where he has been held against his will ever since for a psychiatric evaluation. Monday, James will enter his 30th day of a hunger strike.
"I do not intend to build a defense for myself," he says. "The Lord says we are lambs for the slaughter. My intention is to study scripture, get some rest and fast the whole time I'm here."
Colorado Highway Patrol Cpl. Terry Taylor stopped James near Hotchkiss, Colo., when he noticed that the license plates on James' 1980 Toyota Celica said "Kingdom of Heaven." Taylor subsequently found that James was carrying a driver's license issued by the Embassy of Heaven, a religious organization James belongs to.
Upon further investigation, the Highway Patrol learned that the state of Oregon considers James' real name to be "Person A", which his parents called him at birth. He has no criminal record under either name other than a few minor citations for not having a state-issued license or registration.
James and other members of the Embassy of Heaven change their names when they are "born again." The Embassy then issues passports, drivers' licenses and license plates under their new names.
Officer Taylor considered "Toby James" a fake name and had him charged with criminal impersonation, a felony that can land a two-year prison sentence.
In the Delta County Jail, James refused to wear jail clothes because they were issued by the state rather than Heaven. Jail employees gave in and allowed him to wear the clothes he was arrested in.
A few days after his arrest, James refused to answer a judge's questions at Delta County District court. The judge responded by ordering a psychiatric evaluation that is still underway.
"The judge told me I had the right to remain silent, and not incriminate myself," James said. "I chose to do that. He asked questions and all I did was preach the gospel in response."
James is obsessed with the Bible, but speaks intelligently and coherently. He was not considered a threat to himself or others until he was arrested and began the hunger strike.
At the state hospital, doctors have drawn blood from James against his will. They forced him to provide a urine sample by threatening to cram a catheter in his penis. They have tried, to no avail, to get him to eat.
"I asked the doctor if he is a brother in Christ and he assured me he is," he says. "Then he starts evaluating me using some form. I asked if his evaluation form was of God or of man. His tone changed instantly and he seemed very different. He said `of man.' I told him he had compromised his Christian position to judge me with that form."
The Embassy of Heaven is located between Stayton and Sublimity, Ore., and claims to represent the interests of Heaven the way the Mexican embassy represents Mexico. The Embassy boasts about 300 members, most of whom travel the country to preach and set up booths at trade shows. Last fall they had a booth at the Preparedness Expo in the Denver Coliseum.
Most of the traveling members have been arrested for their Kingdom of Heaven license plates. The organization considers it part of the persecution the Bible tells them they will endure. Embassy leader Paul Revere gives all members a book he wrote, called "the Ins and Outs of Going to Jail."
"The question with Toby James is `Who's really crazy?'" Revere says. "We believe in God's government on earth. Is that as crazy as man's government and the heavy burdens it causes people to place on one another? We don't think so."
Revere says most members are detained for a short time when pulled over for their license plates, and then released. Occasionally someone ends up in a long-term bind, such as the James situation.
James, in fact, was held for 30 days near Seattle a few years ago for not having proper documentation to drive. He fasted the whole time, and a judge finally let him go after Kingdom of Heaven members held a casket-building party on the front lawn of the court house.
When James was arrested, his two boys, ages 10 and 13, were traveling with him. They were turned over to social services, which gave them to their mother who is separated from James. James' mother-in-law in Iowa says Toby James is definitely sane, and in no way a criminal.
"He's very intelligent, very hard working and very honest," James' mother-in-law says. "He just got hooked up with a group that doesn't trust the government in any way, and doesn't want to have anything to do with it. I think most Americans feel that way to some extent these days, but this group carries that sentiment a lot farther than the rest of us."
Toby James was released on February 28, 1996, and has retrieved his Heaven vehicle, but not his two sons.
A few years ago Ima Redeemed walked a lonely road. The Holy Spirit had called her out of the world system, but she felt isolated and uncertain about her decision. Her stand on educating her children at home and declining to license her car had landed her in jail and isolated her from friends and loved ones. No one seemed to hear the same call to "come out" as she had.
When Ima Redeemed was baptized at the Embassy last fall, she told us how grateful she was that the Lord had put us together. Before hearing about the Embassy, she had just about given up and gone back into the system. Now she is actively promoting the Kingdom of Heaven.
Ima has spent over 30 days fasting in White Pine County Jail, Ely, Nevada. Though Ima's car is licensed by Heaven, she is not in jail for licensing problems. The State is holding her on four counts of interception of wire communications. In Nevada it is a felony to tape record a phone call, even on one's own phone, without obtaining the consent of the other party. It is punishable by up to six years in prison and a $5,000 fine for each offense.
The case began when Ima allegedly said at a meeting of the water board that she had a tape recording of a phone conversation with the board's secretary. A sheriff's detective spoke with the secretary, who told him she had talked with Ima on the phone but had not consented to having her voice recorded.
The detective obtained a search warrant, searched Ima's home and found three other unauthorized recordings of phone conversations. Ima believes the so-called felony charges stem from her role in having the landfill tax taken off the property taxes. The Supreme Count of Nevada has now ruled that the County Commissioners must pay back property owners thousands of dollars which they illegally collected.
While the County may have meant evil against her, they cannot keep Ima from doing good. Ima wrote from jail, "Prayers and fasting are what I am able to do while in jail. The two girls in my cell are becoming receptive to the Lord Jesus Christ. One gal was happy to hear that we are in the Kingdom of Heaven here in jail. It got her thinking about our Lord Jesus. Ministering in jail is really easy. We have lots of time to share the message of our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ. We are in good spirits and at peace."
Ima was scheduled to be sent to a mental institution, 300 miles away for a 30-day mental health evaluation. Prior to being transferred, jail personnel claimed she must have a physical exam, including blood tests. Ima has refused. She wrote from jail:
Dear Pastor Paul and family,
Praise God in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Yesterday was quite a day. The jailer got me out of bed early in the morning to take me to a doctor for a physical exam. After he got me to the clinic, I told them I refuse to have an exam. The jailer made some phone calls and then took me back to jail. At the jail, the Sheriff obtained a court order to take me to the local hospital and force me to be examined and to draw blood from me.
I asked to see the court order, but the jailer only flashed the court order at me and wouldn't let me read it. At the hospital, the jailer handed the court order to the nurses and doctors, but after a conference, the doctors would not comply with the order because it did not specifically state what needs to be done such as blood testing, etc. Praise God! I prayed, "Please God, don't let them do this to me" and God answered my prayers. But I was not out of the woods yet. About 3:30 p.m. the next jailer on duty came and told me he was going to drag me out if necessary for a physical exam because he said the judge was going to issue an order shortly. I was praying earnestly for God to intervene. When 5:00 p.m. rolled around, the jailer told me I was lucky because he never obtained the judge's order.
This ordeal gave me the opportunity to witness to a jailer and nurse. I told them that I pray for their salvation. The jailer said his religion was beat out of him during the war. He also said his heart was buried under tons of concrete. We also talked about many other things concerning Jesus' death and resurrection and the worldly system.
Then the public defender came to tell me that the judge was reluctant to sign such an order. I had written out a statement similar to Donon VonBillings'(See Newsletter # 961-3) to prevent anyone from doing anything to my body. The public defender also told me that they cannot set a trial date until I am seen by two psychiatrists and I could be in limbo indefinitely if I do not submit to their tests.
I am still fasting on water. It's been 24 days in jail now, plus the 6 days from when they first arrested me. I have to admit I am getting depressed and despondent. It is unnerving and suspenseful not knowing if I am going to have a trial and how long they will keep me here. I try to concentrate on Jesus and pray that He helps me through these dark moments. I pray for strength and patience.
Until next time, all of you are constantly in my prayers that God's blessings of peace, love and grace are with you in Jesus Christ's name. Amen.
Almost two weeks later, Ima weakened in jail and allowed Walter to sign her out. But a few days later she was again arrested, taken on a 12-hour round trip journey to Sparks, Nevada, for a mental evaluation. She was declared sane and competent and was released from jail.
She knows of no scheduled court actions. As an active ambassador for the Kingdom of Heaven, she cares little whether she is judged by any human court. Her mind is on Heavenly things. Pray that Ima remains strong in the Lord as the adversary schemes to trap her into their jurisdiction. (See Psalm 27:11-14).
What if a loved one is seriously injured or in a life-threatening condition? People have been asking, "Should we go to the hospital?"
Twice we have found it necessary to take our children to the emergency room. Both times we were concerned about losing control of the treatment provided, as well as becoming financially liable for thousands of dollars. When we found ourselves in a situation where we needed the hospital, we found ways to place limits on the hospital's procedures.
Thirteen years ago, one of our daughters was born suddenly in the car, nine weeks early. Labor was very short and unexpected. Our daughter was born while we traveled on a bridge across the Willamette River. Because there was no shoulder, we could not even pull over to the side of the road and stop the car. After the birth, we called our midwife who was about 70 miles away and she instructed us to meet her at a nearby hospital.
When we arrived at the hospital, I told the admissions clerk that I was waiting for our midwife and asked if she had arrived. The clerk knew nothing about a midwife, but when I told her my wife had just had a baby en route, she took action. Suddenly swarms of men in green rushed out to the car and took my wife and baby away in a stretcher.
A few minutes later a doctor confronted my wife and me, demanding that we hand over the baby. We wanted to wait for our midwife to arrive, but they were impatient. They threatened to get a court order to take the baby away if we did not release the baby immediately. Finally, we said we would let them examine the baby, but they were to take no heroic measures and were not to perform any surgery or other procedures without our express approval. We wanted only minimal care and were not willing to admit the baby into the hospital. They verbally agreed to our terms and then rushed off with the baby.
What the hospital desperately wanted was jurisdiction. They needed full authority to act and they wanted us to agree to release our baby unconditionally into their hands to do what they willed with her. We would not give our full consent. We carefully monitored our baby's care by staying at the hospital nearly 24-hours a day. Later, after the itemized statement arrived, we were able to have the bill substantially reduced. We showed that certain procedures and costs were unauthorized. They had violated our original oral agreement for minimal medical intervention.
Another time, after much prayer, we took one of our daughters to the emergency room. At age 14, she had suddenly started having seizures and we were concerned that her death was imminent. When we arrived at the hospital, they did not want to do anything until papers were signed. Again, we did not want to grant them full jurisdiction over our daughter. On the form, I filled out my name and mailing address. Then I crossed out their terms and stipulated that we would pay a maximum of $100 for a diagnosis and then I signed the form. They tried to talk me out of what I had signed, but I stood firm in my conviction.
The doctor examined our daughter and asked a few questions. Then he said she needed a CAT scan and a spinal tap - procedures that cost between 5,000 and 10,000 dollars. We chose not to move ahead with further tests. Eventually, we were billed 100 dollars for the emergency visit.
Our daughter had no more seizures after we left the hospital. She fully recovered using natural cleansing methods. If we had signed the hospital forms, without making any further stipulations, we would have given our consent for the doctors to do whatever they deemed necessary. We would have granted them jurisdiction over our daughter's body.
When people sign the standard hospital forms, they give the medical system jurisdiction over them. Either the medical system has jurisdiction over someone's body or that jurisdiction remains with the individual or his parents. It cannot be both ways at the same time.
If forms are required, we can cross out everything but our name and address and specify the diagnosis or treatment wanted. A maximum amount for services can also be specified. Any further procedures must first be approved by us. In this way, we maintain a measure of control over our loved ones' hospital care.
We do not advocate seeking out doctors and hospitals for treatment of illness. Occasionally, however, when faced with a life-threatening emergency, we have gone to the hospital for a diagnosis or for minimum treatment. As soon as the emergency is over, we resume the care of our loved ones.
Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?
Luke 2:49
Every
day it is getting more difficult to labor without State numbers
and licenses. Why do you need a license to work when you have
already been commanded by God to work? It is your duty to work.
The question is, "Who are you going to work for?" If you are a
Godly man, why expend your talents and energies for the world
system when you could be working for the glory of the Kingdom of
Heaven?
Yes, you must work. But why suffer under the heavy burdens of State commerce when you can work under the light burdens of God's commerce. Come out of the false protection of the State and enter the true covering of Christ's government.
Imagine Jesus going down to city hall and getting a business license to heal the sick or preach the gospel. How ridiculous. His Father had already given Him all the authority He needed.
When Jesus was teaching in the temple, the officials asked, "By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?" (Matthew 21:23) They were obviously upset that Jesus was working outside of their system. Jesus had not been trained by them, nor approved by them, nor sent by them. His Father's great work required no license from men (John 5:43).
My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.
John 5:17
Today, Jesus Christ has been given all authority in heaven and in earth. He sends us to do His Father's work. Whatever we do, in word or deed, we do in the name of the Lord Jesus (Colossians 3:17). We need no other approval, for we have been commanded by the highest authority (Matthew 28:18-20).
I will not have you become partners with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the Lord's table and the table of demons.
1 Corinthians 10:20,21 NEB
Most businesses of any size incorporate with the State. A State-incorporated business gets its life from the State. In return, it must comply with State laws. The State says, "We're the sovereign. You are our subjects. Obey us or you will have no life at all."
When we hear the good news of our salvation, and believe it, we become incorporated in Christ. His will becomes our will. He says, "I am the vine, you are the branches" (John 15:5). That is a corporate relationship. He also says, "Eat my flesh, drink my blood," another corporate relationship. He is our life and without Him, we have no life at all (John 6:53).
Whenever two or more are gathered together, there is commerce. Jesus says that when we gather in His Name, He is among us. We are His body, His corporation.
When you set up a business, you are a business under Jesus Christ. You are not a business under the State. You are not doing business in State commerce. You are going about your Father's business.
Jesus tells us to go out and bring all nations under Him, making all nations of the world His footstool (Hebrews 10:13). Not only are we under Jesus Christ, but we are commanded to bring the nations of the world under Him, too (Matthew 28:19,20).
We go out as His missionaries or ambassadors preaching the Good News of God's government, the government that is everlasting. The governments of the world will perish in time because they have not the Truth. All those who are linked with them will also perish. Only those who have been translated into the Kingdom of Heaven will have everlasting life.
Since the time of the Roman Empire, the license has been used by the Caesars of the world to establish their authority over a particular area. When we accept a license, we are accepting the sovereignty of the one who grants the license. An important principle of licensing is that the lesser authority never licenses the greater authority. Therefore, to ask permission from Caesar to labor, is to openly acknowledge that Caesar, not Jesus Christ, is lord over that particular sphere of our life. In other words, Caesar is the greater authority. Caesar is above Jesus Christ. Would you have Caesar as your king, not Jesus Christ?
Seekers of the Kingdom of Heaven throughout history have steadfastly refused to be licensed with the Caesars of their day. For example, John Bunyan, who wrote Pilgrim's Progress, spent 12 years in prison for refusing to get a preaching license. The Clerk admonished him saying, "You must submit to the laws of the land, and leave off those meetings which you were wont to have, for the statute law is directly against it; and I am sent to you by the justices to tell you that they do intend to prosecute the law against you if you submit not."
But Bunyan refused. Time after time he was brought before the magistrates and told that he could be set at liberty if he would just submit to their demands to get a license. But Bunyan stood his ground, even though it meant spending 12 years in prison. Bunyan knew he did not need permission from the State to preach. Jesus Christ had given him all the authority he needed.
Today's Caesar, the State, requires its people to have licenses for various professions such as plumber, electrician, contractor and even preacher. Cities often require a business license for storefronts. If you do not have these licenses, the State may attempt to stop you from laboring. Then you must decide: either bow down to their demands and receive their privileges, or confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and be willing to suffer for that conviction.
To help make the stand easier, Embassy of Heaven issues business licenses. Our position is that if they want a license, let's give them one. But it will come from the highest authority, not from them.
One of our citizens was being hounded by the City of Everett, Washington, to have a business license. They came in with the police and threatened to close down his shop. He filled out our simple request form for a business license and returned it to us. We put him on our system of records and sent him a Kingdom of Heaven business license. He called up the City and told them his license was hanging on the wall and invited them to come look at it. That was over two years ago and they have left him alone ever since.
The State has trained people to be wary of those who are not licensed. We need not have people distrust us. One of our citizens tells his clients, "Yes, my license is hanging on the wall. Feel free to examine it." If the client is curious enough to do so, his eyes may be opened.
When you are working in God's commerce, be prepared for a battle. The State will be jealous. They want you to pay homage to them. If you are not licensed, they lose both revenue and control over you.
One of our citizens has built hundreds of roofs over the last few years, but not in the ordinary way. He has never obtained permission from the State before putting on a roof. The State has cited him a few times for not obtaining a permit, but he does not pay the fines. He operates under the sole authority of Almighty God. The State building inspectors have made many threats against him, but he continues to work. His intent is to be obedient to the One who sent him. He tells of one encounter with the building inspector:
"One day I was tearing off the roof of a 5,000 square foot building on the main street of a city. A crew of 14 was helping me.
"About 10:00 a.m. the building inspector's truck drives by, brakes suddenly, and backs up. The inspector jumps off the truck, points his finger up at the roof and yells to me, 'I want you on the ground, NOW! I want to talk to you.'
"I turn to the 14 people on the roof and say, 'Hold on, stop working. We're all climbing down the ladder to talk to this man.' I wanted the crew to listen to what was going on.
"The inspector introduces himself and hands me his card. 'You know you have to be licensed by the State of Oregon to do this roof.'
"I just stand there and don't answer him. He gets a little red faced and repeats his words. Then he says, 'I'm ordering you to cease and desist NOW.'
'I can't do that.'
'Why not?'
'Because God commanded me to do this roof and I can't obey both you and God. I'm sorry, but I have to go back to work.'
"The inspector is very upset. It's been a long time since he has been told, 'No.'
"Within 30 minutes, two police cars arrive. They start taking down license numbers, but when they come to my truck, they have nothing to write. It doesn't have State tags. While the police busy themselves with writing down licenses, I am up on the roof raising my hands, singing, shouting and praising God at the top of my lungs. There is no work getting done. Everyone is standing around watching. One of the officers shouts up to me, 'I'm coming up there to arrest you for disorderly conduct.'
'God commands me to shout when demons are round about and I'm going to obey God. If he commands me to shout, I'm going to shout.' The officer cocks his head and looks at the others with a look that says, 'This guy is a kook.' Then the officer says, 'There won't be any more shouting or I'm going to arrest you and haul you to jail.'
"I ask, 'Is there a permit on this building?'
'No, there's no permit on this building.'
"He pauses and then says, 'I'm asking you the question again, Are you going to cease and desist?'
"I address the inspector and the officers: 'God asked me to do this roof and I intend to obey Him.' Without another word the building inspector and officers turn around and leave.
"I finished the job and I continue to roof for God, not by license from men."
We are to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick, go to the prisoners, and preach the Kingdom of Heaven. Kingdom of Heaven business licenses open the door to opportunities. Several of our people wanted to visit prisoners, but were denied. They applied for and received a Kingdom of Heaven "clergy" license. Now they enjoy pastoral visits with inmates at jails and prisons. Others are repairmen, carpenters, handymen, carpet cleaners and plumbers. They use their wallet-size licenses to identify themselves to customers when they do a job.
Have you ever considered being a missionary to America? Think about it. Who do the harlot State churches send as missionaries around the world? They send doctors, plumbers, electricians, contractors - almost all professions to the mission field. These men and women work as foreigners, not becoming citizens of the country where they labor. As citizens of Heaven, we do the same thing in our native land. We are not local residents. We are ambassadors and missionaries of the Heavenly government. We do God's work, right here in America, without State numbers. We use the gifts God has given us to labor for His glory. If anyone asks by what authority we work, we show them our Kingdom of Heaven business license. We stand on the highest authority.
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:58
Eddie and Bob Show: WEBN Radio
Cincinnati, Ohio
April 23, 1996 5:15 a.m. PDT: 8:15 a.m. EDT
| Hosts | Good morning Paul. You are up bright and early there, for the Kingdom of Heaven, Paul Revere. |
| Paul | Yes. |
| Hosts |  Now
Paul, Weiss tells me that he called you and asked if you are
in Oregon but you said you were in the Kingdom of Heaven. |
| Paul | That is correct. |
| Hosts | But you are surrounded by Oregon. |
| Paul | Yes, we are surrounded on all sides by Oregon. In fact, we are surrounded by the world. |
| Hosts | Could you narrow it, how big is the Kingdom of Heaven where you are? |
| Paul | Actually the Kingdom of Heaven is everywhere, it is wherever you go. We know no physical boundaries. The only boundaries into the Kingdom of Heaven are basically between light and dark and good and evil. Those who decide to give their allegiance to Jesus Christ and do His will, they enter the Kingdom of Heaven. So it is not a physical area. |
| Hosts | So it is not like your yard or something. I guess that is kind of like the "gateway" to Heaven almost. |
| Paul | Well, we do have a sign up top that says "ENTERING HEAVEN" but it is actually a misnomer, for anyone who believes can enter the Kingdom of Heaven. |
| Hosts | How do you view yourself? Are you the actual King of the Kingdom of Heaven? Paul, what's the buzz on that? Are you the chosen one? What's up on that? |
| Paul | I am purely a servant. I am just a bureaucrat for Jesus and I merely carry out some of the functions of a government for Him. |
| Hosts | What is basically happening is that Jesus desired, or the powers that be in Heaven have decided, maybe it is time to organize into a governmental structure here, as opposed to these freelance religions going every which way. Am I close to the point there? |
| Paul | Scripturally, at Luke 22, approximately verse 29, Jesus says clearly to His apostles, "I bestow upon you a Kingdom." This was after the Last Supper, just prior to the crucifixion. |
| Hosts | Speaking of that, Paul, do you know what Jesus said to everybody at the Last Supper? |
| Paul | Ha, ha, ha, I can see it coming. |
| Hosts | "Everybody who wants to be in the picture, get on this side of the table!" It's the fourth chapter in the Kingdom of Heaven. I'm just kidding. |
| Paul | Ha, ha, ha. He did put the fence on fire and everybody has to make a decision. One side or the other. |
| Hosts | I am a little curious about this bureaucracy, this government. Don't you think there is enough government around here? I'm like the ultimate democrat here. |
| Paul | Here is the point. Jesus gave us the character of government. He gave us not the character of lordship as the kingdoms of the world do. He gave us a government of service, as He has served us. That is the difference. Our problem is not excessive government. It is the form of government. |
| Hosts | Is this a representative form of government in Heaven, do you have to run for an office of some sort, how does that work? |
| Paul | No, it is a government of service. If you want to be the greatest in government you need to be the least. |
| Hosts | So in other words, let's use this analogy, so a "Heaven" is kind of like a big old United States of America, and there is government in Heaven, too, that helps you get stuff like your "wings" or what not if you are an angel. |
| Paul | Heaven is where our Father is. The Kingdom of Heaven is His government, and specifically it is His government on earth as it is in Heaven. |
| Hosts | So in other words, we are all going to go to Heaven and we are all going to be on welfare. Is that what you are telling me? |
| Paul | No, no, we are not talking about the place. We are talking about His government on earth. In other words, men try to impose their forms of government and it never works and everybody always gets mad. What is interesting is that most people through history have missed that point. In other words, if you go down to a State incorporated church, Christian church, they preach Statism. They preach the kingdoms of this world because they themselves are creatures of the world. And in reality they are supposed to be preaching God's government. But they fail to do so. Have you ever heard a preacher marry a couple and say, "In the name of our Father in heaven?" No, they say, "In the name of the State we now pronounce you man and wife." And they do all the County or State paperwork. They do everything for the State instead of for the Kingdom of Heaven. |
| Hosts | So in other words there is a whole loop they are missing out on here of heavenly paperwork that is not quite getting done. |
| Paul | That's right. Marriage is God's invention. It is not a State invention. |
| Hosts | Once you are in Heaven, or in the Kingdom of Heaven, do you have to be licensed to do anything? How does this work, do you want to explain that angle. |
| Paul | "Licensed" technically means permission to do something that would otherwise be unlawful. So if I needed permission, my permission comes from Heaven, or licensed by Heaven. For example, what is Embassy of Heaven doing? Because the kingdoms of this world require so many "licenses" such as driver licenses, vehicle certificate of titles, license plates, business licenses, you name it - permission to do whatever - we issue them ourselves. But we do it under heavenly Authority instead of State authority. |
| Hosts | Oh, so like a heavenly driver license. |
| Paul | We have Heaven driver licenses. We have Heaven license plates. We have Heaven business licenses that you can hang on the wall or carry in your wallet. And the latest edition is that we now have Heaven passports. |
| Hosts | A passport to Heaven. So if you check in with St. Peter then he just stamps it and you move on through. |
| Paul | No, our passports do not really need to be used by St. Peter. It needs to be used by the policeman here in this life. This is a passport from Heaven, not to Heaven. |
| Hosts | Oh, in this life. |
| Paul | Yes, we believe the Kingdom of Heaven is a present reality. |
| Hosts | Now we are cutting right to the chase, this is where I want it to be. You can actually get this paperwork! Let's say a cop pulls me over. He says, "May I see your driver license" and I hand him this Heaven driver license, and what happens? |
| Paul | He usually looks at you cross-eyed and says, "Whoa, I've got a real kook here." |
| Hosts | So then you go to jail and he gives you a little wood-shampoo with his night stick, bop-bop-bop! Ahhhh! "You're a little closer to Heaven now, big guy." |
| Paul | No, what they do is move the Kingdom of Heaven into the county jail. |
| Hosts | Yes, hold on a second Babalouie! You don't have to get me a Heaven driver's license to go to jail. |
| Paul | And then, that's not enough. They send you to the psych-ward. |
| Hosts | To the kook house! |
| Paul | That's right. |
| Hosts | And that becomes the Kingdom of Heaven. Ha, ha, ha! |
| Paul | Now we call that persecution, persecution for righteousness sake. We haven't hurt anybody. All we have done is evangelize the Kingdom of God on earth, and look what the kingdoms of men have done to us because they fail to recognize the Kingdom of Heaven. |
| Hosts | I had never realized I am being held down by "the man" because I actually have one of those silly government passports. |
| Paul | Have you ever wondered why a missionary would ever go to anywhere on the face of the earth and take a passport issued by a kingdom of this world? No, all missionaries should have passports from the Kingdom of Heaven, because that's who they represent. |
| Hosts | They just weren't thinking. |
| Paul | No, they were not thinking. We are probably the first in history, since the crucifixion, to put the pieces together and realize Who we are working for. |
| Hosts | Ah, got it. That's the real story. We are working for the wrong people. We are achieving the wrong goals here. |
| Paul | That is correct. |
| Hosts | How do I go about getting me one of these heavenly passports? |
| Paul | If anyone is interested and they want to be born again, they can contact us here at the Embassy of Heaven. |
| Hosts | Well, the next time I get a hankering to get a mainline ticket right into the nut-house I am going give you a call, Paul, and I am going to get one of those licenses. |
| Paul | Ha, ha, ha. The point is we can live in the Kingdom of Heaven now instead of waiting till after we die. I hope to see you guys there. |
| Hosts | Ha, ha. We'll be there. If you see me in the afterlife pal, something has gone horribly wrong someplace. "There goes the neighborhood." Paul Revere right there for the Kingdom of Heaven. |
| Paul | His Peace go with you all. Amen. |
| Hosts | The loonies are coming! The loonies are coming! |
