WHEN HEAVEN OPENS
2 Kings 7:19, “Then that officer had answered the man of God, and said, “Now look, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, could such a thing be?”

Open heaven has become a common topic in Christianity and Churches today, several church programs are titled “Open heaven” , books, devotions and others are tagged with “Open heaven”. Many Christians even pray the prayer of open heaven, asking God to open their heavens. But it seems that much as many people delight in open heaven, only few people really understand what it means for heaven to open.

From Genesis to Revelation, there were occurrences of the experience of heaven or windows of heaven being opened. In the Bible, there are promises and predictions of open heaven by God, since He is the only One who has the keys to open heaven. From the light of the Bible, open heaven brings two things, meaning, when heaven opens, either of the two things – blessing or judgment. What we receive when heaven opens depends on us, on the way we have been responding to the word of God. Open heaven is not an automatic blessing or synonymous to blessing; open heaven can bring you abundant blessing or abundant judgment, depending on you.

OPEN HEAVEN OF JUDGMENT
Genesis 7:11, 12, “In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. 12 And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights.”

The first experience of open heaven in the history of the world was during the time of Noah, this open heaven was not a pleasant one, because it did not bring blessing, but fierce judgment upon the disobedient. After the generation turned wicked before God and refused to repent and obey God, then God opened heaven and poured rain of judgment for forty days and forty nights. There can be rain of blessing and also rain of judgment when heaven opens. This first open heaven experience on earth destroyed the whole generation except Noah and his household.

Another experience of open heaven after Noah was also an open heaven of judgment. God rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah. In Genesis 19:24, 25, “ Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD out of the heavens. 25 So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.”

It is a good thing to pray for open heaven, but it is better to first open up your heart to God in total obedience before you wish heaven opens on you. Open heaven of God without open heart to God brings judgment of God.

Believing God’s word leads to obedience to God’s word, and that leads to blessing abundantly. But on the other hand, disbelieving God’s word brings disobedience to God’s word, which leads to judgment of God.

In the time of Elisha when there was a severe famine, king Joram’s right-hand man disbelieved and scoffed God’s word when Elisha said there would be plenty of food within 24 hours. This officer would not believe and trust God’s word for open heaven of blessing, so he experienced judgment from the open heaven; while others feasted, he was trampled to death. 2 Kings 7:17, 18.

God said, ““This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Hear Him!” There are two commandments of God from this statement: 1, Accept Jesus Christ as the Son of God, Savior of the world. 2, Obey Jesus Christ, meaning surrender your life to Him and live to please Him in godliness, righteousness and truth.

Failure to obey both will only lead to judgment of God. If you reject Jesus as the Savior, you are destined for God’s judgment; if you refuse to surrender your total life to Jesus in holiness after you have known Him as the Savior, you are doomed for eternal judgment of God.

Isaiah 24:18, “And it shall be
That he who flees from the noise of the fear
Shall fall into the pit,
And he who comes up from the midst of the pit
Shall be caught in the snare;
For the windows from on high are open,
And the foundations of the earth are shaken.”

OPEN HEAVEN OF BLESSING
“Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today…… The LORD will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.” Deuteronomy 28:1, 12

The windows of heaven can open and pour blessings upon us when we trust and obey God. Trusting God for what He says, and obeying what He says are the only means by which we can experience blessing when heaven opens. Obedience to God’s word always attract blessing from heaven. When a Christian prays, “Father, let my heaven open” if such Christian is living against God’s word and disobeying God’s commands, though heaven will surely open, because he demands for it, but it will only bring judgment. When we read God’s promises of open heaven, there is always commands attached to it, it is when such commands from God are obeyed that heaven will pour down blessing.

Malachi 3:10, “……And try Me now in this,”
Says the LORD of hosts,
“If I will not open for you the windows of heaven
And pour out for you such blessing
That there will not be room enough to receive it.”

In the Book of Malachi, God promised open heaven on the condition of obedience to His Word - trusting God with our money and paying out tithes. But this is not the only condition of experiencing open heaven, there are more weightier commandments of God than paying tithes, so if someone pays his tithes but does not live a righteous and holy life, the open heaven will not bring blessing. There were group of people in the Bible who were faithfully paying tithes but they were unfaithful in pleasing God, and so they were condemned.

Matthew 23:23, ““Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.”

If you fulfill the righteousness of paying tithes but fail to fulfill the righteousness of presenting yourself as a holy and living sacrifice, then your tithes and offerings are baseless.
Jesus Christ experienced open heavens in His earthly ministry after He fulfilled all righteousness.

Matthew 3:15-17, “But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him.16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. 17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Open heaven brings blessing when we obey God’s word and fulfill His will.

RTEM: rtemoutreach.org