The Church as God's Kingdom on Earth

Understanding the Hierarchy we live in

And God blessed them, saying: Increase and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and all living creatures that move upon the earth. Genesis 1:28

Americans and Westerners have a problem with authority.

Humans were created as the corporal counterparts to angels tasked with conquering the earth to be under God’s rule. And after death to join God’s Heavenly Council to take part in advising God and interceding on earth. God gave Man authority over the earth, to “subdue” the earth. Subdue means to conquer the earth. Man was made in “God’s image.” There is much discussion over what “image” means. But the only meaning that is unique to Man is that as God’s avatar or ambassador (what Dr. Heiser phrases as “imagers”). This role is like the role of the angels. Both man and angel are tasked with doing God’s will and proclaiming God’s message (angel = messenger).

Angels are also a part of God’s Heavenly Council. The Heavenly Council is God’s court. “Court” describes where people meet the king to ask favors and make decisions. This term has since expanded into our legal courts because both function similarly. God has such a court as well that is mentioned numerous times in the Bible. The most explicit is in Job where Satan (literally, “The Prosecutor”) appears in God’s court to accuse Job and test him.

God wants his creation to participate in his rule. Many have a conception of God not needing nor wanting people to question him, ask for favors, or ask God to change his mind. But this is exactly what the angels do with God (and what everyone does when asking God for help). God does not need the angels help to give a person a message. God does not need the angels help for miracles. God did not need Satan to come to him to ask about Job. God knows all these things and can do all these things himself. But, for whatever reason, God created a monarchical rulership, complete with King, subjects, prosecutors, and counsel.

The angels help run Heaven, Humans help God run the earth. As such, God saw fit to create a magisterial hierarchy for Man to be subject to. This was originally done after Moses with the Temple and priesthood. This Israelite priesthood and temple were then destroyed (literally) to make over for Christ’s Church and priesthood to safeguard Divine revelation and guide Man.

Angels are under a military command under God. The Church is the military structure for God’s earthly angels, humans. I am speaking literally. Some private revelation that was related to me by someone is that the angels operate in a military structure complete with divisions and companies. Thus, angels and demons have a hierarchy. This is seen with archangels and demon kings. Michael was the protector of the Israel who fought a demon in the Book of Daniel known as the “prince of Persia.” The Angel of Peace the seers of Fatima saw identified itself as the Angel of Portugal, as well. There is structure and hierarchy in the angel realm.

Are humans too good for hierarchy? Better than the angels? The angels have to live in a hierarchy, but not humans? God gave Man The Church to be subject to and to execute his commands while operating on its own in earth.

This is why “I obey Jesus, not the pope” doesn’t make sense. It fails to understand how authority works. When I was in the Army, if I gave an order to a subordinate, the superiors would honor that order. Because my subordinates are under my command even though officers are higher than me. If a private tried to go over my head, the officer would say: Do what your Sergeant told you. Because the Sergeant is given the authority to make decisions on his own, and for a superior to contradict that makes the chain of command pointless. Because why have ranks, when only the top rank matters?

Amen I say to you, whatsoever you shall bind upon earth, shall be bound also in heaven; and whatsoever you shall loose upon earth, shall be loosed also in heaven. Matthew 18:18

What Jesus says in this verse is that whatever order the Church gives, is honored in Heaven. If the Church says pineapple pizza is a sin, God calls pineapple pizza a sin. Most literally, this power is seen when the Church beatifies a person: If that person was due another million years in Purgatory, his confinement is ended and he is released into Heaven to join as counsel in God’s Heavenly Court.

God created the Church for us to operate in, with, and obey as part of our mission to subdue the earth for him. And the gates of Hell will not prevail against it.