23.3 Satan causes man not to be clear and assured about the things in heaven

Series 23

Episode 3

Prologue

Brothers and sisters, today’s topic of Treasures for the Soul is “Satan causes man not to be clear and assured about the things in heaven.” Revelation chapter 13, verses 5 and 6 tells that Satan utters blasphemies against God, blaspheming His name and His dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. He causes believers not to desire the things in heaven, even to a point that they think heaven is dull and boring. Hebrews chapter 12 shows us clearly that New Jerusalem is a real city. It is the final destination of our life journey and spirits. It also helps us to mind the things that are above, and see God’s love towards us. New Jerusalem is a real city, yet at the same time, rich in meanings .

Message

We can see that what is mentioned in Revelation chapter 13 is happening quickly. The world’s condition, including the pandemic, is setting the scene for the prophecies in the Bible. Your cellular phone also reminds you that the beast will control the world in the future.

Revelation 13:5-6 reads, “And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven.”

This passage tells us the deep relationship between the beast and Satan. Satan utters blasphemous words against God’s name and His dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. Satan and the evil spirits work together to influence this world. Satan wants to insult God, blaspheme Him and His dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. He has been working really hard to cause many believers not to desire things in heaven, even to a point that they think heaven is boring and monotonous. This causes them not to look forward to going to heaven. But Abraham and the old saints desired a better country, a heavenly one.

Satan’s scheme is to hinder us from knowing God’s will and the place He is preparing for us; God is the designer and builder of the city, the conclusion of God’s will. Conclusion does not mean it’s the end; rather, it will continue to grow in beauty and glory. If you don’t know what kind of city it is, or whether it is real or not, you won’t desire it. It is hard for us to desire something that is not real or something that we are not sure of. We need the Lord to open our spiritual eyes, so that we can see what He has prepared for those whom He loves. It is beyond what we can imagine or describe. The garden of Eden is far from comparison.

Satan also blasphemes against those who dwell in heaven. Hebrews chapter 12 talks about the church in heaven. The firstborn who passed away are there. Therefore, it is very important for us to understand New Jerusalem, because it is our eternal home! For those who want to immigrate to other countries, will they not learn about the condition of the place they are going to? Where should we invest our life?

Hebrews chapter 12 is very precious. It helps us to see clearly that New Jerusalem is a real city. If the city was the church, how could the spirits of the righteous, the festal gathering of innumerable angels and others be there? Hebrews chapter 12 tells us that it is the destination of our life journey. Where will the Lord receive us when we finish our life journey? New Jerusalem. New Jerusalem is also the destination of our spirits, because there is the gathering of the Father, the Lord, the Holy Spirit and the church. Church gathering allows us to experience God’s presence together. Nothing is more precious than this final destination; nothing could be higher than the infinite God.

The Book of Hebrews is a conclusion of many things. The early chapters talk about the Lord becoming a man, a priest who endured great pains and what He accomplished. He brought us back to God, to experience and enjoy Him. We also love Him more and more and live with Him. 1 Thessalonians 5:10 reads, “Who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with Him.”

Satan causes many to be unclear about what will happen in the future, though the Bible has told us a lot. He also shakes our belief so that we don’t desire the future, and are unable to enjoy it and exercise faith. Therefore, we need to be sure about the truth. This passage in Hebrews is very precious. It helps us to mind the things that are above. What it tells us about the things in heaven is very precious. It helps us to behold and see God’s love. What He prepares for us demonstrates His love toward us.

Some misinterpret Revelation chapter 13, saying that it is only symbolic or it represents the church. They ought to reconsider it carefully before the Lord. When we say this is a real city, we are not neglecting its meaning. In fact, this city carries more meaning than any other representations or symbols. The heavens declare the glory of God. The new heavens and new earth declare more of God’s glory. More so, this city, New Jerusalem declares the glory of God. No other substances will be more meaningful than this. While we believe and claim that it is a real city, it by no means undermines the precious symbolic meanings it bears. Similarly, we believe many symbolic meanings in the Bible. But if we said this city was merely a symbolic expression and not a real city, we would be mistaken.

Series 23

New Jerusalem is a real city

Message Date: 2020-04-10

The Lord said He went to prepare a place for us. When He has prepared it, He would come again to take us to be with Him. This place is New Jerusalem. However, many Christians nowadays are not so clear whether the New Jerusalem in heaven is a real city. Being affected by Greek culture and beliefs, some think that physical substances are not spiritual. So, they take New Jerusalem as a non-physical symbolic expression. Satan also wants to make people unclear and unsure of the things in heaven, so that they would not desire them. This series of messages list out many Bible verses to assure us that New Jerusalem is indeed a real city, which is also full of spiritual meanings.
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23.1 God has prepared a heavenly home for us

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23.2 Is the heavenly new Jerusalem a real city?

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23.3 Satan causes man not to be clear and assured about the things in heaven

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23.4 Are physical substances not spiritual?

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23.5 New Jerusalem is a real city (1)

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23.6 New Jerusalem is a real city (2)

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23.7 New Jerusalem is a real city (3)

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23.8 New Jerusalem is a real city (4)

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23.9 New Jerusalem is a real city (5)

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Introduction

01 Introduction of Treasures for the Soul

Series 1: Being Heart to Heart with the Lord

1.1 The Most Blessed Generation
1.2 Message from John the Baptist
1.3 Abide in the Lord Always
1.4 Abide in the Lord’s Love at All Times
1.5 The Lord Speaks to Us and Helps Us in Our Hearts

Series 2: Being Heart to Heart with the Lord Throughout this Year

2.1 God’s Greatest Work Starts in Our Hearts
2.2 To Be Heart to Heart with the Lord Throughout the Year
2.3 Our Spirits can Feel God and Have Fellowship with Him
2.4 The Importance of Peace
2.5 Our Spirits Need the Words of God
2.6 Give the Lord Time and Space to Speak in Our Hearts

Series 3: Let Our Hearts be Influenced

3.1 The World Needs People Who Deeply Experience God
3.2 Just as His Anointing 
Has Taught You, 
Abide in the Lord
3.3 Be Influenced 
by the Lord Throughout 
this Year

Series 4: The Importance of Peace

4.1 Enjoying God’s Peace in Your heart
4.2 Let Not Your Hearts be Troubled, Neither Let Them be Afraid.
4.3 How Should Our Spirit Respond to the Lord?

Series 5: Our Spirit Being Able to Enjoy the Lord

5.1 Our Spirit is Satisfied Only When We Worship God and Deeply Experience Him
5.2 How to Worship God with Our Spirit
5.3 Looking at the Lord with our Inner Eyes
5.4 Our Spirit Needs to Enjoy the Lord Himself
5.5 The Song of Solomon Often Mentions About “Eyes”
5.6 Realize Being Heart to Heart with the Lord in Singing and Worship

Series 6: Live out the Life of being Heart to Heart with the Lord

6.1 Living a life of union with the Lord in a stable pattern every day
6.2 Enjoying the Lord and not being disturbed
6.3 The Importance of Seeing Him with Our Spiritual Eyes

Series 7

7.1 Learn to Protect Our Spirits From Virus Prevention
7.2 Our Spirit Can Hear, Think, and See
7.3 How to Live a Life of Faith
7.4 The Importance of the Mind
7.5 David’s Eyes Beheld the Lord Always

Series 8: During the last supper, the Lord spoke about the essence of the blessings of the new covenant.

8.1 The Lord established with us the eternal love covenant by His blood
8.2 The Lord Treasures the New Covenant and Break-Bread Meeting the Most
8.3 Love Encounters
8.4 Before His Crucifixion, the Lord clearly explained the essence of the blessings of the new covenant: the fourth blessing
8.5 Before His Crucifixion, the Lord clearly explained the essence of the blessings of the new covenant: the first blessing (1)
8.6 Before His Crucifixion, the Lord clearly explained the essence of the blessings of the new covenant: the first blessing (2)

Series 16: We Have Come to Mount Zion and the Heavenly Jerusalem

16.1 See that the Lord is at the right hand of the Father
16.2 Coming to Mount Zion (1): the meaning of Mount Sinai
16.3 Coming to Mount Zion (2): the difficulty in forgiveness of sins
16.4 Coming to Mount Zion (3): to Live in Grace
16.5 Having Come to the Heavenly Jerusalem
16.6 What is in the heavenly Jerusalem (1)?

Series 9: Being Heart to Heart with the Father

9.1 Being Heart to Heart with Abba (Part 1)
9.2 Being Heart to Heart with Abba (Part 2)

Series 10

10.1 The Love Desire in the Depths of Abba and the Lord’s hearts
10.2 Fruit of the Lord’s Crucifixion: Eternal Life
10.3 The Lord Came to Manifest the Father’s Name
10.4 The Father Sent His Only Begotten Son
10.5 Reminders on enjoying heart to heart with the Father
10.6 The Father’s Desire for Me is Forever Steadfast

Series 11

11.1 The preciousness of the Letter to Philemon
11.2 The most profitable; the most accepted.
11.3 Charge That to My Account
11.4 The Father made the Lord our eternal High Priest by an oath (1)
11.5 The Father made the Lord our eternal High Priest by an oath (2)
11.6 We are the Lord’s darling love

Series 12

12.1 The Lord’s Words at the Last Supper
12.2 Apart from the Lord, we can do nothing.
12.3 What is true faith?
12.4 Look upon the Lord in glory
11.5 Trust and Peace (1)
12.6 Trust and Peace (2)

Series 13: The Lord’s Gentleness and Humility

13.3 The Lord’s Gentleness and Humility (Part 2)

Series 14: Manifold evidence

14.1 How does the infinite Lord see us?
14.2 We are the ultimate and final love of the Lord
14.3 The Lord is forever a Man; He once died for us
14.4 The Lord’s manifold love evidence (Part 1)
14.5 The Lord’s manifold love evidence Part 2

Series 15: Understand How Our Spirit Works And Be Heart To Heart With The Lord Continuously

15.1 We Can Only Enjoy God By Faith
15.2 His Words Abide In Us
15.3 Live With The Lord
15.4 Seek The Things That Are Above
15.5 Understand How Our Spirit Works: Will, Mind And Feelings
15.6 Guard And Uplift Our Mind

Series 17: Know that the Church is the Firstborn

17.1 Know that the church is the firstborn
17.2 The Blessing of the Firstborn (Part 1)
17.3 The Blessing of the Firstborn (Part 2)
17.4 The Lord redeemed us to be the firstborn (Part 1)
17.5 The Lord redeemed us to be the firstborn (Part 2)

Series 18: The Blessings to be the First Born

18.1 Israel is God’s Firstborn Son (Part 1)
18.2 Israel is God’s Firstborn Son (Part 2)
18.3 To be united with the Lord and become the Firstborn
18.4 The Lord is the Firstborn
18.5 The Blessing of the Firstborn: Kingship
18.6 The Blessing of the Firstborn: a Double Portion of the Blessings

Series 19: Coming to Mount Zion to Appear Before God

19.1 The Lord is the way, and the truth, and the life
19.2 Live in Grace. Enjoy the Father and the Lord
19.3 Mind the things that are above (1)
19.4 Mind the things that are above (2)
19.5 Appear before God in Mount Zion

Series 20: The final destination of our spirit and eternity is the heavenly Jerusalem

20.1 The Lord Desires Most for Us to Draw Near to Him (1)
20.2 The Lord Desires Most for Us to Draw Near to Him (2)
20.3 The Lord Becomes the Way so that We can Come Before God with Confidence
20.4 The Heavenly Jerusalem, Destination of Our Spirits and Eternity (1)
20.5 The Heavenly Jerusalem, Destination of Our Spirits and Eternity (2)

Series 21: Live Out the Life of the Firstborn: Be A Priest

21.1 The Father made the Lord the High Priest
21.2 Priesthood: One of the Blessings of the Firstborn
21.4 The Precedents of Priests in the Bible (2)

Series 22: When Believers Die, They Will Go to the Heavenly Jerusalem

22.1 The Heavenly Jerusalem is paradise (1)
The Heavenly Jerusalem is paradise (2)
The Spirits of the Righteous Made Perfect

Series 23: New Jerusalem is a real city

God has prepared a heavenly home for us
Is the heavenly new Jerusalem a real city?
Satan causes man not to be clear and assured about the things in heaven
Are physical substances not spiritual?
New Jerusalem is a real city (1)
New Jerusalem is a real city (2)

Series 24: God prepares for us

Genesis 22: Father and Son went together
Genesis 22: For us, the Father gave His only Son
Genesis 22: The Lord will provide
24.4 God’s preparation for us

Series 25: The Father and Son Affection

25.1 The Lord Came to Make Known the Father
25.2 The Father and Son Affection (Part 1)
25.3 The Father and Son Affection (Part 2)

Series 26: We are a royal priesthood

26.1 God who alone does wondrous things
26.2 The Lord is the High Priest
26.3 We are a royal priesthood (1)
26.4 We are a royal priesthood (2)
26.5 The life of a priest

Series 27: Who are you in the infinite one’s loving heart?

27.1 Meditate on who you are in the infinite Lord’s loving heart
27.2 Meditate on who you are in the infinite Lord’s loving heart (2)
27.3 Meditate on the infinite Lord’s words at the last supper

Series 28: The conclusion and climax of the book of Hebrews

28.1 Sing praises at Easter (1): The defeat of death
28.2 Sing praises at Easter (2): The risen Lord has swallowed up death