THE TRUTH ABOUT THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH

 

Chapter 8

​

​​

​

​

The Church, An Extension of Heaven to Earth

Zion made manifest​

​

Rev. 21:1-4 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

​

Heaven is a place in which only righteousness, joy, peace and everything good reside. In fact, it is a byword for holiness and goodness; a place where there is no more sorrow, grief, crying, pain and death. All of the blessings mentioned in the above Scripture are present now and up for grasp in the spirit realm. Those are the things we see that make us surrender our lives now to God through Christ. We are enjoying them in our minds awaiting the time when the Devil, who has been condemned legally by God through the atoning work of Jesus Christ (and our appropriation by faith), will be cast into the fire along with his angels (Matt. 25:41) who prevent us now because we are still in the body (2 Thess. 2:7-12). It is not because God is not our Ruler that we die physical death or grieve and suffer pains, but because we are still living in the flesh.

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are ceaselessly prosperous in our inward persons even though we face persecution trying to live the life of those who are under God, Who is Spirit (Matt. 5:3-12). The moment we walk in the spirit, we own the blessings in the lead text (Rev. 21:1-4). But, as we look at them from a physical viewpoint, we lose them, hurt ourselves and displease God. So, God is right when He said that “the righteous shall live by faith” (Hab. 2:4). However, we have had a standard of life brought here to earth by Jesus Christ from heaven that will both make us live like our Father in heaven, and perpetuate our environment with it (Lev. 24:19-20, Matt. 5:43-48).

​

Heaven is about life, and, if we live the way life is lived in heaven, we have extended heaven to earth, which was God’s original intent in creating the earth and making man in His likeness to inhabit it. We were made to be like God ab initio.

​​​​

Evaluation Questions & Answers​

​​​​​​

1. According to this lesson, each time the word ‘heaven’ is mentioned, what immediately comes to our minds as God’s children?

   • Righteousness, joy, peace, goodness, holiness. No sorrow, grief, crying, pain, death (Rev. 21:4). Heaven is God’s nature manifested. As God’s children, we do not think “clouds and harps”, we think “Father’s nature in us now” (Rom. 14:17).

2. Where are the blessings of heaven now?

   • In the spirit realm, present and up for grasp. We have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (Eph. 1:3).

   • Location: “In our minds” – in our inward persons (2 Cor. 4:16). We own them the moment we walk in the spirit (Gal. 5:25). They are not future; they are now, by faith (Heb. 11:1).

3. Why do we suffer the things we suffer now? Are they because God and His reign are not present among (in) us?

   • No. We suffer because we are still in the flesh, not because God is absent (Rom. 8:18-23; 2 Cor. 4:16-18). We face persecution trying to live the life of those under God Who is Spirit (Matt. 5:10-12). The Devil is condemned (John 16:11) but not yet cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10). He is restrained (2 Thess. 2:7), but still roams (1 Pet. 5:8). God reigns IN us (Luke 17:21), even when pain hits the outside.

4. If we do not control much material resource, can we still say that our inward person is prosperous? How?

   • Yes. “Though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.” (2 Cor. 4:16)

   • “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 5:3)

   • How? By faith we own blessings now (Rev. 21:1). Paul had next to nothing (Acts 3:6) yet was “making many rich” (2 Cor. 6:10). Prosperity equals righteousness, peace and joy (Rom. 14:17). An orphan in READ and REAP with peace is richer than a governor with panic.

5. Where we cannot claim ‘perfection’ by works, we can be perfected by ‘faith’. True or False? How?

   • True. “For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.” (Heb. 10:14)

   • “Not that I have already attained… but I press on… Let us therefore, as many as are mature, have this mind.” (Phil 3:12)

   • How? “The righteous shall live by faith.” (Hab. 2:4; Rom. 1:17)

   • We are perfect in position (Heb. 10:14) because of Christ’s work, being perfected in practice (Phil. 3:12) by walking in Spirit. Faith sees Rev. 21:4 as NOW. Works waits for it as LATER. Choose faith.

​​

Declaration

I refuse the physical viewpoint. I walk by faith, not sight. I own the blessings of Rev. 21:1-4 NOW. Heaven extends to my community through me today and always. Amen.

​

​

​​​

​​