James 1: 12
“Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
This is the 36th session of the ‘Heaven’ lecture series.
When one person was testifying about the heavenly kingdom he said this:
When he saw the sight of the heavenly kingdom for the first time, he was so surprised that his mouth was wide open in amazement. Then, one little angel next to him whispered to him, “Please, close your mouth.” The beauty of the heavenly kingdom cannot be expressed with any language of this world.
Even if we know about heavenly kingdom in great detail, we still would not be able to close our mouths if we actually were to see the sights of the heavenly kingdom.
Even the lowest dwelling place in heavenly kingdom is much better than any place of this world.
But the environment and the facilities are very different in the different dwelling places of the heavenly kingdom. Between them, the 2nd kingdom and the 3rd kingdom are as much different as heaven and earth are different.
If those who live in the 2nd kingdom of heaven see the 3rd kingdom of heaven, they would not be able to keep their jaws from falling open in amazement
How much more it would be for seeing New Jerusalem, located in the third kingdom of heaven!
At this time, I will first talk to you about the environment of the 3rd kingdom of heaven. Through this message, I hope you will have greater longing for heavenly kingdom. I pray in the name of the Lord that, with that longing, you will take hold of the 3rd kingdom of heaven and even New Jerusalem.
Body
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I just told you that the difference between the 2nd kingdom and the 3rd kingdom of heaven are so different. Now, let me explain how things are different.
First, let me talk to you about the houses in the 3rd kingdom of heaven.
The houses in the third kingdom of heaven are big and magnificent, and they are two-story buildings. They are decorated so beautifully and splendidly that no billionaire of this world could imitate any of these heavenly houses.
The gardens are adorned with beautiful and fragrant flowers and trees. There are lakes that give out brilliant lights. In the lakes, there are different kinds of fish of many diverse colors.
In the second kingdom of heaven, the owner of the house can have only one facility that he likes the most in his house.
For example, if he wants a golf course, he will have a golf course in his house. If he wants a swimming pool, he will have one.
But in the third kingdom of heaven, every kind of facility that the house owner wants will be given.
In his house, he can have everything such as the golf course, a swimming pool, a ballroom, etc.
In this way, he doesn’t have to use the facility of his neighbors.
He can enjoy anything in his house as much as he wants. Compared to the first kingdom or the second kingdom, it is really exceptional treatment. How would God the Father treat the people in the third kingdom of heaven so exceptionally?
I will tell you in the next session in more detail, but it’s because those who go into the third kingdom have accomplished sanctification.
Also, during their lives on this earth, they voluntarily gave up everything of this world for the Lord.
They gave up everything they could enjoy and only followed the will of God.
For this, God the Father is paying back to them as they have acted and sown, according to His promise.
In Mark 10:29-30 Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses, brothers and sisters, and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.”
Brothers and sisters, even the houses in the third kingdom of heaven that will have all the facilities that the house-owner wants cannot be compared with the houses in New Jerusalem.
The houses in New Jerusalem basically have all the facilities that the owner wants.
But the size, beauty, and honor of the houses are very different from those in the third kingdom of heaven.
The size is different. If we say the houses in the third kingdom are 60, the houses in New Jerusalem are about 100.
And that is, the smallest house in the New Jerusalem will be 100.
Here, the size of the house is not just the area of the building but the area of the land including all the facilities.
Therefore, if we say the land of the house in the third kingdom of heaven is 600,000 square meters, the land of the smallest house in New Jerusalem will be at least one million square meters.
Therefore, even the biggest house in the third kingdom of heaven is much less than the smallest house in New Jerusalem, in terms of the size and every aspect.
Just by seeing this, we can understand how pleased God will be with those people who have accomplished whole spirit and go into New Jerusalem.
The size is not the only difference between the houses in the third kingdom and those of New Jerusalem. The beauty of the shapes is different, and the jewels that decorate the houses are very different.
In New Jerusalem, there are so many kinds of beautiful precious stones, not only the twelve jewels that make up the twelve foundations.
There are jewels that give out various enrapturing lights. There are also jewels that are immeasurable in size.
There are just too many kinds of jewels to name them all.
Some of them give out double-fold lights or some others triple-fold lights. Of course, there are many kinds of jewels in the third kingdom, but the third kingdom does not have every kind of jewel that exists in New Jerusalem.
The jewels that give out double-fold or triple-fold jewels exist only in New Jerusalem.
The jewels in the third kingdom give out beautiful lights that cannot be compared with the lights coming from jewels in first kingdom or the second kingdom of heaven.
But compared to New Jerusalem, the third kingdom has only basic jewels, and even the same kind of jewel is not as good as the one in New Jerusalem.
Brothers and sisters, one characteristic of the houses in the third kingdom of heaven is that they don’t have doorplates, unlike houses in the second kingdom of heaven. It’s the same with houses in New Jerusalem.
From the houses in the third kingdom and New Jerusalem, unique fragrance that expresses the heart of the owner comes out.
So, even without the doorplates, people can understand whose house it is. Not only the fragrance is different, but the lights of the houses are different as well.
According to how much they resemble the heart of God, they will give out more beautiful fragrance and lights.
Even on this earth, houses of celebrities are well known to people.
They are houses of big businessmen, world renowned movie actors, or palaces of kings or presidential residences. Even without doorplates, people know whose house they are.
Likewise, because those who go into the third kingdom of heaven have great honor, people just know whose house it is even without doorplates.
Also, compared to the number of people in whole heavenly kingdom, the number of those who go into the third kingdom is few.
So, it is even easier to know whose house belongs to whom. In New Jerusalem, it is even easier.
Brothers and sisters, the service of the angels are also very different in the third kingdom and the second kingdom of heaven.
The angels in Paradise mainly do the maintenance work of the public facilities. They sometimes deliver God’s messages.
Angels in the 1st kingdom and the 2nd kingdom can help the children of God when they ask for help.
When they use any of the public facilities, the angels kindly show them about and guide them in using the facility.
The angels help the children of God to feel most comfortable and happiest.
Hebrews 1:14 says, “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?”
The level of service of these angels is different in each dwelling place of heavenly kingdom. It’s similar to receiving different levels of service when we travel in first class, business class, or the economy class of an airplane.
From the third kingdom of heaven, the magnitude and level of service of the angels are completely different.
It’s because people will have personally-ministering angels.
And, it’s not only one angel, but some of them will have multiple numbers of angels.
According to how great faith and obedience they showed on this earth to please God, they will receive more personally-ministering angels.
So, just by seeing the number of angels given, we can feel the honor and glory of each person.
For New Jerusalem, sanctification is basic. With the sanctification, only those who have been faithful in all God’s house will enter New Jerusalem. Therefore, the number of angels given personally will be much more than people in third kingdom. It’s because the houses in New Jerusalem are greater, and there are more maintenance and other kinds of work that needs to be done.
Even the smallest house in New Jerusalem is so much bigger than great mansions of this earth.
You should not think about tens of or hundreds of thousands of square meters.
To maintain these big houses, how many angels would be needed?
There should be angels to maintain all kinds of facilities and things that are given as rewards.
There are angels that take care of only crowns, and angels that take care of only clothes.
Also, there should be angels to take care of every facility in the house.
Angels will maintain gardens, golf courses, swimming pools, and amusement parks. Other angels will escort visitors, prepare and manage banquets, and still other angels will play the music and dance. There will be so many angels needed.
Even in the third kingdom of heaven, all facilities that the owner wants will be given, and thus, there will be many angels given as well.
The personally ministering angels love and revere their master.
Especially, the personally-ministering angels in New Jerusalem can understand the master’s heart.
Even though the master does not tell anything, they read the master’s mind and do it for him.
They serve their masters in the best way.
People will be treated in a way that even princes and princesses of this world cannot be treated.
Brothers and sisters, among various means of transportation in heavenly kingdom, something can be used only from the third kingdom of heaven. It is the cloud-like automobile. The cloud of this automobile is not made with vapor like on this earth.
It is made by God with the cloud of glory in heaven.
Usually, an angel drives the cloud-like automobile. There are personally-owned ones and also ones for everybody’s use.
In the third kingdom of heaven, there are no personally-owned cloud automobiles. There are only ones for public use. Only in New Jerusalem will people be given personally-owned cloud automobiles.
The cloud automobile itself is indicative of great honor, dignity, and authority.
The believers in New Jerusalem can travel with the Lord riding in these cloud-like automobiles.
At this time, the heavenly host and angels will escort them. It’s just like on this earth when a king moves from place to place, he is escorted by many ministers. Being escorted by the heavenly host and angels shows the authority and glory of the person who is escorted.
In case of the believers in 2nd kingdom, 1st kingdom, and paradise, when they see cloud automobiles flying in the sky, they too want to try it themselves!
Unless they get a very special permission, it is difficult to experience it even once.
But the believers in the third kingdom of heaven can ride on them any time they need, though the automobiles are for public use. In New Jerusalem however, the automobiles are given for personal use.
If we really believe this fact, we should be sanctified and be faithful in all God’s house by all means.
It’s not just to get one cloud-like automobile, but the rewards and glory will be so different in everything.
Other than these, the outer appearances will be so different as well, between those who are 2nd kingdom or under, and those who are in the third kingdom or higher. The light of glory coming out from each one, the clothes and the adornments of the clothes, and the hairstyles are all different.
We can immediately distinguish how much each person is sanctified and resembles the Lord, and how much each one is loved by God.
One of the major differences is the length of the hair of women.
In heaven, both men and women have blonde hair with a little bit of wave in it.
For all men, the hair comes down to about the neck. But in case of women, the length of the hair will be different according to the extent to which each one is sanctified.
1 Corinthians 11:15 also says, “But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her.”
The hair of women in paradise comes down to the shoulder, and it becomes longer in the 1st kingdom and the 2nd kingdoms respectively.
To those women in the third kingdom and New Jerusalem, long and beautiful hair will be given as rewards.
For those women in the third kingdom of heaven, the hair comes down to the middle of their backs.
The women in New Jerusalem will have hair that is yet a little longer hair than this. It will come down to the base of the spine.
The length of the hair itself is glory and reward, but the adornments will also be different according to the length.
In paradise, there is no adornment given, so they have nothing in their hair.
In the 1st kingdom and the 2nd kingdom of heaven, minor decorations will be given according to each as one’s rewards.
But from the third kingdom of heaven, the adornments worn in the hair will have special meanings. For example, in the past the hair decorations of queens or princesses (in Korea especially) were different from those of ordinary people.
Because they symbolized the social position, they were more than just decoration.
In the third kingdom of heaven, there is decoration for both men and women that they put on their head.
It is the crown of life.
About the spiritual meaning of this crown of life and the kind of faith to receive the third kingdom of heaven, I will talk to you in the next session.
Conclusion
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I explained to you how different the glory of the third kingdom of heaven is from that of the second kingdom.
I talked to you about the differences in the houses, service of the angels, the cloud-like automobiles, and outward appearances of people. What I have told you in this session is only little bit.
Even on this earth, in just several aspects how can we explain the differences between developed countries and less developed countries?
With just several examples, we can imagine how different it will be in other areas as well.
Our God the Father is goodness itself, and so, He loves good children very much.
He loves those who cast off all forms of evil and have become sanctified. He then wants to give them anything they want.
That is why He gives everything to those who are in the third kingdom of heaven.
But even those who are in the third kingdom of heaven will feel some kind of lack or the loss forever, looking at the city of New Jerusalem.
They also envy those believers in New Jerusalem who can meet the Father God Himself.
They will think, ‘If only I tried harder and was faithful in all God’s house…’
‘If only my Father would call my name…’
‘Only if He invites me…’
Therefore, I hope all of you here will accomplish sanctification and become faithful in all God’s house.
I hope you will do your best to you duty, so that you will not have any regret about it later.
By doing so, I pray in the name of the Lord that, you will enjoy the honor and glory forever in the most glorious place!
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