Page 104 - THE REVELATION OF THE THIRD HEAVEN and THE MEAT OF THE WORD

Knowing the truth is not the same thing as believing the truth (Rom 1:18-21).
Believing in some aspects of the truth is not the same as believing in Jesus as
personal saviour (Jam 2:19). Spiritual belief is not invalidated as belief by
knowledge of that which is believed (John 20:27-29). Those who repent and
believe after death do not find believing in Jesus any easier or more difficult
therefore than those on Earth (1 Pet 4:6) who can claim that there is no evidence of
God (Rom 1:18-21). Just because anyone aware in Heaven (Job 1:6, Zech 3:1-3) or
Hell (Jam 2:19, 2 Pet 2:4), knows that God exists this does not endow them with
belief in Jesus as their personal saviour (Rev 20:15).

Once saved the primary point of residence is Heaven whether the current one or
the Second Heaven, rather than the Earth, second or otherwise (Mark 12:25, Luke
20:36, Rev 21:1).

Christians bring Christ's judgement into this world (and the whole creation) by
exposing men and the creation to the gospel when preaching (Mark 16:15-16).

In Old Testament times individuals had the Spirit of God fill them or come upon
them conditionally and for specific purposes (Ex 31:3, 35:31, Num 27:18, Deut
34:9 ‘spirit of wisdom’, 1 Chron 12:18, 2 Chron 20:14, 24:20, Isaiah 63:11) or
time periods (1 Sam 16:13-14, 1 Sam 19:20) and in different measures (2 Kings
2:9-12). This is distinct to the normal default process of God interacting with the
basic spirit of a man (2 Chron 36:22, Ezra 1:5).

Even under the operation of the secondary will of God known as the Law, God
showed how the real way forward was by love, faith and grace which was
foreshadowed most closely by obedience to the these principles, not the Law (Hab
2:4). This was the circumcision of the heart (Jer 9:26).

Joshua is an interesting character in this regard. He is a man of God in the Old
Testament but unsaved and goes to Heaven on death (Zech 3:1-2) for the same
reason as with everybody else in that state - namely that it was there that he most
likely to become a Christian in response to the preaching by Christ received
therein. Indeed what people 'suffer' or 'enjoy' is less a function of their 'goodness'
or their sin (Mal 3:15), although that does account for some experience (Jer 17:10),
but rather of the mysterious interaction between the human and God who is trying
to effect Salvation and ensure its retention (Luke 13:2-5). Joshua responds
positively thus thwarting Satan who was looking for him to go to the unaware part
of Hell (Zech 3:1-2). He is saved (Zech 3:4). In Zechariah we pass from this
account of what happens after his death to when he was alive (in accordance with