Please, understand that the death of your physical body has no power to transform the state or condition of your soul. In addition, there is this aspect of your being called the animal nature that cannot be eradicated by death. This animal nature exerts pressure on your soul. Your animal, carnal nature strives to dominate you. There is a spirit in you that is also striving for dominance. This is your spirit; the still, small voice within. Life in the heavenly realms is not going to be completely hassle-free because of the animal nature, the carnal nature, the mark of the beast in man. The tussle between the spirit and the flesh (or animal nature) is going to continue over there, in the heavenly abodes till the animal nature is completely gone. So, the more we overcome the beast in us while here on earth, the better for us. We also have to factor in the level of maturity of the soul.
In heaven, you will continue from where you left off on earth. You must reap what you sow. For example, if you refused or failed to learn the lessons of forgiveness; if you struggled with jealousy and envy; if you were not interested in more matured spiritual truths, etc, when you get to heaven, you will be made to face all the lessons you avoided or skipped while on earth. Death has no power to magically transform your soul. The soul must grow through experience. That is how you go from glory to glory. It cannot automatically happen. This is why people will have different rewards in the heavenly abodes. Hence, Jesus always advised, "Lay up treasures for yourself in heaven."
This is where amazing personal relationship with God by way of relationship with the indwelling divine Thought Adjuster, your spirit, comes in. It is the spirit at work in us and with us that transforms us gradually, peeling off the animal nature and replacing it with the divine nature. This process yields amazing experiences and lessons for us and for the spirit and also for a vast, vast, vast universes upon universes with all its uncountable intelligent life! This mind boggling treasure throve of experiences are of eternal significance to the Paradise Trinity and everyone and everything else.
When you get to the mansion worlds of glory and bliss, you will continue from where you left off, in dealing with the animal nature. Death has no magic or power to eradicate the animal nature. Physical death has no power to take care of a spiritual challenge. Death is just a tool that enables us to transition from this earth to the heavenly realms.
All those who refuse to grow intellectually and spiritually on earth will have a rude awakening when they get to heaven because they will realize that all the discipline and lessons they refused to go through on earth will be patiently waiting for them in heaven. All the mental, emotional, spiritual, etc challenges that they dodged or avoided on earth will be waiting for them in heaven. To become perfect as the heavenly Father is perfect is not a piece of cake.
I had a spiritual experience where I was taken to heaven and shown a gentleman who had died some years earlier and is now in heaven (the Father's house - mansion worlds). I saw him seating in a corner, sad and in deep thought. He was having a hard time over there. Yes, life there is fun, great, beautiful, blissful, etc. Yes, he had all that but in addition, he was finding some things very difficult to navigate through. And the reason is he had to deal with his animal nature; he had to confront all the lessons needed for him to grow spiritually - lessons that he dodged while on earth.
Heaven is a spiritual place. As a result, the more intelligent and spiritually minded we are, they more will be the enjoyment that we will experience. The less spiritual one is, the less will be the enjoyment. People will have to unlearn and relearn in heaven. Death has no power to miraculously remove all their stupid and false religious beliefs, etc. They will have to be taught aright in the schools in the heavenly worlds. And then, each one of them will have to make a decision whether or not to drop every wrong teaching, self-limiting tendencies, etc. If you drop them, you move on. If you don't, you'll be stuck till you are ready to drop them. Some people will even remain in mansion world number one (this is the "first heaven") for decades upon decades or even centuries - for as long as it will take for them to evolve to higher levels.
It's just like someone comes to the United States of America from a very, very remote and backward village in a very backward country, far away. He didn't complete Elementary School or Primary School education before coming. For him to make quality progress in the United States of America, he will have to complete his Elementary School classes. And he cannot get a great job or task at a big company like Tesla. The most he can get is mopping floors or cleaning toilets in a fast-food restaurant.
So, he will continue to mop floors for 10 years, 30 years, on and on - for as long as it will take him to complete Primary School and advance. Now, please, how will it look like, for example, for such a man to come to America and be satisfied with cleaning toilets or mopping floors for 10 years, 20 years, 40 years etc without receiving a promotion; without getting a pay raise; and living in a tiny rented room?
How will you consider such a brother if he tells you that he is fully satisfied with all that; and that he is just very happy to have entered the United States? Everybody around him is progressing; moving on to Secondary School and University; taking on greater responsibilities, becoming CEOs and buying big and beautiful houses; traveling to amazing sight seeing places in America; learning, growing and enjoying so much goodies - the good, great life that America provides. But over there, in one corner, you have a brother who is not progressing and is just happy to be in America...
The truth is, very, very soon, his happiness and contentment will fade away. If he refuses to make progress, he will see himself for the fool that he has allowed himself to become. After some time, nobody will even tell him to put in more effort. He, himself, will slap some senses into his head! Otherwise, he will not be able to cope at all in America. This is like an analogy with regards to mortal souls who have gone to heaven. Hallelujah! This is why Jesus always emphasized that we should lay up treasures for ourselves in heaven; that we will be rewarded in heaven depending on our fruits or level of spiritual attainment; that each individual will reap what he or she sows.
Peace and Blessings!
- Karo Akamune
ChristMichaelCenter.org
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