Introduction

When we read the Bible, we must remember a very important concept – a holistic view. We cannot read a particular chapter in isolation from the rest of the scriptures. We must understand God's will clearly. God has designed a system that allows people to live long lives on this earth.

Deuteronomy clearly states that God wants you to live long in the land that He gives you. But if you do not carefully observe and follow God's words, you will not be able to live long. God has designed a complete system for all things. When we carefully observe and follow God's words, He will prolong our days on earth.

In the earlier part of Numbers, it is mentioned that God struck down many people. Is it God's will for people to live long on earth? If it is His will, why did He strike down those people? If we study the scriptures carefully, we will find that those whom God struck down did not carefully observe and follow His word. In fact, those people only added to the number of sinners, and it is the same in this generation. In Numbers chapter 35, Moses wrote:

So you shall not pollute the land where you are. For blood pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land for the blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of him who shed it. You shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell, for I the Lord dwell in the midst of the people of Israel.” (Numbers 35:33-34)

What is the theme of this chapter? It is You shall not defile the land. Why does God say not to defile the land? Because if you defile the land, you will not live long in it. As we read the entire Bible, we can see generation after generation passing by, and in the end, those who carefully observe and follow God's word are able to live long in the land.

Today I am here to share with you how to live long in the land. We all think that living long means a person’s longevity, but it is not. Living long means being able to live in eternal life on earth.

Let us look at Numbers chapter 35. Previously, all the tribes had been allocated land, except for the tribe of Levi. Why? Because the Levites were scattered among the people of Israel. In order for them to serve God among the Israelites, God required each tribe to give some of their cities to the Levites to live in, and the surrounding pasturelands of those cities were also given to the Levites. This was all God's will.

In this world, people have a characteristic of not living long and not having blessed days. When God gives you something and then asks you to give it back, you feel pained. Because people always have a wrong perception, thinking that everything they get is what they deserve. When they receive ten and are asked to give one, it seems like they are going to die because they always feel it is not worth it. People often feel that giving away what they have received is a loss, so they really do not want to give it away. The Israelites were to give forty-eight cities to the Levites. Were they really willing to give the land to them? It would be quite a struggle to give away what they had received.

There are many people who do not understand how they received something when they receive it, and they do not understand how they are giving it away when they give it away. So when they receive something, they do not know that it is God who gave it to them, and when they give it away, they think they are giving away their own things. People like this are generally very stingy.

I have served God for so many years, and I have found that it is difficult to serve stingy people! It is very difficult to bring these stingy people into blessing. Not to brag, but I am not a stingy person. For example, when I go to a restaurant to eat noodles, I always look for the cheapest ones to eat. But if I treat someone to a meal, I will definitely not treat them to the cheapest one. If I treat others to the cheapest food while always eating the best myself, then I must be a very stingy person.

Human nature has a stingy characteristic. God tested the Israelites by dividing the land among them and then asking them to take it out of their hands and give it to the Levites. Do you think this is a blessing or a loss? For example, God blesses you with finances, but it is very difficult for you to give tithes. It is even more difficult to give two-tenths, and giving three-tenths is simply asking for your life.

People often do not know what is worth it and what is not. What is the reason for this? It is because people have not seen through the matter of living. People live by calculating, struggling, and worrying, and they cannot live well. Why? Because they have violated the design of the Lord God. In all of God's designs, there is a principle: what God gives you, you must give back to God as an offering. This is God's blessed design, but people cannot see through it, get caught up in calculation, and do not see that giving is a channel for blessing.

God is a God who examines the hearts of people. Do not think that God cannot see through the hearts of people. God sees people more accurately than people see themselves. So, what is in your heart? Not only God knows, but the demons also know. If God knows, He cannot bless you. If the demons know, they will specifically steal your blessings and eventually take away what little you have. Therefore, the Israelites must make a wise choice.

Why is giving land to the Levites a blessing? Because the Levites were to establish cities of refuge in that place to avoid the sin of shedding innocent blood. Everyone must know that if a person accidentally kills someone and you kill that person in return, you have shed innocent blood and defiled the land. If the land is defiled, it cannot last long. People originally wanted to live well in the land, but they ended up living worse and worse.

In God's design, He specifically designed cities of refuge so that those who were judged to have accidentally killed someone could have the opportunity to flee to the city of refuge. God allowed those who intentionally shed blood to be killed, and then the land would be cleansed. If someone was not intentionally killed and was chased down and killed by the avenger, the result would be the shedding of innocent blood, and the place would be defiled. Think about it, if a person's heart does not understand God's design, is that not really foolish?

A sister sent me a message saying that she does not have wisdom. So what is wisdom? Wisdom is hearing God's word and carefully observing and following it, and then you will surely live long in the land. If you cannot live long in the land, then what hope is there in your life?

Many people think that they must work hard to live well on earth, and they are so deeply trapped in illusion that they do not realize it, because they do not know the rules that God has established in this universe. What is this rule? It is that if the land is defiled, the people in this place cannot live well. I will tell you some stories. I do not know if everyone has listened to the previous ones. I hope everyone can listen carefully and carefully observe and follow God's words.

Land is Spiritual

There is a city in China called Nanjing, which has experienced some bizarre things. Nanjing was once the capital city established by Hong Xiuquan of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and it was later destroyed by a Qing Dynasty official named Zeng Guofan. Zeng Guofan was a very powerful general who led his troops well, leading the Xiang Army to destroy the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. After entering Nanjing, he killed all the people in the city and shed a lot of innocent blood.

The curse on Zeng Guofan is very deep. Although we do not know how the curse operates in him and his family, it must be deadly. After Zeng Guofan massacred the city of Nanjing, we thought that this matter was over, and history had turned the page. Although the real estate in Nanjing has skyrocketed in the past two years, the spiritual atmosphere in Nanjing is not good, and it has always been prone to accidents.

During World War II, when the Japanese devils invaded China, they did not massacre Shanghai, Hangzhou, or Wuxi. Strangely, they ordered the massacre of Nanjing, killing hundreds of thousands of people. The Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall that we see today records the tragic killings at that time. Do not think that this matter is just a historical event. This matter is very spiritual. The life and death of people and the shedding of blood are not over after they are said.

We are also curious as to how a city could experience a second massacre. I think this is closely related to the shedding of blood and the defilement of the land in that place, and to the spiritual environment. How could the same group of Japanese devils massacre Nanjing? Why did they not massacre Shanghai and Fujian, but decided to massacre Nanjing? It is because the land of Nanjing was defiled by the shedding of blood, so this event that shocked the world happened again.

Earlier, we talked about dividing the land and inheriting it as a possession, and then God said that you will live long in the land you inherit as a possession. Everyone must be clear that land is a very spiritual matter. God gives us a very important concept in the Bible, which is to inherit land as a possession, but some Christians always desire to inherit heaven as a possession. I want to say that it does not matter, but land is a very spiritual matter. If people sin in that land and defile it, people will not live well.

Sickness is Because People's Hearts are Defiled

Many people now miss the era of Mao Zedong, when people lived very simply. I think people at that time were happier than people today, even though the Cultural Revolution happened at that time. My family was not greatly affected by the Cultural Revolution at that time. In the winter in Northeast China, every family burned coal for heating. The quality of coal was very poor, and the chimneys of every house were smoking, and the whole air was very pungent. The snot that came out of the nose was black. Why? Because the air was very dirty, but with such dirty air, we rarely heard of people getting cancer. But today, the number of people getting cancer is really much higher than in the past.

Air pollution at every turn, and there are many kinds of pollution. Maybe at that time, the degree of defilement of the land was not as serious as it is today. In this day and age, the defilement of the land is very serious. Why do I say this? Because there are more diseases. When I was a child, there were not many people in the hospital. In our front and back courtyards, we did not hear of anyone getting cancer for a long time. When people in distant places got diabetes, everyone was very surprised to hear about it. What is diabetes? We didn't even know. Now, there are many more diseases among people than in that era, almost everywhere. I think one reason is that people's hearts are defiled. If people's hearts are defiled, the things in their hearts are dirty, and the behaviors they do are dirty. There are also intentional killings and all kinds of messy things, and as a result, they commit sins and defile the land.

People originally wanted to live well, but they all live badly. What is the reason for this? It is because people do not know that to live well on earth, they must abide by God's statutes, ordinances, and commandments. Do not think that God's words will be abolished. The rules that God has set will never be abolished.

If people want to live well, it really has little to do with the quality of the air, but it has a lot to do with the filth in your heart, so you must remove the filth in your heart. If you do not think so and think that living like this is good, then live according to your own feelings! If you are living miserably today, getting cancer and many diseases, and every day is difficult, you should reflect on what is in your head.

I would like to give some advice to those brothers and sisters who have serious illnesses. If you come into Jesus Christ, there is a place called the city of refuge here. Jesus Christ has shed His blood and sacrificed for you and can release you from sin. But you must remove the filth in your heart yourself. You must change your mind and know clearly how people can live well.

If you are not living well, it is a testimony to the filth inside you. I used to minister to some cancer patients and found that it was really difficult to change their minds, very stubborn mind. When I prayed, there was some progress, and they got better for a while, but after I prayed, their minds did not change, and then they got worse again.

I ministered to a lung cancer patient who had a lot of garbage in his head. Every time I prayed for him, I cleaned it and cleaned it again. As soon as it was cleaned out, it came back again, which was very exhausting. Once he lay in bed for two weeks and could not get up, and he was about to die. After praying and teaching, his mind changed, he vomited out a lot of dirty filth, and then he was able to go up and down the stairs, and there was nothing wrong with him.

But after a while, he put the garbage back in his head, and then he couldn't do it again, and he had to pray again, which was really hard. In this way, he didn't have money to buy medicine, and he lived for a year, which was really miraculous. But if he didn't change his mind, it wouldn't work. Later, he actually drank a bottle of pesticide and rolled on the ground. When we prayed, he vomited out all the dirty things, and he was fine. But after he got better, he still didn't change, and he died a week later. How much sin do people have to suffer on earth before they are willing to change the thoughts in their heads?

In the New Testament, hating people is murder. If you hate people, even if you have not killed them, it is almost the same as killing them, and it is impossible to live well. To live long in the land, you must know one thing: shedding innocent blood on earth is a great defilement of this land! After this land is defiled, this place is cursed. If this place is cursed, it is difficult for people to live well in this place. Today we must begin to understand, do not think that having money will make you live well. Many rich people do not live well either. Watching the news every day, we know that today they have caused something, and tomorrow they have caused something else, and they are in trouble.

The Israelites must know that giving the city to the Levites was a great grace from God to them. Do not think that giving this city to the Levites and letting them live among them is not a good thing. Because the Levites are people who serve God, and they will bring God's blessings down, one of which is to prevent the land from being defiled. The Levites are to teach God's people about the word of the Lord God. If people do according to God's word, they can live long in the land.

In the Ten Commandments, it is said to honor your parents. If you honor your parents, you will live long on the earth, and these prolonged illnesses and overwhelming disasters will not befall you.

God is not concerned with ethereal matters

We are truly better off when we come out of a flawed logical system. We must understand that God has abundant grace, and He will arrange all kinds of thorny things well for you. Do not think that God does not care about our living on this earth, and never think that God does not care about our finances.

The towns shall be theirs to live in, and their pasturelands shall be for their cattle, for their livestock, and for all their animals. (Numbers 35:3)

God cares about our finances on earth. A person who serves God will gain a livelihood through the God he serves. We must know that serving God is a great grace, and God cares about people's finances. When the Israelites came out of Egypt, they took all the jewels and property they could carry. Our God is not a God who does not require sustenance.

God has established cities of refuge, where those who unintentionally kill someone can flee. If a person hates someone and kills them intentionally, they must be put to death. Many clear regulations are listed, the most important reason being hatred. If you have no quarrel or hatred with someone and you accidentally kill them, you will not incur a deadly sin. God even establishes a city of refuge for you to escape to.

Do not bear false witness to harm others

In today's generation, people do not know that intentionally killing, wrongly accusing, and harming others are the root causes of not living well. But many people do not know this, nor do they read the Bible or know God. They think they must live well. How can one live without harming others? If you don't destroy the other person, they will destroy you... This concept is deadly!

Bearing false witness to frame someone is a sin that sheds blood. If you are a judge who perverts justice and cannot judge fairly, according to your own or the intentions of those behind you, then the sin of shedding blood will be upon you. If you have children who want to be judges, it is best not to let them, as they are easily cursed! It is easy to shed innocent blood. Today, we must all have a deep understanding of these things.

Do not think that wealthy families encounter fewer things; they encounter not only more but also more complex things than poor families. I once ministered to a sister whose ancestors were like the wealthy families depicted in movies. When I prayed for her, she began to sing Peking opera, so mournfully. I asked her name, and she said it was Xiaoqing. As I prayed, the evil spirit revealed bit by bit, and I finally understood.

Their wealthy ancestors had many concubines, one of whom was forced to hang herself. This sister originally could not sing Peking opera. It was the released evil spirit singing a mournful opera through her, which was terrifying. We then knew that the things of the ancestors brought many curses to future generations, and I don't think those people lived well back then.

What is truly important?

The devil of this world directs many farces in our hearts, preventing us from making God's word the highest standard for our lives, but instead guiding us by our own interests. If we are guided by our own interests, we will fight to the death with anyone who touches our core interests. If your core interest is to live, then you must have a job. If there is a problem with your job, you will live without a sense of security. You will fight to the death with anyone who touches your job. If you lose your job because of certain people, you will hate them in your heart.

You have a logical system inside you that believes you must have a job because it is your core interest. But a job is not our core interest. If you hold onto your job tightly, you will freak out if something happens to it. Some people come to me when something goes wrong with their job, and I scold them with a few words: It's just a small matter, take it easy, isn't living very simple? Then they say it's okay because they no longer value it so much.

Whether a person has a job or not, they still live. Although there is no job, there is God. With God, you can still live very well. What to do without a job? Then God will give you another job, and you don't need to hold onto it tightly. If a person has God, that is so good. I have been repeatedly saying that pressure comes from what you value.

If you are studying for a doctorate, the doctorate is your life. You feel that if you don't get a doctorate, how will you live in the future? Many people don't have doctorates, and they still live well. Why can't you think straight? Some people don't get into college and are particularly sad because getting into college is their core interest. Why are many school district houses so expensive today, several times the price? Because many people think that having a school district house means having a future, and having an education means having a future. Is that really true? Not really. Someone from Tsinghua University married someone from Peking University, and the Peking University graduate poisoned the Tsinghua University graduate, and then went to jail themselves. Wasn't attending Tsinghua and Peking University in vain? Brothers and sisters today, do you know what your core interest really is?

Smart people are misled by their own intelligence

A few days ago, I gave a quiz to the people around me, which was quite interesting. During the Warring States period, there were two people, one called Pang Juan and the other called Sun Bin, who were sworn brothers. Pang Juan became a general of a country, and Sun Bin came to join Pang Juan. Why didn't Sun Bin, such a smart person, know what kind of person Pang Juan was, and didn't know that Pang Juan would harm him?

How smart was Sun Bin? He was very good at military strategy and was one of Guiguzi's best students. How did he end up having his kneecaps dug out by Pang Juan? I tell you, there was an idea inside Sun Bin. He had selfish intentions and hoped to gain fame and fortune through Pang Juan. Why do I say Pang Juan was dangerous? Because Pang Juan had his own core interests. His fame and fortune could not be touched. If anyone threatened his fame and fortune, he would try to kill you.

The same is true in this generation. People who achieve great merit close to the emperor must die. Ancient history tells us very clearly, why? Because the emperor will eliminate those who threaten his position. Maybe you are a very loyal person, but he will not keep you either, don't even think about it.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, you must have a clear understanding of these things. When you interact with the people around you, if the people around you are pursuing fame and fortune, they are very dangerous people. If the people around you are pursuing God, they are safe people. Because there is nothing in this world that they want. What they really want is God. So, you cannot threaten their core interests.

When we interact with people, we must see clearly what they are thinking in their hearts. If it is Pang Juan's kind of thinking, stay away. If you have no ability, Pang Juan will ignore you. But if your ability is greater than Pang Juan's, he will definitely dig out your kneecaps. Don't be Sun Bin. If you have selfish desires and things you want, you will take the bait. Even smart people like Sun Bin take the bait.

The root of strife

Why do people sin? Because their core interest is not God, but their fame and fortune. Why do they kill and shed innocent blood? Anyone who threatens their interests is doomed. To this day, this is how it is between countries, people, families, and companies. You must understand what their core interests are.

For example, a trade war is a dispute over the core interests of two countries. When you threaten my interests, what can I do? If there is a conflict of core interests between people, it is very dangerous. If your core interest is God, no one will compete with you. (Maybe, if you are an Abel and you encounter a Cain, he will kill you. Because your sacrifice is pleasing to God, and his sacrifice is not pleasing to God, he will kill you. But it doesn't matter, you will still live long on the earth because God will receive your soul.) The essence of great power struggles must be understood. Don't think that what I am saying is a simple matter.

In the animal world, if a young monkey king wants to win the throne, he must kill the old monkey king. It is a life-and-death struggle and an absolutely bloody event. Why was there World War I? It was not a trade dispute, but a struggle for hegemony. Why was there World War II? It was not a trade dispute either, but a struggle for core interests and hegemony. It was a question of who would be the hegemon of this world. It was bloody and arduous. What is there to fight for? Isn't living well enough? What do you need this hegemony for!

The history of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods was one of fighting and fighting for hundreds of years. Just thinking about it reveals that it was vanity of vanities. The Chinese wrote clearly about the alliances and diplomatic strategies of great powers more than two thousand years ago. In the end, the Qin state destroyed the other six states and unified the world. But what did Qin Shi Huang gain by destroying the other six states? He did not live well either, and died in his fifties. No one can defeat death. I say this from his personal perspective. But some people say that Qin Shi Huang was also very powerful. He unified currency, writing, and weights and measures, built roads, and unified vehicle tracks, which was also a great achievement. But did he live well? No.

Living well is a simple matter. Today, I don't want to tell you so much history. But I really want you to understand one thing: people do not live by strife, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God! How can someone who has shed so much innocent blood live well? It is impossible to live well. If my core interest is to live, I must pay all the price to protect my life if someone threatens it.

For example, rich people, because they have money, who else would kidnappers kidnap? Having money means they cannot die. What happens? They have to pay a ransom as soon as they are kidnapped. Unlike us, who are not so rich, not that we are dirt poor, but just ordinary people, we live well.

If kidnappers kidnapped me and said, I'm going to kill you, I would say, Oh, brother, I've always wanted to commit suicide but never had the courage. I've hung a rope on the beam, but I didn't dare to put it around my neck. Finally, someone is doing it for me. Please kill me quickly, I'm tired of living in this world! The kidnapper hears this and thinks how unlucky he is to have kidnapped someone who wants to die. After some hesitation, he decides to let them go.

Actually, being afraid of death is really troublesome because it relates to your core interests. Those who are not afraid of death are not afraid of anything. Leaving this world is better. Why do these people intentionally kill? It is to protect their core interests. Why do some people seek revenge? Because if they don't seek revenge, how can they feel content in their hearts?

Today, I encourage everyone to elevate your spiritual height. You say, How can I not understand what you are saying? That is because your spiritual height is not high enough. If you live very low, you will get very low things. If you live at a high level, you will not care about many things. Why do people with strong petty-bourgeois consciousness not live well? Because they care about too many things. Touching this, touching that, all of them are their core interests. How can they live well!

The key to solving your problems is to raise your spiritual height. Why do people hate others? Because they live very low. Why can people forgive others? Because their level is high enough. Why do people live for God? Because their level is very high. Why do people live for money? Because their level is very low. If people try hard to keep their lives, they will live worse and worse.

In any case, raise your spiritual height. Learn to not care about the things you used to care about. No longer entangle with the things that used to entangle you. Living is a simple matter, always be joyful. Why do people get cancer? Because they are always entangled and depressed, how can they not get cancer? If you are particularly joyful, how can you get cancer?

God wants us to live long on the earth. You must begin to know that that is the key to solving problems. What is the key? It is allowing us to subdue sin, so that sin will be at your and my door. It is too difficult for people to live well when they are under the control of the devil. It is easy for me to pray for you so that you can be healed and delivered. From today, let go of those core interests that you are holding onto tightly, from now on live for God, from now on be a dedicated person, from now on be willing to completely offer yourself and live according to God's word. So that you can't even hate people when you are asked to hate them; you can't even be entangled when you are asked to be entangled; you can't even be upset when you see those annoying things at work; you won't be so upset when you see crying children.

Start learning to see through things. Those who see through things live well. Having God is such a good thing. Start relying on the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome sin, and relying on the power of God to overcome the lies of the devil. From now on, refuse to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, refuse to hate people, and remove the uncleanness from our hearts. So that we can live out God's glorious image, and in this world, you will certainly live a long life. May God bless everyone!