Come Closer to Me     ...a story of Slaves in Egypt.

Please come closer to me (Genesis 45 :4)

We may take this request from the mouth of Joseph speaking to his brothers and  receive it  for ourselves as a word from our loving heavenly Father.  Sometimes we are not close enough to the Father to understand that the experiences he puts us through are engendered out of his intense love for us and not because he is our enemy.  Indeed the trials of our lives are God´s true intentions disguised, in the same way  as Joseph was disguised  so that his brothers would not recognise him.

Their trials would not have had the same effect on them if they had known throughout the true identity of their author.  Joseph knew them well, and loved them, but disguised himself and spoke harshly to them. We can imagine their dismay at being falsely accused of being spies before this powerful Prime Minister, and being put into prison for three days. This terrifying trial immediately uncovered the guilt they had been carrying for more than two decades,  and they confessed aloud their belief that this was  a reckoning for the blood of their brother who they had cast into a pit and then sold into slavery.  How quickly trials cause us to search our hearts and discover  any guilt that we carry!

However, despite this confession their trials were far from over, Joseph  was not yet ready to  reveal his love.  The lessons he had learned through his own captivity were now to be applied to them, so that they also may overcome as he had overcame.  The man they now saw before them seated on a throne was not the same young man who they had thrown into a pit more than twenty years previously.  Thirteen years of affliction as a slave and a prisoner had purged his heart, and he had come to the place where he  recognized the loving hand of God as the true author of his affliction, and as the first cause of all that he had been through.  He was now not only the master of  all Egypt, but more importantly he was the ruler over his own house, the house of his own being, his passions and his will.  “Only in the throne will I be greater than you”  Pharoah had said, and in effect this was just as  if God himself saying  that he was ready to rule.

At the age of seventeen, when his brothers disposed of him, he had known that he would rule, for God had shown him this in a vision.  However it was his very eagerness to boast in that to which he had not yet attained , that sparked the jealousy  of his brothers.  This led to all his affliction.  How inscrutable are the ways of God!  The unjust treatment that he recieved  consequently must have often caused him  to question God’s love for him.  Nevertheless, he determined to continue believing in God’s unfailing love despite years of agonising  waiting and disappointment .  The presence of God remained with him , comforting him in all his affliction and teaching him to die to his self love and master the impulsiveness of  his natural make up.  The old man had to die, and this could only take place through the fires of suffering.

Only once having attained the throne could he look back in retrospect and  trace the hand of God that had brought him to his current position.  Never would he have chosen  that route to get there!  Like Jesus, who for the joy set before him  endured the cross and sat down on the throne, he also knew the path that could  bring his brothers to the place of overcoming.  The jealousy that ruled their hearts would for ever  rule their passions unless it could be excised from them.  Joseph formed his plan and executed it expertly.

After first giving them all a taste of prison for three days, having them believe that only one of them would be released to fetch Benjamin, he now releases them all and keeps only Simeon.  We can only imagine those three days shut up with each other, each man considering in his heart what would be his plan of action if he were to be the one released.  Could any of them trust each other after having been joint conspirators in Joseph’s abduction?  How did their conversations progress during those dark three days in the dungeon?  The depths of their depravity must have been rudely uncovered during that time.  Finally after three days which seemed an eternity, Joseph releases all of them save one.  He recreates the exact circumstances of the situation twenty years previously.  We are reading here a manual on the operation of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  There is not a circumstance in your life in which the Lord is not at work.  He will bring you back full circle to face the sins of your youth.

Joseph also restores all their money to them in their sacks of grain, causing their hearts to sink with fear and ask:

 “What is this that God has done to us?”

The test they now  face is whether they will agree amongst themselves to abandon their brother Simeon with the same callousness that they had treated Joseph.  The money in their sacks is not going to make it easier to return.  How will they prove their innocence?  Would they agree to lie to their Father about Simeon the way that they had lied to their father about Joseph?  We may also wonder what Simeon is thinking they will do, and considering that he may be  receiving his just recompense for his part in the conspiracy.

After a long journey back to Canaan, undoubtedly arguing all the way, they meet their Father Jacob and tell him  the truth, and in so doing  overcome their previous disposition  which was to lie their way out of a  predicament.  They pass the test of honesty.  By so doing they face the anguish of their  old father’s blaming them for the loss of Simeon, which reminds him of the loss of Joseph, and the prospect of losing Benjamin also.  The painful dynamics of acknowledging their past sins in their hearts, coupled with a restitutionary willingness to return to Egypt and face  the consequences, must have torn deep into their souls.  Yet  Jacob still does not know what really happened to Joseph all those years ago.  The brothers now discover that the self love which had  caused them to be jealous of Joseph is pitted against the love they have for their father, and must be  ruthlessly torn out if they are to find reconciliation. What anguish must have gripped them!

Jacob also is tested, like Abraham was, in his old age.  He must be willing to relinquish his dearest young son if the Patriarchal clan is to survive. The partiality which caused so much bitterness amongst the brothers must be laid on the altar.  The food is running out.  Once the grain runs out, as Joseph knew it would, they must set out again for Egypt  with the cherished son of their Father.  They cannot come before the presence without the beloved son.  As Joseph was loved more than all his brothers, now Benjamin is the preferred one, and the brothers themselves must put to death the nagging discontent which has ruled their hearts for so many years.  They must love Benjamin in the way they ought to have loved Joseph.  Their self love which demanded to be loved by their Father must be replaced by their love for their Father, and Jacob himself must relinquish the partiality which was the cause of so much jealousy .  The circumstances of God work in uncountable ways in all directions ,  every person’s part  being tailor made for him .The God of the Universe is beyond our understanding. Man in his pride considers himself to be the supreme being yet he is but a speck of dust in the grand design of things.

Judah  now offers his life as surety for the boy, and as the seed through whom Christ would be born he typifies the substitutionary work of Jesus who died in our place for his Fathers sake.  Judah  identifies more with the sorrow of his Father than with his own interest in being loved. Twenty years before this same man had sought to profit from his brothers disappearance with no thought of his Fathers sorrow, and received twenty shekels of silver for the crime.  Now he gives his own life in  forfeit .  He has learned the value of a soul.

On returning to Egypt they are ushered into the presence of Joseph and expect to be fell upon and converted into slaves because of the money which had been returned to their sacks. The greed  which motivated them to sell their brother into captivity is now being addressed, and  they  are expecting to receive the same  recompense for their actions.  On the contrary, they receive now an unmerited  demonstration of benificence which only highlights the crude greed of their shameful deed.  It is the kindness of God that brings us to repentence.  Most of their suffering  up to now has consisted in nothing more than the anguish of the guilt which they are coming to terms with.  They are now feasted and rested by Joseph,  and sent on their way with full sacks and full coffers of money.  We can imagine their relief and  elation at the unexpected blessings which have come from this ruler whom they have not yet known.  Joseph orders his silver cup to be put into  the sack of the youngest.

“And put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest”

Josephs cup is about to be passed on to his youngest brother.  When it was inquired of Jesus if it were possible that the sons of Zebedee could rule with him, he asked them whether they were able  to drink of the cup that he was about to drink.  “We are able” they said, and he replied that they would.  The other ten disciples  were jealous about this , just as the ten brothers were jealous of Joseph and Benjamin. The cup that Joseph had drunk from is now going to be passed  on to Benjamin, and then let us see to who it will be passed next! Do you want to rule with Him?

Joseph had already drunk his cup  to the dregs, and through the drinking of it  was elevated to being the ruler of his house.  In this respect he is a type of Christ who endured the cross and sat down on the right hand of his Father’s throne.  As the first amongst his brethren he was exposed to tribulation, distress, nakedness and the sword but he overcame all through the knowledge God´s inseparable love. The cup must pass to the other brethren now if they would reign with him.

As the brothers ride away, cheerfully thinking that the bitterness of death is past, the climax of their testing falls upon them like a bombshell.  Joseph sends his steward in pursuit of them with the charge that they have abused his kindness by stealing the very cup with which he divines.  This cup of divination is about to break open the secrets of their hearts and expose all the jealousy, hatred, and murder which has been residing there and ruling their lives.The steward  searches their sacks and finds it with Benjamin.  Benjamin  must have been terrified , but this was nothing compared to the horror of his elder brothers whose iniquity has been found out.

“God has found out the iniquity of your servants” , they declare, and surrender their lives as slaves to Joseph.  But their trial is not yet over.   Joseph probes even deeper by refusing to punish them, insisting that only Benjamin shall bear the guilt; for by this strategy he uncovers the very root that has made them a dysfunctional family.  The future of Israel as a nation hangs in the balance.  The jealousy which consumed them and which led to Joseph’s imprisonment is still to be exposed, and this very jealousy is rooted in their lack of understanding of their fathers love.A death of the old nature must take place so that they may be transformed.

Judah, as their representative, explains the love of their Father for the littlest one, saying that his life is bound up in the lad’s life, and that if he does not return, then their Father will die of sorrow.  Their hearts are cut to the quick as they realize for the first time the  consequences of all their  actions, and Judah resolves to bear the blame forever.

At this point Joseph send out all the Egyptians and reveals himself to his brothers.

“Please come closer to me” he says to them, so that they can recognize the author of all their anguish.  At first they cannot recognize him, and are dismayed at his presence, but gradually they understand who he is and come into the full blessing  that has been prepared for them.

“You shall live in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me”  he says to them.

That really isnt the end of  the whole affair, because until Jacob dies the brothers are not quite sure if they have really been forgiven or if it is only out of respect for their Father that he has not punished them.  After Jacob’s death and burial, they again submit to him and beg for his forgiveness.

The final word of Joseph cements the entire affair into one theme.

“Do not be afraid,” he says “for am I in God’s place?”

This rhetorical question can be answered with a resounding “No!”

No man  nor any  circumstance or trials are in God’s place. God is ruler in all things, although we must come closer to him to recognize his love for us in these things.  To the brothers Joseph seemed an enemy, but Joseph  was working under God’s rule in all his dealings with his brothers. Are your circumstances making you feel that God is your enemy? If so , then the Lord would say to you:

Please come closer to me.

Joseph’s dealings with his brothers reflect the dealings of God with us,  and  what’s more Joseph accepted the dealings of his brothers with him as the dealings of God.   Here is what he says in conclusion:

“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result”

“So therefore do not be afraid, I will provide for you and your little ones”

So he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

                                Abraham lived in a Tent

Abraham lived in a tent

Abraham lived in a tent throughout his life after having being promised the land of inheritance in which he dwelt. The only property he ever owned was his tomb, which he bought from the sons of Heth for four hundred shekels of silver.

This tiny piece of ground in Hebron, this cave in the field of Ephron, became a foot in the door for Israel, a deposit of their greater inheritance. It was to this grave that Joseph returned to bury his father Jacob, and to this grave that the bones of Joseph were returned four hundred years later.

And so it is with us. Abraham as the Father of our faith shows us the life of faith. We are sojourners as he was, living in tents in the land of promise. We, like him, live in a hostile world ruled by enemy giants. The only certainty that Abraham had was his grave, the only piece of this world that he could claim as a sure possession.

Lot, on the other hand, forsook the life of tents and took for himself a house in Sodom. Abraham gave him first choice, and he chose first for himself. Abraham lived for the promise, and Lot for what he could see now. Lot chose the well-watered valley of the Jordan as his inheritance, and after he departed God showed Abraham his inheritance. Then Abraham moved his tent to Mamre in Hebron, the place of his burial ground, and there he built an altar to the Lord. Lot ended up losing all, his wife became a pillar of salt and all his possessions were destroyed.

The name Lot means veil, and as long as Abraham lived with Lot his vision was veiled. After they separated Abraham clearly saw his inheritance. The presence of his nephew had clouded this vision, and Abraham needed to separate himself from Lot by an act of faith. This act of faith was when he offered to Lot the first choice of the land before their eyes. The natural man always chooses first for himself, and Abraham knew his nephew would choose the best for himself despite Abraham being his elder and being eligible for first choice. We as Christians are also constantly faced with the choice of choosing our own well being before that of God’s will and this is the test of our faith. When Abraham gave first choice to Lot he was in fact giving first choice to God in his life and by doing this was putting to death his own self-interest. He believed that God’s purpose for him could not be thwarted by any man. His separation from Lot was his separation from his natural selfish choices to the security of knowing that God would have his way in his life. This is why he moved then to Mamre, the place of his future burial ground and built an altar to the Lord. The sacrifice of this altar was the sacrifice of his own self-interest. What was resurrected was the future inheritance of Israel. If Abraham had chosen the well-watered valley in accordance with his natural desire his descendants would never have inherited the land of Israel.

 It is in dying that we live. We would do well to follow the example of Abraham to choose God’s inheritance rather than the present well watered valley before our eyes. Only after Abraham had made the right choice were his eyes opened to see the reality of his future inheritance.

“And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, Now, lift up your eyes and look, for all the land you see, I will give to you” (Gen.13:14)

This was in contrast to Lot, who first lifted up his eyes himself not to look at what God wanted to show him but at what he wanted to see.

“And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the valley…. So Lot chose for himself all the valley”(Gen 13:10,11)

Jesus tells his disciples “ Lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest.”(John 4:35) This is God’s vision for the church. “I will give you the nations as your inheritance” he promises in Psalm 2:8.

 The disciples of Jesus were discussing bread while Jesus was speaking of gathering fruit for life eternal. Their interest   was earthly while his was heavenly. This is why he said “ Look up!” Abraham looked up at what God was showing him while Lot looked down on what seemed to him like the Garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt. ( Gen. 13:10)

Jesus continues today to exhort us to look up at the things that are eternal, and not to that which will perish. However most of the energy and resources of the church are going into that which will perish. God’s judgment is on this world and all that it contains. His fire will destroy all things as Peter reminds us in his epistle.

Our inheritance is not to return to the Garden of the Lord, the Garden of Eden. Lot chose what he thought was the Garden of the Lord and ended up living in Sodom. Abraham chose a heavenly inheritance that he would only receive after his death. He lived as an alien in the land of promise, dwelling in tents, for he was looking for the city which has foundations.

Too Proud to Beg and too Old to Dig

Too proud to Beg and too Old to Dig

I watched the news last night with trepidation, as the stock markets fell. Men are fainting with fear and the expectation of  things  which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens are being shaken. There is perplexity upon the earth and dismay amongst the nations at the roaring of the sea and the waves, at the collapse of   financial institutions and looming wars between nuclear super powers.

I ask myself, are we are living in the times preceding the coming of the Son of Man, times of great testing, when men’s faith will fail in the darkness of events, making us doubt whether we have a Father in heaven who cares for us? Will the Lord find faith on earth when he returns? How many believers will be swept away by storms that  batter our house and home, storms which Jesus promised would test the quality of the work, test the soundness of the faith which has been delivered up to the saints?

Will we be measured and found wanting? Have we acted upon the words of Jesus and made them our own, or have we been merely hearers of the word of God and so built our house on sand? The coming storms will test the house and  our foundations will be exposed as having been built either on sand or on rock. There will be a great falling away of those whose foundation has been built on the sand of personal gain, of those  who  never counted the cost of  suffering loss.

Luk 16:1  And He also said to His disciples, There was a certain rich man who had a steward. And he was accused to him, that he had wasted his goods.

I  saw a man on the news who had lost his position at Lehmann brothers investment bank..He reminded me of the  steward in Luke chapter 16 that  had squandered his master’s possessions  and was found to be wanting.These investment banks have lost all the money that they were stewards of.The steward in the Bible lost his position and he was too proud to beg and too old to dig.

Luk 16:3  And the steward said within himself, What shall I do? For my lord is taking the stewardship away from me. I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg.

 So he used his master’s resources to make friends for himself. There are many who are about to lose all their investments in the coming financial collapse. When Mammon fails we should not be found wanting in   heavenly investments. Woe to those who have set their minds on earthly things and failed to store up treasure in heaven!

Luk 16:9  And *I* say to you, Make to yourselves friends with the mammon of unrighteousness, that when it fails ye may be received into the eternal tabernacles.

The Gospel of Grace is a wide door that accepts all. Jesus will in no wise turn away any that come to him. But  will we remain faithful to him? Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that you may be tested. Are you ready for the purging fires of persecution? Will you curse the Lord in the day of famine, when Mammon fails, or will your faith be proven to be as real as gold?

We are living in an age where the Gospel has been so compromised that it has become merely a means  toward personal gain,in an age when  premium is given to the acquisition of earthly goods. But our citizenship is actually in heaven, and we should be learning to place our hope in   heavenly things where Christ is. The loss of all things on earth should not terrify us or make us faint, but should cause our hearts to look to the eternal dwelling which is our true home. Do you have friends in the eternal dwellings that are eager to receive you? Have you been a shrewd steward of what is not yours? This is your time to make friends for yourselves by means of the Mammon of unrighteousness, that when it fails, you have friends to receive you!

Luk 16:9  "I'm telling you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous riches, so that when they're gone you'll be welcomed into eternal homes.

Sell your possessions and give to the poor! Make for yourself a purse that does not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near, nor moth destroys. Don’t be like the rich man who could have made friends with the beggar who used to lie at his gate, and missed his chance once the beggar had died. When he subsequently died and was buried he could have met up with his friend, the beggar, in Abraham’s bosom. Instead he ended up in Hades.

Luk 16:19  There was a certain rich man who was customarily clothed in purple and fine linen and making merry in luxury every day.

Luk 16:20  And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, who was laid at his gate, full of sores

Luk 16:21  and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. But even the dogs came and licked his sores.

Luk 16:22  And it happened that the beggar died and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. The rich one also died and was buried.

Luk 16:23  And in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

 He died, and thus the mammon of unrighteousness failed him. His money was unable to save him; and he could not take it with him. That man’s treasure was left behind to  five brothers, and now he found himself on the wrong side of a great chasm that could not be crossed. Lazarus, who used to lie at his gate, could have been his friend, a heavenly friend who would have received him into the eternal dwellings! How many poor Christian widows lie dying at the gates of Johannesburg and Cape Town, in Zambia and Zimbabwe, how many opportunities are being missed for you to make friends  by using  unrighteous mammon!This unrighteous mammon which does not really belong to you, but of which you are  merely a steward ! You have the opportunity of making friends with your master’s money, friends who will receive you with joy into paradise, saying:

  “Welcome, friend , here is the place I have been preparing for you!”.And you may say:

“Who are you? I don’t know you!”

And it will be some unknown Chinese or Indian person, or some Zambian widow ,or orphan , or Muslim who has been helped , or  someone brought to Christ with the use of   unrighteous mammon!

Instead of this, the rich man of Luke 16 found himself being tormented by having lost all that was dear to him, all his earthly treasure, and was now  tormented by the realization that he had used none of it to make friends for himself in the eternal dwellings! All was spent on purple robes and fine linen; all was wasted on gaily living in splendour every day!

I am sure that those who have lost all their investments in Lehman brothers are wishing now that they could have made some friends while they had the opportunity. Now it’s all gone.

The rich man, realizing this, begs Abraham to send someone to tell his brothers to rather give away their money to the poor so that they, also, do not end up in that   place of torment with him!

Luk 16:27  And he said, I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house,

Luk 16:28  for I have five brothers, so that he may testify to them, lest they also come into this place of torment.

 Abraham says , No, but they have got Moses and the Prophets, let them hear them.(The law says  a lot about giving to the poor.) The rich man, knowing that  in his life he had ignored Moses, replies,

“No, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!”

No, says Abraham, if they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead! Quite right Abraham!

Abraham is  right because today we have Moses and the prophets, and  besides that we even have some one who has risen from the dead, namely Jesus, who told us clearly to give  our wealth to the poor, and most of us are still not persuaded! Jesus was right in this parable he was  teaching, we would rather pass on money to family members and risk that they also follow us into torment. Even the crumbs falling from our tables are being thrown away, crumbs that are looked at with longing by those who are in need. What heartlessness! What a crime against humanity and God! All that we own is His, we are merely stewards, do we  have a right to do as we please with what belongs to Him?

 Dogs were coming and licking the sores of Lazarus while the squandering was in progress, which shows that even dogs are more compassionate! How many unbelieving NGO’s are out there in Africa, like dogs, licking the sores of the poor, while the mammon of unrighteousness is being squandered by Christians on fine living and gaiety, on fancy new cars and homes?

The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to Jesus as he spoke these things, and they scoffed at him. Are you scoffing at these words?

Luk 16:15  And He said to them, You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

Money is detestable in the sight of God. The honour that it accords is abominable. It is unrighteous mammon, and it is useful, yes, it is useful for making friends in the eternal dwellings, but not for gaily living in splendour! Under the Law and the Prophets wealth was seen by the Jews to be the proof of God’s blessing, but from the time of John the Kingdom of God is being preached and everyone is forcing their way into it.

Luk 16:16  The law and the prophets were until John: from that time the glad tidings of the kingdom of God are announced, and every one forces his way into it.

This is the Kingdom that John preached, and Jesus also preached:

Luk 3:7  Then he said to the crowd that came forth to be baptized by him, O generation of vipers! Who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

Luk 3:8  Therefore bring forth fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say within yourselves, We have Abraham for our father. For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.

Luk 3:9  And now also the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bring forth good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire.

Luk 3:10  And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then?

Luk 3:11  He answered and said to them, He who has two coats, let him give to him who has none. And he who has food, let him do likewise.

The Pharisees lived within the dispensation of the Law and  and  had an entirely natural and earthly understanding of what God’s blessing was. Obedience  meant prosperity, and disobedience meant  poverty. How could God’s Mosiach be this Nazarene, this uneducated upstart from Galilee! What kind of Kingdom was this where the King was a pauper over a rabble of fishermen and tax collectors?The proof to them that Jesus was an impostor was that he ended up on a cross.!

If you want to live under the Law and enjoy the fruit of your labour, if you want to live in the dispensation of building  Temples and living like Solomon, then you must also live  under all of the Law. The Law is made for the natural man, the Law is made for sinners. We Christians however, are called  to live in heavenly places, we are called not to live with our home in this natural realm, we are forcing our way into the eternal dwelling places! Let the man who has two tunics share with him who has none, and let him who has food do likewise, said John the Baptist. This is not what the Law taught. The Law was just a temporary provisional package, a  plan which filled in because natural man could not hope to attain to what God has got in mind for a  people called out of this world.

 The Gospel of the Kingdom is of a far higher order of life  than that which is according to the Law. The natural man can by self effort attain to a degree of righteousness which is according to Law,  like Paul,but can never attain to the righteousness of Christ. If we are only looking to create a   natural Christian world within the boundaries of this world, a kind of alternative Christian world with Christian laws and activities, then we are doomed to become a second rate imitation of the world system. If you want to live under the natural dispensation, raise up armies to protect your blessings! If your inheritance is earthly, you better fight for it!

 The Kingdom of God, on the other hand, can only be inherited by a peculiar kind of people who love not their lives unto death! Only through loss can it be won. The greatest fault of the modern church is the desperate avoidance of the Cross of Christ. To the Pharisee the cross is the disfavour of God.It was proof to them that Jesus was not the messiah. To a real Christian it is the path to glory. The early church accepted joyfully the seizure of their property, knowing that they had a better possession and an abiding one.

I recently heard about a man in Africa who was driven from his home by war and famine, suffering the loss of  home,  family, and all his goods. He was sitting on the ground in the only clothes he had, and  he was asked how he could endure such terrible loss. He replied that Christ became all to him when Christ became all he had.

We are called to attain to the righteousness of Christ, something that cannot be done in the flesh but can be done in the Spirit. The church is called to be a supernatural body of people who are living out the laws of a Kingdom which is not of this earth, higher laws of a heavenly order that are unattainable to mere humanity. We are called to be heavenly beings that demonstrate the existence of a realm that is unearthly, an existence which astonishes the world and turns it on its head. The response of the world to the church should be hatred, not yawns! The Kingdom of God is to be taken by violence, and violent men lay hold of it!

Luk 16:16  The law and the prophets were until John: from that time the glad tidings of the kingdom of God are announced, and every one forces his way into it.

What we need is a violent revolution that will change the Church from being a flimsy imitation of the world into a force that undermines the entire world system, including the ecclesiastical systems and the economic system.

As we hasten to the day of God, to a time of universal judgement when the earth and its works will be burned up, let us fix our eyes on the heavenly inheritance and despise all that is highly esteemed by men, every work of men that is built on the love of this world . What is esteemed by God is that which is eternal, that which has been built by him and not by man: The  eternal church of God made up of individuals from every tribe, kin and nation! Make for yourselves friends who will receive you into the eternal dwellings!

                            Our Heavenly Garments

Our Heavenly  Garments

Genesis 2:25 “ And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed”

Many great Bible teachers (See notes at end) share the belief that Adam and Eve were clothed in a robe of light that covered their nakedness with the Glory of God.They were not aware of their nakedness because it was eclipsed by an incomparable weight of glory. This Glory they lost when they sinned, finding themselves shamefully reduced to a mere animal condition, which they attempted to cover with fig leaves sewn together.

The Majestic Glory of God so inhabited the frail body of Adam that it filled and covered him with the same glory that Jesus had on the mount of transfiguration. This indwelling of God departed upon eating the forbidden fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. In this way, Adam died unto God and became alive to the world around him. He discovered that he was naked, something he was not aware of before because of the overwhelming awareness of God’s indwelling presence. He became self aware and self centered. The robe of God’s presence was lost to him, and he found himself to be shameful, fearful and distressed. His Spirit man died, but he survived as a man of flesh, his soul continuing to live in a body, craving satisfaction from the world around him. This soul, without the glorious robe of the indwelling Spirit man made in the image of God, became a weak ruler over a lustful body and found itself incessantly giving in to the fleshly demands of his body even when those demands were evil.

Adam was ashamed at his condition. His principal lust was that of his sexual desire for his wife, and the covering up of his sexual organs became a symbolic attempt to cover the shamefulness of his insatiable desire for all that is in the world. He sought to cover up this lustfulness with fig leaves. As you can imagine, this superficial treatment of his problem did nothing to change his condition. He continued to be lustful because nothing in his environment could fill the dreadful craving, the void he had in his inner man as a result of his spiritual death and separation from God. God had mercy on Adam’s pitiful attempt to cover up, providing Adam and Eve with a more appropriate covering, a garment of skin from an animal sacrificed for this purpose. The entire account from Genesis is heavy with symbolism, and as an account inspired by God has infinite layers of truth which even eternity will not be sufficient to reveal.

In my teaching I would like to focus specifically on the nakedness of Adam and his wife and God’s plan for their re-covering. The animal skin with which God clothed them was only a provisional measure, it was a symbolic covering or atonement for the sin which they had committed, the blood of the animal sacrificed to make this clothing atoned for their sin. The animal had paid the price; it had suffered death in their place and was a prefiguring of the substitutionary death that Jesus was to die at the cross for the sins of the world.

However, no matter how efficacious the death of the animal was for the atonement of their guilt before God, this cover of animal skin fell far short of restoration to their Paradisal state, the bloody animal skin was only the pledge of a promise to have his original covering restored, that inner robe of God’s indwelling presence which transcended the animal body of Adam and covered him with Glory. The Robe that had been removed because of his sin. Everything that happens during the time of this provisional covering up of man’s loins up to the receiving of his new clothing is an intermediate and preparatory period looking towards the new beginning. Full redemption has not taken place until the robe is restored.

Indeed many thousands of years later we find Elijah the Tishbite still covered with a leather girdle about his loins, an ongoing symbolic man covering up the shame of his natural lust with the skin of an animal. A man with a nature like ours, says James in the New Testament. Even today we continue to cover up our loins, not necessarily with a skin, but certainly with enough nylon or cotton to hide the shame of our natural body which is still lustful because it has not had it’s covering of paradisal glory restored. This proves that we are still in the preparatory stages of redemption; we are not yet fully saved. We are being saved.

But when Elijah appeared with Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration he was no longer wearing his leather girdle but together with Moses was clothed in blinding glory, such that Peter, James and John were terrified. In a sense they were looking into the future, which in God’s timeless eternity is always present. They had a glimpse of what their future state would also be, a revelation of the Glory that is going to be restored, something which Peter wrote more about many years later in his epistle.

The true appearance of Christ, what he really looks like, had been hidden to everyone up till then, and now, during one brief moment, he revealed himself to his three closest disciples. Isaiah had prophesied that the Christ would grow up before men “as a root out of dry ground, with no majesty or form that anyone should be drawn towards him.” Jesus walked as a man of dust, as naked as Adam was after he had lost his Robe of Heavenly splendour, the indwelling glory of God. Jesus, having left his glory in heaven, was naked. This appearance was deceptive and resulted in the Lord of Glory being spat upon and finally crucified as a common criminal.

After Jesus was received back into glory he appeared to John in the revelation and John fell at his feet as though dead. His face was like the sun shining in its strength, his eyes were like a flame of fire, and his voice like the sound of a thundering waterfall! We wonder sometimes why Jesus does not reveal himself to the world like this. If we had it our way, we would have him revealed, as his own brothers wanted him revealed. They said to Jesus, “No-one does anything in secret when he seeks to be known publicly. Show yourself to the world!”

However, Jesus continued in his hidden state and remains hidden even today. If he did reveal himself in his terrible majesty the whole world would fall at his feet, but for the wrong reasons. He still walks as naked today as ever he was upon the earth. None but the willing eye can see his glory. He is like the King who dresses like a beggar and goes wandering throughout his Kingdom asking for alms at the doorways of his citizens. When did we see you a stranger, Lord, and invite you in, or naked and clothe you?

In Philippians 2 we read that Christ Jesus “emptied himself, taking the form of a bond servant, and being made in the likeness of men”. He was not only naked of his heavenly glory, but also naked of the things that make men weighty in this world. Paul, who wrote Philippians, also chose to walk in the nakedness of his master.

Like Jesus, Paul wanted men to be drawn not by something that appealed to their fleshly appetites, or their fear, but by the power of God. Jesus emptied himself and became a servant. Paul also empties himself to become a servant. He uses none of the tricks of rank, education and caste to intimidate or attract those to whom he preaches. No religious collar, scarlet robe or fancy headgear. No impressive title or entourage. No leonine appearance, commanding presence, rich voice or piercing eyes. No flamboyant gestures or raised platform. No seducing gifts or rod of correction. In fact he becomes one as to whom men hide their faces, poorly clothed, homeless and roughly treated. He walked as a beggar like Jesus and became a stone of stumbling to all but those whose eyes had been opened by the grace of God. The Galatians received Paul as an angel of God despite a fleshly infirmity that he had, a condition that would have made him repulsive to men. “That which was a trial to you in my condition you did not despise or loathe, but you received me as an angel of God”

Paul did ask God to remove this infirmity, but God chose not to. Like his Son, God wished for Paul to walk in nakedness. Paul writes a lot in the epistles about his infirmities. (The word infirmity means weakness.) He wrote that Jesus Christ was crucified because of weakness. (2Cor.13: 4) Jesus was naked of the power of this world. Born the son of a poor carpenter in a cave used for animals, raised in an inconsequential village of Galilee, it was no wonder that he was despised, mocked and finally crucified. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” was Nathaniel’s question, and obviously a common opinion of the day.

In fact, all that Paul had to commend himself before men, he forsook, counting it as dung. He knew that his rhetorical abilities acquired under Gamaliel, the qualifications of his birth, his natural zeal, and his wealth, (being the son of a rich merchant), were all disadvantages in the service of a Master who had called most of his disciples from the lowest and most uneducated classes. What would have been advantageous to Paul he despised because he knew how easy it would be to put his confidence in these things instead of putting his confidence in God. Why is it that when Jesus called his disciples he told them to give away all their money? The reason is because money is probably the greatest deceiver among men and that which men want most. We have this false notion that with more money we can be more effective in God’s work. The opposite is true, according to the Wisdom of God, which is foolishness to the natural mind. The ideal way to start a missionary life is not to go around collecting money but to give away all your money. Jesus sent his disciples out without a purse to teach them where their provision really came from, and once they had learned that he then allowed them to take a purse. The same applied to the staff, which was an instrument of self defense. (Math.10:10) God can trust us with a purse or a sword once we have learned that he is our provider and our protector. Jesus sent his disciples out naked of worldly power to teach them to trust in God.

Naked, let us follow the naked Christ.

We can sow to the natural life and grow in an earthly covering which is visible or we can sow to the spirit man and grow in a heavenly covering that is hidden. It would be nice if we could grow in both ways at the same time, but unfortunately the truth is that sowing to the flesh reaps corruption. Jesus could have tried to fulfill his ministry and at the same time enjoy all the security and pleasure the world has to offer, but he didn’t; and neither did any of his disciples. They chose to despise what is highly esteemed amongst men and set up for themselves the goal of seeking the hidden treasure of the divine nature, which is precious in the sight of God. Indeed, all the tribulations that they faced because of their refusal to clothe themselves in worldly power and influence, they received with joy, because without tribulation the gold of the Divine nature cannot be refined. Thus we hear Paul speaking of participating in the sufferings of Christ as a privilege and not a burden.

The secure natural covering with which we seek to cover ourselves is anyway going to be stripped from us when we die. Our money, our education, our sophistication, our good taste, our possessions, our reputation, our physical looks are all only a superficial covering which we cultivate to earn the esteem of one another. Even in our churches we say to a rich men, “ you sit here in a good place” and to poor men “you stand over there” Have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil motives? , Says James in his letter. We should be careful not to judge superficially because that poor man we have despised may, in the resurrection, be like one “whose appearance is like lightning”!

Our natural covering makes us feel secure and important in this world. A nice body, a nice car, a nice title, a nice wife, a nice house, a nice job, all of these things are what we primarily seek to adorn ourselves with when we go out into the world. Kindness, gentleness, patience and humility don’t quite get the same attention. However, it will be the hidden riches of the heart that are eternal, and all of these other trappings we will lose. “Come now you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming on you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth eaten!”

“Clothe yourselves with humility” Peter says. The heavenly garment of a humble and quiet spirit is not visible in this world, and those who choose to despise titles, property and honors in this world feel themselves to be naked. The garments of purity, holiness, love, kindness and patience are invisible and do not commend us before men, and so they who prefer to clothe themselves with these, giving only a little attention to worldly garments, suffer much mocking and abuse, because they appear naked to men. They do not seek to make themselves attractive in the world’s eyes, preferring to be commended by God who observes the heart. They become a “spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men”

“Beloved, we are children of God, and it has not yet appeared what we shall be. We know that when he appears, we shall be like him, just as he is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on him purifies himself, just as he is pure.”(1John3:2,the italics are mine)

Purity is not a visible thing in this world, and thus gets little attention. The purity of Jesus was not visible; his Divine nature was hidden because he came in the likeness of sinful flesh. He came in a body like Adam had after the fall, the blinding glory of his real nature was left in Heaven, and he was naked in this world in the likeness of Adam. Unlike Adam, Jesus did not run to clothe himself to cover his shame. The sense of shame that we are all born with drives us to seek honors, distinction, wealth and possessions to cover our shame. Jesus had no shame to cover, and thus he could be born in a stable of undistinguished parenthood without wanting to cover up his origin. When he spoke disparagingly of money the Pharisees laughed at him “for they were lovers of money” “ What is highly esteemed amongst men,” he said, “ is abominable in the sight of God” God is not impressed with our clothes or titles, he looks at our hearts.

See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us that we should be called the children of God, writes John. As Christians we have nothing to be ashamed of, we are the children of God! What need do we have of the coverings with which men cover themselves; we have a heavenly garment which is being made for us in Heaven!

“Who is this that grows like the Dawn, as beautiful as the full moon, as pure as the sun, as awesome as an army with banners?” This is a description of how we shall appear when Jesus appears as He really is. The hidden qualities of the heart, the Divine nature which is our real inheritance, is growing, and will become visible to all of creation on that day when Jesus, like the sun, appears in his Glory. When he appears on that new day in Glory, we also will appear in glory, and we shall be like him, just as he is. If we have this hope, we will strive to become pure, because although purity is unnoticed now it will be a visible quality when Jesus returns in his new body and we have restored to us the heavenly robe that Adam lost when he sinned. We will be adorned with the divine nature.

Unfortunately many Christians do not understand this, or do not want to understand this, and spend more time seeking for garments which are esteemed in this world at the expense of the heavenly garment that is currently being made in Heaven for us. “When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in Glory.” Our garment in heaven is being perfected, embroidered, having precious pearls sewn into it and growing in light and magnificence according to the degree that our natures are being conformed to the nature of Jesus.

“To the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of his glory, you may rejoice with exultation.” Every patient enduring of trials, every quiet forgiveness of wrongs received sews a new jewel or pearl onto our heavenly bridal gown. “And it was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints”

“Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs shall hear his voice, and shall come forth, those who did good deeds to a resurrection of life, and those who committed evil deeds to a resurrection of judgement.”(John 5:28)

The mortal resurrection body made of dust that comes from the ground will put on the garment of the glorious spiritual body that is at this very moment being prepared for us in Heaven. “This mortal must put on immortality” The resurrection body will be a physical body but will be clothed with God as Adam had been before he sinned. No corruption will be possible within the covering of this glorious divine presence; we will be clothed in divine immortality. At the last trumpet the dead will be raised and will become clothed in different degrees of glory and will shine in a visible manifestation of the divine nature that has been increasing according to our trials on earth. Those of us who remain alive will in the twinkling of an eye be changed, receiving the physical resurrection body and the heavenly garment which covers it. Like Adam before the fall, the divine presence of God will shine with such power that our physical bodies will not be visible, we will be clothed with the light of God’s glory in different measures, some like the sun, some like the moon, and another like the glory of the stars, for star differs from star in glory. This perishable will put on the imperishable; this mortal will put on immortality! (1Cor 15)

Therefore, Paul says in the last verse, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord. (1 Cor. 15:58) Nothing on earth is our reward, nor successful ministry, nor riches, nor pleasure. Our reward is the heavenly garment of the divine nature with which we will be clothed when Christ appears in his glory.

Paul writes earlier in this same chapter of Corinthians: “if we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.” The incentive to embrace the hardships of the apostolic life is this promise of a glorious reward. If there is no resurrection, he says, we might as well just eat and drink. Elsewhere he writes: “indeed, while we are in this tent (body), we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed, but to be clothed, in order that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life”(2 Cor 5:4)

Paul’s nakedness was compensated by the knowledge that though his outer man was decaying because of his suffering, his inner man was being transformed into the image of the Lord from glory to glory. This light affliction was producing for him an eternal weight of glory. The earthly tent of his body would soon be torn down and he would receive an eternal building from God.

Every bride looks forward to the day when she can put on a magnificent bridal gown and present herself before her groom. The book of Revelations tells us “ and it was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. When Christ appears for his wedding in his glorious garments, we also will be robed in robes of righteousness, the robe that Adam lost at the fall, the indwelling visible, divine holiness of God. And we “will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven,….and like the stars forever and ever” says Daniel.

Some will come to that feast without that robe, without wedding clothes, and will be bound hand and foot, and cast into the outer darkness. Many are called, but if we want to be the chosen we must make our calling and election sure. ( Matt.22:12-14)

“Brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about his calling and choosing you, for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble, in this way the entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.”

What are “these things” that Peter is speaking about? Well, if we read the previous verses (2 Peter 1:1-11) we see that he is speaking about the attributes of the divine nature, moral excellence, godliness, brotherly kindness and love. The promises of God have been given to us so that we may become clothed with the divine nature.

All men will be resurrected according to John 5:29.The physical resurrection body will then be clothed with the divine nature for some, and others will be found naked and cast into the outer darkness. We should not deceive ourselves by thinking that we can claim entrance into the eternal Kingdom without our heavenly garment.

Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by him in peace, spotless and blameless.

Fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

The Glory of Solomon and the Glory of Christ

The Glory of Solomon and the Glory of Christ

Obedience to the Law brought prosperity to the Israelites, meditating on the Law night and day made them to be like “trees planted by the riverside”. And so it will be with us. There is a prosperity that comes as a result of obedience to the Law. There is an earthly reward for diligence, discipline, honesty and compassion.

But the rewards of obedience to the new covenant are far greater than those of obeying the old. The demands of the new covenant are greater and so are the rewards.

Obedience to the natural Law is accompanied by natural rewards; obedience to the higher spiritual Law that Christ preached will be accompanied by rewards of a higher nature.

Jesus in the New Testament comes to impart something of a far higher order than that which was given by Moses to the Israelites. His demands are also higher. Jesus’ disciples were often dumbfounded by the expectations placed upon them. Up to that time it would have been enough to love their homes and families, love their nation, work hard, be honest, and reap the rewards of their labour. Now this man was calling them to something heavenly, which was beyond their natural understanding. Something beyond their homes, their families, their nation and their culture. Something that included all the nations, something that was beyond time. The standard was raised from an earthly possibility to a heavenly impossibility. The reward was also raised from the earthly to the heavenly.

It was already barely possible for them to be obedient to Moses’ Law, now they were being called to behave like divine beings! Who could walk in that realm to which they were being called? Who could love their enemies but God alone? Who could forsake family friends and nation and store up riches in heaven? The rich young ruler delighted in all of the Laws of Moses, but to give away all his possessions…. How could this be expected of him? It was beyond the realm of the natural.

Jesus came to usher in the spiritual, a heavenly Kingdom. Today, as Christians, we have the option to merely recover the blessings we never had, because we were gentiles, who were far from the promises, the Law, and the Fathers. Every person who now becomes a Christian has the option to obey the natural law and benefit from the consequences. The consequence of turning from dishonesty to honesty, from laziness to diligence, from licentiousness to discipline, is a more prosperous life. Being now restored to the knowledge of the true God and his Law we can settle for the natural best, the blessings that were apportioned to the Israelites under the Old covenant. Obedience to the Law will bring to us all the blessings of Deuteronomy chapter 28. In the natural we can repossess earthly blessings that were promised to the Law abiding Israelite. But to transcend from the natural inheritance into a Spiritual inheritance we must follow in the way of Christ and not in the way of Solomon. King David received the full inheritance that was promised to the Israelites. His son Solomon epitomized the fullness of earthly blessing as promised by the Law. We see in the Christian nations of the world some of this natural blessing. We see a measure of it also in Islam when men obey what they know of God’s Law. But it is only a shadow of Gods final intention.

Israel was only for the Israelites and for a season. The Kingdom of Christ encompasses all nations, and is eternal. If we, like the Israelites, choose merely the natural we will find in the end that it is something to be enjoyed by a privileged few for a short time. This is the mistake Christians have made today. The earthly blessings of Christian nations are only enjoyed by a tiny elite, and can be lost quickly.

Israel had an earthly King. God’s kingdom has a heavenly King. Israel had earthly power, the heavenly Kingdom spiritual authority. The comparisons are endless.

Jesus, being the Son of David, could have entered into an earthly glory but he didn’t. This had already been accomplished by Solomon during his reign, and was found to fall short of Gods purposes. Solomon received everything that this world could offer him, and came to the conclusion that all of it is vanity. Solomon was delivered from all the natural enemies of mankind, but he was not delivered from himself.

Do we want to be delivered merely from our natural enemies i.e. sickness, financial need, persecution, disorder, ugliness etc.? Obedience to the Mosaic covenant lifted Israel to an earthly Glory under Solomon that was unprecedented and unsurpassed by any Kingdom since. Nonetheless, within one generation all of it collapsed in shame. Perpetual civil war and immorality characterized the entire dispensation of that earthly Kingdom. If we pursue, as the Israelites did, earthly glory, the results will be the same. Vanity…

Jesus was pressurized to receive a crown. His disciples argued over who was to be the prime minister of this earthly Kingdom that they sought after. They were mortified to discover that their King was taking a very different path to the one that they had hoped for. They tried to discourage him from this path and were rebuked.

Jesus had something far deeper in mind, far more lasting, far more glorious, than another attempt at regaining the throne of Solomon and his earthly Glory. He has it in mind for us also, but so many of us are chasing earthly shadows instead of reality. If Jesus had wanted to he could have entered into, with his disciples, an earthly Glory that would make our Solomon’s Glory, the present “Christian World”, look like the third world in comparison. But Jesus chose a different path, that of a spiritual inheritance. Jesus himself set this precedent purposefully, so that through the ages he might have followers who would seek true riches rather than the riches of this world. Despite this pattern that he set for us, many choose foolishly to still follow after the Glory of Solomon.

The path that Jesus chose is the path that we must choose if we are to share in his heavenly glory. It is on this path only that the riches of his divine nature are accumulated. To be like Christ, is our inheritance, is our glory. Solomon sought for and achieved all that the world perceives as precious. Honour, riches and fame. Property, beauty and pleasure. Knowledge, eloquence and power. The way of Christ seeks riches in poverty and selflessness in humility. In losing our reputation we earn a name immortal in heaven. By being humiliated we become humble. By patiently enduring opposition we become patient. By having nothing we become grateful for our true riches. In giving our lives we receive true life. We learn how to love and hope for heaven.

God wants to impart his divine nature to us. That, and that only is his eternal riches. It is through the fire of earthly tribulations that this nature is perfected. We are called to follow Christ in his sufferings. We are called to deny self. The divine nature dwells within us Christians, but this nature is eclipsed by the presence of the greatest of God’s enemies, the self. In always granting self its desires it only becomes more and more dominant. The Christian whose self is unopposed may seem to be reigning like King Solomon by worldly considerations, but Paul the Apostle says, “I wish you really were a King, so that I may reign with you”

When Jesus came riding into Jerusalem on the colt of a donkey he was illustrating a divine principle that was lost to the cheering crowds. He could have entered Jerusalem on a white charger that would have suited a conquering King who was about to take up an earthly rule. On the contrary, the humble colt of a donkey signified his ruler ship over self. Self, which would have delighted in a white charger. Jesus, tempted in all things like we are, would also have been tempted to pursue the glory of Solomon. The self is just as impossible to rule over as the colt of a donkey, but Christ showed his mastery in riding it. This is a greater glory than riding any white or black charger, but hidden from the eyes of the crowd.

Our citizenship is in heaven from which we eagerly wait for a saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of his glory. (Philippians 3:20) The degree to which our characters have been changed into Christ’s likeness might not be evident to all now, but will be revealed on that day when we receive our heavenly likeness. The glory of Solomon will vanish with all that is natural, and we will be revealed as we really are. And we will shine with different degrees of glory. And to some he will say, “ I never knew you”

Let us not be like those who are “enemies of the Cross of Christ, whose god is their appetite and whose glory is their shame, who set their minds on earthly things.”(Philippians 3:18.) The “Cross of Christ” signifies a life of self-denial and a willingness to suffer for Christ’s sake. We should love the Cross of Christ and not be its enemies, and in this way we will store up glory in heaven. In that day when we lose our earthly glory, leaving it behind in this world, that glory will become shameful to us. How much effort have we put into achieving it? We will wish we could have just used it up to feed orphans and contribute to the expansion of God’s kingdom. How many barns are filled with goods and the Lord says, “You fool, you will die tonight and who will enjoy your inheritance?”

All that is of the natural glory, that is, the glory of Solomon, will fall off like a flower of the grass. All that we glory in, that is, not what we are, but what we have. Knowledge, possessions, wealth and beauty are all like the flower of grass, beautiful for a day but destined to dry out and fall off. Only that which we are will remain, and what we are is what we are in our natures, eternally, as the sons and daughters of God. The nature of Christ has become ours through the cross, and through the cross we become partakers in Christ’s glory. This is the divine nature of Christ which is Gods glory in us, and only what we share of this nature will remain, all else which looks so appealing in this world is destined to fall off like a dried flower.

Patience, kindness, humility,

Gentleness, longsuffering, and joy,

Faith, hope and love,

is all that is worth concerning ourselves with for these are the glory of Christ.