Resurrection and Ascension

 

 The Bible begins with the statement, “In the beginning God created the HEAVENS and the EARTH. And the EARTH was without form and void, and darkness was on the face of the deep, and the spirit moved upon the face of the waters.” The natural mind of man in reading these words would consider that God is speaking about the physical heavens and the earth. However if we have “Ears to Hear” and are hearing what the spirit is saying, we will understand that Genesis 1 concerns primarily the NEW CREATION MAN. Let us look briefly at the picture that the spirit is drawing for us here.

  We are the “Heavens and the Earth,” that the Bible speaks about, rather than simply the physical material heavens and Earth. To understand what we are saying we must go back to the very beginning and look at what is being said. No one would argue with the fact that God created the heavens and the earth, but it is what follows this statement that makes us to realize that the Bible is speaking about more than the earth on which we walk, and the starry heavens above. For it declares that the EARTH was “Without form and empty!” Now it is not conceivable that God created the earth without a true form and empty. If we only consider the material earth in this statement then it does not make sense, for the grass and trees grew on the earth and there was water, so in what sense do we understand that it was without form and empty? 

 It was the man that was given a FORM in Gen 2:7 by the Lord God, who entered into an experience that changed the history of man in the Garden of Eden. After he was given a body formed from the dust of the earth, the Lord God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and ultimately the man “Became” a living soul. As a “Living Soul” his earth became empty, for a sense of separation from God convinced Adam that he no longer enjoyed the presence of the Lord. His “earth” was now empty and void and darkness was on the face of the deep, or his consciousness. These words fitted exactly the situation Adam found himself in, having eaten of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil  

 It was on the second day that we read about a dividing of the waters that had covered the earth, in order that it could be fruitful, and supply the needs of the man God created. So a “Firmament” was brought into existence to divide the waters in which man’s earth had been buried. We are told that this firmament or expanse was given a name by God, for he called it Heaven. This word means the Placers or the Arrangers, because the Heavens are the agents in arranging things on the earth. The Prophet Isaiah says,Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.”  The water, wine, milk and bread are the spiritual food that comes from the waters above the heavens.  

Very little thought has been given to the heavens, nor do most people have any understanding of the forces that are at work within and around us everywhere. Man only considers there are three Kingdoms, the Animal, Vegetable and the Mineral but we are to discover that there is another Kingdom upon which all the others depend, and this is the KINGDOM OF GOD. Unlike the other Kingdoms, the Kingdom of God is invisible to us, and yet its activity invades everything on the earth.  

This divine activity continues to function every day of our lives, although we may never be conscious of its presence. The theologians have taught us that the Kingdom of God is a literal Kingdom that is to be set up on the earth by a return of Jesus Christ, who will be the King and make Jerusalem the capital. However, this is but the wisdom of the carnal mind of man. 

Before we can enter into the Kingdom of God there must be a death through which we pass. There are several aspects of this death that Paul reveals to us. In Rom 7:1, we are reminded that the LAW remains and has dominion over a man as long as he lives. Many people live their lives as best that can by recognizing the demands of the Law, knowing that the Law is holy. Man’s efforts to keep the law have been without success. All they did was to develop a sense of self-righteousness by these efforts, by which the need for DEATH in themselves, is diminished. So Paul introduces the parable of marriage, by which a woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. By introducing the concept of marriage into the discussion he is turning our eyes on to a higher level of relationship between a man and his God. The man in the parable of marriage represents Christ and the woman is represented by the LIVING SOUL, which all of mankind became in the Garden of Eden. 

 There we are told the Lord God put Adam into a deep sleep and while in that state the female part of his being was taken out of him to become a separate entity. When Adam saw her he declared that she was Bone of his bones and Flesh of his flesh, so he called her Eve. Thus EVE became a separate entity from Adam even though in the beginning the male and female were united and functioned as ONE in Creation. The woman or soul married the BODY in the Garden of Eden so she could reproduce out of herself. This “Woman” became the prototype of all mankind, as she partook of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Adam called her Eve because she is the mother of all “Living Souls.” 

Now we can better understand what Paul is saying regarding our situation today, for mankind has lived in Spiritual Adultery. We separated from our first husband who is Christ and married Adam the earthly man. Our true husband was Christ who was created in the likeness and image of God. So Paul is telling us that as long as our husband is LIVING, if we marry another we shall be called an adulteress. So Paul is making it clear that only when our husband is D-E-A-D can we be free to marry another. Let us take off our shoes for the very ground upon which we walk is HOLY, as we grasp the truth being revealed to us.  

Two thousand years ago our “Husband” the first Adam DIED at Calvary releasing us from that marriage relationship that united us with flesh and blood. He himself declared that he was the First Adam as well as the LAST Adam. He said, “I am the Alpha and I am the Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.” 

 Paul also tells us in 2 Cor 5:21 our reconciliation to God has been accomplished for us because, “God has made Jesus Christ to be the MAN OF SIN (Adam) for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” Remember it was not Adam that sinned, but the woman or the SOUL who took the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But because the male and the female were united in man in creation, God called THEIR NAME ADAM. God never called the woman EVE.  

So all mankind has lived the Adamic dream believing our origin was from the Man in the Garden, constituting everyone a sinner and separated from God. Our release from the dream world of our separation took place in the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, where our “Husband” Adam died. As we understand this, we realize that now we are free to marry and become ONE with our true husband, which is CHRIST. 

 However, in that death of Jesus on the cross there was a removing of his humanity and therefore his mortality. For Jesus, the flesh and blood man who was born of a woman never came out of the tomb! His humanity was swallowed up into the Christ who is spirit, which is what he was when he came from the hand of the creator. In the resurrection it was CHRIST that came forth as the NEW CREATION MAN.  

The truth is that the LAST ADAM who is a life giving spirit swallowed up the FIRST ADAM who was a LIVING SOUL, for in so doing the First and the Last Adam were reconciled at the cross. Yes, he still had a body but it was not flesh and blood, for he could walk through the walls of a locked room to be with the disciples. Mary did not recognize him outside the tomb with her eyes, only when he spoke did she recognize his voice. His body was also spirit yet in the same form, so at the mount of Olives, he simply disappeared and returned to the invisible spirit world.

Paul is making it clear to us that this death at Calvary was also OUR DEATH to accomplish a number of things before we can enter that realm of Spirit. But first let us be clear that Jesus did not die instead of us, but he died as us, for his death is also OUR DEATH. It is appointed unto men once to die and after this the judgment. Not only did we die at Calvary but the judgment poured out upon Jesus Christ was our judgment.

 If we refuse to become identified in the death of Jesus Christ, we will remain precisely as we were and the sense of separation from our true husband will remain. This is a spiritual death designed to remove everything associated with our natural mortal human life. It is a SPIRIRUAL DEATH that is designed to mimic nature, as the seed of a new life which is CHRIST is planted in the soil of our humanity and buried, the life in that seed bursts forth to fulfil its divine destiny in resurrection. 

 But this death also brings an end to the carnal MIND that has usurped control of our being. The natural mind of man is like the image Nebuchadnezzar erected of himself to which everyone was to bow down and worship. The threat of death was upon all those who refused to bow. This mind represents the authority of the soul that has brought our body into mortality with all its pain, suffering, disease, sickness and death. This death is our gateway through the veil of our flesh that has held us bound in the world of flesh and blood and mortality.  

As living souls our life is on the same level as the animals, for they are also called souls in Genesis 1. When we pass through the veil of flesh we enter into the Most Holy Place wherein God dwells. There is no death in God, nor is there any sickness or pain in the realm of Spirit. Only in the realm of flesh and blood is there such a thing as death. Jesus said, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life.” Paul says, “We are always bearing about in our body the dying of the Lord Jesus that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.  

 Paul continues his revelation of our freedom and release from the poison of the snake. He says that the law of God is spiritual but that he is carnal. In other words he sees himself as not having the capacity to walk the spiritual path for there is something in his being that opposes his true desire to be holy. His cry is that what he really wants to do, he does not have the power to do it, but what he does not desire to do, that is what he finds himself doing. He recognizes that he is a slave to a tyrant over which he has no control. The snake in the Garden has infected his mind so that there is nothing he can do to overcome it, and this is true even of many Christians today. Having a real desire to walk in the ways of the Lord in victory, but finding it impossible to do so, they give up in defeat.

  Paul finally cries out in despair, “O wretched man that I am, wearied by problems and conflicts, who will deliver me and set me free from this life of defeat.” Then like a lightening bolt from heaven he exclaims, I thank God that he has made a way through the death of Jesus Christ, for me to be set free from the bondage of sin. Later Paul testifies. “I am crucified with CHRIST, nevertheless I live, yet it is no longer I that lives, but it is CHRIST that now lives in me and as me.”  

He recognizes that the death of Jesus Christ WAS HIS DEATH, to release him from that alien domination of the man of sin, to be what God created him to be in the beginning. To deny the five natural senses of the soul and declare their verdict to be null and void in every situation is essential before we can enter into the realm of spirit. Your eyes will never tell you the truth, neither will your natural ears declare what is truth, for they have been polluted by the snake. Those senses of our humanity must be made subject to the death of the cross, so they are never allowed to challenge the reality of that which is revealed by the spirit.

  The promised land that was given to Abraham and his seed was not simply a piece of real estate over in the Middle East, but our body that had been hijacked by the soul and made subject to our emotions. But in death the connection between the body and the soul was broken, and the spirit and soul entered into that divine union that was imparted in creation so they became ONE. Just as Jesus stated, that I and my Father are ONE. Then as the Christ, now functioning as male and female as it was in the beginning, breathes his LIFE into every cell in our body, until it becomes spirit materialized, like unto his glorious body in resurrection.  

It is just as Paul declares, that if we are living and functioning out of the body of flesh and blood we are absent from the Lord. Once having passed through death we no longer find any affinity with the things that are acceptable to the flesh. We have been crucified unto the world and the world has been crucified unto us, so there is nothing else by which we can glory except in the CROSS of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the only ground of resurrection, for nothing of the old can pass through the gate of death, lest heaven itself become polluted. 

 There are many who believe that Jesus Christ died instead of them, and that they were buried with him and finally raised in Christ to walk in a new life, yet do not enjoy its benefits. Jesus Christ did not die INSTEAD of us, but died AS US. Paul makes an interesting comment in 2 Cor 4:10, Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. The death of our mortality is not just an instantaneous event but requires our cooperation, because we that seek to live by the spirit are always delivered unto death for Jesus sake, that the life of Jesus might also become evident in our mortal flesh.  

 Even though this may seem hard to us he continues by saying, for which cause we do not faint or become weary, because even though our outward man perish, yet the INNER MAN which is Christ is being renewed every day, so that he cannot be sick or get old. So in our entrance into this NEW LIFE we have become conscious that within us right now is the CHRIST of God in all his power and authority asserting his control over my being to bring my physical mortal body into death. This is being achieved by the inner man absorbing the outer man, until the outer man of our humanity is completely consumed, and then the INNER MAN will become the outer man and the change will be complete. 

 However, Paul qualifies this by saying that it can only be while we do not trust what we see with our natural eyes as being the truth. In other words we may look in the mirror and never see any difference. But the evidence of the truth will never be seen with our natural eyes, but only by the eyes of the spirit. Because everything we can see by natural vision is passing away or has no true reality because it is not eternal. But all of the realities of our new life in Christ are in the invisible world and so are invisible to our natural eyes.

  We can be assured of the truth that if the link between our earthly house or body and the soul can be broken, then we will discover that we already HAVE our heavenly body, for it is not passing away but is eternal in the spirit realm. That heavenly body IS THE INNER MAN or Christ dwelling within us right now. Religion has taught us that we must die and our body be buried in the cemetery so the ants can eat the meat off our bones, because it only came from the dust and so has no spiritual value at all. This is not true, for the dust like everything else came out from God in the beginning so there is nothing wrong with it. In fact the body of Jesus radiated a light brighter than the noon day sun on the mount of transfiguration, and his body was the same as ours at that time. 

 No beloved, we already have our heavenly body which is the dwelling place of God. Our outer man is not the temple of God, for that is mortal and is passing away. The temple is the body of the Christ within because did not Jesus say, “Destroy this temple or body, speaking of his outer form and in three days I will build it again.” That was the death burial and resurrection, after which God had his own temple when the Christ came forth from the tomb. The outer man had been swallowed up into the INNER MAN so they had became O-N-E. The head of that body is Christ, which is not a man but spirit. If you put a spirit head on a physical mortal body you create a monster. But the INNER MAN Paul speaks about that is being renewed every day, is our body from heaven not made with hands. That spiritual body is the dwelling place of God within us. This is the Most Holy Place and it is there that we commune with God.   

 The Tabernacle reflects this reality, for God was not to be found in the outer court, or the outer man, nor was he in the Holy Place that represents the soul, but to see God we must  go behind the veil and enter into the Most Holy Place. This can only take place through our death on the cross, because it was there that the veil of our temple was rent in two, opening the way into the holiest for us all. Until we grasp these things we will continue to live out of our mortality and our eyes will be closed to the realm of the spirit, for to know God in reality, this is Life Eternal. 

 Paul continues to expound on “Putting on this NEW MAN,” which is the inner man of the heart. Speaking out of his own personal experience he says, we groan while we live and function out of this outer man that is flesh and blood, which is in the process of dying. Our deep desire is that we might put on and function out of our “Inner man” or our heavenly body, which is Christ. For we know that Christ is our true identity, and he is immortal, so that we no longer consider death to be inevitable. Our sights have now been lifted to see the possibility of immortality, even as Paul said to us, “This mortal must put on Immortality, for as we have borne the image of the earthly so shall we also bear the image of the heavenly.” 

 Paul continues in his discussion about this INNER MAN by saying, “We are confident knowing that whilst we are home in the body of the outer man, we are ABSENT FROM THE LORD who dwells in the INNER MAN.”  However, our desire is that we might discover how to be absent from the body of the outer man, so we can live in union and oneness with the Lord. There are so many people who believe they are “With the Lord,” even though they are living out of their mortality in the outer man which is dying every day. It is interesting to note that so many Christians spend time and money trying to make the outer man immortal or at least to live longer. Of course I am not suggesting we should neglect the outer man or abuse it. But it would make much more sense if we spent more effort and time on entering into our house that is not made with hands but is eternal in the realm of spirit.  

 The truth is that while we are one with the flesh and blood body we are powerless to bring about changes to it. However if we are living out of our inner man, then we are separate from our outer body and we can deal with the problems that it may have. We in our selves have no power to change our body, but Christ does have that power, so in our union with him the inner man can begin to bring about changes to the outer man. This is what Paul expressed when he said, “This mortal must put on immortality, and this corruptible must put on incorruption. So the immortality that the outer man must put on, is the INNER MAN. The inner man was never born on this earth for the Prophet Isaiah declared, “Unto us a CHILD IS BORN, and unto us a SON IS GIVEN. The outer man was formed in our mother’s womb but the SON that is Christ was given, for he was created in the beginning and was never born.

  But we need to understand the transition can only be made through DEATH. It is not possible for anyone to live two lives at the same time. The function of the outer man is through the carnal or natural mind that is controlled through five natural senses. None of these senses can make contact with God who is spirit, so life is lived according to what the natural man knows and understands. The outer man’s reality is in what he can see, touch, hear, taste and smell, so that he cannot know or be involved in the things of the spirit. So living through the outer man will keep us separate from God, for he cannot be known by the natural mind at all. So we can see that the change from living through the outer man to expressing life through the inner man of the heart, can only take place through DEATH burial and resurrection.  

 Jesus said that which is born of the flesh IS FLESH, and that which is born of the spirit IS SPIRIT, therefore we are speaking about a NEW LIFE into which we must be birthed by the spirit of God. Our humanity and mortality came to us through our natural birth, which means that we are the product of the Adamic Mind that produced the “Woman” in the first place, for God did not create a woman, but he only created a MAN who was male and female. Adam recognized a part of himself that was bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh, but she had become a separate entity.  

Adam lost the ability to reproduce the God kind of people, as he was told in creation to be fruitful and fill the earth out of himself. Now a creature that was the product of his own mind had the womb but had no power to pro-create out of itself without the help of flesh and blood. But the imprint of the original man created in God’s likeness and image remained, but was no longer clothed in Light as it had been but was now wrapped in FLESH AND BLOOD.

  The natural or carnal life of man has no true existence because God never created a mortal man. So the outer man has no true reality, for it is just a part of the Adamic dream. As we recognize that there is a part of us that is not physical, which we call spirit, a desire is raised within us to make contact with this other part of our being. In the beginning man was created to be the dwelling place of God, and God has never changed his mind. However, as a mortal human being living out of the outer man, there is very little expression of God in the life of man. But God is still there even though his presence is mostly hidden. Religion has confused the issue and has almost hidden the truth that can make us free. Man produced a formula whereby anyone can become a “Christian” simply by repenting of their sins and believing that Christ died for them, and asking him into their heart.

  We realize the folly of such religious ideas when we understand that we are speaking about a NEW LIFE that cannot be assumed by some mental exercise. Jesus told us several times to “Take no thought,” regarding these matters, for the mind of man has no power to bring about such a change. Jesus Christ set the pattern for us when we willingly laid down his humanity for all men, for he tasted death for every man. This means that HIS death was OUR death. To continue the theme, we see that there is another reason why this DEATH is essential to us, for Paul says that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, and neither can corruption inherit incorruption.

  The Kingdom of God is God’s Kingdom established in his people. Jesus made a point of telling us to seek FIRST the Kingdom of God and then he would become responsible for everything in our life. This is not a literal Kingdom but SPIRITUAL, established in a people and not as an area on the earth over which God would rule. Remember this Kingdom is the fourth Kingdom that is set in the heavens of our being with authority to rule over every other kingdom in our earth.  

Eve established her own authority in opposition to God, and so for man the Kingdom of God is considered to be like a phantom utopia, that we speak about but so few have experienced in reality. Jesus told us to take no thought what you shall eat, or drink, or what you will wear etc, for all these things do the Gentiles seek after, but seek FIRST the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.  

 This divine Kingdom is designed to take care of us so that we will never want, for all our needs shall be met. Jesus asked the question, who feeds the birds, because they do not sow and nor do they reap, but your heavenly Father takes care of them, and are we not of more value than the birds? But man has opted to work so he can be independent and be able to buy his own bread. So for most people the Kingdom of God has very little function in our lives. Man earns his bread by the sweat of his brow.  

We are given some insight into this Kingdom function in the lives of people. 1Kings 17:12 And she said, As the LORD thy God lives, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. God had told the Prophet that this widow woman would support him during the severe drought that was on the land. Here she was with only enough flour and oil to make one cake which she and her son planned to eat and then prepare to die. But the prophet asked her to make him bread first and then make for herself and her son. The widow was told that the meal in the barrel would not diminish nor would the oil run out. This was a picture of the Kingdom of God functioning in this woman’s life. It was a divine supply that would not run out and she did not have to do anything in order to receive it.  

          We have another example in the life of Elisha, for another widow who had been married to a Prophet was about to have her two sons taken from her in payment of her debt. So the prophet asked her what did she have, and she replied that all she had was a pot of oil. So the prophet told her to go to her neighbours and borrow as many empty bottles as she could find. After gathering all the bottles she could find, she began to pour out from her bottle into the bottles she had borrowed and the oil flowed until every bottle had been filled. Such was the divine supply that it was sufficient to pay all her debts and allow her to live off the rest.  

Most Christians have never considered the Kingdom of God important enough to focus their attention on it, seeking rather to be independent and working to pay our own way in life. My own testimony is that were it not for the Kingdom of God in my life I would not be able to travel and minister in the number of countries that I do. I have never had to ask anyone for anything but out of the divine supply from God’s Kingdom nothing has ever been lacking. 

 The door of heaven has been opened unto the people of God in this hour and many are setting their affections on things above, as the spirit opens their eyes to see the glory of God’s Kingdom. A new reality opens up as we contemplate the vision Jacob saw the night he slept at Bethel, of a ladder reaching from the earth to the heavens. The interesting thing was that the “Angels” were ascending and descending, so they were obviously saints who had passed through the “gate of heaven” into the new life in Christ. They were not DESCENDING first from the heavenly realm, but their ascension was from the earth so these “Angels” were “People” who had set their affections on things above and not on things on the earth. There is a divine gravity that draws such people upwards to ascend into the heavenly realm. The vision of the ladder revealed that our access into the heavenly realm is indeed open.  

 Genesis 28:13 And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon you lie, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and you will spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. It is interesting to note that whenever there is a vital word to be delivered to God’s people on the earth it is transmitted by the “Angels of God.” These angels have access to Zion the city of God. But ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of “Angels.”

1 Peter 1:12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the “Angels” desire to look into. Then speaking of Christ, who is gone into heaven, and is seated on the right hand of God he said, “Angels” and authorities and powers were made subject unto him. John was told the mystery of the seven stars which he saw in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the “Angels” of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which you saw are the seven churches. The number seven speaks of completeness as to the Angels and their responsibility to God, as well as to the seven groups of the Called out ones.

These are the ones who are worshipping in the heavens,

“And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many Angels round about the throne and the living ones and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands.”

There is a people that are ascending today into heavenly places, through the gate of heaven where the atmosphere of that pure light will bring spiritual changes that are not available in the earth realm. So some may ask, what will these “Angels” look like as they descend from that high and holy place into this world of flesh and blood? Will they have bodies of “Light,” and be manifested as sons of God or will they look just the same as when they ascended. Such is the heart of mortal man that accepts as reality that which he can see with his natural eyes. The subtle spiritual changes may not register at all to the natural sight of man, even as it was with Jesus who walked as a son of God but looked just like a man.   

 In Rev 12 John speaks about the birthing of the man-child saying,

 “And the woman brought forth a “Man-Child” who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron, and her child was caught up unto God and to his throne.” 

 This Man Child Company consists of the ascended ones who have put on the Mind of Christ and therefore they have been given power and authority over everything that opposes God on the earth. At the gate of heaven the heavenly creatures welcome the saints who are called by the spirit upward into the presence of God. As the Christ presents these ascended ones to the Father we hear him saying :-  

 “These are not of this world even as I am not of this world, Sanctify them through thy Truth, and as you sent me into the world so I now send them into the world. That they may all be one as thou Father art in me and I am in you, that they also may be ONE IN US, that the world may believe that God and man have been fully integrated, for the tabernacle of God IS WITH MEN, and that you have sent them just as you sent me. And the glory that you gave me I have given to them, that they may be ONE just as we are one, I in them and Father you in me that their perfection may be in that unity, so that the world will know that they are the sent ones from the presence of the Lord.

 These are those who brought down the accuser of the brethren, for they loved not their lives unto the death. They also descend to the earth in order to minister to the rest of the “Seed of the Woman.” And there was war in the spiritual realm in mankind, and Michael one of the chief angels came to help in the fight. Michael, whose name means “Who is like God,” is taunting the adversary suggesting, that these “angels” he is leading in the battle ARE LIKE GOD, as he was to find out. The heavens must be cleansed for all humanity to come to know the truth. The angels of the adversary were no match in the battle, and they were wiped out and cast down to the earth, so that they could not resist God any more. What a victory is in store for the “Angels of God” for the dragon or serpent that deceived the whole world was cast out with all his angels.

  And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation and strength and the Kingdom of God and the power of his Christ, for the accuser of the brethren is cast down which accused them before God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto the death.

 We understand that there are “angels” who are ministering spirits, but also there are angels who have been born on the earth, but have been redeemed unto God, and in ascending through the gate of heaven they are glorified in spirit soul and body, to become the messengers to those who also are hearing the sound of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. It is these for whom all creation is groaning, for they hold the power of God to set the captives free and to release the Kingdom of God within the people on the earth. 

 We are not speaking of a people who have found some specific doctrine or teaching that will elevate them above all others, but those who have experienced the reality of resurrection into the NEW CREATION MAN who have been divinely drawn upward to ascend into the holy of holies of Father’s presence. These also recognize there is a responsibility involved with being the recipients of God’s blessing. Abraham was told that he was being blessed, so that through him and his seed, all the nations of the earth would be blessed. There is a strong selfish attitude in so many Christians today, who have little concern for the masses who have not yet heard the glorious Gospel of freedom and release that is available to all men. 

Need I also stress that the power and authority granted to these who have ascended through the gate of heaven, is not of themselves, nor is it for personal gain in any sense. It comes only on those who have been crucified unto the world and the world has been crucified unto them, for they only exist to fulfil the word of the Lord and to glorify his name on the earth. Their ascension will of necessity bring about a separation unto God, whereby they are not their own, for they have been purchased with a price and equipped for a high and holy calling. 

When Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem’s manger, that same Christ was birthed in the consciousness of every man. This was not just the birth of another human being, but one that we would discover is the Great teacher and Master of the wisdom of God. He is the liberator and deliverer of mankind from all bondage and limitation. There had never been a man born on the earth who could reveal in truth the Nature, Wisdom and Love of God as he has. He is omni-present, omniscient, and omnipotent created in the likeness and image of the All Mighty God, with dominion over all the works of God’s hands. 

His coming to the earth centred on two significant revelations, the first one was that he came to reveal God to us, and the other was to bring to us a manifestation of man’s true identity. All of man’s limitations today stem from his a lack of knowledge of the truth. All his exploits in his life here on earth were the result of his ability to function out of a higher form of life that had a divine origin. He told us that this same life was available to all mankind, when he said, “The things that I do you can do also, and greater things than these shall you do because I go unto my Father.” 

The reason why we could do the things that Jesus did is that the same life that he lived is resident in every man. Most Christians do not believe that the supernatural ability that was present and functioned in Jesus, is also available to us today. So we place a limitation upon ourselves and live and act simply as mortal human beings. However, we are not creatures of earth but heaven for our origin is out of God. So that God intended that we should not live unto ourselves but unto God. 

The Christian concept of life today seem to be limited to escaping hell after death, and making sure a person gets to heaven. As a result there is very little true demonstration of our heavenly origin to the rest of mankind. Hence we have countries like India which have a population of over one billion people, but less than 2% that are Christian. My desire in writing this message is to awaken God’s people to their high and holy calling, that when expressed, mankind will be attracted to seek after God.  

The cross involving the death of Christ has been raised up in the world like an icon around which Christians celebrate the forgiveness of their sins, for in so many cases that is all that people wanted. Many have forgotten that in Passover the people were to EAT ALL OF THE LAMB and leave nothing for the next day. We are responsible to embrace everything Christ is, his glory, power, holiness and the image and likeness of God. Remember Jesus told us that if we wanted to follow and be an expression of him, we needed to take up his cross which we appropriate as our cross and follow him. 

This means we must walk the pathway to the cross with him, being despised and rejected of men, then in Gethsemane identifying with that soul that brought death upon all mankind, and being willing to offer his SOUL as a sacrifice for sin. Arrested by the soldiers and humiliated by being stripped of his dignity, and mocked as a pseudo king. Led up the hill as a common criminal and nailed to the cross, where he endured until he died. This is as far as those Christians who have followed to this point usually want to go. 

But this is not the end for we must continue to follow the Lord where ever he goes. We find our selves buried with him, separated from the rest of the world as the “SEED” of our true reality which is Christ, is consigned to the earth of our being, where it dies to release the divine expression of his life in us. Now we are ready for the dawning of the Third day, and our entry into a new Life we have never experienced before. This is a day that shall never end for there is no more night, as the LIGHT of GOD has been released within us illuminating our hearts and minds flooding them with light. 

Nor is this the end, for an unseen power rolls away the stone of a fulfilled law releasing us from the bondage and limitation of our humanity. As we step out into the liberty of Christ we recognise that a subtle change has taken place, for the things that Jesus Christ did are no longer out of bounds to us but they have become natural occurrences as we find we can function as SPIRIT, just as God did in the beginning. When God decided to remove the darkness he did not have to work out how he was going to do it, but he simply SPOKE AND IT WAS. This is the way of spirit. 

But we have not yet finished the journey we began when we fell in love with Jesus Christ, even though life has already changed so much for us. He has to be revealed to the world as the ever living one, who was able to say,

 “I am he that liveth and was dead and behold I am alive for evermore, and in my hand I hold the keys of the Grave and Death.”

 Never forget that whatever Jesus Christ is, that is what you are, and what ever you need in this life YOU ALREADY HAVE. Saul of Tarsus had his theology and his heart completely changed by the vision of the Christ who he believed was dead, but now he saw him standing before him on the road to Damascus. The world is totally unmoved by your doctrines or what you may happen to believe, but this world is waiting to SEE A MANIFESTATION of the Christ walking the streets of our cities today. So let us GO ON beloved unto perfection or completeness. This will involve “Going on,” following the Lord to the mount of Olives where the final act from the earth point of view took place. Jesus Christ was now to complete his work at the same place from which he started, for this is the law of circularity. While the disciples watched he simply disappeared into the spirit or unseen world. This was his ascension that completed his journey on earth. He descended from the Father as he entered into this world, and then he ASCENDED to complete the journey for everyone who would follow him in the restitution of all things.

 Jacob saw the truth that we have tried to put before you here, as he saw that ladder fulfilling the ministry of Christ, and setting it before us as a pattern to follow. We have come down from the Father and now he is saying to us, let us ascend to fulfil all of Father’s will and purpose in you then descend equipped with power from on high to fulfil Father’s purposes on the earth in this our day.  Nathaniel was also told that he would see heaven opened, and the ANGELS OF GOD ascending and descending UPON THE SON OF MAN.   Hallelujah!! 

Perhaps it is that just as the twelve spies were sent in to the Promised Land so the faith of Israel could be lifted to rise up and take the land, so today there are some who will be the fore-runners to inspire the body of Christ to ascend the “Ladder” and enter through the gate of heaven so that the glory of the Lord may fill the earth in this our day. May this be so is my prayer even as I personally yield myself to the inner call that is touching my spirit to come up higher, even as I write this paper.

  May the Spirit give you understanding of these things for his glory. Amen!

 

          Des Walter   September 2004