1/12/16Jacob’s Ladder 3 The Gospel by degree
Jacob’s Ladder part 3. The Gospel by degree. “To the degree that ye have attained so walk ye in it”
It was Paul who said that Christ was made poor for us to become rich. He bore our spiritual poverty . And Paul also said of himself “so that we would become rich”. You see God the Father did not leave us poor and destitute. We have an inheritance and not like the inheritance of a piece of paper called “A will and testament” with a signature of a deceased. Our inheritance is the impression of God in the face of Jesus Christ on our souls. But of this inheritance there is only one access. And that is by faith as we see the immensity of the promises of God given to us that “we are partakers of the divine nature” as promised by the gospel. It is in this way we realize our inheritance in the here and now and need not wait for another for if God has given us EVERYTHING THAT PERTAINS TO LIFE AND GOD-LIKE-NESS and that WE ARE PARTAKERS OF THE DIVINE NATURE now, what does a 2nd coming Jesus give us that we don’t already have? It was “by His stripes we are healed” said Isaiah. Meaning the cross. He healed the effects of the fall in Eden for us to be restored to that which is from the beginning being like Adam in Eden in fellowship with God.
That relationship is restored even as Paul said “I plead with you by the mercies of God be ye reconciled! ” And this all takes place at a one time public offering of the cross “each one in their own order ” and not at an encore presentation called the 2nd coming. That is a faithless gospel that expects to appease the carnal senses at a spectacular event expressed in time and matter, a consistency God is not.
Here again is another error by the second coming gospel purveyors. They suppose to be stricken until they physically see a redemption from Earth. They believe they are in limbo in need of the 2nd coming. It is that their foolish mind that is darkened by denying the “glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ”. They are blinded by the god of this age that provides another message of another Savior of time and matter to do something for you as if the work already finished in Christ by the cross is insufficient. And this insults the spirit of grace.
But “my Lord delayeth not his coming” as supposed by the wicked servant. And from Hebrews 10? for the just shall live by faith and if any man draw back my soul has no pleasure in him saith the Lord for the Lord. Not meaning he waits not to come but he comes even now but it is the Second Coming seekers who cannot seek or see this 4 they are looking with the wrong set of eyes having eyes to see and ears to hear they see nor hear not the things of God for those with the heart that one sees and understands things of God
And it is because the Second Coming purveyors think that a perfect man has only to do with being perfected that are rapture they cannot have this they are robbed of the reward they are kept from the gift of God who has redeemed us to the cross of the blood and if redemption means anything other than restoration and reconciliation it has no meaning at all
Think about it if a person is drowning just because somebody grabs a hold of them to bring them to shore and holds their head above water you cannot say they are saved they are being saved salvation is incomplete and it is in this way the second coming forebears suppose salvation to mean something other than being saved they are at a midway point waiting for another Jesus to come stop them from drowning in the things of this age when if they knew the works of God and the power of God through word, they would appropriate the promise that Jesus said “father I do not take them out of the world but I pray that you keep them from evil”. Then having this promise tried and receiving the gift that is given. This is how the Word of God is alive. That the promises are appropriated. And as Peter says we are partakers of the divine nature having xscape the corruption that is in the world? So we do. This is done by faith and not a second coming man called Jesus. Amen?
Paul the Apostle was counted among those who were most antagonistic towards God before his conversion. He was met on the road to Damascus by a shining light and his journey began. it was Paul who was selected by the Christ to lay out the path from that antagonistic belief system to the living God when it was said “who are you Lord? To which Christ replied “Why kick ye against the goads? He was to be a foundation stone of the Kingdom.
So it was Paul who grew by degree in Revelation from the antagonistic Jewish culture that was left “not one stone upon another” that Christ used to make a bridge from the Satanic religion that rejected Christ to believe in the living God.
Before Paul’s conversion he was found as one who murdered the followers of Christ. He was chief among sinners and became a prototype for his peers. And of his peers it was said that they were a “brood of vipers”. And of his contemporaries it was said “you travel land and sea to make convert and when doing so you make them twice the sons of Hell as yourself”. You see when Christ chided with the Pharisees he told them “you are the sons of your father the devil” who was a liar from the beginning. And when Christ chided with them? They gnashed at Him with their teeth. Wasn’t this a symptom of those who are cast into outer darkness? And that is where they were. They were sons of outer darkness being darkened in their conscience, in their mind, rational and spirit and drawing men to themselves.
This is where we start today for this is where Paul started. So it should not be surprising to see in Paul’s epistles a transition from that unholy religion to faith in the living God. So do not be surprised to see a mix in concepts or to see Paul’s later letters not coinciding with his earlier letters. Because of this it is impossible to read all scripture together as harmonious on an equal plane as demonstrated from Jacob’s Ladder part 1 & 2. It is this one reason that there are so many Christian religions and denominations today. We should see scripture as hills and mountains to climb and not a level valley to hurl darts at each other. “Come, let us rise from here”.
So Paul’s mind had to be washed from his earlier concept of death and resurrection and the recreation.