Bible Trilogy III – Part 4
Lift up your heads, O gates, and be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in! [Psalm 24:7]
The question to ask is this: when is the Christian “at home (i.e., in heaven—R.G.) with the Lord”, while simultaneously being without a body? Consider that we have a body until we die. We again have a body at the Rapture. Voilà! we are bodiless from the time we die physically until the Rapture occurs.
During that period of time we are at home with the Lord (i.e., in heaven), and we haven’t our new resurrection bodies yet. This means that we will be like Jesus during the three days His body was in Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb, but His spirit was in heaven with the Father.
Again, this isn’t revealed categorically in the Bible, so we mustn’t be dogmatic about it. I submit it to help us with the third portion of our Bible Trilogy. Read the Bible verse quoted at the start of this study. A call went out to “gates” and to “ancient doors” to open up, so that “the King of glory may come in”.
Our task is to determine what is referred to as “gates” and “ancient doors”. We also must determine who the King of glory is. The second determination is easy because Psalm 24 reveals it to us in verses 8 and 10. Read them and see. The King of glory is the Lord of Hosts (Yahweh Sabaoth). He is the risen Lord Jesus in all His resurrection glory, dear friends.
I submit to you that the “gates” and “ancient doors” are the entrance to heaven. When Jesus died, His body went into the tomb for three days. Jesus’ spirit went through the gates of heaven (the gates and ancient doors) into the presence of His Father.
Just before dying Jesus declared, “It is finished!” There was no more suffering and dying to be done, in order to pay the penalty for man’s sins. All was finished at that point. Jesus returned to the Father, even as we will do the moment we die.
Don’t start a faction in the church and argue these points, dear friends! Take them in, roll them over the tongue a bit, and savor the flavor afforded by these promising insights. But also be willing to see the potential errors involved because the Scriptures don’t categorically reveal all of these insights. The insights are intimated through a glass darkly, not vividly portrayed in the bright sunlight.
Still, my heart is blessed to consider how the Lord Jesus went first in death in my place. When it is my turn to come home, He can relate to my reservations and lead me safely by the hand into the Father’s presence. I will walk with Jesus through the same “gates” and “ancient doors” as He did circa 27 A.D. How glorious! Thank you, Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
The question to ask is this: when is the Christian “at home (i.e., in heaven—R.G.) with the Lord”, while simultaneously being without a body? Consider that we have a body until we die. We again have a body at the Rapture. Voilà! we are bodiless from the time we die physically until the Rapture occurs.
During that period of time we are at home with the Lord (i.e., in heaven), and we haven’t our new resurrection bodies yet. This means that we will be like Jesus during the three days His body was in Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb, but His spirit was in heaven with the Father.
Again, this isn’t revealed categorically in the Bible, so we mustn’t be dogmatic about it. I submit it to help us with the third portion of our Bible Trilogy. Read the Bible verse quoted at the start of this study. A call went out to “gates” and to “ancient doors” to open up, so that “the King of glory may come in”.
Our task is to determine what is referred to as “gates” and “ancient doors”. We also must determine who the King of glory is. The second determination is easy because Psalm 24 reveals it to us in verses 8 and 10. Read them and see. The King of glory is the Lord of Hosts (Yahweh Sabaoth). He is the risen Lord Jesus in all His resurrection glory, dear friends.
I submit to you that the “gates” and “ancient doors” are the entrance to heaven. When Jesus died, His body went into the tomb for three days. Jesus’ spirit went through the gates of heaven (the gates and ancient doors) into the presence of His Father.
Just before dying Jesus declared, “It is finished!” There was no more suffering and dying to be done, in order to pay the penalty for man’s sins. All was finished at that point. Jesus returned to the Father, even as we will do the moment we die.
Don’t start a faction in the church and argue these points, dear friends! Take them in, roll them over the tongue a bit, and savor the flavor afforded by these promising insights. But also be willing to see the potential errors involved because the Scriptures don’t categorically reveal all of these insights. The insights are intimated through a glass darkly, not vividly portrayed in the bright sunlight.
Still, my heart is blessed to consider how the Lord Jesus went first in death in my place. When it is my turn to come home, He can relate to my reservations and lead me safely by the hand into the Father’s presence. I will walk with Jesus through the same “gates” and “ancient doors” as He did circa 27 A.D. How glorious! Thank you, Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
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