The Daily Word of Righteousness

Entering the New Jerusalem, #6

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. (Revelation 2:7)

To wash our robes, to keep the commandments of God, is to overcome the devil, the world, and our own lusts and self-will. As we do this, and only as we do this, we are given to eat of the Tree of Life, to partake of the Divine Nature of God.

We have no right to the Tree of Life except as we overcome Satan through the Lord Jesus. Adam and Eve were driven from the garden because of disobedience. They never will gain access to the Tree of Life until the sin and lawlessness have been removed from their personalities.

Entering through the gates. What does eating of the Tree of Life have to do with entering through the gates into the city?

At first we are brought into the city spiritually. Later, as a new creation in Christ, we shall enter physically through the gates.

When we receive Jesus our new born-again nature is brought into the city of God and raised to the Throne of God. There we abide in the Lord Jesus at the right hand of the Father.

And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ: (Ephesians 2:6)

For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:3)

We do not go through the gates at this time. Rather we ascend spiritually to the highest level of the new Jerusalem, to the right hand of the Father in Christ. It will be some time before we are ready to go through the gates in a restored body.

It is as a father who carries his little boy up the side of a mountain. The boy reaches the summit and yet it is not of his own doing. There will come a day when the boy is able to climb the mountain by himself.

There is a position in Christ that is given us according to the will of God apart from any work of redemption in our personality. The purpose of this position is to make possible an actual re-creation of our personality.

As we place our trust in the blood atonement, obey the written Word of God and the Word of God given to us personally, and cooperate with the Holy Spirit in the work of sanctification and re-creation, we are given to eat of the Tree of Life. Eating of the Tree of Life creates resurrection life in our personality.

It is extremely important the reader understand that in the Day of the Lord our resurrection will proceed on the basis of the resurrection life that has been formed in us as we have continued to feed on Christ and to live by His Life. No individual ever will receive the redemption of his physical body on the basis of forgiveness alone.

It is the eating of Christ that creates in us the resurrection to eternal life. The role of Divine forgiveness is to permit sin-filled creatures to begin to partake of the Tree of Life so they may be delivered from sin and lawlessness.

To be continued.