As a result of our marriage to the Lamb, the Lamb loses His individuality while preserving His identity. Each member loses his individuality while preserving his identity. It is an entering into oneness with Jesus as He is One with the Father.

The struggle, the process of union brought about through intense interaction, takes place in the Lord Jesus and in the member of His Body. The Lord prays to the Father. The disciple copes with difficulties of many kinds, particularly with the denial of his desires. There can be prolonged periods during which problems remain unresolved and there is little knowledge of what is taking place.

The deferral of desires, the bearing of the weight of problems, the period of time during which the mind seeks understanding of what is taking place, result in the development of perfect dependence and trust. The Bride must be righteous, holy, sternly obedient to God, and must rest in the Lord in dependence and trust.

This is the marriage of the Lamb, and it takes place each day of the true disciple's life.

This is how the new creation, the Kingdom of God, the new Jerusalem, is brought into being.

Christ is preparing a place for each believer in the House of God, which is the Body of Christ. We are being brought into eternal union with the Father through Christ. Union with God through Christ is our supreme goal. All the ministries of the Body of Christ are working with the end in view of perfecting the House of God, Christ—Head and Body (Ephesians 4:8-16).

. . . Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. (John 17:11)

Jesus knew He would lose sight of His beloved followers for a season. Therefore He was committing them to the care of the Father. Christ was asking that God would place His own name, the name of God, on each of his beloved followers. This would cause the Holy Spirit and the elect angels to view each of them as belonging to God—a most important distinction in the spirit realm.

From now on the believers are to be regarded by all the creation as belonging peculiarly to God, as being the special possession and charge of God. They always and in every circumstance are to remain under God's specific protection. Whoever would harm them will find himself attacking God.

No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord. (Isaiah 54:17)

Let us imagine what the Lord Jesus was experiencing at this point.

Jesus was and is a man. We are not discussing now His almighty Divinity or Lordship but His manhood.

The man, the carpenter, was a human being in the fullest sense of the word. He was tempted in all points as we are. He felt what we feel.

Divine love and human love merged in the adamic form. Jesus was of Adam, through Mary, although without sin in His personality.

To be continued.