When the Lord Jesus Christ came He was the only stone in the Father's great house. So Christ went to the cross, and then ascended to Heaven, sprinkling His blood upon the holy places in Heaven. In this manner He made it possible for us to be a room in the eternal temple of God.

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. (John 14:3—NIV)

The above verse is not speaking of Christ preparing a place for us in Heaven but in the Father's house, of which He is the Chief Cornerstone.

The verse above is not speaking of the second coming of the Lord, His coming to the world to set up His Kingdom. Rather He is speaking of coming to His saints in the Spirit, as we see further down in the same chapter.

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. (John 14:18,19—NIV)

The coming of the Lord mentioned in the verse above is happening now, in preparation for His worldwide appearing, in which every eye shall see Him.

If you are one of those who is pressing forward to the fullness of God, you will experience the present coming. It is not a bodily coming of the Lord but an ever-increasing awareness of His presence in and with you.

You will begin to become aware of spiritual warfare. You will learn that God is ready to attack the worldliness, lust, and self-will in your personality. The Kingdom of God, which to you previously may have been only three words in the New Testament, will become the focus of your hope. You will learn the difference between the idea of going to Heaven as your goal to that of participating in the establishing of the Kingdom of God on the earth.

You may go through long, dark imprisonments in which the Spirit of God deals with all that is in you that is not pleasing to the Lord. You will be pressed into the sufferings of the cross, into His cross. Your personal cross may approach the unbearable from time to time, and you will have to keep trusting that God is ready and able to bring you through every test.

You will wonder how long this tunnel is going to be. The past times of happiness and joy in the things of Christ may become a distant memory. The Books of Job and Lamentations will be your daily bread. If you are called to be a member of the royal priesthood, such a prolonged period of reconciliation to God is necessary. Be assured that all true saints have endured such amazing fires, such periods of darkness as the furnace of Israel draws near to them.

I think we American Christians are entering such a time. Present-day Christianity often is too superficial and giddy to serve as a sculptor of saints.

To be continued.