We who have received Christ have just started on the Divine program of salvation. Although we commence the program as sinful, rebellious dust, if we follow the Lord and do what He says we shall surely attain to that which is described above.

When God says He is going to make us in the image of Christ, this is exactly what God means. Let us not stagger at the magnitude of the vision but faithfully embrace it and faithfully pursue it until every inch of what God has declared has become true of us.

We Christians have experienced the power of God. We know also that we are not nearly at the level of maturity described above. So where do we go from here?

The Holy Spirit has given us four great types in the Bible so we can understand where we are, where we have been in the process of salvation, and where we are going. The four types are as follows: the six days of creation and the seventh day of rest; the journey of Israel from Egypt to Canaan; the seven furnishings of the Tabernacle of the Congregation; and the seven feasts of the Lord.

Each of these four types portrays how we begin in bondage, in chaos, how light comes to us, how we are led forth from bondage, how we pass through a wilderness of difficulties, and how we finally battle our way into our promised inheritance.

Each of the types contains some aspect the others do not have, but all show the progress from bondage to release into the rest of God.

The type that I use most often is the seven feasts of the Lord. These are:

- Passover—being covered by the blood of the Lamb, and leaving the bondage of the world.

- Unleavened Bread—repentance and water baptism.

- Firstfruits—the born-again experience.

- Pentecost—being filled with the Spirit of God.

- The Blowing of Trumpets—the coming of the King to us.

- The Day of Atonement—our reconciliation to God in personality and behavior.

- Tabernacles—the dwelling of the Father and the Son in us through the Holy Spirit.

Pentecostal-Charismatic people are acquainted with the blood of the Lamb, with repentance, with water baptism, with being born-again, and with the baptism with the Holy Spirit. This is as far as we have come.

What is this about the coming of the King to us, in the spiritual fulfillment of the Blowing of Trumpets?

A careful study of John 14:2-23 will reveal that there is a personal coming of the Lord to us. This personal coming is taking place now so we will be ready for His worldwide appearing in the clouds of glory.

The Lord is standing before us. He is requiring that we open our life to Him to a far greater extent than ever before. He wants to dine with us. We dine on His body and blood. He dines on our worship and love.

As we dine together we discover He is the Lord of Hosts and that He has come to help us drive the enemy from our life, so we will be qualified and competent to appear with Him when He reveals Himself to the world.

To be continued.