The Glory of the Lord will fill the earth in the ages to come. What we think of as Heaven will be found in Zion, in Jerusalem, in the holy mountain of the Lord. It is not enough to die and pass into the spirit realm. Our objective is to enter through the gates into the holy city of Jerusalem. The new Jerusalem will be all we mean by the term "Heaven."

If we are to gain the authority to eat of the Tree of Life and to enter through the gates of the city we must keep God's commandments.

We must not attempt to enter the Presence of God in any manner other than through the gates God has constructed.

Some translations state that we enter through the gates by keeping God's commandments. Other translations stress we must wash our robes in order to gain the right to partake of the Tree of Life and enter through the gates to the city. To keep God's commandments and to cleanse our garments are the same thing.

The great deception. The greatest mistake in Christian thinking today is that we can enter the holy city through forgiveness unaccompanied by a change in behavior. This is impossible. We cannot possibly enter the holy city or become part of it on the basis of forgiveness. We absolutely must keep God's commandments as found in the New Testament. There is no salvation through Divine grace other than by keeping God's commandments.

There is no uncleanness in the holy city. From the first century there have been deceivers in the churches who have taught that when we receive Jesus as our Savior we are relieved of the responsibility of keeping God's commandments. This is a deception of Satan. This is antinomianism.

He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. (I John 2:4)

Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. (I John 3:6)

Washing our robes. How do we cleanse our garments? How do we keep God's commandments?

The first work of Divine grace is the ascribing of righteousness to God's elect. Divine grace also includes three enablements that assist us in keeping God's commandments, the commandments given to the saints by the Lord Jesus and His apostles. The three enablements are:

The blood of Christ.

The Word of God.

The Holy Spirit.

Every human being was born in lawlessness and sin. No human being other than Jesus of Nazareth is without sin.

God is not a human being, He is a Spirit. We see this fact demonstrated in the thousands of gallons of blood of bulls, goats, lambs, and birds offered as an atonement for the sins of Israel. We see it particularly in the blood offering made in the physical body of the Lord Jesus.

If God were a human being the shedding of blood would have little meaning to Him. A human cannot be appeased by the blood of a goat or by the blood of his son.

To be continued.