Generally speaking, the inheritance of Christ and His Body consists of all the works of God's hands, including and especially the nations of the saved. The overcomer inherits everything. Our land of promise is all that God has created, but special emphasis is placed on inheriting the earth and its nations.

Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen [nations] for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. (Psalms 2:8)

. . . and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; (Isaiah 53:12)

Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. (Hebrews 2:8)

He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. (Revelation 21:7)

The victorious saint inherits all things. Each saint has a particular inheritance to which he has been called—something for which he or she as an individual has been selected. A "mark" has been placed before each of us (Philippians 3:12-14). Therefore, while we are able to outline the general boundaries of the Christian land of promise as being all the works of God's hands, the individual inheritances are as many and varied as there are individual believers.

There are two principal stages of gaining the Kingdom of God, of entering eternal life and service:

Entering life in our own personality.

Entering our own possession as a king and priest over the creation of God.

Israel was, at this point in our study, preparing to cross over the Jordan River. The Jordan River typifies the third death that the believer must die as he seeks to enter the fullness of that eternal Life that Christ is.

The first death we must die is that of crossing over the Red Sea. This is death to the world. When we are baptized in water we are stating that our entire first personality has been assigned to the cross with the Lord Jesus and that our new personality in the Lord has been assigned to the resurrection, to eternal, incorruptible life with and in the Lord Jesus.

The second death we experience is death to sin. Death to sin is typified by the Law that was given on Mount Sinai. A major portion of the Christian experience consists of our putting to death, through the Spirit of God, the many sins and rebellions that dwell in our flesh. It is only as we are willing to work with the Lord in throwing off the yoke of sin that we can enter the Life of Christ.

The third death we must die before we are able to enter fully into life is typified by the Jordan River. It is death to self. We must be crucified with Christ. We must endure patiently in faith as God brings us through all kinds of tribulations and prisons until what we are as a person has been brought down to death and Christ has taken His rightful place on the throne of our personality.

To be continued.