This (the clothing of our resurrected flesh and bones with our body from Heaven) is the crown of life. The crown of life signifies that we are the rulers, under Christ, of the ages to come. The crown of life is a body of life with which our resurrected flesh and bones will be clothed.

We always shall retain our original physical body of flesh and bones. But its energies will come from incorruptible resurrection life. The substance of our mortal body will be hidden because it will have been overlaid, as well as covered within, with the "gold" of Christ's own eternal Substance.

Now we have a perfect vehicle through which we can "live," that is, through which we can perform that which our life-giving personality commands.

We can do the following works in our new body:

We can serve our God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

We can communicate with others and enter relationships with them to an extent impossible in our present "prison."

We can be fruitful, giving out from our personality the Life of Jesus so others can have formed in them that which not only has been formed in us but now has matured to the place that it is ready to cast forth seed.

We can grow eternally in wisdom, understanding, and knowledge.

We can overcome difficulties and accomplish the tasks God has set before us.

We can benefit other people immeasurably.

We can experience the fullness of joy.

The Scriptures promise fullness of joy, the desires of our heart, the withholding of no good thing from us. We must cling to these promises, hoping against hope as God causes us to experience the sufferings of Christ. His Bride must know His sufferings so her character will please Him. She endures the cross by looking always toward the joy that has been placed before her as a goal.

During these hours of darkness and imprisonment, while we are learning to trust God and hope in him, we think of the fullness of joy that is coming. Our hearts may be breaking now, but God has said "fullness of joy"; "the desires of thine heart"; the withholding of no good thing. The Scriptures cannot be broken. The "prisoners of Zion" will have the fullness of joy throughout eternity.

We understand, therefore, that life as we know it (however rudimentary as yet) will continue forever. But every aspect of it must be wrought in Christ. Life apart from Christ is confusing, pointless, leading only to disillusionment and death. Life apart from Christ is but a faint shadow of God's intention for man.

Because men and women, boys and girls, who are without Christ, do not possess the key of knowledge, do not understand the rules and nature of the Divine creation, they succeed only in perverting and destroying what is intended to bring them righteousness, peace, and joy in God's Spirit.

It can be seen readily that if the believer does not allow Christ to enter the various aspects of his living and doing, if his relationships, communications, service, enjoyment, fruitfulness, and growth are not wrought in Christ, then when he dies he will be found to be a naked spirit. His works cannot follow him for they are of the flesh, and the flesh has expired.

To be continued.