God's program of restoration makes certain that only those who choose to serve the Lord are permitted back into Paradise. God assures Himself of our behavior by destroying all the works of Satan in us, by re-creating our inner nature, filling it with the obedient Nature of Christ, and by dwelling in us and bringing us into total, eternal union with Himself. Only then are we permitted back into Paradise.

The guarantee that we shall not repeat the folly of Adam and Eve is the Presence of the righteous, obedient Christ formed in us and dwelling in us.

It is worse than useless to discuss the possibility of untransformed individuals being permitted to partake of eternal resurrection life. Do we want eternal sinners on our hands? The purpose of Divine grace and mercy is not to permit sinners to enter Paradise. The purpose of the Divine grace and mercy in Jesus is to so transform sinners that they can be entrusted with eternal, incorruptible resurrection life.

God has given to us His grace through Christ so we may choose to walk in righteousness. As we choose to walk in righteousness, God delivers us from the curse of sin. If we continue following the Lord, the Day will come when we are set free from every aspect of Satan in our spirit, our soul, and our body. Then we will walk on the earth in the fullness of the glory of eternal life.

The royal priesthood is a firstfruits of those who are to be resurrected to eternal life. Through the royal priesthood the release will come to the entire creation, to those whom Christ chooses to save.

Because the members of the priesthood, the members of the Body of Christ, are part of the government of the Kingdom of God (being pillars in the eternal Temple of God), the Lord deals with them with the utmost strictness. The priesthood of the Kingdom is being called out of the churches today. The demands on us are total. We have been grasped by the Lord for this glory and our whole life is to be dedicated to laying hold on that heavenly mark for which we have been grasped.

Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ. (Philippians 3:12)

"If that I may apprehend [grasp; lay hold of] that for which also I am apprehended of Christ."

It will be the responsibility of the royal priesthood, the firstfruits of Christ, to govern the nations of the earth with a rod of iron until those peoples either receive Jesus as Lord and enter eternal life, or else reject the rulership of Jesus and enter torment. The issue of the Kingdom of God is the doing of God's will in the earth as it is in Heaven. Eternal life will be given only to those who do God's will.

Eternal life is not given to us on the basis of love and mercy. It is given to us on the basis of doing the will of God. It was disobedience to the will of God that drove Adam and Eve out of the garden, away from access to the tree of life.

To be continued.