Whoever would seek to be like the Lord Jesus at His appearing must purify himself as a necessary act of preparation.

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Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (II Corinthians 7:1)

The House From Heaven

One of the great truths of the Gospel of the Kingdom that is being restored has to do with the effect of our behavior today upon the quality of our resurrection.

For centuries the churches have believed that the resurrection of the Christian to eternal life in Heaven will be an inevitable event that will take place independently of our success in living a victorious life. The resurrection will occur in some manner after we have died and have been in our mansion in Heaven for awhile. In the meantime we live in the hope of going to Paradise when we die.

The truth is, our response each day to the lessons placed before us is having a direct effect on the kind of resurrection we shall experience. Compared with what will happen to us in the day of resurrection, our life in the spirit realm after our physical death, and before the resurrection, is of little importance.

In the Book of Second Corinthians Paul speaks several times of his being brought down to the death of the cross and of the imperishable life brought to others as an overflow of the life of Christ that kept raising Paul from death.

Paul revealed that the process of dying and then living was forming before the Throne of God a heavenly "house" that would clothe his mortal body in the day of resurrection. The "gold" of Divinity was being hammered into shape in Heaven so the "wood" of Paul's mortality could be covered in the day of resurrection. Remember that the Table of Showbread and the Ark of the Covenant, articles located in the Tabernacle of the Congregation, were made of wood covered on the inside and the outside with refined gold.

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; (II Corinthians 4:17)

God continually was striking Paul down and then raising him up by the power of Christ's resurrection. This process of death and life was producing an eternal weight of glory in Heaven. The eternal weight of glory is the "house from heaven" that will clothe Paul's body when his body is called forth from the grave by the voice of Christ.

For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: (II Corinthians 5:2)

What is happening to us today is forming an eternal body in Heaven, and also is preparing our inner spiritual personality that we may receive such a tremendous vehicle of life.

Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest [pledge] of the Spirit. (II Corinthians 5:5)

To be continued.