To know the Father is to experience the rest of God. It is not that any of us knows the Father to any great extent. Neither do we know the Lord Jesus to the depth He desires. But we are sons of God and we are growing. As we grow we become conscious that the Lord Jesus is our elder Brother who is slowly, patiently preparing us so the Father may be All in all in us. The Lord Jesus must put down every enemy in us before God can find His rest in us.

First, salvation. Then, the baptism with the Holy Spirit. Finally the Father and the Son take up Their eternal abode in us.

The Lord Jesus is the dwelling place of the Father. Christ is Zion, the Hill in whom God dwells. It is as Christ is formed in us that the Father can find rest in us because God lives only in Christ.

The making of all things new.

And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. (Revelation 21:5)

"I make all things new."

God is so great one wonders if God did not realize before the Logos existed, or before the Logos created the temporary first heavens and earth, that the first spiritual and physical realms would serve merely as forms for the second eternal heavens and earth. Given the unfathomable wisdom and knowledge of God, this is entirely possible.

If God indeed did understand prior to the first beginning that rebellion was inevitable and that the first creation would be temporary and expendable, then we have the classic pattern of life—the pattern of inheritance, loss of inheritance, and regaining of inheritance.

It appears creatures seldom can hold anything they have been given the first time. The classic pattern of life is that we are given something of value; we have no way of appreciating the worth of what we have been given and promptly lose it through some means; we perceive we have lost the valued gift and begin the long, arduous task of gaining it back; we finally gain back the lost gift enhanced in value; we now are able to appreciate, maintain, and use wisely and profitably what has been given to us.

This is the story of the prodigal son, of Samson, of mankind on the earth, of the Christian Church, of each one of us in some way or another. It often is true of our relationship, our talents, or our very health. We cannot seem to receive something one time. To maintain and use what we have been given in the proper way requires that we gain it a second time.

The classic pattern may be true of the two beginnings. God knew His creatures could not appreciate, maintain, or use profitably what He gave on the first occasion. Therefore He created temporary spiritual and physical worlds. But what God had in mind before time began was a spiritual and physical world based upon the exact Representation of Himself and governed by the Representation of Himself.

Known unto God are all his works from the creation of the world. (Acts 15:18)

To be continued.