The creation is awaiting the revealing of the sons of God, the manifestation of the believers who have come out of the world; who, through the Spirit of God, have overcome sin; and who have borne with patience their Gethsemane experience. It is out from the saints that the knowledge of the Glory of the Lord will flow until it covers the earth as the waters cover the sea.

Passing through these three judgments, on the world, on sin, and on self-will, are quite distressing at times. It seems as though the Lord whom we love is always bringing us into pain and death. Yet, He keeps lifting us as we follow Him. He wounds and then He heals. There always is a higher level to attain. We dare not relax our guard for a moment because Satan stands ready to catch our feet in a snare.

We begin to conceive of the Christian redemption as one long struggle for victory in spirit, soul, and body, a struggle that will terminate only in our physical death—if then!

There is a fourth level of life:

Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over. (Ezekiel 47:5)

This is the place of oneness with Jesus in God. The struggles are over. The sorrow of the travail is remembered no more because Christ has been born in us and is at rest in His Father. The memory of the judgments already is fading. Our warfare has been accomplished, our wickedness pardoned. God speaks comfortably to us.

It is not that we no longer have tribulations or temptations while we are in the world. We do. But the struggle we undergo as we cope with the constant dying and living of the change from the living soul to the life-giving spirit gives place to an ever-increasing awareness of a normal, restful life lived eternally in God through Christ.

But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. (I Peter 5:10)

We do not carry our cross forever. As soon as God is satisfied that His Presence in us has overcome the world, sin, and self-will, He is ready to receive us as His son in a state of normalcy we have not experienced since we began our discipleship.

We have died in the Lord, we rest from our labors, and our works follow us.

And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them. (Revelation 14:13)

To be continued.