In order for God in Christ to enter untroubled rest in us there must be a complete crucifixion of our adamic personality. All that drives our natural man must be crucified. Our total first personality must be brought into the likeness of Christ's death. Only that which has been crucified in Jesus and has been raised again by Jesus is permitted to be part of the Ruler of the ages to come. We attain the first resurrection from the dead only as our life becomes one with the resurrection life of Jesus; and oneness is possible only as we enter the sufferings of Christ.

Every member of true Israel is part of the governing priesthood, part of the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom destined to rule all the works of God's hands. True Israel is a firstfruits of mankind, a firstborn—the part of mankind given to the Lord to be His peculiar inheritance.

Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel. (Exodus 19:5,6)

Notice what James states concerning those who are born-again in Christ:

Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. (James 1:18)

The Apostle Peter applies to the Gentiles the promise previously given to Israel concerning Israel being God's peculiar treasure:

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people [people for God's own possession]; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light; (I Peter 2:9)

Each true saint has been called to be a ruler over the nations. But in order to enter our inheritance we first must overcome the enemies of God and man. The promise of rulership over the nations is given only to the overcomer, that is, to the believer who enters the grace of Christ to such an extent that he is able to overcome the wicked personages and works that God allows to come against him as well as the corruption in his own personality.

To rule the nations, to sit on the throne with Christ, is given to the overcomer along with all the other rewards of life and glory found in the second and third chapters of the Book of Revelation. The nations are our "Canaan," our land of promise that God has given to us but which in the present hour is overrun by the devil and his forces.

The first stage of our inheritance is our entering the fullness of eternal life in our own personality. The second stage of our inheritance, which is dependent on our arriving at the first stage, is the Kingdom purposes that we are presenting in this present essay. Ruling with Christ over the works of God's hands, especially over the nations of the earth, is one of the most important aspects of the Divine program of redemption and restoration.

To be continued.