The oneness of the household of God is shown in the verse above.

Notice that the patriarchs are in Heaven. Yet, they have not received what had been promised. Heaven is not the land of promise.

Notice especially that "only together with us would they be made perfect." This tells me that at some point they must receive that which is being given to us in the present hour.

Perhaps the program is shown in the following verse:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. (Hebrews 12:1 NIV)

Who are the witnesses? They are the heroes of faith of the previous chapter.

What are they doing? They are surrounding us that they might receive that which is being given to us in the present hour.

We grow in Christ by reading of the dealings of God with the people of the Old Testament. Now they are growing in Christ by watching what God is doing among us.

As the revelation of the Kingdom proceeds to unfold among the teachers on earth, the elect in Heaven are learning and profiting.

This is why we must "throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and run with perseverance the race marked out for us." We must do this so they can be inspired and profit by God's dealings with us.

The following passage is worthy of note with reference to the continuity of what takes place on earth and what takes place in the spirit realm.

For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, Through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison Who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, (I Peter 3:18-20 NIV)

The above passage is not often preached, I don't believe, but is well worth considering.

It tells us several things.

After Christ was crucified and then was made alive by the Holy Spirit He went and preached to the spirits in prison in the spirit realm. They had been disobedient to God during the hundred years that Noah's Ark was being built.

Notice that these disobedient spirits were not in Hell but in prison.

Why did Christ preach to them? If the Son of God took the trouble to preach to these spirits it must be with the intention of saving those who would turn from their disobedience to God. Why else would He preach to them to tell them that they were all to be cast into the Lake of Fire? This doesn't make a great deal of sense to me.

What did Christ preach to them? Probably the same thing He preached while He was alive on earth: "Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand."

The Gospel of the Kingdom is the gospel of repentance, that is, of turning from your sins and serving God. If you will search the Book of Acts and notice how many times the term "repent," or "repentance," is employed you will be amazed.

To be continued.