PROGRESSION

From Passover, To Pentecost,

To Tabernacles

 All believers will readily acknowledge that the Day of Atonement was prophetic of a great event in the death-resurrection-ascension of our Lord Jesus.  We rejoice in knowing that "by His own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us." (Hebrews 9:12)  And again in Hebrews 9:24, "For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are figures of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us."  Ever and always will the shedding of Jesus' blood be precious to us.  Nothing will ever equal the tremendous work effected when Jesus, our High Priest, entered heaven's Holy of Holies to present His blood before the Father.  All human-kind was atoned for; eternal redemption was obtained for all.  By a new and living way, whosoever cometh by Him may enter into life.

 But, what prophetic significance does the high priest's entering in hold for the believer and for the church?  Since Hebrews 9:24 speaks of Christ entering into "heaven itself," we conclude that it was in His ASCENSION that Jesus presented His blood unto the Father.  It is my conviction that we have doctrinally overlooked the believer's participation in the ascension of our Lord.  Much is spoken of our participation in His death and resurrection, but what about His ascension?  "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God." (Colossians 3:1)  I believe there is an experiential participation in His ascension, or in His entering in beyond the veil into Heaven's Holy of Holies.

 In Ephesians 1, the Apostle Paul prayed for the spirit of wisdom and revelation to rest upon His people.  He prayed that the eyes of their understanding might be enlightened to know the exceeding greatness of the power of the resurrection that, not only raised Jesus from the dead, but that set Him at the Father's right hand, far above all principality and power.  The knowledge referred to is not just a factual knowledge of what happened to Jesus, but an experiential knowledge about ourselves, the church, in that He raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places.  Thus, we not only died with Him, and were raised with Him, but we ASCENDED with Him into the Heaven.

 The church as a whole has been earthbound.  She has thus far failed in her calling to make known the manifold wisdom of God to the realms of Satan.  From His position in the Father's throne, the Son now awaits an overcoming Bride to arise spiritually and to enter into that victory and that position He has already provided for her.  The call of the Spirit to the church is, "Come up hither".  She needs to see by revelation that her rightful place is with the Son in the throne of God.  In the Book of Revelation, we see that the throne of God is the center of all activity.  All things proceed from the throne.  When the church is carnal and earthly, the devil knows he is not threatened.  Let the church be content with her powerless forms and ritual, complacent with a light, social gospel, divided into hundreds of sects and denominations, and the devil rejoices.  O, may there be a spiritual ascension in this hour!  May there  emerge a company of overcomers who will find a life in the heavenlies, be enthroned with Christ in effective ministry, and make an impact upon all of groaning creation.  Hallelujah!

by Sergio Valori

NEXT:  FEAST OF UNITY