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Part 2 - The Sanctifying Work of Christ
Separated in the Heavenly Dwelling Place of Christ
Day two continues with the concept of separation: "Then God said, 'Let
there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the
waters from the waters.' Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters
which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the
firmament; and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. So the
evening and the morning were the second day" (Gen. 1:6-8). The waters had
been one, and now they are separated by the "firmament" which is called
"Heaven." Division is the emphasis here. The waters are divided by the
firmament.
The sea
Another aspect of the separation that Christ wrought is the heavenly
position that all believers are delivered to in Christ. This is modeled in
the dividing of the waters by the firmament. After the waters are divided,
those that are beneath the firmament will be called "seas" in day three. The
sea is a type of the mass of unsaved humanity. Isaiah 57:20 states, "But the
wicked are like the troubled sea, When it cannot rest, Whose waters cast up
mire and dirt." Jude calls unbelievers "raging waves of the sea, foaming up
their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of
darkness forever" (Jude 1:13).
When Jesus spoke of the great tribulation that would come upon the earth
in the last days, He referred to the sea in such a metaphorical way: "And
there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the
earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring"
(Luke 21:25). The beast of the tribulation period is said to come out of the
sea, representing his rising up out of the unsaved nations: "Then I stood on
the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having
seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a
blasphemous name" (Rev. 13:1).
Jesus made an analogy between fishing in the sea and drawing people out
of the world and into His kingdom. Matthew records: "And Jesus, walking by
the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his
brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said
to them, 'Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men' " (Matt. 4:18-19).
The realm of the sea is used here as the realm of the lost.
Since the sea represents the unsaved and unbelieving people of the earth,
there will be no sea in the new heavens and new earth that God creates for
His eternal kingdom. Revelation 21:1 states: "Now I saw a new heaven and a
new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also
there was no more sea."
The heavenly places
That which divides the waters is the firmament. This is called "heaven."
In the physical creation, this is the expanse of the sky. However, the word
"heaven" is used in Scripture to speak not only of the expanse of the sky
and the expanse of space, but also of the spiritual realm, the dwelling
place of God.
The dividing of the waters by the firmament is a parallel event to one
aspect of the sanctifying work of Christ when the types of the sea and
heaven are considered. Christ takes those in the world who believe and
delivers them into the heavenly realm. They are no longer considered to be
of the world, but only physically in it. Those in the world are
separated. Some are of the world; some are in the heavenly realm in Christ
who is seated on the right hand of the Father.
Ephesians 2:5-6 tells us that God, "even when we were dead in trespasses,
made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and
raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in
Christ Jesus." These "heavenly places" divide those who are saved from those
who are not. Those who are below, of the world, will then represent the
"sea" after this division.
The work of Christ
Those who have received the salvation of Christ are set apart in that
they are no longer of the present world but are now a heavenly people, one
of God's kingdom. This happens not when one dies physically, but when one
who is spiritually dead is born again. As a new creation, such a one is
considered to have risen with Christ to the Father. God "made us sit
together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus."
This heavenly status, dwelling with Christ before the Father, is the
result of Christ's ascension. God has "raised us up together" in Christ. Paul says to the Colossians: "If then you were
raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is,
sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on
things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in
God" (Col. 3:1-3).
In a spiritual sense the Christian will not die and go to heaven. He has
already died and gone to heaven. "For you died, and your life is hidden with
Christ in God." Christ has already brought the believer before the throne of
God and into His presence. Thus Philippians 3:20 states "For our citizenship
is in heaven." The only part of redemption not completed is the
transformation of the Christian's physical body by Christ, "who will
transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body"
(Phil. 3:21).
A heavenly nation
Just as God separated the children of Israel from all the nations and
made them His special people, a unique nation on the earth, so He has done
on a spiritual level. God spoke to Israel through Moses saying, "Now
therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you
shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is
Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Ex.
19:5-6). God accomplished this in the Exodus, and made Israel a unique
nation. Peter the Apostle has this in mind when he says of the church, "you
also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy
priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus
Christ . . . But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy
nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who
called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a
people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now
have obtained mercy" (1 Pet. 2:5,9-10).
This separation between those of the world and those of God's heavenly
kingdom occurred in the resurrection and ascension of Jesus. This is His
sanctifying work.
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