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CLOTHING At the moment we reside in an earthly tent which is our bodies. 2 Corinthians, chapter five, verses one to ten states; "For we know that if the earthly tent is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Here indeed we groan, and long to put on our heavenly dwelling, so that by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we sigh with anxiety; not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given the Spirit as a guarantee. "So we are always of good courage; we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. We are of good courage, and would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive good or evil, according to what he has done in the body." The deeds the saints do in their earthly bodies as the issue of their faith is the attire of the Bride of the Lamb as recorded in Rev. 19:8. Rev.19:6-8 "Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunder-peals, crying, 'Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him glory, for the marriage supper of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to be clothed with fine linen, bright and pure'- for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints." The Bride of the Lamb is the holy city Jerusalem that comes out of heaven from God, (Rev.21:9-11), this is a house, the building from God spoken of in 2 Cor.5:1 as quoted above. And the holy city is made up of living stones who are the saints, the members of the church,- 1Peter 2:5 "and like living stones be yourselves built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." Paul wrote to fellow members of the Church in Eph.2:10, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." So whilst in this tent we are away from the Lord, 2 Cor.5:6; it was Job's cry for vindication that he prophesied, "For I know that my redeemer lives, and at last he will stand upon the earth; and after my skin has been destroyed, then from my flesh I will see God. Whom I shall see on my side, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!" Job 19:25-27. Our vindicator is Jesus Christ, through his skin being destroyed the way to God for Man is opened so that all in Christ have access to God, able to confidently draw near the throne of grace, (Heb. 4:16). Jesus himself bore our sins in his body on the tree so that we can die to sin and live to righteousness, (1Peter 2:24), the separation between God and man is abolished in Christ. Hebrews 10:5-10 quoting from Ps.40 says "Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, 'Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body you have prepared for me; in burnt offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, 'Lo, I have come to do your will, O God,' as is written of me in the roll of the book." For in Jesus our Christ the whole fullness of the deity dwells bodily, (Col. 2:9), and through Jesus God's will was accomplished, that was what Jesus came for. The expression of Jesus Christ's life and death is God's will acted out for real, a truly acceptable sacrifice was offered up in the fiery ordeal of the cross. God was not interested in the sacrifice of lambs and goats, bulls and rams; these are only types and shadows instituted to prophesy the ministry of Christ. The Church is the bride of Christ and his body, 1Cor.12:27, where God tabernacles moving among its members, they are his people and he is their God. Nevertheless, going back to chapter five of 2Corinthians our bodies are what we are presently clothed with and not to have a body is nakedness, (the incorruptible heavenly spiritual body aside). The earthly tents we dwell in are the garments of animal skins Lord God made to cloth us. From the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, Gen.3:21 "And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins, and clothed them." Remember the plasticity of the elements in a story. Our bodies are animal, according to zoological classification it's an ape! Is this really such an insult? The insult is to the dominions and powers, the lords and gods who are our enemies, part of the satanic system that was in the midst of Eden that Adam fell prey to. For the God of gods to stand in the dust as one of us and accomplish all that the law as delivered by angels required and make a come back from death, a fate that turned even gods in to shades. God tabernacles in the Church and actualizes himself through it, the hoards of wickedness in the heavenlies hate this fact and hate the Church. The insult is in their face. |
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