last (us) will be first because we must become perfect first before them.
Also the Book of Revelation speaks of the souls of the dead in Christ crying out for fulfillment from under the altar. When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed. (Revelation 6:9-11).
Dying and going to Heaven is obviously not the ultimate answer. We on this side of the veil of death must become perfect before those in heaven can have their fulfillment. This goes beyond simple salvation. It involves a process of becoming perfect right here and now in this earth. If you doubt this, remember the words of the Lord’s Prayer: “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. Right here, right now. on earth. We need not wait. We should press on to the full calling of Christ, until the veil of death is rent and the spiritual and earthly realms become one. That is salvation. That is fulfillment.
1 John confirms that we are to be like Him when he appears: “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is” (1 John 3:2). And where does Christ appear? He appears here on earth at His second coming. He will appear to many Sons who have become like Him. As Hebrews 2:10 says: “For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings”. Christ was therefore the first fruits of many other Sons who would also be birthed through his sacrifice.
FAITH
Faith is the simplest reality we have in our walks with God, yet it can seem complex to the human mind.
“Behold, as for the proud one,
His soul is not right within him;
But the righteous will live by his faith” (Habakkuk 2:4).
Faith is a reality that it is entirely invisible. It cannot be seen or touched, as are things in the physical realm. It cannot be explained theologically in that most theology comes from the intellect. “His thoughts are not our thoughts” (1 Corinthians 1:17). Yet it is one of the most powerful forces in the universe and works in both the natural and spiritual worlds.
To illustrate faith in the scriptures consider the following.
“A man came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus, falling on his knees before Him and saying, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic and is very ill; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. “I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not cure him” (Matthew 17:14-16). And Jesus answered and said, “You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me.”
“And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured at once.
Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not drive it out? (Matthew 17:18-20). And He said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you” (Matthew 17:20). “The mustard seed is the smallest of all seeds” (Matthew 17:14-20).
To a righteous man faith is essential in his walk with God. “Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, “The righteous man shall live by faith.” (Galatians 3:11; Romans 1:17).
The writer of Hebrews explains faith as opposed to the Mosaic law. Under the Mosaic law, before Christ’s appearing, righteousness was acquired by adherence to a set of laws, sacrifices and rituals. Ritualistic righteousness was a type of faith in that the sinner had to believe the sacrifice of a bull or goat would cleanse the sinner. But the cleansing was not permanent. Additional sacrifices for sin had to be made time and again. Priests were the vehicles of this temporary deliverance and continually presided in the temple performing these sacrifices. (see Leviticus Ch. 1-7). All of this proved that man could not, in and of himself, become righteous in God’s eyes except for only short periods of time.
The coming of Jesus changed all that. He didn’t really introduce a new concept. Faith had been available for centuries. Abraham exercised the principle of faith thousands of years before Christ. Abraham did not receive righteousness through the law or good works but through faith.
What then are we to say was gained by Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” Now to one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift but as something due. 5 But to one who without works trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness. So also David speaks of the blessedness of those to whom God reckons righteousness apart from works saying, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, And whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom, the Lord will not reckon sin. (Romans 4:1-8). Abraham made many mistakes and did not always follow God completely. Yet because of his great faith he was considered righteous by God, irrespective of his works.
Romans goes on to say: Is this blessing then pronounced upon the circumcision, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say, To Abraham his faith was reckoned for righteousness. How then was it reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision: and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while he was in uncircumcision; that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be in uncircumcision, that righteousness might be reckoned unto them and the father of circumcision. (v 4:9-12).
What the scriptures are saying is that faith and the obtaining of righteousness are not dependent on our works, however good, but of faith through grace. Righteousness is thus not obtained by working towards it but receiving it from God as a free gift.
Jesus made this very clear when He appeared bringing the New Covenant.
“Behold, days are coming, says the Lord,
When I will effect a new covenant
With the house of Israel and with the house of Judah;
After those days, says the Lord:
I will put My laws into their minds,
And I will write them on their hearts.
And I will be their God,
And they shall be My people.
“And they shall not teach everyone his fellow citizen,
And everyone his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
For all will know Me,
FROM THE LEAST to the greatest of them.
“For I will be merciful to their iniquities,
And I will remember their sins no more.”
