When we think of scripture pointing forward to Christ, we usually focus on the him and his work of sacrificing himself on the Cross. This is of course a very worthy focus for us, and without the Cross, scripture would be incomplete and lacking something vital. However, Christ has a number of parts to play in the drama that is our redemption. It is not enough to only consider his death and resurrection. His ascension is also tremendously important. Jesus’ death lays the foundation. As he died his blood was poured out for us. In his death, he took that blood through the veil and applied it to the heavenly mercy seat. Then he ascended and from heaven he poured out his spirit, once on the day of Pentecost, and then on the gentiles later at Cornelius’s home. Finally, because his body is in heaven and his Spirit is in us, he is able to draw us into heaven, as we are united in his body. And so we are brought to the Father through him. His death happened physically just outside of Jerusalem on a day two millennia ago. The rest occurs in the father’s house, which we also call heaven. Atonement actually occurred there. Jesus poured out his Spirit from there. And that is where he is when he draws us to join him, there before the Father.
When we think of the fulfilment of the covenants that we have been discussing, and especially Christ fulfilling them, we focus on the physical death of Christ on the Cross. But there is much more going on elsewhere.
Consider the covenant of dominion, authority and rule. Christ lived out that dominion on earth and people were healed and forgiven, and demons fled. The Cross was an extension of that. Alongside the physical expression of that dominion, by the power of the Holy Spirit, was a lifestyle whereby Christ dwelt long hours in the Father’s house. He saw his Father working and worked. He heard what he said and he spoke. And so the exercise of the dominion of Christ as the perfect man was directed from the throne room of heaven. Instead of the Devil pulling our stings and manipulating our dominion, the Father guided Jesus and order was returned to this weary planet.
It is meant to operate the same way with us. Entrance into the experience of the Father’s house is a journey, one akin to that which the Israelites travelled to reach the Promised Land. Its realisation to us is described as being in Christ – In his shoes in heaven before the Father. Prior to that, we need to be healed and released. Our wounds and chains, remnants of the Evil One’s reign over us in the past, need to be removed so that our flesh no longer dominates our decisions. That is so that our dominion can be now directed by the Father, rather than the enemy. Being mature or being made complete is associated with this experience. However, a significant portion of our maturing takes place in the Father’s house. Also the terms, being in Christ and speaking in Christ’s name are also realised there. We tend to end our prayers with the words, “in Jesus’s name, Amen”. And that is nice and probably of some help. But it does not seem to correlate with the power in prayer that Jesus suggested that we would have when we prayed and asked in his name. This perspective brings us hope. Maybe we don’t experience it now, but if we grow and mature in Christ, we will experience power in prayer and dominion and authority in spiritual warfare. Ephesians chapter one pictures us “in the beloved”, that is in Christ. We are before the Father in heavenly places and he is pouring out blessings on our head. That is more than a truth to write down and place in our pocket. It is an experience to enjoy. In the last chapter we are prepared with armour and a sword for spiritual warfare. That and the warfare takes place in the heavenlies.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armour of God . . .
Ephesians 6:12-13
There is more to be said on this detailed subject, but it is plain to see that our realisation of the covenant of dominion is in Christ, in the Father’s house, in the heavenlies.
This theme continues to the covenant of grace. The blood Jesus poured out for us was taken by him and applied to the mercy seat in the heavenlies. Jesus is our High Priest and He Himself has sprinkled His own blood on the true mercy seat in heaven.
Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
Hebrews 9:23-26
In the heavenlies, and in particular, in the Father’s house before his throne, the Father can see that offering. It is always before his eyes there and so he always remembers his covenant of grace and mercy. For us, grace comes to us from the Father. Paul is conscious of this. He is so focussed on this truth that he begins eight of his twelve letters with the following words:
Grace to you and peace from God the Father . . .
He is saying that he brings grace, a substantive and spiritual object, to them as a blessing from the Father. He received it from the Father as he dwelt in the heavenlies, and he passes it on. We receive it for ourselves and others in the same place. It is one of the blessings from the Father’s rich store. Our realisation of the covenant of grace is in Christ, in the Father’s house, in the heavenlies.
The covenant of blessing is along the same lines. Upon entering the Father’s house we come into the place of blessing. We are in Christ or in the beloved. As such, the Father lavishes blessings upon us. Of course, our entrance into the heavenlies is on the basis of the blood of Christ, poured out on the Cross. However, the blessings are received and enjoyed in the Father’s house. We truly become children of Abraham when we enter there. Our realisation of the covenant of blessing is in Christ, in the Father’s house, in the heavenlies.
The covenant of identity and culture, first given to Moses for the people of Israel at Sinai opened up their eyes to the culture of heaven. The feasts, festivals, offerings and Tabernacle were pictures of the real thing. The Law was a portrayal of kingdom culture. We are prepared for the Father’s house, just as the people of Israel were prepared to enter the Land. And as we enter in, we don’t see pictures or types or portrayals. We see and experience the real thing. We become one with the culture of heaven, and we realise our true identity in Christ, united with him in heaven. Our realisation of the covenant of culture and identity is in Christ, in the Father’s house, in the heavenlies.
Jesus sits on the throne of David, but he doesn’t do so in Jerusalem. He sits on the throne in the presence of his Father. We share that throne when we enter into the Father’s house in Christ. United with Christ we reign with him. Jesus came out of the wilderness after fighting his way past the evil one to enter the Father’s house. He came and declared that, “the kingdom is near!” He found heaven. He found the kingdom. Revelation three says that he shared his Father’s throne. He as a man entered in and reigned with his Father. We can respond to his knocking on the door of our heart and enter in as well. We can draw near, united with him and through the power of the Spirit we can share his throne and reign with him. Our realisation of the covenant of sovereignty is in Christ, in the Father’s house, in the heavenlies.
Finally the New Covenant, the covenant of intimacy also follows the same pattern. Jeremiah 31 outlines this covenant and it says that, “they will all know me”. That is, they will all know the Father. Hitherto impossible, Christ draws us inward and heavenward, for the kingdom of God is within us by the Holy Spirit. We enter in, and can dwell with the Father. At last it has been accomplished. There is a part of the statement of this covenant that is difficult to understand. What does, no one will teach another, actually mean? Does it mean that pastors should not teach? Should we close all the bible colleges and seminaries? Physically, we need those things to lay a foundation for a life of faith. We need direction and coaching as we face the perils of the wilderness that stands between us and the Promised Land. We need teaching to help us mature, so that we can obtain the full measure of faith required to enter in. Upon entering we begin a journey under the direction the Father. It is a spiritual journey, as individual as we are, so no one can lead us through that except God himself. The Father’s house draws us together as one body in Christ. It is the basis of the unity of the Church, but that togetherness is not to teach each other and lead each other. In the father’s house there is no one above or before another. We are all one in Christ. He alone leads and guides. Our realisation of the covenant of intimacy is in Christ, in the Father’s house, in the heavenlies.
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