There is a theological principle called “The Principle of First Mention.” This establishes that when something is first mentioned in Scripture, it is with a revelation of its main purpose. For example, pray and prophet are both first mentioned in the same verse, Genesis 20:7. This implies that prophets will also be devoted to prayer.
The first mention in Scripture that God has a house is in Genesis 28:17. Here Jacob has a dream of ladders that reach into heaven, and the messengers of God are ascending and descending upon the ladders. This implies that a basic purpose of God’s house is to be a place of access to heaven. Also, that God’s messengers will be ascending into the heavenly realm and then descending to bring back to the earthly realm evidence of heaven’s reality, and how heaven can impact conditions on the earth.
Is this not what Jesus did in His ministry? He was The Messenger who went about preaching the kingdom of heaven, while demonstrating its authority over any condition on earth, especially the works of the devil such as disease, afflictions, and bondage. The message of His messengers is the kingdom of heaven, and Jesus is the King! He has given His messengers the power to demonstrate His authority, which is acquired by ascending into the heavenly realm to sit with Him on His throne (see Ephesians 2:6).
As we see in Jesus’ discourse with Nathanael (see John 1:45-51), He says to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” This is a reference to a dream that Jacob had, and Jesus is stating here that He is “Jacob’s ladder.” It is by a progressive revelation of who Jesus is that we ascend into the heavenly realm, and there we receive from Him what we are called to bring to earth in His name.
Jesus did not come to show us how God lived, or what God could do, but the way that we are supposed to live, and what we can do if we abide in Him. He called His disciples to walk just as He did, to become like Him, and to do the works that He did. In Ephesians 4:15 we are told, “we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ.”
When Jesus was baptized by John it says the heavens opened and the Father spoke of His pleasure with Him. The heavens were perpetually open for Jesus and He had continual access to The Father. He was able to see The Father at any time because He said He only did what He saw The Father doing. His directives in Scripture to seek His face is so that we see Him and do the same. By this we learn to do what we see Him doing. If we are a part of His present temple, His house as we are called to be, we have access to heaven.
Abiding in Christ is the essence of Christian maturity. Jesus is The Way, The Truth, and The Life. The Way is not a formula, but a Person. Walking in The Truth is not just getting our doctrines properly established in the Scriptures (though we do want to do that), but walking in Truth is abiding in a Person, Christ who is The Truth. We can only superficially know Him as The Way and Truth if He is not also our Life.
As Jesus is “Jacob’s ladder” by which we ascend into the heavenly realm, the rungs in this ladder are the progressive revelation of who Jesus is, which results in our increasing faith in Him. The knowledge of Him is so inexhaustible that we will be learning more of Him for eternity. As it is written in Isaiah 9:7, “There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace…” It will not only never end, it will never stop increasing. This is why He made even the physical universe to be continually expanding. We are told in Scripture that all things were made through Him and for Him, and in Him all things hold together. We are also told that all things will be summed up in Him. We can never exhaust the revelation of Jesus. He is The Alpha and Omega, The Beginning and The End, which is everything.
Once I was sitting on my porch praying for more revelation of Jesus when a sparrow landed so close to me that I could almost touch it. It looked at me and I felt the presence of God come over me. Then came a download of revelation of Jesus as The Creator. It only lasted about a minute, but what I had been shown in that brief moment was much more than I would have time to fully grasp in this life. I had a profound sense that this revelation would continue forever.
So, what was the purpose of this revelation if it is more than I can use in this life? Everything in this life is preparing us for the next. However, there was great benefit for me immediately in this life. My comprehension of Jesus as The Creator was so expanded that I now see Him in everything more than I had before. I can now look at weeds and see His glory. I understand what He meant when He said that Solomon in all of his glory was not arrayed like one of these. I can’t go outside without feeling His presence, His fellowship, and this is increasing.
He really did come because He loves the world, not just man. He may love us more than the beasts, but He loves them too. I also feel more of the pain that creation is suffering because of the sin of man, and how the creation is “anxiously waiting for the revelation of the sons of God” (see Romans 8:19).
In this the creation is waiting for mankind to turn back to God and walk in harmony with Him so that it can bring harmony back to the creation that man was called to rule over.
Compared to the way the whole creation is suffering because of the fall of man, it tends to make all of our national trauma seem much smaller. This is not to say it is not important, but the bigger we see our God the smaller all problems become. Only when we see Him as much bigger than the problems will we be better able to see solutions to them. Jesus does not just have the answer to every problem—He is the Answer!
© 2021 Rick Joyner. All Right Reserved.
