The Eighth Day Man - Part 8

by Dora Van Assen

8.  ADAM IN GODLY-FORM

"I have glorifed thee on the earth; I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.  And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the word was. "  John 17:4-5.  "And now, Father, do thou glorify me in thine own presence, with the glory that I had in thy presence before the world existed."  Weymouth.  John 17.  "In the beginning was the word, and the word was toward God, and God was the word."  John 1:1 CCV. 

These are the words of Jesus as he was on his way to the cross.  The hour of his glorification had come.  "Father, the hour is come: glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee."  John 17:1.  "The Son always glorifies the Father.  He, being the only begotten God, (Son) who is in the bosom of the Father, he unfolds him."  John 1:18 CCV.  Jesus came to reveal the Father.  In the very beginning as the THE WORD, he was "toward" or  pointing to the Father's honor and glory.  "And no one fully knows the Son except the Father, nor does any one fully know the Father except the Son and all to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.  Matt. 11:27.

We have already studied how that Christ Jesus, being in the form of God, stripped himself of this glory, taking on flesh and blood as a human being.  He did this in order to die for the sins of the whole world.  But now that he had finished the work God had given him to do, he was affirming his faith and trust in God to raise him out of this death realm, and restore him back into his original glory which he had with the Father before the world existed.  Though he has entered into Fatherhood, he does not absorb or displace God.  Rather, by overcoming, he is given the glorious privilege to sit on his Father's throne; even as he gives us the honor to sit on his throne when we have fully overcome all enemies.  Rev. 3:21.  We sit with him even as he sits with the Father.

He has ascended into the very realm of the Father; Emmanuel, God with man.  He is the "image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature."  Col. 1:15.  Being the Firstborn intimates that we also (as his many-membered body who follow their Head) shall be made in the very image and likeness of God.  We, even as he did, will take our changed, immortalized and glorified humanity into the Godhead, for he is called; THE MAN CHRIST JESUS!

Isaiah (before the natural birth of Jesus) calls his name "Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Agelasting Father, The Prince of Peace."  Isa. 9:6.  This is more accurately rendered in the New English Bible:  "In purpose wonderful, in battle God-like, Father for all time, Prince of Peace."

Paul acclaims unto him, "Now unto the King eonian, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory for the eons of the eons."  1 Tim. 1:17.  He is the only wise God, of these ages.  As the true and faithful witness he was given this honor.  He rules until all kingdoms yield unto his glorious sway.  "For the Kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ."  Rev. 11:15.  He has put on immortality and life, attaining unto a glorifed body, dwelling in a light that no man has seen nor can see; the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords.  1 Tim. 6:15-16.  He is the "firstborn among many brethren."  Rom. 8:29-30.  The Head of a totally NEW CREATION.  And Praise God, we are also called and chosen unto this order and realm.  Even as he broke out of this earthly sphere back into the realm of the Father, so we too are (by his life working in us)  breaking out of these limitations into the wide expanse of God.

God will not subject the coming age unto spacemen or created Angelic beings, but he will put it under the feet and control of man; who was once mortal, but has put on immortality and life that can never be touched by death; through partaking of the life of Christ, their glorious Head!  His glory is ever increasing as he comes to be glorified in his saints.  2 Thess. 1:10.  Only Sonship brings us into Fatherhood.  No one who disowns the Son has the Father.  He who acknowledges the Son has also the Father."  1 John 2:23.  Wey.  Thus the only life we have is in the Son.  Because he lives we too shall live.  1 John 5:11.

We have a wonderful assurance of this coming change, because this flesh body was once only common dust, but even in this soulish-soilish realm it has become a beautiful earthly body; which David proclaims, "fearfully and wonderfully made."  Psa. 139:14.  No natural man has ever been able to improve on it as they often do on other inventions.  Thus if God can make us out of dust, he can again take this dust and remold it into an even higher and more glorious body.  This earthly and natural body is swallowed up in the heavenly and spiritual body.  This is God's intention for all creation as it passes through these extensive periods of development.

God grant that what he has inspired us to write will be a help and inspiration to all who read, to press on into him, attaining unto the high calling in Christ Jesus.