3 "Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place?" Ps 24:3.
      This verse is not addressing a guilty posture of one servilely entering and begging for forgiveness and mercy. To the contrary, the passage directs attention to the prophetic purpose of God and expresses a perfect freedom of access into the presence of the heavenly Father and a "oneness" of divine fellowship with the Father, as described in Jn 17:21-23. This oneness of fellowship far exceeds anything we can experience as mere human beings, and portrays the freedom of the fully grown, fully qualified, fully approved, and fully divine affinity of the divine essence experienced by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
      Sordid and degenerate sinners of all kinds entered there and commonly committed all kinds of idolatry and lewdness. Of course, only the properly ordained priests could enter the temple, and again only the high priest, and that only once each year, could enter into the most holy place where the ark of the covenant rested which represented the throne and presence of God.
      But then,the most holy place in the tabernacle and temple on earth represented the throne of God in heaven which no mortal can enter, Heb 9:23-26. "The Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing," Heb 9:8. So once each year the high priest representatively entered into the presence of God on behalf of the people. God through the Holy Spirit is present everywhere in the universe, and a sinner could and can believe and be saved anywhere on the earth. However, through Israel and the tabernacle or temple and the most holy place, God was accessible in a specially prepared covenant way, from which the peoples of the nations (during the Law Covenant) were excluded, except they come through Israel according to the Law Covenant requirements.
      The real "hill" (governmental capital) of the Lord was and is the throne of God in heaven, which the earthly Jerusalem, the tabernacle, the temple, and the most holy place were representations. And the entrance we have now under the New Covenant is also representative through the Holy Spirit and is metaphorical through the deified body of Christ, Eph 2:16-18; Heb 6:20; 10:19-20.

WHO SHALL ASCEND AND STAND IN GOD'S HOLY PRESENCE?

RIGHTEOUSNESS FROM GOD

     5 "He shall receive blessing from the LORD,and (even) righteousness from the God of his salvation," Ps 24:5.
      Let us trace this "blessing" of divine "righteous-ness" (Rom 4:5-16; Gal 3:6-14) using the generic terms of "glory," "life," and "righteousness." which are synonymous with covenant "salvation:"
      18 "But we all, with unveiled face, constantly beholding as in a mirror the GLORY of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from GLORY to GLORY, just as by the Spirit of the Lord," 2Co 3:18.
      We are able to "behold" that "glory" only in our minds as we study the Scriptures, but the immediate result is that the Scriptures are flowing through our minds transforming our minds and therefore transforming our conduct into a godly lifestyle. The further result is that God on a continuing basis is crediting us with greater glory to be received in the resurrection.
      Now we read out of 2Co 3 into 2Co 4 and we see this "glory" of Christ further emphasized:
      3 "But even if our Gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,
      4 "Whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the Gospel of the GLORY of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them," 2Co 4:3-4.
      The "Gospel" is primarily a "Gospel of the glory of Christ" – the Gospel of the deified human body of Christ that was born again in His resurrection, when Christ became "the firstborn from the dead," Col 1:18; Rev 1:5; Act 13:29-33; 1Co 15:44-50; Heb 1:5-6; 5:5; 2Co 5:1-5,16-17,21.
      We will now observe that the reference to "glory" is changed to "life." As we (by grace through faith) yield ourselves to God's covenant discipline, God counts us as "bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the LIFE of Christ also may be manifest in our body....So then death is working in us, but LIFE (divine life) in you," 2Co 4:7-12.
      The broader picture is that all faithful covenant people are bearing about in their bodies the death of Christ, with the result that God is increasingly crediting divine life to each of the faithful covenant people as they influence and edify each other. This "blessing" reaches out and embraces new people being added to the list of faithful covenant people.
      Now we will see the reference to "life" (divine life) changed back to "glory" as we read further in 2Co 4: "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is constantly working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory," 2Co 4:17. We cannot receive the crown of glory without receiving the crown of life, the crown of righteousness, plus all the other attributes of God; and one faithful life qualifies each faithful covenant person for all the crowns or attributes of the fullness of God, Eph 1:22-23; 3:19; Co 2:9-10.
     Once more we see this divine "glory" again called "life" as the Scriptures continue in 2Co 5, and this time the promise is that this mortal body (our earthly house) will be swallowed up of "life" (divine life), 2Co 5:1-4. Being brought into the body of Christ by God's appointed ordinance of John's baptism (Rom 6:3-6; 1Co 12:13; Gal 3:27), we are counted as having been crucified, having died, been buried, and raised together in the body of Christ into the new resurrection birth of the human body.
      The Holy Spirit in His special ministry was given to the church as an "earnest" (a special helper and guarantee) that each of the faithful covenant people will receive that divine house, which is the deified body. Observe the following major factors provided by this special ministry of the Holy Spirit:
      1. This is a covenant ministry of the Holy Spirit given to the covenant people – the Holy Spirit is a covenant promise given to the covenant people to qualify them through covenant training for the firstborn sonship of Christ, and guarantee that sonship to those who overcome in the covenant training, Jer 31:31-34; Joel 2:27-32; Jn 14:16-17,26;
16:7-15; Act 2:1-21,33; Heb 8:7-13; 10:15-21,25.
      2. The Holy Spirit is the divine Administrator of the complete scope of the New Covenant ministry on earth, Jn 14:26; 2Co 3:1-18.
      3. The Holy Spirit was given on the contingency of the human body of Jehovah Elohim being glorified – being born again into a divine body in His resurrection (Jn 7:39; Gal 4:4-7; Rom 8:23-30), and thereby providing the same divine birth for all the covenant people who become overcomers in the covenant training, 1Co 15:1-3,29-58.
      4. The Holy Spirit was and is given as an earnest or guarantee that the faithful covenant people will receive the same new birth in their resurrection as Christ did in His resurrection, 2Co 5:1-5; Eph 1:13-14,17-23; Col 1:18; Rev 1:5; Act 13:29-33; Heb 1:5-6; 5:5; 1Co 15:44-50.
      5. The Holy Spirit Himself is God's "seal" (guarantee) that the faithful covenant people will receive the divine birth in the resurrection. The Spirit is the seal (the guarantee) of divine life, divine glory, divine righteousness, etc., of the fullness of deity, 2Co 1:21-22; 3:1-18; 5:1–5,16-21; Eph 1:22-23; 3:19; 5:30; Col 1:19; 2:9-10; Jn 10:30-36; 14:8-11; 17:21-23; 2Pe 1:4 (3-10).
      6. The gift (the seal) of the Holy Spirit to the church (the covenant people) is expressly contingent upon the faith obedience of the covenant people – faith obedience means by grace through faith obedience, 1Co 15:10; Phi 2:12-13; Mt 10:19-20; Heb 4:16; 12:28; 1Pe 4:10; et al. All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags (Isa 64:6), therefore all our true righteousness must be the working of God's grace (God's Spirit) in us, which produces by grace through faith obedience, and which results in the progressive crediting of God's righteousness to us now, and the new birth into God's divine righteousness in the resurrection, Phi 3:9; 2Co 5:21.
      But we can lose the New Covenant ministry of the Holy Spirit 1) by becoming lukewarm concerning the doctrine of Christ (Rev 2:4-5; Heb 3:6), 2) by leaving the doctrine of Christ and fellowshipping with Protestants and others who do not have the doctrine of Christ (2Jn 8-11; 1Jn 2:23-25; 5:6-16; Gal 4:19 thru 5:5), 3) by not sufficiently bearing the proper fruit, Jn 15:1-6; 2Pe 1:1-10, or 4) by turning away from righteous living in any other way, Eze 3:20-21;18:24; 33:12-13.
      Back to 2Co 5, we find the word "life" (2Co 5:4) is further changed to "righteousness" as follows: 21 "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him," 2Co 5:21; Phi 3:9; 1Pe 2:24.
      Christ was literally made to be sin by bearing our sins in His own body on the cross. He thereby became our old man and endured God's wrath against our sins in order to destroy our old man, Rom 6:6. This prepared the way for the covenant people through the ages to qualify for and overcome the required and severe covenant discipline in order to be made God's divine righteousness. A broader expression for divine "life," divine "glory," divine "righteousness," etc., is "all the fullness of God" (Eph 1:22-23; 3:19; Col 1:19; 2:9-10; Jn 10:30-36; 14:8-11; 17:21-23), which includes all the attributes of the divine nature.
      We look at another passage which associates "justification" with "life;" where "justification" (as is usually true in the Bible) signifies "divine righteousness," and where "life" signifies "divine life:"
      18 "Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.....
      21 "So that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness into eternal (aivw,nion) life through Jesus Christ our Lord," Rom 5:18,21.
      "Justification" (which brings God's "righteousness") is associated with "life:" and grace must "reign" through righteousness (through righ-teous living) into divine "life." Justification or righteousness must reign throughout our daily life. Here the Holy Spirit says "grace" is to "reign through righteousness into life." This simply means, in harmony with all the Scriptures, that grace must reign throughout our lives in righteous living in order to obtain that divine life when Christ returns. The faithful covenant people who turn away from righteous living will lose God's righteousness, God's life, God's glory, etc., which are all attributes of God's divine "fullness," Eph 1:22-23; 3:19; Col 1:19; 2:9-10; et al.

      5 "He shall receive blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
      6 "This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, Who seek Your face," Ps 24:5-6.
      The application of Ps 24:3-6 must be made to the covenant people – "This is Jacob," verse 6. God has given His covenants to Israel, and to no other (Deu 4:7-9; 29:29; Ps 25:14; 103:7; 147:19-20; Rom 3:1-2; 2Ti 3:15-17); the church was and is grafted into Israel's cove-nant position, and therefore is prophetically one in covenant with Israel, Rom 11:11-32; 2Co 6:16; Eph 2:11-22; 3:6; 1Pe 2:5,9.
      The "blessing" of Abraham and of David is "justification," which credits God's "righteousness" to the faithful covenant people by grace through faith, Rom 4:6-25; Gal 3:6-9,14. Abraham and his descendants are the covenant people, specifically the "faith" descendants of Abraham. Currently, the church has been grafted into Israel's covenant position, therefore those in the church are in position to qualify for the divine firstborn sonship birth when Christ returns.
      The "righteousness from God" (verse 5) is God's righteousness, which means it is an attribute of God's divine nature. Therefore this psalm (Ps 24) deals with the new birth, as we have been demonstrating through justification. This divine resurrection birth qualifies the faithful covenant people to ascend into the "hill" of God and stand in God's presence in full "oneness" of the divine nature and the freedom of the divine fellowship.

      7 "Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in," Ps 24:7.
      The Septuagint reads:
      7 "Lift up your gates, you princes, and be you lifted up, you everlasting doors; and the king of glory shall come in."
      It appears that the Holy Spirit through the psalmist has given a prophetic command to those in charge of the everlasting gates (or doors) to open the gates for the entrance of the King of glory. The preceding context is addressed to the covenant people, who must have "clean hands and a pure heart" in order to ascend into and stand in the holy place of the Lord. "The King of glory," once he became a human, also had to "learn obedience through the things that He suffered" (Heb 5:8-9) in order to ascend into the holy presence of the Father, Heb 9:12-28.

      8 "Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, The LORD mighty in battle," Ps 24:8.
      Jehovah Elohim in the flesh "was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin," Heb 4:15. He was tempted by Satan and men in every way as we are, yet "for the joy that was set before Him" and before us (Heb 12:1-2), He was strong and mighty in battle against sin throughout His earthly life.
      Not only was Jehovah Elohim strong and mighty in battle against sin every day of His human life, but He was perhaps more so in His death. He bore our sins in His own body on the cross (1Pw 2:24), which means He bore all the sins of all mankind, from the smallest sin to the worst sin, from the least sinner to the greatest sinner. He bore them all. It appeared that all His bones were out of joint as He hang for hours on the cross – His heart was like wax, it was melted within Him, Ps 22. Perhaps His greatest pain was expressed in the words "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" Jehovah Elohim in a human body, as our substitute, was suffering in that human body the wrath of the Father against the sins of the whole human race, Ps 22:1.
      14 "Having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
      15 "Having disarmed princi-palities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it." Col 2:14-15.
      The Law Covenant set forth God's perfect righteousness, and because of our sins and our sinful condition, the Law condemned us in every jot and tittle of every day of our lives. As our days stack up, our sins of every kind multiply, and as generations of mankind come and go, their sins reach countless myriads of myriads. Jehovah Elohim bore the sins of all.
      Righteous men as Enoch, Noah, Job, Moses, Daniel, and John the Baptist are commended by the Scriptures, but they were all sinners and condemned. Enoch and Elijah were taken that they would not see death, but they were also sinners. None of these could descend into the realms of the dead who are still living, and lead captivity captive, Eph 4:8-10. None of them wrested the keys of death and of hell from doom's power, and can sing: "O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?" 1Co 15:55; Rev 1:18. But Jehovah Elohim did and can and will do so.
      18 "I am He who is living, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death," Rev 1:18.
      Jehovah Elohim, as Jesus, was mighty in battle, is still mighty in battle, and always will be mighty to save and to punish.

     9 "Lift up your gates, You princes; and be you lifted up, you everlasting doors; and the king of glory shall come in," Ps 24:9.
      The primary application of this passage may not be to the ascension of Christ into paradise or into the Father's presence after the resurrection birth of His human body; however, that grand occasion must have been glorious beyond human comprehension. The writer of the Hebrew letter addresses that event as one of monumental importance (Heb 9:11-26), and this day of atonement was treated in the same way with great solemnity under the Law Covenant, Lev 16.
      Incidentally, the atonement included: 1) a sinless sacrifice – a life must be lived completely separate from sin. Christ lived that life, and so must we as nearly as possible within the covenants and within the body of Christ 1Pe 1:18-20; Rom 12:1-2. If we do not live that kind of life, we forfeit the atonement (Heb 2:11; 10:10-31); 2) the physical body must be sacrificed (which includes death) – Christ's human body was sacrificed, and our bodies must be sacrificed on a constant daily basis (Rom 12:1-2), by the renewing of our minds and bearing about in our bodies the death of Christ (2Co 3:17-18; 4:7-12,17 thru 5:21); 3) the sacrifice must pass through the fire of God's judgment against sin – the atonement sacrifice was consumed on the altar (Ps 22; 1Pe 2:22-24), and so we must deny ourselves, take up the cross (Lk 9:23-26), and bear about in our bodies the dying of Jehovah Elohim in a human body (2Co 4:7-12; Heb 5:8-9; 12:1-11);and 4) there must be the finished product of new birth of the human body from the dead, Col 1:18; Rev 1:5; Act 13:29-33; Heb 1:5-6; 5:5; 1Co 15:1-8,28-58. In this atoned deified state, the saints will be presented before the Father, Col 1:5,21-23,27; 1Th 3:13; 5:23; Rev 7:7-17; 14:1-5; 15:1-4. This will be presented in detail in a later article when we come to the day of atonement.
      The apostle Peter wrote of "the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.....which things the angels desire to be looking into," 1Pe 1:11-12.
      Jehovah Elohim was and is God over the angels, but became a human lower than the angels for the purpose of not only redeeming many of mankind from sin and its eternal punishment, but also to create out of mankind a faithful covenant people whom He has predestined to share His divine nature as gods above the righteous angels. These angels have already made their fixed choice to obey and serve God in the blissful state in which they are sufficiently knowledgeable, are thoroughly delighted, and are now eagerly ministering to the covenant heirs of this divine new birth salvation Christ has created, Heb 12:1-2; 1:14; Lk 15:10-32. The joy of the Lord is our joy and that joy is somewhat shared by the angels.
      God said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased," Mt 3:17; 17:5. The Father was well pleased when Jehovah Elohim was born into a human body, and sent the angels in blissful joy to announce His birth, Lk 2:10-15. The Father was well pleased with the life and personal ministry of Christ and personally said so at His baptism (Mt 3:13-17), and again when Christ with Mosesand Elijah were transfigured on the mountain, Mt 17:1-5. We can be assured that the Father was also well pleased when Christ ascended out of Sheol leading captivity captive (Eph 4:8-10), and moved paradise into the third heaven, (2Co 12:1-4), where the Father said, "Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool," Ps 110:1.
      This passage in Ps 24:7-10 appears to be very appropriate for the ascension of Christ immediately after His resurrection, Jn 20:17. Whether this Psalm (Ps 24:7-10) applies to that occasion when Christ ascended back to heaven temporarily, evidently taking paradise with him at that time, we may not be able to assuredly say. However, to say the least, that must have been an expressibly grand and glorious event, with myriads of angels in accompaniment and myriads of other angels in the peak of holy excitement, ready to burst into shouts of joy and songs of praise and welcome to Jehovah in a deified human body, as He brought a very great host of the spirits of the faithful covenant people into their heavenly resting place until the time of the resurrection and new birth of their bodies, Ps 68:17-18.

      9 "Lift up your heads, O you gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in," Ps 24:9.
      Jewish tradition says this psalm was written by David and was sung when he brought the ark to Jerusalem, 1Ch 15. The prophetic application of the psalm may perhaps also be made to Jehovah in a divine human body as He enters Jerusalem when He returns to earth. Christ will stand on the Mount of Olives and divide the mountain east and west, moving one part to the north and the other part to the south, and thereby creating a large valley and plain, perhaps 40 miles or so north and south and as much as 70 miles east and west, Zec 14:1-5.
      Isaiah says the Lord will create a new Jerusalem or greatly modify the one that is there, Isa 65:17-25. Atmospheric as well as geologic changes will be made (Isa 11:6-9; 65:25; Rom 8:19-22): at least in Jerusalem day and night will be as one continuing day (Zec 14:6), a river of water of life will flow out from the temple and down from Jerusalem will divide and go east to the Dead Sea and west to the Mediterranean Sea (Zec 14:8; Eze 47:1-11), and trees nourished by the waters will constantly bear fruit every month with leaves possessing special healing properties, Eze 47:12.
      18 "But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing, and her people a joy.
      19 "I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in My people; the voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her, nor the voice of crying," Isa 65:18-19.
      This is an earthly Jerusalem (the Millennial Jerusalem) that Christ will create when He returns. Observe some major end-time events: 1) The heavens, at this point, have been rolled back and God's throne with the heavenly court set up in mid-heaven (Dan 7:9-10; Rev 6:12-17); 2) Christ has been royally ushered in before the Father and crowned as Lord of Lords and King of kings and given the throne of David in the sight of all creation, (Dan 7:13-14); 3) God has publicly chided the nations from the open heavens for their refusal to believe His many witnesses who have testified of His love and many offers of salvation (Ps 2:1-6; Pro 1:24-27; Rev 6:12-17); 4) Christ has come for His saints of all ages, rewa rded them in mid-heaven, and presented them before the Father in holiness without spot or wrinkle (1Th 2:19-20; 3:13; 5:23; Rev 7:9-17; 14:1-5; 15:1-4); 5) He is here accompanied by this vast host of glorified saints and their ministering angels (Zec 14:1-5); 6) He has just prepared His beloved earthly Jerusalem for His Millennial reign of divine rest and glory (Isa 60; 61; 62), though the wrath of God on the nations is yet to come (Rev 15 & 16); and 7) the call is now being made to open the gates and the king of glory will come in, Ps 24:7-10.

      10 "Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory," Ps 24:10.
      The words "King of glory" are used five times in the last four verses of this psalm. Why emphasize that He is the King of "glory?" The King of glory is, of course, the Messiah! Jesus asked the Pharisees,
      42 "Saying, ‘What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?' They said to Him, ‘The Son of David.'
      43 "He said to them, ‘How then does David in the Spirit call Him 'Lord,' saying:
      44 "The LORD said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool?'
      45 "If David then calls Him 'Lord,' how is He his Son?" Mt 22:42-45.
      The Pharisees understood that the Messiah would be David's son who would sit on David's throne and rule the world, but they could not connect this fact with Isa 7:14 and 9:6-7 which clearly reveal that the Messiah would be God – Jehovah Elohim born into the human family in the line of David's descendants, and therefore would be the Son of David. The Pharisees could not understand that the Messiah would be God in the flesh, must live a perfect human life (without spot and without blame), suffer God's wrath against our sins, die, descend into sheol, ascend out of sheol, and be born into a divine (glorified) body in His resurrection.
      "King of glory," and the repeated emphasis on that expression in Ps 24:7-10, signifies that the divine nature is resident in the human body of Emanuel – Jehovah Elohim. Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea, and many others like them should have many, many times traced Jehovah Elohim from His prophetic virgin birth through His earthly life, through His earthly ministry, His death, His burial, His divine resurrection birth, His ascension back to heaven, and His return to earth in divine glory with all His saints conformed to the likeness of His body of divine glory, Ps 16:9-11; 17:15; Isa 46:13; 48:11-12; 54:17; 58:7-8; Jer 23:5-7; 33:15-16; Dan 12:2-3; Mal 4:2; Rom 9:4.
      This should have been done so often that each step (beyond what is stated above) would not only be written down in perfect order, but the entire analogy would reside fully understood with preeminence and earnest expectation in the minds of every faithful covenant person. This is the way it was with Jesus. Jesus lived a human life, supremely dedicated to God's Word, and therefore learned these things from the Scriptures just as everyone else could have done:
      25 "Then He said to them, ‘O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!
26 "'Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?" Lk 24:25-26.
      The context of Luke 24 reveals that Christ possessed the divine, new born, spirit body of 1Co 15:44-50. He had performed many miracles: feeding the many thousands on a few fishes and loaves, walking on the water, causing the boat and the disciples to instantly cross the Sea of Galilee, etc., Jn 6:1-21; Lk 7:20-22. But those were miracles, while here in Lk 24, He has "entered into His glory" by becoming the Firstborn from the dead – the first human body divinely born of God, which provides the earnest of the Holy Spirit (Jn 7:39; Gal 4:4-6; Rom 8:23; 2Co 5:1-5,16-21; et al), which "earnest" guarantees the divine birth of the bodies of all the faithful covenant people into a glorified, spirit, heavenly body, 1Co 15:1-5,29-58.
      46 "Then He said to them, ‘Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day,'" Lk 24:46.
      In His resurrection, Christ's human body was "glorified" ("His body of glory," Phi 3:21), therefore His body was deified when He was raised out of the grave to become "the Firstborn (first one raised into a divine human body) from the dead," Ps 89:27; Col 1:18; Rev 1:5; Act 13:29-33; Heb 1:5-6; 5:5; 1Co 15:44-50. It was on that day Jesus said, "I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You,'" Ps 2:7.
      It will be in this born again glorified body that the "King of glory" will return with all the saints in born again, spirit bodies of divine glory.