Page 48 - Gods Plan of the Ages

house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, inasmuch as we,
having put it on, will not be found naked. For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan,
being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what
is mortal will be swallowed up by life.

It is glorified bodies that Christ was referring to when He told His disciples that He
was going ahead of them to prepare a place for them. One thing stands in the way of our
receiving these new and glorious habitations, even as the Jordan River stood in the way of
Israel. We cannot receive our new bodies until after we have put off the old. Death is the
obstacle in our way.
As the Israelites passed through the waters of the Jordan, surrounded on either side,
they were symbolically passing through death in order to attain to their inheritance that
Joshua (a figure of Yahshua the Messiah) was to give to them. There are many evidences
provided in the details of this account that demonstrate that it was intended to serve as a
parable of those things the saints must experience to enter into their inheritance in Christ.
The Israelites had been camped before the Jordan River in their tents for three days
(three is related to resurrection).

Joshua 3:1-3
Then Joshua rose early in the morning; and he and all the sons of Israel set out from
Shittim and came to the Jordan, and they lodged there before they crossed. At the end of
three days the officers went through the midst of the camp; and they commanded the
people, saying, "When you see the Ark of the Covenant of Yahweh your God with the
Levitical priests carrying it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it."

Joshua led the Israelites to the Jordan, and Christ leads us to the disciple's cross. For
three days the Israelites camped there, then Joshua told them to prepare themselves "for
tomorrow Yahweh will do wonders among you." Can you think of anything more wondrous
than to pass through death into life, and to receive the glorious inheritance prepared for the
saints?
In the passage above we read of Joshua instructing the Israelites to focus on the Ark
of the Covenant. In a previous chapter I mentioned that the Ark is a symbol of mankind. To
be more specific, the Ark is a symbol of perfected man. The Ark was made of wood, but it
was completely overlaid with gold, both within and without. This speaks of purity. The Ark
contained the tablets of the Law, and this symbolized having the Law (rule) of God engraved
upon the heart of man. Christ was the first man to fulfill the types and shadows of the Ark.
He was both the Son of Man and the Son of God. He was entirely holy. He ever lived to do
the Father's will.
As the Israelites prepared to cross the Jordan they were told to observe the Ark. It
would be carried on the shoulders of the priests into the waters of the Jordan before them.
In the same way, Christ is our forerunner. He has tasted of death for each one of us, and He
is the first to enter into His inheritance. When we see Christ crucified, then we know that
the time is near at hand for each of us to depart from our dwelling places and to follow after
Him. We too must experience the death of the cross, or we cannot enter into our
inheritance.

Romans 8:16-17
The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children,
heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that