THE KING OF GLORY
What we sang was confirmation of a very simple and unformed thought that I had. We sang:
‘See! open stands the heav’nly door,
Whence glory shines below’ (Hymn 244)
This scripture says, “Who is this King of glory? Jehovah strong and mighty, Jehovah mighty in battle”. And the second time, “Who is he, this King of glory? Jehovah of hosts, he is the King of glory.” I was thinking of what was brought before us at the weekend about how Christ must have the first place. Joseph was a type of Christ and also a type of the firstborn amongst many brethren. Christ must have the first place. He has the first place now in heaven. He has gone up there and, we may say, the gates have been lifted up and the everlasting doors, and the King of glory has gone in. And, we may say, the gates remain open, so that glory shines below, shines on us. As forerunner, Christ has entered in; what great blessing there is as we contemplate that. What joy there is in heaven. The gates are still lifted up, the joy continues, because Christ is there; He has His place there.
It says that “He shall receive blessing from Jehovah, and righteousness from the God of his salvation”. Jesus has entered into heaven itself (Heb.9:24) as a forerunner. He has entered in as One who has risen from the dead and One who is a Saviour. What glory He takes with Him into the heavenly realms. He is the firstborn of all creation. We have been reminded that that relates to His place; He was not created, but rather He is the Originator of what is created. Peter in his preaching speaks of Jesus as “the originator of life” Acts 3:15.
It says here, “Who shall ascend into the mount of Jehovah? and who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath blameless hands and a pure heart”. That is what God has chosen, and the Lord is the full example of that. He had “blameless hands and a pure heart”. But then it comes down to what we receive. We receive the blessing from Jehovah, “righteousness from the God of his salvation”. Then “This is the generation of them that seek unto him, that seek thy face”. I wondered if that might be an encouragement to us to have our eyes lifted up, to see the Lord there in heaven in all His glory, to have a sense of how He has been received up. He has been received up in glory (1 Tim.3:16). What a receiving there was for the Lord as He went into heaven – every being there would have been rejoicing. God Himself would have rejoiced at the great accomplishment of His ways and His purposes as the King of glory went in. He has gone in as a forerunner but He has gone in as Lord and Saviour. We sing,
‘What will it be with God to dwell,
And there to gaze on Jesus' face!
To meet the One we've known so well
As Priest and Saviour – in that place!’ (Hymn 299)
He has gone in not alone, for we have a link with Him. He has gone into glory and He awaits those that belong to Him, those that He has chosen. He awaits, you might say, the pleasure of their company in heaven, but we can enjoy that now. It is not exactly that He is without those whom He has chosen, for we have a link with Him.
May we be encouraged as we think of this King of glory. Who is it that has entered into heaven? It is the Lord Jesus Himself! He has taken His place there. He will come again and reign for a thousand years over this earth; He will have His place. What rejoicing there will be then; He will be publicly vindicated. But now He is sitting at the right hand of God, He has entered into heavenly places and heaven has accorded to Him all that is due to Him. “Lift up your heads, ye gates, and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall come in”. He has entered into heaven as the King of glory. I remember a brother referring to how one of the generals of the first world war, Allenby, did not ride into Jerusalem, he walked in, but Jesus rode into Jerusalem. Men did not give Him the place that was due to Him, they gave to Jesus the cross of shame. But in answer to that going down mind, “God highly exalted him”, Phil.2:9. He lives in glory now, as the great Object of our hearts’ affections; He has entered in
May we be encouraged as we think of Him, stimulated in responsive affection, so that He may have the first place in our hearts as well as in heaven.
Word in a meeting for ministry, Grimsby
14 July 2016
R.W. McClean