Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Isaiah 26:2

Copyright Ó 2015 J. Neely
Isaiah 26:2

2 Open [pathach] ye the gates [sha`ar], that the righteous [tsaddiyq] nation [gowy] which keepeth [shamar] the truth ['emuwn] may enter in [bow'].   KJV-Interlinear

2 Open the gates, that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in.   ESV

This is prophetic, but not what you are thinking.

The statement here is for the gates, not of the city, but of heaven.  It is opening the gates for an entire nation to enter.

No nation can enter into a city, no city or nation on this earth has gates that allow entrance within.

Throughout the Old Testament, people who believed in the Savior, the Son of God, even though they did not have a formal name as we have today, were saved nonetheless.

But when they died, they did depart from this earth to be face to face with the Lord in heaven.

They went to a compartment in the underworld called Paradise.  This is one of the four compartments in the underworld.

And there they awaited the actual event of the cross in order to have their salvation finalized and the promise of salvation fulfilled.  Before the Cross, salvation was only a promise. And as far as Satan was concerned, salvation was only a possibility.  But of course from Gods point of view the promise was as good as the actual fulfilment of the promise.

But we know from the many studies of Satan, that he challenged everything and was contentions with everything that God put forward.

So, believers went to Paradise, which in itself was a perfect place, but not the permanent place as Heaven is permanent.

They were in effect, prisoners in Paradise.  Captives as a result of Satan’s complaint, but under the protection of God until the promise could be fulfilled.

And so, after the Cross occurred, then Christ went to Paradise and led the captives, out of Paradise and into heaven in a victory parade.

Paradise is now empty and no longer of any use.

Here is the announcement of that victory.  The gates of heaven are opened, and the entire nation of believers will enter into heaven.

During our dispensation, when we die, we go directly to heaven.  There would obviously be a steady stream of people entering into heaven over the course of these last 2000 plus years.  We do not all go there at the same time.

During the Tribulation, the Christians who will die during those seven years, will go directly to heaven.  During the Millennium, the believers who die will go directly to heaven.

Then, at the end of time, at the end of the Millennium, then all believers, after all of the resurrections have been completed, will enter into the new universe.  That will not be a gate opening entrance, but a universe combined with heaven creation that will occur all around us.

Faith is the basis for salvation, and membership in the family and nation of God.