Glorious Mystery - Chapter 20 (its been fun friends!)

Here we are dealing with the exercise of Christ's work on behalf of the church as he stands in heaven. Here are some truths which depend on Christ's priestly office:

1. Christ has entered heaven as our High Priest and has a vast number praising him, the church on earth "may also be herein comprised; but it is by virtue of communion with that above." (p. 253).

2. He has entered to not only be glorified but to work as if he is in a temple. Here was can consider: a) what the work is - Christ represents the church before God and sees all their affairs through. So that i) the atonement made for sin at the cross might be effective as he continually shows it the the Father. ii) to plead for the church against all the accusations of Satan. iii) to intercede for them so that they might receive all grace and covenant blesings. b) How this work is performed - i) Christ is adored in heaven and praised, the church on earth is united with the goings on in heaven and may sing praises to Christ and desire to live there. ii) Jesus is administering this worship and the glory of God is the end of it. We may here say some things about this worship - i) in heaven there is nothing carnal in the worship - no vain imaginings of men. ii) it is not a silent, mental worship but a vocal active worship. The glory of this worship consists in i) the order of things in heaven, all is orderly, after all heaven is a temple is which God dwells, where God sits on a throne. Christ stand before the throne, in his human nature, mediating for the people. Angels are around the throne continually. And so are the spirits of the just men made perfect. ii) The saints in heaven see God's glory in Christ fully anf so worship him rightly, we do not, we are "in the dust, the blood, the noise of the battle" (p. 257) and so miss the mark when it comes to the worship of Jesus. iii) It is an eternal, continual worship of God - how little we grasp it here below!

3. Jesus makes acceptable the worship of the church on earth. There are three things which may hinder our worhip - our sin, our weakness, and our unworthiness. But there are three things which counter these deficiencies: i) Christ's oblation of himself, ii) Christ's effective intercession, iii) Christ'd dignity.

4 and 5 have been lost in time - i was off line for a week and that is why this last one took so long...

6. Everything the Father requires of the Son he has given him strength to accomplish.

We will make two more investigations:

Everything Christ is doing for the church and against her enemies is done with divine power.

Christ’s obedience and atonement have meant God will bless the church and destroy its enemies with “a continuance of the administration of the offices of Christ is heaven” (p. 261).

These 2 things being true we will now inquire into them: 1. God has done it for the revealing of his glory. God has chosen to change the way by which he is glorified from the tabernacle to the Lord Jesus Christ. So a) the saints in the Old Testament did not have as full a picture of God’s glory as was given when Christ came. b) those who died after Christ lived on earth in a state more suited to heaven than those who died in the Old Testament. c) but in heaven all share the same vision of the glory of God.

2. it is done for Christ’s glory – he was not only glorified on earth in his suffering but also to be glorified in heaven after his sufferings.

3. God has a certain lot towards those who died in the faith: i) A) he has made it far better to serve him in heaven than to serve him on earth. B) It is far greater enjoyment of Christ in heaven than on earth – we may not know what it will be like with no bible, or sacraments, but “all the virtue of the streams is in the fountain” (p. 268). ii) There is a union between the church above and the one below – but it does not follow that we should pray to the church above – it does follow though that Christ is the centre of both as this is how they are united. iii) As we are prepared on earth for the Last Day, so the church in heaven are being prepared for the same.


Here are two ways these things affect the faith of the church on earth: i) faith is encouraged as it beholds Christ’s “exercise of his love, care, and compassion” (p. 270) in his office as mediator. ii) so that we might know and worship God, we are wholly dependant on God.

At the end all will be given to the Father, but there are somethings in heaven now which shall be the same even in that time. 1. Christ Jesus, in his human nature shall always be head of the creation. 2. He shall always be the way by which the saints worship God. 3. Christ will always be praised.