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NCIA

Incarnation/Glorification

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UNIT 1

1.1 Objectives

On completion of this section it is expected that you will be able to:-

  • Identify questions, concerns, issues, in regard to the course content and its requirements
  • Develop a strategy to manage concerns or potential issues in consultation with your Tutor
  • Write personal objectives related to the course theme that relate to your vision for ministry.
  • Discuss with the Tutor your thinking behind creating the objective(s) you have created in relation to your vision for ministry.
  • Be aware of your inner state(s) as you engage with content.
  • The student will create two personal objectives that relate to the theme of the Lord’s Incarnation/Glorification
  • and how you would like to see this expressed through your life in supporting or serving the spiritual needs of others.
  • Think about what you would like to see as real outcomes arising from exploring this topic by tying these in with your developing sense of personal ministry.

1.2 Introduction

There are many things about life we don’t readily appreciate or understand, amongst the most important being our connectedness with the Lord, individually and also collectively as a race. It may sound melodramatic but what is held up to us is that in the absence of a healthy and meaningful connection with the Lord, again either individually or collectively, we could not and would not survive.

The connection is via the Word, which is the Lord Himself. (Always remember this!) The Lord is present with us, alongside of us, within us and amongst us, as the Word. It’s always been so. But there have been times when the Word has been trashed and trivialized and the connection has been at crisis point, near enough to being lost. (Just recall for a moment what the Lord while on earth said about what had happened to the Word. That it had been made of no effect through the traditions which had come to be preferred and had effectively smothered it meaning and relevance. See Mark 7: 13)

The Word, and the Word alone, is the Source of all spiritual thinking, hopes and aspirations. It is the one thing that can lift us out of the morass of our natural impulses and inclinations. It holds up truth and values to us that we cannot discover for ourselves. In its absence we cannot rise above ourselves or be saved from ourselves. And when its meaning, value and relevance has become lost to us then the Lord has acted to renew it.

And so we come to Incarnation and Glorification. Incarnation is about God breaking through into this world and physical level of existence some 2000 years ago to renew the meaning, value and relevance of the Word. Glorification is about the Lord meeting and overcoming all the resistance that stood in the way of Him doing this.

One of the most famous Gospel texts about the Incarnation is John 3:16, viz., “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Whatever you do, don’t read this as referring to two distinct and separate Divine Beings! There is only one God whose Essence is Love and Who reached out through and by means of Divine Truth to meaningfully reconnect with us and to reopen the possibilities of salvation.

There is this, too: what was true of the past, historically, is true of the present and in a most significantly personal sense. The Lord will not allow a breakdown of His connectedness with us. There will be times when the Word becomes meaningless and marginalized with us and when it does the Lord incarnates to restore its centrality and focus for us. The Word becomes flesh in us: the Lord is glorified…again and again…and again.

Course Structure

The objectives around which the course is structured are specifically designed to encourage you to do this. You will be working to achieve 3 kinds of objectives in each Unit these are…

  1. Conceptual Objectives
  2. Application Objects
  3. Devotional Objectives

In addition to these you will be required to create a Personal Ministry Objective to be achieved by the end of the course.

A basic framework is provided for the course with will assist you to structure your work. For this course it consists of the following 7 Broad Concept Headings …

  1. The presence of the Lord in the Word
  2. When that presence is obscured and nullified
  3. The Lord’s work of repair and restoration
  4. The Lord’s advent into human awareness and consciousness via birth of Mary
  5. Being absolutely clear as to who it was who came
  6. The parallel and central features of His work in the world: Glorification and Redemption.
  7. The goal of Incarnation and Glorification = Salvation

The course consists of 7 Units making up a total of 80hrs of work. This includes administrative elements, tutorials, contact time, assignments, journal work, and basic course work requirements. The outline of the Units of work are as follows…

  1. Introduction/Course Preview 4hrs
  2. Pre-Course Assessment 6hrs
  3. Working with the Bible I 10hrs
  4. Working with the Heavenly Doctrines 25hrs
  5. Working with the Bible II 18hrs
  6. Major Assignment 15hrs
  7. Post Course Assessment 2hrs Total 80hrs

Course Work Expectations

Throughout the course you will work closely with your assigned Tutor. Your Tutor will work closely with you on course requirements, maintaining and managing course work and assignment deadlines, providing timely feedback in regard to your submissions, as well as supporting you to identify and work with what arises from your course work that has a direct bearing on your personal spiritual growth and development. It is your responsibility to complete the work required within the set time established between yourself and your Tutor.

If for any reason you are unable to meet the requirements for a set block of work within a given time period, then you need to contact your Tutor well in advance so that any issues regarding time management can be addressed. The earlier any issues of this nature are able to be addressed the better for all concerned.

Further note: While each Unit has been allocated x number of hours to complete this should be taken as a guide only to help you manage your time. The structure of the course material is such that it allows for a good amount of flexibility, however it is easy to become side tracked when exploring the Heavenly Doctrines and you need to be aware of this and manage any tendency to deviate too far from meeting your course work requirements. This course ultimately serves as an introduction into a topic area you will explore for the rest of your life and beyond as you continue to contemplate the wonders of the work the Lord accomplished and continues to accomplish in our return to Him.

Assessment

The requirements for each Unit of work are clearly set out in each Unit. You will find the assessment criteria for all objective domains, tutorial participation, and assignments for each Unit listed in the Appendices. There is also a Tutorial Planning Chart which you will fill out in conjunction with your Tutor over the duration of the course. This will list the agreed course work elements that need to be completed prior to each Tutorial.

Note: The term ministry is used here in the broadest possible sense and may relate to both ordained or non-ordained spheres of service/employment. Essentially it refers to where you see your talents/skills and abilities being used to support the spiritual well being of others.

1.3 Journaling

  • Record in your journal how you are feeling in approaching the course before you begin to read through and preview the course material.
  • Read through all the course material and note down any thoughts/questions/concerns.

As you preview the course material note down:-

  • What aspects excite you most; those you find yourself unsure about; and those aspects you think will present a real challenge for you
  • Your feelings in regard to the course material after you had finished going through it?
  • Reflect on what you have noted down and highlight anything that stands out for you between what you recorded prior to reading

1.4 Practical

  1. make a conscious effort each day to be more aware of the Lord making Himself present in your life and circumstances.
  2. record any insights here that open up a broader view of the Incarnation . Be prepared to discuss this with your Tutor in the Tutorial for Unit 1.
  3. In no more than 500 words explore the relationship you see between the objectives you have created and your vision for ministry.

1.5 Review

In preparation for this tutorial you need to have:-

  • completed all Journal Work
  • created and submitted at least 2 personal objectives
  • submitted short essay related to personal objectives

It is expected that:-

  • you will be able to engage with your Tutor in exploring the content of your essay relating the objectives you created to your vision for/sense of ministry
  • in your discussions with your Tutor you will be able to share and expand on your Journal reflections, insights etc related to your Integration Work
  • any questions and/or concerns you have arising from your preview of Unit 2 will be addressed to your satisfaction

UNIT 2

2.1 Objectives

On completion of this Unit it is expected that you will

  • have gained an appreciation of how the concepts of Incarnation and Glorification are reflected and expressed in wider contemporary spiritual thought.
  • will have demonstrated the ability to draw a connection between the human experience of life with its joys and disappointments and the concept of Incarnation.
  • will have gain an appreciation of the Lord’s incarnation and presence in your own life.

2.2 Survey

Survey and tap into contemporary spiritual thinking and approaches, Christian, non-Christian and New Age with regard to the sense of incarnation in peoples’ lives and how this has morphed into the thinking of western spiritual culture (eg “the Christ within”, “the Christ light”, “Christ energies” etc.) Be sure to note the sources you consulted.

Once you have complete your survey go to the Journal section below. Your findings will form the basis for your Reflective Essay.

2.3 Journaling

  • What surprised or challenged you in terms of what came out of your survey?
  • What is your own sense of the Lord’s presence in your life?

2.4 Assignment

Write a reflective essay (750 words) using the material from your survey as a guide stating what you make of all this and where do you stand on this contemporary spiritual thinking within our culture.

Submit a copy of this to your Tutor for review in Tutorial 2 and for discussion.

2.5 Review

Review of Survey work and Reflective Essay/ Preview of Integration Work

In preparation for this tutorial you need to have…

  • completed the Survey, your Reflective Essay and Journal work.

  • submitted a copy of your Essay with Survey attached to your Tutor no later than 2 days before the date set for Tutorial 1.

  • reviewed the next section of Unit 2 (Integration Work) and have ready any questions issues etc ready to discuss/clarify with your Tutor.

  • you will have a sense of how the concepts of Incarnation and Glorification are reflected in contemporary spiritual thought.

  • you will demonstrate a developing ability to hold questions and challenges the material is bringing up for you

UNIT 3

3.1 Objectives

On completion of this section students will:-

  • be familiar with elements of the literal sense of the Bible relating to this topic and confident in accessing them
  • will be able to engage with passages that are unfamiliar and difficult without being overawed or shy of them, and see them as a spring board for further discovery
  • will have built an better ability to be able to relate to and reflect on Biblical imagery in regard to their own states and spiritual experiences

For this exercise you will create a file using your computer then upload it into Moodle using the Upload File link below for your tutor to access.

  • Read Coronis 57-60
  • Highlight words that depict the state of the church at the time of the incarnation
  • Create your own file to upload.
  • In it draw up two columns and in one list those statements that refer to the Lord not being present
  • and in the other list those statements that refer to the hope of the Lord being present.
  • Identify and reflect on these states in connection with the Lord’s own life/events in the Gospels and list these in your submission.

Note: Be sure to familiarise yourself with the Journal Work requirement prior to beginning this exercise.

3.2 Journaling

  • As you work through you conceptual work be sensitive to any other additional passages from the Word that come to mind.
  • Make a note of these.
  • Reflect on the states that came up for you in your own life.
  • What can you say about the process of moving through these states particularly the links between states of despair leading to hope.
  • Are you able to relate to the Lord’s own process in this regard?
  • Reflect on your own experience of the Lord being or not being present.
  • Review the words you highlighted in your Conceptual work and use them contemplatively to trigger a sense of those states in your life.
  • Record your insights and observations.

3.3 Reading

  1. IV. THE FOURTH STATE OF THE CHURCH WAS THE PROFANATION OF HOLY THINGS, AND THEN WAS ITS CONSUMMATION OR NIGHT. Vastation and consummation differ from each other, as do the shade of evening and the thick darkness of night; for vastation is a receding from the Church, but consummation a complete separation from it. Vastation, therefore, is as when any one descends from heaven but not as far as to hell, and tarries in the middle, standing near both; but consummation exists when any one, standing thus, turns his face and breast to hell, and his back and the hinder part of his head to. heaven; in like manner as happened with the Dragon and his angels when they were cast down out of heaven (concerning which see Rev. xii): while they were fighting with Michael, they were in the middle; but when vanquished, they were in hell. Vastation takes place when man looks upon the holy things of the Church from falsities and falsified truths; but consummation when he lives in evils or in adulterated goods.

[2] But, that the difference and distinction between the state of vastation and the state of consummation may be still more clearly grasped, it shall be illustrated by comparisons. The state of vastation may be compared with a certain garden, or grove, round a temple-which garden, by reason of the Divine worship performed in the temple, is regarded as holy-in which are places for drinking, feasting, dancing, and histrionics and farce, with spectators in the courts and windows of the temple; but the state of consummation may be compared to the same garden, or grove, in which are satyrs and libertines, with harlots and witches, who all together enter the temple dancing, and there celebrate profane revels, as the Pythons in their sabbaths.

[3] The state of vastation may also be compared with a hostile army, when it enters the suburbs of a besieged city and rules them; but the state of consummation may be compared with the same army, when it has demolished the wall, and rushes into the city and gives the inhabitants over to destruction. The state of vastation may further be compared with a ship upon sandbanks, or a sandy shore, when it is violently battered there, and tossed up and down, and the steersman, captain and sailors bewail on account of their danger; but the state is one of consummation when the ship’s keel is fretted away by the gravel beneath, and the ship, being shattered and pierced with holes, sinks, and those on board, and the cargo, perish in the waves.

[4] The state of vastation may be compared with every disease which invades the members, viscera and organs of the body, by reason of which the patient apprehends death, consults a physician, takes medicines, and all the while lies in bed in hope of recovery; but the state of consummation may be compared with the same disease when it invades the breast, where the heart and lungs reside as in their tabernacle, into which when the disease penetrates, it makes an end of the life of the body.

  1. The state of consummation of the Israelitish Church is described in both the historical parts of the Word, and its prophetic parts: in the prophetic, by the atrocious deeds of the kings, first of those of the Israelites, and afterwards of those of the Jews, by whom and under whom the land is said to have been profaned. But it is needless to recite them, because they are well known; only those passages from the prophetic parts shall be adduced in which the consummation and devastation of that Church are treated of. In these passages by “earth” and “land,” “Zion,” “Jerusalem,” “cities,” “mountains,” “hills,” “valleys,” and “rivers,” similar things are signified as above (n. 55). The following are from the prophetic parts of the Word:

[2] I saw the earth, and behold it was empty and void; and towards the heavens, and their light was not… . I saw, when, behold, Carmel* was a desert, and all the cities were desolated at the presence of Jehovah… . For thus hath Jehovah said, The whole land shall be wasteness, yet will I not make a consummation. For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be blackened. Thou, therefore, that art vastated, what wilt thou do? (Jer. iv 23-31; v 10, 18).

The lion bath come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of nations … bath gone forth from his place, to reduce the land to a waste… . In that day … the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be astonished (Jer. iv 7, 9).

In that day, every place where there were a thousand vines shall be … for thorns and briars, … because all the land shall be thorns and briars (Isa. vii 23, 24).

A voice of the cry of the shepherds and … of the powerful ones of the flock, for Jehovah layeth waste their pastures: whence the sheepfolds of peace were devastated. Jehovah bath forsaken His tabernacle, for their land was reduced to a desolation (Jer. xxv 36-38).

This house shall be like Shiloh, and Jerusalem shall be a devastation (Jer. xxvi 9; xxvii 17).

Jerusalem, and all the cities of Judah, shall be a desolation and a devastation in this day, because of the wickedness of your works; your land is become a desolation, an astonishment and a curse (Jer. xliv 2, 6, 22).

I will give the land to devastation, because they have committed transgression (Ezek. xv 8).

They shall be devastated in the midst of the devastated lands, and her cities in the midst of the desolated cities… . Then I will make the rivers drought, … the land into the hand of the evil, and I will vastate the land and the fulness thereof (Ezek. xxx 7, 12).

When I shall extinguish thee, I will cover the heavens, and will make the stars thereof black. I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine; … and I will set darkness upon the land … when I shall bring on thy breaking up (Ezek. xxxii 7-9);

in like manner as the Lord foretold concerning the consummation of the present Christian Church (Matt. xxiv 29).

[3] I will give Mount Seir to wasteness and to devastation… . I will make thee the wastes of eternity … (Ezek. xxxv 3, 4, 7, 9, 12, 14, 15).

In that day they shall bring up a proverb against you … and say, In vastating we are vastated (Micah ii 4).

Fear and the pit have taken hold of us, devastation and breaking up (Lam. iii 47).

The mountain of Zion is vastated (Lam. v 18).

Thine iniquity is consummated, O daughter of Zion (Lam. iv 22).

Woe to the sinful nation, heavy with iniquity; … they have provoked the Holy One of Israel… . From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness; … your land is a solitude… . The daughter of Zion is left as a tent in a vineyard, as a besieged city (Isa. i 4-8, and following verses). What will ye do in the day of visitation and devastation?

Consummation is finished, justice is overwhelmed; for the Lord Jehovih is making a consummation and decision in the whole land (Isa. x 3, etc., 22, 23).

I have heard a consummation and decision from the Lord Jehovih of hosts in the whole land (Isa. xxviii 22).

The prophet fell upon his face, and said, Lord Jehovih! Thou art making a consummation with the remnants of Israel (Ezek. xi 13).

My sanctuary was profaned, and the land of Israel was devastated (Ezek. xxv 3).

Were even Noah, Daniel and Job in the midst of it, … they only shall be delivered, but the land shall become a desolation (Ezek. xiv 14, 16).

[4] The completion of the consummation of the Israelitish and Jewish Church was accomplished when the Lord our Saviour, after receiving the sponge of vinegar, cried out upon the cross,

It is consummated (John xix 29, 30);

for it is said in David:

They gave gall for My meat, and in My thirst they gave Me vinegar to drink: … let their habitation be devastated (Psalm lxix 21, 25).

And in another place:

Without cause have they hid for Me the pit of the net; without cause have they digged for My soul. Let devastation come upon him before he is aware; … let him fall into devastation. Rescue My soul from their devastators, and My only one,-that is. the Church-from the lions’ whelps (Psalm xxxv 7, 8, 17).

I will make Jerusalem heaps, a habitation of dragons; I will reduce the cities of Judah to a waste; … behold, I am feeding them, even this people, with wormwood, and I will give them waters of gall to drink (Jer. ix 11-15).

Full consummation, after this, is described in Hosea thus:

The sons of Israel shall sit many days: no king, no prince, no sacrifice, no image, no ephod, and no teraphim (Hosea iii 4).

Such is their state at the present day. There is no need to adduce more passages. The passages in which the vastation, desolation and consummation of this Church are further mentioned, shall be only named: as, for example, Isa. ix 13-21; xxii 4-14: Jer. vii 31-34; xxv 33; xlvii 4: Ezek. xiii 14, 15; xiv 8, 15; xix 7; xxv 12, 13; xxvi 2; xxix 9, 10, 12; xxxii 12, 15: Joel 15-20; ii 3; iii 19: Nahum i 8, 9: Zeph. i 15; ii 9: Lam. i 16: Psalm lxxiii 17-19; lxxiv 3. The devastated are also called “thrust through”** (Ezek. xi 6, 7; xxi 30, 34; xxvi 6; xxviii 8, 23; xxxi 17, 18; xxxii 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32; xxv 8: Zeph. ii 12: Lam. iv 9: Psalm lxix 27: and in other places). They are said to be “thrust through” because a “sword,” by which this is done, signifies falsity destroying truth.

  • See R.V. margin. ** In most of these passages our ordinary Bibles have “slain”; but Young’s Literal Translation of the Bible has “pierced,” which, of course, is the same as “thrust through.”
  1. V. BEFORE THIS STATE, AND AFTER IT, PROMISE WAS MADE OF THE COMING OF THE LORD JEHOVIH INTO THE WORLD, AND OF A NEW CHURCH AT THAT TIME, WHEREIN JUSTICE AND JUDGMENT SHOULD REIGN. It is known, from the reading of the prophetic Word of the Old Testament, that, in many places there, the Coming of our Lord is foretold, and also that the Lord is there designated by various names; as, that He is called “Jehovah Zebaoth,” “Jehovah our Righteousness,” “Jehovah our Saviour and Redeemer,” “Lord Jehovih,” “Adonai,” “Immanuel” or “God with us,” “God of Israel,” “Holy One of Israel,” “Rock of Israel,” “Messiah” or “Anointed of Jehovah,” “King,” “David,” “Mighty One of Jacob,” “Shepherd of Israel,” “High Priest,” “Priest after the order of Melchizedech,” “Son of God,” “Son of Man,” “Angel of Jehovah,” “Angel of the Covenant,” the “Grand Prophet,” “Shiloh”; also, in Isaiah, “Counsellor,” “Prince of Peace,” “Father of Eternity”; and in the New Covenant, “Jesus Christ,” and “Son of God.” That our Lord’s Coming was foretold in very many places in the Prophets, will be seen from the predictions adduced in the following pages. But it may be asked,

Why was such frequent prediction of His Coming made? There were many reasons, some regarding the Israelitish and Jewish people, and some regarding the Christian people after them.

[2] But we will recount the reasons which especially regarded the Israelitish and Jewish people. The First was that, by His being named and recalled to mind, they might be kept in the interior worship of Jehovah, since, without that, there was no entrance of Jehovah to any one of them, nor approach of any one of them to Jehovah. The case was then as it is at this day,

that no one bath seen God the Father; the Only Begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He hath set Him forth (John i 18; v 37);

and again:

No one cometh to the Father, but by Me (John xiv 6).

The Second reason regarding that people was, that the representative types of their Church, which all looked to our Lord and to the Church to be established by Him after His Coming, might serve them as so many signs and symbols of their worship; consequently, that they might acknowledge Him when He came, and suffer themselves to be introduced into the internals of the worship of Him, and, together with the nations that surrounded them, become Christians. The Third reason was that, by calling to mind His Coming, somewhat of the notion, or idea, of the resurrection and eternal life might find entrance into their thoughts. For who of them could not have thought interiorly in himself, or in his heart, “What is the Messiah to us after we are dead, unless we return then, see His glory and reign with Him?” From this source was derived their superstition, that, at that time, they were to be raised again, everyone out of his grave, and return to the land of Canaan. The Fourth reason was that they might be succoured and healed in their state of vastation and oppression, when they were in temptations and afflictions, like their fathers and brethren in the wilderness (Num. xxi 1-9; John iii 14, 15); for, without such succour and healing, they would have cast aspersions against Jehovah, and departed, in crowds, from the representative worship of Him to idolatry.

[3] Indeed, temptations and afflictions, in the state of vastation and oppression, are nothing else than combats of the Lord with the Devil respecting man, that is, respecting his soul, which is to possess it; of which state it may be said, that the God of Israel, or the Lord the Messiah, stands on one side, and Beelzebub and the Serpent, the Devil, on the other, and that the latter casts forth out of his mouth blasphemies like a flood against the Lord, but that the Lord turns them aside and bears them away, and thus delivers man from spiritual captivity and slavery. This combat is felt in man as if waged by himself. That temptation is such a combat, and that there is such a perception by man, and hence co-operation, I can avow, for, having often experienced it, I have known it perfectly. That it is carried on outside man, and is felt in him as if by himself, and that man is standing in the middle, and co-operates, is for the end that recompense may be ascribed to him when he conquers; but only that man conquers who looks to the Lord, and trusts in Him alone for help.

[4] That every one who calls upon the Lord in temptations, conquers, but that otherwise he yields, shall be illustrated by comparisons. It is like a ship hurled by storms near the rocks: unless the captain knows how to divert it from its danger, and to direct it to an outlet and thus to port, it must be lost. It is like a city besieged by enemies: unless there be escape or aid somewhere, the commander and his garrison become hopeless and disheartened, and yield themselves prisoners, and surrender their lives to the will of the enemy. It is like a person on a journey entering unawares into a cottage where there are robbers, unless, when he is shut in, a friend come and knock at the door, or show himself at the window, and thereby terrify those villains and rescue him from ill-treatment. It is like a person falling into a cave where there is a bear with cubs, or into a pit where there are a wolf and a leopard, if his father, or brother, on seeing this, do not immediately let down to him a ladder, or a rope, and draw him up thence. It is like a person who stands, or walks, in the day-time, in a thick fog, who consequently does not know which way to turn, unless he light a lamp, and thereby show himself the place where he stands or the way in which he should walk. It is like being in the depth of winter, and short of provisions, if not supported by the hope of a harvest to come, on the return of summer. So, again, it is like a person wandering at midnight in a wood, unless he comfort himself with the hope of day, and in that hope goes to lie down, and sleeps quietly till morning. It is also like one, who, for the sake of salvation, is desirous of being instructed in the things of the Christian Religion, and who meets with mitred doctors and laurelled teachers, who expound them by terms borrowed from metaphysics, and wrap them in mysteries, unless there be some other person to explain those terms, and thereby unravel the perplexities, and to set forth from the Word, thus from the Lord, the holy things of the Church, in clear light: would he not otherwise be bewildered by the falsities respecting faiths, and the other dogmas which depend on the faith laid down, just as the links of a chain hang together unbrokenly from a hook fixed to the wall?

[5] The case would be similar in temptations and the attendant infestations from satans, unless man looked trustingly to the Lord, and fully assured himself that the whole work and ability of deliverance are from Him alone. It is for these reasons that the Coming of the Lord is so frequently foretold in the Old Prophetic Word, and for the same reasons also the Lord is proclaimed in the New Evangelic and Apostolic Word, and his Second Coming foretold; concerning which see the statements following.

  1. Now follow some things concerning the Coming of the Lord collected from the prophecies of the Old Word; namely:

Jehovah God said, Lo, I come; in the roll of the Book it is written of Me (Psalm xl 7).

Jehovah God said to the serpent, … Be thou cursed; … I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her Seed; and He shall trample thy head, but thou shalt injure the heel (Gen. iii 14, 15).

The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a law-giver from between his feet, until Shiloh come: to Him shall the cleaving of the peoples be (Gen. xlix 10)-

the prophecy of the father, Israel, concerning his sons.

A Star shall rise out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise up out of Israel (Num. xxiv 17).

Jehovah thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet out of the midst of thy brethren, like unto Me; Him ye shall obey, … and I will put My words in His mouth; … whence it shall come to pass, that the man who will not obey His words, I will require it of him (Deut. xviii 15-19).

The Lord Himself giveth you a sign, Behold a Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name, God with us (Isa. vii 14).

Unto us a Boy is born, unto us a Son is given, on whose shoulder shall be the government; His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, God, Hero, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace: of the increase of His government … there shall be no end (Isa. ix 6, 7).

There shall come forth a shoot out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch out of his root shall bear fruit; … upon 1-lim shall rest the spirit of wisdom and intelligence, the spirit of counsel and might (Isa. xi 1, 2).

In that day the nations shall seek the Root of Jesse, which standeth for an ensign of the peoples, and His rest shall be glory (Isa. xi 10).

Send ye the lamb of the Ruler of the hand, from the rock toward the wilderness: … His throne is established in mercy, and one shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hastening justice (Isa. xvi 1, 5).

It shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God for whom we have waited that He may deliver us; this is Jehovah for whom we have waited: we will exult and rejoice in His salvation (Isa. xxv 9; xxvi 8, 9).

The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of Jehovah, make plain in the desert a path for our God… . The glory of Jehovah shall be revealed; and all flesh shall see it together (Isa. xl 3, 5).

O Zion, thou evangelizer, get thee up upon the high mountain; O Jerusalem, … thou that evangelizest, lift up thy voice with strength; say to the cities of Judah, Behold your God. Behold, the Lord Jehovih cometh in strength, and His arm shall rule for Him; behold His reward is with Him… . He shall feed His flock like a shepherd; He shall gather the lambs in His arm, and carry them in His bosom; He shall gently lead the sucklings (Isa. xl 9-11).

My people shall know My name in that day; for I am He that doth speak; Behold Me. How delightful upon the mountains are the feet of Him that evangelizeth, that causeth them to hear peace, that evangelizeth good, that causeth them to hear salvation, that saith unto Zion, Thy King reigneth… . They shall lift up the voice and sing; they shall see eye to eye that Jehovah is returned to Zion. He hath comforted His people, He bath redeemed Jerusalem: … all the ends of the land shall see the salvation of our God (Isa. lii 6-10).

Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; His reward is with Him, and the recompense of His work before Him (Isa. lxii 11).

Shout for joy and rejoice, O daughter of Zion; behold, I come, that I may dwell in the midst of thee; … then many nations shall cleave to Jehovah (Zech. ii 10, 11).

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold, thy King cometh to thee, just (Zech. ix 9).

Behold, the days come … when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, who shall reign a King and prosper, and He shall execute judgment and justice in the land; … and this is His name, … Jehovah our Righteousness (Jer. xxxiii 5,6; xxiii 15, 16).

Behold, I send My angel, who shall prepare the way before Me; and the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to His temple, and the Angel of the covenant whom ye desire, behold, He shall come (Mal. iii 1).

Thou Bethlehem Ephratah, it is little that thou art among the thousands of Judah; out of thee shall One go forth unto Me, who will be Ruler in Israel, and whose goings forth are from of old, from the days of eternity… . He shall stand and feed the flock in the strength of Jehovah, … and shall increase even to the ends of the land (Micah v 2, 4).

I anoint My king upon Zion… . I will proclaim concerning the statute, Jehovah saith unto Me, Thou art My Son, this day have I begotten Thee; ask of Me, and I will give the nations for Thine inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Thy possession. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and ye perish in the way; Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him (Psalm ii 6-12).

Behold, the God of my salvation! I will trust and not be afraid. Cry out and shout for joy, O inhabitant of Zion; for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee (Isa. xii 2, 6).

In that day a man shall look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have regard to the Holy One of Israel (Isa. xvii 7).

My Beloved had a vineyard in a horn of [the son of] oil (Isa. v 1). Jehovah Zebaoth, Him shall ye sanctify… . He shall be for a sanctuary, although for a stone of stumbling, and for a rock of offence, … and for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitant of Jerusalem (Isa. viii 13, 14; Matt. xxi 42-44; Luke xx 17, 18).

The people that walked in darkness shall see a great light; they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them shall the light shine (Isa. ix 2).

Out of Zion … God shall shine forth; our God shall come, and shall not keep silence (Psalm 1 2, 3).

The vision is yet for the appointed time, and speaketh out to the end; yet it shall not lie: though He tarry, wait for Him; because He will surely come, He will not delay (Hab. ii 3).

O Jehovah, I have heard Thy fame; I have revered, O Jehovah, Thy work, … make it present in the midst of the years. God shall come from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of His praise. His brightness shall be as the light; rays [coming forth] from His hand; and there is the hiding of His strength (Hab. iii 2, 3, 4).

Thus said the Lord Jehovih, Behold, I will lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner-[stone] of well-established foundation; … then I will set judgment to the rule, and righteousness to the plummet (Isa. xxviii 16, 17).

The Lord, appearing above the mercy-seat (Ezek. i 26-28), is described as to the Word, and is called “Lord Jehovih” (Ezek. ii 4; iii 11, 27; iv 14; V 7, 11; vi 3, 11; vii 2, 5; viii 1). In Isaiah liii, throughout, the Lord is treated of, and the state of His life in the world is described by the following expressions:

That He had no form nor comeliness; He was despised and not esteemed; He was wounded on account of our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities; Jehovah caused the iniquities of us all to meet in Him; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter; He was cut off out of the land of the living; because He placed their guilt on His soul His days should be prolonged; also, for them He poured out His soul even unto death; He was numbered with the transgressors, and interceded for the transgressors (Isa. liii 1-12).

I have called Him forth in righteousness… . He shall build My city; and He shall send away My captivity, not for price nor for reward… . Verily, Thou art a God that hidest Thyself, O God of Israel the Saviour (Isa. xlv 13, 15).

I have caused My righteousness to draw near, … and My Salvation shall not tarry (Isa. xlvi 13).

As for our Redeemer, Jehovah Zebaoth is His Name, and the Holy One of Israel (Isa. xlvii 4).

O Jehovah, our Lord, how excellent is Thy Name in all the earth! giving to it honour above the heavens… . Thou bait caused Him to lack little compared with the angels, but Thou hast crowned Him with glory and honour; Thou hast made Him to have dominion over the works of Thy hands, Thou hast put all things under His feet (Psalm viii 1, 5, 6, 9).

God … shall come down like rain among the herb… . He shall have dominion also from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth. The barbarians shall bow themselves before him, and his enemies shall lick the dust; the kings of Tarshish and of the Isles shall bring their present; the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer their gift; all kings shall bow themselves to him, all nations shall serve him; for he shall deliver the wretched, who bath no helper… . He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: … His name shall be to eternity; he shall have the name of a son* before the sun, and men shall be blessed in him. Blessed be God, the God of Israel: … blessed be the name of his glory … the whole earth shall be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen (Psalm lxxii 6, 8, 10, 12, 18, 19).

I have made a covenant with My chosen… . Thy seed will I establish even to eternity, and I will build up Thy throne from generation to generation; … and the heavens shall confess Thy wonders (Psalm lxxxix 3, 4, 5).

  • See for the word “son” A.V. margin.

3.4 Assignment

  • Drawing from the material you have worked with throughout this section so far write a reflective essay (750 words)
  • and in it show how the scripture passages demonstrate the need/significance/importance of Incarnation Glorification both historically and personally.

3.5 Review

In preparation for this tutorial you need to have:-

  • completed the required Conceptual and Devotional (Journal) work

  • submitted your arrangement of words to your Tutor 2 days prior to the date set for this tutorial

  • reviewed the next section of Unit 3 (Mini Assignment) and have ready any questions issues etc ready to discuss/clarify with your Tutor.

UNIT 4

4. 1 Objectives

On completion of this Unit it is expected that you will have developed further your ability to reflect on life situations, in both personal and ministry contexts, through using the principles you are acquiring in your study of the Heavenly Doctrines and so be able to demonstrate an ability to use this knowledge to promote spiritually positive outcomes.

On completion of this section students are expected to :-

  • have a good, insightful grasp and understanding of the teaching concerning Incarnation and Glorification drawn from the Heavenly Doctrines
  • know where and how to quickly access further teaching when desired.
  • should have the confidence to draw on what they have learnt about Incarnation and Glorification to talk relatively easily about these topics,
  • to discuss the teaching, to ask further questions, to feel they want to know more and to make use of this learning in teaching and preaching.
  • will have grown in their personal relationship with the Lord more deeply aware of the relevance of the Lord’s Incarnation and Glorification to their own lives, - especially with regard to such things as new beginnings, gradualness, the temptations they face and the parallels with their own regeneration

4.2 Research

In this section of the course you will be organising references from the Heavenly Doctrines under seven Broad Concept Headings. The Broad Concept Headings are as follows…

  1. The presence of the Lord in the Word
  2. When that presence is obscured and nullified
  3. The Lord’s work of repair and restoration
  4. The Lord’s Advent into human awareness and consciousness via His birth through Mary
  5. Being absolutely clear as to who it was who came
  6. The parallel and central features of His work in the world: Glorification and Redemption
  7. The goal of Incarnation and Glorification = Salvation

Open the HDReferences file and then save a copy of this file on your computer to work with. Keeping the Broad Concept Headings in mind read through the list of references and summary statements and mark those that catch your interest. Using the New Christian Bible Study website or hard copies of the Heavenly Doctrines look up the references you have highlighted and allocate a Broad Concept Heading to each one. You will be using these specific references to explore the theme of the Broad Concept heading in more depth a little later on. You may find other references come to mind or are suggested in the references you look up, feel free to reference and explore these also, but remember to keep your focus on the relevance of what select within the context of the Broad Concept Headings for this course. You may feel that a single reference falls within more than one of the Broad Concept Headings. You are free to explore any of the references under as many of the headings as long as you can show how they fit within the headings you assign them to. Your final selection should contain not less than 10 major references under each Broad Concept Heading drawn from HDReference file and/or your own further exploration of the subject area. As you go record your thoughts on what each reference you have selected says in regard to the Broad Concept Heading you have placed it under. Be sure to note any new insights, trains of thought, unanswered questions and any challenges that your research has made to your current understanding of the subject area. Use the “Upload References” link to submit a copy of your arrangement of references under the Broad Concept Headings to your Tutor no later than 2 days prior to your scheduled tutorial for this section

4.3 Journaling

  1. What challenges to your thinking have the teachings you have been working with from the Heavenly Doctrines raised for you regarding Incarnation and Glorification? Note these in your Journal

  2. Take a look at the following list of words and identify those you feel unfamiliar with;

Vastation, Humiliation, Consummation, Divine Human, Infernal, Degrees, Representative, Conjunction.

Provide your own working definition for them. You will be expected to discuss these concepts with your tutor in Tutorial 7.

  1. How are you reacting to the teaching about the Word being falsified?

  2. Record any new insights that have come to you that has excited or moved you?

4.4 Review

In preparation for this tutorial you need to have:-

  • completed the required work for Researching the Heavenly Doctrines (Conceptual and Devotional (Journal) requirements)
  • submitted your arrangement of references under Broad Concept Headings to your Tutor 2 days prior to the date set for this tutorial
  • reviewed the next section of Unit 4 (Mini Assignment) and have ready any questions issues etc ready to discuss/clarify with your Tutor. You should also have settled upon the Broad Concept Heading you are going to use to complete the Mini Assignment work component.

It is expected that:-

  • you will be able to connect the material you are working with to things happening in your life; situations and personal spiritual development areas.
  • you will be able to justify your arrangement of the material under the various Broad Concept headings
  • you will demonstrate a developing ability to hold questions and challenges the material is bringing up for you

UNIT 5

5.1 Objectives

On completion of this section students will be able to:-

  • draw on scripture and the Doctrines to handle confidently, comfortably and insightfully the whole concept of the Word becoming flesh.
  • use their insights and understanding to engage with others to contribute to and support other peoples’ growing sense of incarnation and glorification
  • readily recognise the processes of incarnation and glorification in their own lives

5.2 Assignment

Read and familiarise yourself with John 1:1-14.

  1. Using an electronic Bible compare and contrast 3 good translations along with the Concordant Version of the New Testament and the Kempton Revision (see links supplied).

  2. Note down the any nuances of translation that catch your attention and research them using the tools in an electronic Bible.

  3. Using the relevant references (Word made Flesh) from the section on the Heavenly Doctrines and the additional references that follow note down any new insights and meanings they bring to the Biblical text.

AC 8861; AR 256; TCR 777; TCR 261; AC 9093; AE 294; AC 2894; DL 1; AC 2803; AC 9315; HH 137; AC 10076; TCR 786; AC 1839; AR 796.

  1. Identify where comment in passages from the Heavenly Doctrines seem disconnected from the verses quoted or being commented on.

Submit a copy of your analysis with your comments and thoughts on the nuances/differences you found in the translations you worked with to your Tutor 2 days prior to the date set for Tutorial 10. Include a summary highlighting the new insights and meanings your work with the references from the Heavenly Doctrines has brought to the Biblical text.

Consider and comment on the universal aspect of “coming into being” reflected in the following outline of Jn 1:1-14.

  1. Verses 1-4: Source of spiritual life but beyond our grasp and so its descent and accommodation

  2. Verse 5: Finding Resistance

  3. Verses 6-10: Lord’s response; a witness

  4. Verse 11: Comes to what is of Himself

  5. Verses 12-13: What can receive and what can’t receive the Divine

  6. Verse 14: Manifestation, Incarnation and Glorification

Use the above outline comment on how each step of the process of “coming into being” is reflected in each of the following 3 areas…

  1. The Lord’s Birth into the world
  2. The Lord’s birth into the world of your own life experience
  3. The birth of a deeper understanding of the Word as to its internal sense
  4. In a short paragraph comment on how you see the Broad Concept Headings in Unit 4 integrating/reflecting into the process of Incarnation / Glorification

5.3 Journaling

  • Note down your reaction to any confusion / differences between translations.

  • Reflect and comment on the apparent detachment/lack of connection the subject matter discussed in some of the references from the Heavenly Doctrines appears to have in regard to the verses that are quoted in them.

  • reflect on how you can use the process outline from John 1:1-14 to frame your own sense of Incarnation Glorification in life crisis situations.

  • Comment on what changes to your view of life situations has occured as your sense of Incarnation Glorification has developed through your work in this course.

5.4 Review

In preparation for this tutorial you need to have:-

  • submitted your Assignment
  • reviewed the next section of Unit 4 (Integration Work) and have ready any questions issues etc ready to discuss/clarify with your Tutor

It is expected that:-

  • in your discussions with your Tutor you will be able to connect the material you are working with to things happening in your life; situations and personal spiritual development areas.

  • any questions and/or concerns you have arising from feedback, your Mini Assignment, and/or in the discussions arising from this will be addressed to your satisfaction

  • you will demonstrate a developing ability to hold questions and challenges the material is bringing up for you and show a willingness to express these with your tutor.

UNIT 6

6.1 Assignment

On completion of this section you will be able to critically assess your own inner processes through reflecting on your course work. You will have demonstrated an ability to integrate your work over all learning domains through drawing connections between your work with the texts of Scripture, the Heavenly Doctrines and your personal life experience as illustrative of the principles and process connected with Incarnation and Glorification.

It is expected that you will be self directed in your engagement with devotional/journal work as you work to complete your Major Assignment.

Note: The work for the Major Assignment is structured around the set tutorials so you need to make sure you read and are familiar with the preparation notes for each tutorial to guide you in organising your work.

There are two options for the Major Assignment of which you are to select ONE, either A or B.

When you have completed each stage of your assignment you are to use the “Upload Assignment” link to submit your file(s) for your tutor to view.

6.2 Optionn A

A. Exploratory Essay (4000-5000 words): My Journey through the Course as a Reflection of the Processes of Incarnation / Glorification

The purpose of this assignment is to engage in a first-person narrative account of your developing sense of awareness in regard to the processes of Incarnation / Glorification as you worked through this course.

Objective: To analyse you personal journey through this course as a reflection of the processes of Incarnation / Glorification

Drawing from your Conceptual, Application, Integration, and Journal/Devotional work write a first-person, chronologically organized account of your thinking process as you first began to explore and think about the topic. What was your thinking process as you began to get a sense of the material and what it was asking of you? What questions formed in you and what would you say motivated you to move forward? What is it about the topic that interested you most? Narrate the evolving process of your thinking as you engaged with the material. Your narrative essay should include details of what you read, how it impacted on you, and what new lines of thought or insights it stimulated in your thinking on the topic. Reflect on how your ideas were evolving as you engaged with both the Heavenly Doctrines and the Scriptures, what your feelings were about this, where you were being challenged, and the relationship of what you were studying on the wider sphere of your life. Near the end of your essay say something about the questions that remain for you and how your overall experience of working through this course reflects the process of Incarnation / Glorification. Pay attention to grammar, sentence structure, and organization Be sure to have a creative introduction/beginning/middle/ and end Remember that this is a narrative essay, not a question and answer piece.

Use the following to guide you in planning your essay: What you expected when you started this course How your expectations changed and what caused them to change Where you felt frustrated and why Areas of work you found most helpful (Conceptual, Application, Integration, Journal) Which proved difficult – why? What does this teach you about yourself? Which passages from the Heavenly Doctrines impacted you the most Which passages from the Bible did you find most inspiring (share new insights) How your work in the course was impacting on your life The skills have you have gained from working through the course What you have learned about yourself since you began this course What you now know about Incarnation / Glorification that you did not know before

6.3 Option B

B: Reflections on the Lord’s Glorification in the Sequential Events of Mark’s Gospel and how these relate to/illustrate the experience of the Lord’s Glorification as the Word in Our Lives.

You need to discuss and agree with your Tutor the format to be used for this assignment.

If an essay then it should be between 4-5 thousand words. For any other format you will need to arrive at an agreement with your Tutor as to what constitutes an equivalent amount of work.

The purpose of this assignment is to relate the main features in the life and ministry of the Lord’s life as given in Mark’s gospel to the process of the Lord’s glorification and extrapolate the principles of that process into the context of the Lord’s glorification in our own lives.

Objective: To work with Scriptural events in the sequence they occur to illustrate the process of the Lord’s glorification. To identify key principles underlying the process of glorification and use these to frame our experience of the Lord’s glorification in our lives.

In this assignment you are asked to tabulate the main features in the life and ministry of the Lord as they are found in Mark’s gospel. Comment on the sequence of events paying particular attention to evidence of unfolding spiritual processes. Drawing from your understanding of what the Heavenly Doctrines have to say on this topic and from the work you have completed throughout the course(Conceptual, Application, Integration, and Journal/Devotional) illustrate your findings showing how they relate to the process of the Lord’s glorification as experienced in our lives as the Word. The following is suggested as a guide you in planning your assignment work: Break the assignment requirements down into smaller parts Use a copy of Mark’s gospel that has chapters broken down into subheadings or a gospel harmony to obtain a list of subheadings Read the gospel through in a single sitting. Journal any thoughts / insights / patterns / sequences that strike you Draw up a table listing the sequence of events; work through these looking for links that bring them together in a way that reflects inner spiritual processes Review your course work (Conceptual, Application, Integration, Journal) – note any material / insights that will be able to be used to illustrate processes of Incarnation Glorification Draw connections between the sequence of events in the Lord’s life and the material you have selected to illustrate spiritual processes at work in your life Draw all this together into an integrated whole as your submission for this assignment

6.4 Review

Planning for Major Assignment

As a guide you should allow 5 hours to complete your planning.

You are required to submit an outline of your planning to your Tutor two days prior to the date set for this tutorial,

Allow 45-60 minutes for this Tutorial

In preparation for this tutorial you need to have… completed your planning for the major assignment and submitted an outline of your assignment to your Tutor 2 days prior to the date set for Tutorial 1. Each Assignment option has points to refer to to assist you in your planning. have ready any questions issues etc ready to discuss/clarify with your Tutor. Towards the end of this Tutorial… you and your Tutor will have discussed the planning submission for your Major Assignment and worked through any issues/questions etc you or your Tutor may have in response to this you need to feel reasonably confident that you are now able to take your Major Assignment to its first draft. agreed the date for the next tutorial

6.5 First Draft

Major Assignment First Draft

As a guide you should allow 4 hours to complete your first draft. You are require to submit your first draft to your Tutor two days prior to the date set for this tutorial

Allow 45-60 minutes for this tutorial

In preparation for this tutorial you need to have… Completed your draft for the Major Assignment and submitted this to your Tutor 2 days prior to the date set for this tutorial. have ready any questions issues etc ready to discuss/clarify with your Tutor. Towards the end of this Tutorial… You and your Tutor will have discussed the draft submission for your Major Assignment and worked through any issues/questions etc you or your Tutor may have in response to this You need to feel reasonably confident that you are now able to take your Major Assignment to its final draft. Agreed the date for the next tutorial

6.6 Final Draft

As a guide you should allow 2 hours to complete your final draft. You are require to submit your final draft to your Tutor two days prior to the date set for this tutorial.

Allow 45-60 minutes for this Tutorial

In preparation for this tutorial you need to have… Completed your final draft for the Major Assignment and submitted this to your Tutor 2 days prior to the date set for Tutorial 3. Have incorporated any feedback / agreed edits etc as a result of discussions from Tutorial 2 or any other correspondence you may have had with your tutor Have ready any questions issues etc ready to discuss/clarify with your Tutor. Towards the end of this Tutorial… You and your Tutor will have discussed the final draft submission for your Major Assignment and worked through any issues/questions etc you or your Tutor may have in response to this You need to feel reasonably confident that you are now able to take your Major Assignment to completion. Agreed the date for your final submission Note: Allocate 2 hours to bring your final draft up to your final submission. This is to be submitted to your Tutor by the agreed date set for its completion.

UNIT 7

7.1 Presentation

  • Student to prepare and give an online presentation to a small panel of members of the College Board of Studies.
  • The presentation is to be 30 minutes long and will be followed by an exchange between yourself and the members of the panel focused on what you’ve presented.
  • Your presentation is to be an account of your journey/process of moving through the course materials.
  • Think about where you were at, so far as this topic concerned, at the start of the course, and where you are at the end of it.
  • Note what’s shifted for you as a result of working through the course materials/requirements.
  • Also be sure to highlight any specific areas that held significant interest for you, and say what it was about those areas that made them significant.
  • In your conclusion say what questions were resolved, what questions remain open for you, and how a fuller understanding of the topic might be used to support people to live a spiritually focused life. Your tutor is available to support you in preparing this unit of work