The crossing of the Jordan is the only means to the Promised Land. I suppose that if one considers the Promised Land as Heaven then it follows that crossing the Jordan could be an image of death. However, I prefer to look at crossing the Jordan as the beginning of life. The Israelites were on a journey just as we are. They had the hope of the Promised Land and we have the same hope only we refer to it as heaven.
It is one of the paradoxes in the Christian life. In death there is life. In dieing to ourselves we gain life. Crossing the Jordan was the means of doing things God’s way; a dieing to self and doing life their way. There is a Jordan experience that awaits all of us in our journey. It is an experience in which we die to self and live in Christ (Galatians 2:20).
1 John 5:11-13 says 11And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
For me the Promised Land is eternal life with my Lord. I have this promise repeated throughout scripture. It is not so much a destination (heaven) as it is a journey; the journey is the destination. It is a relationship now and not necessarily something to be viewed as something to get later.
The crossing of the Jordan is the only means to the Promised Land. I suppose that if one considers the Promised Land as Heaven then it follows that crossing the Jordan could be an image of death. However, I prefer to look at crossing the Jordan as the beginning of life. The Israelites were on a journey just as we are. They had the hope of the Promised Land and we have the same hope only we refer to it as heaven.
ReplyDeleteIt is one of the paradoxes in the Christian life. In death there is life. In dieing to ourselves we gain life. Crossing the Jordan was the means of doing things God’s way; a dieing to self and doing life their way. There is a Jordan experience that awaits all of us in our journey. It is an experience in which we die to self and live in Christ (Galatians 2:20).
1 John 5:11-13 says 11And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
12He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
13I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
For me the Promised Land is eternal life with my Lord. I have this promise repeated throughout scripture. It is not so much a destination (heaven) as it is a journey; the journey is the destination. It is a relationship now and not necessarily something to be viewed as something to get later.