E. In Being the Heavenly Ladder

Finally, Christ is referred to in His being the heavenly ladder to bring heaven to earth and join earth to heaven at Bethel, the house of God, from His coming back to eternity (John 1:51; Gen. 28:11-22). We can remember these five great historical events with five words: creation, incarnation, Lamb, Spirit, and ladder. John 1 begins with Christ as the Word and ends with Him as the ladder. Christ as the Word speaks through the creation, through the incarnation, through His becoming the Lamb, through His becoming the Spirit, and through His being the ladder. In order to have a ladder, there is the need of a base, and the base for Christ to be the heavenly ladder is the house of God, Bethel. The reality of Bethel is the church and then the Body of Christ and the New Jerusalem.

F. Christ as the Word of God Defining, Explaining,
and Expressing the Invisible God

In all these five universal, historical events, Christ, the Word of God (as: 1. the Creator in creation; 2. the man in incarnation; 3. the Lamb in redemption; 4. the Spirit in transformation; 5. the ladder in joining earth to heaven), defines, explains, and expresses the invisible God.

1. In His Creation

In His creation "the heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse [firmament] is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard" (Psa. 19:1-3, NASB), and the invisible things of God, "both His eternal power and divine characteristics, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world" (Rom. 1:20). What is referred to in Acts 14:15-17 and 17:24-29 serves the same purpose of revealing Christ's creation speaking for God.

2. In His Incarnation

In His incarnation Christ unveils that the Creator has become one of His creatures (Col. 1:15), bringing God into man, mingling divinity with humanity as one, and in His human living He expresses God in the divine attributes through His human virtues. This is the new language of the new culture in the Lord's recovery.

When Jesus was born, God was brought into man and mingled Himself with man. About two thousand years ago, there was a man who was the mingling of divinity and humanity. To be a Christian means to be a man of Christ. Christ is the mingling of divinity with humanity, and we, the men of Christ, are the same. We are also the mingling of divinity with humanity.