The church as the house of God, the habitation of the living God on earth, is the gate of heaven. Wherever the house of God is, there is the heavenly ladder, which is Christ. Where is Christ? He is both in the heavens and on the earth in the church. Hence, He becomes the ladder in the church that joins earth to heaven and brings heaven to earth. Here is the place for us to stay. We as God’s saved ones, the many sons of God, the joint-heirs and partners of Christ, should live and have our being in the church while we are on earth. It is here that we enjoy the open heaven of God. It is here that we participate in Christ as the heavenly ladder. It is here that we have so many angels ministering all kinds of services to us. Above all, it is here that we express God in His glory.
At the end of such a glorious chapter, chapter one of Hebrews, concerning the unlimited Son of God, we are told that the angels are our servants. “Are they [angels] not all ministering spirits, sent forth for service for the sake of those who are about to inherit salvation?” Christ is God’s Heir and we are the joint-heirs of Christ. Even more, we are His partners in the divine interest. What a high position is this! It is much higher than that of the angels. The angels in God’s economy are only the ministering spirits rendering service to us, the joint-heirs of Christ and the partners of God’s appointed Heir. In God’s universe we are the owners and the angels are our servants. They serve us, the many sons of God, the heirs of salvation.
Let me share with you some real examples of the ministry of angels. When Peter was put into prison, an angel came, opened the door, and led him out of the prison (Acts 12:5-16). Peter then went and knocked on the door of the house of Mary. When Rhoda, a maidservant, opened the door and told the people in the house that it was Peter, they said that it must have been his angel. We all have at least one angel. Matthew 18:10 proves this. “Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.” We should not wrong our brothers because their angels are in the presence of the Father. The angels of God are ascending and descending on the heavenly ladder ministering to the heirs of salvation. We could also cite the example of Cornelius who was visited by an angel when he was praying (Acts 10:1-4). Furthermore, Psalm 34:7 says, “The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them.” If you love God and seek Him, He will send angels to camp round about you.
Who are we? We are the heirs of salvation. Who are the angels? They are our servants that minister to us continually. How have we become such heirs? Because of Christ. He is the Firstborn Son of God, and we are the many sons of God. He is the appointed Heir, and we have been saved to be His joint-heirs. We are partners in the heavenly corporation of “Christ and the Church,” and have millions of angels ministering to us. May the Lord open our eyes to see this.
Now we may summarize the main points of this message. Christ, the Firstborn Son of God, is God’s appointed Heir of all things. We, the many sons of God, are His “joint-heirs,” inheriting not only salvation but also all things with Him. Hence, we are the partners, joint-owners with Him of the universe, while the angels are merely our servants, not only inferior to Him but also to us. The Son has been appointed to be the Heir, and we have been saved to be His joint-heirs, sharing in His inheritance. The “so great a salvation” referred to in 2:3 is able to save us to such an extent that it brings us into the partnership of His appointment. Thus, we share in whatever He inherits. We, as partners of the Son, are the house of God, the real Bethel, the gate of heaven, where the Son is the heavenly ladder, joining earth to heaven and bringing heaven to earth. Upon this ladder the angels of God are ascending and descending as ministering spirits for service to us who inherit so great a salvation. What is covered in the book of Hebrews is like the gate of heaven. Here we enjoy Christ as the heavenly One who joins us to heaven and brings heaven to us that we may be a heavenly people living a heavenly life on earth and inheriting all the heavenly things. How could the Hebrew believers withdraw from this and return to their old religion and boast in the angels? The angels are simply our ministering servants, whereas we are the glorious heirs of God’s marvelous salvation.