SEVEN STEPS TO GLORY

By Don Hollifield

To fully understand most Biblical subjects, you need to begin in the Old Testament. Today's subject is no exception. I believe the following excerpts contain a hidden message.

Genesis 2v10-19: (selected verses) Jacob went from Beer-Sheba...And he came upon a certain place, and tarried there all night...And he took stones and put them for his pillows. And lay down to sleep. And he dreamed of a ladder from earth to heaven. And he saw angels of God ascending and descending on it. And the Lord stood above it and said, "I am the Lord God of Abraham and the God of Isaac. And the land thou liest to thee will I give it to thy seed. And the seed shall be as dust of the earth... And in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed." (That blessing is of course, "Jesus.") And Jacob awakes and said, "The Lord is in this place and I knew it not. This is the House of the Lord, and this is the Gate to Heaven..." (Gate to Heaven) And he took the stone that he had for his pillow and set it up for a pillar and he poured oil upon it. (He anointed it.) And he called the place Beth-El. IN Hebrew, "BETH" is House, and "EL" is short for Elohim or God, therefore, Beth-El means "House of God."

Jacob later returns to Beth-El as directed by God, thus providing another piece of the message in: Genesis 35v1: And God said unto Jacob, "Arise, go to Beth-El. And dwell there, and make an altar unto God. The hidden message is divided into four parts:
1. The stone Jacob used for a pillow.
2. The ladder from earth to Heaven with angels ascending and descending upon it.
3. Beth-El or the House of God. But why is it called the House of God and the Gate to Heaven? There is no structure or assembly there, just barren land and some stones.
4. The altar is in Beth-El, the House of God.

Now let's examine each part of the message.
1. The stone accompanied the Israelites as they traveled throughout the land, easily traced throughout the Bible. And when King Solomon built the Temple of God, this stone was refused. Psalm 118v22: The Stone the builders refused will become the head-stone of the corner.

I'd like to repeat this verse:
The Stone the builders refused will become the head-stone of the corner. The head-stone or the corner stone is the most important stone when constructing a building. All stones are positioned according to the corner stone. This verse is so important that it is repeated by Jesus and is recorded in "Six Books" of the New Testament.

Ephesians 2v20: The household of God (His Church) is built on the prophets with Jesus Christ being the Corner Stone... (being the Corner stone) Your soul resides in your brain. Jacob rested his head (or soul) on the stone. The stone of Jacob is symbolic for Jesus. Where better place to rest your soul than on Jesus?

2. The ladder extending from earth to Heaven. John 1v51: Jesus said: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, hereafter you shall see Angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of God. (Ascending and descending upon the Son of God) Whenever Jesus says, "VERILY, VERILY, I SAY UNTO YOU," He is telling you to pay attention, what he is going to say is very important. Jesus is both the Stone and the Ladder. They are the same. The ladder rest on the stone, and the Ladder and the Stone are in:

3. BETH-EL or The House of God. "THE HOUSE OF GOD"

4. The altar to God is also in the House of God.

The hidden message is: The way to Heaven is through the House of God, which is the gate to Heaven when you give your soul to Jesus at the altar, you can now climb the Ladder to Heaven...Amen?

When you go to Church, you learn about God and Jesus and you receive your faith and through your faith, you believe the Word of God. You know Jesus is the Son of God. You know Jesus died for your sins. And you know you have salvation when you make your commitment, and you're baptized in the Holy Trinity. You're born again! You've made a covenant with God through the blood of Jesus. And you have your "Title Deed to Heaven." YOU - OWN - A - PIECE - OF - HEAVEN.

But first you must climb the ladder to Heaven to fulfill your destiny and claim your "Title Deed." But how do you climb the ladder to Heaven? Scripture reveals.

After Jesus was crucified, Christianity continued to grow with Peter as the head of the Church or the first Pope. The Romans increased their persecution, with several Apostles and their followers being executed. Peter was crucified upside down in Rome in 67AD at the age of 77. According to Catholic records, approximately 1 year before Peter was executed he wrote the II Epistles of Peter for the bishops of the various Churches. He knew he was going to die so he wanted to exhort them to carry on after his death and bring their flocks to Glory. II Peter 1v4-11: Whereby are given unto us, exceedingly great promises (From God) that by these (promises) You might be caretakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world of lust.

Having escaped the lust of this evil world through God's promise of eternity. As such, they were now the partakers of God's divine nature, joined together in the same mind and the same opinion. Now Peter give us "The Seven Steps to Glory, or climbing Jacob's ladder. V5: And beside this, giving all diligence (or through you hard work and care) add to your faith. Once you have received Faith, add to it and excel according to God's plan.

STEP ONE: Add Virtue. Add God's given gifts, both physical and spiritual, given to you to serve God, His Church and humanity. So use your skills and talents according to God's plan. Are you using your gifts to serve God, His Church and humanity? Or are you wasting your talents and expect someone else to pick up the slack? Only you and God know the answer.

God has a plan for everyone, even before we're born. It's up to each of us to fulfill God's plan. Or follow the devil and fulfill his plan. So stay in the good graces of God.

You're never too young or too old to serve God. I speak from experience. I was 62 years old when God called me to be a lay speaker. I could feel the Holy Spirit calling me, but I resisted and then I asked for a specific sign, and I got the sign within three minutes. And I said, "Yes, Sir." You never know when God may call on you.

STEP TWO: And to Virtue, add Knowledge. The intelligence of God's Word. Do you study the Bible, and share your knowledge with others? You may not be able to go the Church, but that's no excuse for not studying the Bible.

Study the Bible with your husband or wife, or with your neighbors and friends, or even by yourself if necessary. I believe you will better understand God's Word if you study with at least one other person, if at all possible. That's why attending Sunday School is so important.

You'll never learn God's Word if you don't. The average sermon is only seven or eight verses, but if a minister would use ten verses in every sermon and he never repeated a single verse, including Christmas and Easter, it would take him over SIXTY years to teach you the Bible.

Most ministers only hit the high points of the Bible, and skip a lot of the meat. That's all right, but this emphasizes the importance of studying the Bible. So study the Bible and support your Church in ALL, I repeat ALL activities possible.

STEP THREE: And to Knowledge, add Temperance. Self control, control yourself, control your mind, control your physical body, and especially your mouth. More people are hurt through words than physical abuse. You may be sorry, but the damage is done, you can't blot out your words Imagine how great it would be if everyone spent as much time "Spreading The Gospel" as they do "Spreading Gossip."

STEP FOUR: And to Temperance, add Patience. Or steadfastness, don't quit, stay on the Path of Righteousness. If you stumble, get-up, and ask forgiveness and get back on the path. The devil will constantly nip at your heels, but stay the course.

STEP FIVE: And to Patience, add Godliness. Or divine nature. Take on the composure of a Christian, be happy, enjoy a Christian life, count your blessings. Don't be miserable or negative. Let the Holy Spirit guide and direct your actions, your thoughts and your mouth. If you take on the composure of a Christian, I guarantee you'll meet fellow Christians, and God will send you lost souls to help.

STEP SIX: And to Godliness, add Brotherly Kindness. Exercise love and compassion to others, your brothers and sisters in God.

During my surgery and recovery from prostrate cancer, we experienced a great outpouring of "Brotherly Love and Compassion." We received visitation, cards, phone calls, taxi service and prayers. Five different times we received cooked meals. And these were meals, not just a snack, each lasting two and three days. Several times we were driven to and from the doctors. We lived in the country, and three different times, fellow Christians cut our grass, and we had a lot of grass, approximately 4 or 5 acres of grass.

A minister from a near by Church spent several hours cutting our grass, trimmed the sidewalks, and blew off the cuttings. After he had finished, he shook my hand and said, "God bless you, Don." Then he left. What an outstanding example of "Brotherly Love and Compassion!"

I'd like to tell you about my experiences during this period of dealing from my cancer. I didn't need that stupid PSA test, or so I thought. I had no signs of the cancer, but my wife tricked me into getting the PSA test. She had a doctor's appointment, during which she had the nurse come out and get me, who asked me to sit down and roll up my sleeve. I asked why, and she told me for a PSA test. I started to refuse, but when I saw the look on my wife's face, I knew I had no other choice, if I valued my life.

Needless to say, I had the cancer, and that test probably saved my life. It was still in the infant stage and I elected to have surgery instead of therapy or radiation. To shrink the cancer they gave me a woman's hormone shot to reduce the swelling. I had no idea the severity of the "Hot Flashes" I experienced. They were terrible. I'm sure glad I didn't have "Labor Pains," too.

When I went to the hospital, there was a shortage of beds. And as a result, I was placed in the Pediatric Ward following my surgery. When our minister, Rev. Bill Heustes, came to visit me, he said, "Don, I'm concerned about you. You complained about having Hot Flashes and now you're in the Pediatric Ward. I can't help but wonder why you came to the hospital." "I sure wasn't pregnant if that's what you trying to say," I replied.

Then the following day I was transferred to the fourth floor sharing a room with another patient. My bed was next to the window and every time I look out I saw a bunch of black birds huddled in the corner of the roof. Again Bill visited me, "I see you have a window position. How's the view?" "Terrible." I said, "Every time I look outside all I can see is a bunch of black birds." "That may be a good sign. Imagine how you would feel if you looked outside and saw a bunch of buzzards circling over head," Bill said. As you can see, Bill has a great sense of humor and he certainly cheered me up.

I realize I have strayed from the message, but I did it for a reason. I specifically talked about my bout with cancer as a message to all you men. If you have not had your PSA test, you are flirting with death. I advise you with all my heart, get tested, now. You wives out there, you're the boss. Make him get that test. Trick him or whatever, but get him tested.

They found my cancer in the infant stages and were able to completely remove it. Those Hot Flashes were certainly better than having to undergo radiation. I knew a man that refused to get tested until he had blood in his urine. He's now dead, from the cancer. Since my surgery, I have had several PSA tests and they have all came back: 0.01 or undetected. Thank God....Amen?

STEP SEVEN: To Kindness, add Charity. Doing God's work through your Church, helping the community and mankind. Helping others and expecting nothing in return, as demonstrated by Willi Bradford who goes to a day nursery each week, playing the piano, singing songs and reading scripture. You can't imagine how wonderful the patients there must feel. I have been to several nurseries and it's unbelievable the despair and neglect they feel. Most of them are placed there to die, and seldom see their loved ones. Some of them cry out, asking God to take their lives.

Then when someone like Willi comes to minister to them, they have a great feeling that someone loves them and cares for them. I can just see God looking down every time she goes to the nursery. Her reward will come later.

Let's review the seven steps to Heaven or climbing Jacob's ladder and adding to your faith.
STEP ONE: Use you physical and spiritual gifts to excel in doing God's work.
STEP TWO: Study the Bible and gain wisdom and knowledge from God's Word and share it with others.
STEP THREE: Exercise self control over your mind, your speech and your actions.
STEP FOUR: Don't quit. Stay on the path of righteousness.
STEP FIVE: Take on the composure of a Christian through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
STEP SIX: Practice love and kindness to others, and your brothers and sisters in Christ.
STEP SEVEN: Do God's work according to these steps and expect nothing in return.

If you follow these steps, look what Peter says next: V8: For if these things be in you and abound, If you climb these steps according to God's will. They make you that you shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. You shall be blessed in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, bringing others to salvation, and you shall fulfill your destiny, according to God's plan.

V9: For he that lacketh these things is blind, and can not see for off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. He is blind to the knowledge of Jesus and has forgotten that Jesus died for his sins. He does not have salvation.

V10: Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and elections sure. You will fulfill your destiny and your election into the Book of Life. For if you do these things, you shall never fall. You'll never fall from Jacob's ladder. You'll never fall from the graces of God. And you'll never fall into the clutches of the devil.

V11: For so an entrance (into the gates of Heaven) shall be ministered unto you abundantly, The gates of Heaven shall be thrown wide open for you. Into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ.

As you climb these steps, you draw nearer to God. Then when you leave this life the gates of Heaven are thrown wide open for you. Some believe you'll be greeted by Saint Peter; quite possible. But I believe you'll be greeted by your loved ones who have passed-on before you; your mother and father, your brothers and sisters, your spouse or perhaps your children.

Then you'll meet ADNOI JEHOVAH ELOHIM, God himself and His Son YESHUA CHRISTI, Jesus Christ. The Bible does not say what it will be like when we face God, but I picture a long golden path, with thousands of angels singing praises to the All Mighty. You'll drop to your knees with your head bowed. Then there's absolute silence as God speaks.

What will God say? "Welcome, you completed your destiny and I am well pleased." Or will He say, "Why? Why didn't you complete your destiny? You could have done so much more. Why?" You can't lie. You can't make up excuses. You're stuck with your works. But if you complete your destiny, you'll experience eternity, enjoying life where there's: no evil, no sadness, no tears, no sickness, no violence, no drugs, no profanity, no worry. Just happiness as you dwell in Heaven, enjoying the Love, the Grace and the Glory of God and His Son, forever and ever and ever and ever....

AMEN