Union With Heaven by William W. Prescott

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jan 13, 1910

Union With Heaven

By William W. Prescott

In view of present conditions in the religious world, it seems fitting that we should frequently consider some of the fundamental truths of the gospel. We are confronted to-day with theories, claims, and teachings on the part both of apostate Protestantism and of Romanism which utterly set aside the truths of the gospel; and as we are in the world for the express purpose of giving the true gospel message in this generation, it certainly becomes us to so understand both the conditions which the message is designed to meet and the very nature of the message itself, that we may be able to give the message in a way to meet the demands of the present hour.

We are confronted with claims and teachings that do really make void the truth, the genuine gospel of Christ, as will plainly appear from a brief study of the question. Christ is the one who has made the connection between earth and heaven. Earth was cut off from heaven by sin. Christ was given to restore that connection. An intimation of this was given in that dream which Jacob had when he saw a ladder resting upon the earth and reaching unto heaven, and saw angels of God ascending and descending upon that ladder. Afterward, in his talk with Nathanael, Christ himself explained the meaning of that dream when he said: “Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.” That is, it is the Son of man, the Son of God given to take the flesh and become the Son of man, who unites earth with heaven. It is absolutely necessary that the base of that ladder should rest upon the earth because of our inability to lift ourselves up at all. It is also necessary that the top of the ladder should reach to heaven, because even though we should get nine tenths of the way to heaven, and the ladder should fail to reach all the way, we would be utterly unable to lift ourselves over the gap and to get to heaven on the ladder after all.

Briefly stated, the situation is just this: At the present time, by denying the deity of Christ, that he is really the Son of God, apostate Protestantism is cutting off the top of the ladder. Unless Jesus Christ is truly the Son of God, the ladder does not reach to heaven. And further, it is an old, fundamental teaching of the Roman Catholic Church that the base of the ladder is cut off and does not reach to the earth; for while Protestants emphasize now the humanity of Christ and deny his deity, and thus shorten the ladder so that it does not reach to heaven, it is a fundamental teaching of Roman Catholicism that Jesus Christ did not take the same flesh that we bear, and so the ladder does not rest upon the earth. They emphasize his divinity, but in effect deny his humanity, and therefore the base of the ladder does not rest upon the earth. Now between these two, instead of having a ladder reaching from earth to heaven, if their claims and assumptions are correct, our ladder does not reach to earth; it does not reach to heaven. But there is no salvation apart from Jesus Christ. “There is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” “Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

This salvation is not an arbitrary thing. It is not a mere balancing of accounts. It is an actual experience by which we are restored to fellowship with God. Thus made in his image, we again bear the image of God, and that is wrought out by God in the person of his Son coming down to take the flesh, revealing the character of God in the flesh, uniting the character—the power of God for righteousness—with the flesh in his own person, and then by his ministry providing that same experience for all who believe on him. And that relation which he thus establishes, grows out of two things: First, and primarily, because he is the Son of God; and secondly, in order to make this fellowship complete, because he became the Son of man. Then being both Son of God and Son of man, and in himself uniting divinity with humanity once more, and that too in sinful flesh so that the same experience might come to us in sinful flesh, he then in his office as high priest ministers to those who are willing to receive that living power, that life of his, which working in them reveals anew, even in sinful flesh, the character of God.

This is the experience of the gospel. Apart from this experience there is no salvation. It is time therefore to emphasize the truth concerning the person and the mediatorial work of Christ, our great High Priest. W. W. P.