The Lord Jesus “Coming by Incarnation” vs. “Going by Death and Resurrection”: An Integrated Comparison

 

The Lord Jesus “Coming by Incarnation” vs. “Going by Death and Resurrection”: An Integrated Comparison

1 John 14 "The Word became flesh and pitched its tabernacle among us."

John 14 6 "No one comes to the Father except through me."

John 14 20 "You are in me, and I in you."

I. Core Comparison Table

Item	Coming by Incarnation  (John 1:14)	Going by Death and Resurrection (John 14:6, 20)
Direction	From God to man, descending from heaven to earth	From man to God, ascending from earth to heaven
Image of the ladder	The ladder “set up on the earth”: its lower end rests in humanity (Gen. 28:12)	The ladder’s “top reached to heaven”: its upper end reaches God Himself (Gen. 28:12)
Main accomplishment	Bringing God into man	Bringing man into God
Stage of Christ	Becoming flesh and living a human life (the God-man living)	Crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension
Key verses	John 1:14: “The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us”	John 14:6: “No one comes to the Father except through Me”; 14:20: “You are in Me, and I am in you”
What is manifested	“Full of grace and reality”; God’s glory is displayed	He is “the way and the reality and the life,” the way to the Father
Resulting relationship	God enters man: God and man are joined in the one person of Christ	Man enters God: believers are brought into God’s life and presence
Position on the ladder	The “descending” aspect: heaven (God) comes to earth	The “ascending” aspect:  earth (man) is joined to heaven
Fulfillment of John 1:51	“The angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man”:  the Son of Man is where heaven and earth meet	The same verse: the Son of Man is the way for man to go up and for heaven to come down

II. Integrated Revelation: One Coming and One Going Complete the Ladder

Aspect	Explanation
Christ is the reality of the ladder	As the Son of Man, Christ in His humanity is the ladder set up on the earth. Being both God and man, He has both divinity and humanity, so He can be connected to both heaven and earth at once.
Coming: God enters man	Incarnation made God a man and brought God into humanity. His flesh is the tabernacle where God dwells (1:14).
Going: man enters God	Through death and resurrection, Christ was glorified and His humanity entered the divine realm of life. His death terminated all that is sinful and of the old creation, and His resurrection regenerates believers in Him so that they enter into God.
The flesh and the “veil”	Hebrews 10:19–20 says that through His flesh we have a new and living way. His flesh, like a veil, was rent in death, so “coming” and “going” are two sides of one matter.
Mutual indwelling in John 14:20	“I am in My Father” speaks of His union with the Father. “You are in Me, and I am in you” speaks of the believers’ union with Him. This is the final result of the coming and the going: God and man indwelling one another.
After resurrection	The resurrected Christ became the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45; 2 Cor. 3:17) and can enter into the believers’ spirit. Thus the ladder is no longer only a historical one but one we can experience today.

III. Connection to Your Outline (Point III: Our Regenerated Spirit)

Outline point	Relation to “Coming”	Relation to “Going”
Heb. 10:19: boldness to enter the Holy of Holies by the blood of Jesus	His flesh is the material of that “way”	His blood, death, and resurrection opened this way for us
The Holy of Holies is in heaven (Heb. 9:12, 24), yet we are on earth	Christ has already brought God to us	Christ has already entered heaven itself and brings us in
The secret: our spirit (Heb. 4:12; 2 Tim. 4:22)	The Christ in heaven is also in our spirit today, a continuation of the “coming”	The moment we turn to our spirit, we enter the Holy of Holies, which is the practice of the “going”
Heb. 4:16: the throne of grace	God’s throne has become a throne of grace to us	We may come boldly and fearlessly to the throne
Eph. 2:22: the spirit as God’s dwelling place	God has a dwelling place in our spirit, the base of the ladder on earth	We are built together in Him as God’s dwelling place

IV. Additional Verses for Cross-Reference

Theme	Scripture
God becoming flesh	1 Tim. 3:16; Rom. 8:3; Gal. 4:4; Phil. 2:6–8
Death releasing life	John 12:24 (a grain of wheat falling into the ground and dying produces much fruit)
Resurrection regenerating man	1 Pet. 1:3; John 20:17 (“My Father and your Father”), 20:22 (breathing in: “Receive the Holy Spirit”)
Christ’s body as the temple	John 2:19–21
The consummation of the God-man mingling	John 14:20; 15:4–5; 1 Cor. 6:17

V. Summary

• Coming is God entering man: through incarnation, Christ brought God into humanity.
• Going is man entering God: through death and resurrection, Christ brings man into God’s life.
• Together, they form one complete ladder joining God and man.
• Today we enjoy this ladder in our regenerated spirit: when we turn to our spirit, we enter the Holy of Holies and meet God on the throne of grace.

 

*Please refer to the 2026 Autumn Training for Elders and Responsible Brothers, General Topic: The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Part Six: The Dream of Bethel