Question: Given that there are seven spiritual levels of people Isaiah has identified in his prophecy, how do you ascend from one level to the next?
Answer: The quick answer is that to experience rebirth or ascent to a higher spiritual level one must keep the law of God’s covenant that pertains to that level. For example, assuming that one starts from a state of sin or iniquity such as the Jacob/Israel level, the law of the covenant he must keep is that of the next spiritual level—Zion/Jerusalem.
The law of the Zion/Jerusalem level pertains to the Sinai Covenant, God’s collective covenant with his people Israel. Its equivalent today is membership in his church. Its law consists of the basic principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ: faith in Jehovah/Jesus, repentance of sins, baptism for the remission of sins, and the gift of the Holy Ghost.
A person ascends to the Zion/Jerusalem level upon receiving a remission of sins. That means he is clean before God and has no more desire to do evil. Each ascent, however, is preceded by a temporary descent. Either immediately before ascent or over time, the person who ascends must overcome tests or trials associated with his desire to ascend.
Each of three levels of ascent beyond that of Zion/Jerusalem pertains to the law of the Davidic Covenant. Under that law, one functions as a proxy savior of others in ensuring their temporal salvation or physical protection and wellbeing. What distinguishes the three levels is the degree to which one is able to keep the law of the Davidic Covenant.
The law that God’s sons/servants keep, for example, applies to righteous persons who function as proxy saviors to their immediate families or kindreds. That of Isaiah’s seraph category applies to individuals who serve as saviors to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. The law that Jesus kept was to serve as the spiritual Savior of the world.
The higher one ascends the spiritual ladder, the deeper is the descent into trials that precedes it. These sufferings constitute an “acceptable sacrifice” God requires before he re-creates a person to a higher spiritual level. Much depends on the degree to which a person is committed to serve God and is willing to pay the price of his blessing others
