FROM THE CANDLESTICK TO THE THRONE
Part
78
THE SEVEN-SEALED BOOK
(continued)
And I saw in the right hand of Him
that sat on the throne a book written within and on
the backside, sealed with seven seals (Rev. 5:1).
The book is
written within that is, the nature, wisdom, and power of Christ, which
is the law of His life, is inscribed in our minds and written in our hearts, known only to
God and to us. It is also written on
the backside or outside bespeaking the reflection of that inner life
expressed outwardly through our words and actions, open to the gaze of others. Yet the full revelation of Christ in us has been
sealed! Every son and daughter of God is
aware that the Christ who dwells in us is a whole Christ, all that He is and all that He
has is resident in the life we have received. Have
we not yearned and desired above all things to manifest
His fullness? And still, the full and
complete manifestation of His indwelling life has not been shown. The breaking of the
seals, the unrolling of the scroll, shall set all things in Gods order! This book has been sealed away from the influences
of men. It has not been tampered with by man,
for it has been held secure in the right hand of the Father, the hand of omnipotence. Our almighty Father has been in control of every
experience of our lives as He has moved to bring us to the full stature of Christ! When every seal has been broken, and the book is
fully opened, it will confound all the wisdom of men and the pride of religion.
In the past we
have by inspiration and revelation spoken the message of God, but now we are destined to
be the open book of God, the very being of the
message of God, written not in words of earths languages, but lived out of the
essence of the Christ-life within. The book
is not in some far-off heaven somewhere, neither is it something outside of us. Nothing written by the hand of man can contain
the totality of God. Ah, my beloved, the sons
of God are within themselves the embodiment of this
wonderful book upon the hand of Him who sits upon the throne! The book that has been sealed within us is even
now being unsealed and opened. What is it
that is being unveiled? The totality of the
Father in His sons is now ready to be made manifest!
The Lord Himself is arising in the totality of all that He is within the
nature, personality, and expression of His called and chosen elect upon this earth! All mankind shall see and behold the salvation of
God!
One of the most
beautiful books of the Old Testament is the Song of Solomon, which describes the
relationship between two people who are deeply in love.
While this is its imagery, spiritual-minded saints throughout church history
have seen in the story a thrilling picture of Christ, the Bridegroom, and His bride, the
church. Individually, it portrays Christ the
Bridegroom in our spirit, and the bride of our soul.
How fitting, therefore, are the words in which the Shulamite bride declares
that her Beloved is altogether lovely (Song of Solomon 5:16). A great preacher of another day penned the
following thought-provoking sentence about our Lord Jesus Christ: Not one feature of
His glorious person attracts attention at the expense of others; but He is perfectly and altogether lovely.
Continuing, he exclaimed, Oh, Jesus! Thy power, Thy grace, Thy justice, Thy tenderness,
Thy truth, Thy majesty, and Thine immutability make up such a man, or rather such a
God-man, as neither heaven nor earth hath seen elsewhere
Thou art music without
discord; Thou art many, and yet not divided; Thou art all things, and yet not diverse. As all the colors blend in one resplendent
rainbow, so all the glories of heaven and earth meet in Thee and unite so wondrously, that
there is none like Thee in all things; nay, if all the virtues of the most excellent were
bound in one bundle, they could not rival Thee!
Can we not confess it? The
truth is that the manifest sons of God are the body of
the Bridegroom. In making that statement, I
am fully aware that such a thought runs contrary to long-established views of
theology; but as George Hawtin once poignantly said, we are not concerned with the views of theology, for
theology is not really the views of God but the ideas
of men. We are concerned only with the truth of God as it is revealed in His word in the
light of inspiration and revelation. Every
son of God will gladly and joyfully confess that CHRIST IN US IS ALTOGETHER LOVELY!
This is the beauty, holiness, grace,
love, wisdom, glory, and power that is unveiled as the seals are loosed from that book
which we are!
Oh yes, the book
is Christ Himself, for Christ is the revelation of the One who sits upon the throne! Christ is the Word of God. The book is a Word-Book! The book is a message, and Christ is the message
of God. God, who at sundry times and in
divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last
days spoken unto us by His Son
(Heb. 1:1-2). Yet it is not merely
Christ in heaven, but Christ in you and me! The
sealed book is the very nature, wisdom, glory,
and power of Christ held back and obscured by the outer man of flesh, by our natural
identity and human consciousness, until the seals are broken!
The book is
sealed with seven seals. Seven is the number of completeness the
seven seals bespeak of the total depravity of the natural man. Paul said it so well, I know that in me,
that is in my flesh, there dwelleth no good
thing (Rom. 7:18). For I
delight in the law of God after the inward man:
but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me
into captivity to the law of sin which is in my
members (Rom. 7:22-23). Because
the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not
subject to the law of God, neither indeed can
be (Rom. 8:7). The Adamic nature is
a hellish nature and shut tightly against the spirit of God. It must be broken, loosed! It always seemed a little strange to me that such
an act as loosing the seals brought so much woe, calamity, judgment, and distress on
earth, yet it evoked such rejoicing, jubilation, worship, and all-out adoration in heaven! To the natural mind this appears rather offensive,
malevolent, and sadistic. Indeed, heaven
rejoicing over the pain, anguish, and torment of men on earth!
The truth,
however, is far too telling, glorious, and overwhelming for us to miss it. The truth is just this the seven seals are
the bondage of the flesh and it is this complete imprisonment of the Christ within by the
dominance of the consciousness of the outer man of flesh that is suffering all the
dealing, judgment, and fire of God! These are the seals that are being broken! Rejoice,
oh man of spirit, rejoice ye heavens and they that dwell therein! How my glad heart leaps for joy in the light of a
truth so significant and glorious! I cannot
weep for the natural man, even my natural man,
the carnal mind, or the sin which wars in my members.
At long last I understand and rejoice in the heavens of Gods Spirit
for the mighty revelation of Jesus Christ that emanates with scintillating beauty as the
seals of my very own corruption are stripped away! What
a word that is!
WHO IS WORTHY TO OPEN THE BOOK?
And I saw
a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who
is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? (Rev. 5:2).
The Greek word
translated proclaiming is related to the task of a herald who thunders forth a
royal declaration in thunderous tones. Loud
voice is in keeping with the strong angels role as a herald. In fact, the Greek words for loud and
voice are joined together to form our English word megaphone. Mega means loud and phone means
sound. It represents a mighty message! The powerful angel is portrayed as speaking in
tones that are so overwhelming that his words reach the ends of heaven, throughout the
earth, and even into the underworld. In spite
of his deafening appeal there is no answer, as we shall see, from any celestial,
terrestrial, or subterranean creature. None
is worthy, for none can qualify!
With these
thoughts as a background, let us consider the scene in the heavens of Gods spirit as
it is revealed in chapter five of the Revelation. The
eternal Father, seated upon the rainbow-encircled throne, is presiding over the mighty
assembly. The majesty of that scene is beyond
words! In the midst of the great throne are
the four living creatures, representing the kingship of the sons of God; and around them
are the twenty-four elders, portraying the priesthood of the sons of God. In the right hand of the Father is a book. It is written on the inside and also on the
outside. A mighty angel, a strong messenger,
a mighty message steps forward and challenges the entire universe. Who is worthy to open the book, he
cries, and to loose the seals thereof? His
voice shook the earth and penetrated all space and galaxies; it resounded through heaven.
Mark you, who is worthy,
not who is skillful enough or wise enough or strong enough, but who is worthy, who has
character enough, who has drunk deep enough at the fountain of the eternal Spirit, who is
enough like God, to unlock the secrets of divine
life? Will one reach forth to take the book? Will thousands of men and spirits and creatures
rush madly to the throne to grasp the book? Who
can take the book? All heaven is searched. Might seraphim, cherubim, or angels open those
seals? Or perchance might Enoch, Noah,
Abraham, David, or Elijah present themselves as worthy to fulfill this need? Might one among the saints who by faith are among the spirits of just men made perfect
step forward? Might some advanced and
powerful alien entity from some far distant galaxy respond to this challenge? Earth is searched.
Might some president, king, or great statesman or religious leader perform
this great deed? The search is dropped to the
regions under the earth. Might
Caesar, Napoleon, or Nero or other of earths mighty dead presume to offer
themselves? But every mouth is stopped! No man
in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to
look thereon. The suspense is awful. Johns tender heart is moved to tears.
NO MAN CAN OPEN THE BOOK!
And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the
earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.
And I wept much, because no man was
found worthy to open the book, neither to look thereon (Rev. 5:3-4).
Although the
sound of the heavenly messengers voice resounds throughout all of heaven, the high
and holy realm of the spirit; throughout all the earth, the dwelling place of the natural
or soulical man; and the underworld, bespeaking of the body realm, the gross wickedness of
the flesh and the bondage of the devil, there
is no one who is able to qualify as worthy to open and to look upon the
contents of the scroll. The word translated
able is the Greek word which means to possess power or authority. Nowhere in all of Gods vast universes was
there found a creature who was authorized or empowered of God to open the book and bring
forth the revelation of life that it contains!
No man can open the book! No
man! No
carnality. No one by intellect or human
reasoning or fleshly ability. No person
moving in a religious spirit, or proclaiming a creed or doctrine, or observing outward
laws, ceremonies, rituals, or man-made programs, promotions, and efforts could open the
book. Not one!
It is a good
thing that this book was not opened here in Texas because we have a whole passel of
preachers who say they can tell you what is on the inside of this book, on the outside,
and all around it. They have all the answers. If John had just been in Texas, instead of being
on the isle of Patmos, they could have given him the answers! Well, John didnt have the answer, but there
is one who can open the book, as we shall see.
I can understand
that no man on earth was found able. Some of us who are living way below our privileges
in the realm of the earthlies are not worthy, nor capable.
I can also understand that no man under
the earth, those living in the underworld of the sensual, fleshly, and devilish realm,
was found able. But then it goes on to say, no man in heaven. No man even living in the heavenlies of Gods
Spirit, that place of exaltation, triumph, and power, was found able, not only to open the
book, but even to look thereon. In these
days of transition from the church to the kingdom the full expression of Christs
redemption must be made manifest and it begins with the opening of the seven-sealed book
not single-sealed, not double-sealed, but a book with seven seals, written within
and on the backside, which means written all over and HE ALONE CAN OPEN IT!
Perhaps
we have felt that, if God could find a man who would be totally committed to Him, or one
that has attained to a high place in God as an apostle, or prophet, His purposes in the
earth could be fulfilled. But no matter how
dedicated, committed, gifted, and heavenly minded a man may be, no matter what spiritual
progress or position or attainment a man may have, when it comes to the unveiling of Jesus
Christ in the breaking of the seals which release the forces that will eventually bring
about the full expression of Gods glory and purpose, no man was found worthy. This is a word that needs to be heard by all who
seek after manifest sonship in this day! As
we move into this wonderful new day of the kingdom, and nothing much seems to happen,
perhaps we start blaming ourselves, or our teachers, or the prophets, and we ask,
Where is this greater manifestation of the Spirit, this full expression of the power
of the kingdom of God? I am not speaking
here about healing some sick and casting out some devils and seeing a few things change
around us and having some miracles, which in time past we have called revival. These things have been taking place throughout the
ages, and happen all the time, but by and large the world does not even know they are
happening!
We
gather in our little meetings and conventions and declare our sonship, that we have
entered beyond the veil, that we have arrived in the day of the Lord, that we have come
out of religious Babylon and left all the lower orders behind, that we have been set in
the new order of the kingdom, that we have even now begun to put on life and immortality,
and a number of other wonderful declarations, and yet no one up and down the street where
we are gathered even knows that we are in town! The
world goes on day after day, month after month, year after year, decade after decade
wallowing in shame, bound by sin, sorrow, pain, and death, with wars and starvation and
troubles of every kind affecting billions of people.
That is not what the day of the Lord is to bring forth: a little moving over
here and a little stirring over there, BUT A RELEASE OF THE FULLNESS OF THE POWER AND THE
GLORY AND THE LIFE OF GOD OVER ALL THE EARTH. This
is the unveiling of the triumphant One, who by His death, resurrection, and ascension to
the right hand of the Father has prevailed!
And yet we cannot escape the awful truth NO MAN CAN PRODUCE IT!
Not even a man in heaven!
Soon after John
saw and heard this scene there was a mighty weeping going on concerning who was worthy to
open the book. J. A. Seiss commented on this
scene, Some speak of these tears as mere tears of disappointed curiosity. This, indeed, is the common explanation. We are told that the book had unknown revelations
in it, which John was very impatient to understand; and that his much weeping was caused
by the prospect of having his personal desire to obtain a knowledge of the future,
ungratified. Poor John! What a silly mortal, to be troubling himself about
unrevealed prophecy, and to keep up this crying in heaven because there was no one to open
the book for him! The thing is absurd. It is beneath criticism. What a sad picture of inspiration, that it should
strip a venerable and disciplined servant of God of all manly dignity, and make him a
silly and peevish child! No, no; John knew by
that Spirit in which he was, what that sealed book meant.
He knew that if no one was found worthy and able to take it from the hand of
God, and to break its seals, that all the promises of the prophets, and all the hopes of
the saints, and all the preintimations of a redeemed world, must fail.
The Seer waits
in the oppressive silence until he can bear it no longer.
Then he breaks down into bitter weeping.
The word translated wept does not refer to quiet tears streaming
down the face, but to audible wailing and uncontrollable sobbing. John is terribly upset because there is no
response to the heavenly messengers thunderous appeal for someone to open the book,
loosing the contents hidden within. His soul
is shaken to its foundations as he recognizes that the outcome of all things on behalf of
all creation hangs upon the contents of this sealed book!
Johns tears, therefore, express his sensitivity in things spiritual,
for he realizes that there must come a time when God must mightily intervene in the affairs of men and the
whole world or the kingdom of God will never be realized
on earth. His longing for that
great Day is joined with his longing for the release of the fullness of the power and the glory of God over all the earth. Hence the awful sense of frustration expressed in
weeping when no creature responded to the messengers call.
The mystery is
just this. John represents
you and me! Have we not wept,
groaned, and travailed in pain within ourselves for Christ in us to be unsealed, fully
revealed? Oh, yes! But the weeping, groaning, and travailing of
itself cannot bring forth the Christ. Weep
not! one of the elders commanded. The
elder here referred to is undoubtedly one of the twenty-four who have been identified as
representative of the priesthood of God. Notice,
the elders do not weep! Only John wept. The elders do not weep for they are in the secret
of God, and as the redemptive agents of God the priests of the kingdom understand the process taking place. What was dark to John is light to them! It means that when the reality of priesthood
breaks in our spirit, and we are given a priestly heart, and a priestly understanding, our
tears are dried. Once the revelation comes,
and we know God is in control, and we are certain of the Fathers purpose and our
calling in it, and the final outcome is sure, then we truly rest in His love, and weeping
ceases. It is indeed wonderful!
John
says that there was no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth who was able
to open the book. What this means in the
understanding of the Spirit is just this: Who is able to reveal, to show forth the Christ? Who is able!
And he says, No man
matters not what heaven he dwells in, nor what occult realm he works from no
man is able to open up, expose, disclose, release, unveil, reveal, or exhibit the fullness of Christ! Then there came the voice, Stop weeping!
See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has won and overcome
and conquered! He can open the scroll and
break its seven seals! And there between the
throne and the four living creatures I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain,
with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God who have been
sent far and wide into all the earth. He then
went and took the scroll from the right hand of Him who sat on the throne (Rev.
5:5-7, Amplified).
Oh, to be
anointed to understand these words of deepest mystery and highest glory! It was the strength of the Lion of the tribe of Judah that prevailed. But
it was the humility, meekness, and unselfish sacrifice of the Lamb that accomplished
the work! We can roar like a lion, but we
will never open the book by that roar. The
book cannot be opened, the Christ within can never be revealed, except by the spirit of the Lamb! Nor can weeping open the book. We can weep all day long and it
isnt going to make the book open. In
Pentecostal and Evangelical circles they tell you, Repent! Weep your way through at the altar, come between
the porch and the altar and cry out mightily to God.
There is a time for weeping, but you can cry till you turn blue and you will die
crying. In the revelation of Jesus Christ God
has come to wipe away tears! And God
shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither
sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any
more pain: for the former things are passed away (Rev. 21:4).
WHAT WILL OPEN
THE BOOK? Can you open the book? Will
lamenting and weeping about the situation open the book?
Do you know what John realized? No man can open
this book. Weeping wont open the book. Roaring like a lion wont open the book. Positive thinking wont open the book. Confessing wont open the book. Being heavenly minded wont open the book. No man in heaven was able to open the
book. Are you a heaven dweller? You still cant open the book! If John could have opened the book he would have. He was standing in the spirit on the
Lords day and in heaven when he saw the book! If you could open the book you would. If I could open the book I would. If I could call forth the revelation of Christ, if
I could generate and produce the manifestation of the sons of God I would. Oh, yes! But
John felt as I have felt many times. And I wept
Boo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo! Im not perfect
Im still
just human
I cant overcome
I am weak and hopeless
Lord help
me
Lord change me
boo-hoo-hoo-hoo!
But that will never open the book!
THE ONE WORTHY TO OPEN THE BOOK
The messenger
said, Stop crying! Weep not! Stop feeling sorry for yourself! Stop bemoaning the world! Stop feeling hopeless! There is somebody that can open the book! Ah, beloved, dry your tears and hush your
cries The mighty Lamb of God is standing up within each of Gods elect in this
hour, and He is able to open the book!
This book must be opened.
This is necessary and imperative for the salvation of humanity and the
restoration of all things back into God! The
following words by J. T. Dean bear eloquent testimony to the work of Christ within us in
opening the seals. Now, what is the
Lamb said to do? He opens the seals of a
sealed book. He reads what is already written
therein. He brings to actuality a purpose
already formed and fixed. He does not
introduce something new into the purpose of God. He
does not alter Gods will. He unfolds
it, realizes it, brings to actuality what God intended from the beginning with regard to
man. He does not open a door for man to enter
into a new and different life than that for which God made him at first. He carries out Gods eternal purpose
respecting man. God set the human race on a
journey. He gave it a goal to strive after
and reach, even the image and glory of God. But
instead of taking the direct road to his destination, man left the path. He began to wander round and round in ways that
made no progress, but that led him even farther from the goal than he was when he started. And Christ comes to him while he is thus
wandering. He does not give him a new
destination. He does not set another goal
before him. But He guides him back to the
path which he has left, and sets him to walk anew towards his former goal. Or, to take another illustration, God brought man
into the world a little child spiritually, but a child that He meant to grow up into a
strong spiritual manhood in the likeness of Christ. But
instead of growing up to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, with never
a days illness to set back his growth, man was afflicted with sickness of soul, with
sin. He advances towards manhood through a
sickly youth. And Christ, the Great
Physician, helps to keep the disease under, reinforces the powers of health, and brings
the sickly child through the weakness unto the perfect man.
Christ does not help man to become something other than Gods design
for him. He helps him to become all that God
meant him to be! He opens the seals, and
brings Gods purpose to fulfillment
end quote. To
which I would add the Lamb is the One who opens for all creation the mystery of sonship to God!
Joyce Morris has shared an excellent word
concerning the worthiness of our Lord Jesus Christ and His ability to open the seven seals
of the book. The following is a quote from
her anointed message.
As you
know, many books have been written in the world. There
have been awards (like the Pulitzer Prize) given for some of these books. Many have been made into plays and movies. As we know, some of these books are true stories
about peoples lives. Its very
interesting that a movie based on a true story, has a greater impact on peoples
lives than a fictional story. Every kind of
book that you could possibly think of has been written.
But the book that we want to get into today is the Book of Life. We want to enter into the extraordinary
understanding of what the Book of Life is and that you are becoming
the Book of Life!
God has
His own book. The book that God has is not
the Bible. The Bible has been written from
the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, which God has given to man. But this book is to point you to THE BOOK
which is THE BOOK OF LIFE! God wrote the book
in the beginning, and in the Book of Life is Gods plan. In the Book of Life there are certain names
written. God has written His book and no one
can contaminate it. Nobody can put their
doctrines into it. Nobody can put their
beliefs, ideas, concepts, or anything else into it. Man
will never be able to contaminate the book that God has written!
God is the
author of His book. In His book He wrote His
plan with many scripts. Gods book is
the Book of Life, which is Christ Himself. And
the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us. God
wrote His plan, and nobody can change His plan. However,
you can change the script and I will get
into this later on. I want to talk about the
first individual that had the understanding that God had written His book. He also understood that his script had been written, and that God had
written every one of his days in His book. All
the days of his life had been written in the Book of Life!
When Jesus came into this earth, every one of His days had been written in
Gods book. He is the
book. The Book of Life came, the
bread from heaven came, THE WORD (BOOK) WAS MADE FLESH!
He had to walk out the script and the plan of God on earth. He only tried to change it one time. He learned obedience through the things that He
suffered. I know that He struggled with the
script for a while! I know that He was
tempted in every area, just like you and me. But
He passed all the tests, and overcame all the temptations.
He said, It is written
it is written in my
Fathers script it is written in my Fathers plan I cannot do that
I cannot yield to my self-will I will not change the script I must
follow the plan of God, because I came to do the
will of my Father!
So here He
is The Book. Each day of His life was
unfolding. Everything that God had written in
the very beginning was unfolding. His days
were unfolding. His experiences were
unfolding. Each day and each experience took
Him from one place to another, all the way to the cross.
He followed the script; He looked at it; He understood it; and He yielded to
the Father to walk out that script. He walked
out the plan of God. Hebrews 12:2 says,
who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross. He endured the cross because of the joy that was set before Him because He had
the understanding that as He fulfilled the script and walked out Gods plan each day
of His life, He wasnt going to be just one book, He would go on to be many books!
When
the people killed Him, they thought they were getting rid of The Book. But they couldnt get rid of the script that
God had written! No man can stop it! Jesus could have stopped it in the garden of
Gethsemane, but He yielded to the Father, and said, Not my will, but thine, be
done. He did not yield to His
self-will, but He yielded to the will of God, to bring a fulfillment to the plan of God,
the script that had been written for Him. No
one could change Jesus destiny except Jesus. But
He didnt change it He fulfilled it by walking it out. Even after all this, His life still wasnt
over. The book wasnt finished yet! He wasnt the flesh man Jesus anymore, but if
you can understand here He is, the Book of Life, walking in the earth and everybody
was looking at it, and reading the Book of Life! They were looking at and reading the Book of Life
every day, and they saw what was in it. What
they saw was God! This upset and angered many
people. They hated the book, because it went
against their book. It was against their lives, what they believed in;
it was against their governments, their religions, and everything that they stood for,
because they loved death more than they loved life!
Jesus
said, This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved
darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil (Jn. 3:19). Again, The people which sat in darkness saw
a great light (Mat. 4:16). They saw the
book coming and it had light and life in it. The
very life of God was walking and moving in Christ! And
God was enjoying every bit of it! He said, I finally
have an individual that is yielding to my will, my plan, my script. He is studying my script every day. He is waiting upon the Holy Spirit to direct His
path, so that He can walk out what I wrote from the foundation of the world.
When Jesus
looked within in the garden of Gethsemane, He saw that God had written before the
foundation of the world that the Lamb would be slain.
It had already been written but until that time Jesus didnt
have the full picture or understanding of what was going to happen on the cross. He had known it, He had understood it, and He saw
it take place before the foundation of the
world, because the Father had shown it to Him. But
the man Jesus had lost the full understanding of this event when He came into His flesh
body on earth.. In Gethsemane He came into
the full realization of what was going to happen to Him on the cross. He saw what He would suffer; the hatred and
rejection that would come against Him; but He
did not want to miss the script that God had written He had to walk it out and
fulfill even this part.
The Father
showed Him in Gethsemane that through the cross He was coming into a higher place, realm,
or state of being. He showed Him that He was
going to bring the entire creation BACK INTO THE BOOK!
This is the reason He knew He had to fulfill the script. He also knew that this wasnt the end of The
Book. He knew that His life would continue
throughout eternity in the hearts and lives of many
people! They thought they had gotten rid
of Him. But He came back on the day of
Pentecost, and the Book of Life began to enter into many men a many-membered
corporate body THE BOOK OF LIFE IN MEN!
In chapter
five of the Revelation we see a book in the right hand of the Father. The book had seven seals, and no man was found
worthy to open the book. But I want to tell
you there was One that could open it, and He was the Lamb that was slain! The book with the seven seals is the sons of God
that God had written before the foundation of the world.
The seven seals are the perfection and completeness we are to come into, in
God. God wrote this script; and He wrote your
script in the very beginning! Jesus was the only one worthy to loose the
seven seals and open up The Book because He had walked out and fulfilled all that God
had written of His sons. After He had
opened the seven seals, why do you think that immediately it talks about those that have
been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, and that He has made them kings and priests to
rule in the earth? Because He is talking
about the OVERCOMERS. And the overcomers are
THE SONS OF GOD! (Rev. 21:7). The overcomers
are those who will be perfected in every area of their life. This is why it is presented as seven
seals seven means completeness and perfection!
So in the
book that Jesus opens up are the scripts that God wrote for the sons of God. He wrote it in the very beginning. He wrote all the days of your life in the Book of
Life in the very beginning before the foundation of the world. He wrote everything that you would experience in
your life to bring you to the point where you now are IN CHRIST! And all of these experiences that the Father wrote
for you to walk out were to work the Book of Life into you, so that you would become the Book
of Life! This is why Jesus said,
Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise
him up at the last day
he that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in
me, and I in him (Jn. 6:54,56). Jesus
knew that to eat of His flesh is to eat of the Book
of Life; and that the Book of Life is within,
where man cannot contaminate it, cannot touch it; and the script is God Himself in man! He has written it!
Every time you go within and
seek God for His divine counsel, instruction, and understanding, you are reading and
coming into an understanding of what the Father wrote before the foundation of the world. He is enlightening it to you from within so that
you can walk it out!
Christ is
the only One that can open this Book of Life because He walked it out. He walked out Gods script and Gods
plan. In the natural, when an individual
writes a play, he spends a long time thinking it through.
I dont know how long God spent thinking about His plan. I have no idea what it entailed His plan is
so awesome! When you start walking in
Gods script the life within will swallow up all death. It will swallow up any darkness. It will swallow up everything in you that is not
like God. God will swallow you up into Him
in the Book of Life! We need to
understand that we are here to be the fulfillment of Gods plan! We are not here for our own purpose, we are here called according to His purpose!
Gods purpose is for His plan to be fulfilled in this day, and in this
hour, in each and every son of God!
end quote.
In chapter four
of the Revelation, every description of Christ is of Christ in His deity, Christ as God,
sitting on the throne, the eternal Lord, God Almighty.
But when we look at chapter five we find that every description of Jesus is
Jesus in His humanity the crucified One, the Lamb slain, the Lion of the tribe of
Judah. It was the humanity of Christ that was
of the tribe of Judah. It was the humanity of
Christ that was crucified. It was the
humanity of Christ that died the Lamb of God.
The things seen by John are symbols,
pictures, terms of accommodation to help us understand the mystery. You see, my beloved, the true and full revelation
of God could not come to man until it came in the
man Jesus. Through His sinless life,
through His sonship walk, through His death, burial, and resurrection God in man overcame sin, limitation, death, hell,
and the grave. Through this wonderful work
God took everything that was in deity and raised it
up in humanity! Therefore the Lamb is worthy! He
is worthy to take the book! He is worthy to
open the seals! He is worthy to raise up in
mankind the full revelation of God in man! Jesus
the Lamb, Jesus the Man, taking the book out of the hand of the Father, is just a picture
of this transferal of divine, incorruptible life and glory from the realm of pure spirit
into the world of humanity! It is in and
through Jesus the Lamb that this has been accomplished!
Isnt it wonderful!
Who is worthy? In the natural there is none worthy. But when we begin to look into the spirit we see
that there is One that is worthy. The One
who has prevailed to open the book is the Lion of the tribe of Judah that signifies
Jesus Christ in strength and victory. This
Lion is a slain Lamb for He conquers not by brute force but by the power of His
poured out life! The wonder of it is that
THIS LION-LAMB IS WITHIN US! The worthy One
is within!
When we begin laying hold upon the One within us, the One within us begins
unsealing the book within. Out of that
unsealing comes the triumph of the Christ in every dimension of our lives. He makes war against every false and fleshly thing
that there might be the revelation of Jesus Christ in us.
There will be the expression of what
is true in us coming forth into manifestation in our outer realm. It is not a nature that ignores the corruption of
our outer man of flesh it is a nature that is fully capable of dealing with the
corruption of the outer man that the spirit be revealed.
Oh, that our eyes be opened to behold HIM!
HE is worthy to open the book, now to fulfill in us
all the reality of our redemption! It is the
Christ within who opens the seals, and it is the Christ within who is the book revealed. In absolute power He shall reign until the Christ
is fully and forever formed in us, formed from the inner to the outer the image of
God!
There was a day
when a man could arise and be used of God, but in the book of Revelation it is the Lamb
who is used. He must be the central One,
releasing the fullness of the Spirit of God in all His majesty and power from within. Even
though we are kings and priests and have authority to reign on the earth, we are not
worthy to open the book, neither to look thereon. Recently
I felt a deep cry in my spirit and I said to God, There is nothing more that can be
done. I know of no prayer that can be prayed,
no faith that can be exercised, no knowledge that can be revealed, no action that can be
taken to bring forth the manifestation of this sonship, this is as far as we can go. There comes a time when our pressing into the
kingdom does no good. There is no one in
heaven, nor on earth, nor in the underworld that has the ability to even look upon the
book, much less to open it. Here is a realm
that is shut up to God Himself! It is the
spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing. The fullness, the life, the immortality, the
manifestation of power and wisdom and glory will never come until we first see the One who
is triumphant, even the slain Lamb, the One who is central to the purposes of God and the
One who has the seven horns of power, the seven eyes of omniscient vision, and the seven
spirits of God. Many sonship
preachers and teachers apply every scripture and revelation to themselves, to the
many-membered body, ignoring completely the Head of the body. But our Lord Jesus Christ is the rightful One to
look upon, the One who is worthy to look upon, to loose the seals, to open the book, to
bring forth the manifestation of Gods nature, glory, and power out of our lives, and
then to receive all the honor and glory and praise. Thou art
worthy!
It is God who
has highly exalted Jesus, and given Him the name that is above every name in heaven and in
earth! If you live in heaven today, my
brother, my sister, Jesus bears the name that is above your name! At
the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and every tongue confess. And what shall they confess? That JESUS CHRIST IS LORD, to the glory of
God the Father! If Jesus has been given THE
NAME that is above EVERY OTHER NAME, would it not be proper to say that this puts Jesus in
a prominent position, to say the least? No
other man who ever lived or does live has occupied such prominence as this! There is absolutely no other person who has been
exalted so high! And notice, my beloved, it
is not at the name of Christ that every knee shall bow and tongue confess. It is not even at the name Lord that
they shall bow. It is not at my name, or your name, or the great
apostle Peters name, or the mighty Pauls name, nor yet at the name of the
cosmic Christ or the Christ consciousness or someones
higher Self. Oh, no! It is at the name of JESUS that every knee shall bow and every tongue
shall confess! (Phil. 2:6-11).
Jesus was placed
so low in the estimation of His own creation that they cried out saying that they would
rather have Barabbas, a robber and a seditionist turned loose, than to see Jesus free. Because of that, God has highly exalted Him above
all others! (Phil. 2:6-9). He is the real,
true, and perfect revelation of God, the true God-man.
He was the very man that God set forth in our midst to be the perfect
revelation of the man that He has purposed for each of us to be, and we are predestinated
to be conformed to the image of Gods dear Son.
He is the Forerunner, the Captain of our salvation, and the Apostle and High
Priest of our profession. Never forget it! Worthy is the Lamb that was slain! He is worthy to open that book which you are, and He is worthy to open that book which I am. And
no one else can do it!
Truly the Lamb
was slain for us two thousand years ago. Yet, is it not true that the Lamb in us is likewise being slain, for we are partakers
of Christs suffering as the apostle said, Even now I rejoice in the midst of
my sufferings on your behalf. And in my own
person I am making up what is still lacking and
remains to be completed of Christs afflictions, for the sake of His body, which is
the church (Col. 1:24). The slaying of
Jesus as the Lamb on Calvary is historical fact, and by that slaying He purchased us with
His blood and has made us kings and priests unto God.
Thats the historical fact. Yet,
I do not hesitate to tell you that the thing that will be worthy in our own experience is
for us to experience the slaying of the Lamb within ourselves! The Lamb must not be merely historical, for the
Lamb is in the midst of the throne where we are seated in Christ! The Lamb in the throne is a slain Lamb! He
is slain, and yet He is standing! Oh, the mystery of it! You see, the Lamb must become a present
experiential reality. As we experience the
slain Lamb within ourselves, we will discern the One standing in us who is worthy and has
power to open the book of His life within us!
With
the above thought in mind, I will close this message by sharing a testimony from our dear
brother Bennie Skinner which so beautifully expresses the truth of which I now speak.
Forty
years ago a minister got me into his car. This
was a minister I had labored with in the gospel. I
wont mention his name, because I dont want to embarrass him, and Im sure
that what he did God ordained, but it was not very nice and I didnt appreciate it,
but I took it. He got me in his car and he
read my title clear. He told me
things about myself that I didnt even know! In
fact, he told me things that I still dont believe he saw, but he thinks he did. He told me my faults, failures, weaknesses,
mistakes, errors, and shortcomings I mean he laid it on! I sat there as a sheep before his shearers is
dumb, I opened not my mouth. When he
finished, he said, Now that Ive gotten this off of my chest, maybe you have
some things you would like to get off of your chest, too. I responded, I have nothing to say. No defense, no accusation, no denial, no
retaliation nothing. I just got out of
the car and dragged myself up the driveway and up the stairs into our apartment.
When I
walked in the door my wife took one look at me and said, What has happened? I told her. But
I didnt defend myself. I went to bed
and went to sleep. I wasnt angry
but I was hurt. I was killed. Yet
I fell asleep. In my sleep I had a dream. I saw a lamb hanging by its feet upside down. It had been skinned, its head cut off, and all
the insides had been cleaned out. I saw the
process of it done. Then out of that, after
the process was completed, came the most beautiful music I have ever heard! When I awoke I was filled with the Holy Spirit and
I knew that God had showed me something. The
Lamb in me, in that sense, had been slain! Through
that experience that I had the Lamb had been slain. And
as a result of that, in retrospect I now understand that even then one of the seals was
ripped off of this book that I am!
Ive
had a few other experiences since then that I think may have torn off a seal or two! And no doubt I will have some more experiences
that will finish tearing off the seals so that what is written within may be clearly read
and known of all men. Can we not see that
when the Lamb is slain within us, it brings the release of the nature of the Lamb within
us! Im telling you something
that is profitable for you today. Im
telling you something of the deep working of God in your
life. It is the slaying of the Lamb! And let me tell you this Worthy is
the Lamb that is slain not just was
slain, but is
slain to take the book and to loose the seals thereof. We are coming to the place even now where we
are experiencing daily in our bodies the dying of
the Lord Jesus that the life also of Jesus
might be made manifest in our flesh (II Cor. 4:10).
I am
stirred today at the depth of what I am talking about.
I dont think that I even know myself the depth of what Im
speaking of, I think I am speaking by the Spirit that is beyond my understanding, beyond
my experience even, beyond my ability to comprehend, but God is going to make it real to
all of us. And we will come to the place
where we embrace that cross and we will bless that cross upon which we daily die, upon
which the Lamb is slain within us, for out of that experience shall come forth
resurrection life! So dont try to run
from anything, because the thing God is after will be there when you get there anyway. God will be able to set up just the right
circumstances to get all that thing He is after to reveal His Son in you
and as
you. Amen! end quote.