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KINGDOM
BIBLE STUDIES
"Teaching
the things concerning the
Looking
For His Appearing
Book
Two
By J.
Table
of Contents
Chapter
Title
Page
25.
The Coming of The King (cont.)
16
26.
Coming On A White Horse
29
27.
Coming Of The Bridegroom
41
28.
Coming Of The Bridegroom (cont.)
53
29.
Coming Of The Bridegroom (cont.)
65
30.
Coming Of The Bridegroom (cont.)
79
31.
Coming As a Refiners Fire
92
32.
Coming As a Refiners Fire (cont.)
103
33.
Coming In Resurrection Power
114
34.
Coming In Resurrection Power (cont.)
127
35.
Coming In Resurrection Power (cont.)
139
36.
Coming In Resurrection Power (cont.)
151
38.
Coming In Judgment (cont.)
175
40.
Coming In The Voice Of The
41.
Coming In The Trump Of God
212
43.
His Feet Upon The
44.
Coming To Receive Us To Himself
248
45.
Coming To Receive Us To Himself (cont.)
260
46.
Coming To, With and In His Saints
272
Chapter
24
The
Coming Of The King
"Behold, thy King
cometh," the Old Testament declares (Zech. 9:9). Time and again in the Word of God we
find prophecies of a glorious and universal Kingdom ruled by a great and eternal King. So
well was this understood in the time of Christ that even John the Baptist, after
introducing our Lord to His public ministry, asked, "Art Thou He that should come? or
look we for another?" (Lk. 7:19). The promised King did appear, but His own people
wouldn't receive Him. One of the most profound and awe-inspiring statements of all
scripture was penned by the apostle John in Jn. 1:11-12, "He came unto His own, and
His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the
sons of God."
TO Him, hidden in the bosom
of past ages, all the scattered rays of prophecy pointed. IN Him, manifested in the
fullness of time, man received a revelation of the program of God, and saw converging rays
of prophecy meet and find fulfillment. It was the quickening, illuminating influence of
the Holy Spirit in men of pure minds and sincere hearts that made those men see that Jesus
was indeed God's Christ and that He was the promised King. Those touched by the Spirit of
God gladly received Him and believed that He came forth from the Father. What revealing
light of revelation it was that made Philip say to his brother Nathanael, "WE HAVE
FOUND HIM of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the
son of Joseph" (Jn. 1:45). Andrew went seeking his brother Peter and upon finding him
said with confident assurance, "WE HAVE FOUND THE MESSIAH" (Jn.
The kings have had their day,
it is said, but there is one King whose day is shining brighter and brighter unto the
perfect day. Following World War I most of the vaunted thrones of
Frequently one hears the
opinion voiced that the only thing which now will save the world from utter ruin, and the
race itself from destruction, is a beneficent SUPERMAN, an authoritative one who would be
wise-enough to map out a new and better course for the people, order his plans put into
effect, and have power to enforce his edicts. Convince the world that such a ruler is on
hand and he would probably be universally proclaimed! Not a single one of all the kings -
the kings who have had their day - ever possessed these qualities.
A king qualified to take over
in this chaotic world of today would need to fulfill the prophetic picture given to us by
king David, "Give the king Thy judgment, O God, and Thy righteousness ... He shall
judge Thy people with righteousness, and Thy poor with justice. The mountains shall bring
peace to the people, and the little hills, Thy righteousness. He shall judge the poor of
the people, He shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the
oppressor ... in His days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as
the moon endureth. He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto
the ends of the earth" (Ps. 72:1-8).
Nearly two thousand years ago
a man journeyed up and down in the
But the world was too evil to
appreciate so noble a character. He was hated by the rulers of His day, and charges were
brought against Him aimed at His life. One of the charges was that HE CLAIMED TO BE A
KING. He was brought before a Roman governor for trial, and was asked, "Art Thou a
King?" to which He replied, "To this end was I born, and for this cause came I
into the world" (Jn.
While this King of earth
voluntarily surrendered Himself to His enemies, His manner of life and death and the power
of His resurrection none the less changed the course of the world. Him who, being the
holiest among the mighty, and the mightiest among the holy, lifted with His pierced hands
empires off their hinges, and turned the stream of history out of its channel, and still
governs the ages. They crucified Jesus, but He told His disciples that He would come
again, and taught them to pray for the Kingdom which He would establish when He came.
Today, while the world is perishing because of its own misguided and selfishly inspired
judgment, its one hope lies in the fulfillment of the promise made by King Jesus that He
would come, and in coming, would do for the world what it cannot do for itself. The
brightness of that hope springs perennial within the breast of every elect saint of God
and radiates forth as a beacon in the dread darkness of the night for all mankind.
CROWNING THE KING
In lands in which royalty is
still recognized, where it is not just acknowledged but has also really gripped the hearts
of the people and sways the emotions, the days on which the royal ruler visits this or
that place are always great days and festive occasions for its citizenry. And of all these
days, that of the coronation of a new king has ever been one of the most outstanding. Long
before the arrival of the king or queen in the capital of the land where the sovereign
will be crowned, the city presents a scene of feverish activity, of hustle and bustle, to
give all its thoroughfares a truly festive appearance. The hearts of the people are filled
with a genuine desire to render due honor to the new monarch, and they vie with each other
to make the most of the opportunity. When the day arrives the national flag is everywhere
in evidence, and many streamers along the way give the city a gala appearance.
And when at last the hour
comes for the king to enter the city and to parade through the main avenues, thousands
upon thousands of his faithful subjects crowd the thoroughfares to greet him and to give
expression to their joy and fealty. With His coming the glory of the scene is greatly
heightened. He comes clothed in royal apparel, decked with all the regalia of his high
office, and riding in a vehicle worthy of such an exalted personage. In the eyes of the
admiring multitude he is every inch a king, and therefore truly worthy of their obedience
and honor. A bodyguard of stalwarts accompanies the royal conveyance; bands play the
national airs, which strike a responsive chord in the hearts of the multitudes that line
the streets; and following contingents of military forces represent and symbolize the
strength of the nation. All this serves to enhance the glory of the king. That day is in a
very special sense HIS DAY and, just because he is the king, it is also a day of national
rejoicing. And the people feel that they have a share in its glory and in the happiness
which it engenders.
The history of civil royalty
and rulership in this world shows that men do not regard a candidate for the throne as
fully qualified unless he has received the endorsement of heaven. In the ancient
monarchies, rites were performed, the oracles' approval was secured, and signs appeared,
which were regarded as the evidences that the gods favored the candidate. Among the
barbarous nations, strange and mysterious apparitions and observances imposed on the
superstitious the impression that the one who stood forth as their chief was the chosen
one of the Great Spirit, who invisibly controlled the destinies of men. However it has
been abused and deceived, it is the inbred instinct of humanity to look for heaven's
endorsement upon the person whom it would crown king.
Jesus Christ has been chosen
by heaven to this high office. The collected wisdom of the universe has cast its vote, and
elected Jesus Christ to be King over this earth. "A crown was given unto Him"
(Rev. 6:2). "We see Jesus ... crowned" (Heb. 2:9). "And I saw heaven
opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True,
and in righteousness He doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on
His head were many crowns..." (Rev. 19:11-12). God says to the earth, "Behold My
servant, whom I have chosen; My beloved, in whom My soul is well pleased: I will put My
Spirit upon Him, and He shall show judgment to the nations" (Isa. 42:1). Addressing
His chosen, the Almighty says, "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever" (Heb.
1:8). Heaven has declared, "Of the increase of His government and peace there shall
be no end" (Isa. 9:7). The voice of omnipotence proclaims, "I have set My King
upon My holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto Me, Thou art
My Son; this day have I begotten Thee. Ask of Me, and I shall give Thee the heathen for
thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession. Thou shalt
break them with a rod of iron ... be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye
judges of the earth" (Ps. 1:6-10).
The choice of heaven, praise
God! is ultimately to be the choice of the whole earth. He whom the Almighty Father has
selected to be King over this earth, is enthroned and crowned, and every knee in the whole
earth, yea, in the entire universe is going to bow in ratification of heaven's choice.
This glorious One, who is the well-beloved of heaven, in whom the great Godhood is
well-pleased, about whose feet the swelling feelings of the innumerable angelic throngs
roll in great billows of delight, this Person we are to crown in this earth as its supreme
Sovereign. Blessed be His glorious name forever, and let the whole earth be filled with
His glory! Amen and Amen.
DISCOVERING THE KING
The revelation of Christ to
the human heart as a King will always be subsequent to the revelation of Him as the
Saviour. There need not necessarily be a long interval between these two revelations,
indeed the sooner the one occurs after the other the better; but the Saviour must ever be
discovered first, and in the joy of that discovery the soul will be led on to find the
King.
When Gideon had achieved the
liberation of his countrymen from the yoke of Midian, we are not surprised at hearing that
they offered to him a throne. It was natural that they should say, "Rule over
us," when his prowess had by divine assistance rescued them from the pitiful bondage
of their enemies. It is even so in the history of our own spiritual progression in God. As
we make proof of His power to save, and earnestly desire that He should carry on His
saving work to its final triumphant conclusion, we begin to feel that He will be the
better able to do this, the more completely we surrender ourselves to His control. If He
is merely a Saviour, called in at a moment of emergency, He will show Himself on such
occasions strong to save. But if He can once become our King, then He will exert His regal
power in making such transformations within the little kingdom of our own nature as shall
secure our permanent safety and well-being.
Thus we begin to long for His
reign within; earnestly to desire that every lofty imagination may be cast down and every
fleshly desire subdued, so that He may have His will, and ours be lost in His. And then we
begin to find out that there is a vast difference between the conditions of the discovery
of the Saviour and the conditions of the quest of the King, and oftentimes great
searchings of heart will follow ere we can make up our minds at all costs and hazards to
start upon this quest and to accept this allegiance.
What then are the conditions
of this quest? What is required of those who would find the King? I answer you by
referring you to the most significant narrative of the visit of the shepherds and the wise
men to find Him who was born King of the Jews. While each of these momentous occurrences
deserve far more attention than we can give them at this time, it will be our purpose now
to consider in passing a few of the wonders of these truly awe-inspiring events. God grant
that, as we explore for this moment its available depths, our spirits may be edified and
our desire increased for the glory and power of His coming to us both as Saviour and King.
We may learn not a little by
considering the points of contrast between these two beautiful stories, each of which
contains the account of a great discovery. In each case the Christ was the object
discovered, and in each a great joy of discovery crowned the efforts of the discoverers,
and in each case a supernatural sign led to the discovery; but in almost all other
respects the two cases were diverse, and we may learn significant and eternal things from
this discrepancy.
To the shepherds, plain and
simple men, the revelation was explicit and clear: "And, lo, the angel of the Lord
came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore
afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of
great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of
What does all this teach us?
Surely the lesson lies on the surface. We cannot fail to learn from all this, that when
once the awakened soul begins in earnest to seek a Saviour, the way that leads into His
presence need be neither difficult nor long. No weary quest, extending over months or
years; no very heroic effort, no astonishing self sacrifice, is necessary when we seek the
Saviour. Only let the enlightened mind act with decision and quickness, and the blessed
discovery will soon be made, and we shall return praising and glorifying God for the
wonders of redeeming love!
There is yet another point of
contrast between the conduct of the shepherds on this occasion and that of the wise men
when they found the new-born King. When they came to Jesus we do not read that they
brought any kind of offering whatever. Does it not seem almost strange that they didn't?
It would have been such a natural thing, we may suppose, that in going to meet the Saviour
of the world these men, if they had no silver or gold, should at least have brought an
offering from the best of their flocks. But it never seems to have occurred to them to do
so. And why not? Surely they were not stingy! For our sakes no doubt, my brethren, was
this written, that for all time it might be clearly known that the Saviour is God's free
gift to man, and that He receives no gift in exchange for this; that when a man or woman
seeks the Saviour he or she must come with empty hands, not to purchase, but to gladly
receive God's unspeakable gift in His Son Jesus Christ. Those who seek the Saviour with a
gift, be it money, or good works, or self righteousness, or even tears - nay, or even
religiousness, must of necessity seek Him in vain until they learn to leave the gift
behind, and simply accept God's free gift of salvation without money and without price.
But when we turn to the other
story of the visit of the wise men, all is changed. These did not make their long and
tiresome journey in search of a Saviour - for after Jesus had been born the wise men came
from the east to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He that is born KING of the Jews? for
we have seen His star in the east, and are come to WORSHIP HIM ... And when they were come
into the house, they saw the young child with Mary His mother, and fell down, and
WORSHIPPED HIM: and when they had opened their treasures, they PRESENTED UNTO HIM GIFTS;
gold, and frankincense, and myrrh" (Mat. 2:1-2,11). Ah, the wise men brought their
best and most precious gifts, and laid them at the new-born Monarch's feet; for nothing is
too rich or costly to offer to a King. And they who seek the King come not so much to
receive as to give. True, they do receive; for to gain HIS SOVEREIGNTY WITHIN is no small
acquisition; but still we may say that this benefit to themselves is not their first
object. "We are come to worship Him," was the cry of the wise men, and even such
is the consuming desire of every elect saint who seeks to find the King.
Just consider what this
revelation meant to them, situated as they were, if they responded to it. No doubt those
distant lands of theirs had an established religion, to which they would be expected to
adhere, but this they forsook, when they recognized the superior claims of another God and
King. No man, not even today, can break away from cherished traditions and the religious
bias of his family and peers without exposing himself to much hostile criticism and loss.
He who chooses such a course must be prepared to sacrifice reputation, popularity,
friendship, yes, even, in some cases, life itself.
And then there were all the
toils and dangers of the way - dangers by mountain pass and swollen rivers, by sultry
desert waste or pathless jungle; dangers by roving gangs of thieves, through whose
territory they may have had to pass who swarmed in all those half-civilized regions, and
by whom they had to pass carrying with them considerable treasure. And then the weary
toil, a journey of some two years. See them struggling on, the sun blazing over them by
day, while the cold wind chilled them to their very marrow by night; as day by day and
week by week they crept on by slow stages, ever wandering further and further from home
and fatherland, and ever drawing nearer and nearer to that great unknown, the thought of
which was the one motive power that still urged them on.
Fear not, oh, my Christian
brother; only let us not pause to calculate consequences. What are all these outward
trials, the strippings, purgings and processings, as compared with the inward glory which
the discovery of the King induces in our consecrated hearts? Surely we cannot lose by His
sovereignty! If He asks us to give up all that we have, it is only that He may enrich us
with His VASTER ALL.
Stay for a moment, dear
reader, and reflect. Let us trace the analogy. To the superficial observer the discovery
of the King does not seem as clearly a necessity as the discovery of the Saviour. You know
the old story: "Jesus is my Saviour, Healer, Baptizer, Sanctifier, and thank God - I
rejoice over this more than anything else - He is my COMING KING." Is it not because
we have not been sure whether we wanted this Man to RULE over us? We do not mind Him
ruling over Castro and the devil and the millennium, but we have not wanted to be totally
conquered and ruled by Him. That is why we have kept Him coming. The Lord wants to be King
NOW. We only begin to know Him when we find Him as Saviour; but this first revelation,
while it sets at rest our personal anxiety about our own salvation, and unleashes a flood
of blessings and benefits from His gracious hand, and bids us "fear not," and is
designed to awaken our desire to know HIM more and more, but only as we respond to this
desire and follow on to know Him in deeper measures can we grow up into the fullness of
God.
Wonderful as it is to be
forgiven, justified, born again, healed, delivered, prospered and blessed, as we follow on
to know the Lord there follows a very definite crisis in our spiritual experience. We are
brought face to face with the questions: Who is to be master - Christ or self? What am I
going to live for - to enjoy His blessings and please myself, or to fulfill His will? Do I
want to be blessed and prospered and get to heaven at last - or do I want to be conformed
into His image and suffer with Him that I may reign with Him? Do I want God to bless me
with good things, or do I want Him to rule over me, break me, subdue me, subject me, and
process me until it is none of me and all of Him? Is it His benefits I want, or is it His
nature?
We have made poor work of our
attempts at self-government. Why not give Him the scepter and the throne, and let Him rule
supreme? The more the mind dwells upon this possibility, the more desirable does it seem,
until at last there rises from the heart, kindled into passionate desire, the cry of a
great need - "Where is He that is born KING?" that from this day forth our lives
may be one long offering, and all we have and are be laid gladly and willingly at His
feet. He Himself is as willing to reign over us as He was willing to save us; and when
once the "other lords" have been renounced, and all is cheerfully laid on the
altar, we see that faith has as good a right to claim Him as King as ever she had a right
to trust Him as Saviour. And in both cases alike, AS WE BELIEVE SO IS IT DONE UNTO US.
He becomes King to us. But He
wants to be more than that. You first have to know Him as King. We have sung through the
years a little chorus that goes like this: "Oh King of glory, We bow before Thee -
Take Thy throne and reign within our hearts." We first have to know Him in His
Kingship, in His authority, in His government. We have to first know Him as King. But why
does He desire us to know Him as King? Why does He desire to set up the throne of His
Kingdom in our hearts? So that He can make US to become kings!
THE KING IS REIGNING
With these thoughts in mind,
let us look at the
With overwhelming awe the
prophet Isaiah wrote, "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that
bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth GOOD TIDINGS OF GOOD, that
PUBLISHETH SALVATION; that saith unto Zion, THY GOD REIGNETH!' (Isa. 52:7 ). It is the
purpose of all who are chosen of the Lord to minister to His elect of
He is the great King of kings
and Lord of lords. There are some whom I have heard from time to time speak of Christ as
Prophet, Priest, and soon-coming King - as if to deny by this that Christ has any Kingdom
at all at the present time. Such ignorant statements always leave me cold. What could be
farther from the teachings of God's Word, which teaches that Christ already rules and
reigns over His Kingdom and that we are already a part of that Kingdom? How unmistakably
inspiration declares that the Father "hath translated us into the Kingdom of His dear
Son." Already it has taken place, already we have been translated, already we are in
that Kingdom, already the Christ has a Kingdom and is its King. The word
"kingdom" is derived from the two terms "king" and
"dominion" - KING'S DOMINION. It exists wherever the dominion of the Christ
rules and holds sway over the hearts of men. Christ is the great King right now, ruling
all things for the well-being of His subjects and bringing absolute perfection and
completion to His plans which He ordained before the foundation of the world. He is the
King of the ages and invincible. He shall yet arise in power and glory in His completed
and perfected body - the MANIFESTED SONS OF GOD - and reveal Himself as the great
conquering King, initiating the mightiest of all campaigns, bringing deliverance to the
whole creation, reconciling all things unto Himself, and then shall all know the glory of
His Kingdom as every tongue confesses and every knee bows and all in that day declare that
JESUS CHRIST IS LORD - Yahweh of hosts, the Lord of glory, the King of the universe!
THE KING ON DAVID'S THRONE
"When the Son of man
shall come in His glory, and all the holy messengers with Him, THEN SHALL HE SIT UPON THE
THRONE OF HIS GLORY" (Mat. 25:31). Darkened minds picture our Lord soaring down out
of the skies on a great cumbersome throne, all dazzling white (Rev. 20:11), like a king
arrayed in all his trappings in the natural. But we should remember that "the words I
speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life" (Jn. 6:63); we should remember
that prophecy is given in prophetical language, in highly figurative speech, the symbols
bespeaking SPIRITUAL REALITIES. A throne means dominion and power and authority. White
denotes righteousness. So a white throne denotes righteous dominion. Of course our Lord
has a throne; in fact, He has many thrones. Those thrones are the hearts of His own
faithful saints. That is where He reigns, both now and forevermore.
The throne of God is not
established in a geographical or astral LOCATION. "Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is
My throne, and the earth is My footstool: where is the house that ye build unto Me? and
where is the place of My rest?" (Isa. 66:1). God is not a limited physical being that
can sit on a tangible throne in one restricted locality somewhere in the universe. God is
spirit and God is everywhere and thus His throne is a spiritual throne and is everywhere.
The one great truth that all theologians agree on is that God is omnipresent spirit who is
everywhere and who fills the whole universe. And our scientists tell us that in that
universe there are more worlds out there than all the individual grains of sand on all the
beaches of all the world. You cannot put a God who is that great and everywhere present
and bottle Him up in a physical throne in one limited spot. NO! He is everywhere and His
throne is everywhere. The throne of the God who is omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent
SPIRIT is not a material one, but bespeaks the REALM OF HIS SUPREME AND UNIVERSAL
AUTHORITY AND RULERSHIP; and our Lord Jesus Christ has been exalted to the glory of that
rulership. The THRONE of God is a sphere of power and authority, a position of eminence, a
condition and a state of being. It is the assumption of the almighty power and universal
dominion of the Father. It is the dispensing of HIS POSITIVE ENERGY FORCE into His
creation. Exalted to that high realm Jesus no longer walks in a limited physical body, for
He now indwells the Church, which IS His body, the FULLNESS OF HIM THAT FILLETH ALL IN ALL
(Eph. 1:22-23).
Consider for a moment, what
the angelic messenger said to Mary, the mother of Jesus. "Thou shalt conceive in thy
womb, and bring forth a Son, and shalt call His name Jesus. He shall be great ... and the
LORD GOD shall give unto Him the THRONE OF HIS FATHER DAVID: and He shall REIGN over the
house of Jacob forever; and of His Kingdom there shall be no end" (Lk.
The ascension of Jesus was
the supreme political event of world history. He ascended not to a place but to an office.
He departed from the arena of humiliation and suffering to enter into His glory. He, in
one moment, vaulted from the status of despised Galilean teacher to the cosmic King of the
universe, rising over the heads of Pilate, Herod, and Caesar Augustus. The ascension
catapulted Jesus to the right hand of God where He was enthroned as King of kings and Lord
of lords. The implications of this event for the saints and for the world are staggering.
It means that though we suffer persecution and the scorn of hostile power structures -
though we groan under the demeaning status of an unwelcome minority - our candidate sits
in the seat of sovereign authority. The
I have said - and I entreat
the reader's attention to it - that the
Here it is stated as
explicitly as words could do it, that the promise to David of Christ's succession to his
throne HAS RECEIVED ITS INTENDED ACCOMPLISHMENT - that God HAS raised up Christ to sit
upon his throne, in the resurrection and exaltation of Jesus, as the fruit of David's
loins, to the throne of power; and that His first regal authority from the throne of
Israel was to send down the Holy Spirit, as had that day been done. Should any reader have
missed the full implication of this the first time around I invite him to return to the
scripture above and read it again reverently and prayerfully.
Christ's session on David's
throne is inseparably linked to the coming of the power and glory of the Spirit at
Pentecost. In a certain sense Jesus lacked the authority to dispatch the Spirit prior to
His ascension. The very first act of regal authority He exercised after His enthronement
was to endow His body on earth with power from on high. His disciples were given a great
commission, a mandate to penetrate the whole world bearing witness to the Kingdom. These
were and are to be the authentic witnesses of Yahweh. But no border was to be crossed or
mission undertaken until first the Spirit fell. The disciples returned to
So-called
"fundamentalists" scoff at the notion of Christ's NOW sitting on David's throne,
and even many precious saints who are pressing forward into the deeper things of God ask a
great many questions as to the points of analogy between the throne on which sat the
humble son of Jesse in the midst of his subjects in Palestine, and the celestial seat of
the Redeemer's present power. In whatever SENSE the seat of Christ's present rule is
termed DAVID'S THRONE, the FACT, I will venture to say, is indisputable. That CHRIST IS
NOW ON DAVID'S THRONE is as clearly affirmed by Peter in this sermon as words could do it.
Let any one read his words again, and see if it be possible to make any thing else out of
them. "David," says the apostle, "knowing that God would raise up Christ to
sit upon his throne, SPAKE OF THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST: This Jesus HATH GOD RAISED
UP." "Christ's resurrection," says Peter, "was done that it might be
fulfilled which was spoken by David, that He would sit upon his throne."
"MESSIAH THE PRINCE" already sits enthroned on high, in the person of the
crucified but risen Jesus, ready to dispense, not the poor honors of an earthly
sovereignty - for the rule of David's Successor is not like the rule of David himself -
but "repentance to
"Rejoice greatly, O
daughter of
If you study the
characteristics of the little donkey upon which Jesus sat, you will understand the
characteristics of a ministry that is used as a vehicle for the Kingdom, a vehicle to
convey and carry the King into
YE ARE COME unto
In Rev. 14:1 the Seer of
Patmos saw a Lamb standing on
David was king over fleshly
"Ye are come unto
This
When Jesus came into
When Jesus was revealed by
the resurrection as the Son of God with power, from that point on no one ever spoke to Him
as Jesus - He was the L-O-R-D Jesus! What does the word "Lord" mean? In the days
of Jesus, the word "lord" (kurios - with lower case letters) was what slaves
called their masters. When it appeared in capital letters - THE LORD - it meant the Caesar
of Rome. As a matter of fact, when public employees or soldiers met each other they used
to greet one another by calling out "Caesar is the Lord," and the other
responding "Yes, the Lord is Caesar." This presented a problem for the
Christians. They insisted to the contrary that Jesus Christ is THE LORD. Caesar did not
mind other men being called lords as long as the term "THE LORD" was reserved
for him. But the Christians reserved the term for Jesus. They placed Jesus high above the
emperor. They said, in effect, "Caesar, you can count on us for some things, but when
Jesus and you are in the balance, we will choose Jesus, because we have submitted our
lives to Him. He is the first One. He is THE LORD - the One who possesses supreme
authority in our lives." That was the reason Caesar persecuted the Christians.
The Gospel that we have in
the Bible is the Gospel of the
Most people are Christians
because they want to go to heaven and escape hell. If all the preachers and teachers one
day called a press conference and told their people, "We have discovered that there
is no heaven or hell," how many would stay in the Church after that? Most of the
people would ask, "Why are we coming then?" They were coming for heaven, not
because JESUS IS LORD AND EVERYBODY MUST SUBMIT TO HIM. In the hour in which we live the
vast majority of Christians are more miserable than most other people in the world. They
are only enduring this life in order to eventually get to heaven where they imagine they
will spend the next billion trillion years or so singing, strumming harps, and dancing. I
am quite sure that if such people would admit the truth, they would admit that even a
thousand years of singing, shouting, playing harp music while dancing about in white robes
would become very boring, to say the least. I find that most of these people can't endure
five hours in a meeting even if the glory is falling all around! Most of them start
examining their watches about
He is the great King of kings
and Lord of lords. The Lord our God is the King, and His Kingdom shall rule over ALL. And
praise His name, He is even now bringing forth in the earth a KINGDOM PEOPLE - the
firstfruits of His redemption - who are discovering His Lordship over all of their lives.
When all hell assails us, when the power of death all around crowds in upon us, when the
pressures of this world would frustrate and vex and suffocate us, when our own passions
and emotions and self-will would drown us in a sea of carnality and ungodliness, then HE
STANDS UP WITHIN US AS KING - in Kingly authority. When the world, and our own flesh,
would tear us apart and smash our lives and our hope of sonship upon the rocks, HE IS
THERE, the still small Voice, the deep inner consciousness that all is well, that He, the
Lord of glory is with us still, and all is secure in His loving hands, for He ordained our
path and made provision for the hour. He is Himself the provision, the indwelling Christ,
the anointing, the authority inherent in the Spirit moving in our lives.
Thank God, in every situation
and circumstance of life HE IS PRESENT TO SUBDUE ALL THINGS unto Himself, thus reigning as
King over our domain. As surely as we are God's Israel, so certain is it that He is
enthroned within our hearts upon the throne of His father David, and upon His Kingdom, to
order it, and to establish it with judgment and justice from henceforth even forever.
Blessed be the KING!
Chapter
25
The
Coming Of The King
(continued)
Jesus Christ has been chosen
by heaven to the high office of Universal King. The collected wisdom of the universe has
cast its vote, and elected Jesus Christ to be King over this earth and all things. "A
crown was given unto Him" (Rev. 6:2). "We see Jesus ... crowned" (Heb.
2:9). "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him
was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war. His eyes
were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns" (Rev. 19: 11-12). God says
to the earth, "Behold My servant, whom I have chosen; My beloved, in whom My soul is
well pleased: I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He shall show judgment to the
nations" (Isa. 42:1). Addressing His chosen, the Almighty says, "Thy throne, O
God, is for ever and ever" (Heb. 1:8). Heaven has declared, "of the increase of
His government and peace there shall be no end" (Isa. 9:7). The voice of omnipotence
proclaims, "I have set My King upon My holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree:
The Lord hath said unto Me, Thou art My Son; this day have I begotten Thee. Ask of Me, and
I shall give Thee the heathen for Thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth
for Thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron... be wise now therefore, O
ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth" (Ps. 1:6-10).
The choice of heaven, praise
God! is ultimately to be the choice of the whole earth. He whom the Almighty Father has
selected to be King over this earth, is enthroned and crowned, and every knee in the whole
earth, yea, in the entire universe is going to bow in ratification of heaven's choice.
This glorious One, who is the well-beloved of heaven, in whom the Great Godhood is
well-pleased, about whose feet the swelling feelings of the innumerable angelic throngs
roll in great billows of delight, this Person we are to crown in this earth as its supreme
Sovereign. Blessed be His glorious name forever, and let the whole earth be filled with
His glory! Amen and Amen.
Consider for a moment, what
the heavenly messenger said to Mary, the mother of Jesus. "Thou shalt conceive in thy
womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call His name Jesus. He shall be great ... and the
LORD GOD shall give unto Him the THRONE OF HIS FATHER DAVID: and He shall REIGN over the
house of Jacob forever; and of His Kingdom there shall be no end" (Lk.
I declare to you today that
the King reigns, and that the King is coming. The dawning of His coming in that eastern
sky is beginning to fill the world with light. From
It is my deep conviction that
the proclamation the seventh angel is sounding in heaven is causing voices to be heard
ringing throughout celestial realms and impacting the earth with that wonderful fiat,
"the kingdoms of this world ARE become ... " It is not that the kingdoms of this
world, the powers of this age have been obliterated. It means that the reigns of power
have been taken possession of by God's sons. That is to say that the Christ has been
enthroned in this world in His elect body of sons as King of kings and Lord of lords. As
the authority of God's Kingdom is developed in the enchristed ones, the herald sounds
forth proclaiming that the King is come, and all realms must stand at attention before
Him.
I will now take an
illustration from ordinary life. Supposing that Queen Elizabeth II of
There would issue from the
Now somebody must proclaim
that the
THE KINGDOM WITHIN
The focus of the New
Testament is upon Christ and His Kingdom. When John the Baptist announced the Messiah's
approach two thousand years ago, every thing concurred to give weight to his testimony.
Guided by the signs of the times, and by the chronological predictions of the prophets,
expectation was everywhere awake for the first sound of Messiah's footsteps. From all
parts of the country they flocked to the man of God, who cried alone in the wilderness,
"Repent ye! for the
The book of Judges records
how
The corruption of the human
heart is incredible beyond words to express and it would have been completely useless had
the Lord sent His Son to be the deliverer of His people while leaving their wicked hearts
unchanged and their carnal natures undestroyed. The men of
The same crowd is all about
us today. They want deliverance from the government, from persecution, from communism,
from the antichrist, from the trilateral commission, from the banking system, from the
council on foreign relations, from the Jews and the vast political conspiracies that are
steadily pushing the world into a nightmare of godlessness. But I do not hesitate to tell
you that none of these are the problem. The most powerful kings that rule in the world
today are those that rule inwardly - and it is only as the
Jesus, when He appeared on
the world scene, came preaching the gospel of the Kingdom, and the first word of that
gospel is this: "REPENT, for the
A preacher once wrote,
"Jesus Christ will return to this earth and with a mighty hand FORCE the people of
the world to be happy and righteous." Ah, I have news for you, preacher; you cannot
FORCE anyone to be happy, much less is it possible to force men to be righteous. Only a
mighty transformation by the inworking of the Holy Spirit can accomplish so great a feat.
Were Jesus Christ to come to earth to FORCE the people to do right, it could result only
in the building of larger and larger prisons to accommodate the rebels; for apart from the
washing of regeneration by the Holy Ghost within no man CAN do righteousness!
History is an endless record
of wars, maladies, famines, and all kinds of other events which only result from that
which is true WITHIN US. All the great events of history are but outward manifestations of
the inner condition of the little cosmos of every individual. There is a vast universe
without, and a cosmic world of good and evil, light and darkness, Christ and Belial. But
all that exists in outer space does not exceed by one whit the realities which are to be
found in the unfathomable depths of the INNER SPACE of a man's life. Man is but a
microcosm of the macrocosm. Every thing that appears visibly without is first and foremost
carried on invisibly within the innermost realms of man's being. There are inner forces
just as complex, intricate, spacious, expansive, unsearchable, inexhaustible, and powerful
as those cosmic forces without.
Men have fondly hoped to
solve the troubles of the world by treaties of peace, by conferences, by leagues, by
alliances, by summits, by understanding and agreement, and above all, through the
influence of religion. International conference after international conference has been
held; disarmament has been proposed; appeals have been made to the United Nations
Organization; a
The tendency of the human
race as a whole has downward spiritually from the beginning. As a whole, man's penitence
has been temporary, his apostasy repetitious. His acknowledgment of God's authority has
been feigned, or at best half-hearted, his loyalty to the kingdom of darkness practically
unqualified. His reformations have been superficial and brief, his revolts deep and
protracted. As widely as the race is scattered, so widely have the works of the flesh been
manifested. Throughout all generations they have been the same everywhere. The fountain is
corrupt, and the stream cannot be better than its source. The heart is deceitful above all
things, and desperately wicked, saith the Lord. The source of wickedness is within, and
the manifestation of it without. And that is precisely why, precious friend of mine, the
The persistent, perverse,
unholy disposition in the "natural man" and the "carnal mind" does not
change itself. Refinement will not change it. Education will not change it. Evolution will
not change it. Society will not change it. Religious creeds and ceremonies and programs
will not change it. "Deliverance meetings" will not change it. The perfidious
hearts and lives of fallen men can no more be changed by these means than an Ethiopian can
change his skin or a leopard his spots. The only way a change can be brought about is by
being "created (anew) in Christ Jesus unto good works" (Eph.
We have two verses in the New
Testament which tell us what the
The
Jesus taught His disciples to
pray, "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven" (Mat.
Men need not a King to
straighten out the mess in the outer world - they need a King to change the inside of
every man! "Please come Lord Jesus," I found myself saying the other day, after
reading the gory news. Killings and muggings, and violent jail-breaks; with endless
marriage disputes; child abuse by men who should know better; the video tape muck and mire
sewering through our cities and homes; drunkenness with its toll of killing; mass killings
of innocents in bloody strife in countries all over the earth; and last but not least,
what kind of a human being have we that could push the red button, sending the whole race
into oblivion? And, praise God, the King is coming!
REIGNING WITH CHRIST
When the Pharisees asked
Jesus when the
It is another mystery, but it
is a grand fact of truth nevertheless that Christ first reigns IN us that He may
consequently reign THROUGH us. "Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand,
Come, ye blessed of My Father, INHERIT THE KINGDOM prepared for you from the foundation of
the world" (Mat. 25:34). "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not INHERIT THE
KINGDOM OF GOD? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor
effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor
drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD" (I Cor.
6:9-10). "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot INHERIT THE KINGDOM
OF GOD..." (I Cor. 15:50).
The word "kingdom"
indicates the richness of the heritage of the saints. It is no petty estate, no happy
corner in obscurity. I heard a good man say he should be content with a cabin in the
corner of glory land or a spot just inside the gate. I shall not be! The Lord says we
shall inherit a KINGDOM. We would not be satisfied to inherit less, because less than that
would not suit our character. "He hath made us kings and priests unto God" (Rev.
5:10) and we must reign for ever and ever, or be as wretched as deposed monarchs. A king
without a kingdom is an unhappy and unfulfilled man. If I were a poor servant, a servant's
quarters would be a boon, for it would correspond with my condition and degree; but if I
am made a son of God, an heir of God and joint-heir with Jesus; if I am made a priest and
a king, I must have a kingdom, or I shall not have attained to a position equal to my
nature. He who makes us kings will give us a Kingdom to fit the nature which He hath
bestowed upon us. Beloved, do strive after, more and more, that which the Spirit of God
will give you, a KINGLY HEART; do not be among those who are satisfied with the miserable
nature of ordinary humanity or the childish hopes of the babes in Christ who throng to the
churches which are merely nurseries for the birthing, rearing and educating of babes and
which then stifle and threaten to suffocate the life out of these little ones with their
own static creeds, lifeless traditions and infantine programs. They eagerly look for
mansions and harps and golden streets and wings and white night gowns in that glory world
above, unable to comprehend that such glittering diadems are only nursery toys to God's
true kings; the true riches are ETERNAL SPIRITUAL REALITIES; the true treasury wealth
looks down upon the stars. Do not sell yourself short, ye sons of the Most High! Get a
kingly heart - ask the King of kings to give it to you, and beg of Him a royal spirit. Act
royally on earth towards your Lord, and for His sake towards all men. Go about the world
not as mean men in spirit and action, nor yet in false humility as paupers and beggars,
but as kings and priests of a race superior to the dirt scrapers who are on their knees,
crawling in the mud after fleeting earthly riches and transitory worldly fame.
What Christendom in general
cannot comprehend is that the Christ does not rule alone but through a many-membered body.
Man in God's image, man in Christ at the right hand of God, is God's government in the
You won't quite grasp that at
first. It's too overwhelming! To be CROWNED means to be given KINGLY RULE. To be crowned
with GLORY and HONOR is to be given such rule as Jesus Christ has NOW, and of that rule we
read, "Wherefore God also hath HIGHLY EXALTED Him, and given Him a name which is
above every name: that at the name of Jesus Christ every knee should bow, of things in
HEAVEN, and things in EARTH, and things UNDER THE EARTH; and that every tongue should
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:9-11). The
rule that Jesus Christ now has is the very same rule over the identical THREE REALMS of
heaven, the earth and the abyss, which God delegated to Adam, the MAN IN GOD'S IMAGE, in
Gen. 1:26! We have already stated that MAN in God's image, MAN IN CHRIST AT THE RIGHT HAND
OF GOD is God's government in the
I have met men who professed
that they had no desire, no ambition whatever to rule and reign with Christ. It is enough,
say they, to know that we are saved by grace and shall make heaven at last. In fact, I
have been greatly criticized by some for my hope of inheriting the
Throneship involves far more
than mere power over men's live and events. IT IS A MINISTRY AND AUTHORITY TO BLESS. I
might add that it is the greatest ministry available with the largest capacity to bless.
The purpose and scope of this Kingship ministry is given in Eph. 1:10 wherein we read,
"That in the dispensation of the fullness of times He might gather together into one
all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth, even in Him."
The apostle here takes up the divine intent, namely the goal of the divine plan which
ordained that the whole creation, fragmented by its subjection to vanity - this gross
material realm with its ensuing sin and death - should be restored to its pristine purity
and original order, as it was when created "in Christ" in the beginning. Thus he
writes that God "purposed in Himself that in the dispensation of the fullness of
times He might gather in one all things into Christ." The Greek word translated
"dispensation" (IOKONOMIA) is a compound of two words meaning "house"
(OIKOS) and "law" (NOMOS). By definition "dispensation" means
stewardship, administration or over-sight of a household." In Lk. 16:2-4 OIKONOMIA is
translated "stewardship" in the following phrases: ". . give account of thy
stewardship"; ".....taketh away from me the stewardship"; ".....and
when I am put out of the stewardship".
In I Cor. 4:1 Paul stated
that he was a "steward" whom God had placed over His household, the Church. To
him was committed the dispensation, that is the administration, the stewardship of the
Gospel (I Cor.
It should be clear to every
thinking mind that the business of a steward is not only to control the wealth and goods
of his master, but to administer, apportion, assign, allot, distribute and dispense to all
for whom it is intended. Thus, the "dispensation" of God is not merely the
control of the things of God, but the very dispensing of the things of God and of God
Himself. If we make a thorough and careful study of the scriptures with spiritual insight,
we will realize that the great purpose of God is to DISPENSE HIMSELF INTO HUMANITY. It is
regrettable that the term "dispensation" has been misused by the church systems.
It means far more than a period of time - it bespeaks the administrative arrangement, the
governmental management, or the distributing, dispensing stewardship of God's plan. In
this divine dispensation God, who is almighty and all-inclusive, intends to dispense
nothing other than HIMSELF to us. There is a "fullness of times" in which God
shall dispense the fullness of Himself into everything in heaven and in earth. He
accomplishes this by gathering all things together into one IN CHRIST, and it is there, in
the Christ, that all the fullness of God dwells. May the spirit of wisdom and revelation
from God impress this upon you deeply!
As one has written, "God
is exceedingly rich. He is like a successful business man who has an enormous amount of
capital. God has a business in this universe, and His vast wealth is His capital. We do
not realize how many billions, countless billions, He has. All of this capital is simply
HIMSELF, and with it He intends to "manufacture" HIMSELF in mass production. God
HIMSELF is the Businessman, the Capital, and the Product. His intention is to dispense
Himself to many people in mass production. Therefore, God requires such a divine
arrangement, a divine management, a divine dispensation in order to bring Himself into
humanity." Praise His name! As His Kings and Priests upon His throne the elect sons
of God are the governmental arrangement by which and through which God dispenses Himself
into His creation. What an opportunity to change things! What an occasion to bless and
heal and lift and transform the world! It would be a crime against humanity, my beloved
brethren, to carelessly neglect and thus despise, as Esau despised his birthright, the
position of responsibility and opportunity to bless and restore creation proffered to us
by the illustrious King of kings and Lord of lords!
The reason so many people
fail to attain to the great heights of the Spirit is because they are unable to see God's
purpose, and therefore they have no particular incentive to seek the great heights that
are in Him. So many Christians are far too taken up with carnal ideas and childish notions
about mansions and harps and sitting on clouds eating pork chops with nothing to do and
all eternity to do it in, to be able to grasp the true purposes of God!
There are certain basic
principles of the
We are called to reign with
Christ from the highest heaven. Such all-embracing majesty is far too vast for my feeble
understanding, yet I know by the Spirit that the body of Christ is in practical
preparation for the explicit purpose of UNIVERSAL DOMINION. But how can a man rule over
principalities and powers and universes if he is unable to RULE HIS OWN SPIRIT? "He
that ruleth his own spirit is better than he that taketh a city" (Prov.
You can never rule anything
until first you overcome it WITHIN YOURSELF. To "overcome" means TO COME UP OVER
THAT WHICH IS OVER YOU. When, within yourself, you rise up above the circumstance, the
problem, so that it no longer controls or harasses you, you are then ready to begin to
control it, to no longer be the victim of circumstances, but the master of them. Come up
over what the religious systems have fed you. Come up over your own pride and inherent
weaknesses. Come up over your desire to build a reputation for your name. Come up over the
myriad pressures from within and without. Come up over the world of confusion and turmoil
about you. You are called to be an OVER-COMER. Come over that wall! Come over into the
One cannot make way for the
King in other realms effectually, until his own heart has been cleared for the coming of
the King. Here in one's self the wilderness is to be penetrated - depths of depravity must
be filled; heights of insubordination must be lowered; all rough ways of self-will must be
smoothed; and the crooked roadways of the carnal mind must be re-laid with the precious
mind that was in Christ Jesus. Here in one's own heart and life the work of kingship is to
begin. We must reign as kings in the little kingdom of our own nature where we have been
slaves. The rebel elements within our being must be conquered once and for all.
It is by the sword of the
Spirit, which is the Word of God, that we overcome the enemies. As we use the weapons
which we have carefully hung about our necks, we go from victory to victory, and hang up
the trophies we take in battle until the walls of the armory are adorned with the weapons
and shields that we use, and the weapons and shields that we have captured from the enemy.
If we cannot come out victoriously over ourselves and over the little temptations and
frustrations here, how can the Lord trust us to reign over that which is without? What
kind of warriors would we make? How much could He depend upon us? He will give us the
place for which we are prepared and qualified; we must set our faces to be overcomers if
we are to sit with Him upon His throne and reign with Him. We must know how to use the
armor which He has provided, the Word of God and the Spirit of God.
When God gets ready to assume
His rightful place in the universe again, He will say, "I have people here who have
been tested." How can we rule in the
Man's first instinct under
pressure is to run, to extricate himself from the situation. When we run from the problem
immediately we FLUNK THE TEST. When we fail to overcome IN the problem, our character in
that area is left weak, undisciplined and undeveloped. Oft times, so they can appear
"spiritual," men divorce their wives, wives divorce their husbands, parents
abandon their children, people move from place to place, from job to job, from church to
church. Often people pray like this: "Lord deliver me from this job where everyone is
so filthy and the boss so hateful; give me a job with the Full Gospel Business Men where
everyone is spiritual and praises God and speaks in tongues!" Ah, we seek an
"environment" that is "conducive" to our "spirituality,"
little realizing that in that environment where all is so beautiful and harmonious we only
APPEAR to be spiritual because there is nothing to cross us, nothing hostile, no
adversities, no inconveniencies, in short, NOTHING TO OVERCOME! You can run from the
problem, my friend; you can seek an environment where nothing is adverse to you, my
beloved; you can even have faith where God will just solve all your problems and pour down
the healings, prosperity and blessings; yes, you can do all this and be a Christian, even
a good Spirit-baptized Christian, and make it to heaven someday; but I would be remiss if
I did not warn you that you cannot do this and BECOME A RULER!
The journey to the throne of
the universe begins in that small and undistinguished place where you are. The
This present time is but a
proving ground for those who through grace will reign with their Lord over the endless
vastnesses of infinity. He is raising us up to sit with Him in the higher than heavenlies.
And the place which He is preparing for each one is not only a world to come, and a
Chapter
26
Coming
On A White Horse
In the book of Revelation, in
the nineteenth chapter, there is a great picture. The Spirit has painted it. It is the
vision of the coming of the Christ. It is the story of the Lord's coming told in colors.
It is the great truth and some of its related principles portrayed in graphic action.
"And I saw heaven
opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True,
and in righteousness He doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on
His head were many crowns; and He had a name written, that no man knew, but He himself.
And He was clothed in a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called The Word of God.
And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen,
white and clean. And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite
the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of
the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a
name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS" (Rev. 19:11-16). What a description
is this!
Wonderful visions passed
before the rapt gaze of the seer on
But his glance passed swiftly
from horse to rider; and though the snow-white charger eclipsed any animal John had ever
seen, yet it was mounted by a person who, in form and feature and bearing, surpassed any
man he had beheld, and his gaze was riveted by the unrivalled charm of his person. He was
robed in crimson apparel, wore many crowns upon his brow, and from between his lips there
flashed a gleaming sword; while as he guided his spirited charger his eyes blazed with the
intense fire of a warrior. As John watched him, he saw him move irresistibly along a
career of conquest. And, as he gazed, he recognized the rider as being his own
well-beloved friend and master, Jesus Christ, whom he had so devotedly followed when, on
earth, he walked slowly and wearisomely from place to place. Now, instead of being a
pedestrian he was an equestrian, and instead of meekly submitting to his enemies he was
overcoming them by the tremendous might of his powerful advance. It was a vision very real
to the apostle; but it was recorded to teach, in symbolic form, the warrior spirit of
Christ, and the great campaign upon which he had entered to conquer the world. The sphere
of his movements, as perceived by the apostle, was this earth; and the time of his advance
was over the globe and through all the centuries.
The, condition of Christ in
the vision is very significant. He is mounted on a snow-white charger. This meant victory.
The old Roman conquerors, when celebrating a brilliant conquest, rode down the avenues of
the imperial city upon a snow-white steed, and received the plaudits of the people. The
Lord is described as the Word of God emblematically riding on a white horse; it is the
image of aggressive action, of a prosperous conquest over His foes. The horse in scripture
represents strength, and fearlessness to accomplish its task. "He paweth the valley,
and rejoiceth in his strength: he goeth on to meet the armed men. He mocketh at fear, and
is not affrightened; neither turneth he back from the sword. He swalloweth the ground with
fierceness and rage; neither believeth he that it is the sound of the trumpet. He saith
among the trumpets, Ha, ha; and he smelleth the battle afar off, the thunder of the
captains, and the shouting" (Job 39:21-22, 24-25).
The horse is without equal
for beauty in the animal kingdom. His body is alive with rippling muscles. His mane and
tail are items of extreme beauty. The horse is among the most intelligent of animals and
few creatures can equal his strength and swiftness. No animal is of greater service to
mankind. For pleasure, for work, and for war the horse exceeds them all. The Greek word in
our text intimates that this steed is a war horse of fine mettle. In Bible days the
strength of armies was often reckoned by the number and greatness of their horses and
chariots. In his prophetical account of the army of the Lord, Joel declares, "the
appearance of them is as the appearance of HORSES; AND AS HORSEMEN, so shall they
run" (Joel 2:4). "The horse is prepared against the day of battle" (Prov.
His color is white, an emblem
of the Christ's purity and divine holiness. White also bespeaks of light - illumination.
These are the qualities that characterize, not only the firstborn son of God, but also His
many brethren, the sons of God. In the messages to the churches, the out-called,
challenging them to OVERCOME, we read, "I counsel thee to buy of Me ... WHITE
raiment, that thou mayest be clothed" (Rev. 3:18). This is naught but the
transfiguring glory of Christ, as it is written, "And He was transfigured before
them: and His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light"
(Mat. 17:2). The light is the robe of divine majesty, the incorruptible life of God
emanating from the nature of absolute righteousness.
And so Jesus Christ, astride
of the snow-white charger, is put in a position where He is perpetually celebrating a
victory. His march is a victorious march. His movements always meet with success. His
plans are fulfilled, and His campaigns unfurl to the breezes the banners of triumph. Jesus
Christ is going forth as a conqueror, and He does so with great power. It is no easy
campaign upon which He has entered. The action in which He is engaged requires the
greatest power; and His movements are energized with tremendous force. The Bible
represents Him at times in conditions and possessed of moods when He sits and reclines in
repose, already having accomplished His purposes. "But this man, after He had offered
one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God" (Heb. 10:12). But
here in the saddle He is roused, every faculty excited, every source of strength summoned,
and He is bearing forward for the purpose of accomplishing something not yet attained.
The horse in those times was
regarded as the embodiment of speed. He who was mounted could get over a greater distance,
do quicker work, than on foot. Thus with Jesus Christ. He was to carry on His conquests
with great rapidity. Swiftly, as well as powerfully, would He move down upon the enemy;
and wheeling His forces into line, would charge upon the opposing ranks, overcoming them
by the impetuous energy of His movements, before they had recovered themselves from the
surprise of His sudden and swift attack.
THE
Once I heard a preacher say
that he believed Jesus Christ would LITERALLY descend from heaven riding on a white horse.
"Jesus Christ created the horse," he declared, "and if He chooses to charge
through the clouds on one, He certainly can." Certainly He can! But I do not hesitate
to add that lack of spiritual discernment is the greatest curse upon the Lord's people
today. People are so afraid that someone will "spiritualize" away something in
the Word of God, realizing not that they themselves are "carnalizing" away the
Word of our Lord, for, said Jesus, "the words that I speak unto you, they ARE SPIRIT,
and they ARE LIFE" (Jn. 6:63). Spiritual intelligence is the rarest of all spiritual
things - and the least valued. In God's sight it is the only true wealth. How rare has
true spiritual understanding become! The trouble with God's people today is with their
ears and eyes. Like the Pharisees of Jesus' day they insist that they DO hear and they DO
see. But they do not understand. Neither do they know. Two worlds exist all about us - the
natural world and the spiritual world. The natural realm is the realm of man, but the
spiritual realm is the realm of God. The carnal mind CANNOT understand the things of the
Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, for they are
SPIRITUALLY discerned. The greatest need among the saints today is for God to send forth
into our hearts the spirit of wisdom and revelation to dispel the darkness of the natural
mind that ever hangs as a veil about us, that He may reveal to our wondering eyes those
supernal things that pertain to HIS REALM.
Words utterly fail me to
describe the scene of the Rider upon the white horse! It is so heavenly, so divine and
wonderful, that it completely defies all human description. Behold! the open heaven, the
white horse, the name Faithful and True, the righteousness of His judgment, the eyes of
flame, the head bearing many crowns, the vesture dipped in blood. Hear the name The Word
of God. See the armies of heaven following, which are the vast multitude of the enChristed
sons of God, and their fine linen, white and clean, which is the righteousness of the
saints, and their white horses, which bespeak the strength, victory and power of the
Christ by which they conquer. Consider the sharp sword with the double edge that goes
forth from His mouth, the spoken Word of God - a sword to smite the nations, not with
cruel force and merciless slaughter, but with TRUTH and LIFE. Behold, too, the name
inscribed in His vesture and on His thigh: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS!
The book of Revelation is
first and foremost a SPIRITUAL book. It is a book of spiritual realities communicated by
means of signs and symbols. You will not read the fulfillment of its prophecies on the
pages of Newsweek magazine, but you will see them manifest in the lives of men and women
and in the great accomplishments of the
The apocalyptic description
of Christ coming out of heaven on a war-horse, magnificently attired - attended by armies
of celestial horsemen - to fight the battle against the beast and the kings of the earth
and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him that sat on the horse and
against His army, portrays no literal conflict with carnal weapons. It is not on any
battlefield on earthly ground that the glorified Redeemer and His heavenly legions
confront the banded hosts of earth and hell. We cannot go to the pages of Josephus or
Tacitus or Wells, or any other historian, for the events which correspond with these
symbols. Nor shall we find them in the headlines of the Washington Post or the Miami
Herald! The scene reveals one divine and sublime truth: CHRIST SHALL, CONQUER! The
Ah - is it not within the
corridors of your own soul, precious friend of mine, that you must hear the hoof beats of
the great white steed thundering! He must ride right into YOUR EARTH, conquering all the
This is the conquest that is
going on right now in that inner world of our hearts, minds and bodies. May the Holy
Spirit deeply impress upon you this important truth: YOU WILL NEVER CONQUER UNTIL YOU ARE
CONQUERED! You see, in the army of Christ all the vanquished have enlisted, and all of
those that were once enemies, such as Saul of Tarsus who once opposed Christ and who now
is one of the leaders of that army beyond the veil. As we look at the triumph of Christ we
see that the vanquished and the conquerors merge as one. Saul of Tarsus went forth to war
against Jesus, but he was struck to the ground outside
We don't have to wait until
"some glad day after while" because the battle is going on right now. GOD ALWAYS
CAUSES US TO TRIUMPH IN CHRIST (II Cor.
When Cornwallis surrendered
to George Washington he came up to Washington and his aides, each dressed in their finest
military garb. Cornwallis began to extol
HIS EYES
His eyes were a flame of
fire. As John gazed upon Him, his attention was attracted to His eyes, which blazed like
flames of fire. The spirit within was so aroused that it shone through His eyes. This
description concerning the coming of the King of kings and the Lord of lords is most
illuminating. George Hawtin has commented on this passage: "The eyes of the Son of
God are completely different from all other eyes. The eyes of mankind and of every living
creature are capable only of receiving light. Our eyes receive reflections and images of
things that are without, but the eyes of our Lord not only receive reflections of things
without, but are LAMPS OF FIRE, shedding abroad the light of God whithersoever they are
turned. Every creature and everything upon which His eyes shall fall will receive the
LIGHT OF GOD. 'They looked upon Him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed'
(Ps. 34:5). Even in the hour of Christ's greatest humiliation when Peter had denied his
Lord, the Lord turned and LOOKED upon him, and at that look the light of truth dawned upon
this trembling and heartbroken man as he sat in his dismal despair and, being thus
enlightened to the truth and to the knowledge of his guilt, he went out and WEPT BITTERLY
in repentance and contrition. But this manifestation of the light of truth that shines as
a burning flame from His eyes is merely a fleeting shadow of greater things to come. It is
as a feeble candle in the night compared to the illuminating rays of the sun at
"The day is coming and
is near at hand when Christ shall be the Light of the World in the fullness of its
meaning. His eyes run to and fro throughout the whole world and wheresoever He looks the
light of heaven will shine. Upon whomsoever His eyes shall fall darkness will be dispelled
from him and the light of Christ will shine upon him. Through long millenniums has the
world sat in outer darkness and in the cold and gloomy shadows of death, but He who soon
will come riding triumphantly through the open heavens has eyes burning as lamps of fire,
before whose shining darkness and shadow will flee away forevermore" -end quote.
The One who has the eyes as a
flame of fire is He who comes to judge and make war. To judge rightly He must see through
and through, search all depths, look beneath all masks, penetrate all darkness, and try
everything to its ultimate residuum. There is often something wonderfully luminous,
penetrating, overawing, in the human eye. Men have been blinded by the look of kings. It
is like the living intellect made visible, which seems to read all secrets at a glance. It
is this infinitely intensified, flashing like a sword of fire that the apostle beheld in
this Warrior Judge. It is an eye flame of Omniscient perception, a searchlight that
penetrates to the inmost thought and intent of the heart, laying bare in its awful
revelation every fiber of self, even in purposes supposed to be pure, scorching, burning,
shriveling every hypocrisy, and withering away every breath of the flesh.
Oh the eyes of the Lord! the
eyes of holiness, the eyes of infinite discernment, the eyes of depthless love and burning
desire for those apprehended to be conformed to His likeness. They descend into the depths
of the soul, the candle of the Lord, to search out and make known what is of soul and what
is of spirit, and flash with their flame of sincerity, truth and shadowless righteousness.
The Word of God is quick and powerful - living and active - sharper than any two-edged
sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder (separating) of soul and spirit, and of the
joints and the marrow - the deepest part of our nature. And when the King of glory marches
into our land He comes with eyes that are shining lamps of heavenly fire, ILLUMINATING
mind and heart, revealing all that is there, destroying every selfish and secret motive,
consuming every vestige of the carnal mind, purifying the deepest intents of the heart,
and flooding the whole being with righteousness and purity and power. Some things in our
lives are deeply hidden, but the eyes of the Lord, the dealings of God, are going to cause
everything to surface and be brought out of the darkness. The fire of those eyes is such
that all the dross is made to emerge. Do we really want the Christ to invade us through
and through to thoroughly touch every area of our lives? We will never conquer until we
are conquered! Praise God! This moment He is mightier in His elect than He ever was
before. This moment He is conducting a campaign vaster, stronger, deeper, more
overwhelming than ever before. He will direct it on from one degree of glory to another,
until every human being will bow before Jesus Christ as their supreme Lord and King. He
will shine forth the glorious light of His illuminating eyes into the darkened hearts of
billions who never have known aught but shadows of death. His battlefield is the world.
His warfare extends through the ages, down to the end of time. And He shall be victorious,
totally victorious - praise His worthy name!
HIS WEAPON
"And out of His mouth
goeth a sharp sword, that with it He might smite the nations." The sword that goes
forth from the mouth of Christ is without doubt the sharp two-edged sword of the Word of
God. His name is called THE WORD OF GOD. He is the LOGOS. "By the word of the Lord
were the heavens made" (Ps. 33:6). This is He who was in the beginning. "In the
beginning was the Word" (Jn. 1:1). This is the Word that was God. In Him was life and
the life was the light of men. This is He of whom it is written, "He sent His Word,
and healed them." This is the Word that is sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing
to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit. In this vision He is represented as being
armed with a sword, two-edged and sharp, passing out of His mouth, indicating that His
chief force lies in the action of His lips uttering words. His force is truth - truth
expressed by His mouth in words. He goes forth to battle wielding only the weapons of
truth. Christ does not come to avenge blood or slay in battle as other conquerors have
done. His words smite all who hear them. As someone has said, it will smite them with
conviction and bless them with conversion. The spirit which animates Him is the warrior
spirit. His object is the conquest of the world. He has formed the resolution never to
cease from His campaign until the whole world, a conquered realm, bows devotedly before
Him as its rightful Lord and Master, and only true King.
It has well been written:
"When we read, 'With it He will smite the nations,' our first thought must not be
vindictiveness as so many preach. This sword of the Spirit does far more than kill. It
pierces to the dividing asunder of flesh and spirit and discerns the thoughts of men and
the intents of their hearts, and more often than not it brings repentance rather than
judgment. The mighty outpouring of God's Word at Pentecost caused men to be pricked and
cut and pierced to the heart until they cried, 'Men and brethren, what shall we do?' And
the answer of the word was quick and clear: 'Repent and be baptized every one of you in
the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the
Holy Ghost ... then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day
there were added unto them about three thousand souls' (Acts 2:37-41). When Stephen
preached the Word, they were cut to the heart, and to Paul the Spirit said, 'It is hard
for thee to kick against the pricks.' That is the way His righteous sword is wielded. It
kills only to make alive and wounds only to heal. It kills only those things that should
die and makes alive the things that should live. Thus will He rule the world with an iron
rod - the rod of true judgment and the scepter of true authority" - end quote (The
Page). Christ the Conqueror goes forth to conquer. He has a sword, and His sword comes out
of His mouth, and He is riding the white horse, and the cutting edge of divine conviction
is piercing multitudes of hearts.
The apostle Paul says,
"Take the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God" (Eph.
When I speak, or write, I
manifest spiritual influences; and the force of these influences is proportionate to the
inner power, and their effect is proportionate to the state of reception of my hearers.
Words are thus seen to be the representatives of spiritual forces. The action of spirit on
spirit is inappreciable by the senses; but could we look behind the veil of nature when a
crowd or a congregation is swayed hither and thither by the speech of one man, we should
see that the influence exerted was as real and actual as muscular force. From this we
learn that words are not mere sounds, but are the sheaths or cases of spiritual life, and
on this ground we at once see the force of the Lord's declaration, "The words that I
speak unto you, they ARE SPIRIT, and they ARE LIFE" (Jn. 6:63).
The Lord's speech is the
manifestation and influence of His inner life poured forth upon those to whom He speaks.
An incident in the life of Jesus, recorded in Luke, chapter seven, provides a picture in
which may be discerned the POWER OF THE WORDS OF GOD. As He approached the gate of Nain
there met Him a funeral procession, a widow's only son carried out to burial. Moved with
compassion for the sorrowing woman He bade her dry her tears. The astounded crowd heard
Him address the figure upon the bier: "Young man, I say unto thee, Arise!" The
power of the speech of the Prince of Life pierced the realm of the dead! The lad sat up
and began to speak. The tender Christ delivered him to his mother, and made effective His
command, "Weep not!" Her son was not only brought back from the gates of the
tomb, but was restored to her as a gift from the Lord BY THE POWER OF HIS WORD.
On another occasion Jesus had
come up to
As the Christ of God is a
many-membered body, so is the sword that goes out of His mouth. The Word of God is spoken
in the world today by the body of Christ on earth, and that Word flows forth as the sound
of many waters. There are not to be two swords - one out of the mouth of the Lord, and the
other out of the mouths of His ministers. There is one sword, and it is HIS. Our quotation
of scripture and our knowledge of the Bible and our understanding of truth is not the
sword of the Lord. The sword of the Lord is that Word which proceedeth only out of His
mouth, and out of ours as we are MADE ONE IN HIM. The sword of the Lord bespeaks a
purified people, holding forth the Word of Life in the power of the Holy Spirit, and how
we praise God for this company!
This is not some carnal
battle fought with carnal means, but the utterance of the Living Word of Truth which no
man shall be able to disannul. Ah, how fleshly have been the swords by which the religious
systems have conquered! These "Christian" countries even go to war with one
another. These "Christian" armies send thousands into a fast hell. The
"Christian" nations are on fire with brawls, party against party, faction
against faction. These "Christians" have deceit and fraud, oppression and wrong,
robbery and murder, in their streets. The "Christian" families are torn asunder
with envy, jealousy, anger, domestic disputes, without number and without end. And what is
most dreadful, most to be lamented of all, are those "Christian" churches. Those
churches that bear the name of Christ, the Prince of Peace, wage continual war with each
other. Through long centuries this church has attempted to convert sinners by burning them
alive. It has been drunk with the blood of saints and of martyrs. It has brought praise
only to Satan. It is a false church, a false Christ, a false sword, a false word. This
false sword, this spurious gospel is going forth conquering and conquer over the earth.
True revival and true worship have all but fled from the harlot systems and can be found
only in the hearts of the elect who love God and to whom the Word of the Lord is precious.
All who have studied the history of the so-called church know of the abominations
committed by this wanton and worldly system. They have conquered by sorcery, intrigue,
murder, war and torture. They have made all nations drink of the wine of their
fornication. And in this "enlightened" hour the lewd harlot of false
Christianity stalks the earth still. False revivals abound. The false sword is wielded.
The false gospel is proclaimed from the pulpits, from the printing presses, and over the
air-waves. False prophets, false teachers, false shepherds, false apostles, false
evangelists, false healers, false miracle workers, and false Christs abound together with
all the marvelous works of trickery and deceit, insomuch that, if it were possible, even
the very elect would be deceived. It deserves the abominations of the earth.
In contradistinction, the
Spirit of God is forming and fashioning a people, a glorious company, from whose lips
flash forth that CLEAR WORD OF THE LORD which shall cause the traditions and
unrighteousness of man to utterly come to naught. It was said of our Lord and elder
brother, "Never man spake like this man" (Jn.
Fear not. Have hope. Believe
in hope! It is God's good pleasure to yet renew the face of the earth. Surely all these
things shall come to an end. All the inhabitants of the world shall learn righteousness.
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, nor shall they know war any more. The
THE ARMIES THAT FOLLOW
When the Lord Jesus is
revealed from heaven He does not come alone. Even before the flood, Enoch prophesied of
this appearing of the promised One, and said, "Behold the Lord cometh WITH TEN
THOUSANDS OF HIS SAINTS to execute judgment upon all" (Jude 14,15). John saw, and
writes, "The armies, the ones in the heaven, were following Him" (Rev. 19:14).
Christ Jesus is the Head and the Leader as He goes before; His holy ones follow in His
train. They are represented as armies. They come forth as a body of fighters. He has many
under His command. The armies of the heavenlies are His, and He does battle with them, by
them and through them, even "the called, and chosen and faithful." There is no
infantry. There really is no cavalry, for all of the horses are white, and everyone who
follows Him is of exalted rank. It is an army of princes, a host of mighty dignitaries.
Moreover, they have no weapons, except the sharp two-edged sword that proceeds out of HIS
MOUTH, which is the Living Word of God. They are dressed in white, for they are all
righteous, cleansed by the crimson tide in which His cloak was dipped.
Again, I would share with you
from the anointed pen of George Hawtin as he describes this glorious army. "This is
the army of the SAINTS OF GOD, thousands upon thousands of blood-washed sons, all members
in particular of the mystical body of Christ, and though they be so many, yet are they but
one Christ. These are they of whom it is written: 'They that are with Him are called and
chosen and FAITHFUL.' He who rides at the head of this heavenly host, which for six
thousand years has been preparing, is the first begotten SON OF GOD, the firstborn from
the dead, the PRINCE OF THE KINGS OF THE EARTH. He is the firstborn of MANY BRETHREN. He
is the eldest in a vast family of God's sons. This, I declare, is the manifestation of the
true body of Christ, the manifestation of the SONS OF GOD. These are they who during their
life on earth went unto Him without the camp of the world's denominations and systems,
bearing His reproach, that they might be received and taught as sons by their heavenly
Father. Long ago amid the shadows of earth they heard and obeyed God's call, 'Come out of
her, My people, and be separate; and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you
and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord
Almighty.' In their obedience God became their Father. As a Father He instructed them,
broke them free from the blinding traditions and doctrines of men. He rebuked them as any
loving father rebukes his children. He chastised them as a father chastises his son, for
what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? For if we receive not chastening, whereof
all are partakers, then are we bastards and not sons. As a Father He fed them, and He fed
them on His living word of life, they became partakers of the divine mind, the divine
nature, and the divine will. The mind that was in Christ Jesus dwelt in them and as it
increased they were thoroughly transformed by the renewing of their minds" - end
quote.
But now the days of their
rebuke and chastisement are over. The great Captain is mounted, and they are mounted too.
He comes as Warrior, Judge and King, and they share with Him in the same character. They
are warrior judges and kings with Him. They are clothed in fine linen, pure and white,
which is the righteousness of the saints. They wear no amour. They are immortal and
incorruptible and cannot be hurt.
In the Song of Solomon 1:9
the shepherd lad extols the qualities of His beloved Shulamite in these significant words:
"I have compared thee, O my love, to a COMPANY OF HORSES in Pharaoh's chariots."
The historical allusion here, is to
Pharaoh's horses were famous
for their value and beauty. They were the swiftest and the surest footed of all horses.
They could go up over the hills and down through the valleys; they could leap over
obstacles, and they never fell nor stumbled. In battle they obeyed, though they plunged
into the face of the enemy and into death. They bore the chariots of war, they drew the
chariots of the pomp and glory, the grandeur of the king. Egyptian horses, especially from
the royal stables, were magnificently decorated, particularly their heads and cheeks, with
brilliant ornaments, sparkling jewels, glittering with gold and silver lace, and on their
necks were chains of gold, composed, I fancy, of medals recording victories won and
glories to be remembered. One historian has recorded that the Egyptian horses were even
exported to the neighboring countries, and Solomon bought them at a hundred and fifty
shekels of silver, from the merchants who traded with
As the Israelites outstripped
the horses and hosts of Pharaoh, so the followers of the Lamb have obeyed their Lord's
command with such fervor, that they have overtaken and passed all the adversaries. As
Pharaoh's horses were famous for their speed and beauty, as they were sure-footed and bore
the pomp and grandeur of the king, so the speed and beauty of God's elect are becoming
marked, and they bear the glory of the King. It is through us, precious saints, that the
power of Christ's redemption is manifested upon earth. It is through us that this
salvation is put to the test, and men see what it will do. It is in our lives, that its
power to give speed, strength and victory is manifested. It is because His beloved has
pressed along after Him so swiftly, and been obedient to His voice though He did not lead
her as she would have desired, that He has likened her to these famous horses. He has been
teaching her that to obey is better than sacrifice and to hearken than the fat of rams.
She has hearkened to each command of His voice and taken each step as He has directed. So
fervently does she obey the voice of her Beloved, so eagerly does she pursue after Him,
that finally she hears His voice whispering to her, "I have compared thee, O My love,
to a steed in Pharaoh's chariots."
Unseen by her, unknown by
her, His hand has upheld her as she ran. He has lifted her over all the hard places, He
has established her steps that they should not be moved. He has kept her feet from
slipping, He has lifted her over the precipices, so that many times she has not even seen
them. Then after supporting her, and bringing her on according to the desire of her heart
toward Him, He compares her to the swift steeds in the chariots of Pharaoh. The message is
clear - how tenderly and graciously does our Lord address us. He keeps us faithful, and
then He says: "Well done, thou good and faithful servant!" He spoke to, and
dealt with Gideon so gently and encouragingly, when he was hidden in the winepress beating
out wheat. The angel saluted him with: "Yahweh is with thee, thou mighty man of
valor." Gideon did not appear to be either a mighty man or a man of valor, for he was
hidden away for fear of the enemy. But it was not anything in Gideon that made him mighty;
it was because Yahweh was with him. And the Lord led him on until His gentleness made
Gideon great, and he really became a mighty man of valor. How preciously God woos us on;
and as we yield that He may work in us, He ascribes to us the fruit of His own working
upon and within us, for His work becomes truly our very own as we are made ONE IN HIM.
Hallelujah!
Ray Prinzing has expressed
the following words of inspiration and instruction: "One historical writer has
pointed out that everyone of Pharaoh's horses were THOROUGHBREDS. There was no
adulteration or mixture of some lesser strain, with some weakness showing up during the
heat of the battle, or some renegade trait showing up during a race which would also cause
a defeat. The Lamb was without spot and without blemish. And surely the purification
process must be complete in us, the regeneration must include our whole being, we are to
be an entirely NEW CREATION, a new thoroughbred species. That is why He is dealing with us
so intensely to guard our spirit, He would have a virgin spirit, undefiled with anything
that pertains to the spirit of the world. No trait or strain of the old nature left in
this company of God's choosing. Old things have passed away, and behold, ALL things are
becoming new. This is why, also, He has been calling us out of Babylon, and then been
purging Babylon out of us, for it is written: 'Behold, I am against thee, O destroying
mountain (Babylon), saith the Lord, which destroyest all the earth: and I will stretch out
Mine hand upon thee, and roll thee down from the rocks, and I will make thee a burnt
mountain. AND THEY SHALL NOT TAKE OF THEE A STONE for a corner, nor a stone for
foundations' (Jer. 51:25-26).
"We await the day of HIS
COMMAND. We do not wait for an escape out of the world, but we wait FOR HIM. 'For the Lord
Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout ... ‘(I Thes.
The army of the Lord is at
this very moment in careful preparation. The mountains are full of horses and chariots of
fire, which the King mustereth for the battle. His great command is FOLLOW ME. He rides
the white horse of universal conquest. He goes on from conquering to conquer. Follow the
King from victory to victory, from triumph to triumph in your own life; then you, who
constitute the King's hosts, will move forward, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and
terrible as an army with banners (S. of S. 6:10).
You who have not yet
surrendered to Him as King of kings, you who know Him as Saviour but have not crowned Him
Lord of all within, don't you hear His trumpet pealing in your ears, sounding down through
all the chambers of your soul's castle? You who have tried to be a good Christian,
involved in the religious activities of the man-made church systems, but have not hitherto
heard the call to come out of her and come up higher into the high calling of God in
Christ Jesus - why do you stand out longer? Why not draw in your colors this day, and
invite HIM to the supreme place in your heart and life, and enroll yourself among His
followers from henceforth, to follow Him to the heights of Mount Zion; and then, when He
celebrates His last victory, be among those who come with songs and everlasting joy to
SHARE the fruits of His victory and chant His praise forevermore. Amen!
Chapter
27
The
Coming Of The Bridegroom
"And at
"Let us be glad and
rejoice, and give honour to Him: for THE MARRIAGE OF THE LAMB IS COME, and His wife hath
made herself ready" (Rev. 19:7).
We approach in this study the
consideration of the crowning mystery, and yet the most wondrous revelation of truth. It
is at once a mystery and a revelation. Nothing but a revelation could have suggested such
an idea to our minds, or have allowed us to entertain it without being guilty of
irreverence; but the revelation is made in language so distinctly figurative that the
great apostle Paul himself is constrained to say of the truth which it manifests and
conceals, "This is a great mystery." The revelation of Christ as the Bridegroom
permeates His teaching and His parables and suggests the grand truth to those who have
ears to hear and eyes to see. More than once He refers to Himself in His utterances as the
Bridegroom. The solemn
What a blessed and thrilling
revelation lies couched in the following passage recorded in connection with our Lord's
miracle of turning water into wine. "This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of
Galilee, and manifested forth His glory; and His disciples believed on Him" (Jn.
But if we stand back and get
a correct perspective of the sweep of the entire picture I think we will understand it.
You go back to the very beginning - marriage was the first institution that God made for
man. And it was none other than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself that brought the first woman
to the first man. He introduced them and He performed the marriage for them and made them
one. Then I look into the prophecies of the Bible and discover that there is an event
called "the marriage supper of the Lamb." The Lamb is there and a people called
the bride is there. And the Psalmist relates the wonderful scene in these descriptive
words, "Kings' daughters were among Thy honorable women: upon Thy right hand did
stand the queen in gold of Ophir" (Ps. 45:9). Long centuries later John the Revelator
stood transfixed in rapturous wonder at the scene and penned these challenging and
electrifying words of spiritual instruction: "Let us rejoice - and shout for joy -
exulting and triumphant! Let us celebrate and ascribe to Him glory and honor, for the
marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has prepared herself. She has been permitted
to dress in fine radiant linen - dazzling and white, for the fine linen is the
righteousness of the saints" (Rev. 19:7-8, Amplified).
Long millenniums ago at the
dawn of human history the Lord God said, "It is not good that the man should be
alone; I will make him an help meet for him" (Gen. 2:18). What fathomless and holy
truth lies buried in this remarkable statement! While God said, "It is not good that
the man should be alone," I would like to give another rendition and it goes like
this: "It is not good that GOD should be alone." It is my conviction that God's
creation is an expression of God's own personal character and state of being. It will take
the mind of the Spirit to understand what I say when I declare that when God saw Adam in
his loneliness and said, "It is not good that the man should be alone," God was
expressing a consciousness within Himself. God had need for companionship. This divine
need is expressed by the apostle in Eph. 1:4-6, "According as He hath chosen us in
Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be ... before Him in love: having
predestinated us unto the adoption of Children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to
the good pleasure of His will."
God's ultimate need was for
the companionship of beings like unto Himself, of His own kind, with whom He could share
His mind and heart, and whom He could incorporate into the outworking of His own eternal
purposes. As we view from the Father's heart it becomes obvious that God in His paternal
nature has "marked out for Himself" a vast family which shares His very own
life, nature, spirit, purpose and power. I do not believe that any creature or entity
which existed before man either in heaven above or the earth beneath, provided what God
needed. This is the condition which prompted God in that long ago beginning to issue the
wonderful fiat, "Let us make man in our image, and after our likeness" (Gen,
Little wonder, then, that we
read these remarkable words, "And Jehovah God saith, Not good for the man to be
alone, I do make him a helper - as his COUNTERPART" (Gen. 2:18, Young's Literal). The
Goodspeed translation reads, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I must make a
helper for him WHO IS LIKE HIM." Another interesting translation says, "And God
made for Adam a COMPARABLE helper." That is the first symbolism of the bride of
Christ. God made for Adam someone with whom he should have complete and total intimacy.
God Himself had that desire so He came in the cool of the evening to fellowship with this
man and woman made in His image. If the Christ is to have a bride then the bride must be
COMPARABLE to Christ. That's awesome, isn't it! But how could Christ become intimate with
anyone who is not comparable to Him? Would He become intimate with a little girl whom He
might abuse? Would He share all He is and has with a child who is physically and
emotionally unable to return mature love or participate in His activities?
God gives us patterns in the
Bible. All the patterns point to the central truth that God wants a people for Himself - a
special, purified, obedient, prepared, developed, matured, loving, capable people joined
in union with Himself. All other doctrines and revelations are secondary to that. God's
desire for a people is the thrust of the entire message of the Word of God. Everything
must revolve around that truth. It was not good for man to be alone and God was saying
that it was not good for God to be alone. He wanted offspring, and Acts 17:28-29 tells us
that WE are the OFFSPRING of GOD. Nature itself teaches us that pigs have little pigs and
dogs have little dogs. I do not hesitate to add that Gods have little gods! We are made in
His image - COMPARABLE! When once we learn this one grand truth all the Word of God begins
to fall into place. My beloved, it is therefore in keeping that our Lord should go yonder
to a wedding in Cana of Galilee and begin His ministry. There He went and put His seal of
approval and His blessing upon it. He was there by His very presence to proclaim that
BRIDESHIP AND SONSHIP
As God continues to deal in
this hour with a people, to bring them into His fullness, there are questions which arise
concerning definitions and applications of terms which the Spirit of God is bringing forth
as He speaks to His elect. Two of the terms which the Spirit is emphasizing are BRIDESHIP
and SONSHIP. Some become confused by these terms and wonder whether there is a difference
between the two - or whether the bride and the sons are the one and same company of
people. If we have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying there need be no confusion at
all. God wants us to UNDERSTAND!
It should not take much
reflection to reach the conclusion that a bride and a son are NOT the same! If you are a
married man with a family, think! - are your wife and your son the same? Though it is
evident that they are two separate persons, what is it that really makes the difference?
You may answer, "Well, one is female and the other is male." True, but that is
still not the basic difference! A member of your family may be female and yet NOT be your
wife. She could be your daughter, your mother or your sister. Likewise, a male member of
your family may be someone other than your son. So, while it is true that a wife is always
feminine and a son is always masculine, the primary difference is one of RELATIONSHIP -
the WAY in which they are RELATED to you. In like manner, through the new birth we have
come into the God Family - the very universal Family which is GOD! And being birthed into
the God Family we are now related to God, we have entered into a FAMILY RELATIONSHIP with
Him; true, glorious and eternal kinship to Him in His very own life-form and species!
One can enter God's Family
only by birth. Jesus said, "Except a man be born again...he cannot enter into the
I cannot emphasize too
strongly the importance of this truth of relationships. Each of us is related to a great
many people in a variety of ways. To my wife I am a husband. To my sons and my daughter I
am a father. To my father I am a son. To my brothers I am a brother. To many I am a
friend. To others I am an uncle, nephew or cousin. Obviously, this does not make me more
than one person. I remain but one individual, but in my relationships to others I am
different things. The Lord Jesus is spoken of in scripture as our Father, Brother,
Husband, Friend, Master, King, Priest, Judge, etc. etc. Our American President, at the
time of this writing (1988), is Ronald Reagan. To many he is "Mr. President" -
and rightfully so. But previously he was a Governor. Would it make sense for people to
start wrangling over his title as to whether it is Mr. President or Mr. Governor - a
generation or two hence? Supposing he were to become a Senator from
There are so many profound
and beautiful ties between Jesus and the elect, which are shadowed forth in the tender
relationships between Adam and Eve; for Adam was in reality both father and mother to Eve,
and then she was not only his child, but his sister as well, and also his wife. The same
person can stand in varied relationships, filling different roles, while remaining the
same person. All the right and natural relationships in which human beings stand to each
other are meant to reveal something in God - some relation in which He stands to us. He is
as a King to His subjects, giving them laws and governing them for their good. He is as a
Father to His children, providing for their needs, training and disciplining them in love
to become mature members of the Family of Elohim. But there is something, if one may say
so, deeper than even this - something that corresponds to the tenderness of a mother,
especially in her gentle power of comforting the weary and wounded spirit of her child.
Isaiah cried out in the spirit of wisdom and revelation and declared, "For thus says
the Lord, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the nations
like an overflowing stream; then you shall be nursed, you shall be carried on her hip, and
be trotted on God's maternal knees. As one whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort
you" (Isa. 66:12-13, Amplified).
The word "one" in
the passage above is in the Hebrew A MAN. And the prophet is not thinking of a little
child, but of the grown man. His words are, in the original, "As A MAN whom his
mother comforts, so will I comfort you." The feminine name of God is EL SHADDAI
meaning "the breasted - a woman's breast" and indicates the One who out of
maternal bountifulness is the shedder-forth of blessings, comfort, nourishment and life.
There is something in God which corresponds to that power of tender mother-comfort,
something of which, indeed, earthly mother-comfort is only the shadow, the earthly
reflection. Ah the motherhood of God! Consider the wonder of it! And when we get a clear
spiritual discernment of these multiplied relationships of God to us, it breaks us into
perfect abandonment to Him, and draws us like the resistless tide of a sucking whirlpool,
down into the fathomless gulf of His love and all-sufficiency!
MATURE RELATIONSHIPS
Children are children.
Children are not SONS in the scriptural sense, for sons are those who have grown up into
the nature and authority of the Father. A girl, as long as she is a child, is neither
prepared for nor capable of fulfilling the role of a WIFE. In order to enter into marriage
a young girl must pass through years of physical, mental and emotional development.
Finally, upon becoming mature in all these areas, she is fitted for marriage and her role
as wife. And so is it in God's Family! The term "child" describes the believer
in his walk of immaturity in God. But as one begins to grow up into SPIRITUAL MATURITY it
is then that the truly feminine and masculine aspects of his or her relationship to God
begin to form and become manifest. "Vive la difference!" someone once said. And
starting from early childhood we all begin to notice there is indeed a difference. We
become increasingly aware of it as we grow up. But it is only as fully developed adults
that the true power, potential and purpose of the feminine and masculine attributes find
their fulfillment.
The following words by Ray
Prinzing are freighted with spiritual wisdom and godly instruction. "There are many
relationships that are spoken of in the scriptures, and for years all we heard taught was
on 'the bride of Christ.' Then came the unfolding of the precious truths of sonship. And
soon the one was pitted against the other with emphasis on the position to be obtained,
this greater than that, etc. But we are coming to see that all of these relationships are
allegorical - we can draw from them all some needed instruction, but we must not reduce
them to physical, carnal realms, and hold them there. And all these allegories serve to
bring out the characteristics desired. Bride, groom, son, daughter, friend, etc., these
are not positions and realms to which we aspire, they are but allegorical relationships
used to help reveal qualities and characteristics which are essential to every believer
that desires to become ONE IN HIM, fully conformed to His image and likeness. ONENESS WITH
CHRIST in its full reality goes beyond being a bride, or a son, or male, or female. So
regardless of the symbol at which we are looking, it is the deeper meaning and truth which
we desire, and may the Lord quicken to us this vital instruction for our up-building in
Him. To be perfect in Christ, complete, mature, ONE IN HIM, this sums up all the facets
used to illustrate our growth and development, characteristics, attributes, etc. Dare we
settle for anything less? Can any parabolic example reveal such glory? Each part reveals
something unique and wonderful, but they all fall far short of expressing the WHOLE which
is SUMMED UP IN CHRIST. He is ALL IN ALL, the fullness that filleth everything with
Himself" -end quote.
As God becomes so many things
to us, even Mother, so must we become many things to Him. When God created man male and
female in His image He revealed that He is Himself male and female in His attributes and
nature. In spiritual maturity we enter into relationship with God in all the facets of His
nature. We may truly become the bride of Christ and the sons of the Father and many other
things as well. The bride relationship bears the feminine nature whereas the sonship
relationship bears the characteristics of the masculine nature. Aggressiveness, boldness,
strength, valor, authority, power and dominion are among the traits of the masculine sex.
Hence the Lord says to the overcomer, "He that overcometh shall inherit all things;
and I will be his God, and he shall be My SON. To him will I give POWER over the nations:
and he shall rule them with a rod of iron. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with
Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with MY FATHER in His
throne" (Rev. 21:7; 2:26-27; 3:21).
Modesty, gentleness,
tenderness, love, sensitiveness and dependence are attributes of the feminine sex.
Spiritually, these are the characteristics of the bride of Christ, as the apostle says,
"Wives, be subject - be submissive and adapt yourselves - to your own husbands as a
service to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife as Christ is the Head of the
church, Himself the Saviour of His body. As the church is subject to Christ, so let wives
also be subject in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ
loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having
cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word, that He might present the church to
Himself in glorious splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such things - that she might
be holy and faultless" (Eph. 5:22-27, Amplified).
Can we not see by this that
brideship bespeaks the spiritually feminine relationship of intimate love and reverent
submission to Christ, whereas sonship embodies the spiritually masculine characteristics
of strength, authority, power and dominion to rule and reign over all things. Ah, beloved,
let us never become so overbalanced in our zeal to become SONS OF GOD that we circumvent
the marvelous reality of BRIDESHIP! The simple but sublime truth is that THE WAY TO
SONSHIP IS BRIDESHIP! This is why the Spirit has given us in Revelation chapter twelve the
example of a glorious sun-clad woman giving birth to a remarkable man-child who is to rule
all nations with a rod of iron. It is the inworking of brideship that births the realm of
sonship. Jesus said, "I am the WAY, the truth and the life; no man COMETH UNTO THE
FATHER but by Me." Your relationship to Christ as a bride will forerun your
relationship to the Father as a son. Brideship is the harbinger of sonship. It is through
intimacy of fellowship and vital union with Christ, made ONE IN HIM IN LOVE that we are
initiated into that illustrious glory of strength and dominion over all things as sons of
God. This is a true principle in God that I hope no earnest saint of God who reads these
lines will miss!
Any man can come to know
something of the acts and ways of God, but only those born from above, who also FOLLOW ON
to KNOW the Lord, can ever come to know Him in the most wonderfully personal and intimate
manner. The depth of "knowing" Him is like the intimate relationship of a man
with his beloved wife, in which love he seeks to reproduce after his own kind. In fact
this is precisely the way in which the scriptures in a number of cases make use of the
word "know" - to describe the giving and receiving of seed in the act of love.
For example, we read in Gen. 4:1, "And Adam KNEW Eve his wife; and she conceived, and
bare Cain." This statement does not mean that Adam was able to recognize his wife as
she walked about the house! "KNOWING," in the sense of recognition, does not
beget children! When Adam KNEW his wife he explored her emotional and physical being, and
she KNEW him in return in a personal and intimate way that words could never communicate.
Only by the experience of the sexual relationship does man know woman in this sense, and
she him.
May the Spirit of God help us
to understand that it is only in that exquisite relationship where the believing heart
completely yields itself to the Spirit, the presence, the mind and the will of God, where
the believer proves by his wholehearted response that he totally and truly loves the Lord,
that he KNOWS and is KNOWN of God. This is the basis for
While we write much in these
pages of the glorious truth of sonship, we want to contemplate in our meditations at this
time what it means to be the bride of Christ. If you have never really fallen in love with
the Christ of God - and made HIM YOUR HEAD and ABSOLUTE LORD - don't ever expect to be a
son. If you are not truly VIRGIN in your desires toward the Lord; if you are not walking
in the Spirit, keeping yourself unto HIM and unto HIM ALONE; if you have never really
forsaken the company of the wanton harlot of Mystery Babylon, the carnal religious systems
called the church; if you have not renounced the schemes and plans and ambitions of the
carnal mind nor abandoned your love of the world and the desires of the flesh - don't
expect to be birthed into that glorious company of the sons of God who shall set creation
free from bondage and corruption. If you have any other love before Him, any other master
that rules your life, any other lord that dictates your actions, any "reserved"
areas of your life, then you have not yet learned HOW TO B-E A BRIDE to Christ! One must
first BOW in feminine love and submission to Jesus Christ the Lord - as a wife - before he
can pass beyond , birthed to stand tall and erect in the majesty and splendor of sonship.
it's just that simple. There IS NO OTHER WAY!
Only the blessed Holy Spirit
can teach us how to truly BE a bride. As I have pointed out, the key to being a wife is
love and submission. We are prone to think of submission in such a carnal way. The term
conjures up images of the husband ruling, bossing, lording it over, barking commands to
his wife while the little woman, intimidated, coweringly complies with his every demand.
But true, godly submission is the LOVE of a woman that is so pure and intense that she
wants to yield herself to the high desires of her husband - a woman so in love with her
man that it transcends infatuation - her submission becomes a willing and loving laying
down of her own life until she no longer has a life because HER LIFE IS SURRENDERED TO
ANOTHER! Her cry becomes, "I don't want my life ... I want to SHARE YOURS." Oh!
most of us know so little of HOW TO BE A BRIDE!
I think I understand why so
often men fall in love with their secretaries and leave their wives. A secretary is
TOTALLY DEVOTED to the man by whom she is employed. His every wish is her desire; and a
good secretary even anticipates his needs before they arise. Men are always impressed by
such devotion in a woman. She has no goals of her own. Her only priority is to meet his
needs. And, my beloved, when once we enter into the bride relationship to Christ we lay
down our own identity and take upon us a new nature. In the feminine aspect of this nature
we learn to yield - obey - this is the action of our will, giving our will over to become
aligned with HIS WILL. Submission is more than blind obedience to demands laid upon us, it
is the loving surrender of the will, otherwise one will soon revolt and try to throw off
the yoke, or find a way of escape. But when it is OUR WILL to do HIS WILL we stand
steadfast and carry on. There is a giving up, a surrender of our will, that is, the
flesh-motivated will, the carnal-minded will, BUT HIS WILL IN US IS TO BE RETAINED AT ALL
COST. God is working in us "both to will and to do of His good pleasure" (Phil.
LOVE! Ah, this is the key.
There is a call to love HIM so passionately, that everything else appears as hatred in
comparison. When we are mere children, we love Him out of a childish, immature love. We
love Him primarily for what He GIVES US. When you hear someone testify, "I love the
Lord BECAUSE He saved me," or "I love the Lord BECAUSE He healed me," or
"I love the Lord BECAUSE He answers my prayers and supplies all my needs," you
know that you listen to the testimony of a CHILD, imperfect in love. That kind of talk is
like the girl who married a rich man and said, "I love John because he provides me
with a million-dollar beach house, a new Mercedes, a mink coat, and $1000.00 a week
spending money!" Obviously, she loves John ONLY FOR HIS MONEY! Should John lose his
wealth her love would soon die. And most immature Christians, the "children" of
God, profess to love God basically out of these same selfish motives. But a true wife
loves her husband FOR WHO AND WHAT HE IS! When a wife really loves her husband, she loves
him just as much if they are poor and have nothing. As God brings forth a people into
brideship to Christ, this people is coming to love our Lord Jesus Christ FOR WHO HE IS and
not because of the blessings and benefits received from His loving hands. Children are
always excited about the GIFT, but the bride is excited about the GIVER!
Do we really love Him, or are
we merely using Him? Do we know what it means of come into His sweet presence, asking
nothing, but only reaching out to HIM with gratitude and thanksgiving for loving us so
completely. Haven't we become very selfish and egocentric in our prayers? We will pray to
save
"For I am jealous over
you with a godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you
as a CHASTE VIRGIN to Christ" (II Cor. 11:2). To be a virgin means to be pure,
undefiled and separated unto our Lord. God is creating the desire in a people in this hour
to be truly VIRGIN in their desires toward Him. We have known what it is to be conformed
to the course of THIS WORLD. Then we have known what it is to trust Christ as Saviour
while remaining entangled in all the defilement of a corrupt babylonish religious church
system. But God is calling forth a glorious body of Christ who, because of the quickening
of the Holy Spirit, is desiring to be VIRGIN, separated only unto her glorious Bridegroom,
unto intimate and vital union with Him! How lightly we sometimes take the purposes of God
in us! It is one thing to be washed in the blood, freed from all our past sins, and quite
another thing to truly be virgin in our desires to keep ourselves only unto the Lord for
union with Him. Separation is coming from everything of the flesh, the world and the devil
and from every vestige of entanglement with false religious
Just this morning I was
reading a splendid article by Lyn Gitchel which I am deeply impressed to share with our
readers. Lyn writes: "Today, most of God's people, that are aware at all of what He
is doing, are readily admitting that we are on the verge of a new day, a new dimension in
the Lord. Everywhere you can hear the trumpet call of the message that His kingdom is
near. Dry and parched bones are awakening at the sound of His voice and are arising to be
prepared as a mighty army to meet the enemy and take the kingdom. The word
‘kingdom’ is heard more than ever before... and expectancy... is arising in the
hearts of those who are waiting for Him.
"All this is good, but I
have become aware of one thing. In all the striving for perfection, teaching of the
kingdom, and preaching of the gospel of redemption that will be completed this side of
eternity, we are strangely far from the real goal of it all. Some are striving for a
greater understanding of the scriptures and the things of God, and some for a bigger and
better revelation than ever before. Some are striving to become like Him, formed into His
image; some are looking to become His dwelling place on this earth. Some are seeking to
become mature 'sons,' and others are looking towards becoming the 'order of Melchizedek.'
All these are fine goals, but they are not THE GOAL that God intends for us. The goal, and
the only goal, is set out in the first commandment which bids us seek God first with every
part of our being. To move into Him; to establish a ONENESS WITH HIM - this is the only
central goal of it all. So often we are seeking something so close to the real thing - and
yet not the real central goal. We seek God in order to receive something from Him - or to
be made holy, or like Him in some other way. We seek Him to have Him dwell in us, or to
have His power, or joy, or peace. None of these are wrong! They are just not the goal!
"What kind of response
do you think you would get if you were moving into a love relationship, with the intention
of marrying that person, and then, when they asked you why you wanted to enter into that
depth of relationship with them you replied, 'So that I can become like you!' or, 'So that
I can have your power!' Too often that is the way we look at God. We have sought to come
close to Him so that we might become like Him, or so that His power might be seen in us.
Both are admirable desires, but they are not desires that will be fulfilling to the heart
of God. He wants us to draw close to Him, not that we might become like Him, or that His
nature be found in us (though, inevitably, that will happen), but solely to draw close to
Him BECAUSE WE LOVE HIM FOR WHAT HE IS. He wants us to come to Him WITH NO OTHER INTENTION
in our hearts but to fellowship with Him, to love Him, and to appreciate Him, sharing with
Him all the love-flow of our hearts. Everything else, no matter how fine a goal, must be
second to that!" -end quote.
To the venerable prophet
banished to the desolation of
In Rev. 21:9 the messenger
entreats the apostle John, "Come hither, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's
wife." The message is clear - "Come hither and I will show you a COMPLETED
PERSON, a PERFECTED PERSON, or, if you please, a CORPORATE BODY OF COMPLETED AND PERFECTED
PEOPLE!" The holy city of
THE BRIDEGROOM
We are told that: in this,
our day, shall the
These ten virgins took their
lamps and went forth to meet the Bridegroom. Not very many people who name the name of
Christ are doing that! Not very many know who or what the Bridegroom is, and therefore do
hot know where or how to meet Him. Not very many Bible students even suspect that the
coming of the Bridegroom is different than the coming of the King or the coming of Christ
in other dimensions. Not knowing who or what the Bridegroom is, they therefore cannot know
how to go forth to meet Him. Most christians, unfortunately, are busily preparing
themselves to go "up" to meet the Bridegroom. All their fuss and stir will be in
vain. For no one will ever go "up" to meet Him! There is not one scripture in
the entire Bible that speaks of being "caught up" to meet the Bridegroom or to
eat the marriage supper in the sky. The preachers have the coming of the Lord all muddled
because they cannot with their carnal minds distinguish the difference between the facets
of His coming. They have confused His coming as the Sun of Righteousness with His coming
as Judge. They have confounded His coming as a refiner's fire with His coming as the rain.
They have mistaken His coming WITH His saints for His coming IN His saints. They know
nothing of the distinction between His coming as King and His coming as Bridegroom. To
their unenlightened minds there is but one single coming of Christ when He crashes down
through the clouds of earth's atmosphere. Most saints today are not preparing to meet the
Bridegroom, but are trying to fix themselves up so that they will be all ready to be
whisked away into the clouds instead. But not so with the virgins. They are in the right
place at the right time, and all looking for a very blessed event - the coming of Christ
as the Bridegroom. And they are spiritually intelligent enough to know that no one will
ever go "up" to meet the Bridegroom. But in order to meet the Bridegroom, one
must go "out." "Go ye O-U-T to meet Him" (Mat. 25:6). And the only way
one may go "out" to meet the Bridegroom is to "come out" from among
the world and the flesh and the harlot churches with their idolatries and miserable
distortions of truth, to be JOINED UNTO THE LORD in intimacy of fellowship and vital
union.
The cry was, "Behold the
Bridegroom!" This addresses the heart. It is not an historic event. As sure as you
hold any truth intellectually you will eventually become an opposer of it. If you hold the
coming of the Lord as a singular historic event I am bold to say that He will come and you
will not recognize Him in His coming and you will oppose Him when He comes just as did the
Jews of old. The coming of the Bridegroom is that revelation of the Christ that causes you
to know that you are united to Him; it is the conscious knowledge and the experiential
reality. You cannot understand the relationship of the bride until you know
The word
"bridegroom" is from the Hebrew CHATHAN of which the root meaning is "to
contract affinity." According to Webster affinity carries these shades of meaning: 1.
relationship by marriage. 2. close relationship; connection. 3. a similarity or likeness
implying common origin. 4. a spontaneous attraction to, or liking for, a person or thing.
5. a person of the opposite sex who especially attracts one. 6. the force that causes the
atoms of certain elements to combine and stay combined.
For millenniums it has been
believed that people who have the same birthdates, the same hour of birth, and were born
on the same longitude and latitude generally live parallel lives. It is an affinity - a
relationship, resemblance, likeness, connection, correspondence under the stars. Joseph
Goodavage recorded the true story of two unrelated women who met for the first time in a
hospital room in
AFFINITY means you have the
same genetic makeup, you have the same thoughts, the same ideas, the same emotions, the
same actions, even when you are not physically together. It is to be like another person.
Bridegroom means AFFINITY - TO CONTRACT AFFINITY! The Bridegroom agrees, yea, purposes to
spiritually bring affinity into the life of His COMPLETED PERSON. As the bride you will
yield yourself to the process of completion and perfection in the Christ, but as
Bridegroom HE IS DETERMINED THAT IT WILL HAPPEN! He is resolved that this high and holy
calling be your destiny. First He attracts you, He allures you, charms you, draws you,
captivates you with His love. Then He invites you to a contract, an agreement, a covenant.
By the terms of that contract you WILL come into oneness with the Christ and by the very
genes of your new creation life you will think and purpose and act like Him in all things.
Hallelujah!
"Christ also loved the
CHURCH, and gave Himself for it; that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of
water by the word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot,
or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish" (Eph.
5:25-27).
The Bridegroom has special
qualifications. He must love the bride in a special way; He must give Himself to her; He
must make a vow to her and enter into a covenant relationship with her. He is fully
responsible for loving and providing for her every need. There are six things listed in
the passage above that the Lord, the heavenly Bridegroom, assumes as HIS responsibility:
It
is interesting to note one characteristic that is significantly missing from this list.
Have you noticed that there is never any CHASTISEMENT spoken of in scripture with regard
to the bride? The Bible says that sons are corrected and chastised, but the bride is not
in any way punished! Hers is a love relationship whereby she does what pleases her Lord
just because of who she is - His bride. It is the RELATIONSHIP that is the emphasis when
the bride is spoken of, not the usefulness. The sons are chastened and corrected because
they are given great power and authority, but the bride is loved, cherished, nourished,
attired, cleansed and made beautiful because she is made ONE IN HIM. Sons are taught how
to use great power and glory, whereas the bride is instructed how to fulfill and complete
her husband.
The question is arising in
some minds: "What company am I in? Which am I apprehended to? Am I destined to be of
the bride company, or a member of the manchild? Which should I DESIRE to be? Can I be
BOTH? Is there really a difference - a separation between the two?"
Ah, my beloved, we have had
such a veil over our minds! May the blessed Spirit of truth quicken the understanding of
all who read these lines to see and discern that what the revelation of God teaches is
just this: the WOMAN gives birth to the MANCHILD - THE WAY TO SONSHIP IS BRIDESHIP! It is
the relationship of brideship that births the reality of sonship. One must fall madly,
fiercely, intensely in love with the Lord Jesus Christ, making Him Head and Absolute Lord,
keeping oneself unto Him and Him alone, entering the secret chamber of His love, reserving
nothing unto oneself. We must first BOW in feminine love and submission before we can be
birthed to stand tall and erect in the majesty of sonship unto God. There is NO OTHER WAY!
So many Christians today are
satisfied with merely an entrance into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour.
Their eyes are blinded to eternal values, and any efforts to lead them on to higher ground
are rebuffed and resisted by a human reasoning which asks why one should waste time on
them since they are saved. But salvation, while it is the most astounding miracle of the
ages, yet is the birth of a MERE SPIRITUAL INFANT. There are many further steps which must
follow this birth if one is to come into all the glories and the full heritage which is
prepared for those who follow on to know the Lord. And not one of us has come all the way
up to our full privileges in Christ. There is great glory and heavenly wealth awaiting
those who become fully equipped unto God's great plan and purposes. Salvation is nothing
more than the beginning of an eternal, heavenly, God-kind of life. Then the recipient may
remain a baby spirit delighting only in the FACT of its childish spiritual existence.
Salvation is a free gift, through unmerited mercy and favor: a new heavenly life begun by
means of the new birth. But the outworking of the divine PURPOSE for that life is realized
only by those who have salvation, and then go on to grow up into the "measure of the
stature of the fullness of the Christ."
May God help us to truly BE A
BRIDE that we may also learn how to BE A SON that God may in and through us BE ALL IN ALL!
Chapter
28
The
Coming Of The Bridegroom
(continued)
"And at
The revelation of Christ as
the Bridegroom permeates His teaching and His parables and suggests the grand truth to
those who have ears to hear and eyes to see. More than once He refers to Himself in His
utterances as the Bridegroom. The solemn
The cry was, "Behold the
Bridegroom!" This addresses the heart. It is not an historic event. As sure as you
hold any truth intellectually you will eventually become an opposer of it. If you hold the
coming of the Lord as a singular historic event I am bold to say that He will come and you
will not recognize Him in His coming and you will oppose Him when He comes just as did the
Jews of old. The coming of the Bridegroom is that revelation of the Christ that causes you
to know that you are united to Him; it is the conscious knowledge and the experiential
reality. You cannot understand the relationship of the bride until you know
It was to the church which is
His body that Paul wrote, "For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother,
and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great
mystery: but I speak concerning CHRIST AND THE CHURCH" (Eph.
The body of Christ is now
multiplied by thousands, and it is not just one little girl that Christ will receive but a
corporate bride composed of a vast multitude of individual members. The point is just
this: all that happens to the corporate body must be experienced by each member - it is
first and foremost the experience of each member that finally constitutes the experience
of the whole. If I do not know Christ PERSONALLY as my Bridegroom, it is impossible for me
to be a part of that corporate body which is joined into union with Him. Let us by all
means remember that we are to be perfected in One; but let not this check the outflow of
our individual affection to Him with whom, in some strange way, we are to be thus closely
related. The thought of this intimate relationship loses all its warmth, and even its
reality, when we miss or eliminate the personal element in it. We teach the sinner to see
in "God so loved the world," God loved ME. Surely we can't be wrong in seeing in
"Christ loved the church," Christ loved ME!
It is a precious experience
when any child of God begins to understand PERSONALLY something of the import of these
prophetical words, "In that day thou shalt call me no more Baali (that is, my lord);
but thou shalt call me Ishi (my husband)." And there are moments when His voice seems
to sound in our ears, as though we heard Him say, "Hearken, O daughter, and consider
... forget also thine own people, and thy father’s house; so shall the King have
pleasure in thy beauty: for He is thy Lord God; and worship thou Him." He is the
Bridegroom of the corporate bride, but our love and relation to Him is to be as gloriously
personal as though to each of us He had made this revelation of Himself, and to no other.
Let it be the one work of our lives to fit ourselves for the enjoyment of this wondrously
close relationship to Him. Let all lower affections be dominated by this one, and all that
is unworthy of this be renounced. We are espoused to Christ. We are to be presented as a
chaste virgin to Him. Oh let us be true to His claims upon us, and gladly sacrifice all
that keeps us back from full self-surrender to Him. So shall the King have pleasure in us,
and we shall find our crown of eternal fulfillment in HIM.
THE BRIDEGROOM WITHIN
In our consideration of the
Bridegroom and the bride we need to remember that first of all these precious realities
are fulfilled in us personally. Christ is not just in some far-off heaven somewhere; for
us He is our hope of glory, and it is CHRIST IN YOU. That is a phrase of inexhaustible
wonder - "Christ in you." "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live;
yet not 1, but CHRIST LIVETH IN ME" (Gal.
Suppose someone wants to
visit me. He must first find where I live. If he cannot locate my home, he will have to
forfeit his visit. Although there is much talk about Christ living in us, many Christians
have no idea where He dwells. In
"That which is born of
the Spirit is spirit" (Jn. 3:6). This verse speaks of two distinct
"spirits": one is capitalized and the other is not. The first occurrence of the
word refers to the Holy Spirit, and the second to the spirit of man. That which is born of
the Holy Spirit is the human spirit. Another verse showing these two "spirits"
is Jn. 4:24: "God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship in
spirit." Again, the first "Spirit" is capitalized and the second is not. We
must worship God, who is the Spirit, in our human spirit. Rom.
Bible translators have found
it very difficult to decide whether "spirit" in some passages refers to the Holy
Spirit or the spirit of man. The reason for this difficulty is that in the believer the
Holy Spirit and the human spirit are joined together as one spirit! "He that is
JOINED unto the Lord is ONE SPIRIT" (I Cor.
Ah - Christ is in us, but
where within us is He? In what part? It is abundantly clear - Christ today is in our
spirit. We should not be so vague, like many who say, "Oh, the Lord is in you and the
Lord is in me." The last verse of II Tim. 4 definitely states that Christ is in our
spirit. "The Lord be with thy spirit" (II Tim.
He that is JOINED TO THE LORD
IS ... The unregenerate man is not one spirit with the Lord. The spirit of the
unregenerated man is DEAD, and is therefore UNRESPONSIVE to that sphere from which man
fell, which is the sphere of life in the spirit. The natural man is a lamp that is not
lit, lacking the essence-life of God. A fallen man, dead as he is in spirit, can only live
by the senses of the flesh. But we who have been born again from above have a quickened
spirit, are made alive unto that higher dimension, and can live by the spirit. God has
quickened us so that we can return to the spirit and live by the spirit.
The truth of the revelation
of Christ in you is not a revelation of "The True Self," or "The Real
You," or "The Inner You," or "The Christ Consciousness," of pagan
eastern philosophy and its hybrid, metaphysical Christianity. Until a man receives birth
from above by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost, his
"Inner Self" is just as profane as his "Outer Self" and ALL SELF MUST
GO. The complete self, the whole man: spirit, soul and body, must submit and bow to the
power and life of the transforming Holy Spirit, the Christ of God. This, then, is the
revelation of "Not I," but of "He that dwelleth in me." Many have
erroneously perverted the real truth of "Christ in you" and have identified the
inherent, unquickened, unregenerated spirit of the natural man with the "Inner
Self" of Unity School of Thought, Science of Mind, Christian Science, etc. etc. They
give place to their own corrupted "Inner Self" disguised as "the
Christ." This self-transformation is not Christ; it is satanic. Satan is the great
"Self-Transformer" who "transforms himSELF into an angel of light" (II
Cor.
The reverent heart is made to
wonder at the unmistakable simplicity of the ways of God. Long centuries ago the apostle
penned these meaningful words, "We have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us,
and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the FATHER OF
SPIRITS, and live?" (Heb. 12:9). This verse tells us that GOD is the FATHER OF OUR
SPIRITS! Ah, He is not the Father of your empty religious rituals and static creeds; He is
not the Father of your denomination; He is not the Father of your flesh; He is not the
Father of your carnal mind, your self-will, or your fleshly emotions. He is not the Father
of those whose father is the devil. You can never meet God in any of those realms - He is
not there. God is the God of your spirit, you must be in your spirit to be with God and
touch God. Today I am sitting in my office in
It is a blessed day for any
man when he makes the amazing discovery that Christ Himself is the Bridegroom; that this
Christ is in our spirit; that the Bridegroom is thus in our spirit; that the coming of the
Bridegroom is W-I-T-H-I-N!
THE BRIDE WITHIN
It should be obvious to every
thinking mind that if the Bridegroom is within, the bride is likewise to be found within.
Marriage is the conjunction of two into one. When these two enter into union, they are
called one. There is, therefore, a part of our being which must be wooed by Christ in our
spirit and brought into relationship and oneness in Him. Bride in Hebrew is KALLAH meaning
"the completed one" or "the perfected one." It reveals the concept of
a woman being completed once she is married to her husband - and, as Paul so beautifully
expresses it, "YE are COMPLETE IN HIM!" In order to identify this bride within
we must understand what part of us it is that must be perfected. The bride is a woman, a
female. THE BRIDE IS THE FEMALE PART OF YOU. Your SOUL is the female part of your being;
therefore your soul is the woman or the bride of Christ who is in your spirit. For a clear
picture of this truth I call your attention to the awe-inspiring wonder of Adam and Eve in
the garden of Eden.
The story of Adam and Eve in
the garden of Eden is the greatest parable in the Bible. It is supremely important because
it explains the real nature of our life here on earth. It tells us about ourselves, it
portrays in vivid imagery our state of being, our fall and redemption, and our destiny in
God. It is the blueprint of spiritual anatomy. If you thoroughly understand Adam and Eve
in the garden of Eden you will understand the nature of God, the nature of man, and the
ground-plan for the outworking of the purposes of God through the ages. There is one thing
about which God's people must be perfectly clear. The Bible is not primarily intended to
teach history, or biography, or geography, or natural science. It is intended to teach
DIVINE PRINCIPLES AND SPIRITUAL REALITIES.
When we come to the garden of
Eden it is evident that this is more than merely a piece of real estate somewhere over in
In the garden of Eden many
people seem to think that Eve symbolizes woman as a sex, and that Adam somehow stands for
man as a sex. The truth far transcends this! Adam and Eve represent one person. They
represent the whole of humanity in the first Adam. They represent everyman. They represent
you and me and every other man and woman on the globe. They stand for man as we know him,
with all his capacities, propensities and potentials, under the gracious hand of God,
guided from innocence to sin, from sin to salvation, and from salvation to THE IMAGE OF
GOD.
On a day in the long ago an
apostle by the name of Paul penned these telling words: "For I am jealous over you
with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a
chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent BEGUILED EVE
through his subtlety, so YOUR MINDS should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in
Christ" (II Cor. 11:2-3). In this significant passage Eve in the garden of Eden is
contrasted with two things: the bride of Christ and the mind. The mind is a function of
the soul. The vision of the bride of Christ pervades the whole of scripture, from
In that ancient shadow Adam
stands as a type of the spirit, Eve is a type of the soul, and the garden of Eden is a
type of the body, which Adam was to "dress and keep." Thus we see our tripartite
being symbolically portrayed in the Adam-Eve-Garden story. The Garden was the earth, the
land, the locale; and Adam and Eve were its inhabitants, in the same way that our spirit
and soul are the inhabitants of the physical body. It is through our "Eve," our
soulical desires, will and emotions, that we who have been espoused to Christ the
Bridegroom in our spirit, can be "beguiled" and turned from our single and pure
devotion to Christ, entering into intimate associations with the flesh, the world, the
spirit of Babylon, and the devil, thus disqualifying ourselves from being presented to
Christ as a chaste virgin. Paul shows that just as Eve was beguiled from her singleness to
God, so those espoused to Christ can be corrupted IN OUR MINDS from singleness to Christ.
Ray Prinzing has written:
"The 'spirit of man', leaving the eternal realms of HIS SPIRIT to become encased in a
tabernacle of flesh became 'a living soul', literally A BREATHING ONE on this earth plane.
The MIND is the connecting link between the spirit within and the flesh realm without.
'They that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after
the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded (that is, minding of the
flesh) is death; but to be spiritually minded (minding of the Spirit) is life and peace' (
Let us meditate deeply upon
the soul-bride that Eve reveals to us. I must remind every reader of these lines that
there is an essential and radical distinction between the spirit and the soul. God is the
Father of spirits, but He is the Former of souls. I know not why this has been forgotten
by the church world, and I know not why men claiming to be Christian scholars have never
told you that the soul is not the spirit, and the spirit is not the soul. It seems to me a
remarkable thing, that that which God has so clearly revealed, the distinction between the
soul and the spirit, men have, through their ignorance and devotion to a false platonic
philosophy, been unable to see. If you read your Bible carefully, starting with the first
chapter of Genesis, you will find that what the apostle says in the epistle to the Hebrews
is true; that the Word of God is living and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword,
dividing asunder, separating soul and spirit. It is not the philosophy of Socrates or
Plato that does this. It is not the philosophy of Kant or Hegel or Strauss that does this.
It is not the philosophy of the Hindu or the Buddhist or the Transcendentalist that does
this, but it is the Word of God that separates. In the same way that God separated Eve
from Adam, the Spirit of God separates between the soul and the spirit of man.
What is this thing called the
spirit? How can we know the spirit? How can we touch the spirit? To speak of the body is
very easy, because we can see it and touch it. To speak of the soul is also not difficult
because we can feel it and know it by its functions and actions, such as thinking,
reasoning, determining, and being pleased, angry, fearful, sorrowful, and joyful. But it
is not as easy to understand and speak of the spirit.
Romans chapter eight speaks
of the spirit and gives us a wonderful clue. In verse two the apostle refers to "the
spirit of life." In verse six he says, "to be spiritually minded is life."
In verse ten he adds, "the spirit is life..." In these three statements he shows
us that the spirit is the spirit of life, the spirit is related to life, contains life and
belongs to life. When a man's spirit is quickened by the Holy Spirit, God enters into man
by His Spirit, so that man may have the life of God inwardly. At this time He enters into
us as the Spirit of life, the Spirit of the life of God. Notice! He enters into us with
the life of God as the SPIRIT OF LIFE. When He enters, He enters into OUR SPIRIT, not into
our soul - our mind, emotion, or will. He enters into our SPIRIT, puts the life of God in
our SPIRIT, and dwells in our SPIRIT; thus the Spirit of life is joined together with our
spirit so that God and us are joined as one and never be separated.
If we desire to have true
spiritual growth in life we must be able to discern what is the spirit and what is the
soul, and what is spiritual and what is soulish. Paul has declared without equivocation,
"Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God;
that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God ... but the natural man
receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither
can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (I Cor. 2:12,14). These
inspired words speak of two classes of man: one is the soulish man (the Greek text for
"natural man" is "soulish man"), and the other is the spiritual man.
This shows us that man can live by and belong to either of these two different realms, the
soul or the spirit. Man can either live by the soul, thereby becoming a soulish man; or he
can live by the spirit, thereby becoming a spiritual man.
The soul is our individual
personality, our ego; therefore the soul is our self. That which is included in the soul,
analytically speaking, is the mind, the emotion and the will - these three parts. The mind
is the organ of man's thinking. It is what we usually speak of as the brain;
physiologically it is the brain, but psychologically it is the mind. It is the dominant
part of the soul. Man's thinking, reasoning, memorizing are all functions of the mind in
the soul. The emotion in the soul is the organ of man in love, hatred, sorrow, joy, etc.
Man rejoices, mourns, is excited or depressed; these are all functions of the emotion in
man's soul. There are many people who are emotional, easily stirred to be ecstatic or sad,
animated or depressed. They often deal with matters by their emotion rather than by
careful deliberation. The will of the soul is the organ of man's decision making,
deliberation and determination. Man decides judges, chooses, accepts, rejects - these are
all functions of the will in man's soul. These three parts are present in every man, for
every man has the quality of soul.
Regardless of whether a man
is in the mind, the emotion, or the will, he is soulish. Every man that lives by these
senses apart from the mind, will and emotion of the spirit, is a soulish man. Therefore it
is very easy to discern whether a man is soulish. I would be remiss if I did not point out
that the soul can be moved upon to act religiously - and what a fine act it is able to
perform! But forget not for one moment, precious friend of mine, that in spite of its
"religious" appearance, it is still the soul! The soul can be taken into a
meeting where a religious atmosphere is created by a man at the pulpit; with a suave and
dynamic personality he tells you to stand up, clap your hands, sing, raise your hands,
praise the Lord, say Amen, etc. The emotion of your soul is stirred and takes on the
appearance of spirituality. Now, there is nothing wrong with standing, clapping, singing,
raising the hands and praising the Lord. There is nothing wrong with religious activities,
good works, good behavior, etc. The real issue, however, is the SOURCE of these things.
Are they a spontaneous outflow of HIS LIFE IN THE SPIRIT, or are they merely contrived
actions of the soul? Ah, better that the soul behaves than that it misbehaves! Better that
it sings the songs of
If we can recognize what kind
of person is soulish, it is not difficult to realize what kind of person is spiritual.
Since a soulish person lives by the mind, emotion, or will, a spiritual person is one who
does not live by these. A spiritual person must live in the spirit, act by the spirit,
speak out of the spirit and not the soul. They allow the spirit to be the master and
source of all their action and behavior. The spirit in them occupies the pre-eminent
position; it is the source of their behavior and the starting point of their action. The
soul in them is in the position of submission under the government of the spirit and
dominated by the spirit. They are not like soulish persons, who let the soul be the master
in everything; they deny the pre-eminence of their own mind, will and emotion. Thus they
allow the spirit to BE LORD in them; they allow the spirit to direct their whole being so
that they become the expression of the spirit. Whenever they encounter a situation they do
not draw from their mind, will or emotion to deal with it; rather they draw from their
spirit first to understand and comprehend it, seeking first in the spirit for the Lord's
mind and purpose in the matter. These are spiritual, living by the life of the spirit, and
the soul is but a vehicle of expression for the spirit. Praise God! it is the ONE SPIRIT
that becomes the Bridegroom that ultimately is fully joined to the soul - receives the
soul into itself.
THE MARRIAGE OF THE LAMB
"Let us be glad and
rejoice, and give honour unto Him: for the MARRIAGE OF THE LAMB IS COME, and His wife hath
made herself ready" (Rev. 19:7).
When God created man in His
own image he was ONE, not separated in the beginning into two persons. Thus he remained
until the Lord separated the feminine from the masculine, making Adam and Eve, man and
woman, to exist separately. Within the one man's nature were both masculine and feminine
elements, all the possibilities of male and female, all the potential of fruit and of
power, wisdom and love, strength and nurture. This spiritual man, being a son of God,
possessed that perfect chaste virgin WITHIN HIMSELF and could have replenished the whole
earth with his kind in God's image by a word of power.
We shall not in this article
consider the process by which God separated the female from the male, making Adam and Eve,
man and woman, but we should carefully point out that following this separation, though
existing in two bodies, and two personalities, inspiration declares in both the Old
Testament and in the New that the man and his wife were ONE FLESH. Husbands and wives,
according to the ordinance of Almighty God, are ONE FLESH, ONE UNIT, yea, ONE PERSON. The
"thus saith the Lord" concerning the matter is simply stated in these inspired
words: "From the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this
cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; and the TWO shall
become ONE FLESH, so that they are NO LONGER TWO, but ONE FLESH. What therefore God has
united - joined together - let not man separate or divide" (Mk. 10:6-9, KJV &
Amplified).
It was not the burning
self-desire of Adam that caused Eve to come forth, but the purpose of God. It was God
Himself who initiated the whole process, for the record states, "And the LORD GOD
said, It is NOT GOOD for the man to be alone; I WILL MAKE him an help meet for him"
(Gen. 2:18). "Meet" is an old English word meaning "suitable, fit,
proper." The whole flavor of the word "meet" is to fit, join, combine,
agree, be in union, be together. No hostility here! No war between the sexes. And no
division. God made a help to fit, join, combine, agree, be in union, yes, to be ONE with
Adam!
When Eve had been built by
the skillful hand of the Creator we read that He "brought her unto the man"
(Gen. 2:22). I cannot conceive of anything more explicit and meaningful than that
wonderful type. I say to every soul reading these lines, Have you been brought to Christ
where Christ is? If you do not know union with the Christ in your spirit, you will never
know union with Him in the sky nor in any heaven anywhere in all of God's great universe.
And know this, oh man, you cannot be spiritual by effort. Many seek to be spiritual by
prayer, reading the Word, devotedness, attending meetings; but the only pathway to it is
to be brought by the Spirit to realize union with Christ. You are spiritual by union. What
was Eve's thought when her eyes first rested upon Adam? I doubt not that she was
completely overwhelmed and immediately drawn by irresistible cords of love and passionate
desire to find union with him.
The allegory of lover and
beloved, bride and groom, union of marriage, gives to us one of the best examples of the
ONENESS which we desire to share with Christ, which we desire within our own selves, the
union of soul and spirit. We are weary of the realm of duality and separation. We are
tired of speaking in tongues one minute and flying off the handle the next. From the time
when Christ came into our lives we have battled this dualness - our mind often pulled to
the direction of the flesh, our spirit yearning for that life from above which alone would
satisfy. Thank God! the Spirit of Christ within is gaining the ascendancy as the soul
becomes more and more subdued. But the prayer remains, "that they all may be
ONE..."
Long millenniums ago the aged
prophet-king of Israel articulated the deepest cry of the soul-bride for her beloved,
saying, "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth MY SOUL after THEE, O
God. My SOUL thirsteth for GOD, for the living God..." (Ps. 42:1-2). As a woman
yearns for union with her husband, so the soul longs for reunion with Christ. We cannot
comprehend what fearful loss befell the man in
When in the distant mists of
There was no inequality even considered. No superiority or inferiority alluded to. No hint of Eve's being a second-class creation. Differences, yes. But differences do not make for an inferior or superior individual, they only make him a different individual. Women can have babies, men can't. That's a difference. Men generally have a stronger musculature than women - that's a difference. Trying to prove equality between the sexes by playing the other fellow's game is not wise or logical, does not make sense - and proves nothing. It is not necessary for women to become mechanics or soldiers for them to prove their equality. It is not necessary for men to become homemakers or to bear children and give suck for them to prove equality with women. When God made Eve - here now was a creature EQUAL WITH ADAM, another PERSON, a SHE-MAN with whom he could share everything!
"God created man in His
own image ... male and female created He THEM. And God blessed THEM, and God said unto
THEM, Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and SUBDUE IT; and HAVE DOMINION
over every living thing that moveth upon the earth" (Gen. 1:26-28). My reader will
observe the change from "him" to "them." We are not presented with the
actual fact of the formation of the woman until chapter two; but even here we find God
blessing "them," and giving "them" JOINTLY THE PLACE OF UNIVERSAL
GOVERNMENT. All the inferior orders of creation were set under their JOINT DOMINION. Eve
received all her blessings in Adam: in him, too, she got her dignity and position and
power. Though not yet called into her individual identity, she was, in the purpose of God,
looked at as part of the man. Universal dominion was not given to Adam alone; it was not
said, "Let HIM have dominion," but "Let THEM have dominion." There was
no other creature so near to Adam as Eve, because no other creature was part of himself.
What affection Eve had for Adam! What nearness she enjoyed! What intimacy of communion!
What full participation in his thoughts! In all his dignity, and in all his glory, wisdom
and power, she was entirely ONE. He did not rule OVER her, but WITH her. He was lord of
the whole creation, and she was ONE WITH HIM! THEY were the king and queen of the
universe!
There is neither time nor
space to consider the myriad ghastly consequences of the fall of man, but I would draw
your attention to one disastrous result. The curses reaped CAUSED THE INEQUALITIES BETWEEN
THE SEXES so prominent in the history of the human family. Life became a burden and a
struggle. The beauty and equality of man and woman in the garden of Eden disappeared.
Strife, guilt, shame, discord, competition and pain took over - the way of the flesh held
sway!
While the loss of oneness and
equality between "ish" and "isha" was tragic indeed, this was but the
sad fruit of DISUNITY WITH GOD which had already invaded their lives. There is a most
enlightening statement by the apostle Paul, quoted earlier, wherein he admonishes,
"But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so
your minds should be corrupted from the SIMPLICITY that is in Christ" (II Cor. 11:3).
The whole purpose of the serpent's beguilement was to CORRUPT THE MIND FROM THE SINGLENESS
THAT EXISTS IN UNION WITH THE SPIRIT. The word "simplicity" actually is the
Greek word for "singleness," from the same root as used in the verse, "When
thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light" (Lk.
The dreadful fruit of
disunity with God is disunity in every other realm, for "HE is our peace" (Eph.
Can we not see by this that
the headship of man over woman CAME AS A RESULT OF THE FALL AND AS A PART OF THE CURSE? It
is my long considered opinion that there is actually no particle of evidence anywhere in
the whole Bible to support the notion that Adam had the headship over Eve before the fall.
The dreadful sentence laid upon Eve that fateful day in Eden is if I err not, the
announcement of a condition that should occur with respect to the vast majority of women
through succeeding ages and dispensations - but NOT ONE THAT SHOULD HOLD PERPETUALLY, for
God purposed that the day would surely come when "there shall be no more curse!"
(Rev. 22:3).
The same seeds of confusion
and duplicity which brought disunity with God, swiftly brought disunity in the human
family, beginning with Adam and Eve, in view of which the Lord established a LAW to
maintain order in the home, pronouncing to the woman, "Thy desire shall be SUBJECT to
thy husband, and HE SHALL RULE OVER THEE." God allowed women to be brought down into
such a place of servitude and subjection to men that at the period in which Jesus came
into the world, women were held in such a low place of subjection and bondage that in many
cases they were not allowed to walk down the streets beside their husbands or to sit in
the same room with their husbands when their husbands had company. They had been brought
into many forms of bondage. In Eastern lands, even today, we see women the slaves of men,
shut away in harems and purdahs. They have no rights, no privileges. The man is able to
marry other women and to divorce his wives at will, to beat and cruelly misuse them. We
see how the rule of man has brought women into a state of utter misuse and bondage.
That this arrangement was not
God's original arrangement nor His eternal order, is evidenced by the fact that man's
domination over woman is strictly enforced by the law of Moses, of which law Paul by
inspiration wrote, "Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of
transgressions, T-I-L-L THE SEED SHOULD COME TO WHOM THE PROMISE WAS MADE" (Gal.
The order of things under the
fall is not man's normal state. Eve in Eden was not like the women of today; her state was
far better and more excellent; she and her husband were completely ONE - one flesh, one
body, one soul, one spirit, one will, one mind, one desire, one hope, one purpose, one
power and one position. How can one person rule over the other when the TWO ARE ONE in
every way? It is high time for a people to begin to move out of the "in-part"
realm of the church world today, to rise up and possess that true and eternal and divine
order of THE KINGDOM OF GOD. There is a place, even in this physical dimension, where
husband and wife can so become ONE in the mind of Christ until no headship or dominion of
one over the other is necessary or appropriate.
Ah, hear the word of the Lord
and take heed, all husbands and wives who hope to attain to God's high calling, for I
declare to you that there is a HIGHER ORDER of the
Having said all this, let us
now apply this beautiful truth spiritually and internally, to Christ the Bridegroom in our
spirit, and to us the bride in our soul. Spiritually, this means that as long as we walk
in imperfection and duplicity THE SPIRIT IS GIVEN HEADSHIP OVER THE SOUL. The soul is
commanded to be under obedience and is to be subjected under the authority of the spirit.
Ah, but the headship of the man over the woman was never part of God's original order in
the heavenly realm of the
The wonderful goal is not
just our will, our mind, and our emotions SUBMITTED to His will and way, but ONLY HIS
WILL! In the marriage union of spirit and soul there is one new creature, Christ, with one
mind, one will, one emotion - HIS made OURS. Blessed union! It is not His mind controlling
our mind, but it is our possessing HIS mind. This is CHRIST IN YOU the hope of glory. It
is more than just a "fill me" with more of God, but a being swallowed up into
Him, that henceforth it is "no longer I, but CHRIST liveth in me" (Gal.
Prefigured by Adam and Eve in
Eden, this is the perfect man, man in the image of God, male and female, spirit and soul
dwelling in the Garden of the body, united in one, given dominion over all things. These
are rising from the far country of sin and self, and from the confusion and limitation of
religious
Chapter
29
The
Coming Of The Bridegroom
(continued)
"Let us be glad and
rejoice, and give honour to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath
made herself ready" (Rev. 19:7).
In our last study we shared
the precious truth of what it means to personally experience Jesus Christ as the Spiritual
Husband of the individual soul. In our consideration of the Bridegroom and the bride we
need to remember that first of all these beautiful realities are fulfilled in us
personally. Christ is not just in some far-off heaven somewhere; for us He is our hope of
glory, and it is CHRIST IN YOU. The body of Christ is now multiplied by thousands, and it
is not just one little girl that Christ will receive but a corporate bride composed of a
vast multitude of individual members. The point is just this: all that happens to the
corporate body must be experienced by each member - it is first and foremost the
experience of each member that finally constitutes the experience of the whole. If I do
not know Christ PERSONALLY as my Bridegroom, it is impossible for me to be a part of that
corporate body which is joined into union with Him.
In this study we will write
not of the individual, but of the relationship to Christ of the whole - the many-membered,
corporate bride. Let us by all means remember that we are to be perfected in ONE; and in
union with all who are joined to the Lord we become the bride-body of Christ.
Back in the Old Testament the
nation of
As a brother has written, It
is always hard to tell what is the deciding factor in the choice of a marriage partner,
for love is indefinable, and this is no less true in the choice that Yahweh made of the
people who were to institute His national bride. He chose them, not because they were a
great or a powerful people, nor even because they were a rich and prosperous people, not
even because they were a particularly good or righteous people. In fact, the scripture
expresses it this way: "The Lord did not set His love upon you, because ye were more
in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: but because the Lord
loved you, and because He would keep the oath which He had sworn unto your
fathers..." (Deut. 7:7-8).
The account of the ceremony
whereby Yahweh took
With words graphic and
impassioned Yahweh warned
When the Lord came and walked
among them, He called them an ADULTEROUS generation, for they had not returned in
faithfulness to Yahweh. What a striking thought - Almighty Yahweh God D-I-V-O-R-C-E-D HIS
WIFE! He "put her away" and gave her "a bill of divorcement." Through
the prophet Hosea He sent her this word: "Plead with your mother, plead, for she is
not (no longer) My wife, neither am I her husband" (Hos.
In the New Testament we come
to one of the grandest titles given the Lord's people throughout all generations - the
BRIDE OF CHRIST. The question follows: Are the Old Testament "wife of Yahweh"
and the New Testament "bride of Christ" one and the same? In the New Testament
we see one of the most remarkable things. According to the Eastern customs, if a young man
had acquired sufficient means to make it possible for him to provide a marriage dowry,
then the father called in a man who was a close and trusted friend of the family to act as
a deputy or go-between for him and his son. This go-between was called "The Friend of
the Bridegroom." This man was fully informed as to the dowry the young man was
willing to pay for his bride. He then went to the home of the young woman and negotiated
with a deputy of the bride's family. There must be consent for the hand of the young woman
and agreement on the dowry. When these were agreed upon, the deputies arose and their
congratulations were exchanged, and they all drank together as a seal of the covenant thus
entered into. Then this "Friend of the Bridegroom" continued to act on behalf of
the bridegroom until the wedding was completed. When finally the bridegroom had
"taken" his bride and escorted her into his own home for the marriage feast,
THEN was the joy of the "Friend of the Bridegroom" fulfilled (Jn.
In John 3:28-29 we find John
the Baptist making it very clear that he was not a member of the bride of Christ. Consider
carefully and reverently his words: "Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am
not the Christ, but that I am sent before Him. He that hath the bride is the Bridegroom:
but THE FRIEND OF THE BRIDEGROOM, which standeth and heareth Him, rejoiceth greatly
because of the Bridegroom's voice: THIS MY JOY THEREFORE IS FULFILLED." Now John the
Baptist, an Old Testament prophet, who, according to our Lord's own estimation was the
greatest of all the Old Testament prophets, walks out of the Old Testament and delivers
the last message of that dispensation, and he says this: "I'm not the Bridegroom; and
not only that, I'm not part of the bride - I'm just a 'friend,' the 'Friend of the
Bridegroom' " - that's the best that this man, who was the forerunner of the Lord
Jesus Christ, could say concerning himself. It is perfectly clear that he never thought of
himself as part of the bride at all.
It was to the church which is
His body that Paul wrote, "I have ESPOUSED YOU TO ONE HUSBAND, that I may present you
as a chaste virgin to Christ" (II Cor. 11:2). I am confident that anyone who is of
sane mind and sound judgment will agree that there is a vast universe of difference
between an UNFAITHFUL, DIVORCED WIFE and a CHASTE, ESPOUSED VIRGIN. And
Under the law of
Strange - in spite of this
law - the Lord still loved the children of
Let us not look at these
statements as mere facts or reading matter, but diligently search the scripture and seek
God in humility and reverence for understanding. It is a strange saying - but considering
Yahweh's own law concerning divorce and remarriage to the same woman that was divorced
after she was joined to another the only way
May God anoint the minds of
all who read these words and give understanding of the sublime and awe-inspiring truth I
now write. May your heart grasp the wonder and magnitude of the fact that the great and
eternal Yahweh of the Old Testament covenanted to embody and manifest Himself on earth in
the person of His Son, thus to walk among men as God in human flesh, with the express
purpose to live and DIE THROUGH THIS SON. Oh, the wonder of it! Oh, the mystery of it!
This brings us to Calvary, the greatest love story the world has ever witnessed, for there
upon that cursed tree, the Saviour, the Redeemer of Israel, the Saviour of the world,
Jesus, YAHWEH-SAVIOUR perfect Almighty Yahweh, yet perfect man, clothed in human flesh,
poured out His life-blood, to die and rise again a new creation man, that He might as a
new creation man, the last Adam, be married even to her whom He had put away! We feel
helpless before a truth so great and eternal. God must teach us these things. Ah, my
friend, you find it difficult to believe that it was the mighty God who came and lived and
died in Jesus Christ? Hear now but a couple testimonies to this great truth which pours
forth from the pages of God's blessed book from the first book of Genesis to the last book
of the Revelation. "And ... He died for all, that they which live should not
henceforth live unto themselves, but unto HIM which died for them, and rose again ... to
wit, that G-O-D WAS IN CHRIST, reconciling the world unto Himself" (II Cor. 5:15,19).
"And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: G-O-DWAS MANIFEST IN THE
FLESH, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in
the world, received up into glory" (I Tim. 3:16). Jesus said, "It is not I that
doeth the works; but My Father who dwelleth in Me."
Let me make one thing very
clear.
Harken attentively to these
words of inspiration: "Now the promises (covenants, agreements) were decreed and made
to Abraham and his Seed (his Offspring, his Heir). He (God) does not say, And to s-e-e-d-s
(descendants, heirs), as if referring to many persons; but, And to your Seed (your
Descendant, your Heir), obviously referring to ONE INDIVIDUAL, WHO IS NONE OTHER THAN
CHRIST, the Messiah ... for IN CHRIST JESUS you are ALL sons of God through faith. For as
many of you as were baptized into Christ - into a spiritual union and communion with
Christ - have put on Christ. There is now no distinction, neither JEW nor GREEK, there is
neither SLAVE nor FREE, there is not MALE and FEMALE; for you are ALL ONE IN CHRIST JESUS.
And if you belong to CHRIST (are in Him, Who is Abraham's one and only SEED), then YOU ARE
ABRAHAM'S OFFSPRING and heirs according to the promise" (Gal. 3:16, 26-29, Amplified)
- Men of any nation, who believe in Christ Jesus, become Abraham's seed through faith, and
thus become a vital member of the Israel of God. It is furthermore true that all such who
by faith are born of the Spirit of God are constituted members of CHRIST'S CHURCH. To be
in union with Christ is to be Abraham's seed. To be in union with Christ is to be a member
of His church. To be in Christ is to be an Israelite. None can deny it! And it is in union
with Christ that both Israelite and Gentile, Jew and Greek, bond and free, male and female
are joined together in one body. Can we not see by this that it is IN THE CHURCH that
When Jesus Christ rose from
the dead He redeemed man from his unregenerate state and by the washing of regeneration
and renewing of the Holy Ghost makes him an entirely NEW CREATURE in Christ Jesus. The man
or woman in Christ is dead, and his or her life is hid with Christ in God. This clearly
explains how it is that the UNFAITHFUL WIFE of the Old Testament is empowered to become
the CHASTE VIRGIN of the New, for she is no more the unregenerated seed of Abraham after
the flesh, but the REGENERATED SEED OF ABRAHAM IN CHRIST JESUS. And thus it is that the
heathen who were without Christ, being ALIENS from the commonwealth of Israel, and
STRANGERS from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world, are
now in Christ Jesus MADE NIGH by the blood of Christ, for He is our peace who has made
both ONE, having reconciled BOTH UNTO GOD IN ONE BODY by the cross; now therefore ye are
no more STRANGERS and FOREIGNERS, but FELLOW CITIZENS with the saints, and of the
HOUSEHOLD OF GOD (Eph. 2:11-19).
The apostle John was one of
the three mighty ones who walked with the Lord in the days of His flesh; he was with Him
in the Mount, he lay in His bosom and, above all others, has received the distinctive
title as "that disciple whom the Lord loved." It was fitting that the man who
had leaned upon the breast of God's Son and heard the inmost beating of His heart should
become the depository of His most intimate thought in respect to the course of the church
in this age. And such is the case. To him the Lord gave a graphic picture of the
development of the bride of Christ over the past two millenniums.
The risen and ascended Lord
descended in a vision of glory on the lonely isle of Patmos, and there meeting His
startled disciple, gave him a communication concerning the church, commanding him to write
it in a scroll and send it to the seven churches in Asia. With wondering eyes John stood
transfixed as there came to him one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of
the seven plagues and talked with him, saying, "COME HITHER; I will show unto thee
the judgment of THE GREAT WHORE that sitteth upon many waters" (Rev. 17:1). As John
beheld and pondered the scene abruptly changed and he saw an even greater wonder as the
same angel came to him again, and said, "COME HITHER, I will show thee THE BRIDE, the
Lamb's wife" (Rev. 21:9).
These words take on new depth
of meaning when we understand that in the book of Revelation the word "come"
always signifies AN INVITATION TO REVELATION; the whore and the bride are two women; the
invitation goes forth to come and see by the Spirit what they mean; and I do not hesitate
to tell you that it requires a revelation from God to see either. Of the harlot it is
written, "So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman
sit upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy" (Rev. 17:3). Of the
Bride it is written, "And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high
mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy
The
These prophecies present two
broadly contrasted WOMEN, identified with two broadly contrasted CITIES, one reality being
in each case, doubly represented, as a WOMAN, and as a CITY; the harlot and
The two women are contrasted
in every particular that is mentioned about them; the one is pure as purity itself,
"made ready," clothed in heaven's unsullied holiness: the other, foul as
corruption could make her, fit only for the burning fires of judgment. The one belongs to
the Lamb, who loves her as the bridegroom loves the bride; the other is associated with a
wild beast, and with the kings of the earth, who ultimately hate and destroy her. The one
is clothed in fine linen, and in another place is said to be clothed with the sun, and
crowned with a coronet of stars; that is, robed in divine righteousness, and resplendent
with heavenly glory; the other is attired in scarlet and gold, in jewels and pearls,
gorgeous indeed but with earthly splendor only, who, being increased with this world's
goods and having need of nothing has made herself drunk with the blood of saints and
thrust Christ Himself outside her doors. The one is represented as a chaste virgin,
espoused to Christ; the other is mother of harlots and abominations of the earth. The one
goes in with the Lamb to the marriage supper, amid the glad hallelujahs of celestial
realms; the other is stripped, insulted, torn, destroyed, and burned by her illicit
lovers. We lose sight of the bride amid the effulgence of heavenly glory and joy, and of
the harlot amid the gloom and darkness of the smoke that "rose up to the ages of
ages."
It is impossible to find in
scripture, a contrast more marked; and the conclusion is irresistible, that whatever the
one may represent, the other must prefigure ITS OPPOSITE. They are not two disconnected
visions, but a pair - a pair associated, not by likeness, but by contrast. Now the Word of
God leaves us in no doubt as to the signification of the emblematic bride, the Lamb's
wife, the heavenly
Armed with this
understanding, what then must the contrasted symbol, the Babylonian harlot represent?
SURELY SOME FALSE AND APOSTATE CHURCH, some church which, while professing to belong to
Christ, is in reality given up to fellowship with the world, and linked in closest union
with the rulers of the earth realm; a worldly church, which has left her first love,
forgotten her heavenly calling, sunk into carnality and sin, and proved shamelessly and
glaringly faithless to her Lord. If
George Hawtin has aptly
written: "To see what I am saying you will have to go far beyond the edge of the
crowd. You will need to go beyond the circle of that tired old thing men call THE CHURCH.
The word 'church' has become sorely desecrated, so much so that the picture of what THE
TRUE CHURCH really is has faded away until men can see in the church nothing but million
dollar temples standing on street corners or multitudes of people who dwell behind the
high walls which they call denominations. But this, my friend, is NOT THE CHURCH. This has
nothing to do with His ... body. These denominations are only man made things, little
self-appointed Christs who believe that they have the truth and that wisdom will die with
them. I do not believe that they are divisions in the church or divisions in the body of
Christ. They are something altogether aside from the true church and something different
from the body of Christ. The church which Jesus called 'My church' has never had a
division in it. It is the habitation of God through the Spirit, the house not made with
hands, eternal in the heavens. It is that wonderful habitation Jesus spoke of as 'My
Father's house,' saying, 'In My Father's house are many mansions.' The house which the
Father is building is the true church, the... body of Christ. This building IS RISING upon
the foundation of the apostles and prophets. Jesus Christ, the first Son, is the corner
stone or the cap stone of it. He is the Head of the body, the church, the head stone of
the corner. All other stones are living stones, built up into a spiritual house, a holy
priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Christ Jesus" -end
quote.
The New Jerusalem and
What dreadful thoughts and
feelings are awakened in the soul by the very sound of the name MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT.
It is a terrible name.
I share the following
paragraph from the works of George Hawtin, which I feel are of true and anointed
confirmation to what I am saying. "By her (
The wanton harlot calls
herself Christianity, but she is not. She is a corrupt mysterious mixture, a spiritual
malformation, the masterpiece of Satan, the corrupter of the truth of God, the destroyer
of the souls of men, a trap, a snare, a stumbling block, the darkest blot in the universe
of God. It is the corruption of the very best thing, and therefore the very worst of
corruptions. It is THE GREAT PRETENDER, the counterfeit and usurper of the holy and
glorious bride of Christ. It is worse by far than Judaism; worse by far than all the
darkest forms of paganism, because it has higher light and richer privileges, makes the
very highest profession, and occupies the very loftiest platform. Finally, it is that
awful apostasy for which is reserved the very heaviest judgments of God - the most bitter
dregs in the cup of His righteous wrath. True it is, blessed be God! there are a few names
even in this harlot system who, through grace, have not defiled their garments. There are
some brilliant embers amid the smoldering ashes - precious stones amid the terrible
debris. But as to the mass of Christian profession to which the term "the
church" applies, nothing can be more appalling, whether we think of its present
condition or its future destiny. I doubt that one Christian in a million has anything like
an adequate sense of the true character and inevitable doom of that system which surrounds
them. If they had it would solemnize their minds, and cause them to feel the urgent need
of standing apart in holy separation, from the ways of the harlot system, and in distinct
testimony against its spirit and principles. The "thus saith the Lord" to God's
people is unmistakably clear: "Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers
of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto
heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Therefore shall her plagues come in one
day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for
strong is the Lord God who judgeth her" (Rev. 18:4-8).
GO YE OUT TO MEET HIM
We are told that in this, our
day, shall the
These ten virgins took their
lamps and went forth to meet the Bridegroom. Not very many people who name the name of
Christ are doing that! Not very many know who or what the Bridegroom is, and therefore do
not know where or how to meet Him. Not very many Bible students even suspect that the
coming of the Bridegroom is different than the coming of the King or the coming of Christ
in other dimensions. Not knowing who or what the Bridegroom is, they therefore cannot know
how to go forth to meet Him. Most Christians, unfortunately, are busily preparing
themselves to go "UP" to meet the Bridegroom. All their fuss and stir will be in
vain. For no one will ever go "UP" to meet Him! There is not one scripture in
the entire Bible that speaks of being "caught up" to meet the Bridegroom or to
eat the marriage supper in the sky. The preachers have the coming of the Lord all muddled
because they cannot with their carnal minds distinguish the difference between the facets
of His coming. They know nothing of the distinction between His coming as King and His
coming as Bridegroom, and His coming in many other ways and forms. To their unenlightened
minds there is but one single coming of Christ where He crashes down through the clouds of
earth's atmosphere. Most saints today are not preparing to meet the Bridegroom, but are
trying to fix themselves up so that they will be all ready to be whisked away into the
clouds instead. But not so with the virgins. They are in the right place at the right
time, and all looking for a very blessed event - the coming of Christ as the Bridegroom.
And they are spiritually intelligent enough to know that no one will ever go
"up" to meet the Bridegroom. But in order to meet the Bridegroom, one must go
"out." "Go ye O-U-T to meet Him" (Mat. 25:6). And the only way one may
go "out" to meet the Bridegroom is to "come out" from among the world
and the flesh and the harlot churches with their idolatries and miserable distortions of
truth, to be JOINED UNTO THE LORD in intimacy of fellowship and vital union.
One of the marvels of God's
condescending love and mercy is that He comes to us and meets us on our level, right where
we are. "He came to His own," John writes (Jn.
The reason we must go
"out" to meet the Bridegroom is because He is Himself "out." The
message of the Gospels is very clear - all things related to Christ took place OUTSIDE of
religion. In that day Judaism was the religious system of God's people. But when Jesus
came everything concerning Him took place outside of that system. In plain language,
Christ had nothing to do with religion - not even that religion which was purportedly
based upon the Holy Scriptures. The birth of Christ was apart from the religion of the
Lord's people. God did not send the angel Gabriel to king Herod's palace, nor to the
company of priests, nor to the members of the Sanhedrin, nor to the leaders of the
Pharisees or Sadducees. God sent His messenger to a dusty little town in a despised
Province, Nazareth of Galilee. Everything related to His birth was outside
When the Christ child was
found He was found outside of religion. He was not found by any priest, nor by any Levite,
nor by any scribe, nor by any Pharisee, nor any holy people. We are all familiar with the
account of the heavenly star appearing in a pagan country to people who were not even
worshippers of Yahweh. But they found the Christ by the star. We know also how the band of
heavenly angels appeared to lowly shepherds attending their flocks at night, and how
startled and wondering they hurried into
"Then came to Him the
disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Thy disciples fast
not?" (Mat. 9:14). The disciples of John came to Jesus and asked such a question
because they saw something - they saw Jesus sitting at a feast, not just an ordinary meal,
but a feast (Lk.
This speaks to the heart. Our
Lord prophesied of this our day, and said, "Then shall the
No man will ever go out to
meet the Bridegroom until the ears of his spirit have been opened to hear the joyful cry,
"Behold, the Bridegroom!" I would point out that it is in the original,
"Behold, the Bridegroom," not, "Behold, the Bridegroom cometh." Many
scholars agree that the word "cometh" is an interpolation - an insertion into
the manuscript by the scribes. If I tell you the Lord is coming, I am putting all upon
that coming, not upon HIMSELF. "The Bridegroom is here!" that is the cry. And it
is a very solemn and yet blessed thing, and I am sure I seek to awaken my own soul to the
reality of that cry - "He is here!" Suppose someone came to the door and cried,
"He is here, go ye out to meet Him;" would we not drop all and go? It means an
appointed place of rendezvous. We have no word in our language to express it properly. Let
me assure you, precious friend of mine, that that place of appointment with the Bridegroom
has to do with an attitude, a mind, a condition, a state of being. Some speak of the
Lord's coming because everything here is confusion and trouble. When the Lord comes, say
they, He will settle all and solve everything. But I want to settle myself - to here and
now be divested of everything that is unsuited to Him, that I may know Him in His coming.
The apostle says, "That I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ ... I am
jealous over you ... for I have espoused you to one husband." I covet that
preparation, to be washed and cleansed and presented to Christ, a part of that glorious
church which is without spot or wrinkle or blemish.
I say to all as far as our
message can reach: Listen! Do you not hear the cry which rings over the land? Listen! Soon
it will swell to a mighty chorus. Listen! High above the cry of battle; high above the
deafening roar of the grinding wheels of business; high above the clamorous voices of a
pleasure-crazed world; high above the rantings and ravings of the hucksters of religion.
Listen! It is the Voice which cries: "Behold the Bridegroom!" The Voice of the
Spirit of God is calling you to lift up your eyes to the heavenly hills to behold the
Bridegroom who sits in the heavenly places of the glory of God, far above all principality
and power and might and dominion and every name that is named, both in this age and that
which is to come. Oh, my friend, forsake the bawdy harlot and let us arise and go forth
unto the Bridegroom. May tens of thousands of voices re-echo the soul-stirring cry until
it passes in its mighty power, from pole to pole, and from the river to the ends of the
earth, rousing all the elect of God to abandon all and follow the Lamb whithersoever He
goeth.
Once more I would quote the
challenging words of George Hawtin. "With all my heart I believe that the days are
few for the people of God to escape from the power of
Each one who is truly virgin
towards the Lord will cry with the Shulamite, "Draw me and we will run after
Thee" (S. of S. 1:4). We know that we are helpless in ourselves, and He alone can do
this. "I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have
I drawn thee," saith the Lord. Each one of the virgins that make up the bride, must
be drawn by God's personal dealing and working in the soul; and as each one yields to the
Bridegroom's drawing, they will all find themselves in the company of those who go forth
to meet the Bridegroom. The Word reads: "Draw ME and WE will run after Thee."
The drawing of God is upon each elect member who will make up the bride; His hand is
cutting and shaping each living stone for the habitation of the Spirit, which He is
building for Himself. It is as each soul is drawn, that all run after Him; it is as He
perfects each one, that all come forth in perfection; it is as each one is put into His
purifying fires, that the gold in each life comes out pure and shining, and the glory of
God shines out from the whole.
Chapter
30
The
Coming Of The Bridegroom
(continued)
When God created man male and
female in His image, He revealed that He is Himself male and female in His attributes and
nature. In spiritual maturity we enter into relationship with God in each of the facets of
His nature. We may truly become the bride of Christ and the sons of the Father, and many
other things as well. Can we not see by this that brideship bespeaks the spiritually
feminine relationship of intimate love and reverent submission to Christ, whereas sonship
embodies the spiritually masculine characteristics of strength, authority, power and
dominion to rule and reign over all things. Let us never become so over-balanced in our
zeal to become SONS OF GOD that we despise the marvelous reality of BRIDESHIP! The simple
but sublime truth is that THE WAY TO SONSHIP I-S BRIDESHIP! This is why the Spirit has
given us in Revelation chapter twelve the example of a glorious sun-clad woman giving
birth to a remarkable man-child who is to rule all nations with a rod of iron. This
graphic picture reveals that it is the relationship of brideship that births the realm of
sonship. Jesus said, "I am the WAY, the truth and the life; no man COMETH UNTO THE
FATHER but by Me." Your relationship to Christ as a bride will forerun your
relationship to the Father as a son. Brideship is the harbinger of sonship. It is through
intimacy of fellowship and vital union with Christ, made ONE IN HIM IN LOVE, that we are
prepared for that illustrious glory and strength and dominion over all things as the sons
of God. This is a true principle in God which I hope no earnest saint of God who reads
these lines will miss!
This speaks to the heart. Our
Lord prophesied of this our day, and said, "Then shall the
It means "falling in
love" with Jesus Christ our Head and Lord. It means being truly virgin in our desires
towards the Lord; it means walking in the Spirit, keeping ourselves unto HIM and unto HIM
ALONE; it means forsaking once and for all any partnership with the wanton harlot, Mystery
Babylon; it means renouncing the schemes and plans and ambitions of the carnal mind and
our love of the world and the desires of the flesh; it means to have no other love and no
other god before Him, no master that rules our life, no lord that dictates our actions, no
reserved areas of our being. To those apprehended ones quickened by the Spirit in this
hour THE HEAVENLY BRIDEGROOM COMETH! Listen! Have not the ears of your spirit been opened
to hear the joyful cry, "Behold, the Bridegroom!" Listen! Has not your heart
been deeply stirred and moved within you to hasten to obey the urgent command: "Go ye
O-U-T to meet Him!"
There are two voices abroad
in the land today. Each of these voices purports to be the voice of the Spirit of God. One
of these voices rings out loud and clear, "COME O-U-T OF HER MY PEOPLE! " The
other voice issues forth from the mouths of men who profess to be Spirit-filled,
tongues-speaking, Holy Ghost anointed leaders, teachers, apostles and prophets in the
Charismatic Movement, exhorting the people, "S-T-A-Y
I-N HER MY PEOPLE! Stay in your denomination, for, after all," they
croon, "the Holy Spirit will make you a BETTER METHODIST, a BETTER BAPTIST, a BETTER
PRESBYTERIAN, a BETTER CATHOLIC, a BETTER B-A-B-Y-L-O-N-I-A-N!" It requires but
little of the spirit of wisdom and revelation from God to discern which of these voices is
the voice of the Holy Spirit and which is the voice of the great antichrist. The voice
that urges people to remain in Mystery Babylon is unmistakably the voice of rebellion and
blasphemy against the clear Word of the Lord. I have no hesitation whatever in declaring
to you that God is not today in the business of blessing, renewing, or perfecting Mystery
Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth. He IS in the
business of calling OUT a people for His name. He IS in the business of gathering together
unto HIM. He IS in the business of washing, cleansing and sanctifying the VIRGIN BRIDE OF
CHRIST. He IS in the business of building and preparing and adorning the
There is a place in the
Spirit where saints may dwell in union with Christ. There is a true temple, not made with
hands, eternal in the heavenlies. There is a church which is the
"Wives, submit
yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the HEAD of the
wife, EVEN AS Christ is the HEAD OF THE CHURCH: and He is the saviour (protector,
nurturer) of the body. Therefore, AS the CHURCH is SUBJECT UNTO CHRIST, so let the wives
be unto their own husbands in everything. So ought men to love their WIVES as their OWN
BODIES. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his OWN FLESH;
but nourisheth and cherisheth it, EVEN AS the Lord THE CHURCH: For WE are members of HIS
BODY, of HIS FLESH, and of HIS BONES. FOR THIS CAUSE shall a man leave his father and
mother, and shall be JOINED UNTO HIS WIFE, and THEY TWO shall be ONE FLESH. This is a
great mystery: but I speak concerning CHRIST AND THE C-H-U-R-C-H" (Eph.
There is a place OUTSIDE THE
CAMP of Babylon's vain worship and pseudo-church. "Let us GO FORTH therefore unto Him
without the camp, bearing His reproach" (Heb. 13:13), and when you have departed from
all these things and broken Babylon's idols from off your neck and cast their image from
before you, then you will see NO MAN BUT JESUS ONLY, and then you will understand what it
means to be JOINED UNTO HIM. When this wisdom is sweet to your soul, then you will
discover the secret place of the Most High, where the King brings you into His chambers, a
hidden place of meeting with the Lord, that place within our own beings where our Lord
ever dwells, where we go in and shut the door, where we meet Him alone in the most
intimate fellowship and the most exquisite union of soul and spirit. This is a place which
the world cannot invade. "I will come again and receive you unto Myself, that WHERE I
AM, there ye may be also" (Jn. 14:3). Where is this place? Jesus said, "Where I
am." That is sufficient! It is a place in the Spirit that no man can violate. A
hidden place for those who are in the world, but not of it, in the very sanctuary of the
Spirit of God. A place where we can SEE the countenance of the Bridegroom, and HEAR His
voice.
Ah, we do not arrive at this
secret and sacred place with one grand leap. It is a continual leaving, leaving, leaving,
and the nearer and dearer HE becomes to us, the more rejoiced we are to leave everybody
and everything for Him. But where are we to go? Outside the gate, outside the city which
hath played the harlot. Do you think that we shall see Him if we stay inside the city?
inside with all those who do not love Him enough to go out to meet Him? if we stay with
those who hate Him and are half-hearted? NO! It is as we "go forth" that we
behold Him, the King in His beauty, and discern His beauty as He sits upon the throne of
our lives. Let us go outside the city wall that we may behold Him; let us leave everything
which is in the city that our eyes may be anointed to behold Him who is altogether lovely,
the Bridegroom of our soul. When the earth is in our eyes, we cannot behold Jesus; when
Babylon is in our eyes, we cannot discern the Bridegroom; when anything else is before our
eyes, we cannot see Him. Everything must be cleared away if we would see and hear Him.
THE MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB
A number of weddings are
described in the Bible. The first wedding was performed by a very special guest minister.
Whatever ceremony He may have chosen, it did not include those familiar words, "If
any man can show just cause why these two should not be lawfully joined together, let him
now speak, or else forever hold his peace." This phrase was unnecessary, for the
minister was God Himself, and the couple was Adam and Eve (Gen. 2:18-25). Then there was a
very unusual wedding in which the bridegroom found out the next morning, by light of day,
that he had married the wrong girl (Gen. 29:21-25). One of the most beautiful wedding
stories began in a barley field outside the little town of
"And Jesus spake unto
them again by parables, and said, The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a certain king, which
made a marriage for his son, and sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to
the wedding ... saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my
oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage"
(Mat. 22:1-4).
There is neither time nor
space to consider the various elements contained in the parable above - Who are the
servants, who are the guests, etc. It is sufficient to know that at this wedding are
present the two objects and star participators in the drama that unfolds - the Bridegroom
and the bride. Much is said about the proceedings involved in the marriage of Christ and
His bride, and it is rather natural that Bible students speculate as to what actually
occurs in the marriage. Some men are prone to view the marriage of Christ somewhat after
the pattern of a wedding in our modern day society, in which there is a ceremony with the
bride being given away and nuptial vows taken. Of course this is absolutely foreign to the
Scriptures. If we are to understand what the Bible means by a marriage or a wedding, we
must view it as it is portrayed in the Bible itself. There are some Bible examples of
marriage which will, to this writer's thinking, adequately depict the marriage of Christ
to His bride, and will show us what constitutes that marriage.
The first is the marriage of
Isaac and Rebekah. The beautiful story is related in Genesis chapter twenty-four of how,
when Abraham was old, he sent his eldest servant, the steward of his house, into his own
country and among his own kindred to select a bride for his son Isaac. When the servant
came to the city of
There was no ceremony, no
giving away of the bride, and no nuptial vows exchanged as we see in formal weddings in
our society. The marriage simply consisted in Isaac's taking Rebekah unto himself. There
is no evidence in scripture that there were any special religious forms in the ancient
weddings, no priest or clergyman officiated or validated the marriage. The essence of the
marriage ceremony consisted in the removal of the bride from her father's house to that of
the bridegroom. This was, of course, by the mutual consent of the families involved, the
matter was publicly known and acknowledged and the marriage was binding.
Another beautiful example is
presented in the book of Ruth. When Boaz, the kinsman-redeemer, redeemed both Ruth and the
estate of Naomi according to the law of the kinsman-redeemer, he redeemed Ruth to be his
wife. When the marriage occurred, there was no ceremony. The record simply states,
"So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife..." (Ruth 4:13). The marriage consisted
simply in the bridegroom taking his bride to himself. It is my deep conviction that, in
keeping with these analogies, the marriage of Christ and His bride consists simply in
CHRIST TAKING HIS BRIDE TO HIMSELF. The Word of God states it this way: "Christ loved
the church, and gave Himself for it ... that He might PRESENT IT TO HIMSELF a glorious
church..." (Eph. 5:27). The Emphatic Diaglott expresses the thought beautifully and
correctly: "...that He might PLACE THE CONGREGATION BY HIS OWN SIDE,
glorious..." He draws us unto Himself, to His side, into union, and that, my friend,
IS THE MARRIAGE OF THE LAMB!
The marriage of the Lamb is
the revelation of the Christ that causes you to know that you are united to Him; it is the
conscious knowledge and the experiential reality. You cannot understand the marriage of
the Lamb until you know
In later times it became a
custom in the Israelite wedding to have a feast after the bridegroom had taken his bride
to his house. To this feast, all the friends and neighbors were invited. Such a feast was
celebrated when the marriage of Jacob occurred, when he had worked seven years for Laban
in order to obtain Rachel, but on the night of the wedding, was given Leah instead (Gen.
29:18-31), In the days of Christ this "Marriage Feast" was arranged by the
bridegroom at his parent's home or some other suitable place. The absence of the bride in
the early part of the ceremonial procedure was part of the custom. When the night arrived
for the wedding festivities to begin, the bridegroom, attended by friends and accompanied
by musicians and singers, set out to claim the bride at the house of her father. The bride
would be waiting at her house with her maid-servants stationed along the road to alert her
when they saw him approaching. The first one to see the bridegroom would shout to the
next, "Behold, the bridegroom!" and the shout would be passed along from maid to
maid until it reached the bride. She would hasten to put the final touches to her wedding
attire and stand ready for his knock on her door. At his knocking the door would open and
there would stand his bride in beauty and splendor, all adorned and prepared to go with
him to the marriage feast. It was this wonderful scene, applied to Christ and His bride on
the spiritual plane, that John beheld in his awe-inspiring vision in Revelation chapter
twenty-one.
After receiving the bride
from her parents with their blessing the bridegroom conducted the whole party back to his
own house. The streets of Asiatic cities were dark, and it was necessary that anyone
venturing forth at night should carry a lamp or torch, as did the virgins in the parable
of Jesus. There were demonstrations of joy all along the road to the destination. On the
way other friends of the bride and bridegroom joined the party and there was much music
and dancing (Ps. 45:15). Upon arrival the feast began. There was food and wine in
abundance and during the meal mirthfulness prevailed, and the guests were expected to
exalt the bride. After the wedding feast was over, the bride's parents escorted her to the
nuptial chamber, and the husband was escorted there by his friends. They were then left
alone and the bridegroom took his bride and the marriage was consummated. At last, there
was
Now, lest you get the idea
from this typology that Christ is coming to take His bride away, to leave this earth and
take a flight to some other planet for a big supper of pork chops, steaks, baked potatoes
and apple pie a-la-mode, let me set things straight. For long centuries the church world
has been telling us of a day in the sweet bye and bye. It would be a time when we would be
"caught up" in the air and find ourselves feasting and dining at a huge
banqueting table in the sky. It would be a wonderful time indeed, this meeting in the air,
and we would all feast lavishly on the richest dainties, while all the poor souls on earth
who didn't make the rapture would be suffering the hellish torments of the Great
Tribulation.
Most Christians,
unfortunately, are busily preparing themselves to go "up" to meet the
Bridegroom. Not knowing who or what the Bridegroom is, they therefore cannot know how to
go forth to meet Him. As we have pointed out, there is not one scripture in the whole
Bible that speaks of being "caught up" to meet the Bridegroom, or to eat the
marriage supper in the sky. This "marriage supper in the sky" business is naught
but an ignorant invention and senseless delusion of Mystery Babylon. Most Christians today
are not preparing to meet the Bridegroom, but are trying to fix themselves up so that they
will be all ready to be whisked away into the clouds instead. All their fuss and stir is
in vain. I tell you plainly - THERE WILL BE NO MARRIAGE SUPPER IN THE SKY! In order to
meet the Bridegroom, one must go "out." "Go ye O-U-T to meet Him"
(Mat. 25:6). The marriage supper is not "up." It is OUT.
Great harm is done to God's
children in teaching the coming of the Bridegroom and the marriage supper according to the
wisdom of men. There are not words in the English language adequate to express how
important it is to make the proper preparation for the right event. Suppose that I am
invited to a special work day at a church and am instructed to wear old clothes and bring
along a broom, a mop, a bucket, some rags and cleaners. Let us further suppose that I get
the date confused, and upon arrival at the church discover that a very formal wedding is
in progress, and many of my friends are in attendance. How unspeakably embarrassed I would
be standing there before my well dressed friends at this lavish event attired in ragged
clothes, with mop and bucket in hand! Ah, one must be very certain about where he is
going, what the nature of the event is, and precisely how to prepare for it. And should
someone find my illustration too crude or inappropriate, let me hastily add that it is a
great fact that one does not prepare in the same way for going UP as he does for going
OUT! Is it not a delusion that men are preparing themselves for a trip through the air to
feast on some kind of natural food in these last days?
The natural mind is very dark
and without understanding. Only the Holy Spirit can awaken it. May Christ who is the power
of God open the eyes of all who read these lines, even as the scales fell from the vision
of Saul of Tarsus when Jesus purged them away. In Mat. 22:1-14 we are informed in the
solemnest of tones about the marriage supper of the Lamb. Jesus compared the
Since they were giving out
wedding garments at the door, we can only assume that when this fellow Jesus told about
came to the door, and the servant inquired, "What size are you - small, medium, or
large - you look like a medium," the man replied, "I don't need one."
"Well," the servant insisted, "the King expects you to use this."
"I don't have to do that, don't worry about it," and with his heart full of
rebellion he entered into the hall. Soon the King entered into the wedding chamber to
welcome his guests. But immediately He noticed a man who was not wearing the wedding
garment. "Friend," he said, "how did you come in here without putting on
the appropriate wedding garment?" The King was simply inquiring whether he had an
excuse, if there was a reason why he had no garment. "Did we run out of garments at
the door? Did we have no garment that would fit? Did the garment not look good on you? Did
you not like our color schemes? Friend, give account of your conduct!" The scripture
says he was speechless - not because he could not speak, but because he was without
excuse.
Hearken! Are we not told by
the preachers that the marriage supper is celebrated someplace far away in-the sky, and
sometime after the rapture of the church? Were we not fervently taught that we are going
to be in the air for seven years and have a wedding feast with the Lord? The question
follows - If the wedding feast is the rapture, HOW DID THIS MAN WITHOUT THE WEDDING
GARMENT GET IN THERE? WAS HE "RAPTURED" BY MISTAKE? Did the Lord Jesus Christ
commit a terrible error and accidentally "translate" a man who was not
adequately prepared or properly invested for the marriage supper in the sky? How
preposterous! This parable proves beyond any possibility of contradiction that a so-called
"rapture" has absolutely nothing whatever to do with the marriage of the Lamb.
This parable clearly shows that the wedding feast takes place right down here on this
earth, and that there are people who are feasting on the riches of present truth and the
depth of God's revelatory Word just as you are, but they have not had a change of garment;
they have not been clothed in the transforming righteousness of Jesus Christ; they have
not put on that precious mind that was in Christ Jesus; they have not put off the old man
with his works and put on the new; they have not died to sin and self and religion. These
have presumptuously "jumped on the bandwagon" of the message of the hour; with
unsanctified minds and fleshly zeal they grasp after the deep things of God; they are
along for the ride; they mingle with those elect saints who have been apprehended of God
to the high calling in Christ Jesus. They show up at every meeting and at every
convention; with unwashed hands they eat from the table so bountifully prepared by the
Holy Spirit for those who forsake all to follow the Lamb; they parrot all the right words,
and mouth the sacred secrets revealed by the Holy Spirit, and may, with feigned piety
appear as one of the choice vessels of the Kingdom; but beneath the cloak of pretense
there is no true consecration in their lives, no inworking of the holiness of God, no
conformation to the image of Christ, no transformation of mind or heart or nature; they
are clearly imposters, deceivers, usurpers, pretenders, hypocrites and cheats. They have
no wedding garment! And now, exposed to the penetrating gaze of the King's presence, the
man of nice words and spiritual-sounding expressions no longer could conceal his true
condition.
In due time, prior to the
event of the marriage of His son, the King dealt swiftly and effectively with the usurper.
"Then the King said to the attendants Tie him hand and foot, and throw him into the
darkness outside; there will be weeping and grinding of teeth" (Mat. 22:13,
Amplified). The King James version reads, "Bind him hand and foot, and take him away,
and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Among the many symbols
connected with the Bridegroom and the bride, none is more meaningful than the wedding
garment, whether of guest, of bride, or of groom. Throughout the scriptures garments are
spoken of in connection with character. There is some kind of intrinsic connection between
the character of the people and the clothing they wear. The garment we wear in our
marriage to Christ is being woven NOW, stitch by stitch. The righteousness this glistering
garment portrays is not the imputed righteousness received by grace when our sins are
first forgiven, but the ACTUAL RIGHTEOUSNESS, wrought out in the nitty-gritty of the
dealings, testings, purgings, processings and victories of this present travail. The
garments of the Lord's people correspond to their STATE OF
The wedding garment speaks of
character and fitness. The man without the wedding garment had no fitness or adequate
degree of spiritual understanding or fellowship or relationship to move in the sphere of
the wedding feast and all that this type represents. He had no garment - qualifying
attributes to adapt him to the order of life suggested.
And note, too, the poor
fellow is not cast into hellfire, Hades, Sheol, Gehenna, the pit, or eternal damnation.
"Outer darkness," is the word. Some may ask, What is the outer darkness? You
will find Jesus using the same term in Mat. 8:12. Here it does not refer to hellfire or
eternal damnation. He is speaking of the lack of faith and appreciation on the part of the
Jews. And because of their refusal to accept and move into the
So from the teaching of our
Lord, "outer darkness" does not mean hell or the lake of fire, but rather the
LOSS or denial of a great privilege. The Jews are alive today, and God is directing their
steps, not in a pit, but in the "outer darkness" of spiritual blindness, the
veil that hangs like a pall over mind and heart. The glory and joy of the marriage feast
is LIGHT - understanding, revelation, reality and relationship. The man without the
wedding garment, the one unprepared for this realm, is cast out EXCLUDED and REJECTED from
the joy and fellowship and life experienced by those who are called to the marriage. He is
cast into outer darkness and bound. His hands are bound and his feet are bound. The hands
bespeak of service, the feet of the walk. He is not QUALIFIED to serve in that blessed
realm. He may know service in the carnal religious life and service in the sphere of the
flesh, good works, etc., but he does not know that SPIRITUAL MINISTRY which springs from
intimacy of fellowship and vital union with Christ - so he is bound. The feet represent
the walk. He may have traveled thousands of miles in the energy and power of the natural
life, and fairly exhausted himself in religious works, programs, activities, etc. But he
does not know how to WALK IN THE SPIRIT. That was always too demanding and restricting for
him. He may have walked all around the Lord, but not with Him. So his feet are bound. He
has no power to enter into such life in the Spirit, such fullness, such glory, such wisdom
and power as is pictured by the marriage of the Lamb..
What constitutes the marriage
supper of the Lamb? When we think of a feast we are prone to think in natural terms and
picture a banquet of rich foods and an evening of entertainment. There was a day when
Jesus and His disciples came to
How precious the knowledge
that we have a God who hungers, thirsts, deeply desires, to feast with His people - a God
who from the beginning has tried to show us that His greatest delight is not in showing
His authority, but in enjoying intimate and close fellowship with His own. He set a feast
of fruits before Adam and Eve, the like of which man has never been able to reproduce, and
He communed with them face to face. He ate with Abraham in his tent at noonday. He spread
a table in the wilderness for the entire nation of His chosen, and He gave them the very
bread of heaven. Jesus performed His first miracle at a wedding feast. He fed five
thousand on a hillside. He did not hesitate to attend feasts, nor to celebrate the Feasts
of Yahweh. And He has established the New Covenant with a feast, the great spiritual
feast, wherein He has given the redeemed His own body for their meat and His own blood for
their drink, that death might be swallowed up of life. He has promised through the prophet
Isaiah that in the latter days He will make a great feast of spiritual blessings and
benefits for ALL NATIONS, upon His holy Mount (Isa. 25:6). And the greatest feast of all -
the marriage supper of the Lamb - ushers a people into the most intimate relationship with
their Lord!
A marriage supper is a time
of great joy and festivity. Those who have tasted something of this heavenly meal know how
bountifully the table has been spread with His presence and glory and power! I have more
good news for you. Many are called to partake of this supper. Not all shall know Him as
the bride shall know Him, but vast multitudes shall be in attendance at His feast and be
filled with the overflow of the abundance that is spread upon His table! The attendants
will be there, the guests will be there, the friends of the Bridegroom and the bride will
be there, and what rejoicing and music and dancing there will be as we all eat of His
bread and drink of His wine! What quickening, what impartation, what strength! As we leave
this feast in great strength, it shall mean a new day of hope and deliverance and glory
for the whole earth as the Lord comes as the heavenly Bridegroom to spread the great and
glorious feast of HIS FULLNESS.
The fact is that the imagery
of the marriage supper was quite familiar to those who heard our Lord employ it. It was
often used in the popular religious speech of the time to denote the Messianic Kingdom,
the
We must never forget that the
marriage supper is spread at the MARRIAGE OF THE LAMB. Notice that it does not say the
"Marriage of the Bride," but the "Marriage of the LAMB." That grand
event is not so much the consummation of the hopes of the bride, as it is the consummation
of the hopes and plans and purposes of the Bridegroom. The Shulamite in the Song of
Solomon expresses it beautifully, "While the King sat at His table, my spikenard sent
forth its fragrance" (S. of S.
We are commanded to feed upon
Christ, to eat His flesh and drink His blood, "for My flesh is meat indeed, and My
blood is drink indeed" (Jn.
Jesus promised that when He
returned He would "gird" Himself and make His servants to sit down to meat, and
that He would "come forth and serve them ... meat in due season" (Lk. 12:35-44).
In these days at the ending of the age we have in a unique way and in an abundant measure
experienced the fulfillment of this promise. The Bridegroom is here! He has come and has
served "meat in due season" to the elect household of faith. Rich indeed, faith
strengthening and spiritually nourishing has been the fare made available by Christ, as He
has spread upon His table profound truths of the
I would be remiss if I failed
to point out in clear and unmistakable words the fact that the "marriage of the
Lamb" is not exclusively a future event as the preachers are wont to proclaim. Let me
make it quite clear before we go any farther that what our Lord is speaking about under
the figure of the marriage feast is an actual personal experience which every soul may
have, something intensely real and precious, not in the sweet bye and bye, but here in our
today. What it is, is a past event, a present event, as well as a future one. It is an
on-going reality in the same sense that initial salvation is past for some, present for
some, and future for others. Millions of souls have through the centuries experienced the
Lord as Saviour, some are now receiving Him, and others will accept Him in the future. The
"Marriage of the Lamb" is a relationship of union with Christ entered into as a
result of spiritual growth and participation with the Lord. The marriage of the Lamb has
already happened for many precious saints who have responded to the gracious appeal,
"If any man hear My voice, I will come in to him, and SUP WITH HIM, AND HE WITH
ME" (Rev. 3:20). To sup with Christ is to commune vitally with Him; it is to
fellowship intimately with Him and freely partake of all that is proffered by His Spirit.
He comes in to dine. It is there, deep within - in the inner union of soul and spirit as
nowhere else, privately and alone, that spiritual edification and the understanding and
participation in heavenly things begins and continues and consummates. Numerous yielded
souls have attained this glorious experience, it is now happening for others, and it shall
yet happen for others. It is, first and foremost, an individual experience for believers.
It occurs for the individual when he reaches a condition of being ready for marriage - to
fulfill the responsibilities and privileges of truly BEING A WIFE. Not many of the teeming
millions of earth who profess to know the Lord are ready at this time for this high and
holy calling, but those who do make themselves ready will be married to the Lord here in
this life. It is a blessed fact that the marriage of the Lamb is taking place now, but
only those with spiritual understanding know it. The rest are "star gazing" -
watching the clouds - waiting to go to a banquet in the sky. While they wait, snug and
smug in their denominational beds, the Lord is taking a bride! The Lord stands knocking at
their door - but they sleep on.
The awesome scene is
portrayed in the Song of Solomon 5:2-6. The believer (Shulamite) speaks first and says,
"I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my Beloved that knocketh, saying,
Open to Me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for My head is filled with dew, and
My locks with the drops of the night." The word "voice" means
“sound." It is the sound of her Beloved that knocks at the door. The Bridegroom
knocks, not only once, but He continues to knock; He calls her to arise and shake off the
slumber that locks her in its embrace.
The sleeping believer
replies, "I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how
shall I defile them?" How often when our Lord is bringing to us a deeper revelation
of Himself, He finds us asleep! We have washed our feet of all the dust of the day, we
have cleansed our walk in all those areas He has dealt with previously, we have put off
our garment, we have prepared a soft bed of ease, and we have said to our souls, "A
little sleep, a little slumber, no need to press on any further at this time, let us rest
in the experiences we have had and the truths we have learned." She was not only His
love and His dove, but she was still His "undefiled." This shows that her
greatest sin was in lying down to rest and not watching with wide-open eyes for His coming
and the further revelation of Himself. And when He came, she was slow to rise and let Him
in, she had kept Him waiting throughout the night. She had not gone off into spiritual
fornication, she had not mingled with the world, she had committed gross sins of the
flesh, she had not been flirting with those who hated Him, as many who are called by His
name are doing in these days; she had not lost her chastity. She had been indolent, she
simply did not seem to have the stamina to go further. She had thought to lie down and
rest, but not to go to sleep; but she was soon lulled into a half-slumber.
In desperate ardor the
Bridegroom endeavors to enter the chamber, but the door is locked. She had not only
closed, but had locked and bolted the door. When she locked the door, she did not mean to
lock HIM out; she only desired that her rest might be undisturbed. She did not
deliberately prepare herself to sleep, determining not to get up and let HIM in; she did
not deliberately lock the door so that HE could not get in. This is always the way slumber
steals in upon those who have received the call to follow the Lamb! Those who hear the
call, but fall short of following on - it is not their set purpose to reach the place
where at last they find themselves, nor to settle down in the place of sleep and
stagnation where they finally arrive. They forget that it is through the avenue of sleep,
indifference, and stagnation, that spiritual poverty comes and robs them of the glory of
the Bridegroom of their soul; that it is in this way Want and Need come upon them, as an
armed man with whom they cannot cope. Slumber does not prepare us for great attainment, it
only paves the way for us to be defeated and robbed.
"My Beloved put in His
hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for Him. I rose up to open to my
Beloved ... but my Beloved had withdrawn Himself, and was gone: my soul failed when He
spake: I sought Him, but I could not find Him; I called Him but He gave me no
answer." When she was sleeping, He had knocked; while she was refusing, He had
called; but when He had aroused her from this beginning of deadly slumber, He had
withdrawn. She little realized what she was doing when she refused to open to Him. She
thought He would wait until she had opened the door. He had continued calling and knocking
through the night, though she had treated Him as a stranger; though she had lain still in
her bed of ease, and left Him out in the darkness until His head was wet with night dew,
and His locks with night drops.
Beloved reader of this
message, have you ever heard your Lord's voice calling you to come apart with Him, to
leave everything and every one that hindered you and come into a higher place of
revelation and separation unto Himself? Have you kept your Lord waiting while you pampered
your flesh, or while you did something that YOU wanted to do, instead of coming away with
Him? Have you heard Him chide you because you neglected Him, because you were not giving
yourself to prayer and the Word, because you were not seeking His face, because you were
not putting Him above all else, because you were not following on to KNOW HIM in deeper
measures? When you have heard His voice in these and other ways, have you risen up eagerly
and quickly hastened to obey? Or have you asked Him to wait until a more convenient
season? Did you have some "religious" work which you felt was very important?
Did you have some association you felt you could not break? Did you tell the Lord to wait
until you could leave them, or finish what you were doing? Not always in words do we tell
Him to wait; we just go on with our "work," with our little religious games,
with the programs of Babylon, with the demands of family and involvements with the flesh,
with the admiration of friends, with pleasures and pursuits. We are going to respond and
obey, we are going to come out and go away with Him, we are going to arise and commune
with Him, we are going to explore the deeper measures of His wisdom, His love, His power
and His glory which He waits to disclose to us, but not until a more propitious moment
when we have finished what we are doing.
Ah, the Christian so
accurately portrayed in this moving drama had closed the door and locked it. In her snug
bed of religious fairy tales and personal indifference she had disrobed and gone to sleep.
Her Lover was up and had come to commune with her and ravish her heart with His love,
revealing Himself to her on yet a higher plane. He came knocking and calling. When she, at
her own time, opened the door, lo! He was gone. She had waited too long!
In this dark hour the
lukewarm
One day you will hear the
call, but He will be gone and you will be left with the dry dust of your cherished
traditions and the vanity of your fleshly pursuits. He is knocking as your husband. I
exhort all God's saints in this lukewarm age of
In these studies on the
coming of the Bridegroom, the Spirit of God has given us a strain from the heavenly choir,
the theme of which is CHRIST AND HIS BRIDE. Has this divine music sounded upon your heart
until your spirit has been caught away to the Mount of the Lord? Have you received a
deeper revelation of your high calling in Him, and the processes by which we may attain?
Has the Spirit revealed clearer visions of those things that mortal eye cannot see nor ear
hear, neither can the human heart contain, even the things that God has prepared for you
and me? If you will draw close to God, He will anoint your eyes with heavenly eye salve:
He will give you an eternal perspective; He will cause you to behold the things that are
unseen and eternal as you lose sight of the things that are seen and temporal. He will
bring you into His banqueting house and your soul will be ravished with the revelation of
His love. The noise and glitter of Mystery Babylon the Great will fade from mind and heart
until it seems but a dream dreamed in the long ago.
There is a remnant of God's
people over the whole earth that has heard the cry, "Behold, the Bridegroom!"
This remnant has arisen, trimmed their lamps, and with vessels full of oil and lamps
shining have fixed their eves upon Jesus, they are looking away from earth, from people,
from everything to the Everlasting Hills of God.
Chapter
31
Coming
As A Refiner's Fire
"Behold, I will send my
messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord whom ye seek, shall
SUDDENLY COME TO HIS TEMPLE, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in:
behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming?
and who shall stand when he appeareth? for HE IS LIKE A REFINER'S FIRE, and like fuller's
soap: and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall PURIFY THE SONS
OF LEVI, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering
in righteousness" (Mal. 3:1-3).
The Lord, whom ye seek, SHALL
COME! Such was the promise of the inspired prophet. He who will come is the Lord,
"the messenger of the covenant, whom ye desire," the long expected, oft-promised
Redeemer. The Messiah had been long called HE THAT SHOULD COME, NOW SHORTLY HE WILL COME.
He will come in a personal way and will reveal Himself to His people in His holy temple.
The book of Malachi comes to
us as the closing message of the Old Testament. It is the connecting link between the Old
and the New, and in its contents it looks back over the centuries to the messages of such
prophets as Moses and Isaiah, and it also looks forward to the coming of Him who was to be
greater than either of these, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Lord. He is the messenger
of the New Covenant, whom they desired. Of this messenger and of this covenant the
prophets had spoken. With one voice they had predicted and promised His coming to redeem
COMING TO HIS
"The Lord, whom ye seek,
shall SUDDENLY COME TO HIS
When
When Jesus came to earth in
the long ago, He did not come to His temple except in figure and shadow. The beautiful
temple in
Jesus descended into the
Kidron valley and climbed the steep paths of
The Rabbis had passed a law
that no money could be received in payment of tithes or in offerings to God unless it was
Jewish money. If it was money that had the Roman eagle upon it, or money that bore any
heathen emblem, they would not take it, and these scoundrels of Rabbis were behind the
money-changers, who paid them large sums of money to exchange the money from
That was the trouble. These
miserable, narrow-minded bigots had divided the temple! God had never made a temple of
that kind. He had made a temple where "all the nations" should come and worship
before Him, and they put Gentiles in the outer court amid the asses and the oxen, and all
the other animals; then there was an inner court, which they had divided again so that the
women should be just a little lower than these sainted hypocrites. There they were! They
had divided up the temple of the Almighty, and Jesus reminded them that God had
established that temple and that it should be A HOUSE OF PRAYER FOR ALL THE NATIONS; but
they had made it a den of robbers. Jesus beheld that sordid scene. He saw the money
changers and the thieves who were stealing from the poor people who came to give their
tithes and offerings. He saw the religious pretenders, the vain hypocrites who had turned
the forecourt of the temple into a house of merchandise; from a place which had been a
place of prayer into a continuous noisy, wrangling mart for thieves, money-changers, and
merchants.
He stood in the great door of
the temple, feet spread apart, with furrowed brow and set jaw, anger flashing from His
countenance, drops of sweat standing out on His forehead, fire blazing in His eyes. Nearby
He saw a pile of small cords that had been used with the dove crates. Picking them up, He
began to braid them into a whip until He had a good sized scourge. He made a loop on the
end of the scourge and fastened it around His wrist, took a firm grip on it and stepped
forward. Into that robbers den Jesus strode - like a rushing stream, driven by the wind of
God! What a commotion! The whip cracked - the tables were overturned, and piles of coins,
both foreign and Jewish, scattered across the temple floor; the doves were squawking, the
lambs were loosed from their pens, the oxen trampled over the money boxes, and wielding
the scourge Jesus drove the merchants toward the main entrance of the temple. "Out!
Out! Enough! This is My Father's house! This is a house of prayer for all the nations! You
robbers! You thieves! Get out! Don't come back!" That whip did not stop crackling
until the last sheep was gone, the last ox, the last dove, and all the merchants, and all
the religious thugs. The temple had never before seen such a day as this.
Can we now open the eyes of
our understanding to behold the wondrous truth Jesus proclaimed? It was not many days
thence that we read, "And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and His
disciples came to Him for to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto
them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one
stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down" (Mat. 24:1-2). The King had come
to His own, and they had not received Him. After three and one half years of ministry
among the people to whom He had been sent, Jesus had now closed His last public discourse
(Mat. 23), and had left the temple for the last time. "Jesus went out, and departed
from the temple," never again to re-enter or open His mouth in public teaching. With
this act ended His public ministry. The last supper and
But the disciples, still
concerned with the natural, had other thoughts. The Master had just made the statement,
"Behold, your house is left unto you desolate" (Mat. 23:38). But these men, in
their then unspiritual state, could not be expected to understand that declaration fully.
That the Christ had come to completely destroy and bring to an end an old order and would
establish in the earth an entirely new order was yet foreign to their minds. They were
more concerned about the passing than the permanent. But the Master was now completing the
work He had been given to do. The time had come for the greatest event of the ages to be
enacted. So He had little interest now in that which represented a fallen order devoid of
God's presence and power and majesty. And while our Authorized version reads, "See ye
not all these things?" yet it is apparent that this is a mistranslation. The Greek
really says, "And the Jesus said to them; Not you regard (or look to, or take heed
to) all these." Most certainly He was saying in essence, "Now we are through
with all that is natural. This has all been only a type and shadow of the greater reality
and glory to come. DON'T CLING TO T-H-I-S! We have matters of much greater import to
attend to. So, get your eyes off this which is passing, for, verily I say unto you, There
shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down." The
account in Lk. 21:6 reads, "As for these things which ye behold."
"Behold" here carries the meaning of earnest and continued inspection: that is,
they were prone to continue looking in fondness on the natural magnificence. “As for
these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one
stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down."
This was a new revelation, a
shocking blow to the inborn hope which still held a prominent place in the hearts of these
men. They had been brought up to believe that their Messiah was to come and restore
And my earnest prayer to God
is for all who read these words, that God may help us, as sons of God in these momentous
days, to look not, as do those in the church system, for the re-establishing of that which
God has forever destroyed and abolished. Many sincere but yet carnal Christians are
looking for an earthly temple to be built by the Jews in
The temple in
The tabernacle of old was
made as a physical, material COPY of the TRUE TABERNACLE which Moses saw in the mount. And
what Moses saw in the mount was heavenly, or spiritual. This truth is further amplified in
Heb. 9:8-11 in these graphic words, "By this the Holy Spirit points out that the way
into the true Holy of Holies is not yet thrown open as long as the former tabernacle
remains a recognized institution and is still standing. Seeing that first tabernacle was a
parable - a visible symbol or type or picture of the present age. In it gifts or
sacrifices are offered, and yet are incapable of perfecting the conscience or of cleansing
or renewing the inner man of the worshipper. For the ceremonies deal only with clean and
unclean meats and drinks and different washings, mere external rules and regulations for
the body imposed to tide the worshippers over until the time of SETTING THINGS STRAIGHT -
of reformation, of the complete new order when Christ, the Messiah, shall establish the
REALITY of what these things foreshadow, a better covenant" (Amplified Bible).
All types and shadows are
forever done away when Christ, the reality, comes. The Lord dwells not in temples made
with hands. They are but shadowy figures of the true. "What temple will ye build
Me," saith the Lord. So wherever we see a reference to a temple of the present or the
future, it MUST refer to "the true sanctuary, and the true tabernacle, which the Lord
pitched, and not man" (Heb. 8:2). Furthermore, there is only one such tabernacle, or
temple. The Word nowhere tells of two, or three, or one hundred; one away off somewhere in
space where Jesus is ministering, another in
Now let us identify this
heavenly temple unto which we are come. Listen to the words of Peter as he presses this
golden truth home to the understanding hearts of the saints. "If so be ye have tasted
that the Lord is gracious. To whom coming, as unto a LIVING STONE, disallowed indeed of
men, but chosen of God, and precious, YE ALSO, as LIVELY STONES, are built up a SPIRITUAL
HOUSE, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus
Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a CHIEF
CORNER STONE, elect, precious: and he that believeth in Him shall not be confounded"
(I Pet. 2:3-6). The apostle Peter draws a striking metaphor of the construction by God of
a remarkable spiritual house of which Jesus Christ is the most remarkable corner stone. He
is remarkable as the corner stone because not only is Christ the sure foundation in the
midst of a world where the pillars are trembling and the foundations are shaken, but He
remains ever sure and ever stable and gives His stability to the entire structure. More
than that, He is the living stone that communicates that stability to all the other stones
that are joined to Him. Praise God that in the midst of all the pressures and testings
there is that INNER STABILITY of the Christ! So, we see painted before our eyes a
magnificent structure, the living cathedral of Christ rising up into the sky, made of
living stones. This superb gem of revelation vividly reveals just what the
This human heavenly temple is
the one not made with (men's) hands. The true temple is the body of Christ. The temple of
the Lord is that vast family of God's sons who are coming to maturity in the image of
Christ. This is the temple to which our blessed Lord and Christ SUDDENLY COMES. It
distresses me to hear preachers constantly proclaiming as fact the old wives' fables that
the
PURIFYING THE
In the cleansing of the
temple of old, our Lord Jesus Christ made it perfectly plain that He was cleansing the
temple to show them that He, who in the Temple of His own Body had come to redeem them,
was so mighty that He would cleanse the whole
Sometimes I have tried to get
it clear in my soul that God is in me. I have meditated upon the indwelling influence and
power of that pure, sweet, living Spirit of the eternal God. I have come to continually
live in the conscious awareness of His presence in my spirit, in my soul, in my body, in
my person, in my being - the habitation of God, God preparing me to minister to the world,
equipping my spirit, soul and body to live forever in harmony with the mind of God. All
the God-like qualities of your life are due to the fact that God by His Spirit dwells in
you. You are the
For two thousand years this
temple has been rising upon the only foundation that can be laid, which is Jesus the
Christ, and the flaming words of the prophet Malachi are even now being fulfilled:
"THE LORD, WHOM YE SEEK, SHALL SUDDENLY COME TO HIS TEMPLE. Behold, He shall come,
saith the Lord of hosts. But who may abide the day of His coming? and who shall stand when
He appeareth? for He is like a REFINER'S FIRE, and like fuller's soap: and He shall sit as
a refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall PURIFY the sons of Levi, and purge them as
gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness."
Praise God!
We are members of His bones
and of His flesh. We are His temple. This is the visitation of the Lord to His body, to
His church, to His people, to the overcomers, to His sons, to those who are looking for
Him, to those who are seeking His face! Do we want the Lord to come to our temple in
mighty power? Do we really want Him to invade us through and through, to thoroughly touch
every area of our lives until we cry, Away with all sin and pride! Away with all
self-seeking, self-indulgence, and self-promotion! Away with every vestige of the carnal
mind, and every claim of the fleshly nature! Away with all the foolishness of religion!
Away with the MAN OF SIN who usurps the place of Christ in the
Our Lord Jesus Christ gave
perhaps the greatest parable of His ministry when He cleansed the temple and then spoke to
the people about the temple of His body. He said what He meant: His body was a pure body,
and He stood there to let them know that the fore-court of the temple was a symbol of the
body of the believer. There were three courts in the temple: the fore-court, the inner
court, and the Holy of Holies. The Lord meant them to understand by that purification that
the outer court of man's temple, the body, had to be cleansed. There are three courts in
this temple of man's being. Your bodies, as the apostle Paul declares, are the
Redemption demands that a man
shall be restored SPIRIT, SOUL AND BODY to that sphere of life and purity and
incorruptibleness and glory which was his in that first blessed moment when he came forth
from the bosom of God. There are three courts in the temple which constitutes a man. The
first is the outer court of the body; the next is the inner court of the soul; and the
next is the innermost court of all, the spirit, which God Himself has given. But God
demands that every part of the temple shall be cleansed and restored and imbued with the
incorruptible nature of God. There is the true temple. And the purification of the temple
begins in the spirit. Would you worship God?
Oh, not in circling depth,
nor height, But in the conscious breast,
Present by faith, though veiled from sight, There doth His Spirit rest:
Oh, come, thou Presence infinite! And make Thy creature blest.
If you are to worship God in
a holy temple, let Him cleanse your spirit, let Him cleanse your soul, let Him cleanse
your body, and worship God in the temple of your own Being. God wants that. Therefore it
is that God sent His Son, not merely to cleanse the outer court, but through His death,
through His resurrection, through His life, and in the power of His Spirit, to cleanse man
FROM THE CENTER TO THE CIRCUMFERENCE. Hence it is that the purification of the
I know no definition of God
more sublime, outside of the scripture, than this definition of a philosopher of
You will see then that the
Lord Jesus Christ, when He purified the fore-court of the temple, determined to show His
people that even this temple of the body which God has given man should no longer be the
prey of foul disease, and of filthy, sensual passion, and of putrefying death. He showed
them that the body should be purified, that the soul should be purified, that the spirit
should be purified, and that He had come to pour out His Spirit, not only upon the spirits
and souls of men, but upon all FLESH, and that all FLESH should rejoice in the advent of
One who was not only the Saviour, but the Healer of mankind, the Cleanser of the outer
court of the temple, the body, the giver of immortality so that even this corruptible
shall put on incorruption and this mortal shall put on immortality, and even this vile
body shall be changed, to be fashioned like unto His body of glory.
THE REFINING FIRE
"He is like a REFINER'S
FIRE ... and He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify the
sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver..." (Mal. 3:2-3).
One of God's promises
concerning the Lord who comes to His temple to sit as a refiner's fire is that He shall
"purify the sons of Levi." The "sons of Levi" in the days when the
prophecy was written, were the priests and ministers of God. The "sons of Levi"
in these days of the spiritual temple of living stones are likewise the priests and
ministers of God. Prophetically speaking, "the sons of Levi" refer to all who
have received the call to the Royal Priesthood of Christ after the Order of Melchizedek.
"Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house (temple), an HOLY
PRIESTHOOD, to offer up SPIRITUAL SACRIFICES, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. But ye
are a chosen generation, a ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye
should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His
marvelous light" (I Pet. 2:5,9).
Even the word
"sons" is significant. Becoming a son is the result of intense discipline, as we
read in Heb. 12:5-11. The Lord comes to those who long to be His Priesthood, not with
visible blessings and manifestations which inflate the ego, but as a refiner's fire and as
fuller's soap to purify and refine them, even as gold and silver are refined. In olden
times, the refiner of gold and silver would sit over the burning crucible until the dross
and impurities in these metals were completely consumed. Not until he could see his face
mirrored in the molten metals did he declare them to be pure. So too with us. The Holy
Spirit brings to light and deals with every aspect of our lives, consuming all that is
alien and opposed to God's nature and character, until the image of His Son Jesus is
formed and mirrored in us. Only then will we be able to offer Him those offerings and
render Him that service which is pleasing and acceptable in His sight. The Lord never
removes or destroys something without replacing it with something greater and better. He
sets us apart, like the sons of Levi, and subjects us to an intense discipline of inner
and outer sanctification that we might become HIS ROYAL PRIESTHOOD.
To be HIS PRIESTS we must be
changed from our carnality and selfhood into HIS DIVINE NATURE. No divine change can be
wrought on God's elect, saving by "passing through the waters and through the
fires" which are appointed for us, waters and fires as real, though not of this
world, as those which moved in the laver of the temple, or burnt on the altar of old. Our
Lord can no more spare our nature than the ram was spared by Moses. This is that
"spirit of judgment and burning" promised by the prophet, with which the Lord
shall "purify the sons of Levi, as gold and silver are purged."
The sons have to be cleansed
and purified of the carnal mind that is contrary to God and is an enemy of His, filled
with all unrighteousness and evil and is not subject to the will of God and never can be.
As William Law said, "SELF is the whole root, branch and tree of sin." So for us
to be His Priesthood, showing forth His virtues, His life and light and love, His
righteousness and glory and power, this thing, that stands in the way of the priestly
nature and ministry, must be destroyed and taken out of the way. We must be emptied of
self and everything that pertains to the earthly nature so that we can put on the Lord
Jesus Christ in the fullness of His divine nature to manifest Him in all His wondrous
beauty and majesty. All carnality must go through the fire. None can escape it. There is
no detour around this lake of fire if you wish to arrive finally at the safe harbor of
perfection in God. The sons of Levi of this day have felt that purifying fire. Its burning
has roused them from their lethargic ease as they have drifted along the stream of peace
with the world, its clear flame has lit up the dark recesses of their own carnal minds and
the deceitfulness of the heart of man, revealing in stark reality the man of sin sitting
in the temple of God, and its blasting flame has separated them from the fleshly follies
of the religious systems and the so-called church. In many of them the fire is effectually
doing its purifying work. They have begun to fulfill the prophecy and to "offer unto
the Lord offerings in righteousness," praise His name!
Do you think God does not
love you When you're passing 'neath the rod?
Do you grow a bit discouraged; Think the road is most too hard?
Oh, my brother, do you not know That our Father has a plan
By which to purge and purify And perfect this race of man?
"Think it not strange," said brother Peter, When comes the fiery trial;
It may come in fierce temptations That will call forth self-denial.
It may be in deepest sorrow Sad bereavement, or in pain.
Your friends may all forsake you; God will work it for your gain.
The trial of your faith, said he, Is of value more than gold.
His fire is burning out the dross From His chosen and His called.
Let us stay right in the furnace Though the flames seem hard to take;
God ordained their raging fury That He a perfect vessel make.
He is calling out His remnant, Seed with which to plant again;
He must test and try each vessel, Those to find who will remain.
Would you like for Him to use you? Would you like to add your voice
To this new day trumpet sounding? Then the fire must be your choice.
Should any dross or stain remain, Then the gold cannot be pure.
It will not reflect His image And you never will endure.
Go through, as faithful Abraham, For he proved his love by test;
Climbing up old
Think of those three Hebrew children; They loved God with all their hearts;
Yet each was tested by the fire, Nor from its pain refused a part.
God saw He could count them faithful In what'er their lot might be.
He wants to prove the same of you, So from His testing do not flee!
- Reba McMurry.
Words penned by another
inspired writer, our dear friend and brother, Elwin Roach, are so pertinent at this point
that I must share a portion with my reader. He writes: "When we receive a pure word
of God, we should never think that this is the end of the matter, and that all we have to
do after hearing a wonderful truth is to just bask in its glory. Listen to what has been
recorded in the Psalms: 'The words of the Lord are PURE words: AS SILVER TRIED IN A
FURNACE OF EARTH, PURIFIED SEVEN TIMES' (Ps. 12:6). We know now why things get so hot when
we begin to truly hear from the Lord - HIS WORDS HAVE TO BE PURIFIED in us! The dross of
false doctrine and our own thoughts have to be removed. We have all kinds of words coming
into our minds, and whether they are the pure words of God or nonsensical trash, we can
count on them being tested sooner or later in the 'FURNACE OF EARTH' that we are. If we
are of a submissive spirit, and have been called to be vessels of honor, then the testing
fires will come early. It is at this time that the redemptive silver of God will be
purified, while that of no worth is consumed or removed. But for those who are called to
be the vessels of dishonor, the fires are held back until the purpose of their dishonor
has been fulfilled. (See I Cor.
'And He shall sit as a
REFINER and PURIFIER of SILVER: and He shall PURIFY THE SONS OF LEVI, and purge them as
GOLD and SILVER, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness' (Mal.
3:1-3). The sons of Levi, the ones called to offer the bread of the Lord, are the GOLD and
SILVER that is being FIRED IN THE FURNACE OF EARTH. It is not just the words that they
have heard, but now it is THEMSELVES who are being consumed - they are the WORD PURIFIED
SEVEN TIMES! And then, when the purging has done its work, they are the PURIFIED GOLD and
SILVER to be brought into the storehouse of God, which is the OFFERING UNTO THE LORD.
"The fire that comes to
the Firstfruits, the House of God, is one of the most essential ingredients with which we
can possibly be afflicted (blessed). John the Baptist said not in vain that there would be
One coming after him, who should baptize us in the Holy Ghost and (even) FIRE. When the
Holy Spirit and Word first comes to us, it comes as a cool, refreshing RAIN - we are 'born
of water.' But there will be a time when His Spirit will be a purging fire. It is then
that His Word will be in our hearts as a FIREBRAND SHUT UP IN OUR BONES, even as it was
with Jeremiah (Jer. 20:9). Oh, but praise God! For when that HOLY FLAME is fanned by His
hand, not only are we delivered from our wicked ways, but as we are consumed by the fire
of God - we then BECOME THAT FLAME OF FIRE! Do you think not? Think again; for it is
recorded in Ps. 104:1-4, 'Bless the Lord, O my soul, O Lord my God; Thou art clothed with
honour and majesty ... who walketh upon the wings of the wind: who maketh His angels
spirits; HIS MINISTERS A F-L-A-M-I-N-G F-I-R-E.' Yes, 'GOD IS A CONSUMING FIRE' (Heb.
A remarkable prophecy given
in the year 1619 contains some wonderful truths and predictions of the raising up of a
firstfruits people, among whom "certain head powers" shall bear "the first
office" and will be among the first to be commissioned as priests the glory of an
endless life; but only after the order of Melchizedek, to partake of after being refined
and purified by the most intense "spirit of burning." We quote only a portion of
that prophecy:
"A prophet, and the most
prophetical generation, will the Most High raise up who shall deliver His people by a
force of spiritual arms; for which there must be raised certain head powers to bear the
first office, who are to be persons in favor with God, whose dread and fear shall fall on
all nations, visible and invisible, because of the mighty acting power of the Holy Spirit
which shall rest upon them; for CHRIST WILL APPEAR IN SOME CHOSEN VEGSELS to bring into
the Promised Land, the new creation state. None shall stand under God but those who have
become 'tried' stones after the pattern and similitude of Christ. This will be a fiery
trial through which a very few will be able to pass or bear up in it; whereby the waiters
for this visible breaking forth are strictly charged to hold fast, and wait together in
the unity of Pure Love. This trial will be of absolute necessity to all for the clearing
away of all remaining infirmities of the natural mind, and the burning of all hay, wood,
and stubble, for nothing must remain in the fire, for as a refiner shall He purify the
sons of the Kingdom. There will be some who will be fully redeemed, being clothed upon
with a priestly garment after the Melchizedek order. This will qualify them for governing
authority. Therefore, it is required on their part to suffer the SPIRIT OF BURNING, and
the fanning of the FIERY BREATH SEARCHING EVERY PART WITHIN THEM UNTIL THEY ARRIVE A FIXED
BODY from whence the wonders are to flow out. Therefore, there should be a holy emulation
and ambition stirred up among the bands of believers that they may be of the firstfruits
unto Him that is risen from the dead, and so be made principal agents for Him and with
Him, that they may be, if possible, of the number of the First-born, of the New Jerusalem
mother. All true waiters of His Kingdom in Spirit, under whatsoever profession they may
be, ought to be numbered among the VIRGIN SPIRITS, to whom this message appertains. Be
watchful and quicken your pace..." -end quote.
What a burning, what a
burning, As all goes up in smoke and flame;
Everything of Adam's nature Must bow the knee to Jesus' name.
Chapter
32
Coming
As A Refiner's Fire
(continued)
"Behold, I will send my
messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me; and the Lord whom ye seek, shall
SUDDENLY COME TO HIS TEMPLE, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in:
behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming?
and who shall stand when he appeareth? for HE IS LIKE A REFINER'S FIRE, and like fuller's
soap: and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall PURIFY THE SONS
OF LEVI, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering
in righteousness" (Mal. 3:1-3).
Our blessed Lord and Christ
is like a refiner's fire and like fuller's soap. Fire and soap. The Lord Jesus Christ is
like fire! The Lord Jesus Christ is like soap: What can this strange, cryptic language
mean? You know what fire and soap will do. Fire will purify.
More than three centuries ago
when the Black Plague swept through London, England, more than 68,000 men, women, and
children were sickened with the putrid fever, suffered nameless agonies, passed into
delirium, sometimes with convulsions, and then died. Before the end of the terrible
nightmare of anguish and death, what was thought to be an even greater tragedy occurred.
The city caught fire, the whole heavens were ablaze as the Great Fire destroyed more than
13,200 homes and 89 churches. Most of the city, which was built largely of wood, lay in
ashes. Wonder of wonders! As soon as the last dying embers cooled and the smoke cleared,
the inhabitants of the city discovered that the Plague had been stayed! Not another person
died of the epidemic. The Plague never returned. The fire had killed the bacteria-carrying
fleas and rats that caused the Plague. It took a fire to do it! Fire is a great cleanser,
purifier, and changer, the finest purifier.
It is interesting to note
that the Greek word for fire is PUR, a derivative of which is the Latin word PYRA (pure)
and the English word PYRE - the place for the burning of a corpse. PYREX also comes from
the same root, PYR or PUR, meaning a fire, and REX, meaning a king - that which is king,
thus ruling over the fire, hence a "heat resistant" glassware. All our English
words having to do with that which is pure are related to the Greek word PUR, indicating
clearly that that which is pure is so because it has been cleansed BY FIRE! Consider:
PURE, PURity, PURify, PURification, PURitan.
And, of course, soap is also
a purifier, a cleanser. The Bible mentions several times the profession of the fuller and
fuller's soap. The trade of the fuller consisted chiefly in cleansing garments and
whitening. The process of fulling or cleansing clothes consisted in treading or stamping
on the garments with the feet or with paddles in vats of water in which a strong alkali
soap had been dissolved. So when the prophet says that the Lord comes like fire and like
soap he is telling us in language that we can understand that He is the great cleanser; He
is the great purifier. The two figures, fire and soap, are used because fire purifies
inwardly, and soap purifies outwardly (garments and flesh). The Lord Jesus Christ is like
fire and soap, He not only does a purifying job on the outside, but He also does a far
grander and more thorough purifying work on the inside.
OUR GOD IS A CONSUMING FIRE,
the scriptures affirm. I understand not why fire has been represented to us as something
so terrible, so frightening, so hideous that we should try to avoid it. If our approach
back to God is through fire, as revealed by the flaming sword placed at
The crude idea that a wise
and loving and righteous Creator would decree endless torment in undying flame for His
creatures who are the work of His hands does dishonor to the name and glory of our Lord
Jesus Christ, and it is incredible that any man who has tasted of the goodness of the Lord
could ever believe that the compassionate Saviour of mankind could ever have intended us
to read such a meaning into His words. The eternal fire is the truth, the righteousness,
the love of God; in a word, it is the nature of God. Any careful reader of the Old
Testament will be aware that fire is often used therein as a symbol of the presence and
action of God. "Our God is a consuming fire," says the scripture, and the
apostle adds, "God is love." It is no straining of metaphor to say that the love
of God and the wrath of God are the same thing described from opposite points of view.
Every father who has had to put the rod of correction to his son understands this! How we
shall experience God's love depends upon the way we come up against it. God does not
change; it is man's moral state that changes. The wrath of God is a figure of speech to
denote God's unchanging opposition to sin; it is His righteous love operating to destroy
evil. Nothing can live in that devouring flame that is of the nature of a lie or wars
against the spirit of holiness. The consuming fire is eternal as God Himself; it is,
because He is; it is that which was from the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world
without end. Oh, if there be one thing for which we ought to rejoice and praise God
without ceasing it is that eternal fire which will burn up all the foulness and
rottenness, all the wickedness and cruelty, all the shame and wrong from which our souls
have suffered. It is not evil which will have the last word, but good; not sorrow, but
joy; not hate, but love; not satan, but Christ!
Fire appears terrible only to
the man who is unprepared to pass through it. When of old God came down on Sinai, its
upper peaks were veiled with impenetrable folds of smoke, like the smoke of a furnace. And
in the heart of the smoke there was the appearance of devouring fire. There is dread here!
Bounds had been set to keep the people back; but a special message must be sent to warn
them against breaking through to gaze, lest the fire should break forth upon them. But
there was no harm as long as they kept without the barriers; and when Moses entered into
the very heart of it, it did not singe a hair of his head, and injured him no more than
when it played around the fragile acacia bush, which burned with fire without being
consumed - not a leaf shriveled, nor a twig scorched. Yes, our God is a consuming fire,
and there is comfort and hope and blessing in the thought! When we yield to God's love,
and open our hearts to Him, He enters into us, and becomes within us a consuming fire; not
to ourselves, but to the evil within us. So that, in a very deep and blessed sense, we may
be said to dwell with the devouring fire, and to walk amid the eternal burnings.
When Moses, before His death,
blessed the tribes of Israel, in blessing the tribe of Joseph he said, "Blessed of
the Lord be his land ... BY THE GOODWILL OF HIM THAT DWELT IN THE BUSH" (Deut.
33:13,16). Is not this a strange thing to place among the catalog of human blessings? We
can understand why Moses should have desired that his people might be blessed by God with
"the precious things of heaven," with "the dew and the deep that coucheth
beneath," with "the precious fruits brought forth by the sun and the precious
things put forth by the moon." But why should he ask for them such a blessing as
this? - the goodwill that God manifested when He dwelt in the unquenchable fire! Was not
that aspect of
PURIFYING THE SONS OF LEVI
Not only must we be saved
from the penalty of sin, but we must also be delivered from the power and nature of sin.
The Bible says that I have been saved from the penalty of sin; that same Bible declares
that I must be saved from the power and nature of sin. As surely as God has delivered me
from the penalty of sin, just so surely shall He deliver me from the power of sin, blessed
be His name! He is fire and He is soap. With the sweet psalmist of
You will recall to memory
that memorable night, that tremendous occasion of the Passover when the angel of the Lord
passed through the
As the children of
That the coming of the Lord
as refining fire does not relate to His coming in the flesh two thousand years ago is
clearly seen by the fact that there was no purifying of the priesthood then, and the term
"the sons of Levi" cannot refer to the old Levitical priesthood but to the new
order of the Melchizedekian priesthood, for the old Aaronic priesthood has passed away and
the new order has come into being, the order of Melchizedek. The Lord has nothing to do
with the Levitical priesthood, for He was not of the tribe of Levi but of the tribe of
Many students who enter
college are required to take an entrance exam. As with every test, the entrance exam is
given to determine, and prove, those who qualify, and eliminate those who don't. Those who
pass the test will remain and continue with their studies; those who fail are rejected.
Every test and trial has within it the element of elimination. Those who do not stand and
pass the test are eliminated - not killed or tortured - but cast off, excluded, rejected,
prevented from entering in to the new realm. That this possibility exists in the callings
of God is clearly seen by the earnest exhortation of Paul when he writes to the saints at
"But who may abide the
day of His coming? and who shall stand when He appeareth?" The great desire of Paul's
heart was to qualify and not be a castaway, and to help others to attain also. He wanted
to attain and apprehend that for which Christ had apprehended him and to press toward the
mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Phil. 3). "Warning
every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in
Christ Jesus; whereunto I also labour, striving according to His working, which worketh in
me mightily" (Col. 1:28-29). This is the great cry and longing of my heart also, that
with Paul I may be counted worthy of the Kingdom and a place in the Royal Priesthood, and
to help you, my reader, to attain also. It is wonderful to hear preachers describe the
glories of sonship, the priesthood, and the kingdom. We rejoice with joy unspeakable and
full of glory, we shout aloud and praise God when we hear, but are we going to be
partakers of the glory? That is the question. Not all who imagine themselves to be sons,
not all who speak passionately of their place in God, not all who boast of their position
in the Kingdom are going to make it - only a few, methinks. "Many are called, but few
are chosen" (Mat.
"And He shall purify the
sons of Levi, and PURGE them as gold and silver." In the refining and purifying
process there is a purging taking place. Purging is getting rid of unwanted and
unnecessary material. When Hitler came to power in
God wants outward holiness
and He wants inward holiness. Soap for the outside, fire for the inside. But God does not
want outward holiness apart from inward holiness. That's what the Pharisees had, you know.
Outwardly they looked marvelous, outwardly they were so religious it knocked your eye out,
but the Lord who can see through a thick cloud and whose eyes penetrate the depths of
darkness could see that inwardly they were full of dead men's bones - the skeletal form of
their father's religion, but void of the life and substance thereof. Outwardly bright
white-washed sepulchers, but inwardly full of death and corruption - form without essence,
works without life, revelation without reality!
THE REFINING FIRE
"And He shall sit as a
refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as
gold and silver."
In this wonderful process the
miner mines the ore out of the darkest depth. The miner has it in his mind that he will go
after the ore. Now, it's not easy to obtain the ore. The ore is in inaccessible places,
and it requires great effort and endeavor for the miner to obtain the precious ore. The
refiner then goes after the ore. The ore doesn't go after the refiner. I have never heard
of an ore searching for a refiner! You never will. It's the refiner who goes after the
ore. Somebody says, "I sought the Lord." Well, that's how it appeared to you, my
friend, but the truth of the matter is the Lord sought you. He sought you in the darkest
depths of the flesh and the bestial system of this world, and He brought you forth and
made you His. You may appear today very beautiful and all gift-wrapped and glorious in the
grace of God, but I'm not deceived, and heaven is not deceived, and I sincerely hope that
you are not deceived. It is not my intention to either affront or insult those who read
these lines, but I must remind every child of God that any man or woman saved by God's
grace is nothing but a decorated mud ball. You are ore brought up from the depths, yet
polluted with impurities and distracting, incompatible substances. While we praise God for
His mercy and grace so lavishly bestowed, the fact remains that the heart is deceitful
above all things, and desperately wicked - who can know it? But now, praise His name! the
ore belongs to Him. That is what happened in salvation, we became His property, purchased
by His blood.
"Ye are not your own,
for ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit,
which are God's" (I Cor.
The ore is now the property
of the miner who mined it, but the mixture is there. Both gold and silver are found in
nature, but not in their pure form. They come mixed with, or imbedded in, various other
kinds of rocks, minerals and metals. No jeweler would want to work with natural gold with
bits of rock or sand in it. Nor could such impure stuff be beaten into thin sheets. And no
one likes a ring that turns their finger green! No, gold and silver as they are found in
nature do not have, in themselves much usefulness. They must first be separated from all
the impurities that naturally accompany them. And the process for doing that is called
REFINING. Our lives, dear ones, are like that. There is so much that is worthwhile in us,
but so much that is worthless. There is so much that is of God, and so much that is of
self. So much that is of the Spirit, and so much that is of the flesh. So what does the
great and eternal Miner have on His hands? He has a mixture. And that is why there has to
be the furnace of fire. The ore which we are, in that mixed, raw, unrefined state, brings
no pleasure at all to the Refiner, nor does it fulfill any useful purpose in His plans. Of
these He says, "With them I am not well pleased."
Our Father in His sovereign
purpose sees us, but He cannot use all that He sees. The ore is wonderful relative to its
pure precious metal content, but it is disgusting relative to the impurities that are
mingled therein. He is unable to use us in that condition of mixture, so He comes to us as
a refiner's fire. And immediately we wonder what is happening! What is happening is that
HE is appearing, and I might add, He is showing up in a FORM that we did not expect. Yes,
'tis the same Jesus, the lovely Saviour who so graciously saved us by His grace, but He
comes now, not to forgive and bless and coddle and wink at all our carnality, but He comes
as a refining fire, to purify the sons of Levi. He comes now to lay the axe to the root of
every tree that bears no good fruit.
THE FIERY TRIAL
One aspect of God's fire is
affliction, reverses, calamities, heartbreak, disappointment, trouble, suffering - all
this and more besides, everything that breaks and processes and moulds the character of
God into our lives. People say, "I don't know why God has allowed all of this to
happen to me!" Ah - that's an easy thing to solve - He lets it happen because you
need it! Since we are now HIS, His ore, we ought not be surprised at any of the
processings which He brings our way, but rather we see the hand of our Father in all these
things, knowing that in His own mystical and divine way He is working it all for our good
and unto His glory.
The apostle Peter expressed
the truth of it this way: "Beloved, do not be amazed and bewildered by the fiery
ordeal which is taking place to test your quality, as though something strange - unusual
and alien to you and your position - were befalling you" (I Pet. 4:12, Amplified).
"THINK IT NOT STRANGE," the King James version says - do not be amazed and
bewildered, do not be astonished, do not be alarmed as though the experience is foreign,
unexpected, abnormal, a surprise. It is not an accident - it was PLANNED. It is not a
surprise - it was PURPOSED.
If we love the Lord and long
to see His purpose realized in our lives, we must be willing to accept Him as a refiner's
fire. We accepted Him as Saviour, now we must accept Him as Fire. We must be willing to
embrace the means He uses to sanctify us. He sanctifies us in the crucible of adversities.
The trials, afflictions, sufferings He sends us are not punishments for past sins but
divine tools to conform us to His image. Paul's thorn in the flesh, Job's loss of all his
possessions, family and health, Joseph's betrayal by his brethren, his being sold as a
slave, and later his being falsely accused and thrown in prison, were all for a divine
purpose. Taken to the isle of
It is necessary that testings
come. It is necessary that God's elect be tried. It is the fierce heat of THIS OVEN OF
EARTH that separates the gold from the dross. It is the sevenfold heat that purifies the
gold, and we must not be amazed or troubled by it. The fiery trial that is to try us is
for our transformation. The fire of God consumes without destroying. A good illustration
of this truth can be found in one of the physical laws in science which states that matter
can never be destroyed, only transformed or changed. Ice, for example, when subjected to
heat first becomes a liquid (water), then a gas (water vapor). It disappears, but it is
not destroyed, only changed into a higher form. So too the fire of God's glory destroys
the flesh by transforming it. His sanctifying fire destroys that which corrupts the flesh
(sin) in order to render the flesh holy. The sanctifying power of the Spirit places us on
holy ground where the flesh (self-life) must put off its shoes if we are to walk as God
wills. I find it impossible to believe that the saints will be raptured OUT OF THE
TRIBULATION. Noah was not saved from the flood, but IN THE MIDST of its awful torrents.
Daniel was not saved FROM the Lion's den, but IN IT. Neither were Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego saved FROM the fiery furnace, but by WALKING IN THE MIDST OF IT WITH THE SON OF
GOD. We are not saved FROM the cross, but by it.
Ray Prinzing has written,
"God is spirit - that is His substance. God is love that is His nature. God is also
light and fire - they are His manifestations. We speak of fiery trials, HE IS IN EVERY ONE
OF THEM. May we go even farther? He is the source of the fire in our fiery trial, 'HE' is
the fire thereof. You say that God's hand is resting upon you - you say that He has filled
with His Spirit and His anointing is upon your life, guiding you into all truth. Then
don't be amazed at the fiery testing that is yours also, for with every advancing step
into new truth, there needs to be a purging out of error and past traditions which are
contrary to pure truth. The fire to burn out the dross is the Holy Spirit God has placed
within, your GOD is your fire. The reason you are conscious of the fire is because there
remains something in resistance to the move of God, but after all is brought into
submission, it doesn't matter if the circumstances don't change, for by then you have been
so changed you no longer consider them as a fire in your life. The Lord places you into a
situation which almost 'burns' you up, and by your unyieldedness to God you are completely
miserable. But when you at last begin to yield to His will, you find that all of the
situation has become a haven, and learning to be content in whatever state you are in, you
are no more adversely affected by the fire, you delight in it.
"Kenneth Wuest, in his
translation, calls the fiery trial 'the
smelting process.' A fiery ordeal, a smelting
process - why? because it will both purify us, as well as reveal what degree of quality
has been attained within. We become so involved with the exterior happenings of the trial,
how our flesh hurts, etc., that we forget the actual purpose is for the INNER PROCESSING,
until we are of a PURE SPIRIT before Him. When suddenly we become aware of 'what spirit we are of' in some of these
happenings, it sends us back to our knees in repentance and beseeching God to purge out
these unholy traits. HE already knows what is in us, but the fires certainly expose us to
ourselves. Sometimes we bow low in praise because we see what He has wrought, and are
amazed at our own reaction to a situation - of the calm, the peace, the rest we have in it
all. Then we also have those other times when the agitation of our spirit reveals that
there are vast areas within that still need to be dealt with, purified and cleansed, until
'ALL that is within me (can) bless His holy name' (Ps. 103:1). Yet in all of this working,
praise God, we find in Him NO CONDEMNATION - just that continual drawing upward and
onward, being assured that HE who hath begun in us this good work, will also bring it to a
successful conclusion in His own time" - end quote. What a word!
"He shall SIT as a
refiner and purifier of silver..." He sits - this is a process that requires time,
this is something that is important to Him, something He must patiently sit and preoccupy
Himself with, not a work to be rushed or accomplished in one grand sweep of His hand. To
us it becomes very monotonous, for it seems the process will never end. He SITS! From the
moment you were sovereignly apprehended by the Spirit of God to be a part of His specific
workings in this day, the Lord Jesus Christ has been obsessively preoccupied with
purifying and refining what you are as His instrument in the earth. He examines the ore,
ugly, shapeless, not representative at all of that beautiful vessel He has in mind; but
there it is, just a hunk of jagged, dirty ore, with too much alloy. He moves to change
that, and under the crucible you go.
People enter into this walk
of sonship and I hear them saying, "I've never had trouble like I've had since I came
into this walk!" Of course you haven't. That's the way it's supposed to be! "I
had it better back in the church system," they moan. I wouldn't doubt that one little
bit, because God is not at this time interested in either
How long will this continue?
I would like to promise you some respite, but I dare not. Ps. 12:6 says, "The words
of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, PURIFIED SEVEN
TIMES." Seven is the number of perfection. It reveals the truth that God's own nature
will be produced in the fire. He will heat up the furnace until you have been perfectly
cleansed and purified, nothing remaining but HIMSELF. That which the Lord is receiving
unto Himself cannot be of an inferior quality to Himself. The gold - ah, it is HIM. The
silver - it is of HIM. How marvelous is the grace by which He has birthed us out of His
own Spirit - making us "partakers of the divine nature" (II Pet. 1:4). It is
like the grades in school, the farther along you go the harder the lessons become.
How long, think you, would it
take a workman with a hammer and chisel to crush the ore and extract the gold from the
rocks in which it lies so closely embedded? But if they are flung into the great furnace,
and fires fanned to torrid heat and the draught roars through the burning mass, eventually
a great glowing stream of pure and fluid metal, from which all dross and rubbish are
parted, flows into the waiting mould. This is a parable of what God will do for us. At
first the surface of the melting metal may be dark and lurid - deep orange red, over which
a flickering flame shall pass; but, as the process is pursued, the color will become
lighter, the dark fumes will pass off, and the metal shall bear the appearance of a highly
polished mirror, reflecting the beholder's face. The process may be long and hot; BUT THE
RESULT IS SURE.
A brother has shared his
interesting and informative experience at a silver smelter. He says, "I once visited
a silver refinery. As one looked in through the door of the furnace you could observe a
beautiful sea of molten silver. The flames were reflected mirror-like in the melted metal
and one doubts whether anything could be more pure. Then the operator of the furnace added
a chemical reagent and within minutes none of that beautiful silver was visible. The
material that was added reacted with the impurities in the silver and these impurities
rose to the top. The beauty was completely obscured. The operator then used a long handled
tool to rake all these impurities out the door of the furnace. The silver returned to its
original beauty. Another reagent was then added and the same thing happened. This process
went on for about a week and by then the silver was over ninety-nine percent pure."
What a beautiful picture of the work of the fire of God in us! We look at one another and
think we all reflect the beauty of Christ from within. Then God casts some circumstance
into our life and suddenly the beauty of the Lord in us becomes clouded over as things
come to the surface that we were not even aware were in our hearts.
I would like to tell you that
the fire will get cooler, I would like to assure you that God is going to reduce the
temperature, I would like to promise you that God will not add to the fire another
reagent, but I have the most marvelous news for you - something good is NOT going to
happen to you! I wonder how many people would appreciate us singing on television,
"Something AWFUL is going to happen to you ... Jesus of Nazareth is passing this
way!" Everybody wants to hear about the good, the gifts, the blessings and glory all
around. But let me assure you that none of that will bring you to perfection. Only the
consuming fire of God can bring the scum to the surface of our lives, where He scoops it
off. More fire and more heat and more and more impurities rise to the surface to be
removed by His dealing hand. The process continues hour after hour, day after day, week
after week, month after month, year after year until He can look into the molten silver
and see His own image, His own reflection, His own face perfectly and clearly. So long as
He can look into that furnace and not behold His own face clearly and purely and precisely
and perfectly the heat stays on. "TAKE AWAY the dross from the silver, and there
shall come forth a vessel for the finer" (Prov. 25:4).
RESPONDING TO THE FIRE
You can do one of two things
when the pressures come. You can either REACT or you can RESPOND. What is the difference?
To react is: "Why did this happen to me? Why didn't it happen to somebody else? I'm
so fed up with so-and-so and such-and-such." That is reaction - plain and simple. We
can talk of how good God is, of the great revelations He has given, of marvelous truths
revealed, of glorious experiences received, of the high realm to which we are called - but
how do you do when the fire starts burning? The accurate test of the quality of what is
built into our spiritual lives is: How do we act when put under pressure? Do we react, or
do we respond? How do you do, precious friend of mine, when the heat is turned up? Do you
go to pieces? Do you wring your hands in dismay? Do you moan and cry? Does your brow
furrow with worry and frustration? Is your heart seized with fear? Do you ask, "Where
are you, God? What did I do to deserve this?"
The question is just this -
How do you do when you're in a test? What do you do when sickness strikes...financial
crisis ... trouble in the family ... problems at work... car breaks down ... when the
heavens seem like brass and God appears to be a trillion miles away. Our God is a God who
hides Himself, who draws the curtain, who veils His presence and withdraws His hand, that
those who are growing up into His image may be tested. There come seasons of drought in
every soul, as well as times of rain. There are times of storm as well as periods of fair
weather. There are seasons of difficulties as well as days of blessing. There are the
times when God is building a fire under your pot, because He plans to bring some changes
in you.
But RESPONDING when testing
comes is like this: "Lord, you have permitted this to come upon me; it couldn't
happen if You didn't allow it, You're my Father. What are you trying to tell me? What are
you working at getting rid of? What scum is there down there? What thing is there in me
that is alien to your purpose, a hindrance to the revelation of Yourself through me? Why
are You turning up the fire again, Lord; what are you wanting to teach me? I commit myself
into Your hands, Father; I commit all my way unto you. I trust you with all I have and all
I am. Do with me as You see fit, what you know is best. I say Yes to Your will, Yes to
Your ways, Yes to Your word, my God!" That is RESPONDING. The fires will go out and
the testings will end when they have accomplished the purpose for which the fire was
kindled in the first place - when you've gotten the message, when you've learned the
lesson, when you've been completely purged, purified and transformed, when everything that
is not of Christ is out of your mind, out of your nature, out of your character, out of
your disposition, out of your emotions, and out of your life!
Who may abide - endure - wait
for - the day of HIS COMING? So many are content in that spiritual place where they are.
The vast majority of Christians are satisfied with the forgiveness realm, the blessing
realm, the gift realm where all is received by free grace through faith. Everything in
those elementary realms is free! There are no conditions, no qualifications, no price -
neither is there any great attainment in God. It is the realm of children, of babes in
Christ. "Ask, and ye shall receive." To the spiritual children Jesus promised,
"If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much
more shall your heavenly Father give good things to them that ask Him?" (Mat. 7:11).
The world of children receiving gifts from their parents is a blessed world indeed!
The question follows - Who
will wait for the day of HIS COMING? for He is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's
soap. Ah, beloved, this is not the blessing realm, it is something beyond the gifts and
benefits obtained by grace through faith. This is the PURGING, CLEANSING AND PURIFYING
REALM! It is the realm of qualifying for sonship, of preparation for the Kingdom, of
readiness to rule and reign with Christ as a King-Priest after the order of Melchizedek.
And who shall stand - or who can withstand, who can stand against it, who can stop or
prevent His appearing as the refiner's fire? No one, may I answer, shall be able to
withstand or stand against His coming when He appeareth!
Even so, Come Lord Jesus!
THE REFINER'S FIRE
He sat by a furnace of
seven-fold heat As He watched by the precious ore,
And closer He bent with a searching gaze As He heated it more and more.
He knew He had ore that could stand the test And He wanted the finest gold,
To mold as a crown for the King to wear, Set with gems of price untold.
So He laid our gold in the burning fire, Tho' we fain would say Him, "Nay";
And watched the dross that we had not seen, As it melted and passed away.
And the gold grew brighter and yet more bright, But our eyes were dim with tears,
We saw but the fire - not the Master's hand, And questioned with anxious fears.
Yet our gold shone out with a richer glow As it mirrored a Form above,
That bent o're the fire, tho' unseen by us, With a look of ineffable love.
Can we think it pleases His Loving heart To cause us a moment's pain?
Ah no! but He sees thro' the present cross The bliss of eternal gain.
So He waited there with a watchful eye, With a love that is strong and sure,
And His gold did not suffer a bit more heat Than was needed to make it pure.
FIRES FOR GLORY
In the Fires of our
affliction, All predestined for our good,
We can see the fourth man walking, Forming now a son of God.
Lest our souls fall in that furnace, Be consumed by sorrow sore,
He has sent the Holy Spirit, Our deliverance to insure.
He knows what will purify us, Knows the way, has gone before,
And He planned this fiery furnace, Not an end - but as the DOOR.
For our body, soul, and spirit, As a substance to refine,
From these fiery trials and sorrows, Shall emerge, with glory shine.
Not a golden, evil image, As some heathen king did mold,
But a precious Holy Image, A reflected son of God.
So wait my soul, wait on His workings, Wait my spirit, patiently,
Wait my body, for the changing, Rising up triumphantly.
In the ages yet unrolling, We shall still His glories share,
For the plan of God is ceaseless, His salvation making bare.
Mortal minds cannot receive it, This supernal plan so great,
One that covers all the ages, Ending sin, and fear, and hate.
So we give Him all the glory, Knowing fiery trials now,
Will present us in His likeness, All is well, that He allows.
- Irene Lindsay
Chapter
33
Coming
In Resurrection Power
"For our conversation is
in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall
change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to
the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself" (Phil.
3:20-21).
"Now if Christ be
preached that He rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection
of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen...
Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed" (I
Cor.
Of all the dreams the heart
of man has ever entertained, none has been more desirable, precious, and worthy of
attainment, regardless of the cost, than the dream of immortality. Let's be honest; if
there was an elixir that was invented guaranteed to give immortality to our physical
bodies, we would all buy it and drink it! Kings and emperors who have conquered the world
would gladly have exchanged all they had gained for immortality. But all the wealth of all
the nations that lay prostrate before their victorious swords, even combined with all the
riches amassed in their vast treasure houses, could not buy them so much as one single
second's extension of time.
"It is appointed unto
man once to die," says the Word of God. And, short of the coming of Jesus Christ,
nothing would ever have changed that. It is as inevitable as God Himself can make it.
Millionaires may offer their doctors vast fortunes to prolong their lives a month ... a
day... at least an hour...or even a few minutes. But there comes a time when all the money
in the world cannot stay the hand of death. The word "death" has many meanings
to many people. To some it means the final and futile end of all their efforts - the
leaving behind of all that they have striven for all their lives. There were no pockets in
the ancient burial shroud, for those departing this world take with them only what they
have in their hearts. All other treasures - no matter how valuable, or what the cost to
the individual accumulating them - are left behind. Then, too, there is the sorrow of
departing with loved ones. This is death's most devastating blow - the absence of someone
we love so dearly. And, if this were the end, we would be most miserable indeed. BUT IT
DOES NOT END THERE!
The resurrection from the
dead is indeed a thing which seems incredible to the mind of the natural man. Yet almost
two millenniums ago Jesus of Nazareth proclaimed by the Spirit of God these startling
words: "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were
dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die"
(Jn.
But then...Jesus came and all
was changed! Life and immortality were brought to light by Christ and His resurrection
from the dead. The dark door of death was broken down, and One stepped back into this
world from that dread realm. This was no vain speculation; this was a CERTAINTY! Hundreds
of credible witnesses saw Him, talked with Him, touched Him, held Him. This was no mere
argument but a resurrected Christ! This was nothing like the pale hopes of the Egyptians
who thought that their people would come back and through some transmigration of the soul
would go into one sort of animal after another until finally they made it back into human
form again. This was nothing like the foolish hopes of the Eastern religions and so-called
Metaphysics who trusted in the reincarnation of their souls into mortal human bodies again
and again throughout long ages, to bring them ultimately to perfection and oneness with
God. Instead of reincarnation the Bible teaches resurrection. This was nothing like the
early Greeks described by Homer in the Odyssey, where Odysseus and Achilles go into the
nether world and see these miserable shades, the ghosts of people who had died. What a
terrible picture they paint, where all alike are miserable. Ghosts flit aimlessly about,
some more tormented than the rest, but none finding joy or satisfaction, until Achilles
says, "I would rather be a poor paid servant in a poor man's house and be above
ground than be king of kings among the dead."
Jesus Christ came and offered
no vain speculation or philosophical argument, but offered His living body as the One that
had risen from the dead. Christ arose from the dead and that was the greatest moment in
the history of this world. He declared,.” Because I live, ye shall live also"
(Jn.
THE RESURRECTION BODY OF JESUS
The resurrection of Jesus
Christ from the dead is a certainty beyond all question. Our faith as Christians has no
basis if the Christ who was born at Bethlehem, and died on Calvary, is still within a
Palestinian tomb; if He did not reanimate that body by the Holy Ghost and rise in a
bloodless body from that sepulcher of stone. "If Christ be not risen, then is our
preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God;
because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ: whom He raised not up, if so be
that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: and if Christ
be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are
fallen asleep in Christ are perished" (I Cor.
The Word of God bears
immutable testimony to the fact that Jesus Christ arose triumphant over death, hell and
the grave. Jesus' humanity was "swallowed up" completely by divinity and spirit.
In the days of His flesh He made Himself subject to the law of the earth, earthly. He who
knew no limitations became subject to the limitations of His own creation. At His birth He
entered this earth realm as a normal human baby boy. There was no halo, nor did He wave at
the shepherds as they entered the stable that starlit night in
THE TWO GLORIES
One of the most significant
statements ever uttered by Jesus was made in prayer on that dark and sorrowful night
before the crucifixion. He said, "I have GLORIFIED Thee on the earth: I have finished
the work which Thou gavest Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Thou Me with Thine own
self WITH THE GLORY WHICH I HAD WITH THEE BEFORE THE WORLD WAS" (Jn. 17:4-5). Who can
begin to comprehend this? Generally, when people think of the glory of Christ they think
of the glory He had while on earth: His holiness of life, the miracles, the teachings, the
love, humility, meekness and mercy that flowed so graciously from His life and ministry.
Those things indeed characterize a great glory. Jesus spoke of it. "I have glorified
Thee on the earth" - on the earth plane. But now the blessed Son speaks of another
glory as high above the glory He revealed on earth as are the heavens high above the
earth. With the most intense desire He petitions the Father, "And now, O Father,
glorify Thou Me with Thine own self with the glory which I HAD WITH THEE BEFORE THE WORLD
WAS!" Come and hearken to what this divine message has to tell us of the eternal
glory of the Son, in whom the Father speaks to us. Come and see how truly He is one with
God, and dwells in a glory beyond that which can be either seen or known in the earth
realm! To be glorified WITH THINE OWN SELF is to be ONE IN THE FATHER; to be not merely
the Son, but God. The deeper our insight into the true Godhead of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the more confident shall we be that He will, by His divine power, make us partakers of His
very own glory.
We find arrayed before us
here TWO GLORIES. Both glories are uniquely the glory of Christ. The one, the lesser, is
His glory as He walked upon earth as a man revealing the Father on the earth plane, in a
body of flesh; the other, the greater, is the glory which He had before the world was, and
which, having passed through death and into resurrection, He now possesses once more. What
is the difference between these two glories, and what do these mean for those apprehended
unto sonship to God?
THE GLORY OF THE SON IN FLESH
I would draw your reverent
attention to these significant words of inspiration found in Phil. 2:5-9. "Let this
mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it
not robbery to be equal with God: but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the
form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a
man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him..." The Amplified Bible is so expressive
here: "Let this same attitude and purpose and mind be in you which was in Christ
Jesus - Who, although being ... one with God and in the form of God, possessing the
fullness of the attributes which make God God, did not think this equality with God was a
thing to be eagerly grasped or retained; but stripped Himself of all privileges and
rightful dignity so as to assume the guise of a servant, in that lie became like men and
was born a human being. And after He had appeared in human form He abased and humbled
Himself still further and carried His obedience to the extreme of death, even the death of
the cross! Therefore God has highly exalted Him..."
In this wonderful passage we
have a summary of all the most precious truths that cluster about the person of the Son of
God. There is first His wonderful divinity: "in the form of God," "equal
with God." Then comes the mystery of Him laying aside that glory in that phrase of
deep and inexhaustible meaning: "He stripped Himself," "He emptied
Himself." The humiliation follows: "The form of a servant," "made in
the likeness of men," "found in fashion as a man." Then comes the crushing
and mortification of suffering and death: "He humbled Himself, becoming obedient unto
death, even the death of the cross." And all is crowned by His glorious exaltation:
"God hath highly exalted Him!" Christ as God, Christ becoming man, Christ as man
in humiliation revealing the glory of the Father in a body of flesh, and Christ in glory
as Lord of all: such are the treasures of wisdom and knowledge this passage contains.
The two glories of sonship
are here: firstly, the glory He had with the Father before the world was; secondly, the
glory He had on earth. Then follows the glory to which He has now been exalted which is
one with that glory that He had from eternity.
The great truth we want to
grasp here is that Christ dwelt from eternity in the form, the essence, the nature and the
being of God. In that divine nature He was eternal, untemptable and incorruptible. But
when He laid aside that glory, emptying Himself of it, taking upon Him the form and nature
of man, He, the ETERNAL ONE, subjected Himself to the dread power of DEATH, becoming
obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. When the Christ laid aside His eternal
heavenly glory, the UNTEMPTABLE ONE took upon Himself all the frailties and weaknesses of
human nature so that the One who CANNOT be tempted was found in a nature that COULD be
tempted and indeed He was in all points TEMPTED LIKE AS WE ARE. James says that
"every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust (desire), and enticed.
Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin" (James
The point I want to make
crystal clear is that when Christ left the eternal glory of the Father-realm to take upon
Himself the glory of the Son in human flesh, He EMPTIED HIMSELF of all His prerogatives as
Deity and willfully, yea, deliberately subjected Himself to the finite restrictions and
debilitating limitations of this physical, material world. As God He had been infinitely
rich, while as man He became inconceivably poor. As God He had been the Omnipotent One,
but as man He could do absolutely nothing more than any mortal man except as the Father
worked through Him. As God He had been eternal and incorruptible, but as man He grew tired
and weary, weak and faint, and died an ignominious death upon a cross. As God He could not
be tempted with any evil, but as man He was tempted in every point as is common to men. As
God He was Omniscient, possessing all wisdom and knowledge, while as man He
"increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man" (Lk.
Christ's glory as the Son of
man was thus A FAR LESSER GLORY than the glory He had in the Father realm before the
foundation of the world. He had faithfully glorified the Father on the earth plane, making
Him visible through a body of flesh, as a life lived out, yet, when He prayed that He
might be glorified with the glory which He had before the world was, He was asking to be
released from the earthly, material, physical form He had assumed, with its human nature
and limitations and restrictions, back into the untemptable, eternal and incorruptible
realm of divine spirit life. His yearning was to be forever freed from the whole dreadful
realm of physical weakness, limitation and confinement. This was to shortly take place
through His RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD.
THE GLORY OF THE SON IN RESURRECTION
When we speak of the
resurrection of Christ, we enter a new and glorious realm entirely, for no man other than
Christ Jesus our Lord has until now experienced the glory of such a resurrection. In the
glory of this resurrection is seen not only the glory which Christ now has in His
exaltation, but also that marvelous glory which was His before the world was. Let us
consider this glory.
When Christ our Lord rose
from the dead, He was raised not in corruption but in INCORRUPTION. That which is
incorruptible is forever beyond the power of corruption, decay, or death. God Himself is
said to be incorruptible and we are said to be born again of incorruptible seed by the
Word of God that liveth forever. This incorruptible life now resides in our inner man, but
has not been manifested in our outer bodies. Death has no power over the incorruptible.
Thus of the resurrection body it is written: "It is sown in corruption; it is raised
in incorruption: it is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it
is raised in power: it is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body" (I Cor.
Many precious saints have
claimed that they have already put on immortality, that they have here and now by-passed
the grave and will never die. I would overthrow the faith of none, for it is my deep
conviction that we are living in the generation that shall see the long-awaited
manifestation of the sons of God; but I do say that the body of glory and incorruption is
the body of the RESURRECTION. When the
MINISTERS OF INCORRUPTION
Jesus was the firstfruit of
the resurrection. "But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits
of them that slept ... for as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's
at His coming. Then cometh the end (of the resurrection)" (I Cor.
This glorious realm of
incorruption which lies beyond the power of temptation, sin, limitation, sickness, sorrow
and death belongs to the children of God, but, blessed be God! it is likewise the hope of
ALL CREATION. One of the fundamental laws of nature is that one cannot dispense what he
does not himself possess; on the spiritual plane this means that one cannot minister that
of which he has not himself been made partaker. I therefore declare to you that although
the glory of the Son of God on earth throughout His three and a half years of ministry and
manifestation was truly marvelous beyond words to describe, still it was a glory which was
limited in the extreme. When the Christ took upon Him a body of flesh and the nature of
man, He willfully subjected Himself to the limitations and restrictions of that which is
material, earthly and mortal. Jesus did not walk among men as the incorruptible God, but
as mortal man. It was as a natural, physical mortal earthling that He was tempted; He
hungered; He thirsted; He was bound by time and space; He knew weakness; He wept; He
slept; He suffered; He died. The life of God resided within His inner spirit, but that
life was confined, restrained and restricted by the bounds of the material world which He
had taken upon Himself. It is manifest that His body was not an incorruptible body, else
He could not have died though nailed to a thousand crosses! His own human nature was not
of the incorruptible nature of God, else He could not have been TEMPTED in all points like
as we are. Truly He emptied Himself, yea, stripped Himself of that incorruptible glory of
the Father realm and, as man, as flesh, HE COULD NOT, though He were a Son, MINISTER THAT
WHICH HE DID NOT HIMSELF POSSESS! If He laid it aside He did not have it. And if He did
not have it, He could not give it. Oh! the mystery of it.
It is remarkable that during
the few years of Jesus' earthly ministry He never performed one act, not even one miracle
or wonder on the higher plane of incorruption. Every miracle Jesus did was in the realm of
mortality. Jesus raised a number of folk from the dead, including Lazarus, the widow's son
and the daughter of Jairus; but every person raised from the sleep of death was merely
raised up again into the MORTAL LIFE to continue their lives for a season in the same old
corruptible bodies. Each and every one of them DIED AGAIN! Think of it. Not one single
person was raised up out of a corruptible body into an incorruptible body. It would be
impossible for the world to even contain all the books that could be written about those
astonishing signs and incredible wonders performed by the Son of God on earth; yet, all
those works, mighty though they were, were restricted entirely to the plane of the
physical, material and mortal. Jesus cleansed the lepers and healed every manner of
sickness and disease among the people, but I do not hesitate to tell you that each and
every one of those good people got sick again and eventually died! Those were miracles
within the sphere of mortality, not ministrations of incorruptible life. Those wonderful
deliverances were in all reality but short new leases on the corruptible existence of this
body of death. Though Christ blessed men with healing and health and these were permitted
to remain on earth for long series of years, yet He merely lengthened out the period of
their mortal existence and NONE COULD AVOID THE FINAL CATASTROPHY.
Jesus did many other types of
miracles. He began by turning water into wine. And it was very excellent wine, indeed. But
just wine, nonetheless. It was composed of the same chemical elements as all fine wine. It
was material, physical, earthly. It was consumed by flesh and blood bodies and a portion
eliminated from those bodies as waste. Nothing incorruptible or celestial here! And yet it
is written: "This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and MANIFESTED
FORTH HIS GLORY; and His disciples believed on Him" (Jn. 2: 11). Ah - He manifested
forth His glory, but this was not the glory He had with the Father before the world was,
but the lesser glory of manifesting the Father on the earth plane, in the world of the
physical, material and mortal.
On another occasion Jesus fed
more than five thousand people from five little loaves and two small fish. How we stand in
awe before the majesty of such a miracle! but remember, dear ones, that even a wonder so
marvelous as this is but a wonder on the physical plane. Bread and fish. Nothing more.
Multiplied! And what have you? More bread and fish! Material bread. Physical fish.
Perishable, corruptible items, both. The multitude ate of it and their bodily hunger was
satisfied momentarily, their mortal bodies strengthened for a few fleeting hours and then
all the old hunger and weakness returned. Nothing of eternal value there, nothing of
incorruptible substance! One time Jesus caused the boat in which He and His disciples were
sailing to move from the middle of the sea to the shore with a speed swifter than any
modern rocket. Wonderful! you say. Yes, wonderful indeed on the earth plane, wonderful to
the fascinated eyes of poor finite mortals in their limitation and confinement to natural
law, and their lack of understanding thereof. But still no ministration of the higher life
of incorruption. The disciples who made this fantastic voyage with Jesus remained but
natural men with carnal minds, unchanged and untransformed by heaven's life. Following
this miracle creation was still groaning as it had been groaning for long millenniums - to
be DELIVERED FROM THE BONDAGE OF CORRUPTION! Without doubt that same boat which made such
a miraculous passage across the sea has long since decayed back into the earth or lies
ruined on the bottom of the sea. And creation goes on groaning...
"For even the whole
creation waits expectantly and longs earnestly for God's sons to be made known - waits for
the revealing, the disclosing of their sonship. For ... the creation itself will be set
free from its bondage to decay and corruption and gain an entrance into the glorious
freedom of God's children" (Rom. 8:19,21). When Paul by inspiration penned these
blessed words of hope he did not have in mind a manifestation of God's sons after the
order of which Jesus was manifested while on earth. Jesus glorified the Father on the
earth plane, and so do we; but this is not the glory yet to be revealed that we
anticipate, neither is it the hope for which the whole creation is in travail. The
creation is not groaning for another revival, nor for another evangelistic campaign, nor
for another healing campaign, nor for more gifts of the Spirit, nor for more apostles and
prophets and teachers, nor for more signs, wonders and miracles, nor yet for 144,000
flaming evangelists just like Jesus when He walked the shores of blue Galilee. For two
millenniums we have had revival after revival, healing upon healing, signs and wonders and
miracles in abundance, and none of them have ever brought forth the fullness of the
Kingdom of God on earth, nor has even one of them or all of them put together ever
delivered the creation from its bondage to corruption! The creation continues to groan in
its bondage and we ourselves, groan within ourselves, as we wait for the disclosing of our
sonship - the redemption of our bodies. It is not another "patch-up" job we
want, but a full and complete and eternal deliverance from the whole dreadful realm of
corruption in spirit, soul and body!
Jesus clearly understood that
He could never deliver the creation from its bondage to corruption so long as He remained
Himself subject to this realm of mortality. He simply could not minister to men that which
He had abrogated in coming to earth. Though He should have walked on earth for a million
years in His body of humiliation, gaining in favor with the people and power over the
nations through all those years, He still would not have been able to raise even one poor
mortal up out of corruption into incorruption. It was necessary that He be resurrected
Himself by the power and glory of the Father that He might be able then to minister even
that resurrection life to a firstfruit company; that they, in turn, apprehending all that
pertains to that life might be able then to minister it to the rest of creation. For this
creation waits expectantly.
Let us give ear to Peter as
his lips speak of the resurrection life of Christ in his tremendous sermon on the day of
Pentecost. Notice that his message did not center in the Christ of the manger, nor in the
Christ of teaching, nor in the Christ of healing, nor in the Christ of signs and wonders,
nor alone in the Christ crucified, but in CHRIST RISEN FROM THE DEAD. "Ye men of
Israel," he cries, "hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God
among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by Him in the midst of you, as
ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge
of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: whom GOD HATH RAISED
UP, having loosed the pains of death... for David speaketh concerning Him, I foresaw the
Lord always before my face, for He is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:
therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover my flesh also shall rest
in hope: because Thou wilt not leave My soul in hell, neither wilt Thou suffer Thine Holy
One to see corruption. Thou hast made known to Me the ways of life" (Acts
How we praise God and bless
Him unceasingly for every temporal blessing so lavishly bestowed by His bountiful grace.
We rejoice exceedingly in His provision of finances for our daily needs, for those
healings which have preserved alive our bodies unto this day, for each sign and wonder
which has quickened our faith and given assurance of His wonderful love, faithful care and
gracious presence. We would not minimize the blessedness of any of these things, yet are
aware that none of these are that for which creation, and we ourselves, are groaning. We
cannot - dare not - be satisfied until we AWAKE IN HIS LIKENESS! The glory to which we are
called as sons of God is not the glory Jesus had on earth, but the glory for which He
prayed when His earth-walk was completed: "And now, O Father, glorify Thou Me with
Thine own self with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was." Paul
wrote, "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall YE also appear WITH
HIM IN GLORY" (Col. 3:4). And Peter declared, "But the God of all grace ... hath
called us unto HIS ETERNAL GLORY by Christ Jesus" (I Pet.
I can assure you, precious
friend of mine, that this resurrection glory, this eternal glory is the hope of all
creation. We rejoice in the manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit, in prophecies,
visions, hearings, miracles, temporal blessings and provisions, but I must confess that I
am saddened to see the Lord's people continually following after mere TEMPORAL SIGNS and
PHYSICAL, MATERIAL, MORTAL BLESSINGS. I would not depreciate for one moment, nor in any
measure, the manifold blessings and gracious provisions of God in this earthly realm of
mortality and corruption. I, above all who read these lines, perhaps, can testify to God's
absolute and unswerving faithfulness to miraculously supply every need in this earthly,
temporal realm as He daily provides sustenance for my family and the wherewithal to mail
out tens of thousands of articles and books to the elect of God each year. It is all the
LORD'S DOING, and I can bear witness that never once in these more than forty years of
publishing the Kingdom Bible Studies has His faithfulness failed, bless His name!
And yet it distresses my soul
to see my sick brethren (as well as myself) healed by the power of God, only to behold
them smitten again later by some other debilitating disease. What sorrow it brings to the
human heart to see the precious men and women of God who have walked in the Spirit and
have so mightily blessed God's people finally grow old and pass from our midst into the
silence of the grave. I grow tired of healing the sick only to see them sick again. It is
frustrating to pray for the same saints over, and over, and over again for the same
problems and weaknesses. I am tired of seeing the dead raised (I personally know several
people who have been raised from the dead) just to watch them ageing and weakening on
their way into death again. I tire of signs and wonders which cater only to the flesh, and
minister solely to the physical man on the level of mortality: food, raiment, money, jobs,
and all the rest of the corruptible things of earth. I am deeply discontented with that
which blesses men in the natural but then leaves them to carry on their lives in
corruptible natures and bodies. How expressive the word which the Spirit selected when He
inspired the apostle to write: "For in this (our earthly house) we groan, EARNESTLY
DESIRING to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven... that mortality might be
swallowed up of life" (II Cor. 5:1-5). Paul says that the whole creation GROANS. He
says that WE ALSO GROAN ... that mortality might be swallowed up of life! "And He
that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given us His pledge of
the Spirit" (II Cor. 5:5).
Christ shall minister His
eternal glory to a firstfruit company of sons who shall in turn minister that same eternal
glory to the creation. Think not, dear saints, that the ministry of the manifested sons of
God shall consist in holding great salvation-healing campaigns, of merely emptying out
hospitals as the sick are healed, of supernaturally and miraculously feeding the world's
hungry and starving multitudes, or raising some dead people back to life again as Jesus
did. What Jesus WAS is not the pattern for the manifested sons of God. The pattern is WHAT
HE IS IN HIS ETERNAL GLORY. He has planted within each and every son of God an
incorruptible SEED which shall in due time produce an INCORRUPTIBLE PEOPLE. The ministry
of the sons of God will be to impart INCORRUPTIBLE LIFE so that ALL THINGS and ALL MEN may
be raised up out of the realm of limitation and death into the glorious liberty of the
ETERNAL SPIRITUAL ORDER. Glory!
Therefore the Spirit saith,
"We look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that
it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is
able even to subdue ALL THINGS unto Himself" (Phil. 3:20-21). Here we have the top of
the ladder, reaching into the celestial realm - the blessed end to which Christ and life
in Him is to lead. Beloved brethren! Let us lay aside all presumption and purge ourselves
of every form of deception. I admonish you this day - do not allow any man to deceive you
into believing that he can in some way minister immortality to your mortal body - unless
He himself dwells in an incorruptible body! Some have professed to have already put on
immortality, to have even now passed over the grave; but it should be obvious to any
thinking mind that the wrinkles in their skin, the redness in their tired eyes, the gray
in their hair, the daily need for food, water, air and sleep, and the unchecked ageing of
their bodies give the lie to their confession. Some have tried to teach people into
immortality, some have attempted to confess or meditate into it, others have concocted a
scheme for baptizing people into it, while others have foolishly hoped to live forever by
eating health food. I can tell you without any fear of contradiction that all the
fruitarians and vegetarians and food faddists of all previous generations are now lying in
their graves along with all who subscribed to any other method or technique devised by man
for the putting on of immortality. The word cannot be broken: "For our conversation
is in heaven, from whence we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: WHO SHALL CHANGE
OUR VILE BODY..." How can corruption impart incorruption? How can any man lift either
himself or others out of the pit of corruption by his own corruptible boot straps?
"To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the TREE OF LIFE WHICH IS IN THE MIDST
OF THE PARADISE OF GOD," saith the Lord. Let me present this Tree of Life: Christ,
risen, glorified and exalted above all heavens! Christ enthroned in the glory He had with
the Father before the world began. HE is the tree of life in the paradise of the
With what anticipation do we
wait for this glorious manifestation! Meantime we are taught to believe: "We look for
the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body..." This is not
meant merely for revelation, to be left for the future; for the full development of our
life in sonship we must seek to enter into and appropriate it. We do this as we learn to
triumph over death on every level. We do it as we learn to look to Christ as the Lord of
our body, claiming its entire consecration, securing even here and now victory over the
terrible dominion sin has had in the body. "Sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth
death" (James
Sons of God! Seek to know
CHRIST as your redemption. Let this be the crown of your life in sonship. Do not seek
immortality in the body realm first, or only, apart from the knowledge of Christ in all
His other aspects. But seek it truly as that unto which they are meant to lead you.
Nothing will fit you for incorruption but faithfulness in every step of the putting on of
the MIND OF CHRIST.. Seek Him as your wisdom and the wisdom will lead you into the
mysteries of complete redemption. Seek Him as your righteousness and dwell clothed upon
with Him in that inner sanctuary of the Father's favor and presence. Seek Him as your
sanctification; the experience of His power to make you holy, spirit, soul and body will
quicken you to a power of holiness that shall not cease its work until the sin which
causes death has been abolished in your being. Seek Him as your life, and live, even now,
in the light of that glory. And as you seek to experience within yourself to the full, the
power of HIS TRANSFORMING LIFE, your heart will be enlarged to see the position man has
been destined to occupy in the universe, as having all things made subject to him, and you
shall for your part be fitted to live worthy of that high and heavenly calling!
THE POWER OF THE RESURRECTION
There is a great
misunderstanding among many of the Lord's people about the nature of the resurrection
body. Many have speculated concerning the glorified body or the body of glory, insisting
that it would have to be a body appearing about thirty years of age, in the prime of life
and at the zenith of its powers. We have imagined a race of men, all gods and goddesses of
stunning beauty and unexcelled physical perfection, the ideal specimen of humanity,
flawless and without any physical limitations. But such is not a scriptural nor a
spiritually enlightened view of the resurrection body. In forthcoming issues I hope to
deal in depth with this important thought, and in closing this message will but briefly
touch upon it.
This brings us to a most
wonderful and momentous statement of truth. Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit
wrote, "The natural man RECEIVETH NOT THE THINGS OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD: for they are
foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are SPIRITUALLY
DISCERNED" (I Cor.
The Holy Spirit who knoweth
all things has taught us in the simplest and most beautiful words that "we look not
at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which
are seen are TEMPORAL; but the things which are not seen are ETERNAL" (II Cor.
We know that God is spirit,
but what does that mean? Well, spirit is that which cannot be changed, destroyed, damaged,
or hurt in any way. Spirit does not deteriorate. It cannot grow tired or old. It is the
opposite of matter. Matter is always changing, deteriorating. While you read this page, on
an infinitesimal scale the paper is actually wearing out. The clothes that adorn your body
are wearing out. The building in which you dwell is weakening day by day. Your body, too,
is wearing out - and some day all these things will be but dust. True, it will take a long
time according to our ideas for some of these things to happen, but happen they will.
There was a time when great cities filled with imposing buildings and splendid monuments
flourished in
This is really a splendid
thing because it means that the world is constantly being renewed. It is splendid that old
and imperfect things should disappear in order that newer and better things may take their
place. If clothing did not wear out, many people would continue wearing it for many years
until it became out of style and dingy with dirt, instead of which we get new clothes at
frequent intervals. If automobiles did not wear out we might still be using the primitive
models of sixty years ago. Who would want to eternally preserve something that is
imperfect, soiled, ruined, or insufficient? Because every thing of the material realm IS
IMPERFECT God has, in His great wisdom and goodness, arranged it so that all things of
this realm ARE TEMPORAL and are passing away.
Material forms wear out, but
the Spirit of God does not wear out because the Spirit is ETERNAL SUBSTANCE. Our fleshly
bodies of humiliation are composed of matter, whereas our spirits are the offspring of
God's divine Spirit. Herein lies the folly of those who presume to have already put on
immortality in their physical bodies and cannot die. I have known many precious and
sincere brethren who believed that they had by-passed the grave, but I can tell you that
today all of them are both dead and buried with the exception of a few who have not yet
reached the age where death is a certainty. Hearken, my brother! and hear, my sister! the
words of wisdom and understanding from the Almighty: "The things which are seen ARE
TEMPORAL; but the things which are not seen ARE ETERNAL." The Spirit here reveals the
great truth that there simply is no such thing as INCORRUPTIBLE MATTER, or unchanging
forms of physical substance. There are no IMMORTAL PHYSICAL BODIES walking around anywhere
on God's green earth! If they are composed of matter and visible then they are not eternal
and cannot endure. It is a contradiction of terms. Nothing that is seen by the mortal eyes
of men or perceived by the natural senses can be eternal by the very nature of things.
There must be a transformation, a transferral from one kingdom to another.
The incorruptible body of the
resurrection is not a material body at all, it is a SPIRIT BODY. The words of Paul to the
Corinthians must be made very real to our hearts: "There are celestial (heavenly)
bodies, and bodies terrestrial (earthly): but the glory of the celestial is one, and the
glory of the terrestrial is another. So... is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in
CORRUPTION; it is raised in INCORRUPTION: it is sown in DISHONOR; it is raised in GLORY:
it is sown in WEAKNESS; it is raised in POWER: it is sown a NATURAL BODY; it is raised a
SPIRITUAL BODY. There is a NATURAL BODY and there is a SPIRITUAL BODY" (I Cor.
Our "earthly
house," our physical body, is characterized as a "tabernacle" or more
correctly a "tent-house." The transient character of the earthly body is thus
revealed by this symbol. This house is to be "dissolved." "Dissolved"
is from a Greek word meaning "loosened down," as the ropes of a tent are
loosened and the tent is taken down. The "spirit body," on the other hand, is
described as a "building of God, eternal in the heavens." The metaphor changes,
interestingly, from a "tent" to a "building," from that which can be
"dissolved" to that which "abides." My beloved brethren! I have
absolutely no desire whatever to have God imbue with any eternal qualities this poor,
imperfect, limited, restricted, humiliating, earthly, animal body! My hope of sonship
rests not in preserving for either a thousand years or forever a body that must be washed,
clothed, fed, rested, groomed, manicured, powdered and deodorized. There is another body,
thank God! formed of the incorruptible flesh of the resurrected and glorified Christ of
God and this marvelous body is of heaven even as my present body is of earth. I proclaim
to you this day that as a man PUTS ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST he puts on not only the spirit
of Christ but also the RESURRECTION BODY of Christ, and this body IS our house from
heaven. Even as our earth body has come to us from Adam, and is Adam's body, so our spirit
body comes from the Christ and is the body of His resurrection. As the pure and holy life
of the Son of God is formed within us God shall also give us bodies worthy of such divine
life, bodies capable of expressing all the wisdom and power and glory of that blessed
realm beyond sin and death, yea, beyond time and space and matter!
Chapter
34
Coming
In Resurrection Power
(continued)
"For our conversation is
in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall
change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to
the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself" (Phil.
3:20-21).
If you will in spirit stand
"as in the beginning” with your all-wise heavenly Father, you will behold the
unfolding of the mystery of His divine intention for man. Your heart will throb with
unspeakable joy as you hear the words, "Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord
God make coats of skins, and clothed them." "Garments" is one of the most
interesting words to be found in use as a Semitic symbol in scripture. Since the greater
part of the writings of most of the Old Testament prophets is couched in figurative
language abounding with Hebrew sign-words it is not surprising that an adaptable term like
"garments" or "coats" should find wide usage as a figure of speech.
When the prophet sings by the Spirit: "The Lord God ... hath covered me with the
GARMENTS of salvation," with the parallel phrase, "He hath covered me with a
ROBE of righteousness," it is obvious that he is not speaking literally of material
"garment" or "robe" to be worn upon the physical body. It is
interesting, however, that the human body itself, and the glorified body of the
resurrection, are both referred to as "clothing" which prevent our spirits from
being found "naked". "For in this (body) we groan, earnestly desiring to be
CLOTHED UPON with our house which is from heaven: if so be that being CLOTHED we shall not
be found NAKED. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that
we would be UNCLOTHED, but CLOTHED UPON, that mortality might be swallowed up of
life" (II Cor. 5:2-4).
In the vast storehouse of
truth contained in the Word of God no facet nor part thereof is in any way more
outstanding or clear than the truth that man was designed by his Creator to possess a
body. Man is not designed to have his spirit or soul flit about through eternity without a
body. The apostle Paul echoes the sense of revulsion found in the heart of every man at
the thought of being found "naked" or disembodied upon physical death. Speaking
of the earthly residence of the body of flesh he writes, "For we know that if our
earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not
made with hands, eternal in the heavens" (II Cor. 5:1). The desire of the man who is
begotten of God, whose spirit is a living spirit born from above, is that he should be
clothed with a body at all times, and after speaking of this desire to be clothed upon
with a heavenly, eternal body the apostle hastily adds, "He that hath wrought us for
this very thing IS GOD" (II Cor. 5:5).
Many times in the years of my
ministry I have been asked, "Why should there be a BODILY resurrection? Why not
simply pure SPIRIT?" When we consider that man was created and formed spirit, soul,
and body, we realize that the body belongs to THE ESSENCE OF MAN. The body is not a prison
for the spirit and soul, but rather the HOUSE, the tabernacle in which spirit and soul
live. Therefore without a body man is naked and homeless. The body is designed for the
expression of our spirit-soul-mind. Even as God is three manifestations in one person of
being, so are we three in one - body, soul, and spirit. When God said to Adam, "Of
the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that
thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely DIE" (Gen. 2:17), in the deepest sense, of
course, this meant spiritual death; but it also included physical death. Therefore, since
physical death is the direct result of sin, if there were no bodily resurrection SOMETHING
OF THE EFFECTS OF SIN WOULD ETERNALLY REMAIN IN THE REDEEMED. In other words, without
bodily resurrection man would be stripped of one-third of his essence. If in eternity man
should be only spirit and/or soul without a body, sin would have won a partial victory.
Even in the natural realm the human body is undoubtedly among the most profound wonders of
creation. Its mysterious composition and intricate complexities and physiological marvels
are so great that I know not how any man of medicine or science could ponder its
magnificence and fail to see the master mind of an omniscient Creator. But in the
scriptures we see that the Spirit of the Creator declares that not only is there this
physical body of the earth realm, but there is also the spiritual body of the heavenly
order, and the glory of the terrestrial is one, but the glory of the celestial is another.
WITH WHAT BODY DO THEY COME?
The life which Jesus gives is
Himself, and the life, which He is, is imperishable. Those who partake of it cannot
perish, for they have passed from the kingdom of death to the kingdom of life. "And I
give unto them eternal life, and they shall NEVER PERISH" (Jn.
The flesh which we inherited
from Adam who was of the earth, earthy, is counted by God to be nothing more than a seed.
"But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and WITH WHAT BODY DO THEY COME?
Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: and that which thou
sowest, thou SOWEST NOT THAT BODY THAT SHALL BE, but bare grain (seed), it may chance of
wheat, or of some other grain: but GOD GIVETH IT A BODY as it hath pleased Him, and TO
EVERY SEED HIS OWN BODY" (I Cor. 15:35-38). I must confess that I used to believe, as
many folk do, that in the resurrection the same body that goes into the grave would be the
body that comes out of the grave. I wonder how many who read these lines have asked the
question posed by the apostle: "But some man will say, How are the dead raised up?
and with what body do they come?" Ah, how often through many years did I ask myself
those very questions! I am confident that you, too, have asked. We have pondered how God
would reconstruct the atoms of this flesh body and fashion it again into the likeness we
once knew.
Consider for a moment the
state of those who are dead. Some people suppose that those we lay away in their ornate
coffins are to be taken up like those well preserved mummies of
Consider where these people
have gone. Many have been dissolved in lime pits, or burned in great fires, or buried in
the depths of the sea. There are those who have been eaten by beasts. I think of Roger
Williams, the Governor of one of our first colonies. He had an unseemly fate befall him.
When his casket was taken up to give it a more noble burial, it was found that an apple
tree had pried open the lid, reached in and sucked poor Roger out, tooth and claw, head
and foot. The poor fellow was gone altogether! He is no exception, for this is what has
happened to the vast majority of the people in the world. They have returned to the
elements; they have been eaten by other creatures; their particles are spread sometimes as
far as from pole to pole. What has happened to the ancient king Nebuchadnezzar? or
Alexander the Great? or Caesar? One part may be in the desert sands of the great
If that does not stretch your
incredulity, then let us imagine a man who lived a thousand years ago. His body consisted
of 150 pounds of elements such as oxygen, hydrogen, sodium, potassium and a number of
others. When his body died it was placed in the ground and deteriorated. And as with Roger
Williams a tree grew over the grave and its roots absorbed the various elements which were
once the body of this man. They became part of the tree. The tree bore fruit. A cow ate
the fruit containing many of the elements which were part of the body of that man. They
became part of the cow. The cow was butchered, and the meat was eaten by other men so that
these men were literally eating the other man who had died, for the same elements which
composed his body became part of their bodies. Then these men died and their bodies were
buried and grass grew over their graves and ultimately their bodies were absorbed by the
roots of the plants, and the plants were eaten again by animals. We find that the elements
which composed the body of the first man who died became part of a thousand men and women.
You can see how the bodies of the dead cannot be brought back atom by atom as they were
originally. Certain individual atoms may belong to a thousand different bodies, and since
no body can occupy two places at once, this makes it impossible for the actual body which
was buried to arise with its original component atoms and molecules.
Who among us has never
questioned whether in the resurrection we will recognize our friends and loved ones,
whether uncle Joe and aunt Susie will look as they did at age twenty, or thirty, or
seventy-five? We have debated whether in our glorified bodies we will be visible or
invisible to the inhabitants of the earth realm, whether we shall eat and drink, wear
clothes, travel at the speed of light, and with hundreds of other such notions we have
repeatedly asked the very questions the apostle declared we would ask! "But some man
will say, HOW ARE THE DEAD RAISED UP? AND WITH WHAT BODY DO THEY COME?"
Paul had a word for all who
raise such questions: "Thou FOOL!" The Phillips translation says, "Now that
is a silly question!" The Wuest translation says, "Stupid one!" The
Amplified Bible reads, "You foolish man!" And another version renders it,
"You unreasonable person!" Why are these questions foolish, stupid, silly and
unreasonable? Because, the apostle explains, appealing to nature, "In your own
experience you know that a seed does not germinate without itself 'dying.' When you sow a seed you do not sow the
'body' that will eventually be produced, but bare grain, of wheat, for example, or one of
the other seeds. God gives the seed a 'body' according to His laws - a different 'body' to
each kind of seed" (Phillips translation). Paul tells us plainly that the
"body" of the harvest is not the same "body" that was planted, and
calls the man a fool for even questioning whether the corn of the harvest is the same
grains of corn that were planted. Let the Ferrier answer this!
"That which thou sowest,
thou sowest not that body which shall be" (I Cor.
When we really know life,
when we understand our own environment and the dynamics of the biological forces within
it, we will surely have a clearer understanding of the laws and processes of the HIGHER
SPIRITUAL REALM of the
Can we not see by this that
the spiritual body IS NOT THE NATURAL BODY RECONSTRUCTED at all, but a brand new, totally
different body, the PRODUCT OF THE CHRIST LIFE CONTAINED WITHIN YOUR MORTAL BODY, THE
SEED. Surely, if no other instruction were given in the Bible but these few verses, we
would have a sound foundation upon which to fasten our firm understanding that the natural
body does not in any way become the spiritual body, but the spiritual body is the product
of the indwelling life of the resurrected, glorified Son of God! If we would heed the
voice of inspiration and revelation as it speaks through these words of the apostle, we
would at once see and acknowledge that the "embryo" of our spiritual body
ALREADY EXISTS AS A PRESENT REALITY WITHIN OUR REGENERATED SPIRIT! Hallelujah! It is, as a
friend has said, "a life within a life, a MAN WITHIN A MAN, and a B-O-D-Y W-I-T-H-I-N
A B-O-D-Y." That MAN WITHIN A MAN, therefore, is not as we have in the past supposed,
some ethereal spirit, some nebulous, vague, airy, nothingness but IS, rather, SUBSTANCE,
the very FLESH of the resurrected and glorified CHRIST OF GOD!
What the New Testament
represents as true respecting Jesus Christ, it represents as true of the body of Christ.
HE is the firstfruits of them that sleep. Their resurrection is like His resurrection,
their life is like His life, as their death is like His death. They are not raised from
the death realm by a power acting on them from without; they rise from the dead as the
bird from its egg, as the plant from its seed. The sons of God have in themselves the
immortality of their Father. The resurrection body is not a restoration to physical life;
it is an introduction into a new level of life which transforms the very bodily existence.
The body of the resurrection shall come from our resurrected inner nature. If we live
after the flesh our inner nature shall not become filled with resurrection life. We die
daily, and each day we are raised up. But that which is raised up is not our old nature,
nor our old body. It is the eternal life of almighty God. It is a new creation. It is the
resurrection from the dead! Do not talk about the old body - the flesh coming up again. We
are sown in corruption, raised in incorruption; sown in weakness, raised in power; sown a
natural body, raised a spiritual body; sown an earth man, raised a heavenly man.
THE TWO BODIES
With this wonderful truth in
mind it should not be difficult in the least for us to understand the contrast between the
two bodies spoken of in I Cor. 15:39-50. "All flesh is not the same flesh ... there
are also CELESTIAL BODIES and BODIES TERRESTRIAL: but the glory of the celestial is one,
and the glory of terrestrial is another ... there is a NATURAL BODY and there is a
SPIRITUAL BODY. And so it is written, the FIRST MAN ADAM was made a living soul; the LAST
ADAM was made a quickening spirit. The FIRST MAN is of the earth, earthy: the SECOND MAN
is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is
the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the
earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say brethren, that FLESH
AND BLOOD CANNOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD; neither doth corruption inherit
incorruption."
These two bodies differ
vastly in glory from each other. The glory of the earthly is one, the glory of the
heavenly is another. The natural body, the earthly one, is a wonderful and beautiful piece
of creation. I never cease to be amazed at how it functions, it is truly an amazing piece
of work. Most people like their bodies as Paul said in Eph. 5:29, "No man ever yet
hated his own flesh; but nourisheth it ... even as Christ the church." I omitted the
phrase, "and cherisheth it," and what an apt description this is, especially of
those who happen to have a well formed, attractive body. My! the time some spend in trying
to keep their body beautiful; and the money that is spent on soaps, creams, oils, and
cosmetics to preserve and enhance the appearance of the body. There is a certain glory
about the human body, but its glory is not worth being compared with the glory of the
celestial. In contrast to the glory of the heavenly body, this body is vile and
humiliating. The contrast between these two bodies - the first of flesh, the second of
spirit - is almost too much for our weak and earthbound minds to comprehend. The natural
mind and natural understanding cannot grasp it. The Holy Spirit declares that "as we
have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly."
Bearing the image of the
heavenly is not taking your natural body to heaven. That is what millions of Christians
think: that one of these days their present body is going to fly away to heaven, there to
be clothed in a glistening white night-gown, and strum a harp while dancing up and down
the streets of gold. Not so! my brother. Neither is bearing the image of the heavenly the
imputation of longevity or immortality to this earthly body, so that one lives for a
thousand years or forever in this terrestrial form. The body of our Lord Jesus Christ is a
GLORIOUS BODY, or a BODY OF GLORY as the Greek expresses it (Phil.
The most comprehensive single
paragraph of scripture that deals with the truth that there are two distinct kinds of
bodies, or two totally different bodies, is found in II Cor. 5:1-5 wherein we read,
"For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a
building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this (the
earthly) we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house (celestial body)
which is from heaven (the Spirit): if so be that being clothed we shall not be found
naked. For we that are in this tabernacle (fleshly body) do groan, being burdened: not for
that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon (with the celestial body), that mortality
might be swallowed up of life. Now He that hath wrought us for this selfsame thing is God,
who also hath given us the earnest of the Spirit."
This passage starts with
assurances of absolute certainty. "For we know" is as dogmatic and definitely
positive as human speech can be. The thing we thus know is that if our earthly house of
this tabernacle (physical body) were dissolved, our spirit would not be "naked"
or "disembodied," for there is ANOTHER BODY, a CELESTIAL BODY, a SPIRITUAL BODY,
a
In veritable truth does the
apostle say that in this body we groan. We groan from the hour of our birth until the time
of our departure. We groan when our stomachs are empty and the pangs of hunger ravish our
system. We also groan when we eat too much Mexican food and suffer the consequences. We
groan when we get our teeth; we groan again when we lose them. We groan when we are
children under the rule of parents, teachers, etc. We groan again when we become adults
and are forced to face the responsibilities of life. We groan because of our children, and
we groan when they leave home. We groan because of sickness, pain and sorrow. We groan at
the multiplied problems and afflictions and troubles and tragedies that fall our lot. At
almost every movement of the body we are apt to come in violent contact with some sharp or
unmovable object, and we groan again!
There are a lot of so-called
revelations that are set forth these days which at first hearing sound very religious,
advanced and spiritual, but as one examines that which is set forth, there are times when
we find that what is being taught in some circles is not the same thing which the Spirit
of God speaks into your own heart. For example, through many years I have heard a lot of
folk speak of the "LIFE MESSAGE" and have been asked if I believe it. I would
then have to inquire and probe into their minds and hearts to find out exactly what they
meant by this term. Often I discovered that what they meant was that they had attained
"by faith" a condition of immortality for this physical, flesh body, which they
said would never die. In this body of dust they were able, they believed, to by-pass the
grave.
I never cease to be amazed at
how much effort people put into trying to "immortalize" this earth body of the
first man Adam. The Holy Spirit witnesses that "there is a natural body, AND there is
a spiritual body." The order in which these two bodies are experienced is also
defined: "Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural;
and afterward that which is spiritual" (I Cor.
Ah, hearken! my beloved
brother, my precious sister, thou who thinkest thou possesseth immortality in thy Adamic
body of flesh. Truly it is written, "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that
believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and
believeth in Me SHALL NEVER DIE" (Jn.
Let us imagine one coming
into that state of being, yet all natural laws still in force. If you CANNOT DIE, then
there is no need to eat food, for you cannot starve to death. YOU CANNOT DIE. If you did
choose to eat, you could eat anything, even the very strongest poisons, for YOU CANNOT
DIE. Nothing would have the power to kill. Should you be run over by an eighteen-wheeler
your flesh would not be mangled, your bones would not crush, your blood would not
splatter; and like Woody Woodpecker, you would arise from the imprint in the pavement and
walk away unharmed, for YOU CANNOT DIE. You would be beyond the power of death. All
natural laws may just as well be taken off the books, they have become of no effect. If
there is still fire, you who cannot die cannot in any way be affected by the burning power
of fire, no matter how great it might be. A furnace heated seven times hotter than ever
before would have no power. The heat from an atomic or hydrogen explosion can never hurt
you; as soon as the nuclear cloud has passed you would be seen standing there upon your
two feet, for you CANNOT DIE. There could be no pain or hurt to you, for fire could have
no effect. The natural law of cremation might just as well be removed from the books, for
it has been superseded. The natural law of drowning would be transcended. Natural law says
that one cannot breathe water into his lungs and live. If you CANNOT DIE, then you have NO
NEED FOR ATMOSPHERE OR AIR to live, for even without air YOU CANNOT DIE. Nothing can kill
you! Should you pass through the most poisonous of gases, you would not be affected, for
you CANNOT DIE. Death would have lost its power, and not one thing could harm you or
destroy you.
For those who cannot die,
death has been done away. Therefore there would be nothing to prevent such a person from
going anywhere in the universe. And there would be no need for any special preparation in
the way of oxygen to breathe, spacesuit, spaceship, etc. Nothing could harm such a person
and it would have become his or her nature to live under any circumstances. The time has
come when we must see by the spirit of wisdom and revelation from God that THIS EARTHLY
HOUSE OF THE FIRST ADAM IS N-O-T OUR HOUSE FROM HEAVEN, this terrestrial body is not the
celestial body, this mortal body is not the immortal body, this corruptible body is not
the incorruptible body, this natural body is not the spiritual body, and this flesh from
Adam is not the flesh of the Son of God! Those who walk in the BODY OF GLORY are those who
have been given immortality. The body of glory is the BODY OF THE NEW CREATION MAN, not
this bag of bones of the external, visible world. Those who fully "put on the Lord
Jesus Christ," who "put on incorruption," who "put on
immortality," thus putting on the body of glory - not one thing has any power to hurt
or destroy these, for THEY CANNOT DIE. Nothing restricts them in any way. They are as God
throughout the universe. They are the living, working, life-giving will of God. They
become so one with the Lord that they are ONE SPIRIT in all things. These are the sons of
God! And this reality is begun within us here and now, for the new creation is a life
within a life, A MAN WITHIN A MAN, A B-O-D-Y W-I-T-H-I-N A B-O-D-Y!
Glorious beyond description
is the fact that here and now, even as I pen these words, in the inner realm of our spirit
man there is being constructed an incorruptible life, a building of God, a house-body not
made with hands, a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not of this creation, eternal in
the heavenlies. Not a mansion in the sky, not a cabin in the corner, not a while nightgown
and wings with which to flit about over the hills of glory, as the churches so ignorantly
portray; but a new life, a new nature, a new garment, a new tabernacle, a new body, a body
of light and glory and power, a body of CELESTIAL FLESH, a body of incorruption, a body of
immortality raised up and constructed by the mighty working of the INDWELLING POWER OF HIS
RESURRECTION! When this work has been completed we will not be found naked, even though
this present hunk of wretched flesh be laid aside!
Nothing can be plainer in the
blessed book of God than the fact that every child of God possesses two bodies - the
outer-man body and the inner-man body. "Though our OUTWARD MAN perish (Greek: is
perishing), yet the INWARD MAN is (being) renewed day by day" (II Cor.
A brother in Christ has
written, "Peter states that 'God has begotten us again to a LIVING HOPE through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance INCORRUPTIBLE and undefiled
that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.' There is only one who is living -
God. There is only one who is incorruptible - God. And we know that He resides in heaven
which is in us (Lk.
The outer-man is old Adam. It
is not the physical body, but the nature within that body - a sphere of life. It is the
Adam nature that controls the physical part of us carnally. When the serpent tempted Eve
to partake of the forbidden tree of the knowledge of good and evil, she first considered
in her mind, then was motivated by her heart, and finally her hand reached forth and took
what mind and heart dictated. It was not her physical body that sinned - it was her nature
- the outer-man of "flesh" that rebelled against God. But the "flesh"
is not the physical body. Your mind, you see, is not your brain even as your old Adamic
heart is not the organ that physiologically pumps your blood. "The heart is deceitful
above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jer. 17:9). We have a
biological heart, but that is not spiritually the heart of the Adamic outer man which is
woefully deceitful and desperately wicked. That heart is a nature. The carnal mind is a
nature. The flesh is a nature.
When Paul told the saints to
"present your bodies a living sacrifice ... which is your reasonable service,"
he was not telling them to present themselves before the brazen altar in the temple, nor
to physically march down to a church altar. He spake, rather, of the inner mind and will
of you submitting yourself to God, and thereby relinquishing the death nature in it, dying
to its will and desires, and letting God fill it with His nature and desires. When God
gets possession of your will, the physical body will also act in harmony with that will,
for it will perform according to whatever the thinking man inside of it dictates. It can
do no other way. The Adam nature covering (body) which we plant (die out to) is corrupt,
dishonorable and weak. How wonderful it is that we can exchange that accursed thing for a
shining garment of glory and beauty and immortality, yes, even the Christ of God, the Lord
from heaven filling our inner-man body (heart and mind). He that hath an ear, let him
hear.
We will never understand the
nature and reality of the TWO BODIES until we know for a certainty that this outer body we
see with our eyes is not the body which is the temple of the Holy Ghost (I Cor. 6:19-20).
If the flesh body was indeed the temple of the Holy Ghost it would not get sick or wracked
with pain or consumed by foul, loathsome disease; nor would it grow old and feeble, and
die. We assumed that when the inspired apostle stated that the body is the temple of the
Holy Spirit he spake of the physical body. But how can one assume such a thing? The
message is clear - there IS a natural body, and there IS a spiritual body - not
"shall be," but there IS. Both bodies are present realities. Why should we
suppose that it is the natural body which is the temple of the Spirit? How can the natural
body be the temple of the Holy Spirit when the natural man cannot ever receive the Spirit?
Is it not much more logical and spiritually valid to say that the temple of the Holy
Spirit is your SPIRITUAL BODY which has been made the receptacle of the Holy Spirit? The
spiritual body is the substance of God, the flesh of the Son of God which clothes the
inward Christ-nature.
We have put so much stress on
outward things, so much "carnalizing" of the Word of God which is "spirit
and life," that when we read the scriptures we oft times overlook the real truth the
Spirit is speaking. The real man who is naked is not the outer physical body. In spite of
all the "dress codes" religion may impose, it makes no difference, my friend,
how much you clothe the outer body - your true "flesh" will still be exposed! It
should be clear to all who have eyes to see that when the scripture makes such statements
as, "put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ," "put on the whole amour of
God," "put on the amour of light," "put on thy beautiful garments, O
Jerusalem," "be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven," - these
cannot be put on the outer physical body, they must be put on in the inner realm of soul
and spirit, the hidden man of the heart, even that NEW MAN which after God is created in
righteousness and true holiness.
We are told in the wonderful
parable of our Lord that in this, our day, the
Our mind is that part of us
which thinks and is the seat of consciousness; it is our intellect and in it dwells our
ability to reason. When we are born of the flesh, we are born with a natural mind. We
enter this world with five senses: sight, hearing, smelling, taste and touch. These are
natural physiological and soulical senses, and feed information to our natural mind. Peter
writes about our new birth in I Pet. 1:23. "Being born again, not of corruptible
seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever."
This new birth is by an incorruptible seed, by the Word of God, even that Word which was
from the beginning which is Jesus Christ. This incorruptible seed is the life of the
Christ which quickens our spirit at the time of regeneration. He is the author of eternal
life. "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not
life" (I Jn.
The scriptures are plain. You
can have eyes and not see, ears and not hear - so you must have two sets of eyes and two
sets of ears - you have ears within that can hear on a level that is not heard by the
outer ear. "My sheep hear My voice, and a stranger they will not follow" (Jn.
10:5,27). "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith" (Rev. 2:7).
The sons of God have eyes
within that see on a level that is not seen by the eyes of the outer-man body. You can
have 20/20 vision with your physical eyes and never see what you see with the "eyes
of your understanding" (Eph.
Here is the mighty power of
the new creation: it sees what others cannot see! It sees, amid the thousand things
natural men see and are guided by, something infinitely greater and more real - it SEES
GOD. No wonder it leads a man to think and act differently from other men. On everything
it looks at, the bright light of eternity is shining. No wonder that under the inspiration
of that vision it can do mighty deeds, for it sees God its helper and strength. Let me
here say to every saint of God that just as, in any pursuit, the eye can be trained to see
what others cannot see, so the spiritual eyes of the new creation inner-man body can be
trained to see God everywhere. Abide in His presence until the heart is filled with it.
You will begin to recognize HIM in everything that happens. Seek to walk in the light of
His countenance. Seeing the INVISIBLE will make it easy to forsake this world and do the
will of God! The heavens are shut up from the natural man. He cannot see eternal things.
He sees only natural things. He cannot hear spiritual things. He hears only the lower
sounds of earth.
We have an exhortation of
David to taste in the realm of the spirit. "O taste and see that the Lord is
good" (Ps. 34:8). That's not physical, you can't taste of the Lord physically, we're
not cannibals! When one walks by the spiritual senses of the inner-man body He, like
Christ, has meat to eat that others know not of and drink to drink of which those around
him have never tasted. When a man really tastes of the things of the world of the spirit
it is not possible for him to ever again be satisfied with anything less. And especially
if he has tasted of the "meat" of God's Word, it is very difficult for him to go
back to feeding his soul on the milk of babes or the husks of lifeless forms and empty
traditions of men. The natural man cannot TASTE SPIRITUAL THINGS but only such things as
he can eat with his physical mouth and take into his soul of the spirit of this world,
none of which contain one iota of life or reality.
You also have another sense
of smelling on a higher plane of reality. This sense of smell is mentioned in II Cor.
2:14-16, "Thanks be to God who leads us, wherever we are, on His own triumphant way
and makes our knowledge of Him to spread throughout the world like a lovely perfume! We
Christians have the unmistakable scent of Christ, discernible alike to those who are being
saved and to those who are heading for death. To the latter it smells like the very smell
of doom, to the former it has the fresh fragrance of life itself" (Phillips
translation).
Touch - "Who touched
Me?" Jesus asked as virtue left His body to heal the woman with the issue of blood.
The people flocked around Jesus to try and touch Him that they might be healed of their
many infirmities. Many times Jesus touched them and they were made whole. He touched the
leper and he was cleansed. He touched Peter's mother-in-law's hand and her fever left her.
He touched the eyes of the two blind men and their eyes were opened. He touched the deaf
man and his ears were opened, and He touched the bier of the mother's only son and
commanded him to arise and he that was dead sat up and began to speak. But today, because
the Christ dwells within by His Spirit, we are able to reach out and touch Him in the
Spirit, and we know His mighty touch by the glory of His presence and power in our lives.
The five foolish virgins are
the five external senses; the gate of the spiritual world is closed to them; but why are
they foolish? One reason is that the five outer senses are BORROWERS - everything they do
they borrow - and that is why they have no light in their lamps, because they borrow
everything from the outer world. They have never had the INNER SOURCE tell them anything,
but they have lived by a borrowed revelation, they have borrowed what everyone else
teaches, preaches, thinks and says. And when the Bridegroom comes and the hour of union is
at hand they run to the inner senses and cry, "Can we borrow - give us of YOUR
OIL!" The reply comes speedily, "NO - go to the source, get your oil as we got
ours, we got our light from the inside, from the inner man of spirit, from the realm of
the Kingdom of Heaven, AND THIS LIGHT CANNOT BE BORROWED."
There is an inner-man body,
thank God! formed of the Spirit of the resurrected and glorified Christ, and this
marvelous body is from heaven even as my outer-man body is of earth. I declare to you
again that as a man puts on Christ he puts on not only the Spirit of Christ but also the
RESURRECTION BODY of Christ and this body is a present reality and this body IS our house
from heaven. Just because you cannot see this body at this time, do not doubt its
existence, my beloved. It is just as real, yea, a thousand times more real than this
fleeting body of dust. Even as our earth body has come from Adam, and is Adam's body, so
our spirit body comes from Christ Jesus our Lord and is the body of His resurrection. That
glorious body of Jesus which passed through the locked door, and which, like the wind,
blew where it would, yet men neither knew where it came from nor where it went; that is
the inner-man body of the new creation of which you are made partaker in union with Him. I
have been out of my earth body in that spirit body and have looked back and beheld my
earth body from another level of consciousness. I doubt not that many saints have traveled
to distant points by this inner-man body, ministering to those unto whom they were sent,
and have returned, in a manner not unlike the experience of Philip when he was caught away
in spirit, or John the beloved when he heard the voice saying, "Come up hither,"
or like Paul the apostle when he was present in spirit by the power of the Lord Jesus
Christ, in the assembly of the saints at Corinth, though his body was miles away in the
city of Ephesus (I Cor. 5:3-5).
Jesus, speaking of the power
of the resurrection said, "I am the LIVING BREAD which came down from heaven,"
and again, "He that eateth MY FLESH... shall live." My sincere prayer to God is
that He may give my readers eyes to see and hearts to understand this simple but sublime
truth: ALL FLESH IS NOT THE SAME FLESH. There is a flesh that is corruptible and there is
a flesh that is incorruptible. There is a flesh that is a shame and there is a flesh that
is a glory. There is a flesh that is of the earth, and there is a flesh which has come
down from heaven. There is a flesh with which we are familiar. There is a flesh about
which the natural man knows nothing. The flesh with which we are acquainted is OUR FLESH.
That which yet remains a mystery is HIS FLESH. "Whosoever eateth MY FLESH... hath
eternal life" (in.
Chapter
35
Coming
In Resurrection Power
(continued)
"For our conversation is
in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall
change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to
the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself" (Phil.
3:20-21).
There has been a general
misunderstanding of the Word of God throughout Christendom concerning the truth of the
coming of the Lord; for it is clear as we consider all the scriptures on the subject that
the Lord's coming is first and foremost a spiritual manifestation of Himself to and
through His people. Paul therefore associates the coming of the Lord with a mighty
revelation of the life, glory and power of God IN THE SAINTS. "And to you who are
troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty
angels ... when He shall come to be GLORIFIED I-N HIS S-A-I-N-T-S, and to be admired I-N
ALL THEM that believe in that day" (II Thes. 1:7, 10).
Obviously, this revelation of
the Christ in and through His body IS the coming of the Lord, and signals the full
embodiment and transcendental expression of the totality of His life and victory in His
saints. It is the second Man, the last Adam, the Lord from heaven completed as a corporate
body and unveiled before the world in all the splendor of His celestial Being. The words
of the inspired apostle Paul come sounding like a trumpet through the centuries: "The
first man was from out of earth, made of dust - earth-minded; the second Man is the Lord
from out of heaven. Now those who are made of the dust are like him who was first made of
the dust - earth-minded; and as is the Man from heaven, so also are those who are of
heaven - heaven-minded. And just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, so shall
we and so let us bear the image of the Man of heaven" (I Cor. 15:47-49, Amplified).
God's purpose in man's
redemption is not to just deliver us from the penalty of our sins, but to re-create us, to
make a new creature of us, a new kind of man in the image of Him who created us. Having
been molded and fashioned after the image of the first man, we have now put off that
likeness and put on the image and likeness of the second man, the Lord from heaven. We
must put off the image of the earthy, and put on the image of the heavenly; we must be
changed from the natural, earthly, living creatures we first were to be recreated as
spiritual, heavenly ones. This is not an option, it is a must; it is not discretional, it
is necessary if we are to inherit the Kingdom. So the scriptures declare, "And as we
have borne the image of the earthy, so we shall also bear the image of the heavenly."
My, what a purpose this is! To be changed from what we were created naturally, to be
transformed, to be changed, to be transfigured into the image of the heavenly. It staggers
the imagination to contemplate such a change; but change we must if we are to inherit the
promises.
This marvelous change
involves the whole man, spirit, soul and body. Many seem to think that a spiritual body is
not a LITERAL body. In other words, that it is not a REAL body, or not actually a body at
all, but a consciousness or a spirit. Literal, says Webster, means REAL; not figurative or
metaphorical. "There is a NATURAL BODY, and there is a SPIRITUAL BODY," saith
the Lord. Does any one suppose the apostle here teaches that there is a "real"
body, and there is a "figurative" or "metaphorical" body; and as we
have borne the image of the "real," we shall bear the image of the
"figurative"? One would suppose they so read, from their exceeding blindness in
not recognizing any but the animal body as a "true" body. They seem fearful
lest, if the idea be entertained that Christ was resurrected in any other than an animal
body, it will lead to the rejection of a LITERAL resurrection. We do reject the idea of
saints being raised "a NATURAL body;" and if that is rejecting a LITERAL
resurrection of the saints, we must plead guilty, and beg to be excused simply on the
ground that the Almighty has said, "It is raised a SPIRITUAL BODY" (I Cor.
Now will someone inform me
why it is unscriptural, or fanatical to maintain that Jesus Christ has a SPIRITUAL body;
and, as the saints are to be like Him, that they are raised spiritual bodies. Because some
seem to think that a spiritual body is not REAL, but is only a metaphorical body; and that
nothing is real except it be "of the earth, earthy," is no reason why those who
can discern spiritual things, which the natural man cannot, should remain in darkness. The
realm of the spiritual is a realm which, to those who touch it, is ten thousand times more
real than the natural world. Man has been excluded from this heavenly realm ever since
that calamitous hour when he stretched forth his inquisitive hand to discover by his
natural senses that which is good and that which is evil. On that unhappy day his eyes
were closed to the celestial world to discover the physical and natural and to be
instructed in this barren realm of death. And yet that heavenly realm is as close to us
today as it was then, the only difference being that our darkened vision cannot see it!
By His resurrection from the
dead Jesus opened up to man again the spiritual realm "The same day, at evening, when
the doors were shut, where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus
and stood in their midst" (Jn. 20:19). "And after eight days, again His
disciples were within, then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in their midst,
and said, Peace be unto you" (Jn. 20:'20). "And their EYES WERE OPENED, and they
knew Him, and He vanished out of their sight" (Lk. 24:31). Such language was never
applied to the movements of Jesus before His crucifixion, and is used only in speaking of
spiritual beings. The spiritual body of Jesus, and its clothing, which appeared suddenly
while the doors were shut, did not go out the door, but simply disappeared or
de-materialized into the same elements from which He had created them a few moments
before. He vanished out of their sight, and was no longer seen of them on the physical
plane, though doubtless He was still with them - invisibly present; and so also much of
the time during those forty days. This is how it is with spiritual beings. When the Lord
and the angels appeared to Abraham in that long ago, "He lifted up his eyes and
looked, and, lo, three men stood by him" (Gen. 18:2). He did not see them coming,
but, apparently, it was just here, at his side, they took on a visible form.
So it was that distant
morning in the dusty little town of
Spiritual bodies are
represented as SHINING as the lightning. The heavenly messenger who came to roll back the
stone from the door of the sepulcher where Jesus had been laid was described thus:
"His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow" (Mat. 28:3).
When Jesus was transfigured before His disciples upon the dizzy heights of
These were one and all
appearances of spiritual beings from the spiritual realm. It is a wonderful fact that the
elect sons of God are destined to rule and reign with Christ in the
The spiritual world is a
world with which we become familiar as we walk in the Spirit of God and experience more
and more our union with the Father; a world so wonderfully real that all who once have had
their eyes opened to it beg to remain in its celestial precincts, never more to return to
the lowly estate and level of the natural man. And now I declare that not only the
heavenly hosts, but heaven itself is all around you even as you read these lines, and,
should the Lord but take away the veil of flesh from your sight, your eyes would behold
the celestial realm and you would see that beings, incredible in glory and power, are all
about us; for the Lord is not far from any one of us.
It follows of necessity that
man's being, because it is unsuited to the spiritual world, must be changed by the power
of God. A bird would need a mighty change to be able to live under the water, or a fish to
live in the air; but the Lord promises a much more striking change to those who are
predestinated to be manifested as the sons of God with power.
Unknown millenniums ago Job
uttered an inspired statement as he sat among the dust and ashes of his desolation and
affliction. "If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time
will I wait UNTIL MY CHANGE COME. Thou shalt call and I will answer Thee; Thou wilt have a
desire to the work of Thy hands" (Job
The appointed period of
waiting is this long, long night of waiting until all that we hope for in Him springs into
full manifestation, but there is not one experience that is unnecessary, not one precious
moment that is wasted. Dread not this appointed night of waiting, dread not this difficult
time of processing. It is our Father Himself who has ordained that we should proceed this
way, and, when He has tried us we shall come forth as gold. Yea, we shall come forth in
the likeness of Him who has passed this way before us, and has stepped forth from the
darkness of this death realm into the power and glory of resurrection life full and
abundant.
METAMORPHOSIS
God has so beautifully
provided a parable of this blessed truth in the world of nature about us. Caterpillars do
not lead very exciting lives. They are, indeed, to be pitied. They never travel very far
and when they do tremendous exertions are required. After all, what enthralling sights do
they see down there groveling in the dirt? Picture the ugly, slimy, repulsive caterpillar!
We instinctively shrink from it as it wriggles and squirms threateningly. But the lowly
caterpillar which crawls along the ground, trod upon by the foot of man, is destined to
fly on starry wings in a heavenly atmosphere no longer hampered by earth-bound things but
transformed as though by God's Spirit from a creature of the dust to one which has put on
a somewhat heavenly tabernacle.
We find ourselves in a
condition today not unlike the lowly caterpillar. It starts out its life as a creepy,
crawly thing, with a long body and many feet, possessing a voracious appetite, and does
nothing but gorge itself on the plant on which it was born. This same creature in due time
fashions itself a cocoon, enters into the chrysalis stage, then the pupa stage, and
through this mysterious and wonderful process undergoes a complete change, so that when it
bursts forth from its crypt of death it is an entirely transformed creature, not at all
like the worm that it was to start with. It is now a creature of the air, adapted to the
heavenly, and spends its time flying around the heavens, bearing the rich hues of all
heavenly things, and gathering the most exquisite of nectars. This change is what in
science is called a METAMORPHOSIS.
Paul sets forth the majesty
of that supernal glory that now appears like a beckoning beacon before the anointed vision
of the sons of God: "As we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the
image of the heavenly" (I Cor. 15:49). He also explains exactly how this ineffable
change is to take place within the elect. "But we all, with open face beholding as in
a glass the glory of the Lord, are CHANGED into the same image from glory to glory, even
as by the Spirit of the Lord" (II Cor. 3:18). "And be not conformed to this
world: but be ye TRANSFORMED by the renewing of your mind" (Rom. 12:2). "For our
conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour ... who shall CHANGE
our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the
working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself" (Phil. 3:20-21).
Literally Paul says that we
are being METAMORPHOSED into the image of the heavenly, and that God will METAMORPHOSE
even our vile bodies. The Greek word METAMORPHOO means simply "to change into another
form." It comes from two words:
Metamorphosis is that change
which takes place from WITHIN. We are not transformed by external forces acting upon us,
but by the breaking forth of a new INNER LIFE from within, the very life Of Jesus! Let us
consider the wonder of this thing carefully, because it is certain that METAMORPHOSIS has
already begun in us and will continue until the complete transformation has taken place.
Too many of the Lord's people sit with folded hands, waiting for a change in some sweet
bye and bye, when God's Word clearly shows that this process of change has already begun.
This is what must take place in us: we must be changed from what we started out to be,
into a creature vastly different in form and nature. All the caterpillar wanted to do was
eat and satisfy his natural appetite. The natural man does the same. He is a creature of
the earth, and his primary concern is with the satisfaction of his natural appetites.
"They that are after the flesh, do mind the things of the flesh" (
FLYING
By way of illustration let us
suppose that I own both a horse and a canary bird. One day my fine stallion comes to me
and says, "Boss, I'm tired of being a horse, there seems to be no future in the
business. Day after day, I spend endless hours standing in my stable or grazing about the
pasture. Only occasionally do you come and saddle me, and away we go, galloping through
the fields and across the meadows. But too soon you are gone and I am returned to the
stable. Frankly, Boss, I'm bored. I am smitten with a desire for a Higher Life, and I want
you to help me rise to a nobler way of living."
Of course I would say,
"Pal, I will be glad to help if I can, but what do you want me to do?" Now
imagine that the horse should reply, "Ah, good Master, I've been observing your
canary bird. I see it through the window. Now there is the Higher Life, indeed! While I am
out in the weather, exposed to the elements, the canary sits snug in the warmth of your
home. In fact, Mr. Canary is always near you, you talk to him constantly, and he sings
continually for you. There is no place for loneliness or boredom in his life. No wonder he
sings all the day. I believe I'd like to sit on a perch and sing songs! Will you help
me?"
How utterly ludicrous! How
could I, or any other person, help a horse to live the life of a bird? His nature is
wrong. To live a bird life you must have a bird nature! I couldn't even explain this to a
horse, his very nature makes it impossible.
To continue the figure, it
would be equally preposterous for my canary to say to me one fine morning, "Boss, I'm
tired of being a canary, there seems to be no future in this business. I'm confined by
this tiny cage and all I ever do is sit here on this perch and eat bird seed. I never go
anywhere or do anything. I am bored with this life of incessant swinging and twittering,
and I yearn for the Higher Life. I want to accomplish something real. Will you help
me?"
I would if I could, of
course, so I reply, "Well, Tweety, let's talk it over. What do you want to do, or
be?" " Ah, good Master," he replies, "I want to be a horse! I have
observed the horse through the window, and there is the Higher Life, indeed. Mr. Horse is
not confined to a cage, but enjoys the boundless freedom of the great out-of-doors and the
wide open spaces. And not only that - you, Master, go and saddle him up, and sitting
astride his back away you go racing through the fields and across the meadows, with the
wind in your face and the thrill in your blood. I never get such excitement or
comradeship. I want to be a horse! Will you help me?"
A canary bird with a saddle
would be of no more use than a horse in a bird cage. Its nature is wrong, and the nature
of each limits its activities, its desires, its environment, and its accomplishments and
destiny.
To follow on with the
illustration, suppose that one morning as I am strolling through the woods a caterpillar
came to me and said, "Sir, I feel that I am living a most useless life, wasting all
my time and effort tied to a bush and chewing leaves! I want to change my way of life.
Will you help me?" Of course I'd like to help an ambitious worm to live a higher and
better existence, so I would reply, "If I can. What do you want to do?"
Whereupon the caterpillar would say, "I want to fly! I've been watching the birds,
and I believe they live an ideal life. Can you help me attain my ambition, and assist me
to fly?"
What shall I do? Shall I give
the caterpillar a course of instruction in aero-dynamics and the theory of flight? No,
that won't help; there are some things that are not achieved by education! Shall I tell
the caterpillar how to become a better caterpillar? No, that will not work either. He can
be the best caterpillar that ever catted a pillar; but he still can't fly! That's his
trouble, he's a worm and worms don't fly! Even a course in positive thinking and right
confession won't help the poor worm!
So I say to the caterpillar,
"Strangely enough, I can help you. There are certain natural laws, which, if you will
obey, will enable you to fly!" In great delight the worm says, "Now we are
getting somewhere. Will you teach me those laws?" With regret I reply, "I'm
sorry, worm, but I can't do that. I do not know those laws myself! I've seen them in
operation many, many times, but I do not understand them, nor can I explain them."
The disappointed caterpillar says, "You're a hot human! You've seen this hundreds of
times and you can't explain it? What am I going to do, if you can't teach me those
laws?" I smile and say, "JUST OBEY THEM whether you comprehend them or
not." After some thought the ambitious worm says, "All right, Sir, I'll take
your advice. What do I do now?" I tell him, "Just go right on chewing leaves!
You see, when you are ready THE LAWS WILL BE REVEALED. When the laws are revealed to you
all you have to do is obey them. In the meantime, just keep on chewing leaves!"
So my caterpillar goes back
to his bush and resumes his daily grind. Then one day a strange lassitude comes over him,
and he loses his appetite for leaves. He has never had a nap in his life, but suddenly he
feels sleepy. He crawls away to a secluded corner, and suddenly discovers that he
possesses equipment and knowledge that he never knew he had. He becomes an architect and
designs a house. He has never thought of a dwelling before and has never seen one, but his
first attempt follows a pattern that is standard dwelling for all caterpillars of his
variety, and is perfect for its purpose. He finds that he has a spinning machine in his
mouth, and an unlimited supply of fabric somewhere down in his goozlum! He is an interior
decorator and a water-proofer as well, and he builds a habitation for himself that the
genius of man cannot duplicate. But unbeknown to him, the house is actually a TOMB!
There is planted within the
very being of that worm a call to a higher life-form, and, driven by that hidden nature
within AT THE APPOINTED TIME HIS CHANCE COMES. These dramatic changes begin with two tiny
glands behind his brain which since his first day had been secreting microscopic amounts
of a juvenile hormone. As soon as the caterpillar builds his tomb and begins hanging head
down from his leaf, the well-spring of the glands attached to his brain starts drying up.
These glands had controlled his larval growth, his larval life, and when their life-giving
substance ceases to flow, the caterpillar begins to die and the butterfly to be formed.
George Hawtin relates, in one
of his writings, an article which appeared some years ago in LIFE magazine. For many
centuries biologists had wondered what could possibly cause a caterpillar to change to a
butterfly. At last one biologist discovered a very significant thing. He found that this
remarkable transformation was caused by a hormone in the tiny brain of the caterpillar. He
found that, if the hormone was removed, the caterpillar would remain a caterpillar until
death, but, if the hormone was left in the brain, the caterpillar would change to a
beautiful butterfly. To prove his theory he joined five caterpillars together, removing
the hormone from the brains of the first four and leaving it in the brain of the last one.
The first four remained as they were while the last changed to a butterfly. He then
reversed the process, leaving the hormone in the head of the first worm, and removing it
from the last four. To the amazement of all the whole five changed to butterflies, or
shall we say, became the same as the head one. The spiritual significance of this
remarkable discovery cannot be overlooked, for it is God's Word in His creation, teaching
us that as a worm is transformed to a celestial creature by a tiny cell in its mind, so
also are we transformed by receiving the MIND OF CHRIST. Thus Paul says, "I beseech
you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living
sacrifice - and be not conformed to this world, but BE TRANSFORMED by the RENEWING OF THE
MIND" (Rom. 12:12). -The Page.
Open the cocoon of a
caterpillar while the insect is in the process of metamorphosis and you will discover that
within that death cell is such a mass of corruption that it would be difficult to even
imagine how anything as graceful and beautiful as a butterfly could possibly emerge from
it. No sooner does the worm begin to slumber in its cocoon than it begins to disintegrate
and you would find only a chrysalis full of repulsive, apparently dead, formless, viscous
fluid. But before the caterpillar ever crawled upon the earth the potential to become a
butterfly lay within his being from the very moment of the fertilization of the egg. When
the larva had begun to form in the egg, certain little groups of cells, belonging NOT TO
THE LARVA BUT TO THE EVENTUAL BUTTERFLY, had also formed, and these remained dormant,
safely stored within the body of the caterpillar. At the appointed time these cells awaken
to life and begin to grow and multiply. Their presence becomes dramatically evident during
the six short minutes when the last larval skin is shed, and the cocoon is spun. Hanging
there in his cocoon, the worm bides his time and acts out a living prophecy of the words
of Job who said, "If a man die, will he live again? ALL THE DAYS OF MY APPOINTED TIME
WILL I WAIT UNTIL MY CHANCE COMES!" (Job 14:4).
Lazy days pass by in
dreamless slumber. One observing merely from the outside would never imagine the awesome
work being performed within that little cocoon. On the surface, there is nothing to see,
for the cocoon serves as a veil, a womb, to conceal the marvelous processes which change a
caterpillar into a butterfly. As the butterfly cells grow, they completely CONSUME the
form of the caterpillar. When the process is complete the hour comes when our worm wakes
up. He feels crowded, and his shoulders feel like he is a hunch-back. He finds that he has
a tooth on the top of his head, where he never had one before. He starts nodding his head
up and down, and the cocoon begins to yield to the pressure of the NEW BEING within and is
burst asunder as the beautiful - yes, superlatively beautiful, and heavenly - butterfly
steps out, gracefully drying its wings as they unfold in the light and sparkle with a
breath-taking iridescent beauty. In the process the caterpillar ceases to exist, the
cocoon is discarded, laid aside, and THE NEW CREATION IS MANIFESTED TO THE WORLD! A few
minutes later, without asking me or anyone else how to do it, he spreads his wings and
takes to the air, to fly the rest of his life. My worm flies because he OBEYS A SET OF
NATURAL LAWS, which he never comprehends, and which are equally mysterious to us. But we
and he both know they work, because we have observed the result so many times!
THE LAW OF LIFE
There is a sphere of nature
where miracles occur. A miracle is an order and natural proceeding on the plane of a law
which is higher than our present comprehension. We don't understand all the mysteries of
how caterpillars turn into butterflies, we just know they do. In the same sense we admit
that we do not know just how this earth-man is metamorphosed into the heavenly man, how
this corruptible puts on incorruption, how this mortal puts on immortality, how this vile
body of humiliation is changed to be fashioned like unto His glorious body; we just know
that obedience to certain clearly defined orders of procedure (laws) results in the
supernatural change. This change ALWAYS comes in obedience to some certain supernatural,
spiritual laws. What are these laws? Ah - I cannot explain them, my friend, I just know
that they work.
Many times through my
ministry after having spoken of the manifested sonship to which we are called and the
Kingdom realm we are entering, people have come to me with tears in their eyes, saying
that they must come into this and how can they do it. I have had to tell them that I do
not know HOW to enter into these glories. I am not like one preacher I know who told the
people, "Grab on to my coattail, and I will take you into the Kingdom!" The sad
fact is that neither he nor they entered in. I am myself only able to enter as HE shows
the way. But I do not hesitate to tell you, my beloved, that I know for a certainty that
these spiritual laws that govern our spiritual metamorphosis will be revealed to you as
you are ready for them. And as you OBEY THEM whether you comprehend them or not, your
change will come. So what are you to do if I am unable to explain these laws to you? I say
to you what I would say to the caterpillar: JUST GO RIGHT ON CHEWING LEAVES! Continue to
eat the Word God is giving you today, continue to consume the truth He is quickening to
you now, live and walk out consistently, day by day, the revelation sovereignly implanted
within your spirit, and as your APPOINTED TIME comes each spiritual law will in turn
unfold before your wondering eyes, clearly revealed to mind and heart.
What a great gulf there seems
to be betimes between the condition of the worm and the state of the butterfly! We clearly
see on one hand the desperate wickedness of our own hearts, and on the other hand the
unspotted holiness to which we are called in Jesus Christ. On the one hand is the depth of
our own corruption, on the other is the height of the glory of God, that image of the holy
One, to which we are to be renewed. On the one hand is the incredible weakness of this
mortal frame of dust, on the other is the awesome strength and glory of the spiritual
body. Many times there is almost no spirit left within us. We would almost cry out,
"Even with God, this is impossible!" We are ready to give up both faith and
hope, and cast away that very confidence through which we are to overcome all things
through Christ strengthening us, forgetting that "after we have done the will of
God," we are to receive the promise.
The same omnipotent Lord who
called us out of death sets in motion every creative act whereby we shall be transformed
into the image of the heavenly. Paul tells us that it is the LAW OF THE SPIRIT OF LIFE in
Christ Jesus that makes us free from the law of sin and death (
The life of God is the
highest life in the universe; it is the transcendental life, the surpassing life.
Therefore, the characteristics, nature and capabilities of this life must definitely be
the highest and most surpassing of all. Since these highest and most surpassing
characteristics and powers constitute the law of the life of God, this law is the greatest
and highest law of the universe. When God by the Holy Spirit regenerates us, He puts His
own life, accompanied by the law of that life, into us. This law of life is the inward law
which is God's special gift to us. This law of life is put within us; therefore it is an
inward law. Furthermore, this law of life is derived from the life of God and is the
nature and function of the life of God; therefore it is the LAW OF HIS LIFE; hence it can
supply and perform on the level of omnipotence, omniscience, and incorruptibility.
Let me illustrate how the law
of life works. Consider a withered orange tree. Suppose we set up some laws for it,
demanding: "You must grow out green leaves, bloom white blossoms, and bear orange
fruit." We know that such demands, though made from the beginning of the year till
the end of the year, are absolutely vain and futile, because there is no inward power of
life to answer to the demands of such outward laws. Yet if we could transfuse the ORANGE
QUALITY OF LIFE into it, though we do not demand anything outwardly from it, the life will
have a natural capability and power which will cause the tree to grow the leaves, blossoms
and fruit of the orange tree. This is the function of the LAW OF THE SPIRIT OF LIFE IN
CHRIST JESUS. When we allow the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus to work
unhindered in us in ever-expanding spheres, the life of God within us can then spread to
such a degree that "Christ be formed" in us (Gal.
There are certain times and
seasons when God brings to life truths that have been allowed to lie in grave clothes for
ages and dispensations. As a seed lies dormant in the winter months and then bursts into
life in the warmth and rain of spring, so also has the truth of God been allowed to lie in
death throughout the wintry night of our walk in the religious systems of Babylon now at
last to burst into a fruitful harvest in the spring of God's purpose to bring many sons to
glory. There came a wonderful day when Christ came into our lives. "What a wonderful
change in my life has been wrought, Since Jesus came into my heart," we sweetly sing.
But did you ever wait in holy reverence for the Spirit to reveal the eternal truth of
those words to your deepest heart? Oh yes, we received Him - as a saviour, as a thought,
as an idea or an ideal, as a truth, as a presence, as an experience, as an ethereal kind
of spirit, something vague and intangible dwelling by faith in our hearts. The Spirit of
the Lord is quickening, however, that there is SUBSTANCE to that MAN within us. When the
incorruptible life of the Christ was conceived within us, we must realize that He was
conceived within as the EMBRYO of a SPIRIT-BODY. Not just a spirit, but a SPIRIT-BODY!
When Paul speaks, then, of
being strengthened with might in the INNER MAN, he is speaking of SUBSTANCE within us.
When Peter speaks of the HIDDEN MAN of the heart, he is speaking of GLORIFIED FLESH that
has been born into the believer but is hidden beneath the veil of Adamic flesh. A MAN is
not a spirit. A MAN is spirit, soul and body. The first MAN was of the earth, earthy. The
second MAN is the Lord from heaven. It is this second MAN that has come into us in His
life. Jesus never said, "Except you receive My Spirit, you have no life in you."
Rather, He said, "Except ye eat the FLESH of the Son of MAN, and drink His BLOOD
(spirit), ye have no life in you" (Jn.
Oh! my brother, my sister,
may the Spirit of God quicken the truth of these things to your heart! As I have looked to
the Lord about these precious truths, it has become increasingly clear to my spirit that
Jesus did not receive the GLORIFIED BODY when He arose from the tomb - no more than the
butterfly became a butterfly when it broke from the cocoon. The worm becomes a butterfly
BEFORE it emerges from the cocoon. The thing the Spirit would teach us in this, then, is
that a butterfly does not become a butterfly BECAUSE it escapes the cocoon. It, rather,
escapes the cocoon BECAUSE IT HAS BECOME A BUTTERFLY! Even so, Jesus did not possess a
glorified body BECAUSE He arose from the grave. He, instead, burst forth from the grave
BECAUSE HE ALREADY POSSESSED A GLORIFIED BODY! What a difference! Because He was indwelt
by the incorruptible life of His Father, that life being formed fully within Him, He could
announce to His disciples before His death: "The third day I shall rise again."
And indwelt by this resurrected, glorified Christ Paul could confidently declare:
"For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle (cocoon of flesh) were
dissolved, we HAVE a building of God, an house (body) not made with hands, ETERNAL IN THE
HEAVENS" (II Cor. 5:1). A new spirit, a new soul and a new body are even now being
formed in that heavenly realm within us. It is true right now that "there IS a
natural body, and there IS a spiritual body." The message is abundantly clear - we
shall not be the manifested sons of God BECAUSE we escape death. Rather, we shall escape
death BECAUSE we are the sons of God!
THE RENEWING OF THE MIND
Biologists have discovered
that there are two tiny glands at the back of the brain of the caterpillar which secrete a
growth hormone. These glands control his growth as a worm and his larval life. It is when
these two glands shrivel and cease to yield their life-giving flow that the caterpillar
begins to die and the butterfly begins to form. This is most enlightening when spiritually
applied to the renewing of the mind. This is a wonderful discovery, and I cannot help but
believe that these two glands figure in some mysterious and divine way the carnal mind
which gives motivation to the natural man. When we apply the fact of the existence of TWO
GLANDS instead of one, we see an amazing picture of the duality of the carnal mind - the
knowledge of GOOD and EVIL and the law of SIN and DEATH. If you long, dear one, to be
metamorphosed into the image of the heavenly, then "PUT OFF concerning the former
conversation the OLD MAN, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and BE
RENEWED IN THE SPIRIT OF YOUR MIND; and PUT ON the NEW MAN, which after God is created in
righteousness and true holiness" (Eph. 4:22-24).
It is an amazing fact that
there is an active force, the secretion of a new hormone which appears in the brain of the
caterpillar at the precise time when the two glands controlling the larval life cease to
function. It is this new hormone which actually causes the metamorphosis from the
chrysalis stage to the butterfly. In other words, both the death of the caterpillar and
the formation of the butterfly begin in the creature's MIND. The death of the caterpillar
is effected by the cessation of a hormone from two glands in the brain, and the formation
of the butterfly is caused by the secretion of a new hormone from another process in the
brain. In the light of these remarkable circumstances is it not most significant that the
apostle Paul by inspiration wrote: "Be ye transformed (metamorphosed) BY THE RENEWING
OF YOUR MIND."
All our lifetime we have been
subject to the bondage of corruption and death which is rooted in the CARNAL MIND. Ah -
"to be carnally minded IS DEATH" (Rom. 8:6). That is God's own definition of
death, and according to inspiration death is IN THE M-I-N-D! "It's all in your
mind," they say, and though it may be spoken in jest, it is a wondrous and divine
truth, nonetheless. In the same chapter a truth is introduced showing that the
transformation of the body begins with the renewing of the mind, for, says the apostle,
"to be spiritually minded IS LIFE..." (Rom. 8:6). Ah - life, also, is in the
MIND! And he continues, "If the spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead
dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also QUICKEN YOUR MORTAL BODIES
BY HIS SPIRIT THAT DWELLETH IN YOU" (Rom. 8:11).
If ever a reason was given
for a change of mind, a change of thinking, a raising of consciousness, this must be it:
"Be ye metamorphosed BY the renewing of your mind." It is the termination of our
old way of thinking - of the carnal consciousness of sin and death - and the activation of
a new way of thinking - the spiritual consciousness of LIFE IN CHRIST that beings the
change, works the change, and completes the change until our transformation into the
heavenly is consummated in spirit, soul and body. Make no mistake about it! Paul declares
forthrightly in Rom. 12:2 that this transformation, this change, this metamorphosis begins
with the casting off of the corrupt and carnal mind which carries the mentality of sin and
death, and replacing it with the mind of Christ which is the mind of life and glory and
virtue. We have heard a great deal about the corruptible putting on incorruption and the
mortal putting on immortality. We have embraced many theories about how this would be
accomplished, but in one majestic sweep of inspiration the apostle brushes aside all
theories to tell us that we shall be transformed BY THE RENEWING OF THE MIND.
Mind means thought,
intellect, reason, sense, thinking principle. Thought is thinking. The renewing of the
mind means the renovation, reconstitution, re-programming of our thought patterns and
processes. The old mind, carnal and human as it is, is always thinking thoughts of sin and
death. It leaves us mortal, corruptible and unchanged. The new mind is the mind of Christ.
The mind of Christ is the intellect, the thought patterns, the thinking principles of Him
who has conquered both sin and death and abides forever in the life and immortality of the
celestial. The mind of Christ is a transforming mind! It renews not only the mind, but the
body as well. Our minds, our THINKING must be raised from the level of the natural, carnal
minds we were born with, and they must be spiritualized. This is not an instant change, it
is not attained with one grand leap, but a continuous renewal as we hear the voice of the
Spirit as He unfolds to us the mind and thoughts of God. These are thoughts of love, of
righteousness, of life and light and power and incorruption and glory which transform into
the image of God. If we wait in holy reverence in God's divine presence He will teach us
how to think out of our divinity instead of our humanity.
Earlier I wrote of the law of
the spirit of life. In Rom. 8:2 Paul speaks of not only the "spirit of life" but
also the "law of the spirit of life." This tells us that not only is the spirit
life, but it also has its law. Therefore, when he speaks of the spirit he speaks of life -
divine life - and he speaks likewise of the law of that life. He joins the three - life,
spirit, and law - together. Life and the spirit cannot be separated; law and spirit
likewise cannot be divorced. Life is the content and issue of the spirit, whereas law is
the nature and function of the spirit.
Every life definitely has a
certain nature and consciousness. The higher the life, the loftier its nature and its
consciousness. The law of a conscious life belongs to the realm of consciousness. For
example, our youngest son, in his teen years, was a lover of hamsters. He had a hamster
which from the time of its birth had never eaten anything but hamster food. One day he
gave it an insect. Immediately, the hamster bit off the insect's head and then proceeded
to eat it. Now this unique action of biting off the insect's head before eating it is a
feature of the "instinct" of the animal. It is in his nature, a part of his
consciousness. Though you breed countless generations of hamsters, and not one of them
ever sees an insect, the moment you give one of those distant descendants an insect he
will promptly bite off its head and then eat it. He requires no training whatever. This is
the LAW of its life - its innate nature and consciousness. Nature abounds with tens of
thousands of examples of this law of life-consciousness in the marvelous life-forms God
has created on this planet. The law of the physical life pertains to the order of
consciousness. Everything is what it is and acts as it acts out of its CONSCIOUSNESS.
The life of the spirit of
life is the life of God Himself, which is the highest life; therefore it is the richest in
consciousness. This life within us causes us to be full of divine consciousness, and this
consciousness is the consciousness of LIFE. The law of life within us is this
consciousness. So - as we put off the carnal mind which is filled with the consciousness
of death, and are renewed in our mind into the mind of Christ which is the consciousness
of life, our spirit, soul and body will become infused with not only the life of God, but
also with the law of God's life, and we will walk in righteousness rather than sin - and
we will think thoughts of life instead of death.
As soon as we are regenerated
and are awakened to the life of God within, this law of life definitely causes us to have
a certain consciousness. Our responsibility is to obey the sense of the law of life, thus
thinking and acting out of the consciousness of life rather than death. In the beginning,
the consciousness of this law of life may be comparatively weak and infrequent. Yet if
only we are willing to obey the first sense, though it be weak, the consciousness
following will be stronger and stronger. We have to begin by submitting to this first weak
consciousness and continue to submit. In this way the law of life can work within us
unceasingly until it reaches every part of our whole being. Thus the life within us will
be enabled to expand outward and increase in depth and height until corruption is
swallowed up into life in every fiber of our being. This is THE COMING FORTH OF THE CHRIST
IN RESURRECTION POWER! This is the Christ the resurrection and the life!
Few believe that the
spiritual body can be put on here and now even as we stand upon our feet. Do you? Do you
believe it is possible for you to be changed, transformed, metamorphosed in your whole man
here in this life? And, since you cannot by any natural process perform this for yourself,
are you willing and ready to come under the deep secret law of letting the mind of Christ
cancel out the carnal mind, of letting the law of life nullify the law of sin and death in
the secret chambers of your consciousness? Within the cramped cocoon which swings through
the winter gale on the branch of a tree, a mighty transformation is taking place. Be still
- all of a sudden the shell cracks, the cocoon gives way, the folded form stretches itself
out of its cramped position, and limbers itself up with joy. In its new consciousness it
does naturally what it has never done before, the former things have passed away, and with
them all their limitations. The worm can fly! It is the law of its life! And the law of
your life, precious friend of mine, is to know and live and demonstrate the full capacity
of Him who is within you THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE!
Chapter
36
Coming
In Resurrection Power
(continued)
Wondrous things await the
elect of God, things which it is not lawful for a man to utter in the hearing of
uncircumcised ears and hearts. Long ages have come and gone since that first glorious dawn
when the Creator uttered the portentous decree, "Let there be light," and there
are vast ages that lie yet unborn before us. Our present dispensation is closing, we are
already overlapping into another. Glories greater far than this age has disclosed are
already beginning to burn. Dawn with blushing hues is advancing in the eastern skies,
stretching forth her golden fingers to draw aside the shades of night and open the gates
of day. Soon will come the explosive fulfillment of divine promises that pertain to that
wonderful age to come, of which we have merely "tasted" its powers (Heb. 6:5).
Our blessed Lord and Christ shall see the travail of His soul and shall be satisfied and
that glory is to be revealed in us. The groaning earth is waiting, creation is longing for
deliverance. The seas are roaring, the earth is quaking. There are wars and rumors of
wars. Amid the ruthless surging tide of unbridled crime, drugs, rebellion, immorality,
sickness, suffering, poverty, sorrow and injustice, we hear the groans of the dying. The
whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain. Men's hearts are failing them for fear in
looking after those things which are coming on the earth. The cry of the oppressed is
entering into the ears of the Lord of Sabbath. The night has been long, and is so cold and
dark. But the "Day Star" is arising. The morning cometh! Already the flashes of
light are climbing the eastern sky. Heaven and earth will soon be ablaze with the glory of
the revelation in the manifested sons of God.
Why has God not brought
deliverance to this sin-cursed world during the past two millenniums of church history?
Ah, God be praised! There are co-heirs in whom the glory is to be revealed. There are
"many brethren" to be manifested in the image of "the firstborn." The
number of these is not yet complete, but the hour is at hand. When all the heirs of the
Kingdom are gathered out of this dark age, God will unveil His many-membered Christ to the
world. The long-awaited manifestation of the sons of God will take place, and creation
will be delivered from the bondage of decay and death and brought "into the glorious
liberty of the sons of God" (Rom.
Those who have been
apprehended to this high calling have been overshadowed by the power of the Highest and
are aware of a glorious life within - a bursting life in embryo ready to come forth, or as
Peter said, "unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (I Pet. 1:5).
It is the birth of the New Creation Life in Christ Jesus, the full manifestation of the
sons of God. This is Christ formed in us. So arise, shine, for thy light is come. The
glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. Darkness shall cover the earth and gross darkness
the people, but the light shall arise upon thee and His glory shall be seen upon thee.
This is His day; this is your hour.
THE DAWN OF RESURRECTION
It is erroneous to speak of
the resurrection of the body while ignoring the resurrection of soul and spirit. Man's
body is not all that dies, or is dead. Death seized upon Adam in the very day when he
partook of the forbidden tree, although many hundreds of years passed before his body was
finally laid in the grave. The divine edict was not, "In the day that thou eatest
thereof thy BODY shall die," but "in the day that thou eatest thereof T-H-O-U
shalt surely die" (Gen. 2:17). The result of sin would pass upon the WHOLE MAN -
body, soul and spirit. "The SOUL that sinneth, it shall die," saith the
Almighty. "And YOU hath He quickened, WHO WERE DEAD in trespasses and sins"
(Eph. 2:1). "But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth" (I Tim.
5:6). We are prone to equate death with the demise of the body, but nothing is farther
from the truth. If we who WERE DEAD have NOW BEEN QUICKENED by the spirit of life from
God, the question follows: What part of us was dead? And what part of us has been
quickened? Obviously, it was not our body! Equally obvious is the fact that it was not our
soul, for the soul is still in the process of transformation.
Some teach that the spirit
cannot die because it came from God, but we must remember that all death is not the same
death. Death is a condition, a state of being - not cessation of existence. The man lying
in the casket still has his bodily members, you behold his face and his form, but
something has gone out. Through special processes his body may be preserved for
millenniums. His body still exists, but it has entered the state, the condition of death.
A dead man has not life, though his members remain. "The spirit of man is the candle
of the Lord," said the wise man, but I do not hesitate to tell you that a dead spirit
is a candle whose light has gone out. "He that is joined unto the Lord is one
spirit," the Word says, so it necessarily follows that he that is NOT joined to the
Lord is NOT one spirit. A dead spirit is a spirit from which the divine essence has been
withdrawn - the spirit still exists, even with consciousness, but it exists in the state
of death - unresponsiveness to the realm of God. The man whose spirit does not respond to
God, nor to the bright spirit world, nor to spiritual things, is a man who is dead in
spirit.
Recently I read the story of
a man from
Death is merely the final
inability to respond or correspond to the world about you. Such is the condition of the
unregenerated human spirit. I tell you the truth - the spirit of the natural man is dead -
dead to God, dead to life, dead to reality, dead to truth, dead to righteousness, dead to
promise, dead to the spiritual world, dead to spiritual things. He abides in this death
through all the decades, centuries, or millenniums of his existence until Christ comes
into his heart. The spirit of man can only be penetrated by the Holy Spirit which is the
great Quickener, the great Lighter. When our spirit (the candle) is lighted by His Spirit
a resurrection in the realm of spirit ensues.
Separated from God man is
dead - spirit, soul and body. Receiving again of His life we find it to be a RESURRECTION
LIFE. Two Greek words are used to speak of the resurrection. The first is ANASTASIS,
generally translated "resurrection." The second is EGEIRO, rendered as
"raise, raised or risen." A close examination of the texts where these words are
employed reveals that they are frequently used interchangeably and both are applied to the
resurrection of body, soul and spirit. ANASTASIS means - a standing or rising up. It
denotes much more than our English word "resurrection" which we term to mean the
restoring to life again. As one has pointed out, the Greek word means THE WHOLE PROCESS OF
ADVANCING AND RISING UP UNTIL THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE REALM IS REACHED, and our goal is
nothing short of full conformation into the image of God, Christ formed in us, to be ONE
IN HIM.
Resurrection is the process
of STANDING UP and ADVANCING - it is arising from the dust and the low realm of the
earthy, to bear the image of the heavenly. Resurrection is the process of having our life
LIFTED UP from the earth, to be raised to the heavenlies, to be joined in one with the
Spirit of God. The more ONE we are WITH HIM, the more we will say with Paul, "for our
conversation is in heaven" (Phil.
Resurrection is the process
of man's "fall" being REVERSED. If one is watching a program on his VCR and
decides to stop and rewind it to see a scene again, he is simply reversing what he has
previously seen with his eyes. It is comical betimes to watch the people running
backwards, and bodies rising from the ground to the roof of a building, etc. What you saw
is restored to its beginning by passing through the motion in reverse. And this is
precisely what resurrection is: THE FALL OF MAN IN REVERSE! Since resurrection is man's
fall in reverse, a standing up again into that oneness in God man knew in his bright
beginning, the order of Adam first being alive, then dying, Is put in reverse. In the new
creation death comes first, then life. We cannot have resurrection life without death. We
die to self and sin that we may live unto God and righteousness. From that death we stand
up again in HIS LIFE.
When we were first born of
God our bodies were not "resurrected" at that time, but when that birthing by
God's Spirit took place, there was certainly something within us that STOOD UP. In that
blessed moment the ego of old Adam laid down in us and died, while the new creation man
STOOD UP ALIVE. We were resurrected! Truly the resurrection had dawned within our bosom.
But our outer-man bodies saw no change. The spirit within that first died in that long ago
I mentioned earlier that the
word "risen" comes from the Greek word EGEIRO, meaning "to gather, through
the idea of collecting one's faculties, to waken, to rouse from sleep, disease, or death.
Here again the truth of being risen with Christ implies the GATHERING OR COLLECTING OF
ONE'S FACULTIES. All the spiritual faculties that were lost in the fall of Adam are being
restored to the elect by the operation of God. All that was lost shall be regained,
including our lost faculties which have to do with spiritual capacities and abilities, as
well as the recovery of all spiritual truth. It is more than merely coming to life again,
it is the orderly restoration of the totality of our original state of being.
Evelyn Isaacs has written:
"Jesus said, 'I am the resurrection and the life,' and as long as He dwells within,
the resurrection process is going on. Resurrection is a standing or rising up. In the
place of spiritual stagnation, we have come into a way of life. Upon arising to our feet,
we are becoming adjusted to living in the fullness of His presence. It is a recovery of
our morals and of our spiritual faculties, the regaining, and the restoration of truth.
Our aptitudes are restored and we again see, hear, and feel with our spiritual senses.
Since we read in Jn.
In Adam all die, but in
Christ all are made alive. In Christ! I am reminded of the story I read once about a
preacher who was addressing the people one Sunday, trying to impress upon them the
importance of religion. "All you people of this congregation," he cried from the
pulpit, "one day you're going to die. Do you hear me? All you people of this
congregation, one day you're going to die." One little man sitting in the front pew
started to laugh, so the preacher asked him, "What's so funny?" The man
answered, "I don't belong to this congregation." "In Adam all die."
But I have some good news for you, my friend. I'M NOT IN ADAM! I don't belong to old Adam.
I pertain to the Christ, the second
THE "OUT" RESURRECTION
There is an interesting
passage in Mark 9 which throws great light on this subject. The opening verses contain the
record of the transfiguration; and then we read, "As they came down from the
mountain, He charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the
Son of man were risen from the dead. And they kept that saying within themselves,
questioning one with another what the rising from (Gr. ek, from among) the dead should
mean." The disciples felt that there was something special, something entirely beyond
the ordinary orthodox idea of the resurrection of the dead, and verily so there was,
though they understood it not then. It lay beyond their range of vision at that moment.
Fortunately, Paul gives us
some very vital information concerning this resurrection "from among" the dead,
without which we would be very much in the dark. He tells us just how he was planning to
be included in it. He also tells us how others came to be included in the same class with
him, and he states that the revelation concerning this great attainment and the way into
it, is the sign of spiritual perfection (Phil. 3:11-15). But the popular teachers of the
day have totally missed these great truths. Let us consider them very carefully. They are
of the utmost importance. In Phil. 3:8-14, Paul informs us that he had given up the world,
given up everything, that he might suffer with Christ, with his nature transformed to die
even as Christ died, "IF BY ANY MEANS I might attain unto the resurrection out from
amongst the dead." In our King James version this is rendered, "the resurrection
of the dead:" a pathetic, and altogether misleading translation.
A moment's just reflection
will suffice to convince the reader that the apostle is not speaking here of the broad
truth of "the resurrection of the dead," inasmuch as everyone must rise again.
"There shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust"
(Acts 24:15). In the Greek language the resurrection "of the dead" is NEKRON or
TON NEKRON and is applied to all classes of people because all will be raised. But the
term EK NEKRON - "out of the dead" - is not once applied to the unjust or the
ungodly, or in any general sense. The latter phrase is used altogether 49 times in the New
Testament, to-wit: 34 times, to express Christ's resurrection, whom we know was thus
raised OUT OF THE DEAD. 3 Times, to express John the Baptist's supposed resurrection, who,
as Herod thought, had been raised OUT OF THE DEAD. 3 Times, to express the resurrection of
Lazarus, who was also raised OUT OF THE DEAD. 3 times, it is used to express spiritual
life OUT FROM AMONG those who are still dead in sin. In Rom.
The resurrection of which
Paul spoke was not even the general resurrection of saints. Paul knew that he was a saved
man, and as such knew there was positively no way he could escape the resurrection of the
just. Now, if there were but one resurrection of the saved, as modern
Oh! dearly beloved brethren,
the resurrection "of" the dead is one thing, but the resurrection "out from
among" the dead is a mightily different thing. If ALL the people in a building leave
it at the same time, it is the coming out "of" the company; but if only SOME of
the people present leave, theirs is a coming out "from" the rest of the company.
It was for this resurrection "out from" the dead that Paul longed continually.
This was the bright and blessed hope that shone upon his soul and cheered him amid the
sorrows and trials, the toils and the difficulties, the buffetings and the conflicts.
Every soul who dies, both saint and sinner, must be in the resurrection "of" the
dead, for as in Adam ALL die, so in Christ shall ALL be made alive. There is no possible
way of avoiding it. But to be a partaker in the resurrection "from among" the
dead, that, Paul tells us, is a special blessing and distinction for those who follow on
to KNOW the Lord. The resurrection "from" the dead has already begun. It started
1900 years ago. Our Lord was the firstfruits of this company, "raised up out of dead
ones" (I Cor.
FROM WHENCE WE LOOK ...
You will never understand the
power of Christ's resurrection until you know union with Him. There are a couple of
scriptures that I would like to consider with you. If you will let these gracious inspired
words speak for themselves, you will be given to understand a mystery comprehended by very
few men or women who have walked the face of this planet. The following words of the
apostle Paul are freighted with meaning and spiritual significance. "For our
conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus
Christ: who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious
body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto
Himself" (Phil. 3:20-21). The opening statement of this beautiful passage declares
that "Our conversation is in heaven." The word conversation is from the Greek
word POLITEUMA meaning "citizenship." It is not our words or our talk that are
in heaven, but our citizenship - our habitation and residence with full civil rights. We
are citizens of heaven. Our residence is in heaven. Heaven is our place of birth, our
homeland, our native sphere of habitation.
There are some things about
which we must be very clear. If we would grasp the deep meaning of our heavenly
citizenship, we must come to an understanding of some basic and simple facts about HEAVEN
ITSELF. We want no theories nor guesses. We want facts. We want nothing but the highest
authority. And what better authority can we find than the One who made the heavens and who
owns them? If anyone understands all the facts about heaven, it is He! Let us see what He
said. He had left His heavenly glory. He had humbled Himself, had taken upon Himself the
form of sinful man; and becoming a man, was despised and rejected. And yet, while in
humility and reproach, a man among men, He made this statement: "No man hath ascended
up to heaven, but He that came down from heaven, even the Son of man WHICH IS IN
HEAVEN" (Jn. 3:13). The Son of God left His glory, and descended to the depths of
this earth. Yet, while a man on earth, in humility, He Himself said, "The Son of man
WHICH I-S IN HEAVEN."
When Jesus said that He was
even then, as a man, in heaven - He used the usual Greek word for heaven, OURANOS. The
meaning of the word is elevation, height, exaltation. But this elevation, height and
exaltation is something so vast, so infinite, so inexhaustible that a person can be in it,
can descend from it, and yet still possess it and be in it! The sweet singer of
But the heaven that God
dwells in is not the physical universe, nor is it some limited spot far out in the
universe somewhere where God dwells in His majesty sitting upon a material throne. First
of all, God is SPIRIT and spirit cannot utilize the material in its own realm. Not only is
God spirit, He is OMNIPRESENT SPIRIT. He is everywhere present at the same time. David
said of Him, "Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from Thy
presence? If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold,
Thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning... even there shall Thy hand lead
me..." (Ps. 139:6-10). Solomon, at the dedication of the temple in
Let all who read these lines
clearly understand that God's heaven is not the inexhaustible universe of stars and suns
and planets - swirling nebulae. Heaven has nothing whatever to do with the time-space
continuum or matter in any form. The true heaven is beyond it all, above it all, before it
all. Heaven is that high and holy and invisible realm of SPIRIT, the pure and divine and
eternal and incorruptible realm of GOD HIMSELF, which existed before ever a star or a
planet appeared. Heaven, therefore, can only be entered BY THAT WHICH IS SPIRIT. Let every
man know for a certainty that heaven is not a geographical or astral location with their
limitations, but a dimension, a sphere of existence, a state of being - that spiritual
existence, being and habitation in which God eternally lives. Natural eyes cannot pierce
the invisible realm of spirit. Natural minds know nothing of that realm, for we perceive
only those physical things recognizable by the senses. Natural ears are unable to hear
that which is spoken in the realm of spirit, for spirit vibrates on a frequency higher
than and superior to the low vibrations of earth. Heaven is all around us but we must be
raised out of our natural consciousness in order to touch it. But the dimension of heaven
is ten thousand times MORE REAL than this gross material realm to which our mortal form
has been subjected.
The Holy Spirit witnesses
with unspeakable clearness that WHAT CHRIST IS ALL other sons of God are now becoming. He
is the FIRSTBORN from among the dead ones; a vast body of sons will be raised because He
was raised. He was crucified; THEY were crucified IN HIM. He was buried; THEY were buried
IN HIM. He was raised; THEY were raised IN HIM. He ascended to God's right hand; THEY are
ascended IN HIM. He was seated to reign; THEY are seated IN HIM.
Over and over again, the
Gospel of John states that Jesus went unto His Father. We will quote only four of these as
follows. "I depart out of this world unto the Father" (Jn. 13:1). "I go to
My Father, and ye see Me no more" (Jn.
Many Christians today are
quite as carnal as were these first followers of Jesus who, being Jews, and God having
shown their forefathers many wonderful signs, were expecting now to see something tangible
and earthly, and it was therefore difficult for them to comprehend and receive these words
of Jesus concerning His Father, and heaven, and His going unto the Father. God is a spirit
and both fills and transcends all space. And since God is in heaven, heaven is wherever
the Spirit of God is, whether it be far distant or deep within us. Therefore, when Jesus
went unto the Father, He did not travel many miles; He simply moved out of one dimension
into another; He returned to the Spirit-form from whence He came forth as He said, "I
came forth from the Father, and am come into the world; again, I leave the world, and go
to the Father" (Jn. 16:28). This, then, is what Jesus meant when He said, "Ye
shall not see Me - because I go unto My Father," or back into the spirit form and
realm of heaven which is invisible. And now in spirit we are eternally joined unto Him in
His own incorruptible sphere of life and state of being. He that is joined unto the Lord
is one spirit - in heaven! Henceforth, may our conversation be in heaven and of heaven,
from whence also we look for our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile
body that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body.
It will be well worth our
time to examine prayerfully just what is actually stated in the passage of scripture now
under consideration. "For our citizenship is in heaven, FROM WHENCE WE LOOK..."
"We LOOK." I ask you to notice this particularly. "From whence WE
LOOK." "FROM WHENCE we look." It does not say, "from whence we SHALL
look." Nor does it say, "from whence the Lord shall come." "From
whence WE LOOK FOR THE SAVIOUR, THE LORD JESUS CHRIST: who shall change our vile
body..." It does not at all say that the Lord Jesus Christ shall come from heaven,
although that is how our superficial reading and carnal mindedness has taken it. Nothing
is said here about where Christ dwells, or where He is coming from. The subject is not
where Christ is, but where WE ARE and WHAT WE ARE DOING THERE. Where are we? "Our
citizenship (residence, homeland) is in heaven." This lovely passage shows the
believer to be a heavenly man, positioned in the heavenlies. And what are we doing there?
From that lofty vantage point and exalted state of consciousness we are LOOKING FOR THE
SAVIOUR to change our vile body. Just as a man may sit in a fire-tower steadily looking
for the tell-tale signs of smoke that alert him to a forest fire, so WE SIT IN HEAVEN
LOOKING FOR THE SAVIOUR TO CHANGE OUR BODY. The message is clear - we are not on earth
looking for our Saviour to come crashing down from heaven. Rather, from our exalted
seating in the height of heaven we look for this change, for we know the Christ there, we
belong to Him there, we are joined in one with Him there, we are heavenly because He is.
He will extend the work of salvation and exaltation to the body-realm, so as to present
the whole being in the power of eternal life in the true sphere and home of that life
above. We are to possess a fully developed body which belongs to the celestial world. This
change from death to life takes place as Christ rises from within us, coming out of heaven
(spirit) to manifest finally in the visible world. As we find Christ in us and our union
in Him as the source of our life, tremendous changes take place. Oh! the mystery of it! It
is not from earth that we look for heaven to swoop down and change us; it is in heaven
that we look for our outer man to catch up with our inner man. "FROM HEAVEN we
look..." Hallelujah!
IN THE TWINKLING OF AN EYE
Our change from mortal to
immortal, from corruptible to incorruptible is a promise of God that can no more fail or
pass away than any other of God's promises. "Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall
not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye... for
this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality"
(I Cor. 15:51-53).
I want to show you one of the
hidden secrets of God, that only the Spirit of Truth can bring forth. After saying,
"but we shall all be changed," the next words read, "in a moment." The
Greek word used here for "moment" is ATOMOS. This passage is the only place in
the Greek New Testament where this word is used. ATOMOS is the word from which is derived
our English word "atom." The word carried the meaning in the Greek of that which
is UNCUTTABLE or INDIVISIBLE because the Greeks believed that the atom was the smallest
particle of matter that existed, therefore it could not be divided, cut, split, or reduced
in any way. The translators have taken this to mean that our bodies shall be changed in
"an atom of time," that is, in an instant of time so brief that you could not
make it any quicker, or reduce the time in any measure. I can understand their reasoning,
but it seems to me far afield from the facts. There are other Greek words that do mean
moment, an infinitesimal period of time. If the Spirit intended this to be - in a moment -
then why did He use the word ATOMOS instead of the word that actually means Moment. For
instance, in II Cor. 4:17 we find the statement, "For our light afflictions which are
but for a moment..." This word "moment" comes from the Greek word PARAUTIKA
which means instant or momentary. So why did the Spirit use the word ATOMOS instead of the
word PARAUTIKA when He said, "We shall all be changed, in a moment ... if He meant
moment? And why do the translators persist in translating it "moment"? There
must have been a reason for the Holy Spirit to use the word ATOMOS, that God has kept
hidden from the translators. Does not this word ATOMOS indicate that we shall be changed
in the ATOMS of our bodies, in the very structure and substance of our outer house, in the
ATOMICAL STRUCTURE of our bodies? "We shall be changed in ATOMS, in ATOMICAL
STRUCTURE, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump!" Certainly this is much
more in harmony with the subject: "There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual
body. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the
heavenly" I Cor.
Following these words the
apostle hastily adds this enigmatical phrase, "in the twinkling of any eye."
"Twinkling" is from the Greek word RHIPE meaning "a jerk" of the eyes.
RHIPE is from the root RHIPTO, a word which indicates a sudden motion; to hurl with a
rapid movement; a stroke; to toss; to fling. The twinkling of an eye relates not so much
to time as it does to the ACTION and MOTION involved. It is not a question of how quickly
the eyelids flutter, but the fact of a movement, a jerk, a change of direction, a SUDDEN
REFOCUSING OR LOOKING AWAY. If I were reading a book and I heard the door open, I would
swiftly dart my eyes in the direction of the door to see who is entering. I would LOOK
AWAY from the book and quickly REFOCUS my sight on the person coming through the door.
This abrupt motion, this sudden refocusing of vision, this rapid change of eye contact is
what is indicated by the Greek word RHIPE.
When our attention is
unexpectedly attracted by a sudden burst of revelation and spiritual understanding there
is that instantaneous "turning away" from our former concepts, beliefs, actions
and ways, to behold and embrace the truth and glory of God disclosed by inspiration of the
Holy Spirit. This sudden change in perspective, this immediate transformation of
consciousness satisfies precisely the meaning of the Greek phrase - "in the twinkling
of an eye." It bespeaks vision, illumination, understanding, perception and
perspective. Furthermore, it has absolutely nothing to do with a so called "rapture
of the saints," or the "second coming of Jesus." Plainly and unquestionably
it concerns O-U-R CHANGE, O-U-R TRANSFORMATION into the image of Christ. It says nothing
about us being "raptured" in the twinkling of an eye; what it does say is that
"WE SHALL BE CHANGED in a moment (in atoms), in the twinkling (re-focused vision) of
an eye." Yet the preachers loudly proclaim on the basis of this verse that Jesus will
return in a split second, and the saints will in a flash of time travel a trillion miles
of miracle at the Rapture. It is as pure a myth as ever entered the brain of man!
My heart leaps within me as I
contemplate this wonderful reality - being CHANGED! From the distant mountain peaks of
faith comes a sound as clear as morning chimes. It is the voice of the inspired apostle
sounding out from centuries past, "BEHOLDING as in a glass the glory of the Lord, WE
ARE CHANGED into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the
Lord" (II Cor. 3:18). Beholding - we are changed! It is the same message - "We
shall be changed ... in the twinkling of an eye!" We are changed by a beholding, by a
looking, by A LOOK. Betimes it takes a lot to turn us. The Psalmist cries out, "Turn
us, O Lord. Cause Thy face to shine and we shall be saved" (Ps. 8O:3,7,19). It is
only as we turn in the direction of the present glory that we can know transformation! You
can read the history of revivals, you can study the exploits of men of faith in centuries
past, you can reminisce about the great visitations of God yesteryear. There is not enough
power in such things to transform you. And there is no need to cry, "Lord, do it
again!" for our God is ever progressive in His dealings and the outworking of His
purposes, and He doesn't retrogress to "do it again." This is a New Day and God
will do a New Thing! Transformation comes only in the light of the present glory and
revelation of Jesus Christ. We must turn, to behold Him as He is, not as He was. There is
a multitude of people today whose experience goes no further that small measure of
knowledge about the historical Jesus they read of in the Gospels. Countless thousands more
know Him only in the light of yesterday's revelation. Oh! we need to turn to Him today by
the Spirit. Seeing and knowing Him involves an on-going unveiling of Jesus Christ by the
Holy Spirit.
It is never enough that there
is something to be seen; it is not sufficient that a landscape is within sight; the
properties of the landscape require in the observer a certain perceptiveness. When an
interviewer approached the instrument of a celebrated microscopist, he paused and said,
"But you must tell me what I am to see." The expert was delighted and replied,
"You are a man after my own heart. You recognize that there must be a prepared mind
to enable the eye to see rightly." Everything depends on the quality of perception we
bring with us. We see what we are qualified to see, and what we actually see determines
all our conduct, as someone has written:
"Earth's crammed with
heaven
And every common bush afire with God,
But ONLY HE WHO SEES takes off his shoes,
The rest sit around and pluck blackberries."
It is true of all spiritual
things that we see "through a glass darkly," but it is our own carnal minds and
natural understanding which distort our sight and discolor our vision. When Cain forfeited
the favor of God and his guilty life passed out to a fugitive existence, he lamented his
fate; but above all his fears, he felt that his darkest destiny was to be denied the
vision of God. For he cried, "From Thy face shall I be hid" (Gen. 4:14). The
heaviest part of his sentence was to be exiled from God. He felt an aggravated sense of
what is the common experience of mankind; alienation from God is written in large letters
over the history of the world. But the hiding of God's face is not His withdrawal, but our
lack of the powers of perception. Our carnal, earthbound souls have forfeited the power to
see Him. Our spiritual denseness has hid His face from us, and we cannot see Him until
that great, intercepting mass is taken out of the way.
We are going to have to get
beyond dead doctrines and religious traditions. We are going to have to see the living
Christ, for He is the Word of God, the Truth of God and the Reality of God. It will take
more than sermons on sonship and exhortations on perfection to make us perfect sons in
God's image. We must SEE HIM to be changed into His likeness. It is going to take more
than singing choruses, clapping hands, shouting Amens and Halleluiahs, and preaching to
one another about the deep mysteries of God to bring us to the knowledge of God. We shall
have to MEET HIM as Thomas and Paul and John met Him. We must hear His voice speaking to
us in the deepest recesses of our spirits. We must commune with Him in the glory of God
that radiates from the face of Jesus Christ. Sonship can only come by personal association
with Christ Himself. I am willing to stake all that I have and all that I am on this one
bold assertion: No man or woman can ever be changed into the image of God or put on
incorruptibility until he has cast off the yoke of the carnal mind and the bondages of
human tradition and religion and has met THE FIRSTBORN SON PERSONALLY, COMMUNED WITH HIM
INTIMATELY, and continued to walk in the light and glory of what he sees.
The promise of this vision
assures us of the perfecting of the powers of our spiritual life. When Moses desired the
vision of the glory of God, he was warned that no man can see God's face and live. No man
can stand in the full blaze of divine glory until he himself corresponds in nature to that
glory. The glare of the eastern sun on desert sands has dazed men's eyes; the fierce,
gleaming radiance of sunlight on the snow-clad hills has blinded human sight, and none
can, with naked eye, behold the sun in the sky. How, then, can our mortal vision turn its
gaze upon the glory that is ineffable? When John on
George Hawtin has penned some
beautiful words of truth along this line. He writes: "I have often thought of the
wonderful words 'no man can SEE GOD AND LIVE.' Oh how often we have quoted that wonderful
passage as proof that we may not hope to see His face. Will you allow me to reverently say
something else? Though it is true that no man can see God and live, it is equally true
that no man can see God and die. Men do not die in God's presence, neither do they live AS
THEY USED TO LIVE, but they are TRANSFORMED. Hallelujah! They are changed; they are
transfigured; they come into THAT SAME IMAGE of Him who created them. In whatever measure
God reveals Himself to man, to that same measure you are changed and nothing can avoid
that conclusion" -end quote. Truly we are changed by beholding - in the twinkling
(glance, look) of an eye! You won't see the Christ until you start looking for Him, and
you won't find Him until you go where He is revealed. He is fully, totally revealed in His
glory in the realm of spirit. "Henceforth know we no man after the flesh; yea, though
we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we Him no more ( that is, no
longer after the flesh, merely as a man)" (II Cor.
A friend in
Do you know, dear friend, why
the masses of Christians today have little or no revelation of the purposes of God, no
hope of sonship, no going on to perfection, no putting on of the mind of Christ, and no
conformation to His glorious image? It is because at every turn they have ceased to LOOK
UNTO JESUS, having left the road He has marked out to wander in Stygian blackness. Here,
there, and everywhere, one finds in tracts, magazines, books, on the radio and television,
and behind pulpits across the land some poor deluded traveler who is proclaiming his
particular alley - his theory, his doctrine, his gift, his ministry, his program, his
baptism, his methods, or feeble little experience to be THE PASSAGEWAY to a new and better
day. But in all this we find no true dawn. Instead of bright sunlight and clear skies, all
we find here is some poor soul groping hopelessly by the pathetic light of a flickering
match which he himself holds.
I present to you, beloved
brother, sister, a RISEN CHRIST in all His beauty, majesty, and incorruptibility, who bids
us FOLLOW HIM to enter the glories of His new day of life and light and glory! Turn -
behold HIM! You will be changed in the twinkling of YOUR EYE!
Chapter
37
Coming
In Judgment
We are living in a time when
the truth about the Lord's return is missed by many of the Lord's people, misunderstood by
others, and misinterpreted by multitudes. The promise of the Lord's coming is intended to
be GOOD NEWS. Yet many people react in fear to the very thought of the coming of Christ,
for they associate it with the end of the world, which to them means complete disaster.
The picture most people have of the judgment is vividly portrayed in Michael Angelo's
picture of the Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel at
The subject of judgment is a
large one in the Bible, running through scripture from Genesis to Revelation, and it is so
manifold in meaning, purpose, and application that it eludes simplification. The judgments
of God run deep and are so vast and multi-faceted that they lie completely beyond the
comprehension of the carnal mind and beyond the grasp of mortal man. As exclaimed by Paul,
"O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how UNSEARCHABLE
ARE HIS JUDGMENTS, and His ways past finding out!" (Rom.
Through the cunning of the
adversary, both the world and the popular church have been robbed of the blessed
assurances of the time when God's RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENTS break forth in the earth. Most
people know that the Bible tells of a "judgment day," but the average person,
believer or unbeliever, regards it only with a certain sense of fear and dread. Because of
this FEAR there is, to them, no more unwelcome tidings than that the Lord is coming to
JUDGE THE EARTH. Many tremble inwardly at the thought of God's judgments, and in this mind
put them far from them, preferring not to even hear the subject mentioned. At various
times in the past many people have become terror stricken when some unusual event or a
terrible calamity has occurred, because they have supposed that the event signaled the
finale for our planet with billions of people suddenly thrust into eternal damnation. They
have absolutely no idea of the wonderful blessings in store for a sin-weary world under
the glorious reign of the sons of God filled with all the nature, wisdom, glory and power
of God!
There are many who preach
what they call the "end-time message" who capitalize on this emotion of FEAR:
"Christ is coming to judge and YOU ARE NOT READY!" That message sounds like
something exasperated mothers shout as they shake their disobedient children: "You
just wait until your daddy comes home!" Many souls have been scared into the altars
and have lived in dread of the end of the age and the coming of the Lord ever since. One
day, they expect, they will suddenly be yanked up through the air, taken to that great
woodshed in the sky, and given the spanking of their eternal life. The threat of the Lord
appearing as Judge is somehow supposed to produce righteous living among the saints. Yeah,
"JUST WAIT UNTIL YOUR DADDY (Jesus) COMES HOME!"
Then there are those who seem
to be consumed with teaching and preaching about the terrible conditions that mark the end
of this age: war, famine, pestilence, lawlessness, immorality, the antichrist, the mark of
the beast, the great tribulation, persecution and trouble. Their main passion seems to be
what the church system, the world bankers, the Jews, the Illuminati, the Russians, the
politicians and the wicked in general are doing in the world. Their whole life is absorbed
in discussions about who is the antichrist, credit cards, Social Security numbers,
bar-code marking systems, laser-tattooed identification numbers, conspiracies, wilderness
hideouts, survival camps, and all sorts of carnal preparations for getting through the
"great tribulation." Still others want to talk about the horrors of AIDS, or
some other manifestation of this dark hour. But I do not hesitate to tell you, beloved,
that it is a total waste of time and effort to continually analyze the negative realm and
curse the darkness. If we are really genuinely concerned about the darkness of this night,
let us get up off our spiritual lazy bones and hasten to follow hard after the Lord.
Pursue HIM with all your might! Let us repent of all our foolish preoccupation with the
works of darkness and our fear of the night and turn our eyes to the light of His glorious
face. Christ is the ILLUMINATION OF THE NEW DAY. And only as we walk with Him can the
curse and bondages of this present darkness be turned into the glad morning of peace,
righteousness, and life we all long for.
Judgment is God's strange
work. He uses it as a tool in His redemptive and restorative processes. Men make it the
end. But judgment is always a means to an end - never THE END! No matter how an unbeliever
is dealt with, whether he dies as a result of his sin, or by the direct judgment of God;
whether he be cast into hell, or turned into the lake of fire - THIS IS NOT HIS END. All
men will be raised up either into a resurrection of life or a resurrection of judgment
(Jn.
The end of divine Judgment -
no matter its form, no matter its subject - is to bring the whole universe into harmony
with His will, nature and glory. How optimistically did the holy prophets and apostles
regard the coming of the Lord in judgment! Note the expectation in Isaiah's spirit as he
announces: "Yea, in the way of THY JUDGMENTS, O Lord, have we waited for Thee...with
my soul have I desired Thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek Thee
early: for when THY JUDGMENTS are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world WILL LEARN
RIGHTEOUSNESS" (Isa. 26:8-9). Here Isaiah assures us that the day when God's
judgments are in the earth will be a most glorious and desirable day, a day in which the
inhabitants of the world W-I-L-L LEARN RIGHTEOUSNESS! How opposite to the idea entertained
by many that when God's judgments come in the earth the inhabitants of the world will be
sent into oblivion or eternal damnation. If the desire of your heart is anything like the
desire of my heart, this is a blessed thought and a wonderful assurance: the inhabitants
of the world WILL LEARN RIGHTEOUSNESS! How my ransomed soul yearns to behold such a thing!
Every time I scan the headlines of the morning paper I am seized with an intense longing
that the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. Oft times as I watch the
evening newscast my spirit is mightily moved within to intercede earnestly that the
inhabitants of the world WILL LEARN RIGHTEOUSNESS. As I drive across our great land; as I
walk the streets of our cities and towns, observing the condition of those about:
neighbors, friends, relatives, strangers, the young and the old, my spirit groans with
unutterable supplications that the inhabitants of the world will LEARN RIGHTEOUSNESS! What
a marvelous provision of our all-wise and loving Father that, to this very end, He has
ORDAINED JUDGMENT to come forth in the earth. Bless His name!
THE WRATH OF THE LAMB
There are some good people
who have conceived of the idea that the God of this universe is a Person of ALL LOVE
expressed only through GOODNESS and MERCY. They do not want to think of Him as One who
would punish individuals and nations. They do not want to think of Him as a God of fiery
indignation and judgment. They do not want to think of Him as One who is capable of
administering a fiery retribution on those who trample under foot His holy laws and abuse
His spirit of grace. To these people God is a one-sided Being - a God of pure love and
goodness, but not a God of wrath. Now, just think for a moment: If He were such a Person,
He would be a God without character. Our God is a God of holiness who hates sin. He is a
God of justice, whose very nature demands that He must punish and correct sin.
It must be quite convenient,
and soothing to one's conscience, to have a God who will always overlook sin, and who will
never punish or correct the erring. But such a God would only exist in the figment of the
imagination of a deluded soul. Such a God could never be a reality; and a God who is truly
holy and altogether righteous would never eternally condone that which is so totally
antagonistic to His nature and character. In order for God's righteous Kingdom to be fully
manifest there must be judgment and retribution against all that is evil in God's
universe.
We have met some brethren in
this end-time move of the Spirit who have exaggerated the bright side of the love of God
out of all proportion to its other aspects. The love of God has been presented in such a
way that it is a weakness rather than a strength. It has been presented on the sunny side
of the street with nothing on the other side ever mentioned. There is a "love"
of God preached that has become such a one-sided, mushy, gooey, sugar-sweet thing that it
contains nothing of the vital and vigorous concern of a Father for the best interests of a
son - it would never love enough to chasten, scourge and correct that son! They have
perverted love, making it sickening rather than stimulating, causing it to slop over on
every side like a sentimental feeling rather than expressing an abiding concern for the
object of love.
All those who make God's
nature and activity only gentleness have taken one side of the truth and allowed it to get
out of balance. Gentleness without austerity becomes soft and characterless. Mothers who
dote on their children in this way often raise criminals. The kind of person who is all
sweetness with no steel in him is not inspiring. He has the same effect as eating too many
chocolates. And the offspring of this false doctrine is one of the most unlovely
by-products of Christianity - the "spoiled brat" Christian. He is the man who
thinks God has given him a privileged claim on life. Nothing bad should ever happen to him
now, he should never be sick, never have to suffer or do without, he should have the
shiniest car, the finest home, the best job, the most elegant clothes and every desire of
his carnal heart with never a care in the world nor a cross to bear.
The kind of God we have
revealed in the scriptures is a God of both love and judgment. He is not a nebulous
nonentity of sentimentalism. He is a God of character. We thank God today that He is a God
of love and mercy - and there would not be one of us alive today to breathe His fresh air,
if it were not for His amazing love toward us. But those who do not want to believe that
God will administer a sufficient amount of corrective judgment upon the disobedient and
rebellious, should be reminded that God is exactly that kind of Being. In the very cradle
of human history, we find God pronouncing a curse upon our first parents on account of
their transgression. He even pronounced a curse upon the earth itself on account of their
sin.
After a while sin abounded in
the earth, in that antediluvian era, and we find God executing judgment on the whole human
race in the dreadful flood which destroyed all flesh, except for Noah and his family who
"found grace in the eyes of the Lord." Upon the wicked nation of
Nor did God spare His chosen
people, the Israelites. Because of their unbelief and idolatry, and witchcraft, and
rebellion, and haughtiness of spirit, God sent upon them the judgment of the captivities.
"It is a FEARFUL THING to fall into the hands of the living God" (Heb.
Let every man and woman of
God who treasures the beautiful hope of sonship know that there is the DARK SIDE OF GOD'S
LOVE! If a person refuses to surrender to the will and way of God the Great Physician will
put His child on the operating table. He will use the surgeon's knife when He sees a tumor
of self-will or a deadly virus of carnality sapping our spiritual lives, or when He sees
the cancerous growth of sin. The two-edged sword CUTS DEEP. It is a sharp sword and leaves
the soul wounded when it cuts, as Jacob was wounded while wrestling with the Lord. He
rebukes and chastises whom He loves, and if necessary He will proceed to the most
desperate actions - indeed, HE WILL KILL YOU TO SAVE YOU! (I Cor. 5:5).
There is going to be a unique
and different unfolding of this One we call Jesus Christ! For He is about to go forth
bringing His judgments to the whole earth, to the entire bestial order that the carnal
mind of man has erected. In the book of Revelation we see the Christ riding forth on a
white horse with the armies of the sons of God following in His path, "judging and
making war." In Rev. 6:16 it is called "the WRATH of the LAMB." What an
amazing divine paradox! The "Lamb" of God who "takes away the sin of the
W-O-R-L-D" on the one hand, and the "wrath" of the Lamb on the other hand.
The Lamb - precious embodiment of meekness, mildness, lowliness, gentleness, patience and
sacrifice - coming upon the world for which He died in the hot fury of wrath, until men
are found fleeing from the wrath of the Lamb!
Can this be the same Jesus?
The very thought seems incongruous. The two ideas seem completely incompatible and
hopelessly irreconcilable - and they are until we understand the PURPOSE of the Lamb's
wrath. The Lamb does not suddenly undergo some fundamental change, laying aside His
Lambhood, transformed like the proverbial werewolf into something altogether
contradictory, now Himself an executioner instead of a Saviour. Nay! It is not the wrath
of One who has transmuted His Lamb nature, for it IS the very W-R-A-T-H OF THE L-A-M-B!
This wrath, therefore, is strikingly unique - not unappeasable rage or beastly savagery
inflicting unrepairable destruction and damnation upon mankind - but corrective,
redemptive judgment to break the rebellion of men, and RESTORE ALL INTO HIMSELF AGAIN.
That, my beloved, is the Divine Vengence of Love - the wrath of the Lamb!
This dual nature - the
meekness and wrath of the Lamb - makes Him what He is, both the SAVIOUR and the JUDGE of
the universe. In His redemptive activity His face is set against sin. Nothing can ever
alter that. He will go to all lengths to turn men from evil, and restore them into harmony
with the mind and heart of God. The sheer simplicity and sincerity of His passion is
enough to melt and win the most sophisticated or the hardest of men. The wrath of the Lamb
is beyond our understanding. But the seer of
It is that STERN and TENDER
hand of God which makes the Lion and the Lamb dwell together in the saints. As he walked
the lonely shores of
Jesus is the Lion sprung from
It is by His sacrifice as a
Lamb slain, that He comes to the qualifications for the further office of a Lion, to
assert and enforce His supremacy. "He was led as a LAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER, and as a
sheep before his shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth" (Isa. 53:7); but He is
yet to "send forth judgment unto victory" (Mat.
This is certainly a word for
us today. God has purposed to reveal every aspect of His purpose through His Son, Jesus
Christ our Lord. God the Father had a purpose in Christ even before redemption, way back
in the beginning, spoken of as "the eonian purpose." So we are living this very
day in a progression. God is marching on. He wants to reveal Himself and unfold this
glorious One that we call the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thus, the tremendous
unveiling in the form of symbols and signs that came to the prophet on that far-away Isle,
is today FULFILLED SPIRITUALLY within the people in whom the Christ dwells. Let all who
read these lines know for a certainty that it is the glorious CHRIST WITHIN who is the
Lion of the tribe of Judah and the slain Lamb that lives in the throne. You will never
understand the mystery of the Lion and the Lamb until you understand that Christ is in
heaven, and heaven is within us, for the Christ of glory eternally and gloriously lives
out His life in His body, His people. It is within His elect that He must come forth as
both the Lion and the Lamb in the midst of the throne, in the POWER of the
There is a two-fold working
of God in the lives of the Lord's apprehended ones. First, SELF must be dethroned, and in
the accomplishment of this Christ is a Lion, clothed with power and majesty and
terribleness. As the Lion He will crush every bone in the body of your self-life and tear
away and consume every morsel of your flesh. But as the Lamb He wondrously imparts of HIS
LIFE that you may live by the Spirit. The Lion is Christ warring, devouring, conquering
all that pertains to the nature of old Adam. The Lamb is Christ AS OUR LIFE, that we may
appear with Him in glory. But further these same qualities and characteristics must be
fulfilled in the elect as we are conformed into His image, made ONE IN HIM. The company of
the sons of God shall bear both the image of the Lion and the Lamb. The kingly strength
and regal authority of the Lion nature shall function through the sons in perfect unity
with the gentle and ministerial character of the Lamb. These two streams of the divine
nature, working together as one, in judgment and mercy, shall flow mightily and great, and
will cause the very earth to shake, will move heaven and stir hell, and bring the triumph
of God's Kingdom among men. When the effective dealings of God through the Lion are
BALANCED by the merciful and gracious administrations of the Lamb, the Lion and the Lamb
then lie down together in the
Only with the correct
understanding of the purpose and results of God's judgments can we enter into the rest of
God in these turbulent times. Many are agitated in these dark days, their hearts failing
them for fear in looking after those things which are coming upon the earth. The apostle
Paul saw believers who were distressed by the terrible afflictions, tribulations and
wickedness in the world, and he invited us to join him in entering into the rest of God.
"And to you who are troubled REST WITH US, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from
heaven with His mighty messengers, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not
God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ" (II Thes. 1:7-10). What a
word! REST WITH US when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven... in flaming fire taking
vengeance! Let us therefore enter into the rest of God and cease worrying about all the
problems, injustices and tyrannies of men, for the Lord shall soon bring judgment on the
whole order, removing it to make way for the expansion of His glorious and righteous
Kingdom. The whole earth eagerly and with bated breath awaits the manifestation of the
glory of the Lord. God is not going to bypass the mode of operation He has chosen of
working through human instruments. He comes in judgment - and in the process He comes TO
BE GLORIFIED I-N H-I-S S-A-I-N-T-S AND TO BE ADMIRED I-N A-L-L T-H-E-M THAT BELIEVE. He shall come forth
mightily through His people as the Lion in judgment to crush the carnal inventions of man,
but He shall reign ultimately as the Lamb in blessing and peace and glory. Hallelujah!
THE JUDGMENT DAY
We have been led to think in
terms of the first coming and the second coming, whereas the Bible speaks in terms of the
progressive revelation of Jesus Christ. Our God does not talk about the "first
coming" and the "second coming" - He talks about the on-going revelation of
Jesus Christ, the Son of God. For example, let us take a look at that thought in Micah
5:2, "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of
Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me who is to Rule in Israel, whose GOINGS
FORTH have been of old, from everlasting."
Notice, His "goings
forth." The plural is used. The goings forth of the Lord speak about the Lord Jesus
Christ! Now, the idea of "goings" has to do with the onward marching of God -
the unfolding of the purpose of God, step by step. This is what is indicated here. This is
what history is all about, the progressive revelation of Jesus Christ, the marching
forward of God, the ever-increasing unveiling of Himself to man. The unfolding of end-time
events and God's order for the ages to come, which are the main contents of the last book
of the Bible, are called "the Revelation of Jesus Christ."
The pages of the Old
Testament are literally sprinkled with the accounts of the Lord's comings, beginning in
Rev. 2:5 tells of a coming of
our Lord. "Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the
first works; or else I WILL COME unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of
his place, except thou repent." Since Jesus had gone, a coming of Jesus would be a
return. So what does the Lord say? He warns the Church at
It is my deep and considered
conviction that just as the "coming" of the Lord is progressive - past, present,
and future - so is the unfolding of the "judgment day" past, present, and
future. The question follows - When did the judgment day begin? Jesus answers the question
in the plainest of language. "For the Father judgeth no man, but HATH COMMITTED all
judgment unto the Son" (Jn.
It is high time that the
saints look into some of the things they have been taught. We have been told some funny
stories. The preachers in the church systems love to speak loudly and preach long about
what they term "the FINAL judgment." But the term "FINAL judgment"
never appears once within the pages of God's blessed Book! In fact, the word
"final" never appears there at all. It is a word that has been added to judgment
and taught to the people as a divine revelation of an event that is supposed to transpire
somewhere out in the future. The Word of God does not teach that there is a "final
judgment day" at some future time. The pen of inspiration has blazoned with
unmistakable clarity the truth: "Be ye also patient; establish your hears: for the
COMING OF THE LORD DRAWETH NIGH. Grudge not against one another, brethren, lest ye be
condemned (judged): behold (look!), THE JUDGE STANDETH BEFORE THE DOOR" (James
5:8-9). Oh yes, the Judge IS HERE! even now standing before the door of your mind and
heart. Some of the modern translations bring out the truth so beautifully: "Be
patient, ye also; establish your hearts, because THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD HATH DRAWN NIGH;
do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves shall not be
judged. Look! THE JUDGE IS ALREADY STANDING AT THE VERY DOOR" (Young's Literal &
Amplified Bible).
The judgments of God are
first and foremost not external, but internal; not future, but on-going. The Word of God,
history, and our own experience shout aloud the truth that the soul's verdict is even now
being written moment by moment, not by recording angels in heavenly books on some distant
shore, but by each man himself on the fleshy tables of his own heart. This present life is
to each of the consecrated ones his "day of judgment" - his day of trial,
testing, proving, chastening, his day of being brought to perfection in Christ. The
apostle Peter's words are in harmony with this: "Judgment must BEGIN at the house of
God!" (I Pet. 4:17). Let all men know that the hour has come when judgment must begin
at the house of God. JUDGMENT BEGINNING AT THE HOUSE OF GOD! This does not imply a sudden
visitation of catastrophes, calamities, and troubles, but it means that there will be a
concentration of divine instruction and discipline, as the Father purifies each
individual, until He can gather to Himself a FIRSTFRUITS.
It should be plain even to a
child that the judgment day began with the coming of the Judge. The Judge is WITHIN YOU
because the Christ is WITHIN YOU! It takes no extraordinary intelligence nor any
exceptional spirituality to reach that conclusion. Let us stop putting the judgment beyond
the cemetery and believe what God's Word really says about it. To all who wait for a
judgment day in some future time or age I now say, as our blessed Lord has said,
"N-O-W is the judgment of this world: N-O-W shall the prince of this world be cast
out" (Jn. 12:31). Far too many Christians want to put it out at some final end, but
either Satan is being bound and chained in your life today or he will never be eradicated
from this planet. NOW shall the prince of this world be cast out! It is happening now and
shall continue to happen in God's progressive unfolding of His judgments through the ages
until that wonderful consummation when God becomes ALL-IN-ALL!
"Out of thine own mouth
will I judge thee," saith the Lord (Lk.
The first key to
understanding the book of Revelation is the fact that the book is, in its entirety, a book
of symbols. Any other approach will leave you hopelessly lost in a sea of confusion or
muttering like a mad man about things utterly ridiculous. "I saw the dead, small and
great," John declared. When Jesus came this world was spiritually a cemetery. ALL
were dead! NONE were living. "To be carnally minded IS DEATH," is the Spirit's
own graphic and accurate definition of what it means to be dead (Rom. 7:6). "And you
hath He quickened who WERE DEAD in trespasses and sins" (Eph. 2:1). To the
spiritually dead the apostle commands, "Awake thou that steepest and arise from THE
DEAD, and Christ shall give thee light" (Eph.
Heaven keeps a record of the
deeds of men, and all the thoughts and emotions under which they act. Myriads of human
beings have lived and died of whom the world knows nothing; but the lives they lived, the
deeds they wrought, the thoughts and passions they indulged, still stand written where the
memory of them cannot perish. Not a human being has ever breathed earth's atmosphere whose
career is not traced at full length in the books God has ordained. Yes, O man! O woman!
whoever you may be, your biography is written. An unerring hand has recorded every item,
with every secret thing. There is not an ill thought, a mean act, a dirty transaction, a
filthiness of speech, or a base feeling that ever found entertainment in your heart, but
is there described in bold letters, by its true name.
Where is the record? and what
are these "books" where the secrets of your heart are meticulously inscribed? My
words may come as a shock to some, but I do not hesitate to assert that they are naught
but the BOOK OF YOUR OWN NATURE - THE GENETIC PATTERN OF YOUR VERY OWN B-E-I-N-G! In the
sight of God you, and each and every man and woman on this planet, are a book; and
indelibly inscribed within your mind and character is everything that YOU ARE. "Out
of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh" (Mat.
Without doubt, God is the
great "book opener." I shall never forget an occasion many years ago when the
Lord pressed this message home to my heart. In those days I was accustomed to changing the
oil in my car. It never ceased to amaze me how a simple ten minute job could invariably
turn into a disastrous hour-long ordeal! This certain day I had a few extra minutes, so
determined to utilize them by changing the oil. I crawled under the car and proceeded to
try to remove the oil plug. But it refused to cooperate. It simply would not budge. I
pushed on the wrench with all my might; I grunted, groaned, and moaned as the minutes
passed into an hour. The plug refused to yield and by this time was becoming damaged.
Exasperation laid hold upon me. At that point I became exceedingly agitated and began to
act very un-godlike. And just as soon as my rage reached its most explosive pitch, and
what was manifested was all of ME and none of HIM, I saw two feet walking slowly by the
car. The feet belonged to my neighbor. I knew that this neighbor was aware that I was a
minister of the gospel! Suddenly I realized that my "book" had just been
"opened" and my neighbor had been permitted to read a very ugly chapter! My
heart smote me. Oh God, no! How ashamed I was that this man had read such a sordid scene!
Humiliated and convicted (judged), at once I laid down the wrench and breathed the earnest
prayer, "Father, FORGIVE ME! Help me somehow to get this oil plug out." No
sooner were the words uttered than the Spirit whispered the words of wisdom, "Go to
the other side of the car and pull instead of pushing." I crawled out from under the
car and obeyed the prompting of the Spirit. In less than a minute the plug responded and
the black oil flowed out. The message is clear - I could have drawn upon the Spirit
earlier and prevented all the trouble - but God wanted to put His finger on something in
my life! He opened my book and for me it was a "judgment day"!
The grand purpose for this
"opening of our book" is so that all that is written therein may be exposed,
revealed, displayed, and brought to judgment, dealt with by a concentration of divine
discipline and instruction, as the Father processes each individual. The procedure is
simple but very effective. The person abiding in some realm of death is caused to
"stand" before God - brought directly into relation to the countenance and
dealing of God. God arranges the circumstances, puts him into a situation, and his
"book" is "opened" - the inner condition uncovered, the secrets and
intents of the heart manifest in such a measure and expressed to such a degree that there
need be no other record of his state appealed to. As it is written, "God shall bring
EVERY WORK into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be
evil" (Eccl.
"And another book was
opened, which is the BOOK OF LIFE" (Rev. 20:12). This must needs be opened too, for
the book of life is the nature of the Lamb inscribed by the Spirit in the life of the New
Creature. The book of life is called "the book of the life of the Lamb" (Rev.
13:8). If I were to give you a book entitled THE BOOK OF THE LIFE OF GEORGE WASHINGTON,
you would understand at once that it is a biography or an autobiography of the life of the
first president of the
How pitiful that the people
of earth for the most part have never read this beautiful EPISTLE OF CHRIST, this glorious
BOOK OF THE LIFE OF THE LAMB. They have poured over the books of religion, the books of
hypocrisy, the books of fleshly wisdom, forms of godliness, dead doctrines, empty rituals
and ceremonies, and man-made rules and regulations. But precious few have ever even seen
the BOOK OF THE LIFE OF THE LAMB! Oh! What a wonderful gospel shall fill the earth beneath
and the celestial realms above when God opens His holy book of life! The book of life is
that blessed company of the sons of God, elect, chosen and transformed into the image of
Christ throughout the ages. This book is being carefully written word by word, sentence by
sentence, paragraph by paragraph, page by page, and chapter by chapter in the nitty-gritty
of our daily experience with God until the full revelation of the Christ shall be written
therein. Time's clock is striking the hour and the time is drawing wonderfully nigh for
the manifestation of the sons of God, the opening of God's book of life people, and what a
manifestation it shall be! All creation from time immemorial has groaned and travailed for
the manifestation of God's sons, to deliver creation at last from the bondage of
corruption.
God has a MESSAGE for the
world - the revelation of Jesus Christ! This message is being written in flaming words of
glory upon the pages of the lives and hearts and minds of men and women who are dying to
that impudent and death-dealing devil of self, in order to walk and live by the spirit of
HIS LIFE. I am terribly at a loss of words to express the glory of God's BOOK OF LIFE
COMPANY, but I can assure you that once it is fully ready, prepared and finished it shall
become the world's "best seller" throughout the ages to come! As the pen is
mightier than the sword, so this book, above any that has ever been written by the finger
of man, shall alter the course of history, and the dark covering that has been cast over
the minds and hearts of the people for ages and dispensations will be completely destroyed
by the flood of transforming light and wisdom and knowledge and glory and power shining
forth from the living pages of God's eternal and incorruptible BOOK OF LIFE!
Chapter
38
Coming
In Judgment (continued)
The scriptures reveal that
just as the "coming" of the Lord is progressive - past, present, and future - so
is the "judgment day" progressive - past, present, and future. The question
follows - When did the judgment day begin? Jesus Himself answers the question in the
plainest of language. "For the Father judgeth no man, but HATH COMMITTED all judgment
unto the Son" (Jn.
It should be plain even to a
child that the judgment day began with the coming of the Judge. The Judge is WITHIN YOU
because the Christ is WITHIN YOU! It requires no extraordinary intelligence or
spirituality to reach that conclusion. Let us stop putting the judgment out beyond the
cemetery and believe what God's Word really says about it. To all who wait for a judgment
day in some future time or age I now say, as our blessed Lord has said, "N-O-W is the
judgment of this world: N-O-W shall the prince of this world be cast out." Far too
many Christians want to put it out at some final end, but either Satan IS BEING bound and
chained in your life, and in the experience of multitudes TODAY, or he will never be
eradicated from this planet. NOW shall the prince of this world be cast out! It has to
begin somewhere and end somewhere. It is happening now, praise God, and the work shall
advance unto that glorious consummation when God becomes ALL IN ALL! We will be better
equipped to face up to our PRESENT WALK and respond to the Father's dealings in our lives
TODAY when once and for all we lay hold upon the significant and incontrovertible truth
that "N-O-W is the judgment of this world: N-O-W shall the prince of this world be
cast out."
The apostle Paul, speaking on
Mars Hill, told the Athenians, "The time of this ignorance God winked at; but NOW
commandeth all men everywhere to repent: BECAUSE He hath appointed a day, in which He will
judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given
assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead" (Acts 17:30-31).
This passage sets forth four wonderful truths: (1) God has appointed A DAY (2) In that DAY
He shall JUDGE THE WORLD in righteousness (3) He shall judge the world by that MAN whom He
hath ordained (4) This ASSURANCE is given unto ALL MEN.
This judgment day is not a
day of eternal doom, but a blessed day of ASSURANCE UNTO ALL MEN. But how is that
assurance given unto all men? In just this way. God has appointed A DAY in which He will
in righteousness judge the world by A MAN whom He has ordained for that purpose. That Man,
of course, is His Son, and His Son died the death of all humanity, but this assurance lies
in the fact that GOD RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD. The assurance given UNTO ALL is, that as
God dealt with His own Son in death and resurrection, so He will deal with ALL HUMANITY.
The first question
encountered in this passage concerns the word "day." God has appointed "a
day" in which He will "judge." Is it a twenty-four hour day, a
thousand-year day, or a dispensational day? This much is certain - a twenty-four hour day
in which all the billions upon billions of souls from Adam on down, march in a line before
a literal judgment bar misses entirely the true purpose and import of this judgment day.
When does this "judgment day" come? Most Greek interlinears furnish this
reading: "Because He set a day in which He is about to judge the world in
righteousness, by a man whom He appointed." Two thousand years ago Paul said God was
about (Greek: mellei) to judge the world. This word MELLO, where found in the present,
active, indicative tense signifies, not only INTENTION of purpose but also NEARNESS of
action, meaning at the point of, or ready to do what has been stated. Had Paul meant to
teach a judgment day two or three thousand years in the future, he certainly would not
have used MELLO in any tense, and especially in the present tense. Therefore the judgment
of the world was ABOUT to take place in Paul's day, yea, had ALREADY COMMENCED according
to the teaching of Jesus!
There is a wonderfully
significant term used by Jesus on several occasions wherein He states, "The hour IS
COMING, and NOW IS." This unique expression points to something that is coming, but
which has already begun - it SHALL BE, and yet it ALREADY IS. The process has begun but
remains to be carried forth to its consummation. Just before His crucifixion Jesus warned
His disciples, "Behold, the hour COMETH, yea, is NOW COME, that ye shall be
scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave Me alone" (Jn. 16:32). The predicted
scattering was even then beginning by events already set in motion as the hour of His
death drew nigh, but would be fully manifest during the time that His body lay in the
tomb, and continue throughout the forty days until His ascension. "The hour
COMETH...and NOW IS." In the tenderest of pathoes Jesus informed the woman of
Later, the Lord proclaimed,
"The hour is COMING, and NOW IS, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of
God: and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in Himself; so hath He
given to the Son to have life in Himself; and HATH GIVEN Him authority to EXECUTE JUDGMENT
also, because He is the Son of man" (Jn.
CHRIST THE JUDGE
Judgment does not mean
punishment alone. Punishment may be an element in judgment. Judgment is discrimination,
decision; the finding of a verdict, and the passing of a sentence. Judgment is translated
in the Old Testament most often from the Hebrew word MISHPAT. MISHPAT means simply "a
verdict" which may be either FAVORABLE or UNFAVORABLE. The only judgment most people
understand is the negative aspect of judgment, the UNFAVORABLE VERDICT, followed by swift
and severe punishment. It should require no more than a moment's reflection, however, to
enable anyone to see that the very same judge who sentences one man to pay a fine, another
to die in the electric chair, may suspend the sentence of a third man and declare yet a
fourth man "not guilty" - acquitted! It is plain that a great many different
"judgments" or "verdicts" may come from this one judge. Thus, the work
of the judge is not merely to condemn and mete out sentences, but to weigh all the facts
and take all the circumstances into consideration in each case and render a just verdict,
favorable or unfavorable, as the evidence may dictate.
It was
That is a mere human reaction
to the awesome sense of responsibility in rendering a decision, a verdict. But speaking of
the judgment of the Lord, hear the note of triumph and exultation when David speaks by the
inspiration that the Spirit gives, saying:
"Let the heavens be glad
and LET THE EARTH REJOICE;
And let men say among the nations, the Lord reigneth!
Let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof; let the fields REJOICE, and all that are
therein.
Then shall the trees of the wood (people of the earth)
SING ALOUD AT THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD,
Because HE COMETH TO JUDGE THE EARTH.
O give THANKS unto the Lord, for HE IS GOOD;
For His mercy endureth forever!" (I Chron. 16:31-34)
Why will the trees of the
forest (people of the nations) "sing out" when the Lord is coming to JUDGE THE
EARTH? One would think they might weep, or shrink in consternation at the thoughts of His
judgments, but why all the SINGING? Why the REJOICING? Because God's judgments are an
expression of HIS GOODNESS and everlasting MERCY, designed to teach the inhabitants of the
world RIGHTEOUSNESS! The earth shall rejoice because this means that we have reached the
turning point in our degeneration, and have come to the times of regeneration. This is
true even now for the elect, but must ultimately reach unto the whole world and the entire
creation. His presence, while it speaks of His utmost holiness, and will not tolerate the
continuance of evil, brings the changes needed for harmony and righteousness. And when the
divine disciplines have accomplished their desired results, His new life shall flow in
restoration and victory. Hallelujah!
My soul rejoices with joy
unspeakable and full of glory in the knowledge that my Judge is Christ Jesus my Saviour
and Lord. That Christ should be appointed Judge is most proper and fitting. Our American
law ordains that a man shall be tried by his peers, and there is justice in that statute.
Now the Lord God is the Judge of men, but at the same time it is in the person of Jesus
Christ. "God shall judge the secrets of men BY JESUS CHRIST" (Rom.
I think that God has chosen
Christ, the MAN Christ Jesus, that there may never be an objection raised concerning that
judgment. Men shall not be able to say - We were judged by a superior Being who did not
know our weaknesses and temptations, and therefore he judged us harshly, and without a
compassionate consideration of our condition. No, God shall judge the secrets of men by
Jesus Christ, who was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin. He is our
brother, bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh, partaker of our humanity, and therefore
understands what is in men. He has shown Himself to be skillful in dissecting motives and
revealing the thoughts and intents of the heart. It will be the loving Christ, whose
tears, and bloody sweat, and gaping wounds, attest His brotherhood with mankind; and it
will be clear to all intelligences that however dread His sentences, He could not be
unmerciful. God shall judge us by Jesus Christ, the Anointed Saviour, that the judgment
may be judgment UNTO VICTORY!
The thoughts of many hearts
were revealed by Christ on earth, and it is that same wise and compassionate Christ who is
the Judge today. When the self-appointed judges of wrong brought to Christ a woman taken
in sin to have Him pronounce His verdict and sentence upon her, He appeared to be
preoccupied. Then in one brief moment of time He lifted the whole subject out of the realm
of controversy, saying, "He that is without sin, let him first cast a stone at
her." A strange hush fell upon the crowd. Self-accusings began to make themselves
felt within, forces long dormant were awakened to work, voices long silent began to shout,
and "being convicted in their own conscience they went out one by one, beginning at
the eldest." Ah, the judgment-seat was already set and the striking feature is that
men pronounced judgment upon themselves and accepted it without murmur or protest. But to
the frightened woman cowering at His feet, He said, "Woman, where are your accusers?
Has no man condemned you?" She answered, "No one, Lord!" And Jesus said,
"I do not condemn you either. Go your way, and from now on sin no more." Glory!
What a Saviour! Hallelujah! What a Judge!
THE JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST
Perhaps in spirit we have
stood with our adorable Christ as in humiliation He emptied Himself and took upon Himself
the form of a servant, descending into the depths of our earthiness, tasting the bitter
dregs of the darkness and death of this dread realm for every man; but have we stood with
Him in His exaltation, where He sits far above principalities and powers and might and
dominion and every name that is named, not only in this age but in the ages to come,
HIGHLY EXALTED and given a name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every
knee should bow, of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth, and
that every tongue should confess that He is Lord to the glory of God the Father?
What a difference between the
babe of
"For we must all appear
before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his
body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad" (II Cor. 5:10). That
is very decisive, if there were no other text. We must ALL APPEAR. The Greek word which is
translated "judgment seat" is BEMA, and means simply a step or that which the
foot is set on, indicating a raised platform reached by steps and occupied by some person
in authority. The same word is translated "throne" in Acts
When we come to this thought
of the judgment seat of Christ we approach a subject upon which there has been a
fathomless sea of misunderstanding and a world of carnal conjecture. The idea generally
entertained is of Christ coming to earth, seated upon a dazzling throne, and that He will
summon everyone in rank and file before Him, to be judged. Adam would stand there, with
Mother Eve, and look in wonder upon his offspring. It would be the first time in which he
has ever had the opportunity of seeing all his children together. What a sight he would
then behold - far stretching, covering all the globe which they inhabit, enough not only
to people all earth's plains, but crown her hill-tops, and cover even the ways of the sea,
so numberless must the human race be if all the generations that have ever lived, or shall
ever live, shall at once "appear" before the judgment seat of Christ! Every one
from before the Flood, from the days of the Patriarchs, from the times of Moses, and
David, and from the Babylonian kingdom, all the legions of Assyria, all the hosts of
Persia, all the multitudes of the Greeks, all the vast armies and legions of Rome, the
barbarian, the Scythian, the bond, the free, men of every color and of every tongue - what
a vast assemblage would be mustered, what a spectacle would be held! I do not hesitate to
say that though good and holy men have conceived the foregoing picture, it is,
nonetheless, entirely out of harmony with the whole portrait of judgment. This distorted
picture arises from a too-literal interpretation of a few obscure verses of scripture
which were supplied merely as SYMBOLS, to be understood by the spirit of wisdom and
revelation from God.
"We shall all stand
before the judgment seat of Christ" (Rom.
Having established that
"the Father HATH (already) COMMITTED all judgment unto the Son" (Jn. 5:22), and
"the time IS COME that judgment must begin at the house of God" (I Pet. 4:17),
and "ye ARE COME unto ... God the Judge of all" (Heb. 12:22-23), and "the
Judge STANDETH before the door" (James 5:9), and "N-O-W is the judgment of this
world" (Jn. 12:31), can we not see by these words of inspiration that the Christ
truly CAME as Judge, and continued to come; He now COMES as Judge, and continues to come;
and He YET SHALL COME as Judge, and shall continue to come until the last verdict is
handed down, the final sentence carried out; there shall surely be those severe prunings,
crushings, shattering, melting; but when they have accomplished their desired results, His
new life shall flow in restoration and victory for all mankind, praise His wonderful name!
The judgment seat of Christ does not refer exclusively to any ONE coming moment or event,
nor to ANY specified future time period in which Christ acts as Judge. It is a
comprehensive term, embracing within its range the whole judicial dealing of Christ our
Lord with men and nations until, by His redemptive judgments, "He will destroy in
this mountain (the Kingdom of God) the face of the covering cast over ALL PEOPLE, and the
veil (of spiritual blindness) that is spread over ALL NATIONS. And He will swallow up
death in victory; and the Lord will wipe away tears from off ALL FACES. And it shall be
said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us: this
is the Lord; we have waited for Him, and we will be glad and rejoice in HIS
SALVATION" (Isa. 25:7-9).
"For we must all appear
before the- judgment seat of Christ; that every one may RECEIVE the things done in his
body" (II Cor- 5:10). The words of Paul in this passage demonstrate vividly the truth
we have been dealing with heretofore. I would draw your attention to the word "
receive." Let us see just what this word "receive" means according to
Strong's Concordance. It means "TO TEND or to take care of; to provide; by
implication to carry off." This should make it plain to us that the things we are
doing in the body, the deeds performed in the body, are before the judgment seat of
Christ, and are constantly NOW being judged and every thought is being brought into
captivity to the Christ. Everything is being tended to, provided for, and all that need be
removed is being carried off. This judgment is not inflicted from without, but from
within. God, the wisest of all Fathers, has so ordered the universe that somehow,
sometime, sin brings its own punishment, and it shall be the experience of the whole of
mankind, as it was of Israel, and as it has been of the saints, that "thine own
wickedness shall correct thee, and by backslidings shall reprove thee" (Jer. 2:19).
In our own bodies we daily sow and reap (Gal. 6:7), actively receiving blessing or cursing
according to the deeds performed. Who can deny that it is THE LORD, THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGE,
who, moment by moment renders the verdict, setting in motion the precise circumstances,
events, and dealings which constitute the reaping, the receiving in our body according to
the deeds done! No, we are not awaiting some future specified day of judgment, but are
keenly aware that we are constantly N-O-W being judged, receiving either the increase of
HIS LIFE WITHIN, or His corrections - in our body.
What a judgment seat! What a
Judge! What reality! Oh! what an unspeakably glorious and awe-inspiring scene John the
beloved beheld as from his vantage point in the spirit he saw "a great white throne,
and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was
found no place for them" (Rev. 20:11). Who is it that sits there? It is clearly the
Lord Jesus Christ. The One who fills that throne is without doubt the Son of man. And how
does He sit there? In and through His body, the saints, unto whom judgment is given (Dan.
"From His face
(intelligence, countenance, illumination) the earth and the heaven fled away."
Consider the scene! In its symbology the "earth" is that earth WHICH WE ARE, the
carnal, earthly nature of old Adam. "The first man is OF THE EARTH, EARTHY" (I
Cor.
It is wonderful to know God
in His heavens. Each heaven bespeaks of a sphere of life, a plane of relationship, a level
of experience in God by the spirit. When the Lord unveils Himself to you on a higher
plane, in deeper measures, in richer and fuller dimensions of His life and glory, and you
experience Him in it, you ascend in Him to a higher heaven. But, thank God! there is a
realm of HIS FULLNESS which lies ABOVE and BEYOND all heavens! When the Christ appears on
His great white throne of judgment its effulgence reveals the darkness of the carnal mind,
uncovers the deceitfulness of the wicked heart, exposing in stark reality the man of sin
sitting in the
Before the face of Him who
sits upon the throne in the higher-than-all-heavens, the limitations of our present
"in part" knowledge of the Lord, every heaven of spiritual experience which is
less than HIS FULLNESS, stand revealed as falling short of the image and glory of God.
Before the majesty of His white throne, in the searching illumination of His eyes of
flaming fire, none of our spiritual immaturity can stand, and ALL our HEAVENS flee away,
and no place is found for them! In the sovereignty and fullness of His throne there are no
more "heavens," no more companies, groups, levels of servants, friends, bride,
sons, prophets, apostles, pastors, kings or priests; no more those who know Him as
Saviour, while others know Him as Healer, others as Baptizer in the Holy Spirit, and still
others who follow on to know Him in deeper measures. High above the earth realm, and far
beyond all the heavens of spiritual experience sits the GREAT WHITE THRONE - and the
invitation is extended: "To him that overcometh will I grant to SIT WITH ME IN MY
THRONE, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne" (Rev.
3:21). But you will never know Him in the power and glory of His throneship, my beloved,
until YOUR EARTH and all YOUR HEAVENS have flown away, and you have put on the Lord Jesus
Christ in the fullness of His divine nature, to manifest Him in all His wondrous beauty
and majesty. Can you not see that this process is progressively going on all the time, as
we are changed from glory to glory, moving inexorably toward the final goal - GOD ALL IN
ALL!
THE MINISTRY OF JUDGMENT
Up to this point we have
emphasized the office of Christ Jesus our Lord as universal Judge and the effectual
working of His judgments in our lives. The scriptures reveal, however, that the Church is
the body of Christ, and God's blessed Christ must include both the Head and the body. All
true saints must be aware of this sacred secret - that the body is the body of ALL THAT
THE HEAD IS. If Christ the Head is Saviour, then the body of Christ the Head is the body
of the Saviour - a body of SAVIOURS. If Christ the Head is King, it follows that the body
of the Head is the body of the King - a body of KINGS. And armed with the knowledge that
Christ the Head is the great and universal Judge, it should be perfectly clear that the
body of the Head is the body of the Judge, a body of JUDGES! The purpose in the
firstfruits being judged is that they in turn may be qualified to judge. The judgments of
God shall be executed upon the human family and the ages to come by this glorious
CORPORATE CHRIST, Jesus Christ the Head and all the sons and daughters of God, His body,
the completeness of HIS THRONE which shall smite the dark kingdoms of this world, and the
saints shall take the kingdom and reign with Christ in power, authority and glory.
God is preparing a mighty
COMPANY OF JUDGES whose responsibility it shall be to JUDGE THE WORLD in righteousness!
Daniel 7:21-22 sheds much light upon this subject. "I beheld, and the same horn made
war with the saints, and prevailed against them; until the Ancient of days came, and
JUDGMENT WAS GIVEN TO THE SAINTS OF THE MOST HIGH; and the time came that the saints
possessed the kingdom." Again, "And he that overcometh... to him will I give
POWER OVER THE NATIONS: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron" (Rev. 2:26-27).
"And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and JUDGMENT WAS GIVEN UNTO THEM"
(Rev. 20:4,6). The apostle Paul adds, "Do ye not know that the SAINTS shall JUDGE THE
WORLD? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest
matters? Know ye not that WE shall JUDGE ANGELS, how much more things that pertain to this
life? (I Cor. 6:2-3). Jesus spoke of this same beautiful truth when He said to His
disciples, "Ye are they which have continued with Me in My temptations. And I appoint
unto you a kingdom, as My Father has appointed unto Me; that ye may eat and drink at My
table in the kingdom, and SIT ON THRONES JUDGING THE TWELVE TRIBES OF ISRAEL" (Lk.
22:28-30).
Most of the Christian world
is waiting for Jesus to come at "any minute" and bring judgment upon the earth.
In the greater light of present truth we now understand that the judgment which HE IS, and
which is now wrought out in His saints, the firstfruits of His redemption, will ultimately
be manifested to creation in and through the sons of God. The judges for this day are now
in preparation for their awesome task. Yes, YOU shall judge the world, saints...but you
will do it in humility and with a broken heart full of compassion and love. The first
aspect of the ministry of the judges in the coming age is JUDGMENT. This work however,
shall be swiftly followed by the second ministry of MERCY and RESTORATION, for God's
judgments are ever unto correction and redemption.
All who judge must be
possessed of that same anointing of the SEVEN SPIRITS OF GOD that rests upon the firstborn
Son of God. "And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and
understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of
the Lord" (Isa. 11:2). "These things saith He that HATH THE SEVEN SPIRITS OF
GOD" (Rev. 3:1). Thank God! The very thought of a universe governed by the sons of
God who are filled with the seven-fold intensified Spirit of the Lord leaves me absolutely
breathless! Words become totally inadequate and human ability to articulate the wonder of
such a thing fails completely. Our faltering minds cannot fully appreciate nor comprehend
the wonder of Enoch's prophecy: "Behold, the LORD COMETH with ten thousands of His
saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of
all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches
which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him" (Jude 14-15).
There are several points of
interest in the passage just quoted. "Behold, the Lord cometh WITH TEN THOUSANDS OF
HIS SAINTS." The original would be better expressed, "The Lord cometh I-N HOLY
MYRIADS OF HIMSELF." He comes in that people who are bone of His bone, flesh of His
flesh, spirit of His spirit, life of His life, mind of His mind; the extension and
projection of all HE IS - HIMSELF CREATURES. "To EXECUTE judgment upon all." To
execute means to carry out, to fulfill, to PURSUE TO THE END. Holy myriads of Himself
shall carry out judgment upon ALL, and pursue it unto the end, until the full fruit and
effect of that judgment shall be manifested IN ALL. "And to CONVINCE all that are
ungodly..." To convince means to CONVICT, REPROVE, and FULLY PERSUADE all the ungodly
of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard
speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him. This is conviction, my friend,
HOLY GHOST CONVICTION that must be ministered into the minds and hearts of men before they
will submit so that the cleansing process can begin in them. Hallelujah! What a judgment!
Thus the Lord comes in His holy ones to bring an ending to the long reign of sin,
darkness, and death, praise His wonderful name.
Day by day we are learning
the ways of the Lord. Only God can teach us these things and equip us to judge with
righteous judgment. It would be well here for us to take particular notice of a divine
principle set forth by the apostle Paul in his letter to the Corinthians. All who
earnestly desire to acquire the wisdom and attributes of THE JUDGE and possess the nature
which dispenses RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT should give prayerful consideration to these words.
"For I know nothing by myself...but He that judgeth me is the Lord. Therefore judge
nothing before the time, until the Lord come..." I Cor. 4:4-5). Judge nothing before
the time, UNTIL THE LORD COME. When is that? In the blindness of church tradition
someone's mind will immediately jump to the conclusion that Paul is talking about waiting
to judge until the so-called "second coming of Christ." But that is in no way
the meaning here. "Judge nothing before the time...until the Lord come, who (when He
comes) both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the
counsels of the hearts, and then shall every man have praise from God."
Judge nothing... until the
Lord come - to judge. In any situation, circumstance, problem or trouble where judgment is
required, it means just this - MAKE NO JUDGMENT APART FROM THE MIND OF THE LORD! Judge
not, precious friend of mine, by the seeing of the eye or the hearing of the ear. Judge
not by the outward appearance, by carnal reasoning, natural understanding, fleshly wisdom,
nor by religious tradition. WAIT UPON THE LORD. Render no judgment about anything until
the Lord draws nigh with that precious wisdom which is from above, until the light of His
presence brings divine understanding, until the glorious mind of Christ gives spiritual
discernment. Judge nothing until the Lord appears in the matter, disclosing the counsels
of HIS MIND, making bright the pathway before your feet. The wisdom which is from above
teaches us that this coming of the Lord in judgment is a PRESENT ACTION, NOT a future
event. When the Lord comes He "brings to light the hidden things of darkness, and
makes manifest the counsels of the hearts," that there may be righteous judgment.
Jesus is the true Light that has come into the world and when this penetrating Light
enters into our hearts, we have understanding.
No man has a right to judge
anything until this Light has shined into his intellect. Otherwise he is judging in
darkness and will do just as Paul says in Rom. 2:1, "For wherein thou judgest
another, THOU CONDEMNEST THYSELF; for thou that judgest doest the same things." No
one has any right to judge anyone else when he is himself in darkness and doing the same
things he is judging in another. But when the entrance of the Lord occurs, then our whole
being will be filled with light and we can know surely that the first one judged will be
O-U-R-S-E-L-V-E-S. The faults and failings of others will fade as the darkness before the
shining orb of the morning sun when God begins to reveal ourselves to us!
As a brother has shared,
there are times of divine visitation when the Lord deals with you. Don't try to bring
things to judgment before the Lord comes. The same thing is true for other people's lives.
Don't try to bring them under conviction and get them into a dealing before the proper
time. There is a time the Lord has reserved for every one of us. He will walk up and down
the whole territory of our being. He will cover us thoroughly from head to toe, in every
area of our lives. He is going to convert this whole "earth" of mine so that it
may reflect the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ! We are always in a hurry. God is never in
a hurry. Be sure to give Him enough time. He is going to deal with you. He is going to
deal with your brother and sister. He is going to have a glorious Church without spot or
wrinkle, thoroughly purged, whose iniquity has been taken away. He is going to have a vast
family of sons in the express image of the Father in heaven. He is going to have a world
wherein dwelleth righteousness, and the transformation of the world in that day will be
the marvel and joy of the inhabitants of earth. He is going to have a universe pulsating
with the beauty, harmony, life and glory of God, for His grace shall freely reach out and
touch everything in all the unbounded heavens with the eternal life of Him from whom all
things come, by whom all things exist, and in whom all things end. As George Hawtin has so
eloquently written, "Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no
end. There shall be no end to its increase in this age, no end to its increase in the age
to come, and no end to its increase in the ages of the ages. His increase shall reach far
beyond the measure of man's mind until planet after planet, star after star, galaxy after
galaxy throughout the vast rock strewn sidereal shall taste the increase of His government
and the glory of His restoration and no inharmonious chord is heard in all God's universe
forever, but order, interdependence and unity, where CHRIST IS ALL IN ALL" -end
quote.
There is a PURPOSE IN
JUDGMENT, and it is always a purpose of love. There is a deep, clear purpose in everything
that God does. And His love for us, deep and tender, is the fire burning under that
purpose. The character of God must be kept ever in mind. The leading trait in His
character is expressed, not by the word "purity," nor "righteousness,"
nor "justice," but by the word "love." Though if we knew the real
meaning of "love" we would find it includes these others, and more. The purpose
in judgment is two-fold. It is a purpose TOWARD SIN, to get rid of it. And God's attitude
here is relentlessly uncompromising. No exceptions are ever noted. And there is a purpose
TOWARD MEN. Now regarding the purpose toward men, it is disciplinary. The whole thought is
to change the man. It is love working, love for the man. The purpose is the same as the
surgeon's. He thrusts in his keen-edged blade, not to destroy life, but to save it. He is
driving hard against the disease. The knife that cuts and hurts is held steady by the
kindly purpose in the heart.
Judgment only terrifies those
who don't understand the process. One has seen the effect of tropical storms on people
when first going to reside in a land where they prevailed. Having been brought up in a
land where lightning and thunder were rarely seen, they found the effects of a typically
tropical storm to be TERRIFYING. But one is astonished to find that the inhabitants of the
country in question looked forward to those electric storms with unmingled satisfaction.
They forgot the elements of terror in the scene, in remembering the glorious blessings
that the storm would bring. They saw the welcome rains falling from heaven and putting an
end to their time of suffering and privation. The terrible period of drought and famine,
dealing out death on every hand, would give place to the period of green and plenty. And
truly their hopes were well founded, for in a few days, death seemed swallowed up of life;
there was joy with plenty on every hand. The storm, therefore, had two different effects
upon two classes of people. To those unaccustomed to the scene, and unmindful of the
blessings at hand, it was terrifying; they saw only the electric storm with its menacing
bolts of lightning and frightening peals of thunder. The more experienced inhabitants,
however, rejoiced at the thunder and lightning because these heralded the blessings
beyond.
So it is in regard to the
coming of Christ in judgment. Strangers to the grace of God and His ways are alarmed by
the portents of that Day. But those who have drawn close enough to the heavenly Father to
know His mind and heart understand that all His judgments are corrective and redemptive,
and therefore altogether desirable, beneficial and glorious! The ecstatic exclamation of
joy and gladness at the prospects of the coming of God's righteous judgment in to the
earth is found all through the psalms and the prophets. If you are truly destined to stand
among the company of the sons of God, the long-awaited liberators of creation, you will
most assuredly thrill at the heavenly vibration of David's inspired song: "Say among
the nations that the Lord reigneth: the WORLD ALSO shall be established that it shall not
be moved: HE SHALL JUDGE THE PEOPLE RIGHTEOUSLY. Let the heavens rejoice, and LET THE
EARTH BE GLAD; let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof. Let the field be joyful, and
all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood REJOICE before the Lord: for HE
COMETH, for He C-O-M-E-T-H TO JUDGE THE EARTH: He shall judge the world with
righteousness, and the people with His truth" (Ps. 96:10-13).
"Make a JOYFUL noise
unto the Lord, ALL THE EARTH: make a loud noise, and REJOICE, and SING PRAISE. Let the sea
(raging, surging multitudes of humanity) roar, and the fullness thereof; the world and
they that dwell therein. Let the floods (armies) CLAP THEIR HANDS, let the hills (small
kingdoms, third world nations) BE JOYFUL TOGETHER before the Lord; for HE COMETH TO JUDGE
THE EARTH: with righteousness shall He judge the world, and the people with equity"
(Ps. 98:4,8-9).
There is a scene in
Revelation 8 - so awesome, so incredible, so glorious! "And when he broke the seventh
seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who
stand before God; and seven trumpets were given to them. And another angel came and stood
at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, that he might
add it to the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of
the angel's hand. And the angel took the censer; and he filled it with the fire of the
altar and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and
flashes of lightning and an earthquake. And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets
prepared themselves to sound them. And the first sounded, and there came hail and fire,
mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned
up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up"
(Rev. 8:1-7).
In this dramatic scene all
heaven is hushed! For nearly half an hour the elders kneel in silent wonder. The living
creatures, the mighty cherubim, the burning seraphim, all are hushed and speechless. The
saints before the throne are silent. Angelic choirs put away their hymnals; the harps have
been put aside; and there is not a sound in heaven. All is hushed! Why? It is because the
SEVENTH SEAL has been broken and they have seen the judgments written on the seventh
document. Seven angels with seven trumpets stand ready to inflict fiery judgments on the
earth-realm. THIS INDESCRIBABLE SILENCE HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH PRAYER! It has to do with
INCENSE! It has to do with WORSHIP! It has to do with the holy FIRE upon the altar! The
time has come for God to bring to His golden altar EVERY PRAYER of His people, all the
PRAISE of His saints, and the WORSHIP of His elect. The judgment is set. All is brought to
His judgment bar. He is going to put His consuming fire under the incense of OUR WORSHIP
to test the aroma! Will it be a sweet smelling savor - or a stench in His nostrils? Will
it be the stench of flesh, the foul smell of soulish zeal and emotion, the offensive odor
of carnal religious exercise - or will it be the sweet savor of a broken and contrite
spirit, the fragrance of a yielded and obedient heart, the pleasing scent of a worship
that is in spirit and in truth?
Then John saw the angel take
the censer and fill it with FIRE from the altar of God and cast it into the EARTH - into
that earth which WE ARE, into the lives and hearts of God's people; and "there were
voices, and thunderings, and lightnings and an earthquake" great commotions, intense
dealings, marvelous unveilings, powerful words, deep revelations, fearful manifestations,
fiery processings and judgment of such intensity and severity that our soulish nature
reels to and fro, shaking to its very foundations. Trumpet after trumpet, judgment is
poured out from GOD'S ALTAR into the spiritual lives of the elect until they are so
thoroughly purged, purified, refined and transformed that when we arrive at the final
drama, the closing scene, the grand finale of the pageant of the SEVENTH TRUMPET we find
"And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven saying, the
kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He
shall reign for ever and ever. And the
Talk about judgment unto
victory! This is the judgmental process of God which MUST BEGIN AT THE HOUSE OF GOD! God
shall bring forth a "firstfruit company" who are UNDEFILED BEFORE GOD. These are
they that have repented of sin and every work of the flesh. With Christ, their victorious
Head, they have died to all the desires of the flesh and mind. They are a people who have
fixed all their hopes in Christ the Lord. Their hearts cry not for the tinsel of the
world, nor yet for the trinkets of popular religion, but their prayer ascends to God day
and night, "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven."
Purged of all pride, self-interest and filthiness of flesh and spirit, and of all soulish
works and worship, these shall be accounted worthy to reign with Christ as kings and
judges from the spirit realm, and those who rule from henceforth are a royal priesthood
like unto their Lord, after the order of Melchizedek.
Chapter
39
Coming
In A Shout
"For the Lord Himself
shall descend from heaven WITH A SHOUT, with the voice of the archangel, and with the
trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain
shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so
shall we ever be with the Lord" (I Thes. 4:16-17).
I believe every word that the
beautiful passage above says about the coming of our dear Lord. I believe what it says,
not the fables men have built around it. I don't believe what the apostate churches say
about it, nor what the tradition-bound preachers say about it; but I certainly believe
what the Holy Spirit of truth says about it!
This famous, and often
misunderstood scripture, is one of great pondering. Because this is from Paul, the idea
prevails that it must be a simple statement of literal facts, easy to understand with the
natural mind, and altogether physical and natural; therefore many have come to expect a
terrible vibration of the atmosphere from immortal lungs, an actual blast from a silver or
perhaps golden trumpet, accompanied with a voice from the throat of Michael the archangel,
that will resound throughout the whole earth, and will waken the dead in the cemeteries.
But according to this same Paul, in Rom.
While the King James Version
states that the Lord shall descend from heaven "with a shout," that is not quite
the way it appears in the original. The Greek uses the preposition EN meaning
"in," and Young's Literal Translation renders it correctly, "Because the
Lord Himself, IN a shout, IN the voice of a chief-messenger, and IN the trump of God,
shall come down from heaven." The Lord does not come "with" a shout, but
"in" a shout. If, therefore, we can recognize the shout, we should accept that
as an indication, not that the Lord will come soon, but rather that He has come and is now
present, appearing in power and glory IN THE SHOUT.
The word "shout"
gives us a clarification, helping our understanding. It comes from the Greek word KELEUMA
which means "a cry of incitement, an order, a command." Conybeare translates it,
"A SHOUT OF WAR," and in his footnote explains, "this word denotes the
shout used in battle." Thus we could rightly term this A WAR CRY. So the Lord
descends from heaven in a shout, and this "shout" has a very special character.
It is the word of a general ordering his army, the word of a commander to his own troop,
of an admiral to his own seamen. It is the summons to His own, the rousing word of
command, not with apprehension of fear, but A JOYFUL SOUND, a battle cry filled with
courage and victory!
The Lord descends from heaven
in a shout, with a summons designed only for the ears and the hearts of His elect. Not one
uncircumcised ear shall hear - not one uncircumcised heart will be moved by that heavenly
voice. "Shout" is a term implying the relationship that exists between the Lord
and His chosen ones, like that of soldiers summoned by their general. If nothing more were
meant than the loud, deafening roar of His voice for all the world to hear, then this
particular Greek word, KELEUMA, would not be used. This word has nothing to do with the
tone or pitch of the voice, but conveys the thought of a shout from one who COMMANDS to
those who are COMMANDED; and, therefore, it is mere ignorance to suppose that the Lord
comes with a LOUD SHOUT so that all the world can HEAR HIM!
If you ask, "How can
some hear and not others," the answer is simple. Modern broadcasting has made it
possible for sounds to be heard by some and not by others. You know the reason, of course.
Some are tuned in to the right wave length, whereas others are tuned in to other wave
lengths. Thus it is with the coming of the Lord! Amid the myriads of voices clamoring for
attention in the world today, domineering and demanding, all trying to prescribe the
course we should follow, how we rejoice that we can turn the "dial" and
"tune out" all such, and on the frequency of the deep inner calm of our own
spirit discover the peace, joy, knowledge, wisdom and power that come from listening to
the Voice of our Shepherd. Gladly do we turn away from the confusion of the religious
systems of our day, with their multiplied creeds and contradictions, that we might be
quickened and transformed by the power of HIS LIVING WORD WITHIN. How quickly the
pressures of life, the feverish passions of the carnal mind, along with all the confused
directions of natural-minded men, are all hushed and cleansed by the presence of the Lord
IN HIS WORD to us. The clamoring voices of this bestial system mean nothing when HIS TRUTH
is made LIFE WITHIN by the quickening of His Spirit.
"I commune with mine own
heart: and my spirit made diligent search" (Ps. 77:6). "And when He putteth
forth His own sheep, He goeth before them, and the sheep follow Him: for they KNOW HIS
VOICE. And a stranger they will not follow, but will flee from him: for they KNOW NOT THE
VOICE of strangers. My sheep HEAR MY VOICE, and I know them, and they follow Me" (Jn.
10:4-5,27). My sheep hear - the Greek word for "hear" in this passage is OKOUO
and while it means "to hear" as in discerning a sound, it also includes the
meaning of "to hearken" and "to understand," a responsive action to
one's hearing and the result thereof. This goes beyond the outward hearing of the natural
ear, and penetrates into the area of our inner receptivity, understanding, and
responsiveness to act in accordance with what is heard.
"He goes before His
sheep, and they follow Him, for they KNOW His voice." There are various Greek words
for "know," each bearing its own shade and depth of meaning, in this case it is
OIDA, denoting ABSOLUTE KNOWLEDGE. Praise God, there is a realm where you can have
absolute knowledge of His voice - without doubts or questionings. I do not hesitate to say
that such absolute knowledge comes as a result of prolonged and intimate association,
communion, and relationship with HIM. I "know" my wife's voice, not merely its
sound, but also its meaning and intent. By each inflection of her voice I discern her
attitude, determination, state of being, etc. Such knowledge has developed as a result of
fifty-eight years of being her HUSBAND! His sheep - the mature ones - shall come to the
place where they unmistakably know His voice, not just hear it, but KNOW it. It is
precious as we tune out the voices of this world, and of our own carnal minds, and listen
only the voice of the spirit within; the more we do so day by day the stronger and more
resonant and meaningful becomes His voice unto us.
There is a beautiful
illustration of hearing the Lord's voice in I Kings 19:8-13. After that Elijah had called
fire down from heaven and slain the prophets of Baal he fled to the mount of God in Horeb
where Moses had met God in the burning bush, and where God in blazing glory had spoken
forth His law unto
In commenting on this
incident, Ray Prinzing wrote, "'AND, BEHOLD, THE LORD PASSED BY...' Perhaps this is
the first level of experience, and we used to sing, 'Jesus is passing this way.' Or again,
'Reach out and touch the Lord as He passes by.' No consciousness of His indwelling, so we
prayed for Him to pass by often. 'AND A GREAT AND STRONG WIND RENT THE MOUNTAINS, AND
BRAKE IN PIECES THE ROCKS BEFORE THE LORD; BUT THE LORD WAS NOT IN THE WIND.' If we move
on that plane, that's the voice we hear. RE-ACTION to the presence of the Lord. He passed
by, and what re-action, what a wind, it shook the place, the rocks crumbled, strong men
cried like babies, there was shouting, singing, prophesying, re-actions to His presence
everywhere, but HE was not in the wind. 'AND AFTER THE WIND, AN EARTHQUAKE; BUT THE LORD
WAS NOT IN THE EARTHQUAKE.' Say, were you in that meeting last night? everybody was
shaken, it was a real earthquake. All they could do was talk about the quake, but the Lord
was not in the earthquake, that was only some more re-action to His presence passing by.
'AND AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE, A FIRE; BUT THE LORD WAS NOT IN THE FIRE.' Have you had the
fire experience? they ask. Or, how about the burning, it is like another baptism. In His
own way God surely uses the fires, but if you always try to find God's voice, because once
you became conscious of Him in that way, be careful, this time He was not in the fire, it
was but another re-action that followed His presence passing by. 'AND AFTER THE FIRE A S-T-I-L-L S-M-A-L-L V-O-I-C-E. AND IT WAS SO, WHEN ELIJAH HEARD, THAT
HE WRAPPED HIS FACE IN HIS MANTLE, AND WENT OUT, AND STOOD IN THE ENTERING OF THE CAVE.'
If you desire to have a clearer consciousness of the VOICE WITHIN, you will have to get
past the wind, the earthquake, and the fire, and wrap your face in the mantle. The mantle
prefigured the endowment of the Spirit that rested upon him. When our wanton eyes which
are never satisfied with seeing, are covered by the mantle; when our ears that are never
filled with hearing, are covered with the mantle; when our nose, forever sniffing out the
strange odors, becomes covered with the mantle; and all else that is typified by the face
- when all is covered by the mantle, so that we are turned inward - no more distracted by
the outward phenomenon, then we are ready to draw out the message via the STILL SMALL
VOICE" -end quote.
This "shout" in
which the Lord descends is God breaking upon us in POWER as the LIVING WORD OF GOD. May
the Spirit of God in His own divine and mystical way shine the light of revelation upon
these inspired words from the pen of the apostle Peter: "Being born again, not of
corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the WORD OF GOD which LIVETH and abideth
forever" (I Pet. 1:23). If the Spirit of God will give us understanding concerning
this incorruptible SEED of the WORD OF GOD, then we will understand how it is that Christ
comes to us IN A SHOUT. There you have two items: the SHOUT and the Christ who is IN the
shout. Within every natural seed that can grow into a new plant or creature there are two
parts: the OUTER form or substance, and WITHIN the "germ" of the seed wherein is
contained the life from which the germination and growth must come. Thus, the
"germ" or "life" is IN the seed. In like manner the Word of God has
the outer form or substance - the actual words spoken, the natural sound, the thought,
idea, concept and understanding conveyed - and within the outer is the living germ, the
Logos, the Christ of God.
The simple yet infinitely
wonderful truth of God is this: the incorruptible, life-giving, transforming power of the
Christ is IN EVERY WORD that proceeds out of the mouth of God! I must point out that there
is the living word, the spoken word, the written word, and the created word. Let there be,
therefore, no doubt that the Word of God of which I speak is that word in which Christ
dwells, the living word, the Logos of God. A dead word contains no life and gives no life,
but a quickening word is the living word wherein is the Logos, the Christ of God. There
are many pitiful words and pathetic messages pawned off on God's precious people under the
guise of "the word of God." We are going to have to get beyond quoting
scriptures and beyond dead doctrines and religious traditions. We are going to have to
hear with our spirit the Voice of the Living Christ, for He is the Word of God, the Truth
of God, and the Reality of God. I cannot emphasize too strongly that it will take more
than sermons on sonship and exhortations on perfection and boasts about immortality to
make perfect and incorruptible sons in God's image. We must HEAR HIS VOICE, for it is only
those that hear His voice who shall live. It is going to take more than having meetings,
singing choruses, clapping hands, shouting Amens and Hallelujahs, and preaching to one
another about the deep mysteries of God to bring us to the knowledge of God and
transformation into His likeness. We shall have to see Him and touch Him and hear Him and
walk with Him as did John on the Isle of Patmos. We must hear His voice speaking to us in
the deepest recesses of our beings. We must commune with Him in the glory that radiates
from the face of Jesus Christ. Sonship can only come by personal association with the
LIVING CHRIST. And think not, precious friend of mine, if you cannot now discern His voice
amidst the confused babble of voices that fill the earth, that you will hear HIS SHOUT
when He comes in that glorious Word by which He shall finally deliver us from the last
vestiges of sin and death and present us faultless before His Father as holy sons of God
with power.
Praise God for the Voice of
the Son of God, the Shout in which the Lord Himself descends from heaven! Jesus Christ,
the Logos, the pure and complete and eternal Word of God, is descending from the highest
realms of our heavens (spirit) and into the conscious realm of our soul to impart to us
that which will enable us to ascend - body and soul caught up into the majesty, glory and
incorruptibleness of heaven - the realm of spirit. What a Voice! What a COMMAND! Not only
does He come unto His elect in the war cry of triumph and victory, but His chosen ones
are, thereby caught up in the high calling of God in Christ Jesus to themselves BECOME the
voice of God to creation. He descends in a shout, we are caught up into the shout, made
one with Him in His Word. There are myriads of voices crying out in the land today, but
there is only one voice which is the LOGOS OF GOD - and it is the voice of Jesus Christ,
the Son of the living God. Many are hearing the voices of the sages of ancient times,
others are hearing the voices from extra-terrestrial beings, some are listening to the
voices of the masters and gurus of the dark pagan religions of the East, some are
communing with the familiar spirits of the dead, others have their ears tuned to the
bewitching voices of the television evangelists, or the captivating programs, rituals,
activities and teachings of the religious systems, while others imagine their own voice to
be that of Christ's; but one and all are but the voices of men and devils. There is only
one Voice in all God's great universe that will cause one to be lifted up in his soul from
the realms of dust and desolation to ascend into the heavens and sit with Christ in His
glory - the voice of JESUS. All other voices are facades that masquerade as messengers of
God. They are naught but gusty winds from the mid-heavens of men's carnal minds that drive
the raging waves of the troubled sea, foaming out their shame.
Blessed be God, He comes IN A
SHOUT! It is the shout of the omnipotent Christ of God. It is the same Voice that called
into being the heavens and the earth in that primordial beginning. By the Word of the Lord
were the heavens made and the earth. It was His Voice that spoke on Sinai and shook the
earth and the heavens. It was His Voice that said to a dead man in a tomb, "Lazarus,
come forth!" and also said, "loose him and let him go." It was His Voice
that commanded the waves of the sea, "Peace, be still!" and the hurricane heard
that Voice, fell on its face on the glassy, watery floor, and came and licked its Master's
hand. As He approached the gate of Nain there met Him a funeral procession, a widow's only
son carried out to burial. The astonished crowd heard Him address the figure upon the
bier: "Young man, I say unto thee, Arise!" The power of the speech of the Prince
of Life pierced the realm of the dead! The lad sat up and began to speak. The tender
Christ delivered him to his mother, and made effective His command, "Weep not!"
Her son was not only brought back from the gates of the tomb, but was restored to her as a
gift from the Lord by the POWER OF HIS WORD. It was this same Voice that cried at that
zero hour of the ages, "It is finished." At that Voice the veil in the temple
was rent in twain, the earth quaked ,the rocks rent, the sun hid its face, the graves of
many of the saints were opened and they that slept arose. It was said of our Lord and
elder brother, "Never man spake like this man" (Jn.
When this Voice comes to you,
my beloved, and to me with the command, "Rise up, My love, My fair one, and come
away" (S. of S.
He who came to His own, was
the One who had led them through the wilderness, and who revealed God to them; He had gone
before them in the cloud by day and in the pillar of fire by night. It was He who had
dwelt in unutterable and unapproachable glory in their Holiest of all; it was He who had
defeated their enemies for them, and had spread His pavilion over them, so that all
nations were afraid before them. He it was, who came to His own and they knew Him not.
He does not call the elect to
come away with Him, but to come away and meet Him. Leave everything, especially your
self-life behind, and come away to that which He has for you. We hardly realize that every
time Christ calls us and we refuse Him, whether we say it with our lips or with our
actions, we really say, "I choose this person or thing, I choose myself, instead of
Christ." If we choose to walk with those who are not walking in the Spirit and in the
Truth, we really choose carnality and error in the place of choosing Him; for we cannot
walk with both. There are times when He offers us advancement, and in place of rising up
and leaving everything so that we can enter in and possess that which He shows us, we fail
to enter in; we choose our own ease, or the comfort of some Babylonian garment, or our own
wills in place of His. It is when we first hear His Voice, that we must rise up and come
away to meet Him. God does not stand still, He is ever moving on; and if we delay, His
Voice will grow fainter and fainter, so that when we do arise to go to Him, we may not
find Him in the glory of His new day. Only as we learn to HEAR and HEED His Voice will we
be ready to ascend with Him when He comes to us IN HIS SHOUT.
Thank God! there is a people
in this hour unto whom the Lord is coming IN A SHOUT. For those blessed ones there is no
more hesitation, no more vacillating back and forth between the flesh and the spirit, no
more obeying the voice of the stranger, for these mature ones, these disciplined ones,
have received the Lord in a shout of command - they no longer have any other master,
priorities, or options - and the response is immediate and unreserved. These make up the
mighty army of the Lord, the sons of God who shall rule and bless creation in those
glorious ages yet to come. Even now as I pen these words HIS SHOUT is heard by a vast
company of men and women over the face of the whole earth, in every nation under heaven,
inciting and ordering the members of His body, giving them the command to flee from the
harlot system of Babylon and to assemble UNTO HIM in preparation for the glorious
manifestation of the sons of God.
As the Christ of God is a
many-membered body, so is the shout that issues forth out of His mouth. The shout in which
the Lord comes has two aspects - first, His shout of command UNTO US, His brethren; then,
His shout of command THROUGH US unto the nations. Furthermore, there is progression to His
shout. The Lord ALWAYS comes in a shout. The Lord Himself always descends from heaven in a
shout. The Lord descends from the invisible realm of the spirit into our lives, our
experience, our world of appearances, our earth - in a shout. He comes to us IN A WORD OF
COMMAND, A WORD OF AUTHORITY AND POWER. It is doubtful if any Christian on earth has fully
understood as yet how great is the transforming upheaval that works within the soul when
men and women through the operation of the Spirit of God in their lives are born again,
born from above, seized upon by a life from heaven, renewed, regenerated, recreated and
translated out of the power of darkness into the Kingdom of God's dear Son. But this
change, this transformation, this translation from death into life could never take place
apart from the entrance of the all-powerful, incorruptible Christ into their lives. Ah,
when first you were quickened by His Spirit, when the word of salvation reached you, was
there not an urgency, a conviction, yea, a compulsion to KNOW HIM? IN that living word of
salvation THE LORD HIMSELF DESCENDED into your earth, and in His shout of victory you who
were dead in trespasses and sins were quickened and translated from the low realms of
darkness and death and made to sit together with Him in heavenly places.
It was the day of Pentecost.
As the disciples of Jesus were waiting and praying in the upper room in
As the Christ is a
many-membered body, so is the shout that issues forth from His mouth. The Word of God is
spoken in the world today by the body of Christ on earth, and that Word issues forth as
the sound of many waters. I declare to you today that I have heard that sound, I HAVE
HEARD H-I-S S-H-O-U-T! In the body of Christ, through many members of teachers, prophets,
and anointed ones, I have heard the authority of the Christ's Voice proclaiming that the
hour is wonderfully nigh at hand for our transformation, our change, our translation out
of corruption into incorruption, out of the carnal mind into the precious mind of Christ,
out of our limitation into His omnipotence. This word, this revelation, this proclamation,
this Kingdom Message, this SHOUT has sounded throughout the land, echoing from mountain to
mountain, reverberating across the valleys and the plains, circling by divine projection
the uttermost parts of the globe until there is hardly a city or town or community or
hamlet anywhere where its sound has not been heard.
Think, O reader, of the
profound depths of truth that lie hidden in these inspired words: "THE LORD HIMSELF
SHALL DESCEND FROM HEAVEN IN A SHOUT!" This opens new and exalted vistas of truth
concerning the coming of our Lord, and points us to the time of great battle, the conflict
of this dark age coming to its final climax, with the CAPTAIN OF THE HOST descending in a
shout of war, to urge on and encourage, ringing out the command, THE TIME HAS COME TO
POSSESS THE KINGDOM. First of all the saints must possess the Kingdom, apprehending their
full inheritance in Christ. Then shall they go forth in the glorious age to come as the
invincible and incorruptible ARMY OF THE LORD, strong and doing exploits, pressing the
claims of God's Kingdom upon all men and nations, until there be an ending to the reign of
sin, death, and evil everywhere, and the universal establishment of that long-awaited
Kingdom of Righteousness over all. A battle will ensue, and the conflict will be dreadful
and fierce. The Lord shall descend into the midst of His sons, His army, in a BATTLE CRY,
and will UTTER HIS VOICE BEFORE HIS ARMY. The purpose of Christ coming is not to provide
an escape from tribulation for some weak, unspiritual, half-cleansed church which has
corrupted itself with the delusions of Mystery Babylon the Great. He comes, rather, as
CAPTAIN OF THE HOSTS OF THE LORD (Jos.
True, as someone has pointed
out, we have been in our skirmishes and battles, but the greatest battle is yet to be
fought, once God takes to Himself His firstfruits company, those conformed to His image,
filled with His Spirit, ruled by His mind, yes, and thoroughly equipped with the full
amour that He imparts. All previous and present battles are to train and prepare us for
that which is to come, therefore we need to learn our lessons and grow up into Him.
"I have commanded My sanctified ones, I have also called My mighty ones ... the Lord
of hosts mustereth the host of the battle" (Isa. 13:3-4). "And the Lord shall
UTTER HIS VOICE BEFORE HIS ARMY, for His camp is very great: for He is strong that
executeth His word: for the day of the Lord is very great and terrible; and who can abide
it?" (Joel 2:11). "The Lord Jesus shall BE REVEALED from heaven WITH HIS MIGHTY
MESSENGERS, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not
the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ" (II Thes. 1:7-8).
Many precious nuggets of
truth, rich and encouraging, lie hidden away amidst the verses of the little book of the
Song of Solomon. The symbology of the Song of Solomon bespeaks of the riches and glory and
honor of the great King and Captain which are conferred upon those elect saints who are
called and chosen to be made ONE IN HIM. In the Song of Solomon 6:4 the King (Jesus)
speaks to the Shulamite (elect), saying, "Thou art beautiful, O My love, as Tirzah,
comely as Jerusalem, TERRIBLE AS AN ARMY WITH BANNERS." "Terrible as an army
with banners" means bannered hosts of armies in a fortified city. The Shulamite has
just been compared to the two noted cities of the Israelites. The King now extends His
description and declares that she is not only as fair as Tirzah, and as beautiful in her
unity and perfection as
It is wonderful grace from
God that enables us to look upon all opposition, all conflict, all persecution, all
difficulties, all attacks of the adversary, however they may come, as opportunities to
overcome and to add to the precious banners that God has enabled us to take and will
enable us to bring to Him. The elect is not represented here as downtrodden by the enemy.
They are not represented as a defeated army with no banners, all having been captured by
the enemy. They are represented as a mighty, victorious army, as hosts of valiant soldiers
of the
This same description of the
elect appears again in the Song of Solomon 6:10. "Who is she that looketh forth as
the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and TERRIBLE AS AN ARMY WITH
BANNERS?" At first glance, it would appear that this description is the same as the
King gives in the fourth verse; but while the words are the same, we see by the context
that the meaning is different. In the fourth verse, the King compares the Shulamite to the
most majestic and beautiful of EARTHLY OBJECTS. He looks down upon earth and draws His
comparisons from Tirzah,
The Song of Solomon redounds
with references to this truth, and we find a further confirmation of it in chapter 6:12.
"Before I was aware, my soul set me among the chariots of the prince." Or, the
literal translation is, "made me like the chariots of Ammi-nadib." Ammi-nadib is
composed of two words compounded; the meaning of the first word is "Troops or a
company of people congregated together and made one"; the meaning of the last word is
"The prince." The meaning of the two words together is, "The people, or
company, that have become one, and are the chariots, or war chariots, of the prince!"
In Ps. 68:17-18 we are told, "The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands
upon thousands; the Lord is among them as Sinai, in the sanctuary. Thou hast ascended on
high, Thou hast led away captives; Thou hast received gifts among men."
Yet another precious piece of
the puzzle is tucked away in the Song of Solomon 6:13. "Return, return, O Shulamite;
return, return, that we may look upon thee. What will ye see in the Shulamite? As it were
THE COMPANY OF TWO ARMIES." The "company of two armies" is a figure of the
Lord's army in two divisions; and we have already seen that one company is in heaven (the
invisible realm of spirit), and the other is upon the earth. But the two armies make ONE
SHULAMITE, ONE ELECT, ONE BODY. How little we have been aware of the "working
together" of the invisible hosts with the visible, that we might come to the fullness
of perfection. Not apart from us shall they attain, and not apart from them should we
attain - for who can deny that the dealings, purposes, and activity of God continue upon
ALL who LIVE UNTO GOD in the spirit, whether they be in the body or out of the body -
matters not to God! In the realm of spirit, transcending mere mortal consciousness, the
FAMILY IN HEAVEN is working together and growing together and overcoming together with the
FAMILY ON EARTH! And we see an application of this truth in Mat.
Sometimes we confine our
ideas of the army of God to the visible army on earth, but the army on the other side of
the veil is just as real and just as alive and active as that of this world; and because
of the hosts of God's armies, He is called Yahweh Sabaoth - the Lord of Hosts. When the
king of
From the pen of another ready
writer I now share precious insight into these wonderful mysteries. "We are somewhat
acquainted with the ministry of the family on earth, with the binding and loosing, but do
you know who is supporting this work in the more invisible realms? It is the HEAVENLY
FAMILY working with us that brings forth the victory. We haven't beheld them, we haven't
always been conscious of them, but on rare occasions some have had their visions of this
'invisible ministry.' And we do read, 'Blessed are the dead which DIE IN THE LORD from
henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours (earth travail);
and their works (service, ministry) do FOLLOW THEM' (Rev. 14:13). We rejoice that their
works, ministries, do follow them, and they CARRY ON in the invisible realm, to aid us in
every way the LORD bids them to give us aid. Are they not part of the 'ministering
spirits, sent forth in the service of God for the assistance of those who are to inherit
salvation?' (Heb. 1:14, Amplified). What glorious reinforcements are with us!
"Why haven't we been
more aware of the power of this reinforcement? Because we have walked so long in the outer
realm of the senses of the flesh, and soul. But the more we move into the realm of the
spirit, the more we shall become aware of these messengers who not only stand by, but who
are working with us. We are going to see an increased activity of the heavenly host, as
they help to bring the rest of the 'earth-family' into the fullness of God, that together
we might possess our inheritance, and the perfection appointed us. We see our weakness and
lack, and we measure our short-comings and almost weep in despair, but God has not ignored
this day, and when the enemy comes in like a flood, He has a standard prepared to raise up
against him, visible and invisible.
"The oppression was
great, and the adversary was heavy against
"THERE MUST BE A
BREAK-THROUGH, and a joining of forces with the heavenly host. The scriptures have much
concerning the 'armies of heaven' and also concerning the armies on earth - of which we
are admonished to become good soldiers and put on the complete amour (II Tim. 2:3; Eph.
6:11-17). As the zero hour draws near for the climax of this great battle of the ages,
there will be a uniting of the visible and invisible. We shall not prevent (precede) them
which are asleep - that is, who have died physically, and are now in the invisible realm,
a part of that heavenly register that is spoken of in Heb. 12:23. But the dead in Christ
shall rise, and we shall be joined unto that host, becoming the FULL ARMY of the Lord.
Then the Lord Himself, as Captain of the Host, shall descend with a war cry, a shout of
encouragement to press the battle to its finish, to overcome - conquering and to conquer.
We have groaned because of the veil which stands between us and the invisible realm,
between us and full spiritual victory. Praise God, He shall give us the command, and the
victorious word which shall enable us to break through the barriers, and become JOINED
UNTO OUR LORD, AND THE HEAVENLY HOST.
"Are you listening for
the shout? Within that war cry, that shout of battle, is all the encouragement, direction,
undergirding strength we will need to break through the barrier. The words our Lord speaks
are SPIRIT AND LIFE, they are powerful and glorious, and HIS MESSAGE TO HIS OWN will be
forceful, yes, will lift them up into new dimensions of victory. No man, no program of man
will catapult us into divine fullness. This 'catching up' will be the work of JESUS CHRIST
Himself. Our part is to be ready, watching and waiting, yielding to the daily inworkings
of His grace so that we might be found unto praise at His coming.
"We are delighted, we
praise God for each skirmish fought, and battle won, but remember, there is rejoicing in
heaven also, for the 'waiting firstfruits' are desirous that we see the consummation of
the process, that we, with them, might enter into our full inheritance. 'And it shall come
to pass in that day, I will hear, saith the Lord, I WILL HEAR THE HEAVENS, AND THEY SHALL
HEAR THE EARTH; and the earth shall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil; and they
shall hear Jezereel (Jah sows), and I will sow her unto Me in the earth; and I will have
mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not My
people, Thou art My people; and they shall say, Thou art my God' (Hos. 2:21-23). The
heavens shall hear the earth! There is a drawing together again of that which was
separated by so great a gulf. And as the hour of full redemption approaches, we shall find
a closeness betwixt ourselves and the rest of those who have been apprehended for
firstfruits. The WHOLE FAMILY shall be joined together. And then the new ministry shall
begin to be revealed, for the earth shall hear the corn, the wine, and the oil. New life,
a new message, food for the hungry - and all flesh shall see the salvation of God"
-end quote (Gospel Echoes).
The Lord does not come in
silence or gentleness as the Captain of His host, but in a shout - a MIGHTY WORD OF
AUTHORITY AND POWER. In these days the Lord will utter His glorious Voice in the midst of
His people. Deep shall call unto deep, and there shall be the manifestation and moving of
the Lord in GREAT POWER AND GLORY, the sounding forth of His Living Word with life, and
blessing, bringing change and transformation to all who hear the Voice of the Son of God.
Marvelous indeed is the SHOUT that is sounding into the hearing of God's apprehended ones,
a message that is total, complete, for ALL! Truly, when His shout has reverberated down
the corridors of your ransomed soul, you will not fear, for it is A JOYFUL SOUND, a battle
cry filled with courage, confidence, and victory. You will shout for joy over the enemy,
and the LAST ENEMY that shall be destroyed is DEATH. When the Lord has descended into your
consciousness in a shout and His message of TOTAL REDEMPTION has filled your being, there
will rise up a responsive shout from God's holy hill. Gone will be that defeatist attitude
of "pray for me that I will hold out to the end." Gone will be the worries,
fears, frettings, doubts, negative attitudes, negative confessions, and weaknesses that
frustrate, torment, and defeat. It is a surging, victorious declaration that GREATER IS HE
THAT IS IN YOU, THAN HE THAT IS IN THE WORLD. It is His WAR CRY. It signifies that the
time has come when HE shall arise to DO BATTLE against all sin, darkness, and death in us,
and great shall be the victory. The work begins IN US, and shall then be carried forth
THROUGH US. In the triumph of His life the army of God's sons will be a force against
which this world system cannot stand.
I assure you that God's army
will not fight in the manner that some fight today. The apocalyptic description of the
Christ coming out of heaven on a war-horse, magnificently attired, attended by armies of
celestial horsemen, to fight the battle against "the beast and the kings of the earth
and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him that sat on the horse and
against His army," portrays no literal conflict with carnal weapons. It is not on any
battlefield on earthly ground that the glorified Redeemer and His heavenly legions
confront the banded hosts of earth and hell. The
This is the conquest that is
going on right now in that inner world of our hearts, minds and bodies. May the Holy
Spirit deeply impress upon you this important truth: YOU WILL NEVER CONQUER UNTIL YOU ARE
CONQUERED! You see, in the army of Christ all the vanquished have enlisted, and all of
those that were once enemies, such as Saul of Tarsus who once opposed Christ and who is
now one of the leaders of that army beyond the veil. As we look at the triumph of Christ
we see that the vanquished and the conquerors merge as one. Saul of Tarsus went forth to
war against Jesus, but he was struck to the ground outside
The Captain of the Lord's
army descends out of His place IN A SHOUT. This is He who was in the beginning. "In
the beginning was the Word" (Jn. 1:1). This is the Word that was God. In Him was life
and the life was the light of men. This is He of whom it is written, "He sent His
Word, and healed them." This is the Word that is sharper than any two-edged sword,
piercing to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit. In the book of Revelation He is
represented as being armed with a sword, two-edged and sharp, passing out of His mouth,
indicating that His chief force lies in the action of His lips uttering words. His force
is truth - truth expressed by His mouth in words. He goes forth to battle wielding only
the weapon of HIS WORD. Christ does not come to avenge blood or slay in battle as other
conquerors have done. His words smite all who hear them. As someone has said, It will
smite them with conviction and bless them with conversion. It will kill them (the carnal
man) and raise them (the spiritual man) from the dead. The spirit which animates Him is
the warrior spirit. His object is the conquest of the world - every man and woman and
child who has ever lived. He has formed the resolution never to cease from His campaign
until the whole world bows devotedly before Him as its rightful Lord and Master, the only
true King.
The army of the Lord is at
this very moment in careful preparation. The mountains are full of horses and chariots of
fire, which the Captain mustereth for the battle. His great command is FOLLOW ME. He goes
on from conquering to conquer. Can you hear HIS SHOUT, HIS ENCOURAGING COMMAND, HIS CALL
TO RISE UP AND TAKE THE KINGDOM? Can you hear it? Arise, my beloved, and follow the
Captain of the Lord's host from victory to victory, from triumph to triumph in your own
life; then you, who constitute the Lord's army, will move forward beautiful as Tirzah,
comely as Jerusalem, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and TERRIBLE AS AN ARMY WITH
BANNERS.
Chapter
40
Coming
In The Voice Of The
"For the Lord Himself
shall descend from heaven with a shout, WITH THE VOICE OF THE ARCHANGEL, and with the
trump of God" (I Thes. 4:16).
For years the beautiful
passage quoted above has intrigued me with its mystery. While the King James Version
states that the Lord shall descend from heaven "with the voice of the
archangel," that is not exactly the way it is in the original. The Greek uses the
preposition EN meaning "in," and Young's Literal Translation correctly renders
it, "Because the Lord Himself, IN a shout, IN the voice of a chief-messenger, and IN
the trump of God, shall come down from heaven." The Lord does not come
"with" the voice of the archangel, but "in" the voice of the
archangel. If, therefore, we can know who the archangel is, and are able to recognize his
voice, we will have assurance, not that the Lord is coming soon, but rather that He has
come and is now present, for we shall have encountered Him in great power and glory in the
place where He manifests - I-N THE VOICE OF THE ARCHANGEL!
We must first go back and
learn who and what angels actually are.
From every part of scripture
come testimonies to the existence of angels. They trod the plains of Mamre, and sang over
the fields of
After Jesus was baptized in
the
THE MESSENGERS OF GOD
Now let us face some facts.
We have listened to fairy tales much too long. In the first place we discover that the
word "angel," instead of being a translation, is but an evasion, being the
English form of the Greek word AGGELOS, which to the average person means nothing at all.
The Greek word AGGELOS means nothing more than "messenger." And in every
occurrence of the word "angel" in our Bibles, that is the word that should have
been given. The word AGGELOS is simply a pure Greek word without any particular meaning
except what we choose to give it, and people oftentimes have the notion that it means a
man with wings, whereas, if a man did have wings, he has no muscles to move them - a most
ridiculous thing! The wings mentioned in scripture are not represented as belonging to man
and are just as mythical as the various winged gods of ancient Greek mythology. With the
exception of the Cherubim and Seraphim, nothing is said about wings for either men or
angels. The words are, "Clothed in shining garments," when referring to the
young men who were the messengers at the tomb following the Christ's resurrection, and on
the occasion of His ascension. But painters have given them wings, and poets have given
them wings, and a great many people get their theology from the poets and painters, and
that is the reason they blunder so.
Get the thought, now, that an
angel is a messenger and read the word "angels," always with its proper
translation, "messengers." The Greek word AGGELOS has just the direct meaning
"messenger, one sent with a message, the personal representative of the Sender.”
It does not identify any particular race or order of created beings. Anyone sent with a
message is a messenger - an angel. If there had been
When we understand this
truth, then we have no difficulty in understanding who the "angels" of the
Churches in the 2nd and 3rd chapters of the Revelation are because that word was commonly
used in the early Church, as, "To the angel of the Church in Sardis, write...,"
"To the angel of the Church in Smyrna, write..." These angels of the Churches
were merely God's messengers to those Churches, the MINISTERS who ministered to the
saints. A messenger carries a message, and a messenger of God unto His people bears a
SPIRITUAL MESSAGE, and is, therefore, a HEAVENLY ANGEL!
And now we go to the Word to
learn something wonderful and exceptional about these creatures who have been described
and even pictured so fantastically. And it is a fact completely missed by most Bible
students and, I dare say, by ALL Bible scholars!
Abraham was once sitting, in
the heat of the day, in his tent door. And he did not fall asleep and have a nightmare.
But fully awake, in his right mind, he entertained some visitors. The Word says this:
"And he lifted up his eyes, and looked, and lo, THREE MEN stood by him" (Gen.
18:2). Now we are not studying the book, "
God's Word says that three
"MEN" came to Abraham as he sat in his tent door. And there is only one race of
beings on earth that is called "men." If we have not enough intelligence to know
what kind of beings they are, then we most certainly have no business running loose, but
need to be in a padded room where we will be cared for. Abraham entertained these three
men who visited him. He hurried in to Mrs. Abraham and got her on the job baking cakes,
and had a servant kill a calf. "And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he
had dressed, and set it before them; and he
stood by them under the tree, and they did eat" (Gen. 18:8). Reading on, in Gen.
18:16 we find the following, "And the MEN rose up from thence, and looked toward
That same evening, two of
these three men arrived in
Jacob was quite a character,
a very human sort of person. And one day he had a harrowing experience. He must face his
brother Esau, who he had tricked and supplanted. He was afraid of losing his head. Esau
was coming toward him with four hundred men. So Jacob figured it all out how to appease
his brother's wrath. First he sent drove after drove of livestock as a present to his
brother, then he sent his own herds and servants and family, but he stayed behind. Then
that night, as Jacob remained alone on the other side of the river no doubt shivering in
his boots, we read this, "And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a MAN with him
until the breaking of the day" (Gen. 32:24). Quite a wrestling match, that!
In Judges 13 we read of a man
by the name of Manoah, and his wife. God sent one of His messengers to them. And in verse
6 we read, "Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, a MAN of God came unto
me, and his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of God, very terrible.”
In verse 8 we read, "Then Manoah entreated the Lord, and said, O my Lord, let the MAN
of God which Thou didst send come again unto us." Then in verse 10 we read,
"Behold the MAN hath appeared unto me, that came unto me the other day. And Manoah
arose, and went after his wife, and came to the MAN, and said unto him, Art thou the MAN
that spakest unto the woman? And he said, I am.” Here this angel of God admitted of
being a man. "Art thou THE MAN ... I AM."
Daniel also had some rather
startling experiences with God's messengers during his sojourn on earth. And in Dan. 9:21
we read this, "Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even THE MAN GABRIEL, whom I had
seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me." No, it
was not the fairy Gabriel, not a nymph, nor a sybil, nor an elf; but "THE MAN
GABRIEL." Oh, we have been told a lot of funny stories! But it is high time to
awaken, time to begin to face facts! In Dan. 10:1-5 we find Daniel on a fast. And while on
this three-weeks' fast, while beside the river Hiddekel, he met another angel or messenger
of God. Here is how he described him: "Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and
behold a certain MAN clothed in linen." In Daniel 10:21 Michael the archangel, or
chief messenger, is called, "Michael your prince." I never heard of a prince
among men being a funny sexless thing with wings! Did you? In the 12th chapter of Daniel
we find some further experiences with God's angels; and in verses 6 and 7 they are called
men. "The MAN clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river."
Turning now to the New
Testament we find some further startling facts. Our Lord had arisen. And Mk. 16:5 tells us
that, upon finding the stone rolled away from the tomb, the women entered. "And
entering into the sepulcher, they saw a young MAN sitting on the right side, clothed in a
long white garment." Lk. 24:4 in recording the same event says, "Behold, two MEN
stood by them in shining garments." Then our Lord ascended. As the disciples stood
gazing into the sky, "Behold, two MEN stood by them in white apparel" (Acts
1:10).
Lastly in the book of
Revelation we find the capstone as it were, two of the plainest of statements, which
identify God's angels as men, two statements that no one but a blind man could miss or a
nitwit misunderstand. In Rev. 18:21 we find a mighty angel talking to John, and reading on
concerning this same mighty angel in Rev. 19:10, we find he himself stating concerning his
identity, "Then I fell prostrate at his feet to worship, but he restrained me and
said, Refrain! You must not do that! I am only another servant with you and your brethren
who have accepted and hold the testimony borne by Jesus. Worship God!" John's
brethren were all men. And further, in Rev. 21:9, one of the seven angels of Rev. 16:1
returns to John to show him some further truths. Then in Rev. 22:9 this same angel has
this to say concerning himself. "I am thy fellow servant, and of THY BRETHREN THE
PROPHETS." The prophets were all men. This angel was merely one of them who now was
serving in a higher realm of spirit, but had appeared for a very special purpose while
performing that higher service. An angel in scripture is never a woman - always a man. And
finally, of the angel that showed John the glory of the Holy City which came down from God
out of heaven, it is said, "He (the angel) measured its wall also, one hundred and
forty-four cubits by a MAN'S measure (of a cubit from his elbow to his third finger tip)
which IS THE MEASURE OF THE ANGEL" (Rev. 21:17, Amplified).
Whenever we find the word
"angel" in our Bibles, it is a mere evasion which should be translated as
"messenger." God's messengers, His angels, may be either men in the flesh, or
the spirits of departed saints, or any other order of creature from above or beneath, who
bears a message from God. Someone once wrote a book entitled, WHERE ARE THE DEAD? But he
did not answer his own question. Neither he, nor any of his kind, are qualified to answer
that question until they have learned their spiritual ABC's and break away from all the
fables under which all of us were reared. Those whose bodies are asleep in Christ, those
who are apprehended of the Lord, those who are called and chosen as a part of God's
firstfruit company, those who are faithful - continue to serve, though veiled from our
view except on rare occasions, when they may appear visibly to men still in the flesh.
THE
In Old Testament times the
Lord often appeared to men through the manifestation of "the angel of the Lord"
(Jud. 6:20; II Sam. 24:16; I Kings 19:5-7). In Joshua 5, the children of
Then Joshua saw that he was
the angel of the Lord; the Captain of the Lord's host; and Joshua, bowing down before him,
said, "What word has my Lord unto His servant?" And the Captain of the Lord's
host said to Joshua, "Take off your shoes from your feet, for it is holy ground where
you are standing." Joshua did so, and the Lord said to him, "I have given you
Oh yes! God has an army, a
great and strong and fearful army, and His army has a glorious and invincible Captain. In
view of the many passages of scripture which speak of THE ARMY OF THE LORD, and their
exploits to soon be revealed, this brings new meaning and depth to God's purposes in His
people. "I have commanded My sanctified ones, I have also called My mighty ones...the
Lord of hosts mustereth the host of the battle" (Isa. 13:3-4). "And the Lord
shall utter His voice before His army: for His camp is very great: for He is strong that
executeth His word: for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide
it?" (Joel. 2:11).
I have stood in spirit and by
the inspiration of the Almighty beheld the nations of the world and the peoples of all the
earth. There is a bewildering and gigantic struggle going on between the
Ah, I have some good news for
you, my friend: GOD HAS AN ARMY! And God's great army has a CAPTAIN! The plans are laid,
the preparation is in progress, and the strategy is determined. Even now, a manifestation
of the glory of God of world-wide dimensions is in the making. This is not a revival of
evangelistic crusades, but the marching forth of the army of God in the power of the
invincible weapons of the Holy Spirit. Already bright clouds are gathering on the horizon.
The sky rivers are running full, and the manifestation of the sons of God is about to
break forth upon the earth. This is the time to gird up your loins, O child of God, like
Elijah of old, and run before the chariots. Let your heart be lifted high, for God is on
the move, and this can be your hour of victory.
The Lord Jesus Himself is the
Captain of His army, and it is none other than He who shall descend from heaven in a WAR
CRY, in the VOICE OF THE ARCHANGEL, as Captain of the Lord's host! This points us to the
time of great battle, the conflict of this dark age coming to its final climax, with the
CAPTAIN OF THE HOST descending to lead His army of overcomers into battle. The sons of God
shall go forth in the glorious age to come as the invincible ARMY OF THE LORD, strong and
doing exploits, pressing the battle through the very gates of hell itself, until there be
an ending to the reign of sin, death, and evil everywhere. The battle will rage, and the
conflict will be tremendous and severe. But the Lord, the mighty Captain, shall descend
into the midst of His sons, and will UTTER HIS VOICE BEFORE HIS ARMY, for His army is very
great. He is coming in truth, in righteousness, in judgment, in mighty spirit power and in
great glory, to press the battle to the finish right here on earth, bringing deliverance
and restoration and redemption everywhere and to all men, praise His name! What a day!
What a day! And the wonder of it all is that this day is even now breaking in the earth.
The crisis hour in the history of the world has come, and God is not silent. Many who read
these lines have heard the call to join this army - and have, in fact, been CONSCRIPTED
and made keenly aware that the Lord's army is at this very moment in careful and diligent
preparation.
The army of God is not
something one enters into as a vocation, a way to make a living, etc. You cannot volunteer
your services of your own free will, for GOD CHOOSES WHOM HE WILLS, and if you are chosen
you can only respond in humility and holy brokenness, for it is a commission from God, not
a calling self-assumed. Those who volunteer themselves to be messengers of God in the
religious systems of this age are mere hirelings of
An army speaks of combined
strength, and as we are brought under the disciplines and training of the Father we go
from strength to strength, built into a strong and effective people armed with His power
within. "The Lord shall utter His voice before His army." "The Lord Himself
shall descend from heaven in a shout, in the voice of the archangel." God's strong
ones, His disciplined ones will have His voice to lead them on and back them up, preparing
the way before them. God's elect is becoming the army of the Lord, His visible force to be
manifested in the earth. You, my beloved, may not feel like you are a part of any
conquering army today, because you measure your own strength by past experiences, previous
performance, prior accomplishments, and self-made standards. But I say to you today,
Despise not the day of the taxing rigors of "boot camp," nor the exhausting
drills imposed by your Commander, which seem to drain your strength and deplete your
resources. HE does the calling, HE does the training, HE equips His own, until they are
HIS INSTRUMENTS, and then it is HIS POWER manifested as He thrusts each into battle.
Undergirded and supported by
the Voice of the Lord, now we can understand more when it says, "In that day shall
the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day
shall be as David; and the house of David shall be AS GOD (Michael!), as the angel of the
Lord before them" (Zech. 12:8). Those who have been growing stronger through their
processings, and like David have learned to overcome their obstacles, they shall be AS
GOD, maintaining the victory over all their difficulties and obstacles, OVERCOMING ALL THE
WAY, trailblazing the way through every problem and power, that others might follow and be
blessed thereby as well.
The Captain of the Lord's
army is the same One who in the Old Testament times revealed Himself as "the angel
(messenger) of the Lord." The angel of the Lord appeared to Hagar, spoke as though He
were God, and was called God by her (Gen. 16:7-13). The Bible says that the angel of the
Lord appeared to Moses in the burning bush, but then says that God Himself talked to Moses
out of the bush (Ex. 3; Acts 7:30-38). The angel of the Lord appeared to
Recently, as I waited before
the Lord, a precious and hidden truth began to be opened before the eyes of my
understanding. The Spirit of God in His own singular way shined His light of revelation
upon an incident in the life of Jesus. The Spirit brought to my attention, the scene in
the
I wondered why "twelve
legions" when there were INNUMERABLE COMPANIES of messengers comprising the heavenly
hosts (Heb. 12:22). If in the Spirit of God we can sound the fathomless depths of wisdom
and knowledge that inspired our blessed Lord when He spoke of the "twelve
legions" of messengers, I believe we shall have in our possession the explanation of
things that have remained secret and have been hidden from our understanding for
centuries. It is significant to note that "legion" is a MILITARY TERM, for in
ancient
Then I was made to know that
the "twelve legions of angels" of which Jesus spoke are a symbol for the army of
God. This knowledge stirred me tremendously. Think not, dear friend, that Jesus meant that
He could call an exact number of angels, for the number of soldiers in a legion was not
fixed - it could run anywhere from about 3,000 to more than 6,000 men. Twelve is a
symbolical number, a perfect number, signifying PERFECTION OF GOVERNMENT, or GOVERNMENTAL
PERFECTION. It is found as a multiple in all that has to do with RULE. Ed Vallowe, in his
splendid book KEYS TO SCRIPTURE NUMERICS, has written: "This number, twelve,
symbolizes God's perfect, divine accomplishment actively manifested. It shows a
COMPLETENESS of a GROWTH or ADMINISTRATION. TWELVE marks GOVERNMENTAL PERFECTION and is
used as the SIGNITURE of Israel. The number is used 187 times in the Bible. It is used 22
times in the book of Revelation. TWELVE is the number for GOVERNMENT BY DIVINE
APPOINTMENT. Jesus said to His disciples, 'Verily, I say unto you, that ye which have
followed Me, in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of His
glory, ye also shall sit upon TWELVE thrones, judging the TWELVE tribes of
"Gen. 17:20 states that
Ishmael begat TWELVE princes, and in Num. 1:5-16 there are TWELVE princes named over the
TWELVE tribes of
"There are TWELVE months
in the year. The sun which RULES the day, and the moon and stars which GOVERN the night,
do so by their passage through the TWELVE signs of the Zodiac which completes the great
circle of the heavens of 360 degrees or divisions, and thus govern the year. Dr. Seiss, in
his GOSPEL IN THE STARS, claims that the TWELVE signs of the Zodiac have been accepted by
the astronomers throughout the centuries, and that none of them know where the mapping of
the stars started. Some claim that it came from beyond the Flood. In the opinion of Dr.
Seiss, it was revealed by the Lord to such men as Enoch and Noah. The TWELVE signs of the
Zodiac were mentioned in the book of Job, the oldest book in the Bible. God said to Job,
'Can you direct the signs of the Zodiac?' (Job 38:32). (In the King James Translation the
word Mazzaroth means 'The Twelve Signs'). Even the testimony of the stars is numerically
in harmony with the Bible. No wonder the Psalmist said, 'The heavens declare the glory of
God and the firmament showeth His handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto
night showeth knowledge' (Ps. 19:1-2).
"In the book of
Revelation we read of the woman with a crown of TWELVE stars, and that the New Jerusalem
has TWELVE gates, and at the gates TWELVE angels; and it has TWELVE foundations, and in
them the names of the TWELVE apostles of the Lamb; that its tree bears TWELVE manner of
fruits; that it lieth foursquare and measures TWELVE thousand furlongs on a side, and that
the height of the wall is 144 cubits, or 12 x 12, which symbolizes this truth - that there
is nothing in God's city which is not PERFECTED GOVERNED.
"It is also significant
that only TWELVE judges - who judged
I believe that we can see by
the above numerical symbolism that the TWELVE legions of angels are not only WARRING
MESSENGERS, but RULING MESSENGERS as well. They are messengers by DIVINE APPOINTMENT, with
DIVINE AUTHORITY AND POWER. But beyond this wonderful truth it will greatly aid our
understanding and devotion when we see that to be a messenger of God identifies not only a
function or service, but a STATE OF
Only in the measure that He
reveals Himself to us, and the revelation BECOMES IN US, do we have a message to declare
unto others. Until the Word BECOMES IN US it is no better than a theory - a statement of
principles which remain unproven and indemonstrable as fact. Suffice it to say, with Paul,
we need to first be PARTAKER OF THE FRUITS, gaining a firsthand knowledge by experience of
the things of God, then that "which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes,
which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life" declare
we unto you (I Jn. 1:1). The end is not just giving forth a message, but IN BECOMING THE
MESSAGE by virtue of what you ARE. The ministry of the angel is the ministry of the
messenger of THE WORD OF GOD, delivering THE MESSAGE OF GOD, not of preaching with words,
with emphasis on utterances, but rather a manifestation of the thoughts, intents, purposes
and will of God. The doing is the result of BEING, for having BECOME HIS MESSAGE, it
follows that men will hear from God in the power and demonstration of the spirit, and not
in the wisdom of men's words.
Christ comes IN the voice of
the archangel. "The Voice of the
And who is this
chief-messenger, this glorious Prince of Messengers, this PREEMINENT MESSAGE, this MESSAGE
OF MESSAGES, this R-E-V-E-L-A-T-I-O-N O-F A-L-L R-E-VE-L-A-T-I-O-N-S?
With a mouth filled with praise, and a heart of thanksgiving, I answer: CHRIST JESUS OUR
LORD! "The LORD HIMSELF shall descend from heaven IN the voice of the
archangel." Praise HIS wonderful name!
Permit me to follow that
question with another. How many "arch-angels" are there? Nearly all Christians
will tell you that originally there were THREE ARCHANGELS: Michael, Gabriel, and Lucifer.
So-called "orthodoxy" has long taught that Satan was, in the beginning, a high
and beautiful archangel in heaven. The theologians and preachers recite over and over how
Satan was originally "the anointed cherub that covereth... the most beautiful and
wise and powerful of all God's creation!" This being was, so they say, the ruler and
leader of the angelic hosts and apparently led them in their praise of God and shouts of
joy... the greatest being God ever created, one who had unequaled strength, wisdom,
beauty, privilege, and authority, and was next to God Himself. This blameless, perfect
one, named Lucifer, was created without any form of evil and with the greatest
intelligence of any created being. Then, we are told, this Lucifer, suddenly realizing how
beautiful and intelligent he was, became inflated with power and pride and his heart was
lifted up in rebellion against God. According to the story, Lucifer gathered one-third of
the heavenly angels to his cause, mustering an army with which he planned to knock God off
His throne and supplant himself as king and god of the universe - and there was war in
heaven! Luckily, God won, cast Lucifer out of heaven, and he became, instead of an holy
angel, the Devil that he is today.
It is nothing short of
amazing that such a doctrine could have enjoyed such widespread acceptance in the light of
the plain teachings of the scriptures on this subject. Any man who fails to discern
between facts and fables, and who opposes or rebels against facts, is a fool. Fools
manifest their true state by resisting or ignoring facts. Please remember, there is a
world of difference between facts, beliefs, and fantasies. I believe the core of our
natural earth is hot, perhaps molten. But no man knows anything about the true conditions
down there. There is no possible way of ascertaining or demonstrating the truth or falsity
of my belief. So it remains merely a belief: it may be true, or it may be false. On the
other hand, if I thought our natural sun were made of red paint, that would be a fantasy,
just a highly improbable or irrational idea of my own. But facts are altogether different.
They are actualities, realities, whether they can be demonstrated as such or not. Ice is
cold. That is a fact which can be demonstrated. The earth is round. That fact has through
recent centuries been conclusively demonstrated. It is neither a belief or a fantasy. Fire
burns; one must have air to breathe; these are facts, and, only fools will oppose or
resist them. Now we are going to state some facts. Let us contrast what MEN say and
believe with what GOD says!
Man says that long ago,
before the first shimmering light dawned in God's creation, Satan was one of three
archangels in heaven. But the Bible nowhere speaks of three archangels. The Bible nowhere
calls Lucifer an archangel. There is not one scripture in the entire Bible wherein the
mighty angel Gabriel is named an archangel. Furthermore, there is no instance in scripture
where the word archangel appears in its plural form "archangel(s)." There is no
plurality of archangels inferred anywhere in God's blessed Book. Our omniscient God has
nowhere told us that there are more than one archangel, or that there ever were two or
three or more archangels. You will have to tear the Bible all to pieces if you teach that!
It is an extra-Biblical teaching. It is now time to awake, time to leave the ignorance of
the Dark Ages, and begin to face up to the truth. It is time to open wide our hearts to
the spirit of wisdom and revelation from God.
Dear reader, whom do you
choose to believe? God or ignorant men? Men say there are three archangels, but God
declares in the plainest of language that there is only ONE. Jude, writing under the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit, penned these meaningful words, "Yet Michael THE
ARCHANGEL, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not
bring against him a railing accusation, but said, Yahweh rebuke thee" (Jude 9).
Michael is not spoken of very often in the scriptures, but when he is, it is most
significant. According to Jude there is only ONE archangel; he uses the definite article:
"the" archangel; and "the" archangel is named "Michael."
Only one other passage of scripture mentions the archangel, and that is the verse which
serves as our text for this message: "For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven
in a shout, in THE VOICE OF THE ARCHANGEL..." That, precious friend of mine, is A-L-L
the Bible has to say about archangels! Only two verses in the whole Bible! Incredible,
isn't it, after all the fanciful tales and elaborate doctrinal theories we have been
given! I have very little time, and less patience, for the kind of offensive ignorance
which, because men will not hear what is written, misrepresents these and other plain
statements of the Word of God. How we thank God with joy unspeakable and full of glory for
the illumination of this, H-I-S D-A-Y!
It should be clear to any
thinking mind that by the very nature of the case the existence of more than one archangel
would be an utter impossibility. The Greek word ARCHO (arch) is a political term which
means "to be FIRST in political rank or power." F-I-R-S-T! Do you hear it? How
can three angels be FIRST? It is a contradiction of terms; it is a linguistical and
grammatical absurdity. It is like a nation having three kings, three presidents, or three
prime ministers! It would be the same as saying that George Bush is THE president of the
In the book of Daniel
"Michael" is expressly identified with the Messiah (Dan. 12:1). In Dan. 10:21 He
is called, "Michael your prince." This personal pronoun "your" is of
interest. The archangel is definitely a WARRIOR, and His name means "WHO IS LIKE
GOD." He defends the celestial realms, exalting the glorious God, yet His ministry is
wondrously on behalf of GOD'S PEOPLE. "At that time shall Michael stand up, the great
prince which standeth for the children of thy people..." (Dan. 12:1). Again, in I
Thes. 4:16-17 the voice of the archangel is represented as the voice that awakens the
dead. "And the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven... in the voice of the
archangel ... and the dead in Christ shall rise first..." Significantly, Dan. 12:1-2
draws the same connection. "And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince
which standeth for the children of thy people ... and many of them that sleep in the dust
of the earth SHALL AWAKE..." And whose voice is it that quickens men and raises them
out of the death realm into the life of God? None other than THE VOICE OF THE SON OF GOD!
"Verily, verily I say unto you," Jesus asserted, “the hour is coming, and
now is, when the dead shall hear THE VOICE OF THE SON OF GOD, and they that hear SHALL
LIVE" (Jn. 5:25). The voice of the archangel, therefore, IS the voice of the Son of
God!
Who are the dead? The
scriptures reveal many dimensions of death, from the physical death of the body, with
which we are all so familiar, to the dead in trespasses and sins, to the death of being
carnally minded, on to the death of our self-life as we are "made conformable to His
death." Thank God, HIS VOICE shall penetrate into all the realms and dimensions of
death, for John continues, "Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which
ALL that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; they that have done
good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection
of damnation (judgment; process of correction)." There shall come an hour - that day,
that age appointed - when ALL shall hear the VOICE and shall live, some made alive at
once, others following the process of judgment, but ALL who hear His voice SHALL LIVE,
and, blessed be God! ALL SHALL HEAR HIS VOICE.
At the present time we are
living in the "now is" - "The hour is coming, and NOW IS" - when the
firstfruits are being made alive, and "every man therefore that hath heard, and hath
learned of the Father, cometh unto Me" (Jn. 6:45). In due time ALL shall be taught of
God, but for the present the emphasis is on the little flock, the firstfruits, - and THEY
THAT HEAR DO LIVE. HIS VOICE is the revelation of HIS LIFE, and that is why He was able to
say, "The WORDS that I speak unto you, they ARE SPIRIT, and they ARE LIFE" (Jn.
6:33). Because they are WORDS OF LIFE they produce life in all who hear them. If you HEAR
them, you have to live! This is THE VOICE OF THE ARCHANGEL!
There can be no doubt about
it - the title "archangel" signifies CHIEF MESSENGER and the question follows:
WHO IS GOD'S CHIEF MESSENGER? Who else but our glorious Head - the Lord Jesus Christ! The
name "Michael" means WHO IS LIKE GOD - an appropriate title for Him who is
"the sole expression of the glory of God - the Light-being, the outraying of the
divine - and He is the perfect imprint and very image of God's nature" (Heb. 1:3,
Amplified). Certainly, the whole Christ body, all who are made ONE IN HIM, share this
glory and image; but here we are speaking of the ministry of THE HEAD, the revelation of
Christ to us, rather than the revelation of Christ through us. The voice of the archangel,
the chief messenger, represents Christ's authority, command and life, HIS LIVING WORD.
This symbol, then, bespeaks of HIS HEADSHIP and represents Christ as coming in the glory
of God as the military Leader, the Captain of the Lord's army, as the political Head, the
KING of kings, and the LORD of lords!
Yes, the saints are the army
of God, and Jesus Christ is the Captain of His army. "And He Himself existed before
all things and in Him all things consist - cohere, are held together. HE also is the HEAD
OF HIS BODY, the church; seeing He is THE BEGINNING, the First-born from among the dead,
so that HE ALONE IN EVERYTHING AND IN EVERY RESPECT MIGHT OCCUPY THE C-H-I-E-F P-L-A-C-E -
stand FIRST and be PRE-EMINENT" (Col. 1:17-18, Amplified). A brother has commented on
this passage: "Because He is the IMAGE of the invisible God, therefore He becomes the
Firstborn of every creature. The word "firstborn" used here is the Greek word
PROTOTOKOS, a technical word speaking of priority to and sovereign over all creation. It
does not mean that He is simply the first in a successive line of created beings, though
some would like to so limit Him, and rob Him of His deity. John 1:3 declares that 'all
things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made.' He
antedates all created things, for He is uncreated, eternal, absolute Deity. And when He
would bring forth form, He is the FIRST FORM of all forms, the uncaused First Cause. 'In
Him was life, and the life was the light of men' (Jn. 1:4). He said, 'I form the light...'
(Isa. 45:7), and HE IS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. Whatever the expression of life and light
to man, HE is the first, the original expression, glorious" -Gospel Echoes.
Because He is the WORD which
was with God in the beginning, and the WORD which was God, He is also the CHIEF MESSENGER,
and the CHIEF MESSAGE, and therefore the HEAD of the whole MESSENGER COMPANY; HE is THE
MESSAGE which has become OUR MESSAGE, and the message which WE ARE BECOMING, that in all
He might have the pre-eminence. To be a message-messenger (angel) awaits the inward
revelation of Christ, which results in His supremacy in our life. This alone enables us to
declare His message - to proclaim the good tidings - to preach HIM. Many try to preach His
Word, to teach His ways, to declare His virtues and excellencies, to extol His beauty and
attributes, but only in the measures that He is formed and revealed IN us, can we truly
speak forth to others. He must be REAL TO US, REAL
Then shall be heard the Lord
Himself descending from heaven "IN the Voice of the
Chapter
41
Coming
In The Trump Of God
