Note: J. Preston Eby, in order to continue to devote his full energy to writing no longer works in the office and does not receive this email. He does, however, respond to any urgent correspondence via snailmail. |
To be added to the mailing list to receive the current issue of Kingdom Bible Studies each month: |
"Teaching the things concerning the kingdom of God..."
FROM THE CANDLESTICK TO THE THRONE
Part 92
BREAKING THE SEALS
(continued)
Before considering the significant and momentous events occurring under the sixth seal, it will be advantageous to first
review one important principle that will greatly aid our understanding of almost all the
scenes we behold not only under the sixth seal, but throughout the remainder of the book
of Revelation. I would draw your attention to
the fact that the vast majority of the events in the book take place in one of three
dimensions: HEAVEN, EARTH, and SEA. These
are, of course, symbolical and prophetical terms! They
represent states of being, life-styles, levels of consciousness, spheres of existence, and
dimensions of life within each of us.
The lowest of these three
realms is the sea. Throughout the book of Revelation a number of
things transpire in the sea. A few of them
are as follows. And the second angel
sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and a third part of the sea became blood. I stood upon the sand of the sea, and I saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns. And the sea gave up the dead that were in it. Woe to the inhabiters of the sea, for the devil is come down unto you. And I saw a new heaven and a new
earth
and there was no more sea.
Throughout the scriptures the sea is a type of the inner storms and turbulent
nature of the Adamic man. The prophet Isaiah
penned these inspired words: The wicked
are like
the troubled sea, which cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the
wicked (Isa. 57:20-21). Jude also
described wicked men when he said, These are raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own
shame (Jude 13). The beloved John, on
the isle of Patmos, had a vision of a great whore sitting on many waters.
The angel revealed the meaning of the many waters, saying, the waters which
thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and
tongues (Rev. 17:15).
The natural sea is a great deep, an abyss (Gen. 1:2; 7:11; 8:2; Deut. 8:7; 33:13). The Psalmist wrote of this abyss of the wickedness
of man, They search out iniquities; they
accomplish a diligent search: both the inward thought of every one of them, and the heart is D-E-E-P (an abyss) (Ps. 64:6). To the enlightened mind of David the depth of
iniquity of which the human heart is capable is so great that it is beyond the ability of
man to comprehend. The heart of man is an unfathomable
depth, or, as Jeremiah observed, The heart is deceitful above all
things, and desperately wicked: who can
know it? (Jer. 17:9). While John
the Revelator saw a beast (bestial nature) rising out of the sea (abyss, depth) of humanity, Jesus expressed
the same truth thus: For from within, out of
the heart of men, proceed all these evil
things!
No one can dispute the fact that it is this restless, turbulent, raging, evil heart
of the fleshly man that inspires every evil and devilish perversion, and has filled the
world with ever increasing confusion, faithlessness, immorality, falsehood, fraud, hatred,
violence, greed, cruelty, strife, wars, bloodshed, and oppression. There are wars and rumors of wars and terrorism
that strike fear into the hearts of men. Among
the ruthless surging tide of unbridled crime, drugs, rebellion, illicit sex, disease,
suffering, abuse, poverty, sorrow, and injustice, we hear the groans of the dying. The whole creation groaneth and travaileth in
pain! Mens hearts are failing them for
fear in looking after those things which are coming upon the earth. It is more than a raging sea of evil it is
a virtual tsunami of self-destruction! As we look at the sad earth today, it is plain for
every eye to see that, flowing from the corrupt minds of the corrupt rulers of every
corrupt government on earth, taught in the schools, practiced in business and in the
courts, and propagated by the media and Hollywood, we find the evil fruit of sin and death
manifesting itself. Everywhere on the planet
mankind is being overwhelmed by its evil until the earth is filled with violence and the
thoughts and imaginations of mens hearts are only evil continually.
The natural man is not getting better, as some affirm. The unregenerate man, old Adam, is corruptible.
That means not only that he is dying, but that he is continually
being brought into a worse state and inferior condition leading to destruction. He is on a never-ending downward
spiral into oblivion. Is not this the
terrible danger of the hour in which we live enough bombs stockpiled to not only
blow planet earth to smithereens but twenty more like it!
And all in the hands of unpredictable, corruptible men, and terrorists everywhere
on the prowl. You may suffer from the
illusion that human nature has improved during the past sixty-five years since the horror
of the Holocaust and the savage warfare in which fifty million men, women, and children
were blown into eternity, but you are mistaken. Human
nature never improves, old Adam can never reform, for his is a corruptible nature, growing steadily more vicious,
deceitful, and immoral.
For us the seashore is a place of vacation, and a cruise across the sea is for many
the dream of a lifetime. Not so for the
ancients! To them the sea symbolized chaos
and destruction and unrest. One description
of this is found in Psalm 107:23-30. These
things, gathered together in the concept of the hostile sea, represent a part of human
existence. The disquiet that goes on in many
souls is sometimes almost beyond bearing. Friend,
have you ever heard someone who has passed through mental or emotional torment speak of
its hell? Have you ever seen the quivering
jaw of someone crying bitter tears after having taken all that a human being could be
expected to endure? Have you ever tried to
encourage someone who is in an impossible corner of life with absolutely no exit to be
seen? Have you ever stood beside someone and
felt by way of empathy a groan of inner misery so deep that it cannot even find its way
into words? Some of you have known dear
people who have so suffered. Some of you have
experienced some of these things yourselves! But
there is a place a place in Gods new
heaven and in Gods new earth, in the
realm of the Spirit, where the anguish represented by the sea exists for us no more! And there shall be no more sea.
Thank God!
Who shut up the sea with doors,
when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb?
When I brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors, and said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here
shall thy proud waves be stayed (Job 38:8-11).
The above passage is a statement the Lord made concerning creation how He
arranged and limited the great deep at the time He was fashioning the earth as
a habitation for man. He describes His action
of dividing the dry land from the seas. At
times, when there have been fierce hurricanes or terrible tsunamis sweeping the shores,
has the thought not entered our minds of the devastation that would occur if no limits had
been put upon those fierce and powerful waves? What
if they should break forth from the invisible barrier which holds them in place and sweep
far inland and engulf even the height of the mountains beyond! The scriptures assure us that our Father Himself
controls the seas. Though storms may arise,
and waves rage, they may boil and crash in fury, but their boundaries are set. No matter how strong the wind or how powerful the
earthquake, they can go no further than God has decreed: Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed!
The raging of the sea indicates that the forces of the flesh and the world are all
against us! There is much opposition from our own carnal mind, and from the powers that be
without, to the great plan and purpose of God that is before us! Sin and death are everywhere! Tyranny and conspiracy dominate the world scene
and militate against the rule of the kingdom of God!
If it were possible, carnality and death would overwhelm us! Death at its worst!
The powers of sin and death control this world!
But, praise God, though the raging waves crash upon the shore and run up the
beaches, yet they have to fall back within the boundaries God has set for them. In every temptation and trouble there is a place
of refuge in a realm higher than the storm-tossed sea!
Thank God, there are realms above sea level!
The Lord on high is mightier than the
noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea (Ps. 93:4). It is certain that the Lord has the power and
ability to control the mighty waves of the literal sea.
But there is more involved here than just the literal waters of the oceans! It is the sea of humanity, the wickedness of man
which casts up mire and dirt, to which the Spirit would point us. The Lord is stronger and mightier than the masses
of the world who wickedly cast up the mire and dirt of the carnal, evil works of the
flesh. The floods of sex, rock
music, drugs, crime, divorce, broken homes, abuse, profanity, licentiousness, and
godlessness they lift up and by these floods they have deluged the world with sin,
darkness, perversion, and shame. But the Lord
shall speak peace to the troubled waters of wickedness!
The abundant salvation and restoration of the Lord shall calm the troubled waters
of the wicked! God is even now preparing a
great counter wind to blow the waves back into their place, and by the
ministry of the manifest sons of God all mankind shall be quickened to experience and
manifest the righteousness, peace, and joy of the kingdom of God. Oh, yes!
It is the Lord which stilleth the
noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people (Ps.
65:7). This passage is not speaking of the
noise and waves of the literal oceans, but the noise and commotions sent through the earth
as a result of the tumult of the people. Only the Lord can quiet the noise and calm the
waves! Only the Lord can heal and soothe the
passions of the flesh and the evil works of men! The
carnal mind and the flesh nature constitute the seas within us, whereas the
corrupt systems and evil works of this world make up the seas without. Only the Lord can still the ravings of the
carnal mind! This has been His great
work in His elect as He has moved mightily in us by His Spirit, raising up the pure and
holy nature of Christ within. In this new day
of the kingdom of God the Lord is prepared to speak to the noise of every sea, to the
raging of every wave, and the tumult of all the people of the earth! The sons of God shall arise and through them
Christ shall rule the world in righteousness and subdue every enemy and subject all things
by that mighty power whereby He is able to still the noise of the seas and calm the anger
of their waves. The Lord shall show that He is the one who made the seas, the seas are His possession, and He is the one who has power over the seas; then shall every enemy, the raging seas
of man, bow at His feet.
The Holy Spirit has taught us that in every event of human history the Lord has had
control. This was true in His dealings with
men, and nations, and His own people, and each individual life in the past, and it is just
as true today. The Lord has set the bounds,
and bars, and doors, and limits to everything! Anything
that may attempt to go beyond the boundary which He has set for it will fail. We see this principle so beautifully exemplified
in the evil that fills the earth. In spite of
mens wicked designs, intents, and plans, the evil of man has never had complete
mastery over the events of earth. Many times
throughout history an exceedingly corrupt regime came upon the scene, forcing men into an
abyss of oppression. Yet even these
tyrannical empires and wicked rulers were permitted to exist for just so long, and the
Lord raised up another power in the earth to crush the evil into the dust. He says to the despot ruler who afflicts a portion
of mankind, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves
be stayed. The prophet Daniel lived in
such a time and he said, This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the
demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that
the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it
to whomsoever He will, and setteth up over it (even) the basest of men (Dan. 4:17).
The Lord set a limit for the insane plans of Hitler to exterminate the Jews and
rule the world. His armies were able to
overrun Europe and invade Russia, but then the word of the Lord went forth among the
nations, saying, Thus far shalt thou come, and no further! The Lord held the ruthless and godless communists
of the Soviet Union at bay for seventy years, saying to them, Thus far shalt thou
come, and no further! When they reached
the limit the Lord determined for them they receded like the waves of a troubled sea. His word reaches to the evil and subtle powers of
Babylon, the great whore which sitteth upon the nations, oppressing them under threat of
hell-fire should they not pay their homage, and He says to them, Thus far shalt thou
come, and no further!
In our personal experiences there are trials, testings, troubles, temptations,
emotions, problems, and perplexities that come upon us and try the metal of our character
in Christ. Some of these experiences are
permitted for a short time others are of longer duration but our mighty,
omnipotent Lord of all stands before His elect who are faced with principalities and
powers of darkness and the outbreaks of the carnal mind and fleshly nature, saying to all
those dark powers, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy
proud waves be stayed. Marvelous are
the promises of God to those who know His power over the seas! Paul understood this great control of the Lord
over every raging wave when he wrote, There hath no temptation taken you but such as
is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not
suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a
way to escape (I Cor. 10:13). This
is the measure used by God to determine what trials, testings, and provings are necessary
for us to endure. When our need and
Gods purpose has been fulfilled and satisfied, we can rest assured that His voice
will command the waves.
Indeed sometimes our trials and the demands of the flesh seem so fierce
and oppressive, so difficult to bear or to withstand, but as we remember that we are being
shaped for a place of authority and power in the kingdom, and by His magnificent design,
we are fortified to learn the lessons that He has for us in each experience. The Lord says to our trials and temptations,
Thus far shalt thou come, and no further!
Just as a builder shapes a stone or a piece of wood to fit into a specific spot in
the home he is constructing, so our Father has a particular place in His kingdom in mind
for each of His elect, and He is fashioning us to fit into our place in His holy,
spiritual temple. A carpenter or stone mason
does not randomly form a piece of building material, and then hunt for a place for it to
fit. Oh, no!
It is cut and shaped and sanded and planed, or is hewn and carved, so that it will
exactly fit the place for which it was intended. Truly
the Lord is in control of our ways and His
voice commands all the forces used to conform us to His image! Rejoice then, beloved, for He who has created all
things, limits the power and influence of the flesh and evil which are arrayed against the
Lords anointed, allowing only as much as will serve His purposes. He controls all things and allows only that which
will serve Him in the preparation of His elect. Isnt
it wonderful!
Terry Crisp once graphically expressed it this way: Personally speaking, have
you ever had times when, for no apparent reason, and for no particular fault of your own,
everything around you was dark and mysterious; when nothing seemed to make any sense, and
the spiritual realm was silent? Pressures
mounted
problems loomed
and you were wearied with attacks from the Adamic
nature. Have you ever been there? There have been times when those same fleshly
feelings suddenly rushed over us, when foreign
emotions crowded in around us, and when carnal attitudes pressed themselves upon our
minds, all of which were diametrically opposed to our spirits. They were not invited, but they came,
nevertheless! And we could not explain them. They were just there
one after
another
continuously knocking at the door
repeatedly seeking opportunity and
acceptance from us. Try as we may in our own
strength, we just couldnt stop them from coming!
However, when we cried unto the Lord for deliverance, then, He suddenly appeared in
the clouds. He broke through the veil with
the brightness of His coming, and showed Himself mighty to save! Praise God!
He made sense of the situation, by showing us the underlying motives and principles
involved. Then the channels of the waters were seen,
the foundations of the world were discovered at Thy rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the
breath of Thy nostrils. He showed us
the activities occurring beneath the surface, so to speak, and allowed us to
see the scene as He saw it!
end quote.
Every tense situation is alive with the movement of God,
As He is inworking His purpose deep in the heart of this clod.
All of the rolling and surging, as billows sweep over the soul,
Bespeak of the hand of His mercy holding in perfect control.
For all the measures of pressure are obedient to His command,
Thus far shall they come, but no farther, their limit His wisdom planned.
Ray
Prinzing
Brother Prinzing also shared the following in this connection. Betimes men will start a situation over
which they eventually lose control, and they regret that they ever started it. GOD HAS NEVER LOST CONTROL, and therefore never
has any regrets. HE knows at just what point
along the way He must exercise His restraint, put a bend in the road, change the
dispensation, and thus ease the situation while He continues to work out His plan of the
ages. So often through the years I have seen
those circumstances evolve in our life where the pressures built, we were brought to that
point where the proverbial one more straw would break the camels back. Either we would cave in, or the whole situation
would explode and then GOD EASES IT, pressures slacken, and we carry on. It may take years before the whole thing is
resolved, because God has an extended purpose in it that is being wrought out, but in HIS
CONTROL He allows the pressures to build, and He causes them to lessen, for He is in full
control all the way, working all things after the counsel of His own will, and for our
ultimate good end quote.
While I am quoting from other brethren let me add this beautiful line from brother
Elwin Roach. We may have puzzled at the
significance of Jesus calming the wind and sea, and also walking upon it during the storm;
but it is now becoming clear. If He had not
done so, it would have been a testimony that there are two elements He could not conquer
the wind and the sea that is, the spirit of the world, and the nations of the world.
The sea Jesus conquered was the sea of Galilee, and Galilee was known as the land
dominated by the Gentiles or the nations. In
Matthew 4:15 it is called Galilee of the Gentiles. Calming the sea of Galilee is a parable with
momentous implications! All the Old Testament
scriptures which speak of Yahweh as the One who controls the seas are thus seen fulfilled
in Christ! Oh, yes! Christ is the manifestation of God upon earth, and
He it is who has power over both the wind and
the waves!
Little wonder that the disciples were so astonished at this miracle and cried out,
What manner of man is this, that even the
wind and the waves obey Him! How wonderful is the knowledge that our
mighty and omnipotent Christ who dwells within us is THE CONQUEROR OF THE SEA! He rules the winds and the waves within each of
our lives, and with Him we shall rule and reign over every spirit and over every nation of men in the glory of the kingdom of God
upon earth!
Ah, the sea is the lowest realm on earth, and this vast sea of
fleshly, Adamic humanity represents mankind at his lowest point as bad off as man
can be! Individually it speaks of the lowest aspect of our human nature and life
the body with its passions and lusts. The sea represents the physical desires and
impulses that are restless, driving, compelling, and raging out of control! God is now in the grand process of bringing men
out of the lowest realm of the sea of vanity, sin, and death, up into the highest realm of
heaven, the realm of the spirit, to the
fullness of His life, nature, wisdom, authority, and glory.
This shall be fully accomplished by the omnipotent power of Gods word and by
the moving His Spirit, and not by mans carnal mind, self-efforts, or worldly wisdom.
The second realm is that of the earth. In contrast with the sea and heaven, the earth is the symbol of the second dimension of
life, a realm higher than the sea, but lower than heaven, an intermediary realm which at
its highest peak kisses heaven, and at its lowest level embraces the sea; and yet, in the
true sense it is, of itself, neither heavenly nor degenerate. The sea, as we have seen, comprises the masses of
restless, surging, sinning, warring men who live only and always after the unrestrained
desires of the flesh (body realm). Heaven, on
the other hand, speaks of those who have been quickened, raised up, made alive in Christ,
seated together with Him in the heavenly places, who walk only and always in the Spirit.
Those who dwell upon the earth, however, are a moral class, religious
folk, with many up-right citizens of the community and church-going Christian people in their ranks; but these, while not overtly wicked,
are not spiritual either, but in most aspects of their daily lives mind earthly
things.
On the individual level the earth speaks of the soul, but
only in the aspect of the good of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. These are the three entities that grew in the
midst of the garden of Eden! The tree of life
represents the life of the spirit; the tree of
knowledge, on its good side, represents the life of the soul; and the evil of that tree stands
for the sin in our members, the body realm. The soul,
which is situated between the spirit and the body, is our inner, psychological part which
includes our good human desires, emotions, will, and intellect. The desire is the organ for fancy, motivation, and
aspiration. The emotion is the organ for
pleasure, anger, sorrow, and joy. The will is
the organ for formulating opinions, making decisions, and inciting actions. And the mind is the organ for thinking and
considering. These senses of the soul are psychological
senses and comprise mans ego or self, giving him self-consciousness and
enabling him to be a social being and contact the psychological world around him.
The soul is an intellectual realm, but also the realm of the carnal or natural
mind. It is the realm of good but
it is not the realm of Life! Out of this realm comes our organized society, law
and order, charities, good works, social activities, education, the arts, and man-made
religious realms which are deemed spiritual, but which do not originate out of the spirit. The man who walks in this realm of
earth is that good neighbor of yours, a nice fellow, a good person, who
wouldnt cheat you or lie to you or misuse you in any way. In fact, he may be helpful, caring, and
compassionate. He may attend First Methodist
or Saint Marys Church; he may be a Sunday School teacher, a deacon, a board member;
he is socially and religiously active, a God-honoring, flag-waving man, but has never
ascended into the heavenlies and does not live out of a heavenly dimension. You cant accuse him of any gross sin, or any
wicked or ungodly act, but if you start talking to him out of a spiritual realm he will
look at you like you came from Mars. He has
absolutely no idea, not the foggiest notion, of what you are talking about! He doesnt live in the sea, he doesnt
wallow in the lusts of the flesh, in pornography, crime, drugs, adultery, dishonesty, or
any lustful or hurtful thing. BUT NEITHER HAS
HE BEEN TO HEAVEN! THE THINGS OF THE SPIRIT
ARE NOT LIVING REALITIES TO HIM!
As already stated, the soul is the mind, will, emotion, and desire of the natural
man. Before the apostle John on Patmos heard
the voice calling him to Come up hither, John was in his own mind, his own
will, his own emotion, and his own desires. There
is nothing wrong with that! These were not
ungodly or corrupt, but neither were they the Spirit of God or Johns own spirit. We need to think spiritual sense about these things! The flesh is the realm of sin in my members.
It is a lower realm than the soul. I
am acting in my soul when I study at school, drive my car, chat with my neighbor, do my
work, play with the grandchildren, or go to a concert.
I am in no way acting fleshly
that is, out of a sinful nature. Now, if
while driving my car I deliberately run someone down, or, if while chatting with my
neighbor I lie to him or insult him, or, if instead of going to the concert I go to a nude
dance club, then I am in the flesh!
Yet, when I am doing very natural things I am not sinning. I am merely moving in my soul life. There is
something wrong with walking after the flesh, for the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these:
immorality, impurity, indecency, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, ill temper,
selfishness, divisions, party spirit, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the
like
(Gal. 5:19-21).
John came to be in the Spirit. It is a blessed thing to be in the Spirit! God is making a spiritual man today! When God formed man of the dust of the ground, he
became a living soul. Adam was sinless when
he came from the hand of his Creator, and he lived and walked in the dimension of his
soul. It is natural to live in the soul
realm! Adam was of the earth, earthy (I Cor. 15:47). He was also a living soul (I Cor. 15:45). Can you not see by this why I say the earth-realm is the soul-realm? The
soul realm is not wicked it is just natural. You
dont have to do a thing to get into the soul realm.
We were all born into this world in that realm!
When we came out of our mothers womb we werent born in heaven, nor were we born in the sea. We were born on earth, into the earth, in the soul realm! But Adam did
have to do something to fall down into the flesh realm he ate of the fruit of the
tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He
disobeyed the warning of the Lord to Him! He
partook of the fruit of a lower realm and added evil
to his good. He sinned! That
is just the difference between the flesh and the soul. You have to sink to a lower level to be in the
flesh. In the flesh is a dark realm, a
rebellious realm, a sinful realm, a wicked realm of perverted self-hood, corruption, and
unrighteousness.
The soul may have a dark side, for I mentioned earlier that at its lowest level the
earth-realm touches the sea, while at its highest peak it kisses heaven. But the soul can be beautiful! What can be more beautiful than the innocence of a
child, though they know nothing of the spirit? It
is the soul that enjoys traveling to far-away places with strange-sounding names, quaint
cultures, and exotic vistas. It is the soul
that is moved by the strains of beautiful music, that stands transfixed before a colorful
sunset or the majesty of mountain peaks. It
is the soul that loves, as a man loves his friend, his children, or his wife. The soul may be lifted up to touch the high realms
of the Spirit of God! In such a moment the
sweet singer of Israel exulted, Bless the Lord, O my soul! And
in the magnificat the virgin of Galilee cried out, My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit
hath rejoiced in God my Saviour! The
soul can also sink into the domain of the flesh and revel in base things, for the soul that sinneth, it shall die. But the soul itself, of itself, and by itself, is
neither evil nor spiritual. It is just the
soul. Natural.
The soul is incomplete and seeks union. It
finds union with either the flesh or the spirit!
When it walks after the flesh, it dies. When
it walks after the spirit, it lives!
The first man Adam was made a living
soul; the last Adam was made a quickening
spirit (I Cor. 15:45). It is in
conscious union with Christ that we become in the Spirit. This was Johns rapture! In this rapture John became a spirit-man. He
became one who heard; who turned; who saw;
who was caught up into heaven! His own consciousness, life, identity, and reality
were swallowed up in the vision of Another! He
moved out of being an earth-dweller to being a heaven-dweller!
Earth, or the soul realm, is also a religious realm which is man-centered,
need-conscious, and revolves around flesh-oriented activities. Because of the soul the whole world is religious! They
have religion but no life and no power. It is
only as God Himself increases in the life of the child of God that power can increase, and
this can never happen until self decreases. Oh that Gods people could realize that it is
Not
by MIGHT nor by POWER, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts (Zech.
4:6). The might and power here spoken of
refer to mans might and power not to Gods. To the natural and not to the supernatural. There are two sources of power! Many great church organizations today boast of
their power, influence, or popularity in their
community. Their power and influence are
derived from the magnificence of their great church plants, the efficiency of their
organization, the appeal of their programs, outreaches, entertainment, and ceremonies,
their numerical strength, their connection with the right people those
with wealth and influence and prestige in this world.
Their fine talent, and soothing worship services, their beautiful forms, and
exciting teaching and preaching, all help to make them popular to give them power
in a world of religious, respectable earth dwellers.
It is from such as these that Paul has warned us that we must separate ourselves. Having a form of godliness, but DENYING THE
POWER THEREOF, from such turn away (II Tim. 3:5). These people would be greatly displeased if God
should interrupt the controlled orderliness of their procedures by moving in a
supernatural way by the power of His Spirit!
Someone has pointed out that we live in a world that rushes like a car with the
accelerator jammed to the floor and the body thrown back in the seat. Life exists at a high rate of speed, a dizzy blur
to the passengers on board. The extreme
pressures of demanding schedules touch our jobs, our homes, and our churches, at times
threatening to shear the very rivets of our being. The
religious worlds schedules are no exceptions. They
move in the same earth-conscious time demands. We
have lesson preparation, Sunday School class, Morning
Worship Service, Childrens Church, carry-in dinners, Sunday School picnics,
rest home ministry, church soft ball league, evening church, after church fellowship,
youth group activities, mid-week services, weekly Bible studies, committee meetings,
deacon meetings, missionary groups, choir practice, prayer meetings, prayer breakfasts,
Full Gospel Business Mens Meetings, visitation programs, hospital calls, Bible
Clubs, Vacation Bible School, work nights, discipleship sessions, and counseling. Phew!
The soulish Christian substitutes reason for revelation, emotionalism, zeal, and
good works for spirituality, and man-made rules, regulations, and traditions for the
inward law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus!
The world today has its own religious dictionary of definitions of God
and Spirit and Church and they think and speak in the framework of
those definitions. But GOD SPEAKS A DIFFERENT
LANGUAGE and has a different dictionary of definitions by which He speaks to His people
and according to which He works. If all the
multiplied practices and methods employed by the churches today were suddenly swept away it would in all
probability cease to function! If the churches had to drop all their rituals,
forms, programs, ceremonies, and special activities; all their confirmations, baptisms,
and communion services; all their special singing, organ music, and altar calls, they
would feel as though they had been stripped naked and could not serve God in any way. All this simply demonstrates the terrible fact
that the faith and dependence of the churches is
not in God, but is in the trappings they have accumulated to themselves throughout the
centuries. The thought that God is perfectly
able and fully willing to run His church without the aid of anything in the way of soulical
contributions, is found to be abhorrent to the average church member. These are they that DWELL UPON THE EARTH! You will find them mentioned many times
throughout the book of Revelation!
In the earth realm one can touch the
sea, and one can touch heaven, but one
doesnt dwell there! The hour of
temptation is to try them that dwell upon
the earth, the Spirit says (Rev. 3:10). The
Greek word for dwell is not the ordinary oikeo, but the strengthened form of the word, katoikeo, meaning those who have settled down upon
the earth, who have identified themselves with it. They
are content to remain in a carnal, soulish, natural-minded state of being! The man of earth lives out of the dimension of the
first man Adam the living soul! It is a soulical realm of life.
Ray Prinzing outlined the truth of this in such simple yet powerful terms:
The body is the
sense conscious realm.
The soul is the
self conscious realm.
The spirit is
the God conscious realm.
When the flesh
controls you, you are carnal.
When the
soul/mind dominates you, you are soulish.
When the Spirit
rules within you, you are spiritual.
He went on to say, While a man is triune spirit, soul, and body, of
these three the soul is the dominate feature
of our natural life. The body is the
portrayal ground for the action of the soul. The
body may be at rest, but the mind carries on continuously, whether we are awake or asleep. Strong emotions may surge within us, whether we
express them or not but if we do, it is through the body that they are revealed. Thoughts may rush through our mind continually,
but only as we speak and act them out through our body, do others know what is in our
mind. Yet the soul, being the feminine part
of our being, must be joined to some spirit-force that it might gender life to bring forth
that which would be expressed. The spirit of
man is insufficient in itself, and so seeks to be strengthened by other spirit-forces. If the human spirit is one with the spirit of the world, it is self-evident that all
of the emotions, impulses, thinking, and operation of the will, shall bear the mark of the
world upon them. But if we join our
spirit to the Spirit of God, until HIS life controls our being, then all that is brought
forth out of the womb of the soul would be that which bears the mark and the image of God. That is our deep desire! end quote.
The third and highest of the three
realms is heaven. This is the highest dimension of life, the
dimension of spirit. Those who live out of the spirit are spiritual and
heavenly! The Greek word for heaven is ouranous meaning elevation,
height, exaltation, eminence. It has
both physical and spiritual applications. In
its spiritual sense it bespeaks of the eternal, invisible, and omnipresent realm of the
spirit in which God and all celestial beings dwell far above the realm of the physical, material,
earthly, and mortal. It is not a geographical
or astral location. It is not a planet or a
solar system or a galaxy or any kind of place. It
is a DIMENSION OF LIFE, REALITY, AND BEING. It
is a SPHERE OF EXISTENCE. It is a PLANE OF
CONSCIOUSNESS. It is above the earthly not in terms of space or
location, but in respect to kind, quality, and
state of being. Every life-form lives on
a plane of awareness. Each of these planes
constitutes a heaven, a spiritual realm above
the physical.
Heaven is naught but the biblical name of the REALM OF GODS SPIRIT, the
invisible and omnipresent dimension of Spiritual Reality.
And it is all around us! It is as near
to us as the air we breathe, closer to us even than the blood coursing through our veins. We are one with it by virtue of our spiritual
life. He that is joined to the Lord is one spirit.
We touch heaven as we touch God in our spirit.
We behold heavenly things as with our spiritual mind we behold spiritual realities. We walk in heaven as we walk in the Spirit.
We think like celestial beings when we think with the mind of Christ.
We act heavenly when we live by divine
nature. Heaven is, furthermore, the realm
of Gods government His infinite power and almighty authority. The kingdom of God is rooted in our spirit, the heavenly dimension of our life.
No word written or spoken could hold more truth in this regard than the
words of the apostle Paul wherein he speaks of the power which God exerted in Christ
when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavens, far above all principality, and
power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but
in that which is to come (Eph. 1:20-21). These
wonderful terms used by Paul are figures of speech. God
is omnipresent spirit He doesnt
physically sit on anything! Nor does He physically have a right hand! It means that Christ is raised up permanently into
that highest
spiritual realm where He has all power and authority! The throne spoken of in other
scriptures refers to His omnipotent power. So now we know where Christ ascended! He didnt necessarily go
anywhere. He simply vanished out of this
lower material and physical sphere of existence and ASCENDED INTO THE OMNIPRESENT,
INVISIBLE SPIRITUAL DIMENSION OF SUPREME AUTHORITY AND ALMIGHTY POWER!
Then Paul says, And He raised us up together with Him, and made us sit
down together with Him in the heavenly sphere (Eph. 2:6, Amplified). It will be a blessed day for us when God makes it
clear to our hearts that we have already been raised up and given joint seating with
Christ in the very same heavens where He is
enthroned with the Father. YOU ARE WHERE HE
IS! That is the true heaven not
visionary mansions, golden streets, or a flowing river out of the throne. And yet Christians continue to sing, When we
all get to heaven
Most Christians
have no idea where heaven is, what heaven is, how to get to heaven, or where they are! Therefore they live in the consciousness of a
lower realm out of which they think, walk, act, and live.
Those who are Gods called and chosen elect in this hour have been taught of
God, they have been given an understanding for they have been quickened, made alive,
raised up into the higher than all heavens, and in consciousness, in spirit, in reality
are seated even now in the heavens in Christ Jesus! People
think they are where their natural mind tells them they are. They have missed the spirit reality altogether and
understand not that they are born from above and their citizenship is in heaven! That high and holy realm is not a place away off
beyond the galaxies, but a place in our spirit
where we rise up above our earthiness and learn to compare spiritual things with spiritual things.
It is there that we discover reality!
Dear ones, how can we live in the heavens? Just
by being in Christ! Christ has ascended. Christ is now Himself the highest heaven in this
universe! Most of those who read these lines
understand what it means to experience the ascended Christ, to daily live out our lives in
the victory and triumph of the Son of God who dwells in our spirit, and in whom we dwell
in blessed union, far above the sorrows, strife, sin, problems, perplexities, limitation,
struggles, fears, disappointments, and death of the carnal realm. THIS is sonship!
In spirit I hear the wonderful words falling upon the ears of the prophet of
Patmos, Rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them! Oh, yes! We
dwell there! Thats us hes talking about! This should help us see how it is that the promise
of the Lord is fulfilled in us, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation,
which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the
earth. Sons of God do not
dwell upon the earth!
Those who dwell in heaven, who walk in the spirit, who think with the mind of
Christ, who live out of divine nature, have no need to be tried as men who
dwell in an earthly state. There is no
processing in heaven! There is no
condemnation, no judgment, proving, purging, refining, correction, discipline, or testing
of those who live and dwell and sit in the ascended Christ!
Those who truly walk after the spirit are not depressed, perplexed, worried, or
victimized by any kind of earthly situation.
When our affections are set upon things
above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God, and where we sit with Him and in
Him, we are resurrected and ascended, for the Christ with whom we are joined in spirit is
the Christ who has ascended into the heavens! When
you stand in union with Him you are high above the mountains, not in the valleys. You are in the heavenly places, far above the
earth-realm. The things of earth grow
strangely dim for those who truly are in Christ.
In the book of Revelation everything that comes out of heaven is good and
wonderful! Angels, great and mighty, come out
of heaven (Rev. 10:1; 18:1; 20:1). Voices
of wisdom, revelation, and power come out of heaven (Rev. 10:4,8; 11:12,15; 14:2; 18:4-5; 21:3). The all-conquering army of God, Christ the
firstborn with all the holy sons of God, come out of heaven (Rev. 19:11-14). And a city, a glorious city, the New Jerusalem,
comes down from God out of heaven (Rev. 21:2,10). The
throne of God is in that city, the Lamb is on the throne, and every overcomer is on the
throne! So heaven is a wonderful realm, and I
live there. All who live and walk in the
spirit live there. Individually, I live there
in my spirit.
Collectively, we all live there in our walk with God in the spirit.
All three expressions, those who dwell in
heaven, those who dwell on the earth, and the
inhabiters of the sea, recur a number of times in the book of Revelation. They are descriptive phrases, denoting a spiritual
state, not an actual location anywhere in the universe.
Are you, dear friend, a dweller of the heavens, or an inhabiter of the earth? If you are looking after those things which are
coming upon the earth, if you mind earthly things, if your great concerns are about some
beast government that will rule the world, or which world leader might be the
antichrist; if every new technological development, computer chip, or laser makes you
fearful of taking the mark of the beast, if earthquakes, storms, tsunamis, wars, and every
new political development is interpreted in your mind as the fulfillment of some imminent
end-time prophecy, then surely you will live out your life on the level your
vision beholds and you will be captured by the bestial system of this world, for all
who dwell
on the earth shall worship him! (Rev. 13:8).
All who have their vision focused on the below realm stand in jeopardy,
for the false prophet deceives those who
dwell on
the earth
telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image of the
beast (Rev. 13:14). The sea and the
earth are the realms of the beast: And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea
and I saw another beast coming up out of
the earth (Rev. 13:1,11). The earth-realm is the sphere of the dragons
power and authority, for the dragon was thrown down
he was thrown down to the earth, and his messengers were thrown down with
him
Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and
the sea! because
the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath (Rev. 12:9,12). Woe to the
people who believe the natural, earthly report, who live in an earthly consciousness, who
are focused on earthly events, rather than the heavens of Gods Spirit, rather than
the spiritual reality that is locked up within each of us.
Woe to you! Why? Because the devil is come down to you and he has
great wrath, and he is there to torment you until you realize that you dont belong
in the earth anymore. You belong in the
heavens! What is happening in the heavens is
all that pertains to you! Satan is bound to
the dust realm, and he is there to remind you that dust is not your heritage, you belong
to the heavens where you walk with God in the spirit!
It is in the below realm that the judgments of God are being poured
out, and those who have their habitation in this realm will find no escape. Woe, woe, woe to the inhabiters of
the earth, by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which
are yet to sound! (Rev. 8:13). Those
believers who spend their time worrying about a world government, the Illuminati, the
Council on Foreign Relations, the European Union, communism, terrorists, conspiracies, or
any other earthly thing will have no solace or security, but will find themselves in
constant fear and dread, as Jesus forewarned, Mens hearts failing them for
fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on THE
EARTH (Lk. 21:26). Take note
that the fearful are among those who have their
part in the lake of fire! (Rev. 21:8), for these have not learned to dwell in the secret
place of the most High, under the shadow of the Almighty; they have remained inhabiters of
the earth.
Well did Mark Toohey write: The dwellers in heaven have ascended above the
distress of the natural, earthly realm of strife and confusion, for they have set their
vision on the realities of a higher realm. They
have found themselves seated in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus, abiding steadfastly in the
strength of His Spirit, resting securely in the joy of His presence. These have the uncanny ability to sleep soundly in
the bow of the boat while all around them the storms rage.
The dwellers in heaven are the manchild company caught up to God and His
throne (Rev. 12:5). The dwellers in
heaven are the 144,000 who stand victorious with the Lamb upon mount Zion having His
name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads (Rev. 14:1). These are the overcoming saints standing upon the
sea of glass who sing a new song of victory, deliverance, and praise (Rev. 15:2-24). The dwellers in heaven are the New Jerusalem
coming out of heaven from God (Rev. 21:2). The
dwellers in heaven are those who are with Him who are the called and chosen and
faithful (Rev. 17:14), and the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine
linen, white and clean, who were following Him on white horses (Rev. 19:14) as in
righteousness He judges and wages war. Those
who have ascended into the heavenlies have no fear of an earthly beast, for they are
beyond his grasp, even as he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to
blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who
dwell in heaven (Rev. 13:6). God
is calling a people to come up hither, and to walk in the
reality of such a dominion in this very hour!
end quote.
To be continued
J. PRESTON EBY
Links to other ministry websites
Not finding what you need? SEARCH HERE
Search
this site or the web
powered by FreeFind |