35 They will behold "the ark of his testament." - 36 Because no man can see God and live.
They will behold "the ark of his testament."
The Ark of God was lost when Jerusalem fell to Nebuchadnezzar (B.C. 587). The appearing of the Ark tells us that the Glory of God now is to be restored to the earth.
What, or who, is the Ark of God’s testament? The Ark of God’s Testament is Christ and the firstfruits of His Bride. The Divine Glory will be revealed through those who are one with Jesus in God.
And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: (John 17:22) Why must the nations of the earth come to the Presence of God through the Ark of the Covenant, that is, through Christ and His Body?
Because no man can see God and live.
God has selected, elected from the nations of the earth a group of people called the Church. These people are required to die in Christ in order that they may come alive in Christ. They are pressed into death, changed into the death of Christ on the cross.
When the elect, the members of the Body of Christ, come up out of the waters of baptism (which represent Christ’s death), they are eternally alive. If they follow on to know the Lord there will come a day when they commence their priestly privilege of beholding the Face of Almighty God (Revelation 22:4).
When the nations of the earth see these who have become one with the Father through the Son they will realize the Church, which has been called out from their ranks, has become an eternally inseparable part of God Himself. They will understand that God loves the Body of Christ as He loves His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Beholding the Church, the firstfruits that has been drawn from mankind, many peoples of the world will fall to their knees in the worship of God who now is being revealed in His Church. The saved of mankind then will believe the Lord God indeed has sent Christ into the world, and that He is God’s Son—the only source of Life for dead humanity.
Witnessing the eternal Glory of God in the Son, and now in the Son in the Church, the nations will say: "Let us go up to Zion. Let us learn from God’s living Temple, His Church, the righteous ways of the God of Heaven.
"We shall beat our spears into farming tools. We shall melt down our swords and from them manufacture ploughs. We shall not fight any more but shall turn our efforts toward building a world of righteousness, of peace, of joy.
"We cannot gaze at the Glory of the Almighty God, for that is not given to us to do. The righteous seed, the people who are glowing with the Divine Glory, can bring God to us and we shall learn from them. "The sons of God love us. They love us very much. They know their God but they also have a love for us and are willing to spend time with each of us, giving us eternal life from their personalities.
"When we are blessed and taught by the saints our spirits are nourished, our minds become clear, our sicknesses are healed. They indeed are trees of life to us.
"When we look at them we can see the image of the Lord, Christ, the Son of David—the King who reigns from His throne in Jerusalem.
"Each of them is different. Yet they are part of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. We can see the Divine Godhead in them. The Spirit of God is in them and upon them. Yet, each is a unique, warm, loving, human who is one with us, although one with God also. This is a mystery to us, but now we have a wonderful earth in which to live. God has been good to us.
"When they tell us what to do, the Spirit of God and the holy angels are in the instructions. The earth is being restructured as they speak to it. Some currents are being arranged in the ocean. Climates are changing. Areas of land once uninhabitable are becoming gardens of beauty and fruitfulness.
"We do not resist God’s elect, although we do not always approve of what they say and do, because we have witnessed the sudden, terrible wrath that flames from them. It is as though God Almighty has appeared in our midst and is judging our thoughts and attitudes.
"Each of the saints is a king over us and a priest to us. Yet it is clear that it really is the greatest of all kings, Christ, who is in them and is ruling us, and that God Himself, the Creator, is in Christ.
"How wonderful that we have been given these loving saints to comfort and bless us and to watch over us! We no longer feel the need to rebel, to fight, to lust, to covet. Our world is like Heaven on the earth because God’s will is being done here."
And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations. And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your ploughmen and your vinedressers. But ye shall be named the Priests of the Lord: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves. For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them. (Isaiah 61:4-7)
The Ark of the Covenant was captured by the Babylonians when Jerusalem fell, in the days of Jeremiah. The Ark has never been seen by the Lord’s people since that time.
Now, at the ascension of the two witnesses into the heaven, the Ark of the Covenant appears in the Temple of God. The Lord Jesus Christ is ready to return to the earth. Here is the "invasion of Canaan" by Christ and His saints. The invasion of Canaan is the seizing of the spiritual thrones that govern the material creation. Canaan is resurrection ground and the Ark leads the way.
It is God in Christ in the saints whom the world will behold; and beholding, will believe (John 17:21-23). This is the coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth.
There will be "lightning's" at the disclosure of God’s majesty. The lightnings will shine from east to west. It is the Glory of God in Christ in the saints. We are part of the Light that will illumine the darkness of the earth (Isaiah 60:1-4—note the revival that follows).
There will be "voices." The voices are those of God’s sons, and of the elect angels and archangels, as the ruler ship of the world passes from the hands of Satan-filled men into the hands of Christ-filled men. We are coheirs with Christ in every sense of the word. He will divide the spoil with the strong (Isaiah 53:12).
There will be "thunderings" as the powers of God are directed by Christ in His Body toward the establishing of the Kingdom of God in the earth.
There will be an "earthquake" as God begins the execution of His wrath in the earth. The nations will respond to the plagues and tribulations by increasing their rage and rebellion against the Lord God of Heaven.
There was a parallel situation in the destruction of Egypt at the time of the exodus of Israel. Egypt was devastated as a prelude to the departure of the Israelites. The Jews carried away with them much of the wealth of the country. The land was left in ruins.
Pharaoh, not being totally discouraged by the destruction of his nation, pursued the Israelites. He annihilated his own army in so doing.
So it will be in the Day of the Lord. God will devastate the cities of the earth, the centres of the rule of Antichrist. It is in the cities that men learn to think like Antichrist and to spend all their time acquiring material wealth in order that they may be independent of God. It is in the cities that the wrath of God will be poured out without measure.
The saints will leave the earth for a brief period to be gathered together with the Lord in the air, taking with them the blessing of God. The saints are the salt, the preservative of the earth. The only reason God has not destroyed the earth long ago is that His dear ones are on the earth and are praising Him. When He lifts them from the earth, woe! woe! woe to the inhabitants of the earth!
The earth, having lost the "gold, and silver, and precious stones" of the virtues of the saints, will be as Hell itself. The peoples of the earth will have only Antichrist, the False Prophet, Satan, the rebellious angels, the demons, self-cantered Christian teachers, and the priests of the false religions to help them with their problems. How would you like to be alive on the earth in that hour?
When the sons of God return with Jesus they will restore the cities and institutions of the earth. They will repair what has been destroyed and made desolate by sin, and by the Divine judgment on that sin.
And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations. (Isaiah 61:4)
The earth will be scorched by the fires of Divine judgment as Joel’s army, which is the army of the elect led by Christ (Joel 2:3,11), advances through the earth in the fullness of the power of God. The earth will quake before them. God’s army will turn the sophisticated abominations of the world and the world-church into ashes under their feet (Malachi 4:1-3).
After the Divine judgment has been executed the sons of God will rebuild the cities of the earth. Now the cities will be centres of the righteousness, peace, and joy of the Holy Spirit.
Antichrist and the rulers of the earth will attempt to resist Christ and His army. In so doing they will waste the lives of millions of people who otherwise could have been saved had they turned to the Lord in time. Many tyrants of history have wasted the lives of multitudes as they have sought to exalt themselves over God.
There will be a great "hail." Hail always has been one of God’s weapons against the rebellions of mankind. Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the foundation thereof even until now. (Exodus 9:18)
And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, and were in the going down to Bethhoron, that the Lord cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword. (Joshua 10:11)
Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail, Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war? (Job 38:22,23)
At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire. The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire. (Psalms 18:12,13) The Lord God speaks in the voice of thunder, in the voice of hailstones, in the voice of coals of fire. This is the language that God’s creatures understand most readily.
Most of us explain our actions in what we hope are acceptable terms. Our much talking may accomplish something. But the language that moves us to action, that gets results, is thunder, hailstones, and coals of fire. Teachers can reason with us concerning righteousness, holiness, and obedience to God. We may respond with our "excellent" explanations why we cannot do what is right.
But when the thunder frightens us and shakes our confidence, the hailstones break down our works, and the coals of fire are under our feet, we cease explaining and begin to perform works of righteousness, holiness, and obedience to the Lord God.
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