The Third Feast of the Seventh Month: Tabernacles
The Day of Atonement occurs on the tenth day of the seventh month of the religious, ceremonial year, the year that begins with the month in which the Passover is celebrated.
The feast of Tabernacles takes place on the fifteenth through the twenty-second day of the same month (seven days of Tabernacles, and then the designated eighth day).
The work of reconciliation associated with the Day of Atonement is the necessary preparation for the eternal indwelling of Christ and the Father associated with the feast of Tabernacles.
The Millennial Jubilee, the kingdom-wide fulfillment of the Day of Atonement, is the necessary forerunner of the new heaven and earth reign of Christ. The new heaven and earth reign of Christ is the kingdom-wide fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles.
We use the expression "kingdom-wide fulfillment" to distinguish the broad, historical fulfillment from the individual fulfillment that takes place in the personality of the conquering saint.
The stupendous acts of redemption that will take place in the future on a worldwide scale are developing today in the lives of the conquering saints—those who are forsaking their own desires and following the Lamb wherever He goes.
The feast of Tabernacles typifies the rest of God, as God dwells in and with His people. Such rest and abiding is impossible until there has been reconciliation. This is why there must be a Day of Atonement before there can be a feast of Tabernacles, whether we are speaking of one individual, all Israel, or the whole world.
The Day of Atonement is the act of uniting the Bridegroom and the Bride. The feast of Tabernacles is the eternal expression of that union. Tabernacles portrays the "mark," the goal, the "prize," the "omega," the "rest" into which we are to enter, as the writer of the Book of Hebrews exhorts us so fervently.
Seven is the number associated with perfect redemption. Tabernacles, the seventh of the Levitical feasts, lasted seven days (the eighth day having special significance), and was celebrated in the seventh month—three sevens. Three represents the fullness of God. Therefore we have the fullness of God participating in a perfect redemption.
The eighth day that follows the seven days of the feast of Tabernacles speaks of the beginning of the "week" of eternity, the week that has no end. Eternity with God commences after redemption has been achieved perfectly.
The convocation of Tabernacles celebrated the completion of the harvesting of the farms of Israel and the processing of all the farm products. The fruit, nuts, grain, wine, oil, and vegetables had all been gathered and prepared.
The feast of Tabernacles was a time of the greatest gladness and rejoicing. Included in the joy was the anticipation of the seed (former) rain that soon was to bring an end to the half-year dry season of summer and hope for the new farming year that was ready to commence.
The fulfillment of the Day of Atonement includes the crucifixion, the resurrection, and the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, and also the Millennial Jubilee. The fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles includes the appearing of the Lord Jesus in the Church prior to His visible appearing to the world, and also the new heaven and earth reign of Christ.
The fullness of death to sin and self occurs as the fulfillment of the Day of Atonement in us as an individual. The fullness of our resurrection is our individual fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles. Christ Himself Is the resurrection from the dead, and to have Him wholly abiding in us is to have the resurrection from the dead wholly abiding in us.
The spiritual fulfillment of Tabernacles occurs as the Father and the Son through the Holy Spirit take up Their eternal abode in us. We then are permanently established as pillars in the Temple of God. Christ Himself has become our Resurrection and our Life.
The Father in Christ in us brings us to the greatest multiplication of fruit and amplification of strength. The Holy Spirit reveals to us the meaning of Isaiah, Chapter 12. God Himself now has become our Joy, our Life, our Strength, our Health, our Peace, our Wisdom, our Security, our Salvation, and everything else of value to us.
The guile now is gone from our personality. All self-seeking has been burned away. The King of the Kingdom of God is dwelling in us and we are inheriting all things. Our grasping nature has been replaced with the Nature of Christ, and so the "all things" of God are held rightly by us and no longer exercise dominion over us.
During the feast of Tabernacles (Succot ) the Jewish family ate together in booths constructed from branches. The Law of Moses was read in the hearing of the people. Water from the Pool of Siloam was poured on the Altar of Burnt Offering accompanied by the singing of Isaiah, Chapter 12. The feast of Tabernacles was the final observance of the ceremonial year and was celebrated with the greatest rejoicing.
Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD. On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein. (Leviticus 23:34-36)
The eighth day: God tabernacles with men. The feast of Tabernacles was celebrated for seven days. Then came the "eighth day," the twenty-second of Tishri.
The kingdom-wide fulfillment of Tabernacles will take place as the Temple of God, the Wife of the Lamb, the new Jerusalem, descends on the earth to rule the nations of saved people (Revelation, Chapter 21). This is the point at which God will declare that all His "crops" have been reaped and processed. The work of redemption has been successfully completed. The pain, the labor, the sorrow, now are over and gone and rapidly fading from memory.
There will be such a period of rejoicing on the new earth and in the new heaven that no words of ours can do more than indicate that the celebration indeed will take place.
Then, after every soul has had ample time to revel in thanksgiving and joy before the Lord, who at that time will be dwelling in His fullness in the Church, the "eighth day" will commence. The eighth day is the first day of the week of eternity, the week that has no end. The saints of Christ will behold the Face of the Father and will serve Him forever. Redemption has been finished and true life has begun.
Redemption is typified in the Scriptures by the metal silver. No silver is shown in the description of the new Jerusalem, the Wife of the Lamb. All will be gold (Divinity) and precious stones (the virtues fashioned in the saints under the heat and pressure of circumstances in the world).
Those who choose to be saved have been saved and full reconciliation has been attained in every member of the Body of Christ. The Lord God now can settle down to rest in His redeemed creation.
This is God’s way. He is a God of preparation. He wanted to have the Israelites ready for life in the land of promise. Therefore He prepared them ahead of time.
Preparation for the land of promise. So it is with the Christian experience. Much of what God has enjoined on mankind will come into fruition during the thousand-year Kingdom Age, and then during the new heaven and earth reign of Christ.
For example, think about II Corinthians 5:17. "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away, behold, all thing are become new." This statement can be discouraging to a new convert. All things have not become new. Yet the convert believes and testifies that such is the case.
The gap between what God has stated and what experience demonstrates to be a fact can produce dismay if one does not understand God’s way of working with us. God pronounces certain things to be true that we do not see or experience to be true as yet.
The faith that overcomes the world "is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." With the guidance of the Holy Spirit we are learning to walk in newness of life. In the new heaven and earth reign of Christ, every member of the Body of Christ will be a new creation—spirit, soul, and body. The old personality will be gone forever. All things in the saint will be of God.
The only way we can obtain the fullness of the indwelling of God in Christ is to go beyond our own age into the Kingdom age. Joshua and Caleb did this in type. They went into Canaan, a type of the rest of God, and brought back some of the grapes of the land for the remainder of the Jews to see.
By so doing, Joshua and Caleb became one of the several Old Testament types of the two witnesses of Revelation, Chapter 11. Joshua and Caleb represent the double portion of the Holy Spirit that will be given to the Lord’s remnant so they can bear witness of the soon coming of the Kingdom of God in the days prior to the appearing of the Lord Jesus in the clouds of heaven.
The warrior-remnant will reach ahead into the Kingdom age, as it were, and obtain the authority and power of the age to come (Hebrews 6:5). The victorious saints will bear witness by showing to the remainder of God’s people, and to the nations, the glory and the judgment that are coming—not just the glory but the glory and the judgment.
God’s witnesses are to heal the sick, raise the dead, open the blind eyes, unstop the deaf ears, cause the lame to leap for joy, and preach the Good News to the poor, to the meek of the earth. The nations will both see and hear the Gospel before the worldwide rebellion against authority takes place and Antichrist is revealed.
Before the Divine redemption has been completed, every part of the personality of the Christian will be reaped in fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles. Spirit, soul, and body will be saved, filled with the Holy Spirit, and covered with eternal glory—the Presence of God in Christ.
Every member of the Body of Christ, from the least to the greatest, will find his place in the Temple of God. God will perfect His workmanship in the Body of Christ and bring the Body to the fullness of the stature of Christ, both individually and corporately.
There can be no corporate perfection apart from individual perfection. God is testing and working on each Christian in the most painstaking detail.
Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: (Leviticus 23:42)
The Father and the Son will be dwelling in us to a much greater extent than is true today (John 14:23). Such fullness of indwelling requires the completion of all the processes of redemption in our personality, including our body.
The feast of Tabernacles is associated with the reading of the Law of Moses. One of the principal requirements for the fullness of the indwelling of the Father and the Son is the creation in us of the moral law of the Holy Spirit. God cannot abide where there is any trace of sin or rebellion.
And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles, When all Israel is come to appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing. Gather the people together, men and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law: (Deuteronomy 31:10-12)
Our personal fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles occurs when we have been created in the image of the Lord Jesus Christ in spirit, soul, and body; and God in Christ is able to find His rest and pleasure in us. In order for God to find His complete rest in us we must pass through each of the three deaths and three resurrections of redemption.
We must pass through the first death and resurrection of accepting the blood of Christ for the remission of our sins and the Lordship of Christ over us. We then are raised with Christ in newness of life (Romans, Chapter Six).
We must pass through the second death and resurrection of learning to walk in the Spirit of God rather than in the appetites of the flesh. We then are raised by the Holy Spirit of God into the liberty of holy and righteous conduct in our actions, in our words, in our thoughts, motives, and imaginations, and into effective participation in the work of the Kingdom of God.
We must pass through the third death and resurrection of allowing God to bring us into self-denial. The guile and self-seeking of our personality must be burned away in order for God to find rest and pleasure in us. We then are raised in the Person of God, being found in Him. He Himself becomes our Resurrection and our Life.
Death to sin is one problem, and death to self, although related to death to sin, is a somewhat different problem. There are some aspects of redemption that deal directly with death to self, the issue of death to sin being set aside for the moment.
All of this preparation, while useful to us now, will find its glorious fulfillment in the life that is ahead.
For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. (I Timothy 4:8)
"Promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come."
Death to self-seeking and guile: our "Jacob" nature.
Each of us human beings has in us the poisonous nature of the serpent. We are self-seeking, self-centered, self-willed. We accomplish our ends by trickery and disobedience to God. Little children are without this adult guile, to a certain extent, and therefore are closer to the Kingdom of God.
We adults, as we follow on to know the Lord, discover we are full of guile—even after we obtain a measure of victory over the bondages of sin. Let us examine how this guile entered the human race, and the steps the Lord God takes to remove the guile from us.
And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. (Genesis 3:13)
Here is the entrance of guile into the race of mankind. Notice that the guile was introduced originally by Satan and that it resulted in covetousness and disobedience to God. Ever since this instance guile has been part of the nature of mankind.
We humans are driven by the desire to acquire position, honor, fame, and riches, and to gain these by disobedience and rebellion against the will of God.
The third death and resurrection through which Christ brings us deals directly with the deceitful, self-willed, self-centered nature of the believer. God extracts this poison by removing things or people that are much loved, by delaying the gratification of fervent desires, and by requiring us to do what is unpleasant.
The fellowship of Christ’s sufferings, which is the death of the cross, draws out the poison of guile that comes from the serpent.
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. (Genesis 3:15)
The serpent is Satan and the woman is the Church, the elect of God. The seed of Satan is Antichrist, and the Seed of the woman is Christ—Head and Body. Christ will bruise the head of the serpent who has bruised the heel of mankind. The Church represents mankind before God and will crush the head of the adversary on behalf of mankind.
The Church itself is grievously afflicted with the "bruised heel," with guile and self-seeking, until it is delivered by the third death and third resurrection.
The "bruised heel" is the "Jacob" nature, the poison of guile, self-seeking, and disobedience in our personality. When one man challenges another he does not cry, "I am going to strike you in the heel. I am going to bruise your heel." Bruising the heel is the work of the deceiver, the sneak, the serpent.
A wounded heel prevents us from standing upright. A person with "poison in his heel" moves from side to side. He cannot stand squarely and steadily and look other people straight in the face. He is shifty. An individual with two solid heels can stand uprightly to his full height.
The name Jacob means heel-snatcher.
And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau’s heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them. (Genesis 25:26)
As the twins were being born, Esau came forth first. Technically he was the elder (by a few seconds). Jacob, while still an infant, demonstrated his determination to obtain the birthright from his brother, Esau. Jacob, while being delivered from the womb, stretched out his hand and took hold of Esau’s heel. In doing so he became Jacob —the heel-snatcher, the supplanter.
Jacob was anxious to obtain the birthright of the oldest son. We know the Old Testament story that tells of the manner in which Jacob took advantage of the hungry Esau and traded lentil stew for Esau’s birthright. Esau was foolish to make such a trade, despising his birthright. Jacob was a schemer. Jacob should freely have given to Esau all the stew he desired, Esau being his brother.
We know also of the manner in which Jacob, with the prompting and aid of his mother, Rebecca (a supplanter in her own right), deceived Isaac and obtained the blessing of Abraham. Jacob’s underhanded methods forced him to flee to another deceiver, his uncle, Laban. In Jacob and Laban the serpent’s poison in the heel was demonstrated clearly.
Jacob remains one of the most important scriptural types of the guile that is in mankind, particularly in God’s elect. He represents striving to obtain the blessing of God by means of guile.
There is no guile in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Church cannot tabernacle with Christ until the guile has ben removed.
Of the two young men, Jacob and Esau, Jacob—a type of those who have been called to be saints—was the one who acted dishonorably. Esau had purposed to slay Jacob before Jacob went to Padan-aram. When Jacob returned, Esau did not harm him. It sometimes is true that dishonor characterizes the Church of Christ more than it does the world.
In the test of the pinnacle, which is the temptation that has to do with self-seeking, presumption, and disobedience, Christ was brought by Satan to Jerusalem. It is in the area of "Jerusalem," to speak figuratively, among the called of God, that men often act presumptuously and arrogantly.
It was the leaders of Israel, not the Roman governor, who insisted that Christ be crucified. Pilate acted from political considerations, according to the self-seeking and deviousness of his personality. The leaders of Israel were moved with the envy that springs from guileful, supplanting, heel-snatching attempts to rule God’s people.
God, in His infinite foreknowledge, predestination, and purpose, had stated: "the elder (Esau) shall serve the younger (Jacob)."
Jacob and his mother responded to the Divine election by coveting the birthright. Esau, the man of the flesh, despised his birthright.
The problem is not that we Christians covet the Divinely-ordained inheritance. We are elected and commanded to press on toward the fullness of Christ. Most assuredly we never will receive God’s fullness until the day we seek Him with our whole heart.
The problem is, rather, that we allow our desire to receive what God has prepared for us to express itself in sneakiness, self-seeking, guile, and contriving in an underhanded manner to gain what lawfully belongs to another person. We run ahead of God in our self-seeking.
God has His own antidote for the poison of guile that is in us. This antidote is the suffering and death of the cross. It is an effective medicine.
When we have guile and self-seeking in our heart we are apt to strive for what we consider to be lawfully ours.
Isaac revealed in his own life the correct manner for a Christian to approach a situation of contention over possession.
And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them. (Genesis 26:18)
Here is a type of a Christian going back to seek the old paths. He is digging out the wells—a type of the saint seeking revival. The enemy had stopped up the flow of water. Isaac opened up the flow and restored the names that had been assigned to the wells by Abraham.
And Isaac’s servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water. (Genesis 26:19)
The church was in a "valley" experience, to speak symbolically. Water may run close to the surface in a valley. Isaac’s servants dug there and found "a well of springing water."
Whenever we get back to the Word of God, and begin to worship God and beseech Him for the grace that comes from Heaven, the Holy Spirit rewards us with "wells of springing water"—the Presence and anointing of the Holy Spirit bringing to us the good things of Christ.
And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac’s herdmen, saying, The water is ours: and he called the name of the well Esek [contention]; because they strove with him. And they digged another well, and strove for that also: and he called the name of it Sitnah [enmity]. (Genesis 26:20,21)
It is wise to name matters for exactly what they are.
As soon as we begin to receive refreshing from the Lord there may arise contention and enmity from those who desire to possess the fruit of our labor. The person who has not had the poison of self-seeking drained from his nature will quarrel contentiously over what he considers to be lawfully his.
The saint who has passed through the third death and resurrection will laugh (Isaac means "laughter") and go to Christ for the decision.
Whenever two levels of spirituality begin to contend, the more spiritual person must give the matter to Christ. If he does not he denies his own testimony. It is difficult to relinquish all to the judgment of Christ in such moments of competition, but letting go brings a song to the heart and laughter to the lips.
And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth [broad places]; and he said, For now the LORD hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land. (Genesis 26:22)
Notice the wonderfully meek and generous spirit of Isaac. Although all the wells were the fruit of his industry and diligence, he gave them away when contention and enmity arose. How like the example and teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ!
The result of freedom from grasping is Rehoboth (broad places). Rehoboth is God-given peace, enlargement, and fruitfulness for us. May God bring us to our broad places. He will do so if we will cease grasping and wait patiently until there is no more strife. We must wait for Christ to give us what is ours.
If we insist on grasping what we feel should be ours, shoving aside other people in the process, we still are exhibiting the poison that the serpent injected into the heel of mankind. When we demonstrate peace and forbearance toward all men, Christ is tabernacling in us.
Jacob’s wrestling with the Lord, a scriptural illustration we have mentioned previously, provides insight into the resurrection that is free from guile and self-seeking. The struggle of Jacob with the Lord is a dramatic representation of the change fashioned in us when the Lord draws out the poison of self-interest and guile.
Jacob’s fight for survival has some points in common with the ordeal of Job.
And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two womenservants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford Jabbok. (Genesis 32:22)
Our severest testings happen to us at "night," not in times of light and rejoicing. Jacob had left the land of promise as a single man, bearing a blessing and an inheritance he had gained by grasping, by lying, by guile, by selfishness. He had prospered during his sojourn, again by trickery on his job, and now he was attempting to return to the land of his fathers, to the land of promise.
Whenever we become surfeited with walking in the appetites of the flesh and decide to return to the anointing and fire of the Holy Spirit, we experience a confrontation with the Lord.
Just prior to crossing the Jabbok, Jacob had encountered the warrior angels of God’s army (Genesis 32:1,2). When we arrive at a certain point in our Christian experience, God begins to speak to us about pressing into our inheritance in Christ. Gradually we understand that the conquest of the land of promise will be made by Mahanaim (two armies)—the army of saints and the army of angels, not by our scheming.
As that Divine impetus grows in our consciousness, and we become determined to return to the awesome (and yet peaceful and wonderful) Presence and power of the Holy Spirit, we are brought face to face with the fact that we have been somewhat less than honorable and righteous in our deeds, words, and imaginations.
There is one thing of which we always can be sure: our sins will find us out.
For the first time in his life the resourceful Jacob had no way of escaping the truth. He desired his inheritance in the land promised to his father. The Divine covenant with Abraham and Isaac was compelling him to return to the promised land. But the armed and dangerous Esau lived there. Esau was Jacob’s twin brother, but Esau had been abused, tricked, cheated.
No matter how much we may have prospered under salvation and the baptism with the Holy Spirit, it is the third death and resurrection, death to self and resurrection in God’s will and Presence, that brings to light what we actually are.
Gone is all the religious culture we have hidden behind—perhaps unwittingly. Gone are the syrupy religious words and posturing.
Now we have come face to face with our own character. Behold, it is "Jacob"!
And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that he had. (Genesis 32:23)
Jacob had gained for himself a fine family with his deviousness and his uncle Laban’s deviousness. In Laban, Jacob encountered a relative who was as skilled in deceit as Jacob and his mother were.
Jacob already had worked out a scheme to save part of his family (Genesis 32:8). So it is with us. When we come to our "Jabbok" we become frightened that we will lose all that is precious to us.
Even at this point, if you will notice the wording carefully (Genesis 32:11), Jacob was more concerned about his own skin than he was with the safety of Leah, Rebecca, and the children.
And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. (Genesis 32:24)
When finally we are brought to the place where we shall see the Lord we are brought there alone. We cannot bring anyone else with us, not a friend or relative or Christian elder or even our husband or wife. The struggle is between the individual and the Lord.
Jacob sent his family and possessions over the brook Jabbok, and he was left alone to wrestle with God concerning the treacherous manner in which he had treated his brother, Esau.
Jacob’s opponent was the Lord. Job’s opponent was the Lord. It was the Lord who demanded Isaac. It was the Lord who sought to kill Moses (Exodus 4:24).
There are occasions when we are required to struggle with God for our life. At such times we mistakenly may believe that people or the devil are the source of our problems.
There are two different wrestling matches in which the Christian is engaged. The first struggle is with the Lord. The second is with the angels in the heavenlies who once had held positions of high rank in Heaven.
We cannot overcome the lords of wickedness until first we have prevailed with the Lord. Each member of the Body of Christ who hopes to ride with Christ in the final victorious attack must endure his personal struggle with the Lord.
How do we wrestle with God? We wrestle as did Jacob. We will be buffeted until our true name, our true identity has been revealed.
Is our name Mr. or Mrs. Self-seeker? Or is our name Brother or Sister Faithful-in-obedience? What is the source of our motives?
In the moment of truth we behold the Lord God, and we see revealed before us our own character and nature. If we then give the glory to God, as did Jacob, God changes our character. Then the poison is "drawn from our heel" and we possess power with God and with men.
The only way in which we can lose the struggle is to flee from the Presence of the Lord. We can quit. We can hide our true personality. Jacob, in spite of his self-seeking deviousness, exclaimed, "I will not let you go except you bless me." Jacob did not quit.
How many times have we been tested severely by the Lord and then have given up just before the answer came?
Jacob wrestled until the breaking of the day. If we will hold steady throughout the long night of trial the morning light will come. With the morning will arrive the answer to our petitions. A new day will dawn on a new person. Our nature will be changed.
And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. (Genesis 32:25)
God understood that Jacob was not going to surrender. We need to come before the Lord with our needs in the attitude that we are not going to surrender. If there is any wavering, any double-mindedness in us, you can be sure our indecision will be exposed as soon as we begin to grapple with God. God pushes us down to the point of absolute sincerity and integrity.
"He touched the hollow of his thigh." The thigh of a man is the area of both fruitfulness and strength. When we press into the fullness of God’s Person and purposes the Lord touches us in the region of fruitfulness and strength. The fruitfulness has to do with the reproduction of Christ in other people. The strength has to do with the enforcing of righteousness and praise in the earth.
When the Lord understands we will not surrender but will press through to our answer and blessing, the Divine renewal is given to our personality in terms of fruitfulness and rulership. The renewal flows from our barrenness and weakness.
No more will we seek to gain our inheritance by scheming. No more will we be able to solve problems in our own wisdom and strength. From this point forward our own ability to achieve our goals will be "out of joint" and we will learn to trust God for all that is to be accomplished.
And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. (Genesis 32:26)
God was testing the character of Jacob. The Lord said, "Let me go." The night of Jacob’s trial nearly was over and God was giving him one last opportunity to quit. Jacob’s determination, which so often had manifested itself in supplanting and deviousness, was fastened on God with a death grip.
Jacob would not let go. He was ready to die first. He died in God.
When we reach the place where we must hear from God, the place of unchanging resolve and desperation, God will respond. Part of us dies in the process. This is the third death.
We have come to the place of final determination in order to gain the prize of the high calling of God in Christ. We will be tested to the limit of our strength and character. We will succeed with God if we do not quit.
(There is a "giving up in God," a surrender to the Lord’s will; but that is another subject.)
"Ask!" Jesus advises us! "Seek! Knock! Do not quit! Keep on asking! Keep on seeking! Keep on knocking! You shall receive! You shall find! It shall be opened to you!
"Only believe. All things are possible to him that believes."
How determined are we to attain our inheritance in the Lord? Do we have the strength of determination of Jacob? Or do we faint in the heat of the battle? If we will press on to victory we will receive the blessing from the Lord. We will be changed eternally as the result of our contact with the Lord.
And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. (Genesis 32:27)
There comes a moment in our discipleship when God asks us concerning our identity. The truth of the matter is that God already knows who we are, but He is enabling us to see who and what we are. To our surprise and disappointment we discover we are Brother or Sister Guileful, Self-centered, Self-loving, Self-seeking, Schemer, Liar, Swindler, Ambitious-for-self, Usurper.
We had supposed that our name is Faithful Christian. God allows us to discover that our true name is All-for-me. The struggle with God exposes all we truly are. It is not an endearing picture we behold. Fortunately, better things are at hand.
The third resurrection—surpassingly glorious.
And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob [supplanter; heel-snatcher], but Israel [he struggles with God]: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. (Genesis 32:28)
When we rise in the third resurrection there is a difference in the manner in which we seek to obtain our inheritance in Christ. We change from being a schemer, a deceiver, an acquirer of self-glory, into a person who trusts in God for all matters. We become a striver with God. We seek the inheritance in God and then accept His decision concerning all we are attempting to bring to pass or desire to happen.
We meet God and men in a straightforward manner and possess power with God and with men.
The third death, death to self, is a difficult death to die. It requires all the faith, trust, and hope that are in us in order to prevail. We cannot move God to do what we want by our schemes nor will God bless our schemes.
The third resurrection is as surpassingly glorious as the third death is comprehensive and penetrating. As did Paul, we "reckon that the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18).
Prior to this experience we had supposed that power with God and men comes from our ability to outscheme our opponents. When the Lord reveals the true character of our motives we begin to realize that all promotion comes from God alone, and that the only way to please God is to behave righteously, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.
And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. (Genesis 32:29)
Notice that Jacob finally had ceased thinking about his own problems and had become interested in the God of Abraham and Isaac. What a day it is when we get our eyes off of ourselves and gain a vision of the Lord! This reminds us of Moses who became occupied with God Himself rather than with the enormous responsibility he was carrying as the leader of Israel.
In the year that King Uzziah (presumptuous flesh) dies we see the Lord; and He is high and lifted up.
God had asked for Jacob’s name. Now Jacob was asking the Lord for His name. It is characteristic of the person who rises in the third resurrection that he becomes God-centered rather than self-centered.
Again the Lord asked Jacob a question that helped Jacob (now Israel) understand what was taking place in himself.
"Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name?"
When Jacob sought the answer to that question he began to realize that more than his name had been changed. For the first time in his life he was more interested in God than in what he could obtain from God.
It wasn’t long after this that Jacob erected an altar to El-Elohe-Israel (God, the God of Israel).
When we start out in the Lord we are occupied with Bethel (the house of God). When we rise in the third resurrection we become more occupied with El-Bethel (the God of the house of God). Many Christians are quite familiar with Bethel but never have met El-Bethel.
God blessed Jacob there. The greatest good that comes from dying to self and being raised in God’s will and Life is our personal acquaintance with the Lord and the resulting change in our personality.
In addition, there come to us the Divine fruitfulness and strength for which we have longed, for which we were created, and that Satan and our self-centered nature had been persuading us to grasp by some fleshly means. "If we would just worship Satan and our self-love the kingdoms of the world would be ours." This is what is being taught today in the churches as well as in the world..
Whenever we meet God in the lawful manner we receive the blessing. He is the King and He is able to reward His subjects wonderfully.
And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel [the face of God]: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. (Genesis 32:30)
No man can see God and live. Jacob had seen the Lord face to face and his life had been preserved. It no longer was the schemer, the deceiver who was living. It was the new man, Israel—he who struggles with God.
So it is with us. We lose nothing of value in God’s fire. Our life is preserved. Yet, our life has been changed eternally. The poison of self-seeking has been drawn from us and there is a new creation in Christ.
We discover we have been crucified with Christ and that Christ now is living in us. We have changed from being supplanters into being strugglers with God. We now have power with God and as a result with men.
And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh. (Genesis 32:31)
When we emerge from our contest with the Lord the light of the Day of the Lord rises on us. We no longer are walking in our own power to bear fruit or to overcome our enemies. We are "halting on our thigh."
We are not trusting in our own ability to do anything but are "leaning on our beloved." We are returning from the wilderness of humbling and instruction, leaning on Christ (Song of Solomon 8:5).
Jacob had left the land of promise to seek a wife from the daughters of Laban, his uncle. Jacob had served Laban for some fourteen years, and then God had spoken to him to return home.
As soon as Jacob was free from the influence of Laban he met the angels of God. The warrior angels appeared to him because he was preparing to re-enter Canaan, the land of promise, the place of Jacob’s birth.
Jacob’s story, as is true of all of us, is that of the prodigal son. We cannot possess the blessing of God until we receive it the second time. We may have been given some marvelous gifts, but we must receive them again in the Lord.
Two armies: authority and power; saints and angels.
And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God’s army: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim. (Genesis 32:1,2)
When Jacob beheld the heavenly warriors, he named the place where he was Mahanaim (Two Armies). Mahanaim is near Penuel, on the east bank of the Jordan.
The Seed of the woman, Christ, is destined to crush the head of the serpent and Hell understands this. The enemy of God and men will resist any attempt of the Seed to enter the land of promise. The only manner in which the enemy can be overcome is by the joint effort of the saints of Christ and the army of angels.
God is the Lord of Armies ; not the Lord of "an army" but the Lord of Armies. There are two armies: the army of saints, and the army of angels.
The army of angels possesses strength and performs the will of God Almighty. The army of angels is given the spiritual power that can overcome a spiritual enemy.
Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word. (Psalms 103:20)
The army of saints possesses the authority of judgment because it is the Body of Christ, and to Christ has been given all authority of judgment by the Father.
For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: (John 5:22)
And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 16:19)
Both judgment and power must be operating if the war of redemption is to be won. Judgment alone cannot prevail and power alone cannot prevail. The authority invested in Christ—and mankind—through the Word of the Lord, and the power given to the angels, must work together. Then the land of promise can be invaded and the enemy dispossessed.
The soldiers of Heaven appeared two thousand years ago at the birth of the Commander in Chief (Luke 2:13,14). Now the creation is waiting for the authority of righteous judgment to be brought to perfection in the saints. Before Jacob could summon the strength of the heavenly army he had to have his wrestling match with the Lord. If one is to crush the head of the serpent he must have two good heels.
Passing over the Jordan River is another portrayal of the third death and resurrection—that of death to our devious self, and resurrection into the Person of God Almighty.
As soon as Joshua came to Jericho he was approached by the captain of the army of the Lord. Joshua was the captain of the earthly army. The personage who approached Joshua may have been Michael, the angel who commands the warrior angels.
And he said, Nay; but as captain of the army of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant? (Joshua 5:14)
This visitation is similar to other angelic appearances found in Scripture. Some believe the personage who addressed Joshua to have been Christ Himself, but this appears unlikely. Christ is the Lord, not the "captain of the Lord’s host."
The appearing of the captain of the army of the Lord at the entrance to Canaan parallels the experience of Jacob as he sought to return to the land of promise. As we have stated before in connection with other prophetic portrayals, when the believer approaches the place of the fullness of reconciliation to the Lord and to the Lord’s purposes he becomes increasingly aware of the heavenly, or spiritual counterpart of redemption.
It was necessary for both armies to work together if Israel was to invade the land of Canaan, for there was much demon worship there. The army led by Joshua was carrying in its ranks the Ark of the Covenant of the God of Israel. The Ark, containing in itself the Ten Commandments, was the center of Divine authority and judgment.
The spiritual army of the Lord was preparing to assist the saints on earth, first of all by knocking down the walls of Jericho.
When the two armies fight side by side we have both authority and power at work. The sword in the hand of Joshua represents the Ten Commandments—the terrible Word of God in judgment against the lords of Hell. The sword in the hand of the angel represents spiritual power—the power of God Almighty assigned to the angels who are performing His Word.
The Bride of Christ looks forth as the morning of the Day of the Lord (Song of Solomon 6:10). She is as fair as the moon, being clothed with the Glory of Christ Himself. To the enemies of God she is an avenging army. The Bride makes war and receives the cooperation of the army of Heaven.
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. (Song of Solomon 6:13)
We can see the interdependence of the two armies in Revelation, Chapter 12. As soon as Christ is created in the members of His army, the angelic army of Michael can win the battle in the heavenlies.
And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. (Revelation 12:5)
And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. (Revelation 12:7,8)
The elect angels are concerned about the development of righteousness in the members of the Body of Christ.
I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality. (I Timothy 5:21)
Concerning binding Satan, only one angel is required. There is no lack of power among the obedient angels of God (Psalms 103:20). The release of angelic power for the setting up of the Kingdom of God is awaiting the coming to maturity of the members of the Body of Christ, who are God’s judges.
Satan will be crushed under the feet of the Church (Romans 16:20), but the actual power will be exercised through spiritual creatures. We are not wrestling against flesh and blood but against angelic lords. The army of Michael is needed if we are to see the Kingdom of God established in the earth.
Satan will be crushed beneath the feet of the Church, but notice that a spiritual being performs the binding and imprisoning:
And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, (Revelation 20:1,2)
Before the members of the Body of Christ can work in cooperation with the army of Heaven in the destruction of the forces of darkness, the members must be converted completely. Being converted means more than merely being saved. Being saved is the first step in our redemption and the beginning of our conversion into a new creation.
We are emphasizing in this book that the third and crowning act of our conversion consists of the destruction of our personal ambition. Sometimes God permits Satan to test us so the poison of guile and self-seeking can be burned from us.
And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest. (Luke 22:24)
Even among the Apostles of the Lord, the chosen of God, the guile and self-seeking began to reveal themselves. Before the Lord Jesus was crucified and resurrected the disciples were fighting over who would be the leader of the Church.
And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: (Luke 22:31)
Peter was being prepared to receive much fruitfulness and strength. Of those to whom much has been given, much will be required. Sometimes God allows Satan to sift us carefully, probing for every area of sin and self-will. Such screening is necessary before we can work together with the heavenly army in the destruction of the kingdom of darkness.
The sifting process is not a pleasant one. The wheat of our character and nature is filtered through an exceedingly fine screen.
But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. (Luke 22:32)
It is our faith that is tested to the limit when we are sifted in the sight of God. Christ prays for us that our faith will not fail in the hour of testing. The test of our faith results in the conversion of our nature from "Jacob" to "Israel." We learn to contend with God rather than with men. We learn to gain power with men by first gaining power with God. As soon as we are converted we are to strengthen our brothers and sisters in the Lord.
Here is the true sign of the Divine conversion: increased love for God followed by a sincere interest in the welfare of other people.
And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death. (Luke 22:33)
At this point in his life, Peter was certain he was able to drink the cup of Christ and be baptized with Christ’s baptism. But the "rock" was still a pebble. He had not been converted to Christ to the extent he thought to be true. Jesus knew by the Spirit that Peter would fail in the moment of testing. Peter learned to his dismay that his spirit was willing but his flesh was weak.
So it is with us. We have declared with our mouth that we will follow Christ wherever He leads us. Our statement is sincere. But the obedience God requires must be fashioned in us at such a depth of our personality that it becomes instinctive under the most difficult circumstances.
Peter was still a young Christian when he denied the Lord in the hour of temptation. He slept in Gethsemane, and denied knowing Christ when in the palace of the high priest. Had these incidents occurred in the later years of Peter’s life, Peter would have watched and prayed with Christ in Gethsemane and would have stood with Christ in the high priest’s house with much the same resoluteness as his Master.
Absolute obedience in the moment of fierce testing is fashioned in us by the Holy Spirit over a period of time. God cannot trust us with the full authority and power of the Kingdom of God until He is assured of our faithfulness and obedience under all conditions.
Christ never had one drop of the poison of self-seeking in His "heel." He emptied Himself of His Divine rights and possessions and took on Himself "the form of a servant" (Philippians 2:5-8). Yet Christ Himself learned obedience to the Father by the things He suffered. He was made perfect in the area of obedience.
Christ had to be made perfect in obedience because of the awesome, terrible authority and power that were to be assigned to Him. Christ now possesses all authority, all power, all control over decisions of judgment in the entire creation of God.
At the Word of Christ the heavens and the earth will cease to exist. His is the highest throne of all. The heart of the Father safely trusts in the beloved Son because God knows that Jesus will be faithful—totally obedient in every situation.
The Lamb and His followers. The work of redemption that takes place in those who will ride with the Lord Jesus in that day can be studied in Revelation, Chapter 14. We behold Christ and those who will ride with Him—His mighty men.
And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads. (Revelation 14:1)
Christ is revealed, first of all, as the "Lamb." He appears in the Book of Revelation as the Lamb, even in the exercise of His fierce wrath: "And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of his wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand?" (Revelation 6:16,17).
God is well aware of the incongruity of presenting the avenging Christ as a lamb. A lamb is a gentle, helpless animal. The avenging Christ is not a gentle, helpless person. It would be more fitting to portray Christ of the second coming as a grizzly bear robbed of her cubs; or as a famished lion that has had fresh meat yanked from between its teeth. Why, then, a lamb?
And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things. (Psalms 45:4)
There are three reasons why Christ must appear as a lamb during the Day of Vengeance of our God:
The Lamb has redeemed us by His blood and therefore has been given the authority and power of judgment. His sacrificial love has purchased the right to judge those who are rebellious.
The meek obedience of the Lamb and His disciples has earned them the right to avenge disobedience.
The persons making the awful decisions that will result in the eternal destruction of sinners and their sin will not be judging from their own anger and impatience but from the wrath of God.
The sacrificial love of Christ has purchased for Him the right in the sight of God to judge those who will not accept His rule. Christ, the Lamb of God, bore our griefs and carried our sorrows. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The Lord God has laid on Him the lawlessness of us all.
Christ patiently took all our sins on Himself, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter. He did not open His mouth to justify Himself. The cost to Himself was very great—greater than we will ever be able to comprehend fully. Yet He meekly went to the cross in obedience to the will of the Father. Because He was willing to lay down His life on the behalf of sinners, the Father has given to Christ every person who will accept the sacrifice that Christ has made.
Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. (Isaiah 53:12)
In addition, the Lamb possesses the authority to save and to destroy, to heal and to wound, to bless and to curse. All judgment has been committed to Him who was willing to become the Lamb of sacrifice. The Lamb served the Father in meekness and obedience, bearing on Himself the sins of mankind. Therefore, to the Lamb has been given all authority and power of judgment.
The "lamb" is the portrayal of meek obedience. Sin entered the world through the lack of meek obedience to the Lord on the part of Adam and Eve. Salvation entered the world through the meekness and obedience of Christ.
For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. (Romans 5:19)
The Lamb of God pleased God by His obedience. Therefore God has chosen the Lamb to bring judgment on all disobedience. As disciples of the Lamb we must walk before Christ in lamblike meekness and obedience. If we do not we cannot possibly ride with the Lamb in that day.
And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled. (II Corinthians 10:6)
The lamb is a sign of the righteous judgment of God acting to avenge the injustices that have fallen on Christ and His followers. It is a case of recompensing wicked people for the harm they have done to the disciples of the Lord.
God has commanded the Christian people to be like lambs, to not avenge themselves but leave all vengeance in His hands. God has promised that if we will do that He will make sure justice is carried out.
We are to repay evil with good as the Lord guides and enables us. We are not allowed to harbor any bitterness or unforgiveness in our heart. We are not to fight back. We are to keep our mouth closed and suffer injustice unless directed by the Lord to do otherwise. We are to put our trust in Christ and allow God to plead our case.
Christ suffered more injustice than any other person on earth. Yet He opened not His mouth in self-justification. He accepted the perversity of men and devils without complaining. He is our example.
When Christ returns the situation will be reversed. In that day Christ will execute the judgment of God Almighty. The slain Lamb will become the Slayer. Christians will behold the judgment of God falling on those who persecuted the Church. Even though the saints would save the wicked if they could, it will be too late.
As soon as God had shut Noah and his family in the Ark there was no authority or power in Heaven or on the earth that could bring into the Ark the victims of the flood.
As soon as the Church of Christ arises from the dead there will be no way to hold back the wrath of God from the wicked.
Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; (II Thessalonians 1:6-9)
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. (Romans 12:19)
The saints will judge the world, and judge angels as well.
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 Corinthians 6:2,3)
It is necessary that the persons making the awful decisions of the Day of Christ be judging not from their own anger but from the wrath of God.
When Christ judges people He does not do according to what He sees or hears with His own eyes or ears. Rather, He listens for the judgment of the Father. When the will of the Father is plain to Him He makes His decision. Christ judges righteously because He seeks not His own will but the will of God who sent Him.
This kind of "blindness" and "deafness" is very desirable. It is a mark of spiritual maturity.
Who is blind, but my servant? or deaf, as my messenger that I sent? who is blind as he that is perfect, and blind as the LORD’s servant? (Isaiah 42:19)
Christ by nature is meek, forgiving, and loving. He is the Lamb. When the Father moves in Him in the sentence of judgment the Lamb becomes terrible in wrath. The avenging Christ will be a terrifying sight. The wrath of Christ does not proceed from His own spirit of revenge or vexation against sinners. His wrath proceeds from the throne of Him whose righteous and holy ways have been scorned.
The same condition must be true of each member of the Body of Christ. We must not jump to conclusions and judge our fellow believers. We must not judge after the sight of our eyes or the hearing of our ears. We must listen for the judgment of Christ. When we are sure of the mind of Christ, then we are able to make a righteous decision.
We must avoid acting from impatience or from vexation with frustrating circumstances. We must be taught by the Spirit to judge righteously, not seeking our will but the will of Christ of whom we are ambassadors.
Christ is creating meekness, forgiveness, and love in us. Many of us are wild animals by nature—anything but lambs. We go about blaming, criticizing, avenging ourselves—usually acting from mistaken judgment because we do not understand the reasons people act the way they do. God judges righteous judgment because He understands all the reasons for the actions of people.
As long as we are wild animals we never can ride behind the Lamb in the Day of Judgment. As we become meek, forgiving, loving, like lambs in nature, Christ can move in us in the sentence of judgment. The wrath of God proceeds from the throne of God, and it has been assigned to Christ—Head and Body—to administrate the Divine wrath. But judgment and wrath never is to proceed from our self-will!
Christ remains the Lamb, even in the administration of wrath. If there is a tinge of personal anger or impatience in the person who is acting as God’s representative in that day, the judgment becomes unrighteous. Only God’s Lamb, and those who are coheirs with the Lamb, can righteously administrate the judgment of the Most High.
God is making each of His saints as gentle as a lamb:
And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, (II Timothy 2;24)
It is not a roaring lion that we see on Mount Zion (Revelation 14:1) but the avenging Lamb of God—the same Lamb who stands ready today to take away the sin of all who will receive Him.
Mount Zion, the city of David, is symbolic of God’s fortress—the fighting, ruling strength of the Christian Church. David captured Zion from the Jebusites and then was able to command Jerusalem. Zion, the fortress, remained David’s favorite city. Zion speaks to us of the coming of Christ in overwhelming strength to place every one of His enemies in subjection to Himself.
The number 144,000 is the square of twelve, times one thousand. Twelve, in Scripture, is symbolic of Israel. In Revelation, Chapter 14, twelve times twelve signifies the arrival of the remnant of Israel, the Lord’s true saints (Romans 11:5; Micah 5:3), at the place of total victory, which is Mount Zion.
As soon as the victorious saints have come to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, the Lord Jesus will return, gather together His saints, give rewards based on faithful service, and then commence His rule with a rod of irresistible authority and power.
In the days in which we are living the Holy Spirit is moving wherever there are Christians, without regard to denominational creed or affiliation, seeking those who will submit to the full discipline of Christ. The Lord Jesus needs officers for His army.
Each person who hears the voice of Christ is challenged to go through the door of absolute consecration to the service and will of Christ. Christ then begins to invite the cooperating believer up to the throne of fruitfulness and rulership. It is the third death and resurrection.
Christ in us always is moving toward the throne of glory. We may be groaning and complaining about the cost. This is not wise.
To sit with Christ on His throne is given to whoever will grasp in faith this highest of honors. Dominion never is assigned to any church or system of churches, only to the members of the one true Church—the Body of Christ. The promises of fruitfulness and rulership are offered to the individual victorious saints.
The angels of the churches receive praise or blame as conditions may warrant. The rewards of coheirship with Christ are held in trust for the individual who overcomes Satan, the world, and his or her own sin and self-will.
Here and there, scattered throughout the churches, can be found Christians who are signifying their willingness to press through to the fullness of Christ. Some of these believers have had to meet in small groups outside the large churches because of the lack of fervency of the larger assemblies.
In many cases the Lord’s victorious saints are included among the most faithful and productive workers in the larger churches.
The true disciples of Jesus can be found everywhere: as missionaries serving on the field; as members of home prayer groups; as pastors, teachers, and evangelists; as bedridden saints who spend their nights in intercessory prayer.
The victorious saints do not constitute a recognizable group that we on earth can identify, such as a denomination, an independent church or group of such churches, or a movement. Throughout Church history—and it is the case today—the true disciples of Christ have been known to God alone. Only the Lord Jesus knows the members of His army.
Again, let us emphasize that being an overcomer is available and possible to every Christian without exception. Christ does not prevent anyone from following Him in fullness of faith. He invites us one and all. The only wall that can shut us off from the best gifts Christ has to offer is the wall of our own unbelief and disobedience.
When Christ appears the saints will be glorified together with Him, having already been united with Him by sharing His death and resurrection. This is the meaning of Revelation 19:7:
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.
The saints stand with the Lamb on Mount Zion. They have become meek, gentle, and loving as He is meek, gentle, and loving. Our avenging Christ will not include in this fellowship of deliverers those who are self-seeking, cruel, determined to be preeminent and to accomplish their will in every circumstance.
The writing of the Father’s name in their foreheads (Revelation 14:1) shows us that each member of the Body of Christ waits for the mind of God on a given matter before he acts or thinks. Our thoughts must be brought into subjection to Christ. Having the mind of Christ is necessary for each member of the Lord’s army.
We are being trained in obedience now. We are learning to submit to the Lord in prayer all our ways, both in important and in "unimportant" matters. A prayerful approach to acting, speaking, and thinking is taught to us by the Spirit over a period of time in the midst of the heat and pressure of our earthly circumstances.
It takes us a while to come under the Lord’s discipline, but finally we slow down enough to receive our moment-by-moment directions from the Lord. It is necessary for each of God’s judges to be perfectly in tune with His will if the work of judgment is to proceed according to God’s standards.
Do you remember how Joshua was tricked by the enemy?
And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD. (Joshua 9:14)
Cataclysmic forces will be unleashed during the Day of the Lord. It is essential that each of God’s judges instantly be aware of the Lord’s thoughts and attitudes. Awesome authority and destructive power will be at work. The eternal destinies of people and angels will be assigned.
Each of Christ’s saints will be a deliverer.
And saviours [deliverers] shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD’s. (Obadiah 21)
Christian disciples now are in the process of "coming up on Mount Zion." When they overcome, as Christ overcame, they will sit on the throne of Christ and rule as coheirs with Him. These are the "ten thousands of his saints," mentioned in Jude 1:14. They are the saints of the most High to whom judgment is given, as revealed in Daniel 7:22. These are they who sit on the thrones of judgment, portrayed in Revelation 20:4. We doubt that the number 144,000, of Revelation 14:1, is a literal number. Scriptural symbolism suggests that this group is a representative firstfruits of Israel, of the people of the Lord, whether they are Jews or Gentiles by physical birth. The number twelve and its multiples are significant in Scripture.
And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts [living creatures], and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. (Revelation 14:2,3)
The "voice of many waters and of a great thunder" is the voice of Christ (Revelation 1:15). It is the voice of all worship and all power. Christ is speaking of His overflowing pleasure because of the ascension of His mighty men to their positions of power and glory.
It also is the voice of resolution concerning the establishing of Christ’s Kingdom in the earth. It is the voice of command to his army of judges.
The "many waters" refers to the River of Life that flows from the inner being of each of the saints. The thunderous roar of Christ issues from the mouths of the saints as a fearful battle cry (Isaiah 42:13; Joel 3:16). The enemies of the Lord are to be destroyed at once.
The musicians of the court of Heaven sing and play a new song that belongs exclusively to the Lord’s mighty men. The song tells of Christ’s love for them and of their love for Him. It is the song of those who have become one in Christ in God. It is a song of worship and the Glory of God and of victory near at hand.
The "mighty men" never can be separated from Christ. They are identified eternally as part of Christ just as Christ is identified eternally as part of God the Father. It is an eternal marriage. What therefore God has joined together can never be torn apart. They are the Lord’s possession forever.
These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. . . . (Revelation 14:4)
Defilement with women (above) is not speaking of physical marriage but of spiritual marriage. Physical marriage is "honourable in all" and the marriage bed is "undefiled" (Hebrews 13:4).
The Lord’s saints are undefiled in the spiritual sense. There is nothing in their spirit that is competing with Christ for their affection. They have washed themselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit.
People spiritually "marry" all kinds of circumstances, relationships, and things. Their spirits, then, are not pure. Many Christians are defiled. They "love" Jesus but they are "married" to their ambitions, their jobs, their special church groups or doctrines, their money, their sins.
When they hear the voice of the Holy Spirit to "come up higher" their many "wives" demand that they not be forsaken in favor of Christ. So the would-be throne-ascender is tied down to a lesser place. Christ will never accept this kind of challenge to His supreme Lordship.
The Lord Jesus will accept no rivals. His name is "Jealous." He will have first place in our heart or trouble will come our way.
Jesus’ warriors learn to accept many kinds of relationships with people. They can prosper or suffer deprivation concerning circumstances and things. But their only true marriage is to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Christ works in them until their spiritual purity is assured before Himself. If there is the smallest question in any area the Word of God cuts into that soft spot. The area of darkness is put to the test of Divine fire.
The saints who stand on Mount Zion are married wholly to Christ and have become "one spirit" with Him.
. . . These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. . . . (Revelation 14:4)
"Following the Lamb wherever He goes" speaks of discipleship. Peter had in mind to follow the Lamb into trouble, but Peter fell away in the hour of testing.
However, each of the saints on Mount Zion, of whom Peter now is one, is ready to follow Christ anywhere. Each has been instructed in how to be abased and how to abound. In all matters and in all places they serve the Lord Jesus.
If Christ requires one of His saints to remain in a certain place for a season, laboring under difficult and vexing conditions, he remains there in the Lord. He does his best to avoid complaining and blaming and prays continually for strength and for deliverance in the Lord’s timing. He stays in his place. In this manner he follows the Lamb wherever the Lamb goes.
If the Lamb goes into danger the faithful saint is there. If the Lamb goes into war the saint is there. If the Lamb makes seemingly impossible demands on him the saint continues to be faithful.
When the Lamb walks, the saint walks. When the Lamb speaks, the saint speaks. When the Lamb suffers, the saint suffers. When the Lamb rules with a rod of iron, the saint rules with a rod of iron.
The firstfruits follow the Lamb wherever He goes without turning from the path. It has taken each of them a long time to master the lessons of absolute obedience. Having passed their tests to the Lamb’s satisfaction they now are with Him in all circumstances.
. . . These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. (Revelation 14:4)
Here are the firstfruits of the earth. They are the disciples of the Lord, the victorious saints, Christ’s mighty men. They are the firstfruits of mankind, the first reaping of the vine of the earth.
These are the Christian people who have turned aside from all their hopes, their ambitions, their dreams, fortunes, and everything else of value or concern to them that they may without distraction follow the Lamb wherever He goes.
Christ’s warriors always appear on Mount Zion, the city of David, because they belong to the heavenly David. The Ark was kept in the city of Zion throughout the period that David was king over Israel. The saints will reign with Christ throughout the thousand-year Kingdom Age and on into the new heaven and earth reign of Christ.
Any individual can become one of the Lord’s saints. Overcoming is not accomplished by our strength and wisdom but by the Lord’s strength and wisdom. The only obstacle that holds back any person from a place of victorious rest in Christ is his unbelief.
Every resource necessary for the gaining and maintaining of the life of victory over sin has been supplied by the Lord God through Christ. All that remains for us to do is to mix faith with the Word of God and enter our inheritance.
The Lord Jesus will allow no competitors for our love and attention.
In reaching for the highest prize we must lay all else aside. We must press forward toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ. If there is any point of indecision the Holy Spirit will enable us to overcome it.
Christian discipleship requires all of our attention and strength. Victory is impossible for the halfhearted. Victorious discipleship demands everything that is in us as we jump the hurdles in the race for the prize that Christ has set before us.
We have spoken of the guile of Jacob and how it is to be removed from us. The poison in our "heel" has to be drawn out by the cross of Christ. The victorious saints have two strong heels with which to crush the head of the serpent. They stand straight on their two feet and look everyone in the eye because they are not schemers, tricksters, supplanters, deceivers.
And in their mouth was found no guile: . . . . (Revelation 14:5)
The saints are simple, straightforward, clear of eye, mind, and heart. Obedience to the Lord fills their mind and they have been delivered from personal ambition. They have strong desires of their own, but all their desires are held before God so that the answers to their prayers are wrought in God and are not achieved by scheming and grasping.
The guile is taken from us in the third death and resurrection. It is here that God proves us as to the method by which we attain our inheritance. God brings us into suffering by stripping us of many things we desire fervently. Our willingness to hold fast to God in faith determines how deep we can go in the third death and as a result how high we can go in resurrection life.
The deeper the death the fuller the resurrection. In order to know the power of His resurrection we must be willing to share His sufferings. The cross comes before the crown. The more thorough the work of the cross in us the more glorious the crown.
It is God who must accomplish all this. If we lay our hand on the process, other than to obey God, we are attempting to solve the problem of guile by employing more guile. Finally we run out of plans and tricks and allow God to deliver the fatal blow to our self-centered nature.
If we would stand on Mount Zion with the Lamb we must be without guile. We must be converted from arguing among ourselves concerning who is to be the chief apostle.
. . . for they are without fault before the throne of God. (Revelation 14:5)
Flesh and blood human beings are full of sin and self-love. What a marvelous plan of redemption it is that can start with a person deeply bound in sin in spirit, soul, and body, and bring him to the place where he is without fault before the throne of God Almighty!
The victorious saints are "redeemed from among men." There is nothing special about their personal abilities, education, appearance, talents of any sort. Their distinguishing characteristic is they have chosen to believe God and to be faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ. Anyone can choose to do that.
The saints of the Lord are not those whom you or I would guess. They are not the people we would have chosen. God looks on the heart. It is God who places the holy unrest in the heart of the elect.
We may look for those who are above other people in appearance, in intelligence, in abilities, in religious zeal. God looks for the faithfulness of the heart and for meekness toward God.
Christ’s victorious saints are an unpretentious group. No one ever would guess they are being trained to rule the world.
How marvelous are the ways of God! Any true disciple of Christ will be quick to confess his own inadequacies, having had them pointed out to him many times by the Holy Spirit. It is this deep recognition of one’s dependence on Christ for all things that characterizes the true saint.
When the Holy Spirit has finished working with one of the disciples he is without fault before the throne of God.
The arrival of the firstfruits company on Mount Zion (a figurative way of stating that the Christians have fought their way through all opposition and, by the grace of Christ, have gained victory over the world, Satan, and their fleshly nature) is the point at which the Lord Jesus Christ will make His appearance. Christ has been waiting two thousand years for the maturing of the vine of the earth.
The Lord Jesus soon will receive His inheritance. His enemies soon are to be crushed beneath His feet. The moment the saints are ready to ride with Him He will appear in imperial majesty and bring the present evil age crashing down in flaming ruins. The creation will be purified by fire so that the redeemed may have a clean earth on which to live.
The perfect example of spiritual virginity, faithfulness, guilelessness, and faultlessness before the throne of God is the Lord Jesus Christ. He had to overcome and prove Himself faithful to God so He could be the Author of our eternal salvation.
Christ was tested in all areas of personality and behavior just as we are tested in all areas of personality and behavior. Therefore He is able to be a merciful high priest on behalf of His brothers. By His prayers and assistance we are laboring in order to achieve our own inheritance. Christ is bringing us into faultlessness before the Presence of the Father just as quickly as possible.
Christ suffered much on the earth. Supreme obedience must be mastered on the earth, it cannot be learned in Heaven. Christ learned obedience by the things He suffered on the earth. He was perfectly obedient to His Father at all times and in all ways.
We profess obedience, as did Peter. But, like Peter, we find our spirit is willing but our flesh is weak. We can speak obedience with our mouth, and such vocal expression is a necessary first step. But unfailing obedience must be created in us by the Holy Spirit through many fiery trials.
Only God can create actual obedience in us. When the testing becomes difficult human determination breaks down. God must develop obedience in us. Our desire to be obedient is a necessary beginning. We must ask the Lord to create strict obedience in every part of our personality.
We know that to Christ has been given all authority and power in Heaven and on the earth. Such absolute power cannot be comprehended by us. No other man ever has had or ever will have such power. Christ has a will separate from the Father. "Not my will, but thine be done."
Before a will other than the will of the Father could be entrusted with all power, all authority, all judgment, that will had to be crushed and pounded together with the will of the Father until there could be no possible chance of conflict. This is the third death.
Therefore Christ experienced a long cross-carrying trial of self-denial, humility, mockery, meekness, reproach, lack of comfort, loss of prestige and reputation, misunderstanding, perversity, and every other factor that can frustrate, irritate, humiliate, discourage, and bring pain to a person. There was much crushing disappointment and anguish in the brief life of Jesus of Nazareth.
Yet the Lord Jesus was so established in God that He bore every pain and humiliation without complaining, without blaming others (in the personal sense), and without losing His joy and victory in God.
Christ was tested much more severely than we, suffering the loss of all things. Finally He was executed in His innocence after having suffered numerous indignities and enormous spiritual and physical agony.
The result of this kind of treatment, if experienced in the Spirit of God, is the development of obedience to the will of God. There was nothing of self-seeking left in the Lord Jesus after His crucifixion. He is to be trusted with all power, all authority, and all judgment. Christ is Lord.
We also are called to positions of power and judgment, being coheirs with Christ. Therefore we are required to share the sufferings of Christ. If His road was filled with thorns and stones, what are we to expect who are altogether wretched in sin and rebellion? Let us not complain but rather commit ourselves to a faithful Creator, knowing all things are working together for our good.
We have been called by the Lord to be in the image of Jesus Christ. It is not surprising, then, if we must be brought low in humility as part of our training as sons of God. If we will cooperate patiently with the Holy Spirit our fruitfulness and strength soon will come from the hand of God Almighty.
A little way to go. A few more faithful steps. The finishing touches put on our character. A bit more understanding. Then we will be ready to sit on the throne of glory.
When we hear Jesus say, "Well done, good and faithful servant," the memory of the toils of the road will vanish as dew before the morning sun. Let us press on, knowing our reward is as sure as the promise of Christ.
The angelic army, as we have said, was present at the birth of Christ. It was assembled to give homage to the King (Hebrews 12:22). This army is ready to hurl the thunderbolts of God but it must wait until the King’s mighty men have been prepared. Then both the saints and the angels will march together as the company of two armies. This invading force will be perfect in righteousness, irresistible in power, and commanded by the Lord Jesus Christ.
Crushing the head of the serpent. When the trumpet of God blows, the attack of the two armies will be at hand. The head of the serpent soon will be crushed.
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)
Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people, even for salvation with thine anointed; thou woundedst the head out of the house of the wicked, by discovering the foundation unto the neck. Selah. (Habakkuk 3:13)
And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts. (Malachi 4:3)
And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. (Romans 16:20)
The Church will crush the forces of darkness under heels that have been healed.
And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. (Luke 10:18,19)
The Christian Church at its birth began treading on serpents and scorpions by healing the sick, raising the dead, and casting out demons. The Church at the end of the present age will crush all sin, and the authors of sin, under its feet.
Christ has promised us we will not be harmed in so doing. Protection from danger is promised to those who abide in the secret place of the Most High, in the center of the will of God.
The Church is associated with the feet of Christ. It is the feet that will execute judgment.
And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. (Revelation 1:15)
The feet of Christ are portrayed as being of brass (bronze). Brass and bronze typify that which can survive the fire of God’s judgment. The feet of Christ are associated in prophetic significance with the bronze Altar of Burnt Offering of the Tabernacle of the Congregation.
The strength to move one’s feet comes from the loins. The loins of man are typified by the bronze Laver of the Tabernacle. The Laver speaks of the fruitfulness and strength that flow from us as the result of the judgment of God’s Word working spiritual cleanliness in us (John 15:3).
The bronze Altar was kept hot with the offering of animals. Christ will march through the earth, clothed in a robe dyed red by dipping it in blood. No sin can withstand those fiery feet of bronze.
After the fires of judgment have burned away all that is unclean and useless, the "many waters" of the Spirit of God in the hearts of the saints will flow forth in cleansing and healing, preparing the world for the rule of the Lord Jesus Christ. The water of the Holy Spirit follows the fiery judgment of the Altar of Burnt Offering.
We have found that this terrible, avenging Christ is meek and gentle and that his Apostles are lowly among us.
Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you: (II Corinthians 10:1)
God cannot dwell where there is any trace of self-seeking. Christ emptied Himself of all glory and preeminence, taking the place of a servant. He never attempted to gain His inheritance by any means other than through absolute obedience to God.
Likewise, on our part there must be a straightforward, honest, sincere walk in the Holy Spirit. All insincerity, self-seeking, trickery, dishonesty, must be removed from us. We are to be obedient to the Holy Spirit, seeking the approval of Christ alone.
As we enter the sufferings of Christ our desire for acquiring relationships with people, desirable circumstances, and an accumulation of things is transformed as we behold the Glory of the Lord (II Corinthians 3:18). We begin to enjoy a peaceful rest in God and are content with the relationships and things He gives us.
We become increasingly free from bondage to people and from the need for seeking glory from other people. We covet the approval of God alone. There is a destruction of the deviousness in us and of the fear of not accomplishing our own will. The death is that of the cross, and the resurrection is the fullness of the indwelling of the Father and the Son in us and we in Them.
The Temple of God: the Church. The third death is the deepest death of all. The resulting resurrection leads to the spiritual fulfillment of the Levitical feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:39).
The third resurrection is the eternal reign of God in us. As God perfects His rule in the Church He can settle down to rest in the Church. Then the Church can serve as the intermediary between God and the peoples of the earth.
God loves the peoples of the nations. Yet He cannot approach them because they would perish instantly in the consuming fire of His Presence. God has created the Church as the means through which to receive His other creatures.
It is a continual grief in the heart of Christ to witness the deep sorrow heaped on people by the cruel perversity of the demons to whom they are in bondage. Christ desires to set people free and to teach them how to please God.
The Church, the Body of Christ, will serve to unite God and mankind. The Church itself is a firstfruits of the earth, a holy nation, a chosen people belonging especially to God. Through the Church, God will liberate the creation. All nations will flow to the Church and learn the ways of God.
When the Church is walking in the Spirit of God it possesses the authority to usher people into the Kingdom of God. This authority derives its legal basis from the shed blood of Christ. The Church, in Jesus’ name, can open and shut the doors of the Kingdom of God. It holds the key of David.
It is because of its role of intermediary, of priest, of prophet, of apostle, of teacher, of representative of God to people and of people to God, that the Church is required to undergo the strict curriculum of the school of the wilderness.
Each member of the Body of Christ must have a side of his personality that relates successfully to God and another side of his personality that relates successfully to people. Neither side is developed properly in the natural man. Our side toward God is marred by uncleanness and disobedience (a lack of holiness). Our side toward people is marred by deviousness, lust, and self-seeking (a lack of righteousness). Both sides of our personality must be re-created by the Lord God in terms of His own standard for us as individuals.
When God is finished creating us we will be edible "bread" for other people. They will not have to swallow our self-seeking along with the Bread of Heaven. Also, we will be holy personalities in Christ, being acceptable to God. The result of the re-creating of our personality will be that we are acceptable both to people and to God.
People will have someone who understands them and is interested in helping them and leading them to God. God will have someone whom He can trust with His riches and who is acceptable to Him through His beloved Son.
As soon as the Church, the eternal habitation of God, the Wife of the Lamb, has been completed according to God’s standard, God will remove the present heaven and earth and will create a new heaven and a new earth. God will reign over the nations of saved people through His Church.
The rule of God through the Church of Christ is described in Revelation, Chapters 21 and 22.
And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. (Revelation 21:3,4)
The eternal habitation of God is Israel, the called-out, holy nation of which we Gentiles have been made a part through Christ.
Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:19- 22)
The construction of the "building" (the habitation of God) commenced when Abraham was called from Ur of the Chaldees. The building will be finished at the conclusion of the thousand-year Kingdom Age. As soon as God’s purposes for the thousand-year Kingdom Age have been accomplished the books containing the detailed accounts of the lives of people will be opened.
When the Judgment has been concluded the new heaven and the new earth will come into view. The heaven and the earth we know now will be discarded at the appearing of the throne of judgment. The peoples of the earth, having been raised from the dead, will be faced with the fundamental moral issues of right and wrong. The good they have done and the evil they have done will be revealed.
The wicked will be cast into the Lake of Fire. The righteous will be carried over into eternal life in the new heaven and earth rule of Christ.
Then God in Christ in the Church will reign forever over the nations of saved peoples of the earth.
The Church of Christ is being constructed upon Christ Himself. He is the chief Cornerstone and the Rock from which every element of the building is measured and derives its significance. Christ is the standard, the plumb line, having been established by the Lord God with very great care.
In Christ the whole Church, being framed by the gifts and ministries of each member of the Body of Christ, is growing into a "holy temple in the Lord." It is a place of dwelling for God Almighty and Christ, as was the Tabernacle of the Congregation. The eternal dwelling place of God and the Lamb must pass through the three deaths and resurrections, being made holy in the smallest detail.
When we realize we are "builded together for a habitation of God through the Spirit" our understanding is enlarged and we become more patient with the numerous dealings of the Holy Spirit with us.
The creation of the Temple of God is one of the major purposes of God. The need for a "house" in which He can find the kind of rest He desires, a "body" through which He can communicate with His creatures in an acceptable manner, is one of the principal reasons for bringing into existence the Church of Christ.
Strengthened with might by God’s Spirit. Much work remains to be done before we will be able to contain the Lord God in the fullness He desires.
That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. (Ephesians 3:16-19)
The power of the riches of the Glory of God is strengthening us "with might by his Spirit in the inner man." We are being strengthened in order that through an ever-increasing faith on our part the Lord Jesus Christ may find rest and make His permanent home in us.
It requires much inner strengthening in order for us to be able successfully to receive and hold the Glory of Christ. We may think that all that is needed is for God and Christ to enter us; but Their coming creates all kinds of problems. Wherever the Ark of the Presence of the God of Israel goes, judgment follows.
One of the first problems caused by the indwelling of Christ in us is that of sin (Malachi 3:2). The closer we come to the Glory of God in Christ, the more light is thrown on our sinful deeds and thoughts. Therefore the coming of the Lord may solve some of our problems but cause many more (Amos 5:19).
Christ brings unrest and division before He brings peace. There can be no peace between Christ and wickedness. War erupts in us.
Another problem is that of our own self-seeking. There cannot be two masters of the same house. Through the third death and resurrection we are freed from our self-assertiveness. It then becomes possible for God and Christ to take the position of leadership in our "house."
Two people cannot walk together unless they are in agreement. God will not change His ways, so we must change our ways if there is to be a successful marriage.
As the love that is the Substance of Christ increases in us we become better able to lay hold on the fullness of God’s Person and ways in us. An enlargement occurs in us. We had been a "garden inclosed, a spring shut up, a fountain sealed" (Song of Solomon 4:12). Only Christ is able to come into that garden, to open the spring, to uncover the fountain of our spiritual nature.
It is the will of God that each member of the Body of Christ be filled with His fullness. To this end the Holy Spirit brings us through three deaths and resurrections, including many detailed instructions and processes.
The third death and resurrection, of which our present chapter speaks, brings us face to face with Almighty God. We die as a result. God in Christ assumes His rightful place on the throne of our heart and we experience a crucifixion and transformation at the core of our nature.
Moses’ wife, Zipporah, complained of his being a "bloody husband." The Lord always meets us and seeks to "kill" us just before He sends us forth to represent Himself (Exodus 4:24-26). There is no way to escape it. We are sinful, self-centered creatures. God is pure Holy Spirit. When the Person of God comes in contact with our self-centered, sinful nature the inevitable occurs. Our flesh shrivels and dies and God’s Person, righteousness, and holiness are shown to be blameless and perfect in every respect.
As soon as God has gained His way, and His Person has been enlarged in us, He can find rest in us. He desires to dwell in us in His fullness. This is possible only as we submit to His Person and ways and are willing to suffer the transformation of our person and ways.
Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. (Revelation 3:12)
The above verse reveals the eternal purpose of God in Christ. God has elected from all Israel a remnant (Romans 11:5). To those who will diligently follow the Holy Spirit, overcoming the world, their own fleshly nature, and Satan, there will be assigned rewards so fantastically magnificent as to stagger the faith of the most daring of God’s saints.
One of the greatest of all the rewards is that the overcomer will be created a pillar, an integral supporting element of the eternal Temple of God. Having been made a pillar he never can go out again or the structure would collapse.
God has many ways of expressing the greatness of His love for us. One of these ways is that of placing us in His house in such a manner that we are dependent on Him and He is dependent on us.
The three names written on the overcomer seal him forever as the personal property and part of the Personality of God Almighty. He never again can be separated from God.
We shall be serving God throughout His creation. In the days to come we shall have the ability to remain before God and yet have part of our person ministering in some distant place. Jesus possesses this ability of multiple-presence today. We do also, in the sense that we now are in Christ at the right hand of God (Colossians 3:1-4) and also are at home in our flesh (II Corinthians 5:6).
That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. (John 17:21)
John 17:21-23 speaks of our spiritual marriage to God in Christ. Marriage on earth is temporal, the uniting of two people so they can be heirs of the grace of life. Our marriage to Christ is eternal, the union of Christ with us so we can be heirs together of the Person and throne of God.
Our marriage to Christ begins now as He calls away our spirit to Himself. At His coming our marriage to Him will be manifested, being arrayed in the righteous conduct of Christ produced in us by the Holy Spirit.
And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness [righteous conduct] of saints. (Revelation 19:8)
Every Christian who hopes to be part of the Bride of the Lamb must purify himself (I John 3:3). John teaches us that if we say we abide in Him we ought to walk as He walked. In this life it is difficult to walk in a holy manner; yet we are to be following the Holy Spirit into full victory over the deeds of our flesh.
If we do not attempt to follow the Holy Spirit, but instead make a profession of Christ and live according to the appetites of our body and soul, we have no hope of being arrayed in the sparkling white linen of those who will ride with Christ in that day.
The white linen is not the imputed (ascribed) righteousness assigned to us upon receiving Christ. Rather it is our righteous conduct. The Wife of the Lamb will be clothed at His appearing in the righteous conduct she is developing and exercising today. She is clothed with the righteous conduct that has been created in her by the working of the grace of God.
The righteous conduct being created in us at this time is hindered by the dead flesh we are dragging around. In the Day of the Lord our body will be fashioned from resurrection life and will be of a size and quality determined by our behavior now—in this world.
Our resurrection body is being created now. Our new body that will clothe our resurrected mortal frame is in Heaven at the present time. It is being fashioned and added to by our conduct—conduct that should be becoming increasingly holy by the operation in us of the Word of God, the body and blood of Christ, and the Holy Spirit.
There is a direct connection between what we are doing now and the size and strength of the robe of righteousness, the body of life, with which we shall be arrayed at the appearing of the Lord Jesus. We are at this time working out the details of our own resurrection. (Romans 8:11-13; I Corinthians 15:42; II Corinthians 4:17; 5:5; Philippians 3:11).
The body with which we shall be clothed is being fashioned from resurrection life. We Christians are in pursuit of eternal life. What we are sowing we shall reap. If we sow to our flesh we will reap corruption. If we sow each day to the Spirit of God we will reap a body of eternal life. God cannot be mocked. Our reward will be determined by what we are doing now.
The Wife of the Lamb must make herself ready today. If we do not make ourselves ready now we will not be prepared for the Day of Christ. How many will be caught without a wedding garment in that day? If in that hour we have no power of righteous conduct in us we may find ourselves driven from the marriage supper by the King when He comes in to see the guests. (Matthew 22:13).
The song we will sing to the Lord at the moment of our being arrayed in eternal life is as follows:
I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. (Isaiah 61:10)
Paul described the relationship between the developing of righteous conduct now, and the body of life, the robe of righteous conduct, with which we shall be arrayed at the appearing of the Lord Jesus.
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While 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 Corinthians 4:17,18)
Our light affliction is creating the robe of righteousness that now is in Heaven and that will descend upon us at the appearing of Jesus. As we sow our present body to death our new body is having its rise before the throne of God.
We are sowing our mortal body. We are reaping before God a body of resurrection life. When we are clothed with that body, which will be dazzling in its whiteness (Mark 9:3), we will be life-giving spirits ready to carry the Light and Life of God throughout His creation (I Corinthians 15:45-49).
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 Corinthians 5:1)
The robe of righteousness is our house from Heaven. It is the sinless garment of salvation, of Isaiah 61:10. It is the substance of eternal life. Our present body is the body of our humbling, a vile body, a body of futility. The robe of righteous conduct is a surpassingly glorious body.
Our godly response to our afflictions is putting weight on our new body as it is taking shape before God in Heaven. The body from Heaven is our "mansion." It is our treasure that neither thief nor moth can harm. It is gold, silver, precious stones. It is our reward that the Lord Jesus is bringing with Him. Our body from Heaven will reflect our present conduct on the earth.
For in this 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. (II Corinthians 5:2,3)
If we are not allowing the cross of Christ to transform us now, we may discover in that day that we will be saved as by fire. We will have no robe of righteousness because we have not allowed the Holy Spirit to weave one by means of our behavior.
If we are living in the appetites of the flesh we will die spiritually. If we live after the Spirit of God we will reap everlasting life. We must be purifying ourselves, cleansing ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit. We must be making ourselves ready to receive the robe of righteousness.
If we are not making ourselves ready now, how can we expect to have an abundant entrance into the Kingdom of God at His glorious appearing?
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 Corinthians 5:4)
At the coming of Christ our mortality will be swallowed up by a body of eternal life, a robe of righteous conduct. This body is gaining weight each time we press forward into victory in Christ.
Our current afflictions are weaving that robe now, provided we are accepting our problems in such a way that resurrection life is being brought forth in our mortal body.
When the New Testament speaks of shrinking back to destruction, or reaping corruption, it is speaking of the Day of Resurrection. It means we are destroying the body with which we were to be clothed.
But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. (Hebrews 10:39)
For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. (Galatians 6:8)
In some respects, the Christian discipleship is a fight for the body filled with eternal life. Paul was groaning for the redemption of His body.
And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. (Romans 8:23)
It is possible that not as much attention has been paid, as should have been, to the kind of body with which we will be clothed in the Day of Resurrection. In any case, however, it remains true that the promised salvation has to do with the kind of body with which our spiritual nature will be clothed.
And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. (Romans 13:11)
The third death is the work of the cross in our emotional, soulish, fleshly self-life. We endure pain, denial, trials of every kind. As we receive these tribulations in the manner acceptable to the Lord the Life of Jesus is revealed in our flesh. Other people receive of the Life that is raising us up. They live from the overflowing of the Life that keeps on raising us up, while we continue to be brought down to death.
At the same time we are creating a house before the throne of God, and that house will be brought to us at the coming of the Lord.
Now he that hath wrought us [fashioned us] for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest [pledge] of the Spirit. (II Corinthians 5:5)
"He that hath wrought us."
The Holy Spirit, whom we have now and who is preparing us for the body from Heaven, is our guarantee that one day we will possess the fullness of the Holy Spirit. We shall be clothed with incorruptible life at Christ’s appearing.
If we sow to the flesh we will reap corruption now, and then be ashamed at His appearing because of our nakedness. If we have had developed in us a strong inner man that has become militantly righteous, sturdy as a rock in Christ, Christ will clothe us at His coming with a body suitable for our transformed inner man.
Our new body will be a direct counterpart of the spiritual state that has been developed in us. The fine linen is the righteous conduct of the saints. The clothing with eternal life will occur at the beginning of the invasion of the earth by the Lord Jesus Christ and His army of conquering saints.
After the resurrection, an eternity of rulership and service. As marvelous as will be the clothing with the body of life, which will take place at the beginning of the thousand-year Kingdom Age, the state of the Wife of the Lamb at the beginning of the new heaven and earth reign of Christ will be even more glorious—very much more glorious.
During the thousand-year Kingdom Age a marvelous transformation of the people of God will occur. The entire Church will become a city of such holiness and magnificence that the Apostle John was allowed to do little more than describe the protecting wall and gates, and to mention the Presence of God, the Lamb, the Holy Spirit, and the saints who compose the city.
The spiritual union set forth in John 17:21-23 will develop and mature until each saint has been brought into the heart of Christ. At the present time we are learning to walk in the consuming fire of God. During the thousand-year Kingdom Age we will have a long period of close relationship with Christ in worship, fellowship, and service that will establish our rest in God.
We have our opportunity now, in the present life, to learn righteousness, holiness, and obedience. If we, by the Spirit, conquer the obstacles placed before us we will be an eternal part of "Zion"—the remnant that will bear the Glory of God throughout the days of darkness that will come upon the earth just prior to the return of the Lord.
If we follow the Lord with our whole heart we will receive the rewards designated for the victorious saints. We will rule with Him throughout the thousand-year Kingdom Age.
"Zion" is associated with war, with King David, with the remnant, with the Ark of the Covenant, with the Glory of God, with the saints, and with the return of Christ. We understand from Scripture and from what we see around us that many believers will continue to slumber until the return of the Lord. Where these "sleepers" will be during the thousand-year Kingdom Age is unknown to us (Romans 11:8).
The Scripture is clear that if we are to attain the first resurrection from the dead, and the associated rewards of union with Christ, of responsibility, and of service, then we must press forward in the Lord with all our attention.
And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. (Revelation 21:3)
The Church of Christ is the Tabernacle of God, His eternal Temple. On the earth there will be the nations of saved people. God loves these people. It is His will to live among them and to meet all their needs. Therefore God is creating a tabernacle for Himself in which he can abide forever on the earth.
The first step in the construction of the Temple of God is the establishing of Christ as the Cornerstone from which the Temple is to be measured.
The second step in the construction of the Temple of God is the restoring of the Ark of God, the Presence of God, to Zion—that is, to the remnant of God’s people who are seeking Christ with a perfect heart.
Through "Zion" God will reconcile all Israel to Himself.
Finally, the Word and the Glory of God will fill the whole earth.
When all this has been accomplished, the earth and the heaven that we know will be discarded and the Wife of the Lamb will be established on a high mountain of the new earth, there to reign forever over the nations of saved people.
Our first business as the Lord’s saints is to reveal the glory and praise of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. We did not choose Christ (John 15:16). Each member of Christ’s Body has been elected according to the foreknowledge of God and in due time is presented to the Lord Jesus.
Each Christian has been ordained to bring forth fruit unto God: first, the fruit of the nature of Christ in himself; second, the fruit of the nature of Christ in other people.
Each Christian has been chosen in order to bring to the peoples of the earth the Presence, the ways, and the love of God. This is the reason for our calling and for the abiding of the Holy Spirit in us. We are bringing people to God now and we will have even greater opportunities in the future.
We are branches from the true Vine, who is Christ. Christ’s commission is to reconcile people to God (II Corinthians 5:19). Let us cooperate with the Holy Spirit so we may be an instrument of God for the reconciling of people to Himself.
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. (Revelation 21:4)
Through the Church, God will wipe away all tears from the eyes of the nations. Pain, sorrow, and crying will be experiences of the past. No inhabitant of the new earth can die. All plagues and curses will have been put under the feet of the saints.
How many people will there be on the earth? Multitudes upon unimaginable multitudes. Perhaps enough people for each saint to have a kingdom of his own. The Glory of God will be maintained throughout the earth by the ruling priesthood, the Body of Christ.
The reason God is spending so much time on each disciple at the present time, so much loving, patient examination of every detail of his or her life, is that we have an eternity of rulership and service ahead of us.
The full expression of what was portrayed in type by the Levitical feast of Tabernacles will occur at the descent of the Wife of the Lamb from Heaven to be the Tabernacle of God on the new earth. There will be no temple in the new Jerusalem because the city will be one temple of God and of the Lamb.
The new Jerusalem is the visible expression of the invisible God. The new Jerusalem is the house of God, just as our body is our house. God is creating a body for Himself.
The fullness of the Godhead dwelled in Christ when He walked on the earth and does yet dwell in Christ. We saints are the enlargement of Christ, therefore, the enlargement of the house of God (John 14:2; Ephesians 1:23).
Our position before God during the marvelous events soon to come to pass depends on our willingness to allow the Holy Spirit to bring us through death and resurrection: first, in salvation; then, in sanctification; finally, in the self-denial of consecration.
Remember that Jesus says to us:
And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. (Revelation 22:12)
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