Difference between revisions of "Hosea, Chapter Six: Third Day"

Latest revision as of 12:51, 21 June 2011

Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth. (Hosea 6:1-3)

The Spirit of Christ is revealing here that after two thousand years of tearing and then healing us, smiting and then binding us up, the Lord will come to us as the harvest and spring rains. In so doing He will "raise us up, and we shall live in His sight."

Because of the above passage, and many others in the writings of the prophets, we are of the opinion that the power and blessing of Christ on and in His Church will increase from the present hour until the Lord returns visibly to the earth. The return of the Lord will be the climax of a slowly-building crescendo of revelation, of godly living, and of Spirit-empowered testimony.

The Lord Jesus Himself will come to us as an ever-increasing downpour of rain—both harvest and seed rain. Is this what Peter announced?

Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution [restoration] of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. (Acts 3:19-21)

Notice there are to be times (seasons; opportunities) of refreshing and times (periods) of restitution (restoration) of all things. Notice also that these opportunities and periods are associated with the coming of the Lord. According to Peter, God through His prophets has announced the periods of restoration ever since the world began.

We see then, in Hosea and Acts, that the revealing of Christ will not be one simple event that will come upon the world but rather will be the high point, the climax of a steadily-increasing issuance of the Holy Spirit to God’s people.

It does not state that the Lord Jesus will send the rain. It states, rather, that Jesus will come as the rain, as the harvest and seed rain to the earth.

"To them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation" (Hebrews 9:28). There have been refreshing rains of the Holy Spirit during the two thousand years of Church history. All of these have been "comings" of Christ to His Church. However, none of the previous "sendings" of Christ can be compared with the glory yet to come.

The coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is not for the purpose of saving us from the troubles of the earth, although we shall be gathered to Him before God pours out His fiery wrath on rebellious and disobedient people. Rather, the coming of the Lord Jesus is the bringing of eternal life to the saints by the resurrection of their mortal bodies and the clothing of their resurrected bodies with bodies of Divine glory. The concept here is that the resurrection of the righteous is the climax of the overcoming life of victorious faith.

We shall be delivered from persecution when the Lord is revealed. It is the appearing of the Lord that will destroy the enemy.

The purpose of our resurrection and ascension is not that we may escape the enemy or the necessary lessons God is teaching us in the wilderness of this life.

The doctrine of escape from vexing circumstances by means of the Day of the Lord is something like the idea that graduation from school is an escape from doing your homework. Graduation is a time of rejoicing for the diligent student, but graduation day may be filled with remorse and shame for the student who has been careless in school.

The Day of Christ will be a fearful time of judgment and rewards. Christ is coming to raise the Church and to reward each believer according to his works. He is bringing bodies of life like His glorious body. The more faithful we have been the more life we will receive. There is a reward for diligent, faithful, holy Christian living.

"In the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight." Our bodies will be raised on the "third day" and we shall be clothed with resurrection life. The purpose of such Divine impartation is that we may "live in his sight." We shall "live" during the "third day."

The third day: the thousand-year Kingdom Age. The third day is the Millennial Jubilee, the thousand-year period during which the Lord Jesus and His saints will shepherd the nations with a rod of iron. We are being prepared now to be raised at the appearing of the Lord Jesus and to live in His sight—in the throne of God and on the earth at the same time just as He lives in the throne of God and on the earth at the same time.

The thousand-year Kingdom Age will be an era, a wonderful era, and it is close at hand. The "going forth" of Christ is the dawning of the new day the Lord has made for us. The nations of the earth will learn righteousness in that hour, and the Wife of the Lamb will live in His Presence and be purified and transformed by His Glory.

When we observe "all Israel," the whole Church of God, at the end of the thousand-year Kingdom Age, the effect of the thousand-year work of God in Christ is apparent. She is now ready to descend to earth as the city of God Almighty, being able to gaze in adoration on the Face of God Himself.

The thousand-year Kingdom Age is the subject of much of the writings of the Hebrew prophets. Our position during the Kingdom Age will be that of rulers over cities, just as is true of the evil lords of darkness in the present hour.

The Church will cast down the evil lords of darkness and assume their vantage points of dominion over the earth. This is why the third death and third resurrection are so important. We cannot be assigned such responsibility until it has been demonstrated beyond a doubt that we are to be trusted.

The authority, power, life, responsibility, opportunities for service, discussed in the second and third chapters of Revelation, are "licenses" that give evidence of adequate preparation. We do not earn the licenses by accumulating points. Rather, we allow the Holy Spirit to prepare us for the roles associated with the royal priesthood.

Current Christian thinking is in error concerning the royal priesthood. The concept is that by grace through faith we will be made members of the Bride, of the royal priesthood. This is not at all true. This would be equivalent to saying that those on whom the state has mercy will be given a license to practice medicine.

No person will be made a member of the royal priesthood until he or she has been adequately trained. Mercy and grace are a lifeline to the sinner; but the royal priesthood consists of sons of God who have experienced very difficult training and have passed the most rigorous testing imaginable.

If we are not faithful in this life in that which is least there is no possibility that we will reign with Christ. The teaching that indifferent church-attenders suddenly will be transformed into spiritual kings and priests of Christ proceeds from ignorance of Kingdom realities. We reap exactly what we sow in this life.

We know the parable of the ruler who gave out the talents as he took his leave. When he returned he demanded an accounting of his money. To those who had been diligent he entrusted the oversight of cities.

If we are diligent with the grace of God entrusted to us, giving time each day to the single-minded seeking and serving of the Lord Jesus, He will put us in charge of cities on the earth, just as He promised.

If we are not diligent, having taken the initial step of salvation in Christ but then having spent our days in the things of the world, we assuredly will not be entrusted with greater responsibility. Furthermore we run the risk of having the faith and the opportunity for service that we do have taken from us by the Lord and given to another believer who is employing everything God has given him in the fight to establish the will of God in the earth.

Violent times are just ahead and we will need every bit of grace we possess. So let us be diligent with the things of the Lord.

Let us take heed to ourselves and to what Christ has given us for He will come to us suddenly and demand an accounting. Let us be like faithful Moses, serving Christ with all our heart, soul, mind and strength so that no matter when He comes to us we will rejoice to see Him and will be glad for our earthly conduct as we render to Him an accounting of our actions.

The manner in which we are responding to Christ now is having a direct effect on our lives during the ages to come. If we are faithful warriors we will be numbered among His mighty men, His rulers, when He appears. If we have been careless and indifferent we will be ashamed before Him at His coming.

And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power [authority], but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4-6)

One of the most important concepts of the "third day" is that of rulership. John beheld "thrones" and "they" sat on them. We understand from Daniel, Chapter Seven, and Revelation, Chapter Three, that "they" are the saints of Christ, the victorious believers. "Judgment" was given to them.

Many passages of both Old and New Testaments inform us that Christ and His faithful ones are coming to judge the heaven and the earth, destroying sin and sinners and extending the righteous rule of Christ throughout the earth.

Another concept is that of discipleship. The rulers and judges of the third day are those who give their lives for Christ in the spiritual sense, and sometimes physically as well. They live their lives in obedience to the Holy Spirit and consistently testify to the truth of the Word of God, no matter what it may cost them in suffering or inconvenience.

They are "living sacrifices" whether or not they live or die in the physical body (Hebrews 11:4). They are not careless Christians but are the dedicated disciples of the Lord Jesus.

They will not worship the God of this age or any institution that Satan-directed man sets up. They are steadfastly for Christ and against Antichrist. They come out from the lust and murder of the world and purge themselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit. They refuse to serve Satan. They turn away from the pleasures of the flesh.

Whatever sacrifice Christ requires of them they offer with diligence. They count themselves as dead and Christ as their life. They present their bodies a living sacrifice and are changed into the Spirit of the Lord rather than the spirit of the world. They are transformed by the renewing of their mind as they meditate continually in the Word of God.

The work of their hands is dedicated to the service of God, and they cannot be frightened into bondage to the world economic system. They would starve to death before they would deny Christ. They are ready to walk in faith, as the Lord leads, and trust God for their daily bread, their families, their clothes, their shelter.

These rulers and judges have overcome the God of this age and their own flesh, being ready at all times to go outside the camp with Christ, bearing His rejection and humiliation. They esteem "the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt," for they have "respect to the recompence of the reward" (Hebrews 11:26).

"They lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." "We shall live in His sight."

We are in the pursuit of Divine life. It is not enough merely to "accept" Christ and then return to our customary way of living. We must spend our days sowing to the resurrection, just as Paul did (Philippians 3:11; Galatians 6:8).

We must make a total effort if we are to lay hold on eternal life. We cannot hold back one particle of our personality but must give all to the quest. There is life more abundantly in Christ. Abundant resurrection life is a prize we gain by sharing the sufferings of Christ.

The "first resurrection" of Revelation, Chapter 20 (not the first of the three resurrections that are the subject of our book) is the resurrection of the conscientious Christians who are faithful disciples of the Lord Jesus. It is the out-resurrection Paul was striving to attain (Philippians 3:11).

Those who attain the first resurrection are "blessed and holy." The second death, the Lake of Fire, has no authority over them.

Perfecting the Church and governing the nations. The ruling saints abide eternally in the consuming Fire. They are made ever more pure in Christ’s image by the Divine Fire because their Substance is Divine gold. Their reward is to be "priests of God and of Christ."

The victorious saints will represent and bring the Presence of God and Christ throughout the creation for one thousand years. During the thousand-year Kingdom Age the whole Church of Christ will be perfected. The nations of the earth, through the Church, will be taught of the Person and ways of God Almighty and of His beloved Son (John 17:21-23).

The perfecting of Israel, the Church of God, is described by the Spirit of Christ speaking through Isaiah:

For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody. (Isaiah 51:3)

O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones. And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children. (Isaiah 54:11-13)

A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the LORD will hasten it in his time. (Isaiah 60:22)

To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. (Isaiah 61:3)

The holy city, the new Jerusalem, the Church of Christ, is being constructed. It will be perfected during the ages to come. As the Church is being perfected by the Lord the members will be busy serving Christ as kings and priests throughout the creation. They will restore everything of worth that has been destroyed. We now are entering the program that is perfecting us in Christ and we are ready to serve Christ throughout the earth as He directs. However, we shall "live" during the Kingdom Age to an extent not available in the present hour.

And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations. (Isaiah 61:4)

The members of the Body of Christ will bring redemption to every person on the earth who does not resist the lordship of Christ.

I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. (Isaiah 42:6,7)

The role of the Church is to teach the nations the righteous ways of the Lord.

And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. (Isaiah 2:2,3)

The thousand-year Kingdom Age is the "third day" of Hosea, Chapter Six, according to our understanding. The victorious saints will rule as kings and serve as priests of God and Christ throughout the thousand-year period of peace, a peace enforced by a rod of iron. There will be righteousness on the earth.

Our ability to assume such a high level of authority and responsibility depends on our willingness to obey God now. He has three deaths and three resurrections to bring us through. The third death and resurrection, that of victory through consecration and obedience, must be wrought in us if we are to attain the resurrection of more abundant fruit and enormous power and authority to which the Lord has called us in Christ.

Back to Three Deaths and Three Resurrections: Vol 3

@@ Line 117: / Line 117: @@
 Our ability to assume such a high level of authority and responsibility depends on our willingness to obey God now. He has three deaths and three resurrections to bring us through. The third death and resurrection, that of victory through consecration and obedience, must be wrought in us if we are to attain the resurrection of more abundant fruit and enormous power and authority to which the Lord has called us in Christ.
-Waters to the Loins; Waters to Swim In
-And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ancles. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters were to the loins. Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over. (Ezekiel 47:3-5)
-There may be no clearer picture in the Scriptures of progressive redemption in Christ than that of the river Ezekiel saw in vision. Ezekiel’s river is a type of the three deaths and three resurrections and of the resulting flowing of the River of Life to the peoples of the earth.
-We notice, in verses eight and nine (of Ezekiel, Chapter 47) that as soon as the fullness of life has been developed in the Church the water will "go into the sea" and "there will be a multitude of fish." As soon as the Church has been made one in Christ and in the Father, the world will believe (John 17:21-23).
-Judgment and refreshing. The "man that had the line in his hand" represents the judgment of God. The blessing of the Holy Spirit always is associated with judgment. The cloud and the fire go together. Christ baptizes us with the Holy Spirit and with fire. The Holy Spirit sat on the early Church as tongues of fire. Where the Holy Spirit is, there is judgment against sin.
-As the man proceeded "eastward," that is, toward the Day of the Lord, the Word of God "measured" the Temple of God and those who worship therein (Revelation 11:1). The judgment resulted in an increase in the depth of the "waters," the depth and fullness of the Holy Spirit.
-The power to bear witness follows judgment (Revelation 11:3).
-When a Christian church prays earnestly for revival, the Holy Spirit will respond by sending conviction on sin. Men and women, boys and girls, will begin to confess their sins and make their lives right in God’s sight. When the confession and repentance have been completed to the Lord’s satisfaction He will send blessing, enlargement, and the ability to bring life to those around us.
-The more of the Holy Spirit we would possess the more sensitive we must be to sin. When the Holy Spirit comes He convicts us of sin in our deeds, words, motives, and imaginations. If we confess our sins and turn away from them, the blessing increases on us and we become more effective witnesses of Christ.
-The "man with the line in his hand" is walking among the Christian people today and we are being made aware of the holy demands of the Holy Spirit. The judgment of the Lord is in the land and it always begins with the household of God (I Peter 4:17).
-The "waters" represent the Holy Spirit of God. The Spirit of God was active in the creation of the heaven and the earth, brooding on the "face of the waters."
-We can notice the Spirit of God working in the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and their descendants. The Spirit, who guided their lives, gave them the ability to bless their children in prophetic utterance (Genesis 48:15, for example). Many prophets, judges, priests, and teachers were moved by the Holy Spirit during Old Testament times.
-Joel prophesied that God has determined to pour out His Spirit on all flesh. The fulfillment of Joel began on the original Day of Pentecost. After centuries of spiritual desolation sprinkled with the lives of outstanding saints, the Holy Spirit began through the Protestant Reformers the wonderful restoration described by Joel and the other prophets of Israel. Many revivals have occurred in various geographical areas since the time of the Reformers.
-The Spirit was poured on Wales toward the end of the nineteenth century, and in other parts of the world in the early twentieth century. Speaking in tongues and other manifestations of the Holy Spirit have become increasingly widespread.
-In the middle of the twentieth century, impetus was given by the Spirit to the manifestation of Divine healing. Also, the Spirit began to testify that the harvest rain was on the way and that now is the time to pray for the increase of the harvest rain.
-In the latter days of the twentieth century we notice the Holy Spirit moving in Indonesia, South America, Africa, Europe, and in other areas as well. In addition there has been a greater willingness to respond to the Spirit on the part of many persons who attend the churches of the large denominations of Christendom.
-A thoughtful observer may conclude that the entrance of the Spirit of God into the earth is increasing rapidly, exactly as prophesied by Joel and the other prophets of Israel. The Holy Spirit seems to be testifying that the restoration that began with the Protestant Reformers is moving forward in this hour at a rapidly increasing rate and soon will attain a magnitude never before witnessed on the earth since the time the Holy Spirit first hovered over the watery surface of a formless planet.
-It is our understanding that the outpouring of power to bear witness will not reach its climax until every man, woman, boy, and girl on the earth has both seen and heard the Gospel of the Kingdom of God in the fullness of Divine power and authority. After that there will be a rise of lawlessness, including the revealing of the "man of sin," with the result that the love of the majority for Christ will grow cold.
-The man with the line in his hand always is moving "eastward" toward the rising of the Sun of righteousness. So it is that both judgment and refreshing will increase as we approach the Day of Christ, especially in the "remnant" of saints whom the Lord is drawing to Himself. We must be made ready for the coming of Him whose eyes burn as a flame of fire.
-Church history, and the deepening waters. We may think of the "cubits" as years, when studying this passage from Ezekiel, Chapter 47. During the first thousand years of the history of the Church the "waters were to the ankles." The Holy Spirit in the Church affected the conduct of most of the communicants in the "Christian" countries to a limited extent, or so it seems.
-The spiritual experience of millions of Europeans consisted mainly of attendance at Divine service and the observance of the sacraments, along with unscriptural practices such as the buying of indulgences. The concept of living one’s daily life in moment-by-moment cooperation with the Holy Spirit appears to have been limited to a few outstanding saints.
-During the second millennium of Christian Church history the Holy Spirit will increase until the "water" has reached the "knees." The influence of the Holy Spirit on the members of fervent Christian assemblies has been increasing—especially since the days of the Reformers. The early Methodist and Baptist churches, for example, made strong demands on the spiritual life of their members and the Spirit of God was among them.
-The teaching of the "holiness" and Pentecostal churches, in some instances, have added to these demands. The believers have been exhorted to "walk in the Spirit."
-It is our understanding that the third "day," the third thousand-year period, will be the thousand-year Kingdom Age. At that time the Holy Spirit will be to the level of the "loins," that is, to the place of fruitfulness and strength.
-The nations of the thousand-year Kingdom Age will not have a choice as to whether they wish to serve the Lord. The saints will be in control in both the spiritual and natural realms. The laws of the Kingdom of God will be enforced with the iron discipline of the Holy Spirit. All who resist Christ will be destroyed.
-This is "waters to the loins," to the area of fruitfulness and strength. Satan and wicked people will not be allowed to destroy and corrupt throughout the thousand-year Kingdom Age, until the thousand years have been fulfilled. Then Satan will be released for a short period while God is putting the finishing touches on His complete work of judgment and redemption.
-The further the whole Church goes into the "waters" of God the easier it is for individual saints to press forward into even greater victory. Now, in these days, the Spirit of God is beckoning to each of us to press forward to the fullness of victory in Christ. There will be a "remnant" of saints who will bear witness of Christ with unprecedented power through to the coming of the Lord.
-Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over. (Ezekiel 47:5)
-The fourth of the thousand-cubit lengths, the "waters to swim in," speaks of the new heaven and earth reign of Christ. Four is the number of Pentecost, in that the feast of Pentecost is the fourth of the seven feasts and the Lampstand is the fourth of the seven furnishings of the Tabernacle of the Congregation.
-During the eternal reign of Christ the Presence of the Holy Spirit will be available to us as a "pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the Throne of God and of the Lamb" (Revelation 22:1).
-Perhaps the most outstanding feature of the new world will be that the saints are permitted and able to look on the Face of God—an unheard of glory.
-And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. (Revelation 22:4)
-How do we proceed from our present animal state to a level of spirituality where the Spirit is available as a crystal river and we are able to see the very Face of God?
-We pass from the salvation level, waters to the ankles, to the sanctification level, waters to the knees. Then we proceed to the conquest-consecration-throne level of water to the loins.
-The first three levels are the works of redemption. The fourth level is the fullness of God.
-After we have been brought through the third death, in which we learn obedience to God, all we have gained spiritually must be returned to God from whom it came. The goal is union with the Father through Christ—total, complete, restful union. The end is love. We abide in perfect love in Christ in God. This is waters to swim in and it passes knowledge, it cannot be crossed over.
-Now we become a tree of life. We are brought back to the bank of the River of Life. The love of Christ in us is expressed toward other people.
-And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen this? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink [bank] of the river. (Ezekiel 47:6)
-We begin to understand that God called us out of the world to become His Church, and then out of the churches to become a holy remnant, the firstfruits of His Church, being prepared to assist those who possess less of God than we do. The firstborn receives the double portion so he may assist his brothers and sisters.
-If we are called to the Bosom of the Father, to be a part of her who is "the only one of her mother," we must proceed to the fourth level, and then return to where the "fish" are. All that is ours must be returned to God, and then all that is God’s will belong to us. There must be nothing in us that is not found in the Father.
-Our ultimate goal is not some sort of transcendent spiritual perfection but rest in the Bosom of the Father. Those who have been called to the fullness of Christ are in a place of great danger and great opportunity. The danger is that after having been delivered we will retain our self-will and become another satan. The Charismatic churches are dangerously close to this position in the present hour.
-The desirable state is that in which we are content to rest in the Father’s will, caring no longer for preeminence, power, fame or any of the other goals to which the spiritual person may be attracted.
-Most of the churches and organizations, it appears, are "leaping" in order to excel, to call attention to themselves and their programs. It is a babylonish (manmade, man-centered, man-directed) condition, a circus of activity in which each ambitious individual seeks to outdo and control the others.
-God is calling His elect away from the leaping and striving of the Christian churches.
-My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; (Song of Solomon 2:10-12)
-Can you hear the voice of the Bridegroom? If so, go to Him in prayer until He visits you and you know your place in Him. We have this opportunity in the present hour.
-Pure love, pure joy, pure peace, can be ours only when we have come into restful union with God and have been brought by Him to the people whom God has appointed to eternal life. Then with the greatest joy we shall bring forth waters of life from the wells of salvation that have been formed in our personality. We shall continue in the love of Christ, having forgotten all our former desire for preeminence and spiritual power.
-The saints are to become such a part of God and Christ that they dwell forever in the abundant fullness of the Spirit of God. They will be absorbed eternally into the Divine holiness—"waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over."
-Let us move from the ankles, to the knees, to the loins, and finally to the river that cannot be passed over. Such fullness is available to each of us if we will submit to the working of God in us through Christ.
-When we are wading around ankle-deep we merely are playing with the things of God. Let us go out to deeper water and find the place where Christ abides. We may have the Holy Spirit, but does the Holy Spirit have us?
-The fullness of the Holy Spirit will come to us in the "third hour" (Acts 2:15), in the "third day" (Hosea 6:2), in the third death and resurrection of redemption. We Christians have not "arrived" yet.
-It is the sworn intention of the Almighty God to bring people and circumstances to the place where He can pour out His Spirit until the whole earth is covered with the Spirit of God as the waters cover the sea.
-But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD. (Numbers 14:21)
-For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. (Habakkuk 2:14)
-Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed. (Ezekiel 47:8)
-The outpouring and prevalence of the Holy Spirit in the days prior to and then throughout the thousand-year Kingdom Age will be intense and widespread. A foretaste of such glory occurred in Wales during the last century.
-Can you imagine the anointing and glory that accompanied the evangelist Finney abiding on every member of the Body of Christ? Wherever Christians are—and they will be active everywhere throughout the creation, serving God as kings and priests—there will be the Presence and comfort of the Holy Spirit.
-In the new heaven and earth reign of Christ the Presence of the Holy Spirit will be so glorious, so pure, so intense, so consuming, so pervading, as not to be understandable by us in our present state of mortality. We know it will be so because of what God has said in His Word. We are not mature enough to comprehend such Divine Glory.