Difference between revisions of "Waters to the Loins; Waters To Swim in"

Latest revision as of 12:47, 21 June 2011

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.

Back to Three Deaths and Three Resurrections: Vol 3

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-And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected. (Luke 13:32)
+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)
-For two thousand years the Church of Christ is to cast out devils and heal the sick. Whenever Jesus is working in the Church these two signs will take place. During the "third day" the Body of Christ will be perfected in Christ.
+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.
-Jesus Himself was made perfect through sufferings (Hebrews 2:10). Each member of the Body of Christ is being made perfect through the varied workings of the Holy Spirit. As the members of the Body are being made perfect they are being united with the Head, Christ, so that the whole Person is one work of God.
+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).
-The New Testament writings contain many passages having to do with our perfecting. The doctrine of perfection (Hebrews 6:1) has given rise to argument, with some Christians maintaining that perfection is not possible in the world and others claiming that the doctrine of perfection is taught in the Gospels and in the Epistles of the Apostles.
+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.
-It is easy to appreciate both sides of the argument. Those who claim perfection is impossible are emphasizing the weakness of human beings. Those who maintain we are to be perfect are emphasizing the statements of the Scripture and are not looking too closely at our shortcomings.
+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.
-Each of us humans is not merely weak, we are in fact helpless and hopeless in our flesh. Then we come under the blood of Christ and our sinful nature is forgiven. But our words, deeds, motivations, and imaginations remain far from perfection.
+The power to bear witness follows judgment (Revelation 11:3).
-It is not difficult to understand how sincere Christians cannot believe that perfection is possible in this life. But let us consider a few facts:
+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.
-First, the Scripture commands us to be perfect (Matthew 5:48; Luke 6:40; John 17:23; I Corinthians 2:6; Colossians 1:28; Colossians 4:12; II Timothy 3:17; Hebrews 12:23; James 3:2; I Peter 5:10; and so forth).
+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.
-Second, we are not to consider our own body "now dead" (Romans 4:19) but are to consider the Glory and promise of God.
+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).
-Third, what God means by perfection and what we mean by perfection may be two different concepts. Many of God’s heroes of faith were perfect by God’s standards but imperfect by our standards.
+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."
-Abraham was a perfect man by God’s standards but not by human standards. The father and mother of John the Baptist no doubt had many shortcomings, as we would judge them. The father was struck dumb because of disbelief in the angel’s glorious announcement. But it is written of them: "They were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless" (Luke 1:6).
+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.
-What God calls blameless is blameless!
+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.
-If it were left to our fleshly abilities, perfection would not be attainable. Our perfecting is the task of the Holy Spirit. Can we state it is impossible for the Holy Spirit to make us blameless? Is God unable to complete to His own standard of perfection what He has begun in us? Does God have the power and wisdom to perfect a human being in His image? We believe He does.
+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.
-One of the principal reasons why Christians do not push ahead in the overcoming life is that they have no goal. People will not run a race that has no finish line. If one does not believe in a mark, in a perfection, in an attainment, in an omega, in a completion, in a maturing, in a coming of age, or understand that the attaining of the mark will affect his eternal destiny, he will not exert effort in this direction. "Where there is no vision, the people perish" (Proverbs 29:18).
+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.
-If we spend our time thinking about our own imperfections and are ignorant concerning the promises of God we never will lay hold on the fullness of the redemption that is in Christ.
+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.
-Imagine the frustration of God as He looks down on us. He is abundantly able to create us in His image. Yet our refusal to consider His abilities and promises keeps us earthbound. Somehow there has crept into Christian thinking a fatalism, a fatalism caused by the ignorance of the Church concerning the promises, the total power, and the total knowledge of the Almighty God.
+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.
-We present God as a kindly but chagrined old gentleman who wishes we all would behave and is disappointed when we do not; as an indulgent parent who scolds his children from time to time and frequently is heard to exclaim, "Boys will be boys". This concept is false.
+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.
-A truer picture of God is that of a master craftsman who has set out to construct a house for himself, a craftsman with knowledge, wisdom, and in command of all resources in Heaven and on the earth.
+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.
-What kind of a dwelling would such a craftsman construct?
+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.
-How inappropriate it is for the materials that he is using to fret about their own incompleteness and imperfection. The only question is that concerning the power and ability of the builder and his access to materials. We think you will agree there is no question about the power or ability of God Almighty or His access to materials.
+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.
-If the above is true, the only remaining question is whether God has declared in His Word that the Church will be made perfect. If He has, we understand that our doubts and fears are groundless and that we will be made perfect in Christ if we follow His program.
+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.
-Being made perfect in Christ does not mean our imperfections will be covered up because they are hidden from view by the Glory of Christ’s own perfection. Imputed (ascribed) perfection has to do only with our guiltlessness when we receive Christ as our atonement. Imputed perfection is not the radiance of our wedding garment.
+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."
-When we start out as Christians our imperfections are covered by the blood of Christ. Being made "perfect" in Christ means that each Christian will be created in the full image of God in his spirit, soul, and body. Then the perfected saints will be combined into the perfect Body of Christ. After that, the Body of Christ will be made one in the Father and the Son. This is what it means to be in Christ.
+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.
-If there were one imperfect member in the Body of Christ the Body would be imperfect. One Israelite, Achan, caused God to declare, "Israel hath sinned." The army was defeated because of the covetousness and disobedience of one person (Joshua, Chapter Seven).
+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.
-Solomon’s Temple is a type of the eternal dwelling place of God. The stones of the Temple were not shaped at the construction site in order to fit. They were fashioned at another place so when the Temple was erected there was no sound of cutting or hammering into place.
+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.
-And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building. (I Kings 6:7)
+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.
-Each of us Christians is being "made ready" in the wilderness of the world. As soon as we have reached the standard in the mind of the Master Builder we will be brought together in one flawless joining by the Glory of God.
+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)
-Each living stone, having been formed in advance, will fit perfectly into place in the house of God, the Body of Christ. No forcing or compromise will be necessary in that day because of the unparalleled wisdom and skill of the Builder.
+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.
-There will be both individual and corporate perfection in the Body of Christ. Each member will be perfect and the whole Body will be perfect as a unit. All the ministries and gifts of the Holy Spirit are working to accomplish the unity and maturity of the Body of Christ.
+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).
-By perfection we mean three things: (1) the removal of the guilt, tendencies, and effects of sin; (2) the fullness of unblemished conformity to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ in spirit, soul, and body; and (3) the completeness of union with the Father and the Son through the Holy Spirit.
+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 the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; . . . . (John 2:1)
+And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. (Revelation 22:4)
-The "third day" is the thousand-year Kingdom Age, as we understand it. During the thousand-year Kingdom Age the Lamb will be united with His Wife. All the perfections that have been wrought in the saints during their discipleship will be glorified and made their eternal adornment.
+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?
-The Divine Gold of Christ’s Substance and the stones of character formed under pressure and heat will be refined, hammered, polished, and set into place until the dwelling place of God, the new Jerusalem, the Wife of the Lamb, has attained a beauty so dazzling that the light of the sun and moon no longer will be needed. This is the perfection of the Bride.
+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 most outstanding feature of the new Jerusalem is the indestructible, immovable, impregnable wall. The wall indicates that the members of the Body of Christ have had created in them the power and determination to resist evil spirits, unlike the defenseless Adam and Eve.
+The first three levels are the works of redemption. The fourth level is the fullness of God.
-The transparent gold of the city is the Divine nature created in each saint and then purified by suffering until Christ in him has become clear as glass—no rebellion or sin remaining. The precious stones set in the twelve foundations of the wall are virtues of character, such as faith, patience, humility, and obedience. These forever will adorn the personality of those who have believed in Christ and have remained faithful throughout every trial.
+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.
-Christ has been made perfect, and the Lord God Almighty will present to Christ a perfected Wife. Our task is to walk each day in obedience, accepting the joys and sorrows of the Christian discipleship, allowing each experience to bring forth in us the qualities desired by the Holy Spirit.
+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.
-If we remain faithful to the end, not turning away from the pathway placed before us by the Lord Jesus, keeping ourselves in the love of God in Christ, we will reap a harvest of perfection one day. This perfection will not be something we have accomplished but a state brought about in us by the wisdom, purpose, and power of God Himself.
+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)
-The present Christian concept that "ten thousand years from now we still will be praising God for His grace," meaning that ten thousand years from now we still will be exclaiming over the fact that God loves us while we remain in the filthiness and darkness of our lusts and self-seeking, is totally false.
+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.
-As we understand the program, the warlike remnant of the Church will press forward toward perfection in the present hour, but it will be during the "third day," the thousand-year Kingdom Age, that the entire Church of Christ will be brought to the Divine perfection.
+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.
-Meanwhile it is possible to be perfect right now. If we have done all we know to do, then, through the blood of Christ, we are at this moment perfect in God’s sight. Tomorrow is another challenge.
+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.
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