Podcasts about heavenly jerusalem

Friends of the Rosary,Today, Fifth Sunday of Easter, at Mass' Second Reading, at the end of the Book of Revelation (21:1-5a), John describes the Heavenly Jerusalem, where we will joyfully dwell with Christ Jesus forever, once the old order - “the former heaven and earth” - has passed away.As John saw, the New Jerusalem, the new holy city, will  be “a new heaven and a new earth.”In the main reading of today's Mass (John 13:31-33a, 34-35), Jesus gives us a new commandment: “love one another.”“As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.This is how all will know that you are my disciples,if you have love for one another.”At the Last Supper, Jesus told the Eleven: “As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. All will know you are my disciples if you love one another.”Christ Jesus loved us first, and his love makes it possible for us to love like him in turn.Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Come, Holy Spirit, come!To Jesus through Mary!Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will. Please give us the grace to respond with joy!+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York• May 18, 2025, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Psalms 120-136 form the 2nd Cycle of the 5th Book of the Psalter. Within this collection is the very special "Psalms of Ascent" that pilgrims would sing as they enter the Holy City of Jerusalem. These psalms are extremely typological of our own earthly pilgrimage to the Heavenly Jerusalem. Enjoy this sample from Lesson 15, "Psalms 120-136," from Dr. Nick's course, "Psalms: Lift Up Your Hearts." Anyone can join our community of students and stream the entire audio lesson and full course (and other courses too!) whenever they wish.

Homily of Fr. Michael P. O'Connor from Mass on February 3, 2025 at Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church in Bay St. Louis, MS. Referenced Readings: Hebrews 11:32-40 Mark 5:1-20 If you would like to donate to OLG and her livestream ministry, please go to https://olgchurch.net/give

**Thank you for supporting this ministry, I lovingly refer to as "The Little Green Pasture." Click here: PayPal: http://paypal.me/JoanStahl **Please prayerfully consider becoming a ministry partner: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/joaniestahl **Contact Email: jsfieldnotes@gmail.com **Subscribe to me on Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-534183 Today is the first day after the inauguration and the sun is still shining, and the birds are still singing, and there is work still to do for the Lord. Yes, there are many exciting new things to expect now in our nation and many are breathing a great sigh of relief. Yet there is still the spiritual side, the walk towards the Heavenly Jerusalem. And at this time it is now a short walk. There are still many souls that are famished, thirsty and dying. For all the true laborers of Jesus Christ, the day is still the same as before until the very end. Nothing changes, we go on. As in the Old Testament it is continually said, "The camp setteth forward." Elon Musk posted something this morning saying, "The return of the king!" That really struck me. I replied in my heart, "No Elon, OUR KING is still coming." And in the knowledge that our King is STILL coming, who is Jesus Christ, then we are going to press forth, press onward, even with much tribulation. No doubt more so, and not because many executive orders were signed, but because we know there is such a short time left. Christ is our focus and our "eyes are fastened on Him," and our "ears are attentive" to the sound of His voice and movement. I had a dream the night before the inauguration. I was shown from the Lord what the command of duty is from our King for the final days. I pray you will hear the dream and follow that blessed charge. Jesus Christ is coming again, and He will reign supreme and all kings will bow down before Him. "He will honor those that fear Him." "The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him." Psalm 72:10-11. "All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O LORD, when they hear the words of thy mouth. Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the LORD: for great is the glory of the LORD." Psalm 138:5. " And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be...He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen." - Jesus Christ - Revelation 22:12,20.

Audio reading: Gen 41:39-52, Mal 1:1-2:17, Rev 21:1-27, Psalm 149:1-9, Prov 31:1-7 Join me in this journey reading through the entire bible in one year!  In Matthew 4:4, Yeshua said these words: “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” Taking in the word of God every day is LIFE to our spirit and health to our bones! Visit us at: ⁠dailyaudiotorah.com⁠ Go to Israel Connect: Your bridge to the land and people of Israel! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bridge-connector/support

The background to Ps 24 is the ascension of the Ark of the Covenant (God's earthly throne) to its rightful place in Jerusalem in a great procession, with much rejoicing (2Sam 6, 1Chron 13,15). It signified God arising to be enthroned in Jerusalem, His chosen dwelling place (Ps 132). The event's importance is reflected in the pomp & pageantry of Ps 24. This is a type of Christ's Ascension to sit on God's throne in the New Jerusalem & future ascension to sit on His earthly throne in Jerusalem. What gave significance to this event is the holiness of the Hill of the Lord (His dwelling place) and the King of Glory enthroned on the Ark. The question & answers in Ps 24 were part of the dramatic ceremony, enacted before the city gates. The answers affirm only the King of Glory is worthy to enter thru the Gates and ascend to His place on the holy Hill. Likewise, Christ alone (the King of Glory) is worthy to ascend into Heaven, but He did it for us, so that in Christ, we also can ascend into God's holy Presence in Heaven. Ps 24 is in 3 parts: *(1) The Sovereign Creator, who owns all things (v1-2). *(2) The Heavenly Temple – the requirements for Ascension (v3-6), how can a man know such a high God, stand before Him & receive His blessing? Perfection is required, which is a problem for us. *(3) The true Redeemer – the King of Glory (v7-10). God became a man, and made a way to bring men to God. *PART 1. The Truth about God (v1-2): "The earth is the Lord's, and all its fullness (expanded in next line), the world and those who dwell therein (its produce and people)" (v1). This is quoted x2 in 1Cor 10:25-28 (see Ps 50:10-11). WHY does it all belong to Him? He is its Maker & Manager: "For He has (1) founded it on the seas (Maker, Gen 1:2,9,10, 2Pet 3:5), and (2) established it on the waters (rivers, symbolic of His Providence)" (v2). ‘Established' (imperfect tense) speaks of His ongoing management of the earth. He's the rightful Owner of all things. We are just tenant possessors of the earth & stewards of God's resources, for which we'll give account. Our life is not for us to do with as we please. God's authority is absolute over all, He has the right to do whatever He wants with us & the world. When we see this, it humbles us. The big question we must ask is: "How can I be right with God?" This seems impossible due to the infinite gap between us as sinful creatures & the holy God. Holiness is represented by height, so God is high above us (Is 57:15, 55:8). For man to be right with God & commune with Him requires us to ascend, but how is this possible? This is what David asks in PART 2: God's requirements for Ascension (v3-6): "Who may ASCEND the Hill of the Lord? (Heavenly Jerusalem) or STAND in His Holy Place?" (v3). The answer, the moral requirements for ascension, is given in v4: "(1) He who has clean hands & (2) a pure heart" (v4a). Here Hebrew parallelism works like stereo vision to give a full 3D picture, emphasising both his (1) outward actions & (2) inward attitudes & motives must be pure & perfect. This is followed by another parallelism emphasising (1) perfect holiness & (2) perfect righteousness: "(1) who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor (2) sworn deceitfully" (v4b). These represent the (1) God-ward requirement of true worship, free from idolatry, and (2) man-ward requirement of integrity, being a person of our word (no lies, deception or bearing false witness). 'Idol' also means vanity (that which is hollow). Rather than finding meaning, comfort & identity in the Creator, man seeks it in the creation, superficial things, even things with no reality, that don't ring true & against nature (like gender ideology). Thus, God requires perfection (Matt 5:48), but all sin (only Jesus fulfils these requirements), so what hope have we? But v5 says God provides a way for men to be saved and be made righteous by grace: "He shall receive blessing from the Lord (as a free-gift), and righteousness from the God of his salvation (enabling him to ascend)" (v5). These ones who ascend to God, not by their own righteousness, but by His grace, are described as God-seekers: "This is Jacob, the generation (the group of people) of those who SEEK Him, who SEEK Your face. Selah" (v6). They want to know Him & be right with Him. He promises they will find Him (Deut 4:29, Jer 29:13, Matt 7:7-8). David uses Jacob to represent those who are imperfect, but seek God (Gen 32:9-12), whom He brings to Himself by a process of coming to saving faith, when they come to an end of themselves & their own strength, knowing they can't stand before God on their own, and so cling to Him for blessing (Gen 32:24-29). So, to ascend to God requires a perfect righteousness, which God graciously gives to those who seek Him. How He made salvation possible, solving our sin-problem is revealed in PART 3: The King of Glory (v7-10), which describes the Ascension of Christ, the righteous Man, the King of glory - the subject of the next study.

The background to Ps 24 is the ascension of the Ark of the Covenant (God's earthly throne) to its rightful place in Jerusalem in a great procession, with much rejoicing (2Sam 6, 1Chron 13,15). It signified God arising to be enthroned in Jerusalem, His chosen dwelling place (Ps 132). The event's importance is reflected in the pomp & pageantry of Ps 24. This is a type of Christ's Ascension to sit on God's throne in the New Jerusalem & future ascension to sit on His earthly throne in Jerusalem. What gave significance to this event is the holiness of the Hill of the Lord (His dwelling place) and the King of Glory enthroned on the Ark. The question & answers in Ps 24 were part of the dramatic ceremony, enacted before the city gates. The answers affirm only the King of Glory is worthy to enter thru the Gates and ascend to His place on the holy Hill. Likewise, Christ alone (the King of Glory) is worthy to ascend into Heaven, but He did it for us, so that in Christ, we also can ascend into God's holy Presence in Heaven. Ps 24 is in 3 parts: *(1) The Sovereign Creator, who owns all things (v1-2). *(2) The Heavenly Temple – the requirements for Ascension (v3-6), how can a man know such a high God, stand before Him & receive His blessing? Perfection is required, which is a problem for us. *(3) The true Redeemer – the King of Glory (v7-10). God became a man, and made a way to bring men to God. *PART 1. The Truth about God (v1-2): "The earth is the Lord's, and all its fullness (expanded in next line), the world and those who dwell therein (its produce and people)" (v1). This is quoted x2 in 1Cor 10:25-28 (see Ps 50:10-11). WHY does it all belong to Him? He is its Maker & Manager: "For He has (1) founded it on the seas (Maker, Gen 1:2,9,10, 2Pet 3:5), and (2) established it on the waters (rivers, symbolic of His Providence)" (v2). ‘Established' (imperfect tense) speaks of His ongoing management of the earth. He's the rightful Owner of all things. We are just tenant possessors of the earth & stewards of God's resources, for which we'll give account. Our life is not for us to do with as we please. God's authority is absolute over all, He has the right to do whatever He wants with us & the world. When we see this, it humbles us. The big question we must ask is: "How can I be right with God?" This seems impossible due to the infinite gap between us as sinful creatures & the holy God. Holiness is represented by height, so God is high above us (Is 57:15, 55:8). For man to be right with God & commune with Him requires us to ascend, but how is this possible? This is what David asks in PART 2: God's requirements for Ascension (v3-6): "Who may ASCEND the Hill of the Lord? (Heavenly Jerusalem) or STAND in His Holy Place?" (v3). The answer, the moral requirements for ascension, is given in v4: "(1) He who has clean hands & (2) a pure heart" (v4a). Here Hebrew parallelism works like stereo vision to give a full 3D picture, emphasising both his (1) outward actions & (2) inward attitudes & motives must be pure & perfect. This is followed by another parallelism emphasising (1) perfect holiness & (2) perfect righteousness: "(1) who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor (2) sworn deceitfully" (v4b). These represent the (1) God-ward requirement of true worship, free from idolatry, and (2) man-ward requirement of integrity, being a person of our word (no lies, deception or bearing false witness). 'Idol' also means vanity (that which is hollow). Rather than finding meaning, comfort & identity in the Creator, man seeks it in the creation, superficial things, even things with no reality, that don't ring true & against nature (like gender ideology). Thus, God requires perfection (Matt 5:48), but all sin (only Jesus fulfils these requirements), so what hope have we? But v5 says God provides a way for men to be saved and be made righteous by grace: "He shall receive blessing from the Lord (as a free-gift), and righteousness from the God of his salvation (enabling him to ascend)" (v5). These ones who ascend to God, not by their own righteousness, but by His grace, are described as God-seekers: "This is Jacob, the generation (the group of people) of those who SEEK Him, who SEEK Your face. Selah" (v6). They want to know Him & be right with Him. He promises they will find Him (Deut 4:29, Jer 29:13, Matt 7:7-8). David uses Jacob to represent those who are imperfect, but seek God (Gen 32:9-12), whom He brings to Himself by a process of coming to saving faith, when they come to an end of themselves & their own strength, knowing they can't stand before God on their own, and so cling to Him for blessing (Gen 32:24-29). So, to ascend to God requires a perfect righteousness, which God graciously gives to those who seek Him. How He made salvation possible, solving our sin-problem is revealed in PART 3: The King of Glory (v7-10), which describes the Ascension of Christ, the righteous Man, the King of glory - the subject of the next study.

Audio reading: Gen 23:17-24:9, Ezek 47:1-48:35, 1 Peter 2:11-3:7, Psalm 119:49-64, Prov 28:12-13 I invite you into Jacob's tent where we dive in to the Word of God. Join me in this Journey through the entire bible in one year!  In Matthew 4:4, Yeshua said these words: “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” Taking in the word of God every day is LIFE to our spirit and health to our bones! Visit us at: Israel Connect: Your bridge to the land and people of Israel! Visit us at: dailyaudiotorah.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bridge-connector/support

At the end of Revelation John is given a magnificent vision of the Bride of the Lamb! Her name is New Jerusalem. And she comes down from heaven to replace the old Jerusalem that was smoldering in ashes. This City is not made of bricks and mortar. Rather, it is made of men and women! It is made of those who have put their faith in Christ and become “living stones” of God's House! (1 Peter 2:5) Those who have come to the Heavenly Jerusalem have partaken of “living waters” and entered into “new creation” (John 7:38; 2 Corinthians 5:17). This City is not simply our eternal destination, but also a powerful picture of who we are in Christ today! Join us we worship the Lord together!

LIGHT AND TRUTH FROM THE HEAVENLY JERUSALEMPSALM 43

This message is by Bill Parker and taken from Isaiah 52. 1Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean. 2Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion. 3For thus saith the LORD, Ye have sold yourselves for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money. 4For thus saith the Lord GOD, My people went down aforetime into Egypt to sojourn there; and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause. 5Now therefore, what have I here, saith the LORD, that my people is taken away for nought? they that rule over them make them to howl, saith the LORD; and my name continually every day is blasphemed. 6Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I. 7How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! 8Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring again Zion. 9Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the LORD hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem. 10The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

The Importance of Baptism  (audio) David Eells (8/11/24)  There is a great disconnect in the church today concerning baptism and it is so important! If a person just looked at the Scriptures and read all the verses, you'd know this. When I first became born-again the first thing that the Lord began to impress us to look at was baptism. So we looked up every verse concerning baptism and printed them out. With them all written out on pages before us, we just knew, “Yep, we have to do it. There is no choice. We have to do this.” So we looked for a church to do it.  Well, a lot of Christians today don't read their Bible, so they just wouldn't know unless the preacher emphasized what the scripture emphasizes. We noticed in the Bible, that as soon as someone believed, the next emphasis was to be filled with the Spirit. Once in a while, being filled with the Spirit got ahead of the baptism, but baptism was right there always when someone first believed. And there's a reason for that. It's because it's important. Some churches do not even mention it, as though it's not important.   So, I thought we'd look at a few scriptures and study what the importance of baptism is. Remember, it's not just what they say about baptism, it's the emphasis they put on it and that should be our emphasis too. I mean, if it's that important to Jesus and the apostles, we don't care that others don't think it's important. It should be just as important to us as it was to Jesus and the apostles.  I'd like to start in Acts 22. Well, you remember how Paul was converted and then got himself in trouble with the religious folks and he was recounting to them about his conversion in Act 22:12-14 And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well reported of by all the Jews that dwelt there, 13 came unto me, and standing by me said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And in that very hour I looked upon him. 14 And he said, The God of our fathers hath appointed thee to know his will, and to see the Righteous One, and to hear a voice from his mouth.  As important as Paul was to the Lord and to God's plan, he still needed to be baptized. 15 For thou shalt be a witness for him unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard. 16 And now why tarriest thou? (I.e., What are you waiting for?) arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on his name. (Amen. Do you hear that? He is saying, What are you waiting for? Get baptized and wash away your sins. That sounds very important, doesn't it?)  So baptism has a key work in doing this. People argue about what is that work. But I think we can cover that a little bit today. So yes, baptism is important in washing away thy sins. It is an act of faith that God recognizes and it's our obedience to our Lord. You know, faith without works is dead. Some people say they have faith, but they don't have works. So, obedience is important in the Kingdom.   Well, it says in 1Pe 3:19-21 in which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison, (Speaking of Jesus.) 20 that aforetime were disobedient, when the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water: 21 which also after a true likeness doth now save you, even baptism, (That sounds very important, doesn't it?) not the putting away of the filth of the flesh (In other words, it's not the water washing your skin, that makes you clean), but the interrogation of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ; It is through the resurrection gift of Jesus Christ given to us and it is given to us through baptism, as we'll see in Romans chapter 6. When we come up out of the water, we claim His resurrection life.   So you see, baptism is very important. You know, tell your children; tell your lost loved ones, “Yeah, believing in Jesus is important, and so is baptism.” It's a command from God and any command from God is important. Sad to say, but some people don't read their Bible to find out these things and the poor preachers don't know enough either.  Another great example is in Act 16:25 But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns unto God, and the prisoners were listening to them; 26 and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison-house were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened: and every one's bands were loosed. 27 And the jailor, being roused out of sleep and seeing the prison doors open, drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. 29 And he called for lights and sprang in, and, trembling for fear, fell down before Paul and Silas, 30 and brought them out and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?   31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house. 32 And they spake the word of the Lord unto him, with all that were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night, (And that's just how important it was. Most people today would make excuses; they would say, “Well, wait till the preacher preaches on baptism. Next month I think we're going to have a baptism…”, and so on. Well, they thought it was so important that in the middle of the night, they were going to go and baptize this person because you have to start your Christian walk with baptism as an act of faith. It's an act of faith that gives you the good confession that you make before Satan and before the world that now you don't live, Christ lives in you.) and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, immediately. This shows how important baptism is. I've done the same thing in the middle of the night. When people believed, we started looking for a pool in the middle of the night. And it's just that important to God. Our emphasis needs to be God's emphasis in this regard. Jesus said in Mar.16:16  He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned. Now it says in 1Co 10:1 For I would not, brethren, have you ignorant, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2 and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; Look at that, “all of them” It must have been important to do that right? God wants to show us through this type and shadow that it's also important to us. So what can we say? We're warned not to add to or take away from the words of the Book, or He'll take away our part in the tree of life. We're warned to obey, just as they did.  So it's important because it says in 1Co 12:12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of the body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ. (We are a many membered body of Christ.) 13 For in one Spirit were we all baptized into one body, (Baptized into the body! My goodness, that makes baptism very, very important. We're talking about one body, and we're supposed to be a member of it. Some people say this is “spirit baptism”. Folks, the overwhelming majority of Christianity out there have never been spirit baptized, so none of them would be in the body. No, this is talking about being baptized into Christ, which is what the baptism verses say. It never says that about spirit baptism.   Now we all need spirit baptism too, because as we just read, Moses and the children of Israel were baptized in the cloud and in the sea. And that represents our spirit baptism and water baptism. We're just saying what the Bible says. Now some people say, “Oh, David, you're preaching baptismal regeneration.” I don't care what you call it, I'm just saying what the Bible says. It doesn't matter what you call it. Regeneration is not something you do when you step over a line somewhere. Regeneration is something that's carried out in your life as you repent and believe.)  It goes on to say, 13 For in one Spirit were we all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free; and were all made to drink of one Spirit. Wow, sounds kind of important, doesn't it! Many people are missing God on this regard here. There's a lot of people I've run into that have been Christians for a long time and yet they haven't been baptized. And God's even brought it to their attention, but they just hardened their conscience against it because nobody else around them thought to be baptized. We're not following the people around us, folks. We're following the living Word of God. We dare not follow men. They have been so foolish over the years and they've forgotten baptism and you can see how very important it is! We need to tremble before the Lord.   It sounds pretty important in Mark 16:15-16, the Great Commission. Well, if He sent them out to do this, we have to go do the same thing. If we talked to somebody about salvation, baptism is supposed to be a part of it, every time; immediately as we just read. If a person gets saved and they don't want to get baptized, well, we'll find out what the Bible has to say about that.   Here's the good word in Mar 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned. Notice, He said two things here. “He that believeth and is baptized”, So it's not just believing, it's actions that go with that believing. Baptism is the New Testament sign of the Covenant. The sealing of the Covenant. Just as circumcision was the sealing of the Covenant in the Old Testament, according to the apostle Paul. And so, He said, preach the Good News to them. And then those that believe it and are baptized shall be saved.  Well, now I'm just going to say a few words about this before we go on. I know a lot of you out there may have been sprinkled and they call it baptism. But really, not anywhere in the scriptures is there sprinkling when dealing with baptism. There is a word, rhantizō, which means sprinkling, like sprinkling of the blood. However, the word baptism is the only one that's used for baptism, and we're told in Vines, it says it's a process of immersion, which means submersion and emergence. And submersion is going under and emergence is coming up. And it comes from the word baptō, which means to dip or plunge beneath, which is exactly true. Strong's, for instance, says that to make overwhelmed. In other words, he says, fully wet. And it's from the word baptō which means to cover completely with fluid, Strong's says.   So, it's a pretty strong emphasis on being plunged beneath, the waters. There is no such thing as “sprinkling” in baptism. And there's no such thing as sprinkling babies in the scriptures, because the Bible says, repent and believe and repent and be baptized. We'll look at that in just a minute. So babies don't repent and they haven't done much that they're held guilty for. Basically, if you've only been sprinkled, you need to get baptized. Who can baptize you? Well, our examples in scripture are men who baptize. Can women baptize? The scripture doesn't say.  It has to be done. I would say in most cases people say, “Well, go find a preacher.” Well, that's a possibility to go to a church to get somebody to baptize you, but most preachers don't believe it is necessary and may put you off until they have more people who want to be baptized. Baptism is very important concerning your faith. It's an act of faith.   People think it's just joining a church. Well, it's joining the Church. It's being baptized into the body of Christ. But it's not talking about joining a local assembly. And it's not just a thing of naught, you know, it actually has an effect upon you. I've seen people that couldn't overcome certain sins until they got baptized because they just weren't obeying; they weren't washing away their sins. I mean, it's an act of faith for you, that you believe your sins are washed away when you get baptized, and we will study this.  No, there's no such thing as infant baptism or sprinkling. Because obviously sprinkling is dead wrong and even the dead church used to teach that. And if I remember correctly, it was Constantine who ordained sprinkling as baptism because on his death bed he just wanted to be baptized. He thought if he was baptized just before he died he would be okay, which was totally false. So, he got sprinkled over and over until he died. Silly stuff that people want; they want some kind of magic to make sure they can get into the Kingdom of heaven. But without repentance and faith you just get wet when you get baptized. Notice this progression: Act 2:38  And Peter said unto them, Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Just obey the scriptures and you will be safe. Trust in men and you will not. Now let's look at Mat 28:19 Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name (Now listen to this. You're not baptizing someone in a name, you're baptizing them into the name. You know, when you get married, you wives out there, you took on the name, right? And thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. When you take His name, you need have faith to live up to it.  God's given principles whereby you can do that if you believe the gospel. Baptizing them literally, it says into the name, so it's not talking about using a name over someone. It's talking about baptizing you into the name of someone. Who is that? Well, this is the only place in the Bible that uses this term, so you need to understand it in regards to the other places in the Bible where it says being baptized into the name of Jesus. Because some people think these are formulas. And then they pick and choose which formula they think is the right one. But that's phony, and it's wrong. There is no scripture that contends with other scriptures. It all fits together. So therefore we need to understand how “this and that” go together.   Well, it says you baptize them into the name, that is, …baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: Notice that if you understand your English here, there's only one name here. It's baptizing them into the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and notice also that Father is not “a name” and Son is not “a name” either, and neither is Holy Spirit “a name”. Those aren't names. He's telling you to baptize them into the Name. So what is this name?  Let me read the next verse first in Mat. 28:20 teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Notice that we not only baptize, we tell them to obey everything Scripture says. But when they baptize into the name, what is the name? Some people nowadays are very confused about what the name is. I just want to point out to you one thing that's very important to you Judaizer out there. That is, you folks who want to go back and be Jews. Now the Lord was so fed up with the Jews that He wrote the New Testament in Greek, and we have absolute proof of that. The Old Testament Hebrew has a numeric pattern that won't let you add a letter or take a letter in the original Hebrew without ruining the Hebrew pattern in the text. And we've written about that, if you'd like to go and read it. This book is available on our website, The Numeric English New Testament. Here's a link: NGNT  And here's why God put His signature in all of the scriptures. So in the Old Testament He used the Hebrew and in the New Testament, He used the Greek. That's a fact, because the New Testament Hebrew texts that are out there don't have a numeric pattern in them. And I'm talking about not just the pattern here and there, like you can find in War and Peace, which have little bits and pieces of things that accidentally come up to have a little bit of a numeric pattern with just a few letters. I'm talking about every letter of every word being a part of a numeric pattern and that's in both the Old Testament Hebrew and the New Testament Greek. So when you talk about “name” in the New Testament, you're talking about the word, onoma and it means character, authority, and nature. In the Old Testament, it's the word Shem, it was the chosen lineage back after Noah, because he took the name. He was the name. So in the New Testament, when you're baptized into the Name, you're baptized into the nature, character and authority of Jesus. We'll see that even more as we go on. So, it's into the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit which is spoken here. These three agree it's only one name, Jesus.  Act 4:12  And in none other is there salvation: for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, wherein we must be saved.    Also, I want to point this out to you that are caught up in the Judaizer thing. I'm going to read Jer 3:17 At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of Jehovah; and all the nations (Gentiles) shall be gathered unto it, to the name of Jehovah, (Notice that the name of the Lord is synonymous here with gathering unto Jerusalem, and the apostle Paul said that “you have come unto the Heavenly City, the New Jerusalem”, meaning those Christians then who were baptized and filled with the spirit, and believe what the Word of God said. This is talking about Gentiles coming to it. Now, so this is not the Old Testament Jerusalem, but the New Testament, born-again Heavenly Jerusalem that he said we had come to. And all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the Lord. Now we know the name of the Lord in the New Testament. That is my own new name.) We'll talk more about that in just a minute.   So going on here, … shall be gathered unto it, to the name of Jehovah, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the stubbornness of their evil heart. (Now, so this is a born-again experience because they were certainly stubborn!) Jer 3:18 In those days the house of Judah (You know, by the way, folks, I got to tell you that just as there were 12 tribes back then, there's 12 today. Many have received that revelation from the Word. And there is a Judah; Judah was first. Judah means praise, and Judah represents the spirit-filled people.) … the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I gave for an inheritance unto your fathers.   19 But I said, How I will put thee among the children (This is the true children of God here), and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of the nations! and I said, Ye shall call me My Father, and shall not turn away from following me. Now, these Gentiles that came to the Jerusalem, he said, “you shall call me my Father.” And Jesus taught in the New Testament for us to call Him, My Father! All you need do is get out your concordance and look up the word. It'll be two pages. Father. Father. Father. Father.  This is the relationship the Lord wants us to have with Him in the New Testament. Not an Old Testament name that is not in the New Testament or covenant. The only thing you can see Jesus calling Him is, Father. Amen. He said it again in Jer 3:4 Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My Father, thou art the guide of my youth? So forget all these Jewish names. You're not Jews, at least most of you aren't. And even if you were, you've got a New Covenant and the anointing is in the Greek. The New Testament Greek has the numeric pattern, which is God's signature. So, the name of the Lord; what is the name of the Lord? Jesus. Why does He say of the Father? Because it's the same nature, character and authority in the whole family; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It is the same name. You understand? We're not talking about a title, here. We're talking about the nature, character and authority that's passed on from generation to generation. Now in the natural you inherited a name from your parents and in the spiritual you inherited a name from your spiritual parent, so we have to pay attention to that. We inherited the blood of Jesus. He is called “Everlasting Father” in Isa 9:6. Neither the Father nor the Holy Spirit have blood. So if you want to see this, for instance, you look in Gen 3:22 And Jehovah, or Yahweh, as some people say, or other names they put in here. But the truth is, that was what was in the Tetragrammaton, which is YH, or VH if you hold to the Jewish, or WH if you hold to the English translation YHWH, and YHVH. Now how can you baptize somebody in the name of YHWH when you can't even pronounce it? Because that's not what it's telling you to do. It's telling you the name, the nature, character and authority. And Jehovah God, Yahweh Elohim, it is translated in this Bible. Yahweh or YHWH, Elohim; and did you know Elohim is plural, never singular?   And so He says, Behold, the man is become as one of us (So we're talking about why YHWH is plural here. Who is he talking about? “…has become as one of us.” The Lord and the Angels know, in fact all through Genesis, He uses this terminology. I'll just point this out to you. So YHWH or YHVH, if you prefer, that's plural. Yes, it is in Gen 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, (Oh my goodness. Now you know He's talking about God, right?) after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish… so on and so forth. And we see in Genesis, by the way, we see that Jehovah God translated from YHWH, Elohim is used quite often. For instance, Gen 2:4 These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that Jehovah God (YHWH Elohim, so He's plural, the family name.) made earth and heaven.   And here's another example. Gen 2:7 And Jehovah God formed man of the dust of the ground,… So there's the name. However, not in the New Testament, because now it was written in the New Testament as Greek, you understand? For instance, in the Greek it's something like, Iésous, and Spanish it's Jesús “hay-SOOS”. Some Jews use Yeshua, but that doesn't come from the Greek, it comes from the Hebrew. There's no numeric pattern in the Hebrew NT. It's in the Greek. Some people say, “Oh, you can't use ‘Jesus'.” Well, why not? I've been using the name of Jesus to cast out demons and see miracles for over 50 years now. And you know what? He works. He doesn't care if I use the name Jesus. So they're just trying to drag you back under the Law and into the Old Covenant, which the Bible says passed away in Christ. Now, not one jot or tittle will pass away until all is fulfilled, because the Law is the letter that has to be made spirit, and that's the fulfillment. The New Testament is a fulfillment of the Old Testament. But God didn't make the Old Testament with you, He only made it with the Jews. Psa 147:19-20  He showeth his word unto Jacob, His statutes and his ordinances unto Israel.  20  He hath not dealt so with any nation; And as for his ordinances, they have not known them. Praise ye Jehovah. So the Lord turned away from their covenant and language. All but a remnant rebelled up unto the end. We know they even crucified the Christ, and they crucified the prophets and the apostles. So does that mean they can't be saved? Nope, we're supposed to be believing for a remnant of them to come into the New Covenant and of course, the Lord will do that. Oh, praise be to God!  So we understand that the Lord accepts these names in the New Testament, the transliteration of Iésous is Jesus into English, and He certainly answers to that. And if you go to Spanish and use Jesús, He will answer to that, and if any other translation He will answer that. Because it's not the word that you're speaking over someone. Notice you're not baptizing them in a bucket of Jesus. You are baptizing them into the Name and the Name is His nature, character and authority. Praise God!  So we see that we are also to do all in the name as it says in Col 3:17 And whatsoever ye do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. It's not that you have to “say” the name to do it in the name. You do it in the nature, character and authority of the Lord Jesus Christ, as the scripture says. Because the Lord Jesus Christ is a name. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not a name. They have a name, they have a nature, character and authority, and it's always the same. But it's not that you speak, “the Father, Son, Holy Spirit” over someone and there's something magical about that or a particular formula of doing it. It's that they're baptized into the Name.  Now Jesus is a name and everywhere else in the Bible it uses the name Jesus because you're baptized into His death, burial, and resurrection. That's what baptism is. So if you want to say the name of Jesus, that's fine. It's still not a formula to say over someone. I hope you understand that because we are ambassadors for Christ, as it says in 2 Co 5:20. It means we are sent forth to do and to speak with authority in His name. Do you have to “say” His name every time you do anything? No, but you have to be in His name. The scripture says you “do all in the name.” In the name means, in the nature, character and authority. That's what it means. It doesn't mean, “say” the name. Now, can you say the name of Jesus? Yes, I do it all the time because I want everybody to know who Jesus is. And it's His authority, it's His power! Praise be to God. But I'm an ambassador on behalf of Christ to this world from His Kingdom and I'm coming to the Kingdom of this world. And so everything that I do in His name has authority you see. I hope you understand that.   And I'll point out something else to you in Acts chapter 2. We see here that Peter is preaching the Gospel to these Jews, and they were convicted of their sin, so we read Act 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and the rest of the apostles, Brethren, what shall we do? 38 And Peter said unto them, (This is a very important answer here. Thousands were converted here you see) Repent ye, and be baptized (Babies can't do that. Now just understand babies don't need to be baptized. Those that need to repent need to be baptized.) …Peter said unto them, Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you (Did he say, “some of you”, or “if you want to?” No. Did he say, “you need to and another doesn't?” No, every one of you.) in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.   Maybe that's why some people don't get the Holy Spirit, because they're not even being obedient unto baptism. Well, that's clear. Notice, he said “every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ.” And can you say the name of Jesus Christ? Definitely you can, you know, because it is a name; Father, Son and Holy Spirit is not a name. There's just one name there, you understand one nature, one character and one authority. And we're baptized into Jesus Christ. So if you're going to say the name, you need to say the proper name here. It is the name. It's Jesus. It means “Jehovah is salvation,” or “YHWH is salvation.”  So who was in Jesus? The Father! The Father was in Jesus. In fact, let me just read to you, Joh 5:43 I am come in my Father's name, (Oh, praise the Lord! So, what did that mean? Was the Father's name, Jesus? That's kind of the oneness doctrine. Generally it's the oneness doctrine or Trinity doctrine and neither one of them are quite right. Because if you just read the scriptures, you don't have to make up formulas that don't quite fit anything, and neither one of them do, actually.) But notice, He said, I am come in my Father's name and you received me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. Now, what did He mean by this? He came in His Father's, nature, character and authority. Another person can come in their own nature, character and authority, and they will listen to them, but they won't listen to somebody who is an ambassador of Christ. That's what He was saying. 44 How can ye believe, who receive glory one of another, and the glory that cometh from the only God ye seek not?   Let's look at Act 4:7 And when they had set them in the midst, (The Jewish were calling the apostles on the carpet. The Sanhedrin really didn't have any authority from God. They had failed and gone their own way.) they inquired, By what power, or in what name, (Not by what name, it's in what name. We have to do all in the name, in the nature, character, and authority of Jesus. You can say things using the name or “by the name” and nothing will happen. Have you ever noticed? But if you do something in the name, well then the authority of heaven is behind you because you're an ambassador for the Kingdom.) By what power, or in what name, have ye done this? 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders, (We have the same problem today.) 9 if we this day are examined concerning a good deed done to an impotent man, by what means this man is made whole; 10 be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that in the name of Jesus Christ (In the name, not by the name) in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even in him doth this man stand here before you whole.   11 He is the stone which was set at nought of you the builders, (And this is still happening today.) which was made the head of the corner. 12 And in none other is there salvation: (Can you “say” the name of Jesus and still not have salvation? Of course, and a lot of other things you won't have if the only thing you're doing is “saying in the name of Jesus,” you'll be without a lot. But you can't do anything in the name and not see results. You're in the nature character and authority of Jesus Christ.) for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, wherein (not “whereby”) we must be saved. (That's what it says in the original, “wherein.” Salvation is in Him.” And to have salvation, you must abide in Him. If you don't abide in Him, you're cast forth as a branch and picked up and thrown into the fire.)  Another example is in Gal 3:27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ (There it is again. We're baptized into the body. Doesn't that make it very, very important? Absolutely. So why aren't people doing this? Well, because they don't mind just filling churches up with people that tithe, then they come and listen and they become “cookie cutter Christians.) For as many of you as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ. (So when you're being baptized into the nature, character and authority of Jesus, you are putting on His acts. What you put on represents your actions, or works. Is the fruit of the Spirit those actions? Yes, of course it is. The fruit of the Spirit is the manifestation of being in Christ. We are first in Christ by faith. You accept everything that Christ gave you, and your faith is accounted as righteousness. But while you walk in that faith, God's going to be manifesting it. And if you don't see any of it manifesting, guess what? It's not faith in what the scripture has to say. Because there's definitely always going to be fruit of faith in what the scripture has to say.)   28 There can be neither Jew nor Greek, there can be neither bond nor free, there can be no male and female; for ye all are one man (man was added in there) in Christ Jesus. 29 And if ye are Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, heirs according to promise. Baptism is very, very important. You see that? Glory be to God! It's the truth.  Let's read another one. Let's go to Col 2:11 in whom ye were also circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, in the putting off of the body of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ; (How were we circumcised? We as Gentiles don't' get circumcised as Paul said in Galatians chapter 5. If you trust in circumcision, you are separated from Christ. You're not, naturally speaking, but if you do it in order to be justified, you're separated from Christ. Circumcision has a different meaning in the New Testament.) 12 having been buried with him in baptism,… (We see here that circumcision in the New Testament is baptism. How do you fulfill Old Testament circumcision? “Having been buried with him in baptism.” Cutting off the flesh from sowing our seed has the same meaning as cutting off the flesh man in baptism.     He tells you very plainly in Galatians that seeking to be justified by the works of the Law, Christ won't profit you anything. In Gal 5:2 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that, if ye receive circumcision, Christ will profit you nothing. 3 Yea, I testify again to every man that receiveth circumcision, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. (You're not to go back under the Law. You're supposed to be obeying what it points to.) 4 Ye are severed from Christ, ye who would be justified by the law; ye are fallen away from grace. 5 For we through the Spirit by faith wait for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith working through love.   And all the rest of the Law is the same way. It's all a type and shadow of something in the New Testament, and all you need to do is start reading the New Testament and you'll find out what it is. In this case, circumcision equates to baptism. Now, if you were in the Old Testament and you didn't get circumcised, you were cut off. Now, if you're in the New Testament, you don't have to get circumcised because you have a New Covenant, but there is also a baptism that equates to circumcision, which is the sign of the Covenant. Let me explain that to you. Let's go back and read Genesis 17 and we'll see the type and the shadow of what baptism was, and we'll see how important it is!   Gen 17:10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee: every male among you shall be circumcised. (So, that's the sign of that Covenant. And what is the sign of the New Testament covenant? Baptism.) 11 And ye shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of a covenant betwixt me and you. 12 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every male throughout your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any foreigner that is not of thy seed. 13 He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.   So some people say, “Oh it's everlasting!” Well, yeah but except for one thing, it's being interpreted when you come into the New Testament. You're still keeping it, but you're keeping it because you're keeping the Spirit, not the letter. You're actually fulfilling it with baptism. If you get circumcised in the New Testament and you're not fulfilling it, you're going back to keeping the Law. But if you understand that it's being translated from letter understanding to spiritual understanding, you get the real understanding. The letter kills but the spirit gives life, according to what the apostle Paul said.  Every jot and tittle of the Old Testament must be fulfilled in the New. Now continuing 14 And the uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant. So that was true about circumcision if you are under the Old Covenant. Now that you're under the New Covenant, this shows the importance of baptism! So let's look at Romans now. Rom 4:8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not reckon sin. 9 Is this blessing then pronounced upon the circumcision, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say, To Abraham his faith was reckoned for righteousness. 10 How then was it reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision: (Because he was reckoned righteous by his faith before he got circumcised. Is it same truth for baptism? Yes. He was reckoned righteous, not righteous, but reckoned righteous.  We are also reckoned as righteous when we obey the commandments on baptism. Now, I want to also say this regarding, opportunity. See, some people say, “Oh, the thief on the cross, he wasn't baptized, so we don't have to be.” No, wait a minute, the thief on the cross had no opportunity to be baptized. The Bible says also, you need to pay attention to this. Speaking of baptism Paul said, We become united with him in the likeness of his death, we shall also be of his resurrection. (Rom 6:5) Now the thief was united with him in the likeness of his death. So he fulfilled what baptism and Romans 6 says, because if he “died with Christ, we shall also be raised with him”. He died with Christ, so he fulfilled it in that way. So now, you are not like the thief on the cross. You have opportunity to obey this word. If you have faith without works, how can that faith save you? You say, “Do we have to do this? Do we have to do that?” If you're just trying to get your toe in the door, you've got nothing. You have not yet become a disciple of Jesus Christ. What do I have to do? You have to do everything He tells you. Because He bought you with a price. You are not your own. You have the privilege to do everything He and His apostles told you to do in this New Covenant.   And the proof as we read on here is in verse Rom 4:11 and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while he was in uncircumcision: (So faith came and works came and those works of obedience sealed what he received by faith.) that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be in uncircumcision, that righteousness might be reckoned unto them; (So when you believe, righteousness is reckoned unto you, but if you don't obey, you're not getting sealed. If you believe without obedience, that's faith without works. James said, Can that faith save him? No. Why do you become a disciple of Christ and don't do what He says? “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and not do what I say?” How can you call him Lord if you don't do what He says? It just can't be.   So their argument about the thief doesn't count for them because they have opportunity, and he didn't. Of course, if a person dies after becoming a believer, and they had no knowledge of a need for baptism and there was no opportunity, I believe their faith would be “accounted as righteousness”. But when you have opportunity, you need to do it. Notice that all through the Book of Acts, when they baptized people, they did it immediately. Why? Because it was important! It was an act of faith that washed away sin. Wow! You see, it's important!  So let's go on to look at the baptism chapter, Romans 6. It's so good, so full of power! Rom 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? (Well, there's a lot of people that believe that. A lot of dead religion out there that believes that. The “Once saved, always saved” love that. They don't understand what grace is, grace also brings obedience.) 2 God forbid. We who died to sin, how shall we any longer live therein? (That should be our attitude towards sin. We've been made free from sin. Why should we serve it anymore?) 3 Or are ye ignorant that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? (Yes, many people get baptized and they are ignorant. They don't even know what it's for. They just think it's a ceremony so they can join a church. It's a ceremony, all right. But it's one that acts by faith and causes you to enter the church. The church, not a local building.)   …we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? (So therefore if you were baptized into Jesus, you're dead. You're dead to sin. How shall you any longer live therein, he says. Do you believe that you're dead to sin? Or do you believe you're always going to be a sinner, like most preachers say? They're like the spies with the bad report. By the way, if you listen to them you won't enter the promised land. It says this very plainly. You were baptized into his death, you're dead by faith when you get baptized, you're dead to sin. You don't have to serve it anymore.)  4 We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death: (Now if you're not being buried, it's not baptism. If you're being splashed in the face, that's not baptism. It says buried and that's what baptism is. The only difference here is, he's using water instead of dirt. When a person dies they're buried in dirt. But we die when we are buried in water, representing the washing of the Word of God, which puts to death the fleshly life. Every day that you walk in the water of the Word, it washes you clean. The water of the Word is to put to death your old man. When you obey the word, the old man who wants his own way dies. This is a type of being buried in the Word of God. Being overwhelmed as we studied what Strong's says about baptism. When you're overwhelmed by the washing of the water with the word, it's washing you clean. If you're ignoring God's word, don't bother getting baptized. Don't waste God's time and yours. You're committing to the death of self when you go down into the waters of baptism and you reckon it to be done. We're told how to do this. 4 We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life. (Now why do we get baptized into death? So that we get resurrected to walk in newness of life. You can see here that it's not just a ceremony. Notice the condition.) 5 For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, (baptism) we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection; (Notice the condition to have His resurrection life is going down in baptism by faith. Well, have you noticed there's good promises that come with baptism? Why are you tarrying? What are you waiting for? Get baptized and claim Jesus' new life and you will have it. That's why I'm sharing this with you today. What's the benefit of baptism through faith? The benefit of entering into the body of Christ. The benefit of washing away thy sins. People will try to pick this apart but I am just saying what the Bible says here. If they emphasized this and thought it was so important that they would bring people down in the middle of the night and dunk them, then you ought to do the same thing. You ought to not go on in your Christian life and not be baptized. You're taking a chance, aren't you? Yes, and you have opportunity. You're not thief on the cross.)   Rom 6:6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away, (So you see the purpose of baptism? That the body of sin is done away since the old man was crucified with Him. This is just awesome! Praise be to God!) …that so we should no longer be in bondage to sin; (The purpose of baptism is so we are no longer in bondage to sin! What about the preachers out there that say you're always going to be in bondage to sin. Well, they're separating the people from the benefits of the Kingdom! They don't know what the Bible says, and they have no faith.) 7 for he that hath died is justified from sin. (When you go down and you come up, and you believe that your old man was crucified with Christ and buried, you're justified from sin, which means accounted righteous from sin. Is there an advantage here to baptism? I'd say so. Would you like to be justified or accounted righteous from sin?)  8 But if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him; 9 knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; (So that's part of eternal life. It's part of the obedience you do with your faith to receive eternal life.) death no more hath dominion over him. (So now think about this, baptism is an act of faith which is fulfilled the rest of your Christian life. It can be just getting wet if you are not holding to faith in the purposes we have looked at. See when the Lord tells you in His Word to do something, what He's telling you is for your own good that you may prosper in the fruit of His Kingdom. Rom 8:11-13  But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwelleth in you, he that raised up Christ Jesus from the dead shall give life also to your mortal bodies through his Spirit that dwelleth in you.  12  So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh:  13  for if ye live after the flesh, ye must die; but if by the Spirit ye put to death the deeds of the body, ye shall live. Your spiritual man must be obeying this word, and disobeying the flesh-man. The flesh says, “No, I don't want to do that.” And the Spirit-man says, “It doesn't matter; I'm a disciple of Jesus Christ and I will walk in His steps. I have the authority to do it because you are dead. Therefore, I can do this.”   I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. It says who strengthens me in all things. When God gives you a command to “resist not him that is evil”, for instance, and “love your enemy”, for instance and so on, and you ignore it because you think nobody else does it? Or you ignore it because you don't want to do it? Then the water of the Word is not putting to death your old man. Don't waste God's time. Don't take His name in vain. Your baptism means nothing. Do people get baptized for nothing? Yes, they do because they're not planning on walking in it. In fact, quite often “they go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies”, speaking the lies of the Pharisees and dead religion.)   So going on to Rom 6:10 For the death that he died, he died unto sin once: but the life that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Amen. When you went down in those waters, friend, you died. When you came up, that's Jesus, that's not you anymore! When you go down in the water, the “old you” died under those waters. It's the same thing with the Word of God. You read this Word in order to be a disciple of Jesus, which is a learner and a follower. And it puts to death your own life in the water of the Word. You have the ability to do it because you received this by an act of faith at baptism. You're “calling the things that be not as though they were.” Jesus said, “all things whatsoever you pray and ask for believe that you received them and you shall have them”. So what happened at baptism? You believe you received it, God gives you the power to walk it out. You're walking out your baptism as you read this Word daily.   It should be the most important thing in your life, to read this Word. Do you love Jesus? Well, it'll be proven if you do. If you love Him, He said you would keep His commandments. There's no salvation if you don't love Him. The Bible says if you don't love Him, the Father won't love you. There's no salvation if you don't love Him.  Verse says 11 Even so reckon ye also yourselves to be dead unto sin, (Which means, consider it done. This is faith. This is totally contrary to what's being taught in most churches. They're taking away your faith. They teach you to walk by sight, and that you're always going to be a sinner saved by grace. No, grace saves; it really saves so they're liars.) 11 Even so reckon ye also yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus. (Oh, praise God! You're alive unto God. You are now alive in Jesus! Now you can follow Him. You're baptized and your old flesh is dead. But the flesh is going to say, “No I'm not.” And the devil's going to say, “No, you're not.” But you say by faith, “Yes, I am.” When the devil tempts you, you tell him, “You can't tempt me because the one you can tempt was the one who died back there in those waters of baptism”. Jesus did that against the devil. He used the Word. He slapped the devil right in the face every time he tried tempting Him, He said, “It is written.” He was using the water of the Word. You got to fight the good fight of faith here. You need to see the “new man” Who is Christ in you, in the mirror and you will be changed into His image from glory to glory. Amen.)   Rom 6:11 Even so reckon ye also yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus. (What power will this faith give you?) 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey the lusts thereof: (So how do you not let sin reign? You use verse 11, you are dead to sin and alive unto God. You use your faith in this verse and you can do verse 12. Now can you see why baptism is so important and it needs to be at the beginning of your Christian walk?) 13 neither present your members unto sin as instruments of unrighteousness; (Now you don't want to go and foolishly tempt yourself either. You don't want to hang around with drug users or sit and watch T.V. and all that garbage available these days in the Media.   Don't put yourself into a position so that you're presenting your members to sin.) but present yourselves unto God, as alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. (You say, God, here I am! I'm alive from the dead and Jesus lives in me. How do you do this? Don't put yourself in a position to be tempted. When you're tempted, the first thing you feel is the old man's power. Now, if you're not doing it on purpose, you might receive grace from God, but if you're purposely going because you desire these things, you're presenting your members as instruments of unrighteousness.   Be not deceived, evil companionships corrupt good morals. (1Co.15:33) That's why when there's a little leaven in the church, you cast it out because a little leaven, leavens the whole lump. You don't want to fellowship somebody that's going to feed your soul through the devil. Ministers, you are commanded in 1Co. 5 to cast them out. You have to obey the Word of God if you want a holy church!) 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under law, but under grace. (So, if you are truly under grace through faith sin has no power over you. Grace is not permission to sin; its power over sin.  See if you're under the Law, you're going to a place where you won't receive any help from God. Remember the Old Covenant was a type and a shadow of the new. The Law was the letter, and “the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life”. The spirit is given to those who receive grace through faith.)  So he goes on to say, Rom 6:15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under law, but under grace? God forbid. (We know that sin no longer has power over us and we don't have to sin. That wasn't true under the Law, because the Law could not make perfect. That's why God saw need for a New Covenant based on better promises. You believe and reckon yourself to be dead to sin and that He will rise up in you and He will do the work. That's what grace is, it's the unmerited favor of God.) 16 Know ye not, that to whom ye present yourselves as servants unto obedience, his servants ye are whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? (You can obey the flesh if you want, you're free! You never were free before you came into faith. You can still go back and serve your flesh if you want to. Or you can obey Jesus Christ calling upon the Lord to give you grace and His help. He wants to help you. He wants you to overcome.)  Going on in verse 17 But thanks be to God, that, whereas ye were servants of sin, (Notice: You're no longer a sinner.) ye became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching whereunto ye were delivered; (So we need to be overcome by the truth that sets free! There's no power under the Law. Faith gives power. People always want to do something so that they can feel justified. But that's self-righteousness, and that's not going to work and the Lord won't permit it.) 18 and being made free from sin, ye became servants of righteousness. (Do you believe it? Because you have to believe it before you can receive it. We no longer live in sin. We need to see it put on Jesus on the cross. Like the serpent on the pole in the wilderness. Everyone who got their eyes on the serpent on the pole were healed of the snake bite, which is sin. Now anything under the curse is the snake bite. But when we see the curse put on Jesus we can be free of it. It already happened back there at the cross.   You apply what you received at the cross at your baptism. If you haven't been baptized, you need this act of faith. There's something about humans that we're able to apply things when we do things. In other words, your faith becomes effectual when you act it out. Faith without works is dead. Now one of our works is baptism. Is that a work that saves you? It's a work of God. He saves you, His work saves you. By grace have you been saved through faith, and that's not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works; (that's your works), lest any man should boast, for in Christ Jesus, were we created for good works. (Eph 2:8-10) Oh, praise God!   Back to Rom 6:19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye presented your members as servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity, even so now present your members as servants to righteousness unto sanctification. 20 For when ye were servants of sin, ye were free in regard of righteousness. (So when you were a servant of sin, you had no ability to be righteous.) 21 What fruit then had ye at that time in the things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. (You know, if you're not ashamed, the end of those things is death; remember that.) 22 But now being made free from sin and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto sanctification,   (I will say it again, the reason you get baptized first is so you can look back at that and say, “It was done.” And every time you're tempted, you tell the devil it was done. Every time your flesh tempts you, you tell it, “It's done, you're dead. You have no authority over me anymore.”) and the end eternal life. (Notice and the end eternal life. So you're claiming eternal life by faith. How do you get manifestly eternal life? Well, he's telling you to walk in faith and because of that faith, God empowers you to walk in righteousness, and that is eternal life.) 23 For the wages of sin is death; but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (It's freely given to you, accept it by faith, stand on the Word of God. Speak faith. Don't let the devil talk you out of it, and don't walk by sight.)  Let's read next 1Ti 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil: which some reaching after have been led astray from the faith, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith, (Obviously you can't do verse 11 unless you do verse 12. Fight the good fight of the faith; these things are yours! They've been given to you in Jesus Christ. You were baptized into His nature, character and authority. Fight the good fight of the faith.   Faith is believing you've received something that you can't yet see. He says to Christians;) lay hold on the life eternal, (Notice that you manifestly lay hold of the life eternal by fighting the good fight of faith and laying hold on these attributes. You're laying hold on Jesus Christ.) whereunto thou wast called, and didst confess the good confession in the sight of many witnesses. (Confess means “to speak the same as.” Speak what Jesus Christ says. He said, if you confess me before men, I will confess you before the Father. He says your old man is dead and the new man lives and you've been made free from sin.) 13 I charge thee in the sight of God, who giveth life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed the good confession; 14 that thou keep the commandment, without spot, without reproach, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:   He says if you love Me you will keep My commandments. Now you understand that you can keep His commandments by faith. You can't keep them as long as you don't understand. You live in Christ and the old man has passed away. You're a new creature in Christ. Remember your baptism, the one that went down under the water was you and the One that came up out of that water was Jesus Christ. When you devour this Word, it overwhelms your old man and puts him to death. The Word is Jesus Christ. Ask Him to give you a hunger for His Word. So fight the good fight of the faith and lay hold on life eternal!   You're saved from the old man. You're saved from the devil, saved from the world, saved from the curse. That's what the Bible says. It doesn't say you're saved so you can continue on in your sins. We just read Romans 6, right? Oh, this is Good News! It's the Good News that makes you holy; it separates you from this wicked world. It delivers you from the power of Satan and the power of the flesh and the power of circumstances around you. Glory be to God! So lay hold on life eternal. Lay hold on the attributes of Jesus Christ! He set you free!   Okay, let's go to 2Pe 1:2 Grace to you and peace be multiplied in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; (We looked at some knowledge today that empowers people to overcome sin.) 3 seeing that his divine power (Your baptism helps you to be able to apply this.) hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life (Life here is Zoē' It's God's life.) and godliness, through the knowledge of him that called us by his own glory and virtue; (When you read the Bible, it gives you knowledge of what is yours. God knows if you think it's valuable to read the Bible and get the knowledge that gives you the power of God, godliness, and holiness.)   4 whereby he hath granted unto us (You have to see that He's already given all this to you by faith.) his precious and exceeding great promises (These will give you faith. Are they precious to you? If they are then you're going to spend time with them because they're valuable and because you like to spend time with Jesus.); that through these ye may become partakers of the divine nature (The divine nature is Jesus. Faith in your baptism just gave you His divine nature!), having escaped from the corruption that is in the world by lust. (The apostate preachers do not offer escape from lusts.) 5 Yea, and for this very cause adding on your part all diligence in your faith, (I put the coma after faith here and not behind diligence because you really don't have any power to be diligent without faith.) supply virtue; and in your virtue knowledge; (I've shared before that each one of these attributes of Christ are inside the previous one, and it's inside of faith.)   6 and in your knowledge self-control; and in your self-control patience (If you have patience in your faith, you'll lack nothing James 1:4 says.  When the answer doesn't come immediately, you have to be patient in your faith. He wants your faith to grow so He's going to try you.); and in your patience godliness; 7 and in your godliness brotherly kindness; and in your brotherly kindness love. (That's really the end result because God is love.) 8 For if these things are yours and abound, they make you to be not idle nor unfruitful unto the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Notice this, it starts with knowledge and it ends with knowledge too, because you accept the knowledge you walk by faith.   God gives you the gifts of what you read there, and it enables you to gain more knowledge. Why is that? Because we walk in the light as He is in the light. And thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. See it tells you where you're walking and where you should go. So if you will walk in the light that you have, God will put more light in front of you. The more knowledge you get, the more holiness you can have.)  9 For he that lacketh these things is blind, seeing only what is near, having forgotten the cleansing from his old sins. (Remember, that old man is dead. He has no power anymore. You don't have those sins anymore. People forget that and they can't bear this fruit that we just talked about.) 10 Wherefore, brethren, give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never stumble: 11 for thus shall be richly supplied unto you the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.  (Notice that you should be leaving the kingdom of this world and entering the eternal Kingdom of God where he rules.  Oh Hallelujah! Believe in your baptism, Saints! Glory to God! Thank you, Father! 

A new MP3 sermon from Eager Avenue Grace Church is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: The Heavenly Jerusalem Speaker: Bill Parker Broadcaster: Eager Avenue Grace Church Event: TV Broadcast Date: 8/11/2024 Bible: Isaiah 52:1-10 Length: 28 min.

Apostle Paul and the Churches in Galatia. The infiltration of the Judaizers. I. THE DESCRIPTION OF OUR FREEDOM A. Legalism versus Grace Salvation is by grace through faith in Christ – Galatians 3-4. The true gospel of Christ involves a freedom from the slavery of Jewish legalism. B. Abraham Historical Facts – Galatians 4:19-23 Paul used the events in the life of Abraham as a basis for his argument for Christian liberty (freedom). Sequence the events in Abraham's life in a chronological order: Genesis 12 - 21 The Old Covenant Law Hagar the slave Ismael, conceived after the flesh Earthly Jerusalem in bondage The New Covenant Grace Sarah the free woman Isaac, conceived miraculously Heavenly Jerusalem, which is free Ismael versus Isaac (Flesh versus Spirit) - Galatians 4:22-29 In Abraham's home we see the same basic conflicts that we Christians face today: ▪ Hagar versus Sarah = law versus grace. ▪ Ismael versus Isaac = flesh versus Spirit. ▪ You cannot separate these four factors. The Judaizers taught that law made the believer more spiritual, but Paul made it clear that law only releases the opposition of the flesh and a conflict within the believer ensues. (Romans 7:19) There was no law strong enough either to change or to control Ismael, but Isaac never needed any law.

Blessings Follow Sanctification (6)  (audio)  David Eells (7/7/24)  We've been studying sanctification and its resulting blessing, and we've seen that the Church and the Bride are coming to such great maturity in their sanctification that they are as (Isa.62:1) … as a lamp that burneth. All of the true Church is going to grow 30-, 60- and 100-fold in the fruit of Jesus Christ, and the Bride gloriously comes into His image, as we studied in Isaiah 62. But Isaiah 63 is a different story because it tells you about those who are not sanctified.   I'd like to back up a little bit first and review what I shared about last time. (Isa.63:1) Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, marching in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. (2) Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winevat? (3) I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the peoples there was no man with me: yea, I trod them in mine anger, and trampled them in my wrath; and their lifeblood is sprinkled upon my garments, and I have stained all my raiment. We noticed in Revelation 19 that the Lord does come back with a garment that is sprinkled with blood and it is the blood of His enemies.   The enemy that He is speaking about in this chapter is Edom. He is coming from Bozrah of Edom and bozrah means “sheepfold.” We saw in our previous study that the Lord Jesus came to the sheepfold in a time when the Old Testament Church was very apostate and He called His sheep by name and led them out of the sheepfold. Shortly after that, those people who refused to come out of their apostate sheepfold were hardened and rejected, and then the Beast came and devoured the Harlot. We know that same history is going to repeat in our day and this is who Isaiah 63 is talking about; it's talking about the Harlot. We also learned that Edom, or the seed of Esau, represents the opposite of Jacob. (Gen.25:29) And Jacob boiled pottage: and Esau came in from the field, and he was faint:   (30) and Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red [pottage]; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. (31) And Jacob said, Sell me first thy birthright. (32) And Esau said, Behold, I am about to die: and what profit shall the birthright do to me? (33) And Jacob said, Swear to me first; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. (34) And Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: so Esau despised his birthright. At the time when Esau decided to sell his birthright, he was called “Edom,” which means “red,” and “red” is the color of sin. As it says in (Isa.1:18) Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.   Remember what it says in Hebrews. (Heb.12:14) Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no man shall see the Lord (When Jacob was sanctified, or separated, from Esau, he bore so much fruit that it shocked his brother.): (Heb.12:15) looking carefully lest [there be] any man that falleth short of the grace of God (Many people fall short of the grace of God for the same reason that Esau fell short of the grace of God.); lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble [you,] and thereby the many be defiled.... A root of bitterness will defile many people because a person who has it will export it and Esau certainly did. If nothing else, he exported it to all of his seed because the sins of the parents are passed on to the children to the third and fourth generation (Deuteronomy 5:9).   When a person sins by allowing a demonic spirit of bitterness, or criticism, or unforgiveness toward their brother, which was Esau's problem, then that sin is passed on to their seed. The sin of Esau is the sin of the Edomites, whom the Lord says He will destroy, He will trample (Isaiah 63:3). “The many be defiled” is what happened from Esau's sin and even today there are Esaus, so Paul warns us that we need to make sure that no one falls after that same example of disobedience. Esau was the brother of Jacob and he was a son of Abraham, and he represented a son of God, but still he sold his birthright because of this root of bitterness. (Heb.12:16) Lest [there be] any fornicator, or profane person (We discovered that “profane” here means “permitted to be trodden.” In other words, this is someone who was “trampled underfoot,” someone who was conquered by his spiritual enemies.), as Esau, who for one mess of meat (I liken that to “flesh” because I don't think it was an accident that they used the word “meat” there.) sold his own birthright.   Because he walked after the flesh, because he submitted to these spirits of criticism, anger and bitterness against his brother, Esau sold his own birthright. (Heb.12:17) For ye know that even when he afterward desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected; for he found no place for a change of mind [in his father] (Literally, it doesn't say “in his father,” but “found no place for a change of mind.” The phrase “change of mind” is the Greek word metanoia and it means “repentance.” Esau could not repent and we saw in 2 Peter 2 that unrepentant people can't cease from sin.), though he sought it diligently with tears.   He found no forgiveness in himself, he found no repentance in his life and he could not cease from sinning because he was bitter. He was turned over to the tormentors and the tormentors made him what he was. Jesus told us in, (Mat.18:32) Then his lord called him unto him, and saith to him, Thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou besoughtest me: (33) shouldest not thou also have had mercy on thy fellow-servant, even as I had mercy on thee? (34) And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due. (35) So shall also my heavenly Father do unto you, if ye forgive not every one his brother from your hearts.   When we see that the people whom the Lord is judging here is Edom, we are not seeing the whole story. Edom specifically represents those who are brothers of Jacob and sons of Abraham, whether physical or spiritual, but who sell their birthright through walking after the flesh and go on to persecute their brother. In the case of Edom, they sell their birthright because of bitterness. The whole story is found in Revelation 19, where He is judging all of the nations at the time of the wrath of God. (Rev.19:11) And I saw the heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and he that sat thereon called Faithful and True; and in righteous he doth judge and make war. (12) And his eyes [are] a flame of fire, and upon his head [are] many diadems; and he hath a name written which no one knoweth but he himself. (13) And he is arrayed in a garment sprinkled with blood: and his name is called The Word of God.   (14) And the armies which are in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white [and] pure. (15) And out of his mouth proceedeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of God, the Almighty. (16) And he hath on his garment and on his thigh a name written, KINGS OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. Also, notice how He uses the same language in Isaiah. (Isa.63:3) I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the peoples there was no man with me: yea, I trod them in mine anger, and trampled them in my wrath; and their lifeblood is sprinkled upon my garments, and I have stained all my raiment. (4) For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and the year of my redeemed is come.   What is this “day of vengeance”? What is this “day of wrath”? And what is the “year of my redeemed”? Well, the “day of vengeance” and the “day of wrath” are the same day. They are a day that we're told is a year; they are the “year of my redeemed,” when God is judging all those who have persecuted His people. (Isa.34:8) For the Lord hath a day of vengeance, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion. (9) And the streams of [Edom] shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch. In the days of Noah, God brought His wrath upon the earth and this “day of wrath” was the year in which the flood waters were upon the earth to destroy lost mankind (Genesis 6-8).   God told Noah, (Gen.7:4) For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living thing that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the ground. So after seven days the flood waters came. In type, the flood represents the “great and terrible day of the Lord” (Joel 2:31 KJV) that comes after seven years of the Tribulation. And we can see this again in Daniel's 70th week where each day is a year. (Dan.9:27) And he shall make a firm covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease; and upon the wing of abominations [shall come] one that maketh desolate; and even unto the full end, and that determined, shall [wrath] be poured out upon the desolate.   There was a continual wrath from the Edomites against Israel and here we see in Isaiah 63 that God is judging this. The spiritual Edomites today cannot stand holiness, they cannot stand purity, they cannot stand truth and they are just like Esau, who continually persecuted his brother. A great persecution is coming from the religious Harlot against the true Church and the Lord is going to deal with that in the “day of vengeance” or “day of wrath.” It will be the “great and terrible day of the Lord” (Jeremiah 46:10; Joel 2:11,31; Acts 2:20; 1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Peter 3:10).   Another thing that's going to happen before this “day of vengeance” is that there's going to be a great “falling way” (John 16:1; 2 Thessalonians 2:3; Hebrews 3:12) and, as a matter of fact, in Revelation 6 it is very plain. (Rev.6:12) And I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the whole moon became as blood. We know that the sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the “great and terrible day of the Lord,” which is a year, as we've seen in Isaiah 34:8.   The Bible also says that the sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood after the Tribulation period. (Mat.24:29) But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. (Act.2:20) The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the day of the Lord come, That great and notable [day]. In other words, after the seven days, which is exactly what God told Noah, there would be another year. Between the seventh and eighth year, the sun is turned into darkness and the moon into blood, but at the beginning of the eighth year is when the ark lifted off and the floods came down and judged the world.   So when the sun and the moon are darkened, which is the beginning of the great and terrible Day of the Lord, what happens? (Rev.6:13) And the stars of the heaven fell unto the earth, as a fig tree casteth her unripe figs when she is shaken of a great wind. That's when the “stars” of heaven fall to the earth and we're told Abraham's seed are as the stars of heaven. (Gen.15:5) And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and number the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And Scripture also likens God's people to a fig tree (Jeremiah 29:17; Matthew 24:1-10; Isaiah 28:4; Nahum 3:12; etc.)   Also in (Hos.9:10) I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the first ripe in the fig-tree at its first season: but they came to Baal-peor, and consecrated themselves unto the shameful thing, and became abominable like that which they loved. So then, who is this who's falling away? As a type and shadow, these are the Edomites. Even though they are as the stars in heaven, they still will fall away. (Rev.6:13) And the stars of the heaven fell unto the earth, as a fig tree casteth her unripe figs when she is shaken of a great wind. You see, we have only a certain amount of time to become mature, to bear fruit, to be ripe figs.   What is it that's going to cause this great falling away? We read in (Rev.6:13) And the stars of the heaven fell unto the earth, as a fig tree casteth her unripe figs when she is shaken of a great wind. God said that He would “shake” the heavens and the earth. (Heb.12:26) Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more will I make to tremble not the earth only, but also the heaven. This shaking is the one that is coming and it both causes the falling away and brings in the Kingdom. (Rev.6:14) And the heaven was removed as a scroll when it is rolled up; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.   (15) And the kings of the earth, and the princes, and the chief captains, and the rich, and the strong, and every bondman and freeman, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains; (16) and they say to the mountains and to the rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: (17) for the great day of their wrath is come; and who is able to stand? So, again, when the sun and moon are darkened, we know that this is before the great and terrible Day of the Lord. (Mat.24:29) But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.   Then the Lord sends forth His angels and gathers together His elect as it says in, (Mat.13:24) Another parable set he before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man that sowed good seed in his field: (25) but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares also among the wheat, and went away. (26) But when the blade sprang up and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. (27) And the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? whence then hath it tares? (28) And he said unto them, An enemy hath done this. And the servants say unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? (29) But he saith, Nay; lest haply while ye gather up the tares, ye root up the wheat with them.   (30) Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather up first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn. (36) Then he left the multitudes, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Explain unto us the parable of the tares of the field. (37) And he answered and said, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; (38) and the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil [one]; (39) and the enemy that sowed them is the devil: and the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are angels.   (40) As therefore the tares are gathered up and burned with fire; so shall it be in the end of the world. (41) The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and them that do iniquity, (42) and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. (43) Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He that hath ears, let him hear. The Lord sends forth His angels and gathers together His elect, just like with Noah. Noah lifted off at the beginning of the “great and terrible day of the Lord,” which was the year when the water came down and put to death the wicked.   Obadiah has something to say about this Day of the Lord concerning the Edomites, but first I want to point out that he is talking about the time of the Day of the Lord. (Oba.15) For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee; thy dealing shall return upon thine own head. The Lord Jesus said when He came back, He was going to render to every man according to his works. (Mat.16:27) For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then shall he render unto every man according to his deeds. He said, “every man”! Some people think, “Well, that's not necessarily speaking about God's children,” but the Edomites sold their birthright as sons of God. I'm talking more specifically about the spiritual Edomites, those who are speaking against their brothers, those who are persecuting them as the Harlot persecutes the true Church.   And when the Lord comes back, He is going to render to those Edomites according to their works. (Oba.8) Shall I not in that day, saith the Lord, destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau? The mount of Esau is Mount Seir, just as Mount Zion is the Mount of Israel, and it represents a kingdom, the kingdom of Esau. (Oba.9) And thy mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, to the end that every one may be cut off from the mount of Esau by slaughter. Everyone! How is it possible that every Edomite could be cut off? It's possible when we understand that these Edomites are a type and shadow. (1Co.10:11) Now these things happened unto them by way of example (The Greek word for “example” here is “type” or “figure.”); and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come.   “To the end that every one may be cut off from the mount of Esau by slaughter” is a type or figure; it's a parable. It was in the “letter” according to natural Israel, but is to be understood in the Spirit according to spiritual New Testament Israel. We also have our brothers who are persecuting, critical, unforgiving, bitter, railing against the truth and fighting against those who walk in holiness and sanctification. God is going to deal with them when He is through using them to bring His people to their cross and this is what He is talking about when He says He's going to cut off every one of them. If you're saying, “That will be a real slaughter against an awful lot of humans,” that's true, naturally speaking. Of course, that slaughter is coming in the great and terrible Day of the Lord, too. It's coming in the “flood” of judgment that is going to destroy multitudes of people. And that flood is also going to destroy these spiritual Edomites, those who have persecuted their brothers.   Going on in (Oba.10) For the violence done to thy brother Jacob, shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off forever. (11) In the day that thou stoodest on the other side, in the day that strangers carried away his substance, and foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots upon Jerusalem, even thou wast as one of them. In other words, the Edomites sided with the Beast kingdoms that came against Israel; this is a historic fact. They did this constantly. Herod was an Edomite who was put there by the Romans to rule over Israel and they called it “Palestine” to insult the Israelites because there wasn't really a Palestine; the land belonged to Israel. “Palestine” is the Latin version of the name “Philistine.”   Once again, in our day, brethren from our midst will side with the Beast kingdom against us, just as Judas did from the midst of the disciples. He sided with the Beast and betrayed the body of Christ. (Oba.12) But look not thou on the day of thy brother in the day of his disaster, and rejoice not over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; neither speak proudly in the day of distress. (13) Enter not into the gate of my people in the day of their calamity; yea, look not thou on their affliction in the day of their calamity, neither lay ye hands on their substance in the day of their calamity. (14) And stand thou not in the crossway, to cut off those of his that escape; and deliver not up those of his that remain in the day of distress. That's exactly what Judas did; he delivered up Christ to the Beast.   In the previous teaching, I shared a dream concerning soldiers dressed in red uniforms, who parachuted down from heaven and were trying to block God's people from escaping into the wilderness. It was very interesting and that is actually what Obadiah is saying here. Those soldiers dressed in red are Edomites because, as we saw, “Edom” means “red.” And they were parachuting down because they were like those figs being cast down when a fig tree is shaken of a great wind and like the stars of heaven falling to the earth. This is a great falling away about which the Bible speaks and it will come through deception and delusion. And who can fall away, except a people who have known the Lord? Here was Esau, a son of Abraham, a son of God, who was in the position of the firstborn and yet he fell away.   We see this again in Ezekiel concerning the Edomites being betrayers of their brethren and it also appears very much like the destruction of the Harlot. Let's read that in (Eze.35:1) Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, (2) Son of man, set thy face against mount Seir (Again, that represents Esau's kingdom.), and prophesy against it, (3) and say unto it, Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I am against thee, O mount Seir, and I will stretch out my hand against thee, and I will make thee a desolation and an astonishment. (4) I will lay thy cities waste, and thou shalt be desolate; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord. (5) Because thou hast had a perpetual enmity, and hast given over the children of Israel (who was Jacob, his brother) to the power of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time of the iniquity of the end....    We know that at the end of the Roman Beast kingdom, the Edomites sided with the Romans against their brother Jacob and they are going to do it in these days, too. America, the “great eagle” at the very top of the image of the Beast (Daniel 3), is ultimately going to side with the Edomites against Israel. We know that from Jeremiah, where he speaks about Babylon, the great eagle, conquering all of the nations. First, all the nations drank of the cup of wrath that came from Babylon and then, ultimately, at the end, Babylon itself drank of the cup of wrath (Jeremiah 25:1-33). So the Lord said, “Those of you who side with the world against your brothers in the day of their calamity, you are going to be judged in the time of the iniquity of the end.”  Going on in (Eze.35:6) Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord God, I will prepare thee unto blood, and blood shall pursue thee: since thou hast not hated blood, therefore blood shall pursue thee. (7) Thus will I make mount Seir an astonishment and a desolation; and I will cut off from it him that passeth through and him that returneth. (8) And I will fill its mountains with its slain: in thy hills and in thy valleys and in all thy watercourses shall they fall that are slain with the sword. (9) I will make thee a perpetual desolation, and thy cities shall not be inhabited; and ye shall know that I am the Lord. This is the iniquity of the end! (Eze.35:10) Because thou hast said, These two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we will possess it (Even today, the natural Edomites are claiming those two nations and yet the land doesn't belong to them.); whereas the Lord was there:   (Eze.35:11) therefore, as I live, saith the Lord God, I will do according to thine anger, and according to thine envy which thou hast showed out of thy hatred against them; and I will make myself known among them, when I shall judge thee. (12) And thou shalt know that I, the Lord, have heard all thy revilings which thou hast spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, They are laid desolate, they are given us to devour. This is what's going to happen to natural Israel and, of course, the Church. The Church, being spiritual Jacob or spiritual Israel, is going to become desolate. War is going to be made against the saints and the Church, as we have known it, a prosperous, somewhat respected entity in the world, is going to go by the wayside.   The whole world is going to be against the Church and the Harlot, the Edomites, are going to side with the world. The Edomites will do this for the sake of advantage and because of their hatred of their brother. (Eze.35:13) And ye have magnified yourselves against me with your mouth, and have multiplied your words against me: I have heard it. (14) Thus saith the Lord God: When the whole earth rejoiceth, I will make thee desolate.   When the whole world comes against natural and spiritual Israel, and think that they have finally done away with their voice when the Two Witnesses are killed, the Bible says they will be rejoicing. As it says in (Rev.11:7) And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that cometh up out of the abyss shall make war with them, and overcome them, and kill them. (8) And their dead bodies lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. (9) And from among the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations do men look upon their dead bodies three days and a half, and suffer not their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. (10) And they that dwell on the earth rejoice over them, and make merry; and they shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwell on the earth.   And yet God says at that time, “I will make thee desolate,” because that is what the great and terrible Day of the Lord is; it is the time for Him to render the “day of vengeance.” (Eze.35:15) As thou didst rejoice over the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was desolate, so will I do unto thee: thou shalt be desolate, O mount Seir, and all Edom, even all of it; and they shall know that I am the Lord. All of it! All of Mount Seir! How is that possible, except that God is almighty and He will do according to His Own will? (Dan.4:35) And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?   Nothing can restrain His hand and one thing He has determined is to destroy the Edomites, both the spiritual and the physical Edomites. Back in (Oba.15) For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee (He will render to every man according to his works.); thy dealing shall return upon thine own head. (Oba.16) For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all the nations drink continually; yea, they shall drink, and swallow down, and shall be as though they had not been. This is speaking about the Jeremiah 25 scenario, where God offered this cup of wrath to all the nations and made them drink it.   The last one to drink it was Babylon, the “great eagle,” which was God's vessel to bring this judgment to those nations, and yet it is all going to be turned around in the end. (Oba.17) But in mount Zion there shall be those that escape.... Again, we're seeing that there are going to be certain people who are going to escape. And in the dream that I shared last time, the brother saw that I and the others with me had all escaped. (Oba.17) But in mount Zion there shall be those that escape, and it shall be holy.... Notice this. The reason that people are going to escape is because they are holy; they don't need any more sanctification and they don't need any more crucifixion. Crucifixion is for the purpose of putting to death the old man to bring forth a people who will walk holy before the Lord.   In other words, crucifixion is so they will sanctify themselves from the world and repent of their sins, and turn to God. This is the place of safety and the people who will do this are the people who will escape. (Oba.17) But in mount Zion there shall be those that escape, and it shall be holy; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. Yes! God's New Testament spiritual Jacob, or Israel, the true born-again Church, and especially the Bride who has been sanctified and is holy, will “possess their possessions.” We have been without our possessions for a long time now and the Lord has promised through Joel to restore everything that has been taken from us. He says, Joe 2:25 And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the canker-worm, and the caterpillar, and the palmer-worm, my great army which I sent among you. Praise be to God for that!   (Oba.18) And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble.... God's people are going to have something to do with the destruction of Esau, or the Edomites, in the great and terrible Day of the Lord. Remember that for the first 40 days the ark set on the earth in that Day of the Lord, which was a year. Then, after 40 days, it lifted off. That represents the Lord coming for His people and He isn't coming back alone. At that time, when He returns to gather the saints and to bring judgment upon the earth, He has the armies of Heaven behind Him. (Rev.19:15) And the armies which are in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and pure.   This is when He tramples the “winepress of the wrath of God.” In (Rev.14:18) And another angel came out from the altar, he that hath power over fire; and he called with a great voice to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Send forth thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. (19) And the angel cast his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vintage of the earth, and cast it into the winepress, the great [winepress], of the wrath of God. (20) And the winepress was trodden without the city, and there came out blood from the winepress, even unto the bridles of the horses, as far as a thousand and six hundred furlongs. The Lord and the armies of Heaven with Him are bringing judgment to destroy the flesh of men.   (Rev.19:17) And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in mid heaven, Come and be gathered together unto the great supper of God; (18) that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses and of them that sit thereon, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, and small and great. One group in that list of the unregenerate nations is the Edomites, who had the birthright but sold it and they should not have been there in the first place.   Do you remember what the Lord said about the lukewarm? (Rev.3:16) So because thou art lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spew thee out of my mouth. When does that happen? Here in (Rev.12:3) And there was seen another sign in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his heads seven diadems. (4) And his tail draweth the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon standeth before the woman that is about to be delivered, that when she is delivered he may devour her child. The lukewarm are spewed out when the stars fall from heaven.   Some people think that the “stars” are angels, but, (Isa.9:15) The elder and the honorable man, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail. (16) For they that lead this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed. “The prophet that teacheth lies ... is the tail.” And the Bible also says that the “stars” of heaven are Abraham's seed (Genesis 15:5). So one-third of the “stars” of heaven are going to fall away. The dragon Beast is going to deceive and conquer them, and the spewing-out from the body of Christ of the lukewarm is that falling away.  Back to (Oba.18) And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall burn among them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining to the house of Esau; for the Lord hath spoken it. Some people have the idea that this is all natural. They don't understand that it's a parable because they don't see anything in the spirit, but those who go up in the great and terrible Day of the Lord are not a physical people anymore. God is giving them the power to destroy the Harlot, the Edomites, but they are no longer in the flesh.   I am not saying that natural Israel won't be upon this earth fighting against the nations that are brought against her. I believe that is absolutely true and Zechariah 12-14 speak of that. (Zec.12:6) In that day will I make the chieftains of Judah like a pan of fire among wood, and like a flaming torch among sheaves; and they shall devour all the peoples round about, on the right hand and on the left; and they of Jerusalem shall yet again dwell in their own place, even in Jerusalem. This has both a spiritual and natural meaning. When the Lord returns with all of His saints at the end of the great and terrible Day of the Lord, it will be to defend and preserve a remnant of natural Israel, and destroy the nations that come against it, including Edomites.   (Zec.14:5) And ye shall flee by the valley of my mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azel; yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah; and the Lord my God shall come, and all the holy ones with thee. Notice it says “all the holy (or ‘sanctified') ones with thee.” Obviously, the unsanctified are on the earth and going through the great and terrible Day of the Lord. (Zec.14:12) And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the peoples that have warred against Jerusalem: their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their sockets, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth. I know that in the natural this could be speaking about nuclear weapons, but also it's like the “pan of fire” (Zechariah 12:6).   It's like the fire that is coming out of the mouth of the Lord and out of the mouth of the saints to destroy the wicked. (Zec.14:13) And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the Lord shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbor, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbor. (14) And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the nations round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance. The Lord is going to bring an end to the Edomites joining with the Beast entity to fight against their brothers, who are God's true people.   Let's go back to Obadiah and read a little bit more of this. (Oba.18) And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall burn among them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining to the house of Esau; for the Lord hath spoken it. (19) And they of the South shall possess the mount of Esau, and they of the lowland the Philistines; and they shall possess the field of Ephraim, and the field of Samaria; and Benjamin [shall possess] Gilead. (20) And the captives of this host of the children of Israel, that are [among] the Canaanites, [shall possess] even unto Zarephath; and the captives of Jerusalem, that are in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the South. (21) And saviors shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the Lord's. This is the time when the kingdom of this world has become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ.   God's people are going to be on Mount Zion; they are going to be in Heavenly Jerusalem and they are going to bring judgment against the wicked. Revelation tells us when the Kingdom is the Lord's: (Rev.11:15) And the seventh angel sounded (or, the “last trump”); and there followed great voices in heaven (speaking that the ark has lifted off), and they said, The kingdom of the world is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ: and he shall reign for ever and ever. So we do not have to guess about the timing that he is talking about here when he says, (Oba.21) And saviors shall come up on mount Zion.... God's people will totally overcome!   They will come to their Heavenly city, just as Paul spoke about them coming to their city back in his day. (Heb.12:22) But ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable hosts of angels, (23) to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, (24) and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better than [that of] Abel.   And so we read, (Oba.21) Saviors shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau and the kingdom shall be the Lord's. Praise be to God! Are these “saviors” doing this judging in their new bodies? Yes, that is exactly right! As we saw earlier, they are no longer a physical people and they, with the Lord, are bringing this judgment. By the way, in the Book of Daniel, God gives credit to the saints for destroying this kingdom of the Beast. (Dan.7:23) Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all the kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. (24) And as for the ten horns, out of this kingdom shall ten kings arise: and another shall arise after them; and he shall be diverse from the former, and he shall put down three kings.   (25) And he shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High; and he shall think to change the times and the law; and they (the saints) shall be given into his hand until a time and times and half a time. (26) But the judgment shall be set, and they (the saints) shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. (27) And the kingdom and the dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High: his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. So the “saints,” meaning the “sanctified ones,” have returned with the Lord to bring this judgment upon the earth. God has given it unto them to do this and the Lord on His white horse is guiding His people. Praise be to God!   Back in (Oba.19) And they of the South shall possess the mount of Esau, and they of the lowland the Philistines; and they shall possess the field of Ephraim (This is speaking of the northern 10 tribes; that was the name that was used for them at one time.), and the field of Samaria.... In the time of Jesus, the Samaritans were not considered by the Jews to be true believers because they were not of the seed of the Jews. After the Assyrian Empire had conquered Samaria, they carried away the 10 tribes and replaced them with other conquered tribes from various pagan nations, who eventually ended up with the religion of the Jews, along with their own religions.   This is a kind of parallel with the Edomite situation and Ezra has something to say about it. In (Ezr.4:1) Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity (These were the people who were returning from captivity in order to rebuild the Temple, which is what is happening today.) were building a temple unto the Lord, the God of Israel; (2) then they drew near to Zerubbabel (His name means “born from Babylon” and he represents the Man-child here.), and to the heads of fathers' houses, and said unto them, Let us build with you; for we seek your God, as ye do; and we sacrifice unto him since the days of Esar-haddon king of Assyria, who brought us up hither. They're talking about having been relocated from other nations to Samaria after Samaria was conquered by the Assyrians.   (Ezr.4:3) But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers' houses of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us in building a house unto our God (The Edomites, just like these Samaritans who represent false Christians, have nothing to do with building this house of God. Only the true holy people are the ones who are building the house of God and I'm going to explain that a little bit better further on.); but we ourselves together will build unto the Lord, the God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us. (Ezr.4:4) Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building. So these people wanted to join with the true holy people of God, but Jacob only bore fruit when he separated from Esau. And today, the Edomites want to join the true people of God, as though they are Christians, but they're not because they are defiled with that root of bitterness.   (Ezr.4:5) And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. The Edomites sided with the Beast every time, as did these Samaritans. (Ezr.4:6) And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. Throughout history, the Harlot has always accused God's people and the Edomites are always accusing God's people.   (Ezr.4:7) And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his companions, unto Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in the Syrian character, and set forth in the Syrian tongue. (12) Be it known unto the king, that the Jews that came up from thee are come to us unto Jerusalem; they are building the rebellious and the bad city, and have finished the walls, and repaired the foundations. (13) Be it known now unto the king, that, if this city be builded, and the walls finished, they will not pay tribute, custom, or toll, and in the end it will be hurtful unto the kings. This is what the Samaritans threatened, which caused the king to order a stop to the building of the Temple.   Let me go back to who these people actually were and look at who the Samaritans are in our day. In (2Ki.17:24) And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Avva, and from Hamath and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel; and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof. (25) And so it was, at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not the Lord: therefore the Lord sent lions among them, which killed some of them.   (26) Wherefore they spake to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations which thou hast carried away, and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the law of the god of the land: therefore he hath sent lions among them, and, behold, they slay them, because they know not the law of the god of the land. Well, they were living in Samaria, but they were not Israelites, were they? They called themselves Samaritans, but these were pagans who were brought in to take the place of the true Samaritans and it was the Beast that did this. The Beast entity, which is the world, which is the flesh, which is all those who don't walk according to the Spirit of God, has infiltrated the Church. These are people who talk like Christians but they don't fear God. If they feared God, they would be convicted with the Word of God to change their ways, but they just want to play “country club” religion.   Continuing in (2Ki.17:27) Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry thither one of the priests whom ye brought from thence; and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach them the law of the god of the land. You can teach a pagan all about Christianity and you can send them to Sunday School, but they will still be a pagan. That's the problem. (2Ki.17:28) So one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Beth-el (“Beth-el” means “the house of God.” Who are they teaching in this house of God? They're teaching people who are not Israelites; they're not Christians but they like going to church.), and taught them how they should fear the Lord. (2Ki.17:29) Howbeit every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt. So they studied the God of the land, they studied the Lord, but they worshipped their own gods and, of course, it's that way in much of Christianity today.   People have a “Jesus” of their own making who's not the Jesus of the Bible. (2Ki.17:30) And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima, (31) and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burnt their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. These were the actual “gods” these people worshipped. (1Co.10:20) But [I say], that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have communion with demons. According to Apostle Paul, these are demons impersonating God. Is it the same today? Yes! It's the same today; there are demons who impersonate the true God. There are people who claim to be God's people, but they are merely studying God and not really fearing Him. They're not really submitting to Him. These people are not Christians and will never be converted.   Continuing in (2Ki.17:32) So they feared the Lord, and made unto them from among themselves priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places. Notice that these are not ordained priests; they are not Levites. These priests came from among their pagan people. (2Ki.17:33) They feared the Lord, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away. They called Him “Lord,” but it was really their own god that they were serving. (2Ki.17:34) Unto this day they do after the former manner: they fear not the Lord, neither do they after their statutes, or after their ordinances, or after the law or after the commandment which the Lord commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel. This is the problem: dispersed among the people of God are people who don't walk as Christians.   The Lord said He would judge every man according to his own works, yet people think that God is going to judge them as to whether or not they have had the Christian experience of a new spirit. But that is not what the Word tells us. Paul writes in (Rom.2:5) But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up for thyself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; (6) who will render to every man according to his works: (7) to them that by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and incorruption, eternal life: (8) but unto them that are factious, and obey not the truth, but obey unrighteousness, [shall be] wrath and indignation, (9) tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that worketh evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Greek;   (10) but glory and honor and peace to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek: (11) for there is no respect of persons with God. The Lord says it will be according to your works. Your nature is what proves who you really are. If you walk after the regenerate spirit that God gave you, you will become regenerate. Your soul, which is your mind, will and emotions, will be renewed, but if you walk after the flesh, you must die. (Rom.8:12) So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh: (13) for if ye live after the flesh, ye must die; but if by the Spirit ye put to death the deeds of the body, ye shall live. (14) For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. It all has to do with your works. God will judge these Judases who are among His people and who mistreat their brethren.  Back to (2Ki.17:35) With whom the Lord had made a covenant (this is speaking of Israel), and charged them, saying, Ye shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them: (41) So these nations feared the Lord, and served their graven images; their children likewise, and their children's children, as did their fathers, so do they unto this day. And I might say, “So do they unto this day.” This is still going on because this is all a type and shadow of God separating the wheat from the tares. The tares are sown among the wheat but they do not bear fruit. These are people who claim to be Christians. They have invaded the Church just to do their own will.   They submit to their false gods, who are actually demons, and their works are going to prove who they are. They are not sanctified, therefore they don't take part in the Bride's blessing, but instead they take part in the great and terrible Day of the Lord. Everyone who is not sanctified will go through the great and terrible Day of the Lord, the day of God's wrath upon the wicked, the day of God's judgment upon the Harlot. God will use the Beast to devour the Harlot with fire. And it will be God's people who are exercising the authority of God's judgment. It will be God's people who are the fire in the midst of the Judases.   God bless you to follow the God of the Bible.

Blessings Follow Sanctification (5)  (audio)  David Eells (6/23/24)    We've been discussing the blessings that follow sanctification and it's been very exciting to learn how the Bride is being manifested in the earth, as a spotless and blemishless Bride, for whom the Lord has been waiting all these years! We saw that the Bride will be manifesting His glory. (Isa.62:1) For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her righteousness go forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burneth. This is the Epiphaneia, the “shining forth from” His people of the glory of God, of the nature of Jesus Christ. During the days to come, we know that God's going to do just that; He's going to fulfill this prophecy. His city, His Heavenly New Jerusalem, is even now being manifested in the earth under our King David.  And yet, as this prophecy is being fulfilled, other things will be happening out there which are not such good news. God's people are going to have an opportunity to bear fruit and then time will run out. And not just the Bride, but the virgins, the queens, the concubines, all the different groups of God's people at the Marriage Feast, all these people have to bear fruit. However, we know there will be some people who stubbornly refuse to bear fruit. As a matter of fact, we sometimes see them around us because they love to persecute us and this next chapter in Isaiah is a parable about Jacob and Esau.  There was constant war between Jacob and Esau, and there has been constant war between their seed for the generations since then, even up to now. The Palestinians of today are basically the Edomites who are the seed of Esau, about which Isaiah 63 speaks. Both Jacob and Esau were sons of Abraham, and yet the Lord said in, (Rom.9:6) But it is not as though the word of God hath come to nought. For they are not all Israel, that are of Israel: (7) neither, because they are Abraham's seed, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. (8) That is, it is not the children of the flesh that are children of God; but the children of the promise are reckoned for a seed.   (9) For this is a word of promise, According to this season will I come, and Sarah shall have a son. (10) And not only so; but Rebecca also having conceived by one, even by our father Isaac— (11) for the children being not yet born, neither having done anything good or bad, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth, (12) it was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. (13) Even as it is written, Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated. What do you suppose He meant by that? And does it have an application to the New Testament people of God? Of course it does. We read in (1Co.10:11) Now these things happened unto them by way of example; and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come.   This is a parable that can be applied to the Church, not that we are literally Jews; we are only spiritually Jews. God gave us the parable of the letter in order to fulfill in the spirit what was already done and we give thanks unto God for that. We know that (Act.14:22) … through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God. Tribulation is necessary to bring this Bride to maturity and one of the sources of this tribulation is those people who are called “sons of Abraham” yet they persecute their brethren. It's like Jacob and Esau. Esau was a constant persecution against Jacob and even up until this day, we still have the parable before us.   So let's read (Isa.63:1) Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? “Bozrah” means “sheepfold” and Edom is the seed of Esau. This is a revelation of Jesus' coming after perfecting His Bride and what He's going to do with these people who have persecuted His Bride. You know, even though God may use certain people against His Bride in order to bring the Bride to maturity, He still holds those people accountable and this chapter is where God is about to hold some people accountable. So Bozrah is the sheepfold. Jesus came to the sheepfold in His day and He called His sheep out by name. It says in (Joh.10:1) Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. (2) But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.   (3) To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. (4) When he hath put forth all his own, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. (5) And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. How many of His sheep did He call out? He called out all of them that were His and the sheepfold He was calling them out of was apostate Judaism. Now the parable is for our day because the Lord is going to do the exact same thing through the Man-child. He's going to be calling His people out of the apostate sheepfold of religion to follow Jesus.   We received a dream that I think is very telling about this parable, in identifying to you who the Edomites are in the Church. This dream was given to G.C. in the middle of 2008. (The dream is written in non-bold italics.) G.C. said, I had a dream about us. (He was talking about Unleavened Bread Ministries.) Details were lacking, but I recall us being in a field or a park the size of a football field that was in the midst of a city. Jesus said in, (Mat.13:38) … the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil [one]. The world is full of competition, just like football, which is a competitive sport. Christians are supposed to be serving one another, not competing with one another, but the world is that way and so are their religions.   This city, I believe, represents the worldly Babylon that's in apostasy because all the world came from Babel. (Gen.11:6) And the Lord said, Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is what they begin to do: and now nothing will be withholden from them, which they purpose to do. (7) Come, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. (8) So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off building the city. (9) Therefore was the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.   And in (1Ch.1:19) And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg; for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother's name was Joktan. God confounded their tongue, then He broke up the continent and spread that out and separated the people, so there is a world Babylon that will fall. He's calling us out of that; He's calling us into His Kingdom and out of the kingdom of this world.   G.C. goes on, There were quite a few of us in this area, but for whatever reason, I do not know, I remember walking through this grassy area and realizing that the people with us were probably part of UBM, but a lot of them I have never seen before. That's because when God brings UBM people together, many times they have not seen each other since ours is primarily a broadcast ministry. We are very happy to have visitors who come quite regularly to see us and they may have been a part of our ministry for a long time, but we never see them until they come to visit us.   Continuing with the dream: Then I found myself on a high mountain or a cliff overlooking the field and I saw you (David Eells) and the others in the field. He's looking down from a mountain upon the field, which is the world, and so this is a perspective from the Kingdom of God. You know, we're supposed to be seeing things from a Kingdom perspective and not from a worldly perspective; that's how we are actually able to walk as sons of God. Back to the dream: As I watched this, I saw many hostile solider-type men in red uniforms parachuting down into the field. My interpretation is that this represents the apostate enemy troops who walk in sin, which is represented as the color red in the Scriptures. As it says in (Isa.1:18) Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. And also the word “Edom” means “red.”   Our text in Isaiah 63 is speaking about Edom and “Edom” was the name given to Esau when he sold his birthright as a son of Abraham. Do you know that there are Christians who are selling their birthright as sons of Abraham? We'll look at that a little further on. It says in (Gen.25:30) And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red [pottage] (They added the word “pottage” there and put it in brackets, but in the original it just says “red.”); for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. So Esau got a nickname from begging for this “red.” His name became “Edom” and those people who followed him, who were his seed and who walked in his steps, are the Edomites.   We discovered in the Scriptures, (1Co.4:15) For though ye have ten thousand tutors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I begat you through the gospel. A person walks in the steps of their spiritual father. The Man-child will be a spiritual son of David, just like Jesus was a spiritual son of David. Going on in (Gen.35:31) And Jacob said, Sell me first thy birthright. Esau wanted this “red,” which we know is a type of sin, and Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright,” so basically Esau sold out to sin, didn't he? And that's why he was called “Red” and those who walked in his steps were called “Edomites.”   The mixture of Jacob and Esau's seed in the Promised Land was like two competing armies. (Gen.27:41) And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him. And Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand. Then will I slay my brother Jacob. It wasn't until Jacob separated himself from Esau that the Lord caused him to bear much fruit.   As a matter of fact, Jacob bore so much fruit that when he came back into the Promised Land, his brother Esau was shocked looking at all this fruit he had borne, both in his family and in his flocks. (Gen.32:13) And he lodged there that night, and took of that which he had with him a present for Esau his brother: (14) two hundred she-goats and twenty he-goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, (15) thirty milch camels and their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty she-asses and ten foals. (16) And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by itself, and said unto his servants, Pass over before me, and put a space betwixt drove and drove.   (17) And he commanded the foremost, saying, When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying, Whose art thou? and whither goest thou? and whose are these before thee? (18) then thou shalt say [They are] thy servant Jacob's; it is a present sent unto my lord Esau: and, behold, he also is behind us. (19) And he commanded also the second, and the third, and all that followed the droves, saying, On this manner shall ye speak unto Esau, when ye find him; (20) and ye shall say, Moreover, behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us. For he said, I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will accept me. (21) So the present passed over before him: and he himself lodged that night in the company. ... In the next chapter we read (Gen.33:4) And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept. (5) And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said, Who are these with thee? And he said, The children whom God hath graciously given thy servant. (6) Then the handmaids came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves. (7) And Leah also and her children came near, and bowed themselves: and after came Joseph near and Rachel, and they bowed themselves.   (8) And he said, What meanest thou by all this company which I met? And he said, To find favor in the sight of my lord. (9) And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; let that which thou hast be thine. (10) And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found favor in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand; forasmuch as I have seen thy face, as one seeth the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me. (11) Take, I pray thee, my gift that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough. And he urged him, and he took it.   The spiritual seed of Esau are the Edomites, who have sold their birthright as Christians by walking after the flesh. But the Bible tells us in (Heb.12:14) Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no man shall see the Lord (As we have been studying that the word “sanctified” is the word hagiasmos and it means “separated unto God.” When Jacob was separated from Esau, in other words, when he was “sanctified,” he bore fruit.): (Heb.12:15) looking carefully lest [there be] any man that falleth short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness.... Now we are getting to the problem that Esau and his seed had because the sins of the parents are passed on to the children.  (Deu.5:9) Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them; for I, the Lord, thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the third and upon the fourth generation of them that hate me. We know Paul is talking about Christians, so we have a people among us who are like Esau. He's not talking about the Jews because they are a parable for us. Again in (1Co.10:11) Now these things happened unto them by way of example; and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come. Here he is exhorting the Christians not to be like Esau: (Heb.12:15) Looking carefully lest there be any man that falleth short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble [you], and thereby the many be defiled.   These Esaus, these Edomites among us, spread their root of bitterness. Christians who have given in to critical spirits, who are angry and unforgiving, can have no peace with other people. They are constantly attacking their brethren because they don't obey the words of God, which will keep peace among the brethren, if they are obeyed. These are whom the Scriptures here are pointing out as Edomites. (Heb.12:16) Lest [there be] any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one mess of meat sold his own birthright. Folks, we know what “meat” means: “meat” means “flesh” and because Esau walked after the flesh, he sold his birthright. He was a son of Abraham, a son of God, but still he sold his birthright.   There are many people out there who are selling their birthright. And what is our birthright? Our birthright is to walk in the steps of our father Abraham, to walk in the steps of our Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, but people are selling their birthright by walking after the flesh. (Rom.8:12) So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh: (13) for if ye live after the flesh, ye must die; but if by the Spirit ye put to death the deeds of the body, ye shall live. Paul said that if you walk after the flesh, you must die. There is a people among us who are sons of Abraham, but they are going to die. They are going to die because they have sold their birthright and because they have no peace with their brothers, just as it is in the natural. The Edomites today have no peace with their brothers and there is no way to make peace with them; there is constant war going on there. Look again in (Heb.12:16) Lest [there be] any fornicator, or profane person,… Why is he saying a “profane person”? What does that mean? The word there for “profane” is bebelos and, according to Vine's Expository Dictionary, it means “permitted to be trodden, accessible.” In other words, it's like somebody who doesn't have the hedge up around them, so they are not protected from the enemy. We know that Esau was that way. Esau was tormented by the tormentors because of his unforgiveness toward his brother. Jesus said the same thing: (Mat.18:34) And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due. (35) So shall also my heavenly Father do unto you, if ye forgive not every one his brother from your hearts.   In other words, you owe a debt if you don't forgive everyone. Yes, Jesus paid our debt, but a person who gives in to the flesh has to pay that debt instead and it's usually taken out of their hide. The debt has to be paid by this profane person who is accessible to their enemies, who is permitted to be trodden down and overcome by their enemies. Vine's also says, “bebelos is that which lacks all relationship or affinity to God.” That's very interesting and I would say that the comparison in Hebrews 12 is between somebody who is sanctified, like Jacob in verse 14, and somebody who is not sanctified, like Esau in verse 16. Esau was not sanctified, not “separated from sin unto God.” “Edom” was his nickname and he was walking in “red.”   Continuing in (Heb.12:17) For ye know that even when he afterward desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected; for he found no place for a change of mind [in his father,] though he sought it diligently with tears. The word “rejected” here is apodokimazo and it means “to reject as the result of disapproval” or “to repudiate.” This is serious, folks. This is eternal life that we are dealing with here. Our inheritance, our birthright, is the eternal life of Jesus Christ, His life in you. If you walk after the flesh, do you get that life? Do you get the sanctification, which implies that you are receiving that life? No, you don't. Esau didn't value this awesome gift of the birthright that was passed on to him. He didn't value it more than following after the flesh and that's true of many Christians.   If they don't repent, they will prove themselves to walk in the steps of their spiritual father, Esau, who was a son of Abraham but was not saved. He was a son of Abraham but he became lost and he was rejected. (Heb.12:17) For ye know that even when he afterward desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected; for he found no place for a change of mind.... Some versions add “in his father,” but there is no foundation whatsoever for that in the original manuscripts. The translators put it there according to their own theology, but it doesn't belong there because the problem was that Esau needed to change his mind. “Repentance” is the word metanoia and it means “change of mind,” so I would leave out the italicized words. “Esau found no place for change of mind”; he could not help himself. He could not cease from sinning. He could not cease from hating his brother.   Does that happen today? Yes, it does. These “Edomites” cannot cease from sin. (2Pe.2:13) Suffering wrong as the hire of wrong-doing (In other words, he was walking after the flesh and he was reaping what he was sowing.); men that count it pleasure to revel in the day-time, spots and blemishes (We know that God is looking for a spotless and blemishless Bride, but here's somebody with spots and blemishes.), revelling in their deceivings while they feast with you (Many of these people are deceivers. They have one face in front of you, but another face behind your back. They want to appear as if they are holy, but they are not sanctified.); (2Pe.2:14) having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin (There's the “red.”); enticing unstedfast souls; having a heart exercised in covetousness; children of cursing; (15) forsaking the right way, they went astray, having followed the way of Balaam the [son] of Beor, who loved the hire of wrong-doing.   What is the hire of wrong-doing? In the case of Hebrews 12, the hire of wrong-doing is following after the flesh, pleasing your flesh, pleasing your self-life, but your self-life is the very one that must die in order for the life of Christ to be manifested. In G.C.'s revelation, these “Edomites” were parachuting down into the world because they are fallen from Heavenly places in Christ. (Eph.2:4) But God, being rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, (5) even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace have ye been saved), (6) and raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly [places,] in Christ Jesus. They have become earthbound, unlike an eagle. An eagle is symbolic of overcoming because it can overcome the world, it can look down on the world from its high place. And like the eagle, we are called to be overcomers (Revelation 2:11,17; 3:5,12,21; 21:7).   Not long after G.C. had this dream, Unleavened Bread Ministries was attacked by many Edomites. These false Christians are enemies of the cross and are members of the Beast army by nature. We're talking about somebody who is confessing to be a Christian, yet who walks after the mind and works of the flesh. The identification of someone who is a member of the body of the Beast has the name of the Beast in their forehead, which represents the mind of the flesh, or in their hand, which represents the works of the flesh. They have the “mark of the Beast” and God promised through Apostle Paul that these people would be rejected.   Paul said even of himself, (1Co.9:27) but I buffet my body, and bring it into bondage (or “submission”): lest by any means, after that I have preached to others, I myself should be rejected. So we see these men parachuting down to make war upon the saints and they are losing their positions in Heavenly places; they are being cast down to the earth. Does that sound familiar? (Rev.6:13) And the stars of the heaven fell unto the earth, as a fig tree casteth her unripe figs when she is shaken of a great wind. The “stars of the heaven” are Abraham's seed (Gen.15:5) And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and number the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And this is the great falling away.   There are star glory, moon glory and sun glory Christians, according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:35-49). Star glory is the ones who have borne the least fruit and the ones who fall away are the ones who have lost their fruit, like a fig tree. What does the fig tree represent? The fig tree represents God's people and they fell to the earth when they were shaken by a great wind. And what does the wind represent? The wind represents great tribulation. These Edomites represent the backsliders, the ones who have fallen from their position in Heaven. They are constantly making war on God's people from within the Church, as did Judas Iscariot, who is a good example.   The most important aspect of this is that the Bride will escape this Beast army. Who is the Bride? The Bride is those who are leaving Babylon and going to Jerusalem. That's a type for us; what happened to the Jews is happening to God's people today. God's first-fruits are now on their way out of Babylon and back to Zion, and the Bride will escape this Beast army by going into the wilderness. Where is the wilderness? It's between Egypt and Zion. They had to go through the wilderness to reach Zion and Zion represents the Bride, as John said in Revelation 21. The Bride is that mature, pure, sanctified, holy people, and Jerusalem, the Bride, were the only ones to escape the Assyrian Beast.  Let's read that in (2Ki.19:30) And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward. (31) For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and out of mount Zion they that shall escape: the zeal of the Lord shall perform this. (32) Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come unto this city, nor shoot an arrow there, neither shall he come before it with shield, nor cast up a mound against it. (33) By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and he shall not come unto this city, saith the Lord. (34) For I will defend this city to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.    (35) And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when men arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. (36) So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh. The Beast armies came in and conquered all of Israel and all of Judah, but they could not take Jerusalem because it represented the Bride. The Bride, as we have already seen in the teachings that have been leading up to this point, is going to escape the Beast, including the Beast in the Church.   Antichrist is in the Church, just like it is in the world. (1Jn.2:18) Little children, it is the last hour: and as ye heard that antichrist cometh, even now have there arisen many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last hour. (19) They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they all are not of us. There are carnal Christians who cannot stand Christians who walk in the Spirit, who are walking in sanctification. They will make war on them, they will criticize them, they will do anything they can to those who walk in the Spirit, just like the Edomites are doing physically to physical Israel. Even though physical Israel is doing some bad things too.  Years ago, a sister in our assembly had a dream in which she and others in this dream were fleeing from people in red uniforms, who represented Edomites. Those people in red uniforms represented Christians, who are the seed of Abraham, but who walk in sin. So the sister and the others were fleeing these people and they were going to the safety of a tower. She told us she knew that “If we could get inside that tower, we would be safe from these people.” Well, there's an army of these people whose job it is to come at us and do anything they can to tear our flesh down in a crucifixion. They don't really belong to the Kingdom of God by virtue of their very nature, which is to be critical and angry and fighting against their brethren. They belong to the Beast because they walk after the mind of the flesh and the works of the flesh.   It doesn't matter that you have a born-again Spirit; every Christian has a born-again Spirit, but not every Christian walks after that Spirit. If you don't walk after that Spirit, you are going to be what the Bible calls “twice dead, plucked up by the roots.” (Jud.12) These are they who are hidden rocks in your love feasts when they feast with you, shepherds (not numeric or in the original Greek) that without fear feed themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn leaves without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots. You can't be twice dead unless you have been twice born; you have to be born-again to be twice dead!   These people have been born-again in their spirit, but they never walked after the Spirit for their soul to be sanctified through their “obedience to the truth,” as Peter said. (1Pe.1:22) Seeing ye have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth unto unfeigned love of the brethren, love one another from the heart fervently: (23) having been begotten again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God, which liveth and abideth. As we've been studying, sanctification is the process of your soul becoming like your spirit. If you walk after the flesh, you will die. You will be twice dead and plucked up by the roots, but if you walk after the Spirit, you are going to live. (Rom.8:14) For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. Paul didn't say, “As many as have the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” He said, “As many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”   God's people in this sister's dream were fleeing from the people in the red uniforms; they were going into this tower and we know that this tower was Zion because that's what it says in Micah. (Mic.4:8) And thou, O tower of the flock, the hill of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, yea, the former dominion shall come, the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem. Flee to Zion; enter the Bride who is holy and safe. You know, Zion was a city with walls all around it and it was on top of a hill, so it looked like a tower and it was a place of safety. The people who were fleeing the Assyrian Beast fled inside that tower and the Assyrian army could not get at them. And when they tried, God sent an angel and he killed 185,000 of the soldiers in one night. The Assyrians left Zion alone after that because it was too costly for them to invade it. God said, (2Ki.19:32) … He shall not come unto this city, nor shoot an arrow there, neither shall he come before it with shield, nor cast up a mound against it. He said, “I'm going to protect my Bride,” and He did!   (Pro.18:10) The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous runneth into it, and is safe (or, “set on high”). Did you know that when you come to Zion or Jerusalem, the Heavenly Jerusalem, you have come to the “name of the Lord”? (Jer.3:17) At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the stubbornness of their evil heart. The word for “name” is the word Shem in the Old Testament. Shem, of course, is the name of the chosen people, the Shemites. They were the “people of the name” (Genesis 10:1). Shem is the one who had the name. Shem is the word for “name” in the Old Testament in the New Testament it is anoma, and they both mean “nature, character and authority.”   When we take on the name of the Lord, that means we take on His nature, character and authority like the Bride. This is how you know the difference between a Jacob and an Esau. In the natural, they each have a different nature, character and authority, just as they each do in their spirit. (Pro.18:10) The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous runneth into it, and is safe. So we go into the name of the Lord; we abide in Jesus Christ -- in His nature, character and authority, and that is sanctification. People who are constantly attacking their brethren because they have a root of bitterness and are trying to spread it to everyone else, do not have the nature of Jesus Christ. They do not have the love of Jesus Christ. They are trying to make themselves great at other people's expense and it is a sad, sad thing.   Getting back to G.C. and his revelation: I said to myself, “This doesn't look good for David and the others,” but for some reason, I wasn't worried about myself. That's because, in this particular case, he was an observer at this point. Continuing the dream: This is when I saw David Eells and the people fleeing out of the area, but these soldiers tried to detain whomever they could. In other words, they wanted to keep people from going into the wilderness and they still want to do that today. Edomites don't want you to walk by faith in God; instead, they want you to live in Egypt. They were the “mixed multitude” who were half Egyptian and half Israelite (Exodus 12:38; Numbers 11:4).   They didn't want to leave Egypt either, did they? (Exo.16:2) And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron in the wilderness: (3) and the children of Israel said unto them, Would that we had died by the hand of God in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots, when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger. And they were nothing but a stumblingblock to God's people when they got into the wilderness.   There are many people today who call themselves “Christians” but they don't want to walk in the wilderness, which is where God's power is made manifest. Remember, God told Moses to tell Pharaoh that His people could not sacrifice to Him in Egypt. (Exo.8:26) And Moses said, It is not meet so to do; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to the Lord our God: lo, shall we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, and will they not stone us?   The only place they could sacrifice to Him was in the wilderness (Exodus 7:16). That's a place of weakness, that's a place where Egypt doesn't supply all your needs, that's a place where you don't put your faith in man and man's ability and efforts. You go out in that wilderness and you receive miracles of provision and protection. You get fed out of Heaven. You get water out of a rock. This is a place where God's power is made perfect in man's weakness. God wants to be our Savior; He doesn't want us to save ourselves.   So, in G.C.'s dream, the soldiers were trying to detain them, trying to keep them from going into the wilderness. Do you know what's going to happen? These Esau types are going to take the mark of the Beast so that they don't have to go into the wilderness. They can trust in Egypt, but if you don't take the mark of the Beast, you are going to have to go into the wilderness. This is God's way of forcing His people into the wilderness so that they can walk by faith because the righteous shall live from faith (Romans 1:17; Hebrews 10:38). The rest of them are going to live by faith in the world and you can see right there the difference between the Jacobs and the Esaus. They are both among us and, even though they are both the seed of Abraham, one of them is going to be rejected, reprobated, for continuing to attack his brother. The enemies of Christ, spiritual and physical, and the Beast armies, will seek to hinder God's people who want to leave Babylon for the wilderness.   Continuing with G.C.'s dream: Then I was running through the field (representing the world) as well and they tried to detain me, too. I thought for sure that David and the others were captured, but as I ran out of the field and to the right (sheep go to the right and goats go to the left), I found myself running to a safehouse which, in fact, was David's house. That's interesting. Many people have had dreams about my house being a white house and a safehouse. This was not speaking about a house in the physical but a “house” in the spiritual, a place where we abide. Our spiritual house in which we must abide is Jesus Christ, Who is the Word of God and the house of David. Notice G.C. said he went to “David's house” and the “house of David” is Zion! We need to abide in Zion, if we want to be in the Bride and escape the Beast.   G.C. goes on to say, “And I was the last one in. David and all the others had somehow managed to get in safe and sound, which was a surprise to me. I thought David had been captured. As I walked up to the house, I saw David's wife open the door for me and let me in. I know in the natural she is approximately his age but she appeared to me as a woman in her late 20s to mid-30s. This could be speaking of my physical wife since there is a restoration coming for the Bride that many don't know about. But also this is a spiritual revelation. My spiritual “wife” are those who receive the seed of the Word that I sow and bear the fruit of Christ. As Paul said, (1Co.4:15) For though ye have ten thousand tutors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I begat you through the gospel. He was sowing the seed in the Woman Church, the first Church that came out of the wilderness, which was Israel, and bringing forth fruit. He wasn't sowing his seed; he was sowing Christ's seed because we have to make disciples of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19).  Continuing with the dream: She had very long hair (In 1 Corinthians 11:15, long hair was a sign of submission.) and she wore old-style glasses, and it almost looked like she was living in the 1970s. These old-style glasses represent how you see things. Do we see things the way the modern Church sees things, or do we see things the way they were once given unto the saints? (Jud.3) Beloved, while I was giving all diligence to write unto you of our common salvation, I was constrained to write unto you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered unto the saints.   You have to see things the way the Bible tells you to see things, not the way the modern, dead Church tells you to see things. You have to see and live the faith as it was once delivered unto the saints; some people call that old-fashioned. Back to the dream, We were all in the house, safe and sound. End of dream. That was very interesting and it gives you a good perspective of who these Edomites represent.   So let's look at these Edomites a little bit more. (Isa.63:1) Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? Bozrah, as we saw, is the sheepfold. God is going to separate His people from the apostate sheepfold because history just keeps repeating, though each time it's on a larger and larger scale. Jesus said in John 16 He's coming again as a Man-child born to a woman and when you look in Revelation 12 you see that because Jesus is coming in His people. He left an individual body to come back in a corporate body, so He will be able to do worldwide what He was doing in that individual body.   Jesus said in (Mar.16:17) And these signs shall accompany them that believe: in my name shall they cast out demons; they shall speak with new tongues; (18) they shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall in no wise hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. His disciples did the same works He did. And in (Joh.14:12) Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto the Father.  And what's going to happen after He separates His people from the fold? What happened to the early sheepfold after the Lord took His people out? Everybody who didn't come out was cut off of the olive tree (Romans 11); they were rejected. You either came out or you were rejected, and the same thing is going to happen in our day. The Lord wants a people in His image, not in the image of these dead religions out there. (2Co.6:17) Wherefore Come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, And touch no unclean thing; And I will receive you. You have to come out from among them and be separate and abide in (Jud.3) … the faith which was once for all delivered unto the saints.   After God takes His people out of the sheepfold in the tribulation, those who are left are going to be separated from the Kingdom of God. That's what happened in those early days (Romans 11). The people who didn't come out and walk by faith were separated from the Kingdom. They were shaken loose from the fig tree; they were cut off from the olive tree for their unbelief. (Rom.2:28) For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh: (29) but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. We are now coming to the place where these people are going to be separated from the Kingdom, after God's people have been separated from them.   After the Bride is perfected, after they have been purified, after they have been sanctified, He is going to deal with those people who are still in the sheepfold and some will come out in tribulation. And what is He going to do? He's going to separate the rest from the Kingdom of God. Let's read that in (Mat.13:24) Another parable set he before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man that sowed good seed in his field: (25) but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares also among the wheat, and went away. (26) But when the blade sprang up and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.   (27) And the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? whence then hath it tares? (28) And he said unto them, An enemy hath done this. And the servants say unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? (29) But he saith, Nay; lest haply while ye gather up the tares, ye root up the wheat with them. (30) Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather up first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn. (36) Then he left the multitudes, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Explain unto us the parable of the tares of the field.   Tares look like wheat, until it comes to bearing fruit; they don't bear the fruit. You can go to Church and sit side-by-side with them, but if they don't bear the fruit of Jesus Christ 30-, 60- or 100-fold, Jesus said they are not going to be in His Kingdom (Matthew 13:3-23; Mark 4:1-20). (Mat.13:37) And he answered and said, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; (38) and the field is the world (There's our parable from G.C.'s dream: “the field is the world.”); and the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom (Kingdom of God); and the tares are the sons of the evil one; (39) and the enemy that sowed them is the devil: and the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are angels. So the disciples asked, “How did these tares come up among Your wheat? Didn't You sow good seed in Your field?” And Jesus said, “Let them grow together until the harvest.”   So here we are coming to the harvest and in the midst of God's people are these Edomites. They are about to be rejected from the Kingdom of God because they have borne no fruit. Like Esau, they walked after the flesh, they sold their birthright. (Mat.13:40) As therefore the tares are gathered up and burned with fire.... Jesus said, (Joh.15:2) Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh it away.... Notice the words “in me;” they were sons of Abraham and had the birthright. And what does He say He does with them? He burns them in the fire. (Mat.13:40) As therefore the tares are gathered up and burned with fire; so shall it be in the end of the world. (41) The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things.... The word “things” was not in the original manuscripts; there's no Greek word for “things” here and it should be omitted.   (Mat.13:41) The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all that cause stumbling, and them that do iniquity. This is not talking about geography; this is not talking about going from here to Heaven. He's talking about gathering out of the Kingdom the people in red, those who walk in red. This is rejection. What did Jesus say? (Luk.17:20 NENT) And being asked by the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God cometh, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: (21) neither shall they say, Lo, here! or, There! for lo, the kingdom of God is among you.   The Kingdom of God is here! Here is where people lose the Kingdom! They have fallen from Heaven like the parachuting soldiers; they have lost their seat in Heavenly places and they are now members of the earth. Like an ostrich, they are earthbound. They may be very big in the world, but they cannot get off the ground and there are a lot of Christians out there who are big in the world, but they cannot go to Heavenly places. So “gather out of His kingdom” is talking about being removed from the Kingdom of God.   Again in (Mat.13:41) The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all that cause stumbling, and them that do iniquity, (42) and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. People often say “the furnace of fire” is the Tribulation. No, “the furnace of fire” here is the great and terrible Day of the Lord! It comes after the Tribulation and continues in Hell. You remember God spoke to Noah, (Gen.7:4) For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living thing that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the ground. After seven days was when he needed to be in the ark. After seven days was when the flood, which represents the Day of the Lord, came upon the earth.   The “flood” which is coming this time is a “flood” of fire. (2Pe.3:10) But the day of the Lord will come as a thief; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up. (11) Seeing that these things are thus all to be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy living and godliness, (12) looking for and earnestly desiring the coming of the day of God, by reason of which the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?    When the disciples asked Jesus about the signs of the end, He told them in (Mat.24:29) But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. In the book of Acts, Peter preached, (Act.2:20) The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the day of the Lord come, That great and notable [day].     So you have a Tribulation and then you have a Day of the Lord, which comes for one purpose. The day of the Lord comes to burn up those who persecuted His people in the Tribulation. Whether it be the Beast or whether it be the Harlot and, in this case, the Harlot is the Edomites, the apostate Christians. (Mat.13:43) Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.... In other words, they are purified and perfected, but the ark has not lifted off yet. When Noah got in the ark, he was 40 days in that great and terrible Day of the Lord before the ark lifted off, and when it lifted-off, he was purified. Everybody who was in that ark was purified or they would not be lifting off; they would be staying right here on this earth to go through the great and terrible Day of the Lord.   (Let me explain something here. God is dealing with the Bride and then the Church. According to John the Man-child, Jesus, was raising up the Bride, those firstfruits disciples. Then He sent them to raise up the Church. There is a mini day of the Lord after the Bride's sanctification. And a larger day of the Lord after the Church's sanctification in the tribulation.   So, the Edomite types will go through this day of the Lord. Isaiah 63 is all about the Edomites paying for what they did to God's people in persecuting them, in criticizing them, in turning them over to the Beast to be destroyed, as the apostate Jews did to Jesus. They turned Him over to the Beast, the Roman army, to be crucified. All through history, Edomites have always sided with the Beast against God's people. Do you know who Herod was? He was an Edomite king over the people of God. Do you know who is ruling over the people of God today? Most are Edomites! Just like the Pharisees and the Sadducees, who would not follow Jesus, they have sold their birthright and they are walking after the flesh.     Going back to (Isa.63:2) Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winevat? (3) I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the peoples there was no man with me: yea, I trod them in mine anger, and trampled them in my wrath (The “wrath” is the great and terrible Day of the Lord.); and their lifeblood is sprinkled upon my garments, and I have stained all my raiment. We also see Jesus, in the book of Revelation, coming with His garment that was sprinkled in blood: (Rev.19:13) And he is arrayed in a garment sprinkled with blood: and his name is called The Word of God.     However, there is something strange here and people like to point it out. Back in Isaiah, it says, (Isa.63:3) I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the peoples there was no man with me: yea, I trod them in mine anger, and trampled them in my wrath.... But over in Revelation, He's not alone. He's leading an army! (Rev.19:11) And I saw the heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and he that sat thereon called Faithful and True; and in righteous he doth judge and make war. (12) And his eyes are a flame of fire, and upon his head are many diadems; and he hath a name written which no one knoweth but he himself. (13) And he is arrayed in a garment sprinkled with blood (It's not only the Edomites He's coming back after. It is also the Beast, Harlot and the wicked of the world, as He goes on to say.): and his name is called The Word of God.     (Rev.19:14) And the armies which are in heaven followed him upon white horses clothed in fine linen, white and pure. (The ark goes up in the day of the Lord and it comes back down here at the end. If there are armies following Jesus, how is He alone? Notice, the armies don't fight; only Jesus fights and He needs no help.), (15) And out of his mouth proceedeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress (Notice: “alone”) of the fierceness of the wrath of God, the Almighty.   So how is it that He is alone? It's because at this time, these people are in the ark, they are abiding in Jesus Christ. (1Co.15:28) And when all things have been subjected unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subjected to him that did subject all things unto him, that God may be all in all. We are not talking about men. He said there was no man with Him because these are all sons of God! They are not sons of men anymore. They have lost their humanity; it's been crucified down here on the earth. They have put to death the life of the old man, in order to gain the life of Christ (Matthew 10:39; 16:25; Mark 8:35; Luke 9:24).     They have, (Col.3:10) … put on the new man, that is being renewed unto knowledge after the image of him that created him (This “new man” being put on is the Son of God. This is the manifestation of the sons of God.): (Col.3:11) where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bondman, freeman; but Christ is all, and in all. These people are Christ. (Gal.2:20) … It is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me.... These are not men. These are God's sons. These are manifested sons of God! Awesome! This is just an awesome revelation here!     But, as the sons of God are being manifested, it is going to be a terrible and dangerous time that's coming for the Church because there is going to be a great falling away, as we are warned: (2Th.2:10) … Because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. (11) And for this cause God sendeth them a working of error, that they should believe a lie: (12) that they all might be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. Let's continue our Revelation 19 text. Rev 19:16  And he hath on his garment and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. 17  And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in mid heaven, Come and be gathered together unto the great supper of God; 18  that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses and of them that sit thereon, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, and small and great.   19  And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth (Remember the ten kings who rule are also members of the body of the beast.), and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat upon the horse, and against his army. 20  And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet (The corporate body of the false prophet is worldwide and work for the worldwide Harlot church who is in bed with the beast and has his mark. Even now some of these false prophets are saying you can take the mark of the beast because the mark of God trumps the mark of the beast. How much more they will say this when they have taken the mark and are reprobated entirely.) Back to 20. that wrought the signs in his sight, wherewith he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast and them that worshipped his image (The beast had 7 heads and 10 horns for it was a corporate body with its patriots.): they two were cast alive into the lake of fire that burneth with brimstone: 21  and the rest were killed with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, even the sword which came forth out of his mouth: and all the birds were filled with their flesh.    God bless you to endure in faith to the end.  

Blessings Follow Sanctification (4)  (audio) David Eells (9/16/24)  The Lord bless you brethren! We've been discovering all of the awesome promises that God will be giving to His people who will follow Him in sanctification and in bearing the fruit of Christ 30-, 60- and 100-fold! We left off in Isaiah 62, but I'm going to back up a little bit just to give you the flavor of the text here. (Isa.62:1) For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her righteousness go forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burneth. Praise be to God! This text is about the Bride, who is typed as Zion or Jerusalem, coming to the full brilliance of the righteousness that the Lord has provided for her.  Since He is making His Bride, wouldn't you make her the very best? In Esther she was given everything she needed to go from the house of the women to the Kings house. (Isa.62:2) And the nations shall see thy righteousness (We have something to look forward to in the days ahead! The world is going to see the Lord's righteousness manifested in His people. Praise be to God!), and all kings thy glory, and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name. (And a new name is her new nature, character, and authority.) (Isa.62:3) Thou shalt also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem (or "crown") in the hand of thy God. The Lord is going to finally receive what He planned from the foundation of the world and it's going to be seen by all the nations. Glory be to God!   After all these years of the Church giving such a bad testimony of Christianity, aren't you glad that a great witness and a testimony is going to be brought forth before the world? It will be worth whatever we have to go through to do this. It's sad that the Church has brought such disrepute to the Kingdom of God and to the name of the Lord because the Church has a name that lives, but they're dead! We see this in (Rev.3:1) And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars: I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and thou art dead. Well, the Lord is going to do something about that because He loves us. He wants to restore all things and He wants the Church to be a witness of Him.   Some people think it's going to continue like this and that the saints are going to be only persecuted and killed in the Tribulation, but God's going to prove the power of His salvation and He's going to do it in front of the whole world! He very much wants us to confess Him before men, so He can confess us before the Father. We need to be bold to represent Him to the world and, of course, the Lord is going to restore that boldness.   He's going to pour out His Holy Spirit on His disciples, just as He did in the Book of Acts. (Act.4:29) And now, Lord, look upon their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants to speak thy word with all boldness, (30) while thou stretchest forth thy hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of thy holy Servant Jesus. (31) And when they had prayed, the place was shaken wherein they were gathered together; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spake the word of God with boldness. Praise God! I can't wait!   (Isa.62:4) Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken (This is a wonderful promise!); neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah (That is, "My delight is in her."), and thy land Beulah (That is, "married."); for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married. Oh, thank You, Father! What does "Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken" mean? I believe there are two ways to understand this "Forsaken." One way is that the Lord appears to have mostly abandoned the Church to their own devices and the other is that the Church has been either driven from, or abandoned, their land.   We know that the Lord hasn't been seen in His power or in the defense of the Church for 2000 years. We've gone through a very dark time, a Dark Ages of the Church, if you will, and most of the Church is still there. The Church hasn't really come back to what was given to us in our Promised Land. We see in (Hos.5:15) I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me earnestly. "Forsaken" is something that the Church has been experiencing for a long time. No, He hasn't totally forsaken us, but He has permitted the Church to go its own way and do its own thing, which brings nothing but fruitlessness. It doesn't bring the true witness; it doesn't bring the power that was seen by the apostles and the early disciples.   Let's look in (Hos.6:2) After two days will he revive us: on the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live before him. (3) And let us know, let us follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is sure as the morning; and he will come unto us (In other words, we're not forsaken any longer!) as the rain, as the latter rain that watereth the earth. So here we are after two days, after 2000 years from the advent of Christ. Now in Peter he says, (2Pe.3:8) But forget not this one thing, beloved, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The morning of the third day is exactly where we are now and the Lord said He would return to His place until "they acknowledge their offence, and ... in their affliction they will seek me earnestly." We should all be looking forward to this.   Continuing in (Isa.62:4) Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate.... The "abomination that maketh desolate" (Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11) was an abomination that caused the Lord to depart from the Israelites and there was an abomination of apostasy that happened shortly after the time of the apostles. Both Jesus and the apostles spoke of it as a "falling away." (2Th.2:1) Now we beseech you, brethren, touching the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him; (2) to the end that ye be not quickly shaken from your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by epistle as from us, as that the day of the Lord is just at hand; (3) let no man beguile you in any wise: for it will not be, except the falling away come first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.   A famous prophecy that speaks about the return of Jesus after the Church having been forsaken is found in Micah. (Mic.5:2) But thou, Bethlehem Ephrathah, which art little to be among the thousands of Judah, out of thee shall one come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting. (3) Therefore will he give them up (In other words, this is a type of "forsaking."), until the time that she who travaileth hath brought forth: then the residue of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.   When the Man-child is brought forth, then we're going to see Jesus again, just exactly as He said: (Joh.16:21) A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but when she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for the joy that a man is born into the world. (22) And ye therefore now have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no one taketh away from you. Jesus said He would return as a Man-child born to a woman and the "woman," as He said, is the Church, His people, His followers. And then all sorrow will disappear in the midst of the joy. (Mic.5:4) And he shall stand, and shall feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God: and they shall abide; for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.  Notice this is not the Lord but the Man-child in whom the Lord lives. He is coming in the strength and name of the Lord. Ezekiel also tells us that Jesus Himself is going to come in a new body of believers to shepherd His flock. (Eze.34:7) Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: (8) As I live, saith the Lord God, surely forasmuch as my sheep became a prey, and my sheep became food to all the beasts of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my sheep, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my sheep; (9) therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: (10) Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my sheep at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the sheep; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves anymore; and I will deliver my sheep from their mouth, that they may not be food for them.   (11) For thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I myself, even I, will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. (12) As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered abroad, so will I seek out my sheep (He is coming in the Man-child world body to do this.); and I will deliver them out of all places whither they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. (He will bring His people out of their darkness.) (13) And I will bring them out from the peoples, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them upon the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited places of the country.  Many people have died over the years and the Lord lays this at the feet of the apostate Harlot, who hid the truth that sets free! (Rev.17:4) And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stone and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations, even the unclean things of her fornication, (5) and upon her forehead a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. (6) And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I wondered with a great wonder. And in (Rev.18:24) And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all that have been slain upon the earth.   We see in Ezekiel that if you don't tell the people the truth, you will be guilty of their blood! (Eze.33:1) And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, (2) Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from among them, and set him for their watchman; (This would equate to the ministers of today.) (3) if, when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; (4) then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning, if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. (5) He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him; whereas if he had taken warning, he would have delivered his soul.   (6) But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned, and the sword come, and take any person from among them; he is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand. (7) So thou, son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.  (8) When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die, and thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way; that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thy hand. (9) Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it, and he turn not from his way; he shall die in his iniquity, but thou hast delivered thy soul. (The Church and its ministers have not told the truth, nor has it received the truth about sin and its true consequences, for a long time. This blood is on the harlots of false Christianity. God is going to face them with the clear Word of God, through the reformers, on this issue and as it was in history they mostly will deny the Word and be guilty of the blood of the people.)   He says, "Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken." We're about to come to a time when the Lord is going to return in power through His first-fruits reformers unto His Church. Just think about that. Once again, we are going to see days like those in the Book of Acts and, in fact, we're going to have our own Book of Acts! The Lord told me years ago that everything that happened in the Gospels and in the Book of Acts is going to happen again in these end times, except the cast of characters will be multiplied all around the world. So we're looking forward to a time when God's people are not forsaken of the Lord; we're looking forward to a time when there is no longer desolation because He has returned as the latter rain as Hos 6:1-3 says.   Remember that when Jesus died, the veil of the Temple was rent from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38). What does that symbolize? One thing it symbolizes is that God left the box of their religion, which was proven during the following years because those unbelieving Jews were delivered over to the Beast as a Harlot to be destroyed and burned with fire. That's a type and shadow of what's going to happen in our own day. As I mentioned earlier, this "desolation" or "forsakenness" goes beyond their being forsaken of the Lord because he's talking about Zion here. Every time God's people apostatized, they were driven out of their land and driven out of Zion, but we're coming to a place where God is going to deal with that situation. Once more, He's going to bring His people back to their Zion. Once more, there's going to be a Bride in the earth, as there was in Jesus' day. Remember, (Joh.3:29) He that hath the bride is the bridegroom.   In (Isa.59:20) And a Redeemer will come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord. (21) And as for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord: my Spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and forever. The Spirit that He put upon Jesus, the Man-child, will be upon them in Zion, the Bride! In other words, "a redeemer will come to Zion." This is the return of the Lord after a time of the Church, relatively speaking, has been forsaken.   Again, when I say that, I don't mean the Church has been completely forsaken, but I do mean that we haven't had the anointing, the power, or the works, that they had in the Book of Acts. The Church has departed from the true doctrine, from their promises, that made those early disciples who they were in Christ. Now, in (Isa.54:6) For the Lord hath called thee as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even a wife of youth, when she is cast off, saith thy God. You know, the youth of the Church was back in the time of Jesus, as "a wife of youth," and when men departed from true Christianity and became daughters of the Harlot, the Lord "cast off" His "wife of youth," but He's made a promise to return: (Isa.54:7) For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.  So now that we have some foundation, let's go back to the beginning of this chapter. (Isa.54:1) Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate (The deserted) than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord. Paul used this verse to represent two different attributes of the Church in his day, when he talked about the Galatians being sons of the handmaid. (Gal.4:21) Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? (22) For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, one by the handmaid, and one by the freewoman. (23) Howbeit the [son] by the handmaid is born after the flesh; but the [son] by the freewoman [is born] through promise.    (24) Which things contain an allegory: for these [women] are two covenants; one from mount Sinai, bearing children unto bondage, which is Hagar. (25) Now this Hagar is mount Sinai in Arabia and answereth to the Jerusalem that now is: for she is in bondage with her children. (They are in bondage to the law as many Christians are. Some to the apostate law of the Church and some to the law of the old covenant.)(26) But the Jerusalem that is above is free, which is our mother.  (27) For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; Break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: For more are the children of the desolate than of her that hath the husband. (The desolate larger Church have no fruit of Christ being born in them.) (28) Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise. (We hear is the smaller body who are justified by the promises and not laws of religion.) (29) But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him [that was born] after the Spirit, so also it is now. (They mostly speak against the true full gospel.) (30) Howbeit what saith the scripture? Cast out the handmaid and her son: for the son of the handmaid shall not inherit with the son of the freewoman. (31) Wherefore, brethren, we are not children of a handmaid, but of the freewoman.   The Galatians had gone back under the Law, just as much of the Church today has done. The Church has gone back under the Law, if not the Law of the Old Testament, then under the law of men, but when you do that it says, (Gal.5:4) Ye are severed from Christ, ye who would be justified by the law; ye are fallen away from grace. Notice also that if you go back under the Law, you lose your inheritance because the son of the handmaid will not inherit with the son of the free woman. Paul was exhorting the early Church to repent of going under man's laws and to return to walking by faith in Christ. He was exhorting them to be the sons of the free woman, the one who has the husband.   Paul likened Sarah and her children to the Jerusalem that comes down from above (see also Hebrews 12:22; Revelation 21:2), which is the Lord's true Bride, and he said the Jerusalem that is fallen was like Hagar and her children, who are in bondage. We see that today, don't we? The same two groups make up what we call the "Church." Many have been deceived into falling under man's laws, instead of submitting to the righteousness of Christ, which is salvation by faith. But what's going to happen? "More are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife." He's promising a great revival here! He's promising that these people, who have been separated from Christ and trapped in the bondage of legalistic religions, are going to come out from them and bear much fruit as in Jesus' day.  Ecc 1:9  That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Continuing on in (Isa.54:2) Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations; spare not: lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes. (3) For thou shalt spread aboard on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall possess the nations, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited. Once again, God is restoring spiritual Israel. Those cities that became uninhabited, that became desolate, that became forsaken, are going to be restored, and the most important city, of course, is Jerusalem. Jerusalem, Zion, is the city of the King! (Jer.31:6) For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon the hills of Ephraim (Called the fullness of nations.) shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the Lord our God. "Let us go up to Zion," the Bible says (Micah 4:2; Isaiah 2:3; 40:9). (Isa.54:4) Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth....  Yes! There was a great falling away. We, as a people, departed from the Lord and He went to His place until there would come a time of repentance. Well, that's the time we're coming to today, and the thing that's going to bring this repentance is much "shaking." Paul says in (Heb.12:27) And this [word], Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that have been made, that those things which are not shaken may remain. (28) Wherefore, receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have grace, whereby we may offer service well-pleasing to God with reverence and awe: (29) for our God is a consuming fire. Burning up the wood, hay and stubble. People will recognize those things that cannot be shaken. They'll recognize the preservation of those things that are of God and they'll recognize the judgment upon those things that are not of God.   Again in (Isa.54:4) Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth; and the reproach of thy widowhood shalt thou remember no more. You know, with some people it was like widowhood because when Jesus the Husband died and His power passed away with the apostles, they departed from Christianity and married "another Jesus". How many times was it that way in the Old Testament? When a strong father figure, a religious leader, or a ruler, died or departed, then the people fell away, too. Righteously-speaking, we are supposed to be walking by faith in Jesus Christ. Walking after somebody you can see is not necessarily the height of Christianity. We have to follow the Lord, Whom we can't see. As we walk by faith in Him, we are becoming sons of God by growing into the image of the Son of God, Who walked after His Father.   (Isa.54:5) For thy Maker is thy husband; the Lord of hosts is his name: and the Holy One of Israel is thy Redeemer; the God of the whole earth shall he be called. (6) For the Lord hath called thee as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even a wife of youth, when she is cast off, saith thy God. The Hebrew word there for "called" is qara and it can mean "bidden," "summoned" or "invited." So God is inviting His people to come back to Him and, of course, He's going to empower them to return by the coming of the Lord Himself in His people. (Isa.54:7) For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. As we read on, we'll see that this is talking about gathering God's people into the ark, the place of safety, because a flood is coming.   (Isa.54:8) In overflowing wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment.... The Bible teaches that the ark sat upon the earth for 40 days after the flood started. (Gen.7:17) And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lifted up above the earth. (18) And the waters prevailed, and increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters. (19) And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high mountains that were under the whole heaven were covered. And the flood, of course, was a year of the judgment of God upon the whole world.   (Isa.54:8) In overflowing wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting lovingkindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer. (9) For this is as the waters of Noah unto me; for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah shall no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I will not be wroth with thee (In other words, "My wrath will not be upon those in the ark." The flood destroyed the wicked, but not those who were in the ark.), nor rebuke thee. (Isa.54:10) For the mountains may depart, (Of course, they're covered by the flood.) and the hills be removed....   In our day, we're not talking about a flood of water, but a flood of judgment that will ultimately remove even the mountains and the hills. It says they won't even stand before the shaking of the Lord, the great earthquake. (Eze.38:20) So that the fishes of the sea, and the birds of the heavens, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.   (Rev.6:12) And I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the whole moon became as blood; (13) and the stars of the heaven fell unto the earth, as a fig tree casteth her unripe figs when she is shaken of a great wind. (14) And the heaven was removed as a scroll when it is rolled up; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. Every mountain shall fall down, every wall shall fall down; these are judgments that are coming upon the world, but God is going to preserve a people. (Isa.54:10) For the mountains may depart, and the hills be removed; but my lovingkindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall my covenant of peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee. All of this is the fruit of their sanctification.   (Isa.54:11) O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will set thy stones in fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. This is a great promise of the Lord! He's going to restore the foundation of His people. So many are afraid of the things coming upon the world, but we need to understand that the judgments which came upon Egypt were not for the purpose of destroying God's people. Those plagues were for the purpose of judging the Egyptians. And, as we've learned, the Egyptian is a type of the old man, and the Egyptian is a type of the Beast. God's purpose is to restore His people and to separate them from bondage to the Egyptian; in other words, to bring them into sanctification. The blessings were given to Israel after they had been separated from the Egyptians (Exodus 8:22-23), but then they were further separated when they were baptized in the Red Sea and went into the wilderness (Exodus 14).   And it wasn't until they were in the wilderness that they received provision out of Heaven (Exodus 16). In these days, those who understand what the Scripture has to say can see that we're headed toward the wilderness, where God's provision is going to come out of Heaven, but first there's going to have to be a separation from the old Egyptian. There's going to have to be sanctification. Remember I mentioned about how being separate from a dead man represents being separate from the old man and baptism represents that the old man is dead in Christ, as Paul said: (Gal.2:20) I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me: and that life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me. When we were baptized, we were separated from the old man, the old Egyptian, and, because of that, the blessings could come, the provision could come.   Back to (Isa.54:12) And I will make thy pinnacles of rubies, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy border of precious stones. This is the righteousness and purity, the value of the nature of Jesus Christ manifested in His saints. (Isa.54:13) And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children. (14) In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression.... The Bible says that "righteousness delivereth from death." persecution and even the curse. We see this in (Pro.10:2) Treasures of wickedness profit nothing; But righteousness delivereth from death. (3) The Lord will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish; But he thrusteth away the desire of the wicked.   (6) Blessings are upon the head of the righteous; But violence covereth the mouth of the wicked. (24) The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him; And the desire of the righteous shall be granted. (28) The hope of the righteous [shall be] gladness; But the expectation of the wicked shall perish. (Pro.11:4) Riches profit not in the day of wrath; But righteousness delivereth from death. (5) The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way; But the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness. (6) The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them; But the treacherous shall be taken in their own iniquity. (8) The righteous is delivered out of trouble, And the wicked cometh in his stead.   (Pro.11:19) He that is stedfast in righteousness [shall attain] unto life; And he that pursueth evil [doeth it] to his own death. (28) He that trusteth in his riches shall fall; But the righteous shall flourish as the green leaf. (31) Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: How much more the wicked and the sinner! We know that the Lord became a curse for us. (2Co.5:21) Him who knew no sin he made [to be] sin on our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God in him. He is our righteousness; His righteousness was given unto us, but we also know that the closer we come to manifesting His righteousness, the more we are able to partake of the benefits.   We know we have these things by faith, but we also know we're headed toward the place where in bearing the fruit of them 30-, 60- and 100- fold, we will be able to partake of the benefits that much more! (Isa.54:14) In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression, for thou shalt not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near thee. Because of their fear of the things that are coming, some people think that God doesn't have any protection for His people and that's just simply not so. Psalm 91 is true and it's going to be proven of the Lord to be true, but it's only true for those who believe. That's why I exhort everyone to desire earnestly to seek out the truth for yourself. Do not believe in what your Church teaches but believe what the Word of the Lord teaches for we will be judged by that. Amen.  (Isa.54:15) Behold, they may gather together.... And we do know that all the nations will gather together against the Lord and against His anointed. (Psa.2:1) Why do the nations rage, And the peoples meditate a vain thing? (2) The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the Lord, and against his anointed, [saying,] (3) Let us break their bonds asunder, And cast away their cords from us. (Zec.14:2) For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle.... But the entire verse reads in (Isa.54:15) Behold, they may gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall because of thee. The Lord brought their enemies against His people many times for the express purpose of destroying the enemy, not His people.   (16) Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the fire of coals, and bringeth forth a weapon for his work.... Why is He saying this? He's saying this because the fire of the Tribulation is in the hand of the Lord and it's going to bring forth nothing but His purpose. Even the enemies out there are going to bring forth nothing but His purpose. For instance, it was obviously Nebuchadnezzar's purpose to throw the three Hebrews into the fiery furnace, but it was God's purpose for them to go there, too, so that they would have their bonds burned off (Daniel 3). We are going into tribulation for the purpose of the burning up of the old self-life, for the purpose of being delivered from that bondage.   Evil doesn't prosper for evil's sake. In other words, (Rom.8:28) ... we know that to them that love God all things work together for good, even to them that are called according to his purpose. You see, God works all things together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose. And in (Pro.16:4) The Lord hath made everything for its own end; Yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. Even the wicked serve God's purpose; they live to be a part of this fiery furnace that's going to burn up the wood, hay and stubble, and leave the gold, silver and precious stones. Does that prosper evil? Not at all. As a matter of fact, as He says here, evil is going to prosper God's Kingdom.   (Isa.54:16) Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the fire of coals, and bringeth forth a weapon for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. So what does the "waster" destroy? The waster is going to destroy the Harlot. We like to look at the Harlot as someone who is totally separate from us, but, in fact, we're being delivered from the Harlot. God's people came out of Babylon, representing the Harlot, and went to Zion. Every one of us is being delivered from the nature of the Harlot. We're being delivered of that which is Babylonish in our life, that which is worldly, that which causes us to be in agreement with the world.   We are coming out of the Harlot, even though many people will point at those in apostasy and say, "It's them! It's them! They're the Harlot!" Well, that's true, but to the extent you've departed from apostasy and come into holiness, to the extent you've come into the land of promise and are standing upon the promises, to that extent you're delivered of being the Harlot. (Isa.54:17) No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper.... We can see the nations are being gathered together against the saints now, but how many of us understand that it's not their purpose that's being fulfilled? It's God's purpose that's being fulfilled. So we can give thanks always for all things. Throughout the Scriptures, God gathered the nations against His people when they were in apostasy and it was for the purpose of bringing a crucifixion, of bringing a death to the old man, and of putting the fear of the Lord back in them.   God is in absolute control; there's nothing left to chance down here concerning His children. He works all things according to His will. (Eph.1:11) In whom also we were made a heritage, having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his will. What does "all things" leave out? Nothing! As John said, (Joh.3:27) ... A man can receive nothing, except it have been given him from heaven. What evil can prosper itself? None! It's not possible. We need to remember that because it will take the fear out of what the enemy would like to put in our hearts. "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper," not even this weapon, which He has formed.   God is the One Who works all things after the counsel of His will and He works all things together for our good. This is why He says what He says here. Nothing that is evil will prosper itself; it can only prosper you and me. What we need to do is cooperate with God in this process. We need to humble and deny ourselves, take up our cross willingly and let the Beast nail us there spiritually. We know that our cross is for the death of self, not necessarily for the death of this body, but the two can be very well connected if we don't cooperate in the death-of-self. (Isa.54:17) No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness which is of me, saith the Lord.   So that's true of the righteous. But He also said of the apostates that they are "as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even a wife of youth when she is cast off," but He went on to say, "For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee." I know that some people look at the Church today and, because they are not real familiar with the Scriptures, they think, "Well, this is the way it's supposed to be." No. There's great apostasy out there and it's a great tragedy that the Church is not living up to, nor receiving the benefits of, those who are sanctified. It's a great tragedy that they don't cooperate with the process of sanctification. Sanctification is basically the death of the old man, in order that the new man may be born and live in you. Sanctification is (Col.1:27) ... Christ in you, the hope of glory. Wolves are ruling over God's flock and many tares. We can see the Church is in a state of great falling away.   Yet God says in (Isa.62:4) Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: (In these days a first fruits is returning to the Lord to rebuild Jerusalem the Bride.) but thou shalt be called Hephzibah ("My delight is in her."), and thy land Beulah ("Married"); for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married. We are no more going to be termed "forsaken," no more going to be termed "desolate," but "Married!" And, of course, in this case He's talking about Zion. He's not talking about the other cities of the land of Judah or the land of the northern 10 tribes; He's talking about the Bride. The Bride is sanctified, separated from the world, the most beautiful of all the virgins of the Kingdom. He said, "My delight is in her," and thy land shall be married."   Now here's a verse that I dare say has confused an awful lot of people, including myself, but I feel the Lord has given me the explanation. The verse is very confusing and it's meant to be that way. For those people who say dogmatically that everything in the Scriptures has to be literally true in the letter and that God doesn't hide things in parables that need to be interpreted, it's really hard to read this: (Isa.62:5) For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee.... First of all, in the natural, that would be incest! God would never be in favor of that. So there has to be a spiritual interpretation here because God seems to be making a promise here.   (Isa.62:5) For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee.... He's talking about the Bride! Let me say something about the sons. The only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, came so that many, many sons could be born in His image. He is God's charagma; He is God's "stamp" that recreates Himself as an image in others who receive the seed of His Word. He is God's "mark." In these days, many sons of God are going to be manifested. Paul said that all of creation is awaiting this, so that the creation will be delivered from the "bondage of corruption." (Rom.8:19) For the earnest expectation of the creation waiteth for the revealing of the sons of God. (20) For the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but by reason of him who subjected it, in hope (21) that the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. (22) For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.   This is God's plan. Though the sons of God are born of the Church they can then sow the seed of God back into the Church and bear fruit. In the letter, in the natural, that would be incest, and so the only way this parable can be taken is in the Spirit. Jesus Himself was born of a virgin in Israel, the Church and turned and sowed the seed of the Word in Israel and in His mother who also was saved and received the Holy Spirit. The Man-child sons of our day is born of a virgin, who has not received the seed of man, and is a member of the Woman Church. The sons are, in turn, going to bring that Woman into the wilderness to sow the seed of God in Her so that She bears the fruit of Christ.   Notice also that He says "so shall thy sons marry thee," instead of "son." That's because this is talking about what's going to be fulfilled in our day. The ultimate fulfillment of Isaiah chapters 61 and 62 wasn't in Jesus' day; it will be in our day. Many prophecies are fulfilled multiple times and the last fulfillment is usually the greatest. Jesus and little Israel were signs of something much bigger that God was going to do worldwide. Today, the Church, His New Testament spiritual Israel, is all over the world, and the Man-child who is coming today is a corporate body of the first-fruits. Although they will be born of the virgin in the Church, they, in turn, will sow the seed of God back into the virgin and larger Church. They will raise up the Bride and the larger Church to bear the fruit of the Word.   Paul said, (1Co.4:15) For though ye have ten thousand tutors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I begat you through the gospel. In other words, he was a father. But Paul didn't sow his own seed; he was sowing the seed of God, which is the Word of God. The only way we can be a father to the Church is to sow the seed of God; otherwise, we're just another dead, apostate religion.   Again in (Isa.62:5) For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee; and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee. The bride here, as we can see in the text, is speaking about Zion, which is going to be restored. We are coming out of Babylon and we're going back to Zion. I believe the first-fruits are headed there even now and that they are just about to enter the city. In type, they will restore Zion and rebuild the Temple. All those parables from the Lord that were fulfilled in the letter by natural Israel are now going to be fulfilled in the Spirit by New Testament Israel and the Jerusalem that's coming down from above. They are going to be fulfilled by the regenerate New Jerusalem that's born out of Heaven, not the Jerusalem that is corrupt and fallen in the earth. They are going to be fulfilled by the regenerate Bride.   (Isa.62:6) I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem (Again, that's the "bride" of verse 5.); they shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that are the Lord's remembrancers, take ye no rest, (7) and give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. Yes, there are watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem. There are true leaders whom God is raising up and God wants them to speak the Word of faith. He wants them to claim what He has promised concerning Jerusalem. God is going to use the faith of His people to restore everything that's been taken away from them.   We saw previously that the Lord spoke about those who were disciples of Jesus Christ coming to that Heavenly Jerusalem. (Heb.12:22) But ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable hosts of angels, (23) to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, (24) and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better than that of Abel.   But they left the position of being under the authority of their King David and went out into the world where they were taken captive by Babylon. Now there is a restoration being done by God Himself. He's restoring His Jerusalem, but this time it's in the spirit and not in the letter because this is a spiritual Kingdom. "King David" is still at the head and that's our Lord Jesus; He is the ruler in Jerusalem, the Bride, and Jerusalem is going to be the ruler over the rest of His Kingdom. God is going to cause Jerusalem to be a praise in the earth and He says, "Don't give Me any rest. Keep reminding Me of what I said to you, of what I promised to you." God is going to use that faith to restore everything. Praise be to God!   Continuing in (Isa.62:8) The Lord hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy grain to be food for thine enemies (Who is He speaking about? He's speaking about the Bride, the one who is sanctified. What makes us members of the Bride is sanctification.); and foreigners shall not drink thy new wine, for which thou hast labored: (Isa.62:9) but they that have garnered it shall eat it, and praise the Lord; and they that have gathered it shall drink it in the courts of my sanctuary. Here's another benefit of the Kingdom! The Bride will not be plundered anymore.   He told them in (Mal.3:11) And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast its fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts. He would no more destroy the fruits of their labors. We know, (Gal.3:13) Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us.... God put all of our curse upon Jesus, but we have to walk by faith and we have to walk in sanctification to receive that. (1Jn.3:21) If our heart condemn us not, we have boldness toward God and whatsoever we ask we receive of him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight. This is the promise being fulfilled here. These are the days when God is going to fulfill His promise that our enemies, the old man, the Beast, the Harlot, the nations, will no longer be able to plunder God's people. Praise God!  (Isa.62:10) Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up an ensign for the peoples. What is this "highway" that He's preparing? It's the "highway of holiness." You know, there are only two places that the Bible speaks about where the Beast cannot go and those places are the highway that leads to Zion and Zion itself. If a person is walking in what they know, then they are on the highway because they are not in willful sin. What is sin? (Jas.4:17) To him therefore that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. So a person who is walking in what he knows is headed to Zion. They are seeking out God, they are desiring after the truth; and what does God say? (Isa.35:9) No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast go up thereon; they shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there.   If you are walking by faith in Him and you are on the highway of holiness, there is provision, there is protection. (Isa.11:16) And there shall be a highway for the remnant of his people, that shall remain, from Assyria; like as there was for Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt. He's talking about coming out of Egypt, coming out of the Assyrian captivity, coming out of Babylon. Notice he said there was a highway leaving there, a highway of holiness that separates us from the Beast, that separates us from the world, that separates us from our old life, which is a part of the Beast and a member of the world.   (Isa.35:8) And a highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but is shall be for [the redeemed:] the wayfaring men (That's the man on the well-traveled road, the wide road, the broad road.), yea fools, shall not err therein. So no fools will travel this road. (Isa.35:9) No lion shall be there (The Beast won't be there!), nor shall any ravenous beast go up thereon; they shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk [there]: (10) and the ransomed of the Lord (A "ransom," of course, is when a price has been paid to deliver somebody from bondage.) shall return, and come with singing unto Zion. So we see that this highway leads away from Babylon, from Egypt, from Assyria; or, in other words, out from the bondage of captivity to the old man and the corporate beast it goes to Zion.   As long as you are on the highway, the Beast is not a threat, but when you get off the highway, he's there like a mad dog ready to devour you. The word there for "holiness" in verse 8 is qodesh and it's translated as "sacred," "hallowed," "consecrated," or "sanctified." You see, all the benefits come from our sanctification. Hallelujah! This is good news, folks. We know there is a place of safety, a place of deliverance, a place of provision in God and it comes from walking in sanctification. So many people have discounted the benefits of sanctification; they've covered it up with some kind of "greasy grace." They say, "Oh, we're not saved by works, we're saved by grace." That's true, but grace is what sanctifies, grace is what provides, grace is what delivers, grace is what sanctifies us from this world.   Grace is not just God's forgiveness, but they seem to think that's what grace is and that it doesn't provide anything concrete. You just receive forgiveness, so you can continue to be a sinner who keeps on asking for forgiveness. That's not grace at all! And that won't deliver you, either! It won't deliver you from the Beast. Back to (Isa.62:10) Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up an ensign for the peoples. Don't let anything get in the way; don't put anything between yourself and Zion. I remember when my good friend Bolivar said years ago that the Lord spoke to him, "I am Zion!" That is so true. Zion represents that place of holiness; it represents abiding in Christ. Paul called Zion, (Heb.12:23) ... the spirits of just men made perfect.   (Isa.62:11) Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the earth, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him.... What is the ultimate fulfillment of our salvation? We have been saved in spirit, we are being saved in soul and we are going to be saved in body. When the Lord comes, His reward is with Him. There are going to be some people who are never going to die because they have walked in holiness and the Lord is going to give them that new body, that new life.   (Isa.62:11) Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the earth, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, His reward is with Him, and his recompense before him. (12) And they shall call them The holy people, The redeemed of the Lord: and thou shalt be called Sought out, A city not forsaken. "Not forsaken." Wow! Praise God! Zion hasn't been sought for, it hasn't been sought after. People have been content with their apostate religions, but there is a place of holiness, there is a place of walking in the steps of the Lord Jesus Christ, a place where His provision will meet every need. This place in Zion will be sought out by those who understand God's plan. Others are quite satisfied to play in religion, to play with one of the daughters of the Harlot. God has a great plan. He's going to restore His people. He's going to deliver His people. He's going to separate His people. And He's going to bring to pass all these promises! He said, "Don't cease to remind Me of this." Glory be to God!     Printer-friendly version     © 2017 UBM | Unleavened Bread Ministries. All rights reserved.    [ Fair Use Notice ]

Blessings Follow Sanctification (4)  (audio) David Eells (6/16/24)  The Lord bless you brethren! We've been discovering all of the awesome promises that God will be giving to His people who will follow Him in sanctification and in bearing the fruit of Christ 30-, 60- and 100-fold! We left off in Isaiah 62, but I'm going to back up a little bit just to give you the flavor of the text here. (Isa.62:1) For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her righteousness go forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burneth. Praise be to God! This text is about the Bride, who is typed as Zion or Jerusalem, coming to the full brilliance of the righteousness that the Lord has provided for her.  Since He is making His Bride, wouldn't you make her the very best? In Esther she was given everything she needed to go from the house of the women to the Kings house. (Isa.62:2) And the nations shall see thy righteousness (We have something to look forward to in the days ahead! The world is going to see the Lord's righteousness manifested in His people. Praise be to God!), and all kings thy glory, and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name. (And a new name is her new nature, character, and authority.) (Isa.62:3) Thou shalt also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem (or "crown") in the hand of thy God. The Lord is going to finally receive what He planned from the foundation of the world and it's going to be seen by all the nations. Glory be to God!   After all these years of the Church giving such a bad testimony of Christianity, aren't you glad that a great witness and a testimony is going to be brought forth before the world? It will be worth whatever we have to go through to do this. It's sad that the Church has brought such disrepute to the Kingdom of God and to the name of the Lord because the Church has a name that lives, but they're dead! We see this in (Rev.3:1) And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars: I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and thou art dead. Well, the Lord is going to do something about that because He loves us. He wants to restore all things and He wants the Church to be a witness of Him.   Some people think it's going to continue like this and that the saints are going to be only persecuted and killed in the Tribulation, but God's going to prove the power of His salvation and He's going to do it in front of the whole world! He very much wants us to confess Him before men, so He can confess us before the Father. We need to be bold to represent Him to the world and, of course, the Lord is going to restore that boldness.   He's going to pour out His Holy Spirit on His disciples, just as He did in the Book of Acts. (Act.4:29) And now, Lord, look upon their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants to speak thy word with all boldness, (30) while thou stretchest forth thy hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of thy holy Servant Jesus. (31) And when they had prayed, the place was shaken wherein they were gathered together; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spake the word of God with boldness. Praise God! I can't wait!   (Isa.62:4) Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken (This is a wonderful promise!); neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah (That is, "My delight is in her."), and thy land Beulah (That is, "married."); for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married. Oh, thank You, Father! What does "Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken" mean? I believe there are two ways to understand this "Forsaken." One way is that the Lord appears to have mostly abandoned the Church to their own devices and the other is that the Church has been either driven from, or abandoned, their land.   We know that the Lord hasn't been seen in His power or in the defense of the Church for 2000 years. We've gone through a very dark time, a Dark Ages of the Church, if you will, and most of the Church is still there. The Church hasn't really come back to what was given to us in our Promised Land. We see in (Hos.5:15) I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me earnestly. "Forsaken" is something that the Church has been experiencing for a long time. No, He hasn't totally forsaken us, but He has permitted the Church to go its own way and do its own thing, which brings nothing but fruitlessness. It doesn't bring the true witness; it doesn't bring the power that was seen by the apostles and the early disciples.   Let's look in (Hos.6:2) After two days will he revive us: on the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live before him. (3) And let us know, let us follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is sure as the morning; and he will come unto us (In other words, we're not forsaken any longer!) as the rain, as the latter rain that watereth the earth. So here we are after two days, after 2000 years from the advent of Christ. Now in Peter he says, (2Pe.3:8) But forget not this one thing, beloved, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The morning of the third day is exactly where we are now and the Lord said He would return to His place until "they acknowledge their offence, and ... in their affliction they will seek me earnestly." We should all be looking forward to this.   Continuing in (Isa.62:4) Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate.... The "abomination that maketh desolate" (Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11) was an abomination that caused the Lord to depart from the Israelites and there was an abomination of apostasy that happened shortly after the time of the apostles. Both Jesus and the apostles spoke of it as a "falling away." (2Th.2:1) Now we beseech you, brethren, touching the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him; (2) to the end that ye be not quickly shaken from your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by epistle as from us, as that the day of the Lord is just at hand; (3) let no man beguile you in any wise: for it will not be, except the falling away come first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.   A famous prophecy that speaks about the return of Jesus after the Church having been forsaken is found in Micah. (Mic.5:2) But thou, Bethlehem Ephrathah, which art little to be among the thousands of Judah, out of thee shall one come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting. (3) Therefore will he give them up (In other words, this is a type of "forsaking."), until the time that she who travaileth hath brought forth: then the residue of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.   When the Man-child is brought forth, then we're going to see Jesus again, just exactly as He said: (Joh.16:21) A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but when she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for the joy that a man is born into the world. (22) And ye therefore now have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no one taketh away from you. Jesus said He would return as a Man-child born to a woman and the "woman," as He said, is the Church, His people, His followers. And then all sorrow will disappear in the midst of the joy. (Mic.5:4) And he shall stand, and shall feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God: and they shall abide; for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.  Notice this is not the Lord but the Man-child in whom the Lord lives. He is coming in the strength and name of the Lord. Ezekiel also tells us that Jesus Himself is going to come in a new body of believers to shepherd His flock. (Eze.34:7) Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: (8) As I live, saith the Lord God, surely forasmuch as my sheep became a prey, and my sheep became food to all the beasts of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my sheep, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my sheep; (9) therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: (10) Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my sheep at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the sheep; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves anymore; and I will deliver my sheep from their mouth, that they may not be food for them.   (11) For thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I myself, even I, will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. (12) As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered abroad, so will I seek out my sheep (He is coming in the Man-child world body to do this.); and I will deliver them out of all places whither they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. (He will bring His people out of their darkness.) (13) And I will bring them out from the peoples, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them upon the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited places of the country.  Many people have died over the years and the Lord lays this at the feet of the apostate Harlot, who hid the truth that sets free! (Rev.17:4) And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stone and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations, even the unclean things of her fornication, (5) and upon her forehead a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. (6) And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I wondered with a great wonder. And in (Rev.18:24) And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all that have been slain upon the earth.   We see in Ezekiel that if you don't tell the people the truth, you will be guilty of their blood! (Eze.33:1) And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, (2) Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from among them, and set him for their watchman; (This would equate to the ministers of today.) (3) if, when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; (4) then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning, if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. (5) He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him; whereas if he had taken warning, he would have delivered his soul.   (6) But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned, and the sword come, and take any person from among them; he is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand. (7) So thou, son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.  (8) When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die, and thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way; that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thy hand. (9) Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it, and he turn not from his way; he shall die in his iniquity, but thou hast delivered thy soul. (The Church and its ministers have not told the truth, nor has it received the truth about sin and its true consequences, for a long time. This blood is on the harlots of false Christianity. God is going to face them with the clear Word of God, through the reformers, on this issue and as it was in history they mostly will deny the Word and be guilty of the blood of the people.)   He says, "Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken." We're about to come to a time when the Lord is going to return in power through His first-fruits reformers unto His Church. Just think about that. Once again, we are going to see days like those in the Book of Acts and, in fact, we're going to have our own Book of Acts! The Lord told me years ago that everything that happened in the Gospels and in the Book of Acts is going to happen again in these end times, except the cast of characters will be multiplied all around the world. So we're looking forward to a time when God's people are not forsaken of the Lord; we're looking forward to a time when there is no longer desolation because He has returned as the latter rain as Hos 6:1-3 says.   Remember that when Jesus died, the veil of the Temple was rent from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38). What does that symbolize? One thing it symbolizes is that God left the box of their religion, which was proven during the following years because those unbelieving Jews were delivered over to the Beast as a Harlot to be destroyed and burned with fire. That's a type and shadow of what's going to happen in our own day. As I mentioned earlier, this "desolation" or "forsakenness" goes beyond their being forsaken of the Lord because he's talking about Zion here. Every time God's people apostatized, they were driven out of their land and driven out of Zion, but we're coming to a place where God is going to deal with that situation. Once more, He's going to bring His people back to their Zion. Once more, there's going to be a Bride in the earth, as there was in Jesus' day. Remember, (Joh.3:29) He that hath the bride is the bridegroom.   In (Isa.59:20) And a Redeemer will come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord. (21) And as for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord: my Spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and forever. The Spirit that He put upon Jesus, the Man-child, will be upon them in Zion, the Bride! In other words, "a redeemer will come to Zion." This is the return of the Lord after a time of the Church, relatively speaking, has been forsaken.   Again, when I say that, I don't mean the Church has been completely forsaken, but I do mean that we haven't had the anointing, the power, or the works, that they had in the Book of Acts. The Church has departed from the true doctrine, from their promises, that made those early disciples who they were in Christ. Now, in (Isa.54:6) For the Lord hath called thee as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even a wife of youth, when she is cast off, saith thy God. You know, the youth of the Church was back in the time of Jesus, as "a wife of youth," and when men departed from true Christianity and became daughters of the Harlot, the Lord "cast off" His "wife of youth," but He's made a promise to return: (Isa.54:7) For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.  So now that we have some foundation, let's go back to the beginning of this chapter. (Isa.54:1) Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate (The deserted) than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord. Paul used this verse to represent two different attributes of the Church in his day, when he talked about the Galatians being sons of the handmaid. (Gal.4:21) Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? (22) For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, one by the handmaid, and one by the freewoman. (23) Howbeit the [son] by the handmaid is born after the flesh; but the [son] by the freewoman [is born] through promise.    (24) Which things contain an allegory: for these [women] are two covenants; one from mount Sinai, bearing children unto bondage, which is Hagar. (25) Now this Hagar is mount Sinai in Arabia and answereth to the Jerusalem that now is: for she is in bondage with her children. (They are in bondage to the law as many Christians are. Some to the apostate law of the Church and some to the law of the old covenant.)(26) But the Jerusalem that is above is free, which is our mother.  (27) For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; Break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: For more are the children of the desolate than of her that hath the husband. (The desolate larger Church have no fruit of Christ being born in them.) (28) Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise. (We hear is the smaller body who are justified by the promises and not laws of religion.) (29) But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him [that was born] after the Spirit, so also it is now. (They mostly speak against the true full gospel.) (30) Howbeit what saith the scripture? Cast out the handmaid and her son: for the son of the handmaid shall not inherit with the son of the freewoman. (31) Wherefore, brethren, we are not children of a handmaid, but of the freewoman.   The Galatians had gone back under the Law, just as much of the Church today has done. The Church has gone back under the Law, if not the Law of the Old Testament, then under the law of men, but when you do that it says, (Gal.5:4) Ye are severed from Christ, ye who would be justified by the law; ye are fallen away from grace. Notice also that if you go back under the Law, you lose your inheritance because the son of the handmaid will not inherit with the son of the free woman. Paul was exhorting the early Church to repent of going under man's laws and to return to walking by faith in Christ. He was exhorting them to be the sons of the free woman, the one who has the husband.   Paul likened Sarah and her children to the Jerusalem that comes down from above (see also Hebrews 12:22; Revelation 21:2), which is the Lord's true Bride, and he said the Jerusalem that is fallen was like Hagar and her children, who are in bondage. We see that today, don't we? The same two groups make up what we call the "Church." Many have been deceived into falling under man's laws, instead of submitting to the righteousness of Christ, which is salvation by faith. But what's going to happen? "More are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife." He's promising a great revival here! He's promising that these people, who have been separated from Christ and trapped in the bondage of legalistic religions, are going to come out from them and bear much fruit as in Jesus' day.  Ecc 1:9  That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Continuing on in (Isa.54:2) Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations; spare not: lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes. (3) For thou shalt spread aboard on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall possess the nations, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited. Once again, God is restoring spiritual Israel. Those cities that became uninhabited, that became desolate, that became forsaken, are going to be restored, and the most important city, of course, is Jerusalem. Jerusalem, Zion, is the city of the King! (Jer.31:6) For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon the hills of Ephraim (Called the fullness of nations.) shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the Lord our God. "Let us go up to Zion," the Bible says (Micah 4:2; Isaiah 2:3; 40:9). (Isa.54:4) Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth....  Yes! There was a great falling away. We, as a people, departed from the Lord and He went to His place until there would come a time of repentance. Well, that's the time we're coming to today, and the thing that's going to bring this repentance is much "shaking." Paul says in (Heb.12:27) And this [word], Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that have been made, that those things which are not shaken may remain. (28) Wherefore, receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have grace, whereby we may offer service well-pleasing to God with reverence and awe: (29) for our God is a consuming fire. Burning up the wood, hay and stubble. People will recognize those things that cannot be shaken. They'll recognize the preservation of those things that are of God and they'll recognize the judgment upon those things that are not of God.   Again in (Isa.54:4) Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth; and the reproach of thy widowhood shalt thou remember no more. You know, with some people it was like widowhood because when Jesus the Husband died and His power passed away with the apostles, they departed from Christianity and married "another Jesus". How many times was it that way in the Old Testament? When a strong father figure, a religious leader, or a ruler, died or departed, then the people fell away, too. Righteously-speaking, we are supposed to be walking by faith in Jesus Christ. Walking after somebody you can see is not necessarily the height of Christianity. We have to follow the Lord, Whom we can't see. As we walk by faith in Him, we are becoming sons of God by growing into the image of the Son of God, Who walked after His Father.   (Isa.54:5) For thy Maker is thy husband; the Lord of hosts is his name: and the Holy One of Israel is thy Redeemer; the God of the whole earth shall he be called. (6) For the Lord hath called thee as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even a wife of youth, when she is cast off, saith thy God. The Hebrew word there for "called" is qara and it can mean "bidden," "summoned" or "invited." So God is inviting His people to come back to Him and, of course, He's going to empower them to return by the coming of the Lord Himself in His people. (Isa.54:7) For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. As we read on, we'll see that this is talking about gathering God's people into the ark, the place of safety, because a flood is coming.   (Isa.54:8) In overflowing wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment.... The Bible teaches that the ark sat upon the earth for 40 days after the flood started. (Gen.7:17) And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lifted up above the earth. (18) And the waters prevailed, and increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters. (19) And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high mountains that were under the whole heaven were covered. And the flood, of course, was a year of the judgment of God upon the whole world.   (Isa.54:8) In overflowing wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting lovingkindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer. (9) For this is as the waters of Noah unto me; for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah shall no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I will not be wroth with thee (In other words, "My wrath will not be upon those in the ark." The flood destroyed the wicked, but not those who were in the ark.), nor rebuke thee. (Isa.54:10) For the mountains may depart, (Of course, they're covered by the flood.) and the hills be removed....   In our day, we're not talking about a flood of water, but a flood of judgment that will ultimately remove even the mountains and the hills. It says they won't even stand before the shaking of the Lord, the great earthquake. (Eze.38:20) So that the fishes of the sea, and the birds of the heavens, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.   (Rev.6:12) And I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the whole moon became as blood; (13) and the stars of the heaven fell unto the earth, as a fig tree casteth her unripe figs when she is shaken of a great wind. (14) And the heaven was removed as a scroll when it is rolled up; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. Every mountain shall fall down, every wall shall fall down; these are judgments that are coming upon the world, but God is going to preserve a people. (Isa.54:10) For the mountains may depart, and the hills be removed; but my lovingkindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall my covenant of peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee. All of this is the fruit of their sanctification.   (Isa.54:11) O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will set thy stones in fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. This is a great promise of the Lord! He's going to restore the foundation of His people. So many are afraid of the things coming upon the world, but we need to understand that the judgments which came upon Egypt were not for the purpose of destroying God's people. Those plagues were for the purpose of judging the Egyptians. And, as we've learned, the Egyptian is a type of the old man, and the Egyptian is a type of the Beast. God's purpose is to restore His people and to separate them from bondage to the Egyptian; in other words, to bring them into sanctification. The blessings were given to Israel after they had been separated from the Egyptians (Exodus 8:22-23), but then they were further separated when they were baptized in the Red Sea and went into the wilderness (Exodus 14).   And it wasn't until they were in the wilderness that they received provision out of Heaven (Exodus 16). In these days, those who understand what the Scripture has to say can see that we're headed toward the wilderness, where God's provision is going to come out of Heaven, but first there's going to have to be a separation from the old Egyptian. There's going to have to be sanctification. Remember I mentioned about how being separate from a dead man represents being separate from the old man and baptism represents that the old man is dead in Christ, as Paul said: (Gal.2:20) I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me: and that life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me. When we were baptized, we were separated from the old man, the old Egyptian, and, because of that, the blessings could come, the provision could come.   Back to (Isa.54:12) And I will make thy pinnacles of rubies, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy border of precious stones. This is the righteousness and purity, the value of the nature of Jesus Christ manifested in His saints. (Isa.54:13) And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children. (14) In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression.... The Bible says that "righteousness delivereth from death." persecution and even the curse. We see this in (Pro.10:2) Treasures of wickedness profit nothing; But righteousness delivereth from death. (3) The Lord will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish; But he thrusteth away the desire of the wicked.   (6) Blessings are upon the head of the righteous; But violence covereth the mouth of the wicked. (24) The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him; And the desire of the righteous shall be granted. (28) The hope of the righteous [shall be] gladness; But the expectation of the wicked shall perish. (Pro.11:4) Riches profit not in the day of wrath; But righteousness delivereth from death. (5) The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way; But the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness. (6) The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them; But the treacherous shall be taken in their own iniquity. (8) The righteous is delivered out of trouble, And the wicked cometh in his stead.   (Pro.11:19) He that is stedfast in righteousness [shall attain] unto life; And he that pursueth evil [doeth it] to his own death. (28) He that trusteth in his riches shall fall; But the righteous shall flourish as the green leaf. (31) Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: How much more the wicked and the sinner! We know that the Lord became a curse for us. (2Co.5:21) Him who knew no sin he made [to be] sin on our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God in him. He is our righteousness; His righteousness was given unto us, but we also know that the closer we come to manifesting His righteousness, the more we are able to partake of the benefits.   We know we have these things by faith, but we also know we're headed toward the place where in bearing the fruit of them 30-, 60- and 100- fold, we will be able to partake of the benefits that much more! (Isa.54:14) In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression, for thou shalt not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near thee. Because of their fear of the things that are coming, some people think that God doesn't have any protection for His people and that's just simply not so. Psalm 91 is true and it's going to be proven of the Lord to be true, but it's only true for those who believe. That's why I exhort everyone to desire earnestly to seek out the truth for yourself. Do not believe in what your Church teaches but believe what the Word of the Lord teaches for we will be judged by that. Amen.  (Isa.54:15) Behold, they may gather together.... And we do know that all the nations will gather together against the Lord and against His anointed. (Psa.2:1) Why do the nations rage, And the peoples meditate a vain thing? (2) The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the Lord, and against his anointed, [saying,] (3) Let us break their bonds asunder, And cast away their cords from us. (Zec.14:2) For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle.... But the entire verse reads in (Isa.54:15) Behold, they may gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall because of thee. The Lord brought their enemies against His people many times for the express purpose of destroying the enemy, not His people.   (16) Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the fire of coals, and bringeth forth a weapon for his work.... Why is He saying this? He's saying this because the fire of the Tribulation is in the hand of the Lord and it's going to bring forth nothing but His purpose. Even the enemies out there are going to bring forth nothing but His purpose. For instance, it was obviously Nebuchadnezzar's purpose to throw the three Hebrews into the fiery furnace, but it was God's purpose for them to go there, too, so that they would have their bonds burned off (Daniel 3). We are going into tribulation for the purpose of the burning up of the old self-life, for the purpose of being delivered from that bondage.   Evil doesn't prosper for evil's sake. In other words, (Rom.8:28) ... we know that to them that love God all things work together for good, even to them that are called according to his purpose. You see, God works all things together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose. And in (Pro.16:4) The Lord hath made everything for its own end; Yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. Even the wicked serve God's purpose; they live to be a part of this fiery furnace that's going to burn up the wood, hay and stubble, and leave the gold, silver and precious stones. Does that prosper evil? Not at all. As a matter of fact, as He says here, evil is going to prosper God's Kingdom.   (Isa.54:16) Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the fire of coals, and bringeth forth a weapon for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. So what does the "waster" destroy? The waster is going to destroy the Harlot. We like to look at the Harlot as someone who is totally separate from us, but, in fact, we're being delivered from the Harlot. God's people came out of Babylon, representing the Harlot, and went to Zion. Every one of us is being delivered from the nature of the Harlot. We're being delivered of that which is Babylonish in our life, that which is worldly, that which causes us to be in agreement with the world.   We are coming out of the Harlot, even though many people will point at those in apostasy and say, "It's them! It's them! They're the Harlot!" Well, that's true, but to the extent you've departed from apostasy and come into holiness, to the extent you've come into the land of promise and are standing upon the promises, to that extent you're delivered of being the Harlot. (Isa.54:17) No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper.... We can see the nations are being gathered together against the saints now, but how many of us understand that it's not their purpose that's being fulfilled? It's God's purpose that's being fulfilled. So we can give thanks always for all things. Throughout the Scriptures, God gathered the nations against His people when they were in apostasy and it was for the purpose of bringing a crucifixion, of bringing a death to the old man, and of putting the fear of the Lord back in them.   God is in absolute control; there's nothing left to chance down here concerning His children. He works all things according to His will. (Eph.1:11) In whom also we were made a heritage, having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his will. What does "all things" leave out? Nothing! As John said, (Joh.3:27) ... A man can receive nothing, except it have been given him from heaven. What evil can prosper itself? None! It's not possible. We need to remember that because it will take the fear out of what the enemy would like to put in our hearts. "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper," not even this weapon, which He has formed.   God is the One Who works all things after the counsel of His will and He works all things together for our good. This is why He says what He says here. Nothing that is evil will prosper itself; it can only prosper you and me. What we need to do is cooperate with God in this process. We need to humble and deny ourselves, take up our cross willingly and let the Beast nail us there spiritually. We know that our cross is for the death of self, not necessarily for the death of this body, but the two can be very well connected if we don't cooperate in the death-of-self. (Isa.54:17) No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness which is of me, saith the Lord.   So that's true of the righteous. But He also said of the apostates that they are "as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even a wife of youth when she is cast off," but He went on to say, "For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee." I know that some people look at the Church today and, because they are not real familiar with the Scriptures, they think, "Well, this is the way it's supposed to be." No. There's great apostasy out there and it's a great tragedy that the Church is not living up to, nor receiving the benefits of, those who are sanctified. It's a great tragedy that they don't cooperate with the process of sanctification. Sanctification is basically the death of the old man, in order that the new man may be born and live in you. Sanctification is (Col.1:27) ... Christ in you, the hope of glory. Wolves are ruling over God's flock and many tares. We can see the Church is in a state of great falling away.   Yet God says in (Isa.62:4) Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: (In these days a first fruits is returning to the Lord to rebuild Jerusalem the Bride.) but thou shalt be called Hephzibah ("My delight is in her."), and thy land Beulah ("Married"); for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married. We are no more going to be termed "forsaken," no more going to be termed "desolate," but "Married!" And, of course, in this case He's talking about Zion. He's not talking about the other cities of the land of Judah or the land of the northern 10 tribes; He's talking about the Bride. The Bride is sanctified, separated from the world, the most beautiful of all the virgins of the Kingdom. He said, "My delight is in her," and thy land shall be married."   Now here's a verse that I dare say has confused an awful lot of people, including myself, but I feel the Lord has given me the explanation. The verse is very confusing and it's meant to be that way. For those people who say dogmatically that everything in the Scriptures has to be literally true in the letter and that God doesn't hide things in parables that need to be interpreted, it's really hard to read this: (Isa.62:5) For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee.... First of all, in the natural, that would be incest! God would never be in favor of that. So there has to be a spiritual interpretation here because God seems to be making a promise here.   (Isa.62:5) For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee.... He's talking about the Bride! Let me say something about the sons. The only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, came so that many, many sons could be born in His image. He is God's charagma; He is God's "stamp" that recreates Himself as an image in others who receive the seed of His Word. He is God's "mark." In these days, many sons of God are going to be manifested. Paul said that all of creation is awaiting this, so that the creation will be delivered from the "bondage of corruption." (Rom.8:19) For the earnest expectation of the creation waiteth for the revealing of the sons of God. (20) For the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but by reason of him who subjected it, in hope (21) that the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. (22) For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.   This is God's plan. Though the sons of God are born of the Church they can then sow the seed of God back into the Church and bear fruit. In the letter, in the natural, that would be incest, and so the only way this parable can be taken is in the Spirit. Jesus Himself was born of a virgin in Israel, the Church and turned and sowed the seed of the Word in Israel and in His mother who also was saved and received the Holy Spirit. The Man-child sons of our day is born of a virgin, who has not received the seed of man, and is a member of the Woman Church. The sons are, in turn, going to bring that Woman into the wilderness to sow the seed of God in Her so that She bears the fruit of Christ.   Notice also that He says "so shall thy sons marry thee," instead of "son." That's because this is talking about what's going to be fulfilled in our day. The ultimate fulfillment of Isaiah chapters 61 and 62 wasn't in Jesus' day; it will be in our day. Many prophecies are fulfilled multiple times and the last fulfillment is usually the greatest. Jesus and little Israel were signs of something much bigger that God was going to do worldwide. Today, the Church, His New Testament spiritual Israel, is all over the world, and the Man-child who is coming today is a corporate body of the first-fruits. Although they will be born of the virgin in the Church, they, in turn, will sow the seed of God back into the virgin and larger Church. They will raise up the Bride and the larger Church to bear the fruit of the Word.   Paul said, (1Co.4:15) For though ye have ten thousand tutors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I begat you through the gospel. In other words, he was a father. But Paul didn't sow his own seed; he was sowing the seed of God, which is the Word of God. The only way we can be a father to the Church is to sow the seed of God; otherwise, we're just another dead, apostate religion.   Again in (Isa.62:5) For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee; and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee. The bride here, as we can see in the text, is speaking about Zion, which is going to be restored. We are coming out of Babylon and we're going back to Zion. I believe the first-fruits are headed there even now and that they are just about to enter the city. In type, they will restore Zion and rebuild the Temple. All those parables from the Lord that were fulfilled in the letter by natural Israel are now going to be fulfilled in the Spirit by New Testament Israel and the Jerusalem that's coming down from above. They are going to be fulfilled by the regenerate New Jerusalem that's born out of Heaven, not the Jerusalem that is corrupt and fallen in the earth. They are going to be fulfilled by the regenerate Bride.   (Isa.62:6) I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem (Again, that's the "bride" of verse 5.); they shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that are the Lord's remembrancers, take ye no rest, (7) and give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. Yes, there are watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem. There are true leaders whom God is raising up and God wants them to speak the Word of faith. He wants them to claim what He has promised concerning Jerusalem. God is going to use the faith of His people to restore everything that's been taken away from them.   We saw previously that the Lord spoke about those who were disciples of Jesus Christ coming to that Heavenly Jerusalem. (Heb.12:22) But ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable hosts of angels, (23) to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, (24) and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better than that of Abel.   But they left the position of being under the authority of their King David and went out into the world where they were taken captive by Babylon. Now there is a restoration being done by God Himself. He's restoring His Jerusalem, but this time it's in the spirit and not in the letter because this is a spiritual Kingdom. "King David" is still at the head and that's our Lord Jesus; He is the ruler in Jerusalem, the Bride, and Jerusalem is going to be the ruler over the rest of His Kingdom. God is going to cause Jerusalem to be a praise in the earth and He says, "Don't give Me any rest. Keep reminding Me of what I said to you, of what I promised to you." God is going to use that faith to restore everything. Praise be to God!   Continuing in (Isa.62:8) The Lord hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy grain to be food for thine enemies (Who is He speaking about? He's speaking about the Bride, the one who is sanctified. What makes us members of the Bride is sanctification.); and foreigners shall not drink thy new wine, for which thou hast labored: (Isa.62:9) but they that have garnered it shall eat it, and praise the Lord; and they that have gathered it shall drink it in the courts of my sanctuary. Here's another benefit of the Kingdom! The Bride will not be plundered anymore.   He told them in (Mal.3:11) And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast its fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts. He would no more destroy the fruits of their labors. We know, (Gal.3:13) Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us.... God put all of our curse upon Jesus, but we have to walk by faith and we have to walk in sanctification to receive that. (1Jn.3:21) If our heart condemn us not, we have boldness toward God and whatsoever we ask we receive of him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight. This is the promise being fulfilled here. These are the days when God is going to fulfill His promise that our enemies, the old man, the Beast, the Harlot, the nations, will no longer be able to plunder God's people. Praise God!  (Isa.62:10) Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up an ensign for the peoples. What is this "highway" that He's preparing? It's the "highway of holiness." You know, there are only two places that the Bible speaks about where the Beast cannot go and those places are the highway that leads to Zion and Zion itself. If a person is walking in what they know, then they are on the highway because they are not in willful sin. What is sin? (Jas.4:17) To him therefore that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. So a person who is walking in what he knows is headed to Zion. They are seeking out God, they are desiring after the truth; and what does God say? (Isa.35:9) No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast go up thereon; they shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there.   If you are walking by faith in Him and you are on the highway of holiness, there is provision, there is protection. (Isa.11:16) And there shall be a highway for the remnant of his people, that shall remain, from Assyria; like as there was for Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt. He's talking about coming out of Egypt, coming out of the Assyrian captivity, coming out of Babylon. Notice he said there was a highway leaving there, a highway of holiness that separates us from the Beast, that separates us from the world, that separates us from our old life, which is a part of the Beast and a member of the world.   (Isa.35:8) And a highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but is shall be for [the redeemed:] the wayfaring men (That's the man on the well-traveled road, the wide road, the broad road.), yea fools, shall not err therein. So no fools will travel this road. (Isa.35:9) No lion shall be there (The Beast won't be there!), nor shall any ravenous beast go up thereon; they shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk [there]: (10) and the ransomed of the Lord (A "ransom," of course, is when a price has been paid to deliver somebody from bondage.) shall return, and come with singing unto Zion. So we see that this highway leads away from Babylon, from Egypt, from Assyria; or, in other words, out from the bondage of captivity to the old man and the corporate beast it goes to Zion.   As long as you are on the highway, the Beast is not a threat, but when you get off the highway, he's there like a mad dog ready to devour you. The word there for "holiness" in verse 8 is qodesh and it's translated as "sacred," "hallowed," "consecrated," or "sanctified." You see, all the benefits come from our sanctification. Hallelujah! This is good news, folks. We know there is a place of safety, a place of deliverance, a place of provision in God and it comes from walking in sanctification. So many people have discounted the benefits of sanctification; they've covered it up with some kind of "greasy grace." They say, "Oh, we're not saved by works, we're saved by grace." That's true, but grace is what sanctifies, grace is what provides, grace is what delivers, grace is what sanctifies us from this world.   Grace is not just God's forgiveness, but they seem to think that's what grace is and that it doesn't provide anything concrete. You just receive forgiveness, so you can continue to be a sinner who keeps on asking for forgiveness. That's not grace at all! And that won't deliver you, either! It won't deliver you from the Beast. Back to (Isa.62:10) Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up an ensign for the peoples. Don't let anything get in the way; don't put anything between yourself and Zion. I remember when my good friend Bolivar said years ago that the Lord spoke to him, "I am Zion!" That is so true. Zion represents that place of holiness; it represents abiding in Christ. Paul called Zion, (Heb.12:23) ... the spirits of just men made perfect.   (Isa.62:11) Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the earth, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him.... What is the ultimate fulfillment of our salvation? We have been saved in spirit, we are being saved in soul and we are going to be saved in body. When the Lord comes, His reward is with Him. There are going to be some people who are never going to die because they have walked in holiness and the Lord is going to give them that new body, that new life.   (Isa.62:11) Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the earth, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, His reward is with Him, and his recompense before him. (12) And they shall call them The holy people, The redeemed of the Lord: and thou shalt be called Sought out, A city not forsaken. "Not forsaken." Wow! Praise God! Zion hasn't been sought for, it hasn't been sought after. People have been content with their apostate religions, but there is a place of holiness, there is a place of walking in the steps of the Lord Jesus Christ, a place where His provision will meet every need. This place in Zion will be sought out by those who understand God's plan. Others are quite satisfied to play in religion, to play with one of the daughters of the Harlot. God has a great plan. He's going to restore His people. He's going to deliver His people. He's going to separate His people. And He's going to bring to pass all these promises! He said, "Don't cease to remind Me of this." Glory be to God!  

Blessings Follow Sanctification (3)  (audio) David Eells 6/9/24  I'm going to continue to share the great blessings we have to look forward to that follow our sanctification.   I'm going to pick up where we left off in (Isa.14:4) That thou shalt take up this parable against the king of Babylon (DS Babylon is being destroyed.), and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased! (5) The Lord hath broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers (This is true in the natural and spiritual.); (6) that smote the peoples in wrath with a continual stroke (He's broken the power of the rulers to rule over their slaves. He's broken the power of the old man over the spiritual man.), that ruled the nations in anger, with a persecution that none restrained.   Now I'd like to look at Psalm 125 because it speaks of this scepter. (Psa.125:3) For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous.... In other words, the old man is not going to rule over the spiritual man in the righteous people. And who are they? Well, it says, (1) They that trust in the Lord Are as mount Zion.... This is the Bride! The Bride trusts in the Lord. The people who walk by faith receive power from God to walk after the Lord. (1) They that trust in the Lord Are as mount Zion....   That's the Heavenly Jerusalem Paul spoke about in (Heb.12:22) But ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable hosts of angels.. That's the Jerusalem to which the early apostles came to and we are coming back to as we escape Babylon at its destruction which we are watching in the natural.   (Psa.125:1) They that trust in the Lord Are as mount Zion, which cannot be moved.... Zion cannot be moved! (Heb.12:26) Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more will I make to tremble not the earth only, but also the heaven. …(28) Wherefore, receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have grace, whereby we may offer service well-pleasing to God with reverence and awe. What was the kingdom that cannot be shaken? It was the Heavenly Jerusalem, Zion! It cannot be moved as those who are “well pleasing to God.” These are people who have manifested eternal life. (1Jn.5:11) And the witness is this, that God gave unto us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. When we come into the Kingdom, we all have eternal life by faith, but the Bible tells us that eternal life is in the Son. He didn't say He gave it to you and put it in your hand; He said that eternal life is in the Son. So where can you get eternal life? You get it by abiding in the Son! When you abide in the Son, you take on His nature, character and authority. In other words, His name is in your forehead and in your hand. He is doing His works through you and your mind is the mind of the Holy Spirit. This is eternal life! Having the nature of Jesus is eternal life manifested; having the old man under your feet is eternal life manifested. Again, we have eternal life by faith, but manifesting it is bearing the fruit.   (Psa.125:2) As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, So the Lord is round about his people (God claims these righteous people; they are manifestly His.) From this time forth and for evermore. (3) For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous; That the righteous put not forth their hands unto iniquity. Yes! If the dominion of wickedness is over the righteous, they will sin. The scepter represents dominion. In other words, if the spiritual man is serving the old man, then that's sin.   (Psa.125:4) Do good, O Lord, unto those that are good.... This is a simple but profound statement here, saints. God will do good to those who are good, those who have manifested His righteousness and His holiness. That's something only God can do in you, but He will do it because of your faith. (Psa.125:4) Do good, O Lord, unto those that are good, And to them that are upright in their hearts. (5) But as for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways, the Lord will lead them forth with the workers of iniquity. These people will be under the judgment of the Beast.   So the “strangers” and the “foreigners” who serve the spiritual man represent the old man, who once kept the spiritual man in bondage but now is in bondage himself in their land. Also, as we read earlier, (Isa.60:10) And foreigners shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favor have I had mercy on thee. God's favor is going to deliver us from being ruled over by the kings of this world and from being ruled over by these “foreigners” who represent the old man who serves the kings of this world. (Isa.60:11) Thy gates also shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night (He's talking about the Bride, Zion. He's calling His people to come within the gates of Zion, to come within salvation.); that men may bring unto thee the wealth of the nations....   Now we've discovered that this “wealth of the nations” is the gold, silver and precious stones, as opposed to the wood, hay and stubble of the old life. The spiritual man is what is valuable in the Kingdom; nothing physical is valuable in the Kingdom of God. The gold, silver and precious stones represent that new life, which is something that is very valuable. (Isa.60:11) Thy gates also shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the wealth of the nations, and their kings led captive. (12) For that nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted. The kingdoms of the world are going to be destroyed because they are going to bring to the cross God's people.   No, they won't be able to persecute the Bride, but they will be able to persecute those who haven't made it behind the broad walls of Zion. But notice this in verse 10, And foreigners shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee. The foreigners who are going to build the walls of Zion is that carnal man who are slaves to the spiritual man in order to do his work. (Isa.60:4) Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: they all gather themselves together, they come to thee; thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be carried in the arms. Spiritually-speaking, these foreigners who will bring God's sons and daughters to Zion are the carnal man. In fact, it says the foreigners will carry them. This carnal man carries the spiritual man everywhere he goes!   Now I want to point out Cyrus to you by way of an example. Even though he was a pagan king, he was used by God as a type of Himself coming as a Messiah in a worldly vessel. (Isa.44:28) That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure, even saying of Jerusalem, She shall be built; and of the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid. (Isa.45:1) Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus (“Anointed” here is the same word for “Messiah,” or Christos in the New Testament.), whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him.... Notice God is using an anointed Messiah inside this vessel of a lost man because (1Co.15:50) ... flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God....   Even Jesus has a new body, folks. It's not the old body that He inherited through David; it's that new “born from above” body. But when Jesus walked on this earth, He was the son of David according to the flesh. Rom 1:3  concerning his Son, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh. But His spiritual man was the Son of God.  4  who was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness. So the Son of man served the Son of God as it is with all sons of God. And in this instance, Cyrus was His shepherd and His anointed or Messiah. (Isa.45:13) I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will make straight all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let my exiles go free, not for price nor reward, saith the Lord of hosts. In fact, the Scripture goes on to say in, (Isa.45:15) Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour. God was hiding in this type and shadow of Cyrus. Cyrus, of course, represented the outer man, who was basically unregenerate, and yet Jesus was on the inside in type as the Messiah.   And what did Cyrus do? (Ezr.1:1) Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, (2) Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the Lord, the God of heaven, given me; and he hath charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. (3) Whosoever there is among you of all his people, his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem.... This is our path; we go from Babylon to Jerusalem, the Bride. And let's not stop in the cities of Judah on the way because they were conquered by the Beast, as were the cities of Israel.   The northern 10 tribes were conquered by the Beast every time.  But not Jerusalem when the Assyrians came through, for the Lord protected Jerusalem. (Ezr.1:3) Whosoever there is among you of all his people, his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord, the God of Israel (he is God), which is in Jerusalem. (4) And whosoever is left, in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods.... When the Israelites were leaving their “Babylonish” captivity to go through the wilderness to their Promised Land, such a fear of the Israelites fell upon the Egyptians that they actually were plundered by the Israelites.  Now we see Cyrus plundering the beast under him to build the House of God. A foreigner was building the walls. (Exo.12:33) And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, to send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We are all dead men. (35) And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they asked of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment. (36) And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. And they despoiled the Egyptians. Even today, the wealth of the wicked is laid up for the righteous (Pro 13:22). Here we see the natural man serving the spiritual man, which is the only way to go to Zion. The wicked's wealth will prepare the righteous for the coming wilderness too. Praise be to God! God is using the old man to help the new man.   Back to (Ezr.1:4) And whosoever is left, in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, besides the freewill-offering for the house of God which is in Jerusalem. (5) Then rose up the heads of fathers' houses of Judah and Benjamin (Jesus, the Messiah, came and raised up the apostles to be heads of fathers' houses. Praise God! And the Man-child is going to do the same thing: the Man-child is going to raise up the heads of fathers' houses.), and the priests, and the Levites, even all whose spirit God had stirred to go up to build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem.   (Ezr.1:6) And all they that were round about them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with beasts, and with precious things, besides all that was willingly offered. (7) Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem, and had put in the house of his gods.   Yes, Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon “took captive” God's people and now God's raising up a Messiah in the likeness of sinful flesh to set God's people free. (Rom.8:3) …God, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: (4) that the ordinance of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.  Who is ruling when you walk after the flesh? How about after the Spirit? (Ezr.1:8) Even those did Cyrus king of Persia bring forth by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and numbered them unto Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah. Well, that's a type and shadow of how God can use kings, who once ruled over the people of God, to instead serve the people. And just as your flesh, your worldly, unregenerate self once ruled over you, now that same flesh serves you, carries you, brings you where you want to go, keeps the sheep, plows the field, etc. Now that same flesh serves the spiritual man. From the beginning, this outer man was meant to serve the inner man, which is the right relationship to God. The righteous are priests. The flesh serves them and the flesh is their offering. (Isa.61:7) Instead of your shame ye shall have double; and instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their portion....   Do you know that God is going to supply their every need for the people who don't walk after the flesh, but walk after the spirit? Those who are in the Bride are going to be blessed, like Esther was in the king's house or like the Shulammite in the Song of Solomon, but notice the only place where they can be blessed is in their land, not in the land of bondage. What's the difference between the land of bondage and their Promised Land? Well, in the land of bondage, the flesh ruled over the spirit man, the Egyptian ruled over the Israelite. In their Promised Land, it's the other way around: the spiritual man rules over the carnal man. That's where the blessings are and that's why it's called the Promised Land, the “land flowing with milk and honey” (Exodus 33:3; Leviticus 20:24; Numbers 14:8; Deuteronomy 26:9; etc.)   So it doesn't matter if you're going through the tribulation period; what matters is who's ruling whom! (Isa.61:7) Instead of your shame ye shall have double; and instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess double (Praise the Lord! There are great benefits for sanctification.); everlasting joy shall be unto them. (Isa.61:8) For I, the Lord, love justice, I hate robbery with iniquity; and I will give them their recompense in truth.... You know, you don't have to wait to go to Heaven to receive your recompense. We walk in the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth and God is going to give you all the blessings of Deuteronomy 28, if you will obey His commandments, which you can do by faith.   (Isa.61:8) For I, the Lord, love justice, I hate robbery with iniquity; and I will give them their recompense in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. And God has made that Covenant, but that Covenant has been broken by the people who are serving the old man. Sin broke the Covenant, so then who is it who can have this Covenant with God? Only those people in whom the old man is serving the spiritual man, they are going to have this everlasting Covenant with God.   (Isa.61:9) And their seed shall be known among the nations, and their offspring among the peoples; all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed. Yes! God's people are going to have awesome testimonies of the benefits of the Kingdom! The lost world is going to see great healings, deliverances, miracles of provisions and so on for God's people because God's people are not going to be under the dominion of the Beast.   (Rev.13:10) If any man is for captivity, into captivity he goeth: if any man shall kill with the sword, with the sword must he be killed. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. In other words, if you need to go into captivity to come to crucifixion, then that's what will happen. The Lord loves us and He's going to do what's necessary to crucify this old man. Jesus made it very, very plain: (Mat.10:39) He that findeth his life shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. That's not unconditional eternal security; that is conditional eternal security.   Going back again to (Isa.61:10) 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.... This is the manifestation of eternal life, the manifestation of salvation. We have been planted in this earth for a purpose: we are to bear the fruit of Jesus Christ. Some people think there's no purpose. They think you just “accept” Jesus and you wait for Him to come take you away so you don't go through any trouble whatsoever, you just fly away. These are people who don't read the Bible, so they don't know what it says. We are here to manifest the salvation that He gave us by faith in the beginning. We are here to manifest, (Col.1:27) ... Christ in you, the hope of glory.   The manifestation of salvation is Jesus manifested in you 30-, 60- and 100-fold. That can't be anything other than Jesus because He said the seed is the Word of God sown by Jesus Himself. When we submit to the Word of God, the Word manifests Him in us. And we know from the New Testament that the “garments of salvation” are your works. (Rev.19:8) And it was given unto her (the Bride) that she should array herself in fine linen, bright and pure: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Putting on evil works will not get you in the wedding. (Isa.61:10)…for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness.... Their righteous works are their clothing! (Rom.13:14) But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ (Paul refers to Jesus as a garment), and make not provision for the flesh, to [fulfil] the lusts [thereof]. The Bible says to put off the old man. (Eph.4:22) That ye put away, as concerning your former manner of life, the old man, that waxeth corrupt after the lusts of deceit; (23) and that ye be renewed in the spirit of your mind, (24) and put on the new man, that after God hath been created in righteousness and holiness of truth. In other words, don't serve the old man because, if you do, you're putting on something that will not entitle you to the Kingdom.   (Isa.61:10) …, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with a garland, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. And what do the jewels represent? They represent the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, the nature of the Lord Jesus Christ in you! (Isa.61:11) For as the earth bringeth forth its bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. Praise be to God!   We've been sown in the earth in order to bear fruit, but the first thing this corrupt flesh does is try to put to death that seed of the Kingdom. (Gen.1:11) And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. Just as each seed brings forth after its own kind, so the Word of God brings forth Jesus Christ; He is the Word of God. The only seed you really want to plant in your heart is the Word of God because only that can bring forth Jesus Christ. And we want to manifest Jesus Christ because (Joh.3:13) ... no one hath ascended into heaven, but he that descended out of heaven, even the Son of man, who is in heaven.   So Christ in you, that spiritual man Who's been recreated in His image, is the only hope of glory. People want to know, “Why do Christians go through so much?” Well, Jesus said, (Joh.12:24) Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a grain of wheat fall into the earth and die, it abideth by itself alone; but if it die, it beareth much fruit. And glory to God! The Lord has sown the right seed in the earth to bring forth His Son and that seed is His Word. Nothing else can bring forth the Son; anything else would be antichrist. You know, “anti” has two meanings: it has the meaning of “against” and it has the meaning of “in the place of.” There are some things that look to the world to be similar to the Son, yet they're not the Son, and religions do that. They like to have something very similar but that is not so crucifying to their flesh. They like leaven in their bread.  Religion that is made after man's design, religion that doesn't involve obedience to Scripture, that is antichrist. It has taken the place of Christ. (Eze.33:7) So thou, son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. (8) When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die, and thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way; that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thy hand. (9) Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it, and he turn not from his way; he shall die in his iniquity, but thou hast delivered thy soul. Apostate religion is guilty of the blood of the saints because it doesn't tell the truth which sets free.  Now let's go back to Isaiah 61:10 again and look at it more closely. (Isa.61:10) 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.... What are these garments and this robe? I briefly mentioned previously that I believe this speaks about the manifestation of salvation. You know, we all have salvation by faith, but (Heb.11:1 KJV) Faith is the substance of the thing hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Faith is believing for things you don't yet manifest, you don't yet see with your eyes, etc.   One of the best texts about putting on the “garments of salvation” is in Romans. As you read it, notice how the word “salvation” is used. Many people refer to salvation as only something in the past. They don't understand it's in the past because we accept by faith what was accomplished at the cross, but what was accomplished at the cross is being manifested as we walk out that faith. If you're not walking by faith, then salvation is not being manifested; you are not changing day-by-day. If you're not walking by faith, you are not coming into His image. You're not manifesting your salvation 30-, 60- and 100-fold.   (Rom.13:11) And this, knowing the season, that already it is time for you to awake out of sleep (Oh, if it was true then, it's certainly true today!): for now is salvation nearer to us than when we first believed. These are Christians here who already have salvation and he's telling them, “Now is salvation nearer to us than when we first believed.” So what does he mean by that? He's talking about the fulfillment of salvation, the manifestation of salvation. When we first believed, most of our salvation was by faith and not by manifestation. But the further we go down the road of walking by faith and the more we “put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ,” the less our salvation is by faith and the more of it is by manifestation.   Most of the Church doesn't understand that the Lord has put us here to lose our life in order to gain our life. As Scripture tells us, we are to be (1Pe.2:1) Putting away therefore all wickedness, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, (2) as newborn babes, long for the spiritual milk which is without guile, that ye may grow thereby unto salvation. That's what we call “bearing fruit.” (Rom.13:12) The night is far spent, and the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness (These works of darkness are garments, too, but they're not the garments of salvation.), and let us put on the armor of light. This is the “garment of salvation.”   (Rom.13:13) Let us walk becomingly (So many people reject works, but the Christian who walks by faith will have the works of God. God puts His ability in them.), as in the day; not in revelling and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and jealousy. (14) But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ (So you cast off the “works of darkness” and you “put on the armor of light,” and now he tells you that the “armor of light” is the Lord Jesus Christ.), and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. There you see two garments: the garment of the works of the flesh and a garment of the works of Christ. This “garment of salvation” is very clearly putting on Christ.   I also especially like (1Ti.6:11) But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. (12) Fight the good fight of the faith, lay hold on the life eternal.... You have to fight! Yes, you have life eternal by faith, but then you have to continue to exercise that faith. You know, life eternal can be found only in the life of Jesus Christ; there's no other eternal life out there. (1Jn.5:11) And the witness is this, that God gave unto us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. See, you can't claim the life of Christ without abiding in the Son.   Jesus Himself said, (Joh.15:1) I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. (2) Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh it away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he cleanseth it, that it may bear more fruit. (Mat.7:16) By their fruits ye shall know them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? (17) Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but the corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. (18) A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. (19) Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. (20) Therefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Abiding in the Son is where this life is and you abide in Christ as you follow after these attributes of Christ.   (1Ti.6:12) Fight the good fight of the faith, lay hold on the life eternal (You fight by using your faith to lay hold of these attributes of Christ!), whereunto thou wast called.... The word “called” is kaleo and it means “invited.” We've been invited to partake of the nature of Jesus Christ. You were called to lay hold on eternal life, but how do you do that? The first thing you have to do is accept it as a free gift by faith which (Rom.4:17) ... calleth the things that are not, as though they were. Faith is what Jesus said in, (Mar.11:24) ... All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye received (Greek) them, and ye shall have them. (Heb.11:1) Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, a conviction of things not seen.   When you claim salvation by faith, you're giving God the substance, but you don't have the evidence yet. There's no complete manifestation of it yet. Your faith is accounted as righteousness, but you have to keep walking in that faith to be accounted as righteous. And as you walk this faith out, you manifest more and more of what you're believing for, until you don't need the faith anymore because you have the full manifestation. Faith is a means to an end and the end is Jesus Christ. He is eternal life!   (1Ti.6:12) Fight the good fight of the faith, lay hold on the life eternal, whereunto thou wast called, and didst confess the good confession in the sight of many witnesses. What is the “good confession”? Well, you confess that you are saved! The Greek word for “salvation” is soteria and it means “all my needs supplied, ‘like a little baby.'” Soteria is salvation for your spirit, soul, body and circumstances; it covers everything. And the word for “confession” there is homologeo, which means “to speak the same thing”; in other words, to agree with what the Word says about you and what God has done for you. In the midst of the trial, you must speak in agreement with what the Word says about you. If you don't, you're not going to receive salvation in that trial.   For example, if you need a healing and you don't agree that (Isa.53:5) ... with his stripes, we are healed, then you're not going to get that healing. If you need salvation for your soul, if you need deliverance from demons, whatever your need may be, you are not going to get that part of salvation unless you come into agreement with what the Word says. Jesus is the Word and Jesus is our high priest. (Heb.4:14) Having then a great high priest, who hath passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. We need to confess Him before men so that He can present that confession as an offering before the Father; the Bible is very clear about this.  (1Ti.6:13) I charge thee in the sight of God, who giveth life to all, and of Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed the good confession.... And what was His confession? (Joh.18:36) Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. (1Ti.6:13) … and of Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed the good confession; (14) that thou keep the commandment, without spot, without reproach, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. Believe it or not, this has nothing whatsoever to do with Jesus coming in the clouds. It has to do with the coming of Jesus in you! Notice: You keep the commandment until Jesus is manifested in you.   The word “appearing” here is the word Epiphaneia and it means “to shine forth from,” so this is talking about the Lord shining forth from you. You keep the commandment without spot and without reproach until the “appearing,” the Epiphaneia, of the Lord Jesus Christ in you. Jesus had the Epiphaneia. That means the One Who shined out of the son of David was the Son of God. We're going to look at this a little later, but right now I want to point out to you the Epiphaneia, this “shining forth from.” What is it that shines forth from us? Well, we have this blessing of Jesus Christ Who lives in us, but He's not manifested to the world. (2Co.4:7) But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God, and not from ourselves. This light that is shining out of darkness is the manifestation of Christ in you, the manifestation of your sanctification, if you will.   (2Co.4:6) Seeing it is God, that said, Light shall shine out of darkness, who shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. And the Scripture says about Jesus, (2Ti.1:9) Who saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before times eternal, (10) but hath now been manifested (“Manifested” here is the word phaneroo from the root phaneros, and it means “to render apparent ... as opposed to what is concealed and invisible.”) by the appearing of our Saviour Christ Jesus.... It's as if the light of Jesus Christ that's in you is shining brighter and brighter, as the Bible says. (Pro.4:18) But the path of the righteous is as the dawning light, That shineth more and more unto the perfect day.   You know, this light is actually visible in the spirit realm and, even in the physical realm, some people have seen it with their eyes. They don't realize that this glow around people is something that the Spirit is enabling them to see. And this shining becomes brighter as more and more of Jesus is manifested. (2Ti.1:10) But hath now been manifested (In other words, this “shining forth” is becoming visible.) by the appearing of our Saviour Christ Jesus.... The word “appearing” is that same word, Epiphaneia, meaning “to shine forth from.” So Jesus had an Epiphaneia, a “shining forth” from Him when He was on the earth, and we are to keep the commandments without spot and without reproach until our Lord Jesus Christ shines out of us! Awesome! This is sanctification; this is the manifestation of our salvation.  (1Ti.6:18) That they do good, that they be rich in good works, that they be ready to distribute, willing to communicate (In the Greek, this word means “share.”); (1Ti.6:19) laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on the life which is life indeed. See, you don't have the manifestation of everything you're going to receive when you first come to Jesus. The manifestation of your salvation is progressive and you “lay hold on the life which is life indeed” as you come into agreement with the Word. The only people who can prove they've walked by faith are those people who have power in their life to walk away from sin. There are people who claim they have faith, but they don't have any works.   Well, James said, (Jas.2:18) Yea, a man will say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith apart from thy works, and I by my works will show thee my faith. A person who has the works of the Lord Jesus Christ, a person who can keep the commandments as He commanded, the one whom He said loves Him, this person has grace from God to do what they're doing. And you don't receive grace without faith, so the person who has faith is the person who is walking in the steps of Jesus Christ. They are progressing, they are manifesting their salvation, they are growing in the ways of the Lord. Amen!   Before we go on, let me point out that Isaiah was speaking in the first person when he said in (Isa.61:1) The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me... And you may be thinking, “Well, he was talking about the coming of Jesus.” That's true, but Who was Jesus? (Rom.1:3) Concerning his Son, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, (4) who was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness.... Jesus was the Son of God come in a body of the son of David; that's Who Jesus was. Is Jesus coming today in His people? Of course! That's what salvation is: (Col.1:27) ... Christ in you, the hope of glory. He is Immanuel, meaning God with us. He is coming as the Word is manifested in you as you abide in Him, so Christ is being manifested in you because He is the Word!   I believe Isaiah is a type of the Man-child here because the One Who was speaking out of Isaiah is Jesus Christ, the same One Who fulfilled the first half of this prophecy 2000 years ago. (Luk.4:18) The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, Because he anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor: He hath sent me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovering of sight to the blind, To set at liberty them that are bruised, (19) To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. (20) And he closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down: and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fastened on him. (21)  And he began to say unto them, To-day hath this scripture been fulfilled in your ears.  You know, Isaiah preached just before and during the time when the Assyrian Beast was coming to take God's people into captivity. He preached at a time just like today when, once again, the Beast is coming to bring God's people into captivity.   And probably some of you out there are saying, “But I'm going to escape that!” Well, I pray that you do! But I can tell you it's not going to be the way that's been taught traditionally; we're not going to fly away. What Jesus did say, however, was (Luk.21:36) But watch ye at every season, making supplication, that ye may prevail to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.  Now let's read on in (Isa.61:10) I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom.... In what way was Isaiah, or the Man-child, like a bridegroom? We know that Jesus was the Bridegroom, was He not? When John saw the disciples following after Jesus, he said in (Joh.3:29) He that hath the bride is the bridegroom.... The Son of God was manifested in the son of David. He came to minister to the people the Word of God and to raise up the Bride to walk in His steps. This is the same thing that is about to happen today. The Man-child ministry is being raised up as a fulfillment of Revelation 12. They will be the first-fruits of those in whom Jesus lives.   Jesus is going to manifest Himself in all of His holy people, but the first-fruits are going to be the first ones to fully enter into this by the grace of God. (Isa.61:10) I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with a garland.... When the Man-child comes, the One living inside of the Man-child, the One Who is here to fellowship with the Bride, is the Bridegroom! There's going to be an exact fulfillment of what happened in Jesus' day. Jesus was Who? He was the Son of God in the Spirit, Who was in the son of David in the flesh. He is coming this time in the same way! He's coming in His people. (2Co.3:18) But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit.   As you look into the mirror and see Jesus by faith, you'll be transformed from glory to glory into the same image. Paul said, (Gal.2:20) I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me: and that life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me. Those are words of faith and words of faith bring to pass the manifestation of that faith. Jesus is coming in His people. The Bridegroom is going to come in the Man-child and, as the Man-child speaks the Word of the Lord which is living in them, the Word of the Lord will raise up the Bride. So what the Scripture is saying here had a fulfillment in Isaiah's day, it had a fulfillment in Jesus' day and it will have a fulfillment in our day.   Let's read it again. (Isa.61:10) I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with a garland, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. Now in what way could Isaiah, or Jesus, or the Man-child, also be the Bride? Well, according to the Word of the Lord, we're told that the Bride is the Heavenly Jerusalem. (Rev.21:9) And there came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls, who were laden with the seven last plagues; and he spake with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the wife of the Lamb. (10) And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, (11) having the glory of God: her light was like unto a stone most precious, as it were a jasper stone, clear as crystal.... See the glory; the light was shining out of her.  And Paul said, (Heb.12:18) For ye are not come unto a mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, and unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest ... (22) but ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable hosts of angels, (23) to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect. The “heavenly Jerusalem” is those people who are obediently walking as disciples of Christ, walking in sanctification and the power of God -- things that most of Christianity has totally forgotten today.   The people who lived in Jerusalem after it was taken from the Jebusites were under the dominion of King David. 2000 years ago, the “King David” of the Heavenly Jerusalem was Jesus. And today “King David” is coming again, manifested in His first-fruits leadership. This first-fruits leadership is also the “Bride” because, if the Bride is Jerusalem, and David sat on the Lord's throne in Jerusalem to rule for Him, as did David's son Solomon (1 Chronicles 29:23; 2 Chronicles 1:11; 2:11; 9:8), then David being in Jerusalem would make him a part of the Bride. Actually, David would be the head of the Bride. However, the Bible speaks of another prophet coming (Acts 3:22; 7:37).   You say, “But that was Jesus!” That's true, Jesus was the Man-child, but there's also another prophet coming to fulfill the exact same prophecy in our day and that prophet is going to be Jesus in His Man-child. Jesus was a part of the Bride; He was the head of the Bride. He's the head of the body, is He not? The Bride is the body who is manifesting Christ because Christ lives in his body and Christ lives in His Bride. Christ lives in anyone in whom the Word of God is manifested and being obeyed. He lives in that person and in that way there is a fulfillment of this.   Continuing on in (Isa.61:11) For as the earth bringeth forth its bud (Now we're talking about the benefits of this sanctification of Christ in you.), and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. In this day, God's people are going to be manifested before the eyes of all the nations. Jesus Christ is coming to walk in all the nations! He's going to do it in His people, beginning with His first-fruits.   They are going to do the works of Jesus Christ of 2000 years ago and they're going to pass this on to apostles, who are going to raise up the five-fold ministry. (Who are apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers and evangelists.) Jesus Christ is going to walk in those apostles and then He's going to abide in that five-fold ministry, and then in all the people who receive the Word of that ministry. He is coming to manifest Himself in His body. Remember, the One Who lives in the true body of Christ is Jesus Christ! It's His body and He lives in it!   What we call the body of Christ nowadays, we have to call it by faith because we certainly can't call it by manifestation, but the Lord is going to prove the power of His salvation. Before the Tribulation is over, all the nations are going to have seen the Lord Jesus Christ. He said, (Mat.10:40) He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. The nations are going to see Jesus in the body of Christ on this earth again, but they are not necessarily going to like Him; they never liked Him before. Only those who had been given eyes to see and ears to hear liked Jesus in His body. There are many people who claim to be “Christians,” yet they mistreat Christ in His body. They persecute and they crucify Christ in His body, but still they call themselves “Christians.” And what did Jesus have to say about that? (Mat.25:40) … Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these my brethren, even these least, ye did it unto me.   So now in (Isa.62:1) For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her righteousness go forth as brightness.... This is that “shining forth from,” this Epiphaneia, this phaneroo, that we were talking about. (Isa.62:1) For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her righteousness go forth.... Folks, we're not going to have “Christians” in name only. These are going to be Christians whom God is going to raise up! You are either going to come into the Kingdom or you're going to get out and He's not going to rest until it happens. It's going to happen before all the nations, not just up in Heaven somewhere!   There wasn't any chapter break there in the original; it just went right on, so He's talking about doing this before all the nations. People are lying when they tell you you're never going to manifest righteousness until you get to Heaven. If you wait until then, you have waited too late! We are sown in this earth to bear the fruit while we're on this earth. These plants are growing up out of this dirt right here, folks. If all you're doing is just waiting around because you're listening to that apostate doctrine of “accept Jesus and you'll fly away one day,” you've been lied to! Read the Word of God for yourself!   (Isa.62:1) For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her righteousness go forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burneth. (Glory to God!) (2) And the nations shall see thy righteousness (That doesn't sound like God's going to wait until you fly away to Heaven to save you, for goodness' sake!), and all kings thy glory, and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name. He said that this righteousness would “go forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burneth.” What is this “glory,” this “brightness,” this “lamp that burneth”? He said that kings would see “thy glory.” What is this talking about? Well, it's right here: (Col.3:4) When Christ, who is our life.... The life of the Christian is Christ Himself because we're just His body. The life inside of us has to be His life and, if you don't believe you're supposed to have the life of Christ, the very life that we read about in the Scriptures, then you're living in apostate Christianity.   (Col.3:4) When Christ, who is our life, shall be manifested (The word here is phaneroo and remember it means “to render apparent ... as opposed to what is concealed and invisible.” This is talking about Christ becoming more and more visible and shining out of you; He is the glory that “all kings” are going to see.), then shall ye also with him be manifested in glory. So when Christ is manifested in you, you're going to be manifested in glory! What's shining out of the saints that “all kings” are going to see is the glory of Christ! It is the life of Christ!   Peter also spoke about this “caused to shine” and “made visible.” (2Pe.1:19) And we have the word of prophecy made more sure; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a lamp (There it is, the “lamp that burneth”.) shining in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts. “Day-star” is an archaic term for the sun, which is also a parable of the Son, Jesus Christ. Christ is the lamp, Christ is the Day-star shining brighter and brighter in the dark places of your heart! (Pro.4:18) But the path of the righteous is as the dawning light.... The dawning light comes up higher and higher until it's straight overhead, until all the shadows have been destroyed and there's nothing but brightness everywhere, and that's what he says happens in your heart.   This is the “shining forth” that Paul's speaking about when he says, (Col.1:27) To whom God was pleased to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. There's no other “hope of glory”; Christ in you is the glory. (Col.3:4) When Christ, who is our life, shall be manifested, then shall ye (He's talking about you.) also with him be manifested in glory.   (2Co.4:6) Seeing it is God, that said, Light shall shine out of darkness, who shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. “In the face of Jesus Christ” is the only way you can receive it because it's by faith that you behold “in a mirror the glory of the Lord.” (2Co.3:18) But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit. You see that by faith with the imagination of your renewed mind (Ephesians 4:23) and, as you do that, you are transformed into that same image! In other words, what you see by faith is going to come to pass “from glory to glory.”   And Paul goes on to say, (2Co.4:7) But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God, and not from ourselves. (11) For we who live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus may be manifested (That's the word Phaneroo again.) in our mortal flesh. Notice: That is this body, not the new body. Those apostate preachers are lying when they say that you won't be perfected until you get to Heaven. We are bearing the fruit 30-, 60- and 100-fold here, and that's what Jesus said in the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13; Mark 4; Luke 8).   So, the manifestation of the life of Christ in our mortal flesh is that light of the Son shining forth out of us, brighter and brighter, until the perfect day! (Pro.4:18) But the path of the righteous is as the dawning light, That shineth more and more unto the perfect day. This is God's plan, even though it's been short-circuited by apostate religion teaching doctrines of demons that are not in the Bible. We've been lied to and robbed of God's glory. Many people who think that they're Christians are not growing up in Christ and bringing forth His fruit. But God says He's not going to rest until all of the nation's see Christ manifested in His people. Don't be left out.  Again in (Isa.62:1) For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her righteousness go forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burneth. (2) And the nations shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory.... Wow! This happened in Jesus' day on a lesser scale, when Jesus was the body of Christ, and He was also a type and shadow for the body of Christ in our day, as we come out of the dark ages of Christianity. The whole world is going to see the power of His salvation in His people and it may make the Pharisees just as angry as when they saw Jesus the first time.  (Isa.62:2) And the nations shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory, and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name. By what name is this glorious people, in whom Jesus lives, going to be called? It couldn't be anything other than the name of His Son! (Col.3:17) And whatsoever ye do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Does that mean we just say the name? No. Whatsoever we do, in word or in deed, we are to do it in the nature, character and authority of Christ. The word for “name” is onoma in the New Testament and shem in the Old Testament, but they both have the same meaning, which is the “nature, character and authority” of a person or thing. The people of Shem, the Shemites, were the people of God; they were the people of the name.   Different languages have different names for Jesus, but are you being filled with His name? Is His name being manifested in you? (Rev.2:17) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. To him that overcometh (You have to be an overcomer.), to him will I give of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and upon the stone a new name written, which no one knoweth but he that receiveth it. The word for “knoweth” there is ginosko and it means “to be taking in knowledge, to come to know, recognize … or to understand completely.” Ginosko “frequently indicates a relation between the person ‘knowing' and the object known ... hence the establishment of a relationship.” Who knows the name of the Lord? The people who have the name of the Lord, the people who live in the name of the Lord, these are the people who know the name of the Lord.   Jesus knew righteousness. He knew the name of the Lord, but the Pharisees and the Sadducees didn't know the name of the Lord. They could only speak the title given to their Old Testament God because they didn't know His nature, character and authority. They didn't know Him. (Act.13:27) For they that dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath, fulfilled [them] by condemning [him]. Only someone who is living in the name of the Lord, only someone in whom the name of the Lord is being manifested, can know the name of the Lord. In other words, only the “overcomers” can know the name.   (Rev.3:10) Because thou didst keep the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of trial, that hour which is to come upon the whole world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. We've already seen how God will keep those in the holy city Zion, in Jerusalem, from the “hour of trial,” just as in Esther. In the book of Esther, the bride was safe in the king's house while the rest of God's people were going through great tribulation. (Rev.3:11) I come quickly: hold fast that which thou hast, that no one take thy crown. (12) He that overcometh, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go out thence no more.... I'm afraid a lot of Christian activity is in and out, and in and out. One day you're abiding in Christ, you're abiding in the Temple, and then the next day you're out there in the world, living in the flesh.   But the person who overcomes will live in the Temple of God in God's presence all the time. (Rev.3:12) He that overcometh, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go out thence no more: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God, and mine own new name. Now is this someone who has names written all over them? No, it's not meant to be taken literally. This is talking about the Bride taking on the name: the nature, character and authority of the Bridegroom! This is talking about God manifesting the name in them.   Jesus said, (Joh.17:6) I manifested thy name unto the men whom thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them to me; and they have kept thy word. When did Jesus ever mention the Old Testament name or title of God? He never did. He called Him “Father.” His people will call Him “Father.” (Jer.3:4) Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My Father, thou art the guide of my youth? Jesus revealed the name in His actions. (Joh.14:9) Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and dost thou not know me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; how sayest thou, Show us the Father? The name that He revealed to people was the nature, character and authority of the Father.   And so it is today! We are ambassadors for Christ. We are to represent Him to the world. Revelation speaks about the name of the Beast in (Rev.13:16) And he causeth all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free and the bond, that there be given them a mark on their right hand, or upon their forehead; (17) and that no man should be able to buy or to sell, save he that hath the mark, even the name of the beast or the number of his name.  And then, right after that, Revelation speaks about the name of the Lord. (Rev.14:1) And I saw, and behold, the Lamb standing on the mount Zion, and with him a hundred and forty and four thousand. (This is the first-fruits Man-child ministry.), having his name, and the name of his Father, written on their foreheads. He just got through talking about the name of the Beast being written on the foreheads of the Beast people. I don't think you're ever going to see either mark physically, so you have to take this spiritually. Revelation is not talking about the name of Jesus and the name of His Father written on the forehead, but about the nature, character and authority of the mind and works of Christ being manifested in the mind of God's people.   As a matter of fact, Jesus tells us, (Mat.28:19) Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name.... The numeric pattern and the ancient manuscripts all say “into,” “baptizing them into the name,” although most translations read “baptizing them in the name.” But you see, it's not about speaking a name over somebody. It's not saying any magic words over somebody. (Mat.28:19) Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Did you notice the way the word “name” is being used here? Any English teacher would tell you that this is talking about one name for all three! This has nothing to do with the oneness or twoness or trinity doctrines, but it does have to do with unity. Since the Greek word onoma means “nature, character and authority,” this is the nature, character and authority of “the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”   Jesus said He came in His Father's name and onoma means “nature, character and authority,” not “title”! Therefore, when you're baptized into the name, you're putting on the name: the nature, character and authority of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. This is also the Name or nature, character, and authority of Jesus. Both of these babtisms are mentioned in the word because it's the same name or nature. (Rom.13:14) But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ. The baptism is for the death of the old man and the resurrection of the new man. When you are baptized, Paul's confession should be your confession: (Gal.2:20) I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me: and that life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me.   God gave Himself for us. When you're baptized, you don't live anymore; Christ lives in you, so you have His name by faith! You are baptized into His nature, character and authority, which is why Paul tells us that when we look in a mirror, we see Jesus: (2Co.3:18) But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit. That's the Gospel! We don't live anymore; Christ lives in us. We accept by faith that His name is manifested in us.   We are warned, (Exo.20:7) Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. Why did He say that to His people? Was He talking about cursing? No, that has nothing whatsoever to do with using His name in profanity. It has to do with a person taking on His name for nothing, for naught. It has to do with a person taking on His name but not manifesting His name. We, as Christians, take on His name when we're baptized because the old man's dead and the new man lives. And the new man is (Col.1:27) … Christ in you, the hope of glory. Therefore, you are taking on His name, but the Christian who doesn't bear any fruit is taking the name of the Lord in vain. It's talking about you not living up to the name!   What does the Lord say about those who take His name in vain? (Rev.3:1) … I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and thou art dead. This is a person who has taken the name for nothing. His name is not going to be manifested in them because they have no faith. Remember what James said: (Jas.2:18) Yea, a man will say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith apart from thy works, and I by my works will show thee my faith. Everyone who has faith is going to be manifesting Jesus Christ the further they walk down that road. Everyone! Those who merely say they believe, but who are not manifesting Jesus Christ, are not putting the old man to death so that the new man can come to life. What they have is not faith! They're not beholding in a mirror the glory of the Lord.   They choose to think that they manifested salvation when they stepped into the Kingdom and were given a new spirit. They're not concerned about manifesting that spirit in their soul, which is their mind, will and emotions. God demands that we don't take His name in vain. We have to bear the fruit of Christ. “Christian” means “Christ-like.”   God expects us to walk by faith in Him to manifest Jesus Christ in us, but dead religion and dead preachers of dead religion have been short-circuiting this wonderful thing God wants to do. What does the Lord say He's going to do? It's awesome! In front of all the nations (Isaiah 62:1-2), He's going to manifest the glory of Jesus Christ in His people. All the nations are going to see Jesus walk this earth again in corporate body of flesh. (Rom.8:3) For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh. And God has a people who are doing the same thing; they are condemning sin in the flesh. They are walking in the likeness of sinful flesh, but the One Who's coming to life in them is Jesus Christ. He's shining forth from them brighter and brighter!   These are the people who have faith. They are the ones we call “believers”! Remember, it was the pagans who first called the followers of Christ “Christians” because they did the works of and had the fruit of Jesus Christ. “Christian” was a compliment that they gave to people whom God called “disciples” and “believers.” Believers have fruit! All believers have fruit! Disciples have fruit! All disciples have fruit! But not everybody called “Christian” is a Christian, nor has everybody called “Christian” borne any fruit. A “disciple” is “a learner and a follower,” a mathetes; they follow in the steps of Jesus. And a “believer” is somebody who is going to receive grace because of their faith.   (Eph.2:8) For by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; (9) not of works, that no man should glory. (10) For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God afore prepared that we should walk in them. So we are being created to do the works of Jesus Christ. (Joh.14:12) Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto the Father. That's what Jesus said; therefore, the people who really believe will be seen to be the people who do His works, keep His commandments and so on. Is it by their power? Not at all. It's by His power because God gives grace to those who believe. Grace is God's favor to walk above sin, to be overcomers. All of the promises in the Book of Revelation are only to the overcomers. And how were they able to overcome? They were able to overcome because God gave them grace and faith to believe. 

Blessings Follow Sanctification  (Audio) David Eells 5/26/24  Sanctification needs to happen individually and corporately before God can give us the promised blessings so let's look at these blessings and the benefits of sanctification.  The Lord points out to us in Isaiah 60 that sanctification is the process of bringing His children out of the world and into Zion, which is the Bride, as the book of Revelation tells us. They're God's children, even while they're still in the world, and bondage to the world represents bondage to sin and worldly religion. God wants His children to be sanctified, which means “separated from the world unto God,” and we see this type in the Scriptures.   God gathers His people out of the nations because we don't belong to the nations. (1Pe.2:11) Beloved, I beseech you as sojourners and pilgrims.... Our Kingdom is not of this world. (Joh.18:36) Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.   Like Jesus, we're just passing through; we're just sojourners! We are pilgrims in this world and where we're passing to is God's Kingdom, which is epitomized as Zion, the Heavenly Jerusalem, which we know from the Scriptures is being born out of Heaven. (Rev.21:9) And there came one of the seven angels … saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the wife of the Lamb. (10) And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, (11) having the glory of God....   John was also told in (Rev.3:12) He that overcometh, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go out thence no more: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God, and mine own new name. We can see that Jerusalem is coming down out of Heaven now. The Bride is being born-again in spirit and in soul on this earth now. In (Isa.60:14) ... and they shall call thee The city of the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel. The blessings of God come as He separates His people from the world. The people who are separating from the curse are the people who are separate from the world, separate from sin, separate from apostate religion. When we first come to the Lord, we accept the righteousness we have in Jesus Christ and all of His benefits through faith.   But when God manifests fruit in you, then you're no longer waiting for it to come by faith and you should be constantly walking in this blessing of God. You should be separating from the world and its ways and its sins, and from the world's sinful religions that claim to be Christianity. This is what it is to come out of bondage in the world, to be sanctified and come into Zion.   (Isa.60:18) Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, desolation nor destruction within thy borders.... Back in September 2007, the Lord took me in a very vivid vision and He showed me that the Father would give me a large piece of property to be a refuge for His saints in the coming days. The saints were fleeing onto this property and when I looked out past the edge of the property, I saw devastation and destruction, hurricanes and wars, and so on. These were the kind of things going on just beyond the boundaries of this refuge and the saints were fleeing onto the refuge to escape them. I knew that the Lord was showing me that the devastation is the motivating factor that God will use to separate His people.   Through all these shakings, He will bring them to the place of sanctification, or holiness. He will separate them from the world, from sin, and from bondage of the old man. And He will separate them from the worship of pagan nations. Wars are started by patriotism and people fight for their respective nations because they are respecters of persons. Did you know that patriotism is a respecter of persons? It's a respecter of nationalities and, in many cases, patriotism is a respecter of race. This is not Biblical! Patriotism is very worldly and it causes the death of many people.   When God calls His people out of the nations, they are to become what Peter called one “holy nation.” (1Pe.2:9) But ye are an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that ye may show forth the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. The word “holy” means “separate” and is the same Greek word for “sanctified.” In whatever physical nation we may be living, we are all one spiritual nation in the world; we are New Testament spiritual Israel. We walk in the type and shadow of physical Israel because Abraham is the spiritual father of all those who walk by faith. So the revelation the Lord gave me was that people would come onto this piece of property and they would be safe, they would be delivered. Of course there is the secret place of the Most High all over the world too.  (Isa.60:18) Violence shall no more be heard in thy land.... Why is this? It's because after a person has been sanctified, after they are separated from sin and walking in God's holiness, it's not necessary for them to be living under the curse to drive them to God. Jesus bore the curse for us. Back in the Garden of Eden, the thorns came forth because of man's sin. (Gen.3:17) And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in toil shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; (18) thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee.... So when God begins to deliver you from worldly bondages, from sin, and the old man, then you're coming out from under the curse manifestly.  (Gen.3:18) Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, desolation nor destruction within thy borders.... What are these borders and who is He addressing here? He's addressing the New Jerusalem Zion, the Bride! In the book of Esther, the bride was the most beautiful among all the fair virgins of the kingdom and the king chose her to be his bride.   In the Song of Solomon, the king said, (Son.6:8) There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, And virgins without number. These are all God's people. (9) My dove, my undefiled (or “perfect”), is [but] one; She is the only one of her mother; She is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and called her blessed; [Yea,] the queens and the concubines, and they praised her. And, of course, the corporate body of the Bride has become one with each other and with the Lord, so destruction will not be “within thy borders.”   (Isa.60:18) ... but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise. “Salvation” is the word soteria in the New Testament and it means “all my needs supplied,” like a little baby. The broad walls of Zion represent salvation, just as when God's people fled into Zion for safety and preservation whenever an enemy attacked. When you're still serving the world, but you're God's child because you have a born-again spirit, have you manifested your salvation? No, you've manifested salvation only in your spirit.   When you manifest salvation in your soul, that's sanctification. Sanctification is bringing into your soul what you have in your spirit. Sanctification is separating you from what is worldly and what is sin in your character: in your mind, your will and your emotions. The Bride is sanctified in the soul; this corporate body of people is beautiful to the Lord and He has called them to be His Bride.   The gates of Zion are praise because the Lord's already sanctified us! (Heb.10:14) For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. We were sanctified at the cross before we were ever born. We were delivered from bondage to the old man and separated from sin. (Rom.6:6) Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with [him,] that the body of sin might be done away, that so we should no longer be in bondage to sin; (7) for he that hath died is justified from sin. (11) Even so reckon ye also yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus.   (14) For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under law, but under grace. (22) But now being made free from sin and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto sanctification, and the end eternal life. The manifestation of what Jesus accomplished at the cross is called “sanctification” on this earth.   (Rom.4:5) But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is reckoned for righteousness. Even as a baby Christian you receive these benefits of God's Kingdom when you walk by faith, but in your soul, you still need to learn more of God and His ways so you can walk in ever-increasing sanctification. (1Jn.1:7) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth us from all sin. So there is a manifestation of the cleansing power of the blood -- not just a covering of the blood, but the cleansing power of the blood to cleanse away the nature of sin. The covering is necessary when you are a young Christian, but the more you walk in the cleansing, the less you need the covering.   You remember how Esther was in the king's house and didn't seem to be in any danger, while the rest of the people of God who were living outside the palace were under a threat of destruction by Haman, who represents the Beast. But Esther the Bride interceded for her people to the king and for that reason they were saved. Can God do this? Can He make a place on this earth where people are actually safe in the midst of a time when all the nations of the world hate and are coming against God's people?   Jesus said, (Mat.24:9) Then shall they deliver you up unto tribulation, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all the nations for my name's sake. He said that because God wants His name, which means “nature, character and authority,” to be manifested in His people. What's it going to take to make that happen? Well, sad to say, it's going to require everything that can be shaken to be shaken. (Heb.12:26) Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more will I make to tremble not the earth only, but also the heaven. (27) And this [word], Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that have been made, that those things which are not shaken may remain.   (28) Wherefore, receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have grace, whereby we may offer service well-pleasing to God with reverence and awe: (29) for our God is a consuming fire. It's going to have to happen because God's people find so much affinity for the world that without this shaking, they will not run for safety to Zion, spiritually-speaking. God's going to motivate His people to run from the nations, and from their religions and run to Him. Praise God for that!   (Psa.89:22) The enemy shall not exact from him, Nor the son of wickedness afflict him. (23) And I will beat down his adversaries before him, And smite them that hate him. This was spoken of David, who represents the Man-child, and the Man-child is the head of the Bride. David ruled from Jerusalem, which represents the Bride. And we know that the Man-child is none other than Christ manifested in His end-times firstfruits body by Spirit and anointing. (Col.1:27 to whom God was pleased to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. The Lord is coming in His people! He is coming in His firstfruits Man-child and in His Bride, and in the virgins, and on and on through the Tribulation.   John the Baptist said of Jesus, Who was the Man-child of His day in (Joh.3:29) He that hath the bride is the bridegroom.... Jesus taught the disciples how to walk with Him. Obviously, God is in control of the enemy, whether you're talking about the principalities and powers, or the Beast, or the D-S, or whatever. (Psa.89:22) The enemy shall not exact from him, Nor the son of wickedness afflict him. (23) And I will beat down his adversaries before him, And smite them that hate him. This is a provision that is given to His Man-child and they will pass this on to the Bride.   This authority is something the Lord keeps in His Hand. There's no chance of the devil having authority over you. In the Book of Job, God was very careful about what came into the life of Job. The devil had to get permission to afflict Job and God allowed it for a purpose. The Lord was accounting Job as righteous from the very beginning because he was walking in everything that he knew, but the Lord helped Job to see his own self-righteousness by using his enemies and persecution; and, of course, God restored everything at the end.   God's authority over evil is something that He uses to sanctify us. For instance, (Pro.16:4) The Lord hath made everything for its own end (or “purpose”); Yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. God made the wicked to serve Him in this raising up of His sons; therefore, when a person is sanctified, the Lord can say no to the devil. When it came time for Job to be delivered and he was sanctified of his sin, God would not allow the devil to have dominion over Job any longer.   (Pro.16:5) Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord (You know when we come to the Lord, we still have a lot of that pride and the Lord has to get it out of us! He doesn't want us to be an abomination.): [Though] hand [join] in hand, he shall not be unpunished. There's nothing that can defend you from God, Who wants to destroy pride. Nothing can stop Him from doing it and He will use every vessel of dishonor He needs to bring an end to that, but when He's finished, He can stop them just as easily as He started them.   And yet we think it hard that God could provide such a place of safety for a people who are holy! Here's the advantage of being holy and separate from the world; you don't need chastening if you've overcome your sins. (Pro.16:6) By mercy and truth iniquity is atoned for; And by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil. All these things that are coming upon the world will restore the fear of the Lord and many will depart from evil. They will run to Zion, which is a place of safety and holiness. It's a place of separation from the world.  There's nothing more important for you to do right now than to repent of your sins and seek diligently to walk in holiness and separation from the world because (Pro.16:7) When a man's ways please the Lord, He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him. When you have come to the place where your actions and your ways please the Lord, God can stop your enemies. That's the place of safety; that's passing through the walls of Zion and into His place of salvation, the place where God is going to make your enemies to be at peace with you.   (Pro.16:8) Better is a little, with righteousness, Than great revenues with injustice. (9) A man's heart deviseth his way; But the Lord directeth his steps. Think about that! The Lord directs his steps! People can choose to be good, people can choose to be bad, but God directs their steps and He even directs the steps of their enemies. Some people don't understand that about God, but they haven't studied the Bible enough to know, (Php.2:13) ... it is God who worketh in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure.   Do you think unrighteous things happen to you? (Pro.16:10) A divine sentence is in the lips of the king; His mouth shall not transgress in judgment. Job thought that he was being made to suffer for no reason and he accused God wrongfully a few times, but God knew exactly what He was doing and what Job needed. God did not transgress in judgment. He gave the devil permission to afflict Job which brought him to the place of holiness and then God restored everything.   (Pro.16:11) A just balance and scales are the Lord's; All the weights of the bag are his work. So just remember that the Lord is sovereign. And we also know that the Lord Jesus was given dominion over all the principalities and powers. (Eph.1:18) Having the eyes of your heart enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, (19) and what the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe (We need a revelation of that!), according to that working of the strength of his might   (20) which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly [places] (21) far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named (Jesus has been given dominion and authority over everything.), not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: (22) and he put all things in subjection under his feet....  And He put it under our feet. (Isa.46:9) Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me; (10) declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done; saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure; (11) calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country; yea, I have spoken, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed, I will also do it.   God sees the end from the beginning and He knows how to get you there. And sometimes, before you're completely sanctified and behind the walls of Zion, you need a chastening. Job did! And God manifestly perfected him. Job was doing what he knew to do, but he didn't understand his own heart. He didn't realize he needed to be delivered of self-righteousness, so God used the devil to help Job understand that.  (Eph.1:22) And he put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the church, (23) which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. Notice that Christ is the head of the body, but all things are in subjection under the feet of the body. So not only has the Lord been given dominion over the principalities and the powers, and so on, but He's given His people that dominion.   He exercises His dominion through His people. (Luk.10:19) Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall in any wise hurt you. Well, if God has this dominion, can't He take away the power of the enemy, as He did for Job? God can say, “Enough is enough,” anytime He wants.   (Pro.16:7) When a man's ways please the Lord, He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him. There is a place when we have learned sanctification and have been separated and this is a place where God says, “Enough is enough! This is My servant and he doesn't need anymore.” Some may not believe this but we can't put limits on God. People may think they're being humble when they say, “We can't be perfect.” Well, I agree that we can't be perfect, but that doesn't mean God can't make you perfect.   God called Job perfect and He called other people perfect. God is the One Who perfects His people; all He wants from us is faith. But maybe your idea of what constitutes being “perfect” is wrong. Maybe you should find out what the Biblical idea of perfection is for you because it's obviously not the same for everyone.   A very wise brother explained it to me one time when I was young in the Lord. He said it's like playing a piano. You hit this key and it makes the sound it's supposed to make, and you hit this other key, and it makes the sound that it's supposed to make. So we are not all the same, but we all fulfill our place. When we're not looking at our neighbor, but we're doing what God is calling us to do and we're walking in His holiness, separate from sin, from the world, from idolatry and religion, then that's where we are when we're perfect. And that's when the glory of God is manifested.  (Isa.60:19) The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord will be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. He's talking about a people who have a glory, which is a “shining forth from”; the glory He's talking about is the glory of God shining forth from them. God's people have a light that the world doesn't have. If you go back to the beginning of this chapter, it says, (Isa.60:1) Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. (2) For, behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.  It's happening! (3) And nations shall come to thy light (In other words, Zion will be like a lighthouse! The nations are going to see that light and run to it as a place of provision and safety.), and kings to the brightness of thy rising. Now it doesn't say anything here about God doing away with the sun and the moon, does it? It just says they won't need it. The natural man needs light on this earth in order to see because light reflects off objects and that's what our eye picks up, but do the righteous walk by sight? No, they don't! A person who doesn't walk by sight no longer needs the light of the moon or the light of the sun because the glory of God lights them and their way.   We see the same thing about Zion in (Rev.21:23) And the city (the Bride.) hath no need of the sun (It doesn't say the sun won't be there; it just says the sun won't be needed.),neither of the moon, to shine upon it: for the glory of God did lighten it (If you're not walking by sight, then you're walking as a Christian.), and the lamp thereof [is] the Lamb. (Rev.22:5) And there shall be night no more; and they need no light of lamp, neither light of sun; for the Lord God shall give them light: and they (the Bride) shall reign for ever and ever. Now some people think this is in the Millennium, but it's here that we have to be qualified to minister for the Lord and Isaiah 60 tells us that in the Tribulation period God's people won't need the light of the sun nor light of the moon.   And, (Psa.89:35) Once have I sworn by my holiness: I will not lie unto David: (36) His seed shall endure forever, And his throne as the sun before me. (37) It shall be established for ever as the moon, And [as] the faithful witness in the sky. So as long as the sun and moon are in the sky, we're going to have a King David. How long do you think Jesus is going to reign on the throne of David? It will be forever!   (Isa.11:1) And there shall come forth a shoot out of the stock of Jesse, and a branch (The “branch” is the Man-child ministry.) out of his roots (The “root of Jesse” is Jesus.) shall bear fruit. (Isa.11:3) And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord; and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither decide after the hearing of his ears; (4) but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth.... This judge, of course, is the branch out of the root of Jesse that shall bear fruit. The branch is the Man-child ministry and, like Jesus, the Man-child ministry is not going to walk after the seeing of their eyes or the hearing of their ears.   Jesus only preached to those people who had spiritual eyes and ears. (Rom.8:14) For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. They don't have to walk by natural sight and natural hearing anymore because now the glory of God is in them. There will still be a sun and moon, although they're going to be somewhat darkened, and the world, spiritually-speaking, is going to be in darkness, but the light of God is going to arise on His people (Isaiah 60:2). They don't need the light of the sun; they don't need the light of the moon; the glory of God in them is going to guide them.   (Isa.60:20) Thy sun shall no more go down, neither shall thy moon withdraw itself; for the Lord will be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended. Praise be to God! Their crucifixion is finished. (21) Thy people also shall be all righteous; they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified. How can God's people be “all righteous”? This is not natural Zion; but spiritual heavenly Zion. So Zion represents a people who are holy and around the earth!   Therefore, (Isa.60:21) thy people also shall be all righteous; they shall inherit the land for ever.... That is the land of holiness, the Promised Land, the land where their enemies will not be ruling over them. Notice what Paul said about Zion and how God is going to get His people there. (Heb.12:18) For ye are not come unto [a mount] that might be touched (This is not physical Mount Zion which is in corruption.), and that burned with fire (The natural mountain that they came to in the wilderness burned with fire.), and unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest,   (19) and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which [voice] they that heard entreated that no word more should be spoken unto them; (20) for they could not endure that which was enjoined, If even a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned.... The Beast cannot touch this mountain! Mount Zion is a place of safety because it's a place of holiness. You need no Beast to crucify you, if you're already dead, and that's what holiness represents.   (Heb.12:21) And so fearful was the appearance, [that] Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake: (22) but ye are come unto mount Zion.... If you say that there's never been a spiritual, Heavenly Mount Zion on the earth, then you have to tear this part out of your Bible. These were the people who had come to Mount Zion. (Heb.12:22) But ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.... They came to the Heavenly Jerusalem! Just because it's Heavenly doesn't mean it's not on earth!   Jesus said, (Luk.17:20) ... The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: (21) neither shall they say, Lo, here! or, There! for lo, the kingdom of God is within you. The Kingdom of Heaven is in your midst! Every place in you where God rules and you don't serve sin, that place is Heavenly Jerusalem. That's the place of holiness; that's inside the walls of salvation. (Heb.12:22) … the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable hosts of angels, (23) to the general assembly and church of the firstborn.... The Greek word for “church” is ekklesia and it means “the called-out ones.” What are we called out of? We're called out of the world and out of apostate religion. From the moment you are born-again out there in the world, you're called to come to Zion, called to come to Jesus Christ, the King over Zion. (Jer.31:6) ... Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the Lord our God.   (Heb.12:23) to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, (24) and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better than [that of] Abel. (25) See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not when they refused him that warned [them] on earth, much more [shall not] we [escape] who turn away from him that [warneth] from heaven: (26) whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more will I make to tremble not the earth only, but also the heaven.   We're coming into that day now. I would like to read the next verse from the Numeric Bible because the numeric pattern brings us to the exact Greek wording, which is very important in this case: (Heb.12:27) And this Yet once more (Referring to the shaking that's coming once more.), signifieth the removing of the shaken.... That's what it says in the original, without all the added in words put there by the translators, based on their own understanding. (Heb.12:27) And this Yet once more, signifieth the removing of the shaken (That's what the numerics says word-for-word out of the Greek.), as of made....   In other words, “as of made” is something that's manmade. Everything that's man-made is going to be removed, whether in your life, in your religion or what you may think is “Christianity.” Nothing made by man is going to stand up to the shaking God is about to send both spiritual and physical. And what is the purpose of that shaking? (Heb.12:27) And this Yet once more, signifieth the removing of the shaken, as of made, that those not shaken may remain. “Those not shaken” is talking about people, not about things.   God is going to shake everything in our lives in order to bring about our sanctification and only those who are not going to be shaken will remain. In the wilderness the unbelieving and unrighteous fell but the righteous remained. God is going to destroy our wood, hay and stubble, so that the gold, silver and precious stones remain. What God is going to have left after He is through shaking are those who will inherit eternal life.   Some people think that we're going to have eternal life when we die, but you're actually coming into eternal life here. Eternal life is, “Christ in you...” If you don't have eternal life here, you can't go there! Some people think that they can die just as filthy as they are, and automatically go there, and when they go there, that's when they get eternal life. Those people are believing a lie. The seed of the life of Christ must bear the fruit 30-, 60- and 100-fold here. (Heb.12:28) Wherefore, receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken (Zion!),let us have grace, whereby we may offer service well-pleasing to God with reverence and awe: (29) for our God is a consuming fire.   Yes! And this consuming fire is going to burn up the wood, hay and stubble, but we have to cooperate. Our desire should be, “Let's go up to Zion, the city of the King!” That's the place where the King rules and there's a wall separating us from the world and the worldly church. We've all been in the worldly church. Jeremiah 50 says that our mother is Babylon. We all started there with our foolish ideas about God, about the Church and the Kingdom.   But coming out of that and passing behind the walls into Zion is sanctification and separation from all of that to the place of holiness. This is the place where God can protect you and provide all of your needs. So this shaking is coming for us, but can you believe that some people want to fly away? They don't even want to be here to go through God's plan to perfect His people in the wilderness. I can tell you that a lot of the Church would go to that other place if they flew away right now! You should appreciate everything God's going to do and be glad that the rapture doesn't happen until after the Tribulation!   (Isa.60:21) Thy people also shall be all righteous; they shall inherit the land for ever.... When Israel went into their Promised Land, they couldn't inherit it until they put to death the Canaanite and that's another revelation of sanctification, which is the death of the old man. (2Co.4:16) Wherefore we faint not; but though our outward man is decaying, yet our inward man is renewed day by day. The outer man has to die for the sanctified, spiritual inner man to come forth and rule.  I'm going to point out the same thing to you again: (Isa.52:1) Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion (God is raising up Zion. We're going to see Zion in the earth again and it represents a people whose walk is holy and who are being ruled over by King David.); put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city.... Now, the beautiful garments represent righteous works, both of the Bride and those who are invited to the marriage. (Rev.19:8) And it was given unto her (the Bride) that she should array herself in fine linen, bright and pure: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. (14) And the armies (Those who are not in the Bride company but are invited to the marriage.) which are in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and pure. They have on these beautiful garments.   (Isa.52:1) … for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean. That's where we're coming to. The only people in Zion are going to be holy and when they get there, they'll have that wall between them and the Beast. And if the Beast even touches the mountain, it's going to be stoned (Hebrews 12:20). (Isa.52:2) Shake thyself from the dust (That's the flesh.); arise, sit [on thy throne], O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bonds of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.   The daughter of Zion is the New Jerusalem, who is coming out of captivity to their old man. That old man is outside the walls of Zion, but we're coming into the city where David rules and we will be separate from the world. This is the process of sanctification. Inside the walls of Zion is where we have all the benefits of this sanctification, the provision, the protection, the holiness and the fellowship with the Lord. The Lord is the King in the temple in Zion; His presence is in the temple in Zion! Oh, the benefits are just awesome!  Before we continue in Isaiah 60, I want to look at another example where God's people have been taken into captivity and God is calling for them to come out from among them: (Jer.3:14) Return, O backsliding children, saith the Lord (Captivity to the old man represents being backslidden.); for I am a husband unto you (The Lord is calling a people out of all of the nations to come to Zion to make them His Bride.): and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion: (Jer.3:15) and I will give you shepherds according to my heart.... God has some shepherds who have been set free so that they can help the people to be free!   (Jer.3:15) … who shall feed you with knowledge and understanding. (16) And it shall come to pass, when ye are multiplied and increased in the land (That's the Promised Land where you're living upon God's promises.), in those days, saith the Lord, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the Lord; neither shall it come to mind; neither shall they remember it; neither shall they miss it; neither shall it be made any more. That was all a physical type and shadow of something that God is going to fulfill in our day. (Jer.3:17) At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it.... Jerusalem in the Old Testament was also the place of the throne of the Lord.  And Israel representing the Church was called to be under their capitol Bride City as it was in history. (Jer.3:17) At that time they shall call Jerusalem (the Bride) the throne of the Lord; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it.... Now that we understand the “nations” are all of God's people from all over the world, we can see this is not talking about the Millennium. It's talking about right now and Jerusalem here is the New Jerusalem, the Heavenly Jerusalem. The Church, “the called out ones,” are coming out of the nations to be under Zion as it was historically. This is a process called “sanctification”. (17) … and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the Lord.... Zion represents the name of the Lord and sanctification represents the name of Jesus. Name means, His nature, character and authority manifested in His people.   (Jer.3:18) In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel.... That has a meaning in the New Testament, too. “Judah,” meaning “praise,” generally represents the Spirit-filled people. The house of Israel, who went even further from God and weren't filled with His presence, had mostly separated from the Spirit-filled groups. And today, those who do not believe in being Spirit-filled, with the evidences in the Bible (John 8:39, 14:12; Acts 4:30, 5:12; Hebrews 2:4, etc.), are the much larger group of people. But God's going to join people from all those religious backgrounds, just like He's bringing people out of all the nations and all the races, and He's bringing them to the Bride. (Jer.3:18) In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north (That is, out of bondage to the Beast.) to the land that I gave for an inheritance unto your fathers. Our fathers were the early Church fathers, the 12 patriarchs Jesus raised up. Everything that Jesus gave to them is what we're going to have because it's our inheritance. That anointing, power, deliverance, and holiness, all of that is coming back to His people as they come out of captivity. (Jer.3:19) But I said, How I will put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of the nations! (This is a heritage of God.) and I said, Ye shall call me My Father, and shall not turn away from following me. When God's people grow up they will forsake the holy name under the law to a more personal name, “My Father”. Jesus taught us to call Him “Our Father”. Praise be to God!   So let's continue in (Isa.60:21) Thy people also shall be all righteous; they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting.... What did Jesus say about every branch that His Father didn't plant? (Mat.15:13) But he answered and said, Every plant which my heavenly Father planted not, shall be rooted up. So these are going to be proven to be the plants that God planted and you'll know God's plant because it looks like Jesus! (Isa.60:21) Thy people also shall be all righteous; they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified. Amen! Everybody in spiritual New Testament Zion, the Bride, is going to be sanctified from the nations and they are all going to be righteous! Then the authority of their words will shake the nations and bring in the harvest. In the tribulation, especially the last half, when all the nations are gathered together against God's people, both natural and spiritual. They're going to attempt to wipe out God's people! But God is going to be a stronghold for those who have lived the crucified life unto sanctification and live in the secret place of the Most High. Others will need to die to enter the Kingdom for everyone has to die, either to self or in the physical. Jesus said we must lose our life to gain our life. Some will see these things and want to live in God's presence and be alive and remain until the coming of the Lord. (Psa 91:1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.  2  I will say of Jehovah, He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in whom I trust.  3  For he will deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, And from the deadly pestilence.  4  He will cover thee with his pinions, And under his wings shalt thou take refuge: His truth is a shield and a buckler.  5  Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night, Nor for the arrow that flieth by day;  6  For the pestilence that walketh in darkness, Nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.  7  A thousand shall fall at thy side, And ten thousand at thy right hand; But it shall not come nigh thee.  8  Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold, And see the reward of the wicked. (9) For thou, O Lord, art my refuge! Thou hast made the Most High thy habitation; (10) There shall no evil befall thee, Neither shall any plague come nigh thy tent. (11) For he will give his angels charge over thee, To keep thee in all thy ways. (12) They shall bear thee up in their hands, Lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. 13  Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: The young lion and the serpent shalt thou trample under foot.  14  Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.  15  He shall call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble: I will deliver him, and honor him.  16  With long life will I satisfy him, And show him my salvation. Notice that the angels won't let those abiding in the secret place of the Most High so much as dash their foot against a stone! There will be no strangers among His people, no strangers in the Bride in Zion. Many will take the mark of the beast to separate the leaven, leaving a righteous people. “And the Lord will roar from Zion” against those nations. God's voice will come out of Zion through a multitude of His saints, like the voice of many waters. I believe this is the body of Christ speaking the Word.   And when the saints speak the Word, what's going to happen to the nations who are gathered together against them? The nations are going to be scattered! God will fight against those nations as He fought in the day of battle.  How did He fight? By dividing the enemy against one another. They're going to be slaughtered! They are going to kill each other off. So the people of the secret place are going to be protected. I'm going to point out something else to you about sanctification: (Deu.28:1) And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all the nations of the earth: (2) and all these blessings shall come upon thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God. Do you want to be set on high above the nations when that judgment comes? Do you want to be set on high in the Tribulation period? Whatever the judgment might be and whenever judgment comes, we need to be justified before the Lord by faith in His promises. As James said the double minded will not receive from the Lord.  The power to live the Christian life is from God.  We get it from Him by faith. 2Co 3:5 not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to account anything as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God;  6  who also made us sufficient as ministers of a new covenant…  Understand that God has to give you the power to live His life.   the gift to hearken diligently to His voice and do His commandments. The sufficiency that God gives, He gives by grace, by unmerited favor, and He gives it for your faith. It's not the works of the Law that justify you, but the hearing of faith. (Rom.10:17) So belief cometh of hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. Believe what God says.  (Deu.30:14) But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it. That's awesome! In other words, you don't have to be some superman. He said you, meaning the regenerate spiritual man over the natural man, can do it! And He's giving you the secret here: Put the Word into your heart and speak that Word out of your mouth “that thou mayest do it.”   Now let's look at how the Apostle Paul interpreted this same text: (Rom.10:5) For Moses writeth that the man that doeth the righteousness which is of the law shall live thereby. (6) But the righteousness which is of faith saith thus, Say not in thy heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down:) (7) or, Who shall descend into the abyss? (That is, to bring Christ up from the dead.) (8) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith (Paul is adding this on here to give interpretation to what was meant by the text.), which we preach:   (Rom.10:9) because if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. So the Word in your mouth and in your heart is the Word of the Gospel. It's the knowledge of what God has already done for you. He's already delivered you, already saved you, already perfected you. He's already delivered you out of the power of darkness. He already bore the curse for you so you don't have to bear the curse. He's already taken away your old nature and nailed it to the cross. He's already done all these things. And that's the Gospel!   (Rom.10:9) Because if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved: (10) for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness.... These are the things we have to get into our heart and let come out of our mouth. Do you believe the Gospel? Some people argue with the Gospel because of their theology. Some very religious people are against the Gospel and yet this is the key to which both Moses and Paul spoke. This is the key to the power of God. God doesn't make His salvation available to every religious person who says they are a child of God. (Joh.1:11) He came unto his own, and they that were his own received him not.  And the Bible even says of God that, (Joh.12:40) He hath blinded their eyes, and he hardened their heart; Lest they should see with their eyes, and perceive with their heart, And should turn, And I should heal them. But when you repent and turn to the Lord, when you want His grace so that nothing will be too hard for you, then the first thing God asks you to do is to receive into your heart the good news of His Gospel. And then, even before you see it, you speak it out of your mouth, you agree with the promises. (Rom.10:10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. And “salvation” is the term that's used to cover all these promises we've been reading about - everything. (Rom.10:11) For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be put to shame.   Going back to our Deuteronomy text: (Deu.30:14) But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it. And how do we get the power to do it? You believe in your heart and you confess with your mouth. This is the word of faith, which is Paul's interpretation of what Moses was speaking here. (Deu.30:15) See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil. (Pro.18:21) Life and death are in the power of the tongue, And they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. The power of the tongue is life and death. If you want the power of life, then you have to believe with your heart and confess with your mouth.   Jesus said, (Mar.11:24) Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye received them, and ye shall have them. Everything that you pray for, believe you received it and you shall have it. So God says to believe it and speak it. (Mar.11:23) Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that what he saith cometh to pass; he shall have it. And if you don't doubt that what you say will come to pass, you'll have what you say.  You can go to God with every need that you have, pray, believe God and He will bring it to pass. So how can we “hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord ... to observe to do all his commandments” and inherit these blessings? (Php.4:6) In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. We have to do it by faith. (Rom.10:11) For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be put to shame.   Now let's go back and read the blessings, as though these are the jots and tittles that God will fulfill in the New Testament for you, not because you are under the Law, but because you are under grace. (Eph.2:8) For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves, [it is] the gift of God (9) not by works, so that no one can boast. So the condition to receive is keeping His commandments and the only way you can keep His commandments is He is going to do it in you. Just hearken to His voice with the desire to do His will. (Deu.28:1) And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all the nations of the earth:   (2) And all these blessings shall come upon thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God. (3) Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. (4) Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy beasts, the increase of thy cattle, and the young of thy flock. If you're not bearing fruit in any one of these areas, continue to confess what the Bible says about you. Find the promises that have to do with your condition, put them in your heart and confess them with your mouth. Take that authority the Lord gave you over the curse, which Jesus destroyed. Exercise your authority, speak to the mountain and believe you've received everything for which you've prayed.   (Deu.28:5) Blessed shall be thy basket and thy kneading-trough. (6) Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. (7) The Lord will cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thee: they shall come out against thee one way, and shall flee before thee seven ways. (8) The Lord will command the blessing upon thee in thy barns, and in all that thou puttest thy hand unto; and he will bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.   (9) The Lord will establish thee for a holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee; if thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways. (10) And all the peoples of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lord (Remember the name of the Lord is Zion! It's the Bride!); and they shall be afraid of thee. (11) And the Lord will make thee plenteous for good, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers to give thee.   (12) The Lord will open unto thee his good treasure the heavens, to give the rain of thy land in its season, and to bless all the work of thy hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. Speaking with your tongue what you believe in your heart is going to give you all of these benefits because you agree that they're yours! You believe that God has given you the blessings. The Lord spoke about Jesus bearing the curse for us so that we would have Abraham's blessings.   (Gal.3:13) Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: (14) that upon the Gentiles might come the blessing of Abraham in Christ Jesus; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Therefore, He bore your curse and these blessings are yours.   (Deu.28:13) And the Lord will make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if thou shalt hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them, (14) and shalt not turn aside from any of the words which I command you this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them. Sanctification is walking in God's Word, or God's Word walking in you. Praise God!   Now, let go back to (Isa.60:22) The little one shall become a thousand, and the small one a strong nation; I, the Lord, will hasten it in its time. Who is the “little one” who is “the small one”? It's the Man-child! The number 61 wasn't there in the original, the text just continued, and it says, (Isa.61:1) The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me.... That was Jesus. He quoted this text and half of verse 2 when He began His ministry (Luke 4:18). So He was “the little one” Who became a thousand, became a strong nation. He was the “small one” Who became the nation of New Testament Spiritual Israel. God used Jesus to sanctify them and raise them up as a mighty Bride. John the Baptist said of the disciples who followed Jesus, (Joh.3:29) He that hath the bride is the bridegroom.... And so this “little one,” this “small one” coming to raise up the nation this time in a repetition of history is the Man-child.   (Isa.7:14) Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign (This is the Hebrew word owth and it means “an omen,” “a sign of something to come.”): behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. “Immanuel” means “God with us.” And that's exactly what's going to happen in our day during the Tribulation period (Revelation 12). God is going to raise up a “God with us”! God is always with us and to the extent His Word lives in us, to that extent, the Word is made flesh and Jesus has come in a body of flesh again.   We are the body of Christ and, if you are the body of Christ. The Bible says, unless you're reprobate, Jesus is in you (2 Corinthians 13:5). So this is a sign of something to come; the virgin in our day will bring forth Immanuel, “God with us.” And God also tells us, (Isa.8:16) Bind thou up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples. An unusual word for the Old Testament because it's a prophecy of Jesus speaking in the New Testament.  (Isa.8:17) And I will wait for the Lord, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob... He's been silent for a long time, but He's going to come to us as the rain. (Hos.6:1) 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. (2) After two days will he revive us: on the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live before him. (3) And let us know, let us follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is sure as the morning; and he will come unto us as the rain, as the latter rain that watereth the earth.   (Isa.8:17) And I will wait for the Lord, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him. (18) Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwelleth in mount Zion. So the Lord is coming again as a sign and He will dwell in His Bride.   Isaiah 61 was fulfilled in Jesus' day and it will be fulfilled in our day, too, because Jesus is coming in the body of the son of David today as a larger corporate body. He's coming in His people, as the Bible clearly says He will. He's coming as an epiphany before He comes as a parousia. The “epiphany” is the “shining forth” from God's people and the parousia is the “appearing” or the “presence” of God. So He wants to come for a people who have been born out of Heaven. (Joh.3:13) And no one hath ascended into heaven, but he that descended out of heaven, even the Son of man, who is in heaven. We are born from above, from the Word of God Who came down out of Heaven and gives life to the world. That Word is the bread of life and as we eat that Word, Christ grows in us and He goes forth to do His work.   So this “little one” back in Isaiah 60 will become a thousand. And then we read what Jesus said and what the Man-child in our day could also say: (Isa.61:1) The Spirit of the Lord is upon me (That was the Spirit of the former rain and the Spirit of the latter rain is coming now.); because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek.... Amen! The good news is going to go forth. Why, when Jesus came, didn't His people have the good news, the good tidings? They were so caught up in their legalistic, religious system that God didn't even recognize them anymore and they didn't recognize Him when He came.   They couldn't understand Him when Jesus preached the Gospel and the good news is right here in the text! (Isa.61:1) The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives.... You have to tell people the good news: “Hey, you've been set free! Jesus bore the sins of the world! He took away your sins and He nailed them on that tree, and you don't have them anymore! He delivered you out of the power of darkness. He became your curse for you and you are free!”   The Man-child is going to come with the good news and it's going to shock a lot of people who are used to religion that has replaced the true Gospel. He's going to come “to proclaim liberty to the captives.” He's going to tell them, “You've been set free because of what Jesus did at the cross!” (Rom.6:2) ... We who died to sin, how shall we any longer live therein? It will be a revelation to them: “You mean I've been set free from sin? I don't have to serve sin? I thought the only way I wouldn't serve sin is when I died and went to Heaven.” And the Man-child's going to tell them, “No, this is your benefit now. You see, you don't have to serve sin because Jesus took away your sins.”   (Joh.1:29) On the morrow he seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold, the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world! Jesus made a “reconciliation,” which means an “exchange.” He took your curse and gave you His blessing. He took your sin and gave you His righteousness; now we are the righteousness of God in Christ. (2Co.5:21) Him who knew no sin he made [to be] sin on our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God in him. And when you start believing that, God starts bringing it to pass. When you put it into your imagination and in your heart and when it comes out of your mouth, then God starts bringing that to pass because the sufficiency is from Him.   The good news is the first thing the Man-child's going to manifest and speak. (Isa.61:1) The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound (2) To proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.... It's almost time for us to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. We haven't known the year of the Lord's favor yet. “Grace” means “unmerited favor” and, if you don't have the Good News, you're not going to have much grace because grace comes from faith in the Good News!   When Jesus came, there were many people trapped in many curses and bondages, and He set them free. Today God's people are again in the same shape because they've been under the most legalistic bunch of false religious teachings the world has ever seen, but God is going to offer grace. He's going to tell them that they've been set free. They haven't heard it yet, not with their heart, but they are going to be primed and ready to receive it.   God's grace, His favor, is going to pour forth in a great revival! (Isa.61:2) To proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God.... The Man-child represents the person, but the One Who lives in that person is Jesus, Who, once again, is going to preach this message. (Isa.61:2) … to comfort all that mourn; (3) to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.... God is going to bring a great blessing with Him! Who is this appointing “unto them that mourn in Zion”? Well, it's the Man-child, the one of whom this text was spoken. Yes, Jesus, and Jesus today in a larger corporate body is the Man-child.

Jeremy had a fantastic, sweeping conversation about dispensationalism with X's resident Dispy expert, David Baumgaertel -- and they didn't even mention John Nelson Darby! Follow Dave on X at https://twitter.com/testing521.   https://dotheology.com https://store.dotheology.com https://www.buymeacoffee.com/DoTheology   Contact Us: show@dotheology.com https://twitter.com/dotheology https://facebook.com/dotheology   Subscribe to the podcast: https://linktr.ee/DoTheology   0:00 Introduction 2:08 Opening Pleasantries 6:50 Experience with the YRR Movement 13:40 Basic Hermeneutics 19:06 For the Common Man 23:33 How to Interpret the Old Testament 32:28 Hermeneutics of the Apostles 34:41 Progressive Revelation 40:04 Israel/Church Distinction 49:24 The Church as a Mystery 52:01 The Church as a New Man 56:05 NT Support for Israel's Restoration 1:05:21 Heavenly Jerusalem vs. Earthly Jerusalem 1:17:06 Two Peoples of God 1:24:22 Nations in the Future 1:27:30 Closing Pleasantries

The New Jerusalem, which is also called the Tabernacle of God, the Holy City, the City of God, and Heavenly Jerusalem, is literally heaven on earth. Today, Pastor Mark will be explaining the symbolism in the beautiful details that God will create in the future for His people who have received Jesus for salvation. The New Jerusalem will be a place of unimagined blessing. The curse of the old earth will be gone, and in the city is the tree of life “for the healing of the nations” and the river of life. The New Jerusalem is the ultimate fulfillment of all God's promises and is God's goodness made fully manifest.

Sanctified From Wickedness (2) (audio) Valuable Sanctified Vessels David Eells – 4/3/24   I want to share with you about the blessings that follow sanctification. We are entering into a new time right now! A time in which we're going to receive blessings like the Bride has never seen before.   Isaiah 59 speaks about the terrible shape that Israel was in then and the terrible shape that the Church is in now because Israel is a type for the Church. At the end of chapter 59, God shows you what He's going to do about it and in chapter 60 He begins to raise up His Bride and bring her out of the nations. The Bride is built through sanctification, through separation from the nations, and the wicked among us.   (Isa.59:14) And justice is turned away backward, and righteousness standeth afar off; for truth is fallen in the street, and uprightness cannot enter. (15) Yea, truth is lacking; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey. (People who stand up for truth like the Bride does receive ridicule and worse from those who claim to be the Church.) And the Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice. (16) And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his own arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it upheld him. (17) And he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on garments of vengeance for clothing.... This is the Lord coming with the armor of Ephesians.   This is the Lord coming and taking on a body. Jesus said, (Heb.10:5) ... a body didst thou prepare for me. He was speaking about a body of the son of David in which He, as the Son of God, came. And we know that, as we repent, the Lord is coming in all of us as His body. (2Co.3:18) But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit. He's coming to be glorified in His people as the Word, Jesus manifested in us. He's bringing a reformer to start a revival. The reformer is His firstfruits body that He has brought to maturity and will anoint with the latter rain, just as He anointed Jesus with the former rain. Jesus was the first firstfruits body in the New Testament.   So history is about to repeat and, this happens on the morning of the third day the latter rain comes. (Hos.6:2) After two days will he revive us: on the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live before him. (3) And let us know, let us follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is sure as the morning; and he will come unto us as the rain, as the latter rain that watereth the earth. We're now at the morning of the third day from the last Adam and this latter rain is about to fall. It's going to first anoint the Man-child. That's God's way of saying, (Mat.17:5) ... This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. Then it's going to be poured out after 3-1/2 years upon the Church. The latter rain anointing will cause people to pay attention to the Man-child reformers.   There's going to be a training period, during which He's going to restore Scriptural order among His people. We know it's a corporate body that's coming, but it says in Isaiah that the Lord Himself is coming. He's the One putting on the garments of vengeance for clothing. He did this in Jesus' time and now He's going to do it again in our time because (Ecc.1:9) That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. All prophecies usually have more than one fulfillment and the last fulfillment is the greatest fulfillment.   This prophecy is going to be fulfilled in our day: (Isa.59:17) And he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation (Does the Lord need the knowledge of salvation; No, His body does.) upon his head; and he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a mantle. (18) According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, wrath to his adversaries, recompense to his enemies (We are seeing this beginning.); to the islands he will repay recompense. (19) So shall they fear the name of Jehovah from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun; for he will come as a rushing stream, which the breath (The same word for “spirit.”) of the Lord driveth.   The Lord is coming very quickly. (Hab.2:3) For the vision is yet for the appointed time, and it hasteth toward the end, and shall not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not delay. (Rev.3:11) I come quickly: hold fast that which thou hast, that no one take thy crown. (As the Lord says some will lose their crown.)(Rev.22:7) And behold, I come quickly. Blessed is he that keepeth the words of the prophecy of this book. (20) He who testifieth these things saith, Yea: I come quickly. Amen: come, Lord Jesus. He's coming like He came in that first body, this time “as the rain, as the latter rain.” That former rain anointing from Heaven is the mantle that was upon Jesus and He's bringing the latter rain anointing now.   The former rain anointing fell upon Jesus to empower Him to do that special work of bringing revival to a people He separated out of apostate Judaism. An anointing is coming once again, only this time it's the latter rain upon His firstfruits. The firstfruits is a relatively small corporate body for a much larger corporate body of people who will be separated out of apostate Christianity. God's going to repeat history on a larger scale, which is the way history always repeats.   (Isa.59:19) So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun; for he will come as a rushing stream, which the breath of the Lord driveth. (20) And a Redeemer will come to Zion.... The One Who lives in the body is Jesus bringing the power and the authority, and it is Jesus doing the works! A Redeemer will come to Zion, the Bride! (Rev.21:9) …and he spake with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the wife of the Lamb. (10) And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.  John was shown Jerusalem (Zion), coming down out of Heaven, born from above. There is still a Zion in the earth; there is still a King who is the son of David and there's still a New Testament Kingdom of God, except they are in the spirit and not in the flesh. (Isa.59:20) And a Redeemer will come to Zion (the Bride), and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob (the Church), saith the Lord. Those who turn from transgression are those people who are sanctified, separated from sin, from the world, and separated from their flesh. He's coming to these people and to build Zion, the Bride! Remember John the Baptist said, (Joh.3:29) He that hath the bride is the bridegroom, speaking of Jesus and those disciples who were following Him.   Back to (Isa.59:21) And as for me, this is my covenant with them (“Them” here represents Zion, the Bride!), saith the Lord: my Spirit that is upon thee…  When the Lord spoke this through Isaiah, He was referring to Jesus, but now this is referring to Jesus in the Man-child of our day. And as you read Revelation 12, you can see it's a repetition of history, but it's actually in the future when the Man-child raises up the Woman Church. (Rev.4:1) After these things I saw, and behold, a door opened in heaven, and the first voice that I heard, a voice as of a trumpet speaking with me, one saying, Come up hither, and I will show thee the things which must come to pass hereafter. It was a long time after Jesus that John spoke of this as still being in the future, still being something to come. Revelation 12 is for our time.   Back to (Isa.59:21) And as for me, this is my covenant with them (the Man-child of our day), saith the Lord: my Spirit (the latter rain) that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and forever. So Jesus was the Sower and He sowed the seed in the Bride of His day, those first-fruits disciples, and that seed didn't depart from out of their mouth. When they spoke, it was just like Jesus speaking.   They had received authority to speak in His name and He sent them out to do His works. (Joh.14:12) Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto the Father. This same authority has not passed away. It will be in the mouth of the Man-child and the seed of the Man-child and will be passed on.   Isaiah 60 begins to speak of the great blessings, which come from this sanctification of the Word that the reformers are going to bring. (Isa.60:1) Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. (Zion) (Isa.60:2) For, behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon thee (The peoples are in gross darkness right now and it's getting darker all the time and God says His light is going to arise on His Bride, His Zion.), and his glory shall be seen upon thee. (Isa.60:3) And nations shall come to thy light (He's talking about the peoples of the nations who are chosen of God, those who are drawn of Him and who are given a gift of repentance and faith. They will come into the light of the Bride of Zion.), and kings to the brightness of thy rising. (Isa.60:4) Lift up thine eyes   (He's still speaking to Zion.) round about, and see: they all gather themselves together, they come to thee; thy sons shall come from far.... Yes because, according to type, God's people are taken captive to the nations every time that they fall into apostasy. The Beast conquers them and scatters them among the nations. God's people are members of the nations in which they live and to which they pledge allegiance to, rather than His one holy nation of spiritual Israel.   (1Pe.2:9) But ye are an elect (“chosen”) race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that ye may show forth the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. We've been called out of the darkness of the nations to become a part of a different Kingdom, a “peculiar” (KJV) Kingdom. Our Kingdom is the Kingdom of God and Jesus said in (Joh.18:36) ... My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.   Back to (Isa.60:4) Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: they all gather themselves together, they come to thee; thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be carried in the arms. (5) Then thou shalt see and be radiant, and thy heart shall thrill and be enlarged.... The Bride will be excited and ecstatic because God is going to do a wonderful thing in our day. People will be coming out of gross darkness and into the light of the Bride because of the gift of God.   Again, (Isa.60:5) Then thou shalt see and be radiant, and thy heart shall thrill and be enlarged; because the abundance (“crowds” or “multitudes”) of the sea shall be turned unto thee.... In Scripture, the “sea” represents the peoples, nations, tribes and tongues. (Rev.17:15) And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the harlot sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. We are coming out of the world, out of Babylon, and we're returning to Zion in these days. We've all been taken captive to Babylon. The word “babel” means “a confused noise, typically by a number of voices.” So we're coming out of a confusion in the world and in religion, and we're coming back to the Lord.   Again (Isa.60:5) Then thou shalt see and be radiant, and thy heart shall thrill and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be turned unto thee, the wealth of the nations shall come unto thee. What “wealth” is this He's talking about? Are we all going to be rich? In a way, yes, but these parables are not meant to be taken in the letter. It is the spirit. So this “wealth” we see here, is something we're really going to need, especially the Bride to get the Gospel out quickly to the peoples.   (6) The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come; they shall bring gold and frankincense.... Do you remember this from something that's already happened? The same people, as a matter of fact, came to bring gifts to the young Jesus. (Mat.2:11) And they came into the house and saw the young child with Mary his mother; and they fell down and worshipped him; and opening their treasures they offered unto him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.   Again (6) The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come; they shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praises of the Lord. (7) All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee.... I believe Father is talking about the “flocks” of His people who are going to be gathered together unto the Bride. Esther was raised up by her uncle Mordecai, meaning little man, representing the Man-child, to be the beautiful Bride who was chosen from among all the fair virgins of the kingdom.   Then she was also used by the Lord to bring preservation and salvation to the rest of the people of God, who were being threatened by Haman, representing the heads of the Beast. God's people today will be rescued from bondage to the Beast. Again (7) All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth (“Nebaioth” meaning the leadership of “husbandry”) shall minister unto thee; they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar; and I will glorify the house of my glory.   (8) Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows? Doves make you think of the anointing of the Holy Spirit. (9) Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, for the name of the Lord thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee. Why are the “sons” coming from afar to be under Zion? It's because the Bride which John said were the first disciples of Jesus will be elders over a people who come from every nation into one Kingdom, a holy nation, a chosen generation. The true Church is the one nation of New Testament spiritual Israel.   These riches of “silver” and “gold” that the sons bring with them could be spiritual and literal. (Rev.3:15) I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou were cold or hot. (16) So because thou art lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spew thee out of my mouth. (17) Because thou sayest, I am rich, and have gotten riches.... These people are very happy about having physical riches and they didn't consider themselves to have any need in this world, but they didn't have the riches of the Kingdom. In Acts when people came to the Lord their love of the world waned as the love of the people grew. They even sold their excess and laid it at the feet of the apostles to distribute for the needs equally. (Rev.3:17) Because thou sayest, I am rich, and have gotten riches, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art the wretched one and miserable and poor and blind and naked. So they were really poor, according to the Kingdom. There is a materialistic “prosperity” doctrine that the Church has pretty much accepted and many people are quite satisfied with the things of the world but according to Jesus in the parable of the sower this causes many to fall away. But in Acts God took away the lust for worldly riches, and restored riches that are valuable in the Kingdom of God like the fruits of the Spirit..   I'm going to explain to you how these sons coming out of the nations to Zion bring their “gold and silver” with them. (Rev.3:18) I counsel thee to buy of me gold.... Now this is the true gold. How do you “buy” true gold? Jesus tells us, (Mat.10:38) And he that doth not take his cross and follow after me, is not worthy of me. (39) He that findeth his life shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. To gain the Kingdom we have to give up our love for the high life in this world. The Kingdom of God manifested in you is “gold” and “silver” and “precious stones.” (Rev.3:18) I counsel thee to buy of me gold refined by fire, that thou mayest become rich....   You can tell from the language used in Isaiah, he is speaking in parables and that the “riches” of “gold” and “silver” refer to spiritual riches of the soul that come from sanctification (2 Peter 1:4-11). But when a person turns toward these spiritual riches there is a sacrificial life that wants all needs to be met. (Rev.3:18) I counsel thee to buy of me gold refined by fire, that thou mayest become rich; and white garments, that thou mayest clothe thyself, and [that] the shame of thy nakedness be not made manifest; and eye salve to anoint thine eyes, that thou mayest see… (21) He that overcometh (They need to overcome the lukewarmness, the lack of the spiritual “gold” in the life of a believer.), I will give to him to sit down with me in my throne, as I also overcame, and sat down with my Father in his throne.  Jeremiah explained what “the throne of the Lord” represents. (Jer.3:17) At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it.... The throne is Jerusalem! It's Zion! And Zion is the Bride! The Bride is the throne of the Lord, just as when in King David's time, his throne was in Jerusalem, but now Jerusalem itself will be called the throne. (Jer.3:17) At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the Lord (In other words, the Bride will be manifesting the name of the Lord; manifesting His nature, character and authority.), to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the stubbornness of their evil heart.   This is what it is to be in the Bride. This is what it is to come out of the world and be sanctified, separated from the nations. (Jer.3:18) In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north (This represents them coming out of captivity or bondage.) to the land that I gave for an inheritance unto your fathers. Today, we're returning to the land that was given for an inheritance to our spiritual forefathers. (1Co.4:15) For though ye have ten thousand tutors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I begat you through the gospel.   The Apostle Paul called himself a “father” and we do have the apostolic fathers, but much of the Church left that Promised Land 2000 years ago. Now we are returning to that inheritance because God's going to restore everything that's been taken from His people. And he goes on to say, (Jer.3:19) But I said, How I will put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of the nations! and I said, Ye shall call me My Father, and shall not turn away from following me. Jesus did call the Father His “Father” and He taught the disciples to also call Him “Father.” In the New Testament, that is the name we are supposed to be calling Him because it's a different relationship altogether.   And so now we know the “gold” and “silver” coming out of the nations are these glorified people. They are the overcomers who have left the nations to go to the throne of the Lord, to gather around the Bride as they did in Acts. They are glorified in spirit and in soul, but not yet in body. They are manifesting the glory of the Lord! You know, Paul speaks of it in Timothy. Let's read it because it will help with our understanding that there has to be a sanctification. The gold, silver and precious stones represent the nature of your life after you've been sanctified, after you've been cleansed of the wood, hay and stubble.   (2Ti.2:19) Howbeit the firm foundation of God standeth, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his: and, Let everyone that nameth the name of the Lord depart from unrighteousness. Remember the name of the Lord is the throne of the Lord, which is Jerusalem. Going to Jerusalem represents this glorification of the sons and the daughters, who are coming with their gold and their silver, their born-again, resurrected nature.   (2Ti.2:20) Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some unto honor, and some unto dishonor. The gold and silver are vessels of honor, and the wood and the earth are vessels of dishonor. We've all been vessels of dishonor, but as we are sanctified, we become vessels unto honor. We become what is valuable in the Kingdom of God.   (2Ti.2:21) If a man therefore purge himself from these (Meaning purge himself from the wood and the earth, or the wood, hay and stubble of 1 Corinthians 3.), he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, meet (an archaic word for “able” or “fit”) for the master's use, prepared unto every good work. (2Ti.2:22) But flee youthful lusts (the wood, hay and stubble.), and follow after righteousness, faith, love, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. The sons and daughters coming out of captivity from the nations are sacrificing the gold and silver of their carnal life to have the gold and silver of their sanctification; which is valuable in the Kingdom of God. The lukewarm Laodicean Church were rich in the world, but they weren't rich in the Kingdom because they were full of wood, hay and stubble.   Many years ago, the Lord pointed out something to me that I'd like to share with you. I asked the Lord about my ministry, flipped my Bible open and just stuck my finger down at random. Not only did He show me something about my ministry, but He showed me something about what He's going to do in the earth. The verse I received was (Ezr.6:5) And also let the gold and silver vessels (We are the gold and silver vessels.) of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took forth out of the temple which is at Jerusalem (He took the people of God as captives to Babylon when they fell into apostasy. They were in bondage, much like the Church today is captive to Babylonish religion and politics.), and brought unto Babylon, be restored, and brought again unto the temple which is at Jerusalem, everyone to its place; and thou shalt put them in the house of God.   God gave this text to me many times. This is what's going to happen, a restoration of God's people to their Promised Land, their Kingdom that they lost when they were led away captive because of apostasy. Another time, I flipped my Bible open and received (Ezr.5:15) And he said unto him, Take these vessels, go, put them in the temple that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be builded in its place. The firstfruits Man-child ministry that is to come will restore the vessels of God to their position. The Bride, New Jerusalem, is going to be restored. Old Jerusalem is lost and it's not going to be restored, but Heavenly Jerusalem, the one the Bible calls the “holy city,” will be restored. It is born from above to those seeking sanctification.  Paul said in (Gal.4:25) Now this Hagar is mount Sinai in Arabia and answereth to the Jerusalem that now is: for she is in bondage with her children. (26) But the Jerusalem that is above is free, which is our mother. It's not the physical God is raising up; He's raising up the spiritual, New Testament people of God, those who are Israelites according to the circumcision of their heart. They have been in Babylon for the last 2000 years, but now God is restoring them. Those vessels have been taken from Zion and in these days they will be returned to Zion!  We can see the same story in (Eze.37:21) And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the nations (The Church has been taken captive to the nations, just as Israel was taken captive to the nations when they fell into apostasy. The people of God are now more patriotic toward the carnal nation in which they live than being members of the spiritual nation of the Kingdom of God.), whither they are gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land (This is a promise of revival in our time.):   (22) and I will make them one nation in the land.... Peter said that they were one holy nation. In other words, all of the people of God, no matter what nation they live in, are a part of one holy nation. Now they need to separate and come out from among the worldly nations and be a part of that one holy nation. God is going to fulfill the parable that was lived out by the Jews. (1Co.10:11) Now these things happened unto them (the Jews) by way of example (The Greek word there means “type” or “figure.”); and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come. This type and figure is going to be fulfilled in our day as the New Testament children of Israel, those who are born from above, circumcised in heart, are coming out of the nations.   Back to (Eze.37:22) And I will make them one nation in the land, upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all; and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all. Remember that Jesus said in (Joh.10:16) And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice: and they shall become one flock, one shepherd. (1Jn.2:27) And as for you, the anointing which ye received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that anyone teach you; but as his anointing teacheth you; concerning all things, and is true, and is no lie, and even as it taught you, ye abide in him.   We have an anointing from the Holy One and we don't need men to teach us. We need the Lord to teach us. If the men are filled with the Lord, filled with the Word and submitted to Him, then they can be vessels through whom the Lord can flow. The Lord came in a vessel of the son of David 2000 years ago to deliver His people from apostate Judaism and this time He will deliver His born again people from apostate Christianity. His people will come out of the nations to their true, Heavenly Kingdom where God rules. If Babylonish religion is ruling over you, that's the same as Babylon ruling over you.   Back to (Eze.37:23) neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions; but I will save them out of all their dwelling-places, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God. Notice that where they dwelt outside of their Promised Land represented sin. Dwelling in the nations represents sin, but dwelling in the Kingdom represents holiness. Sanctification is to come out from among the nations and become a part of the Kingdom. (2Co.6:17-18) Wherefore Come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, And touch no unclean thing; And I will receive you, (18) And will be to you a Father, And ye shall be to me sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.   Back to (Eze.37:24) And my servant David shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in mine ordinances (This is a promise from God that He's going to restore everything and the people who walk under Zion are going to walk a holy walk.), and observe my statutes, and do them. (25) And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant (Our New Testament Jacob is Jesus! Jacob raised up the 12 patriarchs and Jesus raised up the 12 patriarchs; history just repeats.), wherein your fathers dwelt (We're going to live where our spiritual, apostolic fathers dwelt.); and they shall dwell therein, they, and their children, and their children's children, forever: and David my servant shall be their prince forever.  This represents Jesus in the end time corporate Man-child. (26) Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them (God's going to confirm the Covenant from which we have departed. He's going to fulfill the great promises of the Covenant to His people.); it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. Praise God! What an awesome promise!   (Deu.4:27) And the Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and ye shall be left few in number among the nations, whither the Lord shall lead you away. (Again, this represents being taken captive to the world, to Babylon. All the nations were gathered to Babel until God divided them by the tongue and so the major type of Babylon is the whole world, but lesser types of Babylon can be America, or religion, and so on.) (28) And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. (29) But from thence ye shall seek the Lord thy God, and thou shalt find him, when thou searchest after him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.   (30) When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, in the latter days (Obviously, that's where we are right now.) thou shalt return to the Lord thy God, and hearken unto his voice: (31) for the Lord thy God is a merciful God; he will not fail thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them. God's people wonder why they don't have the benefits of the Covenant and it's because they're not walking by faith in it. All those benefits are ours now. The anointing is coming to restore not only the faith but wisdom and the truth to God's people, so that they can go back under the Covenant. Then God can keep His part of the Covenant, which is the great blessings that come to those who are sanctified of unbelief.   (32) For ask now of the days that are past, which were before thee.... We need to find out what it was like to walk as sons of God, to walk in the steps of Jesus, to do His works. What did the Kingdom look like? We have to look back. We have to study the Word, if we want to hear the Word. (Isa.30:20) And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be hidden anymore, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers; (21) and thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it; when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. We are hearing a Word, our covenant from 2000 years behind us and it's saying, “This is the way, walk ye in it.”   Back to (Deu.4:32) For ask now of the days that are past, which were before thee since the day that God created man upon the earth, and from the one end of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been [any such thing] as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it? This is a great thing God's about to do in the latter days! (33) Did ever a people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire.... We're going to hear because we're going into the fiery furnace, heated seven times hotter. “Times” symbolizes “years” (Daniel 3:19; 7:25; Revelation 12:14) and “seven times” represents the Tribulation. We're going into the fire, but like the three Hebrews in Daniel 3, God's going to preserve us. He's doing this to burn off our bonds and we will walk with the King in the fire. It's a picture of sanctification; fire purifies, it makes holy.   Again (33) Did ever a people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live? (34) Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of [another] nation, by trials, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, (God's going to use all those things to take us out of the physical nation that we're idolizing in our patriotism and He's going to bring us into the nation of the Kingdom of God, our Promised Land, where God can fulfill these awesome promises.), and by a mighty hand, and by an outstretched arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?   He highly motivated the Israelites to come out of Egypt by bringing judgments upon Egypt. He ultimately separated the Israelites from the judgments of Egypt, but Egypt was being destroyed and the Israelites had no choice but to leave there and go into the wilderness where God commanded them to go. The “wilderness,” is the Tribulation, where people will learn to walk by faith in God, and learn to live on the promises. It's where the gold, the silver and the precious stones will be manifested, rather than the wood, hay and stubble of our idols back in “Egypt.”  (Isa.60:10) And foreigners shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favor have I had mercy on thee. Yes! We're coming to a time of judgment and a time of favor simultaneously. The judgment will cause God's people to flee the world and to seek refuge in the Kingdom. Our refuge is only abiding in Jesus Christ which is the Kingdom of God. (11) Thy gates also shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the wealth of the nations (The “wealth” is natural but also spiritual as these very valuable people who carry the nature and life of Jesus Christ.), and their kings led captive. (12) For that nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish.  (This will happen in the Tribulation period to the nations of the world who won't serve Zion. They won't serve Zion's King, so judgment will fall upon them and they will perish.); yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted. The reason the judgments are going to fall upon the world is because of what they're doing to God's people. The world is going to put God's people on their crosses, spiritually-speaking, but this is for the purpose of sanctifying them. The crucifixion of the old man, and sanctification of being delivered from the wood and earth in order to have the gold and silver.   (13) The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir-tree, the pine, and the box-tree together, (These are evergreen trees that represent eternal life.) to beautify the place of my sanctuary (The presence of God in His people makes the place of His sanctuary beautiful.); and I will make the place of my feet glorious. (14) And the sons of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee The city of the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.   The Beast kingdoms in times past recognized the power of the people of God. A good example is Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. He recognized the value of the people of God, their understanding and the power of their God. He knew how their God had wrought deliverance for them through judgments on Egypt after Egypt had brought God's people into bondage. The whole world is going to get a demonstration of the power of God to save His people. They are going to respect the people of God. So-called “Christianity” has not been very respectable since the falling away, but the world is going to respect true Christianity in the days to come. The world is going to respect the people in whom Jesus lives, walks and does His works.  The Man-child restoration is in two stages. First the David Man-child body will fight the wars with the factions around them as David did. This will win the peace for the Soloman Man-child stage to build the spiritual temple of God's people, which the David's prepared for. The restoration of the “greater works” begins. The days of Jesus are back and more. He will be great until the end.  Luk 2:34 and Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the falling and the rising of many in Israel; and for a sign which is spoken against.

**Thank you for supporting this ministry, I lovingly refer to as "The Little Green Pasture." Click here: PayPal: http://paypal.me/JoanStahl **Please prayerfully consider becoming a ministry partner: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/joaniestahl **Contact Email: jsfieldnotes@gmail.com **Subscribe to me on Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-534183 **Subscribe to me on Bitchute: I have been having trouble with the link so just go straight to https://www.bitchute.com/ and typing "Joanie Stahls Field Notes" in the search bar. Thank you! Every now and then do you ever feel as if you have outgrown some spiritual things? Spiritual habits, ways and doing of things pertaining to the Lord. There is a sense of flatness, and it is not anything from the enemy. It is a distinct sense and crystal clear knowing it is from the Lord. It starts small then begins to grow until everything you try to do meet it falls short. I know these places all too well. They come around every so often. It feels like I have outgrown everything and "my soul knoweth right well." If you are feeling this it is because you have most likely come to the end of your learning season that has been years in the making. There are new vistas see, mountains to climb, and rivers to cross. Do not worry, it is the Lord. He is preparing you for new paths to walk in. He wants you to be trusted with new, richer spiritual food, and spiritual drink. He does not require any help from you, only that you lay it all down and remain still before Him. And when you do, the new phase of your journey towards the Heavenly Jerusalem will commence. Only be quiet and let go. “Can we follow the Savior far, who have no wound or scar?”― Amy Carmichael, God's Missionary --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/joanie-stahl/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/joanie-stahl/support

07-30-2023 Sun AM “The Heavenly Jerusalem” Pastor Nathaniel UrshanHebrews 12:22-24You can contact us at https://fpcdurham.org/contact

**Subscribe to Midnight Oil You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MidnightHourOil **Thank you for supporting this ministry, I lovingly refer to as "The Little Green Pasture." Click here: PayPal: http://paypal.me/JoanStahl **Please prayerfully consider becoming a ministry partner: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/joaniestahl **Contact Email: jsfieldnotes@gmail.com **Subscribe to me on Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-534183 **Subscribe to me on Bitchute: I have been having trouble with the link so just go straight to https://www.bitchute.com/ and typing "Joanie Stahls Field Notes" in the search bar. Thank you! Lately it seems like we are barreling through time as if we are on a high speed train going through this life and events are whipping by in a blur. Many Christians are weary, exhausted and barely hanging on as they are journeying to the Heavenly Jerusalem. They feel as if they have no power to persuade other lives to Christ. Melissa from Midnight Hour Oil and I discuss the power and strength of the Holy Spirit. The critical need for discernment during this last days malevolent, yet tantalizing deception. Which is Satan's way of taking advantage of the weary masses promising them false power. Further we discuss the deception of Artificial Intelligence and the very serious spiritual danger of it. We need to be aware of all the ways the enemy comes in to lull the lukewarm and undiscerning to deeper spiritual sleep. We are living in the time of compelling as many to come to Jesus Christ before his return in the Rapture. The truth is the Holy Spirit is the Compellor. It is time that we must move in the will of God in "the power of an endless life" here and now until the very end. It begins with going to Jesus Christ in humble believing prayer. Asking Him to fill us up with His power "as we hold out the word of life." "Not loving our lives unto the death." Make every effort. "Christ will place you on the battlefield with courage, and He will take you off with honor." ~ William Gurnall --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/joanie-stahl/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/joanie-stahl/support

Mount Zion is prevalent throughout scripture. It was a physical mountain in ancient Jerusalem, but it was also used to describe the Jewish Nation, and it is referred to as the Heavenly Jerusalem and will be the physical location of the Millennial Jerusalem, and it was the very birthplace of the early church! Mount Zion was the dwelling place of God. It was where people physically came to worship God. Hebrews 12:18-24 NLT tells us that Jesus came as the fulfillment of Mount Zion—and that when we worship God from our spirit in truthfulness, Verse 24 says “we have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and (you've come) to the sprinkled blood of Jesus, which speaks of forgiveness…” We may never visit the earthly Mount Zion, but we have already been there if we have accepted that precious blood of Christ, and we will surely see when we reign in the Millennium with Christ!

Revelation 21:9-27 New King James Version The New Jerusalem 9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 11 having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. 12 Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: 13 three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west. 14 Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 15 And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. 16 The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal. 17 Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. 18 The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. 19 The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. The Glory of the New Jerusalem 22 But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. 24 And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. 25 Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). 26 And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. 27 But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.

On this week's episode Mims covers a very interesting and international case - Today I am covering The Russian Doomsday Cult called The Penza Recluses which translates to Heavenly Jerusalem founded by Pyotr Kuznetsov. The Co-host of Passive Aggressive Income Podcast makes a special guest appearance on this cross over episode. You wont want to miss this cult episode! Sources: https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/cults-dangerous-deadly-history/56/ https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna21836019 https://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=3875210&page=1 https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/doomsday-cult-members-emerge-from-russian-cave-1.769175 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/True_Russian_Orthodox_Church https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyotr_Kuznetsov https://www.grunge.com/482046/the-messed-up-truth-about-cult-leader-pyotr-kuznetsov/ https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna21898062

Predicting dates for the end of the world. Camping at the end of the world with Harold Camping and other failed predictions.Sumo finishes watching the Last of Us. All the wokeness can be taken more than one way, see Horseshoe Theory.Woke vs racist, it's the same thing.Wokeness wouldn't matter in the apocalypse.Talking about Australia with Tani.Sumo has audio problems.Stalled Century, the same stuff is recycled repeatedly. There are no new advancements in technology, medicine, culture, etc. Instead, they're destroying anything aspirational. In some ways the human spirit has been captured and the forces of creativity completely smothered.There are no shared cultural moments anymore.Is Donald Trump the Antichrist?The Space Force. What does it do? What's the point? Why does the Space Force hat look like an upside-down Baphomet? Why are all their emblems and logos so weird and apocalyptic?What if Heavenly Jerusalem was a pyramid vs how it's normally depicted as a cube?Trump plagiarized someone else's family crest and the bizarre story behind that and the people involved.Jack Parsons and L. Ron Hubbard did sex magic in an attempt to give birth to the Antichrist. Donald Trump was born that very same year…Twitter is now called X and their new logo is the exact X from where the compass meets the ruler in the Freemason symbol.There are lots of numerological coincidences with Trump.There are lots of bizarre coincidences with the recent eclipses.What's going on with all this alien disclosure right now? People don't know care about aliens because no one's told them what to think yet.Is Trump going to trick everyone into fighting Jesus and the armies of heaven at the battle of Armageddon by claiming they're aliens?Is the war in Ukraine a test run for the battle of Armageddon?ShownotesWhen Wokes and Racists Actually Agree on EverythingDonnie Darkened Twitter Thread about Trump being the AntichristThe Coming Pendulum Swing: Woke Going Broke and False Light Pushback | Part 1The Coming Pendulum Swing: Woke Going Broke and False Light Pushback | Part 2The Coming Pendulum Swing: Woke Going Broke and False Light Pushback | Part 3Linkswww.MAPSOC.orgFollow Sumo on TwitterAlternate Current RadioSupport the Show!Subscribe to the Podcast on GumroadSubscribe to the Podcast on PatreonBuy Us a Tibetan Herbal TeaSumo's SubstacksHoly is He Who WrestlesModern Pulp

We have come to blessings which can not yet be touched. The first one listed is Heaven, our eternal home. What is "Zion?" How does it symbolize our eternal Home? An exposition of Hebrews 12:24. ★ Support this podcast ★

We have come to blessings which can not yet be touched. The first one listed is Heaven, our eternal home. What is "Zion?" How does it symbolize our eternal Home? An exposition of Hebrews 12:24. ★ Support this podcast ★

May 14: Saint Matthias, Apostle First Century Feast; Liturgical Color: Red Patron Saint of alcoholics and tailors The Twelve were deeply biblical—Judas had to be replaced Conservative Muslims believe that any territory that was once settled and governed by the adherents of Mohammed pertains forever and always to the Caliphate. Once Islamic, always Islamic. To illustrate, it took many generations for the Islamic fist to finally loosen its grip on Spain. Yet despite the Muslim armies being pushed back into the waters of the Mediterranean in 1492, some strict modern followers of Mohammed still harbor dreams of former glories and hope that Al-Andalus (Muslim Spain) will one day re-emerge. Catholicism harbors no such illusions of glory for formerly Catholic lands, but it does practice a theological form of “Once Catholic, Always Catholic.” Many Bishops who serve in the Roman Curia exercise no authority over a diocese. Auxiliary bishops likewise lack a territory. These two categories of bishops are thus given a “titular” episcopal see. It is a see in name, or title, only. The see is normally that of an ancient diocese whose existence ceased due to, typically, Muslim invasion. The custom of assigning “titular” sees to some bishops not only preserves the memory of lost peoples and dioceses, it also has some theological support. A bishop and his diocese are united, like spouses, in a marriage arranged in Rome. That's why a bishop wears a ring. And a diocese, once created, cannot remain a widow. A new bishop is always appointed to be wedded to it. A diocese must have a spouse, even if he is a long way from home in distance and time. Titular bishops succeed in the present, if only in name, the past bishops of now defunct dioceses. The tradition that all bishops, beginning with the Apostles, must have successors is rooted not just in the early Church but in Judaism. The Twelve Apostles are more often referred to in the New Testament by their number than their names. They are, simply,  “The Twelve.” This custom is rooted in the twelve tribes who settled the land of Canaan after the Exodus from Egypt. These tribes were founded by the twelve sons of the Patriarch Jacob, later renamed Israel. It was inside of this Old Testament Jewish tradition that Jesus Christ acted when He chose twelve men upon whom to found His Church. Jesus specifically states that His followers will sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Mt 19:28, Lk 22:30). And the Book of Revelation states that the names of the twelve tribes of Israel will be written on the gates of the Heavenly Jerusalem (Rv 21:12 ff). It was fitting, then, when “The Twelve” were reduced to “The Eleven” after Judas' self murder, that the fullness of the biblical number had to be restored. And this is where today's saint steps out from the shadows to play his role in Christian history. The first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, the great history book of the early Church, tells us that, after the Ascension, the eleven Apostles returned to Jerusalem. There, Peter “stood up among the believers” to tell them that someone who had “accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us… must become a witness with us to his resurrection.” Two names were proposed to replace Judas: Matthias and Joseph called Barsabbas. Then the Eleven prayed to the Lord to show them the way. They cast lots. Matthias was chosen. An Apostle, for the first time, had a successor. And, of equal significance, the appointment came from the group, or college, of Apostles, led by Peter. Thus was established, just days after Christ left the earth, a form of Church preservation and growth which would be repeated, and is still repeated, tens of thousand of times in Christian history. The Church has placed the Feast of St. Matthias purposefully close to the Feast of the Ascension, just as his election in Acts occurred so soon after that event in the Bible. The Holy Spirit had yet to descend at Pentecost, and still the Church performed the will of God with authority in selecting Matthias. It was all there in the beginning. It is still here all around us. The miracle of the Church and her Apostles continues. It will always continue. Saint Matthias, we beg your intercession from your powerful throne in the Heavenly Jerusalem, that you fortify all who govern your Church to emulate “The Twelve” in their wisdom, trust, prudence, and daring in leading and spreading the Faith.

**Thank you for supporting this ministry, I lovingly refer to as "The Little Green Pasture." Click here: PayPal: http://paypal.me/JoanStahl **Please prayerfully consider becoming a ministry partner: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/joaniestahl **Contact Email: jsfieldnotes@gmail.com **Subscribe to me on Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-534183 **Subscribe to me on Bitchute: I have been having trouble with the link so just go straight to https://www.bitchute.com/ and typing "Joanie Stahls Field Notes" in the search bar. Thank you! Every now and then in our journey towards the Heavenly Jerusalem we are going to enter into spiritual deserts. We wake up one morning and feel a kind of strange absence of the Lord. In my early days as a believer I would immediately think I had done something wrong, or sinned and didn't know it. I would run through lists of possible sins and transgressions. I didn't understand. As decades have gone by I still venture into desert places. Though now I do not react the way I did in the days my youth. I know that the Lord is always on the move, and keeps us moving. Which keep us growing up in Him. Strengthening us, causing us to trust in Him. Not in feelings that are fleeting. It creates a deeper crevice in our hearts that yearns more deeply for Him than when we have had sense of His Presence with us all the time. If you are feeling this same thing do not fear. These desert places seem to get rid of all the unnecessary spiritual fluff. You will find that it is ONLY Jesus that you want, and no one and nothing else. It is His purpose to get you to a place where He can command you to do a thing without having to feel anything. But to walk on even places with a quiet humility as a ready-servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. "If you are going to be used by God, He will take you through a number of experiences that are not meant for you personally at all. They are designed to make you useful in His hands, and to enable you to understand what takes place in the lives of others." ~ Oswald Chambers --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/joanie-stahl/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/joanie-stahl/support

**Thank you for supporting this ministry, I lovingly refer to as "The Little Green Pasture." Click here: PayPal: http://paypal.me/JoanStahl **Please prayerfully consider becoming a ministry partner: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/joaniestahl **Contact Email: jsfieldnotes@gmail.com **Subscribe to me on Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/JoanieStahlsFiel... **Subscribe to me on Bitchute: I have been having trouble with the link so just go straight to https://www.bitchute.com/ and typing "Joanie Stahls Field Notes" in the search bar. A couple of mornings ago I was sitting in quiet meditative devotion. My mind began to think of all the acts of kindness I have received through my whole life from many people. Scene after scene like a slide show of those moments in my life flashed up before my minds eye. I saw myself as a hungry child, a teenager lost, unloved and totally alone. Then more scenes as I grew older of more darkness and destruction. Yet in the midst of it, acts of kindness kept me going, they kept me alive. Each scene seemed as if they were especially handpicked by the Lord. I saw all the things many people did for me in those acts of kindness that changed my life and gave me hope, and power to go on. All the kind people became like "candles that both defied and defined the great darkness" I walked through. Have you ever found yourself in a dark pit? Alone and having nothing? Then out of the blue someone showed you kindness in some form that shined the light of God's love upon you? That left you with a deep penetrating knowing that it was God? I think the people that have suffered the most and have received kindness themselves, are those who will give up their very life for you. When they see you they see themselves. Jesus Christ gave up His life for us. The greatest act of loving-kindness ever bestowed upon mankind. He uses people, even unbelievers to show His kindness to you, "for all are His servants." Make sure you are always that riverbed of His love that has an outflow of kindness to everyone. Kindness is a powerful love-rooted healing virtue. Never stop showing kindness no matter what or who it is, and in doing so, you will be ever growing Heavenward in the eternal love of God. You will become a waterwheel and fountain of His love. "Love never fails," therefore kindness never fails. You will be sowing seeds of eternal light on either sides of the paths of those who walk in darkness, who are sad and ravaged by this world. Never stop sowing seeds of light that lead the way to the Heavenly Jerusalem. "If souls can suffer alongside, and I hardly know it, because the spirit of discernment is not in me, then I know nothing of Calvary love.” ― Amy Carmichael, If --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/joanie-stahl/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/joanie-stahl/support

**Thank you for supporting this ministry, I lovingly refer to as "The Little Green Pasture." Click here: PayPal: http://paypal.me/JoanStahl **Please prayerfully consider becoming a ministry partner: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/joaniestahl **Contact Email: jsfieldnotes@gmail.com **Send Donations To: Joanie Stahl - P.O. Box 1386 - 205 Avenida Del Mar - San Clemente, Ca. 92674 **Subscribe to me on Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-534183 **Subscribe to me on Bitchute by going straight to https://www.bitchute.com/ and typing "Joanie Stahls Field Notes" in the search bar. As I was praying about todays message the Lord was very careful to direct me regarding what was on His heart. As I was preparing a message the bottom fell out of it. I knew that there was something else. The Holy Spirit made it clear to me in my heart what Jesus distinctly wanted. After all, my preparation prayers for messages are always one question. "What is on your heart Lord? Show me. Stir up my heart." Immediately my heart began stirring. Clearly and strongly I knew. I could hear Him in my heart saying, "Do not burden them with how to give Me more. They have little power and are struggling. Tell them I have compassion on them." I remembered that word Jesus spoke, "I have compassion on the multitude..."Mark 8:2. What I was receiving was so much more than what I can put into words. What Jesus is concerned about much more than anything is the weariness and heaviness in people's lives. Daniel was faced with a heavy decision. Either he can stop praying for thirty days and live. Or to go on praying and face certain death. "Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime." Daniel 6:10. His windows "being opened." That struck me. They were not flung open, but were already opened towards the east where he prayed towards Jerusalem where the temple was. Where the ark of the covenant was. Where the Presence of God was. I thought to myself, are the windows of our hearts opened towards the Heavenly Jerusalem to pray where Jesus Christ is enthroned as King? It is time to open your windows and leave them open, and pray just like Daniel did, and was heard and saved out of the lions mouths. “Have you been asking God what He is going to do? He will never tell you. God does not tell you what He is going to do; He reveals to you Who He is.” ― Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest: Selections for the Year --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/joanie-stahl/support

We continue our study of Paul's analogy of Ishmael and Isaac. We take a more in-depth look as how God made it possible for us to receive a supernatural birth like Isaac, through receiving the promise of God in the Gospel, causing us to become the seed of Abraham and heirs of eternal life in Christ. God accomplished this through Christ, the greater than Isaac, the ultimate Seed of Abraham, who, like Isaac, had a supernatural birth, and who, through His perfect life, death and resurrection purchased and received the full blessing of Abraham on our behalf. We look at how God revealed this through the typology in Genesis 22, when Abraham offered up Isaac on Mount Moriah, and received him back from the dead (Hebrews 11:17-19), resulting in the promise of Abraham's blessing coming upon all peoples in Christ, the Seed of Abraham, who would ultimately fulfil the type (Genesis 22:18). When we believe and receive the promise of God through the Gospel, we are put into (union with) Christ and become the spiritual Seed of Abraham, and thereby inherit the blessing by grace (3:26-29). In this way, Isaac, the initial seed of Abraham, is firstly a type of Christ, the greater Seed of Abraham, and secondly of all of us who are in Christ, and who are heirs of the covenant blessing. So when we are born again, we are no longer like unto Ishmael, but new creations made like unto Isaac, children of grace (promise) and inheritors of eternal life. We also discuss how Genesis 22:14 makes it clear that the location of Christ's death and resurrection must have been on Mount Moriah: "Abraham called the name of the place, 'the-Lord-will-Provide'; as it is said to this day: “In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided.” or better: “In the Mount, the Lord shall be provided.” This is a prophecy that God will provide the ultimate Sacrifice of His Son to fulfil the type, on the same Mount (Mount Moriah - see v2) where Abraham offered up Isaac. We see how this confirms the truth of Gordon's Calvary and the Garden Tomb. Although Jesus died and rose again in the earthly Jerusalem, the origin and centre of operation of the New Covenant, is now the heavenly Jerusalem (Hebrews 12:22-24), especially since the risen Jesus took His Blood there to establish the New Covenant (Hebrews 9:11-15). Thus the New Covenant operating from the heavenly New Jerusalem is our Mother, who is free - corresponding to Sarah in Paul's allegory (see also Psalm 87). By contrast, the origin of the Old Covenant was the earthy Mount Sinai in Arabia, and its centre of operation (at the time Paul wrote Galatians) was the earthly Jerusalem, who was in bondage - corresponding to Hagar.

We continue our study of Paul's analogy of Ishmael and Isaac. We take a more in-depth look as how God made it possible for us to receive a supernatural birth like Isaac, through receiving the promise of God in the Gospel, causing us to become the seed of Abraham and heirs of eternal life in Christ. God accomplished this through Christ, the greater than Isaac, the ultimate Seed of Abraham, who, like Isaac, had a supernatural birth, and who, through His perfect life, death and resurrection purchased and received the full blessing of Abraham on our behalf. We look at how God revealed this through the typology in Genesis 22, when Abraham offered up Isaac on Mount Moriah, and received him back from the dead (Hebrews 11:17-19), resulting in the promise of Abraham's blessing coming upon all peoples in Christ, the Seed of Abraham, who would ultimately fulfil the type (Genesis 22:18). When we believe and receive the promise of God through the Gospel, we are put into (union with) Christ and become the spiritual Seed of Abraham, and thereby inherit the blessing by grace (3:26-29). In this way, Isaac, the initial seed of Abraham, is firstly a type of Christ, the greater Seed of Abraham, and secondly of all of us who are in Christ, and who are heirs of the covenant blessing. So when we are born again, we are no longer like unto Ishmael, but new creations made like unto Isaac, children of grace (promise) and inheritors of eternal life. We also discuss how Genesis 22:14 makes it clear that the location of Christ's death and resurrection must have been on Mount Moriah: "Abraham called the name of the place, 'the-Lord-will-Provide'; as it is said to this day: “In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided.” or better: “In the Mount, the Lord shall be provided.” This is a prophecy that God will provide the ultimate Sacrifice of His Son to fulfil the type, on the same Mount (Mount Moriah - see v2) where Abraham offered up Isaac. We see how this confirms the truth of Gordon's Calvary and the Garden Tomb. Although Jesus died and rose again in the earthly Jerusalem, the origin and centre of operation of the New Covenant, is now the heavenly Jerusalem (Hebrews 12:22-24), especially since the risen Jesus took His Blood there to establish the New Covenant (Hebrews 9:11-15). Thus the New Covenant operating from the heavenly New Jerusalem is our Mother, who is free - corresponding to Sarah in Paul's allegory (see also Psalm 87). By contrast, the origin of the Old Covenant was the earthy Mount Sinai in Arabia, and its centre of operation (at the time Paul wrote Galatians) was the earthly Jerusalem, who was in bondage - corresponding to Hagar.

Audio reading: Deut 5:16-33, Neh 1:1-3:14, 1 Cor 7:1-24, Psalm 31:19-24, Prov 21:4 Audio reading: Deut 7:1-11, Neh 5:14-7:73, 1 Cor 8:1-13, Psalm 33:1-11, Prov 21:8-10We This place, where we are now, is not our home. We are in the exile.  We are just pilgrims passing through. We are on a journey. We must not get so entrenched in the place, in where we are now. We are poised and ready and will soon begin our journey to the Promised Land. May we keep our eyes, minds and hearts fixed on Heavenly Jerusalem. I invite you in to Jacob's tent where we dive in to the Word of God. Join me in this Journey through the entire bible in one year focusing on the biblical calendar, the feasts and the Torah reading cycle. In Matthew 4:4, Yeshua said these words: “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” Taking in the word of God every day is LIFE to our spirit and health to our bones! Visit us at: dailyaudiotorah.com

Hebrews 12:18-29Our author has set the stage for an amazing revelation about Christ's church. It is the heavenly reality of which geographical Jerusalem and geological Zion were the earthly copies. We have come to the heavenly city, the true city when we have come to Christ's church and Christ's covenant. We are there now even as we await the ultimate realization of this heavenly city.Read the written devo that goes along with this episode by clicking here.    Let us know what you are learning or any questions you have. Email us at TextTalk@ChristiansMeetHere.org.    Join the Facebook community and join the conversation by clicking here. We'd love to meet you. Be a guest among the Christians who meet on Livingston Avenue. Click here to find out more. Michael Eldridge sang all four parts of our theme song. Find more from him by clicking here.   Thanks for talking about the text with us today.________________________________________________If the hyperlinks do not work, copy the following addresses and paste them into the URL bar of your web browser: Daily Written Devo: https://readthebiblemakedisciples.wordpress.com/?p=10280The Christians Who Meet on Livingston Avenue: http://www.christiansmeethere.org/Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/TalkAboutTheTextFacebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/texttalkMichael Eldridge: https://acapeldridge.com/ 

The writer of Hebrews informs his readers that we have not come to Mount Sinai in fear and in trembling but we have come to Mount Zion to join angels and God's triumphant servants.

Parashat Bamidbar 5782: Heavenly Jerusalem, Earthly Jerusalem. A Shiur for Jerusalem Day and Bamidbar Description: In Celebration of Jerusalem Day, we study Psalm 122 and its dreamy depiction of an ancient Jerusalem pilgrimage. We reflect on the makom (place/space) and … Read the rest The post Parashat Bamidbar 5782: Heavenly Jerusalem, Earthly Jerusalem. A Shiur for Jerusalem Day and Bamidbar first appeared on Elmad Online Learning. Continue reading Parashat Bamidbar 5782: Heavenly Jerusalem, Earthly Jerusalem. A Shiur for Jerusalem Day and Bamidbar at Elmad Online Learning.

Turn with me if you have Bibles to Hebrews chapter 12. Our sermon text today is Hebrews 12:18-29. 18 For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest 19 and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. 20 For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” 21 Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” 22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. 25 See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. 26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” 27 This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:18-29, ESV This is the word of the Lord. Anyone who has attempted to summit one of the highest mountain peaks in the world would tell you, they'd caution you that if you were to do the same, you have to be prepared to face the dangers of doing that and the costs that are associated with that. For example, on Mount Everest, a standard expedition usually requires that the prospective climber be ready to hand over tens of thousands of dollars and spend about two months in one of the most remote places in the world. You have to be prepared that on that climb, you're also going to face unpredictable weather. The real possibility of frostbite as you ascend higher and higher. Delusion and confusion as you approach the summit and lack of oxygen starves your brain of the fuel that it needs and ultimately the real possibility of death. The steep costs and the very real dangers in attempting to summit a peak like Everest are well documented. It's well known that each year people die in attempting that feat. There's another mountain peak in the world, a mountain that looks somewhat tame by comparison, but in fact has cost the lives of over 150 people since the 19th century. Now, that mountain is Mount Washington in New Hampshire. Mount Washington looks nothing like Mount Everest. It may be the tallest mountain in New England, but at just over 6000 feet tall, it's nothing compared to Everest's 29,000 foot summit. It's within a short driving distance to people in the region, and you can easily climb Mount Washington all in a day. Yet, Mount Washington has been called the most dangerous small mountain in the world. While it draws in hikers by its somewhat tame appearance, it's also known for rapid changes of weather that have trapped and even killed many unprepared hikers. The summit of Mount Washington is known for sudden blizzards and hurricane force winds, winds that once reached a speed of up to 230 miles per hour. You see, to many unprepared hikers, the valley below may look serene and calm and the mountain itself may look relatively friendly and accessible. But that appearance has over the years lulled many into a false sense of security. Those who have been unprepared and climbed Mount Washington accordingly have ended up paying for it with their lives. Well, when we turn to our text and we consider the story of two other mountains that our author has in view, it's important that we recall first and foremost what exactly the original readers, to whom our author is writing back in the first century AD, were facing in their own day. You see, our author is very likely writing to a group comprised mostly of Jewish Christians. That is Christians who probably grew up as Jews, but along the way saw Christ Jesus for who He really is and became Christians. They saw him as the Messiah and they put their faith in Christ. Since then, they've paid a heavy price for being Christians and have been ostracized to the fringes of society. As a result, their Jewish neighbors are probably against them. The Roman authorities are no friends of theirs. Amid these pressures that they're surrounded by some of his readers, our author's readers are growing a bit cold to Christ and have begun to look back with fondness to some of those Jewish old covenant systems that they once embraced. Systems like bloody sacrifices and the temple. Systems that had actually fulfilled their purpose in Christ and were no longer valid, but systems that for them may seem to offer more earthly security in the moment amid the raging uncertainties and pressures they face in their own day. With these temptations in view, our author warns his readers, much like he does throughout Hebrews, that to turn back to those old covenant systems would be, in fact, to embrace a false sense of security. Because they wouldn't actually be resting in something tamer or more secure. They'd in fact be going back to Mount Sinai, where God could not be approached freely. Where no worshiper had the assurance that their sin had been finally and decisively dealt with it. To turn back to those things, just like they're tempted to do, would be like running up Mount Washington in a T-shirt, shorts and sandals, completely unaware of the all-consuming whirlwind that awaits of the summit. So our author warns them not to be lured back to a mountain that may seem came in view of the forces around them that they see with their eyes. Instead almost paradoxically, he invites them up another mountain, a mountain that's just as frightening, if not more so, but a mountain that in Christ Jesus is their home. Where they're secure, where they belong, and where they have been freed to participate in what they were created and redeemed to do, namely worship. The message our author impresses upon his readers in their own day is also, of course, a message for us too. You see, when we face the temptation, not to return to Judaism, but the temptation to be more palatable in the world and more accepted by our neighbors. Even if that means diluting the gospel of our salvation and its many implications. Our author warns us, you and me in our own day, that to reject Christ in that way also places us in a frightening position where we are also at Sinai and alienated from God. Instead, then our author would have us understand the mountain home to which we have come in Christ. The security and the meaning that that mountain offers for us in Christ. Then to live more and more as residents of that forever and eternal home, whatever ways the currents batter us here on earth. So a big idea this morning as we prepare to study the text is this Live as residents of the Heavenly Zion. Two points to our passage. First, we're going to look at the two mountains that call. This is, in fact, a story of two separate mountains of Mount Sinai and Mount Zion. We're going to look at the two mountains first, that call. Then we'll see in the second half of our passage that there is only one mountain to call home. 1. Two Mountains That Call 2. One Mountain to Call Home. Two Mountains That Call So let's look first at the mountains that call, the two mountains that call. Notice that when our passage opens, we are dropped, as it were, into the biblical landscape, where we find two mountains that reach into the heavens. Both of the mountains, we're going to discover and see in a moment, are pretty imposing mountains. Both mountains are filled with wild, heavenly activity, and on both mountains, we encounter the same Lord. While similarities between these two mountains exist, we also discover that there's a crucial difference between them. A difference that's, in fact so important that our author presses us to pursue one and run away from the other. So let's look at the two mountains that our author has in view and what's said about them. So if you're looking at your text, the first mountain we come to is in verses 18 through 21, and it's a mountain that's not actually identified explicitly by its name, but it's pretty clear in the description that this is none other than Mount Sinai. In the description that follows, we're invited to recall the specific event that unfolded at Mount Sinai when Israel approached the mountain after their deliverance out of slavery in Egypt. As the story goes from the Book of Exodus, after God displayed his power over Egypt in the famous, well known ten plagues. He then brought his people through the Red Sea while drowning Pharaoh's army. Then finally into the wilderness to Mount Sinai. But Sinai, we learned from Exodus, was no tame mountain. Unlike Mount Washington, it didn't look tame either. First, our author reminds us of some of the features of Mount Sinai that they encountered and tells us in verse 18 that this mountain, unlike the one we come to in Christ, can be touched. It was a physical place. That's his point. A physical place that you could in history, that Israel journey to that you could point to on a map. Just because it could be touched doesn't mean it should have been touched. Because back in Exodus 19:12, when Israel comes to the mountain, the Lord warns Moses as Israel draws near to the base of it, saying, "You shall set limits for the people all around, saying, take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it. For whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death." In other words, this was a physical place, yes, that could be identified on a map. Like every other physical place, could theoretically be touched. But if you got too close to Sinai, if you tried to ascend Sinai or even touch it as an average Israelite, you die. As the memory of Mount Sinai continues to be built by our author, we're also reminded that this wasn't a mountain that the average Israelite wanted it to touch either. They weren't really tempted to touch it too, because it was terrifying. We're next reminded of what happened three days after Israel arrived at Mount Sinai. In the Book of Exodus chapter 19, the second half of that chapter, we learn, that on the third day after Israel came to the base, the foot of Mount Sinai, they were gathered there and there they saw the mountain engulfed in fire and smoke, and then they heard the increasing crescendo of a trumpet. Now, at that point in Exodus, Moses was invited to ascend the mountain and to meet with the Lord while the people of Israel were again reminded, even after having ceremonially cleansed themselves for the previous three days, that if any of them dare approach the mountain or touch the mountain, that they are going to perish. But once again, Israel seems to appreciate the unparalleled holiness of the Lord because they eventually begged Moses. Moses, we don't even want the Lord to speak to us. It's too scary. You speak to us and we'll listen, but don't let God speak to us lest we die. In other words, they recognize in a powerful way that God is holy. So holy, in fact, that even indirect contact with his holiness was off limits. You see, in verse 20 of our passage, we're reminded that if even an animal wandered on to holy ground, it had to be stoned. What's significant about that command is that they couldn't even touch something that had itself touched the mountain. They had to kill the animal by standing back from the animal and hurling stones at it from afar in order to kill it. You see, this whole experience at Sinai was intended to emphasize for Israel the unapproachability of God. No one and nothing except for Moses and Aaron were permitted to approach God on the mountain. The people of Israel, at least at this point in the narrative, they seem to appreciate the boundaries. They stand in awe of the Lord from a distance, and they're well aware of the significance that it is to set foot on the mountain where God himself dwells. Now we're going to see in a moment that while the predominant message of Sinai and the so called old covenant that Sinai represents was to stand back. The case is different with Zion, with the second mountain that we're going to look at in just a moment. We'll see in a moment that in Zion and the so called New Covenant that Zion represents, the predominant message is actually an invitation to draw near through the blood of Christ. But though the message of these two mountains, Sinai and Zion, differs, the God of Sinai and of Zion is still the same God. Notice that by the end of our passage in verse 29, even for those who find their home in Zion, God is still described as a consuming fire. He's still a God who we in the New Covenant should stand in all of. But like Israel, is that your posture before the Lord? Or if you're honest with yourself, are you more awed in this world by facades of grandeur? I recently read just this week a story I learned of this place in West London. It's in a neighborhood. It's a specific street called I think I'm pronouncing it right; Leinster Gardens is the name of the street. If you were strolling down the sidewalk of Leinster Gardens, you would see this long continuous row of five storied, picturesque Victorian style, relatively expensive homes. Some of the homes in fact go for millions of pounds, English currency, millions of dollars. Now I know nothing about London geography or the London real estate market, but I was looking at images of the of these homes, I would imagine that it's a place that many people wouldn't mind living in. It looks like a pretty well-to-do neighborhood, a pretty well-to-do street. Yet if you approached a couple homes on that block and you knocked on the door of two of those homes, no one would answer. Because two of those homes on that expensive London block are only a facade. Behind, which is a big gaping hole in the ground that looks into the London Tube. Now the facades look pretty convincing. It looks from the sidewalk like every other house. But if you were enticed into buying one of those homes and you thought you could purchase one of those homes and make it into your home, you'd be mistaken. You'd come to find out that those two homes were empty shells and ultimately worthless. Well, understand that, like these two West London homes appearances often trick us too. You see, the problem for us isn't that we don't know what it's like to be awed by something in this world. You know, Paul Tripp once wrote that human beings are hard wired for awe. The problem is that on the one hand, we're too often spellbound in this world by all the wrong things. The things we stand in awe before, the things that grip our hearts, the things that activate our imagination are too often false facades. Things with a lot of bark, but no bite. Then, on the other hand, where when our restless hearts search for awe never feels complete. Because we find that the objects, one after another, turn out to be great disappointments, ultimately facades. We are at the same time bored with the all-consuming, infinite holy God we claim to know and love. Friends, if we find ourselves in a position where this God of Sinai seems boring to us or somehow tame, we need to recalibrate our sense of what is really and truly awesome in this world. The God of our passage, the God our passage magnifies is the God who is categorically holier than any created thing and is therefore more worthy, categorically more worthy, of greater awe than any perishable object or experience that might appeal to our hardwired awe seeking nature. The Lord's majesty we find, is no facade. His holiness we find will consume every other object in this world. Even as Psalm 97, tells us, which we're going to study tonight, the most imposing mountains of grandeur, well they all melt like wax before his presence. Israel's encounter with this God is what led them to respond the way that they did. Yet the good news of our passage is that while we don't draw near to a lesser God, we are enabled as the people of God in Christ to stand in awe of this God in his courts, in His very presence. But on a very different mountain where we can do just that and live. There was a 19th century naturalist. His name was John Muir. I'm pretty sure he wasn't a Christian and he said some pretty weird things. But one of the quotes that he's well known for is when he said, "The mountains are calling and I must go." This was an expression of his fascination with the natural world and specifically places that would later become natural parks in America. While he was speaking only figuratively, when he said what he said in the case of the mountains in our text, they quite literally call out to us. Whereas everything with Sinai called out and said, stay back, don't come near. In the case of Mount Zion, we have come to a mountain that invites us and bids us in Christ to come. Now, if you recall, back in verse 18 our author also reminded us right out of the gate that we have not come to Mount Sinai. Yes, he described for us Mount Sinai, but only really for the purpose of reminding his readers and us what it would be like to reject Jesus Christ now. If you reject Christ, God is unapproachable like he was at Sinai. Now, that's not to say that Sinai didn't serve an important purpose in its own day, because it did. In its own day. Sinai held forth God's unapproachable holiness so that worshippers would long for a better mediator, and many of them did indeed look forward in faith to the promised Christ. Now that Christ has come, and this is our author's point, to return back to Sinai would be to reject Christ and stand forever at a distance from God and outside of fellowship with him. Fortunately, again, that's not the situation of our author's audience. That's not our situation in Christ. In what follows in verses 22 through 24, our author explains to them and to us the reality of our present situation as we stand here right now. It's a reality that might otherwise be obscured by their present sufferings and perhaps even a reality often obscured by our present sufferings. But it's a reality that he presses them to live according to an increasing measure day by day. So what is the reality of their true mountain home and of our mountain home? Well, he begins in verse 22 by ascribing to Mount Zion, this place to which we have come, a variety of different names, that indicate that unlike Sinai that he just described, this Zion is no place you can point to on a map. Now, to provide a bit of background for a moment, in the Old Testament, Mount Zion was first and foremost a physical place. In the days of King David, Mount Zion belonged first to a people called the Jebusites. When David became King, he ended up capturing Mount Zion, which was also known as Jerusalem. Then later he moved the Ark of the Covenant to Mount Zion, where it rested. Then after David died and his son Solomon was raised up as king. Solomon built the temple on Mount Zion such that Zion became the symbolic meeting place between heaven and earth. Where God dwelt among his people. Now, when our author invokes Zion, he also has in mind the meeting place between God and his people, but he's no longer thinking of some earthly place or physical place any longer. After all, he already told us back in verse 18 that this mountain to which we have come, unlike Sinai, is a mountain that cannot be touched. Then here he calls the mountain to which we have come, the City of the Living God and the Heavenly Jerusalem. This is the same home that Abraham, back in chapter 11, was looking forward to all the days of his earthly sojourn. The home that our author previously called the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. It's not a place that we can point to on a map. It's not a physical place we can touch, but make no mistake about it, it's just as real as Sinai. So what does he tell us about this heavenly Zion to which we come? Well, he tells us that this is a place, Zion, with innumerable angels in festival gathering. That is so many angels that they cannot be counted standing before the throne of God in worship. Right away, we hear just how different this mountain is than Mount Sinai. Because you see, back in the Book of Deuteronomy, as Moses reflects upon the experience of Sinai, we learned that at Sinai when Israel was standing before the mountain, there were actually a myriad of angels on the mountain. But at Sinai, God's people didn't come close to actually see those angels. One can even imagine that some of those angels on Sinai were like the cherub who guarded the Garden of Eden after the fall, forbidding any unclean thing from ascending the mount of the Lord. Whatever we say about that, when we take stock of Zion, we're told that we join with the company of worshiping angels in the courts of God. We are with them and they are with us. We also come, our author tells us, to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven and the spirits of the righteous made perfect. Now, these references are references that are loaded with significance, but in essence, they describe for us the one church, the one people of God, spanning both Old Testament and New Testament. Typically theologians in speaking about different aspects of the one church, the one people of God, use these terms the church militant and the church triumphant. The church militant refers to the church here on Earth, those believers all around the world who right now are engaged in the race that is the Christian life. That's us. We are the church militant. The church triumphant refers to all of those Old Testament and New Testament believers who have finished the race and who now rest in heaven and glory. According to our author here, the Zion to which we come, is a mountain occupied by both the church militant and the church triumphant. It's a mountain filled with believers all around the world. Believers who worship right now with us in Colombia and Romania, in India and all around the world. But it's also filled with believers from the Old Testament and New Testament who have already died and gone to be with the Lord. Together on Zion, we have come as both the church militant and the church triumphant in worship, and specifically to God, the judge of all. Now, as soon as we come across that reference to God as judge, that may make us stop in our tracks for a moment and think, hold on, that sounds a lot like Sinai. We've already heard that back at Sinai, you can't approach this God who is judge. So how is it that we can approach this one God on Zion, but not on Sinai? Well, the answer to this question comes in verse 24, where we hear that Zion stands out, because on this mountain is Jesus, the mediator of the New Covenant and the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. Understand that it is the crucified, resurrected and ascended Jesus Christ who sets these two mountain destinations apart. Calvin writes this he says, "The author of Hebrews adds this reference to Jesus in the last place because it is he alone through whom the Father is reconciled to us and who renders his face serene and lovely to us so that we may come to him without fear." Understand that the approachability that's characteristic of our mountain home, of Zion, has nothing to do with God lessening his standards of perfection, or God setting aside his perfect holiness. It has nothing to do with that or with you or I becoming somehow more acceptable and lovely in a sight. Rather, it has everything to do with the better mediator of the New Covenant, Jesus Christ, our Lord, and His more precious blood that speaks a better word than Abel's. Through faith in Christ and through Christ alone, we are invited to ascend this mountain and to worship with both the church militant and triumphant, and to stand in all with the worshipping community, including the celestial beings who join with us. But while it's Jesus who brings us to this better mountain, the question remains when and where do we actually enjoy the privileges that accompany Mount Zion? You see, if this is the mountain to which we have already come in Christ, our author told us that in verse 18. It's not a mountain necessarily that we look forward to in the future. It's a mountain that we have already come to right now. Then the question remains, when do we enjoy all the benefits of gathering with the church militant here on earth, and the church triumphant in heaven and innumerable angels who worship before the throne? Well, in part, the answer to that question is right now. Understand that when we worship, when local churches around the world gather together each Lord's day, there is an even greater assembly, spiritually speaking, to which we come. Theologian Edmund Clowney puts it like this. He says, quote, "In corporate worship, we rise by faith to enter the heavenly assembly of the saints and angels. We join in a very real way, the praises of heaven." You see, our author is pulling back the veil, as it were, for us to gaze on the reality of where we belong right now. Our citizenship is in heaven. We've mentioned that many, many a times. This is what the place we call home looks like. The worship that rings out in heaven is the same worship in which we, Harvest Community Church are participating right now as we speak. So let me ask you this, with that in view, is your present posture fitted for that kind of worship? Is your present posture fitted for that kind of worship? A few years ago, I attended a fairly large theology conference where thousands of professors and students from various seminaries and universities around the world gathered to present research and talk about a host of important theology topics. Now, this nerd conference, you can call it, was business casual. Most of the men who were there were dressed like I am right now. That's how I dressed, too. But there was one evening of the conference where I was invited to a social that was put on by a fairly large seminary outside the formal time of the conference. It was presented to me as something of an informal meet and greet. So before I went downstairs to the ballroom that evening for to gather and participate in that social, I changed into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, and then I went downstairs. As soon as I walked in and I felt embarrassed and overwhelmed and completely out of place. For one thing, no one else interpreted informal meet and greet as an opportunity to dress down. Everyone else was just as well dressed as they were during the day. For another thing, this wasn't any small, informal meet and greet that I was invited to, because when I walked in, I couldn't find my friend anywhere, but I did run in to a number of some of the greatest theological minds out there, theologians that I greatly admire and looked up to. You might think that was a pleasant surprise, but it was incredibly intimidating to me in a way that I didn't expect to be intimidated. You see, at every point, both my dress and my expectations, were completely unfit for the setting in which I now found myself. Now, I'm sure all of us can recall experiences of social awkwardness like that in our own lives, where we felt completely out of place and uncomfortable. Settings, where we discover that there was in fact a great discrepancy between what we expected and what actually we encountered. When it comes to the worship of the living God and we see the reality in our text of where we have come every time we enter into this assembly and corporate worship. Do you find that your posture is actually fitted for that reality? Now, don't mistake what I'm saying here. I'm not talking about something as simple or superficial about the clothes that we wear in worship or anything like that. Rather, I'm talking about the posture of our hearts and our expectations for what happens in worship. Whether you are preparing yourselves when you come in here in a way that's fitted for the cosmic setting in which our little worship service actually unfolds. Understand that if this description of Zion is the reality of our worship, our worship right now, as we speak, then that has to affect our attitude, our posture and our expectations. It means that when we come together, we bring the best of ourselves. That when we come together, that we come with the same diligence and focus that many of us apply to our own vocations throughout the week. It means that we take this time seriously, that we feel the weight and gravitas of what this is, and that we humble ourselves enough to let the one we approach through his word and spirit actually work on us and change us. So let me ask you this. Where is your mind right now? Yes. You're physically here. I see you. But are you actually engaged in what we're doing or are your thoughts instead drifting to things like the English Premier League scoreboard? I can relate with that. Or all the things that you're hoping to accomplish later this afternoon. Remember, our big idea is to live as residents of the Heavenly Zion and one of the ways we do that is by checking the posture of our hearts and the attentiveness of our minds and asking whether or not they are fitted in the moment for the heavenly worship in which we have come. One Mountain to Call Home So our author describes these two mountain destinations and he tells us that we belong right now to one and not the other. But as we move to the second half of our passage, it will be much shorter here. We hear that Zion is the only place to call home. It's a kingdom that we have already received, and it's the only kingdom that will, in the end, stand. Earlier this week, I was I was reminded that it's been 42 years since the massive Mount St Helens volcanic eruption that took place on May 18, 1980. If you've ever seen pictures in the aftermath of that eruption, the whole region right around northern Washington just looked like a barren wasteland. Nearly 100 square miles of forest were leveled, mud and ash buried, everything. Rivers were rerouted. Tragically, 57 people who were positioned way too close to the mountains were unable to escape from the fury of superheated mud, ash and lava, and were killed. Well, when we turn to the second half of our passage, we hear that those who find their home not on Mount Zion but on Mount Sinai, will sadly and tragically not escape on the day when God judges the world. You see our author in verses 25 through 29, he turns from the present choice facing his audience. That is the choice to either go back to Mount Sinai or to live for where you already are, Mount Zion. He shows us a window into the future. In the future he tells us a day is coming when the Lord is going to shake both heaven and earth in a way that exponentially surpasses any shaking that happened on Sinai. Our author authors quoting here in verse 26 from a passage in the Old Testament from Haggai 2:6, which likewise looked forward to a day when God would make all things right, when He would put away all rebellion against him and his kingdom and make all things that were wrong right again. In that day, he tells us, Zion and its residents have nothing to fear because they belong to a kingdom, we belong to a kingdom in Christ that cannot be shaken. But Sinai and its residents, they face a terrifying prospect to which Mount St Helens pales in comparison. So in view of this terrifying future that our author portends, that he looks forward to in verse 25, he explicitly calls us to recognize there's a lot at stake in the future based on the decisions, the faith decisions that we make right now. First thing, he gives us a lesson from history, and he reminds us that God's people in the Old Testament didn't escape judgment when they eventually failed to heed what God commanded them to heed at Sinai. If we were to look back at the books of Exodus and Numbers, we would learn that while that initial encounter with God at Sinai initially produced an obedient response among Israel, by the time Israel left Mount Sinai and wandered into the desert, we learned that they were hardened again in their sin and they became a people marked by unbelief. As a result, a whole generation was condemned to death in the wilderness, unable to arrive at the land of promise because of their unbelief. You can read all about that in the Book of Numbers. Now, in view of what we've come to in Christ, our author tells us that the stakes are exponentially higher. If we reject Christ, the final sacrifice for sins, the sacrifice that the whole Old Covenant administration eagerly anticipated. The hope of Zion that people like Abraham and his sons looked forward to all the days of their earthly sojourn and we decide instead to go about life on our own terms. If we decide to listen to whatever voices we find more palatable, voices that pamper us in every sinful tendency we have. It's not a physical death that we have to worry about. It's an eternal death. Friends, the stakes couldn't be higher. Yet, in this final appeal to his readers, including to you and me, in view of what is at stake, it's significant that our author doesn't tell us to strap on our climbing gear, cross our fingers, and hope against all, hope that we make it to the top before that earthquake breaks out. Rather, he tells us, reminds us again, that in Christ we've already reached the top. In Christ, Zion is already our home. You know, sometimes when we talk about the Christian life, you might hear it said that we never arrive in the sense that we're always repenting of our sins, being renewed in the truth of the gospel, and that will always be the case until we die. That's most certainly true. At the same time, there's an equally true sense in which we already have arrived. You see, if Christ is your trust, you've already received a kingdom that cannot be shaken. It's a kingdom that you didn't work for. It's a kingdom you didn't build yourself. It's a kingdom you did not earn. Rather, in the same way that the earth receives the rain, so to we in Christ have received an unshakable kingdom. Already, it's yours, right now it's mine as we speak. Our present posture then, isn't to try to earn what we already have. Rather, it's to live our lives more and more in accordance with what we already possess. Application So how do we do that? When our author closes the passage, he directs us according to that question with two pretty simple commands. He tells us, first, to be grateful, be thankful, and then the second to worship. You know, back in the spring of 2016, there was a little known English Premier League soccer team named Leicester City. Leicester City shocked the world when they overcame 5000 to 1 odds from the beginning of the season to actually win the Premier League title. The odds they came overcame were so ridiculous that if you were a betting man or woman and you bet $25 on Leicester City winning the title at the start of the season, you ended up with $125,000 on the day they claim the title. That's what actually happened for a few people, talk about a missed opportunity. It remains one of the biggest upsets in professional sports history. Well, in the aftermath of that unprecedented victory, the owner of the club was so undone, he was so appreciative of his players and what they had achieved. That as an expression of his gratitude, he purchased 19 custom order BMWs, each with each price that well over $100,000 for each of his players. It wasn't, as far as I know, out of obligation or duty. It was a tremendous expression of gratitude for the coveted prize that they had won for both him and for the club. Well, brothers and sisters, the victory that Christ won for the salvation of our souls, the victory that brought us to Zion was a victory that dwarfs in every way the victory that some soccer club won one season. It's a victory far more dramatic, too. Because the odds that we would have had to overcome on our own because of our sin were infinite to one. Yet they were odds that Christ overcame for us. Yet for as much as Christ did for us, which we could not do for ourselves, remember the kingdom that we have come to, the kingdom that we that we have in our possession right now is a kingdom we have received. Do we respond to that with a fitting posture of gratitude or not? If the home we've received in this mountain home described in our passage is truly what our author describes, then shouldn't we be willing to give up anything in gratitude for what we've received? Should we not live our thanks by giving up those things that are more suited to the kingdoms of this world, and in turn give the best of what we have in worship of this king and his kingdom into whose presence we have come in Christ? What we have in Christ is, again, not something we could ever buy. It's not something we could ever earn, but it's something that we have indeed received, inherited as a gift. The only way that we could ever dare respond to a gift of this magnitude is by the gratitude and the totality giving the totality of our lives in surrender to the King of Zion and worship him and him alone. So as we prepare to close, let me leave us with this closing thought. Build your home in the kingdom that you have already received. Invest in the home in which you already have on Zion. At the end of the day, or more properly, at the end of the age, our author reminds us that only eternal things will endure. That is, things pertaining to heaven, things pertaining to the Kingdom of God. At the end of the day, so many of the things that we obsess over endlessly in this world are just not going to matter. They will be shaken and removed. While that's not to say that we don't enjoy God's creation at present or anything like that. It is to force us to think about whether we're spending enough time thinking about and living for the kingdom that we already possess and the King who we call our own? Or are we focused more on things that will eventually pass away? That's the question I want to leave us with. At the end of the day, our passage would want to leave us with that, too. Our passage would have us build our home; invest in the kingdom that we have already received through Christ Jesus our Lord. Let's do that and pray with me. Gracious Heavenly Father, Lord, you have brought us to a place of awe. You've brought us to you, through Christ, through the blood, through the way that Christ has opened up through His own precious blood. You have brought us to this cosmic worship setting. Lord, I pray that we would be attentive to that very reality. Attentive to that reality in our worship, attentive to that reality in our lives, and that we would invest more and more in that present reality as we live more and more as citizens, not of Sinai, but of where we actually are, what we've already come into possession of, namely Zion. We ask this in Christ name. Amen.

Today's Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/051522.cfm “Heaven is real; it's my inheritance, and because it's real, I can walk through this world in a different way than I would have otherwise.” —Fr. Brian Larkin “Imitation is the greatest form of flattery.”—Old Axiom “The greatest desires of you heart are far more than you could ever hope for. God has something like that for you.”—Fr. Brian Larkin “Satan cannot offer you anything real. The only thing Satan can do is to take something God gives us, and make a parody of it.”—Fr. Brian Larkin “It's tempting to settle for the parody—to settle for something much less in this world.”—Fr. Brian Larkin Acts 14: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/14?21 St. Paul is on his first missionary journey with Barnabus “If you're gonna be Christian, you've got to be strong. And part of my job and our job for each other is to strengthen each other to renew our hope in heaven.”—Fr. Brian Larkin Acts 14: 22 https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/14 “Through many tribulations, we must enter the Kingdom of God.” The Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis https://www.cslewis.com/uk/books/paperback/the-great-divorce/9780060652951/ Homework: Read Revelation 21 & 22: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/revelation/21 “12,000 stadia is 1500 miles.”—Fr. Brian Larkin Revelation 22: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/revelation/22 “Heaven is beyond anything you can imagine. And what the world wants to do is offer what only God can give us—it wants to give us a cheap imitation. And if you and I don't live Easter…if we don't have that city set in our hearts, I promise you you'll fall for the counterfeit.”—Fr. Brian Larkin End of the book of Revelation, there are two cities: The Heavenly Jerusalem and Babylon Babylon doesn't look ugly—it looks amazing, because it imitates Jerusalem. “If you don't have your homeland in your heart, you'll fall for the imitation. You'll stop walking; you'll give up.”—Fr. Brian Larkin St. Francis de Sales (paraphrased): Picture the most beautiful place you've ever been in your life. Imagine it's bright as can be—it's beautiful. But imagine that at the same time, there is a night sky, with a billion stars overhead. Then, he says, imagine the saints—how perfect their joy; their perfect love for each other. No more pain, no more crying.—Fr. Brian paraphrasing St. Francis deSales' image of heaven “In heaven, Brothers and Sisters, there will be perfect love and perfect communion. We're going to be there together someday. It's worth waiting for. If you don't think about that enough, you're going to fall for earthly things.” Back to Acts 14: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/14?21 “They're preaching the Gospel and telling people that it's going to be hard. And, the only way you're going to endure those tribulations is if you really know He can give you your heart's desires.” G.K. Chesterton: The Ballad of the White Horse: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1719/1719-h/1719-h.htm https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/1160501.The_Ballad_of_the_White Horse “And there was death on the Emperor And night upon the Pope: And Alfred, hiding in deep grass, Hardened his heart with hope.” “If you have the hope of heaven, you can get through anything.”—Fr. Brian Larkin “Jesus, I believe in the Resurrection. I look forward to the life of heaven and the world to come. Jesus, I hope to be there someday, for all of eternity, in perfect love, and perfect joy, and perfect communion. Jesus, I believe, but I forget. I forget about it all the time, and this world drags me down, and I settle for less. Jesus, today, set our hearts on heaven and on the Resurrection, and harden our hearts with hope.” —Fr. Brian Larkin

May 14: Saint Matthias, ApostleFirst CenturyFeast; Liturgical Color: RedPatron Saint of alcoholics and tailorsThe Twelve were deeply biblical—Judas had to be replacedConservative Muslims believe that any territory that was once settled and governed by the adherents of Mohammed pertains forever and always to the Caliphate. Once Islamic, always Islamic. To illustrate, it took many generations for the Islamic fist to finally loosen its grip on Spain. Yet despite the Muslim armies being pushed back into the waters of the Mediterranean in 1492, some strict modern followers of Mohammed still harbor dreams of former glories and hope that Al-Andalus (Muslim Spain) will one day re-emerge.Catholicism harbors no such illusions of glory for formerly Catholic lands, but it does practice a theological form of “Once Catholic, Always Catholic.” Many Bishops who serve in the Roman Curia exercise no authority over a diocese. Auxiliary bishops likewise lack a territory. These two categories of bishops are thus given a “titular” episcopal see. It is a see in name, or title, only. The see is normally that of an ancient diocese whose existence ceased due to, typically, Muslim invasion. The custom of assigning “titular” sees to some bishops not only preserves the memory of lost peoples and dioceses, it also has some theological support. A bishop and his diocese are united, like spouses, in a marriage arranged in Rome. That's why a bishop wears a ring. And a diocese, once created, cannot remain a widow. A new bishop is always appointed to be wedded to it. A diocese must have a spouse, even if he is a long way from home in distance and time. Titular bishops succeed in the present, if only in name, the past bishops of now defunct dioceses.The tradition that all bishops, beginning with the Apostles, must have successors is rooted not just in the early Church but in Judaism. The Twelve Apostles are more often referred to in the New Testament by their number than their names. They are, simply, “The Twelve.” This custom is rooted in the twelve tribes who settled the land of Canaan after the Exodus from Egypt. These tribes were founded by the twelve sons of the Patriarch Jacob, later renamed Israel. It was inside of this Old Testament Jewish tradition that Jesus Christ acted when He chose twelve men upon whom to found His Church. Jesus specifically states that His followers will sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Mt 19:28, Lk 22:30). And the Book of Revelation states that the names of the twelve tribes of Israel will be written on the gates of the Heavenly Jerusalem (Rv 21:12 ff).It was fitting, then, when “The Twelve” were reduced to “The Eleven” after Judas' self murder, that the fullness of the biblical number had to be restored. And this is where today's saint steps out from the shadows to play his role in Christian history. The first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, the great history book of the early Church, tells us that, after the Ascension, the eleven Apostles returned to Jerusalem. There, Peter “stood up among the believers” to tell them that someone who had “accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us… must become a witness with us to his resurrection.” Two names were proposed to replace Judas: Matthias and Joseph called Barsabbas. Then the Eleven prayed to the Lord to show them the way. They cast lots. Matthias was chosen. An Apostle, for the first time, had a successor. And, of equal significance, the appointment came from the group, or college, of Apostles, led by Peter. Thus was established, just days after Christ left the earth, a form of Church preservation and growth which would be repeated, and is still repeated, tens of thousand of times in Christian history.The Church has placed the Feast of St. Matthias purposefully close to the Feast of the Ascension, just as his election in Acts occurred so soon after that event in the Bible. The Holy Spirit had yet to descend at Pentecost, and still the Church performed the will of God with authority in selecting Matthias. It was all there in the beginning. It is still here all around us. The miracle of the Church and her Apostles continues. It will always continue.Saint Matthias, we beg your intercession from your powerful throne in the Heavenly Jerusalem, that you fortify all who govern your Church to emulate “The Twelve” in their wisdom, trust, prudence, and daring in leading and spreading the Faith.

Father Bill completes this deep dive into Robert Johnson's Inner Gold: Understanding Psychological Projection. This episode examines the search for the “Heavenly Jerusalem.” That's the Christian symbol for the wholeness we all seek. Johnson warns of the danger in approaching this search “literally” rather than symbolically or ceremonially. He also congratulates and affirms all of us addicts who were, in essence, truly seeking wholeness but going about it in wrong and deeply destructive ways. In the end, spirituality proves to be “the easier, softer way.” Show Notes: Inner Gold: Understanding Psychological Projection by Robert A. Johnson. https://www.amazon.com/Inner-Gold-Understanding-Psychological-Projection/dp/1630514632 To support Father Bill W. and Two Way Prayer with a donation, please visit: https://www.twowayprayer.org/donate-1 If this has been helpful to you; please like, subscribe, share, and keep coming back! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/fatherbillw/support

Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem which we celebrate this day comes before His Passion- the great joy and triumph of this event replete with cries of hosanna and praise is going to be shortly followed by another journey of the greatest sorrow, suffering and death. What happens today is a foreshadowing of His ultimate and final entry into the heavenly Jerusalem, which occurs at His bodily Ascension into heaven. This is the significance of our procession halting at the doors of the Church and the Subdeacon banking on the door with the cross. Lift up your heads oh ye gates, that the King of Glory may come in- who is this king of glory? The Lord strong and mighty- it is through the cross that the doors are opened to the heavenly kingdom.