FEAST OF TABERNACLES
Part 4
by George H. Warnock (written in 1951)
Continued from previous page:
This is the final victory for the Church, when mortality is
clothed upon with immortality, and corruption puts on
incorruption. This is the consummation of the Church's last great
victorious event, for then it is that "Death is swallowed up in
victory," and the "last enemy." even Death, is destroyed. (1 Cor.
15:26,54).
We are sure of this, however, that the Church is being
robbed of her glory in not knowing that there is resurrection
here and now while we wait for Resurrection. There is no doubt
whatever that God holds many secrets for future revelation
concerning the order of events and the nature of the
Resurrection. But in this we are confident: before this cherished
rapture or resurrection takes place, there is to arise a group of
overcomers who shall appropriate even here and now their heritage
of Resurrection Life in Jesus Christ. God has placed His only
Begotten at His own right hand in the heavenlies until all his
enemies have been placed under His feet. (Ps. 110:1: 1 Cor.
15:25,26). There He shall remain, in obedience to the Word of the
Father, until there ariseth a people who shall go in and possess
their heritage in the Spirit, and conquer over all opposing
forces of World, Flesh, and Devil. We are not inferring that the
saints will go about in glorified bodies. But we are speaking of
the saints reaching out and appropriating even here and now in
their earthly temples the very Life of Christ, of entering into
their heritage in the Spirit, of participating in the Melchizedek
priesthood and kingdom, and of living the very spotless,
immaculate life of the Son of God Himself in virtue of His
abiding presence within.
Let us remember that God is bound by His word and His oath,
but He is not bound by the dispensations, by general historical
procedure, nor yet by the notions of men. "It is appointed unto
men once to die . . ." it prevent the Lord from extending the
life of John the Beloved for two thousand years, if He chose to
do so. It was neither Peter's business, nor ours, nor was it
contrary to God's Word, if the Lord wanted it that way. (Jn.
21:22). Jesus has promised that He would raise up "at the last
day" all those who would believe on His Name. (Jn. 6:40). There
is no question about that. But that did not stop Him from
resurrecting Lazarus, even during His earthly ministry. (In.
11:44).... Neither did it prevent the tombs from bursting asunder
when Christ died on the Cross, and the bodies of the saints
arising and coming into the city and appearing unto many. (Matt.
27:52,53). God is perfectly free to raise whom He will any time
He chooses; to impart Divine Life to whomsoever he will, whenever
one shall believe for it; and to translate any one that has the
faith for it. Let us not argue with the goodman of the House; is
He not free to do as He will with His own? If we have bargained
with God for a resurrection at the last Day; are we going to have
an evil eye if God in mercy and love imparts His resurrection
life to some before the last day?
(That would be PHYSICAL resurrection life only. Only one human
has ever attained to glorified immortal life - Jesus Christ -
Keith Hunt)
JESUS CHRIST, THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE
One of the most glorious facts of Scripture, we believe, is
this: that the Resurrection and the Life is not a mere historic
event, to take place in the distant future,--but the Resurrection
and the Life is a Person, even the Lord Jesus Christ who dwells
in our hearts. How He yearned over Mary and Martha at the tomb of
Lazarus, and sought to inspire faith in their hearts to believe
in Him. But they would insist, like the vast majority of
Christians today, in believing facts about Him and about God,
instead of believing in Him. "I know that he shall rise again in
the resurrection . . . I believe that thou art the Christ, the
Son of God . . ." But all the time Jesus was wanting them to
believe that He was the I AM, the answer to their immediate need.
A historical resurrection? Of course, they would believe in that.
Christ, the Messiah? Why of course, they would believe that. But
this kind of faith is not sufficient to bring one into the
fulness of sonship, and to a real genuine appropriation of Divine
Life here and now. They confessed their faith in the fact that
Lazarus would rise again in the resurrection at the last day. But
Jesus replied, "I am the Resurrection, and the Life . . ."
Resurrection and Life, then, are not merely the attributes of the
resurrection, and events which are to take place at the rapture.
But the Resurrection and the Life are held out to the Sons of God
even here and now.
"I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me,
though he were dead, yet shall he live . . ." That was the case
of Lazarus, was it not? And did he not live, because he died
believing in Christ? And then the Lord continues, "And whosoever
liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?"
(Jn. 11:25,26). It is certain we do not believe it. O, we might
believe it theoretically; but not one of us has believed it
experimentally, or Divine Life would be surging through our
beings. But the promise is there nevertheless, even though we all
disbelieve it. "Let God be true and every man a liar." By faith
all things are and shall be possible. The very dispensations
themselves are but weak barriers and obstacles if men of faith
are enabled by the Spirit to reach out and leap beyond them.
Enoch did it. So did Elijah. And so shall the Sons of God. The
Word of faith shall grip their hearts, and they shall reach out
and appropriate the Resurrection and the Life even now in this
life. If they do not, Christ never will return to earth. For God
hath said, "Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies
thy footstool." (Ps 110:1). And the last enemy is Death!
THE COMING OF THE LORD
There has been a general misunderstanding of the Word of God
throughout Christendom concerning the truth of the coming of the
Lord; for it is clear as we consider all the Scriptures on the
subject, that the Lord's coming is a spiritual visitation in the
midst of His people, as well as a literal and bodily visitation.
James therefore associates the bestowal of the latter rain with
the "coming" of the Lord: "Be patient therefore, brethren, unto
the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the
precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until
he (it) receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient;
stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh."
(Jas. 5:7,8.) Notice in this passage how the truth concerning the
latter rain is sandwiched between these two statements concerning
the "coming of the Lord."
The word commonly translated "coming" in the New Testament
is "parousia," which signifies "presence," or "a being
alongside." It is therefore used of the coming of men in the
flesh, as well as of the coming of Christ. That the word
signifies "presence" more than the act of one's arrival, is
evident from 2 Pet. 1:16,17. In this passage Peter describes the
glorious visitation of God on the mount of transfiguration as the
"coming," the "parousia," the "presence" of Christ. Now Christ
had already come in the flesh; the four men had walked together
up the mountain; but here was a "coming" of the Lord not
previously known. And so he says, "For we have not followed
cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power
and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his
majesty. For he received from God the Father honor and glory,
when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory,
This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Notice how
the apostle associates the power and coming of Christ with the
glory of God that appeared in the hour of Christ's
transfiguration.. In fact, the Lord Himself explains that this
visitation of the Glory was in reality, the very Kingdom of God.
In each of the three accounts where the scene is recorded the
story is preceded with the remark: "But I tell you of a truth,
there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till
they see the Kingdom of God." (Lk. 9:27). Matthew describes it as
"the Son of man coming in his kingdom." (Matt. 16:28). Mark
refers to it as "the kingdom of God come with power." (Mk. 9:1).
and Peter combines the two statements in the words, "The power
and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."
THE MOSES-ELIJAH COMPANY
The whole transfiguration scene is a beautiful picture of
the power and coming of the Lord into the midst of His people in
this glorious hour to create the Moses-Elijah ministry. Moses,
and Elijah; because this is the day and hour when the old must
give way to the new, when death is to be swallowed up of life.
when Law must be fulfilled in Grace. And so Moses typifies the
old order of Law and of death. Elijah speaks of the new order, of
grace and of life. This is the hour known as the "ends of the
ages" when the judgments that have been written concerning the
Church and the world must be fulfilled on the one hand, and all
the glory and power that is written concerning the Church must be
fulfilled on the other hand. Hence the Moses-Elijah company: the
fulness of God in the midst of His people, to do away with the
old and to establish the new..... and life. This is the hour of
God's vengeance upon the earth; but it is also the hour of God's
Glory in the midst of His people.
THE DAY OF VENGENCE
"For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are
written may be fulfilled." (Lk. 21:22). Vengeance! How we shrink
from the awfulness of the Day! But this vengeance is not only to
administer death; it is also to administer life. When Jesus
picked up the scroll in the synagogue of Nazareth and opened it
to the place which spoke of the anointed Messiah bringing
deliverance to the people, He closed the book just before He came
to the words," . . . And the day of vengeance of our God." He was
reading from the prophet Isaiah, as follows: "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; to proclaim the
acceptable year of the Lord . . ." (Isa. 61:1,2). Thus far the
Lord read, and then closed the book and gave it back to the
servant. (Lk. 4:20). Why, then, did the Lord close the scroll
there, right in the middle of Isa. 61:2? Because thus far was His
earthly ministry, and no further... Now it is true that the
remainder of Isa. 61:2 is to find its fulfillment in the Day of
the Lord, when God's judgments are poured out. But what seems to
be largely ignored is the fact that the day of vengeance is at
the same time a great day of blessing. Isaiah therefore
continues: "And the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all
that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto
them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment
of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called
Trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might
be glorified." (Isa. 61:23). True, it is the day of vengeance,
but it is likewise a day of rejoicing - for it is the display of
God's power and glory. It is therefore vengeance upon the works
of the Devil, and that will bring judgment to the disobedient,
but rejoicing to the obedient. That is why we read, "Say to them
that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear; not: Behold, your
God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will
come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame
man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the
wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert."
(Isaiah 35:4-6). Vengeance? Yes, but to save, to heal, to revive.
Again we read, "For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and
the year of my redeemed is come," (Isa. 63:4). Vengeance? Yes,
but at the same time the "year of my redeemed!"
THE TWO WITNESSES
Such, then, is the ministry of this Moses-Elijah company, We
are told that the "two witnesses" shall have the power "to smite
the earth with all plagues, as often as they will." (Rev. 11:6).
"As often as they will."--for the simple reason that they have
overcome, they abide in Christ, and their will is the very will
of the Father manifested through them. They have the "mind of
Christ," so that they minister judgments according to the Spirit
of God. It is quite evident that this is the Moses-Elijah company
from an examination of the judgments which they administer. Their
power is the very same as that of Moses and Elijah: to turn water
into blood, to smite the earth with all manner of plagues, and to
shut up the heavens that it rain not. They have the fire of the
Holy Ghost in their mouth, and that is their protection and
power. They are sent forth into the earth to administer God's
power. If there is repentance, there is power to bless; if there
is enmity, there is power to destroy. Says Paul, "To the one we
are the savor of death unto death; and to the other the savor of
life unto life." (2 Cor. 2:16). It is the ministry of Christ; but
it is the fulness of Christ in His people. Remember what we
observed about the number "two" - it signifies Christ in His
fulness, in His Body, His people, His overcomers--this "perfect
man" created in our Lord Jesus , John further identifies the
two-witnesses by referring to a prophecy of Zechariah: "These are
the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks, standing before
the God of the earth." We mentioned these two olive trees in a
previous chapter. In Zechariah we read, "What are these two olive
trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left
side thereof? Then said he, These are the two anointed ones
(literally, 'these are the two sons of oil'), that stand by the
Lord of the whole earth." (Zech. 4:11,14). These were the
builders of the restored temple, to whom God said, "Not by might,
nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." These
are the two "sons of oil," those who live, and move, and walk,
and think, and speak, and work in the very realm of the Spirit of
the Living God.
ELIJAH'S TWO-FOLD APPEARANCE
The Day of Vengeance, therefore, is to be a great day of
restoration. But before there can be real and genuine
restoration, there must be destruction: destruction to the works
of the world, the flesh, and the Devil. And so there is Moses to
destroy, and Elijah to restore. It is noteworthy that in the last
chapter of the last book of the Old Testament we read these
words: "Remember ye the law of Moses my servant . . Behold, I
will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great
and dreadful day of the Lord. And he shall turn the heart of the
fathers . . ." (Mal. 4:4-6). Of course, Christ did appear once,
in one Man, in the flesh. And therefore we had a partial
fulfillment of the Eljah ministry in one man, in the flesh: and
that man was John the Baptist. Said Jesus, "Elias is indeed come,
and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed." (Mk. 9:13).
His ministry was to prepare the people for Christ's Appearing.
But a great secret in God's counsels was this: Christ was to
appear twice, first in Incarnation, and secondly at the ends of
the ages. Now we are awaiting Christ's second Appearing, this
time in power and glory in the saints, in the fulness of His
Body. And therefore we can expect not only an Elijah ministry,
but the fulness of the Moses-Elijah ministry. Christ's first
Appearing was in the Head only, in one Man. Hence Elijah appeared
in one man, even John the baptist--for his spirit and power
rested upon him. Now Christ will appear in His Church the Body.
Hence the Moses-Elijah company, to prepare His way.
(With the same reasoning the author gives for the first coming of
the Elijah, the same then must be applied to the second Elijah
coming - as the first was with John the Baptist, the second must
also be with one man, to restore all things, and then after the
coming of Christ - Keith Hunt)
TRANSFIGURATION GLORY
It is remarkable that the Lord's declaration concerning the
coming of Elijah followed immediately after the Transfiguration
experience, when Moses and Elijah had appeared in glory on the
mount. The Lord was "transfigured," we are told and Moses and
Elijah "appeared in glory" with him. (Lk. 9:31). The Glory was
Christ's Glory, and He it was that was "transfigured," but these
two men appeared in His Glory. And that, in fact, is exactly what
is going to happen when Christ is manifested in the saints; the
saints are to appear with Him in Glory! "When Christ, who is our
life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory."
(Col. 3:4). It is participation in the Transfiguration glory of
our Lord Jesus Christ, just as Moses and Elijah appeared in His
Transfiguration glory. The Scriptures teach that this
Transfiguration is for us.
"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed
(transfigured) by the renewing of your mind . . ." (Rom. 12:2).
"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of
the Lord, are changed (transfigured) into the same image from
glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." (2 Cor.
3:18).
The open face is the "unveiled" face. The reference is to
the veil which Moses wore over his face to hide the fading glory
from the eyes of the Israelites, when he came down from the
mountain. But when he went in to speak to the Lord, he took the
veil off. Paul, therefore, exhorts the Corinthians to take the
veil off. This is the day and hour of God's great Unveilings
--even the Unveiling of the Sons of God! And as our eyes and
hearts and minds become unveiled before God, we are going to be
transfigured into the same image! These words are unmistakable in
clearness. The same image! And this image is developed and
manifested as we partake of His Transfiguration, with minds and
hearts and eyes unveiled before the Spirit of God.
What Peter beheld, therefore, on the Mount of
Transfiguration was a true picture of the "power and coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ" into the midst of His people in this great
hour of His power and Kingdom. But it was just a picture; and
when the real meaning of the scene is fully revealed to us by way
of experience, it will far outshine any attempt to describe it.
The best we can do now is to behold some of these truths as
through a glass darkly. We have all puzzled over Peter's strange
suggestion: "Let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one
for Moses, and one for Elias." Apparently Peter was so caught
away in the ecstacy of the Spirit that he thought they were
observing the real Feast of Tabernacles; and his immediate
suggestion, therefore, was to erect a little tabernacle or booth
for each of them, as they were accustomed to do at this Feast. It
certainly was a foretaste of the real Feast of Tabernacles, for
which the saints are looking; but coming to himself Peter
realized it was but a vision, and the hour of the Feast had not
really arrived.
All the events that transpired at the Transfiguration scene
are no doubt very significant, and at the same time largely
hidden from our view. However as the Day of His Appearing draws
nigh, and the scene is reproduced in its fulness in the Body of
Christ, its Glory shall far transcend what happened on that
occasion. Still it was a wonderful event, and Peter never forgot
its glory. To him that was the real Coming (Parousia) and the
real Power (Dunamis) of the Kingdom. "For we have not followed
cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the Power
and Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His
majesty . . ." (2 Pet. 1:16). And he used the plural, we, because
he was speaking for James and John as well. No wonder Peter,
James, and John spoke much of the manifestation of Christ within
His people, of the Day-star arising in their hearts, of abiding
in Christ, of seeing Him as He is, and of being made exactly like
him in the hour of His spiritual visitation in the hearts of His
people. That is the hope of the Church. "Beloved, now are we the
sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we
know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him: for we
shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him
purifieth himself, even as He is pure." (1 Jn. 3:2,3). It is the
Appearing of Christ within His people, and their consequent
transfiguration after His very likeness by beholding Him as He
is: not by rapture, but by the spirit! ". . . transfigured into
the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the
Lord." (2 Cor. 3:18).
THE SECRET--CHRIST IN YOU
It is significant, therefore, that on the occasion of the
Feast of Tabernacles the Lord went up to the Feast "...not
openly, but as it were in secret." For it is in this very manner
that He shall first reveal Himself to the saints. Says Paul,
"Even the mystery (secret) which hath been hid from ages and from
generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: to whom God
would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery
(secret) among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of
glory." (Col. 1:26,27). Wonderful secret! That Christ should
visit the saints in the last great Feast, and minister His life
"in secret" before He is openly manifested! Christians think it a
horrible thing that Christ's second Coming should be spoken of in
this manner. To so many, there is no real Coming of the Lord
until He comes visibly, openly, and physically. Why is this?
Because to them the only things that are real are the things that
they can see. Whereas Paul declares that the things which are
most real are eternal, invisible, and spiritual. "While we look
not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not
seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things
which are not seen are eternal." (2 Cor. 4:18). When a Christian
comes to that place where he really appreciates and understands
and enjoys Spiritual things, then he can truly rejoice in the
fact that Christ is coming back again to be manifested within.
Speaking of this glorious intimacy which He would have with His
own, and which the world would not understand, we are told that
"Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father,
Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from
the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so,
Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight." (Lk. 10:21). This
does not seem good to orthodox religion; but it seemed good to
the Father. Paul tells us that God "was pleased to make known"
the glory of this mystery, this secret. For it is a secret that
is shared by Christ and His intimate friends. "All things are
delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is,
but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to
whom the Son will reveal him." (Lk. 10:22). Here is a knowledge
of the Father and the Son such as no man can acquire except by
revelation. Theoloy will unveil before the student all manner of
facts relative to the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost. But
here is a knowledge which defies any attempt of man to unravel.
It is a knowledge, not about God and about Christ and about
doctrines, but it is a genuine knowledge of God and an intimate
acquaintanceship with Him.
UNION WITH FATHER AND SON
In John 14 we have a beautiful description of Christ's
Coming unto His own by the Spirit. Let it apply to the rapture,
or to Heaven, if you will for it is our heavenly heritage, even
the "heavenlies" that God has placed us in by His grace. But
those who will reach out and appropriate this new life, and are
initiated into this "secret" of which we have been
speaking--theirs shall be the joy and delight of exploring the
heavenlies long before they get there.
"Let not your heart be troubled," said Jesus, "Ye believe in God,
believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions; if it
were not so, I would have told you." (Jn. 14:1,2). Then after
much perplexity on the part of His disciples, the Lord explained
fully what He meant by Father's house of "many mansions," and the
place which He was going to prepare for them. First of all He
shows that it is a spiritual place of union with the Father and
the Son, a union so blessed and intimate that, if the Son whom
they thought they knew was really apprehended and really
known--then they would be in vital union with the Father also.
"No man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye
should (would) have known my Father also . . ." In consequence of
this glorious union, therefore, it would come to pass that the
beloved disciples would do "greater works" than Christ Himself
performed when on earth, because He was returning to the Father;
and the vital power and life and union which was His with the
Father would then be transmitted to the disciples, and it would
become their heritage. So positive and so real and so genuine is
this secret life in union with the Father and the Son that Jesus
promised without any qualifications whatsoever, "If ye shall ask
any thing in my name, I will do it." In our carnal minds we
reason that God could not mean exactly that, because if He did,
then men would be asking for all manner of earthly and selfish
things, and God would be dishonoured, and still duty-bound to
grant the request. But the fact is this: Christ has made this
promise only to such as know the "secret of the Lord," and are in
vital union with the Father through Him. Such a man in such a
spiritual condition could ask nothing except what would please
the Father, and God would have to hear his prayer. In fact, the
believer's prayer would be the very prayer of the Spirit of God
within him. For in this blessed condition we have "the mind of
Christ," and we could only think and pray in the Spirit.
Then the matter is solved, for the Lord goes on to explain
how all this shall come to pass. When He went away He would ask
the Father to send the Holy Spirit to "abide" with them for ever.
And it is this abiding experience in the Holy Spirit that
constitutes this new life of which we speak. "I will not leave
you comfortless (orphans)," said Jesus, "I will come to you."
(Vs. 18). Jesus said, let us notice, "I will come"--and He was
referring to the coming of the Holy Spirit in the fulness of His
abiding presence. The Appearing of the Lord in secret in the
hearts of His disciples! "Yet a little while, and the world seeth
me no more, but ye see me . . ." (Vs. 19). Notice this also: "Ye
see me . . ." Let us remember, as we pointed out before, that the
real things of God are not seen with the natural eye, but are
seen by the eye of the Spirit. This Coming of the Lord,
therefore, is genuine and real to those who can see Him after
this manner: in fact, far more real than His physical and bodily
appearance to the world. "Ye see me . . . " See Him not in the
flesh, for henceforth we are to know no man after the flesh, not
even Christ. (2 Cor. 5:16); but see him with the eyes of the
Spirit, like Moses of old beholding Him "who is invisible." That
Christ is not speaking here of a literal and physical appearance
it is evident, for He says, "The world seeth me no more; but ye
see me." And why? "Because I live, ye shall live also."
Then notice once again how vital and how glorious this union
becomes when we enter into the fulness of this experience. "At
that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and
I in you." What day? The day of which He has been speaking all
through this chapter, the day of this abiding experience in the
Holy Spirit. "I am in my Father," He said. We cannot doubt that;
we know that the Son is genuinely one with the Father, completely
immersed in the celestial glory. But in the same breath He
continues, "And ye in me, and I in you." Therefore, if the union
of the Father and Son is genuine and exquisite and real and vital
and powerful, then the union of the Son and the many brethren is
to be just as real and just as glorious.
THE SECRET OF THIS MYSTERY
What is the secret of being initiated into this secret
experience? It is very, very simple; and therefore at the same
time very difficult for man to appropriate; because he must
simply cast away his life in the natural, that he might find it
in the more abundant life of the Spirit. He must lose his life in
order that he might find it. He must consecrate himself
absolutely and entirely unto the will of God. "If a man love me,
he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and We will
come unto him . . ." The Coming of the Father and the Son! "We
will come . . ." A secret visitation of Christ in the hearts of
His people. "And make our abode with him . . ."
MANY MANSIONS
When Jesus said, "We will come unto him, and make our abode
with him," He used the very same word for abode as He used back
in vs. 2 when He said, "In my Father's house are many mansions."
The word "mansion" and "abode" is one and the SAME Greek word.
This, then, is the REAL mansion that Christ has gone to prepare
for His own. Some might prefer a house of gold or of glistening
white marble or pearl. But those things are corruptible; even
gold and silver are described by the apostle as being
"corruptible things." They are not real. The real things are the
spiritual counterparts of gold, and pearls, and sapphires, and
emeralds, and jasper. In our finite and limited understanding
these natural and earthly things are used to describe our
heavenly heritage--because that is the only language that we can
understand. But in reality, the glorious realm of the Spirit far
transcends and outshines any such earthly glory.
One glorious thing about the realm of the Spirit is that
here there is nothing stagnant or monotonous. Immediately one is
introduced into this glorious realm, there is ceaseless
progression and activity. Then you are linked up with the
infinite and eternal God, whose ways are past finding out, whose
depths are unsearchable, and whose heights are unattainable.
Therefore the Lord tells us there are many abodes in Father's
House, depending on the level of one's Christian experience, and
his spiritual attainment through faith and obedience. "In a great
house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also
of wood and of earth; and some to honor, and some to dishonour."
(2 Tim. 2:20). There is a resting-place, an abidingplace; but in
God the true rest is found in the midst of outward strife and
warfare: and the true abiding-place is the one that is
ceaselessly moving forward and upward into a closer and more
vital union with the Father. Israel's rest in Canaan consisted in
conquering the enemy and marchin forward to possess their
possessions. It did not consist of crossing Jordan, and then
settling down on the banks of the river and singing the victory
song. Nor is it so with the abiding experience in the Holy
Spirit. If we are abiding in Christ, we are abiding in a River, a
River that flows on for ever.
THE KINGDOM IS WITHIN
"And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of
God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God
cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or
to there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." (Lk.
17:20,21). A common explanation of this passage is this: the
kingdom of God in the Church is invisible and "cometh not" with
observation; but when the earthly Kingdom Age begins, then it
will come with observation. As a matter of fact, there is nothing
intimated here about two kingdoms; nor is it stated that the
Kingdom of God cannot, or will not, be observed. Of course it
will be observed and made manifest in the earth in due course;
and "of His Kingdom there shall be no end." But this passage is
very clear as to how and in what manner the Kingdom shall be
brought into being. Not with a great burst of glory from Heaven,
for it "cometh not" with observation. Rather shall it come "in
secret," in the hearts of God's people.
"So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the
ground; and should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed
should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth
bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear,
after that the full corn in the ear." (Mk. 4:26-28). The full
corn is wonderful to see; so is the ear; and even the blade is
visible. But it all started under the ground through the
mysterious, secret, invisible processes of nature, we know not
how.
"Again the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field
..." Matt. 13:44). The hidden kingdom! And Christ is the One who
sold all that He had, and purchased us unto Himself. To do so He
redeemed the whole world through His Blood. Soon will He remove
the treasure from its hiding place, and manifest it!
(Yes, there is a TWO part side to the Kingdom of God. The
Pharisees only wanted to see the literal side: Israel ruling as a
mighty nation under the Messiah, over all other nations. They
failed, and did not desire to look to what must come first; the
Kingdom WITHIN the saints of God; people who had the Kingdom
mind-set in their very being, then manifested in the way they
lived - Keith Hunt)
LOOKING FOR THAT BLESSED HOPE
In Christ's day the Jews were constantly looking forward to
the day when their Messiah would suddenly manifest Himself in
great power, deliver them from the Roman yoke, and set up the
Kingdom.
No wonder the Lord was so unpopular with them, for He told
them plainly that the Kingdom would not come with "intense
watching" (as the word 'observation' means). It is strange that
one generation will not learn from the mistakes of their
predecessors. For practically the whole body of evangelical
churches today is looking forward with that same intense
"watching" for a rapture or a kingdom that will deliver them from
earth's bondage, and establish them on thrones of power and
authority in the earth. True, there shall come a day when the
glory of the Lord shall cover the earth "as the waters cover the
sea"; when every eye shall see Him; when the same Jesus that was
taken up into Heaven, shall come in like manner as they saw Him
go. But first there is the Appearing of Christ in the midst of
His people by the Spirit, to establish the Kingdom of God within,
and that is the hope of the Church.
Says Paul, "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious
appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." (Titus
2:13.) Literally, it reads: "Looking for that blessed hope, and
the appearing of the glory of the great God . . ."
When Solomon's temple had been constructed, the priests and
Levites set in their place, the singers and the musicians in
theirs, and the vessels and furniture all properly arrange -
then, "It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were
as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking
the Lord . . . that then the house was filled with a cloud, even
the house of the Lord; so that the priests could not stand to
minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had
filled the house of God." (2 Chron. 5:13,14). That is the Hope of
the Church!
CHRIST TEACHES AT THE FEAST
So it was that the Lord visited the Feast of Tabernacles "as
it were in secret" before He revealed Himself openly. But little
by little He manifested Himself to the multitudes, began teaching
in the temple, and causing them to marvel at His wisdom and
knowledge. Even then they did not know that this man was the one
called Jesus; for He had gone there in secret, and had not
revealed His identity even when He taught. They tried to take
Him, but His hour had not come and they had no power against Him.
They sent officers to arrest Him, and they returned without Him,
and with closed mouths. "Never man spake like this man," they
testified. Dear child of God; when the power and glory of the
Feast of Tabernacles begins to dawn upon the Church, God's people
are going to be clothed upon with such power and authority that
the very nations themselves will have to bow in submission. Never
did any king or dictator or president speak as the Sons of God
shall speak. For they shall be literally clothed upon with His
Divine majesty and authority, and they shall be the very living
oracles of God to the Church as well as to the nations. Then
shall they do God's will as God Himself shall direct, and no
earthly power will have any power against them. When the Lord's
hour of crucifixion drew nigh, then were they able to arrest Him;
for His hour had come. But it was not because He was powerless to
do anything about it. There was a great work of Redemption which
He had to perform, and a great baptism of death which He must
accomplish.
In the Lord's discourse with the Jews at the Feast we have a
glorious promise of that hidden life. He told them, "Ye shall
seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot
come." (Jn. 7:34). Where He was, the world could not come; but in
this very hidden place the disciples would come. Did Jesus not
promise the disciples concerning the coming of the Spirit, ". . .
Whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither
knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall
be in you?" (Jn. 14:17). They knew that the Lord was referring to
that hidden life, and the manifestation of Christ within them,
for they said: "Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself
unto us, and not unto the world?" (vs. 22). They were beginning
to see and to understand that there was to be a real
manifestation of Christ in them, where they would be in vital
union with the Father and the Son, a place which the world could
not invade. And so this hidden place could not be found by the
Jews; whereas His beloved disciples would enter into it. "Where I
am, thither ye cannot come," He said to the Jews. But to the
disciples, "I will come again, and receive you unto myself, that
where I am, there ye may be also." (In. 14:3). Where is it? Jesus
said, "Where I am," That is sufficient. It is a place in the
Spirit which no man can invade. A hidden place for those who are
in world, but not of it, in the very sanctuary of the Spirit of
God! "For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God."
There shall the Sons of God be hidden as they work the works
of Christ in the midst of a world of wrath and judgment. And
then, in God's good time, they shall be manifested openly. "When
Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear
with him in glory." (Col. 3:4).
THE SECRET PLACE OF THE MOST HIGH
As we write these words we are very conscious of our
inability to comprehend, much less to attempt to explain, this
glorious mystery. Of necessity this must be so, inasmuch as we
write concerning things not seen as yet. We are confident,
therefore, that the glory of this heritage, when revealed, shall
far surpass our feeble attempt to explain or imagine what it
shall be like. This secret place shall be to those who fear Him.
It is a place in which we are shut away from the world, even
though dwelling right in the midst of its turmoil and its
dangers. A place where we can see the countenance of the
Bridgegroom, and hear His voice. "O my dove, that art in the
clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me
see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy
voice, and thy countenance is comely" (Song 2:14). Not only shall
our conference with the Lord be sweet and our communion unbroken
by the ravishes of the Great Tribulation, but the overcomer shall
know a protection and a shelter as real, and far more
wonderful--as that enjoyed by Noah's family in the ark.
"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall
abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord,
He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and
from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his
feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust; his truth shall
be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the
terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; nor for
the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction
that wasteth at noonday . . ." (Ps. 91:1-6). This is the secret
place of the Most High. It is His dwelling place, and it shall be
ours. It is not in Heaven, nor is it by way of rapture. But it is
that place of vital union with God by the Holy Spirit, which con-
stitutes one an overcomer even in the place of death and
desolation and judgment. "Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold
and see the reward of the wicked. . . ." We shall be right in the
very midst of earth's calamities, but in a place of rest and
shelter, in this abiding experience that Jesus told His disciples
about. God said, "I will set him on high, because he hath known
my name" (vs. 14). "The heavenlies in Christ Jesus" which we have
long talked about and admired and boasted about having, are going
to be appropriated by the Spirit even now in the midst of this
crooked and perverse generation.
The Overcomer, therefore, will live the very same life of
the only begotten Son of God. When the authorities tried to take
Him, they could not. He was right there in their very midst,
walking about in a visible, physical, tangible, earthly body; but
they had no power to touch Him. They sent officers to arrest Him,
but they were dumbfounded and returned without Him. Why? It was
during the Feast of Tabernacles, and Jesus would teach us by His
presence at this Feast some of the great spiritual truths which
are yet to transpire at the Real Feast of Tabernacles.
We can easily understand, therefore, how the Glorious Gospel
of Christ shall be proclaimed throughout the whole earth,
regardless of the opposition that shall be raised. There will not
be a country on earth that will be closed to this Gospel of the
Kingdom. It will be just as simple to proclaim the Truth in
Communist Russia as anywhere else on earth. The authorities will
send the police to arrest this strange personage that is so
boldly preaching Christ, and working the works of God, and he
will have disappeared; for he shall have been caught away in the
Spirit like Philip the evangelist. Or perhaps they will reach
forth their hands to take him, and he will disappear from their
view. They may rush upon him with sword or bayonet, and their
weapon will be blunted as truly as if they had charged an
armoured tank; for no weapoi, that is formed against him shall
prosper. They might fire a shot, and the bullet will glance off
his brow, as it would from a heavy plate of steel. They shall
poison his food, but it will be like adding vitamins to his diet.
They shall put the overcomer in prison, and by night the Angel of
the Lord will unlock the prison doors, bring the captive forth,
set him free, and then promptly lock the prison doors
again--leaving the guard in a very awkward situation. They shall
seek to prevent the Gospel from being proclaimed over the air;
and yet even without the aid of radio or transmitter the voice of
the overcomer shall be heard in the streets or in the homes, as
it penetrates the atmosphere at God's command and in God's place.
He shall be cast to the lions, or to fierce beasts, and the
beasts themselves shall become his best friends. He shall be
tossed into fiery flames of fire, and yet shall feel as
comfortable as he would in a warm living room on a cold day. If
there is no food, he shall call manna down from Heaven. If there
is a river to cross, he shall raise his hand, and the waters
shall roll back before him that he might walk over on dry land.
And "nothing shall be impossible" unto the man who believes! The
most powerful atom or hydrogen bombs ever invented shall be
perfectly harmless to the man who is hid away in the secret place
of the Most High.
(Indeed, all this God can perform for His people during the end
time tribulation, if it is the will of the Father, and at that
time I venture to say it will be His will for some of the saints
- Keith Hunt)
Can we not see, then, how simple a matter it will be for the
overcomer to administer help and comfort and deliverance to a
persecuted and suffering Church? For he shall be an overcomer in
the fulness of Christ's victory over the world, the flesh, and
the Devil. Sin, sickness, or death shall have no claim on him. He
will be even as his Lord and Master as He walked upon earth and
ministered among men. No man could take His life from Him. But He
testified, "I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down,
and I have power to take it again" (Jn. 10:18). So shall it be
with His "many brethren." If they lay down their life, it shall
be for the sake of the brethren and for the Truth; and as surely
as they lay it down, they shall take it again in greater glory
and fulness, nevermore to see corruption. No man could lay their
finger on Christ until His hour had come; and then He gave
Himself willingly that He might finish the work which God had
given Him to do. So it shall be with His many brethren. They
shall be completely triumphant over all the powers of darkness
that are arrayed against them--and shall in no wise partake of
the world's coming Tribulation, except to fulfill the works of
God on behalf of the Church. If they suffer or die, it shall be
for the brethren's sake, and according to the plan of God and the
power of Christ that worketh in them.
These things may sound fantastic to many Christians; but if
so it is only because God's people in this modern age are so
earthlyminded that they cannot appreciate nor understand the
realities of the Spirit. Many, many more miracles than we have
mentioned--or even imagined possible--shall be performed by the
Sons of God in the day of their manifestation. They will not even
require a glorified body in order to do these things. This, of
course, will become their heritage when their work on earth is
finished, just as in the case of Christ. But they will not
require a glorified body to work the works of Christ. Daniel was
human, even in the lions' den. The three Hebrew children had
flesh and blood the same as we all have--and yet the fire meant
nothing to them, except release from their bondage and a
visitation of One like unto the Son of Man. Philip was a natural
human being, with a natural body--and yet was caught away in the
Spirit without the aid of any human means of transportation.
Peter likewise, and yet the locked doors flew open and forth he
went out of the prison by the hand of the Angel of the Lord.
These things are really all quite simple and small, compared to
some of the unseen, unheard-of things that God has prepared for
those that love him. Jesus meant exactly what He said when He
promised: "Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of
mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to
yonder place; and it shall remove: and nothing shall be
impossible unto you" (Matt. 17:20).
THE LAST GREAT DAY OF THE FEAST
Perhaps we should describe in some detail the order of
events which transpired during the Feast of Tabernacles in the
days of Christ. This was the culminating festival of the year.
The Feast began, as we mentioned, with the Blowing of Trumpets,
followed by the Day of Atonement, and then culminated with the
Feast of Tabernacles. It was a time of great joy and hilarity and
gladness, for it was really a great Thanksgiving Festival for all
Israel, when the fruit of the land had been gathered in. Hence it
was called the Feast of Ingathering. The harvest was over, and
now they assembled in the streets and open places of Jerusalem to
observe the ordinances of the Lord, raising and thanking Him for
His goodness, singing the Psalms of avid, and keeping all the
rituals connected with the Feast.
In the days of Christ, other ceremonies were observed in
addition to those commanded in the Law. We are told that the
people, at the time of the morning sacrifice, would take
palm-branches and myrtle branches and willows, and with a citron
or some other fruit in their hands would make their way to the
temple, and march around the altar of burnt offering after the
manner of the children of Israel when they encompassed Jericho.
They would do this once daily, and then seven times on the
seventh day of the Feast.
Then there was the ceremony known as "The Pouring Out of
Water," which in all probability was in vogue in the time of
Christ. In the fulfillment of this ordinance, the priest would
take a golden vessel to the pool of Siloam at the time of
sacrifice, fill it with water, and carry it back to the temple
amidst the blowing of trumpets and shouts of joy. Then the water
would be mixed with the wine of the sacrifices and poured out
beside the altar, and from there conducted by a sewer into the
valley of Kidron. As this took place, there would be a quotation
from Isa. 12:3, "With joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of
salvation."
Truly it was a festival of great hilarity and gladness. If
there was any cause for sorrow in Israel, this was no day to make
it known. If there was disappointment, hunger, thirst--it was to
be forgotten on the occasion of this great Feast: the Feast of
joy, and unity, and rest, and prosperity, and gladness. But Jesus
was there, beholding all their demonstrations, and knowing full
well that these natural, earthly celebrations were but empty and
vain so far as Israel was concerned. He knew, too, that soon they
would pass away, and would find their fulfillment in a new and
living Feast which He himself had come to earth in order to bring
into being. He realized that their joy was only outward, and that
within the hearts of every true Israelite there was that empty
void which He alone could fill. He realized, also, that the hour
had now come when He must give the real meaning of their
festivities: and so we read these beautiful words:
"In the last day, that great day of the Feast, Jesus stood and
cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and
drink. He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out
of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake
he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive:
for the Holy Ghost was not yet given, because that Jesus was not
yet glorified") (Jn. 7:37-39).
On that day, we are told, it was customary for the priest to
quote this verse from Isaiah: "Therefore with joy shall ye draw
water out of the wells of salvation . . ." (Isa. 12:3). Do you
see, then, what the Lord would teach us? That the time would come
when men would no longer draw their experience from wells of
Divine provision, but an artesian fountain of living water would
rise up in the soul, and flow forth unto humanity in mighty
rivers of blessin and life. It is the healing, life-giving stream
that we read about in Ezekiel: "These waters issue out toward the
east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea:
which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be
healed. And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth,
which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live:
and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these
waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and
everything shall live whither the river cometh" (Ezek. 47:8,9).
Jesus said, "I will make you fishers of men." The coming
revival shall utterly eclipse anything we have ever read about in
the Bible or in Church history! This River of Life has been
flowing ever since Pentecost; we realize that; but soon it shall
empty into the mighty oceans of humanity, bringing life and
blessing to a dry and parched wilderness.
As the water was poured out on the altar, it was customary
for the priest to quote a portion from Isaiah twelve. In fact, it
is quite possible that he would have read the whole chapter. If
he did so, then he would have concluded with the words: "Cry out
and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of
Israel in the midst of thee." What irony there would be in those
words! He knew nothing of the true Messiah who stood right before
him; and yet there it was written, and he may have spoken forth
these words in utter ignorance of the truth they conveyed: "Great
is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee!" There He stood,
the Holy One of Israel, the very Fountain of Life, and the
Substance of all their ceremonies and festivities. He does the
same today. He stands in secret in our very midst, waiting , for
admittance. "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man
hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will
sup with him, and he with me" (Rev. 3:20).
RIVERS OF LIVING WATER
"Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall
ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and
rivers in the desert" (Isa. 43:19). We thank God for the taste we
have had from the Fountain of living water. But Jesus has
promised, "The water that I shall give him shall be in him a well
of water springing up into everlasting life" Jn. 4:14). Sad to
say, we have been like the fountain in the Song of Songs, "A
spring shut up, a fountain sealed" (Song 4:12). A fountain! But
shut up, sealed, frozen over. Abraham digged many good wells in
his day; but after his death we are told that the Philistines had
filled them in. Isaac found he had to dig them again before he
could take advantage of the refreshing waters that lay buried
under the rocks and dirt and filth which the enemy had tossed
into the wells. So it is with the Church of Christ, and the
fountain which Christ has created in the hearts of His people.
All the potentialities of this new life and this new experience
are right in our heart, locked up like the germ-life in the seed.
And therefore we profit nothing.
THE CORN OF WHEAT MUST DIE
Is it not written, "Except a corn of wheat fall into the
ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth
forth much fruit" (Jn. 12:24)? Notice the setting of this
beautiful statement. Andrew and Philip had just come and told the
Lord that "certain Greeks" had requested to "see Jesus." And this
was the Lord's astonishing reply: "Except a corn of wheat fall
into the ground and die, it abideth alone . . ." Strange reply!
But not hard to understand, when we begin to realize that Jesus
shall appear and shall be seen in His people through His Cross
and Resurrection. "We would see Jesus," said the Greeks. Then
they must see Him in the harvest which His death would bring into
being. They must see Him in the grain that would be reproduced
after His very likeness, in His very image. They would see Him in
His people! And the only way that we, as the people of God, are
going to manifest the life and resurrection power of Christ is by
becoming identified with Him in His cross. It is not sufficient
that we merely accept Christ and His finished work for us. Doing
that we are saved; but we "abide alone." We must share His
sufferings, identify ourselves with His Cross, so that it
actually becomes our very own - and then we shall rise in
resurrection life to bring forth much fruit unto the Kingdom.
"For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his
death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection"
(Rom. 6:5).
No wonder the apostle Paul who knew Christ, had personally
seen His Lord on the Damascus road, had talked with Him and heard
Him reply in an audible voice--yearned in the travail of his
spirit for this great manifestation: "That I may know him, and
the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his
sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; if by any
means I might attain unto the resurection of the dead." Or "the
out-resurrection from among the dead." (Phil. 3:10,11).
THE SCRIPTURE CANNOT BE BROKEN
Any true Christian would immediately rise up in arms if one
were to suggest that the Old Testament was not fulfilled, or
needed not to be fulfilled, in Christ. Jesus promised so
definitely: "All things must be fulfilled, which were written in
the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms,
concerning me" (Lk. 24:44). And yet it seems a most reasonable
and plausible thing to the whole body of evangelical Christianity
that the New Testament need not be fulfilled in Christ's Church.
Let us assure the saints everywhere that the New Testament is now
a part of the verbally-inspired Word of God; and Jesus has
declared emphatically: "The Scripture cannot be broken," and
again, "The Scriptures must be fulfilled" (Jn. 10:35; Mk. 14:49).
And if this is true of the Old Testament, how much more is it
true of the New Testament? Because the glory of the Old was to
pass away, but the glory of the New is to remain. (2 Cor.
3:9-11).
We are confident, therefore, that if Christ must minister
faithfully for many years amidst the scoffing and ridicule of
men, suffer the anguish of Gethsemane, die on a Roman cross, and
rise again from the dead, in order to fulfill the Old Covenant;
then it is positively essential that the Body of Christ rise from
the dust and desolation of her captivity, become identified with
the Death of Christ the Head, and rise again with Him to manifest
His glory and His power,--in order to fulfill the New Covenant.
Men will argue, What about the falling-away? What about the
apostasy? Is this not to be the condition of the Church in the
last days? Of course there is to be apostasy, as the apostle
prophesied.
And it has certainly come to pass. But we are speaking of
the true Church, the Body of Christ, the Sons of God, the
Overcomer, the Bride--the people of whom it was said: "To the
intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly
places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God"
(Eph. 3:10). And this must be fulfilled if the Scriptures cannot
be broken.
The apostle said, "To him be the glory in the Church and in
Christ Jesus unto all the generations of the age of the ages.
Amen" (Eph. 3:21, Literal). And the Scriptures must be fulfilled.
The New Covenant is destined to make of God's people, "the
epistle of Christ . . . written not with ink, but with the Spirit
of the living God" (2 Cor. 3:3). And the Scriptures must be
fulfilled.
The New Covenant has decreed that its holy precepts shall be
written upon the hearts and upon the minds of God's people. (Heb.
8:10). And the Scriptures must be fulfilled.
The New Covenant has provided a glory that abides, and grows
ever more illustrious, in contrast to the fading glory of the Law
of Moses. (2 Cor. 3:7,8). And the Scriptures must be fulfilled.
The New Covenant has prepared a panoply, a complete armour,
by which the saints are to be enabled to topple Satan and his
wicked hosts from their heavenly strongholds. (Eph. 6:11-18). And
the Scriptures must be fulfilled.
The New Covenant has commanded the saints of God to have the
same love, to be of one accord, to be of one mind, and to be per-
fectly joined together in the same judgment. (1 Cor. 1:10; Phil.
2:2). And the Scriptures must be fulfilled.
The New Covenant has established the Church as a Body,
functioning as genuinely and as perfectly as the members of the
human body, with Christ as the Head. (1 Cor. 12 to 14). And the
Scriptures must be fulfilled.
The New Covenant has ordained that the saints of God shall
grow into maturity and unto the knowledge of the Son of God, and
unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. (Eph.
4:12, 13). And the Scriptures must be fulfilled.
The New Covenant has decreed that after the successful
ministration of the gifts and ministries of the Spirit, the love
of God shall be manifest in the saints, taking the place of the
gifts. (1 Cor. 13). And the Scriptures must be fulfilled.
The New Covenant has ordained a place in Christ and a birth
by the Spirit, which shall completely banish sin from the heart,
and bring to pass a victory which knows no defeat. (1 Jn. 3:7-9).
And the Scriptures must be fulfilled.
The New Covenant has declared that the earnest expectation
of the Creation, and that the groans and travails of a world
under the curse of sin and death--shall find glorious release and
liberty in "the manifestation of the Sons of God" (Rom. 8:19-23).
And the Scriptures must be fulfilled.
Then, saints of God, let us not be like Moses, who put a
veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not
behold the glory on his countenance. And well he might! For that
glory was doomed to pass away! But ours is destined to become
ever more brilliant, and to shine even more and more unto the
Perfect Day. Let us therefore go forth ministering the Word of
Life with all boldness, prepared even to die the death of the
Cross in this hour of His betrayal, and knowing that as surely as
God raised Christ from the dead in the power of an endless life,
so surely shall we rise also with Him to walk in newness of life.
If men choose to remain where they are in their Christian
experience, then this message is not for them. Thank God that
they may eat of the manna that falls from Heaven, and drink of
the water that flows out of the rock, and receive healing and
strength for their journey. But sorry to say, they shall die in
the wilderness, and shall not see this good heritage of the
Spirit.
On the other hand, if some would arise and cross over Jordan
there shall be tremendous obstacles to overcome, there shall be
unseen dangers lurking in their pathway, and there shall be
powerful enemies to subdue. Nevertheless, theirs is a good spirit
which the Lord shall honor, and His Presence shall be their
protection. To them God would speak words of great encouragement:
"This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou
shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to
do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt
make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be
not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is
with thee whithersoever thou goest." (Josh. 1:8,9).
OURS IS A LEAPING FOUNTAIN
"A well of water leaping up into everlasting life . . ." (Jn.
4:14). This is Christ's promise to His people. We do not write
for the purpose of settling any doctrinal disputes; but simply
for those whose souls are thirsting for this living stream. If
men are content with their Passover experience, this is not for
them. If they are satisfied with their Pentecost experience, this
is not for them. Such contentment only proves that the Rivers of
Living Water have ceased to flow from their souls; for this
Fountain that Christ places within, if not cluttered up with the
mire of the Philistines, is a Fountain that is constantly leaping
up into everlasting life. Thank God for every measure of truth
and power and glory that God has restored to the Church from the
Reformation until now. But let it flow, child of God,--let it
surge forward until it becomes a mighty Amazon in this
desert-world of sin, sickness, and sorrow.
Said Jesus, "Out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of
living water." We are not looking forward, then, to some strange,
foreign power; some glory or some experience that does not really
belong to us. But we are awaiting the release of the Divine flow
which is now locked up in the hearts of God's people. We are "A
spring shut up, a fountain sealed . . ." The Church has passed
through a long, cold, arduous, and barren winter. But the
All-wise God has been the author of the winter; for He is working
out a great and a mighty plan:
"He giveth snow like wool; he scattereth the hoar frost like
ashes. He casteth forth his ice like morsels: who can stand
before his cold?" (Ps. 147:16,17).
Yes, the winter has been upon the Church for centuries. We
could not understand it; but God has intended it for the glory
and the triumph of those who shall be living in the day of
Spring! Already we can see the firstfruits of Spring and the
banishment of winter:
"He sendeth out his word, and melteth them: he causeth his wind
to blow, and the waters flow . . . He hath not dealt so with any
nation" (Ps. 147: 18,20).
The breezes of the Spirit are gently sweeping through the
Church; and with the winds of the Spirit, and the illumination of
the Sun of Righteousness, there is a melting. The ice and the
snow and the frost are melting, and dissolving, and flowing
together--to form this living stream from Lebanon. Therefore, let
us even now begin to rejoice in the New Day of Spring, as the
first rays of hope arise on the astern horizon:
"Lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers
appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come,
and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land; The fig
tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender
rape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come
away (Song 2:11-13).
THE END
......
Note:
You have had a lesson of the Feast of Tabernacles that is a
mighty profound insight for the indwelling of the spiritual
aspect of the Feast for all believers in Christ Jesus. Truly the
Feast of Tabernacles is much more than just the age that is to
come, albeit that truth of that age is also profound. Rejoice
saints of God in BOTH truths that pertain to the wonderful Feast
of Tabernacles.
Then remember there is YET ONE MORE Feast of the Lord - the 8th
day of Leviticus 23; that Feast is fully expounded for you in
various studies on this Website. That LAST feast is the glorious
truth for the millions, nay, the billions, who have lived and
died on this earth down through the centuries, who never had
their opportunity for salvation. One day, in the plan of God,
they will have that opportunity. And, praise the Lord, MOST will
find and enter the ONE WAY into eternal life, through the ONLY
name by which you can be saved - Christ Jesus!
Keith Hunt
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