Three times a year all your men must appear before the LORD your God at the place he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles. No man should appear before the LORD empty-handed: (Deuteronomy 16:16—NIV)
The feast of Unleavened Bread represents the first aspect of our salvation. This includes faith in
Christ, turning away from the world, being baptized in water, being born again of God, receiving eternal life.
We refer to the feast of Weeks as “Pentecost.” The Jewish feast of Pentecost represents our being filled with the Holy Spirit so we may have the power to bear witness, and so we may be able to gain victory over sin.
The third feast, the feast of Tabernacles, or Booths as it is sometimes called, is not very well known to most Christians. Historically, we now are entering the feast of Tabernacles.
The restoration of the spiritual fulfillment of Unleavened Bread began with the Protestant Reformation.
The restoration of the feast of Weeks (Pentecost) commenced at the turn of the twentieth century and has continued to the present.
Now it is time for the spiritual fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles.
The feast of Tabernacles is composed of three subfeasts:
The blowing of Trumpets
The Day of Atonement
The feast of Tabernacles proper.
The blowing of Trumpets portrays the coming of the King and the Kingdom of God to us; spiritual warfare; the organizing of the saints into an army; and the building up of the Body of Christ; and finally the descent from Heaven of Jesus Christ and His army of saints and holy angels to install the Kingdom of God on the earth.
The Day of Atonement portrays the period during which God deals with every aspect of sin in our personality until we are reconciled to God in actuality, not only in the legal reconciliation we have through the atoning blood of Jesus.
The feast of Tabernacles portrays the forming of Christ in us and then the coming of the Father and the Son to live forever in that which has been formed in us.
Let’s think about the blowing of Trumpets for a moment.
The blowing of Trumpets is the celebration that follows Pentecost. Since it is time now to move past Pentecost, we can expect to be hearing about and experiencing the coming of the King and the Kingdom of God to us; spiritual warfare; the organizing of the saints into an army; and the building up of the Body of Christ. There shall be a renewed emphasis on the descent from Heaven of Jesus and His army of saints and holy angels to install the Kingdom of God on the earth.
We are going to hear a lot about war—war against the sin in our life.
Our own assembly has been somewhat forward looking, not only in doctrine but also in praise and worship.
Our assembly, along with numerous other churches, have moved from the hymnbook to the modern choruses. In addition we have left the formal choir and have added pageantry, especially the use of banners and flags by the young people of the assembly. Mime has been included, also dancing. Some of the young people portray with arm motions the words of the choruses being sung. Tambourines are prominent.
To be continued.
Copyright © 1997-2006 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Where Are We?
And we know in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28—NIV)
“Called according to his purpose.”
Where are we in God’s eternal plan and purpose? We have been saved. We have been filled with God’s Spirit. What is next? Do the types of the Bible indicate what the Holy Spirit is doing in the present hour?
We think the major allegories and symbols of the Bible portray to us the work of the Holy Spirit as we enter the twenty-first century.
We see from the above that God has a purpose. He has not left it up to the believers to figure out how to get the world saved. God has a plan and purpose and He knows precisely what He is doing with every person born on the earth.
We need to understand this thoroughly as we enter the spiritual darkness, the age of moral horrors that is on the horizon.
The Old Testament contains many events and objects (biblical types) designed to assist us in understanding the spiritual realities of the Christian salvation.
These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. (I Corinthians 10:11—NIV)
Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, Trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things. (I Peter 1:10-12—NIV)
If we want to discover where we are today we need to turn to the events and objects (types) of the Old Testament. They portray God’s eternal plan and purpose in Jesus Christ.
As we understand it, there are four major types in the Old Testament:
The seven days of creation.
The Tabernacle of the Congregation
The journey of Israel from Egypt to Canaan.
The seven major feasts of the Lord.
Each of these four events and objects can be arranged into seven parts.
Each of these four portrays the Lord Jesus Christ, the personal salvation of the believer, the development of the Church, and the installation of the Kingdom of God on the earth.
In this present essay we will refer only to the feasts of the Lord and the journey of Israel, particularly the last aspects of these two types, and we shall stress their fulfillment in the believer.
The following verse sets forth the three divisions of the seven feasts of the Lord.
Three times a year all your men must appear before the LORD your God at the place he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles. No man should appear before the LORD empty-handed: (Deuteronomy 16:16—NIV)
To be continued.
Copyright © 1997-2005 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
“Called according to his purpose.”
Where are we in God’s eternal plan and purpose? We have been saved. We have been filled with God’s Spirit. What is next? Do the types of the Bible indicate what the Holy Spirit is doing in the present hour?
We think the major allegories and symbols of the Bible portray to us the work of the Holy Spirit as we enter the twenty-first century.
We see from the above that God has a purpose. He has not left it up to the believers to figure out how to get the world saved. God has a plan and purpose and He knows precisely what He is doing with every person born on the earth.
We need to understand this thoroughly as we enter the spiritual darkness, the age of moral horrors that is on the horizon.
The Old Testament contains many events and objects (biblical types) designed to assist us in understanding the spiritual realities of the Christian salvation.
These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. (I Corinthians 10:11—NIV)
Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, Trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things. (I Peter 1:10-12—NIV)
If we want to discover where we are today we need to turn to the events and objects (types) of the Old Testament. They portray God’s eternal plan and purpose in Jesus Christ.
As we understand it, there are four major types in the Old Testament:
The seven days of creation.
The Tabernacle of the Congregation
The journey of Israel from Egypt to Canaan.
The seven major feasts of the Lord.
Each of these four events and objects can be arranged into seven parts.
Each of these four portrays the Lord Jesus Christ, the personal salvation of the believer, the development of the Church, and the installation of the Kingdom of God on the earth.
In this present essay we will refer only to the feasts of the Lord and the journey of Israel, particularly the last aspects of these two types, and we shall stress their fulfillment in the believer.
The following verse sets forth the three divisions of the seven feasts of the Lord.
Three times a year all your men must appear before the LORD your God at the place he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles. No man should appear before the LORD empty-handed: (Deuteronomy 16:16—NIV)
To be continued.
Copyright © 1997-2005 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
The Blowing of Trumpets, #11
But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. (Malachi 3:2,3)
The Lord shall come suddenly to His temple, that is, to the hearts of the members of the royal priesthood.
The Lord’s coming is one coming. He has come and never shall leave. It is true that He ascended to Heaven and that He will appear in the clouds of glory and descend to the Mount of Olives. In another sense He, having once come, has never left. He always has been here wherever we have gathered together in His name.
Malachi is not describing a separate coming of the Lord but an aspect of the one coming. The Lord’s birth in the manger was one aspect of His coming. His death on the cross was another aspect. His bodily resurrection from the dead was another aspect. His ascension to the Father was another aspect. His shedding of the Holy Spirit on the waiting disciples was another aspect of the one coming.
His coming through the Spirit today is still another aspect of the one coming. He is coming, as John the Baptist promised, to baptize us with fire and to thoroughly cleanse His floor, burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire. He is laying the ax to the root of the cedars and oaks that have exalted themselves against the Lord, casting into the fire every tree not bringing forth good fruit (Matthew 3:10-12).
The Lord Jesus is refining the silver (redemption) and the gold (Divinity) that He has placed in the priesthood. He is purifying us with the fires of tribulation and persecution. He is like strong soap, washing away the stains of sin and rebellion.
Those who faithfully remain true to the Lord throughout the purifying process will then be able to offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through the Lord Jesus Christ; those who refuse and rebel will be visited with the fires of torment.
The hour is here. The King has come through the Holy Spirit to prepare His elect and the nations of the earth for His appearing in the clouds of glory with the saints and holy angels.
We must repent, confess our sins, and accept the prisons and crosses that God finds necessary for our purification.
The wheat and the tares are coming to maturity. Even now the tares are being removed from the Kingdom. First, the sins and rebellions are being removed from the personalities of those who are pressing forward in faith. Second, those who persist in their sins and rebellions will be removed from the Kingdom.
It is time to blow the trumpet in Zion. It is time to sound the alarm in God’s holy mountain. It is time to prepare the great and strong army of the Lord. Soon the army will descend with the Lord and the wicked will be ashes under the soles of the feet of God’s saints.
Let every believer in the Lord now turn to God with his whole heart, confessing his sins, repenting of his coldness, his complaining, his impatience, his faithlessness. Let the righteous rejoice and grow strong in the righteousness the Lord is giving.
The blowing of Trumpets announces the Day of Atonement, the reconciling to God of His creatures.
As soon as the reconciliation has been perfected, God can find His rest in us. The abiding of the Father and the Son in us is the spiritual fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles.
The invitation to the members of the Bride is to wash their robes and make them white in the blood of the Lamb; and to the nations of the earth to drink freely of the water of eternal life. All who partake of God’s salvation in Christ will receive the blessing of the Lord.
The individuals who choose to refuse and rebel against the Lord Jesus shall not have any part in the new world of righteousness and glory God has promised to those who love Him.
The trumpet is blowing in Zion! (from The Blowing of Trumpets)
Copyright © 1997-2005 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
The Lord shall come suddenly to His temple, that is, to the hearts of the members of the royal priesthood.
The Lord’s coming is one coming. He has come and never shall leave. It is true that He ascended to Heaven and that He will appear in the clouds of glory and descend to the Mount of Olives. In another sense He, having once come, has never left. He always has been here wherever we have gathered together in His name.
Malachi is not describing a separate coming of the Lord but an aspect of the one coming. The Lord’s birth in the manger was one aspect of His coming. His death on the cross was another aspect. His bodily resurrection from the dead was another aspect. His ascension to the Father was another aspect. His shedding of the Holy Spirit on the waiting disciples was another aspect of the one coming.
His coming through the Spirit today is still another aspect of the one coming. He is coming, as John the Baptist promised, to baptize us with fire and to thoroughly cleanse His floor, burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire. He is laying the ax to the root of the cedars and oaks that have exalted themselves against the Lord, casting into the fire every tree not bringing forth good fruit (Matthew 3:10-12).
The Lord Jesus is refining the silver (redemption) and the gold (Divinity) that He has placed in the priesthood. He is purifying us with the fires of tribulation and persecution. He is like strong soap, washing away the stains of sin and rebellion.
Those who faithfully remain true to the Lord throughout the purifying process will then be able to offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through the Lord Jesus Christ; those who refuse and rebel will be visited with the fires of torment.
The hour is here. The King has come through the Holy Spirit to prepare His elect and the nations of the earth for His appearing in the clouds of glory with the saints and holy angels.
We must repent, confess our sins, and accept the prisons and crosses that God finds necessary for our purification.
The wheat and the tares are coming to maturity. Even now the tares are being removed from the Kingdom. First, the sins and rebellions are being removed from the personalities of those who are pressing forward in faith. Second, those who persist in their sins and rebellions will be removed from the Kingdom.
It is time to blow the trumpet in Zion. It is time to sound the alarm in God’s holy mountain. It is time to prepare the great and strong army of the Lord. Soon the army will descend with the Lord and the wicked will be ashes under the soles of the feet of God’s saints.
Let every believer in the Lord now turn to God with his whole heart, confessing his sins, repenting of his coldness, his complaining, his impatience, his faithlessness. Let the righteous rejoice and grow strong in the righteousness the Lord is giving.
The blowing of Trumpets announces the Day of Atonement, the reconciling to God of His creatures.
As soon as the reconciliation has been perfected, God can find His rest in us. The abiding of the Father and the Son in us is the spiritual fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles.
The invitation to the members of the Bride is to wash their robes and make them white in the blood of the Lamb; and to the nations of the earth to drink freely of the water of eternal life. All who partake of God’s salvation in Christ will receive the blessing of the Lord.
The individuals who choose to refuse and rebel against the Lord Jesus shall not have any part in the new world of righteousness and glory God has promised to those who love Him.
The trumpet is blowing in Zion! (from The Blowing of Trumpets)
Copyright © 1997-2005 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
The Blowing of Trumpets, #10
Who is this King of Glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of Glory. Selah. (Psalms 24:10)
Jesus is the King! When we move past Pentecost to the blowing of Trumpets we are approaching the coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth.
The Jewish calendar has two overlapping years. Passover marks the beginning of one year. Rosh Hashanah, which takes place on the first day of the seventh month of the year that begins with Passover, is the first day of another year. Passover is New Year’s Day of one year. Rosh Hashanah is New Year’s Day of an overlapping year.
The year that commences with Passover typifies the year of spiritual redemption. The year that commences with Rosh Hashanah typifies the year of the Kingdom of God.
Rosh Hashanah, the time of the blowing of Trumpets, portrays the beginning of the Kingdom of God in the earth.
The feast of Passover marks the beginning of the religious year of feasts and ceremonies. The year that commences with Rosh Hashanah is the year of kings and contracts. It is the year of doing business.
Rosh Hashanah is the beginning of the agricultural year. The rains for the fall planting are at hand.
The King is coming today, not in the clouds of glory as He will in the near future, but in the spirit realm. The nation of Israel, the members of the Christian churches, the nations of the earth—all will feel the power of His coming. He is coming to judge the world. These judgments, as we stated previously, are portrayed by the seven trumpets of the Book of Revelation.
The effects of the Divine judgment will be felt by all; but the redemptive aspect of the judgment is directed at present toward a firstfruits of the Lord’s people, as in the type of Gideon’s remnant. God will bring a remnant through the fire, and then use that remnant as the Divine standard and source of deliverance in the earth for all of God’s Israel and for the nations of the saved.
And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God. (Zechariah 13:9)
Isaiah spoke of the day in which we are living:
The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? (Isaiah 33:14)
Again, in Joel:
Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand; (Joel 2:1)
Again, in Isaiah:
Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. (Isaiah 58:1)
The time has come for the purifying of the Lord’s royal priesthood.
Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. (Malachi 3:1)
The “messenger” was John the Baptist. The Lord, the “messenger of the covenant,” is the Servant of the Lord—Christ.
To be continued.
Copyright © 1997-2005 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
For the entire article see
www.wor.org
YBIC,
RBT
Jesus is the King! When we move past Pentecost to the blowing of Trumpets we are approaching the coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth.
The Jewish calendar has two overlapping years. Passover marks the beginning of one year. Rosh Hashanah, which takes place on the first day of the seventh month of the year that begins with Passover, is the first day of another year. Passover is New Year’s Day of one year. Rosh Hashanah is New Year’s Day of an overlapping year.
The year that commences with Passover typifies the year of spiritual redemption. The year that commences with Rosh Hashanah typifies the year of the Kingdom of God.
Rosh Hashanah, the time of the blowing of Trumpets, portrays the beginning of the Kingdom of God in the earth.
The feast of Passover marks the beginning of the religious year of feasts and ceremonies. The year that commences with Rosh Hashanah is the year of kings and contracts. It is the year of doing business.
Rosh Hashanah is the beginning of the agricultural year. The rains for the fall planting are at hand.
The King is coming today, not in the clouds of glory as He will in the near future, but in the spirit realm. The nation of Israel, the members of the Christian churches, the nations of the earth—all will feel the power of His coming. He is coming to judge the world. These judgments, as we stated previously, are portrayed by the seven trumpets of the Book of Revelation.
The effects of the Divine judgment will be felt by all; but the redemptive aspect of the judgment is directed at present toward a firstfruits of the Lord’s people, as in the type of Gideon’s remnant. God will bring a remnant through the fire, and then use that remnant as the Divine standard and source of deliverance in the earth for all of God’s Israel and for the nations of the saved.
And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God. (Zechariah 13:9)
Isaiah spoke of the day in which we are living:
The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? (Isaiah 33:14)
Again, in Joel:
Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand; (Joel 2:1)
Again, in Isaiah:
Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. (Isaiah 58:1)
The time has come for the purifying of the Lord’s royal priesthood.
Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. (Malachi 3:1)
The “messenger” was John the Baptist. The Lord, the “messenger of the covenant,” is the Servant of the Lord—Christ.
To be continued.
Copyright © 1997-2005 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
For the entire article see
www.wor.org
YBIC,
RBT
Monday, January 16, 2006
The Blowing of Trumpets, #9
Who is this King of Glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. (Psalms 24:8)
Christ is the “King of Glory.” To the obedient saint, the one who permits Jesus to have His way in him, there will be given glory beyond all comprehension.
We have not known the warrior aspect of the Personality of Christ. We may conceive of Him as the gentle Shepherd or the wise Teacher. But the King of Glory! The Lord mighty in battle! This we do not understand. The poison of humanism that has filtered into Christian thinking prevents us from perceiving correctly the harshness of the passages of Scripture that are directed toward God’s enemies.
According to the parables of Jesus, the outraged king on his return will slay his enemies (compare Luke 19:27). So it is in the Kingdom. The wicked will be crushed. The Kingdom of God is not a democracy, it is a kingdom that wages total war against the enemy.
The Lord is “strong and mighty.” We are not able to drive out of ourselves the love of the world, the love of sin, or the love of self-will. The Lord Jesus is strong enough to overcome the darkness in us and to bring us forth in His image.
The Lord Jesus is “mighty in battle.” It is important for the Christians to understand the degree of darkness that is in us. Lawlessness, rebellion, and lustful self-centeredness proceed from the enemies of God. These are not human imperfections alone, they are spiritual enemies. They can be overcome only by relentless war waged against them by a superior, wiser power. That Power is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of Glory shall come in. (Psalms 24:9)
Again, the Spirit of Christ in David exhorts us to open our heart to Himself. The elements of our redemption which we have experienced thus far, the Passover blood of protection, repentance, water baptism, the baptism with the Holy Spirit, have meaning only in terms of the promised redemption. They are as a seal, a pledge on the redemption that comes to us when the King of Glory enters us and drives out all the spiritual darkness that has held us in the chains of rebellion, corruption, and death.
Let us not repeat the tragic error of the Jews. The Jews hope for Christ and for the glorious new world to come. But when Christ came they rejected Him because He did not come in the manner their scholars had anticipated. He was born in a stable and died on the cross.
The same danger confronts us Christians. We hope for perfect redemption from the power and corruption of sin and for the glorious new world to come. Let us make sure we do not reject the present-day aspects of the Divine redemption when they do not come in the manner our scholars have anticipated.
Because redemption is coming to us in the ordinary struggles and facts of our life; because there is personal pain involved as the Lord brings down to death the elements in us that keep us in slavery; and because the glory is not being given to us in a rainbow-burst of love and joy in a paradisiac environment; we may tend to ignore what God is doing, just as the Jews ignored the Presence and Word of Jesus of Nazareth.
To be continued.
Copyright © 1997-2005 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Visit www.wor.org for more information.
YBIC,
RBT
Christ is the “King of Glory.” To the obedient saint, the one who permits Jesus to have His way in him, there will be given glory beyond all comprehension.
We have not known the warrior aspect of the Personality of Christ. We may conceive of Him as the gentle Shepherd or the wise Teacher. But the King of Glory! The Lord mighty in battle! This we do not understand. The poison of humanism that has filtered into Christian thinking prevents us from perceiving correctly the harshness of the passages of Scripture that are directed toward God’s enemies.
According to the parables of Jesus, the outraged king on his return will slay his enemies (compare Luke 19:27). So it is in the Kingdom. The wicked will be crushed. The Kingdom of God is not a democracy, it is a kingdom that wages total war against the enemy.
The Lord is “strong and mighty.” We are not able to drive out of ourselves the love of the world, the love of sin, or the love of self-will. The Lord Jesus is strong enough to overcome the darkness in us and to bring us forth in His image.
The Lord Jesus is “mighty in battle.” It is important for the Christians to understand the degree of darkness that is in us. Lawlessness, rebellion, and lustful self-centeredness proceed from the enemies of God. These are not human imperfections alone, they are spiritual enemies. They can be overcome only by relentless war waged against them by a superior, wiser power. That Power is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of Glory shall come in. (Psalms 24:9)
Again, the Spirit of Christ in David exhorts us to open our heart to Himself. The elements of our redemption which we have experienced thus far, the Passover blood of protection, repentance, water baptism, the baptism with the Holy Spirit, have meaning only in terms of the promised redemption. They are as a seal, a pledge on the redemption that comes to us when the King of Glory enters us and drives out all the spiritual darkness that has held us in the chains of rebellion, corruption, and death.
Let us not repeat the tragic error of the Jews. The Jews hope for Christ and for the glorious new world to come. But when Christ came they rejected Him because He did not come in the manner their scholars had anticipated. He was born in a stable and died on the cross.
The same danger confronts us Christians. We hope for perfect redemption from the power and corruption of sin and for the glorious new world to come. Let us make sure we do not reject the present-day aspects of the Divine redemption when they do not come in the manner our scholars have anticipated.
Because redemption is coming to us in the ordinary struggles and facts of our life; because there is personal pain involved as the Lord brings down to death the elements in us that keep us in slavery; and because the glory is not being given to us in a rainbow-burst of love and joy in a paradisiac environment; we may tend to ignore what God is doing, just as the Jews ignored the Presence and Word of Jesus of Nazareth.
To be continued.
Copyright © 1997-2005 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Visit www.wor.org for more information.
YBIC,
RBT
Sunday, January 15, 2006
The Blowing of Trumpets, #9
Who is this King of Glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. (Psalms 24:8)
Christ is the “King of Glory.” To the obedient saint, the one who permits Jesus to have His way in him, there will be given glory beyond all comprehension.
We have not known the warrior aspect of the Personality of Christ. We may conceive of Him as the gentle Shepherd or the wise Teacher. But the King of Glory! The Lord mighty in battle! This we do not understand. The poison of humanism that has filtered into Christian thinking prevents us from perceiving correctly the harshness of the passages of Scripture that are directed toward God’s enemies.
According to the parables of Jesus, the outraged king on his return will slay his enemies (compare Luke 19:27). So it is in the Kingdom. The wicked will be crushed. The Kingdom of God is not a democracy, it is a kingdom that wages total war against the enemy.
The Lord is “strong and mighty.” We are not able to drive out of ourselves the love of the world, the love of sin, or the love of self-will. The Lord Jesus is strong enough to overcome the darkness in us and to bring us forth in His image.
The Lord Jesus is “mighty in battle.” It is important for the Christians to understand the degree of darkness that is in us. Lawlessness, rebellion, and lustful self-centeredness proceed from the enemies of God. These are not human imperfections alone, they are spiritual enemies. They can be overcome only by relentless war waged against them by a superior, wiser power. That Power is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of Glory shall come in. (Psalms 24:9)
Again, the Spirit of Christ in David exhorts us to open our heart to Himself. The elements of our redemption which we have experienced thus far, the Passover blood of protection, repentance, water baptism, the baptism with the Holy Spirit, have meaning only in terms of the promised redemption. They are as a seal, a pledge on the redemption that comes to us when the King of Glory enters us and drives out all the spiritual darkness that has held us in the chains of rebellion, corruption, and death.
Let us not repeat the tragic error of the Jews. The Jews hope for Christ and for the glorious new world to come. But when Christ came they rejected Him because He did not come in the manner their scholars had anticipated. He was born in a stable and died on the cross.
The same danger confronts us Christians. We hope for perfect redemption from the power and corruption of sin and for the glorious new world to come. Let us make sure we do not reject the present-day aspects of the Divine redemption when they do not come in the manner our scholars have anticipated.
Because redemption is coming to us in the ordinary struggles and facts of our life; because there is personal pain involved as the Lord brings down to death the elements in us that keep us in slavery; and because the glory is not being given to us in a rainbow-burst of love and joy in a paradisiac environment; we may tend to ignore what God is doing, just as the Jews ignored the Presence and Word of Jesus of Nazareth.
To be continued.
Copyright © 1997-2005 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
YBIC,
RBT
Christ is the “King of Glory.” To the obedient saint, the one who permits Jesus to have His way in him, there will be given glory beyond all comprehension.
We have not known the warrior aspect of the Personality of Christ. We may conceive of Him as the gentle Shepherd or the wise Teacher. But the King of Glory! The Lord mighty in battle! This we do not understand. The poison of humanism that has filtered into Christian thinking prevents us from perceiving correctly the harshness of the passages of Scripture that are directed toward God’s enemies.
According to the parables of Jesus, the outraged king on his return will slay his enemies (compare Luke 19:27). So it is in the Kingdom. The wicked will be crushed. The Kingdom of God is not a democracy, it is a kingdom that wages total war against the enemy.
The Lord is “strong and mighty.” We are not able to drive out of ourselves the love of the world, the love of sin, or the love of self-will. The Lord Jesus is strong enough to overcome the darkness in us and to bring us forth in His image.
The Lord Jesus is “mighty in battle.” It is important for the Christians to understand the degree of darkness that is in us. Lawlessness, rebellion, and lustful self-centeredness proceed from the enemies of God. These are not human imperfections alone, they are spiritual enemies. They can be overcome only by relentless war waged against them by a superior, wiser power. That Power is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of Glory shall come in. (Psalms 24:9)
Again, the Spirit of Christ in David exhorts us to open our heart to Himself. The elements of our redemption which we have experienced thus far, the Passover blood of protection, repentance, water baptism, the baptism with the Holy Spirit, have meaning only in terms of the promised redemption. They are as a seal, a pledge on the redemption that comes to us when the King of Glory enters us and drives out all the spiritual darkness that has held us in the chains of rebellion, corruption, and death.
Let us not repeat the tragic error of the Jews. The Jews hope for Christ and for the glorious new world to come. But when Christ came they rejected Him because He did not come in the manner their scholars had anticipated. He was born in a stable and died on the cross.
The same danger confronts us Christians. We hope for perfect redemption from the power and corruption of sin and for the glorious new world to come. Let us make sure we do not reject the present-day aspects of the Divine redemption when they do not come in the manner our scholars have anticipated.
Because redemption is coming to us in the ordinary struggles and facts of our life; because there is personal pain involved as the Lord brings down to death the elements in us that keep us in slavery; and because the glory is not being given to us in a rainbow-burst of love and joy in a paradisiac environment; we may tend to ignore what God is doing, just as the Jews ignored the Presence and Word of Jesus of Nazareth.
To be continued.
Copyright © 1997-2005 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
YBIC,
RBT
Thursday, January 12, 2006
The Blowing of Trumpets, #8
Seventy sevens are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy. (Daniel 9:24—NIV)
So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. (Hebrews 9:28—NIV)
God has promised that in the last days He will remove the presence of sin from His Church, and from the nations of saved peoples of the earth. Righteousness will be imputed to those who cooperate with the Lord Jesus as He, through the Holy Spirit, drives out of us the love of the world, the love of sin, and the love of self-centeredness.
Righteousness will not be imputed to the individual who maintains that since he believes in the atonement made by Jesus he is righteous even though he is not following the Lord Jesus with a pure heart. God will not impute righteousness to him, in spite of his profession of faith, because he is not obeying God in all matters.
This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah. (Psalms 24:6)
The idea here is related to the oft-repeated exhortation of the second and third chapters of the Book of Revelation: “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches” (Revelation 3:6).
The believer who intends to press on past Pentecost to the fulfillment of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles, must seek the face of the Lord Jesus until he has an ear to hear what the Spirit of God is saying to the churches.
It is not enough to continue in our religious practices, even if those practices include unremitting service in the Lord’s vineyard. There must be an intense seeking of the Lord, although it may mean letting go of some of our activities and our status in our religion, as the Lord leads.
There must be a seeking of the Lord. Seeking the Lord requires time and concentration. Seeking the face of the Lord can be difficult, especially if we have been accustomed to uttering hasty prayers as we carry out numerous responsibilities.
The Lord is doing a new thing today. He is preparing the nation of Israel, the Christian Church, and the nations of the earth for His coming to the earth as King of all kings and Lord of all lords. There will be an increase in our understanding and some changes in the manner in which we are accustomed to doing things. Guesswork is not enough. Good intentions are not enough. We must hear from God.
It is the generation that seeks the face of the Lord that will succeed in ruling in Zion.
Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of Glory shall come in. (Psalms 24:7)
The everlasting doors are the doors of the hearts of people. The Lord Jesus, the King of Glory, has come through the Spirit to the personality of each member of the elect. If we open our heart to Him He will enter and drive out what is not pleasing to Himself. Every other god must leave. Jesus alone is to be exalted on the throne of our life. The coming of the King of Glory is the spiritual fulfillment of the Old Testament blowing of Trumpets.
To be continued.
Copyright © 1997-2005 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Your Brother in Christ,
RBT
So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. (Hebrews 9:28—NIV)
God has promised that in the last days He will remove the presence of sin from His Church, and from the nations of saved peoples of the earth. Righteousness will be imputed to those who cooperate with the Lord Jesus as He, through the Holy Spirit, drives out of us the love of the world, the love of sin, and the love of self-centeredness.
Righteousness will not be imputed to the individual who maintains that since he believes in the atonement made by Jesus he is righteous even though he is not following the Lord Jesus with a pure heart. God will not impute righteousness to him, in spite of his profession of faith, because he is not obeying God in all matters.
This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah. (Psalms 24:6)
The idea here is related to the oft-repeated exhortation of the second and third chapters of the Book of Revelation: “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches” (Revelation 3:6).
The believer who intends to press on past Pentecost to the fulfillment of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles, must seek the face of the Lord Jesus until he has an ear to hear what the Spirit of God is saying to the churches.
It is not enough to continue in our religious practices, even if those practices include unremitting service in the Lord’s vineyard. There must be an intense seeking of the Lord, although it may mean letting go of some of our activities and our status in our religion, as the Lord leads.
There must be a seeking of the Lord. Seeking the Lord requires time and concentration. Seeking the face of the Lord can be difficult, especially if we have been accustomed to uttering hasty prayers as we carry out numerous responsibilities.
The Lord is doing a new thing today. He is preparing the nation of Israel, the Christian Church, and the nations of the earth for His coming to the earth as King of all kings and Lord of all lords. There will be an increase in our understanding and some changes in the manner in which we are accustomed to doing things. Guesswork is not enough. Good intentions are not enough. We must hear from God.
It is the generation that seeks the face of the Lord that will succeed in ruling in Zion.
Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of Glory shall come in. (Psalms 24:7)
The everlasting doors are the doors of the hearts of people. The Lord Jesus, the King of Glory, has come through the Spirit to the personality of each member of the elect. If we open our heart to Him He will enter and drive out what is not pleasing to Himself. Every other god must leave. Jesus alone is to be exalted on the throne of our life. The coming of the King of Glory is the spiritual fulfillment of the Old Testament blowing of Trumpets.
To be continued.
Copyright © 1997-2005 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Your Brother in Christ,
RBT
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
The Blowing of Trumpets, #7
It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore. (Psalms 133:3—NIV)
The blessing of the Lord is eternal life. Eternal life is the result of righteous, holy, and obedient conduct. The grace of our Lord Jesus leads us in paths of righteousness so we may inherit eternal life. The person who walks in righteousness “shall receive . . . righteousness from the God of his salvation.”
If he walks in righteousness, not lifting up his soul to vanity nor swearing deceitfully, why is it that he then receives righteousness? If he practices righteous conduct, why is it necessary for righteousness to be given to him?
The answer is, righteousness is not conformity to a set of religious principles. Righteousness is what God accepts and approves.
In the ultimate sense, all righteousness is imputed. One cannot present himself as righteous before the Lord on the basis of his own uprightness of character because God retains the authority and power to determine who is righteous and who is not.
For example, Abraham attempted to sell his wife, and Rahab the harlot told an outright lie (Joshua 2:5). Neither of these are acts of righteousness. Yet both Abraham and Rahab are listed among the heroes of faith of Hebrews, Chapter Eleven.
It is not our conformity to a code of behavior that establishes us in righteousness (except as judged by our own religion). It is God, and God alone, who imputes the only true righteousness.
Therefore in order for an individual to be truly righteous, God must regard him as being righteous. Even though he has clean hands and a pure heart he must receive righteousness from the God of his salvation.
The problem has arisen because theologians have reasoned that if God alone imputes righteousness it is not critically important how people behave. Such thinking is a warping of Divine truth.
God commands us from Genesis to Revelation to practice righteousness, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God. If we do this in the fear of God and by His help, God will impute (ascribe) righteousness to us.
Under the new covenant we must accept by faith the blood atonement made by the Lord Jesus.
The Jews appear to be at fault here in that they are not continuing the blood sacrifices commanded by the Law. They have abandoned the necessary animal sacrifices and yet will not receive the blood atonement made by Jesus. How can God ascribe righteousness to them when they are obeying neither Moses nor Jesus?
As we have said, God has commanded us to accept by faith the blood atonement made by the Lord Jesus. When we do this, God imputes righteousness to us because we have obeyed Him and because of the Virtue of the atoning blood.
Men have reasoned from this that we now are righteous because of the atonement made by the Lord Jesus and therefore have no need to obey the moral principles written in the New Testament.
This is false! God has ascribed righteousness to us because we have obeyed Him in receiving the blood atonement by faith. We also must obey Him in everything else He has commanded through the Apostles of the Lamb.
The Christian believers have obeyed God by receiving the atonement by faith. But they have not obeyed God, in many instances, in laying down their life, taking up their cross, and following Jesus. They have not obeyed God in presenting their body a living sacrifice to God. They have obeyed God in one aspect of the new covenant but not in another. Therefore righteousness is not ascribed to them.
To be continued.
Copyright © 1997-2005 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
YBIC,
RBT
The blessing of the Lord is eternal life. Eternal life is the result of righteous, holy, and obedient conduct. The grace of our Lord Jesus leads us in paths of righteousness so we may inherit eternal life. The person who walks in righteousness “shall receive . . . righteousness from the God of his salvation.”
If he walks in righteousness, not lifting up his soul to vanity nor swearing deceitfully, why is it that he then receives righteousness? If he practices righteous conduct, why is it necessary for righteousness to be given to him?
The answer is, righteousness is not conformity to a set of religious principles. Righteousness is what God accepts and approves.
In the ultimate sense, all righteousness is imputed. One cannot present himself as righteous before the Lord on the basis of his own uprightness of character because God retains the authority and power to determine who is righteous and who is not.
For example, Abraham attempted to sell his wife, and Rahab the harlot told an outright lie (Joshua 2:5). Neither of these are acts of righteousness. Yet both Abraham and Rahab are listed among the heroes of faith of Hebrews, Chapter Eleven.
It is not our conformity to a code of behavior that establishes us in righteousness (except as judged by our own religion). It is God, and God alone, who imputes the only true righteousness.
Therefore in order for an individual to be truly righteous, God must regard him as being righteous. Even though he has clean hands and a pure heart he must receive righteousness from the God of his salvation.
The problem has arisen because theologians have reasoned that if God alone imputes righteousness it is not critically important how people behave. Such thinking is a warping of Divine truth.
God commands us from Genesis to Revelation to practice righteousness, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God. If we do this in the fear of God and by His help, God will impute (ascribe) righteousness to us.
Under the new covenant we must accept by faith the blood atonement made by the Lord Jesus.
The Jews appear to be at fault here in that they are not continuing the blood sacrifices commanded by the Law. They have abandoned the necessary animal sacrifices and yet will not receive the blood atonement made by Jesus. How can God ascribe righteousness to them when they are obeying neither Moses nor Jesus?
As we have said, God has commanded us to accept by faith the blood atonement made by the Lord Jesus. When we do this, God imputes righteousness to us because we have obeyed Him and because of the Virtue of the atoning blood.
Men have reasoned from this that we now are righteous because of the atonement made by the Lord Jesus and therefore have no need to obey the moral principles written in the New Testament.
This is false! God has ascribed righteousness to us because we have obeyed Him in receiving the blood atonement by faith. We also must obey Him in everything else He has commanded through the Apostles of the Lamb.
The Christian believers have obeyed God by receiving the atonement by faith. But they have not obeyed God, in many instances, in laying down their life, taking up their cross, and following Jesus. They have not obeyed God in presenting their body a living sacrifice to God. They have obeyed God in one aspect of the new covenant but not in another. Therefore righteousness is not ascribed to them.
To be continued.
Copyright © 1997-2005 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
YBIC,
RBT
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
The Blowing of Trumpets, #6
For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Romans 8:29—NIV)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (II Corinthians 5;17—NIV)
Do you see the difference between regarding ascribed righteousness as a new way in which God deals with people, as distinguished from ascribed righteousness as a temporary provision while we are undergoing a transformation from moral chaos into the image of Christ?
Ascribed righteousness is not intended to be a permanent condition by which God is able to have fellowship with untransformed sons of Adam. Ascribed righteousness is a means of shielding the believer from God’s wrath while Christ is building a new creation.
We are to keep the Words of Jesus and do what He commanded us, obtaining the necessary help from the Holy Spirit. Our efforts in the Lord bring to us a measure of sanctification, and the blood of the Lord makes up the difference between our conduct and the standard of conduct God requires.
Now the Lord is appearing to His people and completing the work of removing from us the love of the world, the love of sin, and the love of self-will. Our cooperation in the work of judgment and cleansing is necessary to the process. Israel must fight in order to overcome the enemies in the land of promise, the satanic adversaries presently occupying our inheritance.
Ascribed righteousness does not enable us to ascend the hill of the Lord, to stand in His holy place. Rather, ascribed righteousness suspends the wrath of God until we gain, through Christ, the spiritual strength to overcome the love of the world, the love of sin, and the love of self-will.
Then, as we overcome sin and grow in the holy ways of the Lord, we are able to ascend the hill of the Lord, into Zion, into eternal life. This is the true relationship between the grace that Paul taught and the moral conduct taught by Paul and all the other writers of Scripture.
Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
“He who has clean hands, and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to vanity nor sworn deceitfully.” God’s moral requirements never change.
Our hands are defiled when we practice immorality or violence or drunkenness.
Our heart is not pure when we dwell on lustful thoughts, or conceive evil against our neighbor, or harbor real or imagined insults, or entertain grudges, revenge, envy, jealousy, or covetousness.
Our soul is not right in us when we seek to exalt our lawless and lying self, pushing forward in our self-will and self-centeredness as we attempt to force people, circumstances, and God Himself to conform to our desires.
We are as a serpent when we strive to twist the simple truth, hoping through our multitude of words to convince people our scheming actually is righteous and worthy.
God is interested in actual righteousness. God has fellowship with those who love Him and keep His commandments. He hears the prayers of those who walk uprightly, who speak the truth, and who love mercy. But the ungodly never shall stand in the Presence of our holy God whether or not they name the name of Jesus.
He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. (Psalms 24:5)
To be continued.
Copyright © 1997-2005 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
YBIC,
RBT
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (II Corinthians 5;17—NIV)
Do you see the difference between regarding ascribed righteousness as a new way in which God deals with people, as distinguished from ascribed righteousness as a temporary provision while we are undergoing a transformation from moral chaos into the image of Christ?
Ascribed righteousness is not intended to be a permanent condition by which God is able to have fellowship with untransformed sons of Adam. Ascribed righteousness is a means of shielding the believer from God’s wrath while Christ is building a new creation.
We are to keep the Words of Jesus and do what He commanded us, obtaining the necessary help from the Holy Spirit. Our efforts in the Lord bring to us a measure of sanctification, and the blood of the Lord makes up the difference between our conduct and the standard of conduct God requires.
Now the Lord is appearing to His people and completing the work of removing from us the love of the world, the love of sin, and the love of self-will. Our cooperation in the work of judgment and cleansing is necessary to the process. Israel must fight in order to overcome the enemies in the land of promise, the satanic adversaries presently occupying our inheritance.
Ascribed righteousness does not enable us to ascend the hill of the Lord, to stand in His holy place. Rather, ascribed righteousness suspends the wrath of God until we gain, through Christ, the spiritual strength to overcome the love of the world, the love of sin, and the love of self-will.
Then, as we overcome sin and grow in the holy ways of the Lord, we are able to ascend the hill of the Lord, into Zion, into eternal life. This is the true relationship between the grace that Paul taught and the moral conduct taught by Paul and all the other writers of Scripture.
Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
“He who has clean hands, and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to vanity nor sworn deceitfully.” God’s moral requirements never change.
Our hands are defiled when we practice immorality or violence or drunkenness.
Our heart is not pure when we dwell on lustful thoughts, or conceive evil against our neighbor, or harbor real or imagined insults, or entertain grudges, revenge, envy, jealousy, or covetousness.
Our soul is not right in us when we seek to exalt our lawless and lying self, pushing forward in our self-will and self-centeredness as we attempt to force people, circumstances, and God Himself to conform to our desires.
We are as a serpent when we strive to twist the simple truth, hoping through our multitude of words to convince people our scheming actually is righteous and worthy.
God is interested in actual righteousness. God has fellowship with those who love Him and keep His commandments. He hears the prayers of those who walk uprightly, who speak the truth, and who love mercy. But the ungodly never shall stand in the Presence of our holy God whether or not they name the name of Jesus.
He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. (Psalms 24:5)
To be continued.
Copyright © 1997-2005 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
YBIC,
RBT
Monday, January 09, 2006
The Blowing of Trumpets, #5
Whose voice then shook the earth [at Sinai]: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. (Hebrews 12:26)
The Blowing of Trumpets announces the coming of King Jesus. All of God’s created works will tremble at the Presence of the Lord Jesus. All of the works of man will be removed.
Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? (Psalms 24:3)
The most worthwhile effort that can be made by a human being is to ascend the hill of the Lord. The world and Satan strive endlessly to fascinate human beings, to secure their worship, their interest, their love. But all is vanity. There is no lasting joy, no peace, no love anywhere except in Zion, in the Presence of the Father. The only true goal of the human being is rest in the Presence of the Father. All else is worthless and less than worthless.
Who is able to stand in the Presence of Jesus, and through Jesus come to the Father?
He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. (Psalms 24:4)
The doctrine of grace preached by the early apostles offers righteousness to each person who will place his or her faith in the atonement made by the Lord Jesus on the cross of Calvary. The doctrine of grace and of complete forgiveness through the blood of Jesus comes from God in Heaven.
By faith we receive an imputed (ascribed) righteousness. We have not been able or willing to keep the Law of Moses but the Lord Jesus has been able. Through our faith the righteous behavior of Jesus is ascribed to us. When God looks at us He sees the righteousness of His beloved Son, provided we are following the Holy Spirit in overcoming the world, the lusts of our flesh, and our self-will.
However, Paul’s doctrine of grace has been perverted. The current understanding is that grace and faith are new ways in which God relates to people. The moral principles of the Old Testament no longer are stressed. What is emphasized today is a state of ascribed righteousness in which the believer claims the covering of the righteousness of Jesus but is not participating in the work of moral transformation. This interpretation of Divine grace comes from man’s love for himself.
The problem is not the principle of ascribed righteousness. The problem occurs when we regard ascribed righteousness as a permanent state. Our transformation into the image of Christ, which is the nature and purpose of the Divine redemption, is given a sort of careless acknowledgment.
What has been the result of stressing ascribed righteousness, virtually excluding an awareness of our need for transformation into the image of the Lord? The result has been multiplied thousands of spiritual babies who have little or no fellowship with God because they are ignorant of the principles of righteous, holy living.
How has this error come about?
The perversion of Divine grace has proceeded from an ignorance of God’s plan of redemption under the new covenant. God’s plan of redemption includes an ascribed righteousness that is operative throughout the period of time that the believer is being transformed from ungodliness to godliness. The ascribed righteousness fills in the gap so Christ is able to deal with us even though we still are children in the principles of righteous behavior.
To be continued.
Copyright © 1997-2005 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
YBIC,
Bryan
The Blowing of Trumpets announces the coming of King Jesus. All of God’s created works will tremble at the Presence of the Lord Jesus. All of the works of man will be removed.
Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? (Psalms 24:3)
The most worthwhile effort that can be made by a human being is to ascend the hill of the Lord. The world and Satan strive endlessly to fascinate human beings, to secure their worship, their interest, their love. But all is vanity. There is no lasting joy, no peace, no love anywhere except in Zion, in the Presence of the Father. The only true goal of the human being is rest in the Presence of the Father. All else is worthless and less than worthless.
Who is able to stand in the Presence of Jesus, and through Jesus come to the Father?
He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. (Psalms 24:4)
The doctrine of grace preached by the early apostles offers righteousness to each person who will place his or her faith in the atonement made by the Lord Jesus on the cross of Calvary. The doctrine of grace and of complete forgiveness through the blood of Jesus comes from God in Heaven.
By faith we receive an imputed (ascribed) righteousness. We have not been able or willing to keep the Law of Moses but the Lord Jesus has been able. Through our faith the righteous behavior of Jesus is ascribed to us. When God looks at us He sees the righteousness of His beloved Son, provided we are following the Holy Spirit in overcoming the world, the lusts of our flesh, and our self-will.
However, Paul’s doctrine of grace has been perverted. The current understanding is that grace and faith are new ways in which God relates to people. The moral principles of the Old Testament no longer are stressed. What is emphasized today is a state of ascribed righteousness in which the believer claims the covering of the righteousness of Jesus but is not participating in the work of moral transformation. This interpretation of Divine grace comes from man’s love for himself.
The problem is not the principle of ascribed righteousness. The problem occurs when we regard ascribed righteousness as a permanent state. Our transformation into the image of Christ, which is the nature and purpose of the Divine redemption, is given a sort of careless acknowledgment.
What has been the result of stressing ascribed righteousness, virtually excluding an awareness of our need for transformation into the image of the Lord? The result has been multiplied thousands of spiritual babies who have little or no fellowship with God because they are ignorant of the principles of righteous, holy living.
How has this error come about?
The perversion of Divine grace has proceeded from an ignorance of God’s plan of redemption under the new covenant. God’s plan of redemption includes an ascribed righteousness that is operative throughout the period of time that the believer is being transformed from ungodliness to godliness. The ascribed righteousness fills in the gap so Christ is able to deal with us even though we still are children in the principles of righteous behavior.
To be continued.
Copyright © 1997-2005 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
YBIC,
Bryan
Sunday, January 08, 2006
The Blowing of Trumpets, #4
And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. (Ephesians 4:30)
So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. (Hebrews 9:28)
Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (I Peter 1:5)
Perhaps we have come now to the promised redemption, to the time of removing the presence of sin from the earth.
Removing the presence of sin from the Church and from the earth is an act of Divine judgment on Satan. The Divine judgment has begun now. The Day of Vengeance of our God has commenced and will continue until the termination of the thousand-year Kingdom Age.
The twenty-fourth Psalm reveals many elements of the spiritual fulfillment of the memorial of blowing of Trumpets.
The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. (Psalms 24:1)
The earth is the Lord’s!
During our involvement in the spiritual fulfillment of the first four feasts (Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, and Pentecost) we are invited to set our affection on things above, for this is where our spiritual life is.
When the Lord brings us toward the spiritual fulfillment of the last three feasts (Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles) we understand that the Kingdom of God, while it is formed in Heaven, is destined to come to the earth. The earth is brought to our attention. Many today have a strong desire to go to Jerusalem (on earth) because it is to Jerusalem that the Lord Jesus Christ will come.
The earth, its resources, the world and all who dwell therein, enter increasingly into our thoughts. It is not that we love the present world or think that somehow God will help us to live in such a manner that gradually the Kingdom of God will appear. This is not the case. The actual truth is, matters will grow worse as time passes. The tares will come to maturity.
The Kingdom of God will descend to earth in total violence, crushing all resistance to the rule of Christ. The coming of the Lord is so near that the Christians are beginning to feel in themselves the preparatory work that God intends to do in Jerusalem, probably in the near future, and we want to experience that marvelous glory.
The granite walls of the old city of Jerusalem bring to our mind that Jesus will be King of kings and Lord of lords over the kingdoms of the world. The return of Christ and the coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth will have political consequences.
For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods. (Psalms 24:2)
Nothing in the present world is stable. The world with all its parts has been established on the floods. Each person who would obtain a secure foundation must come to Jesus, for Jesus is the Rock that cannot be shaken. God will shake the earth and also the heaven and only what has been built on Christ will remain.
Whose voice then shook the earth [at Sinai]: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. (Hebrews 12:26)
To be continued.
Copyright © 1997-2004 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. (Hebrews 9:28)
Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (I Peter 1:5)
Perhaps we have come now to the promised redemption, to the time of removing the presence of sin from the earth.
Removing the presence of sin from the Church and from the earth is an act of Divine judgment on Satan. The Divine judgment has begun now. The Day of Vengeance of our God has commenced and will continue until the termination of the thousand-year Kingdom Age.
The twenty-fourth Psalm reveals many elements of the spiritual fulfillment of the memorial of blowing of Trumpets.
The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. (Psalms 24:1)
The earth is the Lord’s!
During our involvement in the spiritual fulfillment of the first four feasts (Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, and Pentecost) we are invited to set our affection on things above, for this is where our spiritual life is.
When the Lord brings us toward the spiritual fulfillment of the last three feasts (Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles) we understand that the Kingdom of God, while it is formed in Heaven, is destined to come to the earth. The earth is brought to our attention. Many today have a strong desire to go to Jerusalem (on earth) because it is to Jerusalem that the Lord Jesus Christ will come.
The earth, its resources, the world and all who dwell therein, enter increasingly into our thoughts. It is not that we love the present world or think that somehow God will help us to live in such a manner that gradually the Kingdom of God will appear. This is not the case. The actual truth is, matters will grow worse as time passes. The tares will come to maturity.
The Kingdom of God will descend to earth in total violence, crushing all resistance to the rule of Christ. The coming of the Lord is so near that the Christians are beginning to feel in themselves the preparatory work that God intends to do in Jerusalem, probably in the near future, and we want to experience that marvelous glory.
The granite walls of the old city of Jerusalem bring to our mind that Jesus will be King of kings and Lord of lords over the kingdoms of the world. The return of Christ and the coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth will have political consequences.
For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods. (Psalms 24:2)
Nothing in the present world is stable. The world with all its parts has been established on the floods. Each person who would obtain a secure foundation must come to Jesus, for Jesus is the Rock that cannot be shaken. God will shake the earth and also the heaven and only what has been built on Christ will remain.
Whose voice then shook the earth [at Sinai]: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. (Hebrews 12:26)
To be continued.
Copyright © 1997-2004 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
The Blowing of Trumpets, #3
So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. (Nehemiah 8:2—NIV)
The memorial of blowing of Trumpets is the feast that follows Pentecost. God has brought His Church as far as Pentecost. Now it is time for us to move forward into the spiritual fulfillment of the final three feasts of the Lord: Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles.
The blowing of Trumpets announces the coming of King Jesus to make war against His enemies. The spiritual fulfillment of the Blowing of Trumpets is the alerting of God’s Zion to the coming of the Lord to remove from the holy remnant, then from all Israel, and finally from the nations of saved peoples of the earth, all that is not acceptable to God. We are in that time now.
As we study the eighth chapter of Nehemiah we notice the emphasis on reading the Law of God. Reading the Law began on the first day of the seventh month, on the day of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah as it is termed today) and continued throughout the observance of Tabernacles (Nehemiah 8:18).
Reading the Law (the five books of Moses) brought to the minds of the worshipers the holy demands of the God of Israel. They realized they were obliged to adhere to the numerous statutes and principles given to Moses. The people had not been keeping the Law while they were in Babylon and there was much weeping because of their newly awakened awareness that they had been breaking the commandments of the Lord (Nehemiah 8:9).
How does the eighth chapter of Nehemiah apply to us today? In what way are the events of this chapter typical and prophetic? What is the spiritual substance of these types and shadows?
The spiritual fulfillment of Trumpets is the coming of the Lawgiver Himself, not only to bring to our minds the numerous statutes and principles found in the writings of the Apostles of the New Testament but also to remove the presence of sin from the elect and to fill us with Divine Life and Nature so we can walk in righteousness, holiness, and obedience to God.
A study of the Day of Atonement (Leviticus, Chapter 16) reveals that the atonement has two primary emphases: (1) forgiving the guilt of the Israelites; and (2) removing sin from the camp.
The doctrine of the propitiation [appeasement] of God’s wrath by the blood atonement has been taught thoroughly in the Christian churches. What is not understood by many Christian believers is that the Divine atonement made through the death of Christ includes not only the forgiveness of the sins of the elect, and of the whole world, but also (and primarily) the actual removal of the presence of sin from the elect and eventually from every saved person of the nations of the earth.
The atonement made by Christ makes possible the forgiveness of our sins. However, the primary emphasis of the new covenant is not on the forgiveness of our sin but on putting the laws of God in our minds and writing them in our hearts (Hebrews 8:10).
To be continued.
Copyright © 1997-2004 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
YBIC,
RBT
The memorial of blowing of Trumpets is the feast that follows Pentecost. God has brought His Church as far as Pentecost. Now it is time for us to move forward into the spiritual fulfillment of the final three feasts of the Lord: Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles.
The blowing of Trumpets announces the coming of King Jesus to make war against His enemies. The spiritual fulfillment of the Blowing of Trumpets is the alerting of God’s Zion to the coming of the Lord to remove from the holy remnant, then from all Israel, and finally from the nations of saved peoples of the earth, all that is not acceptable to God. We are in that time now.
As we study the eighth chapter of Nehemiah we notice the emphasis on reading the Law of God. Reading the Law began on the first day of the seventh month, on the day of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah as it is termed today) and continued throughout the observance of Tabernacles (Nehemiah 8:18).
Reading the Law (the five books of Moses) brought to the minds of the worshipers the holy demands of the God of Israel. They realized they were obliged to adhere to the numerous statutes and principles given to Moses. The people had not been keeping the Law while they were in Babylon and there was much weeping because of their newly awakened awareness that they had been breaking the commandments of the Lord (Nehemiah 8:9).
How does the eighth chapter of Nehemiah apply to us today? In what way are the events of this chapter typical and prophetic? What is the spiritual substance of these types and shadows?
The spiritual fulfillment of Trumpets is the coming of the Lawgiver Himself, not only to bring to our minds the numerous statutes and principles found in the writings of the Apostles of the New Testament but also to remove the presence of sin from the elect and to fill us with Divine Life and Nature so we can walk in righteousness, holiness, and obedience to God.
A study of the Day of Atonement (Leviticus, Chapter 16) reveals that the atonement has two primary emphases: (1) forgiving the guilt of the Israelites; and (2) removing sin from the camp.
The doctrine of the propitiation [appeasement] of God’s wrath by the blood atonement has been taught thoroughly in the Christian churches. What is not understood by many Christian believers is that the Divine atonement made through the death of Christ includes not only the forgiveness of the sins of the elect, and of the whole world, but also (and primarily) the actual removal of the presence of sin from the elect and eventually from every saved person of the nations of the earth.
The atonement made by Christ makes possible the forgiveness of our sins. However, the primary emphasis of the new covenant is not on the forgiveness of our sin but on putting the laws of God in our minds and writing them in our hearts (Hebrews 8:10).
To be continued.
Copyright © 1997-2004 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
YBIC,
RBT
Saturday, January 07, 2006
The Blowing of Trumpets, #2
The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves, and present an offering made to the LORD by fire. (Leviticus 23:27—NIV)
The Day of Atonement. The kingdom-wide fulfillment of the Day of Atonement is the thousand-year period known as the Kingdom Age.
The personal fulfillment of the Day of Atonement is the judging and cleansing of our personality, resulting in our total reconciliation to God.
The Feast of Tabernacles. The kingdom-wide fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles is the eternal reign of Christ.
The personal fulfillment of Tabernacles is the coming of the Father and the Son through the Holy Spirit to take up Their eternal abode in the personality of the saint.
And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel. And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. (Nehemiah 8:1,2)
The “first day of the seventh month” is the memorial of blowing of Trumpets.
Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. (Leviticus 23:24)
The eighth chapter of the Book of Nehemiah describes the celebration of the feast of Tabernacles that took place as soon as the wall of Jerusalem had been rebuilt (Nehemiah 7:1). Nehemiah the governor and Ezra the priest were in charge.
According to the Law there are three feasts that are to be celebrated in the seventh month: the Blowing of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the feast of Tabernacles.
The eighth chapter of Nehemiah depicts the observing of Trumpets and Tabernacles. Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, was not kept at this time, perhaps because there was no Ark of the Covenant on which to sprinkle the blood of the young bull and the goat. However the repenting and confessing of sins certainly was an observance of the spirit of Yom Kippur (Nehemiah 9:2).
We think that the events of Nehemiah, Chapter Eight are prophetic, especially with respect to the hour in which we are living.
It is our opinion that the Lord God of Heaven is moving today to bring into existence the spiritual substance of which Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles are types and shadows. We think the material aspect of the Kingdom of God is being introduced into the earth. This accounts for the return of the Jews to the Holy Land and also for the compelling desire in the hearts of numerous Christians to go to Jerusalem and to support the Jews in every way possible.
The return of Jacob to the land of promise means the times of the nations have been fulfilled:
And they [the people of Israel] shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. (Luke 21:24)
To be continued.
Copyright © 1997-2004 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
The Day of Atonement. The kingdom-wide fulfillment of the Day of Atonement is the thousand-year period known as the Kingdom Age.
The personal fulfillment of the Day of Atonement is the judging and cleansing of our personality, resulting in our total reconciliation to God.
The Feast of Tabernacles. The kingdom-wide fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles is the eternal reign of Christ.
The personal fulfillment of Tabernacles is the coming of the Father and the Son through the Holy Spirit to take up Their eternal abode in the personality of the saint.
And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel. And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. (Nehemiah 8:1,2)
The “first day of the seventh month” is the memorial of blowing of Trumpets.
Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. (Leviticus 23:24)
The eighth chapter of the Book of Nehemiah describes the celebration of the feast of Tabernacles that took place as soon as the wall of Jerusalem had been rebuilt (Nehemiah 7:1). Nehemiah the governor and Ezra the priest were in charge.
According to the Law there are three feasts that are to be celebrated in the seventh month: the Blowing of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the feast of Tabernacles.
The eighth chapter of Nehemiah depicts the observing of Trumpets and Tabernacles. Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, was not kept at this time, perhaps because there was no Ark of the Covenant on which to sprinkle the blood of the young bull and the goat. However the repenting and confessing of sins certainly was an observance of the spirit of Yom Kippur (Nehemiah 9:2).
We think that the events of Nehemiah, Chapter Eight are prophetic, especially with respect to the hour in which we are living.
It is our opinion that the Lord God of Heaven is moving today to bring into existence the spiritual substance of which Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles are types and shadows. We think the material aspect of the Kingdom of God is being introduced into the earth. This accounts for the return of the Jews to the Holy Land and also for the compelling desire in the hearts of numerous Christians to go to Jerusalem and to support the Jews in every way possible.
The return of Jacob to the land of promise means the times of the nations have been fulfilled:
And they [the people of Israel] shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. (Luke 21:24)
To be continued.
Copyright © 1997-2004 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Friday, January 06, 2006
The Blowing of Trumpets
Say to the Israelites: “On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts.” (Leviticus 23:24—NIV)
The memorial of blowing of Trumpets is the feast that follows Pentecost. The blowing of Trumpets announces the coming of King Jesus to make war against His enemies. The spiritual fulfillment of the feast of Trumpets is the alerting of God’s Zion to the coming of the Lord to remove from the holy remnant, then from all Israel, and finally from the saved nations of the earth, all that is not acceptable to God. The era of the coming Jubilee already is casting its shadow upon us.
The blowing of Trumpets tells us the Lord is ready to organize His saints into an army.
Have you heard some of the war-choruses that are beginning to be presented by the worship leaders?
There are seven “feasts of the Lord.” The seven feasts are set forth in the twenty-third chapter of the Book of Leviticus. Each of the seven has a great kingdom-wide fulfillment and each has a personal fulfillment in the life of the individual believer in Christ:
The memorial of blowing of Trumpets is the feast that follows Pentecost. The blowing of Trumpets announces the coming of King Jesus to make war against His enemies. The spiritual fulfillment of the feast of Trumpets is the alerting of God’s Zion to the coming of the Lord to remove from the holy remnant, then from all Israel, and finally from the saved nations of the earth, all that is not acceptable to God. The era of the coming Jubilee already is casting its shadow upon us.
The blowing of Trumpets tells us the Lord is ready to organize His saints into an army.
Have you heard some of the war-choruses that are beginning to be presented by the worship leaders?
There are seven “feasts of the Lord.” The seven feasts are set forth in the twenty-third chapter of the Book of Leviticus. Each of the seven has a great kingdom-wide fulfillment and each has a personal fulfillment in the life of the individual believer in Christ:
- Passover (Leviticus 23:5).
- Unleavened Bread (Leviticus 23:6).
- Firstfruits (Leviticus 23:10).
- Pentecost (Leviticus 23:15).
- Blowing of Trumpets (Leviticus 23:24).
- Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:27).
- Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:34).
Our understanding of the spiritual fulfillments of the seven feasts of the Lord is as follows:
The Passover. The kingdom-wide fulfillment of the Passover was the death of Christ on the cross of Calvary. The personal fulfillment of Passover is our receiving the covering of the blood of God’s Lamb, Christ.
The Feast of Unleavened Bread. The kingdom-wide fulfillment of the feast of Unleavened Bread was the descent of the Lord Jesus into Sheol, carrying with Him the leaven of the sins of the world. The personal fulfillment of Unleavened Bread is our repentance and entrance into the death of the Lord Jesus. Water baptism is a sacrament that portrays our oneness with the crucified Christ.
The Feast of Firstfruits. The kingdom-wide fulfillment of the feast of Firstfruits was the resurrection of the Lord Jesus from the dead. The personal fulfillment of Firstfruits is our being born again, and the raising of our new spiritual nature in Christ to the right hand of the Father. Our coming forth from the waters of baptism represents our birth into the Kingdom of God. It is an expression of union with our resurrected Lord.
The Feast of Pentecost. The kingdom-wide fulfillment of Pentecost (the feast of Weeks) was the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the early Christians, as described in the Book of Acts. The personal fulfillment of Pentecost is the baptizing of us with the Holy Spirit, giving us wisdom and power to bear witness of Christ’s death and resurrection and also wisdom and power to live in a righteous, holy, and obedient manner before God.
The Blowing of Trumpets. The kingdom-wide fulfillment of the blowing of Trumpets is the blowing of the seven trumpets, as described in the Book of Revelation. The saints will be raised from the dead at the seventh trumpet, and the kingdoms of the world will be placed under the rule of God and His Christ. The personal fulfillment of Trumpets is the coming of King Jesus to us to set up His Kingdom in our personality, and also to make us a member of His army.
To be continued.
Copyright © 1997-2004 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVEDTuesday, January 03, 2006
Trials and Pain: Prepared for Whatever
Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
--Psalm 90:1-2
Yet I do not advise that we end the year on a somber note. The march, not the dirge, has ever been the music of Christianity. If we are good students in the school of life, there is much that the years have to teach us. But the Christian is more than a student, more than a philosopher. He is a believer, and the object of his faith makes the difference, the mighty difference.
Of all persons the Christian should be best prepared for whatever the New Year brings. He has dealt with life at its source. In Christ he has disposed of a thousand enemies that other men must face alone and unprepared. He can face his tomorrow cheerful and unafraid because yesterday he turned his feet into the ways of peace and today he lives in God. The man who has made God his dwelling place will always have a safe habitation.
God Bless
YBIC,
RBT
Personal Life: Face Down, Listening
Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: "As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations."
--Genesis 17:3-4
The Scriptures declare, "Abram fell on his face" as the Lord talked with him (Genesis 17:3). Abraham was reverent and submissive.
Probably there is no better picture anywhere in the Bible of the right place for mankind and the right place for God. God was on His throne speaking, and Abraham was on his face listening!
Where God and man are in relationship, this must be the ideal. God must be the communicator, and man must be in the listening, obeying attitude. If men and women are not willing to assume this listening attitude, there will be no meeting with God in living, personal experience....
Yes, Abraham was lying face down in humility and reverence, overcome with awe in this encounter with God. He knew that he was surrounded by the world's greatest mystery. The presence of this One who fills all things was pressing in upon him, rising above him, defeating him, taking away his natural self-confidence. God was overwhelming him and yet inviting and calling him, pleading with him and promising him a great future as a friend of God!
--Genesis 17:3-4
The Scriptures declare, "Abram fell on his face" as the Lord talked with him (Genesis 17:3). Abraham was reverent and submissive.
Probably there is no better picture anywhere in the Bible of the right place for mankind and the right place for God. God was on His throne speaking, and Abraham was on his face listening!
Where God and man are in relationship, this must be the ideal. God must be the communicator, and man must be in the listening, obeying attitude. If men and women are not willing to assume this listening attitude, there will be no meeting with God in living, personal experience....
Yes, Abraham was lying face down in humility and reverence, overcome with awe in this encounter with God. He knew that he was surrounded by the world's greatest mystery. The presence of this One who fills all things was pressing in upon him, rising above him, defeating him, taking away his natural self-confidence. God was overwhelming him and yet inviting and calling him, pleading with him and promising him a great future as a friend of God!
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