In this present hour, mankind has found himself living in a place where non-essential issues and countless distractions continue to keep his sights aimed low and centered in self. As a result, the hunger for spiritual reality that transcends the sorrow filled plane of life under the sun seems to surface more and more. This vanity of ever searching and never tasting any lasting satisfaction ends with the cross. That is the point in which the most transcendent life can be experienced. Unfortunately, after a heart has been apprehended by God, the non-essential issues and distractions do not just simply vanish or leave us all at once. If the truth be known, these issues surface again with a religious face. While the slave driving, oppressive task masters of Egypt went down into a watery grave of defeat before the entire nation of Israel, Israel still had to contend with a greater foe that oppressed them from within.
The thing that should carry us beyond any temptation that we may
find in our
wilderness should be the purpose of God. For he is our God; and
we are the people
of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today if ye will hear his
voice, Harden not
your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in
the wilderness
(Ps. 95:7 and 8). Far be it from a hungry heart to
think it be
an impossible thing for
God to raise up a people who view every single thing in their life from
the vantage
point of God's purpose! Beloved, the desperate cry of the Spirit to
express Christ and
Christ alone is God birthed, and even though there shall be pressure
all the way
through the birth canal, the life of the offspring shall vindicate the
process! The
narrow course we take is not in vain. There is a new life coming forth,
just as each
progressive move of the Spirit makes manifest another glorious
expression of Christ.
Creation itself is an expression of the creator. It is no different
from the artwork
being an expression of the artist. And beloved, we are very privileged
to become the
very expression of the greatest artist of all!
A piece of art, a poem, a great house, and a beautiful city are all
different
terms for what can be defined as God's workmanship. We also acknowledge
the
workmanship of Adam. Out of his downward spiral, history has recorded
one man-made monstrosity after another. Mankind can be found on any
given day in the
slavish grips of "life under the sun" making bricks for the vanity of
one's own
empire. In the religious world, towers of Babel can be found in any
chapter of
history, as well as today. One institution
built after another with the intent to make a name for themselves (Gen.
11:4). Nevertheless, there has
been one witness after another of God's intent to build. There has been
one called out individual after
another to make His name known through the expression of His nature.
There has been a people in every
age that returned to some degree of glory. There has also been such a
people who experience the
revelation of God's original purpose to build a spiritual house to
express His nature in the earth and to
minister to all creation! For we are his workmanship, created in
Christ Jesus... a spiritual house, an
holy priesthood...
(Eph. 2:10 and 1 Pet. 2:5). This brings
us to our next parallel.
And the God that hath caused his name to dwell there destroy all
kings and people, that shall put to their hand to alter and to destroy
this house of God which is at Jerusalem. I Darius have made a decree;
let it be done with speed . . . Behold, I come quickly:
hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown
(Ezra
6:12 and Rev. 3:11).
There is a spiritual principle found in the king's decree that runs like a thread through the plan of the ages. To get an idea of this principle let's consider some more verses in Ezra that precede 6:12.
"Let the work of this house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house of God in his place. Moreover I make a decree what ye shall do to the elders of these Jews for the building of this house of God: that of the king's goods, even of the tribute beyond the river, forthwith expenses be given unto these men, that they be not hindered. And that which they have need of, both young bullocks, and rams, and lambs, for the burnt offerings of the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to the appointment of the priests which are at Jerusalem, let it be given them day by day without fail: That they may offer sacrifices of sweet savours unto the God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king, and of his sons. Also I have made a decree, that whosoever shall alter this word, let timber be pulled down from his house, and being set up, let him be hanged thereon; and let his house be made a dunghill for this" (Ezra 6:7-11).
We are sure that there is more than one principle to be gleaned
from this text, but we will stay
on track with what has been quickened to us. In the above context of
scripture, we have the king's
sovereign decree to build the house of God. This brings to mind another
building project of a much
greater sovereign. And God said, let us make man in our image,
after our likeness...
(Gen. 1:26).
In the decree, we have an allusion to God's purpose in creating man. We
see God's heart being
expressed in type through the priesthood as they offer sacrifices
of sweet savours (Ezra 6:10). When we
do this in the Spirit we truly have entered into His rest. However, we
can look back and see that Adam
was the first man to have timber pulled down from his house
(Ezra
6:11). We not only see it historically
in the individual man Adam, but we see it in the corporate man Adam,
which is all of unregenerate
humanity.
This principle is one that simply contrasts life and death. We call this the principle of the two Adams. For in the first Adam we have death and in the second Adam we have life (1 Cor. 15:22). George Hawtin once wrote something that sums up what we mean by the type of death we find in the first Adam.
"Death begins in the cradle and ends in the grave. This whole experience which men call life is the death that was promised to Adam in the day of his transgression. There is much scripture to substantiate this truth. This whole realm from the cradle to the grave is the valley of the shadow of death, yet all through this dim valley of outer darkness the Lord is with us, leading us by the hand, supporting us with the staff, feeding us betimes in green pastures, refreshing our souls at the gushing streams of the water of life, and anointing our heads with the oil of the Spirit; and in the knowledge and glory of it all our cup runneth over" (Creation, Redemption, and the Restitution of All Things, p. 50).
God desires a holy habitation. His desire involves a true inward
work of the Spirit. The result
is a state of being that makes manifest the nature of God by a
lifestyle rather than by a religious
formality or a bunch of lifeless pseudo kingdom terminology. We can see
this principle in operation
today within the Church. Man's alterations to God's will does not
thwart the will of God, but it does
bring a state of death to the poor souls that would make any
alterations. Nevertheless, the Lord is rich
in His mercy to restore those who wake up out of the numbness of merely
existing and cry out to
experience life in the Spirit. Blessed are they which do hunger...
(Matt. 5:6).
Man is a void waiting to be completely filled with God. When God
quickens our spirit, that is
only the first step of our spiritual sojourn, not the end. We are a new
creation, but we do not claim full
grown maturity any more than we would call a new born baby mature.
Suffice it to say, God knows
where each one of us is in our development, but the point that we would
do well to grasp is the purpose
of our sojourn: that ye might be filled with all the fulness of
God
(Eph. 3:19). God wants to fill His
house. He is tenacious in the sense that He will continue through the
ages in His reign of uprooting the
entire old creation until He is all in all, or as the Amplified so
beautifully puts it, everything to everyone, supreme, the
indwelling and controlling factor of life
(1 Cor. 15:28).
In as much as Ezra historically speaks of rebuilding Jerusalem and restoring the house of God, it speaks today, to those who have ears to hear, of becoming that house. As far as our calling goes, and as far as the indwelling of His Spirit goes, we are His house, but we hope to convey something more than that. You see, in our life and through all that we express, we manifest one of two creations. Those who cling to their own will, their own desire, and their own ways after coming to the knowledge our heavenly King's decree are like those who have timber pulled down from their own house (Ezra 6:11). They will only express the old creation, because the old creation is self-centered. The result of those who would hinder the work of restoration is to have their house made a dunghill (Ezra 6:11). Interestingly enough, Paul counted all the wonderful credentials gained in his natural birth and in the religious world as dung after Jesus Christ apprehended him (See Phil. 3:5-8). Oh, how it would put things in their proper perspective if men and women only realized how vital it is to seek after the purpose of our apprehension rather than credentials that may open doors for them. In the masquerade of using the name of Christ we can find ourselves hung on our own house, which speaks of the works of our hands. Lord, let us see that our only meaningful credential is your grace and the measure of faith that you have imparted to us!
The restoration in Ezra, which speaks of becoming a part of God's
holy habitation, brings us to
the other side of our parallel in Revelation 3:11. If we read on to
verse 12 and compare it to Ezra 6:11,
we find one of the most striking contrasts between the two habitations
expressed in the earth, Adam and
Christ. Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast,
that no man take thy crown. Him that
overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall
go no more out: and I will write
upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which
is new Jerusalem, which
cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new
name
(Rev. 3:11 and 12).
The overcomer being made a pillar in the temple of God brings to mind
the negative counterpart of what
we see in Adam, whosoever shall alter this word, let timber be
pulled down from his house, and being
set up, let him be hanged thereon; and let his house be made a dunghill
for this
(Ezra 6:11). Here we
have a picture of entering into rest compared to a picture of entering
into desolation. The rest is found
in the phrase and he shall go no more out
(Rev. 3:12).
There was a great conflict to simply hold fast to the king's decree in Ezra's day. We too have a great conflict. We could very well call it the conflict of the ages. In this great conflict of the old and new humanity, we will find that it is only fitting that those who become stable in the Lord in this age will become pillars in His house in the age of come. Spiritually speaking, scripture will back up the fact that some had already been spoken of as pillars in the house of God before their sojourn had ended (See Gal. 2:9). As a matter of fact, the word pillar in the New Testament always speaks of people, as in parts of the house of God, and the attributes of Christ rather than parts of a man made temple (1 Tim. 3:15 and Rev. 10:1).
It is so much like the Lord to promise the overcomers at
Philadelphia to be made pillars in His
temple. According to Vincent's Word Studies, Philadelphia "suffered
from frequent earthquakes. Of all
the seven churches it had the longest duration of prosperity as a
Christian city" (Vol. 2, p.463). Only in
a real shaking can you find out what will crumble and what will remain
stable. This sort of exhortation
should be something to which we can all relate. The pillars in this
spiritual temple are those who by their
very state of being express stability. This is not something that comes
from going from one mountain
top experience to another. We can all stand confident in the Lord in
the midst of an enthusiastic
gathering. It is very easy to stand firm and focused when we are free
from adversity. The real test comes
when we are under fire. The fruit of stability can be found in what we
may call the dry and mundane
times of our walk. It is made manifest in naturally embracing the truth
of God's presence even when our
feelings may try to tell us otherwise. There is no constant running to
conventions for some deep word
to try and work up some excitement. Those who become pillars do not use
the body of Christ for group
therapy or mistake fellowship for an emotional pick me up. However,
they do not avoid fellowship, but
rather, through their stability in Christ, they are used to stir up our
pure minds and to stir up the gift of
God in us (See 2 Pet. 1:13, 3:1 and 2 Tim. 1:6). They naturally
encourage and edify others. The pillars are
stable through all times simply because they holdfast to the vision
that was originally given to start with.
For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of
our confidence stedfast unto the end
(Heb. 3:14).
At the end of 2 Chronicles we find the same decree of Cyrus that is declared in the beginning of Ezra (2 Chron. 36:23 and Ezra 1:2). Through all the captivity, the agonizing cross of waiting, and through all the accusations from their adversaries, Jerusalem was restored. And what was the thing that God used to carry out the restoration of old Jerusalem? A small remnant. As we have noted in a previous article, history shows that it was only a remnant that held steadfast to the decree of Cyrus. In every age there have been small companies walking in the word that God spoke to them. Out of a consistent walk, they became one with the message they were given.
When we talk about a remnant in each dispensation becoming the message, we are not talking about a group of saints that had some special advantage over us. It is as if we make some believers out to be super men for God. When we hold this up to scripture we can see that these opinions are wrong. We are talking about men of like passions. That is the way James was inspired by the Holy Spirit to describe Elijah (James 5:17). It is a great misconception to make these men out to be exaggerated figures that should be put into stained glass. In light of entertaining such ideas, George Muller, a household name in Christianity, who experienced a powerful life of faith, once wrote, "...I affectionately warn them against being led away by the deception of Satan to think that these things are peculiar to me and cannot be enjoyed by all the children of God... My faith is the same faith which is found in every believer" (The Autobiography of George Muller, p.154 and 155).
This should raise unspeakable joy up from the depths of our hearts.
Furthermore, we should not
measure things by how many people we can get to hear our message
or come and listen to our
revelation. The vision of sonship has nothing to do with swapping
mailing lists and counting heads. It
is not about getting a bunch of people together that can agree on one
point of eschatology. Are we
looking for strength in numbers? Can we not hear what the Spirit is
saying to us today through Judges
7:2? The Lord said to Gideon, 'The people who are with you are
too many forMe to give Midian into
their hands, for Israel would become boastful, saying, 'My own power
has delivered me'
(NASB). Have we not learned anything from the
shortcomings in religious organizations of the past? Have we
forgotten that this is a work of the Spirit? We can partake of this
work through the wonderful privilege
of prayer and heart to heart communion with our heavenly Father or we
can busy ourselves and others
with our message. What we share should simply come out of the
overflow of His life not our pet doctrines.
More has been birthed out of prayerful obedience than all the hype that is being generated in circles that are centered in the so called kingdom message rather than the King. In the second chapter of Acts we find that it only took 120 souls who simply waited on God in prayer to turn the world upside down. We would do well to note that when the remnant becomes the habitation of the second Adam, the Lord from heaven, a life giving spiritual man, then the numbers will come in due time. Man wants quantity and puts so much effort into seemingly great ideas to draw crowds, but it seems as if the cart has been put before the horse. For God wants quality- a quality of life that we can only find in Christ.
This quality is the bottom line in this parallel that contrasts death and life, Adam and Christ. That is the crucial issue here. Are we a habitation of life? We must be stable in order to give life. The up and down, in and out walk will not fully demonstrate this quality of life. Yes, Christ dwells within all those whom He has apprehended. Nevertheless, we must consider His purpose for moving in. If we are His house, which we are, both corporately and individually, the most important issue is His life being personified in us. There are all sorts of substitutes for this life, but they are nothing more than the religious faces of Adam.
In 1964, T. Austin-Sparks shared these inspiring words concerning this quality that is to be found in the House of God.
"The one criterion of the House of God, universal or local, is ultimately just this: that God is there, and may be found there. That is the dominant thing about it. It is not the methods and the manner, the performance and the rites, the formalities and the ceremonies, and all the other external 'things'. It is that, either in them or through them, or without them, apart from them, God is there - you meet God. You cannot go in there without meeting God. That is the ultimate criterion as to whether the House of God is present as a reality, or not. It is not a place, but a people, in the midst of whom God, in the Person of His Son, Jesus Christ, by His Spirit, is present, and known to be present. For is it possible for such a one as He to be present without His presence being known? (Yes, perhaps it can be if there is something wrong with us, but it ought not to be so. It ought to be that, where God is, we know it, because we meet Him.) The criterion is not any one, or any number, of the many things that men often regard as necessary to form a 'house of God', in the sense of a building or a place. The criterion is just this: Do you meet God? If not, it cannot bear that name, because it does not fulfill that function. We may as well dismiss the thing, cease to try to keep it going, if it is not like that."
In relationship to becoming a habitation in which others meet the
presence of the Lord, we cannot
over emphasize the indispensable need of prayer. This is a key factor
in being a part of God's house.
And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall
be called of all nations the house of
prayer?
(Mark 11:17). We have already shown some of the
scriptures that plainly declare that we are
God's house, now we would like to consider these scriptures in
connection with the phrase "house of
prayer". Jesus Himself was a walking house of prayer. His
earthly walk was one of direct
communication with the Father. Although He walked this earth, He was
spiritually abiding in a place
of communion with the Father (John 3:13). His mind was not set on the
things that distract us and rob
us from the timely intimacy that can only be found in the Spirit.
The fact that He went into a man-made temple and ran out those who made the temple a den of thieves should tell us that He will not cohabit with the things in our temple that need to be driven out (Mark 11:17). You see, the conflict of the ages is characterized by the uprooting of the old nature and the establishment of the new nature. In the process of this conflict, we must bring down some pillars that hold up the old nature. This is where prayer comes in, because we cannot bring these things down to utter destruction in our own strength. Let's see how this is conveyed in the way Samson ended his career.
...And they called for Samson out of the prison house; and
he made them sport: and they set
him between the pillars. And Samson said unto the lad that held him by
the hand, Suffer me that I may
feel the pillars whereupon the house standeth, that I may lean upon
them
(Judg. 16:25 and 26). It is
interesting to note that Samson was now a prisoner of the Philistines.
The Hebrew word for Philistine
can be traced back to a Hebrew word which means to roll in the dust.
Spiritually speaking, 'to roll in the
dust' is just another way of saying 'minding the things of the earth,'
which comes quite natural when
we have no sense of the Lord's presence. This also describes the result
of Adam's transgression. For
they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they
that are after the Spirit the things
of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be
spiritually minded is life and peace
(Rom. 8:5 and 6). Phillips
translation reads, The carnal attitude sees no further than natural
things. But the spiritual attitude reaches out after the things of the
spirit. The former attitude means, bluntly, death: the latter means
life and inward peace. (And this is only to be expected, for the carnal
attitude is inevitably opposed to the purpose of God.)
(Rom. 8:5-7).
Once more the contrast of death and life has surfaced. The only
victory we have over the carnal
Adamic nature is resurrection life. The question is, will we cultivate
that precious resurrection life that
we have in Christ? If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those
things which are above, where Christ
sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above,
not on things on the earth
(Col.
3:1 and 2). Is there any real consequence for not cultivating this
precious life we have in Christ? Is there
any real concern about not making the cross of Christ experiential in
every area of our life? Brethren,
be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us
for an ensample. (For many
walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping,
that they are the enemies of the
cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly,
and whose glory is in their shame,
who mind earthly things)
(Phil. 3:17-19).
We have often quoted 2 Cor.10:3-5 due to the comprehensiveness in
which these few verses
cover the Old Testament types that foreshadow the spiritual enemies of
our microcosm and try to get
a foothold within the corporate expression of Christ. As verses 4 and 5
read, our might is through God
through whom we pull down strongholds and cast down imaginations and
every high thing that exalts
itself against the knowledge of God. With those instructions in mind
let us consider Judges16:27. Now
the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the
Philistines were there; and there were
upon the roof about three thousand men and women, that beheld while
Samson made sport.
The house
was full. In that phrase we have a picture of defeat.
The mention of the Philistines upon the roof speaks
of exalted carnality. This certainly is the death side of our
principle. Nevertheless, if we read on, we will
see what happens when Christ evicts Adam. You see, Samson was a
Nazarite. He was to be set apart to
God from the womb (Judg. 13:5). This speaks of holiness, which is
another description of God's
habitation. ...Holiness befits Your house, O Lord,
forevermore
(Ps. 93:5, NASB).
At this point in Samson's life we see in the external realm what
can take place within us as well
as within the corporate body of Christ. In light of the next verse, we
would like to consider the role of
prayer in casting down the exalted Adamic nature that comes from the
dust realm. And Samson called
unto the Lord, and said, O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and
strengthen me, I pray thee, only
this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the
Philistines for my two eyes
(Judg. 16:28). We
see someone who was set apart for God, but became a prisoner of what,
to us today, represents our own
carnality. This vessel that was once used mightily for the Lord had now
lost his vision. Corporately
speaking, we can see many have lost their vison, and now their ministry
is primarily making sport, or
as the New American Standard Bible reads, they called for Samson
from the prison, and he entertained
them
(Judg. 16:25). The high calling is not entertaining
carnal Christians.
In Samson's prayer we get a picture of how the lords of the dust
realm are dethroned from our
heavens. And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon
which the house stood, and on which
it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with
his left. And Samson said, Let me
die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and
the house fell upon the lords, and
upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his
death were more than they which
he slew in his life
(Judg. 16:29 and 30). We get a glimpse of
the result of prayerful obedience in the
above passage of scripture. On a higher plane, in the spiritual
conflict of the ages, we can relate the
passage to 2 Cor. 10:6. And having in a readiness to revenge all
disobedience, when your obedience
is fulfilled.
This should bring to mind the One who never lost His vision and
bowed Himself in Gethsemane.
In His death it could be said that the dead which he slew at his
death were more than they which he
slew in his life
(Judg. 16:30). Christ accomplished far more on
the cross than He did in His previous
ministry simply by taking the entire race of Adam to Calvary.
Furthermore, in His death, He brought
down the pillars of the Adamic nature, and as a result of His
resurrection life, on the day of Pentecost
He raised up Peter and others who were considered to be pillars of the
household of faith. Compare these
passages in Judges and Acts for further consideration on how the Spirit
now deals with those who
oppose the cross of Christ. ...there were upon the roof about three
thousand men and women, that beheld while Samson made sport . . .
And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the
lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which
he slew at his death were more
than they which he slew in his life... Others mocking said,
These men are full of new wine. But Peter,
standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice... Now when they
heard this [What Peter said in Acts
2:14-36], they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter
and
to the rest of the apostles, Men and
brethren, what shall we do? ...Then they that gladly received his
word were baptized: and the same
day there were added unto them about three thousand souls...
And the Lord added to the church daily
such as should be saved
(Judg. 16:27 and 30 and Acts 2:13, 14,
37, 41 and 47).
Notice also that under the Old Covenant on Pentecost three thousand
were killed by the sword
and under the New Covenant the sword of the Spirit struck the hearts of
three thousand (Compare
Exodus 32:25-28 and Acts 2). Their hearts were pricked and this was
the first step of the death of the old
nature which brings about the life of the new nature. This process of
the historical cross becoming
relevant and experiential in our lives must take place. This is the way
that God has purposed to construct
His wonderful habitation of holiness so that we might be made partakers
of His divine nature, or as it
says in Hebrews 12:10, partakers of His holiness.
Part of
this experience involves the type of prayer
life that Jesus demonstrated. We see this prayer life in Jesus before
He was taken away to be crucified.
Internally, in His prayer time, He had already embraced the cross.
In one sense, those in the upper room in Acts became a house of
prayer. As a result of God
birthed prayerful obedience, they go on to see the kingdoms of Adam
coming down. In their day they
began to see that the ecclesiastical world governed by man was unable
to give any light and that this was
part of the wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth
beneath
(Acts 2:19). Lord help us not to
relegate such a humbling, yet powerful, participation with Your
wonderful purpose to only those in the
book of Acts! Lord let us not be deceived into the false idea of prayer
being something that is of the old
order! Oh Lord, how we would do well to fall prostrate at your feet and
commune with you rather than
embrace the deceiving ideas that keep us from growing up into the full
expression of your habitation!
We would like to stop and consider that the type of prayer we are talking about is not some sort of charismatic incantation in which we beg God for stuff! We are talking about the prayer that relates to the Lordship of Christ being made a living reality in our lives so that the life we live is not our life, but rather it is the life of Christ, for to live is Christ (Phil. 1:21). In his book, Let Us Pray, Watchman Nee shared some on this type of prayer.
As Israel cried to God for the gratification of their lust, He did answer them by indeed giving them what they asked for - but with the result, however, of their being weakened before Him. Oh yes, sometimes God will hear and respond to your prayers for the sake of satisfying your own needs, yet His own will is not fulfilled. Let us see that such prayer does not have much value in it.
But there is another kind of prayer, which comes out of God's own need. It is of God, and it is initiated by God. And such prayer is most valuable. In order to have such prayer, the one who prays must not only personally often appear before God but also He must allow his will to enter into God's will, his thought must be allowed to enter into God's thought. Since he habitually lives in the Lord's presence, such a person is given to know His will and thoughts. And these divine wills and thoughts quite naturally become his own desires, which he then expresses in prayer (p. 16 and 17).
We would like to mention a few more points in relation to prayer and those who, like Peter, become pillars. This also ties into the principle of the two Adams. In Matthew 16:17-19 we find the keys of the Kingdom mentioned in relation to Peter, who went on to be a pillar in the household of faith. We ought to find great confidence in the Lord's power to keep us when we look at the great zeal and inconsistency in Peter. You see, it is common in our walk to have had those moments in which we would take a stand for God with all of our zeal, but then, when the time came to stand, we were shook to the core with our circumstances. We in no way wish to imply that it will always be this way. On the contrary, we would like to state that we firmly believe that there are now those in the household of faith who have graduated to that place in which they can stand firm in Christ no matter what is being shaken.
With all of that in mind, we would like to take note of the key of David in Revelation 3:7. The Lord is introducing Himself to the called out in Philadelphia as the one who has this key. The key of David is a symbol of Kingdom authority. The type of prayer that is according to God's will and in step with His divine timetable is the prayer that operates under Kingdom authority. There shall be a mature priesthood that will simply look into the heavens and, after having discerned God's will, speak in the earth what is already true in the heavens. Our walk should progress to a place in which our prayers are simply speaking the will of our Heavenly Father. We have seen those who demonstrated such participation with God. We have seen it in the life of Moses. We have seen it in the life of the Prophets. However, when we get to the book of Acts, we get a picture of what God has been after all along. You see, people would love to have a one man show, but God is after a corporate man. We have a preview of His glory being made known through a corporate man in Acts, but He did not stop there, and He will not stop until it is true in the most absolute sense that the whole earth is filled with His glory!
The Lord is continually sharing the keys with some in every age, but only after there has been a qualification. Andrew Jukes mentions these qualifications in his book The Church Of Christ.
And to this day He gives the keys to those, who by His grace are made true Peters; but even to them, not when they first are brought to Him, nor when His hands are first laid upon them, but when, after sinking in the troubled waters, where He walks, and where they have sought to walk with Him, having learnt themselves, they learn what He is also. Then are the keys committed to their charge, that they may open to others what is already opened in them and to them (p. 42).
We would like to also consider that there is a disqualification for
operating in Kingdom authority.
We find this disqualification in the context of the first mention of
the key of David where Isaiah is
prophesying to Shebna. Thus saith the Lord God of hosts, Go, get
thee unto this treasurer, even unto
Shebna, which is over the house, and say, What hast thou here? and whom
hast thou here, that thou hast
hewed thee out a sepulchre here, as he that hewed him out a sepulchre
on high, and that graveth an
habitation for himself in a rock?
(Isa. 22:15 and 16). The
last line in verse 16 in the New American
Standard Bible reads, You who carve a resting place for yourself
in the rock?
In relation to becoming
one of two habitations, Shebna is typical of the one who becomes a
habitation of death, for he sought
to make a habitation for himself. The hands of Adam
have always hewn out monuments that glorify self.
The result of such an ambition is not too different from what we
see in the garden of Eden.
Concerning the consequences for this, in the Interlinear Bible, Isaiah
22:19 reads, And I will drive you
from your position; and he will pull you from your station.
This
should echo a phrase in Genesis 3:24,
So he drove out the man.
Nevertheless, God spoke a word of
hope for all humanity when He spoke
concerning the seed of the woman (Gen. 3:15). Likewise, in type, we
find the glorious victory of the
Lord's resurrection in Isaiah 22:20-23. And it shall come to pass
in that day, that I will call my servant
Eliakim the son of Hilkiah: And I will clothe him with thy robe, and
strengthen him with thy girdle, and
I will commit thy government into his hand: and he shall be a father to
the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and
to the house of Judah. And the key of the house of David will I lay
upon his shoulder; so he shall open,
and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. And I will
fasten him as a nail in a sure
place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his fathers house.
Eliakim means, whom God sets up, or whom God
establishes
and causes to stand. This brings
to mind the One Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains
of death: because it was not
possible that he should be holden of it
(Acts 2:24) - for the
Lord is now enthroned. He is now the nail
in a sure place (Isa. 20:23). We would do well to emphasize His
present position. He is now highly
exalted. In the presentation of sonship some have reduced the Lord down
to just another brother. This
sort of teaching has opened a door for some of the most carnal, ego
stroking, and self-exalting concepts.
It seems that there are those who emphasize their sonship at
the expense of the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
In doing so, they have no pattern to follow. They disqualify themselves
from the Lord's ministry by
building their own, for He is the pattern of true ministry. These ideas
that remove the Lord from His
highly exalted position are nothing more than Adam trying to prop up
his fallen empire. Adam knows
that he has no nail in a sure place. The Lord removed it at the cross.
In Ezra's prayer we find him requesting this nail in a sure place. And
now for a little space
grace hath been shewed from the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant to
escape, and give us a nail in
his holy place
(Ezra 9:8). Zechariah, who was among the remnant
that returned to restore Jerusalem,
prophesied of this sure place in the Lord. Out of him
came forth the corner, out of him the nail
(Zech.
10:4).
In Shebna and Eliakim we also see what God does in the principle of
the two Adams. He taketh
away the first, that he may establish the second
(Heb. 10:9).
This is highly significant in relation to
becoming a pillar in God's temple (Rev. 3:12). The Greek word for pillar
comes from another Greek
word that is translated in Hebrews 10:9 as establish.
Concerning Eliakim being established and Shebna
being removed, we read on in Isaiah 22:24 and 25, And they
shall hang upon him all the glory of his
father's house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small
quantity, from the vessels of cups, even
to all the vessels of flagons. In that day, saith the Lord of hosts,
shall the nail that is fastened in the sure
place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the burden that was
upon it shall be cut off: for the
Lord hath spoken it.
We realize that many commentators have applied verse 25 to the crucifixion of Christ, but we must keep in mind that it was Adam that was dealt with at the cross. Furthermore, verse 24 describes the authority that the Lord currently has in a greater dimension. We find no fault with applying the crucifixion to verse 25, for it was on the cross that the first was done away with that the second may be established (Heb.10:9). Yet, in light of our reference to Hebrews 10:9 (which deals with a change of priesthood) and our Lord's accomplishment on the cross, we find great confirmation in the following words by Adam Clarke.
"In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall..." (Isa. 22:25). This must be understood of Shebna, as a repetition and confirmation of the sentence above [v. 25] denounced against him. What is said of Eliakim the son of Hilikiah, ver. 20-24, is very remarkable; and the literal meaning is not easy to be understood. From [Isaiah] 9:6, and from Rev. 3:7, it seems to belong to our Lord alone. The removal of Shebna from being over the treasure of the Lord's house, ver. 19, and the investiture of Eliakim with his robe, girdle, office, and government, ver. 20, and c., probably point out the change of the Jewish priesthood, and the proclaiming of the unchangeable priesthood of Christ (Clarke's Commentary Vol. 4, p. 107).
The change of priesthood points to something much larger than what is normally taught. The priesthood is simply one of the many aspects that is encompassed within the principle of the two Adams. Yet, within the immense subject of becoming one of two habitations, perhaps the office of the priesthood defines our role in God's purpose of the ages better than any other aspect. Within the framework of the ages, time itself calls for a mediator to minister life to the lifeless, hope to the hopeless, faith in the midst of unbelief, light in a world of darkness, and so on. The Lord has purposed in Himself to bring a people to a place where they manifest, in this vexed realm of time, a quality of life that was once kept in the realm of timelessness.
Jesus, our heavenly Eliakim, has fully established an entirely new priesthood. He stood in the gap. The place in between the visible and the invisible that had been left vacant for so long was filled by the living expression of something that, to this day, remains alien to fallen man and carnal Christianity. He has merged both the human and the divine into one new man. He is that ladder that descends from the heavens and touches the earth. He walked in an open heaven right here on earth with the wonderful vision of bringing many sons unto glory.
Many have written off this type of walk to another time frame. They put such spiritual realities off into the sweet bye and bye. Others have perverted the truth of this walk to such a degree that they draw no distinction between the Gospel of Jesus Christ and neo-gnostic, new age nonesense whenever they speak of Christ. But, lest we too be misunderstood, we will do well to fall at the feet of our Lord, for He is not buried in the pages of history, but highly exalted far above all! As we see His true position, we will find the balance of our position in Him and join those who maturely serve in that place of merging both the seen and the unseen by manifesting Christ in their earthen vessels.
This new priesthood has been invading humanity throughout the ages under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We can easily despair over the expressions of the old man being made more obvious in the earth, but there is no place for him to securely live. It is only a matter of time before the Lord comes riding through the hearts of the lost to make war as they experience the removal of the first Adam's position in God's tabernacle. We are confident that He will continue to ride through the heart of man in this very hour until there is nothing left of the old creation. We would like to end this parallel with yet another word of confirmation from Adam Clarke concerning our heavenly Eliakim and Adam's representation, Shebna.
"The nail that is fastened in the sure place shall be removed," [Isaiah 22] ver. 25... By, "They shall hang upon him all vessels of small quantity and large quantity," has been understood the dependence of all souls, of all capacities, from the lowest in intellect to the most exalted, on the Lord Jesus, as the only Saviour of all lost human spirits.
As the literal interpretation of this prophecy has not been found out, we are justified from parallel texts to consider the whole as referring to Jesus Christ, and the government of the Church, and the redemption of the world by Him. Nor are there many prophecies which relate to him more clearly than this, taken in the above sense.
*** This article was written before the tragic events that happened
in America on September 11th.
Before we took this article to the printers we could not help but once
again consider that just as
man-made pillars, so to speak, are being brought down, the Lord has
been, and will continue to
raise up pillars of His own. These pillars will be the stable souls who
epitomize Isaiah 26:3:
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee:
because he trusteth in
thee.
Surely, those who have diligently and prayerfully
cultivated their relationship with
Christ according to the light He has given them are like those five
wise virgins who took oil in
their vessels with their lamps (Matt. 25:4). Now more than ever
there is a sobering feel in the
Spirit to step into the Ark by abiding in Christ. It is only to the
degree we give ourselves to
Christ that we will be kept from the distracting voices and opinions
and find ourselves positioned
for His glory. As we humble ourselves and let Him conquer all within us
that is not of Him, we
may find ourselves rejoicing with an expectation of His glory rather
than being taken away by
the gross darkness that surrounds us. As heavy as that darkness may
seem, it is the perfect
backdrop for Christ to be revealed through a corporate body!
*** We are fully persuaded that God has strategically placed the body of believers at Times Square Church in New York City to minister to those who are broken as a result of the tragedy. In a recent newsletter David Wilkerson, one of the pastors of the church, wrote "Times Square Church was forewarned a calamity was coming weeks before it happened. A month prior, our leadership was impressed by the Holy Spirit to cancel all special speakers and scheduled meetings. We cancelled our missions convention and city-wide youth rallies. We shut things down and called the congregation to prayer."
Times Square Church also has a Disaster Relief Fund for the victims and families involved. For those who wish to contribute the address is: Times Square Church, 1657 Broadway, 4th Floor, New York City, NY 10019. Enter Disaster Relief Fund in the memo.
*** As the issues of freedom and the future of our nation, among other things, continue to be raised, we would like to share this quote with you as a word of wisdom and exhortation: "If we believe God, we are free. If we will not trust Him, we are the tool and slave of any thing or any one who is stronger or cleverer than we are." (Andrew Jukes)