As the Lord moves forward in His purpose, those
who move with
Him can feel a growing expectation of His glory. Indeed, while we
humble our hearts in His presence, we do not deny the darkness of this
present world order, for it is the perfect back drop for His glory. The
allegiance that mankind gives to the spirit of the age brings war and
great struggles into every generation. It can be very interesting to
note
how different ministries use this dark back drop that has been lowered
in our generation, but the number one priority for the body of Christ
is
to hear the voice of the Lord, for God Hath in these last days
spoken
unto us by his Son
(Heb. 1:2).
When Christ first came on the scene as one man, world peace was not instantly instituted. As a matter of fact, the scriptures are quite clear about how Herod tried to kill Jesus. This attempt foreshadowed attempts that would occur down through the ages. Those whom the Lord apprehends will go on to find out that when Christ takes up His abode in their hearts, the flesh will not step down off the throne without a fight. Nevertheless, the fact that Christ is dwelling within us solidifies our purpose of becoming His habitation, not only individually, but corporately. We have shared on becoming one of two habitations. These wonderful parallels in the scriptures do not simply repeat themselves, but expound themselves upon God's original thought.
The present world order shakes with uncertainty of
what the next
day may bring. However, we should be anticipating what the outcome
of each shaking brings. We should make wise use of the measure of
faith God has given us. We have something that outshines all the glory
of any human government we have ever known. As we lean not upon
our own understanding, the purpose of God will come shining through
more and more just as
the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day
(Prov.
4:18). Ah, we
can all smile with great hope as we become aware of the radiant life of
Christ within, but
how we perceive the eruptions between the old and the new life may be a
different story.
We are not to hang our heads in shame because of this great conflict
between the flesh
and the Spirit. Instead, we are to apprehend the purpose of these
sudden earthquakes.
This brings us to our next parallel.
Then Tatnai, governor on this side of the
river, Shethar-boznai, and their
companions, according to that which Darius the king had sent, so they
did speedily... The second woe is past; and, behold, the third
woe cometh quickly
(Ezra 6:13 and Rev.
11:14).
The governor and their companions wisely took heed of the words of King Darius in Ezra's day. If they had no fear of Darius they would have done everything they could have to stop the process of restoration in Jerusalem. We ought to take hold of what this piece of history is saying to us on a higher level in the Spirit. If Darius would have stood back in ease with no concern of the adversaries of Judah, restoration would have been out of the picture, at least until another king came on the scene with enough power and concern to make sure Jerusalem was restored. Our adversary can only come so far, as God continues to bring restoration to creation. We should find this to be a great comfort. We certainly have an open door to the spirit of fear without the revelation of God's sovereignty. We would do well to take note in this age of sensationalism that the devil had to get permission from God before he could do anything to Job (See Job chapters 1 and 2).
We would like to look at the very next verse in
Ezra and consider how it relates
to the earthquakes we find in the Revelation of Jesus Christ. And
the elders of the Jews
builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the
prophet and
Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished it, according
to the
commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of
Cyrus, and
Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia
(Ezra 6:14). The key word
that ties earthquakes
and great shakings into this passage of scripture is Haggai.
The
adversaries mentioned
in Ezra 6:13 are put in their place so to speak by the words of the
kings, and the next
thing we read is, the elders of the Jews builded, and they
prospered through the
prophesying of Haggai the prophet.
One cannot read the book of
Haggai without taking
note of the great shakings that the Lord speaks through this prophet. For
thus saith the
Lord of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the
heavens, and the earth,
and the sea, and the dry land; And I will shake all nations...
(Hag.
2:6 and 7).
We can hear what the Lord said in Haggai echo in
the 12th chapter of Hebrews as
we read the sobering announcement of the removal of the Old Covenant
and the
establishment of the New Covenant. See that ye refuse not him
that speaketh. For if
they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall
not we escape,
if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: Whose voice then
shook the earth:
but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth
only, but also
heaven. And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those
things that are
shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be
shaken may
remain
(Heb. 12:25-27). In Revelation 11:13 we find two of the
seven times the word
earthquake is mentioned in Revelation. This is also the passage of
scripture that ties our
parallel to the passage in Ezra. And the same hour was there a
great earthquake, and
the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of
men seven thousand:
and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
The second woe
is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly
(Rev. 11:13
and 14).
In this parallel we see the true function of a prophet. In
Jeremiah 1:10 we find the
outline of the prophet's ministry. See, I have this day set thee
over the nations and over
the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to
throw down, to build,
and to plant.
In these six specific things we find the complete
purpose of God
speaking through His prophets:
While it is true that every plant that our heavenly Father has not planted shall be uprooted, it is not enough to minister a word that just roots out, pulls down, destroys, and throws down (Matt.15:13). When we stop short in ministering the word with merely uprooting, pulling down, and so on, we have left the listener stripped naked with no vision beyond the shortcomings of our humanity. These ministries are incomplete and imbalanced. Far too often, this is a result of holding the idea that our measure of truth is the whole truth.
On the other end of the pendulum, we also find another type
of ministry that is
incomplete. We are speaking of a ministry that heralds a god
who is incapable of rooting
up, pulling down, destroying, and throwing down. These too may have
their measure of
truth. In this camp we will hear a lot about grace and love. However,
it is not the grace
that is Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldy lusts,
we should live soberly,
righteously, and godly, in this present world
(Titus 2:12). It
is a grace that simply
covers our sin, but does not give us the divine enablement to live an
overcoming life. It
is not the love that views the nature of God from the standpoint of His
divine child
training that He uses to bring us to sonship. For whom the Lord
loveth he chasteneth,
and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth
(Heb. 12:6).
Needless to say, Haggai fulfilled the function of
the prophet in his day. We not
only find the voice of God shaking the nations in Haggai, but we find
the glorious
outcome and purpose of such shakings, which is the desire of all
nations
(Hag. 2:7). You
see, this corrupt world order that Adam inhabits, must be first invaded
and shook to the
core before the inhabitants can be delivered from the bondage of
corruption into the
glorious liberty of the children of God
(Rom. 8:21). Due
to the inspired words in
Romans 8:21, we are persuaded with great expectation, that not only
will the role of a
prophet continue to be fulfilled, but there will be those who personify
the prophetic word
the Lord has spoken!
These prophetic voices that shall ring out will target the hearts of humanity and the effects of the Living Word will shake the ecclesiastical systems of our day. It will not stop there. It will also go on to impact every avenue within this present world order. We are talking about something far greater and yet just as real as the literal ground quaking. You see there have been great earthquakes all through history, but none of them have removed the nature of the old man.
The voice of the prophet speaking by divine unction
of the Spirit is the spiritual
reality of what the trumpets symbolize in the scriptures. The great
earthquakes and
shakings symbolize the effect of these trumpets. Today, it is no
different when God
speaks through the body of Christ. Each trumpet, each shaking, is
leading up to a grand
climax in God's economy. There shall be a trumpet sounding that will
usher in the fall
of the hypocrisy within the household of faith. The real and the
pretentious believers
shall be divided by what the Living Word will bring. This will set the
stage for not only
the ministry of a pure word, but the pure word demonstrated in power,
for it must be so
according to the scriptures. Listen to the inspired record of the
apostles. For our gospel
came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy
Ghost, and in much
assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your
sake
(1 Thess.
1:5). Many have left the impression that the kingdom of God will be
made manifest
simply by preaching pet doctrines that they feel are so deep, but in
reality that will never
demonstrate the kingdom, For the kingdom of God is not in word,
but in power
(1
Cor. 4:20).
As we have already mentioned, these great shakings
that first start within the
household of faith will not stop there. Everything Adam has ever
concocted in his fallen
nature must experience the deathblow that results from each prophetic
blast. They all
must bite the dust they arose from. Secular humanism, eastern
mysticism, every world
view, every belief system shall ultimately be removed, as the exclusive
claims of our
Lord Jesus Christ alone shall remain. Every political movement, every
government,
every avenue of life as we know it, with all of its temporal glitter
and fleeting comforts,
shall be subdued under the glorious reign of the Good Shepard. But let
us remember that
by way of the quickening of the Spirit, which God initiates, the
removal of the old begins
with the household of faith! We can follow the Greek word used for earthquake
in
the New Testament and see how each occurrence of the word foreshadows a
progression
in our walk with the Lord. The first time this Greek word is ever used
it is translated as
tempest in Matthew 8:24. It is translated 13 other times as earthquake.
Matthew 8:24
brings us back to the fact that these great shakings start with us. And
when he was
entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. And, behold, there
arose a great tempest
in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he
was asleep. And
his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we
perish
(Matt. 8:23-25).
Lord, save us: we perish.
These five
words perfectly describe the condition and
need of all humanity. All who are in Adam may not be verbally saying
these words, but
they still need a Saviour. Furthermore, these five words are a
testimony of the ultimate
outcome of the sin of the first man. In Adam's transgression, the beast
nature was
birthed. In the book entitled "God's Beauty and the Beast,"
by Lynn Hiles, he expounds
on the words "we perish" and their relationship to the
beast.
In Revelation 13, the number of the beast is written not with numbers, but with Greek letters that have the numerical value of 666. Each letter in the Greek alphabet has a numerical value, for example, an 'a' might have a value of 20 or a 'c' might be worth 30. The numerical value of the letters in Revelation 13, totaled 666.
All the words in the New Testament have a numerical value. There are only five words that have the value 666 assigned to them.
The first word is in Matthew 8:25, Jesus was asleep. "And His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, 'Lord save us: we perish.'" The phrase "we perish" has the numerical value of 666. "When he began to wake up, He said unto them, 'Why are you fearful, O ye of little faith?' Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea and there was a great calm." "We perish" has a numerical value of 666, and those that are perishing in this hour are already sealed with that number. It is the will of Jesus that none should perish (p. 65).
I recall running from the Lord all of my life, although since God is omnipresent, I never got very far. When He apprehended me, the waves of uncertainty had completely filled my vessel. My heart was breaking in turmoil as the charms of the age lost their hold. I came to the point where all I wanted was peace. I knew there was a small pocket sized bible packed away in my closet that my mother gave me when I was just a young boy. I began to cry out to the Lord, then I felt that if I dug out the little bible and read it I would have peace. The small bible only included the Psalms and the New Testament. I opened it up to Matthew and it was not very long at all before I found myself following the disciples with Jesus right into the boat in chapter 8. As I read the account in Matthew 8:23-27, I found that the roaring waves of uncertainty within my being had been absorbed into a calm stillness that only the Prince of Peace could bring. This was the beginning of the end for the life I had in the old Adamic nature.
In Matthew 8:27 we find that the purpose of these
divine life changing
interruptions that shake up our life is to learn "What manner of
man" this is. In Acts, the
religious and civil world would go onto learn what manner of man
the Lord is through
His corporate body. Likewise, it should be so with the body of Christ
today. When Christ
first calls us, like the disciples, we may experience a shaking. In
doing so, we get a
revelation of just who the Lord really is. However, like the body of
Christ in Acts, at
some point in our participation with Him, we can be used to usher in
this wonderful
revelation to those who are still imprisoned by the bondage of sin and
the fallen nature
of Adam. And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises
unto God: and the
prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake,
so that the
foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors
were opened, and
every one's bands were loosed
(Acts 16:25
and 26). Prison doors have been opening in
every generation and the bands of many prisoners have been loosed as
the Lord
continues to move forward in His purpose within His corporate body.
Interestingly enough, when the Lord calmed the sea in Matthew 8:26 we go on to read of Him casting out demons in the country of Gergesenes. As a result the Lord was not welcomed and the inhabitants begged him to leave (Matt. 8:28-34). They were obviously more concerned about the loss of the swine than what the Lord had to offer. Paul and Silas found themselves beaten and in prison as a result of casting out a spirit of divination in a woman who brought her masters much profit through fortune telling. The New American Standard more accurately reads that the woman was a slave girl. Once again, the demonstration of Christ results in setting captives free. Although she may have remained a slave to her masters she was no longer held captive by the spirit of divination. This deliverance she experienced in Acts 16:18, as well as the man delivered from the spirits in Matthew 8:28, give us a glimpse of the glory that shall be revealed when all creation is delivered. Nevertheless, along the way in our journey we should not be surprised if we are unwelcomed among those who, like those in Gergesene, esteem their lively hood more than the purpose of God. If we move on in the boldness and power of the Spirit, like the apostles, we too will find ourselves unable to compromise by giving place to the spiritual realm that feeds the Adamic nature. Therefore, we should not be surprised if we are persecuted by those who depend on such spirits, like the masters of the slave girl.
This Greek word used for earthquake is also used by the Lord to describe the conditions that would come upon that specific generation that would experience the end of the Old Covenant (Matt. 24:7, Mark 13:8, and Luke 21:11). We also find this word used for an earthquake that took place after Jesus dies on the cross and after He was raised from the dead (Matt. 27:54 and Matt. 28:2). This should speak volumes to the soul that comes to know the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ as something more than just mere history. We find all of the Old Testament types culminating in this event. Everything God desired to passionately communicate to His creation was amplified in this event. These earthquakes punctuate the end of an era and introduce the next chapter in God's purpose.
We must now consider the ultimate purpose of these
earthquakes, which are just
a small part of the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord. In
John 12:20-22 we find
that there were some Greeks that desired to see Jesus. We find the
purpose in these
shakings in the Lord's response to them. The hour is come, that
the Son of man should
be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat
fall into the ground
and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit
(John 12:23 and 24).
The purpose of these shakings is to bring forth much fruit!
God desires a harvest of
mature sons. Creation itself also has a desire that will be fulfilled
in such a wonderful
harvest. Mankind in all of his depravity is looking for a living
demonstration of the same
life we find in Jesus. The scriptures themselves abound with
confirmation that this
demonstration of Jesus Christ in the earth must become a present
reality within the body
of Christ, rather than some event in the future. This is conveyed in
the book of Acts. The
book could have very well been entitled the Acts of Jesus Christ
through His corporate
body. You see it was not an apostle that stopped Saul on the road to
Damascus. Saul met
the Head of the body that he was persecuting (See Acts 9:1-5). The
theme of Christ being
expressed in the earth did not end when Jesus ascended in Acts 1:9.
To sum up the way Acts so beautifully ties into the prophetic ministry that Haggai demonstrated in Ezra and the greater ministry to come in the earthshaking Revelation of Jesus Christ, the apostles personified the word that God planted in their hearts. In humility they took no glory to themselves. They did not just speak the word, they became that word. They were the firstfruits of what Jesus had planted.
Now we would like to consider how the corporate body of Christ, which is the much fruit in John 12:24, is used in these great earthquakes. After Saul had his worldview shaken to the core on the road to Damascus, we find him with a new name in Acts 13:9. This is our parallel in a nutshell. We find the Lord calling Paul Saul in Acts 9, but in Acts 23:11 the Lord calls him Paul. This speaks to us of a change of nature, which is what receiving a new name is all about. However, this change can only come about on the grounds of resurrection which involves the experience of a great earthquake. As recipients of this new nature we go from experiencing the earthquake to ministering the life that causes these great earthquakes. For example, take note of the comment that was made about Paul and the others in Acts 17:6 by those who violently opposed them. The Jews in Thessalonica said that the apostles had "turned the world upside down."
After we entitled this parallel "The Great Earthquake: The Removal Of The Old," we found that the Greek word used for turned upside down in Acts 17:6 brought much confirmation to our study. According to Marvin Vincent, this Greek word, anastatoo, is stronger in meaning than disturb or unsettle. Rather, to upset or overthrow is more fitting. It is used in reference to driving out from home or ruining a city or country (see Vincent's Word Studies Vol.4, p.162). This Greek word anastatoo is derived from another word, anistemi, which means to stand up. It is translated as arise, lift up, raise up (again), rise (again), and stand up (up right). Many times the word is used in the context of the resurrection of Jesus, which was one of the main themes the Apostles were preaching. This was the word that shook the world in Acts!
In light of these two words, we see the nature of God's will being carried out through a corporate body in the book of Acts. In the process of restoration, there must first be a removal of the old humanity, because the ultimate outcome is not annihilation or endless suffering, but a new humanity! The thing that most people fail to understand is that the destruction of the first man, Adam, brings the life of the new man, Christ, the second Adam. It seems that many in the household of faith confuse the means to the end with the end itself.
In Acts we see the means to the end sovereignly put into action by the mighty power of the Spirit operating through a perfectly prepared corporate body of humbled beings. Oh, Lord let us once again capture the simplicity and the essence of the vehicle that you desire to use in this hour. Let us not be carried away by the glitter of religious platforms. In your rich mercy, may you give us the spiritual insight to ever behold the fact that you desire to be expressed through frail earthen vessels, even bodies of humiliation. May we seek Your face for any boldness and unction that we may lack so that we may operate out of what is already available to us through the indwelling power of Christ!
We see this shaking of the Old Covenant system as it is being removed throughout the New Testament. In the bigger picture, we can see the awesome shaking of the system Adam has established, for in order for God's will to be fully met, it too must be removed. The religious and civil world had settled down into a content mode of operation which was opposed to God's will. Nevertheless, from the very mouth of the apostate church comes the wonderful testimony of what the body of Christ had done! They had turned the world upside down! For those who could see it and hear it by the Spirit, the Old Covenant was done away with at the cross. They did not have to wait for the temple in Jerusalem to be destroyed to walk in the reality of the New Covenant. However, there was a transition that took place in between the cross and the destruction of Jerusalem. We cannot help but feel that a transition is taking place in our souls, for our spirits have already been quickened and raised out of the realm of the fallen nature. We can also be assured that there will be a removal within us of all things that would seek to prevent the expression of Christ in us from coming to full fruition.
Let us consider the course of events that take place in the removal of the old nature. As we mentioned earlier, the flesh will not step down from the throne in our hearts without a fight. We find the things mentioned of three certain kings in the New Testament to be typical of our conflict and the result of the earthshaking reality that Christ must reign supreme in our hearts. It is in this conflict that the Lord turns our microcosm upside down! He invades our little world and disturbs the city of Adam with the intent to drive him out of his home and possess the land. The kings we are about to consider reveal some very practical issues that are faced at some point in our spiritual sojourn.
In Matthew chapter 2:1-3 we find king Herod, who is called Herod the Great, troubled with the news of the birth of Jesus. This is typical of the agitation that the new life brings to the sea of humanity. This same Herod gives us the pretense that he will worship the Lord, but in reality seeks to end the life of Christ. This is typical of all the seemingly good motives within us that would give verbal consent to the Lordship of Christ, but in reality will not relinquish the rule of carnality (Matt. 2:8). On a corporate level, we have a picture of the spirit of the age using the beastly nature of fallen humanity to hinder the manchild from ascending to the throne (Matt. 1:13). Nevertheless, the mighty hand of God prevails, for the appointed time of ascension must come as well as the end of all carnality (Matt. 1:19 and 20). The challenge to us is, when we are shaken by the Christ, will we let go of the old and embrace the new, or will we fight for our position in the flesh?
In the next king we find yet another manifestation
of carnality. Herod the tetrarch,
who was also Herod of Antipas, is confronted with John the Baptist.
John prefigures the
boldness of the word speaking to our hearts and bringing the truth into
light. That is just
what John did when he confronted Herod. For Herod had laid hold
on John, and bound
him, and put him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's
wife. For John said
unto him, it is not lawful for thee to have her
(Matt. 14:3
and 4).
Herodias is typical of the ideas, concepts, and thoughts that carnality will commit to. What is foreshadowed here once again strikes at the true motives of the heart. At first Herod will only go so far as to shutting John up in prison, due to his fear of what the people would think if he put a prophet to death. However, due to his relationship with Herodias, the death of John the Baptist is inevitable (Matt. 14:5-12). We find the comments of Adam Clarke concerning this passage of scripture very revealing. "Miserable prince! who fears more to offend his people, than to sin against his God, by shedding innocent blood. When a man resists sin only by the help of human motives, he cannot long defend himself" (Clarke's Commentary Vol. 5, p.157).
We too can have these miserable little princes arise in our hearts that would shut the door on convicting words. Herod, like so many, will hear the word and for the wrong motives preserve it, but never comply to it. As we go on to see the way that the rest of this passage of scripture unfolds, we will glean the fact that today's compromise opens a door to tomorrow's sensuality. The fact that we live in an age in which moral absolutes are considered an imposition testifies of this, for the flesh can only crave flesh. But the real issue here is the conflict between the old man and the new man.
We seem to get a picture of defeat in the rest of
this passage. But when Herod's
birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and
pleased Herod.
Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would
ask. And she,
being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John
Baptist's head in a
charger
(Matt. 14:6-8). When we shut up the word of conviction,
we are left with
nothing but our own weakness and the allurement of every thought that
conviction came
to battle on our behalf. The dance mentioned in Matthew 14:6 represents
the allurement
that Herodias (i.e. ideas, concepts, and thoughts) used
through her daughter. The oath
represents the commitment to self-interest and self-desire at any cost.
Although he was
grieved, the king commanded it to be given because of his oaths, and
because of his
dinner guests. He sent and had John beheaded in the prison
(Matt.
14:9 and 10 NASB).
On a corporate level we see a picture of the fleshly rule that, sadly enough, has made strong ties with the modern Church by silencing any hope of repentance and preparation that the true messengers of God bring. Herodias was nothing less than a New Testament Jezebel while the testimony of the Lord himself reveals that John was he who ministered in the spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:17, 7:27 and Mark 1:2-3). In the western world, we may not see many modern day Elijah's thrown in prison. Rather, they are simply deemed fanatics by those who would not have them disrupt their religious social clubs. Although we may not hear it from the media today, in other parts of the world there are many modern day Elijah's that are imprisoned and martyred.
Beneath this gloomy picture of seeming defeat,
through the eyes of Spirit we can
see the victory of faith and a great harvest yet to come! This voice of
one crying in the
wilderness was no reed shaken in the wind, or as Alfred Edersheim
writes, "...he was
the opposite of one swayed by popular opinion" (The Life and
Times of Jesus The
Messiah, p. 460). He shook the ecclesiastical system of his day
with the boldness of the
Spirit. He never deviated from his calling during the unique time of
transition in which
he was placed. But perhaps the most significant thing he did was to
accept the same fact
that each of us must accept if we truly desire to be led of the Spirit.
He must increase,
but I must decrease
(John 3:30). This verse reflects the
sentiments of every humbled
vessel that has been captured by the experience of knowing Jesus Christ
as their Head,
and not just their Saviour - the type of vessels found in the
scriptures that are used to
shake the world. It is impossible to be led of the Spirit when the Lord
is not our head,
hence spiritually speaking, John was already beheaded long before his
physical
decapitation took place in prison.
This next king is yet another Herod, another manifestation of the flesh - Herod Agrippa, who could just as easily be called a victim of the harvest. You see, when this Herod came on the scene, the grain of wheat had already fallen into the ground and died. When this precious seed descended into the earth, He had absolutely no intention of abiding alone (John 12:24). In Acts, we find the firstfruits of His awesome handiwork experiencing the glory of God. Something so glorious was operating in their midst. All of the Old Testament types pointed to this greater ministry with glowing expectations. Finally, the law and the prophets and all the shadows they cast were absorbed into a much greater light. The spiritual reality of God dwelling in the heart of man had come. We are firmly persuaded that in times of transition, when there is only a gradual departure from darkness, apostasy and carnality seem to abound to the point of despair. But when such a light of that magnitude comes, everything is exposed for what it really is and judgment is swift.
And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal
apparel, sat upon his throne, and
made an oration unto them. And the people gave a shout, saying, It is
the voice of a god,
and not of a man. And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him,
because he gave not
God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost. But
the word of God
grew and multiplied
(Acts 12:21-24). What we have here is a
sneak preview of the final
destruction of the corporate expression of the old man, Adam (2 Thess.
2:4). Herod, like
Adam, sought for the glorification of self. Herod's name comes from the
Greek word
heros. This is where we get our English word hero.
According
to John Ayto's Dictionary
of Word Origins, this word hero "applied in ancient
times to men of superhuman ability
or courage, and in due course by extension to demigods." In light of
the name Herod in
and of itself we can easily see the motive of self-exaltation.
Furthermore, Herod was a
descendant of Esau. In the context of Esau's birth, Genesis 25:25 reads
that Esau came
out red.
This brings to mind the first man Adam, whose name means
earthy or red earth. Esau perfectly represents the flesh
which wars against
the spirit. The end of this
war will be the prophetic fulfillment of Obadiah 21. And saviours
shall come up on
mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the
Lord's.
Before the death of Herod, we find the account of swift judgment that came to pass on Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11). This is a confirmation to the order in which judgment comes. First and foremost, it must start in the heart of the remnant Church, then from that point it moves into the ecclesiastical and civil arena, and then into all creation, for that is the ultimate destination of God's theocracy (1 Pet. 4:17).
Perhaps many would contend that the Lord would never judge in that manner today. We acknowledge that there are those who have been like Ananias and Sapphira, as well as Herod, that are still with us. This is true, but we must confess that the corporate expression of Christ is not what it should be. If we think the Church is at the height of its potential and we are quite comfortable with the status quo, this simply testifies that the heavens have yet to open the understanding of our hearts. Many in the Church today don't even believe in operating in the power and demonstration of the Spirit. We seem to come up with ideas that either leave the power of God in the past or way out there in the future. We are still making our way out of darkness. The glorious light is still rising. The state of things today is very much like the transition between the ascension of Christ and the outpouring on Pentecost.
No matter how small in number, in every generation
there has always been a
remnant. The testimony of the Christ and His resurrection life that He
shares with His
body may be unique, but it has never been extinct. Isaiah 1:9 is just
as relevant today as
when it was first written. Except the Lord of hosts had left unto
us a very small
remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like
unto Gomorrah.
Indeed the Lord's mercy has prevailed in this time
of darkness to
preserve those who
would embody His testimony. It is of the Lord's mercies that we
are not consumed,
because his compassions fail not... For I am the Lord, I change not;
therefore ye sons
of Jacob are not consumed
(Lam. 3:22 and Mal. 3:6).
In relation to this remnant, there are three other
kings that we would like to briefly
consider. In as much as the three kings we have just considered
represent Adam in
different stages of his fleshly rule, these three other kings
represent Christ in different
stages of His ministry. These three kings take us back to Ezra. As we
have stated in
previous writings, only a remnant left Babylon to restore Jerusalem.
Cyrus recognized
his authority to restore Jerusalem was from God. As we have also
stated, Cyrus means
the sun. In the following comparison we can see what the
Lord intends to do with His
remnant. Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The Lord God of heaven
hath given me all
the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house
at Jerusalem,
which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? his God be
with him, and
let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of
the Lord God of
Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem... All power is given
unto me in heaven
and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in
the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe
all things
whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you, always, even
unto the end of
the world. Amen
(Ezra 1:2 and 3, Matt. 28:18-20).
The passage in Ezra typifies what the Lord is doing in His remnant, while Matthew boldly declares what the Lord is doing through His remnant. We can also glean the fact that God may begin His purpose with a remnant, but that is certainly not the way He ends it. Jerusalem was to be the center of the world, because God's manifest presence was there. It was to be a house of prayer for all nations. In the New Covenant, we are the city in which God can manifest His presence. We are to become a house of prayer. In Acts we see this coming to pass. Jerusalem shook and reacted in violence at the thought of God leaving their already forsaken temple and taking up His abode within the followers of Christ. This is a clear indication that the corporate expression of Adam felt threatened. This was also a clear indication of a healthy Church.
God begins the work of restoration through His
remnant. He builds up His living
temple as He removes the reign of Adam from within and in due time from
without. The
work of restoration in the Old Testament finds its New Testament
fulfillment in Acts.
And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,
After this I will return, and
will build again the Tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I
will build again
the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: That the residue of men might
seek after the Lord,
and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who
doeth all these
things
(Acts 15:15-17).
This passage of scripture sums up the goal that the Spirit was working towards in Acts. We would do well to take note of the fact that the Apostles saw this as something that was very relevant to their day. You see, they quoted the prophets saying "...I will return, and will build again..." Today, this phrase is commonly believed to be speaking of rebuilding a man made temple after Jesus returns to earth. However, the context clearly shows that this is speaking of something that was already happening in Acts. The Spirit came to dwell within a remnant of 120 people to whom Jesus ministered. From that point on, Christ began to build His Church. In light of what has plainly been shown to us to be true in history, we are behind the times when we speak of restoration as something strictly futuristic. But we still contend that Acts was only the beginning. The Lord did not complete His corporate body of living stones in Acts. There is still a building up of the new man and a tearing down of the old man going on.
This work of the Spirit that builds up and tears
down brings us to the next king,
Darius, who foreshadows the working of the indwelling Christ. We have
mentioned a
significant parallel between this king and Christ in a previous
article. We will briefly
reiterate it with the following comparison. Then King Darius
issued a decree, and
search was made in the archives, where the treasures were stored in
Babylon
(Ezra 6:1
NASB). The search mentioned in Ezra should bring to mind the search
that was made
within the living epistles in Revelation: ...all the churches
shall know that I am he
that searcheth the reins and hearts
(Rev. 2:23).
This searching of the Spirit plays a key role in
the building up of the new man and
the removal of the old man. The eyes that "were as a flame of fire,"
which describes our
Lord in Revelation 1:14, represent the heart penetrating work of the
Spirit that leaves
nothing unveiled, nothing untouched, and nothing hidden. ...for the
Spirit searcheth
all things,
yea, the deep things of God
(1 Cor.
2:10). In Daniel 10:4-7 we find the
connection between the eyes of fire and the great shaking that shall
eventually be
experienced by everything that can be shaken. I was by the side
of the great river,
which is Hiddekel; Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a
certain man
clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz: His
body also was like
the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes
as lamps of fire, and
his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice
of his words like the
voice of a multitude. And I Daniel alone saw the vision: for the men
that were with me
saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, so that
they fled to hide
themselves.
The above passage in Daniel conveys some of the things we find in Acts. Hiddekel means the rapid swift or the rapid Tigris. This word can be traced to a root word that means to be light, to be swift, to be cursed (see Jer. 6:14, Hab. 1:8, Isa. 65:20 and Jones' Dictionary of Proper Names). Every detail in the scriptures is there for a reason. The river Daniel was standing by when he experienced the vision is no exception. The vision describes the same attributes in Revelation that speak of our Lord and His corporate body. Rivers so often speak of the Spirit and the motion of the Tigris was swift. This illustrates the swift judgment that accompanied the glorious expression of the corporate body of Christ in Acts. As long as the expression of Adam is with us there will always be a purpose for these great earthquakes.
Today, we can certainly see the application of the great quaking coming upon those who have no vision. Furthermore, to understand the vision of a many membered body of mature sons governed by Christ is one thing, but to be captivated by that vision is something else! Many people have been thrilled by this knowledge, but such thrills will give us no stability to walk in what we have heard. We would do well to take note of the desire, the passion, and the diligence to seek the face of God that we find in Daniel. Those who are void of this attitude, yet full of deep sounding kingdom terminology, could be in for a very rude awakening. We can run to and fro for nuggets of truth, but if the God-lit fire does not run through our being, we are spiritually destitute.
Take note of the significance of this king's name.
The name Darius means a restrainer. This reminds us of the
sovereignty of the Lord. We
have already stated that
we should find great comfort in this facet of the Lord. Let us consider
this in light of
such passages as Psalm 104:6, 7 and 9. The waters were standing
above the mountains.
At your rebuke they fled. At the sound of Your thunder they hurried
away... You set up
a boundary that they may not pass over
(NASB). Darius not only
carried out the decree
of Cyrus, but he set the boundaries for the adversaries of Judah. Now
therefore,
Tattenai, governor of the province beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai
and your
colleagues, the officials of the provinces beyond the river, keep
away from there
(Ezra
6:6 NASB). Further on in the passage concerning the reaction of Judah's
adversaries to
the kings decree we read, Then Tattenai, the governor of the
province beyond the River,
Shethar-bozenai and their colleagues carried out the decree with all
diligence, just as
King Darius had sent
(Ezra 6:13
NASB). The authority Darius had over the governor
of the province, who represents principalities and powers, foreshadows
a greater
authority. We find this to be the case in passages such as Ephesians
1:21. Darius in all
of his power and authority in the earthly realm was but a faint picture
of He who is "far
above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every
name that is
named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come."
In Cyrus, we see the revelation of the Son of God, our Saviour with the power and the authority to restore. We see this power fully demonstrated by Jesus in the Gospels. In Darius, we see the revelation of the Spirit, the indwelling Christ. For it is not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit that this work of restoration will be carried out (Zech. 4:6). We see this as Christ works through His corporate body in Acts. In this next king, Artaxerxes, which means "a great king" or "a great warrior," we see the revelation of Jesus Christ as LORD. We see this in so many places after His Ascension, but the place that we feel this especially applies is in the book of Revelation.
We are aware that many people make verbal confessions of the Lordship of Jesus Christ. You see, the revelation of Jesus Christ as Lord is a simple matter, but it is not a matter of simply saying He is Lord. In the most ultimate sense, it is our character that will indicate the degree of Lordship we walk in. Our salvation is a deliverance from one life into another. Christ dwells within us to enable us to walk in our new life. We do not have to be intellectual scholars to experience this. However, after our experience, we must view these two facts from God's perspective and from what God desires. If we fail to do so, we may join the multitudes that are simply content in knowing the Lord for what He can do for them!
One of the most practical ways of viewing the book
of Revelation is to see Jesus
Christ ride into our life to make war in those areas in which He is not
Lord. Interestingly
enough, when He comes riding in, we find that He has on His vesture and
on His thigh
a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS (Rev. 19:16). The
phrase
"king of kings" is only used for two other kings in the
bible. One of these kings,
Nebuchadrezzar, was raised up as an instrument of judgment (Eze. 26:7
and Dan. 2:37).
The other king, Artaxerxes was raised up as an instrument to carry out
restoration (Ezra
7:12). In Revelation, we find the Lord, in all authority, as the
King of kings, executing
righteous judgment, which ultimately results in restoration. ...in
righteousness he doth
judge and make war... And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold,
I make all things
new
(Rev. 19:11 and 21:5).
Consider the following comparison of scriptures. Now
this is the copy of the
letter that the king Artaxerxes gave unto Ezra the priest, the
scribe, even a scribe of the
words of the commandments of the Lord, and of his statutes to Israel.
Artaxerxes, king
of kings, unto Ezra... Forasmuch as thou art sent of the king,
and of his seven
counsellors... I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you
these things in the
churches... Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and
which was, and
which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before
his throne; And from Jesus
Christ... Unto him that loved us... And hath made us kings and priests
unto God ...keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable,
until the
appearing of our Lord
Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and
only Potentate,
the King of kings, and Lord of lords
(Ezra 7:11-14, Rev.
22:16, Rev. 1:4-6, and 1 Tim
6:14 and 15).
In Revelation, our Lord steps out of the shadows and into a most glorious light with the intent to make us partakers of this illuminating reality. He is the great King and warrior that has made us both kings and priests. In each generation, He has sent forth His priesthood. Behind the letter of Artaxerxes, in his office as king with his seven counsellors, we find the greater King and the government that comes from His throne in Revelation.
This revelation was never meant to be some nice
philosophy tucked away in our
knowledge vault that we pull off the shelves to marvel over like it was
some sort of
trophy we gleaned from spiritualizing the scriptures. Nor is it
something that remains
internal until some other dispensation in the distant future. The
moment our world is
shaken up, the second our earthquakes begin, we enter into an age in
our microcosm in
which we receive the prophetic word. We have been enrolled into a
school of
preparation. This preparation is for the ministry of Christ. If we can
apprehend this and
not become offended in the Lord's training, we will be used to minister
His life during
and after the great shakings that shall come upon the entire world.
This ministry is far
too big to be limited to our microcosm. We cannot afford to mistake our
microcosm to
be the ultimate resting place of God's glory. Nor can we do this
awesome ministry any
justice to mistake the full bloom of this revelation to be the glory in
the body of Christ
only. ...all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the
Lord
(Num. 14:21). And just
what will cause His glory to fill the earth? For as in Adam all
die, even so in Christ
shall all be made alive
(1 Cor. 15:22).