God's Choice and Man's Choice

Any Christian believer who thinks his salvation solely depends on exercising his free will and making the right choice to response to the Gospel message knows very little about the God of the Bible. He also knows very little about the sovereignty of God and the fallen nature of the unsaved person. It is very unfortunate whenever you raise the question of predestination and free will Christians would ask whether you are a Calvinist or an Armenian, or whether you hold the "reformed" view or the "non-reformed" view. My question is - why should Christians be divided because of different man's views?

The only reliable source of truth comes from God alone and never from man, even from the most Godly and most well-informed man. But this does not mean that we should give up discussing things that are known to be controversial altogether. With the help of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God we have sufficient revelation knowledge and understanding regarding God's Choice and man's choice and other related topics.

Things I don't know and things I do know

By way of introduction here are some statements concerning some of the things that I don't know and some of the things that I do know:

1. We all belong to the Adamic race and the entire Adamic race were born with a sin nature. We are fallen creatures. But Adam and Eve were not created fallen. They were created perfect with a perfect ability to exercise free will and to choose what was good. Yet they chose to sin. I don't know why they chose to sin and I have not found anyone yet who does know why.

2. I know God is sovereign. The Nelson's Bible Dictionary defines the sovereignty of God as - A theological term which refers to the unlimited power of God, who had sovereign control over the affairs and history of the world. Allow me to put it in simple layman term because I hate theological definitions, and I never understand them. What I understand is, God can do all things and will do what He likes, when He likes without having to explain to anyone and without having to ask anyone's permission.

3. I know God is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last (Rev. 22:13). Therefore God being God everything begins and ends with God's, including His Choice. God's Choice is primary and man's choice secondary. Anyone who thinks his choice overrules God's Choice is a very proud person. He thinks he is above God.

4. I know God's plan for salvation is complete and is meant for everyone (John 3:16). But I have no idea why God saves some but not all. I don't doubt for a moment that God has the power to save all, but I know that He does not choose to save all. One thing I do know; if it pleases God to save some and not all, there is nothing wrong with that. God is not under obligation to save anybody. If He chooses to save some that is no way obligates Him to save the rest.

The Choice of the Natural Man

One thing the natural man (unconverted man) cannot choose and will not choose is Christ. In fact he is not capable of choosing Christ by himself. The natural inclination of the natural man is to keep on running away from Christ. After the Fall, Adam and Eve and all sinners after them became fugitive and turn their backs on God. Don't believe anyone who tells you, "So and so is not a Christian, but he is searching". An unbeliever never seeks after God. It is the job of Christians to help unbelievers to seek God.

What do the natural man seeks after? They are seeking happiness, peace of mind, relief from guilt, a meaningful life, and a host of other things that we know only God can give them. In other words, they are seeking the benefits of God. The natural man's sin is precisely this - He wants the benefits of God without God Himself!

Let us consider two important statements made by Jesus Himself:

"No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:44, NKJV, emphasis added).

"Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father" (John 6:65, emphasis added).

Here are some statements of truth:

1. In the context the word "can" comes from the Greek word "dunamai" which means "having the ability", "possible" or "having the power". It does not mean "permission".

2. The word "draws" comes from the Greek word "helkuo" which means "to drag".

3. The natural man cannot choose to come to Jesus on his own steam without some kind of help from God. The Helper is the Holy Spirit (John 16:8, 9).

4. The word "granted" implies that God must choose him first and then drags him to Jesus.

A Major problem of the fallen man

It is important to realize that the fallen man is flesh (carnal) because of spiritual death - his spirit is dead and needs to be quicken by the Holy Spirit. And his dead spirit is unable to control his fleshly mind.

Paul said, "The fleshly mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you" (Romans 8:7 - 9, emphasis added).

The crucial word here is "if". What distinguishes those who are in the flesh from those who are not is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Only those who are born again have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit which enables him to please God by choosing Christ. As long as he remains in the flesh, unregenerated, he will never choose Christ.

The Principle of Divine Election

The Scripture reveals that the Church as well as individual Christian believer, just like Israel, is the products of "divine election" which simply means "God's choice". The principle of divine election says Israel is not Israel because the Jews chose God but because God chose them. Similarly we are Christians not because we chose God but because God chose us. Salvation depends on the decision God has already made. Any decision we make is merely a response to the decision which God has already made. Furthermore, He made that decision before He created the world. In other words, our will to choose Christ is merely a response to God's choice for us.

God's principle of divine election is revealed by the following passages of Scripture:

1. Paul said, "For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He Justified, these He also glorified" (Romans 8:29, 30, NKJV, emphasis added).

Someone called this the "Golden Chain of Salvation".

2. Paul said, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will" (Eph. 1:3 - 5, emphasis added).

3. Peter's greeting to the Jewish believers (the elect) in the midst of persecution.

".... to the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ; ..." (1 Peter 1:1, 2, NKJV, emphasis added).

A Major problem of predestination

It is one thing to contemplate God's gracious plan of salvation for the elect. But what about those who are not elect? Are they also predestined? Does God destine some unfortunate people to hell?

I believe totally in the doctrine of predestination because the Scripture says so. But I do not believe God is so unjust in such a way as to predestine anyone to hell. To understand this we have to look at God's sovereignty from a different perspective.

We have seen that all natural (unregenerated) men are guilty of sin in the sight of God. But God sovereignly decides to give mercy to some of them and give justice to the rest. In other words, the saved get mercy and the unsaved get justice. Nobody gets injustice. We must understand that all fallen or natural men do not deserve mercy but deserve justice. God is nover obligated to be merciful to sinners but by God's grace some sinners (the elect) get mercy. But the non-elect get justice.

For example God gave mercy to Jacob in a way He did not give it to Esau. He gave it to Peter in a way He did not give it to Judas. We must learn to praise God both in His mercy and in His justice. When He executes His Justice He is doing nothing wrong. He is executing His justice according to His righteousness.

God, in His mercy, intervenes in the lives of the elect to insure their salvation. The rest of mankind God leaves to themselves. He does not create unbelief in their hearts. The unbelief is already there. He does not have to cause them to sin. They sin by their own choices! They have evil inclination in their hearts. But by His common grace God restarins evil in the world. He restrains evil in individual fallen men in order to restrain evil in the world. He even restrains the appearance of the Anti-Christ until the fullness of time (2 Thess. 2:6, 7).

Judas was a fallen man with evil inclination in his heart. He was not a poor innocent victim of divine manipulation. He was not a righteous man whom God forced to betray Christ and then punished for the betrayal. Judas betrayed Christ because Judas wanted thirty pieces of silver.

It is true that God uses the evil inclination and evil intention of fallen men to bring about His own redemptive purposes. Without Judas there is no Cross for Jesus. Without the Cross there is no redemption. It clearly shows God's redemptive triumph over evil. Other similar examples are Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar, both fallen men with evil intention. God did not blemish His own righteousness by creating fresh evil in their hearts. He established His own righteousness by punishing the evil that was already there in them.

Another problem concerning predestination

Peter said, "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9, NKJV, emphasis added).

At first glance, a question comes to mind quite naturally - "If it is not the will of God to elect everyone unto salvation, how can the Bible then say that God is not willing that any should perish?"

The answer is that the above passage of Scripute does not say anything about the sovereign Will of God. In its context, the word "willing" in Greek is "boulomai" which means "be disposed" or "intend". Therefore the phrase "not willing that any should perish" should read, "(God) does not desire or wish or intend that any should perish". In other words, God does not take delight in the death of the unrepentant sinner. His desire is that all should come to Christ.

Conclusion

Let us echo what the apostle Paul said:

"Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unseachable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen" (Romans 11:33, 36, NKJV).

The Strongmen

Before we pray for deliverance with the intention of casting out demons from a person it is important to identify the strongman and other demons of lower authority in that person. This calls for the gift of discerment of the spirits.

What is a strongman? Jesus described it perfectly in Matthew 12. The Pharisees were accusing Jesus for casting out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.

Jesus said, "If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? ... But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house" (Matt. 12:26, 28, 29, NKJV, emphasis added).

Here are some statements of truth:

1. The reign of Satan over people and the reign of God are in opposition. If God expels Satan from his dominion over people then His reign has come. So when we are casting out demons the Kingdom of God is upon us. We are then battling in that Kingdom and under the power of God's Kingdom against Satan's kingdom.

2. Satan would often put a strongman in a person to control that person. He is the chief demon and under him there are other demons with descending order of authority. When you begin to pray for people you will find demons will come out, but the strongman might be hiding at the bottom of the heap. He will push out other demons one or many at a time instead of coming out himself. Therefore until you get to the strongman the person is not delivered.

Prominent Strongmen over cities and Churches

It is beyond the scope of this message to deal with all known strongmen in the Bible. There are three prominent Strongmen that can be easily identified - these are Jezebel, anti-Christ and Death and Hade (come in a pair).

1. Jezebel

Jezebel is the name of two women in the Bible. One is the wife of Ahab, king of Israel (1 Kings 16:31) and the other is a self-claimed prophetess of Thyatira (Rev. 2:20). The description of both of these women, which is quite similar, gives us a picture of the Strongman Jezebel. She represents idolatry and withchcraft. The pagan world referred her as the queen of heaven and they worshipped her since time immemorial.

Jezebel, the Strongman over a city

Jezebel was the Strongman over Babylon. She was the evil power behind Babylon. God's people were put captive in Babylon for 70 years (Jeremiah 25:11) under the hands of Jezebel because of their disobedience.

Isaiah spoke to her, "Therefor hear this now, you who are given to pleasure, who dwell securely, who say in your heart, 'I am, and there is no one else besides me; I shall not sit as a widow, nor shall I know the loss of children'; but these two things shall come to you in a moment, in one day; the loss of children, and widowhood. They shall come upon you in their fullness because of the multitide of your sorceries, for the great abundance of your enchantments" (Isaiah 47:8, 9, emphasis added).

Here are some statements of truth:

1. Jezebel was proud and arrogant. She said, "I am, and there is no one else besides me" and therefore claimed herself to be God.

2. Jezebel was the queen behind all sorceries, witchcraft, domination, idolatry, adultery, fornication, astrology, fortune telling, soothe-saying and stargazing and the like.

3. Jezebel's days were numbered and she would receive judgment from God.

Jezebel, the Strongman over the Church

Jesus commanded an angel to write to the Church in Thyatira:

"Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent. Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and heart. and I will give to each one of you according to your works" (Rev. 20 - 23, NKJV, emphasis added).

Here are some statements of truth:

1. Jezebel will dwell in the Church if we allow her.

2. Jezebel is a false prophetess and she will seduce Church leaders and causes them to commit sexual immorality (both physical and spiritual). And God hates all forms of sexual immorality.

3. Believers who commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols are children of Jezebel.

4. God gives time for Jezebel and her children to repent.

5. God searches the minds and hearts of Churchgoers and if they are children of Jezebel with the spirit of Jezebel He will pronounce judgment on them. They will be judged together with the Strongman Jezebel unless they repent.

Jezebel, the mother of harlot and abomination

Many Bible teachers, the moment they read about the harlot spirit of Babylon as described in Rev. 17, they will tell you that is the spirit in the Catholic Church. In my opinion it refers to any Church that opens its door to the Jezebel spirit similar to the Church in Thyatira.

Revelation 18 describes the judgment of Jezebel and God's people are urged to come out of her:

"Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues, for her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities" (Rev. 18:4, 5).

2. The Anti-Christ

The term "Anti-Christ" in Scripture does not mean someone who is against Christ but means someone who takes the place of Christ. He is a false Christ.

Paul said, "Let no one deceive you by any means; for the Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God. ... And now you know what is restraining, that he may revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. ..." (2 Thess. 2:3 - 7, emphasis added).

Here are some statements of truth:

1. The anti-Christ is the man of sin or the son of perdition.

2. The anti-Christ opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God.

3. The Holy Spirit is restraining the anti-Christ and his appearance. He will only be revealed after the true Church, together with the Holy Spirit, is taken away by God.

4. But the spirit of the anti-Christ, which is the spirit of lawlessness, is already at work in the world as well as in some Churches. When you see any form of lawlessness anywhere, you can be sure that anti-Christ, the Strongman, is at work.

The spirit of Lawlessness

You cand find the Strongman (evil spirit) of lawlessness and his children of lawlessness almost everywhere. The Strongman is at work in political scenes, in terrorism, in suicide bombing, in senseless killing, in gang rape, in mass murder, in break-in of properties, in rock concert and you name it. Children of lawlessness are at work in any form of blasphemy, in suicide, in corrupt communication, in outburst of wrath, in curses, all forms of rebellion, in wickedness, in rejection, in selfish ambition, in corruptive practices, in strive, and the list goes on.

An example of spirit of lawlessness at work in the Church is when you see a Pastor committing suicide. In my opinion committing suicide, which is same as the killing of self, is the most serious sin. Repentance is not available for the person who commits suicide simply because a dead person cannot repent!

3. Death and Hades

The common way is to look at death as a state or condition. It is the cessation of life, the experience which results in the separation of the spirit from the body. Since the Fall everyone experiences spiritual death as well as physical death.

The New Testament Scripture reveals that Death and Hades are actually persons:

John saw a vision of the forth horseman, "And I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him" (Rev. 6:8).

It is obvious from this account that both Death and Hades are persons. Only a person could sit on a horse, and only another person could follow along with the first one.

I believe both Death and Hades are Strongmen or dark angels, but they have different "ministries". Death claims the spirit of every unrighteous person that is separated from his body when he dies. Hades receives him from Death and conduct him to the realm of the departed spirit from which he receives his name - that is Hades.

Just like the other two strongmen, Death and Hades also have children of lower ranks. Among the children of Death and Hades that cause harm to Christians and non-Christians are seen in curses, frequent accidents, succession of deaths in the family, a tendency to miscarry or related female problems, incurable diseases like AIDS and certain types of cancer, repeated or chronic sicknesses, drug addiction, plaques and the list goes on.

The destiny of Death and Hades is depicted by John as he gave us a picture of the final resurrection of the dead:

"The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each on according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:13, 14).

It is interseting to realize that Jesus Himself says we can avoid seeing Death:

"Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death" (John 8:51, JKJV, emphasis added).

In other words, the condition for not seeing death is to obey and be doer of His Word and to follow all the commands in the Bible. In my opinion anyone who compromises the truth of God's Word in order to please men is excluded.

Notice that Jesus does not say here that the believer will not experience physical death. He says that the believer will not "see death" - "death" as a Strongman.

Jesus maens that the spirit of the true believer (who keeps His Word), on departing from the body, will never come under the dominion of these two Strongmen, Death and Hades. Rather, like Lazarus the beggar (Luke 16:19 - 31) whose departed spirit was met by God's angels and by them escorted to Paradise. In fact, the destiny of the spirit of the true born again believer is into the presence of Jesus and God immidiately in his physical death.

Deliverance from Demons

In my opinion the so-called "deliverance ministry" that is commonly referred to by many Christians is not scriptural. It is solely based on human experience and not firmly grounded in the Word of God. The word "ministry" suggests a person is gifted by God to serve in a particular area of need in the Church.

Having said that, however, "deliverance" among Christians and in the Christian Church is scriptural except that you cannot call it as a ministry gift. If you are a Christian, healing and deliverance belong to you. But you need to realize that the word "deliverance" does not just mean deliverance from demons. It means set free from anything that would try to bind you as a Christian believer. It is our redemptive right to be set free from Satan's dominion. Jesus Christ bought and paid for your redemption on the Cross of Calvary and that redemption includes deliverance from any satanic bondage in the whole person - spirit, soul and body. Healing and deliverance from demons are part of our covenant rights when we accept Jesus as our Savior (Matt. 8:17; Luke 10:19; 1 Peter 2:24).

Jesus and His disciples

It is interesting to realize that Jesus never once sent His disciples out to preach the gospel without also telling them to cast our demons.

Jesus said to the twelve when He sent them out to preach:

".... and as you go, preach, saying, 'the Kingdom of heaven is at hand'. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give" (Matt. 10:7, 8, NKJV).

It is true that the above refers to Jesus sending out the 12 disciples only. But Luke recorded Jesus also sent out seventy others (Luke 10:1).

"Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, 'Lord, even the demons are subject ot us in Your name'. And He said to them, 'I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven'" (Luke 10:17, 18, emphasis added).

Notice that it is the Name of Jesus that demons are subject to. Demons are cast out because there is authority in the name of Jesus.

If you are a true disciple of Jesus Christ then you are expected to cast out demons as you go out to preach the gospel to fulfill the Great Commission.

Jesus said to His disciples, "And these signs will follow those who believe. In My name they will cast out demons; ..." (Mark 16:17).

The implication is that if you do not cast out demons in His name then you are either not a true disciple or you are an unbelieving believer! We must understand that casting out of demons is part of your Christian walk.

Christians and demons

An important fact is, Christians can and do have demons! A demon is a spirit being without a body and he is looking for a body in live in. The body he is looking for can be a Christian or a non-Christian body. What we are talking about is a person having a demon and not possessed by a demonic spirit. There is a big difference here. Confusion arises because in the King James Version of the Bible the word "possess" and the phrase "possessed by" are being usesd in the area of demon activities. Possession means ownership. A Christian cannot be owned by the Holy Spirit and the demonic spirit at the same time. The correct translation is "a man is having a demon".

Why do Christians have demons?

The likelihood of Christians having demons depends on how much they have surrendered their life to Jesus. If there has been absolute repentance at the time of salvation, and Jesus, by the Holy Spirit, occupied every recess in the inner depths of their heart, together with an absolute renunciation of all sin, then there is little or no demon activity.

Solomon said, "The spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all the inner depths of his heart" (Proverbs 20:27).

The Lord is searching the inner depths of our heart or belly. But many of us still have little secret areas within our heart that is not released to Him. This gives Satan the legal right to sit in there. The fact is, if we are not wholly unto God we are partly unto Satan.

I believe the greatest entry point for demon power is sexual immorality.

Paul said, ".... he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For 'the two,' He says, 'shall become one flesh'. But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him" (1 Cor. 6:16, 17).

When people have sex outside of marriage spirits pass between their bodies. It is therefore conceivable that they will have the spirit of fornication or adultery still in them even though they have given their life to the Lord. Sometimes these unclean spirits follow Christians who have been in past sexual immorality and they usually become oppressed unless they are fully delivered and set free with the spirits cast out.

Our Battle and our real enemies

Paul said, "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Eph. 6:12, NKJV).

Here are some statements of truth:

1. Our real enemies or opponents are not physical but spiritual opponents.


2. These spiritual opponents have descending order of authority - Principalities (despotisms), evil powers, master spirits at this present age of darkness and spirit forces of wickedness.

3. Our battle ground is at the heavenly or supernatural realm or sphere.

Dealing with spirit forces of wickedness

The Lord willing, I plan to deal with Spiritual battle in greater details in other future messages. In the meantime let us consider our spiritual opponent of the lowest order of authority - spirit forces of wickedness. Take as an example, a situaltion when people (believers or non-believers) are unkind toward us and saying things against us.

Our natural inclination is to use our mind to deal with their mind whereas in fact it is the evil spirit forces in them that is attacking us. These spirit forces might have affected their mind and give them unkind words to say to us. We must not respond to their mind when in fact we are dealing with the spirit forces within them. That is why we need the gift of discernment of the spirits (1 Cor. 12:10) in the Church.

When somebody hates you and speaks spitefully against you, your first reaction is to defend yourself, Jesus did not do that but instead He said:

".... bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, ..." (Matt. 5:44).

In other words, your are to use God's love to deal with that person. The demon power in that person cannot handle God's love. So when you are praying for someone who has hurt you, you are actually using the weapon of God's love to fight against the spirit in that person. The result is, the evil spirit is thrown into confusion and you will begin to win the battle. But if you begin to react because that person is speaking against you, you are doing exactly what the demons want you to do. The more you fight in the natural the less chance you have in victory in the spiritual. When the spiritual is won the natural will be won also! The fact is that Satan's kingdom is controlled by fear but God has a parallel kingdom controlled by love.

John said, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love" (1 John 4:18).

So do not fear the person who hates you and says unkind things to you. Instead fear God and use God's love to deal with that person.

Demons over Christian Churches

Satan loves religion, including religious ritual and religious forms of worship. The greatest way in which Satan operates over the Christian Churches is through the spirit of sectarianism. For a long time the Catholic Churches claimed they are the right ones and then the Protestant Churches claimed likewise. Then there is the problem of denomination barrier. Then there is the division between the Calvinists and the Armenians - division between those who believe in predistination and those who believe in freewill. If we dwell on these differences we become tools for Satan and his evil spirits.

The fact is that there is not a single Local Church that has no carnality in it, criticism in it, fighting in it, argument in it, split in it and problem in it. The only way to resolve these problems and divisions is through God's love.

In the beginning of the Charismatic movement there was a great division between Spirit-filled Christians and non-spirit filled Christians. In the beginning of our Spiritual life Satan will show us we are better that the people around us; that we have more knowledge and more wisdom; that we speak in tongues and cast out demons. The greatest problem in the Charismatic renewal has been the lack of God's love shown by those who became born-again and baptized in the Holy Spirit.

Bible Colleges and Seminaries and their deceptive teaching

A renowned Bible teacher, who is with the Lord now, once said, "Many Bible Seminaries are breeding grounds of unbelief and strongholds of Satan. Many students enter the Seminaries with a measure of Biblical faith but have their faith totally shipwrecked after graduation"?

The Devil did a marvelous work in these seminaries. Some theologians who teach in these seminaries are proclaimed atheists who studied the Bible using their intellect, and form their own theology using their own wisdom. Students of these seminaries are told, among other ungodly things, that demons do not exist; you do not cast out demons or heal the sick and divine healing is not for today - all ceased to exist and died with the 12 apostles! They totally ignored Mark 16 and failed to understand the power of the early Church. They even failed to understand that casting out of demons and healing the sick is part and parcel of our Christian walk. No wonder our Churches lack power.

Conclusion

Many contemporary Churches are busy implementing Church-growth, Church development and revival programs. My question is, why do we need Church growth program? What we need is the Holy Ghost program. All we need is to emulate the early Church - lay hands on the sick, cast out demons and set captives free. When such power is seen and manifested in your Church, people will come and very soon you will need a much bigger Church building. When some smart experts on Church-growth come to offer their services to your Church, ask them do they cast out demons, do they heal the sick. Also ask them how many miracles do they see every week in their own Church. If they cannot give you a satisfactory answer they are wasting your time!

Possessing Our Inheritance

As mentioned in my message last week the people of God, both the children of Israel and Christian believers, went through three transit points on their pilgrimage journeys to possess their inheritance in Christ. The purpose of the transit points is to mature us so that we are ready to fight battles and possess our God given inheritance. God is not impressed with our inheritance but He is impressed with our possession. The fact is what we have in possession right now is only a small portion of what God expected us to inherit.

God said to His Son Jesus Christ through the psalmist:

"Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession" (Ps. 2:8, NKJV).

Our full possession in Christ is the "ends of the earth" - until what Paul said is fulfilled:

"At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:10, 11).

Until that day you and I dare not rest!

The Battle of Jericho and the Battle of Ai

The children of Israel had enough time spent on transit and God wanted them to move on to do battles in order to possess their inheritance. We, as children of God must also move on and come into our inheritance in Christ. But before that there are a few lessens to be learned from the Battle of Jericho and the Battle of Ai. In these two battles the Lord did wonders amount the children of Israel and at the same time the Lord demanded total obedience from them before victory could be realized.

The Battle of Jericho

Before the children of Israel crossed over the Jordan to do battle against Jericho Joshua said to them, "Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you" (Joshua 3:5).

God is saying the same thing to us before we get involve in spiritual warfare. In our particular context, and in the particular period of time "sanctification" means we need to develop Christ-like character only the Fruit of the Holy Spirit can bring. We have been talking so much of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit which speak about God's power. Now it is time for us to ask God to begin to stamp the character of His Son in each one of us.

Until today the Battle of Jericho continues to be a source of pride to the Jews. And we today in the Christian Church are still talking about it and identify spiritual warfare as "bringing down the walls of Jericho". We must learn how to make intercession effectively in spiritual battle. Just mouth-prayer, asking God to bless this and that will not do. We need to change our "shopping lists" prayer in our Church prayer meetings to more aggreesive intercessary prayer. The Devil is laughing at our "pea-shooter" prayer.

God gave clear specific instruction on how to deal with Jericho. In fact God had already given Jericho to the children of Israel (Joshua 6:2). All they needed to do was to obey Him in marching around Jericho (Joshua 6:2 - 16). When God said move they moved and when He said shout they shouted. God Himself did it all and there were no human casualty - amazing!

God also gave specific instruction to the children of Israel not to take of the devoted or accursed things (Joshua 6:18). We were not told what those accursed things were. It could be little idols or amulets made out of metal or precious stones.

The Battle of Ai

After the Battle of Jericho the children of Israel were overconfident. Instead of seeking God first they became presumptuous and made their own decision. They said, "Do not let all the people go up, but let about two or three thounsand men go up and attack Ai. Do not weary all the people there, for the people of Ai are few" (Joshua 7:3).

Tragically and painfully 36 men were killed in the battle (Joshua 7:5) and God declared "Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them" (Joshua 7:11).

The problem was Achan from the tribe of Judah was identified as someone taken some accursed things from Jericho, and he was brought to the valley of Achor where he was stoned. In those days God dealt with His people severely. No one can come against the enemies with sin in the camp (Joshua 7:13).

We have sin in our camp (the Church) too and let us pray that God will not deal with us in this particular way. But He certainly dealt severely with Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1 - 11). We can't play around with sin! That is why we need to sanctify ourselves. That is why we need to emphasize the Fruit of the Spirit, holiness and Christ-like character. But if we do fall we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins (1 John 2:1, 2).

God is saying to us today, a single defeat does not mean it is finished. We must move on and keep moving on because God is on our side. But we must remember to do things His way and never be presumptuous.

Paul said, "If anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules" (2 Tim. 2:5, NKJV).

After the children of Israel had purified themselves and got rid of the accursed things God gave them victory over Ai and they were permitted to take some of the spoil (Joshua 8:2).

Then every where the children of Israel went there were victories. "So Joshua took the whole land according to all that the Lord had said to Moses; and Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. Then the land rested from war" (Joshua 11:23).

Inheritance and Possession

God promised the children of Israel the land of Canaan as their inheritance. But their inheritance at the time of Joshua was not matched by possession and Joshua was getting old.

God said to Joshua, "You are old, advanced in years, and there remains very much land yet to be possessed" (Joshua 13:1).

But the children of Israel had grown fat and became complacent and got tired of fighting even though God had already promised them victory. They were quiet happy with the land they had possessed so far.

Are our Churches also getting fat? Hope all the man-made charismatic food will not store up fat. We need spiritual muscles to go out and fight battles! We have forgotten to sanctify ourselves and we allow the world to come in the Church. Christians are beginning to love worldly values and worldly methods. The qualification for elders and pastors is no more a spiritual one. Therefore very few elders and pastors are true spiritual leaders.

Three things began to erode into the spiritual life of the people of God:

1. In alliance with heathens. "You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them" (Deut. 7:2).

2. Unequally yoked to marriages. "Nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give your daughter to their son, nor take their daughter for your son" (Deut. 7:3).

3. Involvement in idolatry. "You shall destroy their altars, and break down their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images, and burn their carved images with fire" (Deut. 7:5).

Recipients of God's Special Blessings

In every move of God's Spirit there are those who received special blessings from God. The reason was not because God has favorites but because He was (and still is) the rewarder of those who diligently seek to please Him (Heb. 11:6).

I found one person and three tribes among the children of Israel in Joshua's time who were recipients of God's special blessings.

1. A man called Caleb (Joshua 14)

Caleb received special blessings because he wholly followed the Lord (Joshua 14:9). He believed the Lord is greater than any giants. He had a different spirit, not an independent spirit, but the Spirit of the Living God. He looked after God's interest and God looked after his and rewarded him with strength and long life (Joshua 14:11, 12).

"With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation" (Ps. 91:16).

"My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands; for length of days and long life and peace they will add to you" (Pro. 3:1, 2).

Caleb was 85 years old when he received his inheritance. But he was as strong as the day that Moses sent him out to be one of the 12 spies (Joshua 14:11).

In my opinion if you want similar special inheritance of Caleb you need to do two things - You must follow the God fully and make sure you have a different spirit from the world which brings fear.

2. The tribes of Simeon and Judah (Joshua 19)

The tribes of Simeon and Judah were the recipients of special blessings:

"The inheritance of the children of Simeon was included in the share of the children of Judah, for the share of the children of Judah was too much for them. Therefore the children of Simeon had their inheritance within the inheritance of that people" (Joshua 19:9).

It was without doubt the tribe of Judah was the tribe that received special blessings. It was the tribe of Judah from which our Lord Jesus Christ came and from which king David came (according to the genealogy of Jesus as recorded in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke). Jesus was referred to as the Son of David.

Jesus is the Keeper of the people of God and He is never idle:

"He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep" (Ps. 121:3, 4).

Jesus is the Great High Priest who "always lives to make intercession for" you and I (Heb. 7:25).

The tribe of Simeon inherited special blessings because they received the same special blessings as the tribe of Judah.

3. The tribe of Levi

The tribe of Levi, from which the priesthood came, received the most special blessing. They received no inheritance like other tribes but the Lord Himself was their inheritance.

"The priests, the Levites - all the tribe of Levi - shall have no part nor inheritance with Israel; they shall eat the offerings of the Lord made by fire, and His portion. Therefore they shall have no inheritance among their brethren; the Lord is their inheritance, as He said to them" (Deut. 18:1, 2, emphasis added).

The Bible tells us that you and I are priests (Rev. 1:6; Rev. 5:10) and we are together in the Body of Christ, a holy priesthood (1 Peter 2:50) and a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9). But we do not belong to the tribe of Levi. We are of a vey special tribe if Jesus is truly our Lord and we live in Him.

According to the writer of Hebrews the Levitical priesthood was never perfect because it was a priesthood under the Law (heb. 7:11). Jesus, the great High Priest, on the other hand is a priest according to the order of Melchizedek and His Priesthood is unchangeable (Heb. 7:20 - 24).

Because we live in Jesus we are kings and priests of the same order as Him in the Kingdom of God. At the moment we are His representatives on earth!

The priests from the tribe of Levi were the custodians of the sacred flame (the Shekinah Glory) of God. In the Tabernacle of Moses only Aaron (the high priest) and priests were allowed to minister in the altar of incense. The fire at the brazen altar was divinely let by the Glory of God on the day of dedication. Coals were taken from the brazen altar by Aaron to light the golden altar of incense. In the holy of holies, where only the high priest could enter once a year, was lighted by the very Glory of God. The brightness was called the Shekinah.

God lighted the fire in the Church on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:4). You and I are now custadians of this sacred flame which is burning in each one of us in the Person of the eternal Holy Spirit of God! The Spirit of Christ in us brings regeneration and transformation in the inner man and stamps upon each one of us the character and marks of Jesus Christ. When we go out and bring the Gospel of the Kingdom to the world we are spreading God's life and God's light to the unbelieving world.

"... that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, ..." (Eph. 1:18).

Our calling as the Body of Christ is to receive His full inheritance!

The People of God in Transit

In the previous two messages we dealt with God's End-time People and God's End-time Church endued with Power from on High. When Joel's prophecy (Joel 2:23) is fulfilled God's people will receive both the Former Rain and the Latter Rain. But before this comes to pass and before God allows His people to possess His full inheritance He has to bring His people through many transit points in their pilgrimage journey in order to mature them.

There is a parallel truth concerning the pilgrimage journey of the children of Israel delivered from the bondage of Egypt and the pilgrimage journey of Christian believers delivered from the bondage of sins and the bondage of the spirit of the world. The children of Israel in their wandering in the wilderness came to 3 transit points. At each of the transit points significant things happened to them. Very ofter as a result of what they did and did not do in God's dealing with them the consequences of it could be quite predictable. There are certain principles we can develop which will help us to learn with regards to what happen to the Church and individual believers in transit.

Prophetically, the Church is in transit. The lessen learned can also be applied to ourselves personally in our own personal pilgrimage. We call it pilgrimage because whether we like it or not, God only allocated to each one of us threescore years and ten (Ps. 90:10). If you live to the age of 80 there is nothing for you to boast about because God has granted you 10 years grace period.

Picture of the children of Israel in Egypt

"Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them" (Exodus 2:23 - 25, NKJV, emphasis added).

"So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians ..." (Ex. 3:8, emphasis added).

According to the above passages of Scripture four things happened when the children of Israel cried out to God:

1. God heard their groaning.

2. God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. His covenant was He would multiply their descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore (Gen. 22:17).

3. God saw their conditions.

4. God came down.

The manifestation of the power of the Holy Spirit that you are seeing in many Asian countries today is due to the fact that many years ago, the people of God, though small in number, began to cry out to God for revival. Missionaries were sent and many leaders of Evangelical Churches taught us how to pray - to cry out to God. I believe just as God heard the children of Israel, God hears His people now. Just as God came down and delivered the children of Israel from the hand of the Egyptians, God has come down, by His Spirit, and will continue to come down in revival power upon our land. God will continue to deliver us from the spirit of the world.

Learning to live by faith

God performed two miraculous acts of deliverance for the children of Israel. First, the sending of the 10 plagues and then, the crossing of the Red Sea. From Egypt they moved on to the wilderness where they learned to live by faith - by trusting God in two ways.

1. Trusting God in their daily provision of food and water. When they got tired of the manna God sent them quail.

2. Trusting God in His unfailing guidance.

Believers are to trust God in their daily needs (Matt. 6:33) and trust God's daily guidance by His Spirit. We must learn to live by faith and learn to hear God's voice.

However the constant temptation of the Jews was to go back to Egypt where the provision of food was predictable. It was difficult for them to live by faith with the constant fear that the manna might not come daily. But the Bible says, "He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep" (Ps. 121:4).

If you want to be free in Jesus you have got to live by faith. But we want things to be predictable. Those of us with a degree in theology, or any other degree from Bible College, find it extremely difficult to accept the manifestation of tongues - it bypasses the mind. A meeting that is led by the Holy Spirit will never be acceptable because they fear anything can happen. But if everything is predictable people will feel comfortable and most will buy it. At such and such a time we sing hymn No. 1; then comes the opening prayer and every one stands up; then another hymn and followed by Scripture reading; then comes the sermon and completes with another hymn and then the Holy Communion followed by the collection and so on! The meeting ends after the closing hymn and the doxology - everything is predictable every Sunday. You don't need the Holy Spirit in a meeting like this.

But if you have to move in the realm of Spirit, some people, especially the highly educated ones don't like it and you are likely to hear comments like:

"I have a PHD you know, and my qualification don't go very far with the Holy Spirit! I am not a fanatic like some of them".

Having said that, I am not suggesting we throw out the mind like a fanatic. What the Church needs are sane Charismatic and Pentecostal Christians. Praise God, the main purpose of the transit points initiated by Him is to make us sane Christians! He wants His people to have charisma with character!

God's transit points for His people

God allowed His people to go through three transit points after they were delivered miraculoulsy from the bondage and slavery of Egypt.

1. Kadesh Barnea

The first transit place was called Kadesh Barnea which was 11-day journey from Horeb (Mt. Sinai) where Moses received the Law (the Ten Commandments) from God on two tablets of stone (Num. 10:11, 12).

Moses sent out 12 spies into the land of Canaan to scout out the land. Those (10 of them) who brought evil report (Num. 13:33) and brought fear into the hearts of the people of God died by a plague. Only Joshua and Caleb survived (Num. 14:37, 38). The reason why they survived was because they had a different Spirit - the Spirit of God and not the spirit of the world which brings fear and insecurity.

The Church of Jesus Christ is facing the same problem today. It depends on who you are going to listen to. Are you going to listen to the spies who created fear among God's people or are you going to listen to the living God - with the Spirit of Joshua and Caleb? Even if there are "giants" facing the Church our God is a much bigger Giant.

The Jews were not prepared to move in faith into the Promised Land (Deut. 9:23) and so God exiled them and forced them to wander in the wilderness of Paran for 40 years - until the first generation of Jews who came out of Egypt perished except Joshua and Caleb!

The first act of deliverance performed by God was to deliver His people out of Egypt. His second act was to deliver Egypt out of them! For 40 years God was rooting Egypt out of them one by one - the smell of onions and garlic still fresh in their nostrils. And they still remembered their fleshly and worldly way of life.

Is the Church going into exile in the wilderness because we failed to move on in faith with God? Does God need to deliver "Egypt" out of us?

Paul said, "Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh" (Gal. 3:3, NKJV)?

The truth is we will not make anything perfect by the flesh. We will not succeed if we keep on following "big ministries" and worldly methods in winning souls. And God will not give us more power because the power He has given us we have already abused. The work of the cross is vital in our lives in order that we might produce the Fruit of the Spirit. God is maturing His end-time Church by bringing in Christ-like character in every one of us. How long we remain in transit in the wilderness depend on how much we are willing to obey and let the cross to deal with our fleshly or carnal desires - so that Christ is formed in us (Gal. 4:19).

2. Shittim

Shittim was the second transit point but it was still in the wilderness. But to move on the Promised Land the children of Israel had to cross the second stretch of water. The first stretch was the Red Sea and the second was the Jordan (Joshua 3:1). They came to the Jordan and lodged there and they used Shittim as their second transit point. The River Jordan was the gateway to the Promised Land.

The Jordan speaks of water baptism which signifies death, burial and resurrection. My opinion is that the contemporary Church needs to go through another "baptism" in the Jordan River. Certain things, like methodology and worldly methods that we used to practice in the past do not work any more and need to die and be buried - before we begin to see the resurrection of Spiritual power in a fresh way. God causes certain things to die in our lives so that we are forced to spend time with Him in prayer and intercession.

In Shittim four things happened:

I. A period of waiting (Joshua 3:2). At the end of 3 days the children of Israel set out to follow the priests who carried the Ark. You and I need to go through a period of waiting and learn to hear God's voice.

II. A period of cleansing. Joshua said, "Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you" (Joshua 3:5). The old leaven in us needs to be purged out. Leaven in the New Testament Scripture signifies putrefaction, decay and corruption. The carnal desires in us need to be purged out.

III. A return to the Scripture. Joshua said, "Come here, and hear the words of the Lord your God" (Joshua 3:9). The contemporary Church needs the correct expositon of the Word. Nowadays you seldom hear an anointed message from God in the Church. Instead you hear a lot of sermons prepared by preachers using references from the books they read or from the internet Christian websites. The trouble is the accuracy of such preaching depends solely on the Biblical understanding of the book writer! If the book writer gave incorrect exposition of the Word then the preacher who uses the book as reference, his preaching will be incorrect! A true Bible teacher must be ready to give a message from God (without preparation) "in season or out of season" (2 Tim. 4:2). A timely message from God is always refreshing.

IV. A reminder of God's promises (Joshua 3:10). We are reminded that you and I have entered a new covenant, not a covenant carved out of two tablets of stone, but a covenant in the Holy Spirit. We are no longer guided by the Law but at all times moved by the Spirit of God.

3. Gilgal

Finally the children of Israel crossed the Jordan River and encamped in Gilgal on the east border of Jericho (Joshua 4:19). God reminded His people to erect 12 stones which they took out of the Jordan (Verse 20). The purpose was to remind their future generations that He did it all to deliver them from the bondage and slavery of Egypt and without Him they could do nothing and all glory should go to Him alone!

Notice that Kadesh Barnea and Shittim were on the wilderness side. But Gilgal was on the side of the Promised Land in the land of Canaan. At Gilgal the childred of Israel were reminded that their promised inheritance was yet to come. Gilgal also became a sanctuary for the children of Israel when they prepared for battle in the Promised Land. God promised them that they would win battles if they would do it God's way.

We are reminded that right from the beginning, right now and right to the end God will be with us and will go before us. All we need to do is to cooperate with Him and do things His way. God is saying to us that we may still be in transit, we may still have to fight battles but His promise is that victory is sure - in His time and by His way.

Paul said, "... what He had promised He was also able to perform" (Romans 4:21).

Unfortunately many Christians are tempted to remain in their transit points because they are enjoying it.

The Lord said to Joshua in Gilgal, "This day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you" (Joshua 5:9).

God has got to roll away the reproach of "Egypt" from each one of us for otherwise we are not ready to do any battles. We must be totally set free from the demands of the world and move on!

Double Portion and Beyond

After the Lord had taken up Elijah into heaven, the mantle of Elijah fell upon Elisha with double portion of the spirit of Elijah. Upon receiving Elijah's mantle, which speaks of the clothing of the Spirit, Elisha immediately demonstrated the power of God by parting the water of the Jordan River:

"He also took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan. Then he took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, and said, 'Where is the Lord God of Elijah?' And when he also had struck the water, it was divided this way and that; and Elisha crossed over" (2 Kings 2:13, 14, NKJV).

It is interesting to discover, as some Bible teachers said, Elisha performed exactly twice the miracles of Elijah.

The final journey of Elijah and Elisha

The final journey of Elijah with Elisha following him, gives us a picture of the type of people that God seeks after. Elisha was a Biblical type of an overcomer (overcoming Christian believer) who wants the best from God. Therefore the journey of Elisha who followed Elijah all the way to Jordan River speaks of a spiritual journey of an overcomer.

From Gilgal to Bethel

Elijah and Elisha started their journey from Gilgal (2 Kings 2:1). In the original Hebrew language "Gilgal" means "circumcision" or "rolling away the foreskin (the flesh)". It signifies the rolling away of the reproach of Egypt (Joshua 5:9). It speaks of the circumcision of the heart of the believers in our days - not renovation of the heart as some Bible teachers said.

The believer arrives at Gilgal after his salvation experience, which is symbolized by the deliverance of God's people from Egypt. At Gilgal the believer soon forgets the awfulness of his "Egypt", where he needed the supernatural to get him out. Salvation is a spernatural experience. But when he gets comfortable and no longer seems to dependant upon God and he no longer needs the spernatural and thinks he can handle things himself, the manna ceases. But Gilgal is only a transit point for him and God wants him to move on or starve to death!

In my opinion , Gilgal represents religious activities with no power - only a form of godliness. The overcomer realizes that many believers are living in torment and fear although they belong to a Church. Yes, they found religion but many of them failed to find Jesus! And many get so comfortable and contented in Gilgal that they have no desire to go further. They are happy to be born again and have a new circle of Church friends to fellowship with. They are satisfied with many religious Church activities, rituals and various forms of "christianized" worldly entertainment. A true Christian finds no joy in Gilgal and he must go on like Elisha.

After Gilgal, Elisha followed Elijah to Bethel (2 Kings 2:2). Bethel means "the house of God". It speaks of a place of union and communion with Christ, the Head of the Church. David, the psalmist delighted to dwell in the house of God (Ps. 27:4). Bethel is a place where the overcomer can surrender and yield himself to God, a place of dying to self.

Bethel is mentioned throughout the Old Testament. It was a place where many great decisions were made. It was a place where Abraham pitched his tent and made a decision to live for God. It was the place where his grandson, Jacob, told God he would follow and serve Him. It was a place to which he returned to fight with God and be transformed from Jacob to Israel. It was the place where Samuel first heard the Voice of God. It was the place where Saul rejected God Word and lost everything, including his kingdom. You can go on and on.

Some Christians arrive at their Bethels and succeeded mightily, while others failed. They succeeded because they feared God, love the truth, would not compromise the truth of God's Word and lived with whole-hearted obedience to the Lord. Some failed because they were proud, arrogant, complacent, and found to be men-fearing and men-pleasing.

From Bethel to Jericho

I believe Elijah was testing Elisha when he suggested Elisha should stay in Bethel as he went on to Jericho alone (2 Kings 2:4). But Elisha knew that there was no double portion for him if he had decided to stay in Bethel. And so he continued to follow Elijah.

Jericho speaks of a place of spiritual warfare. It was in Jericho, in Joshua's time, that the walls of Jericho came tumbling down - without physical human combat. The victory did not come from a strategic battle plan but came by the Person Jesus Christ - the Commander of the army of the Lord (Joshua 5:14). It was in the vicinity of Jericho that our Lord Jesus faced Satan when He was tempted for forty days and forty nights.

When the overcomer arrives in "Jericho", Satan will oppose him just like he opposed Jesus. Satan will attack his finances, his body, his mind and his family. He will be persecuted for standing on the truth (2 Tim. 3:12). The overcomer will be tempted to war against flesh and blood, but he will not give in to temptation. He knows God's grace is sufficient for him, and God's strength is made perfect in his weakness (2 Cor. 12:9). He knows who the real enemy is - the Devil. His road to victory is through spiritual warfare with the help of the Captain of the host.

"Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you" (James 4:7).

And so he submits to God and God calls him to be an intercessor. Today in the Church, we need to learn how to intercede rather than just using "mouth" prayer or "shopping-list" prayer. The overcomer will not be distracted by all the disturbing circumstances aroung him and he must go on.

From Jericho to Jordan

"Then Elijah said to him, 'Say here, please, for the Lord has sent me on to the Jordan.' But he said, 'As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!' So the two of them went on" (2 Kings 2:6).

Elisha made the decision to listen to the call of God rather than listen to Elijah. It was God's will that Elisha received the mantle of Elijah.

At Jordan God opens the overcomer's eyes and he receives spiritual sight. At Jordan he begins to see beyond the natural and into the supernatural realm. God's Word suddenly comes alive to the overcomer.

Jordan was the place where Elisha received the double portion of the Holy Spirit (2 Kings 2:8 - 13). Hidden within these Scriptures is a fantastic shadow of that happened at Jordan, the place of spiritual vision. Elisha did two things. He tore off his old clothers, signifying the release of the old man and the past. Then he picked up the mantle hat had fallen and knew that his double portion had come. When the new is on the way, the overcomer must say good bye to the past. He gives up the old so that God can perform the new in his life - a transformed life clothed with the Mantle of God!

It was at the River Jordan that John the Baptist saw the Holy Spirit descending in the form of a dove upon our Lord Jesus. The dove which symbolizes the Holy Spirit is a bird that is known for its sensitivity, purity, and its faithfulness. Someone had said, when a dove's mate dies, it does not go to look for another mate - it is faithful to its mate. It just pines away and after a period of time it also dies. The dove has two wings like all birds but there are nine feathers on each wing - speaks of the nine Gifts of the Spirit and the nine Fruit of the Spirit. The dove's tail has five feathers in it - speaks of the five-fold ministry gift for the Church (Eph. 4:11).

Notice that all the four Gospel writers testified that Jesus Himself saw the Spirit of God descended upon Him like a dove after He was baptized by John in the Jordan (Matt. 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22; John 1:32). In the case of the Gospel according to John, John himself testified:

"I saw the spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him" (John 1:32, NKJV, emphasis added).

Notice that the dove, which speaks of the Holy Spirit, remained upon Jesus as He started His earthly Ministry. This indicates that Jesus was clothed upon with the Mantle of God for His powerful Ministry.

Paul said, "But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His" (Romans 8:9, emphasis added).

Notice that in just one verse, Paul mentions both the "Spirit of God" and the "Spirit of Christ". It is true that both are the descriptions of the Holy Spirit, but the emphasis is in the "Spirit of Christ" which is a dove-like Spirit. It speaks of the Character and Personality of Christ Himself - sensitivity, purity, and faithfulness with all the Gifts and Fruit of the Holy Spirit. The "Spirit of Christ" is God's Mantle for His end-time people! You and I have the privilege to put on the the Mantle of Jesus!

According to Paul unless a Christian believer is clothed upon by the Spirit of Christ he does not belong to Christ. Think about it; without the Spirit of Christ you cannot even claim to be a Christian!

Elisha was clothed upon by the mantle of Elijah and received the double portion the Spirit of Elijah. Surely, we as end-time believers, clothed upon by the Mantle of Jesus, are going to receive more than a double portion the Spirit! Just imagine, we are going to perform more miracles than Elisha ever though we should not be seeking after miracles and signs and wonders.

More than the double portion

It is without doubt that members of the early Church moved in greater power in the Holy Spirit than what many of God's people are moving today. The contemporary Church seems to have lost the power of Pentecost and the Gospel message seems to have little effect on the unbelieving community. Many Local Churches are aware of this because they are not getting a great harvest of souls as expected. Therefore you are seeing many Local Churches, the world over, planning outreach programs and projects to bring souls to the Kingdom of God. All these activities are good provided they are born out God's idea and not man's idea.

Many believers are now crying to God for another Pentecost. In my opinion, God will not give us another Pentecost. The first Pentecost came and gone and He has much greater things prepared for those who love Him (1 Cor. 2:9). But, first God wants us to take heed of true prophecies.

Jehoshaphat said, "Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper" (2 Chron. 20:20).

We, as end-time people of God, are living in the days depicted by Joel's prophecy:

"Be glad then, you children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God; for He has given you the former rain faithfully, and He will cause the rain to come down for you - the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month" (Joel 2:23, NKJV, emphasis added).

Here are some statements of truth:

1. "Children of Zion" speaks of "Christian believers". The word "Zion" in Scripture always speaks of the Church.

2. "Rain" in the context of Joel 2:23 speaks of the Holy Spirit. The "former rain" which refers to the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost was considered moderate.

3. But we are going to receive the former rain plus the latter rain in the days to come! In the land of Palestine "the former rain and later rain" came respectively at seed time and harvest. Since the later rain came in the first month the former rain came six months earlier. Bible researchers said the later rain is seven time stronger than the former rain!

The Former Rain plus the Latter Rain

God has more for you and me than the double portion. The Charismatic movement was at the time of the former rain - only moderately even in comparison with the Day of Pentecost. But we are now at the Feast of the Tabernacle - the last seventh month. We are at the Second Veil and God is going to let us enter into the Holy of Holies soon - right into the presence of God! In the days to come God is going to send both the Former Rain and the Latter Rain all at the same time - that is seven plus one = eight portions, or eight-fold anointing! In Biblical language, the number "eight" speaks of Resurrection, New Order and New Beginning. Is the Church ready to receive more than the Double Portion?

The Power of the Holy Spirit

Much have been written and taught about the importance of the Holy Spirit in the life of an individual believer and in Church life, but not many Bible teachers realize that, the sending of the Holy Spirit was singled out by Jesus Himself, as the most important promise of the Father.

Jesus was about to be taken from His disciples. His last words to them were:

"Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high" (Luke 24:49, NKJV, emphasis added).

Luke said, "And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, ...." (Acts 1:4, NKJV, emphasis added).

Here are some statements of truth:

1. Notice the capital letter "P" in the word "Promise" of both the above passages of Scripture. They said there are 31,000 promises in the entire Bible. But there is only one promise that is called "The Promise".

2. The word "endued" comes from the Greek word "enduo" which means "clothed upon" or "arrayed". Jesus commanded His disciples not to leave Jerusalem until they were "clothed upon with power from on high".

3. Jesus was referring to God's Word when He mentioned the outpouring of the Holy Spirit:

"For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Soirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring; ..." (Isaiah 44:3).

The Promise of the Father is not only for us alone but also for our seed.

4. The clothing of the Spirit is linked with the Promise of God and that Promised was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1 - 13).

The Ministry of the Holy Spirit in the Church today

Jesus said, "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you" (John 16:13 - 15, emphasis added).

Here are some statements of truth:

1. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth and He will guide us into all truth.

2. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of prophecy for He will tell us things to come.

3. The Holy Spirit will glorify and exalt Jesus.

4. The Holy Spirit will take all things that belong to the Father and Jesus and declare them to us.

In many of our contemporary Local Churches, churchgoers are twice born, baptized in the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues but they are only half alive. They have never discovered the Person of the Holy Spirit in a personal and practical way in their lives.

One of the most glorious ways in which the Scripture helps us to understand more about the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit is through the emblems of the Holy Spirit. In other words, there are times, in the Scripture when we read about the Holy Spirit coming like rain (Hosea 5:3). As rain, the Holy Spirit refreshes and regenerates us. And then we read of the Holy Spirit like oil (Ps. 133:2) and like dew (Ps. 133:3) which gives us a picture of our lives being saturated and comforted by the Holy Spirit. It speaks of moments of the stillness and quietness of the night. It is like a Holy hush upon God's people; but in this type of stillness and quietness there is tremendous life. There are times in our Church meetings when the Holy Spirit was like fire (Acts 2:3; Heb. 12:29), with great demonstrative move of the Spirit to purge people of their sins. And then all of a sudden in the height of tremendous praise there comes a Holy hush over the gethering. We can go on and on, as we become more and more sensitive to the move of the Holy Spirit.

Clothed with (or endued with) Power from on high

John the Baptist said, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose, He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" (Luke 3:16, NKJV, emphasis added).

In the contemporary local Church many are baptized with the Holy Spirit, speak in tongues but do not seem to be clothed upon with Power. You can move around many Pentecostal/Charismatic people but they do not seem to be on fire and do not seem to be able to minister with fire. One thing is lacking, and that is the clothing with Power from on high.

Examples of Old Testament individuals clothed with Power:

Notice that the Holy Spirit's Power is being described as a piece of clothing that we wear. It suggests it is something that we can put on and then take it off. Similarly, we can be clothed and unclothed with Power.

1. Amasai

At a time in history when David was at a place called Ziklag, hiding away from Saul. People out of different tribes came to join themselves with David:

David said to them, "If you have come peaceably to me to help me, my heart will be united with you; but if to betray me to my enemies, since there is no wrong in my hand, may the God of our fathers look and bring judgment" (1 Chron. 12:17).

"Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the captains, and he said: 'We are yours, O David; we are on your side, O son of Jesse! Peace, peace to you, and peace to your helpers! For your God helps you'" (Verse 18, emphasis added).

The phrase "came upon" comes from the Hebrew word "labash" which means "clothed upon".

After having been clothed with the Spirit, Amasai declared his loyalty to David. Similarly when we are clothed upon with the Spirit from on high we are going to be found decalring our loyalty to King Jesus, in everything we say and in everything we do.


2. Gideon

Gideon was a very fearful man. When the Lord sent him to save Israel from the Midianites, he said, "O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house" (Judges 6:15).

"Then all the Midianites and Amalekites, the people of the East, gathered together; and they crossed over and encamped in the Valley of Jezreel. But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon; then he blew the trumpet, and the Abiezrites gathered behind him ..." (Judges 6:33, 34, emphasis added).

When we are clothed with the Spirit we will be clothed upon with bravery and boldness. We will blow the trumpet of victory!

3. Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada the priest

"Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood above the people, and said to them, 'Thus says God: Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, He also has forsaken you'. So they conspired against him, and at the command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the Lord" (2 Chron. 24:20, 21, emphasis added).

Zechariah was clothed with the Spirit for testimony and was stoned to death. With the clothing of the Spirit upon our lives we are going to stand and testify against that which is wrong and testify for that which is right with boldness and bravery unto death.

We are living in the days when God is taking all fears out of His people.

"And they overcome him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death" (Rev. 12:11).

Satan is not too worried about many of the people in the contemprorary Church because they are so concerned about their lives. But at this end-time hour there will come forth a people who do not love their lives unto the death. These people are going to be a threat to Satan's kingdom.

The clothing of the Spirit and the associated Power

According to the New Testament Scripture the clothing of the Holy Spirit is linked with the word "Power".

1. Power to stand consistently

"... that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; ..." (Col. 1:9 - 11).

Paul's epistles were written to Spirit filled believers. Paul prayed that they may increasingly filled and strengthened that they might endure and stand consistently. When people are clothed with the Power of God from on high they will stand consistently because Jesus said he who endures to the end shall be saved (Mark 13:13). In other words, those who hold on, those who persevere, those who stand consistently shall be saved.

2. Power to know experientially

"... the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power ...."Eph. 1:18, 19, emphasis added).

Paul prayed that God would grant to us the revelation knowledge of His will and His calling and to experience our inheritance in Him.

3. Power to suffer victoriously

God gave "a thorn in the flesh" to Paul in order to humble him. Paul being a man who received so much revelation knowledge that it was so easy for him to be puffed up above measure. Paul pleaded with the Lord three times to remove the "thorn in the flesh" which troubled him greatly, but the Lord said:

"My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Cor. 12:9).

"With the "thorn in the flesh", Paul was far more effective for God, because he was forced to depend on God totally.

4. Power to pray creatively

"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, ...." (Eph. 3:29, emphasis added).

As we go into seasons of prayer we begin to pray creatively, we begin to ask God and to think carefully so as to pray according to His will. And as we pray creatively something is birthed before us.

5. Power to give generously

"How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded into the riches of their liberality. For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves; ..." (2 Cor. 8:2, 3, KJV, emphasis added).

Members of the Churches of Macedona had the power to give generously and yet they were in deep poverty. They were clothed with the Spirit and they gave themselves to the Lord first (Verse 5).

6. Power to speak courageously

Peter and John prayed that the Lord would give them boldness to speak His Word (Acts 4:29).

"And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness" (Acts 4:31).

They were already filled with the Spirit as recorded in Acts 2. But with the fresh filling and anointing of the Holy Spirit they had a real passion for God.

Conclusion

The clothing of the Spirit is linked with the promises of God; it is also linked with the provision of God and linked with the Power of God. How we need to see the clothing of the Spirit with the associated Power of God upon the Churches today. God's end-time people are going to have the power to stand, power to know, power to suffer, power to pray, power to give and the power to speak. God's people will sound the trumpet of victory as they are going forth in the Power of the Holy Ghost!

The Last Jubilee and the Last Trumpet

This message is the contiuation of my previous message. Once again with the help of typology, the study of Bible types and Bible numbers, we a able to discern the deep things of God and gems of spiritual truth which our natural senses cannot see or perceive.

In my previous message we have considered the length (300 cubits) and height (30 cubits) of Noah's ark which speaks of the instrument God uses for our end-time deliverance. But I have deliberately left out the width of the ark, which was 50 cubits until now. As you follow through this message you will be amazed how close we are, according to God's time-table, to the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Scripture, the number 50 speaks of the fullness of the Spirit. But unfortunately Satan deceptively uses this number to indicate the fullness of the evil spirit to deceive God's people. So, the number 50 can be used both negatively and positively. Let us, to begin with, consider Satan's use of this number and then move on to the proper use of this number.


The Story of the Jewish girl Esther

Esther was a beautiful Jewish maiden living in the Persian Empire during the time when the Jewish people were exiled from their land. She was an orphan girl brought up by her cousin Mordecai who was an important official in the court of the Persian king.

It came to pass Esther was chosen to be the new queen when queen Vashti was displaced by the king. However, Esther had never publicly revealed the fact that she was Jewish. Haman, who hated Mordecai, was also an official in the court of the Persian king. He sought to destroy all the Jews in the provinces and obtained a decree from the king to this effect. He also built a gallows 50 cubits high to hang Mordecai (Est. 5:14). But Esther was willing to lay down her life to ask favor from the king and subsequently revealed Haman's evil sheme. Finally all the Jews were deliverd and Haman was hang instead of Mordecai on the 50 cubits high gallows.

The fact is that you don't need a 50 cubits (height of a 7-storey building) high gallows to hang a man unless you are desperate to destroy him! Haman who was desperate to destroy Mordecai was a type of Satan. His intention was motivated by the flesh. Mordecai, on the other hand, represented the people of God was a type of the Holy Spirit. The number 50 speaks of the true anointing of the Holy Spirit and Haman speaks of the flesh with its false anointing. The number 50 in the case of Haman speaks of the fullness of God's Spirit in him.

Many in the charismatic and Pentecostal circle are moving in the flesh -they speaks false tongues and prophesize falsely. But the days are coming when the true anointing of God is going to put in the right band of people and they will not move in the flesh but will prepare to move in Spirit and use the Spirit of Lord to glorify God.

The Year of Jubilee

The word "jubilee" comes from the Hebrew word "yobel" which means "blowing the trumpet and be jubilant". For the children of Israel the Jubilee year was launched with a blast from a ram's horn on the Day of Atonement, signifying a call to joy, liberation, being set free, and the beginning of a year for "doing justice" and "loving mercy".

God commanded His people through Moses: "And you shall count seven Sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven year; and the time of the seven Sabbaths of years shall be to you forty-nine years. Then you shall cause the trumpet of the Jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement you shall make the trumpet to sound through out all your land. And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a Jubilee for you; and each of you shall return to his possession, and each of you shall return to his family" (Lev. 25:8 - 10, NKJV, emphasis added).

The 50th year which is the year of Jubilee was to be a time in which liberty should be proclaimed to all the inhabitants of the country. If people owed money, in the year of Jubilee they were released from all their debts. If they have a mortgage on their home the mortage was over - became null and void. If people were in the prison houses, they were set free from prison.

The Last Jubilee

The Bible tells us clearly concerning the time and period of the various Jubilee years and when will be the Last Jubilee. The main purpose of all these Jubilee years is to set "prisoners" free and to deliver those who need to be delivered.

From Adam to Abraham was a period of 2000 years which works out to be 40 Jubilee years (or forty 50 years periods). From Abraham to Jesus Christ was another period of 2000 years or another 40 Jubilee years. From Christ to where we are today (A.D. 2007) there is another 40 Jubilee years. But the fact is, not only we are living in the last Jubilee but we have already lived past the last Jubilee year which should be in the year A.D. 2000 or the latest in the year A.D. 2004, if we assumed that Christ was born on A.D. 4. It looks as if we are living on borrowed time! Are we?

The significance of the number 120

An interesting fact is that all together, from Adam to the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ there are 120 Jubilee years.

Let us refer to the days of Noah when God sent judgment to all flesh:

The Lord said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years" (Gen. 6:3, emphasis added).

The Lord was not talking about individual human being, but about the days of the human race which will be 120 years. He was referring to the duration and not the life of the individual. Here, the number 120 speaks of the "end of all flesh". We shall see it is no mere coincidence that it is also the total number of Jubilee years. It is in fact the number of Jubilee years and not just ordinary years!

At the fullness of Time

Jesus Himself said no one knows of the day or hour of His coming again:

"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only" (Matt. 24:36).

This is one of the secret things that belongs to the Lord (Deut. 29:29). therefore he who claims that he knows the day or hour of the Second Coming of Christ is a false prophet or a false teacher.

But we do know something about the First Coming of Jesus Christ:

"But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, ..." (Gal. 4:4, NKJV, emphasis added).


It is God Himself who determines when is the "fullness of time"; it is His prerogative, and totally under His jurisdiction and under His control!

It is reasonable to believe that the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ will also depend on God the Father's "fullness of time". Therefore no one at all can claim he knows the day or hour.

The Last Trumpet

We have seen earlier that each Jubilee year was announced by a trumpet sound (Lev. 25).

Paul mentioned the last Jubilee (120th Jubilee) with its last trumpet:

"Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed - in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality" (1 Cor. 15:51, 52, emphasis added).

Notice our mortal flesh is corruptible and so at the last trumpet, at the last jubilee, God will put an end to our flesh. And we will be raised with a spiritual body which is incorruptible (1 Cor. 15:44).

Time is running out on us but we will see the glory of God shortly. In the year of Jubilee the high priest went beyond the second veil and into the Holy of Holies, into the fullness of God's presence (Hebrews 9:7).

Christ our Great High Priest entered the Most Holy Place (The Holy of Holies), the Heavenly Sanctuary (Heb. 912) more than 2000 years ago. And God is getting His end-time Church to enter the Heavenly Sanctuary to partake of the End-time Feast of the Lord!

Fullness of our Salvation

The Scripture reveals that as long as we are in our corruptible flesh we have not received the fullness of our salvation yet. This is clarified by the following passages of Scripture:

1. The Holy Spirit is given as a security deposit

"Now He who established us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee" (2 Cor. 1:21, 22, NKJV, emphasis added).

Do not assume that when we are born again by the Spirit of God and also baptized in the Holy Spirit we have arrived and have got it all. What we have received in the baptism in the Holy Spirit is just the security deposit and the guarantee of the fulfillment of God's promise of what He is going to bring us into in these last days.

2. Fullness of Salvation yet to be revealed

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and tha does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (1 Peter 1:3 - 5, emphasis added).

God has reserved the fullness of our salvation in the last days.

3. Fullness of salvation is offered for those who are eagerly waiting for Christ's return

"And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation" (Hebrews 9:27, 28, emphasis added).

The word "salvation" mentioned in the above passages of Scripture comes from the Greek word "soteria" which means "deliverance". Therefore, hidden in the measurements of Noah's Ark (300 cubit long, 30 cubits high and 50 cubit wide) is a beautiful picture or type of God's end-time vessel of deliverance. And we are the chosen vessels of deliverance at this end-time hour.

We have seen in my last week's message that the Temple of Solomon is a type of God's end-time Church. If the temple of Solomon (the former house) was filled with the cloud of God's glory (1 kings 8:11), the glory of the latter house (the true end-time Church) will be far more glorious! And the knowledge of God's glory will flow out from God's people and cover the whole earth "as the waters cover the sea" (Habakkuk 2:14).

The Walk of God's End-time People

There are seven references to the word "walk" in the Book of Ephesians. These references give us a clear picture of how we once walked and how we should walk now that we are born again and become members of the Body of Christ. The Scripture also gives us a pattern of the walk we should follow as God's end-time people.

Here are the seven references:

1. Our past walk

"And you he made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, ..." (Eph. 2:1, 2, NKJV, emphasis added).

2. Walk as God's workmanship

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" (Eph. 2:8 - 10, emphasis added).

The word "workmanship" comes from the Greek word "poiema" which means "masterpiece".

3. Walk worthy of your calling

"I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, ...." (Eph. 4:1, 2, emphasis added).

The word "worthy" comes from the Greek word "axios" which means "Godly balanced walk" - in humility, gentleness and longsuffering or patience. We have to learn longsuffering while we are on earth because there is no suffering in heaven. Moses was one of God's people who walked worthy of God's calling.

4. Walk not as the Gentiles walk

".... you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, having given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness" (Eph. 4:17 - 19).

Note the downward progression of our past walk. But God has a much highter walk for us, with upward progression, so that as we endure we will experience the fullness of Christ.

5. Walk in love

"And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling aroma" (Eph. 5:2).

We are to walk in love because God is love.

6. Walk as children of Light

"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light" (Eph. 5:8).

At the Sermon on the Mount Jesus Himself said believers are the light of the world (Matt. 5:14).

7. Walk in Wisdom

"See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil" (Eph. 5:15, 16, emphasis added).

The word "circumspectly" comes from the Greek word "akribos" which means "diligently or perfectly".

The walk of God's end-time people

I choose to use typology (the study of spiritual types) in this message to bring forth what we cannot see with our natural eyes and what we cannot perceive with our natural mind. I believe deep things of God and gems of spiritual truth will be revealed in the use of typology. Typology is not the same as "spiritualizing" something. To spritualize a material thing without the revealation of the truth of God's Word is not Biblical.

We are now living in the time and season just prior to the coming again of the Lord. In the day of Noah the flood came and took all the wicked, careless and unrighteous people away (Matt. 24:38, 39). Righteous Noah was called by God to build an ark. We are part of the "ark" that God is building by His Spirit. We will be instruments that will bring deliverance to multitudes of people at this end time hour.

When the Flood came the water went up above the hightest point on earth exactly 15 cubits (Gen. 7:20). The number 15 speaks of divine separation. Furthermore Noah's ark was 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide and 30 cubits high. All these numbers have great significance in Scripture. I mentioned in my earlier message (Walking with God - posted on 5th Sept 2007) that Enoch walked with God for 300 years. So, the "ark" the people of God are fashioning and building together as a Church today are going to be people who are walking with God - who are walking worthily, walking in love, walking in the light, walking in the fear of the Lord and walking circumspectly.

But the number 300 in Scripture has another meaning - it means divine deliverance as in the case of Noah's ark. In other words, we will also move in the ministry of deliverance. That was what Jesus said, those of us who endure to the end shall be saved (shall enter into the fullness of salvation). We shall endure persecution and go out into the nations to preach and demonstrate the reality of the Gospel with signs following - and then shall the end come (Matt. 24:13, 14). Just like the ark of Noah was an instrument of deliverance, so the "ark" that God is building in the Church for the end-time generation will also be an instrument that will minister deliverance.

The Anointing of the Feet of Jesus

There is a deeper spiritual truth in the anointing of the feet of Jesus by Mary (John 12) than our natural eyes can see. The costly oil of spikenard that Mary uses speaks of humility spiritually. The number 300 came up again when Judas suggested the fragrant oil could be sold for 300 denarii and be given to the poor (John 12:5). We know that Judas was not too concerned about the poor but he certainly concerned about the money.

We have seen that the number 300 speaks of divine deliverance and Jesus feet was anoited to do just that. Today our feet are also anointed! How? It becomes clear if we look at Daniel's interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream (Daniel 2:37 - 44). Daniel saw a head kingdom, then a shoulder kingdom, a chest kingdom, a thigh kingdom, a leg kingdom and the last kingdom shall be the feet kingdom - when Jesus comes again.

"And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever" (Daniel 2:44).

We are living right now in the period of time of the feet part of the Body of Christ!

Paul said, "And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly" (Romans 16:20).

In other words, we, as the end-time Church, are instruments God uses to crush Satan! We, as the feet part of the Body of Christ have been anointed by God to take the message of deliverance (from Satan) to the poor and the needy!

A type of God's end-time Church

The Old Testament Scripture tells us there were three main Old Testament Structures. The Tabernacle of Moses speaks to us more of the feast of the Passover - the born again experience. The Tabernacle of David, which in fact was an opened tent, speaks to us of Praise - the feast of Pentecost. The Temple of Solomon speaks to us of the Feast of the Tabernacle, the seventh month Feast - a type of God's end-time Church which is the anointed feet of the Body of Christ.

Solomon made 300 shields of beaten (or hammered) gold (1 King 10:17). These are the instruments we use in our deliverance ministry - beaten gold. It speaks of the triune God (Father, Son and the Holy Spirit) being formed into our lives as we wear those shields.

Jesus said, "I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; ..." Rev. 3:18).

"But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire and like launderers' soap" (Malachi 3:2).

That is why, we, God's end-time people, are now going through a period of trial, pressure and testing. But God refines us always with the right temperature and He will not suffer us to be tested beyond what we are able to take (James 1:2 - 4).

Full stature of God's end-time people

The Scripture indicates that a person is considered mature enough to enter the service of the Lord only if he is at least 30 years of age. Remember 30 cubits is the height of Noah's ark.

A priest

The Lord spoke to Moses, ".... from thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, all who enter the service to do the work in the tabernacle of meeting" (Num. 4:3).

To be a priest in Old Testament time you have to be at least 30 years of age - this age speaks of maturity for ministry and speaks of full stature. Similarly we, as New Testament priests (1 Peter 2:5; Rev. 1:6), are matured enough to minister in the Church of Jesus Church when we reached the age of 30.

Joseph

Joseph (the dreamer) began to serve Pharaoh as soon as he became full stature:

"Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt" (Gen.41:46).

David

"David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years" (2 Sam. 5:4).

Jesus Christ

Jesus began His earthy Ministry after His water baptism.

"When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, 'You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased'. Now Jesus Himself began His ministry of about thirty years of age, ..." (Luke 3:21 - 23, NKJV, emphasis added).

About 2000 years ago the heaven opened unto Jesus to be filled with the Holy Spirit, without measure, for His ministry. We are going to witness how God will open the heaven unto His end-time Church because we are the Feet of the Body of Christ!

Stature of the fullness of Christ

"And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers for the equipping the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Chrish, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Chrits" (Eph. 4:11 - 13, emphasis added).

The Church at the present moment is still falls short of the stature of the fullness of Christ because not all believers are equipped for the work of ministry. We need the ministries of the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to bring the Chruch to full maturity - so that the Church will be perfected with the full knowledge of the Son of God. Praise God, He is moving His Church in this direction. How can the Church be the Bride of Christ if she is not matured and perfected?