THE
CHARACTER OF GOD
Study Two
“The Bride”
#262.1102
scottSTANLEY
(All
bracketed [ ] words inserted into the following scriptures are the author’s
paraphrase.)
HE ONLY TELLS US
I wanted to begin this study in Ephesians 5. It
seems recently, since we went to these meetings in
Ephesians 5:25-27
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ
also loved the church, and gave himself up for it [gave himself for it];
26 [So] That he might sanctify it, having
cleansed it by the washing of water with the word [sanctify and cleanse it
with the washing of water -- Now the King James put
“by the word,” and we know it is
in words, and that word
“word” is “rhema,”
-- it’s the spoken word],
27 That he might present the church [so that he
might present it] to himself a glorious
church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it
should be holy and without blemish.
Now, before I get into this, let me just talk
about some basic concepts -- because for me, this is important – and if we’re
going to get into deeper things, you’ve got to have the basics. So first of
all, what is the meaning of “salvation”? When we talk about
salvation – and I want to put on
the board the word Salvation --
and I want to put 1 Peter 1:9 and, if you’re not familiar with 1 Peter
1:9, it says:
1 Peter 1:9
9
Receiving [Listen to the words...] the end of your faith,
even the salvation of
your souls.
[Receiving the end of
your faith; the salvation of your soul.]
Now the word “in”
is the same word they’ve translated
crooked, or
complete; finished. So let me say that again, and just simply
paraphrase it: Receiving the completion
of your faith; the salvation of your soul. Now what is “faith”?
When we use the word faith – I was always told it was a verb, it was something
I did; it was an action – but if you ever look it up, you’ll discover it’s a
noun; it’s something you possess.
The verb of “faith” is
believe
– so when you “believe,” the result is called
faith:
Receiving the completion of your faith; the
salvation of your soul. Since we’re on camera and I have these
people sitting here, let me ask Kelly a question: How does one obtain “faith”
according to the Bible? Faith comes by “hearing”-- hearing what? The
spoken word, because when you look
the word up, it’s “spoken” (Romans
|
Thoughts –> Feelings –> Actions
Salvation (1 Peter 1:9) = Mind Reform |
Therefore, to simplify this, I would say that
“salvation” equals mind reform; mind reformation – “mind reformation” is
salvation. Now let me tell you
why that’s key according to what we just read in Ephesians. Listen to this
one more time:
Ephesians 5:25-26
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ
also loved the church, and gave himself up for it [even as Christ loved the
church and gave himself for it];
26 [So] That he might
sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with the word [So that
he might sanctify and cleanse the church with the washing of water in words],
How does “faith” come? By
hearing – He is going to cleanse
me by using words, and the word is spoken.
Now listen:
Ephesians 5:27
27 That he might present the church [So that he
might present it] to himself a glorious
church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it
should be holy and without blemish.
Now consider that concept: My salvation is in
how I understand, and I am understanding by means
of believing what He is helping me see. Now listen to this verse – I want to
read a verse and I want you to think of the concept I just gave you. Listen
to this -- I’m reading from Romans 11:33:
Romans 11:33
33 O the depth[s] of the riches both of the
wisdom and knowledge of God! how
unsearchable
are his judgments, and his ways [are] past finding out!
So we just took a giant step here in your
salvation – how does that apply to your salvation? First of all, my
“salvation” is the completion of my faith
– yet my faith comes as I listen to Him and He gives me light and helps me
see. But no one can understand Him except He tell
them: O the depths of the richness of
God’s wisdom. How unsearchable are His ways; are
His judgments. His ways are past finding out. You cannot take
this book and sit down and figure out God. It does not work like that.
Romans
Now let me lay these concepts out one more
time: My “salvation” depends on the
completion of my faith. “Faith” comes by
hearing God (Romans
Colossians 1:25-26
25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to
the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to
fulfil the word of God; [Now listen ...]
26 Even
the mystery which hath [has] been hid [hidden] from ages and from generations,
but now is made manifest to his saints:
Stop – now my question to you would be: Does God
tell every generation everything? Do I need to
read this again? Just listen to the end of this verse – this is verse 26.
Colossians
1:26-27
26
... the mystery which hath [has]
been hid [hidden] from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to
his saints: [Now Paul says he’s telling us this. What?]
27 To whom
God would make known what is
[what are] the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles [in the
nations]; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
Paul just
told you this wasn’t revealed before his
time. So would you stand before God and say:
“Well how are we supposed to be like Christ?
My salvation depends on how I understand, but I can’t know
You except You tell me, and You’re just revealing this after thousands
of years. What’s the catch?” Now there are other verses where he
talks about things, and God is just now revealing ....and now he’s telling us
this. See, there are other verses you can tie into this where he says the
same thing (Ephesians 3:5; Romans
Ephesians
5:25-27
25
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave
himself for it;
26 [So]
That he might [could] sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the
word [sanctify and cleanse you – by using words] ,
27 That he
might [So he could] present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot,
or wrinkle, or any such thing; ....
Question:
If you lived before Paul’s time -- before the mystery was revealed of Christ
in you, the hope of glory – how could you be
without spot or wrinkle? You
couldn’t, could you? Who is going to be without spot or wrinkle?
The fellow that He
reveals the most truth to. Now here’s the point you’ve got
to understand: If the Lord has not revealed it to you, you’re not responsible
for it. If He hasn’t explained to you the meaning of the sin nature; if He
hasn’t revealed to you the Son of God; if He has not shown you these things,
you’re not responsible. But Christ said:
If I hadn’t spoken to them, they wouldn’t have had sin, but now they don’t
have any excuse for what they’re doing (John
Well, in
the “seventh seal,” what do you have? Christ dumping
all of the coals into the earth.
Hence, you’re going to have a group of people “without spot or wrinkle.” What
do you think it means – dumping the coals in the earth for cleansing – when I
just read three times (now listen): I’m
going to sanctify and cleanse you with words. And he dumps the
coals for cleansing. What do you think those coals are? It’s ultimate
truth! It’s truth that He never gave to any one before this time of the
seventh seal – it’s obvious. When you come to the seventh seal, He cleanses
the earth. How? Using words. Let me read this
one more time:
Ephesians
5:25-27
25
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave
himself for it;
26 [So]
That he might [could] sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the
word [in words],
27 [So]
That he might [could] present it to himself a glorious church, not having
spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without
blemish.
So my
point is this: As long as people
throughout the ages of time were living up to the light they had, that is all
God expected of them.
WHAT IT ISN’T
I’ve got
to make this point – you see, it helps me to see what it isn’t. I’ve got to
tell you what we’re not saying here. In the denominations (and I’m telling
you, this is key that you understand this); in the
churches (the denominational churches), we are told:
You are a sinner – that we are sinners; we
have broken the law. The law says: If you sin, you have to die – so
therefore, God sent His Son to die in your place, to pay the penalty for what
you’ve done in your life – and He pays this penalty. When you
therefore say: “I believe in Jesus,”
and you say the prayer, and you give your heart to God – you have
this emotional thing with the Lord – and you pray the prayer; you are now
saved, and here’s what it means: God now
(and I’m assuming, you know, this is the picture I had)
has your name in a book, and He’s got this
big book and somehow He applies to your name “righteousness.” Now
no one ever told me what “righteousness” was – it was just “good” – it’s
righteousness. So, therefore,
when He looks at me, He doesn’t see me anymore – He sees Jesus. And He now
can accept me because somebody paid the price; paid the penalty for all the
mistakes in my life.
That is
not what I’m saying. I want
to say this again – now listen: Christ
gave Himself so that He could cleanse you
using words. Now
question: What is it He cleanses if He’s using words? Your mind, isn’t it?
It isn’t a big book in heaven – it’s right here (Scott points to his head) and
if sin is the result of what I think, ultimate sin is it
between my ears?
If you’re looking at sin as an action, you’ve got to realize it only happens
because of what you think. Therefore, if righteousness is doing the right
thing, it only happens by means of what I think, so righteousness is between
my ears. So then God gives me righteousness. What is He giving me? Words –
and His words are changing, reforming my thinking. “Righteousness” is how He
understands, and when He gives that to me, it becomes my understanding and my
righteousness. But I can only understand to the point He reveals it to me.
So it isn’t that Christ died to pay my penalty so the Father could see me
differently. We know the Son of God died
so that I could see the Father differently.
I want to
give you this example because, just recently the
Lord gave me this when I thought of Ariel and Charity. I thought of these two
kids, you know, if they’re playing in the front yard, and somebody were to
come into the yard and kill one of them, you would see me react instantly. I
would respond instantly – retaliate against this. But if one of these two
kids killed one another, I would not retaliate the same way. In fact, I might
even not want to expose the fact that one sister killed the other one. You
see these are morbid thoughts, I know, but you’ve got to understand that when
Jesus Christ was sent into this world to proclaim the love of God, that was
what He came for. Christ came to declare the
You see it
in your own children. You can see it – this theme is in the scriptures –
where Abraham has his son, Ishmael, and when he has Isaac, Ishmael ridicules
and makes fun of Isaac, and it breaks Abraham’s heart. Go back and read the
story, and you’ll see that Sarah is the one who said: “Cast
him out. Get rid of him and his mother.” And the Lord came to
Abraham and said: “Listen to your wife.
You need to do what she is saying to do” (Genesis 21:9-12). He
wasn’t going to do it, because they both were his children – he loved them
both. And you see it with David and Absalom and Ammon
– when Absalom kills Ammon. There’s a scripture
where it says: David’s heart yearned
after Absalom (2 Samuel
A MARRIAGE FOR HIS SON
I want to
talk about being without spot or wrinkle.
I want to talk about the last generation church and I want to bring in this
concept of “husbands love your wives even
as Christ loved the church” – and we see this picture of the
husband and the wife as symbols of Christ
and the church, and how He is
going to sanctify and cleanse them using words. But again, you can only be as
clean as He allows you to be. As long as your heart is open, He’ll lead you
to a certain point, but it’s evident the people who
live during the last generation (the seventh seal) get a better understanding
and He cleanses them in a more thorough way. Turn to Matthew 22 and let’s
read this parable, starting at verse 1:
Matthew
22:1-14
1 And
Jesus answered and spake [spoke] unto them again
by parables, and [this is what he] said,
2
The kingdom of heaven is like unto
a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,
3
And [He]
sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they
would not [wouldn’t]
come.
4
Again, he sent forth other
servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my
dinner: my oxen and my fatlings
are killed, and all things
are ready: come unto
[to] the marriage.
5
But they made light of
it, and went their ways
[they went their way], one
to his farm, another to his merchandise:
6
And the remnant took his servants,
and entreated them spitefully,
and slew them.
7
But when the king heard
thereof [of it],
he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and
burned up their city.
8
Then saith
he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they
which were bidden were not worthy.
9
Go ye therefore into the highways,
and as many as ye [you]
shall find, bid to the marriage.
10
So those servants went out into the
highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good:
and the wedding was furnished with [what?]
guests.
11
And when the king came in to see
the guests, he saw there a man which had not [didn’t have]
on a wedding garment:
12
And he saith
[said] unto him,
Friend, how camest thou in hither
[how did you come in here]
not
having a [on] wedding
garment? And he [the man]
was speechless.
13
Then said the king to the servants,
Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast
him into outer darkness; there
shall [will] be
weeping and gnashing of teeth.
14
For [Because]
many are called, but [and]
few are chosen.
One more
verse is in John, chapter 3. I want to read verse 29, and this is John the
Baptist who is speaking. John
John 3:29
29 He that
hath [has] the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom,
which standeth [stands] and
heareth [hears] him, rejoiceth [rejoices]
greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my
joy therefore is fulfilled.
Question:
Did John the Baptist consider himself to be the bride or a friend of the
bridegroom? He is not the bride is he? And the people that we just read
about in Matthew 22 are not the bride. He never reveals who the bride is in
what we’ve read. He tells you who the guests are and that the guests should
be wearing certain garments – have a certain understanding – in order to be at
the wedding, but he never tells you who the bride is. He reveals the bride in
Revelation 21:
Revelation
21:9-11
9 And
there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of
the seven last plagues, and [he] talked with me, saying, Come hither [here], I
will shew thee [I’ll show you] the bride, the
Lamb’s wife.
10 And he
carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and
shewed [he showed] me that great city, the holy
11 Having
the glory of God: and her light was
like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
Who is the
bride? He shows him a “city” -- what is a
city? It’s a mindset; it’s a way
of thinking. Now the question I have for you is: Who possesses the mind of
New Jerusalem? Because whoever possesses, or is in
that city is His bride. At
one time in my life when I would read this, I thought “New Jerusalem” was
simply, or only, the mind of Christ
– but look down here in Revelation 21; go down to verse 14:
Revelation
21:14
14 And the
wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve
apostles of the Lamb.
Question:
If a “wall” is salvation
(according to Isaiah 60 it is – Isaiah 60:18) – if a “wall” is a symbol of
salvation, what does it mean that the
names of the apostles are on the twelve layers of it? In other
words, the apostles have laid the
foundation. Don’t let me confuse you, but listen, did the apostles
lay the foundation in the mind of Christ? I’ll answer that for you – no, they
did not. He laid their foundation. But whose foundation did they lay?
Ours.
And how did they do it? Well, right here (Bible) in this book – we can take
this book, written by the apostles of Christ, the New Testament, and he can
help us understand foundational truth that will strengthen the walls of our
salvation. What is “salvation”?
My understanding. Why
“walls”? How do you build a wall? You take “stones,”
concepts, and you fit them all
tightly – and you build your protection so that no one can come through the
way you understand. See? But the foundation is laid by the apostles.
Therefore, the ones dwelling in the city ... as you read about the city, you
see how pure it is, and the Lamb’s wife – it has to be
the last generation. It couldn’t
be anyone else– the ones who have the purity of Christ; who are
without spot or wrinkle.
It has to
be the people that He purifies the best. Now why do I say that? In this
chapter of Revelation 19 – turn to Revelation 19 and let me show you
something. Revelation 19 begins: “After
these things.” After what things?
After chapter 18 – this is simple. Now look – what is chapter 18 about, just
off the top of your head? The fall of
Revelation 18:1-4
1 And after these things I saw another angel
[messenger] come down from heaven, having great power [authority]; and the
earth was lightened with his glory.
2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice,
saying [and this is what he said],
3 For [Because] all nations have drunk of the
wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have
committed fornication with her, and the merchants
of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
4 And [Then] I heard another voice from heaven,
saying [and what does this voice say?], Come out of her, [who?]
my people, ...
Who’s saying verse 4? Who do you think is
speaking: “Come out of her, my people”?
Christ – let me just set this up for you. Verses 1, 2 and 3: a messenger is
giving you a message – he is describing
Because I know my need, I know Christ is the
Son, and I know I can hear the voice of God — because I have that straight, I
can stand before you and I can look you in the eye with an absolute clear
conscience, believing the Lord is impressing your heart with this truth:
For
He can send someone to you to give you that
message – and listen – it refutes and undercuts every denomination on the face
of this earth. There isn’t a single one that understands those principles,
those concepts that I just gave you – not
one. They don’t understand the sin nature; they don’t believe
Jesus is the Son of God; and they don’t think they can hear God. Because of
that, the book is their god –
which means they are their own god, interpreting the book. That’s basically
what it means. Therefore when I come up to you and I say: “Christ
is the Son; here’s your sin nature; you can hear God and come out of it,”
and I take you through those teachings, and you start through the changes –
and you start realizing: “My God, Christ
is the Son, I can hear.... and these things start happening to
you.... What about all the people that you associated with at one time? What
are they saying to you? Are they with you?
Hey! That’s good news! The trinity is not
true. Is that what you’re getting from people? Do you want me to
tell you what you get? They stand afar off, weeping and wailing because of
this great and mighty city that is burning up before them. What mighty city?
What torment?
You know – the trinity isn’t true, and I can
hear God and I can have a relationship with Him just like Abraham had – and
the Lord has shown me my sin nature, and destroyed it. Let me say
that again: The Lord has shown me my sin
nature, and destroyed it. People who hear you say that – it cuts
them to the core. It torments them; it’s a torment to their soul. That is
why, when
SHE HAS MADE HERSELF READY
And listen to these glorious words.
Revelation 19:1-3
1 And after these things I heard a great voice
of much [many] people in heaven [in the heavens], [It gets me every time,
why?
2 For true and righteous
are his judgments: for he hath [he
has] judged the great whore, which did corrupt [which was corrupting] the
earth [Where? In here – in me –
see what they’re saying?] ...
3 [Listen to the glory, the joy.] And again they
said, Alleluia. And her smoke [from being burned] rose up for ever and ever
[ascended up into the age of the ages].
Now consider this verse – I’m going to read
another verse. Now listen, listen close – this is Psalms 37, verse 20:
Psalm 37:20
20 But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies
of the LORD shall be as the fat
of lambs: ....
Now stop – now are you looking at the enemies of
God as these people? Let me tell you, the “enemies” of God were all the
distortions that you carried. Now
listen again because I’m going to finish the verse.
Psalm 37:20
20 But the wicked shall perish [the wicked
thoughts will perish], and the enemies of the LORD
shall be as [will be like] the fat
of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away [they’ll
consume in the smoke and consume away].
He’s talking about
thought.
The smoke ascended up into the age of the
ages – the result of what? I
saw the ancient of days, the judgment was set in heaven and a fiery river
(stream) issued before him (Daniel
7:9-11). What do you think that is? It’s what’s coming out of his mouth, and
as the truth is revealed to you, He is consuming the falsehood out of you –
and when people see it they stand back for fear of what they’re seeing. But
He is speaking to you his truth, and he says: “I
am” ... He says: “Your God is
a consuming fire,” you see – and when you receive His words: “I’m
going to sanctify and cleanse with words.
I’m going to dump hot coals into the earth to cleanse it. I’m going to
consume
Revelation
19:5-9
5 And a
voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and
ye [you] that fear him, both small and great.
6 And I
heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the [and the] voice of
many waters, and as the [and the] voice of mighty
thunderings, saying [they said], Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent
reigneth. [is now
reigning. Where? Here – He’s reigning (Scott points to his head). Now get
the next verse.]
7 Let us
be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him
[Why?]: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and
his wife hath made herself ready.
8 And to
her was granted that she should be arrayed in [what?] fine linen, clean and
white [What’s everyone else arrayed in? Remember the parable we just read in
Matthew 22 – the guest didn’t have on the wedding garment. What is the
“wedding garment”? It’s Christ’s
righteousness – but it’s only to the point He has revealed it to
you. But what about this lady? She’s in fine
linen, and she’s the only one that is. She is in
fine linen, clean and white]: for
the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
9 And he
saith unto me, Write, Blessed
are they which are called unto the
marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith [said]
unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
Now stop
and let me make this point – I want you to consider the King of Kings. I want
you to consider our Heavenly Father. The King made a marriage for His Son,
and you bid His guests and people would refuse to come – and we’re talking
about the Son of God who is the Creator of all things. The Son of God has
created all things, and it’s time now for Him to be married. The bride has
made herself ready – and the King, His Father, the Son of the King is getting
married. Is this a small thing? This is huge, isn’t it? This event is
huge. Why? Because when it’s time for the marriage, He has to call the
guests – but where are they? Who are the guests? Well, John the Baptist
said: “I’m a friend of the bridegroom.”
It’s all of the saints who have lived and died in Christ; and what
does He do? He calls them all to the wedding. What is that? It’s
the resurrection, isn’t it? He calls them all; come on –
Blessed is he who comes to the feast.
Why? He has eternal life – and he comes to the feast dressed in his wedding
garment. But only one is without spot or wrinkle, and that is
His bride.
Now I’ve
got to make this point: I am not saying that no one else will ever have the
understanding of the bride. What I’m trying to say is –
the bride is the group who gets there first.
She is the first fruits unto God. Why? Because I have sections of time where
the Lord has revealed specific things, but when you come to the last one, He
gives them all of it – and now
this group of people is without spot or
wrinkle — how are they “without spot or wrinkle”? Well,
they understand their need; Christ is the Son; and they can hear the Lord –
and they can hear Him express to them” “I
love you.”
THE FEAST
At this
point there are different directions that I would like to go but, for me, the
most important one first – and I love this concept. Before the camp meeting
in Texas, as I was looking at Woody’s wedding, and all of this wedding stuff
was happening – and I was going to explain marriage at the wedding – and I was
seeking the Lord for a deeper understanding of what all this means, but one
thing bothered me. I recognized this feast took place
after Babylon had fallen – and I
thought: I know spiritually a feast is
something you eat; something that you feast on – but I thought:
What in the world could He tell you that’s
over and above what you’ve already been given if Babylon is fallen? If you’ve
reached a place without spot or wrinkle – and He says: “All right, the bride
has made herself ready; come to the wedding” – and here we are, and now we’re
going to feast. And I thought:
Well, on what? What’s left? And
as I was seeking the Lord to understand that, I’m going to tell you, what I’m
going to share with you – I know the Lord gave me this, because I felt
impressed to imagine myself literally there.
Imagine
yourself there, literally – and you know, have you guys seen the picture of
the big banquet table – it’s a mile long, and all this food is on it, and the
table was all set? The Lord just put me in that place, and I imagined myself
there – and I thought: Now imagine the
beauty of Christ — the Son of God is sitting at the head of that table.
And then I thought: Am I going
to sit there now and eat apples and oranges, and stuff? Of course
not! What do you think I’m going to do? My gaze, my eyes would be on
that man. Now let me tell you why
– for me –
because He is the evident token of
God’s love for me. I was, from the womb, given the lie
that I had no value to God. And
before I go on, I’ve just got to tell you – you can test yourself right now.
Just ask yourself: Does God love me? Do
I feel in my heart — God loves me as much as He loves Jesus? And
answer that honestly – does He love you as much as He does Jesus? Now there’s
actually a verse in the Bible that says that (John
I’m
already 50 years old – I’ll be 51 next month, and I have lived 51 years
believing that lie; and the Lord has erased it, and proven to me, in fact, has
spoken to me that I’m as valuable; that He
loves me; He has never rejected me; I’ve always been acceptable. I
know that and there isn’t a person in this room or anything on this planet
that could steal that away from me. Why? The Lord told me this. I didn’t
read it; He told me this – the Lord spoke it, and I received it, OK? So here
I am, 50 years of this lie, and I’m brought before the Son of God, and what
does He mean to me? Well, it’s looking at that death – I see this man and I
see my Father loves me THAT MUCH.
Now how can you picture Him in beauty; in glory? How can you picture Him
and recognize, God loves me that much
– and you tell me what you’re going to feast on. What do you think
that feast is? That is going to so flood your soul — let me tell you, right
now, it is a truth that is working in my heart, and changing my life, but when
I literally, literally see the man in His majesty, and the thought hits me –
He loves me that much? –
you see, the reality is going to blow me away!
When I see my Father reach for me— I can’t even imagine it right now — but
when He does, what will that do to you? Do you think you’re going to sit
there eating bananas, or eat fruit when this is taking place? That’s insanity
– but let me tell you something even more beautiful: “The bride” is
this last generation church, and
it’s evident that when we all get there, all of the Christians who have died
in Christ have been invited to see this feast. And I know that they will some
day, through eternity, receive the understanding He has given me; and we will
all be in this thing. The only thing is, I will
have the opportunity to say: “The Lord
brought me here first.” Now they’re all going to get it, but the
144,000 are the first fruits.
Now, in
the Song of Solomon, you have the Christ; you have the husband; you have the
bridegroom; you have the daughters of
“Where has he gone? Where’s
your beloved gone?” (Song of Solomon 6:1) And she gives
this answer (I’m not going to go through the whole thing. I’m preparing a
study to read those symbols and show you how the 144,000 will see Him
differently than others) – but one thing she says is this:
“My beloved has gone into his garden and He’s feeding among the lilies.”
(Song of Solomon 6:2-3) Now think about it, because here is His garden (Scott
points to his head), and coming into the garden, this is what the beloved says
– He says: “Your eyes (and what
are your “eyes”? It’s your understanding...)
-- He says: “Your eyes overcome me. “
(Song of Solomon 6:5)
So I want
you to look at this day with Him through
His eyes for a minute, and consider this: Here you have Michael,
born in eternity past, creating all things as the Son of God, coming into this
world through Mary in Bethlehem, and you know the story.... going through all
of what He went through and, I would just simply say, the plan of salvation —
He lived the plan of salvation, and went through that process Himself....died,
was raised from the dead, and here in front of Him is somebody
who gets it. Sitting in front of
Him is somebody that gets it, they understand – and He looks and He says:
The way you see this just overcomes me. I
love the way you understand what has happened. How does He know
you got it? I’m without spot or wrinkle
–
I picture
the literal peasant girl sitting there in all rags, and the golden carriage
drives up – and the king gets out, he sees her and he says:
“I choose you for my Son.” At
that point it makes no difference what she’s wearing.... all that matters is
that she is accepting what the king is offering – that she has nothing to do
with it except what? To open her heart, now listen – all she can do is open
her heart and the Son of God says: “I’m
going to cleanse and sanctify you with words and you’ll be without spot or
wrinkle. I’ll present you to myself without spot or wrinkle. Open up – I’m
pouring the coals into the earth. It is the last group. My Father has said
tell them: This is the bride.” And as He does,
A PERSONAL THING
I want to
read about the 144,000 in Revelation 14 and I want to make just a couple of
points. (She’s [speaking of an audience member] sitting here going — Well is
he still crying? I’ve been crying ever since the last time I saw you...it’s
the truth....it’s terrible.) In Revelation 14, I want to read about the
bride. (I’m speaking of the first resurrection of the righteous -- they will
come to the feast.) You know what? That’s another thing – when I look at the
wedding and the relationship between the bride and the man (and I could get
into all kinds of things here), that’s a personal thing. You know, we just
had this wedding in
I told
Woody, I said: “You and
Tia already were married. You knew the Lord was
putting you with this woman – you were married. And it’s a personal thing –
it’s between you and her and God. I have nothing to do with it. After that
marriage, call me to the feast, and you tell me what you did and I’ll
celebrate it with you, and praise God for what’s happened.” And
I’ll never again tell another person:
Yeah, you’ve got to say your vows in front of the church – only if
the Lord’s impressing you to do it.
THE 144,000
So reading
about the 144,000 in Revelation 14, this is the bride. I want you to realize
some things out of this:
Revelation
14:1
1 And I
looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the
.... And
in past studies, go back to the studies In
This Mountain and Who Shall
Ascend and this scripture, for me anyway, came alive. I understood
to ascend out of the sea and stand on top of
Revelation
14:2
2 And I
heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a
great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: [And
I want to read a scripture.]
Psalm 43:4
4 Then
will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp
will I praise thee, O God my God.
I heard harpers harping with
their harps – what do you think they’re harping? Praise to
God – now listen, listen... Praise to God – they are praising God!
Revelation 14:3
3 And they sung as it were a new song before the
throne [a new praise to God], and before the four beasts, and the elders: and
no man could learn that song [no one could learn it] but the hundred
and forty
and four thousand, which [who]
were redeemed from the earth.
Now let me tell you something about myself: I
have a new praise to God because I realize truth – it’s happening in my life,
in my praise for Him, and my acknowledgment of everything that is changing.
The beauty of this is, no one can praise Him with me on this level except you
too see your need, recognize the Son, and know you can hear God – and put
those things all together, and you let Him
speak and slay the old man – and
you be convinced: He loves me as much as
He loves Jesus. It puts new praise in your lips. Now follow what
he says here – verse 4 is key:
Revelation 14:4
4 These are they which were not defiled with
women; for they are virgins.
Stop and consider this: Every person who has
ever been born on this planet is defiled by their mother. There isn’t a
mother on this planet that did not defile her children, and it happened in the
womb when you gave them the feeling of having no value to God. It’s happened
to every one of us – but he says the 144,000 are not defiled with women. Now
that’s another reality in my life – I can actually look at my literal mother
and realize what she did to me is gone. She doesn’t even know what happened,
but the Lord has revealed something to me and I am different as I stand here
now, and I know there is spiritual significance –
not defiled with women – but I
know that also means you’re no longer carrying that defilement, and that is
His definition of a “virgin.” Let me tell you this – since we’re on this
level, I want to give you something that I pray this isn’t too far out for
you, but I want to read something to you about Mary, and what happened to this
woman; and let me tell you why this is significant.
Now listen: “I
saw a woman with the moon under her feet, clothed with the sun, with a crown
of twelve stars. And she was travailing in birth to bring forth the man
child.” (Revelation 12:1-2) Now back in ‘84, in the summer of
‘84, I held a study at a black Baptist church and I read that verse,
Revelation 12, and I said: “Who is that?”
And the preacher said: “It’s
gotta be Mary – Look, it’s Mary; she brought forth the man child.”
He wasn’t recognizing it was the church – but let’s put the two together,
and let me tell you that what happened to this woman, Mary, is a picture of
what happens to the church. Now let me read to you what happened to this
woman:
Luke 1:28,30-31
28 And the angel came in unto her, and said,
Hail, thou that art highly
favoured [A
messenger of God, I could just say,
came to you –
a messenger of God came and said:
Hail, you’re highly favored], the Lord
is with thee [you]: blessed
art thou among women.
30 And the angel said unto her [And he said],
Fear not, Mary [{put your name here}]:
for thou hast [you have] found favour [grace]
with God.
31 And, behold, thou shalt
conceive in thy womb [You’ll conceive in your womb, and I’m telling you, this
very word womb – you can take
it right back to the Old Testament and here’s where it is – it’s right here in
Proverbs 18 (your mind).
You’ll conceive in your womb], and bring forth a son, and
shalt call his name JESUS [and call his name Jesus].
That’s happened to every one sitting in this
room, spiritually, if you see that He is the Son of God.
Peter, who do you say that I am? Well,
you’re the Christ, the Son of the Living God. You’re blessed. My Father told
you that; you got that from my Father. Flesh and blood didn’t do that; you
got that from my Father (Matthew 16:-15-17). Now listen – I’m not
going to read the whole thing. I want you to see how he says this happens –
listen to this:
Luke 1:35
35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The
Holy Ghost shall come upon thee [The angel
answered and said, Holy Spirit will come upon you], and the power of the
Highest shall [will] overshadow thee [you]: therefore also that holy thing
which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God [that is why the
holy thing born in you will be called the Son of God].
That is why you’ll see it. Why? It’s the power
of God. Peter, My Father told you that.
It’s the same thing that happened to Mary –
the power of God overshadows you; Holy Spirit comes upon you and the power of
the Highest.... that is why that holy thing is called the Son –
that’s why you see it. Now listen – in Mary’s womb, He was defiled and
divinity and humanity were blended together, and He was tempted in all points
like you to believe what? I have no value
to God. But He had seen the face of God, and He was tempted in
all....but he never sinned; He never believed the lie —
tempted in all points but He never sinned.
He never believed the lie – the
defilement is overcome and put away. In your minds, when you understood the
truth of the Son of God, He was defiled in your womb – and I’m speaking for
myself right now because, back in the 80's when the Lord showed me that Jesus
was really His Son, I saw that through the eyes of
I have no value to God except Jesus die for
me and now that He dies and pays my penalty, that gives me value.
This whole concept of the Son of God was defiled in my womb.
But when I understood
So we have the fact that we can look at Him and
see the love of God for us, and I am no longer defiled with women; I’ve been
redeemed from among men; I’m the first fruit unto God, and I can tell you that
because I don’t carry the lie – I don’t speak guile. You see, if you believe
the lie, you can’t help but speak untruth. But if you see your need, and you
see He’s the Son, and you know you can hear God – and those concepts are alive
in you, and cannot be moved – the Lord can bring you to the place where He
will destroy your doctrinal confusion, and unravel the iniquity. But if
you’re carrying anything that denies any of those truths, you speak with
deceit. Why? Because you are deceived, that’s why. You can’t help but speak
that way. So that’s the 144,000 and that is His bride – and let’s stop right
here.
The Inward Victory of God’s
People
Revelation
19:11-16
11 And I
saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him
was called Faithful and
True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make
war.
12 His
eyes were as a flame of fire,
and on his head were many
crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
13 And he
was clothed with
a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called
The Word of God. 14 And the armies which
were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine
linen, white and clean.
15 And out
of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he
should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he
treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath
of Almighty God.
16 And he
hath on his vesture and on his
thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.