FOR AARON AND HIS SONS

279.0805

scottSTANLEY

(All bracketed [  ] words inserted into the following scriptures are the author’s paraphrase.)

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

1 Peter 2:9

OUR FIRST LOVE

As the Lord continues to increase my understanding of the scriptures, He lays it on my heart to record these studies, to pass these things along to you. I know the Lord is no respecter of persons – what He is giving me, He wants to give to everyone – but it’s up to us to make the effort to seek Him and to find out. You know, in Proverbs, He says: “The heavens are for height, and the earth is for depth,” and I think of the “height” of understanding the Lord gives us concerning Himself, and how that leads to a “depth” of understanding of ourselves. The heavens for height; the earth for depth…I know that we learn by means of experience, and it’s almost laughable to me how the Lord continues to teach me from past experiences, to teach me present truth. As He unfolds the past, the Lord helps me see the present.

I want to get right into this study without losing any more time, and give you an experience that – the experience that brought me to the Lord, because this concept of where this leads is huge. This is another one of those things that begins to unfold the scripture like never before.

When I came to the Lord in 1979, I was at the rope’s end – I was at the bottom of the barrel, on drugs and alcohol; my family had fallen apart, and I was brought to a place where I knew I needed help. I could not go any further on my own, and I went to work telling people, You know, I need to see a psychiatrist…I am going crazy. A friend told me that he would come by and get me the next day and take me to see someone who could help me. So the next day, thinking I’m going to go see a psychiatrist, this guy takes me to see his pastor. The pastor was a gift from God to me – his name was Curtis Pace and, without asking me anything personal, he simply asked me to read the Beatitudes, Matthew chapter 5. I could only read a few of them… then I began to weep. That time in my life, to understand that for me now, is critical because what God had done, in bringing me to my knees, He had shown me I cannot make it on my own; I need something more – and I realized what that “something” was, was Him.

Two days, or the next day, after meeting with that pastor, I got out a Bible that my Dad had given me when I was thirteen – at this particular time I was 28 years old. I sat down at the kitchen table; I tried to read the Bible because I felt like the answers I needed were in that book. Of course, when I tried to read it, I couldn’t understand a word of it – and I doubled up my fist and literally began to pound on the kitchen table and say out loud, to cry out: “I have got to be saved,” as I pounded on that table, I have got to be saved. Two days later, I prayed and asked the Lord into my life, and He came into my life in a mighty way – everything changed. Now, the point I want you to see is how the Lord showed me that I cannot do this on my own. The mindset He brought me to was one of… I had to totally depend on Him if I was going to make it.

One week after giving my heart to the Lord, I went to the Bible bookstore and bought a Thompson Chain Reference, and began studying and, in time, began to take control of my life again, for myself. This time I had the “word of God” and, as I read it and interpreted it for myself, I took charge of myself. Now, knowing what I know today, I realize the Lord had brought me out of the “sea” onto dry ground – onto the “earth.” You see, the “sea” and the “earth” are on the same level… I still was not thinking in the heavens. I was on the earth; the same level of understanding, only dry ground. I had moved out of the mindset of total reliance on God, and had taken the scriptures into my own hands – determined that I was going to understand them. The Lord doesn’t hold that against anybody because, naturally, that is what we do. He has to bring us again to the point of realizing the folly of where we are, and coming to depend on Him again. That happened to me in 1995 and the abiding truth – I realized the truth of abiding in Christ; listening to Him.

But let’s go back to the beginning again – the mindset – I use that word, the mindset of total dependence on God. Remember, in Proverbs 25 (Proverbs 25:28), a “city” is a spirit, or a mindset – a “city” represents a way of thinking. Revelation 17, the last verse:

Revelation 17:18

¹⁸And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

The “harlot” or the “woman” on that beast is that great city. So, in the past, I have made the connection of: A “woman” is a “city” is a “mindset.” The mindset God gave me – total reliance on God – is what I forsook, see, that was my “first love.” That was the “wife” God would have me marry; that is the “woman” He would have me be with. Hence, I became “ Ephesus ” when I forsook my first love and picked up that book, and began to read it on my own.

Now, I want to make some more connections for you. That “mindset” is described in the Beatitudes – remember I told you that is what that pastor wanted me to read…Read the Beatitudes. If I could remember them, and I’m trying to train myself to remember these in order because I think one leads into the other. The first one:

Matthew 5:3

³Blessed are the poor in spirit: …

Realize that you know nothing – that is exactly where the Lord brought me… Two:

Matthew 5:4

⁴Blessed are [those who] mourn: …

See, “mourning” for where you are – You realize you know nothing; you mourn for this state of being you’re in, the condition that you’re in. That leads to the third one, “meekness” …the fourth one, so that you “hunger” and “thirst” after righteousness, or you hunger and thirst after God’s understanding, which leads to being “merciful.” Merciful is when you share salvation; when you share truths to the next person. That is how God shows you “mercy” – He gives you truth. “Pure in heart,” your motives are pure. And then, to “bring forth peace” – now, the King James put “peacemaker,” it’s a bringer forth of peace. That is the “city”; that is the description of the “woman” that will bring you ultimate salvation. It is that mindset that you need to be in, in order to receive truth from God and be a true servant of the Lord; a priest of God. That is “New Jerusalem.”

JERUSALEM ABOVE

Now think about it – To bring forth peace, see, where it leads is a “peacemaker,” or a “bringer forth of peace” – see, the “peace” comes from within. What do you think “ Jerusalem ” means? It’s habitation of peace, and to be in that mindset is as described in the Beatitudes – when you forsake that, you have left the first love that God has given you. Another thing is, that mindset is what gives you birth; you have to be in that mindset in order to receive from God. That is why Paul said in Galatians (Galatians 4:26 ), Jerusalem which is above is the mother of us all. Jerusalem above is your “mother” and becomes the “wife” of the covenant.

I want to share some scriptures with you, and I want to first turn to Malachi, and just chain some things together for you – and show you how the scriptures bear out what I’m telling you. Reading from Malachi 2:10:

Malachi 2:10-13

¹⁰Have we not all one father? [Has] not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers?

¹¹Judah [has] dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem ; for Judah [has] profaned the holiness of the LORD which he loved, and [has] married the daughter of a strange god. 

¹²The LORD will cut off the man that [does] this, the master and the scholar, out of the tabernacles of Jacob, and him that [offers] an offering unto the LORD of hosts.

¹³And this have [you] done again, covering the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, insomuch that he [regards] not the offering any more, or [receives] it with good will at your hand.

Now before I read any further, I want to comment on this. How has Israel married the “daughter of a strange god”? Let me tell you what this isn’t – This isn’t literal. If you go back and look at literal Israel and the gods that they created out of wood, stone… Those “gods” did not bring forth “daughters”; did not have children! First of all, “strange,” to be a “stranger” means strange from God. A strange god – the strange god – is yourself; the “daughter” of a strange god is to marry your own attitude, your own beliefs, your own understanding. You see, the Lord brings you to your knees and you cry out, and He answers that prayer, where you cry out. But eventually, when He gives you “the great sword,” when He gives you the book, you take it into your own hands and you begin to interpret it yourself – and you “marry” the daughter of a strange god. And that never works! You cannot live a holy, godly life in that way – so you continue to come to the Lord with weeping and crying. You come to the altar, and He reaches the point where He says, Okay, enough is enough, you see – Enough is enough; I want you to see the truth. Now let’s go back to Malachi 2:

Malachi 2:14 -15

¹⁴Yet [you] say, Wherefore [or Why]? Because the LORD [has] been witness between [you] and the wife of [your] youth, against whom [you have] dealt treacherously: yet is she [your] companion, and the wife of [your] covenant.

¹⁵And did not he make [you] one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. [And why did he make you one]? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit [to your mind; to the “city” you’re in], and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.

Do you see the warning He is giving you there? If you want to make this literal, you’re in error – He’s talking spiritual. It’s equivalent to Ephesus , how He wants you to come back to your “first love,” the wife of the covenant. What is the “covenant”? The Everlasting Covenant; the covenant of peace, He calls it. The “wife” – the attitude, the mindset – as  described in Matthew 5, the Beatitudes: Recognizing the fact that you know nothing; mourning for where you are; allowing that to create the meekness in your heart so that you “hunger” and “thirst” after righteousness. In so doing, you can show mercy toward others in a new way, having pure motives. You will be a bringer forth of peace; you will find yourself dwelling in “ Jerusalem above.” I want to show you a text out of Isaiah – reading from Isaiah 62, verse 1:

Isaiah 62:1-5

¹For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness [of it] go forth as brightness, and the salvation [of it] as a lamp [burning].

²And the [Nations] shall see [your] righteousness, and all kings [will see your] glory: and [you’ll] be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name. [How about “New Jerusalem”?]

³[You shall] also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of [your] God.

⁴[You shall] no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall [your] land any more be termed Desolate: but [you’ll] be called Hephzibah, and [your] land Beulah: for the LORD [delights in you], and [your] land shall be married. [Now get this…]  

⁵For as a young man [marries] a virgin, so shall [your] sons marry [you]: and as the bridegroom [rejoices] over the bride, so shall [your] God rejoice over [you].

You see, there is “New Jerusalem” – there is the “mother of us all”; that is the “wife of the covenant.” Remember in Revelation (Revelation 21:9-10), he sees the “bride” coming down? It’s New Jerusalem – New Jerusalem is the mother; New Jerusalem is the bride; New Jerusalem is described in the Beatitudes… and let me tell you something: New Jerusalem brings the ultimate salvation, the ultimate healing to your soul.

SUN AND MOON

Now let me tell you something else about New Jerusalem. In Revelation, he states that in this “city” you reach a point where you have no more need of the “sun” and the “moon” – let’s stop right there. I want to fine tune the “sun” and the “moon” for you, because it brings out another truth that is huge to me. In the past, repeatedly, I have shown you where Moses goes up the mountain and, when he comes down, his face is “shining” – that is a verb. The “shine” is a verb, the noun of it is the word “horn.” A better translation for the word “horn” would be the shining thing, or the source of light, that which is “shining.” A “horn” is your source of light – look at Psalms 18, starting at verse 1:

Psalm 18:1-2

¹ I will love thee, O LORD, my strength.

²The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

Here the Lord is referred to as our “horn,” or our source of light, but a “lamb,” to further fine tune this, a lamb, a child of God, has two “horns.” Now remember in Revelation 13, the “beast” ascending up out of the earth had two horns like a lamb, but still spoke as the dragon – see, they’re not letting the Lord speak and live through them. But, nevertheless, a “horn” on a “lamb,” there are two horns. What are the two sources of light that we have? In Genesis, the fourth day, He puts the “sun” and the “moon” in the heavens for light. We can walk outside and see we have the sun and the moon. Psalm 19 states the sun is as the bridegroom, coming out of his chamber, so the “sun” is the “Son.” What about the “moon”? What exactly is the “moon”? You see, the “moon” has no light except the “sun” shine on it so, in that sense, you could say we have one horn; one source of light. But the scriptures tell you that both give you light, the sun and the moon. The “moon” can be nothing other than the teachings of God – it has to be the teachings of God through the scriptures. Without the “sun,” there is no light from the “moon.”

Now, why is the “moon” important? Because the “moon” gives you light by night – we still have places in our lives, areas in our lives that we don’t understand. Let me give you an example: The next “feast day” for God’s people is Pentecost; the next inward feast to take place will be Pentecost – it hasn’t happened yet. If we’re going to understand anything about it now, all you have is the book, but the book will not give you understanding unless the “light” shines on it. A “dark” area of our lives, for instance Pentecost, this dark area that we don’t understand, you have to walk by the light of the “moon.” Eventually, we’ll come to a place where we understand all things; we will know even as we are known and, at that point, you won’t need the moon. But you’re not in that place yet, you are not in a place where you understand all things and, until you are, the Bible is going to play a significant role in your life.

Now think about it – seal five, you cry out to God for deliverance; seal six, He turns your “sun” black, your “moon” red… in order to heal you, He has to show you the way you’re perceiving Christ is wrong. The way you’re reading the book is “red,” it’s self, it’s wrong – He has to bring you to the place of total reliance on Him. The “moon” is a symbol of the Bible. Do you have “darkness”? Yes. Do you need the Bible? Yes. I only know a few people who have actually said to me, We don’t need the Bible anymore and, let me tell you, their lives are a shambles – and it’s only going to grow worse because, until you’re humbled and brought to the place where you have total reliance on the Lord and you quit living presumptuously, you’re never going to reach salvation, a completed salvation.

Now I want to continue keying on this book for a minute because I used to look at the “moon” as the church. I thought, you know, we have no light; we can’t reflect any light except the sun shine on us. Well, now I see the “earth” is me; the “sun” and the “moon” are above me – remember, until Revelation 12, the “woman” is clothed with the sun, and the moon is under her feet; she’s dwelling in the heavens. But you’ve got to come to the place where you’re not in darkness anymore.

BREAD

Let me show you another way of saying this: At the Last Supper, Christ held up the bread and He broke it, and He said, “This is my body, which is broken for you.” Now, Scott Stanley is brought to Calvary to look at that cross, and I see on that cross my old man – Christ was made to be sin. I see His broken body and I can relate to it, and I realize that is me – in so doing, I enter into the body of Christ, His church. You see, when He holds up the bread and breaks it, He says: This is my body, it’s broken for you… It’s broken because you’re the broken body. We, too, are the “bread” from God; our bodies are broken – He was a picture of us; we are the broken body. When you look at the scriptures, what are you reading but His testimony, the testimony of Christ, through the broken body? Isaiah, Jeremiah, Moses, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John – this was the broken body, and this is why the scriptures are referred to as “bread.”

Now remember when He said: Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God that proceeds out of the mouth of God? Some have taken that to say: We don’t eat any bread; we never read the Bible. We just listen and do what He tells us. That isn’t what that verse says – It says you don’t live by bread alone, but you’re to live by every word out of His mouth. Well, I want to take you back, and show you again, the “bread” that is in the sanctuary. Reading from Exodus 25, reading verse 29:

Exodus 25:29-30

²⁹And [you shall] make the dishes [of it], and spoons [of it], and covers [of it], and bowls [of it], to cover [alike]: of pure gold [shall you] make them. 

³⁰And [you shall] set upon the table [the bread of faces, the shewbread…] before me [always].

[8548] = daily in Daniel 8:12 -13

shewbread = the bread of faces

That word “always” is [8548]; it’s translated “daily” in Daniel – this is the daily. The “shewbread,” literally, is the bread of faces. Now, reading from Numbers 4, verse 7:

Numbers 4:7

⁷And upon the table of shewbread [you’ll] spread a cloth of blue, and put [on it] the dishes, and the spoons, and the bowls, and covers to cover [alike]: and the [daily] [8548] bread shall be [there on it]:

You see, I think this is why Christ, in the Lord’s Prayer: “Give us this day our daily bread” – right there, that’s literally what it is called. Turning now to Leviticus 24 – follow this because, I’m telling you again, this concept is remarkable, the understanding the Lord is giving us.

Leviticus 24:5-9

⁵And [you shall] take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes [of it]: two tenth deals shall be in one cake.

⁶And [you shall] set them in two rows, six on a [pile], upon the pure table before the LORD.

⁷And [you shall] put pure frankincense [which is righteousness] upon each [pile], that it may be on the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

⁸Every sabbath he shall set it in order before the LORD [daily], being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant.

⁹And it shall be Aaron’s and his sons’; and they shall eat it in the holy place: for it is most holy unto him of the offerings of the LORD made by fire by a perpetual [state].

How many loaves? Twelve: Two stacks, six to a stack, in the sanctuary – only for Aaron and his sons, taken from the children of Israel . Let’s put all the symbols together and let’s see what we come up with. I used to see the “two stacks of bread” simply as Michael and Jesus because Christ claimed to have been born twice; He said He was the “Bread of Life.” But let’s stand back and look at it again, because it only comes from the children of Israel . You see, the fact that it’s in the sanctuary includes the abiding truth, but the fact that it comes from the children of Israel means it’s something more than that. For it to come from the children of Israel , it has to be given me from God’s church! Michael inspired the Old Testament; Jesus inspired the New. There are your two persons, but there are twelve loaves – the “children of Israel ”… the twelve tribes. You see, it can be nothing more than your “daily bread” – this book. Now listen, it’s only for Aaron and his sons to eat this bread, which takes me back to the scriptures are written for those upon whom the end of the world is come.

You see, at one point in your life you pick up this book, and it’s “manna” – “Manna” means what is it? That word “manna” literally means: What is it? But then the book, when you start listening to the Lord, becomes “bread” – but then you reach the place that it’s only for “Aaron and his sons.” Aaron was the only one who could be high priest – those in his lineage – everyone under him were priests, and they were the only ones who could possibly become high priests. The “shewbread,” two stacks of six – when you look at that table, you see six and six and it’s interesting that the Bible we have today, at the end of the world, has “66” books in it. Think about it – If He hadn’t said that this bread has to come from the children of Israel , I might think it’s just simply listening to Michael and Jesus. It isn’t… It’s listening to Michael and Jesus through the people who wrote this book. That “shewbread” has to be the book – it has to be – it is our “daily bread.” If you think you don’t need the Bible anymore, you are making a huge mistake. And for those of you who aren’t spending time in it, you are making a huge mistake. The Lord has given us this book – it is a gift from God and, for all of those times in your life where you’re walking in darkness and you don’t know, you can find comfort and understanding from the scriptures. Let me read you one more text – it’s an old one to us but, nevertheless, let’s read this – 2 Timothy 3:15:

2 Timothy 3:15-17

¹⁵And that from a child [you have] known the holy scriptures, which are able to make [you] wise unto salvation through [the faith, or understanding] which is in Christ Jesus.

¹⁶All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: [Why?]

¹⁷That the man of God may be [complete], thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

See that is why we have it: It will help us come to completion! When, once we’re walking in the light of the Lord on a particular subject, we don’t need the book – but until you reach that place of perfect understanding, this book is essential to the church. Now I want to read one more series of texts concerning the scriptures and how the Lord uses them to teach us. This is in the Gospel of John, chapter 2, starting at verse 18:

John 2:18-22

¹⁸Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that [you do] these things?

¹⁹Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

²⁰Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and [you’re going to] rear it up in three days?

²¹But he [spoke] of the temple of his body.

²²When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said [unto them].

Now get the three things: After He was risen from the dead – the experience – after the experience, they believed the book and what He had said unto them… the written and the spoken, along with the experience. That is a perfect example of how the Lord is leading us today. You go through the experience and you come back to the scriptures, and let Him impress your heart, and those three things will bring you a complete understanding. Remember “3” is complete? Those three things will complete your understanding of the scriptures, so that you can have a depth of understanding of your heart and a height of understanding of your Heavenly Father.

IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH

I want to continue looking at Christ as the “Bread of Life,” but in order to do it, I want to turn back to Genesis and I want you to take another look with me at the Garden of Eden after Adam and Eve had sinned. Reading from Genesis 3, verse 22 – and read this carefully:

Genesis 3:22-24

²²And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil [“know” is [3045], to know by means of experience good and evil]: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

²³Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

²⁴So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims , and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Back to verse 22:

²²And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life,…

At one time when I read this, I would accent the word “and” – “…lest he put forth his hand, and take of the tree of life,” – like that was two different things. Now I realize to key on the word “hand” – “…lest he put forth his hand, and take and eat of the tree of life.” Let’s compare this with Proverbs, chapter 3, reading verse 13:

Proverbs 3:13

¹³Happy is the man that [finds] wisdom, and the man that [draws out of wisdom] understanding.

Verse 18

¹⁸She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that [retains] her.

Now do you see where I’m going with this? “Wisdom” is Christ – to draw out from Wisdom, His understanding, is a tree of life. How do you receive Christ’s understanding? How do you draw it out of Him?  Well, you’re to worship God in spirit and in truth. You cannot take from the tree of life with your “hand” – in other words, you’re not going to use your “works” to draw out Christ’s understanding. You’re not going to keep a certain day holy; you’re not going to dress a certain way, or act a certain way or do a certain thing in order to draw out His understanding. You cannot partake of the tree of life with your “hand” – it is done with your spirit, and this is the way that God has always desired to be approached. That is why the Cherubim at the gate keep the way of the tree – the “way of the tree” means through the spirit. Those “Cherubim” are the same Cherubim seen on the Ark of the Covenant; it’s humanity. It is His initial desire, and His way of fulfilling it – as seen in Michael; as seen in Jesus, the Risen Savior… we are between the Cherubim. We are between the process of reaching a completed perfection. Those Cherubim, as you come to Eden and you see the Cherubim, they’re there to remind you of the way to the tree – the way to the tree is through the spirit, not through your works.

You see, if this be true, then it’s obvious, again, that this story of Eden – Adam and Eve in Eden , and the taking of the apple – is a parable. There could not have been a literal “tree” there for Adam to use his hand to take and eat – that would ruin the whole symbol of it! That would destroy the whole idea of worshipping God in spirit, you see. The Lord gives you a parable and He shows you that you’re not to partake of this tree with your “hands.”

Okay, I want to read John 6 because, realizing Christ is the “tree of life,” see, certain things came to me… uh-oh, Christ is the tree of life – okay – Revelation 10, Christ comes down clothed in a cloud and holds a book, and John is to come and eat from the book; John is to receive from the tree of life. I went and read it – he never takes it with his “hand” – he reads it; he “eats” the book, you see, it was through the mind. Well, what about the “Bread of Life” – what about the Bread of Life? I want to turn to John, chapter 6, and read Christ as the “Bread of Life.” I want to begin reading at John 6:51:

John 6:51-59

⁵¹I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, [he’ll] live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

⁵²The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? [Good question – How can He give you His “flesh” to eat?]

⁵³Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except [you] eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, [you] have no life in you.

⁵⁴Whoso [eats] my flesh, and [drinks] my blood, [has] eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

⁵⁵For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.

⁵⁶He that [eats] my flesh, and [drinks] my blood, [abides] in me, and I in him.

⁵⁷As the living Father [has] sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that [eats] me, even he shall live by me.

⁵⁸This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that [eats] of this bread shall live for ever.

⁵⁹These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum .

Now I want to read 1 Corinthians 11, starting at verse 23:

1 Corinthians 11:23

²³For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:

²⁴And when he had given thanks, he [broke] it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 

²⁵After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new [covenant] in my blood: this do ye, as [often] as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.

²⁶For as often as [you] eat this bread, and drink this cup, [you] [show] the Lord’s death till he come.

Christ is a “tree of life,” to draw out of Him His understanding. How do you “eat His flesh” and “drink His blood”? He gave us symbols of “bread” and “wine.” He gave us symbols of how to acknowledge His broken body and His blood, but how do you eat from the tree of life? Let me tell you how you don’t do it – You cannot partake of the tree with your “hand.” People have a tendency to worship the symbol more than the substance because, naturally, we reach for those things we can see and feel, and touch literally. People worship the Sabbath day instead of grasping the depth of what that means. If that is where you are, that you’ve got to have the symbol, that’s fine – but it’s only a stepping stone. Let me tell you the ultimate truth here, and this may be shocking to you: When you look at the Lamb slain (go back to the Old Testament; the literal Lamb slain, or the Bullock who was slain and then his outer parts taken outside the camp and burned on the wood), those were “shadows” of Christ. When Christ died at Calvary , shadow met substance – the “sun” was high overhead, you see, the light was shining – all of those sacrifices met that day on that Man. But the Lord has shown us how, even the life of Christ, is a picture of us, and the ultimate substance is you. When you come to the reality of that broken body; when you come to the reality of the blood spilled, the blood poured out for you, shadow has met substance – You’re the substance.

God’s 144,000 are the first people to reach a completed state of perfection. All of His church will eventually be there, but the 144,000 are the first to reach that. For humanity to understand how much God loves them, for humanity to understand their value to God to the point that there is no vacuum anymore – they are full and complete in their understanding – is God’s ultimate hope. Everything He has created and everything He has done is to bring humanity to that place, you see? Everything He has created, everything He has done are shadows to create the substance. When the light is directly overhead, there is no shadow; you’re in the full light of God and, I’m telling you now, the 144,000, the first of humanity to reach that place, will be the first to realize we are the real thing – we are the substance of Christ’s entire life, of His entire Ministry; everything written in the Bible, everything created by God is to help you get to that place and realize the value and the importance you have to God. It is an awesome thought!

Yes, Christ is the Lamb slain, shadow met substance, but His death at Passover, His being resurrected on the third feast day, His ascension into heaven, even His birth from a virgin, carried into Egypt, called out of Egypt – all of those things are symbols of you, and your life is the substance. Even Christ, in those areas, is a shadow. The 144,000, let me tell you, will be an awesome bunch! I praise God for the understanding He is giving us! I know that as we grow in height, as we get higher and higher in our understanding of God, more and more people are going to fall away. It happens, doesn’t it? Because as the light gets brighter, the sun gets hotter and, to stand in the full light receiving from your Heavenly Father… Listen, that’s where I want to be – there is nothing as important as that to me. I want to know Him even as I am known, and I want to pass this truth to those of you who have ears to hear.

SUPPORT

That brings me to another section of study – this is something I’ve put off for a long time, but I think we have reached the time to talk about it. Understanding that the law is spiritual, the teachings of God have spiritual meanings, what in the world, then, would be “tithe,” and how do you support the ministry? “Ten” is God’s number, it’s seen in the Ten Commandments – how He writes on the heart – “ten” means God’s understanding, what you are receiving from God; the “tithe” is the tenth. For me, when someone says: Your ministry has helped me; your ministry is helping me understand myself, I’m growing closer to the Lord – you see, that is “tithe.” God is not telling you to take one tenth of your income and give it to anybody, but He is telling you: If you’re being helped by that ministry, you need to say so… You need to humble yourself and say so. That is how it works. The Lord will give the message and He gives it to a person, He fully expects that person to give the message, and He expects the next person to give the message and, as the message is being delivered, He expects those that are listening to receive the impression of the heart and go forward with it, and trust that the Lord is leading.

I want to read some texts now, out of 1 Corinthians 9, about support of the ministry, and notice when we read this that Paul never uses the word “tithe” – 1 Corinthians 9:1:

1 Corinthians 9:1-16

¹Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not [you] my work in the Lord?

²If I [am] not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you: for the seal [or the proof] of [my] apostleship [is you] in the Lord.

³[My] answer to them that do examine me is this,

⁴Have we not [authority] to eat and to drink?

⁵Have we not [authority] to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas? 

⁶Or I only and Barnabas, have not we [authority] to forbear [or quit] working?

⁷Who [goes] a warfare any time at his own charges? who [plants] a vineyard, and [doesn’t eat] of the fruit [of it]? or who [feeds] a flock, and [doesn’t eat] of the milk [of it]?

⁸[Do I say] these things as a man? or [or does the law say] the same also?

⁹For it is written in the law of Moses, [You shall] not muzzle the mouth of the ox that [treads] out the corn.  [Does] God take care for oxen?

¹⁰[Or does he say] it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that [plows] should plow in hope; and that he that [threshes] in hope should be partaker of his hope.

¹¹If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?

¹²If others be partakers of this [authority] over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this [authority]; but [we] suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ.

¹³Do [you] not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar? 

¹⁴Even so [has] the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.

¹⁵But I have used none of these things:  neither have I written these things [before], that it should be so done unto me: for it were better for me to die, than that any man should make my glorying void.

¹⁶For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!

Now I want to just simply sum up a couple of the concepts that he covered: Number one, people who preach the gospel should live of the gospel. But as Paul pointed out, he did not go about telling everyone: You’ve got to support me – because that would hinder the gospel. People would think you’re only in it for the money. But he did reach the place where he wrote this to them, and taught them the concept that, if someone is teaching you spiritual things, what is the big deal if you support them with your carnal things? I have said before that it’s interesting to me that you can go into a grocery store and fill that basket up with food, and then, what, just walk out the door and tell them, Well, you look like you’re doing just fine – I’ll pay you maybe the next time I see you? See, there is nothing that works like that. You need to support the ministry that’s feeding you. You need the blessing of it – when you put your money where your mouth is, these things become even more valuable to you, and that is how God has designed it. Listen, I have people on my tape list that have been getting tapes for more than ten years, some maybe fifteen years, that have never given this ministry a dime, and I’ve never said a word. I’m not going to call them, and write them and say: You’ve got to support me. If I feel like a person is listening to the studies, I want them to have the studies; I want them to understand the things I do. At the same time, you’re missing the blessing if you’re not supporting the ministry.

That is just how God has designed it – Woe is me if I don’t preach. I am going to preach and the Lord is going to sustain me and my family. That is the bottom line, and I’m learning to trust Him and go forward in the message He is giving me. But, on the other hand, I feel obligated to warn you, to tell you that, if you’re not supporting the ministry – if you’re gleaning all of these truths and you choose not to support the ministry – that is evidence that something is not right in your heart. Let me tell you one thing that I have seen in people who do that: They don’t like being told, by anyone, what to believe – and yet, that’s God’s design. That is exactly what God has ordained, gospel order. In Ephesians 4, He gives as gifts to the church apostles, prophets, evangelists, teachers, pastors – those are gifts, people He puts in your life. As I said at the beginning of this tape, that pastor, Curtis Pace, who set me down and had me read the Beatitudes… that was a gift from God. That man was a gift from God, Himself, to me, to help me look in the right direction and seek the Lord with all of my heart; it was a gift. And I know that God has given me a gift of teaching; I also know that I’m an evangelist. I know that – I don’t need anyone to come and tell me that. The Lord has revealed that to me; I know that’s who I am, and that is what I’m going to do; that is how I live my life. But I am seeking to help you, to open your eyes – He isn’t asking you to give one tenth of your income, but God forbid that you would continue to receive truth and give nothing. Listen, if it comes out of your mouth that this ministry is helping you, then it seems to me only natural that you would want to support the ministry that’s helping you, so that the ministry can go on and help others. It’s something to think about and, like I say, I am not after your money – I trust God. He has sustained us for years and years, and even though we live week to week and there are times I wonder where the money is coming from, the money is always there. The Lord is sustaining me, but if you want a greater blessing and if you want a richer experience in Christ, you need to follow gospel order and do all that God is telling you to do.

PENTECOST

Now I want to sum up where we are in time, and I thought of beginning this study this way, but I feel more impressed to conclude with this. By God’s grace, soon, I’m going to have another step, the next step in this process of salvation to share with you on tape. I’ve already mentioned how, in seal five, you cry out to God for deliverance. In seal six, He begins to give you the new heavens; in seal seven, He begins to pour fire into the earth. Looking back at the feast days, realizing that on the third feast day, you enter the Promised Land, there is then fifty days to the next feast. The next feast is what we’re waiting on but, before you get to the fifty days, after forty days you ascend out of the lie – and then there is ten days in the Temple , praising and blessing God, waiting on Pentecost to take place. That ten day period is where we are – it is the same thing as “silence in heaven for half an hour.” God is not silent with us as far as doctrinal understanding, the water is still flowing… what isn’t happening yet is the “fire.” That is why, when the silence in heaven is over, He dumps the coals of fire into the earth. You see, John the Baptist said, I’m immersing you in water, but there’s One who stands among you who will immerse you in Holy Spirit and in fire. Well, in Acts chapter 1, that had not happened yet, and the immersion into the Holy Spirit and fire was Pentecost. That’s what we’re waiting for; we’re in that time frame – we’re in the “ten,” the ten days, receiving the understanding of God, I think, as He fine tunes things and prepares to pour the fire into our earth.

Pentecost, where the “rushing mighty wind,” or breath, fills all the habitation where you are – and He states, Jesus states: When this happens, you will be endued with power from on high to be My witness (Luke 24:49). Well, I went back and started reading all these things, tying them together, and came to Acts chapter 2 – and before Acts chapter 2, in Acts 1, when Peter searches to find someone to fill Judas’ place was key. The twelve Apostles are shadows of the 144,000, you see, those who walk with Jesus, see the ascension and have that understanding. And when he finds someone to replace Judas, he describes what makes an apostle – in so doing, he’s describing what makes the 144,000. Let me read this to you, Acts chapter 1, starting at verse 16:

Acts 1:16-22

¹⁶Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy [Spirit] by the mouth of David [spoke] before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus.

¹⁷For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry.

¹⁸Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.

¹⁹And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem ; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama , that is to say, The field of blood.

²⁰For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell [in it]: and his bishoprick let another take. 

²¹Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,

²²Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.

It was from that group that they were able to choose another apostle, someone who had been from the baptism of John to the ascension of Christ, to bear witness of His resurrection. When you take this over to Acts 2, and you read Peter’s sermon, if you can see it spiritually, you will see us at Pentecost. Peter’s message was: Men of Israel , your elders, your church leadership crucified the Savior, crucified Christ, but I’m here to bear witness that God has raised Him up. You see, when I look at the denominations I’ve belonged to, I could walk in those churches and I could say: When I was in your church, the teachings you gave me slew the true Savior. There is no God like you worship – there is no body like you serve. There is no Trinity God; there is nothing like that. You slew the Savior in my heart, but I’m here to bear witness God has raised Him up. I have been from the baptism of John – which is the giving of the Godhead message – from the baptism of John to the ascension out of the sea, and I’m here to bear witness God has raised Him up in my life. You guys killed Him; God has raised Him up.

The 144,000 have been from the Godhead to the ascension. When Peter went out and gave that message, he was not making these people apostles – he was creating “the great multitude.” And you and I are no different – we cannot make them the 144,000; we can simply give them the message of life, and let God be praised as He works in their life to bring them through the steps of salvation. You see, we are waiting on Pentecost; we are in that time of silence – the “fire” is not happening yet, not the way it is going to happen when He dumps the coals of fire into the earth. I would like to think the next study I send out would be after that time. I can’t say that that is going to be the case, but I can tell you that as the Lord moves me in my understanding, and moves me to make these tapes, I will continue to show you the progress of truth as the Lord unfolds it. That is my ministry; that is what I’m trying to do, that we might all stand on the same platform and glorify God together. God is no respecter of persons; He does have gospel order, and He expects His church to adhere to it. And I would pray that the “wife of the covenant,” the Beatitudes, be something that you cling to – that humility, and recognizing you cannot do it without God; recognizing God has His order of things, and He expects us to follow it. I pray that this study be a blessing to you, and that God be glorified.

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