Noah's Ark These are the
last days. This cannot be denied, and most people will agree that this is so.
Men's hearts are failing them for fear of what is coming upon the earth. The leaders
of nations are meeting together to try to find a way out, but with little success.
Much of the world lives in constant fear, while the rest of it is either in ignorance
of world events or is trying to forget by means of pleasure, frantic activity
or drugs. The outlook certainly is dark to say the least, from the viewpoint of
the natural man.
In the midst of all this, where is God? What is He doing
about the situation? Thanks be to God, He is right on time with His program of
deliverance. Nothing has gotten out of hand for Him. Everything is moving right
along on schedule. For you see, God is preparing a vessel of deliverance for His
people, and a means of judgment for His enemies. Exactly as He did in the days
of Noah. Jesus spoke some powerful words in Matthew chapter 24 concerning the
last days and the time of His return. Let's read Matt 24:36-39.
"But of
that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father
only. BUT AS THE DAYS OF NO'E WERE, SO SHALL ALSO THE COMING OF THE SON OF MAN
BE. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that No'e entered into the ark,
And knew not UNTIL THE FLOOD CAME, AND TOOK THEM ALL AWAY; so shall also the coming
of the Son of man be."
Look at this scripture closely. Jesus is saying
the last days will bear a marked similarity to the days in which Noah lived. All
most folks think about is that back there they were eating and drinking and getting
married. Well that was going on long before Noah's day, and has been going on
ever since. Some think that as it was in Noah's day, some were taken and some
were left, and they want to be taken. You'd better hope not, for it was not righteous
Noah and his sons that were taken. They were left behind to inherit the new earth.
It was the wicked who were "taken away." Most of our book-fed theologians who
have no divine revelation on the Word are teaching the people to pray that they
will be "taken when Jesus comes." Take another look at Matthew 24.
The
thing that interests me about Noah's day is not what the wicked were doing, but
WHAT WAS GOD DOING? He was not idle. In the days just before the flood, God was
busy preparing a vessel of deliverance, an ark that would save Noah and his family,
and He was using Noah to do this. Let us read Genesis 6:13-16.
"And God
said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled
with violence through them and behold I will destroy them with the earth. Make
thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch
it within and without with pitch. AND THIS IS THE FASHION THAT THOU SHALT MAKE
IT OF: The length of the ark shall be THREE HUNDRED CUBITS, the breadth of it
FIFTY CUBITS, and the height of it THIRTY CUBITS. A window shalt thou make to
the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt
thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou
make it."
Now God gave the instructions on how to build the ark. This was
not left up to Noah--God knew just what He wanted, and He insisted on His plan.
He knew just how big it needed to be in order to hold all the creatures that would
come into it. Notice that the dimensions of this vessel were 30, 50, and 300.
This is not an accident. These numbers are all very significant in the Bible.
God's Bible is a book of numerical perfection. The Lord is very consistent in
His use of various numbers. And these three numbers are very important in the
building of this vessel of deliverance in Noah's day. They are also important
in what God is doing in these last days concerning His sons. Psalm 90:19 says
"So teach us to NUMBER our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom."
"God
is Building a House"
Yes, God is building a house, and He is building it
with living stones. This habitation of God through the Spirit will be a mighty
vessel of deliverance in the time of judgment of these last days. It may be a
laughing stock to the religious world, as Noah's big ship was. It may be a strange
looking vessel compared to the ecclesiastical orders of our day, even as Noah's
ship was strange looking. Few, if any, of you have ever seen a drawing of Noah's
ark that was true to the dimensions and looked anything like the real ark. Most
pictures of the ark show it to be a big fat boat about twice as long as it is
high. But notice that it is TEN TIMES as long as it is high. 300 cubits long,
30 cubits high. To get an idea of what it was like, take three ordinary yardsticks
and lay them out side by side, 36 inches long, and about 3 inches high. This will
give you a comparison of the shape of the ark. Each of the three stories was 10
cubits high (about 15 feet) and 50 cubits wide (75 feet). Stand it on end and
it would be as tall as a 45 story building. It was quite a ship. Odd looking,
but it was what God waned, and it served the purpose.
Now why did God specify
these particular numbers? Was it an accident? Or did He just draw those figures
out of a hat? Or do you think He might have had a divine purpose behind all this?
Of course. God doesn't do anything by accident. Things don't "just happen" with
the Lord. He is using this ark to speak to us about the Sons of God, the Overcomer
company who shall be joined together in the last days to form a glorious vessel
that will house the very fulness of God and bring deliverance to all humanity.
Glory to God! Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10 that the things that happened back
there in the Old Testament were types and shadows for us who are living in the
last days. What does the size of Noah's ark have to do with us today? We are living
in the days of the coming of the Son of man, and remember that Jesus said that
as it was in Noah's day, so shall it be in this day. Let's see what the Bible
says about these three numbers.
"Three Hundred"
The number 300 in
the Bible speaks of complete deliverance, of victory in conflict. And where it
is used in the Bible, you often find the number 3 used with it. There were 3 stories
in the ark, each of them 300 cubits long. It took all three of them to make up
the complete ark, ready to save the ones God had chosen. Look at Judges 7:7, 8,
16, 20, 22.
"And the Lord said unto Gideon, By the THREE HUNDRED men that
lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand; and let all
the other people go every man unto his place. So the people took victuals in their
hand, and their trumpets: and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his
tent and retained those THREE HUNDRED MEN: and the host of Midian was beneath
him in the valley. And he divided the THREE HUNDRED men into THREE companies,
and he put a trumpet in every man's hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within
the pitchers. And the THREE companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers,
and help the lamps in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands to
blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the Lord and of Gideon. And the THREE
HUNDRED blew the trumpets, and the Lord set every man's sword against his fellow,
even throughout all the host: and the host fled."
It looked like a suicide
charge. Three hundred men against a great multitude of fierce warriors. But the
three hundred had God on their side, and that made a big majority. In the natural
they went about it in a very foolish way. They exposed themselves, let their lamps
shine out, and never even had a sword in their hand. They were defenseless. A
foolish way to fight a war. Any smart fundamentalist could tell them how to win
the war. "Now boys, just go out and round up a lot of numbers, get a good building
program going, do a lot of fine advertising, and get out your sword and go to
work on all the other denominations." But this crowd had nothing going for them
but God. And believe me, He is enough. And He didn't need a lot of numbers. In
fact He sent more than 99% of the people home that started out on this journey.
All Israel was going to receive deliverance, but the vessel of deliverance was
the THREE HUNDRED. It is the number of victory in war, the number of divine deliverance.
Supernatural deliverance.
"Shields of Beaten Gold"
In 1 Kings chapter
10 we find a picture of Solomon's storehouse of treasures. There are many wonderful
types here, but let us look at the number 300 in verse 17:
"And he made
THREE HUNDRED shields of beaten gold; THREE pounds of gold went to one shield:
and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon."
Here is another
instance where the numbers three and three hundred are used together. Notice what
it was. Shields. Implements of war. Paul says it will turn away every fiery dart
of the wicked one. Notice that it was of gold. Gold speaks of that which is of
God, divine. And it was of "beaten gold," that which had been processed under
the hammer. Peter says "the trial of your FAITH, being much more precious than
of gold." The golden shield of faith. Enough for the entire army of 300, that
great Army of God that goes forth to bring deliverance to all creation. Praise
God! Why the number THREE? The answer to that in just a little while. Right now
lets look at 1 Chronicles 11:20.
"And Abishai the brother of Joab, he was
chief of the THREE: for lifting up his spear against THREE HUNDRED he slew them,
and had a name among the THREE."
Now here was a case of supernatural deliverance.
One man against 300. God had to be on his side. There's no doubt about it being
supernatural. Again we find the 3 and 300 tied together, as a mighty deliverance
is wrought in Israel. So we see today the need for a great deliverance for God's
people, as well as the entire lost world. And God is bringing forth His vessel,
a company of blood-bought, Spirit-filled overcomers who will be measured by the
rod of God for the day when they will go into action against all the forces of
hell.
Enoch walked with God THREE HUNDRED years (Genesis 5:22). Then, and
not before, he passed through the vail into the Presence of the Eternal God without
going by way of the grave. A mighty victory over death, a glorious deliverance
from the bondage that was upon other men. He did it after walking with God for
three hundred years. Number of supernatural deliverance.
Here's something
else. In Mark 14:3-6 we find the story of a woman who anointed the body of Jesus
shortly before His death. She had an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very
precious. According to verse 5 it was worth THREE HUNDRED PENCE. But here before
her was the body of Christ, the vessel of deliverance for the whole world of sinners.
In a few days this body would be hung on a cross to bring supernatural deliverance
to "whosoever will." And she poured out her 300 pence worth of ointment on His
head. It seemed to be a foolish act, but Jesus commended her for it. "She hath
wrought a good work on me," He said. It cost her something to minister to the
body of Christ in faith. And while she was rebuked and rejected by her contemporaries,
history has never forgotten her, so it is with all God's faithful prophets.
"Tabernacle
in the Wilderness"
For the last look at this time at the 300's of God,
let us go to the Tabernacle. Notice that there are THREE gates, doors, or vails
in the construction of the Tabernacle. Each of them has 100 square cubits of material.
The outer gate is 5 x 20, while the other two are each 10 x 10. Five is the number
of Grace and this is what marks this outer gate. Passing through it brings us
to the Brazen Altar where we receive God's grace by the shedding of innocent blood.
Two is the number of witness and passing through the second vail brings us into
the realm of the Holy Ghost, which is given to us for a witness, Acts 1:8 says:
"Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and ye shall
be witnesses unto me." This brings us into the place of the Candlestick, the Church.
And this is the realm we have been in since Pentecost. The dimensions of the sanctuary,
this inner court beyond the second vail, is 20 cubits long, 10 cubits wide, and
10 cubits high. That is 20 x 10 x 10 or a total of 2,000. And 2,000 years is how
long we have been in this place. It is time to move on beyond the THIRD curtain
or vail. Beyond the third curtain it is 10 x 10 x 10, a total of 1,000. This speaks
of the golden age ahead of us. Notice that passing through the final vail makes
a total of THREE HUNDRED square cubits. This speaks of the great and final deliverance
awaiting the creation with the manifestation of those Sons who have passed through
the THIRD vail into the very Presence of God. Jesus has already made the trip
as a forerunner for us.
THREE is the number of completeness. It stands
for that which is solid, real, substantial, complete, and entire. Two straight
lines cannot enclose anything, or complete anything. It takes the 3 dimensions
of length, breadth, and height to form a solid. Past, present, and future make
up the 3 great divisions completing time. Three things complete the sum of human
capability. thought, word, and deed. Israel had three annual feasts: Passover,
Pentecost, and Tabernacles, to complete their obligation to God. There are many
more scriptures showing the use of number three in the Bible, but these are given
in another booklet.
Passing through the THREE vails to complete the number
of divine deliverance (300), shows us the completeness of God's plan for His people,
and the completeness of the deliverance. It is not enough to pass through vail
number one and receive the grace of God. It is wonderful and millions have experienced
this grace, but God is calling His people on. So we pass through vail number two,
and receive the power of the Holy Ghost, the gifts of the Spirit, with that precious
anointing from on high. But since this was poured out almost 2,000 years ago,
the world has not yet been delivered from the bondage of death and sin. Sickness,
affliction, and misery is evident on every hand. Even among people who have received
this second experience and passed through this second vail. Complete deliverance
awaits the people who complete God's program by passing through the THIRD vail,
thus coming into a place where they can fulfill the THREE HUNDRED of God by bringing
deliverance to a needy world through our Lord Jesus Christ according to Romans
8:19-23. This is known as the "Manifestation of the Sons of God." This is the
deliverance spoken of in Noah's ark when God commanded it to be 300 cubits long.
He is right now in the process of putting the finishing touches on His Vessel
of deliverance, His body of Sons. The work is almost finished. Judgment will not
come until the Ark of God is ready. It is very near. The dark clouds are gathering
on the horizon, the thunder rolls, the lightning flashes. Be a part of God's great
THREE HUNDRED for this final hour in the battle against sin!
One of the
greatest reasons for Christians missing out on God's great plan for the end of
this age is their allegiance to their sectarian denomination. The call is going
forth: "COME OUT OF HER, MY PEOPLE." For sectarianism will have no part in that
which God is doing in this present day Ark of deliverance, His "three hundred."
For they will be ONE in Christ Jesus. Brethren are finding their place in this
great Body now. Realizing the dreadfulness of the need, and the importance of
the call, they are laying aside the minor things that separate them, and coming
together in the unity of the Spirit. It is truly a beautiful sight. Beloved, let
nothing keep you from joining this great company as they rise in the Spirit to
heights never before known by Adam's race.
"Thirty Cubits High"
Now
we go to the next dimension of the ark, the height. ".and the height of it THIRTY
cubits." (Genesis 6:15) We see in 1 Kings 6:2 that Solomon's Temple was also thirty
cubits high: "And the house which King Solomon built for the Lord, and length
thereof was three score cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits, AND THE
HEIGHT THEREOF THIRTY CUBITS."
So we see that the number thirty stands
for that which is of full stature. This is very significant in the message of
the Sons of God. Let us look at some more scriptures on this number:
"And
Joseph was THIRTY years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph
went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt."
(Genesis 41:46)
"David was THIRTY years old when he began to reign, and
he reigned forty years." (2 Samuel 5:4)
"And Jesus himself began to be
about THIRTY years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was
the son of Heli." (Luke 3:23)
There is not much comment needed. It is so
plain. Joseph, David, and Jesus all THIRTY years of age when God put each of them
in his respective place of power and authority and dominion. It is the number
of full stature. Why is it the height of Noah's ark? God is showing us that His
end-time vessel of deliverance will be a company of Sons who have come "to the
measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13). Until you are
brought to the full stature, you will not be used in this great Body. You may
be in the Body now. You may be a part of the company of Sons, and know a measure
of His divine anointing and have a glorious revelation of His purposes. But until
that THIRD story of the ark is completed and measured up to the full THIRTY cubits,
until every member of that great Body is in its proper place with all the work
completed, the real action will not start. There is a glorious work being done
now in the sons. Fret not if you don't see it, for most of what is being done
is invisible. But God is moving by His Spirit, and He is not a minute late. A
work is being done in you, even if you do not recognize it. Just glorify God,
and walk with Him! He has His purpose in you and He will bring you to His full
stature. The Word declares it and I believe it! Let others beg for the weak, cold,
indifferent and immature Church to be raptured away before the Anti-Christ destroys
it. I am seeing a Glorious Church, without spot or wrinkle, coming forth in power
and authority and in the full stature of Christ, putting every enemy under foot,
and giving all the world to understand that there is a Victorious God in heaven
who is able to do that which is impossible with men! Hallelujah! Can you believe
it? It's true!
"The Number of Pentecost"
The word "pentecost" comes
from the Greek "pentekoste" meaning fifty or fiftieth. This word is used only
three times in the Bible, and on each occasion it refers to the Jewish festival
or feast of Pentecost, known in the Old Testament as the "Feast of Weeks" (Deuteronomy
16:16), the Harvest Feast, or the Firstfruits (Leviticus 23:17). Since this feast
is tied in with the numbers of Noah's ark, let's look at the Scripture where God
instituted it. Leviticus 23:15-17
"And ye shall count unto you from the
morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering;
seven sabbaths shall be complete: Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath
shall ye number FIFTY DAYS; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the Lord.
Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they
shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked WITH LEAVEN; they are THE FIRSTFRUITS
unto the Lord."
This was the feast of the "FIFTIETH." Seven sabbaths passed
by after the resurrection of Jesus, and then of the FIFTIETH day the Holy Ghost
was poured out on the waiting Church. Notice that it was a "NEW" offering. It
was not just a revival of Passover, or a continuance of that feast. **This was
something new and separate from the experience of salvation or justification.**
Notice that it was baked with leaven, which speaks of imperfection. It was not
the full harvest, it was the "firstfruits," *and the firstfruits of the Spirit
was not given to perfect the Church.* The early Church had hardly gotten out of
the upper room when they began to show the marks of the leaven. Members lied to
the Holy Ghost and fell dead, preachers had big arguments and split up, doctrinal
disputes came up and split the churches. But in all this, they were a glorious
witness to the world of a resurrected Christ. For it was given to them for a witness
(Acts 1:8). Notice the "two wave loaves" of "two tenth deals." Two is the number
of witness. This is the second feast, the feast of the firstfruits, the feast
of witness. The final perfecting of the Church will come later, with the third
and final feast of "ingathering."
**We see the key to Salvation in Acts
2:38 given at Pentecost to Peter, and so confirmed by the Lord. Also consider
that "He that endureth unto the end shall be saved" Salvation in all fulness is
a process. *The firstfruits of the Spirit experience (Holy Ghost baptism) was
given unto the Church to lead them into all Truth BUT in the fulness of times
this corporate Church body would be manifestly perfected by it. The Kingdom of
God is like a mustard seed that will SPRING UP (cause us to grow up in Him)--that
seed being the baptism of the Spirit experience--the earnest/promise of our inheritance
until we receive the full redemption. The ministry of the Spirit is for the perfecting
of the saints. I would remind you to prove all things. C.H.
"God's Fifty"
Now what does all this have to do with Noah's ark? Notice that the ark
was FIFTY cubits wide. We have already seen by the 30 and the 300 that God will
have a glorious company of Sons that have come to full stature and go forth into
the conflict to win a great victory for the deliverance of humanity. Now we see
that they are anointed by the Holy Ghost. For the number fifty goes beyond just
the one feast of Pentecost, as we will see, It speaks of the Anointing, first
at Pentecost (the firstfruits), then the fulness of the Spirit without measure,
as pointed out by the other scriptures.
The history of the Pentecostal
outpouring and apostasy is told throughout the Bible in numbers. God has your
number, friend. First let us look at the beautiful picture in the Tabernacle.
"FIFTY loops made he in one curtain, and FIFTY loops made he in the edge
of the curtain which was in the coupling of the second; THE LOOPS HELD ONE CURTAIN
TO ANOTHER. And he made FIFTY taches of gold, and coupled the curtains one unto
another with the taches: so it became ONE TABERNACLE." (Exodus 36:12-13)
The
curtains of the Tabernacle became one great wall because they were joined together
by the FIFTY loops and the FIFTY taches of gold. Beloved, the thing that joins
God's people together into ONE CHURCH is not the doctrine, the denomination, the
name of the church, the great preacher, or the fine building... IT IS THE ANOINTING!
When the Spirit is flowing, you find God's people becoming ONE people. Whether
it be in a fine church building, a living room, a store building, a tent, or a
garage... as long as the anointing is there, you'll find a people moving on in
God into the oneness of the spirit. Noah's ark was ONE vessel! Fifty cubits wide.
"The Negative Side of Fifty"
Much more could be said about God's
fifty. But space is so limited. Let us look at what man has done to the precious
anointing. Now there's nothing at all wrong with the anointing but the way man
has defiled it is terrible. Turn to Joshua 7:21. The sin of Achan has been uncovered
and he is now making confession. listen.
When I saw among the spoils a
goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of GOLD
of FIFTY shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them, and, behold, they
are hid IN THE EARTH in the midst of MY tent, and the silver under it."
Here
was a member of the generation that, as a child, had been delivered out of Egypt
and it's idolatry, now bringing the garment of Babylon right into the camp of
Israel. He had his feet in the promised land, was part of the Army that had conquered
Jericho and seen it's walls fall flat. Yet he couldn't stay away from Babylon.
Notice the wedge was of god. Divine, from God. Fifty shekels weight. That
is a picture of the anointing. Pentecost. But what did he do with it? Hid it in
the earth, in His tent. And so it has been. The precious power of Pentecost, the
divine anointing of the Spirit hid, unseen, covered over by the fleshly manifestations
and ambitions of the carnal man. "If you want it come to MY tent, join MY denomination
or fellowship. Get your hands dirty in MY earth, and you can have the divine anointing."
Well, I tell you what they did with that mess. they took the whole kaboodle down
to the valley of Achor (which means "trouble") and buried it all under a huge
pile of stones (including Achan, the fellow who defiled the camp). As well as
all who dwelled in His house. His sons, daughters, cattle and sheep. If you are
a son of Achan, or a sheep in his denomination, you'd better change pastures quick.
You'll end up in Achor. The precious anointing is for us, but not to be buried
in man's earth, under his tent. Amen.
"Self-Exaltation by Fifties"
Here
is a story of two of David's sons. Sons of the king. But they both died a violent
and shameful death. They both had two things in common. they rebelled against
the will of the King, and they had FIFTY men to run before them as a mark of their
greatness.
"And it came to pass after this, that Absalom prepared him chariots
and horses, and FIFTY men to run before him." (2 Samuel 15:1)
"Then Adonijah
the son of Haggith (his mother) exalted himself, saying I will be king: and he
prepared him chariots and horsemen, and FIFTY men to run before him." (1 Kings
1:5)
The story of these men's rebellion and deaths is too lengthy to go
into. The thing I want you to see is that they are a picture of those who have
rebelled against God and are using the divine anointing of Pentecost to exalt
themselves and draw attention to how great they are. "See my great gifts of the
Spirit. look at my supernatural ministry. support this tremendous work that is
turning the world upside down!" (All they really want to turn upside down is your
pocketbook or billfold.) But they are using the precious gifts of God, the divine
anointing to exalt themselves. "Look at our great denomination which we have built
on the Pentecostal doctrine of tongues." "See our beautiful buildings, our thousands
of preachers, our many Bible Schools, our great organization which has been brought
about by the power of God." Is it the real power of God? Yes. Absalom actually
had FIFTY men to run before him. This speaks of the Real Pentecost. But God judged
him severely for his misuse of them.
"Fifty and the Prophetic Ministry"
There is a story in 2 Kings that is lengthy, but too important to pass
by. It is the story of the Prophet of God as he deals with Ahaziah king of Israel.
Now there are some remarkable sidelines in this story. Ahaziah the king is a type
here of the Pentecostal denominations and organizations, ruling over God's people.
But outside of the king's jurisdiction or authority is a prophet of God, a type
here of the prophetic ministry of our day. Notice in the 1st chapter of 2 Kings
that the king fell out of the upper room and became sick. Now he didn't know it
yet, but this sickness is unto death. He is not going to get better. Yes, Pentecostal
organizations have fallen out of the "upper room" into the "supper room," and
they are very sick. And you are NOT going to revive them. This saith the Lord!
They are going to die. They know they are sick, and they are going after the ways
of the worldly religions and ecclesiastical orders to try to find the answer.
Just like Ahaziah did. He sent messengers to Baalzebub the god of Ekron. Now Ekron
means "eradication," and if you don't think this applies to the organizations
today, let me send you some histories.
But the messengers of Ahaziah were
met by Elijah. He had the Word of the Lord for Ahaziah. And it wasn't nice, not
even very courteous. But it was a true word, and it was from God. When Ahaziah
heard it, he didn't like it, so he sent out to destroy this Prophetic Ministry
of his day. The denominational systems would like to destroy this end-time prophetic
ministry, but I have news for you. they'll never get the job done. But let's read
it out of the Bible, beginning in 2 Kings 1:9-15.
Then the King sent unto
him a captain of FIFTY with his FIFTY. And he went up to meet him; and, behold
he sat on the top of an hill. And he spake to him, "Thou man of God, the king
hath said, Come down!"
And Elijah answered and said to the captain of FIFTY,
"If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and
thy FIFTY." And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his FIFTY.
Again also he sent unto him another captain of FIFTY with his FIFTY. And
he answered and said unto him, " man of God, thus hath the king said, Come down
quickly!" (It is now the end-time, time is running out)
And Elijah answered
and said unto them, "If I be a man of God let fire come down from heaven, and
consume thee and thy FIFTY." And the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed
him and his FIFTY.
And he sent again a captain of the THIRD FIFTY with
his FIFTY. And the THIRD captain of FIFTY went up, and came and fell on his knees
before Elijah, and besought him, and said unto him, "O man of God, I pray thee
let my life, and the life of these FIFTY thy servants, be precious in thy sight."
"Behold, there came fire down from heaven, and burnt up the TWO captains
of the former FIFTIES with their FIFTIES: therefore let my life now be precious
in thy sight."
And the angel of the Lord said unto Elijah, "Go down with
him: be not afraid of him." And he arise, and went down with him unto the king.
A book could be written about the story told by these numbers. The number
FIFTY appears FIFTEEN times in this story. Fifteen is 3 x 5. Five is the number
of grace, and three is the number of completeness. This shows the completeness
of God's grace to the Pentecostals, even tho they have rejected His end-time prophetic
ministry.
Notice that the first two captains came to Elijah with the command
to come down from the high realm he is in, on the authority of "thus saith the
king." Elijah was willing to put what he had to the test. "If I really have the
word of the Lord, then let God move in a sovereign way, in answer to His prophetic
mouthpiece." And God moved. And God in heaven judged the actions of this wicked
king over God's people who would actually use the power of the anointing (fifty)
to try to subdue the move of the Spirit for that day. Now God didn't kill the
king just yet. But he brought an end to this phase of the anointing. So the king
lost his first fifty. The anointing was disappearing. But he tried again. Same
results. More anointing gone. Notice that Elijah didn't have to start a bonfire.
He didn't fight the fifty. He let God do it. The judgment didn't come from God's
ministry. He just spoke the word. The judgment came from God out of heaven!
"God
is With You"
Now the third captain and his fifty came. But he doesn't come
in the name of the king or say "thus saith the king." He says in effect, "We know
that the king is wicked, and God is with you. God has proven that by fire. We
know that those who opposed and rejected the prophetic ministry have perished.
Now we want you to come with us, but we come humbly asking for this ministry,
and you can come on your own terms." And I declare to you that the day is soon
at hand when the people who have been anointed by the Holy Ghost will come to
God for Revival. But they will not come in the name of the organization or denomination.
They will be saying: "We know that twice now we have missed God by our rebellion
and our attitude toward His true ministry. Now we want this true ministry from
God, we want this high realm of the Spirit, and we will take it on God's terms."
And God will come to them and give them this prophetic ministry. And the king
will die. Babylon will fall. The daughters of the Harlot will perish with their
Mother. But the precious people of God, and many of their anointed ministers will
"Come out of her," to go on with God into a glorious realm. This is the story
of the fifties.
"Fifty Sons of the Prophets"
In the very next chapter
of this book we find another story of the Pentecostal fifties. Elijah is going
yet into a higher realm. Elisha is going to receive a double portion of the prophetic
ministry. Now we find some preachers looking on. They are aware that something
is going on. They know there is going to be a "catching up" of some kind. But
they are viewing the situation "afar off." They are not going to get into this
thing just yet. They are going to stand back and watch. Maybe those two fools
would drown in that raging torrent of Jordan. Hadn't they warned Elisha time and
again? Wasn't their fault if he got mixed up in some wild heresy or "went off
the deep end" into Jordan. So they watched, but they didn't get very close. Not
close enough to hear the word of the Lord through the Prophet.
Now I know
that these are Pentecostal preachers who are typed here. For there were FIFTY
of them, the number of Pentecost. Brother, God has your number! Let's read the
story now in 2 Kings 2:7, 16, 17.
"And FIFTY of the sons of the prophets
went, and stood to view afar off; and they two stood by Jordan." (Now Elisha comes
back without Elijah.) "And they said unto him, behold now, there be with thy servants
FIFTY strong men; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master: lest peradventure
the Spirit of the Lord hath taken him up, and cast him upon some high mountain,
or into some valley. And he said, "Ye shall NOT send." And when they urged him
till he was ashamed, he said, "Send." They sent therefore FIFTY men; and they
sought THREE days, but found him not."
There's quite a story here. See
how they wanted to bring back the old ministry, the old order. But Elisha told
them to forget it. The old ministry had come from God, and was now gone back to
God, and they would not bring it back. A new order was here, a new ministry with
the same anointing only more of it. But they insisted that the old order was best,
and they wanted to revive it. They had strong men. FIFTY of them. The very best
of Pentecost. "We can revive the old ways!" Forget it. It's gone. Move on with
what God is doing today. But they insisted. So they sent their fifty strong men,
and they searched for THREE days. This speaks of the completeness of their efforts,
and the completeness of their failure to bring back the old ministry to revive
the old order. Hallelujah!
Lest you should think that I am being sarcastic,
or too hard, let me assure you that I am using great restraint and have asked
the Lord for mercy in bringing this word through me. For God feels very strongly
about what they have done to His precious anointing and how they have used the
very gifts of the Spirit to mislead and scatter His dear sheep. I am here to tell
you that when God deals with this thing in strong judgment, it will not be pretty.
"High Hangs the Gallows"
There are other fifties in the Bible, including
Isaiah 3:1-5 where the prophet says that God will strip them of their anointing
because of their sin. And in Haggai 2:14-16 where it shows the people coming to
church expecting to receive that precious anointing as of old, only to be cheated
and receive less than half measure because of sin and uncleanness.
But
right now I would touch on just one more negative fifty before I tell you of the
best news you've ever heard. Turn now to the book of Esther. Here we find Esther
coming to the throne, through a wedding. Also we find Haman the Agagite attempting
to kill Mordecai and his people. Esther is clearly a type of the Bride of Christ.
No one will dispute that. Mordecai is a type of the Sons of God, who was instrumental
in preparing Esther for the Throne, and who sustained and protected her through
a time of great danger. Haman is a type of the flesh. He was an Agagite. Agag
was king of the Amalekites. Amalek has always been recognized as the flesh in
the Bible. Saul lost his kingdom when he spared Agag. God had decreed war forever
against Amalek, and He will not be satisfied until all flesh is out of the Church.
We can't take time for the whole story, but now we find Haman building a gallows
to hang Mordecai on. Why? Because Mordecai will not bow to Haman. Praise God,
there are Sons being raised up who will not bow to the flesh! They are not submitting
to the demands of the flesh! They are not submitting to the demands of the carnal
man. So Haman builds a gallows. Read about it in 5:14.
Then said Zeresh
his wife and all his friends unto him, "Let a gallows be made of FIFTY cubits
high, and tomorrow speak thou unto the king that Mordecai may be hanged thereon:
then go thou in merrily with the king unto the banquet." And the thing pleased
Haman; and he caused the gallows to be made.
Did you ever wonder why he
made the gallows so high? Fifty cubits is as high as a seven story building. You
don't have to go that high to hang a man. Ten cubits would have been plenty. But
God is speaking to us here how that the flesh is going to get into Pentecost and
try to use the anointing to destroy the Sons of God. Anyone moving in Sonship
at this time will tell you that the greatest opposition to this message is not
coming from the old line traditional churches. Many of the denominational people
are hearing the message of Sonship for the first time and receiving it gladly,
for they have not been warned against it, nor their minds poisoned. But in any
church that is moving in a higher realm of the Spirit toward Sonship, you will
find the Pentecostal people staying away by the multitudes. For they have been
so indoctrinated with the warnings of "false doctrines," "deep end," "off brand,"
"free love," "evil spirits," etc, until they are scared to death to come and see
if it really could be God. So the gallows was FIFTY cubits high. And Haman really
meant to hang Mordecai thereon. But God.
And Harbonah, one of the chamberlains,
said before the king, "behold also, the gallows FIFTY cubits high which Haman
had made for Mordecai, who had spoken good for the king, standeth in the house
of Haman." Then the king said, "Hang him (Haman) thereon."
And so it was
done. Haman hung on his own gallows. Now let me tell you what God is saying. The
flesh may be trying to use the anointing now. And even the leaders of the Pentecostal
movement will admit that there is far too much flesh prevalent in Pentecost today.
But I see a day approaching when a great Revival sweeps the Pentecostal ranks,
and the anointing will get so great, and will get in the right hands and the right
channel, that the flesh will hang on the very gallows it built for the Sons. Glory
to God! As it was in the days of Elijah, the people of God are going to see that
their leaders have left them into a bondage of organization that has neither lifted
them higher in the Spirit nor brought them into a greater understanding of the
things of God, but has actually SLAMMED THE DOOR on a further move of the Spirit
and the progressive revelation of God'' precious Word! And they will "Come out
of her" by the multiplied thousands, to move out in the greatest Revival this
world has ever seen! Hallelujah! Glory to God's great Name!
"The Year of
Jubilee"
Now we come to the last FIFTY. And what a glorious picture it
is! Turn to the book of Leviticus, chapter 25. It would be good if you would read
again the entire chapter, but I want to quote here verses 8-11.
"And thou
shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the
space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years."
"Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the Jubile to sound on the tenth
day of the seventh month, IN THE DAY OF ATONEMENT shall ye make the trumpet sound
throughout all your land."
"And ye shall hallow the FIFTIETH year, and
proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it
shall be a Jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his family."
"A
Jubile shall that FIFTIETH year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that
which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of thy vine undressed."
Now this is not the same as the Feast of Pentecost. That was on the fiftieth
day after the waving of the sheaf. This is in the fiftieth YEAR. And it did not
come about in the third month, the month of Pentecost, but it was to begin in
the seventh month, on the day of atonement, IN THE END OF THE YEAR! This is something
that the Apostle Peter says is reserved for the "last time."
God has special
Days, Weeks, Months, and Years. The numbers SEVEN and FIFTY are prominent in this.
1. Days. Man worked six days, and on the seventh day he rests. A
day of rest
2. Weeks. There are seven full weeks after the Passover
and the waving of the sheaf (a type of the resurrection of Jesus), then on the
FIFTIETH day there is a feast, a type of the Baptism of the Holy Ghost, the "firstfruits"
of the Spirit. This is also known as the "earnest of our inheritance."
3. Months. The seventh month was the Feast of Tabernacles. Signifying the
entering into God's rest. It came in the end of the civil year. A month of rest.
4. Years. Each seventh year (Leviticus 25:4) was to be a sabbath
of rest to the land. They were to let the land rest and not sow, prune, or harvest.
It was a year of rest for the land.
5. Sabbath years. After seven
time seven years, a total of 49 full years, there was to be a year of Jubile.
Not only would the land rest (for the second year in a row at this time), but
all debts could be wiped out, all slaves made free, all bondages loosed, and every
man's rightful possession returned to him. This only happened once in a generation,
and it was the fulness of what the annual feast of Pentecost was only a promise
of.
Now in case you're not already shouting, let me give you some more.
In the day of Atonement, the day that they went beyond the vail into the Holiest
of all, they were to blow the trumpet and proclaim liberty to ALL the inhabitants
of the land. Whether they knew anyone had gone beyond the vail or not, they were
free! It was to be declared. What they had lost or been swindled out of, was to
be returning to them. Every jail door was to be opened, and the chains removed
from every slave, and every man to return to his family and find the place or
realm to which he had been born. Now God wrote all this in His Book, I didn't
imagine it.
I hope you see what I see in this. I see the great year of
Jubile, when we shall pass through the vail into the very Presence of the fulness
of God, to be filled with this fulness and go forth proclaiming liberty to all
creation. Romans 8 calls this the "Manifestation of the Sons of God," and says
the whole creation is groaning and crying for this day. This goes far beyond anything
portrayed anywhere else by God's fifties. This is the ultimate anointing! This
is the fulness of the Spirit! This is the Spirit without measure that Jesus had,
spoken of in John 3:34, reserved until the end of time for His Brethren!
"Return
Every Man to His Possession"
What a glorious promise! All that was lost
in the fall of Adam is to be restored! And yet more, for the glory of the latter
House shall be greater than the former. The House of God that He is building for
a habitation for Himself through the Spirit, shall be greater than anything ever
put in the Garden of Eden. This is His promise to us. Let me read to you about
this promise from the Amplified New Testament: 2 Corinthians 1:21-22
"But
it is God who confirms and makes us steadfast and establishes us in joint fellowship
with you in Christ, and has consecrated and anointed us, enduing us with the gifts
of the Holy Spirit. He has also appropriated and acknowledged us as His, putting
His seal upon us and giving us His Holy Spirit in our hearts as the SECURITY DEPOSIT
and GUARANTEE of the fulfillment of His promise."
And in Ephesians 1:13--the
Amplified New Testament says that we have been "stamped with the seal of the long
promised Holy Spirit." Then verse 14 goes on to say:
"That Spirit is the
GUARANTEE of our INHERITANCE, the FIRST FRUIT, the pledge and foretaste, the DOWN
PAYMENT ON OUR HERITAGE, in anticipation of its FULL redemption and our acquiring
COMPLETE POSSESSION of it, to the praise of HIS glory."
That which the
Early Church had (which I am afraid many of our present day "Pentecostals," so
called, do not have) is called by Ephesians 1:14 in the King James Version "the
EARNEST of our inheritance UNTIL the redemption of the purchased POSSESSION, unto
the praise of His glory." Now when is this possession going to be redeemed and
given to the people of God? The Bible says it will be in the "year of Jubile."
Every man shall return to his POSSESSION. In the Amplified N.T. we find the Apostle
Peter saying in 1:4-5 that we are:
"Born anew into an inheritance which
is beyond the reach of change and decay, unsullied and unfading, reserved in heaven
for you, who are being guarded by God's power through your faith till you FULLY
inherit that FINAL salvation that is ready to be revealed for you IN THE LAST
TIME."
Now whether my Pentecostal brethren believe this or not, every time
they speak in tongues or manifest any gift of the Spirit, they are giving me another
guarantee that we shall inherit the fulness of our possession. For the Holy Spirit
which we have received is the "guarantee" of this glorious fulness. Now if you
refuse to move on into the INHERITANCE, then why do you hang on to the guarantee,
the foretaste, the earnest or firstfruits of it? You can quit hoping for a "rapture"
to carry you out of this world and solve all your problems. Start putting your
hope where it belongs. in the coming of the Lord "to bring to FULL salvation those
who are eagerly, constantly and patiently waiting for and expecting Him." (Hebrews
9:28) Amp. Yes, the fulness of salvation, the fulness of God's Spirit, the very
fulness of God is coming into the vessel that He has chosen for His habitation,
His HOUSE!
Remember, Noah's ark was FIFTY cubits wide. I would that you
should know the "length, and breadth and depth and height of it." This final FIFTY
speaks of the fulness of this anointing that comes upon God's vessel of deliverance
in these last days. Praise God! This is not a doctrine to be kicked around and
argued over. It is not just some "new thing" that you can either join or reject.
It is the eternal truth of God that every one of you carry around with you when
you take your Bible to church. Now accept these truths, or quit carrying them
under your arm as tho you were a pious believer. Either confess that God's Word
is true and that He will do what He says He will, or else be honest enough to
do what some other heretics are doing, and throw the book away.
That may
sound hard, but beloved, it is time for ZION TO AWAKE! Wake up and realize the
great calling where to He has called us. A whole book could be written about this
Year of Jubile, and I'd love to be the one to write it! But I must close for now
and get this message out. The dimensions of Noah's ark are recorded in God's eternal
Word, and no one can change them or take them out. And it is not likely that anyone
will find in the Bible a different meaning for them than what we have presented
here.
Bill
Britton Noah's Ark 