Lucifer,
The Shinning One By Bill Britton
When God speaks of "the beginning,"
He is speaking of the originating point of the subject in question. For example,
it was "in the beginning" that He made the heaven and the earth. That is, these
things had their origin in Him, and they were his workmanship from the beginning
of their creation.
The Word declares that the "fear of the Lord is the
BEGINNING of wisdom. " (Proverbs 1:7) That means, simply, that wisdom has as its
originating point the place of the reverential fear of the Lord. "Hananiah spake
unto me in the house of the Lord . . ." (Jeremiah 28:1), he didn't mean that Hananiah
spoke to him in the latter years of the reign of Zedekiah. It is obvious that
he meant exactly what he said: that when Zedekiah's reign began, right at the
onset, Hananiah spoke to Jeremiah in the house of the Lord.
It, no doubt,
seems foolish even to attempt to clarify so obvious a point. There is nothing
at all to understanding the meaning of "in the beginning." It means just what
it says. If something has existed in a certain condition "from the beginning,"
that means that from the time that it was formed or established, it was in that
condition. Certainly, there is no difficulty in following that line of reasoning.
Yet, it is on this very point that we run into a head-on collision with
fundamental doctrine, for despite the fact that "from the beginning" obviously
means at the creation of a thing, men have taught a doctrine for years that contradicts
this simple statement of fact. We speak of that which is taught concerning Satan.
Fundamentalists have long agreed that Satan was, in the beginning, the
"anointed cherub that covereth." They have taught that he held the most coveted
position among the angelic hosts until he led a rebellion against God in an attempt
to usurp His throne. At that time, we are told, Satan was cast out of heaven and
became, instead of an angel, the devil that he is today.
It is amazing
that such a doctrine could have enjoyed such widespread acceptance in the light
of the teachings of Jesus on this subject. Please note: MAN says that Satan IN
THE BEGINNING was holy, but later fell from that estate. JESUS said of him that
Satan was a MURDERER (not an angel) from the BEGINNING. (John 8:44)
Not
only that, but the apostle John, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,
penned these words in regard to Satan's origin: "The devil sinneth FROM THE BEGINNING."
(I John 3:8)
Now, if we are to believe that the Bible means what it says
--- and we believe it does --- we must believe that from his very beginning, Satan
was evil.
We find no conflict with this belief and the nature of God as
some suppose. We have heard the argument that God would never have created something
that was evil. Our first reply to that is another question: If God creates a being
that He knows is going to become evil, would that not be the same thing as creating
one evil in the first place? It is, then, no less thinkable that God would create
one who would become evil than just to create an evil one to begin with.
However,
out of God's own mouth, we offer a contradiction to the words of the Lord in Isaiah
54:16 where he declares, "I have created the WASTER to destroy." We gather from
this passage that Satan is a created being with a definite purpose. That purpose
is stated in the opening words of the above quoted verse:
"I have created
the smith (the devil) that bloweth the coals on the fire, and that BRINGETH FORTH
AN INSTRUMENT for his work."
We see this purpose being fulfilled in the
life of Job. Job was a righteous man ACCORDING TO THE LIGHT THAT HE HAD. He was
perfect IN HIS GENERATION. That is, his perfection was a comparative perfection.
In comparison to those who were living around him, Job was a perfect man. Relative
to the amount of revealed truth in that day, Job was a perfect man. But in his
inward working, God saw a spirit that did not measure up to the standard of Christlikeness,
for the spirit of Christ is one of humility, and Job was not a humble man. He
was proud of his righteousness. Hear the testimony of scripture on this point:
"So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous IN HIS OWN
EYES." (Job 32:1)
It was because God desired to burn out the dross of pride
in this man (who even had the testimony of God that he was a righteous man) that
God brought forth the "smith to blow the coals upon the fire." Please note that
it was not Satan's idea to persecute Job! Oh, no!!! It was God Himself who brought
up the subject! There Satan was, presenting himself before the Lord, and God asked,
"Where have you been?"
To this question, Satan replied, "From walking up
and down in the earth. " (No mention at all of Job. )
"Well, Satan," the
Lord asked. "Have you considered my servant Job? Have you noticed that he hates
evil and fears God? Have you noticed that, Satan?"
Indeed, Satan HAD noticed
Job, but he wasn't doing anything to him. One of the most glorious testimonies
of the preservation of the saints of God is given here in this passage by Satan
himself: "Doth Job fear God for naught? Hast thou not made an hedge around him
and about his house and about all that he hath on every side?"
Oh, glory
to God! There is truly a hedge around the people of God, and that hedge is Jesus
Christ himself. The psalmist recognized and gloried in this fact when he said,
"The angel of the Lord encampeth around about them that fear Him and delivereth
them." (Psalm 34:7) "You've put a hedge around him," Satan said, "and I can't
get to him!" Then he went on to say, "You must put forth THINE HAND and touch
all that he hath, and he will then curse thee to thy face."
But the Lord,
who trieth the reins of the heart, knoweth them that are his, and He knows who
can be trusted with affliction. He, therefore, said to Satan, "Behold, all that
he hath is in thy power --- in thy hand --- only upon himself put not forth thine
hand."
Brethren, don't you believe for a moment that anything in the heavenly
realm is out of control. God is in full control of that sphere of action, and
Satan himself is under the jurisdiction of God. If you can receive this in the
spirit, you will understand that Satan has no power at all except that which God
allows him to have. Do you REALLY believe that Satan could cause all the trouble
in the world unless God had permitted it?? My friend, if you believe that Satan
is a thorn in the side of Almighty God, then your God is entirely too small. Satan
poses no problem for God. God could destroy him at any time. God binds his hands
daily. It is God who sets his boundaries and limits his power --- it was, in fact,
God who created him in the first place --- and that was for one purpose and one
purpose only: For the PERFECTING OF THE SAINTS! Beloved, when that purpose is
accomplished, Satan will have completed his course as an INSTRUMENT in the hands
of God who has everything under control . . . and then will his end come. Why,
the devil himself knows that there is a time limit on his presence and activity
here. Have you never read the words of Revelation 12:12 which say: "Woe to the
inhibitors of the earth and sea; for the devil is come down to you having great
wrath because he knoweth THAT HE HATH BUT A SHORT TIME."
God is constructing
a temple, made of living stones, through which to manifest Himself throughout
the ages of eternity, hallelujah, and Satan was created (a sinner from the beginning)
as a chisel and hammer to be used in the construction of this building. The living
stones that are even now being placed in this temple have been chosen, says the
Lord, in the "furnace of affliction. " (Isaiah 48:10) God, however, is mercy;
God is love; God is compassion. He is a healer, not a destroyer. It was, nonetheless,
necessary that an oven be heated in which to purify the gold --- a furnace in
which the wood, hay, and stubble were to be burned --- but God, in his nature
of love, could not perform the necessary affliction. It was for this reason that
He created an instrument that was capable of performing this essential action
in the lives of men, for in Satan God literally created a "chastening rod."
If
we can realize that behind the acts of Satan is the mighty hand of God working
to bring forth gold from these earthen vessels, we can rejoice, as David, in our
afflictions and trials and exclaim with him, "It is good for me that I have been
afflicted, that I might learn thy statutes. " (Psalm 119:7) Praise God! When we
begin to see the GOOD that comes from the assaults of Satan on our lives, we are
able to appreciate all the more the greatness of our God and the depth of the
wisdom of His great mind. Praise His wonderful name! He is truly a God of power
and might, and ALL things are in His hand --- even this enemy whom we call the
devil.
If we have now received the testimony of Jesus Christ concerning
the origin of Satan, that is, that he was a "murderer from the beginning," we
must now reckon with another point of our fundamental theology. If Satan was not,
after all, the "anointed cherub that covereth," who was?
It is taught that
the 28th chapter of Ezekiel is speaking of Satan in his "perfect state." In the
14th verse of this chapter, the subject under discussion is called "the anointed
cherub that covereth," and the Lord says, "I have set thee so." This is the basic
scripture for the fundamental position holding Satan as the anointed cherub.
We
must raise a question here, however, as to the essence of Satan. Is he spirit,
or is he man? There can be only one reply to that question, of course. He is spirit.
Should there be, however, one who would disagree on that point, we would like
to point out that Satan, on the night of Jesus' arrest, "entered into Judas. "
(John 13:27) Now, we know that a man cannot enter another man. We know full well,
however, that spirit can and does enter the heart of man, and it was the Satanic
spirit that night that took possession of the body of Judas and performed his
wicked works through him.
Please refer again to Ezekiel 28, verse 2, where
the Lord is addressing the "anointed cherub" --- "Thus saith the Lord God; because
thine heart is lifted up and thou hast said, I am a god, I sit in the seat of
God, in the midst of the seas; YET THOU ART A MAN, and not God . . ."
Satan
is not a man; he is spirit. But the person addressed in this chapter IS a man.
Notice verse 9: "Wilt thou yet say before Him that slayeth thee, I am God? But
thou shalt be a man and no god in the hand of Him that slayeth thee . . "
The
personality in this passage is unquestionably a man, not a spirit, and the verses
that follow (verses 12-15) are a description of that man:
"Thou sealest
up the sun, full of WISDOM, and perfect in beauty."
It is important to
understand what "wisdom" is if we are to understand the nature of the man in this
passage. By comparing spiritual things with spiritual things, we learn that "wisdom"
is none other than Jesus Christ, for Paul writes in I Cor. 1:24 that our Lord
is the "wisdom of God." The man in our passage, then, is filled with Christ. Now,
to be filled with Christ is to be filled with "all the fulness of the Godhead"
for we read in Col. 2:9 that Jesus Christ is just that: the fulness of the Godhead.
This man in Ezekiel 28 was a partaker of that for which we still wait and
for which Paul prayed when he said, "I bow my knees unto the Father . . . that
ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." (Eph. 3:14-19) He expanded on
this thought in Eph. 4:13 where he taught that the culmination of our faith is
to be realized in our coming to the "measure of the stature of the fulness of
Christ."
This coming into the fulness of Christ is that condition in which
Christ manifests Himself through us to the extent that we are in His exact image.
That is the meaning of Romans 8:29 which declares God's purpose for His people
in these words: "Whom He did foreknow, He did predestinate to be conformed to
the image of His Son."
We wait for this manifestation of Christ in us (Col.
1:27) with inward groanings, desiring that God should hasten the work and bring
to pass His eternal purpose in us. The Word declares that not only are we groaning
in our spirits for the fulfilling of this promise, but all creation itself "groaneth
and travaileth in pain together until now, " (Rom. 8:22) waiting for the "manifestation
of the sons of God. " (Rom. 8:19)
With what longing do our hearts reach
out for this perfection in Him --- this being FULL of the wisdom of God --- and
to think that man in the 28th chapter of Ezekiel is said to be already a possessor
of it! "Thou sealest up the sum, FULL OF WISDOM . . ." This man was ALREADY in
the image of God.
He was, also, "PERFECT IN BEAUTY. " Again, we compare
scripture to scripture and learn that "beauty" is holiness. The psalmist wrote,
"Worship God in the beauty of holiness." (Psalm 29:2) The singers of the Lord
in II Chron. 20:21 were sent forth to praise the "beauty of holiness." Thus, when
David said, "One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I SEEK after . .
. to behold the BEAUTY of the Lord . . ." (Psalm 27:4), he was saying, "I will
seek the HOLINESS (or righteousness) of the Lord." And is this not the commandment
that Jesus gave to us in His sermon on the mount: "Seek ye first the kingdom of
God and His righteousness (holiness)." Matthew 6:33.
To grasp fully the
meaning of "perfect in beauty" and being "full of wisdom," we must understand
the meaning of Hebrews 1:13 which reads, in the King James version, "(The Son
is) the brightness of (the Father's) glory and the express image of His person
. . ."
Kenneth Wuest gives us the meaning of the original Greek for this
word "brightness" as being "out-raying". The sense of the Greek here, he writes,
is that there are "rays of light coming out from the original body and forming
a similar light-body themselves." (See Hebrews in the Greek New Testament, Wuest)
What it means, literally, is that "the Son is the out-raying of the divine glory,
exhibiting in Himself the glory and the majesty of the divine Being."
When
the writer of Hebrews, therefore, stated that the Son is the "brightness of the
Father's glory" he meant that the Son is so indwelt by the Father that the glory
of the Father's nature SHINES FORTH from within him, thus CLOTHING the Son with
Himself to the extent that the Son is the express image of His person.
The
evidence of this "forthshining" was manifested on the mount of transfiguration,
where Jesus was transformed before His disciples. He was, at that point, "putting
on" the light-body, which was literally the Father shining forth from within Him.
(It is to be here noted that here was a most marvelous manifestation of the sacrificial
love of the Lord Jesus. His faithfulness to God had brought Him to the place of
glorification --- but he refused it, choosing, rather, to remain in the flesh
that He might suffer the death of the cross and bring MANY sons to glory. Who
can comprehend the height and depth and breadth of such love? Jesus Christ was
"perfect in beauty" and had attained the end of holiness; glorification.
To
be "perfect in beauty," then, is to be clothed in the "light- body" that is produced
by the OUT-RAYING of the INDWELLING Spirit. Zion, whose physical manifestation
is the church of Jesus Christ, is to be clothed in such a manner, for it was prophesied
of her, "Out of Zion, the PERFECTION OF BEAUTY, God hath SHINED." (Psalm 50:2)
Oh, saint of God, can you not hear the call of the Spirit, within your own soul,
crying, "Awake, awake: PUT ON thy strength, O Zion; PUT ON thy beautiful garments!"
(Isaiah 52:1) "Oh, put on the Lord Jesus Christ!" How our hearts long for the
day when this beautiful prophecy will find its fulfillment in the hearts of all
those who are known as Zion: "Out of Zion, God hath shined." Our hearts cry out
for the day when it shall be said of us that we are made perfect in beauty and
are, at last, created in the image of God, clothed in His righteousness.
Do
you not see, however, that the man in Ezekiel 28 had already partaken of this
perfection? He was already perfect in beauty --- he was already in the image of
God. Beloved, there is only one man, besides Jesus Christ himself, who was ever
created in the image of God, and he is that man of whom it is written in Gen.
1:27, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created He him."
That man was Adam! Adam alone, of all the race of men, ever bore the image of
God. Only of Adam can it be said, "Thou hast been in Eden, the Garden of God."
(Ezekiel 28:13) Only of Adam can it be said, "Thou was PERFECT in thy ways from
the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee." (Ezekiel 28:15)
Adam, not Satan, was the "anointed cherub that covereth" and it was Adam
whose heart was lifted up "because of his beauty" who "corrupted his WISDOM by
reason of his brightness." (Ezek. 28:17) You see, his "brightness" was the "light-body"
which he possessed by virtue of the indwelling God. But Adam made the mistake
of thinking that it was his own brightness and he thought in his heart, "I am
a god (see verse 2); I sit in the seat of God." That is why it was not difficult
for the serpent to tempt him in the Garden of Eden. The Satanic temptation appealed
to the thought that was already in Adam's heart, for the serpent whispered, "Ye
shall be as gods." Adam and his wife received the serpent's testimony because
deep inside them they ALREADY believed that what he was saying was true.
Because
of their sin, therefore, God drove them from the Garden (Genesis 3:24), or as
Ezekiel records this event, "I will cast thee as profane out of the MOUNTAIN OF
GOD. " (verse 16) Now, the Garden of Eden and the Mountain of God speak of the
same thing. This mountain is called in Psalm 48:1-2 that "city of our God" or
the "mountain of holiness." This city is seen again in Revelation 21:2 and 12
and is called "the New Jerusalem." Paul, further, speaks of this city saying that
"Jerusalem . . . is ABOVE." (Gal. 4:26)
The point we wish to make here
is that the mountain of God is Zion, or the New Jerusalem, and that it is ABOVE.
(This is a spiritual city with a physical counterpart on earth. This is discussed
in another study.) Jesus identified "above" in the words recorded in John 8:23:
"Ye are from beneath; I am from ABOVE: ye are of THIS WORLD; I am not of this
world." The "beneath" is identified as "this world" . . . and the only other world
to which "above" could apply is the spiritual world --- the heavenly realm. The
mountain of God, therefore, is the heavenly realm. When "the anointed cherub"
was cast out of the mountain of God, he was cast out of the heavenly realm.
We
have another view of this truth in Song of Solomon 4:12 where Christ speaks, saying,
"A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse (bride)." The New Jerusalem, which
is above, is also the Garden. When God said to Adam, "I will cast thee as profane
out of the mountain of God," He was saying, "I will cast you out of the heavenlies,
out of the spiritual realm." And that is exactly what happened.
Driven
from the Garden, no more could Adam hear the voice of God walking in the cool
of the day. He no longer possessed spiritual ears. He who had never known anything
but the "rest of God" was to labour and toil in the field. The communion with
the Spirit was broken, the heavens were closed, and Adam found himself naked,
stripped of the light-body that had been his, and was left with only the "skin
of an animal" ---- his own human flesh --- to cover him. What a loss! What an
unspeakable loss! Oh, I think that the heart's cry of the apostle Paul must have
originated within the soul of Adam himself: "Oh, wretched man that I am. Who shall
deliver me from the body of this death."
"How art thou fallen from Heaven,
O Lucifer, son of the morning?" (How art thou fallen from the heavenly realm,
Adam?) "How art thou cut down to the ground, thou which didst weaken the nations?"
(How art thou brought into the realm of the flesh, thou which didst sell all men
into the bondage of sin and death?)
The above passage from the 14th chapter
of Isaiah provides us with another tragic picture of the fall of man from his
exalted position in God. We are well aware that Lucifer is generally believed
to be Satan in this passage (verses 12-17) but the evidence of the scriptures
is such that we cannot accept this position.
Lucifer means "day star."
This could read, therefore, and, in fact, SHOULD read, "How art thou fallen from
heaven, O Day Star?" Now, we are told by Paul to compare spiritual things with
spiritual things, which is the only way that we can arrive at the hidden messages
of the spirit of God. If, then, we are to understand the nature of this person
called "Lucifer," we must determine how "day star" is used in other passages.
Peter writes of this "day star" in his second epistle to the church. He
had been discussing the glorious experience that he, along with James and John,
had had with Jesus on the mount of transfiguration. Speaking of the voice that
spoke to them there on the mountain, he said, "We have also a more sure word of
prophecy (the written
Word) whereunto ye do well to take heed . . . until
the day dawn and the DAY STAR (Lucifer) arise in your hearts." II Peter 1:19.
Peter indicates that we are awaiting the dawning of a new day, and, indeed,
we do look for that thousand-year day in which the Kingdom of God will be set
up first in our hearts and then within the earth itself. With the dawning of this
new day (as with any new day) will come the rising of the sun, which is the day
star. Malachi speaks of the rising of this day star when he says, "The Sun of
righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings." (Malachi 4:2)
Jesus
said, furthermore, that He will give to those who are His body of overcomers "the
morning (day) star." (Revelation 2:28) Now, whether we call it "day star" -- "morning
star" -- "sun" -- or "Lucifer" -- it is all the same. This "rising of the day
star" in our hearts is the OUT-RAYING of the Christ within, for you see, HE is
the day-star. (Revelation 22:16)
If the one called "Day Star" is Satan,
we could well ask ourselves why Peter showed such enthusiasm for its rising in
our hearts. No, the Day Star cannot be Satan at all but is, rather, the "hidden
man of the heart" (I Peter 3:4) --- the indwelling Christ --- "the perfect man"
(Ephesians 4:13) --- and that for which we are waiting is what Adam had in the
beginning with Him. Remember, Adam was so indwelt with the presence of God that
he was covered on the OUTSIDE with a light-body exactly like the one on the INSIDE.
As long as he was a partaker of the Christ-life, he was himself a "day star" for
he was a member of the Perfect Man, which is Christ.
Lucifer means shining
one, and Daniel said, "They that be wise shall shine with the brightness of the
firmament." (Dan. 12:3) Oh, praise God, this is no figure of speech. You see,
God is light and when that God-light works its way out into our outer-man and
clothes us with that light-body that will never die, we shall, in truth, shine
with the brightness of the firmament. The Day-Star is the OUT-RAYING of the Father
-- the Forthshining of the Son --- it is the "putting on of the Lord Jesus Christ."
(Rom. 13:14) Hallelujah! The day is coming when the Son shall shine forth from
within; the day star will have arisen in our hearts, and we shall put Him on as
a garment. Then will this mortal have put on immortality, for we will be clothed
upon with our house from Heaven, Jesus Christ Himself. Glory!!
"For in
this," Paul wrote, "we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house
from heaven; if so be that being clothed, we shall not be found naked (as was
Adam). For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that
we should be unclothed, but CLOTHED UPON, that mortality might be SWALLOWED UP
of life." II Corinthians 5:2-4
No --- Lucifer is not Satan. Lucifer is
the perfect man, and we wait with great anticipation for Him to arise in our hearts
and, shining out of us, to envelope us in Himself.
How great the tragedy,
then, that we see in these words: "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,
son of the morning." Adam, walking in perfection, reflecting the glory of God,
the express image of the Father, fell from that place in the heavenlies and because
of the sin of PRIDE, the Day Star no longer shone from within. Adam could no longer
be called the "shining one" for the light-body had departed from him, and he knew
"that he was naked." (Gen. 3:7)
We have said that it was the sin of pride
that brought about the fall of Adam (who, because of the fall, could no longer
be called Lucifer) and we see this evidenced in the words that are attributed
to him in Isaiah 14:13-14: "I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne
ABOVE the stars of God . . . I will ascend ABOVE the height of the clouds; I WILL
BE LIKE THE MOST HIGH."
This was his response to the serpent's temptation:
"Ye shall be as gods."
You see, Adam was not content to have God manifested
THROUGH him. He desired to be a god in his own right. He was not content to be
the out-shining of the Father --- he wanted to BE the Father. He was not content
to allow the authority of God to rule and operate THROUGH him. He wanted to take
the dominion himself.
The temptation that the serpent offered was merely
the verbalization of the hidden thoughts of Adam's prideful heart: "I will be
like the most high." And punishment that is mentioned in Isaiah 14:15 is just
another way of saying. "In the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely
die." Hear it! "Thou shalt be brought down to hell (the second death), to the
sides of the pit (the grave).
Further proof that it is not Satan who is
being discussed in this passage lies in verses 16 and 17 which read: "They that
see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, "Is this the
MAN that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; that MADE THE WORLD
AS A WILDERNESS . . "
We have already noted that Satan is not a man; he
is a spirit. But this is a MAN that shook kingdoms and made the world a wilderness.
It is Adam who made the world a wilderness, for it was to him that these words
were spoken: "Cursed is the ground for thy sake." Genesis 3:17.
The full
implication of the curse is set forth in type in the "wilderness wanderings" of
the people of Israel. It is to be remembered that all the things that happened
to Israel are a type and an example of spiritual truth. It is, therefore, very
significant that the wilderness into which they wandered is called in Exodus 16:1,
"the wilderness of Sin."
When God created Man, He placed him in a Garden
---- a kingdom of peace and righteousness ---- but when Adam sinned, he and all
his descendants were cast out into a wilderness of sin, and death, and suffering.
That is why Paul wrote in Romans 5:12, "By one man (Adam), sin entered into the
world, and DEATH by sin; and so death (a wilderness) passed upon ALL men. "
Paul
was lamenting this "making of the world a wilderness" when he said, "I am SOLD
under sin." (Romans 7:14) Man was sold into the bondage of sin and death by Adam's
transgression. That is why it is written of him that he "opened not the house
of his prisoners." (Isaiah 14:17) Indeed, he could not open the doors of the prison
houses, for he himself had become a slave to the flesh. And we, who have inherited
his nature, are all too aware of the power of sin. We know the meaning of bondage
and slavery, and our hearts cry out with Paul, "O wretched man that I am, who
shall deliver me from the body of this death?" We literally weep these words from
hearts that are weary of sin --- only to hear the glorious reply: "I THANK GOD.
THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD!! Glory to His Name!!
The world is a wilderness
--- a wilderness of sin --- a desert of death --- but hear, O child of God, what
the Lord hath spoken of this wilderness in which we now roam:
"The WILDERNESS
and the solitary place shall be GLAD for them; and the DESERT shall blossom as
the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing .
. . for they shall see the glory of the Lord and the excellency of our God.
"Strengthen
ye the weak hands and confirm the feeble knees, say to them that are of a fearful
heart, 'Be strong; fear not: behold, your God will come... he will come and SAVE
YOU.'
"Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the
deaf be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of
the dumb shall sing; FOR IN THE WILDERNESS shall waters break out, and streams
in the DESERT.
"And the PARCHED GROUND shall become a pool, and the thirsty
land springs of water . . . and a highway shall be there, and it shall be called
the highway of holiness . . . and the REDEEMED of the Lord shall walk there; and
the ransomed of the Lord shall RETURN and come to Zion (the heavenly realm) with
songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. " Isaiah 35.
Oh, hallelujah!!!
Glory to God! We have been sold under sin, that is true --- but the ransomed of
the Lord SHALL return. This wilderness shall bring forth fruit unto life everlasting,
and bubbling up from the parched ground of these earthen vessels shall flow rivers
of Living Water. Beloved, THEN shall the "morning stars" (the MANY-MEMBERED DAY
STAR) all sing together and the SONS OF GOD shall shout for joy! (Job 38:7) For
then shall the Day Star have arisen in our hearts and clothed us with Himself.
(Author unknown)
PUBLISHER'S COMMENTS ON MESSAGE
As stated, the preceding message was sent to us more than a year ago, but it was
not until now that the Lord instructed us to print it and mail it out. When the
shock value of the message wears off, many are going to find the Book opening
up in a new way concerning end-time truths and the New-Creation Man.
Lest
any should think at first glance that we are trying to glorify the devil, let
me assure you that this message does just the opposite. Often I have wondered
in years past why in dealing with demons, the enemy would rather be referred to
as "Lucifer" (the shining one), rather than "devil", "Satan", etc. Now we know.
The devil would like to have you think that at one time he was holy, powerful,
the greatest of the angels, leading a rebellion against God, etc., etc. None of
this is true, nor can it be substantiated from Scripture.
This message
rips the cover off, and lets you know that Satan never did have any holiness or
true wisdom, that he was not created with any glory. He was created a devil, a
principality, a waster, a destroyer, and was a murderer and a liar from the beginning.
If you think that he is going to like being exposed, you should see the letters
I'll be getting after he talks to people and twists the meaning of this message
around.
I will be glad to make known the identity of the author, if they
will write and tell us. We feel that this message is very timely at this hour
of Satan's defeat, and we appreciate one of God's sons sharing it with us.
Bill
Britton "Writings of his Unlimited Glory" 