Chapter
Two Chapter two starts off with this very meaningful word, "therefore." Meaning
that because of all that is brought forth in chapter one, we should be careful
of the gospel which has been committed to us. The Amplified Bible is very expressive
of this verse: "Since all this is true, we ought to pay much closer attention
than ever to the truths that we have heard, lest in any way we drift past them
and slip away (2:1)." A number of other translations confirm this phrase "lest
we drift." You don't have to do a thing in order to miss God's best. Just drift.
But because of the truths of chapter one, that is, the high calling of
Sonship which has been manifested by Jesus and shared with us, we must give earnest
heed to the Word of the Lord that is coming forth. If we refer in these studies
to Paul as being the author of Hebrews, it is because there is much internal evidence
of this, and never more clearly defined than in this second chapter. None but
Paul's epistles speak of miracles or gifts of the Spirit, with one possible exception.
Of all the apostolic writers, only Paul taught much on signs and wonders, and
miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost. And the message of Sonship, brought forth
so clearly in Hebrews, was a special revelation given to Paul.
"How Shall
We Escape?"
In verse three, we find that it is possible for us to drift
past these glorious truths, and neglect this great salvation. We also find there
is no escape for those who do. We also find that this gospel is far greater than
any word ever carried by an angel. "For if the word spoken by angels." The word
spoken by angels is on a far lower realm than that spoken by the Son. Many people
today would fall in awe and reverence at the presence and voice of an angel of
God, and yet they seem to be very careless in how they receive and what they say
about a prophet, an apostle, or a pastor in our times who is declaring that "greater
salvation." But they shall not escape. Thus saith the Word.
This word was
first spoken by the Lord, and confirmed to us. Many today are preaching a "gospel"
which bears little or no resemblance to the message of the Kingdom preached by
Jesus. But it has no part in that "great salvation" spoken of here. That "better
thing" spoken of in Hebrews, and what we're preaching about, is that everlasting
gospel of the Kingdom. And notice here that every man does not have to hear this
message from the lips of Jesus alone. "Confirmed unto us by them that heard Him."
Have you heard from heaven, preacher? Then you have a right to confirm this word
to others also. And verse 4 says that God will bear witness with signs, wonders,
miracles, and gifts of the Spirit. Paul states emphatically in 1 Corinthians 2
that when he went in to a new place to establish the truth of God, that he didn't
go with excellency of speech or man's wisdom, but "in demonstration of the Spirit
and of power." Your faith is to stand in the power of God, not in the cunning
arguments, logic and doctrines of men. There are many (and sometimes conflicting)
doctrines which have been proved over and over again by those who have been able
to put their words together in just the right way. Yet, the end result has been
that they have led people into a deadness of spirit, and many times a belligerent
bickering over nonessentials.
A Ministry of Life
This "so great
salvation" brings a message of life. There is a life that can be ministered regardless
of the fact that you may not be educated, eloquent, or even a preacher. You may
have all the mysteries of Daniel and Revelation figured out to the nth degree,
yet minister death in your teaching. You may be able to hold the people spellbound
with talent and eloquence, yet leave them lifeless. You may be able to shout and
scream and stir the people until you have them running the aisles until they are
physically exhausted, yet send them home empty in their spirit, starving for the
living word. But, glory to God, there IS a ministry of life! Your revelation in
the Book may not be as deep as some others, but if you have this life message,
you will bring life everywhere you go. As you minister, people will find themselves
ascending out of the lower realm of defeated existence, right into a place of
glory and victory. You can be talking on a simple truth of salvation or healing,
yet folks will find themselves getting revelation on things they never heard you
speak about. What is it? It is a ministry of life! It is the Holy Ghost confirming
your ministry and message.
This is your heritage, if you will only claim
it. There are so many places calling for this message, and with the ministries
of writing, printing, tapes, radio, mail, and the local church, my time is very
limited. When I do get out of state, I can usually only be gone three weeks or
less at a time, with 8 or 10 churches to visit, which means that I can only be
at each church for two or three nights. So I cried to the Lord: "What can I possibly
tell folks about these end-time truths in three nights? When you've taken 30 years
to pour these truths of Sonship and the Overcomer into me, how much of the revelation
could I give out in two or three sermons?" His Answer was: "Son, you don't have
to tell them all you know. You just minister the spirit of revelation, and after
you are gone, my Spirit shall begin to bring forth things in the Word to them
that they never saw before." You see, friends, you can minister life to people
and bring them up into a realm of spiritual revelation. And we can share one with
another, and by so doing we will all be lifted higher. For each of us has something
that the other does not have. Preacher, no matter how humble you are, you must
quit apologizing for your lack of ability, and recognize that even in a convention
full of great preachers, you have something that the rest of the folks need. And
you men of God with great understanding and ability, don't become high minded
and get to feeling self-sufficient. You must realize that the least of God's servants
have something that you need, something that can cause you to grow. We need one
another. Burn that truth on your heart, and never forget it. I get letters occasionally
from folks who have gotten so "deep" that they don't need the church, refuse to
gather together with the saints of God (especially if there is a preacher there,
or any form of eldership or government or divine order). They inform me haughtily
that they read only the Bible, and certainly don't need my literature or messages
(so they won't be reading this). They are "deep" all right. Deep in trouble. I've
got news for you, friends, you do need the word that God is speaking to me. And
I need that which God is revealing in your heart. We don't need the mixture of
the flesh, nor the dead traditions of Babylon and it's systems. I am writing to
sons today. The rest of the church systems will not hear what I'm saying anyhow.
But even the "come-outers" can get in serious trouble if they think they can make
it through this wilderness by themselves. Joshua and Caleb believed God and were
ready to go into the promised land 40 years before they actually crossed Jordan.
But they had to wait until God got the rest of the body ready to cross over. Some
were not submissive or obedient. But God sustained these two faithful warriors
while others were dying in the wilderness all around them, until they possessed
that inheritance which their heart had claimed, and their mouth had declared.
But when they went in, they went in with the Body, many of whom were immature
and inexperienced, compared with Joshua and Caleb.
Dominion in the World
to Come
Now in verse five we find that the preaching of this "great salvation"
brings us into a new age in the which we shall rule and reign with Christ. The
Phillips translation bring this out quite clearly: "For though in past ages God
did grant authority to angels, yet He did not put the future world of men under
their control, and it is this world that we are now talking about."
Later
in this chapter we will deal with this "world to come" in verse five, showing
that the "end of the world" spoken of by Jesus is not the destruction of the trees
and mountains and the natural existence of this and other planets. But it is the
closing of this age in which Satan has been the ruler of darkness, having the
power of death, and the bringing in of a new age in the which all the works of
darkness shall be destroyed, and death shall be put under our feet.
In
verses 6-7-8 the writer quotes from Psalms 8, telling of God's glorious promise
to man, that he should be ruler of all God's creation. In fact, God words the
promise in the positive tense, as though it were already in force, as it is, in
the mind of God and from the view of eternity. But living in the realm of time,
the writer says that we do not yet see this promise of complete dominion taking
place in our lives. Let me illustrate. Living in this limited time realm, we measure
the stars by how long it takes their light to reach us. For instance, light travels
at the speed of 186,300 miles per second, which is over 5,875 billion miles in
a year. A light year is how far light will travel in a year, or more than 5,000
billion miles. So if God were to suddenly, right now create a new and brilliant
star in the sky 58,000 billion miles away from earth, it would be 10 years before
it's light would reach the earth and we could see it. It would be there all the
time, from the moment that God put it into existence. But we wouldn't be able
to see it because we live in a realm of time.
Do you see what I'm getting
at? The promises of God have already been brought into existence. The work of
God has all been completed, and He is resting from His labors. "It is finished."
But we do not yet see it. We are on a time schedule. The "light" has not yet reached
us in the sense of seeing all our enemies put under our feet. Jesus came to destroy
him who had the power of death, that is, the devil. And He did it. But people
are still dying. Don't try to spiritualize it away. He's talking about real death
and real life. We know, because the Word says so, that the work is finished. But
we do not yet see it in this realm of time. It is there, it is done. And if you
could sit where Jesus sits today you could see it. In that eternal realm, He rules,
and His Kingdom is already set up. And we who are citizens of that eternal realm
have that Kingdom set up within us.
But this is not enough. He will not
stop until this eternal Kingdom has taken over the realm of time. On this earth.
It is coming. Nothing can stop it, no more than you can stop the light of that
star from reaching earth in due course. And the writer of Hebrews is encouraged.
What is it we see? We see Jesus! Although we do not yet see the glory and honor
of this complete dominion over all creation yet manifested in us, we do see Jesus
"crowned with glory and honor." We can see those eternal promises of God fulfilled
in Him, because He lives in us, and is our link with the unseen world of eternity.
And because we can see that fulfillment of complete dominion working in Him, and
because He has taken that physical earth body into that eternal realm and glorified
it, and because He is going to return to receive us unto Himself and change our
earth bodies into the likeness of His body of glory. We have hope. A glorious
hope. The hope of the Church. You see, the hope of the Church is not a geographical
rapture that will transport our bodies to some other location in the sky or to
another planet. But our hope is for a very real physical rapture that will change
this earth body and catch us up into that glorified realm He is in, so that we
may rule and reign and have complete dominion here on this earth! You say: "I
don't want to miss going to heaven." My dear friend (when you are caught up and
changed into the likeness of that body of glory), you are going to find out you
have been in heaven all the time, but just not able to recognize it because the
carnal veil of flesh separated you from the fulness of His presence. "In Him we
live and move and have our being." This is a deep mystery, and beyond my explaining.
Yes, there is a very real heaven. Jesus and the saints that have passed on are
there. Yes, there is a very real hell. Yes, this is a very real earth. And there
are about to be some changes made. A lot of changes. A change of government, for
instance. This next world or age, is not going to be under the rule of angels.
The"rulers of the darkness of this world." The sons of light are going to rule,
and things are going to be different. Very different. Praise God for it!
"Many
Sons unto Glory"
Now in verse 10 we see the purpose of God in bringing
forth a body of Sons. He is bringing them to glory. And the Amplified Bible puts
it so beautifully: "For it was an act worthy of God and fitting to the divine
nature that He, for whose sake and by whom all things have their existence, in
bringing many sons into glory, should make the Pioneer of their salvation perfect
(that is, should bring to maturity the human experience necessary for a perfect
equipment for His office as High Priest) through suffering."
"A Merciful
High Priest"
Notice in the closing verses of this beautiful chapter, how
that Jesus identifies with sinful humanity in a way that He never did with angels.
He never left the realm of omnipresent Deity to take on the nature of angels.
He descended much lower than that. "For a little while" He was made lower than
angels. The term in verse 9: "made a little lower than the angels", is a time
phrase, and means that He was "made, for a little while, lower than angels." When
He took upon Him the seed of Abraham and was in all things made like unto His
brethren, he descended far, far beneath the dignity of the great archangel. But
only for a little while. All this was necessary that He might become (through
association with our needs) a merciful and faithful High Priest, to make reconciliation
for the sins of the people.
Taking upon Him the seed of Abraham, means
that He laid hold of their needs for the purpose of helping them. Galatians 3,
16 and 29 show clearly that we who are the called of God are the seed of Abraham.
We are His brethren. Hebrews 2:16 in the Amplified reads: "For, as we all know,
He (Christ) did not take hold of angels (the fallen angels)--to give them a helping
and delivering hand; but He did take hold of the fallen descendants of Abraham--to
reach them a helping and delivering hand." The Clementson translation says: "For
verily, not of angels doth He take hold, but He taketh hold of the seed of Abraham."
In the Interlinear Greek-English New Testament it is worded: "For not indeed of
angels takes He hold, but of the seed of Abraham He takes hold." The old song:
"When He Reached Down His Hand For Me," certainly has an application here, and
is quite appropriate. Other accurate translations bear out this thought. He came
down to lay hold of us. He apprehended us. He chose us and ordained us. We did
not choose Him, nor did we apprehend Him in the beginning. But we press forward
that we might apprehend that for which we have been apprehended (Philippians 3:10-14).
For what purpose did He apprehend us? We will discover more and more of the answers
as we go on in this glorious book of Hebrews.
And now, still in chapter
two, we come to the great truth of the better government of the sons of God in
the next age. Since we are living in the last days, and are witnessing the closing
of one age and the coming in of another, this truth is of vital interest to us.
Let me quote here from Hebrews 2:5: "For unto the angels hath He not put in subjection
the world to come, whereof we speak (King James)." Let us now look at this verse
in the Phillips translation: "For though in past ages God did grant authority
to angels, yet He did not put the future world of men under their control, and
it is this world that we are now talking about." Williams translation says: "For
it was not to angels that He gave authority over the world to be, of which we
are speaking."
And so, in bringing out the truth of divine government in
the Kingdom age (millennium), God is saying that the angels who have been rulers
of the darkness of this present world, will be stripped of their power and have
no authority in the next age. They will be bound. And we begin to see how the
sons of God (the overcomer of Revelation 2 and 3) will rule the nations with a
rod of iron. A new government for this world, in a new age.
How Many Worlds?
There is a truth revealed here in the Word so glorious, yet so shocking
and so anti-traditional, that we are going to use 25 scriptures to confirm it,
examining them from 10 translations. This Word is too important; we cannot afford
any mistakes.
First of all, let us turn to 2 Peter 3:7 and we shall see
that where the Bible speaks of "worlds," it is not always speaking of the mountains,
trees, rivers, etc. which constitute this earth. Notice that the context (vs.
3-6) is dealing with the coming of the Lord: "Knowing this first, that there shall
come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, 'where
is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue
as they were form the beginning of the creation'. For this they willingly are
ignorant of, that by the Word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing
out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed
with water perished; But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same
Word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition
of ungodly men."
Now let us read this from the New English Bible: "In taking
this view they lose sight of the fact that there were heavens and earth long ago,
created by God's Word out of water and with water; and by water that first world
was destroyed, the water of the deluge. And the present heavens and earth, again
by God's Word, have been kept in store for burning; they are being reserved until
the day of judgment when the godless will be destroyed."
So we see that
there is more than one world involved in the judgments of God. Does this mean
that we are not living on the same earth that saw the flood in Noah's day? Or
that Noah's Ark was transported to another planet or world somewhere? Of course
not! Then what "world" was destroyed by the flood? And what "present world" is
waiting to be burned up by the wrath of God in our day? It is the "world" of ungodly
men. The scripture says plainly that "the godless will be destroyed." So we see
that the world that was destroyed in Noah's day, and the world that is waiting
the judgments of God, is not this natural earth consisting of flowers, bees, rocks,
hills, lions, lambs, etc. For Isaiah says that in the Kingdom age the lion will
eat straw like the ox (Isaiah 11:7). "And the sucking child shall play on the
hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.
They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be
full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea (11:8-9)." In describing
the Kingdom age (millennium) Isaiah says in chapter 65: "For behold I create new
heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into
mind. There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath
not filled his days: For the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner
being an hundred years old shall be accursed. And they shall build houses, and
inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. The wolf
and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock:
and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my
holy mountain, saith the Lord (verses 17, 20, 21, 25)."
Now friends, can
we take these scriptures which have so much spiritual truth, and believe that
they also will be fulfilled literally? Of course. Here is a picture of the Millennium,
the Kingdom age. During the 1,000 years (on this earth), we find that there will
be sinners, people dying, building houses and living in them, working at jobs,
as well as real animals who will no longer destroy one another. There will be
children born during this time, and they will not have to be afraid of the snakes.
The lamb will not be afraid of the wolf. And in the midst of all this will be
a people conformed to the image of the Son of God, a people who have overcome
and are in the process of putting all enemies under their feet. Death is the last
enemy to be destroyed (1 Corinthians 15:26), and when all this has been accomplished,
the Kingdom will be delivered back to the Father (1 Corinthians 15:24). Then there
will be no more death, no more sinners. Every tongue confessing Him to be Lord.
In the Age to Come
Back in Hebrews chapter one we read: "God, who
at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the
prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, who he hath appointed
heir of all things by whom also he made the worlds." Now reading this in the Wuest
Expanded translation: "In many parts and in different ways God in former times
having spoken to the fathers by means of the prophets, in the last of these days
spoke to us in One who by nature is (His) Son, whom He appointed heir of all things,
through whom also He constituted the ages."
From the King James translation
we get the impression that God made more than one world of inhabited people, such
as the one we live on. Actually, some people do believe that there are other intelligent
beings living on other planets out there in space. This is not so. And when we
read this scripture from other accurate translations, they will tell us, as does
Wuest, that this word for "world" here means "ages." Let me confirm this from
other scriptures.
Turn now to Mark 10:29-30. "And Jesus answered and said,
Verily I say unto you, there is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters,
or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's;
but he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren and
sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world
to come eternal life."
Here Jesus is saying that there is a world to come,
in which we shall receive eternal life. Let us read that in a few other translations:
ROTHERHAM. "Who shall not receive a hundredfold now, in this season--houses and
brethren and sisters, and mothers and children, and lands--with persecutions--and
in the age that is coming, life age--abiding." WUEST. "He will receive on hundred
times as much as now at this time, houses, and brothers, and sister, and mothers,
and children, and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come, life eternal."
REVISED STANDARD VERSION. "Who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time,
houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions,
and in the age to come eternal life." NEW ENGLISH BIBLE. "I tell you this: there
is no one who has given up home, brothers or sister, mother, father, or children
or land, for my sake and for the Gospel, who will not receive in this age a hundred
times as much--houses, brothers and sister, mothers and children and land and
persecutions besides; and in the age to come eternal life."
Now we see
that in every case, the term used in King James "world to come" means "age to
come." So the next world is not a different planet for us to live on, but this
same planet in a new age, under different government. I would not weary you with
much repetition, but we find that other translations, as well as a Greek Lexicon,
bear out this truth. Young's Concordance tells us that the Greek word used here
in "aion" which means an age or dispensation. This same scripture is repeated
in Luke 18:29-30, with the same results.
"The End of the World"
Let
us turn to the parable by Jesus of the wheat and the tares, in Matthew 13:39-40.
Here Jesus is explaining the parable to his disciples, and he says: "The enemy
that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers
are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so
shall it be in the end of this world." Evangelists have taken this scripture and
painted some very frightening pictures of the holocaust which, they say, will
destroy this earth. "The end of the world." Sounds horrible indeed, and it will
be for the devil and his angels, and for those who are bound by him. But when
we examine what this word really means, we get a glorious picture of the beginning
of a new age.
Let us read this statement in the AMPLIFIED Bible: "Just
as the darnel (wild wheat) is gathered and burned with fire, so it will be at
the close of the age." And in ROTHERHAM translation: "And the enemy that sowed
them is the adversary, and the harvest is the conclusion of the age." WUEST EXPANDED
translation says: "And the harvest is the consummation of the age, and the harvesters
are angels. Even as therefore the bastard wheat is gathered and is burned in the
fire, thus shall it be at the consummation of the age. The Son of Man shall send
His angels on a mission, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all those who
create stumbling blocks for others, and those who make a practice of lawlessness."
REVISED STANDARD VERSION: "The harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers
are angels. Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be
at the close of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather
out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evil-doers, and throw them into the
furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth. Then the righteous
will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father." Look at WILLIAMS translation:
"The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the close of the age, the
reapers are angels. Just as the wild wheat plants are gathered and burned up,
so it will be at the close of the age." Before we leave this passage of scripture,
let me quote from the Interlinear Greek-English New Testament, which gives a literal
translation from the Greek: "And the enemy who sowed them is the devil; and the
harvest (the) completion of the age is, and the harvest men angels are. As therefore
is gathered the darnel, and in fire is consumed, thus it shall be in the completion
of this age." No further explanation is needed. You can stop looking for the sudden
destruction of this earth, and start looking for what is really about to happen,
the closing, conclusion, consummation, or completion of this age of death, and
the coming in of a new age in which the Sons of God will rule with justice and
equity. God will win the victory right here on the battlefield, and will demonstrate
that victory for all to see.
The Sons of this Age
Turning to Luke
16:8 we see that this age is producing it's own sons, just as God is bringing
forth sons for the next age. "And the Lord commended the unjust steward, because
he had done wisely; for the children of this world are in their generation wiser
than the children of light." Reading that same verse from the AMPLIFIED Bible.
"And his master praised the dishonest (unjust) manager for acting shrewdly and
prudently; for the sons of this age are shrewder and more prudent and wiser in
relation to their own generation--that is, to their own age and kind--than are
the sons of light." And in the ROTHERHAM translation we read: "And the lord praised
the unrighteous steward, in that with forethought he acted; Because the sons of
this age have more forethought than the sons of light respecting their own generation."
The Interlinear Greek New Testament, as well as other translations, also give
the same. So we see that this present age of darkness has it's sons, and that
God's sons are called the sons of light. No wonder that the ungodly men seem to
be in places of rulership and authority in this world now. This is their age.
Our age has not yet come, but it is now time for the changeover, thank God! Wake
up, saints of God, and walk in the wisdom of God.
"Our Place of Administration"
Turning to Philippians 3:20-21 we find where our real citizenship is located.
"For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour,
the Lord Jesus Christ". The word in King James here translated "conversation"
means commonwealth, or citizenship. Let us read it in ROTHERHAM translation: "For
our citizenship in the heavens hath its rise; wherefore a Saviour also do we ardently
await, the Lord Jesus Christ." And WUEST is very accurate in his translation:
"For the commonwealth of which we are citizens has its fixed location in heaven
out from which we, with our attention drawn from all else, are eagerly waiting
to welcome the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, and to receive Him to ourselves,
who shall transform this body of ours which has been humiliated (by the presence
of indwelling sin and by death and decay), so that it will be conformed to His
body of His glory, this is accordance with the operation of Him who is able to
bring into subjection to himself all things." WILLIAMS translation says: "But
we are citizens of the republic in heaven, from which we are eagerly waiting for
our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ." And finally, this verse is given beautiful
expression in the Clementson translation: "For our place of administration is
in the heavens, from whence also we are waiting with longing expectation for a
Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ."
So now the scripture takes on more meaning
where Jesus prayed "Thy kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven." With the coming
to earth of His kingdom, we come into our citizenship without going by way of
the grave, as we are brought into the place of our administration. We become a
kingdom of priests, ruling and reigning here on this earth (Revelation 5:10).
This is the purpose of God in His Overcomer for the next age. Through the Christ,
the seed of Abraham (Galatians 3:16, 29), all the nations of the earth will be
blessed. Glory to God!
In the Ages to Come
The next age to be introduced,
the one we are about ready to enter, is the Kingdom age, or Millennium. But it
is not the last age. In fact, there are many ages stretching out ahead of us,
and the things God has planned for us are beyond our comprehension. Twice in scripture
(Psalms 105:8 and 1 Chronicles 16:15), we are told that God made a covenant with
Abraham for 1,000 generations. Not 1,000 years, but 1,000 generations. Now a Bible
generation is 40 years, and in the 4,000 years since Abraham we have only had
100 generations, which leaves 900 generations to fulfill the promise of God to
Abraham. It doesn't take long to figure out how many years that is going to take.
Reading in Ephesians 2:4-7. "But God who is rich in mercy, for his great
love wherewith he loved us. hath raised us up together and made us sit together
in heavenly places in Christ Jesus; that in the ages to come he might shew the
exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus."
In the ROTHERHAM translation it states: "that he might point out in the oncoming
ages the surpassing riches of his favor in graciousness upon us in Christ Jesus".
And the WUEST expanded translation says that God has "raised us with Him and seated
us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, in order that He might exhibit
for His own glory in the ages that will pile themselves one upon another in continuous
succession, the surpassing wealth of His grace in kindness to us in Christ Jesus".
The NEW ENGLISH BIBLE says: "and in union with Christ Jesus he raised us up and
enthroned us with him in the heavenly realms, so that he might display in the
ages to come how immense are the resources of his grace, and how great his kindness
to us in Christ Jesus." Notice, please, that there is more than one age ahead
of us, and that God has planned them so that He can show His kindness to us in
Christ Jesus. You don't deserve it, nor do I. This is the wealth of His grace
manifested. How good is our God! How immense are the resources of His grace!
Christ
Above All
"Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead,
and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality,
and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in
this world, but also in that which is to come" (Ephesians 1:20-21). Again we find
that the "world to come" is actually that next age which is about on us. We read
in the AMPLIFIED Bible: "Far above all rule and authority and power and dominion,
and every name that is named--above every title that can be conferred--not only
in this age and in this world, but also in the age and the world which are to
come." ROTHERHAM. "Over-above all principality, authority, and power, and lordship,
and every name that is named not only in this age, but also in the coming one."
The WUEST translation, which is very accurate especially in the verb tenses and
time element, states it thus: "Seated him at His right hand in the heavenly places,
over and above every government and authority and power and lordship and every
name that is constantly being named, not only in this age, but also in the one
about to come." The beauty of expression in Moffatt's translation in this passage
is unsurpassed: "So that you can understand the hope to which he calls us, the
wealth of his glorious heritage in the saints, and the surpassing greatness of
his power over us believers, a power which operates with the strength of the might
which he exerted in raising Christ from the dead and seating him at his right
hand in the heavenly sphere, above all the angelic Rulers, Authorities, Powers,
and Lords, above every Name that is to be named not only in this age but in the
age to come."
Not only does Jesus have a dominion in the age to come, but
He rules NOW. Not only is his name the greatest that shall ever be mentioned in
the next world, but His name is the most glorious name ever spoken in this world,
right now, and the only name given among men whereby we must be saved! And it
shall never diminish. There is an everlasting Kingdom. Glory to our God!
The
Powers of the World to Come
The next age will be one that will see the
fulness of God in operation through His sons, a demonstration of the mighty power
of God. It is not nirvana, or limbo, or sitting on a fleecy white cloud strumming
a harp, polishing our crowns, or admiring our beautiful white robes. And for the
Sons, it is not just sitting under our own fig tree, or walking on physical streets
of gold. There is a job to be done, to "do the will of Him that sent me, and finish
His work".
We read in Hebrews 6:4-5: "For it is impossible for those who
were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers
of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the
world to come." ROTHERHAM. "Those who have been once for all illuminated, who
have tasted also of the heavenly gift and have been made partners in a Holy Spirit,
and have tasted God's utterance to be sweet, Mighty works also of a coming age."
WUEST Expanded translation says: "and tasted the good word of God, also the powers
(miracles) of the age that is about to come." Miracles in the next age? That's
what it says. Why friends, this world has only seen the firstfruits of what God
will do through a perfected Body of Christ. Cripples healed, the dead raised,
nations turned to God, and greater works than these shall you see, because He
went back to the Father. In the Interlinear Greek New Testament it says: "And
tasted the good word of God, and the works of power of the age to come." Works
of power. Glory to God, what a day! We have already tasted the good word of God,
and the powers of the coming age. You see, what we have just had a taste of in
miracles, healings, etc., is the normal work for the coming age. This is how every
enemy shall be put under the feet of the Body of Christ. But it will not be in
the part realm, there will be no failures. Jesus came and demonstrated the power
and authority of the age to come, when the sons of light come into their Kingdom.
This road has already been surveyed, staked out, built and paved. It's a highway
to glory! Praise Jesus!
The Prince of Darkness
And now Jesus tells
us who it is that rules in this realm and age of darkness, and what is going to
happen to him. Turn to John 12:30-31. "Jesus answered and said, This voice came
not because of me, but for your sakes. Now is the judgment of this world: now
shall the prince of this world be cast out." WUEST: "now is a judgment of this
world. Now the ruler of this world will be thrown out, clean out." REVISED STANDARD
VERSION: "Now is the judgment of this world, now shall the ruler of this world
be cast out." So here we see that Satan has been given a rulership. It is in this
world of sin and darkness, in this present age. Let us look at John 14:30. "Hereafter
I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing
in me." The AMPLIFIED Bible is very expressive here: "I will not talk with you
much more, for the prince, evil genius, ruler, of the world is coming, And he
has no claim on Me - - he has nothing in common with Me, there is nothing in Me
that belongs to him, he has no power over Me." Glory to God! No wonder Jesus won
such a mighty victory over Satan in their encounter. The devil couldn't find a
hand-hold, no place in the life or person of Jesus to take hold of. "Nothing in
common." Praise God. Dust was the serpent's meat, but there was nothing of the
carnal nature in Jesus, He was not of the earth earthy. "Nothing in Me that belongs
to him, he has no power over Me."
Again in John 16:11 we see that Jesus
calls Satan the "prince" of this world. In other translations, as well as the
original Greek, this word is "ruler." In Hebrews 2:14 we read: "Forasmuch then
as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took
part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of
death, that is, the devil." Let us read it from the NEW ENGLISH BIBLE. "The children
of a family share the same flesh and blood; and so he too shared ours, so that
through death he might break the power of him who had death at his command, that
is, the devil."
So it says that the devil had the power of death, or death
at his command. His dominion was in the realm of death, darkness, evil. But Jesus
has a dominion in the realm of life, light, righteousness. "A scepter of righteousness
is the scepter of Thy kingdom (Hebrews 1:8)." And when we turn to Acts 3:14-15
we see Peter telling the Jews that Jesus was the Prince of Life, but though they
had killed Him, yet death could not hold Him. For life is greater than death.
And in Revelation 1:5 we see that it says Jesus is the Prince of the kings of
the earth. And the Greek says He is the "ruler" of the kings of the earth. Let
me quote from WUEST translation: "And from Jesus Christ, the trustworthy, dependable
witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To
Him who loved us and set us free from our sins by means of His blood, and who
constituted us a kingdom."
The God of this Age
"For we wrestle not
against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the
rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places
(Ephesians 6:12)." I want to look at some other translations. AMPLIFIED: "For
we are not wrestling with flesh and blood--contending only with physical opponents--but
against despotisms, against the powers, against the master spirits who are the
world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness
in the heavenly (supernatural sphere)." MOFFATT: "For we have to struggle, not
with blood and flesh, but with the angelic Rulers, the angelic Authorities, the
potentates of the dark present, the spirit-forces of evil in the heavenly sphere."
NEW ENGLISH BIBLE: "For our fight is not against human foes, but against cosmic
powers, against the authorities and potentates of this dark world, against the
superhuman forces of evil in the heavens." PHILLIPS: "For our fight is not against
any physical enemy: it is against organizations and powers that are spiritual.
We are up against the unseen power that controls this dark world, and spiritual
agents from the very headquarters of evil." There are others, but this should
be enough to give us the picture. From the mouth of many witnesses we see our
enemy. Much could be preached from this passage alone, but our message today is
concerning Hebrews 2:5 and the world to come, so we must hurry one. This passage
in Ephesians simply points out that the devil, fallen angels, and hordes of demon
powers, are the rulers of this present age of darkness, and that while we are
living in this realm and this age, we struggle against his rulership. That's why
he hates us so much. Of course, he hates all the human race, but especially he
hates with a bitter passion those who are coming forth in the image of the Son
of God who defeated him and put him to an open shame. Glory to God!
In
2 Corinthians 4:3-4 we read: "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that
are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the mind of them which believe
not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God,
should shine unto them." Here Satan is called the "god of this world." ROTHERHAM
translation calls him "the god of this age". NEW ENGLISH BIBLE calls him "the
god of this passing age." People who walk in darkness, who refuse to worship our
Lord Jesus Christ, do not realize that their god is Satan, the god of this age.
But whether they know it or not, they worship him and obey his desires in their
lives. To see this more clearly, let us turn to Ephesians 2:1-2: "And you hath
he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins: Wherein time past ye walked
according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of
the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience."
There
is a tremendous truth brought out from this scripture by some of the other translations.
AMPLIFIED: "you were following the course and fashion of this world--were under
the sway of the tendency of this present age--following the prince of the power
of the air. You were obedient to him and were under his control, the demon spirit
that still constantly works in the sons of disobedience--the careless, the rebellious
and the unbelieving, who go against the purposes of God." Wow! What a statement!
What a warning to the saints of God today to stay free from the fashions and tendency
of this present age. Now let us read this verse in WUEST Expanded translation:
"And you being dead with reference to your trespasses and sins, He made alive;
in the sphere of which trespasses and sins at one time your ordered your behavior
as dominated by the spirit of the age in this world system, as dominated by the
leader of the authority of the lower atmosphere, the source also of the spirit
that is now operating in the sons of the disobedient among whom also we all ordered
our behavior in the sphere of the cravings of our evil nature, continually practicing
the desires of our evil nature and of our thoughts." PHILLIPS translation: "To
you who were spiritually dead all the time that you drifted along on the stream
of this world's ideas of living, and obeyed its unseen ruler (who is operating
in those who do not respond to the truth of God), to you Christ has given life!
We all lived like that in the past, and followed the impulses and imaginations
of our evil nature."
So the world is drifting along, being dominated by
the powers of darkness, the rulers of this present age. That is why the world
is in such chaos, with sin, war, crime, death, poverty, pain, and sorrow on every
hand. All this will change. And the time for the change is at hand. Glory to God,
we are at the hour for the new age to begin! And in this next age, the satanic
powers of darkness will have no authority or dominion. Satan will be bound. And
when the "strong man" is bound, Jesus said you can spoil his house. So in the
next age there is to be a "housecleaning", when every enemy shall be put under
the feet of the Body of Christ, every work of Satan destroyed from off the face
of the earth, and the human race will see life as God intended it for them. All
this work will not be done in the twinkling of an eye, but it will come under
the administration of the Sons of God who shall rule and reign on this earth.
"For he must reign, till He hath put all enemies under his feet (1 Corinthians
15:25)." The NEW ENGLISH BIBLE says: "For he is destined to reign until God has
put all enemies under his feet." Who is it speaking of here that is going to reign?
It is Christ in the fulness of His glorious Body!
The Overcomer Ruling
Going back now to our text in Hebrews 2 we find that right after the writer
says that the angels will have no dominion or authority over that next age or
world, he tells us who will be reigning. In verses 6-7-8 he tells us that God
has already promised in the scriptures that man is destined to rule over all the
works of God's hands. He reminds us that we have been made lower than the angels,
for a little while, and that we don't yet see man exercising this dominion in
the earth. "Now we see not yet all things under his feet." What do we see? We
see Jesus! Crowned with glory and honor. He, too, was made lower than angels,
for a little while, and suffered the humiliation of death in order to bring many
sons out of the lower realm of fallen humanity into a place of redemption where
they can be His "brethren" and rule with Him from his throne. What a plan! What
a Jesus!
Who is this "man" that is going to have dominion and authority
over the world in the next age? Is it the alcoholic blasphemer who beats his wife
for going to church? Is it the atheistic communistic rebel who riots and kills
and burns? Is it the unbelieving preacher who fights the idea of anyone coming
to full Sonship, and says that it can't be done? Or is the fearful of heart who
believe his lies? Of course not! It is none of these! Those who will be in His
Body and rule with Him are those whom He is not Ashamed to call "brethren" (verse
11), those He suffered for to bring to glory (verse 10), who are conformed to
His image (Romans 8:29). These are the ruling company. This is God's government.
Fret not about the fact that you have no experience in governing or managing the
affairs of nations. For, dear ones, it will not be you. It will be Him in you.
He is choosing the weak, the base, the unwise, the things that are naught. That
no flesh should glory in His presence (1 Corinthians 1:29).
What shall
be the manner of ruling the government of the next age? This is a subject for
another message, and we shall begin to see glimpses of this as we continue on
in our study of Hebrews, especially as we look at the Melchisedec priesthood.
But for now, let us sum up what we have found by examination of the scriptures:
First of all we found that instead of God making many "worlds" or earths
and destroying one of them with the flood, He created many ages. And instead of
coming in these "last days" to the "end of the world" and the destruction of the
earth's substance, these last days have brought us to the end of this present
age. We also found that Satan is the prince, the ruler, the god of this present
age of darkness, and had the power of death. But we see that Jesus has the power
of Life, is the Prince of Life, and the ruler of the Kings of the earth. Now we
find an Overcomer, a body of Sons of God, the great anointed Body of Christ coming
forth in power to put an end to this age and cast Satan down, put him under their
feet. They then begin their reign, and continue to reign until every enemy has
been destroyed, including death. When that is accomplished (they thus reign for
1,000 years, Revelation 20:4, 1 Corinthians 15:25-26), they then turn the Kingdom
back to the Father. And what is beyond that? Glory to God, I'm anxious to find
out! I can hardly wait! But getting there is going to be tremendous. For those
who are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28-29).
Press on
saints of God, we are on the winning side! This light affliction which is but
for a moment (2 Corinthians 4:17) is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal
weight of glory. "Our citizenship in the heavens hath its rise" (Rotherham). We
are on the way up, our enemy is on the way down. Woe to those who live in and
are dominated by this lower atmosphere of carnal life. But rejoice ye heavens,
and ye that dwell therein. For there is a cleansing going on, and victory is inevitable.
Let us praise our God, and rejoice in the light of His countenance!
The
New Creation Man
Before leaving chapter two, let us take a look at the
New Creation Man revealed here. In chapter one we see Christ identified with Deity,
as the express image of God's person, and the brightness of His glory. In fact,
in verse 8 the Son is called "God" when it says: "But unto the Son he saith, Thy
throne, O God, is forever and ever".
Now, in chapter two, we see Christ
identified with humanity. This word first began to be spoken by the Lord Jesus,
and was confirmed by the Holy Ghost. He then begins to speak of the next age,
the "world to come", and telling us that it shall be governed by the "son of man".
This "son of man", he says, is not yet ruling and reigning, but we see that the
crown of glory and honor is already being worn by Jesus. Now we see that this
"son of man" is a many membered body, known as the "brethren" of Jesus. This is
the Lord's doings, and cannot be disannulled.
They Who are Sanctified
In
spite of the fact that this many membered "son of man" is not ruling, and that
he is lower than angels and subject to death, yet Jesus is not ashamed to call
them His brethren. Because He has sanctified them. How does He do this? By bringing
them into Himself. By bringing them into His own realm or to the place He has
prepared, or into His house as we shall see in chapter three.
Revelation
3:14 tells us that Jesus is the "beginning of the creation of God". Which creation?
Adam's creation? Of course not! Read 2 Corinthians 5:17 where it says plainly
that if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. Moffatt's translation says:
"There is a new creation whenever a man comes to be in Christ." And the New English
Bible is very enlightening: "When anyone is united to Christ, there is a New Heavens
and a new Earth." A new creation. How? By coming into Christ. For He is the beginning
of this new creation. Before He came, there was the realm of Deity, the angelic
world, and the world of Adam's fallen race. Adam was a living soul, of the earth
earthy. But Christ came to establish something new, and to those that received
Him, to them gave He the privilege to enter into this new creation world.
The
New Creation Man
None of Adam's race will enter this new world. Adam must
die, as was spoken to him in the beginning. Adam's nature and life cannot inherit
this kingdom. Not that God is vindictive and unforgiving. It's just that the Adamic
nature could not stand to be in that glorious light unto which no man can approach.
So God is creating a new man. "I have created him for my glory, I have formed
him; yea, I have made him" (Isaiah 43:7). "This shall be written for the generation
to come, and the people which shall be created shall praise the Lord" (Psalms
102:18).
This creation or world of which I speak was never in existence
until Jesus came. He was the beginning of this new creation Man. He is the beginning
and the end, the first and the last, the Alpha and Omega. So through Jesus Christ,
something new came into existence. He is the Door, so no one can enter this realm
except through Him. He is the Head, so once in this realm you cannot move or operate
in His divine principles except He directs you. He is the first and the last,
the beginning and the end. So no one ever had this without Him, and you will never
get past Him; no matter how far you go in God, you will find that Jesus is there,
too.
"Made like unto His brethren"! What a statement! Everything that He
is, we are to be also, for everything that we are, He became. Everything? What
about sin? Though he had no sin of his own, yet he took our sins upon himself,
and was "made sin for us". He who was the prince of Life even tasted of death,
that we might partake of His realm of Life. So let us look at Him, to see what
He is, that we might know what we are.
Death Destroyed
Verse 14
says that He came to destroy him that had the power of death. So this is our victory.
We shall put death under OUR feet. "Then shall be brought to pass the saying that
is written, Death is swallowed up in victory" (1 Corinthians 15:54). So you see,
some scriptures have not yet been fulfilled. This new creation man shall be the
one to fulfill them. Death destroyed. It is the enemy of mankind (1 Corinthians
15:26), and it must be put under His feet (Hebrews 10:13). So that which Jesus
came to do must be done by His new creation Man, the one who comes forth in His
image (Romans 8:29).
How is this death destroyed? Is it by everyone finally
dying or being raptured off the earth? Of course not! By this corruptible putting
on incorruption, and this mortal putting on immortality! By a demonstration in
the sight of all earth, as well in the eyes of principalities and powers in heavenly
places, of a new creation man living on earth without being subject to death,
sickness, accident or sin. How could you stop accidents? Psalms 91:11-12. "He
shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall
bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone." For Hebrews
1:14 tells us that angels are ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them
who shall be heirs of salvation.
Death has always been our escape from
this world of darkness into that glory world. But it shall not always be so. The
age of darkness shall come to an end, death shall be destroyed, and the knowledge
of His glory shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. Jacob saw this
house of God as a ladder, a means of transport from earth to heaven and heaven
to earth. Jesus said it was this "son of man" which should be the means of heaven
and earth being joined as one (John 1:51). So this is our work, the job left for
the feet company of Christ, to "tread upon the lion, the adder, and the dragon".
To put death under our feet and demonstrate a life where death cannot operate.
Praise God!
A Faithful Priesthood
As Jesus was a faithful and merciful
high priest in things pertaining to God (verse 17), so His Body must be the same.
A merciful priesthood. How this world needs mercy, and how little of it there
is! So He is raising up a new creation Man who is merciful. Many are concerned
about the qualifications necessary to be a part of this new creation Man. Some
seem to think that you must have great revelation, or gifts, or abilities. Not
so. But you must have mercy. The unmerciful man shall not be a part of this priesthood.
Nor the unfaithful. He was a merciful and faithful high priest. Faithfulness,
even in small things, and especially in things pertaining to God, is required
in any who desire to be in the High Calling.
In verse 12 the emphasis is
put upon Jesus declaring the name (which means the nature) of the Father to His
brethren, and of His singing praises to the Father in the midst of the Church.
Those who follow Him will do likewise. Jesus speaks prophetically in Psalms 22:22
and says: "I will declare they name unto my brethren." But in that same chapter,
verse 31, we see that He is referring to a many membered company called "a seed.
accounted to the Lord for a generation", and of them He says: "They shall come,
and shall declare His righteousness." Declaring His righteousness is not screaming
at the top of your voice that He is righteous, but it is manifesting that perfect
sinless life in a human vessel. It shall be done, and not just by one man, but
by a many membered "son of man", a seed, a generation.
A People of Praise
This new creation Man will also follow Jesus in a life of praise. Not on
a lower realm of educated mental assent to His greatness, and a fearful giving
of what you think He requires. But the high praises of God shall ring forth from
lives that have been given over completely to God, from hearts that are overflowing
with praises to our gracious and loving Father, and from spirits that have been
caught up into His presence, and are dwelling in that third heaven (the holy of
holies).
Psalms 149:5-6 exhorts us to "Let the saints be joyful in glory;
let them sing aloud upon their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth,
and a twoedged sword in their hand." In Ephesians 5:18-19, we read: "Be filled
with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for
all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
If
God's people only knew what victory there is in praising the Lord! It drives away
the spirits of darkness, despair, discouragement, defeat, and doubt. It heals
the body and lifts the spirit. It fills the mind with thoughts of God and holiness,
and closes every door to the devil's suggestions of fear, uncleanness, and sin.
Satan cannot get into your mind to cause you to think evil thoughts or tempt you
to sin while you are engaged in the high praises of God. When I was first converted
as a teen-age boy, more than 40 years ago, I was concerned about whether I would
be able to overcome all the temptations that I was facing. I had come from a broken
home, out of a life of sin, and my old gang did not want to give me up so easily.
But we used to sing a hymn called "Take the Name of Jesus with You". I remember
the second verse went like this: "Take the name of Jesus ever, as a shield from
every snare; if temptations round you gather, breathe that holy name in prayer."
Boy, I though, this is for me. If it works, I'll have no troubles with temptations.
Well, I won't say that I lived a perfect life all the time, but when temptations
came and I remembered in time to get out my secret weapon, I remember it was terribly
hard to enter into sin while saying: "Jesus". I didn't know about praising the
Lord, as we weren't taught along this line. All I knew about praising the Lord
was when the saints would get up in the "testimony meeting" or "praise service"
and say something like "I'm glad I'm saved, sanctified, and filled with the sweet
Holy Ghost; pray for me that I'll remain faithful to the end". I've been in this
battle now for many years, and I've learned a great deal about praising the Lord,
and it's effective use in dealing with the devil. It's a pitiful shame to see
that some of the Pentecostals have not progressed in God one-iota in the past
40 years. No wonder there are so many defeated lives, and so many dead Pentecostal
churches.
This new creation Man will know how to praise the Lord. "Blessed
(happy) is the people who know the joyful sound" (Psalms 89:25). Jesus knew how
to praise the Father while his enemies compassed him about. He did not have to
win a popularity contest in order to feel like praising. His praises came out
of a fountain within Him that never went dry. He spoke prophetically in Psalms
109 where we read the words of Jesus in verses 1-5. "Hold not thy peace, O God
of my praise; For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened
against me; they have spoken against me with a lying tongue. They compassed me
about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause. For my
love they are my adversaries; but I give myself unto prayer. And they have rewarded
me evil for good, and hatred for my love." The following verses identify the speaker
here as Jesus.
As with Jesus the pattern, so also the new creation Man.
How I have found myself in these verses. The Amplified Bible says: "They have
spoken to me and against me with a lying tongue. And they have rewarded and laid
upon me evil for good, and hatred for my love." These principles are never more
clearly seen than in our association with a local church. Here in Springfield
we have had some outstanding examples. I will not deal with personalities or cite
specific cases, but only deal with the methods Satan uses in trying to destroy
a man of God or a local church. You can extend love, help, and hospitality to
many people, only to have some of them turn on you later with such force and venomous
hatred that would almost shake your faith in humanity. I know that we can expect
this from the world of sinners, but I am speaking of Spirit-filled (?) people
who claim to be pressing into Sonship. And everyone of them feels completely justified
in their actions toward you. They can burn the telephone up with malicious gossip
and evil stories about you, yet go to church and sing the praises of God. The
Apostle James says that this ought not to be so. They can go from house to house
trying to discourage the people and tear up the church, yet where their efforts
fail they come right back to church and get up behind the pulpit as though nothing
happened. They can partake of your hospitality, eat at your table, yet in a time
of crisis will forsake you, and believe and repeat ugly stories about you. Then
when crisis is over, and the ugly stories have proven false, they come back and
put their feet under your table again, with never an asking for forgiveness or
a sign of repentance.
So what is the new creation Man to do? Just keep
on praising God! For he walks in a realm of praise, not in a realm of complaints
and self-pity. Jesus was not complaining or feeling sorry for Himself in Psalms
109. He was merely stating facts, telling it like it is, to let us know that we
can expect this kind of treatment, but that in spite of all this, He is the God
of our praise. Glory to God! With all the hatred, opposition and venom that has
been poured out on our little church, you'd think that we would have folded up
and sneaked out of town to look for a more peaceful place. But we just keep on
praising God. Everything the enemy said, God disannulled. They said the church
would collapse and be closed in six months. They said the church would fail financially,
but since then we have sent thousands of dollars to the mission field, plus helped
local and visiting ministers, helped young folks through Bible school, and are
stronger today financially than ever. They said the anointing had left the church,
yet the past few months the anointing has been greater than I have ever seen in
this place over an extended period of time. The glory of God has just flooded
in upon us, sovereignly and spontaneously.
What is the principle involved?
God will disannull every word of Satan, if you will only believe for it and accept
it as done. You don't have to believe the lies of the enemy, you can just keep
on praising God! The more opposition you get, and the more lies that are told
on you, the greater glory you can come to. Just stay out of the realm of self-pity
and complaining. Don't receive words of death. "Thou preparest a table before
me in the presence of mine enemies; thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth
over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I
will dwell in the house of the Lord forever". This is our inheritance! This is
the privileged path of the new creation Man! Just keep right on praising our Jesus,
the pattern Son who taught us this good way! You are part of a New Creation in
Christ Jesus!
Let us now proceed to chapter three of this great book of
Hebrews and learn of the House of God, over which Christ is the Son.
Bill
Britton Hebrews the Book of better things 