²³ And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. ²⁴ And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. ²⁵ And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” ²⁶ And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. ²⁷ And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?” (Matthew 8:23-27)

I daresay that compared to the faith of Christ all of us now have “little faith,” but some have less and some have more faith than others. We live now in that time prophesied by Jesus when “men’s hearts will faint with fear from what is coming upon the earth.” The sons of Satan are now well upon their way upon destroying much of the beautiful earth God has created. He is busily destroying this world even now with his manifold nefarious schemes. And some of us do not now possess the faith we need to meet the disasters lurking around the next corner. My hope is that this little teaching will help us acquire the faith we need in order to prevail. Everything depends upon acknowledging and feeding the implanted word of God within us. Remember the word of James, brother of Jesus.

   Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creation.

    [19] Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;  [20] for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness that God requires.  [21] Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.  James 1:18-21 (ESV)

The book of James, like every other book of the Bible, speaks primarily about the salvation of the soul, not the spirit.  The reason for this is that Jesus’ death and resurrection effected spiritual salvation for every man, woman, and child who ever lived or will live and nothing we can do will add or subtract from that.  This is our spiritual salvation.  It is true that we need to learn about that and come to believe it so that we understand that we have now been reconciled to God through Jesus.  The next thing we must do, though, is to get up and walk out of our prison of sin, our bondage to sin.  This deals with the salvation of the soul and is accomplished through the implanted word. This is that which will empower us to prevail in the dark days.

One of Jesus’ most memorable parables concerns the implanted word.  He said,

“A sower went out to sow.  [4] And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them.  [5] Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil,  [6] but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away.  [7] Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.  [8] Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.  [9] He who has ears, let him hear.”  Matthew 13:3-9 (ESV)

 No one, of course, could understand this parable so Jesus explained it, saying,

“Hear then the parable of the sower:  [19] When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path.  [20] As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy,  [21] yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.  [22] As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.  [23] As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”  Matthew 13:18-23 (ESV)

Many people interpret this story to mean that only the last group of people achieve ultimate salvation while the rest fail to get saved and so spend eternity in hell.  That is wrong and false doctrine.  We are the soil, the earth upon which the seed is scattered.  Remember, God made man of the dust of the ground.  The seed is the word of God.  Each man, each piece and type of soil, hears the word of God in some form during his life.  That person, that soil, bears his own responsibility with respect to the word he hears.  Everyone hears the word of God through a variety of sources. The question is, what is each one going to do with that specific word God has given to him or her?

James says to to receive the word with meekness.  We each have hard hearts that want to go our own way.  We always think we are right, but we need to meekly admit and accept that only God is really right and that Jesus tells us through his word exactly what God says is right.  Consider the prophets:

The word “break up” here means to “to till the soil.”  We are the soil.  This phrase speaks of breaking up, or tilling, our hard unproductive ground, our hard hearts.  In order for the the word of God to take root in our soil, our individual lives, our land first needs to be tilled and broken up.  This is partly each man’s responsibility.  This is why the Bible teaches both God’s sovereignty and man’s duty.   God plants his word in us, but what have we done to prepare and keep the soil he has planted his word within?

Is your life characterized by impotence with respect to God’s word?  Do you find that the devil always snatches the word from you, leaving you unproductive in the sight of God?  Do you fret and worry about all things, failing to trust God for your provision?  Do you lust for ever more worldly goods?  Do you plow with wickedness instead of the word of God and, therefore, reap iniquity and eat the fruit of lies? Then break up your fallow ground!  Receive with meekness the implanted word!  Just begin to do the first thing that you know the word says to do.  Your ground is not destined to always remain hard and unproductive.  Shoulder your responsibility and get on with it.  Like a farmer, begin to turn your unproductive soil (life) into land that produces fruit.  Remember, God is making man into his image and your decision to become part of that process is integral to that plan.

This is how each of us must now prepare for the evil days we have entered. These days will grow harder and more evil. The devil is afoot, but greater is he who dwells within us. Now take this little teaching and grow in faith. Remember the word of God which you have and do it. This will begin to break up your fallow ground and will allow new seed (word of God) to sprout, which will in turn cause new and greater faith to arise in your heart.

The Biblical feast of Second Passover begins this week on the evening of Tuesday, April 23. The Passover Lamb itself for this feast this year would be sacrificed in the afternoon of April 24 and the prophetic Passover of the firstborn sons of God would occur during the night of April 24 into April 25. I have now come to believe that God will “birth the manchild” at this particular time in some particular year. Please see my recent series on the Feast of Passover to understand what I am talking about if you don’t already. Also read my previous posts concerning Second Passover. (You can use the search bar at the right)

My point is this, Jesus prophetically fulfilled First Passover by resurrecting from the dead as the firstborn son of God. The Manchild, the overcomer first fruits sons of God, will, I believe, fulfill second passover by being “passed over” by the death angel and will then be changed “in the twinkling of an eye” into their immortal bodies. All of this will, I think, happen on some future week of Second Passover (which also includes the second week of unleavened bread). This could happen this year, but I have no specific word from the LORD about that. I actually do not think it will happen this week, but I do believe the year is near when it will.

As always, then, keep your spiritual house in order and free of leaven, without sin and hypocrisy.

The LORD be with you this beautiful day!

If anyone had a right to revolt against the ruling powers Jesus did. After all, Jesus is the one who grants authority to all earthly rulers and spiritual powers since he actually rules them as their creator. Remember what he told Pontius Pilate just before he allowed himself to be crucified.

33 So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” 35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” 37 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” 38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” (John 18:33-38)

9 He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. 10 So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” 11 Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.” (John 19:9-11)

And so it is yet today. Our instruction from Jesus is to “love not the world, nor the things of this world” for “if anyone loves the world, then the love of the Father is not in him.” See 1 John 2:15. The “world” in view here includes all the governments and social constructs of men. At this present time no group of men can arise which will ultimately do better than what we now see. All men are given to sin and sooner or later all governments will fall into tyranny as we now see. This does not mean that Christians should not be involved in government. I believe the hand of ultimate evil has been held back by Godly influences in high places, just as Daniel surely affected the rule of King Nebuchadnezzar and Joseph the power of Pharaoh. We may be called to die for our faith… Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den. But, we are not called to kill other men because we do not like their government. Paul exhorted slaves to remain slaves and Jesus told his followers to turn their other cheek when someone hit their other one.

This world is not the Kingdom of God. God does not call us to fight and kill men so that we can establish something that we think is closer to it. That Kingdom will never come until Jesus glorifies his overcomers and places them in their positions of authority within his Kingdom. It is time for Christians to get over their fetish of linking guns with God and begin to really obey him. He will not be pleased with any of us if we appear before his throne with men’s blood on our hands.

* This article is written is response to a Christian woman’s blog you read by clicking here.

The reason why it is important to understand that Passover relates to the firstborn instead of all people (at the present time) is because the entire Scripture was written for the chosen overcomers, not for the whole world. Jesus spoke in parables for this reason… to hide the truth from the general masses of humanity, not to explain it to them. Matthew says,

¹⁰ Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” ¹¹ And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. ¹² For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. ¹³ This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. ¹⁴ Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:

¹⁶ But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. ¹⁷ For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. (Matthew 13:10-17 ESV)

Later in this same chapter Matthew said,

³⁴ All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. ³⁵ This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet:^[e]

The question we face now is, “Why does God make this so hard?” We have to turn back to Isaiah chapter 6, the chapter Jesus quoted above, in order to understand. Following is that chapter in its entirety.

6 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train^[a] of his robe filled the temple. ² Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. ³ And one called to another and said:

⁴ And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. ⁵ And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

⁶ Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. ⁷ And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

⁸ And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” ⁹ And he said, “Go, and say to this people:

This chapter begins with God revealing himself to the prophet Isaiah. Immediately upon receiving that revelation Isaiah “mourns” over his sinful condition and realizes he is “poor in spirit,” so poor in fact that he even calls his lips unclean. By responding in this way Isaiah shows that he, initially at least, qualifies to begin walking as an overcomer. In response to his heart’s cry “without guile” God sends a seraphim to touch his lips with a live, hot coal. This represents (is a type of) the baptism of fire (roasting the lamb) that every overcomer must go through. At this point Isaiah qualifies for the ministry of the word of God. God asks who will go to preach for Elohim and Isaiah volunteers. Then God gives him his marching orders. Isaiah will indeed preach the word of God (it is sweet in his mouth), but its outworking will be bitter (eating bitter herbs) because no one will understand him.

Then Isaiah wonders, how long will this go on? How long will it be until people will finally begin to understand your Word? God answers that this will not occur until judgments come and until the holy seed (firstborn, firstfruits, overcomers) are a mere stump in the land, all that is left of that huge tree today which sees itself as the Kingdom of God on earth, the Church. The overcomers will have been the only ones:

1. Who applied the blood of the Passover lamb to the doors and lintel of their lives (souls),
2. Who ate the lamb with unleavened bread (representing a soul without guile and hyprocrisy which has embraced the true doctrine of Christ, or as Paul says, “not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”
3. Who ate the lamb with bitter herbs (they submitted to a life of travail and bitterness of soul as they worked out their soul’s salvation in fear and trembling)
4. Who ate the lamb roasted in the fire, not boiled in water or eaten raw (the overcomers submitted to the baptism of fire allowing God’s word to burn the dross, the sin, out of their souls)
5. Who roasted and ate the lamb whole, with its head, legs, and inner parts (they did not pick and choose the words of God they would apply to their lives; to them the Word of God is as a seamless garment which conveys one truth, God’s truth, and one law, and all of it is to be eaten)
6. Who ate the lamb without breaking its bones (Of course the people of Israel did not pick up the whole lamp and pass it around for each person to take a bite of it; they cut the joints and marrow with a sharp knife. This represents the truth of Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Overcomers learn to discern the word of God and submit to the Spirit’s work in them. They understand that the Word seeks to convert their souls, not just bring their spirits a one-time salvation that does not affect their earthly lives)
7. Who ate all the lamb in one night (who consumed Christ’s flesh and blood during their one life time, that is, who assimilated his word into their very souls and made it part of them during their earthly life, thus becoming one flesh with Christ; since they attempted to eat all of Christ what remains of him that was not eaten (not understood or assimilated during their lives) will be “burned in the fire;” it will be imputed to them by faith at their judgment just before their glorification)
8. Who ate the Passover lamb (Christ) with their loins girded (according to Ephesians 6:10-18 they learned of and submitted to Christ having their most vulnerable body parts protected with the belt of truth)
9. Who ate the Lamb with their feet shod with the Gospel of peace (again according to Ephesians 6)
10. Who ate the Lamb with his staff in his hand (the staff or rod represents the blossoming almond tree rod of Jeremiah 1:11; this speaks of new life, resurrected life, which will first be displayed in each overcomer, each firstborn manchild, the firstfruits of God)
11. Who ate the Lamb in haste (in some mystery I don’t understand the obedience of the overcomers hastens the coming of the Day of the LORD according to Peter,
    

    ⁸ But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. ⁹ The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you,^[a] not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. ¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies^[b] will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.^[c]

    ¹¹ Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, ¹² waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! ¹³ But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. (2 Peter 3:8-13)

12. Who became circumcised by faith in Christ before they ate of him, their Lamb (“For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. (Colossians 2:9-15)
13. Who came out of Babylon and refused to eat the Passover Lamb with uncircumcised foreigners (overcomers did not fellowship in Christ with those who refused to acknowledge, accept, and consume Christ in faith also)
14. Who ate the Lamb in One House, God’s House, as a firstborn son of God (“Therefore, holy brothers,^[a] you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, ² who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s^[b] house. ³ For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. ⁴ (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) ⁵ Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, ⁶ but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.” (Hebrews 3:1-6, ESV)

Yes, many are called, but few, very few are chosen. For the vast majority of those called the word of God spoken to Isaiah and quoted by Christ has proved true:

“‘Keep on hearing,^[c] but do not understand;
keep on seeing,^[d] but do not perceive.’
¹⁰ Make the heart of this people dull,^[e]
    and their ears heavy,
    and blind their eyes;
lest they see with their eyes,
    and hear with their ears,
and understand with their hearts,
    and turn and be healed.”

I didn’t say it. The LORD said it.

¹⁹ You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” ²⁰ But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” ²¹ Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? ²² What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, ²³ in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— ²⁴ even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? ²⁵ As indeed he says in Hosea,

²⁷ And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel^[c] be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, ²⁸ for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.” ²⁹ And as Isaiah predicted,

³⁰ What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; ³¹ but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness^[d] did not succeed in reaching that law. ³² Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, ³³ as it is written,

Today we hear much about “guns and God” as if being a Christian means that we need to enshrine the second amendment in our hearts and vow to bear arms against any tyranny that oppresses us. Evidently these people believe Jesus himself would have carried a concealed weapon or worn a holster with a six-shooter if Rome had had its own equivalent to the second amendment. I believe the multitude of Christian political pundits and commentators do not really know the teachings of the God they claim to serve. Giants rule our land today, not Christians. Christians want to keep their guns so they can fight them. But, they face a defeat exactly like the rebellious Israelites who refused to take the land by faith.

The people of God could have stood for righteousness over the past three generations as America fell away from its Godly heritage, but they did not. Instead they entered in and took part in the increasing lawlessness and debauchery of society. When the Supreme Court outlawed prayer and the Bible in their public schools in 1962 they did nothing. They continued to send their infants there as sending sheep to the slaughter. When the Supreme Court made abortion the law of the land in 1973 again they did nothing… they even began paying for abortions for their sons and daughters. When their public schools became havens for drugs and sex education and when they kicked Christ out of Christmas again they did nothing. They still supported the public schools when in a day, if all Christians had withdrawn their children, they could have reformed their schools. Now it is too late to reform. Tyranny has come to fruition and full bloom. And now Christians want to arm themselves for the coming revolution?

Today giants rule in the land called America, not Christians. Christians did not fight the giants when they could have. Instead they partied with them, married them, and became one with them. Yes, they rode them just as Revelation describes the harlot Babylon (defiled Christians) riding the beast (man’s government and ways). And now they want to fight the beast? Read Revelation 17 and 18 to understand what will happen to her when she does. And this is all according to the prophetic pattern of parabolic history told in the Book of Numbers in the following passage:

And Moses told these sayings unto all the children of Israel: and the people mourned greatly. And they rose up early in the morning, and gat them up into the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we be here, and will go up unto the place which the LORD hath promised: for we have sinned. And Moses said, Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of the LORD? but it shall not prosper. Go not up, for the LORD is not among you; that ye be not smitten before your enemies. For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and ye shall fall by the sword: because ye are turned away from the LORD, therefore the LORD will not be with you. But they presumed to go up unto the hill top: nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and Moses, departed not out of the camp. Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, even unto Hormah. (Numbers 14:39-45 KJV)

Christian, beware. Do not take up arms against the sovereign who rules this nation. Caesar and his provincial rulers were no friends to Jesus, Paul, James, John, Peter and Matthew. Yet, they never, never counseled us to fight against the rulers which God ordained. Instead, we need to depend upon the LORD Jesus himself as the women in the story linked here did!

As we continue to wait upon Jesus establishing his kingdom, let us rest in peace in his loving arms.

A Song of ^(A)Ascents. Of David.

A Song of Ascents.

1 Remember, O Lord, in David’s favor,
all the hardships he endured,
2 how he swore to the Lord
and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,
3 “I will not enter my house
or get into my bed,
4 I will not give sleep to my eyes
or slumber to my eyelids,
5 until I find a place for the Lord,
a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.” (Psalm 132:1-5, ESV)

The promise of God’s eternal kingdom, God’s house, came to David, but God did not allow David to see its fulfillment. Why not?

6 Then he called for Solomon his son and charged him to build a house for the Lord, the God of Israel. 7 David said to Solomon, “My son, I had it in my heart to build a house to the name of the Lord my God. 8 But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘You have shed much blood and have waged great wars. You shall not build a house to my name, because you have shed so much blood before me on the earth. 9 Behold, a son shall be born to you who shall be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his surrounding enemies. For his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days. 10 He shall build a house for my name. He shall be my son, and I will be his father, and I will establish his royal throne in Israel forever.’ ( 1 Chronicles 22:6-10)

David was a man of action and a man of blood. He conquered kingdoms in the name of the LORD. He was a man after God’s own heart and his ministry was great indeed! Yet, he remained a man of flesh, a carnal man subject to sin, and the Scripture declares, “flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God.” (1 Cor. 15:50) David could not inherit the Kingdom, but today we can. Why? Because yesterday we made the twelfth ascent, the step into God’s rest. Yesterday we laid down our own plans, our own designs for great ministries for God. Yesterday we quieted our souls before him, determined to hope only in him, and ceased to occupy ourselves with matters too great for us. Yesterday we gave up our guns and our bows and arrows and determined that we would not be men of blood. I will not die with a man’s blood on my hands… will you? I am not a man of blood… are you?

Today we become sons, the prophetic fulfillment of Solomon, son of David.

Lo, we heard of it at Ephratah: we found it in the fields of the wood. We will go into his tabernacles: we will worship at his footstool. (Psalms 132:6-7 KJV)

Ephratah is Bethlehem, the place of our LORD’s birth. We know of Jesus and we know he was born in Bethlehem Ephratah. We always heard that the word Immanuel, which means God with us, referred only to him. But, no, the prophecy concerns us. God is with us, within us, and soon we will become the very habitation of God as the rest of this wonderful psalm makes clear.

8 Arise, O Lord, and go to your resting place,
you and the ark of your might.

When we fully and completely enter God’s rest, then we will literally become his resting place. At that moment of complete rest he will transform these lowly bodies into immortal bodies. At that moment the “ark of his might” permeates our entire being. His Law will become part of our very being and we will be enabled to obey it perfectly. Rather than consuming it any longer, his Word, his manna, will consume us and we will become living expressions of the Word of God. We, now the dead in our sins, a dead tree, will have budded like Aaron’s almond branch into new eternal life!

9 Let your priests be clothed with righteousness,
and let your saints shout for joy.

It is at this time that God clothes us with righteousness. Finally we will become the priests of the Most High which he has ordained us to be. Our ordination comes not from man, for only God can ordain his priests who arise in the Order of Melchizedek, just as Jesus was of that Order.

10 For the sake of your servant David,
do not turn away the face of your anointed one. 

This promise is sure because God made particular promises to David concerning the eternal nature of his throne. We who believe in Jesus and have determined to obey the Gospel he has given us are the anointed ones spoken of here. God will not turn his face from us. In fact, the songs of ascent are all about ascending into the very presence of God where we will actually see God’s face. Verses 11 and 12 tell us God’s specific promise regarding this.

11 The Lord swore to David a sure oath
from which he will not turn back:
“One of the sons of your body[a]
I will set on your throne.
12 If your sons keep my covenant
and my testimonies that I shall teach them,
their sons also forever
shall sit on your throne.”

What follows is, in my opinion, one of the most interesting spiritual concepts in all Scripture, which is that God’s people literally become New Jerusalem, the eternal dwelling place of God and the Lamb of God.

13 For the Lord has chosen Zion;
he has desired it for his dwelling place:
14 “This is my resting place forever;
here I will dwell, for I have desired it.
15 I will abundantly bless her provisions;
I will satisfy her poor with bread.
16 Her priests I will clothe with salvation,
and her saints will shout for joy.
17 There I will make a horn to sprout for David;
I have prepared a lamp for my anointed.

This passage also makes it clear that no one is fully “saved” until the time of their glorification, until the time when God has completed his work upon their souls and clothes them with righteousness and salvation. At this time his chiseling upon us, his affliction of us, ceases and takes us and places us into the eternal city, the city we have sojourned toward all our lives. Then we will shout for joy and then our horn, our strength will become evident to all. At that time these overcomers will begin to rule with a rod of iron and will begin to bring the entire earth into the subjection of their King. So, this song ends,

18 His enemies I will clothe with shame,
but on him his crown will shine.

The prophecies given to Anna show that this event is about to take place. Months ago God was showing Anna that she was going to go through tribulation in her flesh. As she began to obey what he showed her that revelation changed from that given to carnal Christians to that given to overcoming spiritual Christians. God took her a long way in a short time. I believe that her words affected other sleeping Christians and that they too have now awakened. The time is upon us. If you do not understand these words, then it is probably too late to avoid tribulation. Nevertheless, the LORD will provide you protection through the overcomers who will soon be glorified. If you just woke up, then pray that God will hide you in the shadow of his wing.

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