Chapter #3 - The Ephod – Part #3 – The Calling Applied

There is a true Ephod and there is a false Ephod.

The true Ephod is experienced by any Son or Daughter of God who is willing to lay down their lives completely to overcome all things and be found IN CHRIST without their own righteousness {which comes by religious works}. That true Ephod comes as a “calling” which is accompanied by an “anointing”.

The false Ephod is built entirely by the offerings of one’s own wealth and ability and by the ability to perform “religious” works.

The true Ephod is found in the description of the Ephod from various verses of scripture from Exodus 25:7 where it is first mentioned to Exodus 39:22 where it is last mentioned in it’s description. There are then dozens more verses to follow which compare the true and false Ephod as well as Israel in contention with God by NOT having ANY Ephod. Hosea 3:4

The false Ephod’s first example is shown in the life of Gideon. Although he was a true prophet of the Lord, he created a false Ephod which became a stumbling block to his personal family and all the children of Israel which went whoring after it. Judges 8:27 This Ephod which Gideon made was built by offerings of gold and precious stones from the peoples of Succoth {brothels, tents for unpure purposes} and Penuel {The face of God}. In other words, the Ephod built by the misguided prophet was built from a people filled with MIXTURE.

What mixture? The mix between FLESH AND SPIRIT. As God’s overcomers, we must first admit that we are not yet just SPIRIT. We are also beset by flesh and fleshly sins and iniquities which grow along side our spirit. Both are growing up together. The flesh becoming more and more contrary to God and His Word, the spirit coming more and more into the maturity of our calling as Sons and Daughters. The Ephod Gideon built was made outside of the pattern given to Moses and was therefore cast aside as a snare.

I said all that to show in this blog how we are in a quandry in this hour. We desire to walk in spirit, but are still beset by flesh and the carnal mind. But let me leave that issue and concentrate on “spirit” and the calling of God to overcome all things.

Picture this in your mind.

God brings a soul to salvation in Christ. Then, over the process of time and growth that person applies sections of the Word of God into their own lives to become
1) Separate from the world
2) Separate unto God
3) Separate from the world by persecution from the “religious” of the world
4) Separate from God in their thinking at times because of the iniquities of their own flesh.

The time comes when God calls one to “Come out from among them {the religious and personal religious/iniquitous efforts}, and BE YE SEPARATE.

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.
And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. 2Co 6:17,18

There comes a time in the life of a Son or Daughter of God when they recieve THE HIGH CALLING to overcome. Not everyone will hear this calling. Only a few that God in His Sovereignty chooses for this place. These overcomers are separated from every thing else in this world. Separate from family ties, from societies, from clubs, meetings, groups, churches, establishments and anything political. It is my personal belief that the Sons and Daughters of God that are called this way are PRIESTS unto the Lord, and in time, UNTO the inhabitants of the world, just like Christ as He interceeds for us on our behalf. They too are in training to be the link between man and God, and God and man. But not just a link, but more.

They are in training to be those who will be called “overcomers”. There they stand, at the ready, clothed in the righteousness of Christ. The decision in their minds is to forsake everything else and follow Christ withersoever He goes. Revelation 14:1. They have had attributes of God already applied to them, His grace, His spirit, the fruit of His spirit, denoted and typified by the garments of the High Priest in Exodus. There they stand, nearly complete. Then comes the final touch, the completion of their calling, but the beginning of God’s intimate inworkings. The application of the Ephod.

This Ephod being applied to them becomes one with their calling. It is the positive proof of their separation from all other things, and at the same time it is positive proof of their calling to in time become ONE with all other things! This Ephod gives the assent of Royalty to those who thus wear and adorn this upon their spiritual lives. In this hour, the overcomers wear the Holy Royal Ephod of God in spirit and nothing can separate them from it.

I see two natures or two pictures worked into an overcomer. Speaking from personal experience, I can see God working two ways in the lives of those who would conquer their own flesh, the life of the world and the death of the world.

They have the nature of MOSES and the nature of ELIJAH working in them. These two witnesses comprise the true body of Christ in the earth and are typified by Moses and Elijah. An overcomer has BOTH working in them. Revelation 11:3 – 19

What I see is that the Ephod represents the Moses company. Those who obey the commandments of God and keep the faith of Christ. Revelation 14:12. Not that they are BOUND to the Law of the Old Testament order, but that the law is FUFILLED in them that believe. Romans 8:4. And the Elijah company, those who bear this purple mantle of His anointing {The mantle that Elijah wore}. The overcomer will bear both the Ephod and the mantle. This mantle of Elijah that was passed on to Elisha is passed on to each son of the sonship company. This Royal Purple Mantle of His anointing SHALL NOT DEPART FROM THEM.

{From The Visscher Family Homepage}
QUOTE:
PROPHECY: “Behold!! Yea, the spirit of truth would speak, yea, unto thee. For thou hast been called to be a Son of the Most High God. Fear thou not !! For this mantle that I have placed upon thy shoulder, yea, even as the mantle was placed upon my servant Elijah !! and yea, and then Elisha !!; I say unto thee that I have called thee to be a part of the Elijah company.

Yea, fear not, yea, the heat of the fire of the Holy Ghost that is burning within. For He is yea, this consuming one. Yea that would consume those things that are not of the spirit of thy Christ. For thy Savior has called thee, with a high and holy call. And I say unto thee, that thou shalt choose to walk daily as a humble one.

Yea, I shall cause a work to be done within thee; where thou hast not experienced this yet. But I say unto thee, that I shall become intimate with thee. Thou shalt commune with thy Father in a greater and deeper way than thou hast here to fore. And I say untoThee, this communion is yea, the deep calling the deep within thy soul.
End Quote.

The overcomer bears BOTH symbolisms IN SPIRIT in their walk and in their testimony. If you would see them in the spirit, you would see them both ways. Some are more slanted to be of the Elijah Company, some of the Moses Company, but both compliment the other and are HIS BODY IN THE EARTH.

If you look back on your life you can note the time when a decision came into your mind. You may even know the exact time and date. This decision was to follow the Lord, no matter what it costs you, and that God’s will shall be completely done in your life no matter what it costs you. I remember it as being a covenant in prayer wherein I asked God to PUT me in truth and KEEP me in truth no matter what it costs me personally. That is the High calling of God brethren. This is what separates a Son or Daughter of God from christendom. They will NOT fit into any scheme or system of man because they have now been set apart to minister TO the Lord in the Spirit of Holiness, and in time, to minister this same life to humanity.

The overcomer who thus allows the Ephod and the Mantle to abide upon them will not be sorry in the end for they will inherit all things. Revelation 21:7.

The application of the Ephod and the Mantle of His anointing is a noteworthy time in the life of a child of God. They will know WHEN that happened and that since then they have been set aside by His hand.

The enemy of our souls, and our own carnal minds will lie to us and show us our failures. Our age in years may also condemn us in our thoughts. But the calling of God to OVERCOME is not based on our failure or outward appearance, but on HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS and the SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD.

Note this. God is applying the calling and successful conclusion of our walk as a SOVEREIGN act of His HOLINESS. No one is WORTHY to say that they did something special or unique to be called an overcomer. They cannot boast or state that they were better than someone else. They are destined to share the Throne of God eternally, ruling and reigning over creation forevermore. And yet they cannot boast of such a thing. They are set there BECAUSE of God’s mercy and calling and NO OTHER REASON.

This calling is not displayed by any lack or success in our daily walk. It is a Holy Sovereign thing known to God alone.

by Kenneth B Visscher from  (just click!)

The purpose of this blog, The Order of Melchizedek, has been to provide teaching to and prepare God’s Overcomer.  Prophet Kenneth B. Visscher is an overcomer and now I will post some of his teachings regarding the perfect stones who will one day make up New Jerusalem.

The Ephod – Part #2 – The Overcomers Outward Appearance

 And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and an embroidered coat, a miter, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.
Exodus 28:4 (please read the rest of the chapter)

But to those who are called, whether Jew or Greek (Gentile), Christ [is] the Power of God and the Wisdom of God.
[This is] because the foolish thing [that has its source in] God is wiser than men, and the weak thing [that springs] from God is stronger than men.
For [simply] consider your own call, brethren; not many [of you were considered to be] wise according to human estimates and standards, not many influential and powerful, not many of high and noble birth.
[No] for God selected (deliberately chose) what in the world is foolish to put the wise to shame, and what the world calls weak to put the strong to shame.
And God also selected (deliberately chose) what in the world is lowborn and insignificant and branded and treated with contempt, even the things that are nothing, that He might depose and bring to nothing the things that are,
So that no mortal man should [have pretense for glorying and] boast in the presence of God.
But it is from Him that you have your life in Christ Jesus, Whom God made our Wisdom from God, [revealed to us a knowledge of the divine plan of salvation previously hidden, manifesting itself as] our Righteousness [thus making us upright and putting us in right standing with God], and our Consecration [making us pure and holy], and our Redemption [providing our ransom from eternal penalty for sin].
1 Corinthians 1:24 – 30

One of the things about my life is that is looks so weird, so different, so abnormal from those in the world. Here I sit, all these years, a strong large man on a disability pension and with no outward show of labor or work that people in the world would approve of. A man that has been set aside even from his teen years, and now, close to 4 decades later, that setting aside has not changed. I have not been allowed to be “normal” as the world says. Was this a matter of my own choice or did God “command” this of my life?

When my life is compared to others, I look totally unsuccessful. My physical appearance and my talents and abilities just simply do not fit in with what the world would term “normal”.

And not just me. But my wife. She came from a family who’s only impetus was making money and being found with a huge retirement income and lots and lots of personal wealth. Education was the key thing and all for self was what she was raised with.

When my wife and I came together in 1976, the Lord had spoken to both of us that HE had placed us together in a marriage that was of Him. My wife paid a great price marrying a brain injured man who would not be able to support her by his own hand. Totally opposite to the will of her natural father and her family, she obeyed the Lord and followed Christ as to relates to marrying me.

For many years her family came to her to bribe her to leave me. They were and are all very wealthy, we are dirt poor. They offered her a fully paid university education, a brand new home on the Pacific Coast, a new vehicle and a large bank account, all she had to do was “leave” me.

But she knew that there are TRUE RICHES in obeying the Lord, and besides all that, we love each other very much.

So the family on my side and on her side see us as quite different from normal. But all to wise ends.

When you view the image of the High Priest in the photo above, he looks absolutely weird and strange to natural thinking. But the garments of the High Priest were full of symbolism and truth which effect us to this very hour. It is not the garments the High Priest wore that effects us, but the symbolism and truths as foundational principles displayed by it that effects us. The priest was separate, weird looking to the world, but separated unto God. Just like my marriage.

By all outward appearance, the true overcomer looks weird to the world. They GLORY in the Cross of Christ, which they share in. They do not run with the same excess of riot as do the people in the world with massive parties and immoral acts. 1 Peter 4:4. They spend their time working out their lives to OBEY the Lord and the principles found in His word WITHOUT becoming “religious” about it. The overcomer in this hour is a real, down to earth person who’s head is not stuck up in the clouds and who does not allow their lives to become exalted by anything other than the workings of their own personal crosses. They do not try or attempt to gain standing or wealth or riches in the earth nor do they try to make a name for themselves. They care not about reputation in business nor about the day to day life of the world as it relates to them. They have shut themselves apart unto the Lord and they do not try to escape His dealings in their lives. Plain and simple, they look weird. They are like my wife. They are OPPOSITE to what her family would approve of. Instead of looking to gain earthly wealth, they are busy standing still, waiting for God to work His purposes out IN THEM. They have no ulterior motive, no final goal other than to be found In Christ with His righteousness and they offer to God nothing more than their very lives. The world is busy saving and working for the future, the overcomer knows that there is no future outside of obedience to God alone.

The overcomer does not fit into a church system or denomination. They may be there for a time, but eventually they will not be a part of a system as they will be that square peg that won’t fit the system’s round hole. An overcomer will be the first one to admit they are not worthy of the Lord. They never boast of their standing in God or the promise Christ makes that they will rule and reign in Him. The overcomer, rather than rejoicing in the fact that they will be granted to sit and rule with Christ upon the Eternal Throne is much more interested in allowing God to deal with their hearts and lives and to obey His every desire for them while they traverse this earth. The overcomer knows that this world is not their home, but at the same time they live in the reality of it, in the nitty gritty of it, paying bills, keeping house or job, set to the task that is before them. They do not live as a part of the world but like the High Priest, they live separate from it.

The overcomer will also be like Daniel in the Old Testament, a prophet showing forth the end of this 2nd world creation. Daniel was SUPPORTED by Babylon. Allot of the sons of God I have seen, myself included, are so wounded, so disabled, so hurt and broken that they are actually not able to fend for themselves as relates to the work the world requires for a person to make ends meet. Some of them are carpenters, plumbers, seamstresses, housewives, secretaries. None of them have high standing or seek political office. None of them fit the groove of the world as to making things “better”. They have their gaze fixed on the NEW WORLD that God has promised, the 3rd world of scripture, the New Earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. They are born out of time, before their time. They have no idea how or where to gain wealth here and now as they do not live here and now. They do, but they don’t! They are in HOPE for the final work that God has promised wherein God will be ALL IN ALL. That is where their vision is before them and their appearance is set with faces like flints to that final goal.

An overcomer may speak of themselves just to make a point, but they love to speak of the Lord. The problem is they don’t have very many they can speak to. Most of the christian world, which I call christendom has rejected them and cast them off.

An overcomer may be asked by God to walk through severe and hurtful deception. They may become wired by a wrong spirit for a time! God ORDERS the enemy of their souls to take them at times TO DEAL WITH PERSONAL PRIDE AND EGO.

{Please click HERE http://http//www.greater-emmanuel.org/v/Come_Out_Of_Deception.html to view my experience.}

They may be led by spirits of deception down a garden path. BUT IT IS NOT PERMANENT. In time they will humble themselves and the spirit of truth will show them the error of their way and they will OVERCOME IT BY REPENTANCE. Then they will have an even sharper sword, even stronger armor and even a more firm stance in faith than they ever had before! It is the heart God is dealing with in the overcomer, and sometimes they can be led wrong, to learn to be led right! An overcomer will learn DISCERNMENT that christendom and the world can never understand.

An overcomer will know they are a Priest of the Lord, even of the Melchizedek Order. The High Priest of Jesus day, Caiaphas knew that Jesus was indeed the Christ. After he delivered Christ to be crucified he wrote a letter to the Jewish leaders of his time and ordered that the sacrifices and oblations done in the temple at Jerusalem be stopped – for he had “killed” the final sacrifice. The High Priest has DISCERNMENT. By faith we know we are of the Melchizedek order – BUT WE MAY NOT ACT OR FEEL LIKE IT. Because God is still purifying our hearts.

My wife and I home educated our 3 sons for 14 years now. We are still educating Joe, our last son, Josh and Luke are on their own now. Josh is nearly done university. Anyways, we joined up with the families in this area many years ago who were also home educating their children. There were in our area alone around 100 families.

Well, we found out very quickly that we did not fit in with the home education group! The same thing happened to us there that happened to us from denominational churches and from christendom in general. They REJECTED US. We were CAST OUT. Family and all.

My sons ended up with NO FRIENDS, NO AQUAINTANCES. But you know what happened? The Lord spoke to each one of them and they knew that this was “OK”. The Lord had separated our entire family unto Himself. They became friends with others who were rejected and cast out to this very day!

We look weird to others, that is how it is. But that is where and how God deals with us.

I am only speaking to you of the breastplate of this Priest you see above, the Ephod as it was called. The rest of the garment is rife with meaning, but I only want to touch that one part. Think not that this is just “history”. It is not just history.

By understanding the foundational truths found in this study, we will know why we walk the way we do as overcomers and how it is we walk this way IN THIS VERY HOUR WE LIVE IN.

So don’t think yourselves strange if you don’t fit in with the world, that was the first thing the garment of the High Priest did, it separated him from the world and the religious. An overcomer is NOT religious, they are REAL.

Kenneth B Visscher

from: http://overcomers.ca/blog_wpd/Ephod_2_Overcomers_Outward_Appearance.htm