This series is about apprehending union with Christ (NIV, Philippians 3:12), the wonderful promise of being made one with him “…Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (NIV, Colossians 1:27)

If we are to be made one with Christ, we should know his story.

And his story is much more, oh much more, than his ministry and Calvary.

His ministry revealed who he had “become” in God, the pattern for those who would be made one with him; Christ, everything mankind would ever need to enter resurrection life.

Calvary, on the other hand, was an unspeakable injustice to the only perfect man who ever lived; the one who held the power of life and death.

Calvary did nothing to change the atoning work the Father had already accomplished in Christ, being made complete before his ministry, “…once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation…” (NIV, Hebrews 5:9)

Christ did not minister out of “who he would become” because of Calvary, but ministered out of “who he was,” the Messiah (New Testament) in flesh and blood (John Chapter 6 & Matthew 26:28).

Calvary was a rejection of who Christ had become, not who he would become.

Christ held the keys to Heaven and hell before Calvary, not after.

Christ could not have gone through the horrors of Calvary if he had not already been glorified (perfected), and promised to be glorified again (John Chapter 12).

God and Christ did not need the help of lawless men and Roman soldiers to inaugurate the New Covenant in Christ.

That belief comes from creeds and traditions, not the Scriptures.

Christ, fathered by God, brought an end to sin in his generations in being made complete in union with God, becoming our all-sufficient Savior and mediator.

He was born to save, but had to be “made” to save (Romans 6:10; Hebrews 5:7-10).

Christ did not offer healing and salvation because he would become the Savior, but because he was the Savior.

To deny Christ was fully human, born to put generational sin to death passed from his human ancestry, made complete in intimacy and union with God, is to deny the great weight and body of the New Testament – his pioneering work (Hebrews 2:10 & 6:20), in fulfilling the law in his flesh, the promised grace to come (NIV, 1 Peter 1:10-12).

Christ was not lacking in anything when he entered ministry; having been perfected, he had entered resurrection life “eternal salvation,” never to die, fulfilling Psalm 16 in life, not death!

Christ was the lamb sacrifice (John 1:29), the living blood sacrifice (John 6:63), the New Testament in flesh and blood before Calvary (Matthew 26:28), having given the entirety of his life in being made complete.

Christ took sin away, healed and saved the lost, raised the dead, before Calvary, and even on his deathbed at Calvary.

Calvary was not an event foreordained by God as the creeds teach and translations rephrase (Acts 2:23), but allowed to continue Christ’s ministry of grace.

Christ was foreordained, the making of who he would become, not Calvary (just because something is prophesied does not mean it is planned, “a script,” overriding man’s will to choose).

Christ could have chosen to fight, but chose otherwise, because he did not want lives lost before they had another chance at forgiveness (Matthew 26:28).

Because creeds and traditions hide Christ’s pioneering journey, many do not understand he was born with the lusts of the flesh from his human ancestry (see Ephesians 2:14-16 in an interlinear; Romans 6:10, Hebrews 5:7-10, etc.; we know from James you can have lusts and not sin, if they are not embraced, but resisted by grace, and even put to death by grace through faith).

And that was the purpose of the promised grace to come (NIV, 1 Peter 1:10 – 12), to put those lusts to death, the first to reign in “resurrection life” this side of Heaven, paving the way for those in him to follow.

Now we know why Christ is called the firstborn, first fruit, forerunner, pioneer, and perfecter of the journey of being made into the likeness of God (Hebrews 1:3), being made one by grace through faith in repentance and forgiveness for his generations (Romans 6:10; Hebrews 5:7 – 10).

The Scriptures are clear: Christ lived by grace through faith putting sin to death passed to him from his human ancestry, without sinning, becoming our Savior.

If you have questions about Christ living by grace through faith, see earlier posts in this series where I discuss in Romans and Galatians the Greek prefers the faith “of Christ,” in contrast to “in Christ,” found commonly in translations.

The Scriptures clearly profess Christ’s full humanity: “…God…sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering” (NIV, Romans 8:3), and, “…fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God…” (NIV, Hebrews 2:17)

And Ephesians 2:14 – 16 (see an interlinear) goes to the heart of the Gospel: Christ destroyed the barrier of generational sin passed to him from his human ancestry, fulfilling the law, which “…is holy…” in his flesh. (NIV, Romans 7:12)

Some commentators do not know what to do with Ephesians 2:14-16 because the creeds imply Christ was born perfect, though immature; but the Scriptures clearly indicate otherwise.

It is the age-old battle by some of forcing the creeds upon Scripture, instead of doing away with the creeds and sticking to the Bible altogether.

In his triumphant victory over the enmity in his flesh, he fulfilled the law perfectly, becoming the promised firstborn of the new creation, our sin substitute. (See Note A for “The New Greek – English Interlinear New Testament by Translators Robert K. Brown and Philip W. Comfort,” re: Ephesians 2:14 – 16.)

Christ did not create one new man from the Jews and Gentiles, but he created one new man, i.e., the firstborn, first fruit, etc., by destroying the wall of sin passed to him from his generations, fulfilling the law perfectly in his flesh.

Yes, he made the Jews and Gentiles, male and female, etc., one in him; but first, Christ had to be made one in himself perfectly in union with his Father.

Someone had to put sin to death, and Christ was conceived, called, and chosen by God to do just that.

And out of who he became, our Savior, everything else flowed, beginning first with his ministry.

You cannot be born having the likeness of fallen men and women “humanity,” enticed in all the ways we are (NIV, Hebrews 4:15), and be born free of generational transgressions and iniquities.

We know Christ’s human ancestry was not perfect – everybody in his ancestry, including his mother, needed to be saved by him.

Being born with transgressions and iniquities does not mean you are a sinner, for as James (likely the brother of Christ, and for good reason bringing this truth), says, we can have lusts, and yet, not sin if it is not yielded.

Christ not only faced temptation from without, but from within, just like you and me, putting sins to death, before they could put him to death (Hebrews 5:7).

Creeds and traditions have stolen from mankind the heart and beauty of Christ’s story, his fight to become the Messiah, the promised grace to come (NIV, 1 Peter 1:10 – 12), making him a model, instead of the fierce warrior he became in putting sin to death, raised to walk in newness of life (NIV, Romans 6:10).

Creeds and traditions focus on his “killing” as the means to our salvation.

In contrast, Scripture focuses on his “death to sin” as the means of our salvation.

Christ did not need lawless men and Roman soldiers to put sin to death.

Calvary was not a command but a preference by the Father for Christ not take up arms against those he just spent over three years trying to save.

Christ brought the power of the resurrection life to Israel through “…miracles, wonders and signs…” (NIV, Acts 2:22), not because he was going to be their Savior, but because he was their Savior; the New Testament in flesh and blood.

God made known his preference to Christ not to take up arms against those intent on killing him, but left the decision to Christ; if he chose to fight God would be with him (Matthew 26:53).

In contrast, for unperfected Christians, God warns them not to take up arms (Revelation 13:10).

God made known to Christ his highest will – not to take up arms against his ancestral brothers and sisters – but would quickly come to his aid if he chose to fight – because his fight would be righteousness, unlike ours.

Christ was called and chosen by God to put the sinful nature passed to him from his human ancestry to death (Romans 6:10, 8:3; Hebrews 5:7 – 10, etc.), as the “substitute,” “offering,” “living blood sacrifice,” for his generations and mankind.

Christ is the only person conceived in grace after the fall who could put sin to death, having transgressions and iniquities passed to him, not predisposed to sin; conceived in grace by God, and not in sin, by man.

His ministry and Calvary are the fruit of his story; the fruit of who he became, but not the story of how he became our Savior.

Creeds and traditions have so confused Christ’s personal journey with the story of Calvary, pointing and inserting his personal journey in Calvary, many are at a loss to truly know what the Scriptures mean and promise for them.

Jesus said, “‘The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full.’” (NIV, John 10:10)

What Christendom holds as the truths of God and Scripture in creeds coming out of the fourth church age, Thyatira, Christ prophesied as yeast (false teaching), throughout the body of Christ, the fourth parable of Matthew Chapter 13.

Paul’s fourth letter to the churches, Galatians, pictures, from one perspective, our Christian pilgrimage through the Thyatira church age; capturing the relentless pursuit of the works of the flesh in traditions opposed to grace.

And in Christ’s fourth letter to the churches, Thyatira we see the destructive power of generational sin coming to a peak (the dark ages), birthing children into greater and greater sin.

Jesus presented the opportunity of life for Israel.

But because death was in their hearts, their practiced ways of living in death killed Christ, and the nation of Israel.

The enemy has worked overtime over the centuries in Christendom to create “traditions,” just like he did with Israel to confuse the story of God in Christ.

Absent the truth about Christ (Ephesians 4:20 – 24), many have no vision other than the new-birth and Pentecost, having no knowledge of Tabernacles.

The new-birth and Pentecostal experiences, wonderful in their seasons of glory, will be insufficient in the days ahead as the Lord moves deeper into Tabernacles.

The transition into Tabernacles is occurring now.

Those who do not enter will be left behind – but God has a plan to capture many in the days ahead before the final split occurs.

The Scripture warns about the Great Falling Away in the last days.

Those who do not fall away, but remain steadfast in their new-birth and Pentecostal experiences, missing the bride, Tabernacles in Philadelphia, will face the temptations of the Tribulation.

The Tribulation is not imminent; there are still events in Christendom that must come to completion before the Tribulation comes to pass.

Events holding back the Tribulation, i.e., the call, choosing, and maturing of the bride, and how all that comes to pass in journey with the Lord, is unfolding now.

It is likely we are still in the early stages.

Lord, what do you have for me in this historic hour of transition?

What would you have me to do to move more toward you?

Eternity Hanging in the Balance

The story determining our eternity, is not Christ’s ministry, nor Calvary, the rejection of the New Covenant, but his pioneering journey, being made complete.

Because without Christ apprehending the call he was conceived for, we in the 21^st century, and mankind from every age, would be lost forever.

Without Christ’s perfection, made one with the Father, becoming our substitute, Savior, the New Testament in flesh and blood, there would have been no ministry, no Calvary, no Holy Spirit outpouring, no Gospel to the Gentiles, and no Millennium or New Heaven and Earth.

But God!

Everything in creation hung in the balance pending the completion of the foreordained plan of God of the promised grace to come in Christ: to put sin to death for his generations (NIV, Romans 6:10).

Until the body of Christ rediscovers Christ’s personal story, i.e., he was our Savior before being tempted by the enemy for 40 days, having been perfected in the long journey of Tabernacles, prefigured in the saints of Old, the body will ever be mired in confusion, forcing Scriptures to mean things they were never meant to mean.

If we water down Christ’s and the Apostles teaching of “…Spirit – taught words” (NIV, 1 Corinthians 2:13), forcing the Old Testament on the New, we’ll be like those who left Christ because of sayings, like “‘…unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.’” (NIV, John 6:53)

The New Testament ushered in a new language revealed by what we understand with our spiritual eyes and ears as led by the Spirit of God.

Jesus conveyed revelation and fulfillment speaking to those still with him, “‘The words I have spoken to you – they are full of the Spirit and life.’” (NIV, John 6:63)

It is not Christ’s words making his parables and stories hard to understand, nor the Apostles’ teaching, but the superimposing of creeds and traditions on New Testament passages.

We love to read about Christ’s ministry, but it is who he “became” that made his ministry possible.

His ministry covered a short part of his life.

In contrast, his pioneering journey, being made complete (NIV, Hebrews 5:7 – 10; and much of Hebrews), putting generational sin to death, raised to walk in resurrection life (NIV, Romans 6:10 & Chapter 6; 1 Corinthians 15:20, etc.), covered most of his life before ministry.

The story of Christ’s ministry and Calvary has been shared for two millenniums.

While the story of Christ’s pioneering journey has been hidden for nearly as long, all but wiped out by the creeds in the fourth and fifth centuries.

Christ’s last day bride needs to know his story, how he became our Savior, and parts of his pioneering wilderness journey he desires to share with those seeking intimacy and union with him.

He wants his bride to know his full story, not just his public one.

Tabernacles is specifically designed by God for last day sons and daughters to bring Christ’s private story, his pioneering journey, deeply and richly into our private lives in being made one with him by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Church has long lost the story of Christ’s pioneering journey, but Jesus is resurrecting it, making it known once again to those called and chosen to be made one with him.

If you are going to marry someone for eternity, you want them to know your story, just as you want intimate access to know their story.

This is the heart of the Gospel for the season upon us; to know and be known by Christ in being made one with him; a deep and intense work of the Holy Spirit offered with tremendous promises to those who desire Christ in the closing season of the Gospel age.

The age of Philadelphia, this present time in church history, is the last opportunity to be made deeply and richly into the likeness of Christ foretold by the prophets and patterned by Christ.

After this age passes, there will not be another opportunity until the Millennium.

We cannot be deeply known by Christ without healing and restoration in the secret and hidden places of our hearts and minds.

And we cannot be healed and restored from our wounds and brokenness and any sins rooted in them other than in intimate journey with Christ; where we come “to know,” experientially, he is safe, secure, and trustworthy.

All born of Adam and Eve have deep places of insecurity and mistrust.

The only remedy is Christ’s intimate care in journey with him; where we come to know him, and he us, in those areas we and our generations sheltered ourselves by “works,” apart from God; afraid of what God, and others, might say or do, if we let it be known how deeply wounded we truly are.

And that is just for the stuff we know about, let alone all the hidden things inside.

Only in journey with Christ can generational transgressions and iniquities be put to death in the safety, security, and trust of his care and love.

And only in journey with Christ can we be raised to walk in newness of life (Romans Chapter 6).

Let us not miss our opportunity in the 21^st century to be known by him after he’s labored for almost two millenniums to bring the Church to the place where it can once again have intimacy with him as a corporate body.

This Series

This series separates Christ’s public life (ministry), from his private life (pioneering journey); revealing his separate and distinctly different personal journey from his ministry and Calvary, and what it meant for him and us.

This series also separates two major prophetic streams.

The first: the coming of the promised Messiah, from conception to his ascension, holding fast to forgiveness through Calvary.

Though Christ would have been righteously justified before his Father (Matthew 26:53), if he chose to take up arms, he chose to continue to offer forgiveness and grace, continuing his ministry to Israel through Calvary.

Important

Note: To get the true rendering of Matthew 26:54 see an interlinear. Jesus is not saying he must be killed for the Scriptures to be fulfilled, i.e., he must fulfill the prophecy of lawless men choosing to kill him, what is generally taught.

He is saying he will not give up his crown of “…Prince of Peace” (NIV, Isaiah 9:6, bold and italicized mine), to take what is righteously his – he will fulfill the Scriptures about him offering salvation, healing, grace and forgiveness in truth – no matter what the lawless do with the prophetic Scriptures “about them.”

We must remember the Scriptures are not a “script,” lawless men could choose to do otherwise, just as God is not a script, who has changed his mind when men have repented (Hezekiah, Ahab, etc.).

The second: the events surrounding Calvary: lawless men rejecting the New Covenant; deferring Israel’s promised reign for two millenniums.

Creeds and traditions combine everything into one prophetic stream: from his conception to his killing, resurrection, and ascension, making it all one event foreordained and planned by God.

That God not only planned the coming of the Messiah, but also his killing to inaugurate salvation in the New Testament.

Creeds and traditions make it “holy” for God to plan the killing of his Son as a human sacrifice, despite parables teaching otherwise, “woes” to those who would do such things, and the law of God that forbids unjustified killing.

As if God had no other alternative but to create a plan of salvation requiring the killing of the only man to perfectly fulfill the law in his flesh, his only begotten Son.

Creeds and traditions teach the perfect gave his life for the imperfect, pointing Scriptures to Calvary as Christ’s blood sacrifice.

When, in contrast, the Scripture teaches Christ was a living blood sacrifice, giving the entirety of his life in being made complete, becoming one with the Father, our Savior, before his ministry. (NIV, Hebrews 5:7 – 10 & 7:16).

Two Prophetic Streams

In contrast to one stream, the Scriptures separate the story of Christ into two prophetic streams.

The first stream is about Christ as a person: his conception, birth, who he became before ministry, and all he did in ministry from who he had become – the story of becoming and the fruit of it.

This stream included his submission to an unjust death on three main accounts: he was perfect, had never sinned; second, he was immortal, walking in eternal life “resurrection life,” having attained immortality in his perfection (1 Corinthians 15, Hebrews 7:16, plus the Scriptures where Jesus said he was the resurrection).

And third, he was not born to be put to death, but born to put sin to death, to sacrifice the whole of his life in destroying the works of the flesh passed to him from his ancestors – the promised grace to come (NIV, 1 Peter 1:10 – 12).

The second stream is about the leaders of Israel: what they did in response to Christ’s claims about himself and the “…by miracles, wonders and signs… which God did… through him…” (NIV, Acts 2:22, bold and italicized mine)

The New Testament letters following the Gospels focus primarily on the first prophetic stream, Christ’s life in preparation for his ministry, fulfilling the prophecies of a coming Messiah.

The Gospels also focus on the first prophetic stream emphasizing the Messiah’s ministry leaving it to the New Testament letters to describe how Christ became who he came to be, the New Testament in flesh and blood.

It is important to understand Christ fulfilled the prophecies of a coming Messiah without the help of lawless men and Roman soldiers, becoming our Savior before his ministry.

God did not need the help of lawless men and Roman soldiers to usher in the New Testament – to perfect Christ in becoming our substitute and Savior.

The second prophetic stream in the Old Testament foretold the rejection and killing of the Messiah by lawless men and Roman soldiers.

Christ fulfilled everything foretold about his coming and continued his ministry of unfettered grace to the very end, fulfilling the Scriptures about him.

Lawless men and Roman soldiers fulfilled everything foretold about them, cutting short Christ’s life and ministry, terminating God’s plan to usher in the Millennium.

Neither God nor Christ planned the killing of Christ; God is not complicit in murder.

God communicated his desire, preference, to Christ not to take up arms and kill those he had just spent three years trying to save with the promise he would be raised “again,” (John Chapter 12).

God left the decision to Christ: to take up arms, or allow the story to play out, God would be with him no matter what course of action Christ chose.

And neither course of action would be sinful as Christ had fulfilled the Scriptures of the heart of God in all the Father had called and chosen him to do.

The purpose of the coming Messiah was to usher in healing and salvation, not for Christ to be killed, but for Israel to receive and accept their Savior.

Prophecy is not a script nor a predestination, but a foretelling of what will happen if hearts continue their present course and do not come to repentance, or, conversely, what will come to pass if they do come to repentance.

There is a night and day difference between God’s foreordained plan, i.e., the person of Christ (the making of our mediator and Savior, the man Christ Jesus), versus, the teaching God foreordained Christ to be killed.

What was foreordained was the making of the man we have come to know as the Lord Jesus Christ, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people.” (NIV, 1 Timothy 2:5)

Christ did for “mankind” what we could never do without him – he put sin to death for his generations, fulfilling the law in his flesh, becoming our substitute so we could die to sin to walk in new life like him, in him.

He sacrificed the entirety of his being, made one with the Father, becoming a living blood sacrifice; offering hope for mankind to be made into his likeness, “…the firstborn over all creation.” (NIV, Colossians 1:15, italicized mine; and see John 6:63; Romans 8:29; Ephesians 2:14 – 16, see an interlinear).

The killing of Christ was not foreordained and planned by God; but, what was planned by God was the marvelous living expression of God in Christ – the living breath of God in flesh and blood (NIV, Hebrews 1:3).

Certain translations have rephrased Acts 2:23 to imply it was God’s foreordained plan to have Christ killed, which is not what the Greek says.

The Greek says it was God’s foreordained plan for Christ, and lawless men put him to death – two different streams of prophecy combined into one by creeds and traditions.

Important

Multifaceted pictures are necessary to understand Christ’s journey, but they are not necessary to understand Calvary.

Terms and phrases such as –

dying to sin, raised to walk in the new creation, blood sacrifice, sacrifice, cross, crucifying the flesh, learning obedience, wounded, pierced (other than the piercing at Calvary, determined by context), firstborn, first fruit, pioneer, forerunner, etc., and various descriptions of crucifixion used outside the Gospels in the New Testament letters (Galatians 3:13, Colossians 2:14, 1 Peter 2:24, etc.) –

are not necessary to describe Calvary, but are important in describing the journey of dying to sin, raised to walk in the new creation, the heart and soul of the Gospel in healing and restoration, i.e., resurrection life, the journey Christ pioneered.

The reason there is a lot of teaching of Christ’s sacrifice in the letters of the New Testament, i.e., blood sacrifice, dying to sin, raised to life, suffering, obedience, etc., and “word pictures” of crucifixion is not because they are describing Calvary.

Calvary was an actual physical event not in need of symbols and pictures to describe what happened.

What does need symbols, pictures, and a lot of descriptions is the journey of dying to sin, being raised to walk in the new creation, the heart and soul of the New Testament. (NIV, Romans 6:10; Hebrews 5:7-10)

The multitude of descriptions in the New Testament letters about Christ and his sacrifice is not for the purpose of trying to attach meaning to Calvary as the place of atonement, as that could be done in one simple sentence, which is not provided in Scripture.

The different phrases in the New Testament letters about Christ’s blood sacrifice, dying to sin, suffering, obedience, etc., are not about being killed at Calvary, but his journey of crucifying the enmity in his flesh, putting sin to death by grace through faith in being made complete, one with the Father (NIV, Hebrews 5:7-10).

That journey requires a lot of explanation, descriptions, perspectives, and presentations to understand the man Christ Jesus was made complete and communicate it in such a way as to understand there is a cross to be carried in crucifying our sinful natures Christ pioneered.

In this regard, the Scriptures clearly teach Christ endured two deaths, one in putting sin to death, made one with the Father, the other, an unjust death at Calvary.

Christ experienced two resurrections: one from mortality to immortality, being made complete (NIV, Hebrews 5:7-10, 7:16), fulfilling Psalm 16 while alive, walking in resurrection life; the second, raised “again” after Calvary; Peter distinguishing the two in Acts 2:31 – 32.

Christ’s two deaths, two resurrections are described in Isaiah 53:4 – 6, as the first, and 53:7 – 9, as the second.

In the hardbound Hebrew English interlinear (See Note B for reference), the literal Hebrew in Isaiah 53:5 is both the Messiah and mankind are healed, i.e., the healing is not just for us but for the Messiah as well.

The term “healing” is not used in reference from being raised from physical death, but from wounding; the suffering of putting sin to death, i.e., cleansing of, and healing from, generational sin passed from his human ancestry.

And in the context of Scripture, it’s not a healing from physical death, but a healing from wounds, i.e., the sufferings of being made complete; like the wounds David suffered in his journey with God, prefiguring the journey of Christ.

The Scripture speaks in several places of Christ being raised “again,” and two glorifications in John Chapter 12.

In 1 Corinthians 15:3, Paul, refers separately to two streams of prophecy: one, he died for our sins, having already taught what that meant – to put sin to death (NIV, Romans 6:10; Ephesians 2:14-16; Hebrews 5:7-10).

The second, his burial and resurrection from physical death – lawless men fulfilling the stream of prophecies of what they would do to the Messiah, not what God would do to the Messiah.

If Calvary was the place of salvation Jesus would have said so, he would not have called it a “sign,” he would not have avoided it as long as he could, nor would he have given the parables of the landowner and the banquet and the woes to those intent on killing him.

And if Calvary was the place of the atoning sacrifice, it only needed to be said once, because it was an actual physical event, not something that needed to be described in vivid descriptions like dying to sin and what that looked like from the perspective of the fleshly nature by spiritual eyes.

But because it was Christ’s pioneering journey, a New and Better Covenant, it had to be brought and pictured in multiple ways to capture the long journey of putting sin to death by grace through faith.

Christ’s Prophetic Stream Continued despite the Efforts of Lawless Men

Christ stayed the course; fulfilling his prophetic stream, looking for a future time when his prophecies directly intersect with the nation of Israel once again.

Today, the age of Philadelphia is flowing in the deep waters of Christ’s prophetic stream, preparing a bride in the last days before the ax is laid to the most powerful kingdom of the seven Antichrist kingdoms of Scripture.

The seven Antichrist kingdoms of Scripture are Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome – at the time of Christ, and the seventh and most powerful kingdom globally forming today.

The Gospel of the Spirit of this age is compelling, mesmerizing, and powerful; so much, the Great Falling Away occurs among those who formerly knew the Lord.

Evolution, humanism, and intellectualism have taken a deep toll in Christendom.

The only safe place for a Christian today is to be on the journey of being rooted in Christ, hidden under the shadow of his wing, in the deep waters of his grace, care, and Spirit.

Those “in-Christ” but outside his care (Scripture clearly teaches we can be in Christ, yet not in relationship with him, as evidenced by the falling away and different positions in eternity), face great risk now and in the days ahead.

The age of Philadelphia, intimacy, and union with him, is the only way of escape from the darkness of this world in the last days.

Though Christ was denied by lawless men to usher Israel into an early Millennium, his stream of prophecies continues today unabated in the Gospel age.

The cost is greater, the battle longer, but Christ is the same.

Man’s rejection of Christ made the cost greater for us (and certainly for Christ), extending the battle for another two millenniums, but the outcome is certain.

There is only so much time God has allotted for this creation; we are quickly approaching the end of another era, and the beginning of a new one.

Christ’s ministry was not only an attempt to bring Israel into the Millennium, but to cut off the head of the world kingdom rooted in Rome, the sixth Antichrist kingdom which has, along with other past kingdoms, provided seed for what the world faces today and will face horribly in the future.

If Israel had received their Messiah, Christ would have been able to uproot the Spirit of that age before it became a mighty Fortress we see forming today: a global, evolutionary-humanistic society-culture opposed to the knowledge of God.

Christ was denied Israel and the roots of the seventh world kingdom in the then sixth, but neither will be denied him when he sets in motion the irreversible events of the end-times.

Christ is reaching out to all who are desiring and willing to be made his bride.

The second stream of distinct and separate prophecies of lawless men not only fulfilled what was foretold of them, the killing of the Messiah, but also set in motion the destruction of Israel in their generation.

Instead of the root of Israel going deeper and spreading throughout the whole earth, it was uprooted; while that which was supposed to uprooted and destroyed, the sixth world kingdom, is now rising again in the seventh.

Creeds and traditions have the entirety of Christ’s life focused on Calvary, when it was multifaceted; to pioneer the new creation – intimacy and union with God, usher in healing and salvation, and bring Israel (and mankind) into an early Millennium.

Christ, a living sacrifice in a New and Better Covenant, before his ministry, was robbed of the opportunity to change the world at that time, but “that time” is quickly expiring.

Christ came to bring life and not death, and the world will one day have the full story of Christ’s redemptive work in being made complete, by many sons and daughters coming into the fullness of his story before this age ends.

Teaching to Inspire

I am not bringing this series to teach “teaching,” but to make the “vision” large for encounter with the Lord through the journey he pioneered for his children.

If we teach just to teach, we will miss encounter with him, the whole purpose of our created existence.

Holy Spirit teaching inspires and cultivates desire and passion for more of the Word and the Lord, drawing hearts into deeper discovery and yearning for Jesus.

This series is not about loading up an already overwhelmed body of Christ with more teaching, claiming quick fixes, activation, and immediate life-changing results.

But, about encountering the Lord in the journey ordained and designed by God to be made one with Christ.

It is to make known what has been hidden; Christ’s pioneering journey, prefigured in the feast of Tabernacles, being made complete, becoming one with the Father, the pattern he established for his sons and daughters.

And that journey is more real than ever, offered today for those who desire what Christ has for them through the open door of Philadelphia.

At the core of the Philadelphian promises are healing and restoration in the care and love of Christ; to be cleansed of transgressions and iniquities in encounter with the Lord, becoming more known to him, and he to us, the heart of 1 Peter 1:13.

The Gospel is for now, not for the next life.

Healing and restoration are for now, however much Christ can accomplish in our life now.

The nature we have when we are cut from the loom of this life is the “nature” we will have for eternity impacting our position in Christ.

There are prophecies yet to be fulfilled in the next life regarding the New Heaven and the New Earth, the bride in the Millennium, and restoration, but who we “become” in this life – how deep we become in the measure of Christ – is who we will be for eternity (Song of Songs 6:8-9; 1 Peter 1:13; Revelation 22:11; e.g., living creatures, versus elders, vs the Tribulation saints, etc.).

Jesus did not die for our sins so we can go to Heaven and be saved; he died for our sins so we can be saved bringing Heaven to earth through our lives, just as he brought Heaven to earth through his life.

The teaching of Calvary as the pivotal point in New Testament history places much on Christ and little on the body of Christ, all but dismissing Christ’s warnings of being known, and knowing, in intimate journey with him.

The emphasis of Calvary at the expense of Christ’s journey usurps being transformed into his likeness (2 Corinthians 3:18; Romans Chapter 6, etc.), with ministry, “doing,” instead of “becoming,” before ministry.

Many will make Heaven their home who missed “…the deep truths of the faith…” (1 Timothy 3:9), i.e., the mystery of being transformed into the likeness of Christ, because of the different positions we see in Scripture symbolizing eternal relationships as noted above.

There are those who were raptured, like Enoch, Moses, and Elijah, who apprehended in “type” a measure of intimacy with God; and those in the New Testament, likely Peter, Paul, and John, who apprehend a measure of intimacy with Christ.

The last day bride, who lives a life “raptured in Christ,” will be raptured and counted among those who pursued God in his pursuit of them.

And then there are those who will not be raptured in the last days, who will be pursued by the Antichrist to be his bride, who must give their lives to be saved.

Either we give our lives now, to Christ, in his pursuit of us, joining his pursuit, dying to sin, cleansed, healed, and restored, or, we will be pursued by the enemy to be made into his likeness. 

The heart of God is for everyone to desire to be made one with Christ.

Finally, concerning dying to sin, i.e., healing and restoration, it is the cross of Christ by grace through faith bringing death to our sins, and life to us, in journey with him (Matthew 24:40-41; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 2 Corinthians 5:10; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 9:28; 1 Peter 1:13; 1 John 3:2, etc.).

The Great White Throne Judgment is for those completely outside of Christ.

Provision for Those Who Desire Him

Christ has labored for almost two millenniums to prepare everything we need to fulfill the end-times call to the bride for intimacy and union with him through the journey of Tabernacles.

Just as Passover and Pentecost symbolized and foretold aspects of the Christian pilgrimage, so to Tabernacles, and much greater.

A few in the past have apprehended what Christ pioneered in his journey, going beyond the corporate faith of their day, into the deep things of the Spirit, becoming pioneers in their generations after the manner of Christ.

But today Christ is looking for more than just a few, a body, a new breed of pioneers “to know and be known of him, deeply and intimately” ones he can weave together as a great net for the last days.

Jesus is searching and looking for those who will allow him to advance the Kingdom of God in their lives, wholly and deeply, through healing and restoration, becoming his intimate and friend.

We know friends and intimates look out for each other’s self-interest.

Christ looks out for our self-interests by more ways than we can imagine; instructing us to stay close by his side as he transforms our hearts and minds in the long journey of being made one.

And we, as his intimate and friend, will hopefully seek his self-interest by advancing the Kingdom of God in others, helping to heal and restore, as we were healed by Christ through the body of Christ.

We live in historic and exciting times!

An historic and exciting time for the body of Christ as Jesus puts things in motion for a great harvest of souls in the last days.

That includes a great season of preparation for those he will use in the last days.

And tragically, sadly, historic times await those outside of Christ, as darkness continues to deepen and grow as time shortens to the Tribulation.

Grace is racing ahead of sin to prepare opportunities for salvation before it becomes so dark none can be saved before the Lord sets in motion irreversible events toward “‘…the great and dreadful day of the LORD.’” (NIV, Joel 2:31)

But before that season breaks on the horizon, he is searching for those who will sacrifice their lives in being made one with him – who will journey with him in the wilderness “to be known by him, and to know him.”

To be alone with Christ in the long wilderness journey of being made one with him, like he was made one with the Father, complete (NIV, Hebrews 5:7 – 10), is frightening to the fleshly nature.

It is frightening because provisions are by grace through faith in the love and care of Christ, not the practiced way of living by the works of the flesh.

The long wilderness journey presently spans’ years.

Paul describes the process in Galatians as crucifying the flesh; to the Romans, putting sin to death, the baptism of Christ; to the Ephesians, being cleansed by the Word; and, to the Philippians, the cross of Christ and apprehending Christ.

To the old man it is terrifying to be nailed to the cross of grace through faith (NIV, Ephesians 2:8), being put to death – no longer the master of the temple it once imprisoned in servitude.

The unconverted parts of our hearts shutter at the thought of being in the wilderness with Christ because of the unknown.

But by and by, as the unconverted places become transformed, made new, healed, and restored, our vision becomes clearer, seeing through the Kings eyes the wilderness with him as the safest and most secure place one can ever be.

There is no safer place on this earth as the end-times loom larger and larger on the horizon, than being in the safety, security, and trust of the Lord, the wilderness of “Tabernacle” with him.

It is in the wilderness where deep transformation occurs – it cannot occur any other place but in the wilderness with Christ – one on one time in being known and knowing Christ.

It is a long journey of being bound to the Lord in intimacy and union with him.

It can only occur in Tabernacles; the season designed by God to bring us into intimate union with Christ; the heart and soul of the New Testament pilgrimage pioneered by Christ (Hebrews 5:7 – 10).

And though it has been available throughout the Gospel age, it is specifically highlighted and reserved for Christians in the last days facing the end-times, the season we know as the age of Philadelphia.

Philadelphia has been specifically set aside to form Christ in his bride as a demonstration and witness of the Word of God, and, as a way of escape from the coming horrors of the Tribulation.

The promise today for those who desire the whole of Christ, “a great promise,” is offered in a new and unprecedented work of God unlike any in recent history.

Just like the Pentecostal revival of the early 1900s was not a repeat of the Reformation (new-birth) of the preceding 400 years, so to the present and coming Tabernacle revival is not a repeat of Pentecost.

And far from it, but much richer, deeper, and more intimate and transforming.

The promises of God today for the body of Christ are unprecedented.

The promises to the “Philadelphian’s” are truly unique and unparalleled.

Jesus has moved past Passover and Pentecost (though obviously still available), focusing on preparing an end-time bride (Revelation 4:6, 18:23, 19:7, etc.) before it is too late.

The bride, other than the story of Christ, is the heart and soul of New Testament writings captured in teachings, parables, and descriptions.

It is the fulfillment of the plan of God from the beginning, to make men and women into his likeness in Christ.

Passover and Pentecost are great New Testament experiences.

But nothing compares to the experience of Tabernacles once the Lord begins the deep work of the Spirit in healing and restoration.

Nothing in this life compares to intimate care by Christ, and everything in the next life will be better for it because of the long journey with him in Tabernacles.

Just as there are many Scriptures in the New Testament describing through parables, events, pictures, etc., salvation by grace, and the baptism of the Holy Spirit, without specifically using those terms, so to the feast of Tabernacles.

Tabernacles is as different from Pentecost, as Pentecost is from Passover, and even more so.

It is like comparing the Holy of Holies experience to the Holy Place, or the Outer Court, they are not comparable because the Holy of Holies is God’s intimate presence.

Tabernacles, the long wilderness journey being made one with Christ is a pilgrimage unlike any other, capturing the heart for the riches and treasures of Christ.

It is by far the greatest time of discovery, revelation, and intimacy.

It is the mystery Paul explains time and again with graphic depictions and descriptions which he wholeheartedly sacrificed his life to apprehend.

Christ fulfilled Psalm 16, the resurrection Psalm, before his ministry.

He is offering the same promise and fulfillment today to those who desire union with him: the “age of Philadelphia” in Revelation, “Philippians” in Paul’s writings, and, the “pearl” in Christ’s parables.

God is training and equipping his sons and daughters not only for his habitation, but to advance the Kingdom of God in the days ahead.

This is our season, our time, for 21^st century Christians, just like Christians in ages past had their season and time to advance the Kingdom of God.

The Philadelphia revival is occurring today in pockets of Christians all around the world.

It is not a public revival, but a private revival, just like Christ’s journey to completion.

Someday it will manifest publicly, but now, and not imminent.

It is likely the present revival has years yet to be fulfilled and completed.

But there is coming a time, and it is not too distant, where the Lord will unleash a greater move of his Spirit to prepare more sons and daughters for his bride before the great last outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the end-times.

There is still time “it is not too late,” to be called and chosen into Tabernacles, the last opportunity and greatest promise in the Gospel era to be one with Christ.

As I noted above, Paul refers to this present time (symbolically foretelling) in his letter to the “Philippians,” the love of horses, teasing Zechariah 10:3, where God says he will change sheep into horses, making them into warhorses – prepared and equipped.

And Christ refers to this present time (symbolically foretelling) in his parable of the “pearl.”

Of course, Paul’s letter to the Philippians and Christ’s letter to the Philadelphians are to specific people at a point in time, but those writings also carry a theme and promise beyond the present to the future in the prophetic stream of God’s Word.

God is outside time and space; many times, his words have multiple applications, promises, and weight, over centuries to come.

This is one reason why the Bible is so wonderful and unlike any other writing; the prophetic rivers of living water flowing time and again through seasons bearing fruit at its appointed time.

And we are in the appointed time where Christ has provided all the resources necessary for those who hunger and thirst after righteousness to be made one with him for all eternity.

As noted, the Scripture is clear, there is another revival coming, beyond the present revival.

We know from Scripture there is coming an end-time revival(s) where many will find Christ through the ministry of the bride before the door to this age is closed.

Hopefully, some of those who come in the last hours will have sufficient opportunity to be made into brides.

The bride being formed today in the womb of the Church (Revelation Chapter 12), will someday be used by God to birth a revival so significant, deep, and pervasive, it will have global significance.

So much so, just like Covid stunned the world, darkness will be stunned for a season while many come to Christ.

You may think these are wild speculations: How could something be so significant to impact the global community and stun prevailing darkness?

A tiny virus we cannot see paralyzed global travel, communities, businesses, and people’s lives for a relatively lengthy period.

Think what a few warring angels can do when the Lord says, enough is enough, it is time to finish the ark (figuratively), and usher all those who will come into the great net to be cleaned up (Christ’s seventh parable of Matthew 13).

It only takes one angel to cast Satan into the Abyss.

In the Tribulation, only four angels hold back the winds of the earth.

We do know clearly from Scripture, in multiple places, the present seventh Antichrist kingdom today will suffer a wound.

It will not be a wound to a person as depicted by Hollywood, but, a wound to the heart of today’s culture and thinking, when many turn to Christ as unprecedented revival breaks forth upon the shores of humanity.

Simply, the world will be stunned when many come to Christ in the closing hours of the Gospel era.

Like past revivals, at this present time, we are not privy to how the Lord will go about the great revival, or revivals, to come.

But, the Lord promises in his Word to make known what he is about to do when it is close at hand.

The bride will be an integral part of what God does in the last days in healing and restoration.

The urgency of the hour is for the body of Christ to seek journey with him by allowing the Holy Spirit to lead us deeper into the work of grace (NIV, 1 Peter 1:13), cleansed and healed in preparation for him.

Jesus is forming his unquenchable love in those who look for his appearing.

As much as the world tries to make it, and as much as some in Christendom would like it to be, these are not normal times, but times of shaking.

God uses “shakings” to draw us to him, revealing our wounds and brokenness, how much we really need him, lest we think we can do life on our own, needing no one for rescue and redemption.

Shakings from the Lord, the uprooting of darkness in our lives, setting us on a path of cleansing and healing, are life giving and necessary if we are to be his bride and escape the things coming to pass on this earth (Matthew 15:3; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Hebrews 12:25 – 29).

Those seeking union with him will be drawn under the protection of his wings.

Those determined to live life apart from God will have opportunities to know great peril is coming before the Lord allows darkness in the hearts of men and women to be unleashed upon mankind.

It was largely the “common” and the unlearned (from the world’s perspective), who came to Christ, the outcast and marginalized to David, and only a few scholarly, like Paul, who helped Christ spread the Gospel.

In the 20^th century it was unlearned men and women, common folk, ordinary people, just like you and me, Christ used in miracle ministries in saving souls.

You do not need to be a scholar to be used wonderfully by the Lord.

If truth be told, scholarly training may be a detriment instead of a help, because of agreements made with creeds and traditions, rejecting “…the deep truths of the faith…” (NIV, 1 Timothy 3:9).

It was unrepentant hearts imprisoned in the traditions of men that put Christ on the Roman cross.

Important

Two Crosses Two Different Outcomes

Christ had already been made complete, becoming our Savior, (NIV, Hebrews 5:7-10), by the cross of grace through faith; God’s cross for bringing death to sin.

He, being the New Testament in flesh and blood, did not need to die by the cruelty of man’s cross – unrepentant sin unleashed on others.

Man’s cross, the Roman cross, unleashes the “sin” of the fleshly nature on the weak.

Christ’s cross, the cross of grace through faith, uplifts the weak out of sin and darkness by the righteousness of Christ in care and love.

The Roman cross is designed to destroy; Christ’s cross is designed to redeem and restore.

God did not use the Roman cross as an instrument to bring life as we have been taught – only bad fruit comes from bad trees!

But, with Christ’s choice, he did allow it to demonstrate resurrection life is stronger than death.

Jesus permitted man’s cross on him – the cross of the works of the flesh at its worse – to show his cross – the cross of grace through faith – brings life, not death.

That only temporarily can the earthly body of someone walking in resurrection life be killed.

History has shown creeds and traditions have, at times, known no limit to how much harm they can contribute in arousing hatred and death for one another.

This is another reason for the urgency of the present time – to not only be cleansed and healed of sin passed through our generations, but what has also been passed in creeds and traditions.

We stand on the threshold of great and terrible things to come.

Provision in Promise:

God will fulfill his promise to Christ for a bride in the last of the last days.

Christ will fulfill his promise to his sons and daughters to be made one with him, for those seeking intimacy and union with him.

And God will fulfill his promise in his Word to the lost for another opportunity for Christ before the door to this age is closed and the door to the Millennium through the Tribulation opened.

Christ’s prayer we be made one with him will be answered, because his prayers always get answered!

The safest place to be is to be seeking to be made one with him.

You can find no greater friend than him.

Thankfully, Jesus has reserved the best for last, the age of Philadelphia: the last opportunity and greatest promises to be made one with him.

Everything necessary for 21^st century Christians to fulfill Tabernacles, to be made one with Christ, is becoming more and more reachable as the Lord deepens the resources and work in people’s lives.

Many are coming to the end of Pentecost, thirsty, hungry, desiring more of Christ, ripe for the picking to be thrust into Tabernacles, the deep work of the Spirit.

God is allowing many to feel the pains of spiritual famine, like the time of Elijah of old, so when he shows up, they will be wholehearted, hungry, and thirsty for intimacy and journey with him.

Jesus was the first to fulfill Tabernacles, becoming one with the Father, and our Savior (NIV, Hebrews 5:7 – 10).

We in Christ, nearing the end of the Gospel era, have been blessed with a season reserved by the Lord, Philadelphia, to apprehend him (Revelation 3:7 – 13).

Important

To 21^st century Christians Jesus would quote Isaiah, saying,

“‘Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.’” (NIV, Isaiah 43:18 – 19, bold and italicized mine)

I pray you receive Christ’s heart for you through Isaiah’s words; those words greatly helped Christ in his journey of being made one with the Father, as they will for those in Christ.

Jesus is personally committed to you and me in journey with him.

Christ is speaking to some through this Scripture about his desires for you – the deep places he wants to take you in him; to cleanse and heal you, to demonstrate his commitment and unquenchable love for you.

Only when we are loved by Christ in the deeply wounded and broken places of our heart, experiencing his unmatched care and gentleness, can we hope to be prepared and equipped to love others, as he loves us.

This is the season prepared by God “…for such a time as this” the age of Philadelphia, the extravagant love of God made available to those who seek after him. (NIV, Esther 4:14)

***

The following is a refresh because it is so important to understand the foundation of our faith.

Scriptural Encouragement for Seeking a Deeper Relationship with Christ, Moving Beyond the New-Birth and Pentecost

• The New Testament (NT), is a New and Better Covenant (Hebrews 9:23).
• It fulfills the Old Covenant through, and only through, the person of Christ, the making of the Messiah:

 

“During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.” (NIV, Hebrews 5:7-9)

This passage is not about Calvary; but sin and the death it would bring if he did not overcome it by grace through faith in his walk with God before his ministry – the putting to death of sin for his generations, a deeper view of Romans 6:10.

It is also “reveals” the journey of the cross – the cross of grace through faith – presented in vivid pictures from the view of the fleshly nature in Galatians 3:13, Colossians 2:14, 1 Peter 2:24, etc.

(See my previous post. Galatians 3:13 is not about Calvary, but a picture of how the fleshly nature views the cross of crucifying the flesh by grace through faith in utter dependence upon God for healing and restoration. Paul, and the other apostles, would never talk about Christ so flippantly as to describe Calvary this way – but they would describe the crucifixion of the fleshly nature – how the nature views the cross of grace through faith.)

His prayers were answered time and time again over his long “Tabernacle” journey; being made complete, one with the Father.

Christ was heard: his Father saved him from the “death” of sin before his ministry through the long journey of becoming one with him.

This is how Christ became the mighty lion, the gentle lamb, and seasoned warrior against darkness we read in the Gospels and experience in our lives.

See also comparable Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 15:20, Ephesians 2:14 – 16 in an interlinear, Philippians 2, Hebrews 7:16, 1 Peter 3:18: describing in vivid terms the putting to death “of sin” (fleshly nature) Christ inherited from his human ancestry, not the putting to death “of Christ.”

• Christ fulfilled the Old Testament in being made complete before his ministry.

 

God foreordained Christ to put sin to death by the cross of grace through faith, becoming the pattern for the new creation. He did not foreordain Christ to be killed.

Critically Important

The English translation of Acts 2:23 in my Bible has God complicit in the killing of his Son.

But the Greek has God “foreordaining Christ;” meaning God’s plan to perfect his one and only Son as the pattern for the new creation; the pioneering journey of the Son putting ancestral sins to death by grace through faith as the substitute for what mankind could never do, having been conceived in sin by their fathers.

That is what God foreordained “Christ, the new creation, the anointed one, the Messiah in flesh and blood,” not his killing.

This is the most important insight I have of the Scriptures in this post.

God foreordained the making of the Messiah, not the killing of the Messiah.

When we understand the revelation of Christ (1 Peter 1:13), the purpose of his coming, life, square pegs will not be “driven” into round holes to force the creeds upon the Scriptures.

• The NT invites mankind into the journey Christ pioneered; to make a “living sacrifice, a spiritual ‘blood’ sacrifice;” presenting our lives to Christ as Christ presented his life to the Father in life (Romans 5:10).
• The NT was birthed in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ and “burst forth” (passing through the Heavens, entering immortality, i.e., resurrection life, NIV, Hebrews 4:14 & 7:16; 1 Corinthians 15:45, etc.), at the completion of his pioneering journey, the NT in flesh and blood before his ministry.

 

(Hebrews 5:7 – 10; Romans 6:10; Matthew 26:28; John 1:1-18, 6:53, 6:63, etc.).

• And in that journey spanning likely close to two decades, fulfilling Tabernacles, putting sin to death, walking in eternal life (NIV, Romans 6:10), “…made alive in the Spirit,” (resurrection life), Christ became the living, breathing, NT in flesh and blood: described in different ways as “…the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” “…the fullness of the Deity…in bodily form,” “…the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.”

(NIV, 1 Peter 3:18; John 1:14; Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 1:3, respectively, bold and italicized mine)

• And in that journey, Christ fulfilled the promised grace to come (NIV, 1 Peter 1:10 – 12); prefigured and foretold in the lives of Old Covenant “types,” of Christ, & foretold through the feasts, Tabernacle, and Temple.

 

He was born to save, God with us, who, through the long journey of being made perfect “became,” (the key word “became,”), our Savior, holding the keys to eternal salvation, the “…firstborn…” (NIV, Colossians 1:15), “…firstfruits…” (NIV, 1 Corinthians 15:20), “…pioneer…” (NIV, Hebrews 2:10), “…forerunner…” (NIV, Hebrews 6:20), of the promised grace to come (NIV, 1 Peter 1:10-12).

The creeds intimate Christ was born perfect, having no enmity in his flesh; needing only to grow and mature.

But that belief, and all the offshoots from it, are diametrically opposed to Scripture and exceedingly harmful to the body of Christ; requiring much of him, and little of us; fodder for the Great Falling away.

Because of the creeds, Calvary became the focus of the New Testament instead of Christ.

Scholars interpreted the deity of Christ in union with his Father as all or nothing; ignoring clear Scriptures Christ had a journey to be made complete: called to put sin to death for mankind, starting first with his generations.

• And Christ’s death to sin (Romans 6:10), being “…tempted in every way, just as we are – yet he did not sin” (NIV, Hebrews 4:15), destroyed the “sin nature” passed to him from his human ancestry (a nature he never yielded to); freeing him by grace through faith to fulfill the requirements of the law in his flesh, i.e., “the death of the testator,” (Hebrews 9:11-28).

Christ put to death the fleshly nature he inherited, becoming the NT in flesh and blood (John 6:53 – 6:63).

Important

Christ entered the Heavenly Tabernacle “alive,” at his perfection, entering Heaven itself, made complete, becoming one with the Father; seated in Heavenly places; entering immortality – eternal salvation – before his ministry; becoming the NT “in person,” offering life, healing, and salvation to Israel for over three years.

• In fulfilling the requirements of the spiritual law of God to put generational transgressions and iniquities to death by the cross of grace through faith, destroying the barrier of sin, fulfilling the law in his flesh (1), Christ established a New and Better Covenant, based on the sacrifice of one’s life – a living blood sacrifice, the entirety of one’s life – and not the killing of an animal, or, a human, which God abhors.

 

(1)  Isaiah 53:4-6, Romans 6:10; Galatians 3:13; Ephesians 2:14-16, see an interlinear; Philippians 2; Colossians 2:14; 1 Peter 2:24 & 3:18, these passages speak of death to sin, not Calvary; Isaiah 53:7-9 refers to Calvary.

• Christ passed through the Heavens at the completion of his journey (Hebrews 4:14), given all authority and power “…in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.” (NIV, Ephesians 1:20 – 21)

 

Christ, at his completion, became positioned eternally at the right hand of the Father before he entered ministry.

That is why he could say to the Pharisees, “‘You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.’” (NIV, John 8:23, italicized mine)

• Being made one with the Father, becoming our Savior in flesh and blood, Christ entered eternal life “resurrection life,” mortality taking on immortality, never to die had he not been slain.
• These wonderful things occurred in Christ’s life before his ministry; being made complete, becoming our Savior (NIV, Hebrews 5:7-10), through the long journey of Tabernacles, the “at-one-ment” with God.

 

Christ’s at-one-ment with the Father, becoming our Savior (Hebrews 5:7 – 10), before his ministry, was the first of two glorifications – one at his perfection, the second, at being raised “again,” after Calvary (see John 12).

Christ died to sin, was glorified, walking in eternal salvation “resurrection life,” offering life to Israel for over three years.

Then he was glorified again after Calvary, after suffering rejection and death at the hands of Israel.

John’s Gospel (Chapter 12) speaks of two glorifications just like Isaiah Chapter 53:4 – 6, speaks of his wounding in perfection (first glorification), and then his second glorification after Calvary, 53:7 – 9.

Isaiah 53:9 in the literal is deaths (plural); some contend the plural denotes intensity of death; but the Scripture clearly speaks of two deaths, the first to sin, the second at Calvary.

Peter in Acts refers to Christ’s first resurrection, fulfilling Psalm 23 in his life, and then his second resurrection, being raised from the dead after Calvary; God raising the resurrected Jesus to life (NIV, Acts 2:31-32).

Though conceived by the Holy Spirit, he was “… fully human in every way…” (NIV, Hebrews 2:17), born into “…the likeness of sinful flesh…” (NIV, Romans 8:3, see also Galatians 4:4), called by God to put generational sin to death by offering his life as a living sacrifice in being made perfect by grace through faith (Romans 5:10).

Creeds and traditions make him something he is not, would shame him to call us his brethren, and rob him of the glory of defeating sin.

He became our warrior Savior, the one who braved darkness from within and without.

Contrary to the implication of the creeds, Scripture says, “…Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.” (NIV, Hebrews 2:11, italicized mine)

Important

Unlike you and me, Christ, being conceived in grace, was not pre-disposed to sin at birth but to grace; restored to the place of Adam and Eve before the fall; having his Father’s nature, i.e., the revelation to see sin for what it is, inclined to grace, and not sin, unlike everyone else born of the flesh.

Even though Christ was restored to the place of Adam and Eve before the fall, he faced an uphill battle, having to redeem and restore what they lost and beyond; to finish the race they failed to finish.

• Christ demonstrated you do not need to die physically under the New Covenant to put sin to death, grace through faith is more than sufficient by the power of the Holy Spirit to bring an end to transgressions and iniquities.
• His journey to perfection not only included the destruction of sin, fulfilling the law in his flesh, but the surrender of certain rights and privileges (Philippians Chapter 2).

 

Christ was the perfect lamb sacrifice God always desired from the heart of man; bringing the promised grace to enable his Son to fulfill his will completely from the heart, Hebrews 10:7.

• Christ’s journey was vividly pictured in the lives of “types, of Christ,” in the Old Covenant, i.e., their long journeys of being set apart for God in service to ministry, the likes of Noah (pre-Old Covenant), Moses, Elijah, Samuel, Joshua, David, and all those listed in God’s Hall of faith.

 

Highly Important

His journey, not an event, is vividly pictured in Galatians 3:13, Colossians 2:14, 1 Peter 2:24 & 3:18, etc., showing Christ’s utter dependence upon God for healing from generational sin passed to him (see Part 10 in this series).

The NT cross is the cross of utter dependence upon God by grace through faith.

These Scriptures capture what the cross looks like to the fleshly nature, it is the only way to paint a picture of the cross of grace through faith and what happens to sin in dependence upon God – it is put to death just as a person would be put to death on a real cross.

It is a place of healing and restoration for the body, soul, and spirit, but, in contrast, a terror to darkness and the fleshly nature holding its victim in sin (Romans Chapter 6, 2 Corinthians 4:10 – 12, Galatians 3:13; Colossians 2:14; 1 Peter 2:24 & 3:18, etc.).

Christ suffered the opening (piercing) of deeply rooted generational sins for Holy Spirit cleansing and healing; pioneering the journey, the “firstborn” to be cleansed and healed from generational sins.

We can have enmity in our flesh and not yield to it, as James says.

Christ had enmity in his flesh (see footnote A re: Ephesians 2:14-16) and never yielded to it, but put it to death.

The NT letters are not about how thankful we should be because God handed over his Son at Calvary.

But how thankful we should be because by the cross of grace through faith, the suffering of putting sin to death, we can be healed and restored just as our Savior was healed and restored; demonstrating the power of grace by faith to put sin to death (NIV, Romans 6:10).

Christ demonstrated the wisdom, wonder, and grace of God’s plan to destroy sin by grace through faith in his living blood sacrifice, the firstborn and pioneer of healing and restoration.

• Christ’s journey shows the depth of spiritual warfare we face because of the fall, the death grip sin has on every man and woman, and how easily it masks itself with the help of men and women behind the veil of flesh.

 

To help unmask what the promised grace to come in Christ would face in his own life, and what we face in our lives, God gave a picture of what sin looks like “in us” from the Heaven’s throne room in Isaiah 1:5 – 6, and, the devastation it brings from sowing and reaping as we move through our lives in verses 1:7 – 9.

• The NT is not a sweeping away of sin, costing Christ greatly, and us little, but an entirely new relationship destroying the structures of sin by grace through faith in cleansing, healing, and restoration; the final pilgrimage of the Christian’s long journey in Christ.
• Christ was the first to pull down strongholds in his human ancestral line and purge his generation completely from sin, becoming the only human to put sin to death without sinning, our substitute and mediator before God (NIV, 1 Timothy 2:5).

 

Someone from humanity had to put sin to death by grace through faith to demonstrate God’s power is trustworthy, reliable, sufficient, and eternally enduring, proving the enemy a liar and God and his Word true.

And Christ was called and chosen by the Father to do that; thankfully, his heart was set on accomplishing God’s will completely and perfectly, fathered by God.

One of the things so tragic about the current teaching of Calvary, is the confusing relationships and teachings it brings about Christ, the Father, and their relationship; as if God would plan and purpose to kill his only perfect Son, instead of his purpose and plan to present his only perfect Son to Israel as a gift.

• Christ fulfilled the wonderful foretelling of the virgin birth, conceived by the Holy Spirit in grace, restored to the place of Adam before the fall; giving mankind another chance to not only finish the race Adam failed to complete, but to redeem mankind from sin by showing the power of grace and faith to put sin to death and enter resurrection life.
• The wonderful story of the virgin birth ended up being a story of the making of a warrior, a spiritual warrior, knowing intimately from his own experience how to dismantle and destroy the works of darkness hidden secretly and deeply in men and women, much of it unknown to its victims.

 

Important

Christ did not sit idly by growing up and maturing, but became a seasoned warrior, destroying the strongholds of sin passed to him from his generations, not only redeeming himself and his generations, but anyone who would be grafted into him, the newly planted tree of life (John Chapter 15, Romans Chapter 11).

It was the perfected Christ Satan faced in the wilderness for 40 days, a seasoned warrior, familiar with suffering, one who placed no trust in his flesh, and all trust in God by grace through faith to carry him through the test to prove God’s way is the better way and the only way to eternal salvation, and a way men and women imprisoned in sin, by grace through faith in Christ, can overcome and be triumphant in their lives.

• Critically important to understanding the NT is the new language it birthed, bringing the Kingdom of God to earth in our language (John 6:63; 1 Corinthians 2:13, etc.).

 

That Christ’s journey of putting sin to death, becoming our Savior, is presented in Scripture as God’s Son sacrificing his life so completely it could only be rightly described as a blood sacrifice – a life totally given to God.

Important

No other word can rightly capture the essence and heart of Christ’s journey of being made complete than the word blood: the totality of being given over to God in redeeming his generations and those who come to him.

And we should not be shocked blood is used in reference to the giving of one’s life “a living life,” because it is used that way in our vernacular, and even in the Old Testament, where blood is used as a symbol of life, not death.

And in this regard, Paul, and the other writers of the New Testament, where the “killing of Christ,” is not the context, but Christ’s journey, likens the journey of putting sin to death to physical crucifixion to paint as vivid and compelling picture as possible of what it takes to put sin to death, and what it looks like from the fleshly nature.

I have noted many times in earlier posts several Scriptures having “shed or shedding” in the English are not in the original.

Because the context is not Calvary, but Christ’s journey, even though translators, because of the creeds, have added them in translation.

Again, the writers of the NT use pictures of physical crucifixion (Galatians 3:13, Colossians 2:14, 1 Peter 2:24, etc.), to show the depth, extent, and intensity of the Holy Spirit’s work of bringing an end to sin by grace through faith from the perspective of the fleshly nature.

• The spiritual warfare Christ undertook in destroying the strongholds of sin passed to him from his human ancestry could only rightly be described in terms we could relate to in the natural.

 

Important

That sin is such a brutal and ferocious enemy intent on destroying mankind, the most vivid way to picture its destruction and the powers of darkness empowering it is by crucifixion; using the picture of a physical crucifixion to symbolize the destruction of sin spiritually (1 Corinthians 2:13).

In my next post, Lord willing, I plan to share more on Adam and Eve’s fall from grace, how Eve was fixated on the tree, how it is not by coincidence the tree is pictured in Scripture as the place where sin is put to death in utter dependence upon God.

• That just as mankind fears physical crucifixion, the horror of suffering such a death, the sinful nature, and the powers of darkness fear what the power of the Holy Spirit can do in God’s sons and daughters by grace through faith on the cross of Christ.
• To intimate in creeds and traditions Christ was perfect in birth, he did not need healing and restoration, he had only to deny temptation from without, not from within, is to deny his human ancestry and the heart and purpose of the promised grace to come in perfecting the Messiah (1 Peter 1:10 – 12; Hebrews 5:7-10), the substitute for our sins, saying nothing of being in opposition to the clear teaching of Scripture.

 

You do not put sin to death by killing the Messiah, but by the Messiah putting sin to death by grace through faith, the path he pioneered not only for him and his generations, but for all who would come to him.

And it is more than just “learning,” as some contend about Christ, but the putting to death of sin through sacrifice, i.e., the suffering of generational sinful structures being put to death by cleansing, healing, and restoring the body, soul, and spirit (Romans 6:10; 2 Corinthians 7:1, 13:11; Philippians 3:10 – 21; 1 Thessalonians 5:23).

Christ was tested body, soul, and spirit in the wilderness, the temptations Eve and Adam lost in the Garden four millenniums earlier.

And you do not test something, unless it has been “…made…” (NIV, Hebrews 5:9), to endure the testing.

Christ was healed and restored by his heavenly Father and tested – proven true in the wilderness – overcoming the father of lies. I will have more on the father of lies, Lord willing, in my next post.

Christ was found true to the tests, the Father of Heaven having perfected his Son, proving the devil a liar and God in Christ true.

In 1 Peter 2:24 (see an interlinear), Peter intimating Christ as the tree of life, spoke about Christ as having “already” put sin to death in his body (our sins – generational transgressions and iniquities universal to mankind passed to him through his human ancestry) in his long journey of completion (NIV, Hebrews 5:7-10).

He did it by the same cross he asks of us, the cross of grace through faith by the power of the Holy Spirit in God and his Word.

His death to sin, raised to walk in resurrection life (his first glorification), allowed him to heal and restore, and to say just before his death, “‘This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’” (NIV, Matthew 26:28, italicized mine)

The NT was in his blood, his life, his person, his being, before Calvary.

Calvary did not change our relationship with Christ, or with God, but to extend grace even in the face of death.

It did raise the cost of salvation dearly and unjustly for Christ (his physical life), when he had already died to sin, becoming our Savior, and mankind, deferral of the Millennium and greater spiritual warfare.

The history of the last two millenniums make that perfectly clear, and yet there is more to come before the Millennium.

Important

Christ was no novice when it came to spiritual warfare, but a seasoned veteran!

You are not ushered into the wilderness for 40 days to face the devil without previously experiencing intense warfare.

King David faced Goliath after he learned how to defeat the bear and the lion in relationship with his heavenly Father (1 Samuel 17:34 – 37); David being one of the greatest “types,” of Christ.

To be made complete required Christ to put sin to death, to receive and learn faith in obedience by grace, and to empty himself of everything standing in his way of the call to save his people from their sins.

And in his completion, fathered by God (Romans 6:10; Hebrews 5:7 – 10), suffering the journey of putting sin to death, he was healed and restored, the first (and only), perfect man begotten of God.

In the literal in Isaiah 53:5 it says, paraphrasing, both Christ and mankind, i.e., those in Christ, are healed and restored by the wounding Christ suffered, i.e., the wounding (uprooting and cleansing) of sins exposed to the cross of dependence upon God by grace through faith, destroying the structures of sin the generations built by the works of the flesh.

• Calvary was not a new story but the continuation of Christ’s existing story, it did not usher anything new not already in Christ, i.e., healing and salvation, but a continuation of grace whether they received him or not.

 

But it did alter Israel’s history; they no longer had immediate access to the Millennium through Christ, instead, they would be cut off, and their descendants would have to wait two millenniums to be restored as a nation, a people group, and the heirs once again of salvation.

The sins of mankind were clearly visible on the marks on Christ’s body, his righteousness was like a poultice, in drew the poison of sin out of Israel’s unrepentant heart to be seen and known by all.

Their sin was made known by Christ for all to see, but, and this is important, it was not “known,” by him.

Christ exposed the sins of their heart to remain, unless they come to repentance and forgiveness.

Christ forgave them of their sin against him, but they would have to come to repentance to have a loving relationship with him.

Because love can never be only a one-way relationship, but must mature where both parties are loved and cared for.

Christ said Calvary was a sign, a sign pointing to Jonah.

And one of the signs of Jonah, besides Christ being in the earth three days and three nights, pointing to his resurrection, pointed to Nineveh’s repentance when warned of destruction (Matthew 12:41).

And Calvary was a sign warning Israel, the “unrepentant,” Nineveh of its day, of impending destruction if they do not repent.

The heart of the sign of Jonah pointed to being made obedient, repentance and forgiveness; permitting God to access our lives so we can be healed and restored and saved.

Jonah came out of the belly of the whale a repentant man, three days and three nights being a type of our salvation journey of putting sin to death to walk in newness of life.

There was something about Jonah’s new life that caused the Ninevites to take heed and repent, because they saw something different about him.

Israel on the other hand, seeing all God had to offer through Christ, the majesty and wonder of the Father and the Son by the power of the Holy Spirit flowing out of Christ, still was not sufficient to turn the hearts of Israel’s leaders back to God from their traditions.

Christ’s three days and three nights in the belly of the earth was proof he had put sin to death, having been made perfect, because death was not able to hold him.

And it was a sign and symbol of repentance, like Jonah, the Israelites would need to come to, to have resurrection life like Christ.

They will die in the heart of the earth and not be resurrected unless they come to repentance.

Jonah fled from God because he was afraid of God’s grace and mercy for him, he wanted to hold on to sin (idols), the sin of unforgiveness for others’ iniquities (i.e., the Ninevites).

But God dealt with Jonah in the deep places of his heart in the belly of the whale, to acknowledge God and receive care so he could give care to others.

Jonah gave all the idols of unforgiveness to God so he could be healed and rescued, to bring healing and mercy to others.

We cannot bring healing and mercy to others if we hold unforgiveness in our heart.

Jonah gave up the worthless idols in his heart in the belly of the whale.

But Christ was a greater Jonah, the greater of everything the Old Testament pointed to.

He did not go into physical death holding unrepentance toward Israel, but forgiveness, vividly demonstrated by the vast number of Jews who came to Christ shortly after his death.

The sign of Jonah also pointed to Israel, that over the course of two millenniums they would learn to repent of their idols having forsaken Christ, and in the third millennium, they will be restored to wholeness and holiness.

Wholeness and holiness, does not just automatically happen for Israel at Christ’s second physical coming, but is a long process of healing and restoration.

• Now that we understand the journey Christ pioneered, he wants to encounter you and me deeply, intimately, and personally in healing and restoration for our mutual benefit.

 

Jesus wants more than just a passing, casual, relationship with you and me, just like you want intimacy with those close to you.

It cannot happen if we are broken and wounded inside, not liking ourselves, others, God; condemning or blaming ourselves, others, and God, for what has happened to us.

Sin is brutal, it will keep us from intimacy and union with Christ without healing and restoration.

That is why the Lord wants to heal us, not only for our benefit, but to have intimacy with him, deeper than we could ever imagine.

He wants to encounter you and me in the deep areas of pain and wounding, to bring the balm of healing only he knows how to bring.

Now is the time to seek him for encounter, for thirst, and for hunger!

The Calendar of God

The age of Sardis (Revelation 3:1 – 6), awakened discovery and revelation in the Word, birthing the Reformation, the return of the born-again, new-birth experience “saved by grace,” and, the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Azusa Street).

The age of Sardis, from the 1500s to the mid-20^th century, brought back to the body of Christ the fulfillment of the Old Testament feasts of Passover and Pentecost in the new-birth and Holy Spirit baptism.

The dark ages all but wiped out the born-again experience and the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and, hid the deep work of the Spirit in being made one with Christ (i.e., Tabernacles), behind the veil of creeds and traditions.

It is important to understand the journey of the body of Christ over the last two millenniums to see what promises God is fulfilling today in the body of Christ, what he has fulfilled already, and those yet to be fulfilled.

We cannot know where we are in God’s calendar (God has revealed his calendar in the Scriptures, i.e., the progressive revelation of Christ in his body), if we do not know the prophecies fulfilled, presently being fulfilled, on the horizon, and those for another “era” altogether.

Many today look to world events to somehow figure out God’s calendar.

But God’s calendar is not based on world events, but the revelation of Christ in making the bride.

When the last day bride is complete, events will be focused around her, and not vice versa.

Many know Christ’s letters to the seven churches in Revelation, besides being specific letters to churches, symbolize church ages spanning the two-millennium period from the early apostles through the end-times, with Laodicea spanning the end-times and the first part of the Tribulation.

History is a witness to the prophetic accuracy of Christ’s seven letters over the last two millenniums.

Fewer know the seven parables of Christ in Matthew Chapter 13 also foretell, from a different perspective, the two-millennium Gospel era, having the same theme and progression as Christ’s letters.

You can overlay the first six of Christ’s “parables” on top of the first six of Christ’s “letters” to the Churches and see their common theme, trend, and transition, from one season to the next (i.e., the parable of the Sower through the pearl comparable to Ephesus through Philadelphia).

Whereas Christ’s seventh parable of Matthew Chapter 13, verse 47 (NIV), the “…net…” is about the great end-time revival; Christ’s seventh letter in Revelation is about those outside the bride in the end-times who will face the Tribulation because they have neglected to be made one with him.

Both Christ’s seventh parable (Matthew Chapter 13) and seventh letter (Revelation, Laodicea) are focused on the end-times:

• the former, a prophecy of the end-times outreach to the lost birthed by Christ through the bride (those who complete the race in Philadelphia),
• the latter, those who neglect the offer to be made one with Christ, his bride, will face the second revealing of the Antichrist in the Tribulation.

 

The end-time revival will likely span only a few years; though its effects will be felt until the Millennium.

The lukewarm church of Laodicea comes to fruition in the end-times and the fruit of this tree will ultimately be determined in journey whether one takes the mark of the Beast.

Fewer still know Paul’s letters to the Churches, Romans to 2 Thessalonians, nine letters, parallel in theme, trend, and transition Christendom’s journey as well over the last two millenniums including the first part of the Tribulation.

They also picture the Christian’s pilgrimage from the new-birth (Romans), to the battle between the flesh and spirit (Galatians), the return to grace (Ephesians), the pursuit of apprehending the bride (Philippians), and tragically, those who miss the bride, to face the second revealing of the Antichrist (2 Thessalonians).

Paul’s first seven letters, Romans through Colossians, parallel Christ’s letters to the seven churches, and the first six parables of Matthew Chapter 13.

Again, though all of these were written for their time, they have prophetic application to the Gospel period in their “season” of progression.

For example, the age of Philadelphia, the letter to the Philippians, and the pearl, i.e., the deep work of the Spirit of grace in the last of the last days, are different pictures of the same journey of the making of the bride.

They apply to individuals in the earlier seasons of God as well, but are specific pictures from different perspectives of the end-time bride in the making.

God presents multiple pictures of his plans so those who seek him will know through encounter, revelation, and his Word, his promises will come to pass despite how dark things may appear.

Christ’s letters, Paul’s letters, and the parables are three separate witnesses of the NT journey of the body individually and corporately over the two-millennium period of the Gospel era.

There is an undeniable, compelling, and convincing witness of the reliability, faithfulness, and authenticity of Scripture based upon these three separate accounts, plus:

• the “creation account,” what it foretold (symbolized), of the Old and New Testaments to come (e.g., one of “many” prophetic events foretold in creation was the creation of the sun (Son) on the fourth day, Christ four millenniums from Adam, dividing the Testaments; the moon symbolizing Old, the sun, the New (Malachi 4:2),
• actual Bible history over the last six millenniums, fulfilling what was spoken by God at creation through creation (Matthew 13:35), and the prophets through the Scriptures.

 

I have already provided some detail on these witnesses in earlier posts, so I refer you to earlier writings if you want more detail.

The Lord could have provided one or two witnesses.

But instead, out of his great love and kindness, he has provided multiple credible witnesses of different accounts to build confidence and faith in him, and the work of the Spirit, especially in seasons of key transitions and increasing darkness.

Which is one reason why 21^st century Christians have an abundance of resources pointing to the critical season in which we live and what lays ahead.

The Lord has been more than extravagant in providing testimonies numbering in the hundreds of millions of those who have partaken of Christ, “eye witnesses” to the truth of God’s Word.

And, more than ever in the 21^st century, through the rearview mirror, the truths of God’s Word bears witness to the calendar of God foretold from the beginning, re-revealed repeatedly through multiple accounts and the Feasts.

Jesus ushered in the new-birth in his ministry, many becoming born-again believers before Calvary; and, if he had been received and accepted as God had hoped, he would have ushered in Pentecost as well.

And before Pentecost came forth, Jesus told Peter another would lead him, communicating to Peter he would soon be taken into an entirely new arena: the deep work of the Spirit in being made one with his Savior.

Peter speaks of this experience as the revelation of Christ by grace (NIV, 1 Peter 1:13), what we have come to know as the fulfillment in the NT of the feast of Tabernacles; being made one with our heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

It can only come about through journey the Scripture describes as putting sin to death, being baptized with Christ’s baptism (NIV, Romans 6:3), raised to walk in newness of life “resurrection life.” (NIV, Romans 6:10)

Tabernacles, the age of Philadelphia, is the return of God’s great promise for Christians for all who hear his voice and respond.

It is reserved in the last days because it has taken the body of Christ two millenniums to return to a place where they can receive the deep work of the Spirit, apprehending what Christ apprehended them for (NIV, Philippians 3:12).

We read about Christ’s invitation to Peter in John 21:18; the death referred to is not physical death, but the most important death, the putting away of sin, to walk in newness of life, of which John would later follow.

Refresh, John 21:18:

I have written on John 21:18 in past posts – it is clear from the context Christ is not speaking to Peter about martyrdom.

It is terribly tragic this must be mentioned, we immediately associate Christ with martyrdom because death is mentioned (verse 19).

People in positions of great influence in Christianity continually bring up in preaching and conversations how Christ is prophesying Peter will be martyred, contrary to the clear teaching of Scripture.

Again, it is terribly tragic what we think about God and Christ, the fruit of centuries of creeds and traditions.

Jesus does not seek our martyrdom, nor did he seek Peter’s, but our desire and heart to put sin to death, not that we or Peter would be killed.

Highly Important

Paul said he wanted to be like Christ “…in his death” (NIV, Philippians 3:10, italicized and bold mine), not in his killing, but his death to sin, so he could also, like Christ, walk in resurrection power and life – from mortality to immortality this side of Heaven fulfilling the types of Enoch, Moses, and Elijah.

Because creeds and traditions focus the great weight and body of Scripture on Calvary, many have missed the heart of “…Spirit – taught words” (NIV, 1 Corinthians 2:13, italicized mine), interpreting spiritual truths with the natural eyes and ears, and not the revelation of the Spirit.

In John 21:18 Jesus is not talking about a future martyrdom for Peter, far from it.

But a future transformation where he will walk with Peter to put sin to death, so Peter can be raised to walk in resurrection life like Christ before his ministry.

It is likely both Peter and Paul were raptured like Enoch, Elijah, and Moses, because they knew the time of their departure, a discussion for another post.

In John 21:18, Jesus was calling Peter into Romans 6, to be baptized with Christ’s baptism, dying to sin, to walk in newness of life (NIV, Romans 6:10).

To think Jesus would be discussing, let alone informing Peter he would be crucified so shortly after the horrors of his own death, and Peter’s terror in Christ’s death, is beyond reason.

It makes Christ and God look like all they think about is martyrdom and physical death, tragically distorting the Gospel, when their expressed intent is to cleanse and heal the body of Christ from sin so we can walk in new life, just the opposite of what is taught about many Scriptures.

Jesus has tremendous desire to care for our hearts, to promote the well-being of our lives, to draw us deeper into intimate relationship with him, and to think he would be talking about a future martyrdom through crucifixion is not the Jesus I know, the Jesus of the Scriptures, and to do it right after his own killing no less!

It is not the Jesus who went out of his way, even at the cross, to heal, restore, forgive, and save men and women throughout the land of Judah.

The teaching by creeds and traditions of Calvary being foreordained and planned by God has led to some brutal conclusions about God not in agreement with Scripture and real-life encounters with Christ.

Does one (re: Christ talking to Peter), encourage, edify, make the vision large, speak favor and grace to a close friend, by telling them, nonchalantly, oh, by the way, you are going to be crucified just like I was?

Is that how someone motivates, inspires, cultivates, nurtures, and fathers those being trained and groomed to establish the Church?

What about the hundreds of things Jesus said he came to save, heal, restore; Do those not apply to Peter as well, or, is Peter another “human sacrifice” Christendom has come to believe about Christ and the Father?

The purpose of the promised grace to come (NIV, 1 Peter 1:10 – 12), was to conceive, birth, and prepare the Messiah to offer life! not death.

It is tragic the Church embraces and looks with favor teaching Christ (who desires to heal and save you and me from our sins, including Peter), is prophesying to Peter he will be a martyr because the word death is used in verse 19.

These are the same creeds and traditions which teach Christ was born into a death sentence, instead of a life sentence (Romans 5:10).

Death, sacrifice, blood, crucify, etc., are used overwhelmingly more in the NT for death to sin, than physical death. How tragic this is not understood.

Jesus was not born to die physically, but to put sin to death, to enter resurrection life, which he apprehended before his ministry (Romans 6:10, Philippians Chapter 2, Hebrews 5:7 – 10, 7:16, etc.).

The death Christ is keenly interested in for Peter, for everyone who bears his name, is not the death of the body nailed to a physical cross, or any form of physical death, but the death to sin, to be nailed to the spiritual cross of grace through faith in dependence upon God for healing, the new creation.

The death to sin is what Christ was calling Peter, John and the other apostles, into.

Only by bringing death to sin in their lives, could they properly feed and lead the sheep of God and bring glory to God.

We cannot properly feed and lead God’s people without our lives being first fed and led by the Lord to be made new from the inside out.

Jesus invited Peter earlier into feeding his sheep.

To give Christ’s sheep the right food, at the right time, with the right ingredients, requires Peter to be made into the nature of Christ, which requires death to sin, so he can walk in the Spirit and not the flesh.

Creeds have made God into a monster, and Christ as well, attributing to them the purpose and determination to kill those in their care!

Does Matthew 11:28 not apply to the Apostles as well?

Yes, their lives were probably harder than most of the flock, but Christ cares about them just as much as he cares for his other sheep.

Are they not (the Apostles) entitled to the care and love of Christ in their lives, healing them of their wounds and brokenness and their sins, just like you and me?

If, the purpose of being in God’s care is to be killed, then what is the purpose of putting sin to death – the heart of the Gospel and the purpose for which Christ came, bringing grace to all of God’s sons and daughters (1 Peter 1:10-12)?

Christ’s death was not foreordained and planned by God, but Christ’s choice to continue to offer grace and forgiveness even in the face of death.

Christ was uniquely special, a one-of-a-kind, in his person and ministry.

God would be with Christ whether he succumbed to betrayal and an unjust death, raising him “again,” (glorifying him again, a second time, John Chapter 12), or whether he chose to fight, sending him angels.

God let his preference be known to Christ, to not take up arms because some would die who would later be saved – but it was Christ’s decision the Scriptures make clear.

It was Christ’s choice to die at Calvary; he would not be placing the mantle of martyrdom on Peter, that is the work of those who have death in their heart, not the work of Christ.

Martyrdom comes from those who hate Christ, an Antichrist spirit.

Jesus would do everything possible in the affairs of men to save as many from martyrdom as possible.

Christ is a uniquely special situation and not a norm for us to place on the shoulders of others, interpreting situations of death as a martyrdom, instead of dying to sin, the path Christ pioneered.

Christ set an example for those who face choices like his, because we live in a world of death, not because it is the heart of God for Christ or for those in Christ.

Martyrdom is not something we are called and chosen for, but the result of living in a fallen and lawless world.

We are not called and chosen for martyrdom, but to be brought into intimacy in union with Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Martyrdom may come for some, but it is never the calling of God for the lowliest or highest of saints, including the early apostles, and certainly not spoken over someone years in advance.

It is not something orchestrated by God and certainly not something foretold by the Lord to someone years in advance; as Jesus said the trials today are more than enough for one person to bear.

Jesus came to take the weights of chains and sins off our life, not to load our backpack up with fore-telling of death and doom.

The Bible is given as an instrument of instruction for edifying, growing, and maturing the body of Christ, to point us to Christ for cleansing and healing, to put off our robe of sins by putting them to death by grace through faith in repentance and forgiveness.

The NT is truly New, governed by grace through faith in a new language authored by Christ and expounded upon by the early apostles by “…Spirit-taught words.” (1 Corinthians 2:13, italicized mine).

Christ went to great length and so did the early apostles to give us the new language of the NT so we would flee the works of the flesh and seek the law of the Spirit of grace and life in Christ.

The death sentence in the Scriptures is toward “sin,” the domain of God in bringing healing and restoration to those thirsting and hungering after righteousness.

Finally, if, as tradition holds, Jesus was speaking to Peter he will be martyred, instead of being led to put sin away (Romans Chapter 6, 1 Peter 1:13), then what was the purpose of Christ’s crucifixion – first putting sin to death by the cross of grace through faith, made complete, his first glorification, and then extending grace yet again at Calvary, purchasing those who rejected him?

In other words, Christ’s entire life from beginning to end was a blood sacrifice in the truest sense of the word: being made complete before ministry (NIV, Hebrews 5:7 – 10), becoming the NT in flesh and blood (NIV, Matthew 26:28).

And then being willing to extend grace yet again and be killed, if that is not sufficient for salvation, then what is, our own martyrdom?

In other words, are we thinking martyrdom adds something to our salvation Christ was insufficient to provide in demanding the interpretation Peter would be killed at some future time?

If every time we look at the word death, cross, crucifixion, sacrifice, blood sacrifice, etc., we surmise it is about physical death, then we miss the purpose of the Gospel, Bible, Spirit of God, and the Word, and the heart of Christ and the Father for their sons and daughters care and welfare.

In some ways, creeds and traditions have made Christ and our heavenly Father more distant, suspect, and more untrustworthy than what the Jews lived under at the time of Christ.

To teach someone (God) purposely plans the killing of the only righteous person to ever live (Christ), and then those under their care (Peter), is beyond Scripture and the heart of God as expressed repeatedly in his love letters.

It is clear from Scripture Jesus was calling and choosing Peter for a deep work of the Spirit, to cleanse and heal Peter in the same journey he pioneered with the Father – to baptize him with the baptism he undertook in being made complete perfect (NIV, Romans 6:3; NIV, Hebrews Chapter 5:7-10).

When Jesus said “‘Let the dead bury their own dead…’” (NIV, Luke 9:60, italicized mine), he was talking about those dead in sin burying the dead, the spiritual language of the NT.

When Jesus said, “‘…unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you’” (NIV, John 6:53, italicized mine), he was not talking about death, but about life! (See John 6:63).

When Paul wrote,

“For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin – because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.” (NIV, Romans 6:5 – 7, italicized mine)

Obviously, Paul is not talking about Calvary or literal physical death.

It is clear Paul is exhorting the body of Christ to be united with Christ in putting sin to death, raised to walk in newness of life, resurrection life, this side of Heaven.

The Gospel is not about bringing death to the body, but to sin, Romans 8:10 – 11.

For us to live deeply and richly in Christ, to receive the abundant life Christ promised in the fullness of the Gospel, we must allow Jesus to enter our deep wounds, the secret and hidden areas, to restore and renew who we were ordained to be in God.

As Paul describes in Romans 7, sin is alive in our members; only Christ knows how to bring life to areas of our lives held captive to death; how to strip the heart-beat of sin in us by bringing it to death in the care and gentleness of his love.

Christ is our only hope for salvation; nothing we can ever do can save our own lives other than seeking and hungering after him, and even that, by and by requires his strength.

***

The promise of Tabernacles to the body of Christ – the invitation and opportunity to put sin to death and receive our new names (age of Philadelphia), opened in the last half of the 20^th century, and will continue until the bride is fully matured.

Tabernacles is the third and final feast of the Old Testament fulfilled in the New to be made complete in Christ (Philippians 1:6).

To understand the NT teaching on Tabernacles, the great weight and body of NT teaching, we must discuss (besides Christ’s pioneering journey & impact of creeds and traditions), prophecies of the last days and the bride.

In the time of the Great Apostasy (2 Thessalonians 2:3 & Revelation 12:4), plus deep complacency in the body of Christ (Revelation 3:14 – 22, the woman of Revelation 12), there are the great promises of God!

Revelation Chapter 12 – A Few Perspectives, Notes, and Comments

Many teach some of Revelation Chapter 12 is about Israel and Christ, Lucifer’s fall, and the angels he took with him before the creation of Adam and Eve.

Those beliefs have come about largely because there is a lack of understanding “Tabernacles,” Christ’s pioneering journey; and consequently, the journey his sons and daughters are called to apprehend throughout the era of the Gospel, and specifically in the last days, the bride in the age of Philadelphia.

Chapter 12 is as integral to the “season of time” of the book of Revelation as all the other chapters, and even more so as it relates to the body of Christ.

Revelation 12 is critical to understanding the end-times and the Book of Revelation.

It is the glue binding the book of Revelation together, and it, like all the other chapters, is not a review of time and events before creation or before the NT.

If we miss the “revelation” of Chapter 12, then the heart of the end-times, transition to the Tribulation, and the key participants, are either misunderstood or not known.

In addition, if we miss the understanding of Chapter 12, then the “position” of Christendom in the end-times is missed, along with, the Great Falling Away, the bride, the rapture, the end-time revival and wound to the Beast.

And if that is not enough, then the timing and sequence of the casting out of evil from the Heavenly realm and their pursuit of Christians in the first half of the Tribulation (the time of the Seals), is not understood properly.

Revelation Chapter 12 is the key to understanding the events leading up to the end-times, during the end-times, and the beginning of the Tribulation.

It does not give the details, but it does give the key participants, sequence, time, events, and transition from one era to another what many are most concerned about today – the end of the Gospel Age, and the beginning of the Tribulation.

If you had to weigh sections of Revelation in terms of importance in understanding the last days, Chapters 12 and 13, along with Christ’s letter to the Church of Philadelphia and Laodicea, would be among the top.

You may be thinking, how is it possible for Satan and his horde of demons to still have access to the Heavenly realms?

Simply, mankind gave the deed to his earthly kingdom to Satan at the fall.

Though Christ became our redeemer in his pioneering journey (Romans 6:10, Hebrews 5:7 – 10, etc.), and purchased unrepentant sinners for another chance at salvation at Calvary, (Revelation 5:9 & Matthew 26:28), Satan still holds authority and a heavenly position in this creation until the bride has completed her journey.

When Christ fulfills in men and women the promises of the Tabernacle, the “…measure of the fullness of Christ” (NIV, Ephesians 4:13, and see John 17:21; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 5:26 – 27; Philippians 3:10 – 21; 1 Peter 1:13; Revelation 3:12), evil will be cast out of Heaven forever (Revelation 12:9).

Satan’s access to Heaven (Ephesians 6:12) is not revoked until the bride is fully matured and manifest in revival (Revelation 12:5-6; 13:3).

Revelation Chapter 12 is part of “Revelation,” it does not reach back to the events before creation, or the events of Israel, or the events of Christ’s ministry, but is a prophecy of the future when it was written just like the rest of the book.

Contrary to what is commonly taught, the context of Chapter 12, likely spanning close to a century, is about the end-times through and including one of many pictures of the first half of the Tribulation.

Revelation Chapter 12 pictures (i.e., reveals), (italicized quotes mine):

• the Great Apostasy (Rev. 12:4, see also 2 Thess. 2:3),
• the first revealing of the Antichrist system (the Dragon), the seventh world kingdom (Rev. 12:3, see also 2 Thess. 2:3 & 2:7), i.e., what Daniel interpreted for Nebuchadnezzar as the kingdom of “…its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay” (NIV, Daniel 2:33), and later saw in a dream what he described as “…the fourth beast…most terrifying, with its iron teeth and bronze claws…” (NIV, Daniel 7:19).

 

The first revealing occurs before the Tribulation in the time of the Great Apostasy and end-times, including the ministry of the bride in global revival.

The true nature of the Antichrist system is not fully revealed until the second revealing, after Satan is cast out of Heaven, the Tribulation begins, the Beast rises from the nations, the kings are crowned, and Satan works through his chosen vessel, the false prophet, i.e., Antichrist (2 Thess. 2:8-9).

The seventh head has its roots in the Roman kingdom (the sixth head, which never completely died); the seventh head is joined to prince spirits from Babylon (lion), Medo-Perisa (bear), Greece (leopard), Revelation 13:2, the third, fourth, and fifth heads of the Beast.

• the conception, birth, and maturity of the bride in the age of Philadelphia (Tabernacles), her ministry resulting in the wound (Rev. 13:3), to the Beast; her rapture likely to occur in stages as different ones reach different levels of maturity, (12:2 – 5),
• the casting out of Satan from Heaven at the beginning of the Tribulation (the demonic realm has access to the heavenly realm, not to God’s throne room, but to the Heavens, Ephesians 6:12); pursuing those left behind “Christians,” i.e., the woman, in the first half of the Tribulation,
• the second revealing, Revelation 12:13 through Rev. 13, the “full” revealing of the Antichrist system and Antichrist (see 2 Thess. 2:8-9), rising up after the “wounding” from the previous, great, end-time revival (Rev. 12:5), before the Tribulation from the ministry of the bride.

 

Revelation Chapter 12 is a picture of the last of the last days, stretching from the beginning of the end-times to the start of the Tribulation, a vivid and compelling picture of the difference and outcome of those who journey with Christ, his bride, and those who do not pursue intimacy and union with him.

In verse one we see a woman walking in the ways of the Old Testament; she is in the New, but still walking in the ways of the Old (i.e., the moon, a type of the Old Testament, having no light of itself).

The foundation of the Old is part of the foundation of the New in Christ and its promises, but for her, the Church at large, she is more in the Old than the New, clothed (maybe better to say, bathed), in the light of the New Testament the “Son,” the Lord Jesus.

She has left the Old in terms of the new-birth and Pentecostal experiences, but has not entered the larger promises of the New, intimacy and union with Christ.

The moon testifies of the sun, pointing to the sun for life and light, symbolizing the Old Covenant as a sign pointing to the New in the true sun, Christ, Malachi in 4:2.

The woman is walking above and beyond and well over the Old Testament in time, but not in life and practice.

Lacking intimacy and union with Christ, the practiced ways of the Old are still a part of her nature, even though she’s experienced the new-birth and Pentecost.

She is beyond the Old Testament in time, but intimately connected to it; so much, she has the robe of the New but not nature of the New.

The robe is hiding her inner nakedness (Laodicea).

She has the light of the New Testament, but still a “sign,” of the promise pointing yet to Christ; she is “in” Christ, but not “of” Christ, (Romans 8:10 – 11).

A sign is not the destination, but pointing yet to something to come.

She straddles both covenants: still connected to the Old Testament in her walk, yet saved, partaking of the new-birth and for some, the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

She is a sign pointing yet to something greater to come, it is in her womb, those in the Church pursuing “…the deep truths of the faith…” (NIV, 1 Timothy 3:9), the revelation of Christ (NIV, 1 Peter 1:13), i.e., “…Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (NIV, Colossians 1:27)

Because she neglected to seek the deep work of the Spirit of grace in the last days promised to those who enter Philadelphia (Tabernacles), the Lord finds the relatively few in her who will give of themselves to him, using her to help feed and protect the special work he is doing in her.

Journeying with Christ toward intimacy and union in Tabernacles promises new names; there is no indication she has journeyed with Christ, nor has received new names, but just the opposite, a “sign” in her pointing to something better to come.

The bride comes from the body of Christ, and once birthed, nurtured by the body, and, at the right time, ushered into journey with Christ, fathered by God.

Important

The picture of her is one of unfulfillment and incomplete – she is in the thick of the last days, but finds herself ill-equipped and unprepared to face what is coming right around the corner – the strength and power of the Antichrist system represented by the Dragon she does not know is right before her.

And sadly, and tragically, as those days unfold, she will understand she has not journeyed far enough in Christ, she has been shortchanged, apprehending part of the journey, the first two feasts, but missing the opportunity Christ presented to her to complete her pilgrimage by being made one with him in Tabernacles.

The Tabernacle in the wilderness would be incomplete if it only had the Outer Court and Holy Place and not the Holy of Holies.

Israel’s agricultural year would be incomplete if it only had the barley and wheat harvests, pointing to the New Testament Passover (new-birth) and Pentecostal experiences, and did not have the summer fruit harvest of fruits, olives, and nuts, pointing to intimacy and union with Christ, Tabernacles.

Without entering the feast of Tabernacles, our Christian pilgrimage is incomplete.

The New Testament teaches the entirety of the Christian pilgrimage.

Romans through 2 Thessalonians, Matthew Chapter 13, and Christ’s seven letters to the churches, are pictures of the New Testament era.

Within those pictures of seven distinct seasons in letters and parables, are man’s response to the Gospel as the revelation of Christ progressively unfolds.

The great weight and body of New Testament writing is devoted to the journey of intimacy and union with Christ, Tabernacles.

It is specifically pictured in “Philadelphia,” “Philippians,” and the “pearl,” as the last part of our journey, beyond the teachings of the new-birth and Pentecost.

Important

Whereas much of the New Testament “teaches,” the journey of pilgrimage, and much of that Tabernacles, the book of Revelation “shows” the fruit of making the journey.

Revelation is primarily about “revealing” Christ in his sons and daughters; it is not primarily a book about teaching, but journey in seasons, the events in those seasons, and the results in people’s lives as seasons move forward.

The book of Revelation covers the period from the early apostles through the New Heaven and New Earth.

In Revelation Chapter 12 we see the mountaintops of the results of those who pursue intimacy with Christ and those who do not in the last days and end-times.

Revelation Chapter 12 provides the detail of the working of the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ in the season prior to the opening of the Seals.

It connects the promises of Philadelphia and the warning of Laodicea to actual natural and spiritual events just prior to and leading up to the Tribulation.

The teachings throughout Scripture point to the revelation the body in the womb of the woman is the bride in the last days, not Christ, raptured sometime after a global revival “wound,” to the seventh head of the Beast.

And the teachings throughout Scripture point to the woman as the body of Christ at large, those who fail to seek the deep work of Tabernacles, having no new names, and not Israel or Mary; pursued by the evil one after he is finally cast out of Heaven, the bride having completed her journey.

They must, as Christ says, “‘…buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.’” (NIV, Revelation 3:18)

In Matthew Chapter 13 we see the journey of producing a “pearl,” i.e., the bride, and then the “net,” i.e., global ministry to reach the lost.

The net represents the end-time revival or series of revivals in the last of the last days on the cusp of the Tribulation.

Second Thessalonians is not only a letter for its day, but like the prophets of Old who prophesied centuries in advance, a letter symbolic of the end-times stretching into the first part of the Tribulation.

This should not be surprising, because Paul’s letters to the Churches, Romans to Thessalonians, capture in theme and progression the Christian pilgrimage and church history.

Prior to the letters to the Thessalonians, there are the letters to the Philippians and Colossians, strikingly similar in them and progression to Christ’s letters to Philadelphia and Laodicea.

Why is this important?

Because we are in the last days, the overlapping seasons of Philadelphia and Laodicea, the former presently being prepared to be the bride, the latter content to stay camped outside the safety and provision of God.

Both Old and New Testament histories are filled with those who went on with God, following his Spirit to what he had next, versus, those who camped.

In Revelation we see the fruit of Philadelphia in the form of intimacy, those who went on to apprehend Christ, versus the Laodiceans, those who settle for the loaves and fishes instead of the living bread, Christ himself.

One is caught away from the wrath and fury of the Dragon, the other flees like David before Saul; only this Saul (Dragon) either catches its prey and makes it its own, the mark of the Beast, or kills its prey, where Heaven becomes their new home.

An intimate picture of Christ and those he is forming to be his bride is seen in the baby in the womb of Revelation 12, what some call the invisible church in the visible.

The baby in the womb pictures an intimate setting of being conceived, loved, and cared for by Christ as one would care for a child (see Psalm 131, a beautiful picture of the bride being cared for by the Lord).

The womb is a picture of Tabernacles, being made ready for at-one-ment, the bride; the woman, Christendom at large, a picture of unpreparedness, completely missing all the armaments of the faith (Ephesians Chapter 6), in addition to not knowing the Dragon will be after her once the bride escapes.

It appears many Christians do not want to go deep in the Lord because they, for whatever reason, do not want to contend with spiritual warfare.

Problem is in the Tribulation, spiritual warfare “life and death spiritual warfare,” will be thrust upon Christians in the form of persecution and martyrdom whether sought or not.   

Other than Christ’s robe on her, walking in the ways of the Old, having a crown placed on her by her, (yes, her crown comes from her, not Christ), she shows no signs of transformation and sanctification, deeply lacking intimacy with Christ.

We know she placed a crown on her own head, to signify what she believes are her achievements in Christ, because she’s not ruling with Christ, instead, she’s about to flee from the face of the Dragon.

In Revelation those outside the bride are pictured in white robes, having been martyred in the Tribulation (Revelation 7:13-17).

On the other hand, a beautiful picture of the bride is revealed to John, in the form of the living creatures, having the nature of Christ formed in them:

An ox, the servant; an eagle, walking, seeing, and living in the prophetic; a lion, ruling and reigning with Christ in authority and power; and, a man, priestly sacrifice and ministry in the care and love of Christ.

Two contrasts, one, a baby in the womb who grows up as the bride, an intimate of Christ, and, the woman, who fails to apprehend the mystery of Christ.

Though the woman is not intimate with Christ “known and knowing,” like the bride, those who overcome (do not take the mark of the Beast), will be granted the right to rule with Christ as queens, but not as his bride.

Contrasts like this are shown throughout Scripture, where some are closer to Christ than others because they sought more of him, e.g., Christ’s inner circle, foolish and wise, the parable of the talents, etc. (See Ezekiel Chapter 44, those who minister to Christ, and those who minister to others for Christ).

We also see in the Song of Songs separation and distinction within the body of Christ as virgins, concubines, queens, and brides (NIV, 6:8-9).

Encountering Christ, The Heart of the Gospel

If you had to capture the feast of Tabernacles in a few words, the opportunity presented in the age of Philadelphia, to be made one with Christ in intimate union, it would be “encountering Christ in journey with him.”

Christians capture the fulfillment of the feast of Passover in the New Testament with phrases like “born-again,” a “new-creation,” “new-birth,” or “I’m saved.”

We capture the fulfillment of the feast of Pentecost with phrases like “baptized in the Spirit,” “the baptism of the Holy Spirit,” or “Spirit-filled.”

For Tabernacles, it would be phrases like – baptized with Christ’s baptism (Romans Chapter 6), or, dying to sin to walk in newness of life (NIV, Romans 6:10), or countless other phrases in the NT, like crucifying the flesh, etc.

Contrary to popular teaching and preaching, you cannot die to sin, crucify the flesh, be baptized with Christ’s baptism, etc., just by making decisions – it takes a work of the Spirit and intimate connection with Christ in journey with him to effect transformation and sanctification.

Some low hanging bad fruit might be picked with decisions, but the deep secret and hidden things of the inner person require the deep work of the Spirit.

The heart of 1 Peter 1:13 and many other verses where the Lord “comes” to us, or “appears,” or “reveals,” is the word “encounter,” where we encounter Christ (known and knowing) over a long journey of transformation and sanctification.

Tabernacles is the journey of the wise virgins being made into brides, those who are “taken” by Christ for healing and restoration; those Christ “comes” for, those he “appears” to, or, those he “reveals” himself to, for the purpose of being made into his likeness, the greatest gift one could ever receive in this creation.

The New Testament letters use a variety of terms; I have shared these with you in in earlier posts, to describe Christ coming to those who desire him.

The final journey of our pilgrimage, Tabernacles is the expression of the heart of Christ for you and me, the purpose for which he came: to fulfill the deep longing to be made whole and holy from the fall in singleness of heart to God and man.

Tabernacles is not esoteric, but a tangible real-life adventure in Christ beyond Passover and Pentecost meant for the entire body of Christ.

It is more real than the new-birth and Pentecost, the heart of transformation taught in the Scriptures.

It is where Christ encounters the deep wounds and broken places in our lives to bring transformation, judgment against sin, not us.

The judgment he bore in putting sin to death by the cross of grace through faith is brought to bear against the enmity in our fleshly natures, not us.

He comes in grace and love to bring healing and restoration, not shame and condemnation.

It is a journey of encountering Christ, a growing union, to bring the healing love and grace of God to the barriers of sin deeply rooted in our generations.

The “…judgment seat of Christ…” (NIV, 2 Corinthians 5:10, italicized mine), is to put sin to death now, to bring healing and restoration now, as a demonstration of the grace and love of God for his sons and daughters.

To rescue many by God’s healing touch of restoration.

Finally, the “…judgment seat of Christ…” (NIV, 2 Corinthians 5:10, italicized mine), occurs in this life, not the next.

It will be too late in the next life to repent, forgive, and be made like Christ, when that was the design and call of God to be apprehended here.

The teaching in Scripture of the work of the Spirit is not about what occurs in Heaven, but here, this side of the great divide.

Important

As much as we would love to hide our wounds like Adam and Eve, especially the secret and hidden areas, Jesus would ask us to trust him; to allow him to cleanse and heal our wounds so we can help him cleanse and heal others.

Jesus sees the futility of our efforts in attempting to cleanse our wounds by the works of the flesh.

But rather, with eyes full of compassion and mercy, he seeks ways to gain our trust and permission to fulfill the passion of God to make us whole and holy.

To create within the body of Christ a living, vibrant, and intimate relationship with him and the Father.

***

The key distinction between a queen and a bride is intimate encounter with Christ, being known and knowing.

Queen denotes a title; granted to one because of lineage, relationships, or other earthly or spiritual endeavors.

A bride on the other hand, denotes intimate relationship, one based on story, sharing the motives, feelings, and intimacies of the heart; having shared vision and hopes for one another and the future.

A queen on the other hand, does not require the sharing of the secret and hidden things of the heart, but is more formal, executing rulership from what is visibly known and seen, not from the intimate motives and desires of the King.

The Father’s heart for every son and daughter is to be made into brides.

Those who camp at the headwaters of Passover and Pentecost and do not move downstream in the floodwaters of Tabernacles will miss the greatest opportunity ever presented to men and women, to be made into brides.

Only encounter with Christ can produce transformation we were created to desire (2 Corinthians 3:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:23).

Only encounter with Christ can conceive, form, birth, and mature a bride for the Son, pictured in journey, Revelation Chapter 12, in living creatures, Chapters 4 and 5, and, pictured in securing the promises of God, Philadelphia.

Revelation Chapter 12 – A Few Perspectives, Brief Notes, and Comments, cont’d

Philadelphia and Laodicea represent two different trees, two different fruits, from the body of Christ in the last of the last days.

One produces an abundance of good fruit, Philadelphia.

The other, an abundance of fruit that cannot be eaten, but must be further refined of impurities, Laodicea.

One becomes the bride, the living creatures, ruling and reigning with Christ in intimacy.

The other becomes a queen, those who refuse to take the mark of the Beast, ruling with Christ as heads of state, but not as his intimate.

Laodiceans do not reign with Christ until after they are martyred and raised from the dead (Revelation 20:4); whereas Philadelphians, the bride, reign with Christ this side of Heaven (before, during, and after the great revival to come, the likes of Moses, Elijah, etc.), and thereafter, the living creatures.

The giving of names to the Philadelphians is for the here and now, Christ presently searching for those who will rule and reign with him, now, in advancing the Kingdom of God, by few, or by many.

Laodiceans must go through the refining fires of the first part of the Tribulation to get their white robes (Revelation 7:14-17).

The woman of Revelation Chapter 12 represents Laodicean Christians in the last of the last days, the end- times, through the great revival, and as I mentioned previously, the first part of the Tribulation.

Hopefully, some or many will be made into brides along the way before time runs out before the Tribulation.

She represents lukewarm Christians camped outside the deep work of the Spirit of grace, Tabernacles.

Our eternal positions are not determined after we die, but in this life through the journey Christ pioneered for that purpose.

But for the grace of God all of us would be lost. And but for the grace of God, all outside Tabernacles would be lost, except God’s grace even covers those who camp and do not move on, but endure the purging of the Tribulation.

The thief on the cross did not have an opportunity to experience Tabernacles, but Heaven will be his home just like all those who over the centuries have held on to their new-birth experience.

The critical difference at the end of time is those who partake of the feast of Tabernacles, made one with Christ, his bride, are also saved from the wrath of the Antichrist kingdom by being caught away before it is unleased against Christians in all its fury.

Enoch was caught away, Moses, Elijah, and who knows how many others, and very likely Peter and Paul from their own testimonies of knowing the time of their departure.

The woman of Laodicea is self-satisfied, believing she has completed the race founded by the early apostles, priding herself on what she has accomplished, even going so far to crown herself a queen.

She is sufficient in what she perceives as having accomplished in the eyes of Christendom, yet she lacks the purpose for which Christ came, intimacy and union with him and the Father.

She is nondescript, covered by Christ’s light, walking in the light of the new-birth, but unknown by Christ, the Scripture giving no indication of the nature of Christ formed in her, unlike the bride.

She is saved, but unprepared and ill-equipped to face the warfare that is about to come her way from the Dragon.

In contrast, the bride, the fruit of Philadelphia, having the name of the Father, Christ, and the body of Christ, is shown as conceived in the body, formed by Christ over journey, revealed as one who will rule the nations with Christ, with the nature of Christ pictured in the living creatures.

Important

We know the crown of 12 stars on the woman did not come from the Lord; he would not crown her and then lead her to stand before the Dragon unarmed and defenseless!

He does not set us up for failure but for success; he would not lead an unprepared and ill-equipped Christian to face the fierceness of the Antichrist system.

Christ is not complicit in promoting her to a position of authority without equipping and preparing her, only the grace of Christ and her steadfastness toward him in the first part of the Tribulation will save her.

She crowns herself just like the Beast crowns himself; she, believing she has completed the race not aware she missed the long journey of Tabernacles.

(The Dragon, fulfilling the desires of his heart with the pleasures of this world, has at his fingertips almost anything he wants; self-fulfilled, self-satisfied, satiated on the temporal, deceived, and ignorant of the eternal.)

She did not allow Christ to encounter her deeply and richly in her wounds, in the season he reserved just for that purpose, Philadelphia, to cleanse and heal her from what Peter describes as “…the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors.” (NIV, 1 Peter 1:18, italicized mine)

For lack of vision, understanding, or choice, she never allowed the Lord to bring the grace and truth of the Word of God to deliver her from the sins holding and imprisoning her in deep pain and wounding.

She did not allow Jesus to cleanse and bathe her wounds and brokenness; to remove the barrier of sin blocking her from being transformed into the likeness of Christ.

The Dragon’s root is anchored in sin; designed by the author of sin to separate mankind from the safety, security, trust of God.

The drift Adam and Eve began in the Garden six millenniums ago comes to another mountaintop in the rise of the seventh Antichrist kingdom.

There is an unrelenting push in society and culture today to create a global community linked together, exalting the virtues of humanity, to decide for themselves justice and injustice independent of God.

This is not unprecedented or unusual; it has happened many times in history always with the same outcome, intervention by God.

God will not allow generation after generation to be born deeper and deeper into sin, causing greater and greater pain, harm, and injustice to themselves.

The book of Judges sums well the Spirit of this age, “In those days Israel had no King; everyone did as they saw fit.” (NIV, Judges 21:25)

When restraint and godliness is thrown to the wind, not only ignoring Scripture but viewing it as bondage and darkness, intervention by God is coming.

Important

In the end-times, before the Tribulation, after the seventh Antichrist kingdom is crowned (its first revealing in the lives of men and women, Revelation 12:3), i.e.,

– the authority men and women have given to the Spirit of this age (an antichrist spirit), over their lives, wearing a “a crown” of unrestraint and godlessness –

God will unleash an unprecedented revival unlike anything in recent history to rescue many before the door to this age closes.

(You might say mankind has willingly allowed the enemy to crown him with the crown of unrighteousness; the heartbeat and culture of the day, which is taking shape now; it is not until the second revealing of the Antichrist spirit, after Satan is cast out of Heaven and the Tribulation begins, the author of the crown is revealed.) 

The woman of Revelation 12 does not know a Dragon is standing before her, she knows he exists, present in society and culture, but, is blind and deaf to his immediate presence in her life, and the tremendous danger she is in.

The birth of the male child, signifying strength in God, the bride (sons and daughters, for there is neither male nor female in Christ), will usher in a global revival unlike any previous; rescuing many who are lost, and divine space to the woman before she faces the Dragon after the bride is gone.

***

Revelation 12 reveals some of the reasons for the Great Falling Away in the end-times (2 Thess. 2:3).

The spiritual strength of the new-birth and Pentecost is no match for the strength and power of the Spirit of this age and all the fallen angels and sins fueling the seventh Antichrist kingdom’s spiritual darkness.

It will not be until the beginning of the Tribulation the true nature and “Spirit” of the seventh Antichrist kingdom is made known in the second revealing.

Even then, most of mankind is too far gone, too embraced in darkness, to resist what darkness is about to usher in through the Antichrist false prophet and the Kings who rule with him.

All the influential who helped build the Antichrist system over decades will tragically meet their own fate; when the Antichrist and the Kings purge those around them, just like all tyrants of history who end up killing those who helped them come to power (Revelation 17:15-18), but that is a writing for another time.

The woman having only gone so far as apprehending the new-birth and Pentecost, is no match for the strongholds of sin she’s left uncleansed and unhealed in her when the Dragon finally puts his sights on her in the Tribulation.

The woman of Revelation 12 is in a state of spiritual famine, unable to stay her ground in her depleted condition, having no choice but to run from the Dragon.

When Christ was driven into the wilderness by the Spirit, he had spent likely two decades being equipped and prepared by God for spiritual warfare, knowing how to reside in his father even in the deepest of his wilderness testing.

The woman on the other hand, missed the journey of Tabernacles, being made one with her Savior, and is not equipped to face hardships in the desert let alone face the wrath of the Antichrist kingdom.

Ultimately, she will give her life to be saved (Revelation 7:14-17 & 20:4).

She is meeting the Dragon at the worst possible time in her spiritual walk (all the while she believed she was reigning as a queen), having missed the opportunity for intimacy with Christ, while the Dragon, in contrast, is approaching his peak spiritual strength empowered by darkness.

She in a weakened state, he in a self-empowered demonic state – the masses of humanity having embraced the crown of unrighteousness given them by their enemy.

It is the ministry of the bride in revival that intervenes temporarily to refresh the woman and save others that stuns the Dragon (Revelation 13:3), giving breathing room to her and salvation to others before the Seals are opened.

America has had the Great Depression, Recession, and more recently the Great Resignation; now Christendom is facing its own “great” event, the Great Apostasy.

I pray my posts inspire and ignite you toward a deeper walk with Jesus, to take the way of escape by responding to the call of God to go deep in him.

** Foreknowledge **

Just as in the time of Christ there were two streams of prophecy –

• the coming of the Messiah, the promised grace to come (NIV, 1 Peter 1:10 – 12), fulfilling the coming grace in Christ; establishing the NT in him by the sacrifice of his life (a blood offering, John 6:63 & 1 John 5:7), made complete (Romans 6:10; NIV, Hebrews 5:7 – 10), before ministry, and,
• unrepentant sinners rejecting the NT (Christ), choosing to kill the NT in Christ vividly displayed for over three years in “…miracles, wonders and signs…” to the people and nation of Israel. (NIV, Acts 2:22, italicized mine),
• each stream fulfilled separately from the other, neither fulfilling a script; the first stream fulfilled by Christ in obedience to God, the second stream fulfilled by unrepentant sinners in disobedience to God and obedience to darkness.

 

So too, in the last of the last days, there will be those who pursue the deep things of the Spirit, responding to the vision of the mystery of Christ in the Scriptures, seeking the promise of God to be made one with Christ.

And those who miss the deep work of the Spirit in being made one with Christ, his bride, settling for less, missing the treasure and richness of intimacy and union with Jesus.

God does not predestine one to the deep things of God, and others to less, but predestines everyone who responds to him to be made “…conformed to the image of his Son…” (NIV, Romans 8:29, italicized mine).

Christ is the only pattern upon which we can be made and enter eternal life, there exists none other.

Prophecy does not choose our will or make our choices for us.

God does not predestine some to Heaven and some to Hell, nor did he predestine some to receive Christ and believe, and some to reject Christ and kill him.

Prophecy does foretell the fruit of those who respond and repent, and the fruit of those who remain unrepentant.

God foreknew Christ would be willing to sacrifice the entirety of his life in being made perfect before ministry, the foundation of the plan of God since creation.

That Christ would be willing to give it all; to put sin to death, redeeming what Adam lost at the fall, and not only redeeming, but finishing the race perfectly Adam and Eve failed to complete.

And in that pioneering journey, without sin, fathered by God, he became the author of eternal salvation (NIV, Hebrews 5:7 – 10), the NT in flesh and blood, resurrection life (NIV, Hebrews 7:16).

And God foreknew and spoke through the prophets, though enigmas in their day, Israel would not repent of her sins and receive her Savior, even though he did everything divinely possible, short of violating wills, to make it happen.

Foreknowledge is not a script, nor a destination, but to the discerning and willing, a way of escape.

Foreknowledge does not rule out hope and desire for a different outcome, but says, if things continue their present course, you can be certain such and such will come to pass, but, with God, there is always a way of escape if sought.

We know prophecy is not etched in stone, as God has changed his mind in times past even after clear cut decrees (for example, Hezekiah and Ahab).

God is not a machine, more merciful and loving than we can ever imagine.

Simply, foreknowledge does not usurp the will of man.

The difference between foreknowing what people will do versus a script to be followed is like day versus night.

Creeds mix the two major streams of prophecy about Christ together – the coming and fulfillment of the NT with the rejection and killing of him.

They merge the two streams together, making it appear as one from the Old into the New; except, instead of slaying an animal, a human is slain, entirely nullifying Christ’s pioneering journey to completion.

As if, the only type of blood sacrifice results in killing, as opposed to the giving of the entirety of one’s life in pursuit and union with their God.

Christ’s Pioneering Blood Sacrifice in Being Made Complete, Becoming Our Savior (NIV, Hebrews 5:7-10), the NT in Flesh and Blood, before His Ministry

(The True Meaning of a Blood Sacrifice in the New Testament)

Of course, I am not referring to those Scriptures where the context is clearly about Calvary and the shedding of his blood.

But there are number of Scriptures in the NT where blood is used in connection with sacrifice, the context clearly about his journey, putting sin to death, having everything to do with his journey to completion, and nothing to do with Calvary.

And in those instances, which I have discussed in previous posts, blood is in the Greek, but shed or shedding is not, yet translations add shed or shedding to connect the verses to Calvary, diverting the stream of prophecies and Scriptures from his journey to Calvary.

And in these situations, where shed or shedding has been added in translation, it conforms to the institutionalization of creeds, which place the birth of the NT, the atonement, at Calvary, in opposition to Scripture, instead of Christ’s completion.

Creeds were man’s attempt to standardize Christian belief and practices in the absence of having intimacy and communion with Christ.

Christ’s blood was ultimately shed not so they could “have” forgiveness, cleansing, and healing in the new-birth, some having already received Christ, but, his last earthly outreach to the unrepentant to “come” to forgiveness.

Christ chose to come to the unrepentant at the deepest level possible – the loss of his physical life – to give them one last sign, the sign of Jonah, something only those with the hardest of heart would refuse.

He knew by the Spirit some would seek repentance and forgiveness once they realize the fruit of their hearts in the killing of their Messiah.

Christ chose to go to the extreme because they were spiritually blind and deaf.

To come to them in the only way they knew, a natural sign, one they would hear about through preaching and testimonies of the Spirit in their midst, and, testimonies of him being seen after being raised from the dead.

Israel was at the place where there was only one sign left, his physical resurrection as a witness and testimony of their unrepentant hearts in the clear and unmistakable face of Christ’s righteousness.

He was allowing himself to be the one, since they would not repent on their own, to bring their sins to the surface so they would hopefully come to repentance.

Hezekiah to was told he would die by Isaiah.

But Hezekiah cried out to God for life, and God told Isaiah to tell Hezekiah he would not die but live for some 15 more years.

And Isaiah instructed that a “‘…poultice of figs…apply it to the boil, and he will recover.’” (NIV, Isaiah 38:21)

Upon rejecting Christ, Christ knew Israel would eventually be destroyed.

Christ became the poultice of figs to Israel’s boil, extending grace and life to them for another 40 years.

Note:

I have written in earlier posts of the different uses of the term blood in the NT.

One, to denote Christ’s living blood sacrifice in dying to sin, raised to walk in newness of life (NIV, Romans 6:10), resurrection life, before his ministry.

And two, allowing himself to be killed; purchasing mankind by the shedding of his blood to confirm and testify who he said he was, who he said they were, extending grace for another chance at forgiveness.

Christ, Our Sacrificial Living-Blood Substitute

Christ was foreordained by God to put sin to death in life, by the cross of grace through faith in dependence upon God, crucifying inherited generational transgressions and iniquities.

He was foreordained by God to demonstrate God’s power by grace through faith to destroy the barrier of sin keeping men and women from fulfilling the law in their flesh, being the first to fulfill the law in his flesh, and he, perfectly.

Conceived by the Holy Spirit, he is the only one who could put generational sin to death completely, and it could only be done by sacrificing the entirety of his life to the Father, a living-blood sacrifice, being made complete, without sin, before his ministry.

And once complete, others would be grafted into him to be made into his likeness.

This is the heart of the Gospel, Christ’s pioneering journey, the firstborn and pattern for you and me.

The enemy has done everything possible through the centuries, short of rewriting the Bible, to distort the Scripture, tempting men to create creeds, to make it about the killing of Christ, instead of the killing of sin.

The enemy does not fear the killing of Christ, but he does fear the knowledge Christ put sin to death by grace through faith as the pattern for mankind.

God instituted physical death at the Fall as the “just reward” for sin.

Physical death is the just reward for sin, not torture on a Roman cross!

Torture on a Roman cross does not atone for our sins.

Jesus made that point clear when he said the NT was in his blood (NIV, Matthew 26:28), it cannot get much clearer than that.

Physical death is a type pointing to spiritual death for those outside the saving blood (life), of Christ.

Physical death became the “punishment for sin,” not torture and crucifixion.

God’s response to Adam and Eve’s sin was exacted through hardships, and eventual physical death, not torture.

They physically died in the Millennium they were created; a thousand years likened to a mere day to the Lord.

Christ was not “punished” for our sins at Calvary as commonly preached as the place of atonement.

He was already the Messiah-Savior when he entered ministry; his ministry was a demonstration of who he was, not who he would become.

The place of substitution (atonement), had already occurred in his perfection, before ministry (NIV, Romans 6:10; Hebrews 5:7-10).

Christ died at Calvary because Israel rejected the atoning work of grace God had already accomplished in him, though they could not see it with natural eyes, the fruit of it was all around them in the lives of those he touched.

Calvary was a demonstration of mankind’s refusal to receive Christ, preferring sin, and Christ’s willingness to give them one last sign pointing to the truth about him, and the truth about them.

Christ did die because of mankind’s sin at Calvary, their sin killed him, but, he did not die to atone for it, that had already occurred in his perfection before ministry.

***

Adam and Eve would not have died had they not sinned.

They were created to be eternal beings, to freely travel between Heaven and earth walking in eternal life, just as the angels freely travel between Heaven and earth.

Therefore, repeatedly in the New Testament much is spoken about resurrection life, Christ raised to walk in newness of life! (1 Corinthians 15; Hebrews 5:7-10, 7:16)

Because at Christ’s perfection he became immortal, never to die, restoring what Adam and Eve lost at the fall, to live forever had he not been purposely killed; his body still subject to the sin of others.

Christ was not raised to walk in newness of life after Calvary (his earthly physical ministry after Calvary was very short), but was raised to walk in newness of life “resurrection life,” at his perfection, before his ministry.

So that as our Savior, having been made one with the Father, healing and salvation would flow out from him to Israel in announcing and demonstrating the New Covenant to Israel as an invitation for them to come to him.

The New Covenant is a better covenant (Hebrews 9:23), not a worse covenant.

Christ came to put sin to death, so his generations, and every generation grafted into him would by grace through faith become free from sin and its fruit, not to be punished further because of mankind’s sin (1 Peter 1:10 – 12, see also Romans 5:10, 6:10, 8:3, Ephesians 2:14 – 16, see an interlinear, Hebrews 5:7 – 10, etc.).

Creeds have so convoluted the Gospel message many believe Christ came to be punished even further because of sin; because the creeds focus on Calvary and not the journey of Christ being made complete, making the two one in opposition to Scripture.

The punishment for sin was death, no further punishment was needed.

For example, Sacrifice is mentioned many times in the NT as a testimony of Christ’s pioneering journey, and not as a testimony to what was done to him at Calvary.

Calvary was not about relationship between him and his father, in being made complete (which he already was), but about allowing more grace and time to Abraham’s descendants before the ax was laid to Israel’s tree.

Christ became the “testator” of a New and Better Covenant, not by being killed, but by putting sin to death, raised to walk in new life (NIV, Romans 6:10; Hebrews 5:7-10).

Important

He brought the power of darkness in his generations to death, creating in himself one new man, fulfilling the law in his flesh, establishing the New and Better Covenant by grace through faith.

Yes, Christ suffered in putting sin to death; the suffering of generational sins being cleansed and healed through tears, repentance, and forgiveness, coupled with the loss of rights and privileges in being nailed to the cross of grace through faith (spiritually speaking) in utter dependence upon God for life itself.

Enduring the suffering of opening and uprooting deep pains and wounds for cleansing and healing as structures of generational sins were destroyed and brought to death by grace through faith.

Christ was not punished, but “sin,” in his journey to completion.

He took the punishment of sin from us in his journey being made complete; suffering the putting to death of sin.

This is important to understand:

The punishment was directed to putting sin to death, a living creation, chained in darkness (Romans Chapter 7).

Sin is not killed (put to death), by beating and killing the body as we’ve been taught about Calvary, that is natural thinking through natural eyes.

Killing sin is a spiritual battle, not a fleshly battle.

Christ suffered in the process of destroying the work of sin in his generations, but it was not the suffering of physical death, but death to the sinful ways of the fleshly nature he inherited which required cleansing, healing, and restoration, i.e., the wounding and piercing of the fleshly nature, not the wounding and piercing of the physical body.

By grace through faith in repentance and forgiveness for his generations he brought death to the practiced ways of living passed to him from his human ancestors, just like the Holy Spirit leads today in inner healing.

The wounding, pain, and brokenness inflicted by sin on mankind can only be healed in a spiritual setting by grace through faith in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Christ was the first one to complete the journey and did it perfectly without sin, becoming our Savior. 

Calvary was an attempt by fallen man to destroy what God had already accomplished in Christ in birthing the New Testament.

How else did he become our Savior, our mighty warrior, knowing the workings of sin (but sinless); knowing the toll generational wounds and brokenness take on the human heart; and, how to defeat sin in the lives of others, if he did not conquer it for his generations as foreordained by God?

He brought the old order of mankind to death, the nature passed to him from his human ancestry.

And in that he became the “testator,” of the NT, passing from mortality, to immortality “resurrection life,” his first glorification (John Chapter 12), freely offering healing and salvation to Israel for over three years.

If you impose some of the Old Covenant on the New, ignoring the language of the New taught by Christ (e.g., John 6:63), and Paul (1 Corinthians 2:13), there will be a temptation to see Calvary as the place of atonement, applying literal meanings across the board wherever blood, sacrifice, crucifixion, cross, death to sin, etc., occurs in Scripture.

Which is why Christ spent so much time going behind the scenes, teaching spiritual truths in parables and otherwise, things that had no natural understanding, stretching hearts to see and hear the Spirit of God, using natural words to explain spiritual truths on matters of life, death, sacrifice, cross, blood, etc.

Christ and the authors of the NT went to great lengths to unveil the heart of the Old Testament in pointing to fulfillment in Christ: truths hidden “in” and “behind” “words” now visible in the person of Christ.

It takes a lot of effort, time, patience, and waiting on God to see beyond the natural into the spiritual, that is why our pilgrimage is a long journey of unlearning, relearning, and healing and restoration.

Christ lost disciples because he referred to his flesh and blood as food and drink; finally, somewhat clarifying he was speaking about spiritual life in God, what it takes to remain in the Son, just as the Son remains in the Father.

In other words, we need to eat and drink the same food and drink Christ ate and drank in his journey of being made one with the Father, dying to sin, raised to walk in new life (NIV, Romans 6:10; Hebrews 5:7-10).

And his food and drink were the revelation of the Word by the power of the Holy Spirit in dependence upon God by grace through faith to heal and restore his wounds in intimacy and trust in journey of being made one with the Father.

Paul describes in Corinthians revelation of the Spirit is necessary to understand Scripture (1 Corinthians 2:13).

Creeds and traditions intimate Christ was perfect at birth, ignoring his human ancestry, he had to physically die for us to be saved; and even worse, some profess God had to die for us to be saved.

If God dies, then we are really in trouble!

But I can assure you, from the Scriptures, God did not die at Calvary, and will never die.

Important

The promised grace to come (1 Peter 1:10 – 12), was not to give Jesus our punishment for sin, to be physically killed, but for him to take our punishment – death from sin – and put it to death by the sacrifice of his life in being made complete, fathered by God.

Creeds and traditions intimate Christ’s completion was insufficient for our salvation, and yet, Christ healed and saved, performing miracles and wonders before Calvary demonstrating he was more than sufficient.

The Scriptures clearly testify of Christ’s sufficiency as Messiah-Savior before Calvary, needing no help from lawless men and Roman soldiers to usher in a New and Better Covenant.

His divine conception enabled him to put sin to death by grace through faith we could never do, and in that, he was perfected, becoming our Savior.

The “sacrifice, suffering,” Christ was born to apprehend was not the “sacrifice, suffering,” of being killed, but, the “sacrifice, suffering,” of putting sin to death (Romans 6:10; Galatians 3:13; Colossians 2:14; Hebrews 5:7 – 10; 1 Peter 2:24, 3:18, etc.), a sacrificial suffering no one conceived by a sinful father could ever put to death.

God’s Heart for Christ to Be Received and Accepted

Scripture expresses repeatedly God’s heart was for Christ to be received and accepted, not rejected and killed.

Christ clearly expressed through parables the Father’s heart for Israel to receive his Son.

And he made it clear what would happen if they rejected and mistreated their Messiah.

Creeds and traditions have so tied up the Scripture in knots, like a fishing reel rats nest, it takes a lot of undoing to straighten things out and separate the line.

Jesus was forgiveness in flesh and blood, he did not need to physically die for people to be forgiven, having already conquered death in his first glorification, he offered life and salvation freely.

If people refuse to receive forgiveness, especially those God chose to be the head and not the tail, you do everything possible short of violating their will for them to receive forgiveness.

For Christ, if it meant taking up arms and killing those he had just spent over three years trying to save, versus, not taking up arms, so some could be saved, and those were the only two choices, he would naturally cleave to his calling and commission to save at all cost extending grace and the opportunity for salvation through death.

His only hope was some would come to forgiveness once they realized who they killed, what they lost, and who they had become and forever be without repentance.

Christ could not stomach the thought of killing those he had just spent three years trying to save, let alone all the collateral damage to those he loved.

The decision was Christ’s: he could call angels of war and take the Kingdom by force, or let unrepentant sinners unfold events.

He was caught in the web of physical death he had already overcome, but promised, by his heavenly Father, no matter what events unfold around him, he would be glorified again (John Chapter 12).

Christ gave the people of Israel another chance at salvation, another 40 years, before Rome would be allowed to remove Israel from the family of nations.

Important

The Scripture cannot make it any clearer.

The emphasis on Calvary in creeds and traditions is man’s shortcut to salvation, requiring a lot of Christ and little of us.

Creeds and traditions create fear in the heart of men and women of an angry God, punishing a Holy Son, so sinful man can be saved.

And in doing so, relieving men and women from seeking their salvation journey, (man’s responsibility after embracing darkness), ignoring God’s grace to heal our wounds and brokenness in the pattern established by Christ.

God did not labor four millenniums to prepare everything for Christ: first to be made complete, then to offer who he had become to Israel, and undo all that by purposely designing a plan for his Son to be killed as taught by tradition.

Creeds and traditions are what happens when intimacy in union with Christ is lacking, making God complicit in the design, and killing of his Son.

Paul’s tireless teaching about “…Spirit-taught words” (NIV, 1 Corinthians 2:13 italicized mine) are thrown out the window by creeds and traditions.

Mankind is not the enemy, but sin; it has a life and power of its own (Romans Chapter 7).

The only way to put an end to it, is to put it to death, not people(!), by grace through faith in the cross Christ pioneered (Romans Chapter 6).

God did not desire the murder of Christ, nor did he plan it, nor was it necessary for salvation under the New Covenant.

Darkness has had a field day for 1700 years teaching God’s complicity with murder, needing the help of lawless men and Rome to inaugurate salvation.

And, if that was not enough, hiding the journey of Christ in Calvary, the journey he pioneered for us to be made one with him, supplanting the Gospel of the Lord by an unrighteous Roman crucifixion initiated by lawless men.

God did everything necessary to win Israel to Christ, and Christ to win Israel to him, short of violating their will.

Jesus even wanted to dig around the tree another year, to see if it would bear fruit, but the hatred in unrepentant hearts was too strong.

Christ’s decision not to fight had the weight of eternal consequences for those who were lost and would come to him later, and those who were presently saved, who may be killed if he chose to fight.

Finally, God did not bring Christ to lawless men to be executed by Rome, he was a Father, not a killer.

The Veil

The tearing of the veil in the Temple at the crucifixion of Christ, was not the beginning of the NT as an expression of grace, as some contend – that had already been demonstrated by Christ over the previous three years.

But, on the contrary, the unveiling and exposing of Israel’s unrepentant sin no longer shielded by the veil of the fleshly temples of their lives (John 15:22-25), in preparation for a second chance at salvation in the days ahead.

The veil in the Temple and the Tabernacle in the wilderness was an act of grace in protecting God’s people from the Holiness of God.

It was God’s way of shielding them from his Holiness in their sinful states, until the promised grace to come in Christ which would reveal the love of God through the temple of flesh.

Their destruction of Christ’s temple removed the veil designed to protect them, and now there would be no excuse, their sin would remain, unless they found forgiveness in repentance.

The tearing of the veil was a picture of grace being torn from Israel, and unless they come to forgiveness they will be torn as the veil was torn from the temple.

It represented their sin is now “known,” “exposed;” there is no atonement for it, other than falling on the rock, before the rock falls on them.

The veil represented the removal of any excuse by the unrepentant for their acts of disobedience in the face of God’s holiness in Christ displayed to Israel for over three years.

There would be no excuse going forward with the resurrection of Christ after Calvary, testifying, and confirming who he said he was, and who he said they were, giving them one last sign, the sign of Jonah.

When the veil of the Holy of Holies is removed between us and Christ, figuratively speaking in Tabernacles, our sins become known, but being in the realm of grace through faith in Christ, their being known becomes their undoing as God brings cleansing, healing, and restoration to our wounds.

If the veil to the Holy of Holies is removed and you are outside of Christ, your sins are exposed having no remedy or excuse, a horrible place to be found.

And that is what happened with the tearing of the veil at Calvary.

In Christ, in Tabernacles, when the veil of the Holy of Holies is removed in the deep journey of intimacy and union with Christ, we are protected from destruction by grace as Christ labors with us to bring our sins to death (Romans Chapter 6), “…Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (NIV, Colossians 1:27)

For Israel, Christ extended grace to the uttermost making provision for their lack of faith by removing the “veil of their flesh,” symbolized by the “veil in the Temple,” so they could see in the natural (because they were spiritually blind), everything he said about himself, and them, when they hear of his resurrection.

We who live in the 21^st century, having seen all that has come to pass, have even less excuse than those who witnessed Christ’s life, having two millenniums of prophecy in our rearview mirror.

But God!

He starts fresh with us just as he has with all those who found Christ over the last two millenniums.

Our greater knowledge of Christendom does not preclude our greater need for more and more of Jesus as the days grow darker and darker.

For those who feel disqualified and unsuitable for the Kingdom of God, Jesus has nothing but open arms and love for you.

If you would but give him a chance, you will be amazed at what Christ can do in a short amount of time.

He has the adventure and mystery of a lifetime just waiting to be released to those who want God.

We live in the time of the greatest promises made to the corporate body of Christ, the age of Philadelphia.

Even if you feel no desire or want of God, or love for him, it does not change his love and desire for you to come and find God’s goodness for you.

God is not shocked or put off by our “stuff.”

His heart is to rescue, not to shame or condemn.

He has but one heart for his creation: to allow him to provide care and love to our wounds and brokenness, to make us whole and holy in quietude of soul in dependence upon him (Psalm 131).

The Greater Serves the Lesser

Though it appears the Spirit of this age has the upper hand, God is working secretly to pull the rug out from underneath its feet.

While it appears darkness will grow unabated, consuming all in its path, God is superabundantly provisioning grace and inspiring faith to pursue him.

We live in a world at war, approaching another epic time where the desires and passions of men and women will be revealed like never before.

The dividing line between those who want the goodness of Christ, and those who desire independence from God, to rule and reign from wounds and brokenness, is becoming clearer and clearer, a time of sharp contrasts.

The “weight” of the glory unfolding in one, and the tragedy unfolding in those determined to live life apart from God is beyond one person’s comprehension to understand the magnitude of what is taking place today, what the future holds, and the eternal consequences of those seeking or not seeking Christ.

Mankind stands on the cusp like the days of Noah, Abraham-Lot, Moses, Joshua, Samuel-Saul-David, Elijah, Daniel-Ezekiel, and Christ.

Centuries and decades of sowing and reaping are coming to fruition and will be harvested one way or the other in the lifetimes of many who read this post.

In the not-too-distant future true Millennials will look back and wonder about all the events of the last days many today will live to see.

Important

The purpose of my posts is to stimulate and inspire hearts for Christ, to provide teaching about the last days, and to encourage one another to seek the deep things of Christ in journey with him while the day is still light.

We are not called to judge others or ourselves, but to give our lives to Christ and one another in healing and restoration.

We are called to help those outside the knowledge of Christ, not to be obstacles of shame and condemnation.

The heart of Christ is and will always be to reach in anyway possible those outside of covenant and relationship with him even in the darkest of times, including the Tribulation.

Many do not realize the Tribulation is measured in phases, with the fruit of sin, to offer opportunities along the way for men and women to come to repentance and forgiveness.

As darkness continues to unfold in the days ahead, it will present greater and greater opportunities to witness the love of Jesus to a lost and dying world.

When the coming wave of revival hits the shores of the kingdom of men, an unprecedented wave of revival, many will have the opportunity to choose which kingdom they will serve.

It will not only shock many of the lost, but also many in the Church.

When the coming wave crashes upon the shores of the Church, it will bring new revelation in the unveiling of the Word like never before, catching many in the Church off-guard to the revelation of Christ they have missed in their lives.

Many were shocked when the Reformation broke forth, the revelation of the born-again experience, the new-birth, and the new language it brought.

And many were shocked when the Pentecostal movement of the early 1900s broke forth, the revelation of the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the new language it brought.

Many will be shocked when the Lord unleashes Tabernacles in the days ahead, the deep work of the Spirit of grace and what it accomplished in those who sought Christ for the deep work of the Spirit.

They will be shocked at the deep revelation of God’s Word and what they could have sought and missed.

The coming revelation of the Word married to grace in the bride will so out surpass the work of God in Passover (new-birth) and Pentecost, many will be shocked at what God accomplished in those he was able to heal and restore.

Because our salvation is not about what we can and cannot do, but what Christ can do in those who lay their lives down at his feet, who say yes, even when everything in them wants to run the other way.

Before this age ends, Christ will reveal his beauty through his bride, fulfilling his promise to make men and women into his likeness in intimacy and union with him.

And the bride’s commission will be to rescue as many as possible in love and kindness, leaving all judgment to the Bridegroom.

Keep the Oil in Your Lamp Full, and Then Some

While the enemy rages, the Lord works discreetly, gently, and quietly, bringing to completion those who hunger for intimacy with him.

Though the enemy roars, God’s hidden work goes on unabated.

The enemy’s covenant with man has been the same from the beginning, to separate him from God at all cost.

God’s covenant has changed, deepened, and intensified to superabundantly free mankind from his covenant with darkness.

Elijah thought he was the only one left serving the living God, and yet God had reserved for himself many unknown to Elijah in the land of Israel.

It will be like that in the last of the last days; many will feel they are the only ones left serving God, and yet, God will have many serving him during times of unparalleled evil to come.

God’s work will bear his glory and those who apprehend the great promises of God in Christ in this season will, along with those from ages past, rule, and reign with him in the ages to come.

While those who seek the pleasures and glories of this world miss the greatest opportunity offered to mankind, intimacy, and union with Jesus Christ.

The great promise of the NT for saints alive today, in the 21^st century, to be made into the likeness of Christ in the age of Philadelphia, is reserved by God not only for the eternal blessings of being made like Christ, joining in the sufferings of his pioneering journey, but as a way of escape from the coming “greatest trial” ever to face mankind.

No other time in history have the promises of the New Testament been so clearly pronounced and available to the body of Christ as they are today.

God has provided all the resources necessary to 21^st century Christians to complete the journey Christ pioneered, Tabernacles, in the lives of those who give themselves wholly to him.

There are no other groupings of promises so clearly delineated in Scripture for the last days as those in Christ’s letter to the Church and age of Philadelphia.

They were available to the Church of Philadelphia almost two millenniums ago, and they are available again to the body of Christ in the last of the last days.

The fulfillment of the Philadelphian promises today will be much more “full” and “complete” than those who apprehended what Christ had in mind to the actual church of Philadelphia.

And that is simply because the resources available today are deeper, richer, and more intensive than would have been possible two millenniums ago given we have access to the completed Word, inner healing from a vast array of resources, and seasoned people who have time, ministry, and capacity to labor with the Lord in preparing the bride.

We are living in the last season of church history specifically reserved for intimacy and union with Christ – the season of making the last day bride.

After the promises of Philadelphia pass, they are gone until the Millennium.

They will return in the Millennium, in a different environment, under a new administration (Christ’s!), and free from demonic assault.

But they will not return free from generational transgressions and iniquities.

Those who enter the Millennium through the horrors of the Tribulation will need much ministry, time, and labor to bring healing and restoration by the same grace and faith that healed and restored you and me.

Contrary to what we may think, Jesus does not just wave his hand in the air and everything is made good in the Millennium.

No, it is a long journey to healing and restoration for those who make it through the Tribulation, and for their children.

If one misses the blessings of Philadelphia in this age and survives the Tribulation, they will have another opportunity in the Millennium.

But what a long and treacherous path to take when it is available now.

We do not want to be like Israel who missed their day of visitation.

Tabernacles, the Deep Work of the Spirit of Grace

This series is about making the vision of Tabernacles as plain as possible.

Because Tabernacles is the only way to deep intimacy and union with Christ, there is no other path than through Christ.

And once the open door of Tabernacles passes (the age of Philadelphia), opportunity will not knock again until the Millennium.

The age of the return of Passover (new-birth) and Pentecost are in our rearview mirror (Sardis, 1500s to mid-1900s), leaving Philadelphia, the present move of God’s Holy Spirit, as the last opportunity to have the fullness of Christ this side of the Millennium.

Philadelphia (Tabernacles), is the culmination of the feasts; bringing to spiritual fruition the fullness of the harvest of the fruit of the Spirit in the bride in Christ what the natural harvest of summer fruits, nuts, and olives pointed to in “type,” in the Old Covenant.

In sharp contrast, and tragically, Laodicea is a picture of Christians in the last of the last days, concurrent with Philadelphia, who miss Philadelphia and must go through the Tribulation if they are alive when it begins.

The Tribulation is not God’s heart.

It is the grace of God that allows the Tribulation to come forth, just as it was the grace of God that brought the flood, destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, and brought the northern and southern kingdoms into captivity, among others.

It is God’s grace to not allow generation after generation to be born deeper and deeper into generational sin, having to face eternally the effects of their sin.

These are not pleasant things to talk about, but it is the truth, and thankfully, we are not in charge in determining another’s eternal state.

Unbeknownst to many, the Tribulation is God’s grace in measured judgments; to bring men and women to repentance if possible, and to bring an end to mankind birthing generation after generation of children into deeper sin.

Note:

The Scripture intimates even at the time of the flood, many who had rejected the ways of God came to repentance and found Heaven their home even though they died in the flood, 1 Peter Chapter 3.

The Tribulation is not about God’s wrath on man, for if that was in God’s heart, he would have unleashed wrath ages ago.

God’s wrath is against sin, not against the sinner, that is why even in the Tribulation until man’s last breath has been expended there’s opportunity to come to repentance.

Said another way, yes, God’s wrath comes against sinful men and women in the Tribulation but the heart is to save, if possible, otherwise the judgements would not be measured, and destruction would occur immediate.

Again, if it was all about wrath, as commonly preached, the judgments would not be measured, and the opportunity for repentance would be gone, but neither is the case.

If there is the slightest glimmer of hope, God will do everything he can, short of violating ones will, to bring them to Christ.

God moves in ways to bring men and women to the end of themselves toward him, because man’s way will always end in death apart from God.

The Tribulation period is one last attempt by the Lord, on the road to the Millennium, to save even the most hardened by allowing life-threatening times for some to repent and come to forgiveness (Revelation 9:20 – 21, 16:9, 16:11).

It appears from Scripture, other than Christians (old, and new?) who refuse the Mark of the Beast and make Heaven their home in the first half of the Tribulation, not many, if any, turn to God after that.

Laodicean Christians are pictured in some of Christ’s parables and even in the Old Testament, as the virgins, concubines, and queens of the Song of Songs.

Some NT examples of Laodicea are the five foolish virgins, those who are left and not taken (and the “taken,” does not refer to the Rapture, but, the coming of the Lord, the deep work of the Spirit in being made ready as a bride), the servant who hid his talent, the fish in the net of Matthew 13 thrown back.

Those of Colossae (Colossians), the heart of Laodicea from another angle, those outside Tabernacles in the time of Tabernacles, struggling with the works of the flesh and the understanding of the mystery of Christ in being made his bride, are also a picture of those on the path to miss the bride.

God has been faithful through the centuries through his actions, presence, words, and writings to provide an abundance of examples, descriptions, and pictures of his desire for his sons and daughters to seek and pursue the deep things of Christ and the results of those who do, and those who choose otherwise.

We were created to be made into the likeness of Christ, there is no other pattern acceptable in this creation.

(How God makes judgment for all those who never heard of Jesus is his determination, having given some light through Paul in Romans.)

** The Certainty of God’s Promises **

The heart of this series is the revelation of Christ in the last days, the making of the bride in journey with Christ through the path he pioneered.

And the heart of the Gospel is to know and be known of Christ in intimate communion, friendship, and union with him.

The greatest treasure we can receive and give in this life is Christ to one another.

And before we can do that deeply and richly, we must journey with him.

To know him is to know life eternal.

The new-birth will not get us there, Pentecost will take us closer but fall short; only Tabernacles will take God’s sons and daughter to the destination of “…Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (NIV, Colossians 1:27, italicized mine)

This is what the Scripture teaches, and God does not lie, nor does Christ pray prayers that do not get answered, no matter how dark it may look (John 17:21).

God promised to write his Word in our hearts and minds (Hebrews Chapter 8 & 10), and he will accomplish it whether it be by many, or by few.

Though the writing of the Word begins in the new-birth, and expands in Pentecost, it is in Tabernacles where it is written deeply in the inner man, where the deep of God’s heart and Spirit calls and forms the deep in man and woman (NIV, Psalm 42:7).

Moses, Samuel, David, Solomon, Elijah, Daniel, Ezekiel, and who knows how many others in the Old Covenant had a measure of intimacy with God.

And then there’s Paul, Peter, James, and John who apprehended what God apprehended them for, being made one with Christ.

Surely, after two millenniums the promises of Philadelphia to make a body of believers one with Christ will come to pass, for the Lord has labored for two millenniums for a great harvest in the last of the last days.

We do not know how great the harvest will be in quantity for the bride.

But we do know, by many or few, the harvest of the Lord in the last days through the bride in revival will be unprecedented from anything seen in recent recorded history, likely since the time of Christ.

It is the promise of God to those in the age of Philadelphia and the promise he’s made to give the lost another chance to come to him before this age comes to a close.

The coming revival is more certain than tomorrow’s sunrise, for even the sun, moon, and stars, pay homage to Christ (Revelation 6:12).

With the feasts of Passover and Pentecost coming to completion in the last half of the 20^th century, Tabernacles has taken on a new urgency to prepare a bride to carry the glory he will unleash in the 21^st century in profound revival.

Inner healing and deliverance through various parachurch ministries have helped prepare God’s sons and daughters to move from Pentecost toward Tabernacles over the last half-century.

One could say many of these transitioning ministries have helped the wise virgins gather oil for their lamps, and the wise servants to multiply their talents, in preparation to receive more of God’s intimate care and love.

Tabernacles is distinctly different from Passover and Pentecost as wheat and barley are different from fruit, nuts, and olives, or, as the Outer Court and Holy Place are distinctly different from the Holy of Holies.

Only the Lord can invite one into Tabernacles; it is not the same as responding to an altar call and coming to salvation, or, being baptized by the Holy Spirit.

As a reminder, because some do not know this, the first two OT feasts, Passover and Pentecost, are fulfilled in the New Covenant in the new-birth and the baptism of the Spirit, respectively.

And with Pentecost comes a long season of teaching, training, ministry, and hopefully vision for intimacy and union with Christ in Tabernacles.

In other words, the new-birth and Pentecost were designed by God to point his sons and daughters to yet more to come in Christ (Tabernacles).

Just like the barley and wheat harvests pointed to something better, the “summer fruit harvest,” and just like the Outer Court and Holy Place pointed to something better, the “Holy of Holies (Tabernacles).”

And in contrast to the general nature and broad sweep of the new-birth and Pentecost, Tabernacles is a personal invitation from the Lord to be taken into the deep journey of being made one with him through healing and restoration.

Everyone is called to be made one with Christ, but not everyone is chosen because they have not sought the Lord and asked to be prepared.

Many today are attempting to receive the promises of Tabernacles through the new-birth and Pentecost, ending up exhausted, worn out, and loss of heart.

Today, many Christians see no hope for their future beyond what they have because they lack understanding of the vision Christ has for them.

Creeds and traditions have had a devastating impact on the Church and its understanding of apprehending Christ in Tabernacles.

Without the understanding of Christ’s journey, fulfilling the OT feast of Tabernacles in being made complete (NIV, Hebrews 5:7-10), pioneering the pattern for intimacy with him, the Church will wander in the wilderness.

Which is what we see happen in Revelation 12.

But, let us not be among those who wander in the wilderness having to flee from the Dragon after the great revival has run its course and the Dragon regains his strength.

Through the labor of the Lord in those he chose to start a new work, Tabernacles took root in the last half of the 20^th century and has been steadily growing in the body of Christ, scattered here and there in no discernible connection other than by the Spirit.

Be not dismayed you may have missed God’s work, there is coming a deepening of Tabernacles; there are yet many who will be chosen by the Lord for the deep work of the Spirit of grace in the revelation of Christ (1 Peter 1:13).

Tabernacles is not just for those who are in Tabernacles, but to advance the kingdom of God in the lives of others just like Christ advanced the kingdom of God in you and me.

Just as Tabernacles is not about “becoming a bride,” but intimacy and union with our Savior, so too, it is not about reaching the peak of what God has to offer, but about reaching out in advancing the kingdom of God in the lives of others.

We know from Scripture before the Tribulation there will be an outpouring of the Holy Spirit to the lost before irreversible events are set in motion.

And we know from Scripture there is the preparation of the bride in the last days in the age of Philadelphia the Lord will use to birth revival.

But we do not know the details of the “in-between,” how long the open door of Philadelphia will remain open, and whether there will be revivals here and there to usher more of God’s sons and daughters into Tabernacles.

It is my belief; we can expect the Lord to hold back the end-times yet longer to give more people an opportunity to seek him for the deep things of the Spirit of grace.

Because once the open door is closed to Philadelphia, irreversible events will be set in motion to bring the Gospel Age to an end; nothing mankind can say or do will change what Christ sets in motion once the transition to the Millennium begins in earnest.

When the door to the Garden of Eden, spiritually speaking, was shut, it was shut.

After Noah started building the Ark there was no going back for him or mankind.

When the door to Noah’s boat was shut, it was shut.

After the Angels set their sights on Sodom there was no going back for them, the inhabitants of Sodom, or for Lot and his family.

After Moses led the Hebrews through the crossing of the Red Sea, and the destruction of Pharaoh’s Army, there was no going back.

After Joshua crossed the Jordan leading Israel into the promised land there was no going back.

After Elijah slew the prophets of Baal, there was no going back.

Once Christ launched his ministry after his 40 days of testing, there was no going back.

After Christ told Peter another would lead him (John 21:18), and Paul falling prostrate to the ground in the light of God, there was no going back for either of them.

So, just as there was no turning back when the rain began to fall in Noah’s day, and just as there was no turning back for Israel in the wilderness, and no turning back for those who enter Tabernacles, there is no turning back once the end-time captivity of the lost begins.

I believe the Lord is about to unleash something just up ahead that will catch many by surprise and usher many into Tabernacles.

Let us pray the Lord give the body of Christ yet even more time (many believe we are already in overtime as it is), to seek him for the deep work of the Spirit while the day is still light.

In the days ahead the Lord will do a quick work over a relatively condensed period, because the hour is late, evil is growing exponentially, and many will have had multiple opportunities presented to them.

***

It was the outcast and marginalized who joined their hearts to David in the wilderness; a “type” of those who run to Christ in their wounds and brokenness.

And there is no greater place of safety than you and I being in the wilderness with Christ under his care, leading, and protection.

The Scripture says not many of the powerful and influential in this life come to Christ having secured, or so they believe, their place in the kingdom halls of this world and all it has to offer.

It is those who are wounded and broken, who feel the pain of their sins, recognizing they are hopeless to defeat, ripe to come to the knowledge of the truth in Christ.

That the suffering of this present time of certain denials and loss of privilege in journey with Christ is not to be compared with intimacy and union with him now, and forever more.

That the glories of this present life have nothing of value compared to the treasure and richness found in Christ, as even Peter writes in 1 Peter 1:13 and following.

Like Peter, Paul, James, and John, being undone in the presence of Christ, whether on the mount in the glory of his transfiguration, in the light of his presence, or journeying with him, nothing compares to knowing him.

The more we come to know the Lord Jesus the deeper we want to travel with him and the greater we want to cleave to him.

After the Lord ushers you into Tabernacles, there is no going back; having only the future to look forward to in journey with Christ: the greatest honor, privilege, and opportunity and promise one can receive in this life.

Whereas Passover (the new-birth), gives you and me the rights of citizenship in the Kingdom of God.

And Pentecost teaching, training, and ministry in learning about the Kingdom of God, experiencing the presence of God and his Spirit.

Tabernacles, on the other hand, takes us to the King to be made one, with the one we were born into, and the one we were taught so much about.

If we miss Tabernacles, we miss the purpose of being born again and Pentecost.

Tabernacles makes us the salt of the earth, the light on a hill, the city Abraham looked for but could not apprehend because the Messiah had not yet come.

It is the journey of deep transformation in intimacy and union with Christ.

It is the destination the new-birth and Pentecost point to – let us make sure we do not miss the destination.

In Passover and Pentecost Christendom has “Christ” so they can live.

In Tabernacles, the bride lives to have Christ!

** Some Final Thoughts **

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (NIV, 2 Timothy 3:16 – 17)

Though the enemy through mankind has made an unrelenting assault on the Bible, the person of Christ, the promises of God, and the moving of the Holy Spirit in signs and wonders, millions of Christians can testify of encounters with Christ and the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

People can say all they want to say about the Scripture and Christianity, but at the end of the day there is no logical rebuttal to the testimony of millions who have experienced Christ and tasted the world to come.

You and I can rest assured the heart of Christ and the wisdom of God to bring the keys of salvation to mankind are freely given in the Scriptures to promote the cause of Christ in saving the lost and maturing the saved.

We have everything we need in terms of written teaching in the Bible.

And the great news, we not only get to experience his Word, his Spirit, but him personally!

The deeper Jesus takes you in journey with him, the deeper your intimacy and relationship becomes in being “made ready” for union with him, and the Father, by the Holy Spirit.

In the busyness of our Western culture, and through centuries of creeds and traditions, Christendom has lost touch with the person of Christ, their Savior, and looks to activities and service as a substitute for intimacy with him.

You do not hear a lot on Christian television or in church circles about encounters with Christ through journey in being made one with him.

Jesus desires to take his sons and daughters to the mountaintop, to see his glory and the wonders of his Majesty, but he cannot do that if our hearts are more attached to this Kingdom than his.

The three on the Mount (Matthew 17) could only handle a few moments of Christ’s glory before their hearts turned toward earthly things, like building commemorative shelters, all the while Jesus was hoping they would ponder how they could become intimate with him like Elijah and Moses.

There is a cost, a journey, for intimacy with Christ, and it does not come about by endless service and exhaustion through obligation and penance in service to God, but by journey with Christ in the path he pioneered.

Jesus gave the three an object lesson: there is a path to the revelation of Christ; they must follow him if they want intimacy, like Moses and Elijah, face to face.

Blessings, Drake

(NIV) Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.Zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblical, Inc.™

(Note A) The New Greek – English Interlinear New Testament by Translators Robert K. Brown and Philip W. Comfort, Editor: J. D. Douglas. Copyright © 1990. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.

(Note B) Taken from The Hebrew-English Interlinear ESV Old Testament: Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia and English Standard Version by Thom Blair, General Editor, Copyright © 2014, page 1561. Used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.org. (Interlinear used by permission from Lexham Hebrew-English Interlinear Bible copyright © 2004 by Logos Research Systems, Inc.)