A new creation people are now coming forth by the Spirit. As this new creation people, we are establishing a new spiritual path for others to follow. Our spiritual growth is bringing forth the new order of the kingdom of God in the earth, thus ending the previous order of the church. The new kingdom order provides new spiritual wine for the Lord's elect! Our Father is remaking us and renewing us so that we shall become new wine vessels of His kingdom. His present work within us will give us greater spiritual capacity, preparing us to receive the new, kingdom wine of the Spirit.

Having endured our forty-year period (whether real or symbolic) of tests, trials and barrenness, the seed of Christ, or the seed of the kingdom, which was planted within us and has been growing to become a great tree, is now showing signs of maturity unto fruit bearing. The Christ-man, or the sons of God, are travailing in the Spirit to bring forth the fullness of Christ. The kingdom seed of Christ was planted in the good ground of our fertile and enlightened spirits (Mt. 13:8, 23). And the fruit we shall bring forth in the kingdom of God will not be of the limited thirty-fold or sixty-fold variety, but it shall be the one-hundred-fold, kingdom abundance variety of fruit.

The seed of Christ has been growing within us to become the great kingdom "tree." A natural seed planted in the earth grows from a seed, to the blade, "then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear" (Mk. 4:28). So also has the kingdom seed within us grown beyond the seed stage, and is becoming "the full corn in the ear." If the seed of the kingdom of God within us did not grow, but always remained as a seed, we would have fallen far short of our potential in the kingdom of God. Any natural parent would want to see his or her child grow from the baby stage, to adolescence, to the teen-age stage, and finally to the adult stage. So also has our Father purposed that we should grow from the seed stage, through all the progressive stages of spiritual growth, until we have become fully matured sons of God. Because of the progressively growing nature of the kingdom of God within us, we are no longer just a seed. But that kingdom seed within us has been growing through all the necessary stages of growth, by the very Life of God imparted to us through all our tests and trials, until we are now approaching full maturity.

Now that we have fully surrendered our lives to the Lord, with no other purpose but to do His will in the earth and His will only, the throne of the Kingdom of God is fully established within us. The Christ within has now become our Lord and our King in truth and in fact! He has set up His throne of power within us! Christ must fully reign within us until He has thoroughly and completely conqered all the "land" within us. Now we are His willing subjects, fully believing and expecting that He will put every enemy within us under His feet. And we are cooperating with Him in that divine purpose.

The seed of Christ and of the kingdom of God was not planted in the inhospitable environment of the religious systems of man, nor was it/He planted in the world at large. That Seed was planted within us! The true kingdom Seed was planted in the fertile spirits of the elect, where it/He has been progressively growing until it shall become the greatest kingdom in all the universe. That which is within us is beginning to flow out of us to manifest the fruit of the seed that was planted within us, by the Spirit. We are now at a new stage of development, manifestation, or fruit-bearing, in the kingdom of God. The spiritual travail we now sense is that of a MAN, which is the company of the sons of God who are travailing to bring forth the new Christ man, by the Spirit (See Jer. 30:6). There have been those times in the past when the travail of the Lord's people only brought forth the emptiness and hollowness of the wind (Is. 26:18). But this is a new Day! This is the Day of 100-fold fruitfulness! And we shall surely bring forth fruit in fullness to the glory and honor of our Father.

Of the growth of the kingdom seed within us, Jesus said, "Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth: But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it" (Mk. 4:30-32). The seed of the Christ within is a seed that "groweth up." It is impossible for the Christ within, or for the kingdom of God within us, to stagnate and remain dormant within us. But the Seed of Christ must grow within us, for it is the nature of the kingdom of God to grow and increase (Is. 9:7). And indeed, the kingdom within has grown and is approaching maturity! By the Spirit, the kingdom of God, that once was only a seed within us, has now grown and is becoming greater than all the other "herbs" in the earth, or in the garden of God. Because of the growth of the kingdom of God within us, a new Day in the purposes of God for this world is now beginning. And all who have grown to greater maturity in God will understand this great truth!

The entire purpose of God for His people is that we should grow and expand with the increase of God. When the kingdom seed within us has grown to become greater than all the other "herbs," or kingdoms of the world, it shall send out "great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it." A tree having great branches with many leaves on it will attract birds seeking refuge and shelter in the shade of that great tree. In like manner, when the kingdom of God has grown from a mere seed within us to become a great tree, shooting out its branches to the peoples of the world, they shall come to the kingdom of God by the multitudes to find shelter and sustenance in its rich leaves and lofty branches. (Rev. 22:2) The kingdom of God is not at that stage yet, but its growth within us is approaching a new level of fullness. The growth of the kingdom seed within us brought us to the beginning phase of the kingdom of God manifest on earth. We were brought here by growing in the Spirit, and by taking one step at a time in God. By that same spiritual growth process, we shall reach the full corn in the ear stage, when the kingdom of God shall send out its branches of rich blessings to include all nations and all mankind.

The kingdom of God, which has been hidden within as the smallest of seeds and which has now grown to greater fullness, shall eventually grow out of us to manifest the fullness of His glory. Everything the Lord has done within us must be fully manifest OUT OF US in God's time and according to His purpose. All that Christ is within us now shall then burst forth out of us to reveal His work that was done in us. As the seed of the Christ within is Life, so we shall eventually manifest that abundant Life out of us, to make known what God has done in us. The Christ within also is as a well of the waters of His Life in us. But those waters of the Life of Christ within us must also flow out of us, with the same purity with which we received Him, to bless the world. Nothing shall be left within us to defile the Christ and His pure Word within. All iniquities and impurities must be removed from us, enabling us to manifest Him to the world in the purity of His holiness and righteousness.

Whatever we receive from the Lord must eventually flow out of us by the Spirit, in Father's appointed way and time, and without a mixture of the impurities of our own flesh and carnal mind. Jesus explained this truth, when He said, "If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink." As we drink of Christ, constantly receiving the refreshings of His Spirit, the well of the waters of the Life of Christ is thus being imparted to us. Eventually, those waters of the Life of Christ must flow out of us. Jesus continued by saying, "He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water" (Jo. 7:37-38). So the kingdom of God, which was hidden within us and has been growing and increasing within us, is beginning to flow out of us in a manifestation of spiritual glory and power that will eventually bless the whole world.

We are receiving the abundant resources of God, which are making us fit and mature sons of God. Those abundant resources of God are reserved for us in the heavens of God's Spirit, which is His storehouse. That which the Lord is doing in us and in the earth is modeled or patterned after the greater example in the heavens (He. 8:5). Yet the heavens of God's Spirit contain far more of the mighty resources of God than is possible for any person to receive. We are limited in our capacity to receive of God, for a part of us is of the earth. It is impossible for us to contain all of God while in this body. God is a consuming fire, and the fire of His presence would consume every bit of our earthly bodies and carnal minds should we attempt to contain His fullness all at once. And this is what we shall do as we are led by His Spirit. We are gradually receiving more of Him until our flesh and blood bodies and our carnal minds shall be totally consumed and replaced with our new spiritual bodies and minds.

As we await our transformation, which shall take place in Father's appointed time, we are aware that the storehouse of the heavens of His Spirit contains all that God is. Heaven's divine resources are sufficient to change every person and all things everywhere. Could we assemble all the resources of God now contained within the Lord's people, it would not compare with His many, kingdom treasures in the vast storehouse of the Lord, reserved for us in the heavens of His Spirit. God's glory is exalted far above the earth, yea, even above the highest of the heavens. David said of the Lord, "Be thou exalted, O God, ABOVE the heavens; let thy glory be ABOVE all the earth" (Ps. 57:5, 11). And, "For thou, Lord, art high ABOVE all the earth; thou art exalted far above all gods" (Ps. 97:9). And again, "The Lord is high ABOVE all nations, and his glory ABOVE the heavens" (Ps. 113:4).

All the resources of God, which is His glory, cannot be contained either within us, in the earth, or in the heavens. Of the temple he would build, Solomon said, "But who is able to build him an house, seeing the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain him? who am I then, that I should build him an house, save only to burn sacrifice before him?" (2 Chron. 2:6) All the houses, tabernacles, temples, and churches that men have built were merely places where ceremonies were observed or where in-part manifestations took place. None of them or a combination of all of them cannot possibly contain all the fullness of God. His greater fullness is not within us, nor is it in the many houses that man has built; yet we do have the potential of His fullness within us now (Jo. 1:16). The Christ within provides us access to all of heaven's spiritual resources. The fullness of the glory of the Lord is contained in the highest of the heavens, far above all things. But all that the heavens contain shall eventually be released to flow into us and then out of us, filling the earth with His glory. This shall surely take place according to Father's purpose and in His appointed time, blessing the multitudes of the world with all that He is.

All that our Father has done within us shall eventually flow out of us. So also shall all that God is in the highest of the heavens of His Spirit flow out to bless both the earth and the universe. The new Jerusalem from above, which is free and is the mother of us all (Ga. 4:26), gives us a mental picture of the structure of the heavens of God's Spirit. The realms of the throne, the temple, and the city, of the new Jerusalem, each represent one of the heavens of God's Spirit. Each of those heavenly, Spirit realms are filled with the saints of God, according to their calling in Him, and with the mighty resources of God that are vital to the transformation of the earth and all mankind. And that entire new Jerusalem realm, including the throne, the temple, and the city, is progressively "coming down from God OUT of heaven" (Rev. 3:12, 21:2). All that the heavens of God's Spirit contain must eventually come from God to His sons, to be manifest out of them, thus blessing the whole earth and the universe with ALL THAT GOD IS.

Our present state or position of maturity in Christ is due to our ability to receive from the Lord. If we have spiritual eyes to see and spiritual ears to hear, we are receiving spiritual Truth and Life necessary to our maturity and ultimate transformation. The elect see God's plan and hear His word. Jesus said their eyes and ears are blessed, for they are seeing and hearing things that many prophets and righteous people have desired to see and hear, but they could not for it was not yet the time (Mt. 13:16-17). Our spiritual growth depends on receiving the endless supply of the progressively revealed word of the Lord "that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Mt. 4:4). Without His progres-sively revealed Word of Truth and the constant refreshing of His Spirit, we would have no Life in us (Jo. 6:53-58).

Also, we may occasionally hear the Voice of the Lord coming out of the throne, calling us to praise and worship Him (Rev. 19:5). At another time, the Voice of the Lord will command the angelic hosts "to pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth" to begin the judgment of the nations (Rev. 16:1). Whatever action our Father pur-poses to initiate in the earth, whether for our personal growth or to do a work in another area, it must begin with Him in the heavens of His Spirit. As we minister to the Lord, our prayers, worship, and praises ascend before the Lord as the smoke of incense, sending the mighty fire of the presence and power of God to the earth to begin the restoration of all things. (See Rev. 8:2-5.) Continue to minister to Him, saints of God, for your ministry in the Spirit is vitally necessary to dispel all the darkness in the world.

For us to grow in the knowledge of the Lord, we drank of the pure river of the waters of His Life (Rev. 22:1), which flows out from the heavens of His Spirit. Our Father, seeing our individual need, may even send us angels from heaven, who are "ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation" (He. 1:14). When the Lord decides to rule the nations with His rod of iron, He sends "a sharp sword" out of His "mouth," which is the power of His anointed Word reserved in the heavens of His Spirit, containing the authority and power necessary to change all men and all nations (Rev. 19:15, Eph. 6:17). The mighty power of God is within us, and also in the world around us, according to His will. His greatest power is in the heavens of His Spirit. As we draw from heaven's resources, we bring a greater manifestation of the kingdom of God to the earth.

The Aura of the Kingdom of God Within Us and Surrounding Us

There is an aura or a presence that accompanies every one of us wherever we go. And that aura is the presence of God! It is aura of the power and the presence of the Kingdom of God, which is always surrounding us! Have you ever been in a home or other environment where just your presence changed the attitude of the people there? Perhaps you have seen that when a negative-minded person entered a room full of people, everyone in that room immediately noticed a feeling of gloom, as if a cloud of darkness was surrounding that person. These are manifestations of the aura that surrounds every one of us. Whether for good or ill, an aura, presence, or atmosphere accompanies every person.

We have been in homes where there was a physically/mentally challenged person who was not comfortable in the presence of strangers. But after we were with that person for a short time, they accepted us warmly, for they sensed the presence of God surrounding us. The physically/mentally challenged may have the appearance of adults, but they may not have adult minds. Yet, some of them may have the greater ability to see and hear in the Spirit. They also may be able to discern the spirits of other people, whether of God, or of evil.

The kingdom of God is not only within us, but it also surrounds us. That is the truth of God's word! Asked by the pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied by saying, "The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, Lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." (Lu. 7:20-21) Jesus said, "the kingdom of God cometh" to the earth, but not with observation. Also, the Greek word, "entos," translated "within" means inside, and is taken from another Greek word meaning, in, at, on, or by. Thus, the kingdom of God is within us and also is by us or among us. It is the aura or spiritual presence that is both within us and surrounding us! The Amplified translation gives the last part of verse twenty-one as, "For behold, the kingdom of God is within you (in your hearts) and among you (surrounding you)." The kingdom of God is not only within us, but it also surrounds us.

Several other translations, such as the Revised Standard Version, the New English Bible, the New American Standard translation, Wuest's translation and Moffatt's, as well as the New Jerusalem Bible, all translate Luke seventeen, verse twenty-one, to show that the kingdom of God is among us or in our midst. Because the kingdom of God is within us in the power and glory of Christ, the anointing, it/He also surrounds us and accompanies us wherever we go, as it did Jesus.

Whenever one of the Lord's anointed sons enters a room where there is a group of people, whether believers or unbelievers, the aura of the kingdom of God surrounds that one. If Father chooses to bring deliverance to some or all the people there, He may use that aura, or the presence of God in and around His son, to meet that need. A few years ago, a friend of ours from Pennsylvania visited relatives in Washington State. As she visited them, the Lord told her that her presence in that home would heal that marriage. After being with them briefly she could sense that there was a problem. But she did not say anything to them, for the Lord said that just her presence among them would heal that marriage. Not long afterwards, she received the evidence she needed to confirm the truth that God had healed that marriage. Just the presence of God within one of His chosen sons - just the healing and restoring aura of the kingdom of God within her and surrounding her - was all that was necessary to heal that marriage. What wonders yet await us as we seek to do only and always the perfect will of our Father in all the earth!

When Jesus told those unbelieving pharisees that the kingdom of God was among them, He was actually telling them that the kingdom of God was there in the power and the glory of His own Person. Jesus was a perfect and complete demonstration and manifestation of the kingdom of God! He embodied the kingdom of God! The aura of the kingdom surrounded Him at all times! He healed the sick and cast out devils, thus demonstrating the power of the kingdom of God. He did not come in the name of the Jewish religion, or of any other religion, but He came in the power and authority of the kingdom of God. And when Jesus sent out the seventy, He told them to "heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you." (Lu. 10:9) When God's power is manifest to heal the sick, or to do other miraculous works, we should also tell them, "the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you."

The miraculous power of the kingdom of God that surrounds God's sons, as it did Jesus, is also referred to as "virtue." And that "virtue" is spiritual force; it is the almighty power of God. On one occasion, a great multitude of people came to hear Jesus and to be healed of their diseases. Many were vexed with unclean spirits, and they were healed every one. "And the whole multitude sought to touch Him; for there went virtue OUT of Him, and healed them all." (Lu. 6:17-19) That "virtue" was the mighty power of the aura of the kingdom of God that surrounded the first Son! And Jesus said we would do greater works!

Again, while Jesus was ministering to a large crowd of people, a woman with an issue of blood, "which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched." (Lu. 8:43-44) Knowing that power or virtue went out of Him, Jesus asked, "Who touched me?" When all denied that they touched Him, Peter reminded Jesus of the great crowd of people that pressed Him, many of them touching Him. But Jesus said, "Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me." The touch of that needy woman was very different from the many other touches of the crowd that pressed around Jesus, for He knew that virtue, force, or power went out of Him. That is the power of the kingdom of God! And it is that same miraculous, kingdom power that shall be manifest out of us in the fullness of time, to fulfill the will and purpose of our Father in all the earth.

All that God has done within us must eventually flow out of us to bless all mankind. At this time, the Lord is disciplining us, causing us to cease the religious, church works of the past. He is teaching us to do only His will! And this discipline of the Lord made us religiously inactive. Although we may not be doing any miraculous works now, the kingdom of God is not only within us, but it also surrounds us wherever we go. When the Lord moves mightily by His Spirit to bring entire nations of people to Himself, we will see more of these miraculous works of God. During the beginning of the early church, multitudes came out into the streets of the cities to be healed and set free. "They brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them. There came also a multitude out of the cities round about Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one." (Acts 5:15-16) All the sick who came to the apostles were healed, some of them by Peter's shadow as he passed by. That was the aura of the kingdom surrounding Peter and the other apostles, and which also surrounds us. This is what Jesus meant, when He said, "the king-dom of God is within you (in your hearts) and among you (surrounding you)." We shall not only do what Peter did that day, but we shall do those "greater works," by the Spirit and at the appointed time.

The New Wine of the Kingdom of God

That there is to be new wine, which His disciples shall drink with Him in the kingdom of God, was stated and confirmed by Jesus. At the Lord's supper, before His crucifixion, we read these truths: "And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until THAT DAY when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom." (Mt. 26:26-29) The Amplified version of verse twenty-nine reads as follows, "I say to you, I shall not drink again of this fruit of the vine until THAT DAY when I drink it with you new and of superior quality in My Father's kingdom."

The bread Jesus blessed and served to His disciples that day represented His body, while the cup of wine represented His blood of the new covenant, which was shed for many for the remission of sins. It all represented our salvation. But when Jesus blessed the bread and the wine, and told His disciples to partake of it, He was illustrating the wonderful truth that their salvation was now being accomplished and fulfilled. As He gave the cup to His disciples, Jesus said, "For this is My blood of the new covenant, which [ratifies the agreement and] is being poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." (Mt. 26:28, Amp.) As Jesus spoke those words, Father was arranging the events that would fulfill His eternal purposes for the salvation of all mankind, and which provided that salvation for all. All that was required at that time to make their salvation and ours complete was for Jesus to die on the cross for the sins of the world. And that was fulfilled just a few days after Jesus broke bread with His disciples.

After that supper, Jesus and His disciples went to the Mount of Olives. Then they all went to Gethsemane where Jesus asked His disciples to pray with Him. While there at Gethsemane, Jesus went through the struggle between the soulish, carnal mind and the spiritual mind (See Mt. 26:38-39, 42, 44). Being of flesh and blood, as well as Spirit, Jesus was subject to the carnal mind, just as we are. His carnal mind said, "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me." But His spiritual mind said, "nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt." Three times Jesus prayed this way, until finally, the carnal mind was over-ruled by the spiritual mind, which is the mind of Christ. Jesus also suffered in the flesh as we are, for He was "a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief" (Is. 53:3). He can be "touched with the feeling of our infirmities," for He was "in ALL POINTS tempted like as we are, yet without sin" (He. 4:15). Jesus was the Son of God, for He had the Spirit of the Son within Him, which is Christ. "Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered" (He. 5:8). Being an obedient Son, Jesus consented to do the Father's will by suffering the cruel death of the cross for our salvation.

According to Jesus, there is coming a DAY when He shall drink a new wine with His disciples in the kingdom of God that will be of superior quality. That new wine represents a new, divine order in the earth; it is superior wine for it represents the fullness of the Spirit. That new wine will provide full and complete salvation for the entire Christ body, who are all sons of God. To drink that new wine of superior quality, with Christ in our Father's kingdom, shows that we have been transformed into His image and likeness. It also shows that we have inherited the kingdom prepared for us from the foundation of the world. The old wine of our primary salvation provided for the forgiveness of our sins. So the new wine of superior, kingdom quality will complete the process of our full salvation, making us Melchisedek kings and priests of God in His kingdom. To drink this new, kingdom wine, we must become new wine vessels. Our Father is now making us new wine vessels, preparing us to receive the new and superior wine of the incorruptible glory and life of the kingdom of God.

When Jesus instituted that which has been called "the Lord's Supper," He was eating with His twelve disciples. And it is to those same disciples (excluding Judas, who betrayed Him) to whom Jesus gave the promise that He would drink the new and superior wine of the kingdom with them. This promise was partially fulfilled after His resurrection, when Jesus served bread and fish to seven of His disciples as they returned from fishing in the Sea of Galilee. (Jo. 21:12-14) There is no record that those disciples were transformed or changed into the incorruptible image of Christ. Thus, they must yet partake of that new superior, kingdom wine, which will begin the transformation of the entire Christ body. Those disciples are "witnesses chosen before of God, who did eat and drink with Him after He rose from the dead." (Acts 10:41) They have a special place in God, as we do! They shall partake with us and the entire Christ body of that incorruptible Life reserved for us in the kingdom of God.

Those disciples, including the Apostle Paul, make up the foundation of this temple, of which we are a vital part (Eph. 2:20). God has an order for the transformation of His saints, which may begin with the original disciples. They shall drink that new wine with Christ in His incorruptible realm, to begin the transformation of "the dead in Christ," along with "we which are alive and remain." (1 Thess. 4:13-18 & 1 Co. 15: 23.) Paul wrote: "we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent (precede) them which are asleep." There-fore, the dead in Christ shall rise first. But, since they without us cannot be made perfect (He. 11:40), we shall be changed along with the dead in Christ. And if God chooses to do something different, our only response can be: "thy will be done, O Lord!"

While that "supper" was a literal meal, this final "supper" will be entirely spiritual. Wine is typical of the Spirit (Joel 2:19, 24, Zech. 10:7, Mt. 9:17, Eph. 5:18, & Rev. 6:6). So the new and superior wine of the kingdom of God represents a new and more powerful impart-ation of the Spirit to those chosen of the Lord to receive of Him. To drink "wine" with Christ in the kingdom of God must of necessity be a spiritual experience, for the kingdom of God is God's realm of Spirit. As we are being changed to become new wine vessels, a new and greater order of the Spirit, which is the order of the kingdom of God on earth, is being established within us and among us.

The miracles of Jesus often reveal a deeper purpose, a higher and more glorious design, than what is seen on the surface. For example, when Jesus turned the water into wine at the marriage in Cana of Galilee, He was illustrating the progression of the outpourings or movings of His Spirit in the earth, from good, to better, and then to the best. After Jesus turned the water into wine, the ruler of the feast tasted it. But he did not know that that wine once was water. Only the servants who drew the water knew that secret. When the ruler of the feast tasted that new wine, he said, "Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now." (Jo. 2:10)

The last wine to be served at that wedding was the best wine. Like-wise, the wine to be served at this time of the appearing of Christ, and the coming of the kingdom to earth in fullness, will also be the best wine. It will not only be new, spiritual wine; it will also be THE BEST WINE. That serving of new, spiritual wine will be the result of both the early and the latter rain coming in "the first month," or in the morning of this new Day. (See Joel 2:23, James 5:7.) During the pre-vious age of the church, it was God's plan to visit the nations "to take out of them a people for His name." (Acts 15:14) That is what Father intended to do during the church age, and that is what He has done. The Lord poured out His Spirit several times during the last age, visiting His people in many appearings of Christ to do one thing and one thing alone: to take out of the nations a people for His name. All the Lord did in the past was done to call out a small remnant unto Himself. And now, the Lord has His holy remnant, gathered out of many nations and peoples. They/we are His in every sense of the word, for we have come to the point of spiritual maturity to desire to do only and always the perfect will of our Father in the earth.

The work of the Spirit during the last age saw many wonderful manifestations of the power and glory of the Spirit of God. But we haven't seen anything yet! Every appearing of Christ, or every outpouring of His Spirit during the last age, was good wine. But the BEST WINE is yet to come forth from the heavens of God's Spirit! That best wine, will not be poured out just to gather a small remnant to the Lord, or to bless only a few scattered here and there. Rather, the best wine shall be poured out from the heavens of God's Spirit to complete our salvation, and to bless the whole creation with a mani-festation of the glory and the Life of Christ. As wonderful as it all was, all that our Father did in the last age was mainly preparatory.

"The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son." (See Mt. 22:1-14) According to this parable, others before us were invited to the wedding, but they were not ready, so they could not come. Still others made light of the invitation and returned to their own businesses. Now, all things are ready (Mt. 22:4), the preparations are all made, and the marriage supper is fully pre-pared. Those who were invited before us were not worthy of this grand union and the feast that follows (Vs. 8). But now, we have been invited to the wedding and to the feast. And we shall be there with our wedding garments on, for we have been adequately prepared for this great event. We have kept our lamps trimmed, filled with oil, and burning brightly, lest we be overwhelmed by all the darkness of the world. We have now come to a new Day of greater and more glorious things in the Spirit. In this new kingdom Day, our marriage union shall be confirmed. Then the Lord shall provide the best wine for the wedding feast, and to gather in the harvest of the earth.

The marriage in Cana of Galilee took place on the "third day" (Jo. 2:1). All that took place at that marriage feast on the "third day" is typical of the wonderful age of the kingdom of God on earth. It all foretells of the glorious new Day that has just begun at evening time, and which shall become much more glorious and spectacular when the morning of this new Day dawns. The church age continued for two thousand-year days. Therefore, the "third day" is the beginning of a new age; it is the age or period of the greater kingdom reign of Christ over all the earth. We are now at the beginning of the third day! It is the period of the reign of Christ, first to more completely reign in the lives of His elect and chosen ones, and then to more completely reign over all things everywhere in all the earth.

In his inspired article titled, "The Six Water Pots of Stone," George Hawtin wrote of the parallel between the events of John, chapter two, verses one to eleven, and the age of the kingdom of God on earth. The following quotation was published in 1971: "Jesus Christ is the King of the coming kingdom; therefore it is not in the least strange to find that everything that happened during His eventful ministry was symbolic, typical, and prophetic of the coming kingdom of God. He is the King who will reign in the kingdom. Therefore all the events of His ministry were a magnificent, though miniature, display of the unspeakable glory of the kingdom age. I hope none of us will imagine that the kingdom of God is going to be a long series of revival campaigns and healing meetings, for that is not the truth; but the deliverance of individuals from all manner of evil and bondage as portrayed in the gospels, is, in fact, God's promise of universal deliverance when He shall reign in the glory of His kingdom, the age of `setting things right'." (End of quotation.)

The scripture specifically tells us that the marriage in Cana took place on the third day. (Jo. 2:1) As a marriage speaks of a union, so the elect of the Lord are now more fully in union with Christ at the beginning of this third day. Our greater union with Christ - our spiritual maturity that made this union possible - is the spiritual power or authority that established this new Day, and that brought an end to the old church order. If we can see the end of the old order, then we also have been renewed in our minds to see the beginning of this new, kingdom Day, and to be partners with God in His purposes for this great Day. With our renewed minds, the truth of God becomes more relevant, which states, "He taketh away the first, that He may establish the second." (He. 10:9) So also shall we see greater things as our minds are the more renewed by the continual and effectual workings of the Spirit of God within us.

It is interesting to note that Jesus and His disciples were specifically called to that marriage. (Jo. 2:2) It was the will of the Father that they all be there for that great event. This tells us that the entire body of Christ shall be there with Christ at the greater spiritual marriage feast in this new Day. While there with Christ, a spiritual "marriage" will take place as we drink that new wine with Him, which will fully establish and confirm our union with Christ our head. That wonderful spiritual event will begin the glorious manifestation of the sons of God, which shall release the whole creation from its long and painful bondage to sin and death.

When they ran out of wine at that marriage feast, the mother of Jesus informed Him of their need for wine. But Jesus protested, saying His hour had not yet come. Of course His hour had not yet come, for the time, age, or day of the coming of the kingdom of God to the earth in a greater way had not yet come. He is the King, and His hour comes in fullness only when the kingdom comes to the earth in a greater way. Then His mother said to the servants, "Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it." (Jo. 2:3-5) Good advice for all of us!

Six waterpots of stone were there, but they were almost empty. So Jesus told the servants to fill them with water. In the same article quoted above, George Hawtin wrote the following about those waterpots: "The six waterpots of stone represent the six dispensations which precede the kingdom of God. The water which each contained is that special undying truth presented by God to the world in each dispensation. The gospel of the kingdom of God will embrace within itself all the truth and revelation of all previous ages and much more besides, because the truth of those ages was weak through man's flesh, weak as water because of the sin and darkness of the human heart; but in the kingdom age, the age of `setting things right', that which was once weak as water will be transformed by the Spirit into the strong wine of the kingdom, a strong spiritual wine that will gladden every heart and cause to live all that was ready to die.

"Let not your heart ever imagine that our wise Father has been wasting time through the ages since Eden. Be that far from the truth. Little by little, line upon line, and precept upon precept He has been breaking the bread of life to mankind, lavishly spending entire dispensations to establish in the human family one golden nugget of truth that His divine nature in all its aspects might be revealed to us who are to have dominion, and that we through His Son, Jesus Christ, might become the possessors of the divine nature, that as He is so we might also be in this present world." (End of quotation.)

The word, "dispensation," as used in Eph. 1:10, is taken from the Greek word "oikonomia," meaning the administration of a household or estate. It means economy, specifically, a religious economy. A dispensation or age is the Lord's means of administering the affairs of His kingdom in the earth in a specific way during an allotted period of time. The wonderful dispensation, day, age, or period of the reign of Christ over all the earth is the seventh day from Adam, and the third day, age, or period since Jesus' earthly life. It is a specific time period allotted by God for the greater reign of Christ in the earth, when He shall put every enemy under His feet, and set things right. The six waterpots represent the six former days, ages, or periods when the Lord revealed certain truths to His people. The truths the Lord revealed in the past were made as weak as water. But all those truths shall be turned into the wine of rich kingdom truth, transforming all who drink of it into the glory of the incorruptible kingdom of God. The seventh day in the ages of this world is the day of fullness; it is the day or period when all former truths shall be combined with many new truths to complete the revelation of the Christ.

All former truths shall be gathered together and combined with the greater truths of the kingdom of God. This is "the everlasting gospel," which shall be declared "unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people" (Rev. 14:6). It is the eternal truth of God that we shall share with the world. Jesus said, "Every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old." (Mt. 13:52) When we are properly instructed unto the kingdom, we shall indeed bring forth out of our treasure of truths, things new and old! Then the world shall hear a complete Gospel, including all the Good News that was revealed to man from Adam's day in Eden to the greater fullness of all the revealed truth of Christ and the kingdom of God.

The six waterpots of stone may also represent the six days of man's misrule and maladministration in the earth. The water in the waterpots may also represent our present physical, fleshly life in this world. When Jesus spoke of the new birth, Nicodemus asked how that was possible. Jesus answered him, "Except a man be BORN OF WATER and OF THE SPIRIT, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." (Jo. 3:3-6) To be born of water is to be born of the flesh, and to be born of the Spirit is to become spirit. To enter the kingdom of God, we had to leave the realm of spirit in the heavenlies with God (Ecc. 12:7b), come to the earth to be born of the flesh, and then live this life in the flesh, learning to overcome all things. That is what it means to be born of water. But we also need to be born of the Spirit to enter the kingdom of God. This means we must live this life in the flesh, come to know the Lord as our Savior, Lord and King, be filled with His Spirit, and then be transformed by the Spirit to become spirit. When we are transformed by the Spirit to become spirit, we thus complete the circle of our life by returning to God in a higher and more glorious dimension in the Spirit than when we left that realm to come to the earth. (See Ps. 139:13-16)

The water in the six waterpots of stone represent our lives of flesh and blood lived in this world. As the Lord changed the water into wine, so shall He turn the water of our flesh and blood bodies into the greater glory of His pure, precious wine, giving us our new bodies of the incorruptible Life of the kingdom of God. Grape wine, which was used in biblical times, is grape juice with its impurities removed by fermentation. So also shall the Lord remove all the impurities from within us. Then He shall turn the water of our human, sinful flesh into the holiness of the wine of His pure, kingdom Life. Then, all the sin, corruption, iniquities, and death shall be removed from us. And these bodies shall be transformed and fashioned into bodies like unto His glorious, immortal and incorruptible body of spirit. No more will we be flesh and blood, hampered and hindered by the carnal mind of old Adam. But we shall be an entirely new creation of God, showing forth the glory of the incorruptible life of the kingdom of God.

O, to be changed by the Spirit of God! And we shall be changed into the image and likeness of Christ, for that is God's plan for His elect. Then the prophetic word shall be fulfilled: "Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, as a shepherd doth his flock. For the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he. Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the Lord, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all. Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow. And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith the Lord." (Jer. 31:10-14)

"IN THAT DAY, the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the Lord, and shall water the valley of Shittim." (Joel 3:18, See Ez. 47:12) "That day" has now become this Day. In this new Day, the mountains and hills of the kingdom of God shall "drop down new wine." Amen!

Paul and Emily Mueller