February 2002

God is moving in the earth at this time with increased urgency to bring to pass His sovereign purposes in the earth. The kingdom of God is coming down from God out of heaven in a greater way to do His holy will in all the earth, especially and particularly in this nation. The terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C. last September confirm this truth to us in a clear and indisputable manner. The coming of the kingdom and throne of the Lord to the earth in a greater way is forcing all evil and darkness to be revealed and to manifest the secret, hidden wickedness within the hearts of men (1 Cor. 4:5). As the elect of the Lord, we have waited for this very hour and Day. Seeing the prevalence of carnality and unrighteousness in this world, the desire of our soul has been for the judgments of the Lord to come forth to correct all mankind and establish the pure holiness and righteousness of Christ in the heart and life of every person.

The prophet Isaiah predicted this would take place, when he said, "Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you. When your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness. Though grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness; even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil and regard not the majesty of the Lord" (or His authority as King of kings and Lord of lords, Is. 26:8-10, NIV).

The word "judgments," as used above, includes everything from doing the crime, to the correction and rehabilitation of the guilty party. The earthly, worldly process may take the accused to prison temporarily, then through the courts for a trial, which should result in a conviction. Then, following the conviction, the accused must receive the sentence, and go to prison for a designated period, if that is the sentence of the court. The worldly process may at times be long and involved, but God does it all in one grand act and in a moment of time! God's judgments will always work for good, to rehabilitate the offender, for His judgments will always bring forth divine correction in the lives of those who are called of the Father to know Him. Man's carnal-minded, unrighteous and unjust judgments will usually bring forth more problems and difficulties, resulting in broken lives and shattered families. But when the Lord judges and corrects mankind, they will always become better and more righteous people than they were before. When the Lord judges us, He makes of us the very best we could possibly be. This will be true of all mankind as well!

While we walk the path of His righteousness, fulfilling His word, we wait for the appearing of our Lord in the glory of His kingdom. We seek His Name that we might become all that is attributed to His Name, as well as the remembrance of Him. Jesus did the works of the Father when He was on earth. But we shall do the work that He did and greater works, because of the power, the glory and the authority of His Name, which we are receiving. Our souls desire Him during this night, and with our spirits we will seek Him early. We wait for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning (Ps. 130).

Before the morning of this great Day dawns, we will seek Him, to become the morning Star that He is. Then we will be transformed to awaken the dawn of the new morning of the kingdom of God on earth. We have now come to the midnight hour; and the judgments of the Lord are in the earth in a very real and tangible way. It is time now for us to repent and seek the Lord, for His elect are called to seek Him early. Repentance has more to do with us changing spiritually than it does with sin. We also have desired this midnight hour to come, knowing it was the hour of His judgments. And when the Lord's judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world - all the people of the nations affected - will learn the true righteousness of Christ.

Our Father has many ways of correcting people, and He wisely uses every one of them. We have seen that not all the transgressors will learn righteousness while the grace of the Lord is abounding in this world. Very few transgressors will learn righteousness during times of the grace of the Lord; but many others must learn it during times of judgment unto correction. The anointed message of Isaiah the prophet tells us, "Though grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness; even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil and regard not the majesty of the Lord." We have now come to the time when many transgressors in this world will learn righteousness during this present midnight hour of the Lord's judgments unto correction. They will also learn to regard the majesty, the Lordship, and the Kingship of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and that of His brother-sons and co-kings with Him!

The Lord now requires that His people highly regard and fully acknowledge His majesty, His Lordship and His Kingly authority over their lives and the lives of all mankind throughout the world. Christ must be the absolute King and Lord of our lives in a very real and tangible way, just as we acknowledge Him as Lord and King in all the earth. Many Christians will say, "God is in control," regarding worldly events beyond them. But they may not have given the Lord the full authority and complete control of their own lives that He needs and desires of all His faithful and obedient subjects.

The Psalmist described the present status of the kingdom of God in the earth, when he said, "The Lord (the Father) said unto my Lord (Christ, the Son), Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion (that's us! And He send us with this command): rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power..." (Ps. 110:1-3). If we are in union with Christ and His kingdom purposes, desiring only His pure and perfect will, then we are "the rod of thy strength." We are the kings of Zion who are called and sent of our Father with the command: "rule thou in the midst of thine enemies." Of course this all takes place in the Spirit and by the Spirit where all true, kingdom work must take place. Father must have WILLING subjects, OBEDIENT sons, and SUBMISSIVE co-kings ruling and reigning with Him and in Him, by the Spirit! And they shall do only and always the perfect will of their Father in all the earth, just as His will is being done in all the Heavens of His Spirit!

The prophet Isaiah went on to say, "Though Your hand is lifted high to strike, Lord, they do not see it. Let them see Your zeal for Your people and be ashamed. Yes, let the fire reserved for Your enemies consume them. Lord, You will ordain peace [God's favor and blessings, temporal and spiritual] for us, for You have also wrought in us and for us all our works" (Is. 26:11-12, Amplified). What is it that will convince the unsaved of the faithfulness of God, and the glory of His kingdom? It is the zeal of the Lord revealed in the growth unto maturity of all His elect, resulting in their transformation and the deliverance of the whole creation!

It is the power of the resurrection Life of Christ to transform us that will make the heathen ashamed of their sins and their unbelief, causing them to turn to the Lord and to the glory of His kingdom. Then, the fire reserved for the enemies of Christ will consume the sinful Adamic mind and nature that is within them all. And then our Father will ordain peace for all of us, which is God's favor and blessings, both temporal and spiritual. It will then be totally exhibited and fully evident that Father has completed all His work in us and for us. We shall show forth His glorious work to all mankind at the time of our unveiling as fully perfected and manifested sons of God. Our unveiling and manifestation shall be exhibited for all to see, changing them as well! Keep ascending this last mountain, sons of God! This is the mount of our transfiguration, and we are almost there!

All the works of the Lord will praise Him, whether those works are of a positive or a negative nature. The Psalmist declared, "All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord; and thy saints shall bless thee. They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power; To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom. Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations" (Ps. 145:10-13). While the works of the Lord are praising Him, His saints are also blessing Him. They speak of the glory of His kingdom and power, making known to the sons of men His mighty acts and the glorious majesty of His kingdom. And there is nothing better to speak about, as this world is manifesting the corruption and decay of a dying age. When we reach the top of our mount of transfiguration, we shall display, not with words but with the manifest power of God, "the glorious majesty of his kingdom."

What about the world's unholy, Babylonish systems and the dominion of man that has had power over us, bringing us into bondage to man's corrupt and unrighteous jurisdiction? Isaiah included all the world's systems and "masters" of deceit, conspiracy, confusion and their many severe bondages, when he declared, "O Lord our God, other masters besides You have ruled over us, but we will acknowledge and mention Your name only. They [the former tyrant masters] are dead, they shall not live and reappear; they are powerless ghosts, they shall not rise and come back. Therefore You have visited and made an end of them, and caused every memorial of them [every trace of their supremacy] to perish" (Is. 26:13-14), Amplified).

God's word emphatically tells us that the powers of man, the former tyrant masters that once troubled us, are dead. Not only are they dead, as we think of death in this realm, but they are so completely dead that they will never live again in any form whatsoever, to reappear either in the earth or the heavens. They are powerless ghosts, and their dominion is over. As far as we are concerned, there is no power anywhere but the omnipotent and sovereign power of our God and Father of all! All other forces, whether real or imagined, are nothing but powerless ghosts! Henceforth we will acknowledge and mention His Name ONLY! We are reigning in His kingdom, and His kingdom is the only absolute power! And His kingdom shall triumph over all! Let this be your vision, your hope, your present reality, and you will know the abundant joy of the Lord and His transforming victory!

The Sons are Ruling now in Judgment

The prophet Isaiah prophesied, saying, "Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment" (Is. 32:1). Christ the King is reigning in righteousness, for He alone is purely righteous. He who is purely righteous and absolutely and completely holy is reigning now in the earth to bring to pass His eternal purposes. It is not possible for us to reign in pure and perfect righteousness at this time, for we still have the old Adamic mind and nature within us. But while Christ the King is reigning in righteousness we, as His called, chosen and appointed "princes," are ruling in judgment. By simply BEING what our Father wills us to BE, even while in this flesh and blood body of sin and death, we are ruling in judgment, bringing the necessary judgments of the Lord upon all unrighteousness in this world. By the Spirit, we are a silent influence in the earth! And when His "judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world (shall) learn (the) righteousness (of Christ)."

The rule of Father's "princes," or our rule in judgment, was foreshown and prefigured in the priesthood of Aaron during Israel's early history. At that time, Aaron and his sons were separated for the priesthood in Israel. They were to be clothed upon with special priestly garments designed by the Lord whenever they went into His presence in the holy place. The garment or robe of the Aaronic priesthood was to be made according to the pattern of the Lord, with specific details such as this: "And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for A MEMORIAL before the Lord continually. And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron's heart, when he goeth in before the Lord: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the Lord continually." Also on Aaron's priestly garment, along with the breastplate, was the mitre with a plate of pure gold on it. That gold plate was engraved with the words "HOLINESS TO THE LORD" (Ex. 28:29-30, 36).

Aaron and his sons, as priests of the Lord, were to wear that priestly garment whenever they went into the holy place to appear before the Lord. And always, when the priests appeared before the Lord, they were setting before Him the judgment of Israel, for the breastplate of judgment was always worn by the priests. They were thus presenting before the Lord Israel's judgment unto correction whenever they came into His presence. This would correct God's people and make them a better people and a more righteous nation. The Urim and the Thummim, together with the mitre-plate with those words engraved upon it, was worn by the priests on their garments. Those garments and adornments set the standard for Israel's judgment and eventually that of the whole world. The divine standard for the Lord's judgments was then and ever shall be: "HOLINESS TO THE LORD."

The Urim and the Thummim were unknown objects, possibly symbols that represented what those two words meant. Urim is a Hebrew word meaning "lights," and Thummim is another Hebrew word meaning "perfection." The Hebrew word for Urim not only means lights, but it also includes "the oracular brilliancy of the figures in the high-priest's breastplate." (From Strong's Concordance.) The original Hebrew word for "Urim" also includes being luminous, or having the ability to emit light. The word "oracular" means relating to an oracle, solemnly prophetic, yet ambiguous and mystifying. The word Thummim means "perfections, one of the epithets of the objects in the high-priest's breastplate as an emblem of complete Truth." (Also from Strong's.) Both the Urim and the Thummim were solemnly prophetic and mystifying, for they are emblems or symbols of something far more spiritual than what appears on the surface.

The garment of the High Priest in Israel's history seemed to be ridiculously adorned with all manner of "stuff." But it all has deep spiritual meaning and significance in the kingdom of God, as we shall see. The High Priests in Israel, which were Aaron and his sons then, always bore the judgment of Israel before the Lord on the breastplate of judgment that they wore when they came into His presence. Aaron's priestly garment had on the breastplate the judgment of Israel, but also the Urim and the Thummim, along with the words engraved upon the mitre, "HOLINESS TO THE LORD." All these adornments, emblems and words signify what God will do for His people, who are His elect and chosen ones of this hour. All the orders of the priests of the past and their various precepts, principles and emblems are now represented in the spiritual adornment of the priesthood of the sons of God, who are the true priests of the Lord at this time. We thus embrace and show forth all that was foreshadowed by the various priesthoods of the past. Whenever we ascend in the Spirit to the heavenly sanctuary, and minister to the Lord, we are presenting the judgment, the correction and the full salvation of the whole world of mankind before our Father, by the Spirit.

All that the Aaronic priest's breastplate signifies is typically worn on our spiritual, priestly garments, to be presented to the Lord when we enter into His presence. This gives assurance that the world's judgment unto correction and their full salvation in righteousness shall take place, beginning with the house of the Lord, which house we are (1 Pet. 4:17). As it was with the Aaronic priesthood, and all the other priesthoods of the past, so also is it with us spiritually in this new Day. We are presenting every aspect of every priesthood of the past before the Lord when we enter into His presence. As the anointed priests of the Lord, we are presenting to our Father our own judgment and that of all God's people, as well as the judgment unto correction and the full salvation of all mankind throughout all the earth.

By fulfilling our priestly duties and responsibilities, we are thus assuring the judgment unto correction of all the Lord's elect and chosen ones first, followed by that of all mankind everywhere. As ministering and worshiping priests of the Lord, we are lifting all mankind up to the Father, that they might be fully saved and transformed into the image and likeness of Christ, the Lord of glory. Is it possible that the judgment of the house of the Lord, or of the elect remnant, which we are, has already taken place? Has the time now come for the judgment of the world to take place? Only the Lord knows; and only by the Spirit will we ever know!

The Urim represents the Light-emitting glory of the Lord, and also the oracle of prophetic Truth and Life. The Thummim represents perfection and also is an emblem of the full and complete Truth of God, which we must receive to be transformed! Then there is the Lord's standard of righteousness, which is "HOLINESS TO THE LORD." By this divine standard, our Father measures us, judges us and then corrects us with every step of spiritual progress we take in Him. All that these priestly emblems signify is in our hearts and lives to guide us to full maturity and perfection in Christ, by the spiritual workings of the Urim (Lights) and the Thummim (Perfections), and all that they represent in the Spirit. By these spiritual abilities and gifts that are within us, our Father shall successfully lead us to the fullness of His light, righteousness and perfection, thus making of us pure, perfect, holy and fully manifest sons of God.

The Judgments of the Lord in Righteousness

A good brother in Christ wrote to us about the terrorist attacks of last September, saying that he felt the Lord was angry. This is what the Psalmist had to say about the anger of the Lord: "You, even You, are to be feared [with awe and reverence]! Who may stand in Your presence when once Your anger is aroused? You caused sentence to be heard from heaven; the earth feared and was still, When God arose to (establish) judgment, to save all the meek and oppressed of the earth. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!" (Ps. 76:7-9, Amp.) Indeed, our Father is a God Who is to be feared with awe and reverence!

Our heavenly Father is not to be irreverently referred to as "the man upstairs," or as "daddy," as the carnal-minded would do, for He is the great God of Heaven and earth. He will have righteous and Godly fear and reverence given Him from all mankind, for such honor and respect belongs to Him and is due Him. And no man would want to stand in His presence when His anger is aroused. Only those IN CHRIST are fully protected from His awesome and holy presence, and can approach Him to be near Him, regardless of His perceived emotional state. (In my opinion, God does not have human emotions and characteristics. God is not a man that He should lie or show any other human traits or characteristics. But He is described that way in scripture to help us understand Him and His ways a little better.)

The Lord God of heaven and earth, Who also is our Father, caused His judgment and correctional sentence to be heard from heaven. The earth then (on 9/11/2001) heard, resulting in many becoming fearful, so that all was still. That may have been God arising "to (establish) judgment, to save all the meek and oppressed of the earth. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!" If this that we experienced in this nation last September is the Lord arising to establish His judgments in the earth, then this also is the Day when the Lord has purposed "to save all the meek and oppressed of the earth." How wonderful it would be if that were the case! Our Father's purpose in manifesting His anger, sending His sentence to the earth and beginning His universal judgments, is not to destroy mankind or to eliminate all the sinners, as the church system tells it. But His sovereign and predetermined purpose in bringing judgment upon the nations is "to save all the meek and oppressed of the earth." Amen and blessed be the Name of the Lord!

The Psalmist continued that song by saying, "Surely the wrath of man shall praise You; the remainder of wrath shall You restrain and gird and arm Yourself with it" (Ps. 76:10, Amplified). If the Lord has never yet quickened this passage to you, I pray He will do so now! It is very important for us to fully grasp and understand the spiritual truth of this scripture. The wrath of man, no matter what form it may take in this world, is used of God to fulfill His purposes, thus bringing praise to His great Name. Our Father will receive all the glory for every negative thing that has ever taken place in this old, corrupt and sinful world of mankind. The disaster of last September was the result of the wrath of man (as described in Da. 11:44)! And that manifestation of the wrath of man shall eventually redound to give praise, honor and glory to the Lord and to the righteous authority of His kingdom!

If there should ever be a manifestation of the wrath of man that does not serve Father's purposes in this world and bring praise to His Name, He will restrain that wrath. God will not only restrain the wrath of man that does not glorify Him, but He will also "gird and arm (Himself) with it!" The word "restrain," as used in verse ten, is taken from the Hebrew word, "chagar," meaning to gird on as a belt or armor. Therefore, the Lord girds Himself with any part or form of the wrath of man that does not bring glory to His Name. That restrained wrath will be cleansed and joined to His presence. It will become a part of the Lord's armor and a tool in the Lord's armory (see Jer. 50:25), which He will use at another time or for another purpose.

Therefore, if the terrorist attacks of last September would not have brought praise to the Lord, eventually and in some manner or form, GOD WOULD HAVE RESTRAINED IT! Our Father would have prevented those attacks from happening! He would have girded Himself with that wrath of man, cleansed it, and used it at another time or purpose! But since God allowed that wrath of man to take place, we are thus assured that the events of 9/11/2001 shall eventually bring praise to our Father and to the glory of His kingdom. How important it is for us to see and understand such events with the wisdom of the mind of Christ in these times of gross spiritual darkness! How wise, sovereign and omnipotent is our Father! He is truly our King and Lord of all, Who alone is worthy of our singular worship and praise, and of our undivided love and adoration!

It is our very nature to oppose all who violate the laws or principles of our Father and of His kingdom. We do by nature the things contained in the law of God! By our obedience, we become opponents of all who have forsaken His law, His truth, and His kingdom principles. The wise man explained this, when he said, "Those who forsake the law [of God and man] praise the wicked, but such as keep the law [of God and man] contend with them. [Prov.29:18]. Evil men do not understand justice, but they who crave and seek the Lord understand it fully. [John 7:17; 1 Cor. 2:15; 1 John 2:20, 27.]" (Pro. 28:4-5, Amplified.) The translators of the Amplified Bible used the word "justice," while the King James uses "judgment." Either word is correct according to the original Hebrew word.

We like "justice" much better than "judgment," for justice has a more positive connotation; it shows a more righteous result or end for the disobedient, who were corrected by the processings of the Lord. Those who forsake the law of God are, by their unbelief, praising the wicked. And evil men do not understand the justice or the judgments of the Lord. We fully understand the Lord's corrective judgments, which are manifestations of His justice, for we have gone through the Lord's justice. Having experienced His justice, we can see that our Father changed us through His corrective process of judgment unto correction and restoration, and is now leading us to the realm of His fullness, that we might be fully saved and transformed and the creation set free.

The prophet Isaiah tells us that God uses justice or judgment to establish and uphold His kingdom. "Of the increase of His government and of peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it WITH JUSTICE and with righteousness from that latter time forth, even for evermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. [Dan. 2:44; 1 Cor. 15:25-28.]" (Isaiah 9:7, Amplified.) The judgment or justice of the Lord, according to the original Hebrew word, includes everything from the guilt of a person or group, to their correction and rehabilitation. Our Father uses that entire process, which is scripturally called "justice" or "judgment," to establish and uphold His throne and His kingdom. All who are to be a part of the throne and kingdom of our Father must endure the processings of the Lord. We must experience His judgments, by which He makes us fit subjects of His kingdom, as well as a company of kings ruling and reigning with the glory, power and authority of the King of kings and Lord of lords. By His righteous judgments, Father establishes and upholds His kingdom. This causes His expanding peace and enlarging principles of redemption and restoration to increase in all the earth and become available to all.

"The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high; He will fill Zion with justice and righteousness [religious and moral rectitude in every area and relation]. And there shall be stability in your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom and knowledge; the reverent fear and worship of the Lord is your treasure and His" (Is. 33:5-6, Amplified). God is filling Zion with justice and righteousness. Of course, this means that all who dwell in that spiritual realm have been thoroughly tested, tried and found righteous, by the just judgments of the Lord. The translators of the Amplified Bible referred to righteousness as "religious and moral rectitude in every area and relation." But we prefer to call the righteousness of the Lord "SPIRITUAL and moral rectitude in every area and relation." The word "religious" belongs to Babylon, not to any of the Lord's elect of Zion!

How has the Lord filled Zion with justice and righteousness? He did it by first judging and correcting us, making us the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 5:21). When our Father has filled Zion with spiritual and righteous saints, who are all sons of God and who manifest it in their walk and experience with their Father, "there shall be stability in your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom and knowledge." What a Day this shall be when our Father has completed His glorious, kingdom work in Zion! And what a glorious and fully redeemed corporate MAN we are becoming as we progress and grow spiritually in the blessed kingdom of our Father!

"Behold My Servant, Whom I uphold; My elect, in Whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice and right, and reveal truth to the nations. [Matt. 3:16, 17.] He will not cry or shout aloud or cause His voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed He will not break, and a dimly burning wick He will not quench; He will bring forth justice in truth. [Matt. 12:17-21; 7:29.] He will not fail or become weak, or be crushed and discouraged till He has established justice in the earth, and the islands and coastal regions shall hopefully wait for and expect His direction and law. [Rom. 8:22-25.]" (Is. 42:1-4, Amplified.)

This prophetic passage is undoubtedly referring to our Lord Jesus Christ in its first or primary interpretation (see Mt. 12:14-21). But there is usually more than one interpretation of scripture. In these verses, the anointed word of the Lord is directed to the Body of Christ, and includes both Christ, the Head, and Christ, the Body. It is a reference to the sons of God, who are in Christ, and who are fully joined to Christ their Head by a spiritual baptism. As it is with Christ, the Head, so also shall it be with Christ, the Body! This united Christ body is the Father's anointed servant, the one whom He upholds, the elect in whom His soul delights; it is also referring to those who have received the fullness of His Spirit. It is this united and completed Christ who shall ultimately "bring forth justice and right, and reveal truth to the nations."

Furthermore, this Christ-Body "will not cry or shout aloud or cause His voice to be heard in the street." What does that mean? It means that this Christ company will not preach or teach, nor will they cause their voices to be heard in the streets of our cities. The phrase, "will not cry," means to shriek, and by implication includes to proclaim an assembly, or to call people together in the earthly sense. The phrase, "to be heard in the street," means to hear intelligently or with these carnal minds outside or outdoors. The word of God is simply telling us that the literal voices of the Lord's elect servants shall not be heard, either in an assembly in a building or outside somewhere in this world. God's kingdom work in the earth during this new Day must be and shall be done solely and exclusively in the Spirit and by the Spirit.

Our Father will impart His word, His truth and His life directly into the hearts of people, by His Spirit, and not by the works of the flesh! The works of the Lord in the authority, the power and the glory of the kingdom of God are spiritual works, and will not be done in the flesh by the limited ability of the people of this earthly realm. Those who dwell in Zion are a spiritual people! They have left the old, dead church order behind, and are walking in the glorious Light of the new Day of the kingdom of God on earth! They are being transformed by the Spirit and shall be given their new bodies, that they might reign with Christ in the fullness of His true peace and righteousness!

This fully saved, transformed and born again company "will bring forth justice in truth." They also "will not fail or become weak, or be crushed and discouraged till He has established justice in the earth." There is no failure or weakness in Christ! It is also impossible for anyone in this Christ-body to be crushed or discouraged. Such things cannot possibly happen to those who are fully in Christ and who have been transformed into the glorious image and likeness of Him who has been resurrected and glorified, by the Spirit of the living God. "And the islands and coastal regions (and the rest of the world as well) shall hopefully wait for and expect His direction and law."

When we are in Christ, even though we may not yet be fully transformed into His image and likeness, we may sometimes get a glimpse of the glories to come. I can see that the spirits have gone forth to the kings of the earth and to the people of the whole world, "to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty" (Rev. 16:14). And this may be that Day and that "battle." Those spirits may think they will be victorious in bringing the whole world of mankind into their delusion, resulting in greater bondages for the people. But God has them in derision; He laughs at, mocks and ridicules them, Ps. 2:4)! The Lord will bring to naught the powers of evil. He Who has visited His people in the past, will come again with the silence and the stillness as of a thief in the night (vs. 15). He may appear in the Spirit during this midnight hour! May we watch for Him and keep our garments, lest we walk in nakedness and our shame be seen. He will rescue His people and fully redeem them! The multitudes are waiting for us! The world is at our feet, and we are becoming the answer for them! It is time for us to lift up our heads and rejoice, for our redemption, and that of many others also, is drawing near. What a glorious Day this is! And what a glorious Day it shall yet become!

David sang praises to the Lord for His judgments. He said, "I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High. When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence. But the Lord shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment. And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness" (Ps. 9:2-3, 7-8). What a comforting thought that is! Our Father "shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness." There is no better or more pure and perfect judgment any where than the judgment of the Lord, which He shall gracefully and mercifully minister to us and to the world in uprightness or righteousness. And His judgments are always true and righteous (Rev. 19:2).

"Thus saith the Lord, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed. Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil" (Is. 56:1-2). The salvation of the Lord is near to come! It is the full salvation of the Lord for His elect and chosen ones that is very near to being fulfilled. It is not a part of our Father's plan to reveal to us the day or the hour of His appearing to fully save us. Father wants us to be in regular and constant communion with Him, in the Spirit. And if we are communing with Him in the Spirit and by the Spirit, we will know all we need to know about the imminent appearing of our Lord to transform us. There are some signs in our lives and in the world around us now to indicate that the full salvation of the Lord for His elect is near to come.

Therefore, knowing by the Spirit that our full and complete salvation is near to come, we will prepare for, and fully attend to, the judgment unto correction of our lives, by the Spirit. The Lord's judgment unto correction must be constantly working in our lives to keep us on the path of His pure righteousness and justice. The true righteousness of the Lord was revealed in Christ Jesus! But the world shall see a greater demonstration of the righteousness of the Lord when we are transformed and changed into the same image and likeness of Christ, our beloved Lord and King. The person who realizes the nearness of the salvation of the Lord, and who desires the judgment and justice of the Lord to be continually working in their lives, is called "blessed" in the kingdom of their Father (see also Mt. 5:3-11).

Those "blessed" ones also "keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil." This new Day or age is also a Sabbath Day! All the sabbaths of the past pointed to this present Sabbath Day! This present age or Sabbath Day is the grand fulfillment of all the sabbath days of the past. It is the wonderful work of the Spirit of God to take all that was once of the external, outer, or earthly realm, and make it to be something greater and more powerful IN THE SPIRIT AND BY THE SPIRIT! And this new and greater Sabbath Day is the result of that distinguished work of the Spirit of God. The old sabbaths of the past, which once included things literal, legally harsh, restrictive and of this world, have now become something beautiful, wonderful, liberating and full of the Life of the Spirit of the living God. We are observing this new and greater Sabbath Day by resting in the Lord, and by ceasing all the old, dead religious works of the past ages of man. The "blessed" ones that we are, are joyfully keeping this sabbath from polluting it, and are keeping our hands from doing any evil. To them shall be given the abundant fulfillment of the promises of God, as we shall see.

The Lord also gave promise to the "eunuchs," who were those in Israel who had fathered no children. Those "eunuchs" said, "Behold, I am a dry tree." In other words, they had no children or descendants after the flesh. So it is in the Spirit. There are many believers who have not yet brought forth sons and daughters in the kingdom of God. They are spiritually barren (Is. 54:1), but they will also receive the reward! God included them in His promises and in His kingdom as well! He said to all His "blessed" ones, including the "eunuchs," "Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off. Also the sons of the stranger (other people and nations), that join themselves to the Lord, to serve him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be his servants, everyone that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; even them will I bring TO MY HOLY MOUNTAIN, and make them joyful in my house of prayer:... for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people" (see Is. 56:3-7).

Verse seven, quoted above, also mentioned "their burnt offerings and their sacrifices," which we did not quote. Sacrifices and offerings unto the Lord, as was offered under the old covenant, are relics of the past. There is nothing of value that we can offer or sacrifice to the Lord. We cannot even offer ourselves unto Him, for we are the Lord's already. We are His purchased possession, bought with the precious blood of Christ. (It is not the literal blood of Jesus that saves us, but the precious blood of Christ that has been lifted up to the heavens of Spirit and fulfilled in the Spirit and by the Spirit.) As His chosen ones, the only thing we can offer the Lord is our will. When we surrender our own will to the will of our Father, we then have no will of our own and are ready to do the perfect will of our Father in all the earth. To love the Lord with our whole heart, and with all our understanding, and strength, "is more (valuable or meaningful) than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices" (Mk. 12:33, see also Heb. 10:6-7).

As the elect of the Lord, who have joined themselves to the Lord, to serve Him, love His Name, be His servants, keep the Sabbath of the Lord from polluting it, and who take hold of His covenant, even them will He bring to His holy mountain. Our Father is calling us to climb this last mountain, which is mount Zion; it is the mount of our trans-figuration. We use the word "climb" with some reservations or qualifications, for we are not climbing mount Zion literally, in the flesh or by the flesh. We are more properly spiritually "ascending" the mount of the Lord, but only in the Spirit and by the Spirit. The Lord gave the requirements or the principles, which must be observed in the Spirit, by all who hope to reach the top of the mount of the Lord. And it is the work of the Spirit and His alone to lead us, each one, to the top of that mountain of the Lord. Our Father will then make us joyful in His glorious house of prayer for all people.

The prophet Jeremiah also saw this day and prophesied, "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS" (Jer. 23:5-6). If we do not know Him now by that Name, we surely shall! Our Lord Jesus Christ is no longer Jesus in the flesh; He is Christ, the Lord, our righteousness. He is purer than the driven snow, whiter than the whitest white, and wholly and completely righteous, according to the divine standard of righteousness. The "Christians" of the church system judge according to the outward appearance, but God judges the heart of a person. Man looks on the outward appearance while God looks within, to the heart of man. It is within us where sin resides and from which it begins its dreadful deeds, not from without or from the outside of us. When we are fully cleansed within by the corrective judgments of the Lord, we shall then know Him in truth and in fact as "THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS!" And the world shall then see Him as that also! Then we will be able to say with full assurance and authority, "he that hath seen me hath seen the Father" (Jo. 14:9).

The prophet declared, "a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth." All that the Lord God omnipotent begins He successfully completes! He does not merely TRY to do something; God does anything and everything He has purposed to do with great success. He prospers in all He does, both in the heavens and in all the earth! Christ, the King, not only reigns, but He also prospers in His reign! That word "prosper" means that God does everything in a circumspect and intelligent manner. He wisely and wittingly fulfills all His purposes, and brings every one of those divine purposes to a grand and glorious conclusion. He masterfully executes judgment and justice in all the earth with the skill and determination that only belongs to the God and the Father of all. If this is the day of His universal judgments among the nations in all the earth, then Father will also complete the rest of His wonderful work for this day, which is "to save all the meek and oppressed of the earth."

The prophet also declared, "In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely." Many of us know who Judah and Israel are in the world at this time. As Judah was the ruling tribe during Israel's history, so Judah today are those who rule and reign with Christ. It is among them that the first dominion of the kingdom of God has already come (Mic. 4:8). Israel also represents all who have come to Christ, receiving Him as their Head, Lord and King (Ga. 3:26-29). Judah, which represents the elect who rule and reign with Christ, shall be saved in fullness; and Israel, which are all those who have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, shall dwell safely. These are kingdom blessings and benefits! The world shall witness the reign of Christ and His sons in the kingdom of God, thus bringing the knowledge of the peace and the salvation of the Lord to the earth in a glorious demonstration of the mighty power of our Father. And in that day, "this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS." This may very well be that Day! Let us then walk before our Father in true righteousness, watching and waiting for the appearing of Christ to change us into His glorious image and likeness!

The prophet Jeremiah gave us a fitting conclusion, a glorious finale or a wonderful benediction, when he said: "Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the Lord; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar (from the heavens of His Spirit), and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid. For I am with thee, saith the Lord, TO SAVE THEE (in full): though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished" (Jer. 30:10-11).

The things that happen in this world of sin and death are sometimes enough to cause us to fear and be troubled and dismayed. But the anointed word of the Lord comes through loud and clear, telling us "fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the Lord; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar." The abundant, full and complete salvation of the Lord is just before us! The Lord of glory, the Lord of resurrection Life and the Lord Who shall change us into His own image and likeness, is waiting for us at the top of the mountain that we are now ascending in the Spirit. As we ascend this mount of the Lord, in the Spirit, our God has determined to correct us in measure, for He cannot leave us altogether unpunished. Our correction is vital and necessary if we expect to become all that He is!