SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1                                     A PREPARED PEOPLE WITH A HOLY PURPOSE

                                                                      Part Three                                                   March 1999

A prepared people with a holy purpose in God are very spiritual people. They are the Lord's chosen remnant in the earth today. They are spiritually motivated and are seen in the Spirit marching around Zion, which is one of the heavenlies of Spirit. They are exploring Zion's intricacies, bulwarks, and palaces, including all the spiritual experiences and the abundance of truths within her many spiritual occupants, that they may tell it to the next generation (Ps. 48:12-13). As they walk about Zion, they are discovering her many glorious truths and spiritual experiences, causing them to grow in the Spirit. They are ever learning, but are also coming to the knowledge of the truth as it is in Christ. They walk around Zion with the humility, trust, dependence, unconditional love, and lowliness of mind just like little children. They are inquisitive, pliable, and teachable, as little children are, and always strive to learn and grow spiritually. These elect, who are maturing sons of God, are destined of their Father to become fully manifest sons of God, sharing the Life and glory of Christ. They are weaned from all the old ways of the dead, obsolete, church order of the past, and are walking in the light of this new Day.

To walk in the light of this new Day suggests that we are enlightened with the light of Christ, and that His transforming light is dispelling all the darkness that once was within us. Because of the light of His truth within us, we now see things very differently than we did in the past. No longer do we see things through the darkened glasses or the veiled eyes of the carnal mind, but now we see things through the eyes of the Spirit! That which we see in the Spirit, we attempt to honestly interpret with the pure wisdom of the mind of Christ. We no longer believe some doctrines of the church system, such as the great tribulation, or the rapture theory. No longer can we accept the merciless and thoughtless idea of leaving this world to allow the multitudes of unChristianized humanity to be destroyed through war, famine, or some other ill-conceived calamity invented by the carnal mind.

The Lord is removing from our minds the many false doctrines of man that we brought with us when we left religious Babylon. Our minds are being renewed by the Spirit (Ro. 12:2), and now we can see things the way God sees them. Now, our cherished hope is to remain here on this earth, to be transformed to become just like Christ, our elder Brother. In this way, we shall bring the light, life and glory of the kingdom of God to this darkened and sin-cursed world.

There is something else that distinguishes the elect of today from normal Christians. The elect are enlightened with the light of Christ! They are able to look beyond the evil and darkness around them and see the coming of the kingdom of God to the earth, gradually and progressively, from the evening to the morning. They fully understand that by the reign of Christ, including His divine nature and His sovereign purpose in redemption, He shall save and transform every person of every age or period, no matter how severe or vile their sins might have been. And when the Lord fully saves the multitudes, no longer will the carnal nature exist in anyone anywhere, thus bringing an end to the Adamic, worldly systems of man. Then the kingdom of God shall prevail in all the earth, and the righteousness of Christ shall be the standard by which all shall live.

The Significance of the Morning

There is something significant about the morning in the scriptures, as it applies to us in the kingdom of God. To be enlightened with the light of Christ also implies that a new Day has dawned within us. And when the light of the new Day of the kingdom of God dawns within us, we are then lifted to another, higher realm in the Spirit, prepared to reign with Christ. Long centuries ago, the Lord told David, "He that ruleth over men... shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds" (2 Sam. 23:3-4). Our reign with and in Christ has already begun in the Spirit. Our reign began when we were given "power over the nations... to rule them with a rod of iron," thus breaking their power, and reducing them to "shivers," as a potter's vessel is broken (Rev. 2:26-27).

We are reigning in the Spirit as we grow spiritually! Our spiritual growth is the most important thing now taking place, for it is bringing an end to the power and influence of man's governments. Also by our spiritual growth, we are progressing to the next phase of our reign in Christ, which is to dispel all the darkness in the world by the light of Christ within us. Our Father is changing us within so He may give us "the morning star" (Rev. 2:28). We are being changed from darkness into "the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds." The overcomers, who are changed and enlightened with the Light of Christ and have been given "the morning star," shall reign with Christ from His Father's throne with the pure righteousness, justice, peace and love of the kingdom of God!

"The morning star" is a spiritual Light that is imparted to all the overcomers by our Father. The "morning star" has special significance for us at this time, for it is spiritual light, glory and power that has the distinct purpose of awakening the dawn. It is that special star of the Spirit; it is a manifestation of Christ purposed of God to initiate the dawn of the new morning. Those who are being quickened of the Spirit and who are coming alive spiritually at this time are those to whom "the morning star" shall be given.  They know where we are in Father's time and in His purposes for this world now, and are being prepared of the Spirit to awaken the dawn of this new Day. Although this new Day began at evening time, as we have shown in previous writings, the greater glory will come to the earth in the morning.

According to the word of the Lord, the morning has been uniquely set apart for the fulfillment of many of the plans and purposes of God. Although the following events took place in the dim and distant past, they have a spiritual message and purpose for us today. Every word of God is special and has significance for us when it is quickened and revealed by the Spirit. For example, Lot and his family were taken out of Sodom in the morning (Ge. 19:15). It was also in the morning when Abraham stood in his place before the Lord (Ge. 19:27). In the morning Abraham sent the bondwoman Hagar and her son Ishmael out of his house (Ge. 21:14).

Also, the Lord specifically told Moses to go to Pharaoh in the morning to tell him to let Israel go, or to inform him of the judgments to come if he refused (Ex. 7:15, 8:20 & 9:13). In the evening, Israel would know that God had delivered them out of Egypt, but not until the morning would they see the glory of the Lord (Ex. 16:6-7). It also was in the morning of the third day when the Lord appeared to Moses and Israel on Mt. Sinai. His awesome presence then brought thunder and lightnings, fire and smoke, and the sound of a trumpet, which caused the mountain to quake. The Lord did all this to get Israel's attention, and then He gave them the law that would govern their lives in this world (Ex. 19:16-19). When the Lord spared King Hezekiah, adding fifteen more years to his life, He said, "I reckoned till the morning, that, as a lion, so will he break all my bones: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me" (Is. 38:13).

These and many more such events, too numerous to mention here, show the significance of the morning in prophetic truth. And none of these instances are set forth in scripture just to give us something to read. They all foretell something of our Father's plan for our future in the kingdom of God (1 Co. 10:11). For example, King Hezekiah spoke the truth of God, when he said the Lord would break all his bones from the daytime to the evening, to make a full end of him, until the morning dawns. Then, in the morning, everything would change. God, Who had broken Hezekiah and made an end of his old carnal, Adamic man during the previous day and into the night, would then restore him and fully redeem him in the morning. That is what the Lord said He would do with Hezekiah, and that is exactly what our Father is doing with us now! He is purging and processing us, bringing our carnal, fleshly man in the likeness of old Adam to an end, that the new man in the image and likeness of Christ might arise to bring restoration to the whole fallen order of man in the morning. What glory shall yet be manifest in and through us in the morning!

The Lord has already determined that His greater glory will be revealed and His kingdom will come to the earth in fullness in the morning. The morning is a prophetic time in the purposes of God when "the morning star" shall be manifest from within us. The Psalmist David prophesied, "For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night (which is the present time), but joy cometh in the morning" (Ps. 30:5). Speaking of the tabernacles of the Most High, the Psalmist said, "God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved. God will help her right early [at the dawn of the morning]" (Ps. 46:5, Amplified). From another Psalm, we read, "Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them (over death and the grave) IN THE MORNING" (Ps. 49:14). What a wonderful promise for the elect: the upright shall have dominion over death and the grave in the new kingdom morning that soon shall dawn!

Another prophetic Psalm tells us, "Your people will offer themselves willingly in the day of Your power, in the beauty of holiness and in holy array out of the womb of the morning; to You will spring forth Your young men (the transformed, new-born Christ-body), who are as the dew" (Ps. 110:3, Amp.). The Revised Standard Version gives this verse as, "Your people will offer themselves freely on the day you lead your host upon the holy mountains. From the womb of the morning like dew your youth (the newly restored manchild company, or the Christ-body) will come to you." When we are born again of the Spirit and birthed into the greater life and light of the kingdom of God, the morning shall then dawn. From reading these scriptures it should be clear that the morning to come will be a time of the manifestation of the greatest glory of the Lord ever to be seen by mortal man.

The elect of the Lord have offered themselves willingly and freely to their Father on the day of His power, or on the Day of His kingdom reign in power and authority. It is also the Day, or the present era of the earthly reign of Christ, when the Lord is leading His heavenly, spiritual hosts to put all His enemies under His feet. As our Father's kingdom purposes for this world continue to unfold, He will give His elect "the morning star." This will enable them to initiate the dawn of the new morning. With the dawn of that new morning, the sons of God shall then be fully born again of the Spirit. They shall come forth out of "the womb of the morning," fully transformed to manifest the freshness and youthfulness of the Spirit, which is as the morning dew.

While the morning may relate to time, as we think of it, the dawning of the new morning does not depend on time alone. It is our Father's plan and purpose to give His elect, who are the overcomers, the morning star. In giving us the morning star, which is the star of the Spirit, or the star of Christ that initiates the dawning of the new morning, our Father is making us responsible for the dawning of the new morning. It is up to you and to me to grow spiritually to the point where we will receive the morning star. Having received that "morning star," we must then grow to the point where we shall manifest that spiritual Light, thus turning the world's darkness into the glorious Light of Christ. All the resources of the Spirit are readily available to us, whereby we may partake of heaven's bounties and be changed to become like Christ. It was God Who called us to this high calling in Christ, and it also is God Who shall lead us progressively onward and upward, to experience that necessary growth in Him.

Our spiritual growth and only our spiritual growth, will manifest the morning star from within us, bringing about the dawning of the new morning of creation's release and deliverance. The whole creation is groaning under the curse of sin and death, and needs the deliverance that only the remnant can provide in Christ, the morning star, and by His spiritual reign in the earth. Many of us have been placed in our spiritual "booths" by our Father. We may be alone and separated from fellowship, for the most part, according to Father's plan for us; but it is His purpose that we remain in our "booths," that we might seek Him and grow spiritually. When once God's people get this vision, they will cease the useless routines of the works of the flesh and of the church age, and will get down to business with God. The elect of the Lord do not need more meetings in this fleshly, earthly realm. But each of us must individually meet with God, in the Spirit and by the Spirit, to be transformed into His image and likeness. This and this alone, will bring deliverance to the groaning creation.

It is my conviction that much of the Bible is written to be fulfilled in a progressive manner. For example, the word given by the Spirit in Revelation chapter two, verses twenty-six to twenty-nine, shows this progression. Verse twenty-six clearly shows that we must be over-comers; we must overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil (1 Jo. 2:13-17). And then, being overcomers with the Lord's help and having kept His works (which is to believe and trust Him, John 6:29) unto the end, we are given "power over the nations." This power is spiritual power and authority that is breaking the power of the nations and preparing them for the reign of Christ in the earth. The power of the kingdom of God in the earth, through the reign of Christ, begins by breaking the power of the nations, as revealed in verse twenty-seven. This is spiritual power that we are given, which will enable us to rule the nations with that "rod of iron."  As we remain in Christ, God will give us that unique power to bring down the power of the nations and make them all subject to His reign.

After we are transformed, we shall reign with Christ in a more positive way in righteousness, justice, and peace from our Father's heavenly, spiritual throne of all power. Not until after all our enemies are put under the feet of Christ and we are transformed, shall the kingdom of God manifest the more positive power of the righteousness, justice, peace, and love of God in all the earth. Then and only then can the righteousness, peace and love of God prevail in all the earth. Many of us may have thought that the coming of the kingdom of God to earth would bring His righteousness, justice, prosperity, peace, and love to all the world. But these wonderful kingdom conditions can only exist in this world after every enemy, including death, has been defeated and put under the feet of the fullness of Christ.

How can the righteousness, justice, peace, and love of God reign in this world when men's hearts are filled with evil and violence? It is utterly impossible for those kingdom conditions to prevail in this world as long as evil and carnality exists any where. Therefore every enemy must first be defeated before the righteousness, justice, peace and love of God shall prevail anywhere on this earth. Father's foreordained method of defeating all His enemies and ours is by establishing the kingdom reign of Christ in the earth at evening time. He shall defeat every enemy to prepare the world for the righteous and peaceful reign of Christ, which shall begin in great glory when the new morning dawns. The reign of Christ in the kingdom of God also includes the reign of His co-kings, who are in Him and with Him. The darkness of both the evening and the night is that time of the judgment unto correction of the nations. It is that specific time in the purposes of God, when all our enemies shall be put under the feet of this glorious Christ, which includes both the Head and the body.

The next step in our spiritual growth, according to Rev. 2:26-29, is for us to be given "the morning star" by the Lord. "The morning star" is that specific spiritual Light and Glory of Christ purposed of our Father to bring forth the dawning of the new morning. The elect, who have been given that "morning star," shall then show forth that glorious spiritual Light to dispel all the darkness of man's long night of disobedience and unbelief, and establish the greater Light of the new Day of the kingdom of God on earth. And I repeat the wonderful truth that time has little to do with the dawning of the new morning.

Although the Lord has a specific time, which is "the fulness of the time" (as in Ga. 4:4), for the fulfillment of all His eternal purposes in the earth, those purposes concern our spiritual growth and have little to do with the passing of time. Therefore, it is expedient that we put forth every effort, spiritually speaking, to grow in Christ and receive "the morning star." Then, having received "the morning star," we will let the glorious Light of Christ, Who is "the morning star," shine forth from within us. Then the new morning shall dawn, establishing the divine principles of the kingdom of God in all the earth, and releasing the creation from its long and painful bondage to sin and death.

The elect, who regularly commune with God in the Spirit, will readily receive and understand the truths of the kingdom of God. Others, who are involved with the old church order of yesterday and with the dead ways of the past, may find these blessed truths difficult to understand. To commune with God in the Spirit seems foreign to many. It is not possible to read books or to listen to tapes regarding the salvation of all, or about some other revealed truth that we may readily agree with, and then presume to be growing spiritually. Spiritual growth can only take place as we receive NEW TRUTH by the Spirit of God. Change is the divine order of this new Day! We must be changed to grow spiritually! When we are changed, our opinions also will change by the increased revelation of the Spirit. Then yesterday's knowledge will be replaced by a superior, divine wisdom, which is the wisdom of the mind of Christ for this new Day. As natural, physical growth involves some pain, so also may our spiritual growth bring us some pain.

God must have a people in this hour who are spiritually motivated, who commune with Him regularly in the Spirit, who know His will and do it, and who can hear His still, small Voice when He speaks. The Lord will choose those who are deeply spiritual through whom to manifest His greatest glory. By the Spirit, I sense we are on the verge of something glorious and wonderful in the kingdom of God. We are very near the blessed hour of our unveiling. I also sense in the Spirit that the Lord is searching the hearts of His people, looking for those who are no longer involved with the old, dead church order of the past, that He might impart the greater glory of Christ to them, which is "the morning star." Make no mistake about it, God must first deliver His elect of the old, dead order of the past before they can be a part of the new thing He is doing now. He must make of us new wine bottles to contain this new "wine" of the kingdom. When the Lord does a new thing, the old then becomes obsolete to decay and vanish away (He. 8:13). What God is doing now is "new wine," and cannot be put into the same, "old bottles" of the past (Mt. 9:17).

For several years I worked with Thomas Wyatt here in Portland from the early 1950s to the mid 1960s. I respected him highly in the Lord, and learned much from his anointed ministry, especially during the "latter rain" revival of 1948-1953. During those glorious years, I went to West Africa three times, was an associate minister in the church here, and taught in Bible Schools here and in West Africa. Thomas Wyatt had the world's largest religious radio broadcast in the 1950s (Wings of Healing). He was on the Mutual and ABC radio networks in this country, and also many large, independent radio stations here and in Canada, Mexico, Europe, and in other countries. He had a mailing list of well over a hundred thousand, and a missionary program that, in my opinion, was among the best in the world at that time (Global Frontiers). But in the early 1960s, a few years after moving his offices from Portland to Los Angeles, Thomas Wyatt became ill and was in the hospital. I had returned from Nigeria and was in Michigan at the time, so I was unable to see him. One of my friends who was a pastor in California then went to see Thomas Wyatt in the hospital. Dr. Wyatt then told my friend, "All that I have done is wood, hay, and stubble." He passed away shortly after that. Of course, Thomas Wyatt's confession surprised my friend.

A person can have a large ministry attracting the attention of the multitudes, but in God's sight it is all nothing but wood, hay, and stubble. And that old order ministry mentality seems to be affecting some of the remnant of the Lord today. Some in this so-called sonship walk seem to spend their time doing nothing more than reading and publishing books and tapes, and doing other religious works. Some delight in running from one meeting to the next under the guise of getting the message out. But the message is empty and useless if it fails to bring people to greater spiritual maturity.

There is certainly nothing wrong with books and tapes if they encourage believers to become more spiritual. But all the books and tapes in the world cannot make anyone more spiritual! We still must seek the Lord and wait on Him to hear Him speak to us individually, that He might draw us unto Himself, and reveal new truth to us, by the Spirit. Everything else is nothing but useless wood, hay and stubble! The only thing that counts with God in His kingdom is spiritual growth! It would be my greatest joy to know that someone who read these writings became motivated of the Spirit to grow in God. Then they could discard these booklets as more useless wood, hay, and stubble, and rejoice in their spiritual growth. And then I could rejoice in the Lord too!

The "morning star" is to be given to the overcomers, to those who have matured to the point where they have overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil. The two words, overcome and overcometh, as used in the New Testament, are taken from the Greek word, "nikao," meaning to subdue and conquer. That original Greek word is taken from another, "nike," meaning conquests, the means of success. Those two original Greek words tell us much more than the English word "overcome" seems to indicate.

To "overcome" has been interpreted as a rather passive type of make-it-through-the-night, hang-on-for-dear-life experience, while the Greek words give a more positive and aggressive meaning. We are to "nikao," or to subdue, and to "nike," or to conquer the world, the flesh, and the devil. We are to defeat them and master them, being victorious over those powers by the power of the Spirit, gaining the means of success as we overcome it all. To overcome means much more than merely making it through the night. When we have fully overcome the powers of those lower realms, we will then have subdued them by making them subject to Christ and His dominion, gaining the victory over them, and being blessed with the means of success (His Spirit-power) in the process of our overcoming. And this is what our reign with and in Christ is all about (Rev. 2:26-27)!

To overcome is a personal, individual matter; it is not something we shall do collectively, as in a group or a fellowship. Of the several thousand, more or less, who may have been called out of the church system today, there may only be a small remnant among them who shall really become overcomers in the kingdom of our Father. As our spiritual growth is an individual matter, so our ability to overcome is also an individual matter. Jesus said, "be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (Jo. 16:33). As He overcame, so also shall we overcome, not by joining a group who claim to be overcomers, but by overcoming in our personal lives. It is by the tests and trials of this life that we become the overcomers God would have us to be. Christ speaks to His own all through the book of The Revelation of Jesus Christ! There, Christ calls upon individuals, those who have ears to hear, to overcome even as He overcame.

In the first instance, Christ said, "TO HIM that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God" (Rev. 2:7). Notice the personal pronouns, "him" and "he," used here and in other references in the remainder of the book of Revelations. The use of these pronouns shows us that overcoming is a personal matter between the Lord and each of His elect and chosen ones. Next, Christ said, "He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death" (Rev. 2:11). Then He said, "TO HIM that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give HIM a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving HE that receiveth it" (Rev. 2:17). To eat of that "hidden manna" shows that we are in Christ in the Holiest of all. We are seen worshiping Him at the mercy seat, which is on top of the ark of the covenant that contains the "hidden manna" (He. 9:3-5). The next passage that refers to the overcomers is found in Rev. 2:26, which we have already quoted. As with the others, so this scripture also speaks to "HE that overcometh... to HIM will I give power over the nations."

In every instance, the Lord is speaking to "HE that hath an ear." The elect of the Lord have been given hearing ears of the Spirit. They have the spiritual ability to hear all God is saying and to see all He is doing at this time. Those who have ears to hear are the overcomers! They shall be given of the abundance of the kingdom of God, which are spiritual abilities necessary to do the will of God in this new Day. Christ continued His message to individual overcomers, saying to all who have ears to hear, "HE that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out HIS name out of the book of life, but I will confess HIS name before my Father, and before HIS angels" (Rev. 3:5). And, "HIM that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and HE shall go no more out: and I will write upon HIM the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down from God out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon HIM my new name" (Rev. 3:12). Also, Christ said, "TO HIM that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne" (Rev. 3:21).

In the same way that Jesus overcame and with the same power, we also shall overcome, gaining the victory over all the powers of darkness, and of the flesh and of this world. When we have fully overcome all things, we shall then be in Christ in a new and living way. When we are IN HIM in the full sense of the word, and all things are made new, the Lord shall be able to say, "It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto HIM that is athirst of the fountain of the waters of life freely. HE that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be HIS God, and HE shall be my son" (Rev. 21:6-7). We know that Christ is the Alpha, or the beginning of all things, for all things came forth from Him. We also know that Christ shall be the Omega, or the end of all things, when the fullness of Christ is complete and we are in Him in the full sense of the word. Only when this entire company of the sons of God are fully IN CHRIST can He be the perfect and consummate Omega, or the end of all things, in the fullness of time.

Stars Represent the Redeemed Saints of the Lord

When the Lord called Abraham, He promised him that his seed would be many, and would be the means of the salvation of all the other peoples and nations of the world. Then the Lord tested Abraham's faith by asking him to offer his only son, Isaac, on the altar of sacrifice to Him. As you may remember, when Abraham had Isaac on the altar and was ready to plunge the knife into his only son, the Lord stopped him and let him see a ram caught in the bushes. God had provided the sacrifice and Isaac's life was spared. Then the Lord spoke to Abraham again, reassuring him of the covenant. The Lord said to him, "Because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the STARS of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice" (Ge. 22:16-18). How important also is our obedience to the word of the Lord!

The Lord said that Abraham's seed, who are the twelve tribes of Israel, would be "as the STARS of the heaven, and as the sand that is upon the sea shore." Although the "star seed" is mentioned first and then the "sand seed," the scriptural example or pattern is, first "that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual" (1 Cor. 15:46). Abraham's seed, which is Israel, first became the "sand seed," or the seed of the flesh. A remnant of that "sand seed" are now in the process of becoming the promised "star seed," by the workings of the Spirit within them. They are the chosen remnant of the Lord through whom all Israel (Ro. 11:26), and eventually all mankind, shall be fully saved. In the fullness of time, all the "sand seed" of Israel shall become "star seed," according to the promises of God given to Abraham. That means that all Israel, and all the other peoples and nations of the world, who once lived and shall yet live in the flesh in this world, shall be fully saved and transformed to live the Life of Christ in glorious fullness. The "sand seed" are the natural, fleshly descendants of Israel, while the "star seed" are those same people, and many others also, transformed into the full image and likeness of Christ. Therefore, "stars" or the "star seed" represent people; they are the redeemed saints of the Lord from every tribe, kindred, and nation!

In His kingdom parables, Jesus spoke of the harvest of the tares. He also said of the righteous saints, "Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father" (Mt. 13:43). The dictionary describes a sun as "any star, especially one that is the center of a system revolving around it." Therefore, suns are also stars! Our sun is a star that is the center of our solar system. They are called suns because of their greater light and their location in relation to the particular system in the sky of which they are a part. We could just as well say, "then shall the righteous shine forth as the stars in the kingdom of their Father." The elect shall not only become stars in the heavens of God's Spirit, but they shall become bright, morning stars, comparable in light and glory to the sun in our solar system. The sun, which is the brightest star in our solar system, is typical of Christ. We also shall become stars just like Christ, joined to Him to shine as He shines in great glory and brilliance.

Daniel prophesied, saying, "And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever" (Da. 12:3). Christ also is to appear to His sons, to those that fear His name, as "the Sun of righteousness... with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall" (Mal. 4:2). He has appeared to His sons and will continue to appear to us as "the Sun of righteousness." By the appearings of Christ within us, as "the Sun of righteousness," and by other mani-festations of Himself, we are growing up as calves of the stall. We are becoming more mature sons of God,  prepared for our transformation. We are seeing Him as He is to become what He is: a sun or star in the bright firmament of the glorious heavens of God's Spirit.

The Psalmist revealed the spiritual connection between the saints of the Lord and the stars of God's heaven, when he said, "Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts. Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light" (Ps. 148:2-4). I have no doubt that the literal, natural stars of the sky could praise the Lord in their own way. But I sense that these "stars," that were called upon to praise the Lord then, were more than natural stars of the sky. They undoubtedly were redeemed saints - spiritual stars of the heavens of God's Spirit. They were "stars of light," for they were enlightened with the Light of Christ to fulfill a specific purpose in the kingdom of God. Those "stars of light," who were to praise the Lord then, are also part of "the heavenly host," who appeared to people on earth when Jesus was born.

It is written of that heavenly host, "And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will toward men" (Lu. 2:13-14). Since that heavenly host praised God audibly and was heard and seen by the people there, they were obviously saints of the heavenly, spiritual realm. Those heavenly hosts were stars in the heavenlies of God's Spirit, sent of the Father to prophesy in the Name of the Lord and for His glory on that distinguished occasion of the birth of Jesus. And if the birth of the first Son was glorious, imagine what great glory and praise will accompany the birth of all the sons of God when they/we are all manifest in the new morning yet to come!

The sun, moon and stars in the natural, literal heavens, were all named and then put in their respective places in the heavens by the Lord to rule over both the night and the day (see Ge. 1:16-18). The sun, moon and stars RULE in the natural heavens. So also do the spiritual Sun, moon and stars RULE in the spiritual heavens. We are called to RULE with Christ in the heavens of God's Spirit and in the kingdom of God, by doing the will of our Father. We are stars in the spiritual heavens, called to rule and reign with Christ. While we are stars now in the spiritual heavens, we shall become fully manifest sons or SUNS in the kingdom of God. We are stars now, for we are ruling and reign-ing with Christ during this present night. But we shall become suns patterned after the original Sun in the heavens of God's Spirit, for we shall change this night into glorious Day. Then we shall be suns in union with the Sun/Son to "rule by day." The Psalmist said, "The sun to rule by day: for his mercy endureth for ever: The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever" (Ps. 136:8-9).

In my opinion, the sun, moon and stars in this psalm are not literal lights in the natural heavens, but they are spiritual saints of the Lord who are to rule by night and then also by day. The reason the enduring mercy of the Lord is mentioned here is because this psalm is referring to the spiritual rule of the saints in the kingdom of God. These are spiritual "stars" ruling in the heavens of God's Spirit during this night. They show forth the great truth that "his mercy endureth for ever." These are the sons of God who are seen in the Spirit now as stars ruling during this present night. Although we are stars now, we are becoming suns patterned after the first and original Sun, the "Sun of righteousness." When we become suns like the original Sun, this night shall then be turned into the glorious new, kingdom day! Then we shall be suns ruling by Day!  Blessed be His great Name forever and ever!

When he prophesied concerning Israel and their destiny "in the latter days," Balaam foretold of the coming of "a Star out of Jacob" (Num. 24:17). And of course, that Star, which was to come out of Jacob in the latter days, is Jesus Christ. He is the glorious One, the shining One. Christ is the majestic Light-bringer, the One whose glory far outshines the sun. And we are to be like Him in glory, splendor, and honor, sharing His name and His authority! We are to become what Christ is: a glorious star in the bright heavens of God's Spirit! Christ is the Master Star, the Head Star, the glorious Light-bringer. He is the brilliant One Who imparts the Light that He is into the lives of all the elect and chosen ones, by the Spirit, making us STARS, as He is. Christ is the Supreme Star; He is the bright and morning Star (Rev. 22:16)! So also shall we become bright, morning stars by the Light of Christ within us, manifesting the full Light and Glory of Christ, to awaken the dawn of the new morning in the kingdom of our Father!

The old, dead church order of the past was represented spiritually by the light of the moon, which is the reflected light of the Son/Sun that ruled all during the day and the night of the past. In that old order, we served the Lord and worshiped Him in and by the lesser light of the moon. Yet, that old spiritual, church order of the past had all the symbolic luminaries and lights of the literal heavens within her. The Bible speaks of the sun of the past order becoming darkness, the moon of the church order turning to blood, perhaps due to all the manifestations of the flesh within her, and the stars, representing the ministries of people in the past who resorted to gross carnality, falling to the earth (see Joel 2:10, 31, Acts 2:20 & Rev. 6:12-13). That in-part realm of yesterday was represented by the light of the moon, for it manifested only a reflected light. It was good for its time, but has now become old and obsolete because of the new thing the Lord is presently doing in the earth. How blessed we are to be called out of that dim, shadowy, in-part church order of the past, and to be kept out of it by the Spirit of the Lord! And our Father still has much more of His kingdom bounties for every one of us!

While the moon is symbolic of the church order, which got its light from the Sun/Son, the stars are light-bearers or light-bringers; they have the source of light within themselves. Stars do not reflect the light of the sun as the moon does, but the stars have light within themselves. Some of the stars of the literal heavens are sources of light like our sun, but are much brighter than our sun. Yet, because of their distant location and the vastness of space, the inherent brightness of those stars cannot be seen from the earth. Also, the brilliance of the spiritual heavens of Christ and His kingdom are much greater and brighter than anything in all the present, natural universe (see Is. 60:19-22). Christ is not merely a reflected Light; He is the Source of all Light. He is the Light-bringer and the Light of the world. The Light that He is lights every man that comes into the world (Jo. 1:9). He stands alone as the Source of all Light, for He is a glorious Star of first magnitude! We are becoming stars and suns just as He is a Star and a Sun; we shall have the fullness of His glorious and radiant Light within us!

The Lord asked Job: "Where wast thou... when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" (Job 38:4-7) In his Companion Bible, Dr. Bullinger writes that these stars are "things represented as persons." Thus, those "stars" that all sang together on that auspicious occasion represented fully redeemed saints of the Lord. Those "stars," that sang along with "all the sons of God" at that time, represented restored Israel as seen in their fully redeemed and glorified state, just as the Lord promised Abraham they would be. Not only were those redeemed saints seen as "stars" in the heavens of God's Spirit, but they were more specifically, "morning stars."

This illustrates their high calling in God to bring forth a new morning, perhaps many more new prophetic mornings in future ages. Each of those prophetic mornings or days, which were yet to come forth in the earth, had a specific purpose in God, as all the ages do. All those sons of God who sang along with those "morning stars" in that primordial era were sons of God like you and me. Like those sons of God then, we are merely sons of God now; but it does not yet appear what we shall be. We do know that when Christ appears to us, in the Spirit and by the Spirit, we shall then become a "bright and morning star" just like Him. We shall then be the "star seed" of Israel, in fulfillment of the word of the Lord given to Abraham many long centuries ago.

The more of the Lord's pure truth we receive, the more we will understand and know that the Bible is not a haphazardly written, disjointed book with many different peoples and purposes involved. But it is an inspired book of mysteries and truths, revealing Christ in all His glory, which must be revealed to each of us by the Spirit of God. Its many mysteries and truths, when revealed by the same Spirit that ordained it to be written, will show us that God had ONE PURPOSE in mind from the beginning to the end, with ONE PEOPLE becoming ONE PERSON through whom He would manifest Himself and His eternal purposes to all the world. That ONE PURPOSE in God is the full redemption and restoration of all things everywhere, including all mankind. And that ONE PEOPLE is Israel, consisting of many peoples and nations united in Christ to become that ONE BODY OR ONE PERSON, WHICH IS CHRIST! Some of those many people and nations were "graffed in among them" (Ro. 11:16-24), to partake of and fulfill our Father's grand purpose for that "good olive tree," which includes our Father's plan and purpose for Israel, according to His original covenant of promise given to Abraham.

The Elect Anticipate, Wait for, and will Meet, the Morning Dawn

Whether we realize it or not, all people are anticipating the coming of the dawn of the new morning of the kingdom of God to the earth. The Psalmist expressed this desire we all have, when he said, "I anticipated the dawning of the morning and cried [in childlike prayer]; I hoped in Your word" (Ps. 119:147, Amp.) The King James Version says "I prevented the dawning of the morning." But this is a very poor translation of the original word, "qadam," which means to anticipate, to hasten, and to meet (usually for help). We are not in any way "preventing" the dawning of that new morning. It is utterly impossible for any person, or any group of people anywhere, despite their negative intent, to prevent, delay, or hinder the coming of the new morning of glory and deliverance for both the world and the creation. But we are eagerly anticipating its coming, doing everything we can spiritually to hasten its coming, looking forward expectantly to the help we will receive when the glory of the Lord is fully revealed and manifest to us at the dawning of the new, kingdom morning.

We who have the ability to hear and see in the Spirit will MEET the dawn of the new morning when it/He comes in the fullness of time. While some Christians are sleeping according to the spiritual slumber of the dead church order, the elect are being prepared NOW to be spiritually awake at that glorious moment of dawn. With expectant and joyful hearts, we join David in declaring, "My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise. Awake up, my glory; awake psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early" (Ps. 57:7-8). The Amplified Translation interprets the last portion of the above verse as "I will awake right early [I will awake the dawn]!" And indeed we will awake the dawn if we are walking now in harmony with our Father's eternal purposes for this new kingdom Day!

Although we are waiting for the dawn of the new morning, trusting and believing for the many benefits the new morning will provide, we have our priorities in order, according to our Father's will. Thus with the Psalmist we say, "My soul waits for the Lord more eagerly than watchmen for the morning. Like men who watch for the morning, O Israel, look for the Lord. For in the Lord is love unfailing, and great is his power to set men free. He alone will set Israel free from all their sins" (Ps. 130:6-8, The New English Bible). It is the Lord Who shall give us the morning star! It also is the Lord Who shall bring forth the new morning from within us in the fullness of time! When the new morning dawns in all its glorious fullness by the Light of the morning star within us, the Lord shall then set Israel and all mankind free from the curse of sin and death. By the Light of Christ within us, we shall change the world! Therefore, we wait for Him more than they that watch for the morning! Blessed be the holy Name of the Lord, Who doeth all things well!

                                                             Paul and Emily Mueller

                                        P O BOX 25055, PORTLAND, OR 97298-0055

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