May 1999

A prepared people with a holy purpose in the kingdom of God are consistently overcoming the world, the flesh, and the devil, by the power of the Christ within. The power of the Christ within is a wonderful and glorious truth to know and understand by the Spirit. Behind the veil of this carnal and contrary flesh resides the wondrous, life-giving and incorruptible Christ, which is the Spirit of the living God. Our body of flesh may not be very attractive, and may at times display more of the Adamic nature and mind than we would like. But within us - in the innermost sanctuary of our spirits - dwells the Christ of life and glory. He who is within us is not in fullness yet! If all His fullness were within us now, we would no longer be in this body of flesh and blood. As we commune with our Father, in the Spirit and by the Spirit, receiving more of Him from His heavenly, spiritual Source, we are becoming more like Him each day.

Christ is within us as a Seed! Within this Christ-Seed can be found all the divine attributes necessary to make us fully manifest sons of God - Christs like unto the original Seed of the fullness of Christ. As each minute portion of our body has within it the genetic code that made us what we are physically, so the Seed of the Christ within has in Him all the power of the life of God to transform us into the full image and likeness of the original Seed of Christ. As a literal, natural seed grows from a seed to become a blade, then to the ear stage, after that to the full corn in the ear stage, so the Seed of the Christ within grows progressively within us until He who is within makes us full grown sons of God - a new creation in His image and likeness.

Jesus Christ is our example of sonship fulfilled. During His earthly life, Jesus was God in the flesh. He had a flesh and blood body as we do, and He also had His share of conflicts with the Adamic mind and nature. It is clearly written that Jesus "was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin" (He. 4:15). The word "tempted" comes from the Greek word, "peirazo," meaning to test, including to entice and discipline. Jesus was tested, enticed and disciplined as we are. He also learned obedience by the things He suffered (He. 5:8), as we are. When Jesus prayed in Gethsemane, He struggled with His Father's will concerning His death at Calvary. He said, "Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done" (Lu. 22:42). Jesus had a will of His own, but He already knew it was His Father's will that He should die on the cross. He knew He had to drink of that cup, but the carnal mind in Him caused Him to dispute His Father's will. During that struggle, an angel from heaven appeared to Him to strengthen Him. So intense were His struggles and His agony with the carnal mind that "his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground" (Lu. 22:43-44).

And we think we have problems! Jesus faced the cruel death of the cross, which is an agony far worse and much more serious than anything we may be called upon to endure. When the chief priests, the captains of the temple, and the elders, came to take Jesus to be crucified, He acknowledged that His death was the will of His Father. He said to them in utter abandonment to His Father's will, "this is your hour, and the power of darkness" (Lu. 22:53). Jesus lived for over thirty years in this life. He taught the people the way of His Father and the principles of the kingdom of God. To see His earthly life end in death by submitting to the powers of darkness was something He would like to have avoided. But being persuaded of His Father's will by the mind of Christ, which also was within Him, Jesus submitted fully to that will and purpose. He clearly demonstrated that the will of the Father, above and beyond any other thought, will, or purpose expressed by the carnal mind, must always be done!

While walking this earth as God's Son with a flesh and blood body and the struggles of the carnal mind, Jesus was God in the flesh. In every instance of His life on earth, Jesus obeyed the mind of Christ within Him, in spite of the carnal mind. He did only and always the perfect will of His Father. Although He was "in all points tempted like as we are," Jesus was without sin. He was tempted by the devil through the Adamic mind and nature, just as we are. But He overcame it all by the wisdom of the mind of Christ! While He was in His earthly body, Jesus was everything we would like to be. We may not yet be totally like Him, but we are getting there. There is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit. Our Father is creating us to be what He wants us to be! His will is being done in us according to His time and purpose. By the power of the Christ within, we are becoming all that He is.

Jesus was God in the flesh, for He demonstrated the character and nature of His Father. Through many deeds of kindness and love, and by healing the sick and bringing deliverance to some of the people, Jesus revealed the Father. He was God-like and one with His Father. He said to His disciples, "If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?" (Jo. 14:7-9.)

Imagine the reaction of the disciples when Jesus said that! Jesus always spoke the truth, for there was no error in Him. He was the exact image of the Father (Col. 1:15). All who saw Him as the Son of God also saw the Father in Him. In like manner, when we manifest the nature of our heavenly Father, we are also manifesting the Father! When others see us showing forth the truth, the life, and the way of God, through this veil of flesh and in spite of it, they are also seeing the Father. It is by the mind of Christ that we understand this truth, and not by presumption, or the groundless faith of the carnal mind. There will be those times when we will be anointed and may say, "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father." We may say this, not for our own glory, but that our Father should receive all the glory and honor!

We also are becoming overcomers by the power of the Christ within. When we have fully overcome all things of this negative realm, we shall be given "the morning star." The "morning star" is that specific spiritual Light and Glory of Christ purposed of our Father to bring forth the dawn 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. It is therefore important that all the elect put forth every effort, spiritually speaking, to grow in Christ and become the overcomers our Father called us to be. Then we shall receive "the morning star." Having received "the morning star," we shall then let the glorious Light of Christ, Who is "the morning star," shine forth from within us. Then the new morning shall dawn, establishing the principles of the kingdom of God in all the earth, and releasing the creation from its long and painful bondage to sin and death.

Sun, Moon and Stars Represent the Lord's People

Joseph was the youngest son of Jacob, and was born when Jacob was old. Because Joseph was born when Jacob was old, he loved Joseph more than all his other sons. For this reason, Joseph's brothers hated him. To make matters worse, Joseph had two dreams that showed that his father, mother, and brothers, would one day all bow down to him. Joseph's first dream was an "earthly" dream, for it showed his brothers and himself as sheaves of grain. Joseph's sheaf stood upright, while the sheaves representing Joseph's brethren stood around his and "made obeisance" to Joseph's sheaf. Joseph's second dream was a more spiritual or heavenly dream, for it showed Joseph's family as the sun, moon, and stars. His father was represented by the sun, his mother by the moon, and his eleven brothers by eleven stars (Ge. 37:9).

Joseph's dream shows the heavenly, spiritual characteristics of the Lord's people in the future, including the rank and leadership among them. The sun represented Jacob, the father of Israel and the authority and leader of that family. God is now raising up heavenly, spiritual "stars," who shall eventually become "suns," as Jacob was a sun, but who are just like Christ, the true Sun/Son. These are the firstfruits, the overcomers! To them shall be given the "morning star," making them heavenly, spiritual lights, or "stars," in the kingdom of God. They shall faithfully initiate the dawn of the new morning of the kingdom of God in the earth, by the Light of the "morning star" within them. This spiritual manifestation by the elect, in obedience to the will of God and in His time, will qualify those "stars" to become more glorious "suns," with leadership positions in the kingdom of their Father. It is likely there will be no "moons," or reflected lights, in the kingdom of God, for all who are in Christ shall have the Light of Christ within them, making them "stars" or "suns" in this new Day.

Joseph's dream also shows us that God can take a "star," which is of lesser light and glory like Joseph was, and raise that one up to a higher position of authority and rule, to become more glorious "suns" in the kingdom of God. To refer to positions of leadership in the kingdom of God may call up greedy and lustful thoughts of power, control and dominion in our carnal minds. But when these things come to pass, all that carnality will have been purged and removed from every one of us. Then we shall never again think such carnal thoughts of oppressive control and dominion over others. All the "stars" and "suns" in the kingdom of God will then be pure and righteous, as He is pure and righteous. They shall reign in love, peace, justice and righteousness, always seeking the best for others, putting others and their needs above themselves and their own needs.

The Lord gave Joseph wisdom to interpret Pharaoh's dreams of the seven good years and the seven lean years in Egypt. So Pharaoh made Joseph the second in command over all the land of Egypt (see Ge. 41:39-44). Joseph stored grain during the seven good years, which they would need for the seven lean years of famine to come. When the famine came, Joseph's brethren went to Egypt to find the grain they needed to sustain them and their families. They discovered that Joseph ruled in Egypt as the second in command during that famine. So they had to bow down to Joseph to ask him for grain, in fulfillment of Joseph's dream. Joseph blessed all Egypt as well as his own brethren with food. He might have taken revenge on his brethren for selling him into slavery, but God had done a work of love, forgiveness, and reconciliation in Joseph's life by the things he suffered. In mercy, and with love for his brethren, Joseph forgave them and gave his brethren the grain they needed. Joseph knew his experiences in Egypt were of the Lord, just as our experiences in this world are, to fulfill our Father's sovereign purpose in restoration for His people.

The Psalmist referred to the famine of that time and of Joseph's experiences in Egypt. Thus we read, "Moreover he (God) called for a famine upon the land: he brake the whole staff of bread. He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant: Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron: Until the time that his word came: the word of the Lord tried him" (Ps. 105:16-19). As it was with Joseph, so it is with us! We have been sovereignly chosen of our Father as the firstfruits of the kingdom of God on earth. As their firstfruits, we have been sent before or ahead of our brethren and all mankind, into the greater fullness of the kingdom of God. At times we may feel as if we are being imprisoned by the Lord, as Joseph was. This FEET company, which we are, are bound in fetters according to the will of God. And when the feet are bound, the entire body is rendered motionless, outwardly and religiously, by the will of their Father. Job understood this great truth, when he said, "Thou puttest my feet also in stocks, and lookest narrowly unto all my paths; thou settest a print upon the heels of my feet" (Job 13:27).

When the Lord binds the feet of the Christ body, which we are, He is thus confining our outward, religious activity, according to His will and purpose. When He looks narrowly unto all our paths, He is hedging us all around, putting us in a narrow place, so He may guard and protect us. And now, we find we are walking as if we are in a narrow trench, with confining and protecting walls around us on every side. This includes "all my paths," not just a few of our paths. And when God sets a print on the heels of our feet, He is entrenching us, making a narrow spiritual pathway for us to walk in.

The "print" on the heels of our feet is our Father's predestined and sovereign purpose and destiny for us, which we shall walk out by being obedient to do all His will for our lives. The Amplified Translation gives this verse as, "You put my feet also in the stocks, and observe critically all my paths; You set a circle and limit around the soles of my feet [which I must not overstep]" (Job 13:27, Amplified). God has certainly put limits on us that we must not overstep! All the elect of the Lord will say a resounding amen to that scripture! They fully understand what this means, by experience, and not merely by the testimony of others!

This body is indeed motionless and inactive, in the outward religious sense, according to our Father's plan for us at this time. We are now spiritually observing the Feast of Tabernacles, which begins and ends with a Sabbath of rest (Lev. 23:34-36). We are called to enter into the rest of God, and that is what we should be doing now. We are also called of our Father to come away with our Beloved into our spiritual "booths" with Him, which is another aspect of the Feast of Tabernacles. By putting us in our "booths," the Lord is sheltering and protecting us with His rich and abiding presence. Our Father is thus fulfilling His will in our lives! All the tests and trials we experience are indeed fulfilling a sovereign purpose in the kingdom of God!

As we serve the Lord in our "booths," or in our own individual, spiritual sanctuaries in God, which may seem like prisons at times, we are receiving the precious word of the kingdom and dominion of our Father over all things. The glorious word we are hearing will not only deliver us, but will also deliver the whole creation in due time. Until the time comes for that word to be completely fulfilled in the lives of others and in all the earth, that word is sorely trying us, just as the word of the Lord also tried Joseph. The same word that both blesses us and tries us now, shall one day bless all mankind and the whole creation with the fullness of His kingdom life and glory.

The word of the Lord to Joseph, giving promise of future deliverance and blessing, did a work within Joseph that qualified him to rule and reign in Egypt as the second in command under Pharaoh. When the word of the Lord had done its work in Joseph in the fullness of time, "the king sent and loosed him; even the ruler of the people, and let him go free. He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his substance" (Ps. 105:20-21). What a perfect pattern and example for us in Joseph's life and experiences! Joseph was loosed from prison, made lord of Pharaoh's house and ruler of all his substance, when he was fully tried and taught by the word of the Lord. Even so shall we be loosed and set free of our present bondages. We shall be called out of our spiritual booths by our Father to be made lords and rulers in the house and kingdom of our beloved Savior, Lord and King, when we have been tried and perfected by the precious truths of His word. What glory yet awaits us in the hallowed kingdom of our Father!

We are entering more fully into the rest of God as we remain in our spiritual "booths." Though we have ceased all outward religious activities, we are not spiritually idle or inactive. We know there is a greater glory coming in the morning! We also know we must be fully prepared of the Spirit to participate in that greater glory. While we wait on the Lord, we have discovered that "it is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect. He maketh my feet like hinds' feet, and setteth me upon my high places. He teacheth my hands to war (spiritually), so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great. Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.

"I have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them; neither did I turn again till they were consumed. I have wounded them that they were not able to rise: they are fallen under my feet. For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me" (Ps. 18:32-40). When we desire to do only and always our Father's perfect will, we will see that He also makes our way perfect, sets us on our high places in Him, gives us the shield of His salvation, and enlarges our steps as we faithfully "walk" according to His will. In due time, every enemy shall fall under our feet!

Although the Lord has confined us in a sense, limiting our earthly activity to doing only His perfect will, that confinement is only horizontal or outward. Our literal paths in this world may be restricted, but our spiritual way is opened up, allowing us to explore new heights in the Spirit. No longer do we walk in the old ways, or according to the old church order of the past. Our present confinement applies to our horizontal, earthly, religious movement, and not to our vertical, spiritual, or heaven-ward ascent. We have matured more and are now invited to soar to the high places of the Spirit, to discover all the many hidden mysteries and secrets of the kingdom of God. Our Father has girded us with strength! He also made our way perfect in His sight. He made our feet like hinds' feet, which means He has given us spiritual feet having the speed and agility of a young deer. Our Father has set us on high; He has placed us in heavenly places in Christ. With our swift, spiritual, hinds' feet, we may constantly ascend to the high places in God, to commune with Him and hear His unadulterated truth directly from His pure, holy and omniscient mind.

As we dwell in the high places in God, or in heavenly places in Christ, He is teaching us to war in the Spirit. We know now that our warfare is spiritual! And we also know who are enemies are! Our enemies are not the principalities, powers, dominions, kings, and other leaders. But our enemies are the world, including all its many parts, the flesh, and the devil. These three are our only enemies! All evil and carnal manifestations in the world can be traced directly to these three enemies. And when these three enemies are overcome and defeated, no other enemies will exist any where. Therefore, our concern now is not with Iraq, the Serbs, the Chinese communists, North Korea, Cuba, the Trilateral Commission, or the three-fold realm of Babylon. These are parts of the whole worldly order of man, which is only one of the enemies. All the enemies of Christ are included among the three chief enemies of Christ and His kingdom, which are the world, the flesh, and the devil (1 Jo. 2:14-17). The only way we shall ever overcome and defeat these three enemies is by being equipped of the Spirit to reign in the high places with and in Christ. By the power of the crucified and risen Christ, every enemy is already defeated! Our reign with and in Christ shall establish and confirm that victory for all!

When David wrote this Psalm (18), he was concerned with Saul and his other earthly enemies. Although David may have been concerned with earthly enemies in his day, I believe he saw, by the Spirit, the wonderful Day in which we now live. I believe he saw that the time would come when a people would arise in the Spirit to wage spiritual warfare against all the enemies of Christ and His kingdom. But he used natural terms to describe what he saw in the Spirit. David saw a people coming forth who were taught of the Lord to war in the Spirit, and who would have the ability, spiritually speaking, to break a bow of steel in their arms. He saw this people pursuing their enemies and consuming them. The warfare David saw was not a worldly type of warfare, which sees a nation or a people defeated in war only to rise again and trouble the world. But he saw a victorious people overtaking and destroying all their enemies once and for all time!

David was a Messianic prophet! This means He saw the coming of Christ! He prophesied of many of the events surrounding both the literal coming of Christ to the earth as Jesus, and His spiritual coming to His people as Christ, the Spirit. And when we fully see and understand the Messianic purpose in David's Psalms, we are then able to read each of his psalms with Christ and His body in view. Can you not see the body of Christ in this psalm? For example, when David said, "He teacheth my hands to war," was he not speaking of the Christ body, as well as himself? I believe he was! When David said, "Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation," he was speaking of himself and prophetically of the fullness of Christ. It is the Christ body to whom the shield of the Lord's salvation shall be given when we have borne our share of the sufferings of Christ (Eph. 6:16). The body of Christ, or the sons of God, are the firstfruits of all mankind. To them shall the spiritual shield of salvation be given, for they shall both reign and war in the Spirit, defeating every enemy, so that all mankind may freely partake of the full salvation of the Lord.

In our April booklet, we pointed out that the reference to the FEET in scripture generally refers to the elect of the Lord who make up the feet company of the body of Christ. Therefore, when David said, "Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip," he was referring not only to his literal feet but prophetically to the feet members of the body of Christ. The feet company are destined to step on Satan's head, defeating him for the age (Rev. 20:1-3), and then forever. David said, "I have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them; neither did I turn again till they were consumed. I have wounded them that they were not able to rise: they are fallen under my feet."

Here, David was also speaking of the Christ body. It doesn't take much understanding to see that every war that has been fought in this world with carnal weapons may have resulted in defeated enemy nations. But before long those same enemy nations were able to rise again and bring more trouble and war to the world. But it shall not be so with the enemies of the Lord when the body of Christ goes forth to do battle in His Name. In this final war, all three enemies shall be thoroughly defeated, never to rise again. And when those three enemies are defeated and put under the feet of Christ once and for all time; never will an evil enemy ever rise again to cause war and violence anywhere in the world.

The Devil, or all Evil, Put Under Our Feet

It is our opinion that our thoughts and discussions of the devil should always be tempered with the wonderful truth that he is a defeated foe. Therefore, as we discuss the devil, we recognize this truth above any other regarding the devil. Further, although we use the pronouns "him" or "he" when referring to the devil, we know "he" is not a single person, but is the evil spirit. It is not our purpose to magnify the devil or give him any undue recognition. Yet, we who are in Christ should know that we are engaged in spiritual warfare. It is our Father's purpose, through the wonderful reign of Christ the King, to defeat every enemy and put them all under His/our feet. And the devil is one of the enemies that shall be and is being defeated and put under our feet. With this purpose in mind, we present the following thoughts.

Let us consider another truth! To defeat and destroy the three enemies of Christ and His kingdom, we only need to deal with one of them. It is the old Adamic nature and mind in us all that is the one great, universal problem. Therefore, to defeat and destroy both the devil and the carnal worldly systems of man, we only need to overcome and give up that old carnal nature and mind that is within us all. When old Adam is removed from us - when that one man or one woman is taken away from each one of us, as in Mt. 24:38-41 - we shall be completely set free. We shall then be a new creation in Christ, with no carnality or flesh to trouble us ever again. We shall be changed into the pure image and likeness of Christ! No longer will the devil be able to trouble and torment us as he has in the past, for there will be no place left within us that he may attack (Jo. 14:30). Take away the carnal mind from us and the devil will have no place within us that will receive his carnal, evil thoughts and suggestions. Remove from us the fleshly, carnal nature, and the devil's evil thoughts cannot be trans-formed into sinful deeds and actions done by our fleshly bodies.

As it is now, the devil talks to people, whether or not they are walking with the Lord. It is the devil's function and purpose to plant evil thoughts or messages in our carnal minds. For this reason, the mind has become the battleground in the life of the believer. If we will turn away from those thoughts of evil, reject them and then think only pure thoughts of Christ and His kingdom, we shall be victorious over the enemy in our own lives. After the devil plants evil thoughts in the mind, and those evil thoughts are received and entertained by the carnal mind, those thoughts then become lust and desire. "Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death" (James 1:15). And so it has been with the whole human race since the beginning of time.

All mankind has been walking out that endless circle of sin and death since the "fall" in the Garden of Eden. But we are called of God to break this apparent endless circle of sin and death that has destroyed and ravaged the human race and made this world the domain of sin and confusion that it is today. By His grace and in His Name, we shall overcome it all, destroying all evil and darkness, to bring forth a triumphant victory in the kingdom of God. We shall accomplish this noble task in union with Christ by overcoming the carnal man of sin within us, and by taking on the full image and likeness of Christ!

The truth is, there is not one person in this world who is free of the devil's evil thoughts and suggestions. Every one of us have the old man, Adam, within us. This is satan's throne within us! Our carnal nature and mind is a part of satan's kingdom! This being true, we are all subject to evil thoughts and deeds. But when this old, carnal man is completely removed from us, we shall be free of the devil's evil thoughts and deeds. In this way, the devil shall be thoroughly and completely defeated and destroyed for ever. Take away the devil's seed-bed, or his breeding ground in mankind, or the part of his kingdom that is within us all, and his whole evil scheme is completely destroyed. Without the old carnal man, Adam, within us, the devil has no kingdom; he has no vehicle through which to express and manifest his darkness and evil. His kingdom is thus divided against itself, and he and his kingdom cannot stand. And when the Adamic nature and mind are removed, not only from us but from all mankind, the devil's entire kingdom will be rendered totally useless, never to rise again!

Jesus gave us some wonderful insight into the devil's kingdom, which is the kingdom of darkness. When Jesus cast out some devils, the scribes accused Him of casting out those devils by the power of Beelzebub, the prince of devils. So Jesus gave a discourse on the devil's kingdom. He said, "How can Satan cast out Satan? And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but HATH AN END" (Mk. 3:22-26). There are several important truths to be gleaned from Jesus' words. The first thing we learn is that Satan has a house or a kingdom (Mt. 12:26). This tells us that the devil rules in a certain realm, which is the realm of the flesh, or the realm of the carnal nature and mind. Remove that realm from the devil's kingdom, and his house or kingdom is destroyed and divided against itself. Therefore, his kingdom and house cannot stand. Should Satan rise up against himself, "he cannot stand, but HATH AN END."

Several years ago, the Lord gave me a vision of Satan's house or kingdom. In that vision, I saw a little, dark figure hurrying around, doing a work on that house. The house in my vision was a small, brick house. Immediately I was made to know that that busy, little, dark figure was the devil. As the vision progressed, I saw that the devil was bending down to the lowest level of the walls outside the house, removing bricks from the foundation. He was working feverishly, as if he knew he only had a short time to do his work. He would rush around from one side of the house to the other, removing bricks that supported the walls. The Spirit then made me to know that it was his own house the devil was working on. He was actually destroying his own house by removing some important bricks that supported the entire house. Finally, when he had removed a number of bricks from the walls that supported the house, the devil's house and kingdom fell to the ground. It was completely destroyed! The Spirit then led me to read the scripture quoted previously (Mk. 3:22-26).

The important truth for us to know is that Satan's house or kingdom "hath an end." The end of Satan's house or kingdom is now taking place. When the devil attacks one of the Lord's elect and chosen sons, he is inadvertently preparing us to destroy his house or kingdom. For example, Jesus was led of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil (Mt. 4:1). We may wonder why the Father would lead His beloved Son into the wilderness to be tempted as He was by the devil. But I believe the answer is a simple one! God knew that Satan's attacks against His Son would make Jesus a stronger and wiser Son of God. He needed to learn "the wiles of the devil" just as we do. And Jesus learned His lessons well! Having experienced the devil's work firsthand, Jesus was fully capable of destroying the works of the devil, which He did during His earthly ministry and also on the cross.

The devil used the things of this world, which only appeal to the carnal nature and mind, to test and try the first Son of God. So also does the devil use the things of this world, the things that appeal to our five senses, to test and try us all. When Jesus rejected Satan's lies, He became a much stronger and wiser Son of God as a result of those experiences with the devil. When He finished His period of tests and trials by the devil and came out of the wilderness in victory, angels then came and ministered to Jesus (Mt. 4:11). It is also written of Him after He was tempted of the devil, "Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit" (Lu. 4:14 & He. 2:14-15). This same master plan is also taking place in our lives to make us stronger and wiser sons of God! When we have passed all our tests and have learned our lessons well, as Jesus did, we too shall be ministered to by heavenly messengers. We also shall come forth, as Jesus did, "in the power of the Spirit."

The devil, which is the evil spirit, has an end! And his end is to be made useless by placing the sinful, carnal nature and mind, along with all sin, upon his head, and then sending him away to an uninhabited area where there is no one to torment. The devil cannot be restored, for he never was anything other than an evil spirit. Jesus said the devil was a murderer and a liar from his beginning, and never ever abode in the truth (Jo. 8:44). He also was a sinner from his beginning (1 Jo. 3:8)! According to the inspired record, Jesus did not die on the cross to save the devil, but to "destroy (Greek: to render useless) him that had the power of death, that is, the devil" (He. 2:14)! When the devil has served his purpose of testing and trying the saints, according to the plan and purpose of God, he shall be rendered useless. This truth is also revealed in Old Testament types and shadows.

In Leviticus, chapter sixteen, we read these words, "And he (Aaron, the high priest) shall take the two goats, and present them before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the Lord, the other lot for the scapegoat. And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the Lord's lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness" (Lev. 16:7-10).

Two goats were to be taken from the congregation of Israel by the high priest for the sin offering. One goat, or one lot, was to represent the Lord in redemption. The second goat, or the second lot, was taken to represent the scapegoat. The word "scapegoat" comes from the Hebrew word "azazel," meaning the goat of departure, or the goat that is sent away. The word "azazel" is used to indicate something that is to be sent to hell, or to be destroyed. Only one lot, or one goat, was for the Lord! The one lot, or the Lord's goat, was a type of Jesus, Who is the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world for our sins. The first goat that represented Jesus was killed and offered, as Jesus was, for a sin offering. The second goat, or second lot, had nothing to do with the sacrifice of Jesus, for God's word plainly said, "one lot for the Lord." The second goat, which was the "scapegoat," did not represent the Lord; that goat represented the devil. That second goat was to be "presented alive before the Lord, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness."

The first goat, which was taken for a sin offering for the people as a type of Jesus, was to be slain. Its blood was to be sprinkled upon and before the mercy seat, to make an atonement for the holy place, and for the tabernacle of the congregation, by the high priest (Lev. 16:15-19). When the service for the first goat, or for the sin offering, was done, the high priest then performed the service concerning the second goat, or the live goat. Thus, we read, "And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of A FIT MAN into the wilderness: And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness" (Lev. 16:20-22).

That which the high priest did in Israel in type and shadow under that old order of the law and sacrifices speaks to us today of a greater and more perfect way in the blessed kingdom of our Father. The blood of bulls and goats could never take away our sins. But Jesus did that through the one, eternal sacrifice of Himself for all! As the fulfillment of the type of the first goat, Jesus provided full and complete salvation for all! It remains now for the second type, or the second goat, which is the scapegoat ("azazel"), or the goat that was sent away, to be completely fulfilled. And that which pertains to the second goat, or to the scapegoat, must be fulfilled "by the hand of A FIT MAN."

There is a man company, a corporate man, which is the Christ-man, coming forth unto perfection in the earth today. These elect and chosen ones are becoming the "fit man," of this Old Testament type. More specifically, it is the FEET company of the body of Christ, who are becoming that "fit man." They shall fulfill the ministry of the High Priest, as revealed in Leviticus, chapter sixteen. The FEET portion of the Christ body are called to tread upon the head of Satan, putting him under the entire body, and turning him and his evil into ashes under the soles of our feet (Ge. 3:15, Mal. 4:2-3).

This company of the elect shall fulfill this High Priestly ministry, in the Spirit and by the Spirit, and not literally. They have been fully prepared for this ministry by enduring the tests and trials of this life, which are the sufferings of Christ. They have also stood against "the wiles of the devil," for they confronted "him" with the whole armor of God (Eph. 6:11). We may not think we qualify to be the "fit man" of this High Priestly, Melchisedec ministry, but our Father is making us what He wants us to be. And when He declares us to be that "fit man," by His creative word of authority, that is what we shall be!

Aaron, the High Priest, was told to lay his hands on the head of the second goat, which was the goat of departure, and confess over that goat all the sins of the people, thus imparting all their sins and trans-gressions to that goat, and then send it away into an uninhabited, wilderness area. By the Spirit and as Melchisedec priests, we shall place all sin and iniquity upon satan and then send him to an uninhabit-ed area where there is no one to receive his carnal, evil thoughts. By this spiritual ministry, all evil shall be eliminated forever! Old Testament types and shadows usually have a more perfect, and higher spiritual fulfillment in the kingdom of God. And we are privileged to be a part of that greater fulfillment for this new kingdom Day!

Truths such as these must be seen and fully understood in the Spirit. Spiritual truth can never be understood with the carnal mind, for God's truth will always annihilate the carnal mind. Only by the Spirit can we know the precious truths of our Father and His kingdom. This "fit man" shall prophetically and spiritually place all the sins and iniquities of all mankind, including the sinful, Adamic nature and mind, upon the head of that old serpent, the devil. He shall then be sent away into an uninhabited area, or into a wilderness realm, where no person dwells, also called "the bottomless pit" (see Rev. 9:1-2, 11, 20:1-2). All else shall be restored (Acts 3:21, 1 Co. 15:27-28, Col. 1:16, 20, Phil. 3:21). That "bottomless pit" is called a "depthless abyss" in Strong's Concordance. This corresponds to the "wilderness" and to the "land not inhabited" of Lev. 16:21 & 22. The devil is called a "king," for he has a kingdom! He is also called, "the angel of the bottomless pit." His name is "Abaddon" in Hebrew, meaning a destroying angel, and "Apollyon" in Greek, meaning a destroyer, which is what the devil is.

By the High Priestly ministry of Melchisedec, satan shall be sent to that "bottomless pit" along with the old man "Adam," including all the sins and transgressions of all mankind. We shall fulfill this ministry symbolically and spiritually, in the Spirit and by the Spirit, in our Father's time and at His direction! It is not our concern or responsibility to know just how all this shall be fulfilled. This is a spiritual ministry that shall take place by the Spirit. It has been my experience that the things of the Spirit generally flow out of us in glory and power at the Spirit's guidance and direction, as long as we are led by the Spirit.The key to all things in the Spirit in the blessed kingdom of our Father is to be led by His Spirit! When it is time for us to fulfill that "fit man," Melchisedec ministry, the Lord will release that ministry from within us. Father's holy, kingdom will is being fulfilled in His time and according to His eternal purposes, for the Christ is reigning.

The Carnal, Worldly Order of Man Destroyed the Same Way

We wrote earlier that without the old carnal man, Adam, within us, the devil has no kingdom; he has no vehicle through which to express and manifest his darkness and evil. It is also true that without the old carnal man, Adam, within us, the entire worldly order of man no longer has victims who are filled with lust and greed, and who continually "feed" on all the world's soulish things. Everything that is in the world and of the world was done and exists to satisfy the five senses of the carnal man. Nothing of man's soulish, worldly order exists for the benefit of our spiritual man. It is all contrary to the way of the Spirit! And when the old man of sin, or the carnal man of the flesh, is removed from us, and eventually from all mankind, the whole worldly order of man will then come to naught. It will cease to exist, for there will be no one to partake of its carnal, soulish "stuff!"

The eighteenth chapter of the book of "The Revelation of Jesus Christ" tells of the fall of Babylon, which is the prophetic name given to the world's corrupt systems. I readily confess that there is much I do not understand about how the prophetic word of the Lord shall all be fulfilled. Now, it is my opinion that the remnant, or the firstfruit saints of the Lord, shall enter first into the greater fullness of the kingdom of God. By their spiritual growth, the elect shall be changed and shall be freed of their dependency upon the world and the things of this worldly order of man. Then, when we have been changed, the entire Babylon world order will fall, leaving the rest of mankind with no other source to satisfy their carnal, worldly appetites and the desires of the flesh. I believe this is what the eighteenth chapter of the book of Revelation tells us. Having said this, I realize we need to keep our minds open to receive the truth, by the revelation of the Spirit.

The book of Revelation is "The Revelation of Jesus Christ." The entire book tells, not only about the individual Christ, or Christ the Head, but it also tells of the completed body of Christ, which is the fullness of Christ. When the corporate Christ is complete - when we are changed to become all that He is, the things written in the eighteenth chapter shall then be fulfilled. The seventeenth chapter tells of "the beast" making war with the Lamb, "and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, chosen, and faithful" (Rev. 17:13-14). Then a "woman" was spoken of, which is "that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth" (vs. 18). That "great city" is undoubtedly the harlot city, Babylon, which has seduced the nations with her sorceries, to reign over all the earth. But Babylon's reign is coming to an end!

After these things, an angel appeared having great power, "and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great city is fallen." (18:1-2). We are told here that all nations drank of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. Kings committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth became rich through her delicacies. These shall bewail Babylon's fall and will lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning. All her delicacies and merchandise will then be destroyed. Then all the slaves and the souls of men shall be delivered and set free of Babylon's bondages and corrupt practices. This will all take place according to, and commensurate with, our spiritual growth!

Now notice this verse: "And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all" (Rev. 18:14). What a deliverance that shall be! Never again will anyone partake of the things of this world that have only fed and sustained the carnal mind and nature. That which only fed the old man of the flesh is then taken away! From then on people shall feed on the pure riches of Christ and His kingdom. They will then be free of all carnal lust and greed! Then will all people know, in greater fullness, the glory and wonder of the abundant resources of the kingdom of our Father!

Take away the things which that old, carnal man, Adam, who is in all mankind, has lusted after and they will feed on Christ, Who is the living Bread, the Bread of God! Deny them that which only gratifies the flesh or the carnal mind and nature, and they will partake of Him, Who is their Life. Get rid of all the carnality and hidden iniquities in all people, and they will know the great power and splendor of the One who saved them, the One whose Life is changing them, even as He changed us! Then the cry shall go forth, "Rejoice over her (fall), thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her" (Rev. 18:20). We shall indeed rejoice, with joy unspeakable and full of glory, when that wonderful word is fulfilled! Hallelujah!