A PREPARED PEOPLE WITH A HOLY PURPOSE

November 1999

While the multitudes of the world continue their blind and indifferent pursuit of wealth, prestige, influence, and the things of this world, the elect of the Lord are growing in the image and likeness of their Head, Lord, and King. They are becoming a prepared people with a holy purpose in the kingdom of their Father. The one predominant and outstanding characteristic of these elect ones is that they are growing in God. The very nature of the Christ within is that of growth unto maturity. The prophet Isaiah predicted of Christ, the Branch: "And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse (David's father), and a Branch shall GROW out of his roots" (Is. 11:1). Nothing else matters to these chosen ones but their spiritual growth in God. They are becoming a part of the Branch of Christ that is ever expanding and continually growing to full maturity, by the Life that He is.

The most important goal before us now is our spiritual growth! All other goals in this life are empty and meaningless! It is the nature and characteristic of Christ and His kingdom to grow in the Spirit. All the Lord's elect of this hour are growing in Him, because of Him. Many Christians today are like the people in Isaiah's day. They could not believe the prophet's report concerning Christ and His kingdom. The prophet declared, "Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? For he shall GROW UP before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground: he hath no (earthly) form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no (natural) beauty that we should desire him" (Is. 53:1-2). Obviously, those who believe the prophet's report and walk in the light of its truth today, are also those to whom the arm of the Lord shall be revealed. Because Christ is in us and we are in Him, we must always be growing and changing spiritually. By His Life within us, we shall continue to grow to full maturity to become all that He is. As we grow spiritually, our carnal soul is being changed and restored.

Another prophet spoke the pure, clear word of the Lord, when he said, "For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch" (Mal. 4:1). This prophecy clearly states that all the proud and all the wicked shall be burned in the fiery oven of the presence of the Lord (He. 12:29). But other scriptures just as clearly tell us that all mankind shall be saved, to inherit the fullness of the Life of Christ in due time (see 1 Co. 15:22-23, 1 Tim. 2:4, and others). How then can we reconcile these two seemingly opposing, scriptural views and determine the truth of God?

When, by the Spirit of truth, we are absolutely convinced that all mankind shall be saved, it is then a simple matter to come to the full understanding of the truth as it is in Christ. It is an established and undeniable truth that all mankind shall be saved. It is also true that all the proud and all that do wickedly shall become stubble, to be burned in the fiery oven of the Lord's presence. It becomes a simple matter to understand the truth between these two opposing views when we realize that we really are two people.

We are first and foremost a spiritual being having an earthly experience. But we also are a natural, physical being, with a carnal soul, mind, feelings, and emotions, and an inherent tendency to sin and commit wicked deeds. It is this soulish part of us that our Father is now dealing with, that He might purify us and make us one, pure spirit within. When this work of the Spirit is accomplished within us, we shall be transformed to become just like Christ (Ro. 12:2). It is only by the keeping, sustaining power of the Christ within that we are able to make the journey through this life in the perfect will of our Father without sinning (see 2 Thess. 3:3 & Jude 24), in spite of the carnal "man" that is a part of everyone of us.

The Lord gave His anointed word to the prophet Jeremiah, telling of the corruption and perversion in all mankind. The prophet declared, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jer. 17:9) The word "heart," as used here, means the interior part of us. The original Hebrew word is "leb," which is used figuratively and widely for the feelings, the will, and the intellect or the mind. Thus the word "heart," as it is used here, more properly is the soul, including everything of it. In recent months I have been given insight to see my own soul as God sees it, and it was not a pretty picture. Every carnal thought that exists within my soul is as garbage. Its stench reaches to heaven, polluting the heavens with its putrefying odor. While the delightful, spiritual fragrance of our pure spirit ascends to the heavenlies of Spirit, the putrefying odor of our carnal mind rises with it, giving forth a mixed fragrance. But God is moving in our lives now to deliver us of this duality and mixture, and make us one, pure spirit in Him, giving off a totally sweet fragrance ascending to heaven (see Lev. 26:31, Jer. 48:11, Hos. 14:5-7 & Phil. 4:18). The process of our soul's redemption may not be easy, just as nothing else in this walk has been easy, but our total processing is vitally necessary to our full salvation and complete transformation.

Our souls are indeed deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Without the understanding of the Spirit, no man is capable of knowing of the soul's corruption and wickedness. Only by the revelation of the Spirit can we know the true condition of our soul. The Hebrew word translated "deceitful" means fraudulent, and is also translated, crooked and polluted. And the Hebrew word translated "desperately wicked" means frail, feeble, and melancholy. That Hebrew word is also translated, incurable, sick, and woeful. This is the true state or condition of our souls from the heavenly perspective. Yet, while God sees the deceitful and desperately wicked condition of our souls, He most certainly does not consider our vile souls to be hopelessly incurable. On the contrary, knowing the wicked state of our souls, the Lord made ample provision for our soul's full salvation and transformation, which will change us from being a living soul, into the likeness of Christ, Who is a quickening spirit (1 Co. 15:45).

The prophet Isaiah described the attitude of our soul and our spirit, when he said: "Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O Lord, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee. With MY SOUL have I desired thee in the night; yea, with MY SPIRIT within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness" (Is. 26:8-9). The night of the Lord's judgments and deliverance has come! Our souls desire the Lord at this time, for this is the night when God shall deliver us of this duality of soul and spirit within us, and set us free to live His holy Life. God's anointed word gives a clear and true distinction between soul and spirit. We seek the Lord with our spirits, for that is the realm within us that is pure and holy and with which we approach unto the Lord. To seek the Lord with our souls only may be fruitless, for God dwells in the Spirit. We begin to worship God with our souls, then our spirits come alive and ascend to Him. Our souls have a sinful appetite (Is. 19:8), and need deliverance. Therefore, it is our souls that cry out to the Lord, desiring Him, that He might deliver us during this night of nights.

We may learn more from God's word about this carnal, soulish "man" that is within us all. David said of that corrupt, Adamic man, "Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually. Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah. Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue." This is a vivid description of the carnal, soulish man of sin that is in us all. These prophetic words of the Spirit may sound harsh, but every word of God is true! This prophecy also aptly describes the carnal-minded preachers, who conceived the false doctrines of hell and damnation for those who transgressed against God and His word. But God's plan is far superior to man's! Our loving, merciful Father has a plan, already in place and functioning, by which He shall eliminate that old, soulish man forever. David then described God's plan for dealing with this old man of the soul. He said, "God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place (or, out of man), and root thee out of the land of the living (or, out of the whole human family). Selah."

The Lord shall destroy the old, soulish man of sin and death that is in us all, but He will not destroy all the people who have sinned. God will take that soulish man of sin away by plucking him out of his dwelling place within us. God will remove the goats from the sheep and the tares from the wheat that are within us. He will literally take that old man out of us completely and forever. He will root that old man out of the land of the living, leaving "him" neither root nor branch of future growth, with no place to dwell in anyone anywhere. This is the destiny of the old, carnal, soulish, Adamic man who dwells in every one of us. Then, as we see the Lord doing this within us, "The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him: (We will then say,) Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness. But I (and all others who are growing and maturing in God) am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever. I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints (Ps. 52, see also Is. 14:12-19 & Ez. 28:13-19).

The prophet, Zephaniah, also tells of the carnal, soulish man that is within us all. The prophet tells of "the oppressing city," which is that three-fold realm of Babylon created by the Adamic, soulish man in all mankind. He says of that oppressing city, "Her princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves; they gnaw not the bones till the morrow. Her prophets are light and treacherous persons: her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law" (Zeph. 3:1-4). This prophecy describes some of the leaders in the religious systems. But the Lord continued, by saying, "however I (have already) punished them: but they rose early (after that punishment), and corrupted all their doings" (vs. 7). According to this word, the Lord's punishment of His people failed to correct them. In spite of the Lord's punishment, they persisted in corrupting all their works.

But the Lord was not through with His people or with the world. He said further, "Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the Lord, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy" (vs. 8). How we need the wisdom of the mind of Christ to understand a prophecy such as this! The carnal mind would rush to the conclusion that this prophecy foretells of a horrendous world war that would wipe out much of mankind and leave the earth as a desolate wilderness. But this is not our loving, merciful Father's intention at all. It is His purpose to spiritually gather the nations and the kingdoms of men, and then purge all the people of the world in the fiery oven of His holy and awesome presence. By this means old Adam, which is the carnal, Adamic mind and nature in all mankind, shall be devoured. Our Father will do this in all the world beginning with us, who are His firstfruits, or His elect remnant.

To interpret Zephaniah's prophecy with the carnal mind, as the leaders of the religious systems have done in the past, is gross error. God has no intention of destroying all the sinners among mankind. It is His intention to correct us all by removing the sinful, Adamic nature and mind from us, and then give us the spiritual ability to obey His word and keep the principles of His kingdom. We are not left to believe this truth without scriptural confirmation, which must be understood by the anointing of the Spirit and the wisdom of the mind of Christ. In the next verse, the prophet tells of this divine purpose: "For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may ALL call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent" (Zeph. 3:9).

Most certainly, if it was God's plan to destroy all mankind, He would not have purposed to "turn to the people a pure language." By doing this, the Lord is giving the people the ability to call on the name of the Lord, that they might repent and seek Him for salvation and restoration. Our Father is the God of love, redemption, and restoration! All that He does in the earth is done to turn mankind away from sin into the righteousness of His kingdom. By His sovereign and omnipotent power, the Lord will change the hearts and souls of all mankind, giving them all the spiritual ability to call on the name of the Lord, with pure speech from pure lips, enabling them all to serve Him with one, united and unanimous consent.

God will give the people of the world something they do not have now! He will give them a hunger for Him! God will change their language, their speech, and everything else in their souls! The change comes from the Lord! God must change the people of the world! He must give them the spiritual ability to turn to Him! And indeed He will! By the fires of His burning, purging presence, the Lord will change the people of the world, giving them a new and holy desire for spiritual realities. When the corrective judgments of the Lord are fulfilled, all the people of the world will then desire Him. The action is God's! He is the first cause of all things! Our mighty, omnipotent Father will turn the souls of all the people of the world unto Himself and His righteous kingdom. Only God can change men and nations! And He surely will, by His Spirit, and for His glory and honor.

Before this part of Father's plan is fulfilled, He will have left His chosen remnant in the midst of His people, Israel. Referring to the time before the "day" spoken of in verse eight, the word of the Lord declared, "I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord. The remnant of Israel (which we are) shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid" (Zeph. 3:12-13). Not only did the prophet foretell of a remnant in the midst of Israel to be their saviors in Zion (Ob. 1:21), but he also saw that we would be "an afflicted and poor people," who would put all their trust in the Lord.

The word "afflicted" is from a Hebrew word, meaning to be depressed in mind or circumstances. That Hebrew word is also translated, humble, lowly, needy, and poor. The word "poor," in verse twelve, pictures us dangling, as if we are weak or thin. It shows us hanging on to the Lord with what we may think is the last bit of strength we have. And believe me, I know some precious people who are barely hanging on to the Lord because of the intensity of their tests and trials. But regardless of the degree of the intensity of our trials, God wants us to cling to Him; He wants us to dangle, or to hang on to Him and to no other, as if we were hanging on for our lives, and as if He was our last, best, and only hope. This is the way it is for us! And we may take comfort in the blessed truth that our Father foreknew our afflicted and poor condition long before He set forth His eternal purposes for the redemption of all mankind. He planned it this way for us, knowing this must be the state or condition in our lives that would cause us to rely more completely on Him.

At a time when the whole world of carnal-minded people are violating the just and righteous principles of the kingdom of God, the Lord's chosen elect are walking in obedience to His righteous standard. They have become an afflicted and poor people because of the tests and trials of sonship, which are creating them into the image and likeness of their Head, Lord, and King. They do not commit iniquity! There is no deceit in their mouth! They feed on the green pastures of their Father's abundance, and lie down in His "land" of kingdom plenty. And none shall ever make them afraid! Fear is not a part of their life, for they dwell in the perfect Love of their Father. They are the hope of Israel, and of all the other nations of the world as well.

In due time, we shall all be delivered of our dual natures, or of the two people within us, to become one, pure spirit-being. We shall then become the full image and likeness of Christ, Who is our firstfruits. How shall this be accomplished? Jesus gave us the answer to this question when He spoke of the appearing of Christ, the Son of man, comparing it to the days of Noah. Jesus said, "For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be" (see Mt. 24:36-39).

As Noah entered the ark and was saved from the flood, even so are the elect of the Lord entering more fully into Christ, Who is our ark of salvation (see He. 11:7 & 1 Pe. 3:20-21), by being spiritually baptized or immersed into Him. There is a so great salvation that is ready to be revealed in this great Day. And the elect of the Lord are now entering into Christ more fully and more completely, that we might partake of that so great salvation. Then the world to come, which is the new earth administered and governed by the power and authority of the kingdom of God, will be put in subjection to us (He. 2:3-7, see also 1 Thess. 5:9, 2 Thess. 2:13, He. 9:28 & 1 Pe. 1:5-11). What a wonderful Day this is! It is the age/Day when much of the prophetic word shall be fulfilled in us, for us, and with us!

This is the night time of the Day when the Son of man shall come, or appear. Jesus continued to explain the appearing of Christ, when He said, "Then shall two be in the field; the one (the carnal part of us) shall be taken, and the other (the spiritual man, shall be) left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the (carnal) one shall be taken, and the other (the spiritual man, shall be) left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come" (Mt. 24:40-42, Lu. 17:34-36). We may not know at what specific hour our Lord will appear; but Luke tells us this shall all take place "in that night." I believe He is appearing and will yet appear during the night time of this new kingdom age/Day, which are the years of this present time. Are you ready for more appearings of Christ, by whose power and glory we shall be changed into His image and likeness? This prophetic period, called the midnight hour of this night, may arrive any time in the next several years. The midnight appearing of Christ may take place in a month, in five years, ten years, or more. Whenever that hour arrives, or that event takes place, we must be fully prepared for the glorious appearing of Christ at the midnight hour (Mt. 25:6).

By the appearings of Christ, Malachi's prophecy shall be fulfilled. The carnal man that is a part of each one of us, which includes our soul, our will, our carnal mind, and our emotions, shall become stubble to be placed in the fiery oven of the Lord's presence, where "he" shall be burned up, leaving neither root nor branch of the old Adamic man and "his" carnality remaining within us. Then, the perfected spiritual man, which we have become, shall be left standing on the earth, to manifest the power and glory of the kingdom of God to all mankind and the whole creation. We are "a kind of firstfruits of his creatures" (Ja. 1:18). This means we are the beginning of the creative work of God for His whole, vast creation. What God has done in us, He shall eventually do for all mankind and the whole creation. In due time, all shall experience the same so great salvation that we have experienced. As the old, carnal Adamic man is removed from us, leaving the new man of the spirit, so also shall all mankind be delivered of this Adamic man, to walk in the newness and freshness of the Life of Christ.

Much of the prophetic word of the Lord has been interpreted with the carnal mind of old Adam. In the former understanding during the old church order of the past, Malachi's prophecy was interpreted to mean that all the sinners would literally and actually be destroyed in the fiery oven of a burning, destructive hell, where they would all burn forever and ever. Carnal-minded preachers, who declared that message of doom and gloom, lacked the anointing of the Spirit and the revelation of the Spirit of truth. They ignored the blessed truth of the salvation of all, and confined the good news of salvation only to a select few in their churches and denominations. God's wonderful plan of salvation was limited to those few who complied with their uninspired doctrines and teachings. But, by the Spirit, the Lord began a revolution in the hearts and lives of His elect. He revealed to us the blessed truth of His word, as it is in Christ. Now we know a little more of the truth of God and of His kingdom. It is our Father's plan and purpose to deliver us of the old Adamic nature and mind, and transform us into His full image and likeness. Then the whole creation also shall partake of that glorious full salvation (Ro. 8:19-23). And this is what God is beginning to do now with His elect and chosen ones, by His Spirit.

Thank God, we shall be free of this old Adamic man, with "his" carnal mind and nature, which has troubled us throughout our lifetime in this present world. God shall take our soul, which includes our carnal mind, our self-will, our feelings and emotions of self-hood, and He shall bring it all to a spiritual death by "burning" it in the fiery oven of His consuming presence. Not only shall we be free of old Adam's mind and nature, but our deliverance and manifestation will also be the key that will unlock the glories of the kingdom of God to all mankind. Along with our carnal souls and all the other corruption that is in us, the Lord will also consume everything of this worldly realm in the fires of His mighty and glorious presence (He. 12:25-29).

When our Father has finished with that burning, purging work in the oven of His fiery presence, all that shall be left standing anywhere in the universe will be the quality items of the kingdom of God; it will be those things which cannot be shaken. As inheritors, forerunners, and co-kings of the kingdom of our Father, we have received the first dominion of that kingdom (Micah 4:8), thus bringing the dominion of the kingdom of God to the earth. And all who have understanding of the plan and purpose of our Father will look forward with faith and joy to the manifestation of our God as a consuming fire. By the fires of His presence, we shall be delivered of the old, carnal, sinful nature, just as Daniel's three friends were delivered while they were in Nebuchadnezzar's fiery furnace (Da. 3:23-25). That fourth Man walks in the fiery furnace among us and with us now, just as He did with those three men in history. What wonderful glories and blessings await us in the triumphant kingdom of our Father!

There is another part of the promise of God that has a special, positive blessing for the elect of the Lord. The prophecy of Malachi continues, by telling us, "But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts" (Mal. 4:2-3). This tremendous promise is reserved for those "that fear my name." It is a designation given to all those elect ones who have followed on to know the Lord in greater fullness. Unto them "shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and GROW UP as calves of the stall."

How we need "the Sun of righteousness (to) arise with healing in his wings" within us, causing us to go forth and grow up. There is nothing that can deliver us and grant us the freedom and victory of the kingdom of God, like the rising of the Sun of righteousness within us. The gifts of the Spirit, prayer, preaching, prophesying, or any of the other gifts and abilities common to the church age or order could not deliver us and set us free from the Adamic nature and mind. Only by the appearing of the Sun of righteousness shall we be set free indeed. All the programs of man, or other carnal, spiritless attempts, will fail to provide us with the glorious and wondrous freedom of the kingdom of God. Only by the appearing of Christ within us shall we be totally set free into the glorious liberty of the sons of God.

When we are finally and completely delivered and set free of the old, carnal, Adamic man, we shall truly go forth and grow up. We will experience a kind and degree of growth we have never fully under-stood or experienced before. Without our carnal souls within us to hamper us and impede our spiritual growth in God, we shall indeed make giant strides of spiritual growth in the kingdom of our Father. All the elect of the Lord shall grow in the Spirit, by the Spirit, to become a small nation, which is the anointed and empowered Body of Christ in the earth. And when we are truly born again of the Spirit, a nation shall be born in a day!

Then the prophetic word of the Lord shall be fulfilled, which says, "A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the Lord that rendereth recompence to his enemies. Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child. Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children" (Is. 66:6-8). By the might and power of the pure, anointed word of the Lord, the sons of God, which is the body of Christ, shall rise from their "graves" to inherit the Life of Christ in fullness. Zion shall then begin to travail with the pains of child-birth. But before she travailed, she brought forth the manchild, which is the child of promise. Before her pain came, she was delivered of that manchild. So glorious and magnificent will be the coming forth of that manchild that the apostles, prophets, and the saints of all the former ages shall exclaim with great joy, "Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things?"

When all the sons of God come forth out of their graves of sin and death, the whole creation also shall be delivered of that bondage. Then the earth, which has been in a lifeless state of dormancy and fruitlessness all during the six, long, age-days of man's misrule and mismanagement, shall blossom abundantly, to bring forth in one day all that the prophetic Word of the Lord has promised. In that great Day the earth shall indeed be made "to bring forth in one day, and a nation (shall) be born at once."

We have read these prophecies for years, until we may think they are beyond the reach of our faith in God and in His word. But the truth is, His word of faith is very near us, it is in our hearts and our mouths (Ro. 10:8). Even now, heavenly, spiritual forces are actively moving among the chosen people of God, calling out those who have the spirit of sonship within them. I sense a strong urging of the Spirit within me to "write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it." We are running a race! This is not a race to obtain gifts or ministries, to gain political positions in a church or denomination, or to establish something of earth; this is a race to the fullness of Christ. This race will not be won by empty, religious performances, religious works, carnal mind games, or by running to meetings and fellowships; this race will be won by all who are walking and living in the Spirit. Those who are in this race are not running for second best, or for any of the lesser realms in God. This race is for the utmost and the highest in God (1 Co. 9:24-27, He. 12: 1-2)! And this race will not be finished until we are all complete and in the image and likeness of our glorious Head, Lord, and King.

Many long years ago, the Lord spoke to His anointed prophet, telling him, "For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry" (Hab. 2:2-3). The "appointed time" is much nearer now than it has ever been. Thousands of years have passed since the Lord gave that prophetic word. Many believers have lived and died with the promise and hope of this prophecy resounding in their minds and spirits, as they anticipated this day. The "appointed time," which is the years of this present "night," has arrived. I believe a people are living in the earth now who will witness the fulfillment of this vision. They are running in this race, which is a winner-take-all race to His fullness. And the vision must be published so that those who are running may read it clearly.

At the end, the vision we have shall speak! It shall speak with such volume, clarity and force that it will be heard by the multitudes. This vision is grounded in the infallible Word of our Father, and will not lie! Though it tarry a little, wait for it; "because it will surely come, it will not tarry (long)." Those who died in the faith, waiting and expecting to see the vision fulfilled, shall partake of His Life at the appointed time. Some of those who have gone on before us may be among the anointed body of Christ, who shall be among the chosen sons of God to be manifest to the world. They have been waiting for us, for "they without us should (or, could) not be made perfect" (He. 11:40). Our Father has a plan in place and working. And that plan is that all the sons of God of every time period shall be raised to the resurrection Life of Christ TOGETHER, as one corporate man! So great will be the glory of the Lord at the manifestation of the sons of God that all our past trials and sufferings will be forgotten in the transcendent glory of the overwhelming presence of the Lord.

Hezekiah's Soul-Life Extended Fifteen Years

No doubt, we all remember the story of Hezekiah. The prophet Isaiah was sent of the Lord to tell King Hezekiah to set his house in order, for he was going to die (Is. 38:1). When he was told this sad news, Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed and wept before the Lord, asking that the Lord would restore his life. The Lord granted the king's request and sent the prophet Isaiah to him again, telling him that the Lord heard his prayer, saw his tears, and would add fifteen more years to his life. The Lord then promised Hezekiah a sign, confirming His word to the king. God said He would "bring again the shadow of the degrees, which is gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down" (Is. 38:8).

We received the following message by email from another about this missing day in time. "Did you know that the space program is busy proving that what has been called `myth' in the Bible is true? Mr. Harold Hill, President of the Curtis Engine Company in Baltimore, Maryland, and a consultant in the space program, relates the following development: I think one of the most amazing things that God has for us today happened recently to our astronauts and space scientists at Green Belt, Maryland. They were checking the position of the sun, moon, and planets out in space where they would be, 100 years and 1000 years from now. We have to know this so we won't send a satellite up and have it bump into something later on in its orbits. We have to lay out the orbits in terms of the life of the satellite, and where the planets will be, so the whole thing will not bog down.

"They ran the computer measurement back and forth over the centuries and it came to a halt. The computer stopped and put up a red signal, which meant that there was something wrong either with the information fed into it, or with the results as compared to the standards. They called in the service department to check it out and they said `what's wrong?' Well they found there is a day missing in space, in elapsed time. They scratched their heads and tore their hair. There was no answer. Finally, a Christian man on the team said, `You know, one time I was in Sunday School and they talked about the sun standing still.' While they didn't believe him, they didn't have an answer either, so they said `Show us.' He got a Bible and went back to the book of Joshua where they found a pretty ridiculous statement for any one with `common sense.' There they found the Lord saying to Joshua, `Fear them not, I have delivered them into thy hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee.'

"Joshua was concerned because he was surrounded by the enemy and if darkness fell they would overpower them (check references below). So Joshua asked the Lord to make the sun stand still! That's right - `The sun stood still and the moon stayed - and hasted not to go down about a whole day!' They checked the computers going back into the time it was written and found it was close but not close enough. The elapsed time that was missing back in Joshua's day was 23 hours and 20 minutes - not a whole day. They read the Bible and there it was `about (approximately) a day.' These little words in the Bible are important, but they were still in trouble, because if you cannot account for 40 minutes you'll still be in trouble, 1,000 years from now. Forty minutes had to be found because it can be multiplied many times over in orbits.

"As the Christian employee thought about it, he remembered somewhere in the Bible where it said the sun went BACKWARDS. The scientists told him he was out of his mind, but they got out the Book and read these words in 2 Kings: Hezekiah, on his death-bed, was visited by the prophet Isaiah who told him that he was not going to die. Hezekiah asked for a sign as proof. Isaiah said, `Do you want the sun to go ahead 10 degrees?' Hezekiah said `It is nothing for the sun to go ahead 10 degrees, but let the shadow return backward 10 degrees.' Isaiah spoke to the Lord and the Lord brought the shadow ten degrees BACKWARD! Ten degrees is exactly 40 minutes! Twenty three hours and 20 minutes in Joshua, plus 40 minutes in Second Kings make the missing day in the universe! Isn't it amazing?! Our God is rubbing their noses in His Truth!" (References: Joshua 10:8, 12, 13, 2 Kings 20:9-11.)

How wonderful! Today's scientists are confirming the truth of the scriptures! And I firmly believe there will eventually be a wonderful harmony of truth between the revealed truth of the scriptures and the discoveries and conclusions of all true scientists. Then, the Name of the Lord will be glorified before the world, and multitudes will learn to trust Him and His miraculous, all-inclusive plan of salvation. But before this harmony of truth can ever come about, we need to learn more about the truth of God's word as opposed to what we have been taught in the past by carnal-minded preachers and church leaders. The Lord has revealed much to us up to this point in time, by the revelation of His Spirit, but there is much more yet for us to learn. And we can only learn the great truths of God and of His kingdom by hearing what the Spirit is saying!

When the Lord gave His word, declaring that He would restore Hezekiah and add fifteen more years to his life, He confirmed that word by causing the sun to go backward ten degrees. After he heard God's word, promising that his life would be restored, Hezekiah wrote of his experiences during his illness. He told how he felt and what he learned during his time of affliction, which I believe may be a prophetic picture of our experiences at this time of our soul's renewal. Hezekiah said, "I shall go to the gates of the grave: I am deprived of the residue of my years. Mine age is departed, and is removed from me as a shepherd's tent: he will cut me off with pining sickness: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me. What shall I say? he hath both spoken to me, and himself hath done it: I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul" (see Is. 38:9-15).

Remember that the experiences of King Hezekiah took place thousands of years and several ages ago. He did not have the wonderful spiritual benefits we have today, such as the cross of Christ, the many outpourings of the Spirit, which were the appearings of Christ to His people, and the great glory of the Spirit of Christ that dwells within. Hezekiah lived in a spiritual "stone age," compared with where we are in God in this new Day. Because Hezekiah did not have the kingdom truths we have today, or the indwelling Spirit, he saw his soul's grief and sickness unto death as a major tragedy. He knew nothing of the glory that is to be revealed in the life of every son of God, after they have suffered a while, for the Spirit had not yet revealed that truth. Therefore, Hezekiah saw his illness as a totally destructive experience, having no redemptive value in God and in His kingdom. He saw his years of illness as "my years in the bitterness of my soul."

What Hezekiah did know was that God would deal with him every day and every night to "make an end of me." And that is exactly what our Father is doing with us. He is making an end of the "ME", and of the "I," that troubles each of us. God is bringing our soulish, self-life and all our self-hood to an end, by removing that old "man" from us. In other ages or time periods, God might have stricken us or smitten us with afflictions, diseases, and lingering troubles, which would have continued without explanation until we drew our last breath in this life. But this is the new age/Day of the kingdom of God on earth! Our God is doing an entirely new thing in this new Day; He is doing something now that He has never done before. Our Father is severely testing and trying us, using sickness, disease, multiplied troubles, or any other tool in His arsenal, which shall continue until we are fully prepared to be changed into His glorious image and likeness. In the old order, the trials of the saints continued without knowing why by the revelation of the Spirit. Today, in the new order of the kingdom of God, our trials shall continue until we are transformed to live the Life of Christ in glorious fullness. We are involved in the sufferings of Christ, which shall continue until some among us are transformed!

When once we understand the truth as it is in Christ for this new Day/age of the kingdom of God on earth, we will no longer live "in the bitterness of my soul," as Hezekiah did during his illness. But we will then see the tests and trials of this life as our merciful and loving Father's way of dealing with our corrupt and imperfect souls. We will then understand that God is bringing us to greater maturity in Christ, so we may be changed into His likeness. We said that Hezekiah lived in a spiritual "stone age," compared with where we are in God now. This truth is confirmed by Hezekiah's statement in the prophecy of Isaiah. He said, "Like a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter (perhaps in prayer to God): I did mourn as a dove: mine eyes fail with looking upward: O Lord, I am oppressed; undertake for me" (Is. 38:14).

Thank God! We do not need to look upward like King Hezekiah did when he sought the Lord, for we have Christ within us. As sons of God united in Christ, and with Christ, the Spirit, within us, we have the blessed privilege of "speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; (now here is the hard part) Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Eph. 5:19-20). This should be our attitude, our ministry to Him, because of His indwelling presence, even though our tests and trials continue and become more difficult. Through them all, our Father is working out a wise purpose for us and for His vast creation.

Hezekiah and The Will of God

The Lord sent His prophet, Isaiah, to King Hezekiah, to tell him to set his house in order for he was going to die. This was the will of God for Hezekiah at that time! But Hezekiah had a will of his own, which he expressed in prayer to the Lord, weeping bitterly before Him. The Lord heard Hezekiah's prayer, healed him of his infirmities, and spared his life. Fifteen more years were added to the king's life, but they were fifteen more years filled with added grief and sorrow. If Hezekiah's life had ended when God decreed he should die, much misery and sorrow would have been avoided. Yet, the Lord always has a purpose for all that happens. In Hezekiah's case, the will of God, decreeing that the king should die when Isaiah gave that word, would have been a much better plan, both for Hezekiah and the nation of Judah. But God's will was done, as it always is, in spite of the negative results!

Hezekiah did not have a son who might have been the heir to his throne, so he desired to live longer that he might bring forth a son. Manasseh was born to King Hezekiah, and he began to reign when he was twelve years old. Manasseh reigned for fifty-five years, and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord. He followed after the abominations of the heathen, built up the high places that his father Hezekiah destroyed, reared up the altars and groves of Baal, and worshiped and served all the host of heaven. He also made his sons to pass through the fire, used enchantments, dealt with familiar spirits, and wrought much wickedness in the sight of the Lord. Manasseh seduced the people of Judah to do more evil than did the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the children of Israel. This evil, done by Hezekiah's son, Manasseh, brought the wrath and judgments of God on the people of Judah (see 2 Kings 21:1-16). All this evil befell Hezekiah's family and nation, because he desired his own will instead of the Lord's perfect will, and God granted it!

The perfect will of God is all any of us should ever desire! To submit to His will is the way of life for all who are led by His Spirit. One of the questions most often asked us is, "how should we pray when we are sick or troubled?" There is only one prayer we should pray, by the Spirit, when afflictions and other tests and trials come into our lives. And that one prayer is, "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in (my) earth, as it is in heaven" (Mt. 6:9-10). Any other prayer of one who is enduring the sufferings of this new Day of transition, shows that we may still want our own way and may lack the understanding of the purposes of God. We may desire deliverance, but we should seek only His will, so we do not remain under the dominion of our carnal mind and soul. It may be His will to heal us, but the decision must be His! This may be the time when our Father is bringing us to sonship fulfilled. To submit to the perfect will of our Father will bring us to our full salvation, or to our total transformation into the image and likeness of Christ. The whole creation is waiting for us to attain to the fullness of sonship, and our tests and trials are Father's method of getting us there!

Jesus was troubled and distressed in His soul by the cruelty of the cross He faced. But His prayer was an expression of the Father's will for Him. So Jesus prayed, "Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done" (Lu. 22:42, see also Ro. 8:26). Should we then ask our Father for anything less than His will? Indeed not! The will of God is our goal, as it was in the life of Jesus. Our Father always knows what is best! It is reported that Martin Luther once said, "Blessed is he who submits to the will of God; he can never be unhappy."

Return to: Home Page    Kingdom Resources