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The brethren in Christ in
We have been blessed and privileged to know these men. We hope that what
they spoke will inspire you. Their resource material was limited but their
relationship in God gave them these great revelations. The
Hidden Man of God
Jesus
was the first person to be hidden in the Father.
First, he was placed in a virgin, Mary. All other children that are born
are born from a woman who no longer is a virgin. But Jesus was hidden.
He was placed in a vessel that never had been touched, a holy,
consecrated vessel. Normally a woman must know a man to become pregnant, but in
Jesus’ case, His mother never knew a man. Truly this was out of the ordinary
and a hidden event. Even so it is with us too. For when we are born
again it is a hidden work after the inward man. The outer man looks no different
and by all outer appearances is still the same. But the birth of the new
creation man in Christ Jesus is a hidden work and no man knows the name of that
person except the Father (Revelation Jesus was not from Herod’s line, the current king
of When He
was born, He was hidden in When we are born again we enter into that heavenly Jesus was born of a no name virgin in a no name
city and birthed in a hotel that had no rooms so his father and mother were sent
away into what we would call today a garage which back then was a stable for the
animals of the hotel. Being born in a manger hid him even further. The
manger was the trough in which the hay was strewn. There was not even enough
room in the stable. How hidden He was. So when Herod hearing of His birth called
for the accounting of the children, the hotel manager could say he sent away a
pregnant lady to whom he could not give a room. Jesus was so hidden that his
date of birth and place of birth were not known. A manger was a public place,
not a private house where births normally occurred. Jesus was hidden in the
open. Our life is hid with God in Christ. No one knows
that and no one knows the date of our birth. We walk around in Christ in the
middle of the city in which we live and no one knows. Hidden but visible.
Spiritual but natural. At the time Herod felt threatened by the birth of
Christ so he called for a counting of all children of the age of two and
younger. It was then that the angel of the Lord appeared and sent Jesus with his
parents to Egypt to hide. God calls us out of the denominational church system
so that we are not numbered among them (Revelation 18:4). He calls us out to be
hidden in Him and so that He can deal with us directly, personally and yet we
can have fellowship with people of like same faith who are called out for the
same purpose. Hidden from the systems, but basking in the presence of God, God
deals with us openly but unknowingly by the world. He hides us in His
foolishness. Moses was born at a time when the children of
Israel were multiplying so fast that the Egyptians felt threatened by their
numbers. So, the Pharaoh called for the killing of the children. Moses mother
hid herself until her child was born. She nursed him as long as she could, but a
day of the hiddenness was about over. So, under the leading of the Holy Spirit, she hid
Moses openly. She placed him in a reed “boat” and pushed him down the Nile.
A Hebrew child, floating openly down the Nile is not very hidden. Moses was
hidden where there was danger - alligators, mosquitoes, hippos. But he was
hidden in a safe and secure place. He was hidden openly. He was hidden in the
river until Pharaoh’s daughter found him. What better place to be hidden than
in the house of the one who wanted to kill you? Proverbs 28:12 states: “When the righteous men
rejoice there is great glory but
when the wicked rise, a man is hidden.” God
knew it was a secure place, that middle of a river seen openly of all. We must
not second guess God as He moves us about openly as it appears to our carnal
minds, when in reality He is our armor on the front (Ephesians 6) and our rear
guard (Isaiah 52:12). Then God causes Moses’ own mother to come and sustain
him in the midst of a nation that seeks to kill him. This is the hidden man of
God. His mother’s milk, God’s word is enough to sustain us while we are
hidden in the midst of a perverse and wicked generation. Moses was so hidden that he grew up in the
Pharaoh’s house and was given a position of authority second only to Pharaoh.
How well hidden he was. Moses was
learning from God first-hand the ways of the Egyptians. God had promised Joseph
long before Moses that the people of Israel would return home. So, Moses was
seeing the salvation of God being worked out in Egypt within himself as the
vessel of deliverance as well as God dealing with Pharaoh. Jesus was the hidden man. The people of Israel were
looking for a Messiah who would come and deliver them from Roman rule and set up
the Jews as an independent state and perhaps even rulers of the world. But Jesus
was the hidden man, who came to establish a kingdom not of this world. The
church today looks for a man, Jesus, to return and set up His kingdom with them
and that the church will rule and reign over the world. It is a similar
deception as the people of Israel. He is the hidden man seeking to rule from
within. Moses, carnal like the people of Israel and the
church, sought in the flesh to fulfill God’s plan and killed an Egyptian
soldier that was overseeing the Hebrew workers.
This shows clearly that Moses knew God’s plan and purpose, but Moses
was not totally crucified yet. Remember he had been in Pharaoh’s house for
forty years. Now God sends him into the wilderness to be hidden
for another forty years. He was hidden from the Egyptian Pharaoh (the religious
system) in the middle of a desert, even as Jesus was hidden from the religious
system in Egypt. Hidden, removed from all positions of power and might, Moses
learns obedience to the plan of God. It is while we are hidden, separated
from the world and religious systems, that God deals with us to learn the
obedience of a son. It is only then. Being hidden is not a negative thing but on the
contrary it is very positive. He keeps you hidden from the world but in the ways
of the Lord. “Let the hidden man of the
heart, that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet
spirit which is in the sight of God of great price...” be worked out
in you (1Peter 3:4). It is only when we are hidden in Him that we can learn to
identify with His nature. To be hidden in this verse means to be of great cost,
precious. So the hidden man is
precious of great cost for it is God Himself who laid down His life for us. He
is the one arising as the Day Star. I am sure you remember the story of Elijah. He
confronted the prophets of Baal with fire from heaven (1 Kings 18).
God answered the servant of the Lord and 450 prophets of Baal were slain
that day (18:40). But when the woman of the flesh came after him (Jezebel) God
hid him in a cave (19:9) for a season and then hid him in the wilderness. Sometimes the nature of God must be hid in the tomb
of the flesh, the outer man. Sometimes it takes the wilderness to hide us in God
until the indignation passes over (Isaiah 26:20). But if we do not know how
to hide ourselves in Him we will be revealed. It is important that we know
how to enter into the chamber of the Lord. The wilderness is what hid Elijah. How did it do
that? What did it do? A wilderness has no path in it. It is a wilderness, and
unless you know your geographic bearings you would be lost. The earth staggers
to and fro as a drunkard. The earth is that Adamic nature which totters and does
not know where it is going. Hiding in that wilderness but knowing your
gyroscope, your compass you remain in balance. Jezebel could not find Elijah until it was time for
Elijah to come forth again out of the desert. Until God wants to reveal you
the world will not see you. Jesus was hid in the storm, resting peacefully,
until Peter called concerned about the boat sinking. Oh, the outer man sees the
natural and fears, but the inner man controls the course of events. Do we
reflect Jesus or do we reflect the nature of Peter? Elijah waited in the wilderness until it was the
time be to revealed. In the wilderness, the place of hiding, God speaks to
Elijah about his next manifestation. It is only when you are hidden in Him that
He can speak. You know you are in Him when He speaks, such reassurance. How does one hide in the Lord? Sin is defined as
missing the mark (“hamartia” in Greek).
Sin is not hiding in Him. Like an arrow shooting to the target it must
hit the bulls eye (the center circle) to make the mark. Anything less is sin.
So, we must be conformed to the image of Christ and anything less is sin.
We hide in Him by being identified with Him in crucifixion and
resurrection. We hide in Him by knowing that we are Him in this world, even as
He and the Father are one (John 17:21). Another time Elijah travels to Zarephath, which
means “place of refining”. A
widow with a son were preparing their last meal and then with no food left would
die within a few days. Elijah by the spirit is brought to this woman. He asks
her to give him the bread before she gives it to her son and herself. The Christ nature thirsts to give life. It meets
the people on the natural plane. The hidden man seeks to manifest life to the
people. In his thirst to bless her, he asks her to provide.
In her provision to the man, the woman is blessed with food that does not
run out and oil that lasts. The food speaks of spiritual food to feed her, and
the oil speaks of the anointing of the baptism of the Holy Spirit that leads us
unto the life of the Holy of Holies, the feast of Tabernacles, that third
experience in God. How well is Elijah hidden? If Elijah had tried to
hide in another place, he would not have had food. We are to hide where God will
sustain us. If our life is hid in God, His life will enable us. How well is Elijah hidden? He goes into a house of
a widow! He enters and lives in her house. It looks like the two have an illicit
relationship going on - a widow and a strange man. How well God is hid in that
situation! But God well knew the need of the widow and her
son. God knew they were out of food and used the hidden man to provide it to
them. God knew that the widow’s son would die. So God sent Elijah, the hidden
man of God into the house (hidden even more) until the time. At the very time that the son died and his breath
left him (1 Kings 18:17) Elijah takes the child and carried him to the upper
room (verse 19). This speaks of
taking the child into the Holy of Holies. There in the realm of life Elijah
stretches himself over the child three times (three experiences of salvation,
baptism of the Holy Spirit and union with God). It was after the performance of God through him
that the woman knew he was a man of God - not after he had given her food and
oil. The hidden man was revealed only to be covered again until God needed him.
Even while hidden from Ahab, the hidden man was able to do a work. Consider Jesus, our pattern (1 Peter2:21). Unless
God revealed who Jesus was to someone, no one knew who He was. Some thought He
was Elijah or another prophet but no one thought He was the son of God. Even
during His ministry when He told them that He was one with His God, no one
believed Him. Very few knew He was the savior. Judas didn’t even believe Jesus
was the savior because Judas was looking for a natural savior to deliver the
Jews from the Romans. Jesus was hid during His ministry! What a pattern
we have to follow. Jesus is hid now in the bosom of the Father. What
is the Father? The Father is a spirit. We must worship Him in spirit and truth.
Where is the Father? John 14:23 states in the Amplified Bible: “...and My Father will love him
and We will come to him and make Our home (abode, special dwelling place) with
him.” The word translated “with” is “para” in the Greek and
can mean: from or by or of. Thus, the translation could read “make our home from him.”
So the Son and the Father are hid in the vessel, the saint, even as we
are hid in Him (Colossians 3:3). But consider how well Jesus was hid. Jesus left His
body and hid himself in hell for three days. He preached to all captivity and
led all captivity captive (Ephesians 4:8, 1 Peter 3:19). Jesus hid in death
while yet being alive. While His body was on the cross and in the grave,
Satan rejoiced looking on the outer man thinking victory was won. While the
grave, which is what hell means, was being unguarded, Jesus hid Himself in hell
for three days. Satan waited three days outside the tomb of Christ, but Jesus
was hiding - not in the tomb. Jesus was in hell preaching to the captives. When Jesus arose, Satan returns and finds that the
keys of death and hell could not hold Him and that everyone had left. Christ
then has given us the keys of death and hell so that our hidden man can do the
very same thing that He did (Revelation 1:18, Matthew 16:19).
We are hidden in Christ as we reveal the dying of the Lord in our body.
If this be done then we can manifest the life of Christ (2 Corinthians 4:11). There was no opposition to Jesus when He was in
hell, for the Devil can work only on the outer man and Jesus was the hidden man.
Satan came and could find nothing in Him (John 14:30). For three days Jesus hid
Himself in hell. But on the third day He arose freeing all that were there. It
is about three days since Christ first appeared. The earth, the planet, has been
a tomb but coming forth in manifestation is the hidden man of the Christ nature. The inner man is a hidden man. He is hid openly in
the world but not of it. He appears the same as other people but is not. He
speaks the same language as the people around him but speaks a heavenly language
inside. While the world struggles for earthly success in the area of finances
and possessions, the hidden man struggles with being conformed to the image of
God and seeks the spiritual riches of the kingdom. He is in the world but not of
it. The hidden man is revealed at the Father’s
discretion. God reveals who the hidden man is (say to Peter) to certain people
or God openly proclaims the hidden man as the Son (at the baptism of Jesus).
Other than that even Pilate did not know who Jesus was, except that his wife
told him. Why the Hidden man?
God
wants us to hide ourselves in the cleft of the Rock, in the very nature of
Himself. As He told Jerusalem, He would have gathered them as a hen gathers her
chicks. He seeks to protect, nurture, prepare, establish and empower us. In
order for that to occur we must be hidden in His nature to learn of His ways. He wants us to understand that He directs the world
for His glory and how we fit into the picture. God hides us so that we cannot
be seen. If we are seen, then He is not exalted. We are hid in Him, covered
by the blood of the Lord so that only the Lord will receive the glory. No man
will receive His glory. That is, no Adam nature will receive His glory. Moses turned from the way (Exodus 3:1-10) he was
going in the wilderness. He took off his shoes, that is, he shed the old way he
was doing things to come into the presence of the I AM (verse 14).
When there is only the I AM there is no other. God did not destroy the
vessel of Moses, but humbled him so that he was the meekest man on the earth
(Numbers 12:3). It is only when you are hidden in the presence of the Lord that
the self -nature is crucified. Christ learned obedience by the things that He
suffered and then became a Son (Hebrews 5:8). It is the hidden man that suffers
because no one except the Father knows who He is.
Our life, our very life, our only life, is hid with God in Christ. Our
death has been swallowed up into life. To God be the glory that He has hid us in
Himself so that we would not expose ourselves, our old nature. Such love, such
grace extended unto us. Let us always be hidden. The Unwrapping of Jesus
Joseph
and Mary, like others of the same time, had to travel to the city of the husband
‘s roots to be taxed by Roman authorities. Each family every year would make
such a pilgrimage. The taxation caused family gatherings. It was a time when
everyone would reminiscence about the past and review the preceding year and
enjoy the camaraderie of the family. Each
year the families would gather, even as they do today, at a local hotel where
they could be together and enjoy each other’s fellowship. They gathered
because they were taxed by family groupings.
Spiritually we could say that they were taxed by their denomination –
Presbyterian, Baptist, etc. Each was a type of family with people of like same
faith. Many who gathered together
were talking about their past – their dead revelations and doctrines upon
which they encamped. There was no current revelation, so what they shared was
based upon the past. Some
would plan ahead and reserve the rooms. In fact, most did and the city was full.
While they gathered in like-same rooms (denominations), Joseph and Mary were
outside the camp, outside these different rooms, even as Christ was slain
outside the camp. They could have no place there in the inn, because God had a
place of liberation for them. It was liberation from doctrines, traditions,
rituals etc. Joseph and Mary did not want Mammon, but were content to place
themselves in the revelation of God as He saw fit. They were willing to room
where it was acceptable to the Lord, free from any encumbrances. As
Joseph and Mary came towards the city, people would hurriedly pass them, because
they wanted to get together with their relatives and enjoy the party atmosphere.
The dust of the road would overwhelm Mary and Joseph since so many were on the
road at the same time. Perhaps, even some of their relatives would see them
along the way and inquire of Joseph and Mary to hurry so that they could get a
room close to their relatives. But neither of them was in a hurry, neither were
they sluggish. There was a purpose, a time set of God and they were proceeding
accordingly. They were careful in their coming because what they were doing was
special. Joseph and Mary were not of the same family as others! God gives Jesus
to those who are good at handling His revelation. Joseph and Mary were a divine
family, and the tax that they would pay would be with a life that would pay the
tax of sin, the penalty of death, once and for all. The others came to pay
the tax of the Romans, but Joseph and Mary came to give the tax – Jesus
Christ who, after the order of Melchizedek, paid for the wages of sin. As
they arrived to the city of Bethlehem, the sound of noise, celebrations,
parties, and the hustle and bustle of the city greeted them. Had she known that
she would have delivered, she probably would have been like most women and
waited to come to the taxation the following year, because pregnant women with a
short term left, could remain at home. Mary
was confident in God that she could travel and so carefully she did, without
hurry, without concern of having a room, because she knew that which lived
within was called of God and her movement therefore was too. Jesus
had descended from the realm of the Spirit, the invisible, and was wrapped
within Mary by a body of flesh. He was soon to be revealed, unwrapped, but not
just yet. As they entered the town, the young couple found that the inn was full
and they couldn’t stay with relatives or even friends. Their heritage was not
with the natural plane of their blood relatives. By the same token, the hotel
was full, and is a type of the religious system, which enjoys its traditions,
rituals, etc. and has no room for the reality of a life-giving Son of God in
their midst. Joseph and Mary’s heritage was not of the religious system
either. Those who aspire to something outside the normal order of things are not
welcome. And so it was with Joseph and Mary, because they were called of God and
not of man (Galatians 1:1). They were called to birth something out of their
mother’s womb (Galatians 1:15-16), outside of the religious order in which
they were raised. They
didn’t rush into Bethlehem, because they were carrying something special,
something ordained of God. The timetable of man was irrelevant to them because
their timetable was a celestial plan, of which the passerby was unaware. They
were not upset that there was no room in the inn (hotel). Again, the order of
God was changing the current scene, and He was being unwrapped far removed from
the religious system and the political system of the day. While the day was a
time of taxation, a time of taking from the people, He was being unwrapped as
the Giver of life, the sustainer, the uplifter, revealing a new day and a new
order. They
came to the city and found that they had to be housed in barn, a stable. They
did not grumble nor did they murmur. Rather they rejoiced at the hand of their
God. For that which they were handling was in God’s timing and location. They
were open to understand that the kingdom comes without observation (Luke 17:20).
In fact, being with sheep in the stable gave them the revelation of the sheep
and the shepherd. Mary and Joseph realized that they were like sheep and needed
this shepherd, the Son of the Most High God. Content they were to be fed by the
hand of the Lord in the manger. And to a greater degree, Joseph and Mary
realized that the child didn’t belong to them, but rather to the flock. Once
born, Jesus was wrapped in swaddling clothes. Swaddling was leftover linen
strips, which were in such poor condition that they were of no use to the inn
and good only for the manger’s use. Our Lord, Who had already descended from
the Spirit to the flesh realm, descended a little further and was wrapped up in
these swaddling clothes. No one of any account would consider that such a babe
could have a ministry, a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes. But this babe, bound
in swaddling strips, began His unwrapping in an unconventional way. When
the angels came to the shepherds in the field (Luke 2:12), the unwrapping of Who
Jesus was began. This little babe in the manger was declaring the commands from
on high, dispensing the angels to declare His coming, calling forth shepherds to
visit, and bringing the Magi from afar. These men came and declared Who Jesus
was. They unfolded, unwrapped the true revelation of this child.
This little babe in the manger, the King of all Kings, began His
unveiling, His unwrapping by the Spirit from the heavenly realm by calling forth
those who would testify of His appearing. He was no babe in the Spirit. He was
the ruler in the manger. The King in the manger was the director of the scene,
and Joseph and Mary marveled (Luke 2:18) and considered all that transpired. As
Jesus unwraps Himself, wonders are seen in the heavens. Mary
was married to God’s promise from when the angel first appeared to her and
proclaimed she had been selected to bring forth the Son of God. Now, she
realized that this babe was changing the world from the bed of straw.
Only a child can unwrap the truth of God! It is the child nature that
unwraps the truth. Only a child would not complain in a manger. Every adult
would be upset with the location. But a child shall lead them, the Scripture
declares (Isaiah 11:6). You and I may realize that He is in us, but it is time
to sit back and realize that He is orchestrating through us the manifestation of
His kingdom, even as He did in Himself. Those who come at His bidding, even as
the shepherds did, come to see the King. There
was only One who was able to open the seven seals (each an unwrapping), and that
was Christ Jesus (Revelation 5:1-5). The unwrapping began with His birth and
culminated in His resurrection, which removed all death by breaking all seals of
death and hell and the seven seals of Revelation. Now He is manifesting the
victory of that through each of us. The
manger is the feeding trough. Mary realized that the child didn’t belong to
her and willingly placed Him in the manger. She didn’t hold him to her
expectations, but crucified her desires and gave Him to the world. She realized
the newborn child was not hers to keep but belonged to the ages. So as she laid
Him in the manger she also gave Him up once and for all. In this way Jesus was
laid in the manger. Why did the heavenly host cry Glory to God? Because when He
was placed in the manger, He was beginning to be unwrapped. True worship unwraps
the Bread of Life, Christ Jesus. He unwraps Himself to us so that we can feast
upon Him. He doesn’t talk; Jesus just unveils Himself! There is no need to say
anything as He reveals Who He, Himself, is. He
is the seed, the feed that will be consumed by the sheep. He is the
incorruptible seed placed within each vessel (1 Peter 1:23). He must be eaten of
all men and His position in the manger is that indication.
He is the staff of life, the bread for all nations. He became the
Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:8) who was to be eaten of all men as a statute
for generations! The saints shall never stop feeding on Him, Who is their life
and light. As we let Him unwrap Himself to us, we are fed. Every unwrapping has
its own glory as we eat the whole Lamb of God. How do we do that? We eat the
whole Lamb by partaking of the Christ in each other. The
revelation of the Son of God was hidden to those in the inn. They were concerned
about the past, their families’ history and happenings (goings on in the
denominations) while the real revelation, the Son of God, was giving Himself to
those who could hear the call (Magi) and see the call (shepherds) as well as to
those who denied themselves and identified with Him (Joseph and Mary). The
kingdom of God comes without observation (Luke 17:20) but is openly displayed.
He could easily be seen but only to those looking for Him. Mary and Joseph
stayed in the stable, for the very thing they cared about caused them to remain
there – Christ Jesus. You too will remain in the stable, because of the life
and the desire of the ages that is there. Real life is not in the inn. A week later it was time for Jesus to be dedicated wholly to the Lord,
as all newborn males were required to be. Out of the tribe of Levi, based upon
family and birth rank in the family, each member was to serve before the Lord.
There were so many members of the tribe that the males would only serve one day
in their life before the Lord and some even just a few hours. At the time of
Jesus’ dedication, Simeon, a devout man seeking the Lord to see the salvation
of Israel, was rewarded by God to dedicate Jesus. When Jesus was dedicated at
the temple, the word Simeon declared was a new word, one that Joseph and Mary
did not know, but a word that the child knew. For the King of Kings directed
Simeon by the Spirit to proclaim the truth of Who He was. John 1:1 states that
everything that was created was created through the Son, Who was the Word of God
and one with God. So the unfolding, the unwrapping, of Christ was controlled by
Christ Himself, for He and the Father were one. Mary and Joseph were amazed by
the manger and the events that occurred, because they were far above the
expectation of their hearts. But with Simeon, they were even more amazed (Like
2:33) at the unfolding, the unwrapping that continued. It was here in front of
Simeon, that Joseph and Mary learned that He was the vine and they were the
branches, even as He was the fruit of their branch too. Then
the angel came to Joseph and told Joseph to go to Egypt. The babe knew that the
Scripture must be fulfilled and sent the angel to Joseph to enlarge his vision
because Joseph would never have gone to Egypt. He would have gone home to where
his family was. As the Son of God unwraps Himself in you, He leads you out from
the past religious order into Himself. Joseph had never been directed by the
Spirit before, but now he was. As
an adult Jesus unwrapped Lazarus, his cousin, from death. He removed every scent
of death on Lazarus, unwrapping him from the wages of sin that cause death and
setting him free into Life. The Lamb
of God was unveiled, unwrapped and eaten completely at the time of Passover. It
was the Lamb eaten, not the blood on the doorpost, that delivered the Israelites
from Egypt. Every part of the Lamb was seen and eaten so that the people could
be free. He Who is the resurrection and the Life unwrapped Himself before the
time, revealing Himself, that Lazarus might be resurrected. At
the time of the last supper, Jesus unwrapped Himself again. After the supper is
finished, He unwraps from Himself the towel, which had been girded about Him
(John 13:5). The unwrapping of the towel is a seal of the Lord that has been
broken open for us to understand God. This is not a light thing that the Lord
does because He is unveiling Himself to the disciples in a special way. He is
trying to show forth a truth of Himself when He does this. It remains for us to
see the depth of it all. When He was done washing their feet, he rewrapped
Himself, revealing to them the truth that He hid from others. As
was said before, He began His unwrapping, His unveiling, in the manger. He
continuously revealed more in various stages in His life: at age 12 in the
temple, at His water baptism, and in His ministry of three and one-half years.
Now at the Last Supper He reveals even more, but it still is only a partial
revelation. He reveals Himself to the three in the Garden of Gethsemane and then
a continuous revelation occurs as He goes to the cross. He places the totally
deprived garment of Adam upon Himself, that filthy rag (Zechariah 3:3) and He is
completely unveiled. He swallows up
death in victory and even more so as He descends to the deepest part of Hell,
leading all captivity captive. Oh, the unwrappings of the Lord! At
the Last Supper, He cleansed their feet that they might walk out the life they
already had in Him. This is a finished work to the feet, accomplished by Jesus.
They were washed by the water of the word (Ephesians 5:26). He cleansed them
completely. As He washed their feet it was also an unwrapping or opening to the
disciples of a revelation of the Lord. He knew they were the feet company on the
earth, and that He would reign through them. He became naked before them
revealing the fullness of the heavenlies, as He cleansed them from their
nakedness in the fallen nature of Adam. He shall be fully unwrapped so that He
will be naked before us in the splendor of the fullness of God. He shall not be
hindered or clothed by any carnal thought or deed. The full glory of God will be
seen. He
wiped the disciples feet with the life that came from Him, the garment with
which He was girded. He helped them shake the last vestiges of Adam from
themselves (Isaiah 52:2). Jesus would leave the disciples, knowing that the life
of God was with them and that they were cleansed. The
same garment gave life to the woman who touched Him (Mark 5:30). She had an
issue of blood, which was a sign that she was unclean according to the Law, but
spiritually showed she was un- able to keep and produce life. When she touched
the hem of His garment, she was cleansed and able to produce life, all because
He was unwrapped before her. Have
You Considered the Unwrapping/unveiling at the Cross?
Isaiah
53:10 states that Jesus made His soul an offering for sin. He unwrapped Himself
of His soul for the propitiation needed for the soul of Adam (Genesis 2:7) who
died because of sin (Ezekiel 18:4). He
offered Himself so that He could see His Seed and prolong His days through His
Seed. He unwrapped Himself as water and blood spilled forth from the spear’s
piercing. Here He unveiled the Spirit (water) and Salvation (blood). He poured
Himself forth, unwrapping Himself of this life so that the Life of the Eternal
could be seen. We too are called to such a purpose (2 Corinthians 4:10, 5:19).
In fact, you like Peter will be taken to another place (John 21:18), and there
you will be unwrapped for others to see so that they can partake of the Christ.
We do not know the ending of the unwrapping because God is always revealing
Himself.
God has called us to be unwrapped and is in the process of doing so with
us. It confounds us at all times because we do not fully understand. From the
time Jesus called Peter, He began to unveil Peter, unwrap him. Jesus was not
revealing the flesh of Peter, but rather was removing, unwrapping that which
hindered the expression of God that was within. Ultimately, Peter died as a
tremendous testimony to the Lord of Glory. Some say he was crucified upside down
in Rome shortly after Paul was beheaded. He was fully revealed as the Lord
Himself, even as Paul was received the same way (Galatians 4:14).
We are to be clothed upon with the spiritual house. We are to be the
bread that is made to be broken for the entire world to see and eat. The body
changes because of the incorruptible seed within. A young lady changes into a
woman because the seed does a work in her. She will never be the same after
bearing a child, and so is it in her spiritual life. In the natural the
woman’s body changes after birth, and the woman rejoices because of what is
produced, unwrapped, revealed. So it is with Christ Jesus who has placed Himself
within us. He is coming forth and changing us, unwrapping us so that we can
reveal Who He is.
Jesus rent the veil of the temple, Scripture declares. He made the two
houses into one. He united the Holy Place with the Holy of Holies. He unwrapped,
unveiled the Holy of Holies to be seen of all. When He died on the cross, He
unwrapped or revealed His heavenly eternal nature that caused the veil to be
rent. No longer was He to be hidden. He
showed forth Who He was. The book of Revelation means “the unveiling,” in
the Greek it’s apocalypse. It is the unveiling of Christ, as the title
suggests in verse one of the book. It
is the unwrapping of Him Who is the glory of God. What
about the Unwrapping at the Tomb?
The
unlimited God sealed Mary and Joseph at the manger. They were separated from the
outside world in every manner. But what a work was being done. He was being
revealed before them, and there was no limitation as He unfolded Himself before
them. The world knew it not, because
He was hidden in the manger.
Even so it was the same at the tomb. The great stone, representative of
the Law, was sealed tightly against the tomb. Soldiers, symbols of the police of
the Law, were stationed to guard the sealed stone and make sure that it was
protected from without – not within. Great was the work going on within! One
must be sealed completely in the tomb for the work of the tomb to be done. We
all have fallen short and were sealed in the fate of Adam. But great is the seed
within. Like the caterpillar changing into a butterfly, so it is – but the
seal must be tight. Jesus came forth from within the tomb. He unwrapped Himself
leaving a wrapping at the head of the bed and another at the foot of the bed. He
unwrapped Himself in total darkness. When He removed the last linen wrapping, He
was seen of men. Darkness, death
could not hold Him, Who is the light of every man (John 1:9). He had a message
for the grave – a conquering victory. While they laughed at His death and
considered their victory, He unwrapped Himself and descended into the lowest
parts of hell, Tartarus (2 Peter 2:4) and led all captivity captive. He ascended
with those He redeemed by His own blood, and all of this was done while the tomb
was sealed.
He revealed Himself in the manger to the few called to see, while the
rest of mankind was sealed away from the new day dawning, the kingdom of God.
And again at the end of His life, He was sealed away from the world, but it did
not hinder His victory of the resurrection and the deliverance to the captives.
Oh, how He unwraps Himself openly, but hidden from those who cannot see.
In John 11:24, Jesus says of Lazarus, “Where have you laid
him?” It was a deep provocative question Jesus was asking. The people
had placed Lazarus in the death realm; Jesus had not.
Jesus believed Lazarus slept (11:12), but Jesus came to the tomb and
caused the stone to be rolled away because He was the resurrection – even
before the chronological time for the resurrection.
He declared to Martha, “I AM the resurrection”(Luke 11:25).
They could not see that He was the Life. Neither the tomb nor death could
hold Him, who is and walks in Life.
But let us consider the tomb. It was personally owned by Joseph of
Arimathaea, a disciple of Jesus (Matthew 27:57). Since Luke states that he had
not consented to the charges against Jesus, Joseph may have been part of the
Sanhedrin, and some sources say he was an uncle of the Lord. After Nicodemus
paid for the embalming, it was Joseph who gave up his grave for the Lord. Ah,
what a thought. He gave up his grave, because he knew the King of Kings would
conquer the grave for him! What a belief this man did have.
Luke brings out that Joseph of Arimathaea “waited for the kingdom
of God” (Luke 23:51). He was not waiting for a literal kingdom to rule
and reign. Joseph was waiting for THE kingdom of God, Jesus. He was waiting for
the man who was governed in all He did by the Spirit. Joseph was waiting for the
BODY, which is the kingdom of God. Joseph was a good and righteous man (Mark
15:43); therefore he could receive the body of Christ. At
His birth Jesus was the payment of the tax for sin, therefore this made Him
eligible to be the only One Who could receive the body that He had. All Jesus
ever preached was the kingdom of God (Matthew 4:23), and the massage was
“repent and come back to the kingdom, come back into Me.” Jesus’ whole
purpose was to bring restoration. The church was to be His bride. Even
though Jesus’ body was dead, by the Spirit Joseph saw something in that dead
body. He saw the kingdom in that body. Jesus ministered to Joseph, even as
Joseph was taking His body down from the cross. Jesus was fully unwrapped on the
cross. He was naked on the cross. There was no clothing on Him.
He was fully revealed as the Son. Yet, Joseph saw His nakedness similar
to Adam’s and took Him and prepared Him and wrapped Him. When Jesus was in the
manger, He was wrapped with swaddling clothes, but his face was not covered.
Joseph now covered the face. Joseph saw the Omega from the Alpha! Joseph had the
revelation of the end! He wrapped Him to bring an end to the sight of sin
(Adam). He wrapped Him so that the caterpillar could become the butterfly. Jesus
was wrapped with swaddling in the manger and began the unveiling, the unwrapping
of a new spiritual order. Even so when Joseph of Arimathaea was wrapping Jesus
for the tomb, Jesus was beginning the revelation of another new order – the
resurrection. The
linen in the tomb was laid aside separately (John 20:5,7). The linen on the head
was at the top of the bed and the linen for the body was at the bottom. Christ
Jesus is the Head of the Body (Ephesians 5:23) and we are the Body.
The Head is separate from the Body because no matter how much the Body
becomes like Him, it will never be the Head. Both the Head and the Body are to
be identified together in death (Romans 6:3,6), and so it is in the tomb. Just
as the head was unwrapped so also is the body unwrapped – in the resurrection
(Romans 6:5). Just as the head along with the body went into hell and led
captivity captive, so are we who are the Body to do the same as the Head –
lead all into the captivity of Christ. We need to know ourselves as a Body
unwrapped! When Jesus unwrapped Himself, wonders occurred in the heavenlies. He unwrapped His head, and the key to life was revealed – the keys to the removal of death and hell (Revelation 1:18). His unwrapping was a progressive action. He continued until His whole body was revealed. He is unwrapping all of us even today so that the fullness of Him which we all have (John 1:16) will be seen. When
Jesus unwrapped Himself wonders were seen in the heavenlies. The mystery of all
the ages was revealed (Romans 16:25-26). There were no longer any more seals.
The seven seals of Revelation were opened, because He was worthy to open them
with His resurrection. He removed the seals! As
stated before, the linens were laid in separate places. The Head comes seeking a
resting place and finds it on the Mercy Seat. In the tomb there was an angel at
the top of the bed and one at the foot of the bed (John 20:12). There were also
two angels or Cherubim that covered the Mercy Seat, and they became the Alpha
and Omega as their wings touched. The Head found its resting place in the Mercy
Seat because there was no longer any self-will. John rejoiced that there was One
Who was worthy to open the seals and begin His unwrapping. The unwrapping can
only come from the realm of the fullness, the realm of the Holy of Holies, the
Mercy Seat. Who shall remove the stone from our tomb? It is already done! D.T. or T.D.?
For years we have heard of Thomas, one of the disciples of Jesus. Thomas
has been portrayed by tradition as a disciple who was weak. He is presented to
the church in such a manner that when the disciples are mentioned, the one word
that is always connected with Thomas is “doubting.” In fact, even the
secular world uses the phrase “Doubting Thomas” as a disparagement. To be
called a “Doubting Thomas” is slanderous and a statement that your character
is flawed. Just
how did Thomas get that title “doubting”? Why is such a concept even
considered? Some will say that it came from the Scriptures, and we shall look at
them. But there is nothing that states that in the Scriptures. Man, religious
man, carnal man assumes some things about Thomas. It is the assumptions
that cause the consternation, for these assumptions are not based upon fact but
based upon innuendo, rationalizations, etc. D.T.
or Doubting Thomas needs to be removed from our consciousness. His name was T.D.
or Thomas Didymus. The name “Didymus” means one who is a twin. In fact,
Thomas was not known as Thomas to the disciples but was called Didymus as John
11:16 states: “Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his
fellow disciples, ‘Let us also go, that we may die with him.’” He
was never called Doubting Thomas by the disciples. Why would they call him Twin
(Didymus) when there were no twins in the group? Did they know the other twin?
Were the disciples discerning something about Thomas? That is worth
investigating. But first we must consider the root cause that has been used to call Thomas Didymus a Doubting Thomas. As we turn to the Scriptures, we find that Jesus had already been crucified and removed from the cross. After the resurrection Jesus appeared to the disciples as they cowered in fear of the Jews on the first day of the week (John 20:19-26). Jesus knocked on the door and spoke “Peace” to remove their fears from them. When He had done this Jesus showed them His hands and side. Now
with all fear removed the disciples rejoiced that it was the Lord. The disciples
did not discern the spirituality of the event. They were caught up in the
excitement of seeing the Lord physically. It cannot be determined if they had
realized this was the resurrected Lord or not. They were so excited to see Him,
since they had known Him after the flesh. We know that Jesus appeared to them
with flesh and bone (Luke 24:39) and not flesh and blood. He was a different
Jesus than the one they had known after the flesh, but perhaps in their
excitement the difference was not noticed. “But
Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came,”
John 20:24 states. No one knows
where Thomas was, but when he found out from the others that Jesus had appeared,
he wanted the same experience that the others had. They had the privilege to see
and converse with the Lord. Thomas wanted that too. He was no different than the
rest in that respect. After all, the twelve were bound together by a special
calling. His cry to the other disciples was also a prayer unto the Lord, for he
loved the Lord with all his heart and wished to see him. Thomas
said to the other disciples on hearing that they had seen the Lord, “Unless
I shall see in His hands the imprint of the nails and put my fingers into the
place of the nails and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”
Now, this has been taught in times past, that Thomas had to feel the physical
presence of Jesus to believe and that this was a point of weakness. But he was
asking for nothing less than what the other disciples had already received –
the appearance of Jesus. There
is no reason to suggest that he doubted that the Lord came back to life, but
rather that he did not want to be left out from what they had experienced with
the Lord. He wanted to see what they had seen. He wanted to know what they knew.
He wanted the experience. But then the question is, did he want the exact same
experience or was this a cry for a deeper experience? Perhaps, he wanted to
experience a depth that the other disciples did not receive. Look
again at John 11:14-16. “Jesus therefore said to them plainly ‘Lazarus
is dead, and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may
believe; but let us go to them.’ Thomas therefore, who is called Didymus, said
to his fellow disciples, ‘Let us also go, that we may die with Him.’”
Do you see what is going on here? While Jesus is talking about going to the home of Lazarus and raising
the man from the dead, the other 11 disciples are willing to go along to see
this, but Thomas has a different revelation. He sees past the Lazarus situation
and realizes that Jesus IS the resurrection.
He realizes that Jesus must die and be served for mankind. Thomas gets
the whole revelation here and not just a portion. Thomas realizes that the
disciples must also go and be buried with Him. Tradition states that Thomas died
in India as a martyr and founder of many churches there. Perhaps He truly was
buried with Jesus in that sense. Thomas
had a revelation that Jesus was the resurrection before the resurrection
occurred. Whereas the other disciples were just going to see Jesus perform a
miracle rather than knowing Jesus as the resurrection.
What Thomas saw in Jesus’ going to Lazarus was ultimately the death and
resurrection of Jesus. Even more than that, Thomas therefore grasped that he had
already died in Christ and was risen with Christ now. He knew that if he were
buried with Christ, that is, if he died with Christ, he would be raised. He saw
through the Lazarus story what Jesus was revealing and saw the story behind the
story. In other words he read between the lines of what Jesus was truly saying. Thomas
made the statement to the disciples because they did not hear what the Spirit
was saying to Thomas. He wanted them to hear the real truth that was sounding
within him. His call, “Let us also go,” to the disciples was
for them all to move as one. He did not want to go alone. That is, he did not
want to experience this without the others so that their joy could be full with
his. He knew it would take all of them to establish what was just made real to
him. He needed the corporate expression but wanted to individually partake of
it, too. By
the same token, when Jesus came to the others without Thomas being there, Thomas
wanted to experience what they had because he had a vision of the corporate. He
knew that every part of the Body had to attain, and he wanted to see Jesus. He
remembered what he heard with Lazarus, and he wanted to make sure he had a part
in it. He knew about the burial and resurrection and was excited to see the
marks in the Lord because of what it meant to him spiritually. The others were
excited to see the Lord, but Thomas saw behind the man Jesus to much more and
was greatly encouraged. Some will say to me that in John 14:5 Thomas says:
“Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?”
and that it is obvious that he was misled and didn’t fully understand what he
saw at Lazarus’ resurrection. Perhaps we need to look carefully at the
Scripture. In John 14:1-4 Jesus makes a statement in response to Thomas’
question and is kind. He answers his question with just two verses. But when
Jesus finishes and Philip asks a question in verse 8, note the harsh answer that
Jesus gives “…how long have you been with me and you have not come to
know me, Philip?” The Lord
spends six verses answering Philip. Isn’t this much different than the calm,
kind answer to Thomas? Again Thomas was asking a question behind the question. That is why he received the kind answer. Philip was looking on the natural situation, viewing with the jaundiced eye of carnality. Thomas realized the Lord was talking spiritually. Thomas wanted to be identified with the Lord of Glory. Jesus’ answer in stating, “I am the way…” enabled Thomas to see that he had to have his life hid with God in Christ. Thomas realized and understood that if one (in his case himself, Thomas) did not become the way, he would not see the Father. Thomas heard the thunder of the Spirit and asked to know the way. Jesus states to Thomas that He is the Way so that the others can also hear! Just as Thomas tried to tell the disciples the meaning of burial at the time of Lazarus, now Thomas is trying to help the disciples to see Jesus as the Way. But it is obvious that Philip and the others did not grasp it. And when Jesus answers Thomas, He gives him more than what He even asked by answering that He was also the Truth and the Life. Ask and you shall receive, pressed down and shaken together (Luke 6:38). Thomas received much to his excellent question. He was not in doubting or in ignorance. Thomas knew Jesus as the Way and was one with Him, but
Philip and the others still did not grasp that and that is why they asked Jesus
to “show us the Father.” Thomas was far more spiritual than the others and
was able to see into the depth of the Lord’s words. How many Christians today
hear the opening words of John 14:1-3 and think of a personal mansion in the sky
somewhere? Those that do are like Philip and fail to understand the depth of the
word. For the corporate Body, made up of individual saints, is the mansion, and
each individual mansion or each personal saint is made up of the Christ that
someone else placed in them. He who edifies one in the Lord or builds another up
in the faith will himself be built up; thus the corporate and individual are
complete at once. Thomas saw this and understood, but Philip and the others were
not on the same level of understanding. So, Thomas was not there when the Lord came, but the
Lord heard Thomas’ desire, and eight days later reappears when Thomas is
there. For seven days Thomas could not change his mind. He wanted to find the
Lord. He wanted to meet the Lord. Eight is the number of new beginnings in
Scripture. Thomas waited patiently because he wanted to see this new man that
came forth from the grave. The others were excited to see Jesus. Thomas had a
different expectation. He was expecting flesh and bone and wanted to experience
it. Thomas
wanted to touch the Lord. Why? He wanted to feel the finished work of God.
He wanted to experience the finished work of the cross and resurrection. He
wanted to know all that he could of what he realized at the raising of Lazarus.
Jesus knew what was in Thomas, and that is why He returned. He returned just for
Thomas. What a personal Savior, what a lover of our soul He is! Just for Thomas
He came. Oh, others would be blessed, but He came for Thomas to have life and
not blessings. Why? Why did Jesus come for Thomas? Jesus wanted to see his twin! We are to become one with Christ. He is the Alpha and we are to be the Omega. We are bone of His bone and flesh of His flesh. We are His Body. We in essence are His twin! As Eve was made to re-enter Adam, and Adam was made to enter into God, even so the church was made to be married to Christ. All are to be one. Did not Jesus say the same in John 17:21? We are twins with Him in the sense that our ideals, aspirations, desires are the same! Thomas was of one mind – Christ’s. T.D. not D.T is the truth of it all. Thomas’ twinship was between him and Christ. So, Jesus came to the same room and revealed Himself
to Thomas. Jesus commanded Thomas to touch His hands and reach into His side.
Thomas did not merely touch the side of the Lord. No, Thomas placed his hand
into the side of the Lord. His hand didn’t go in just a little, but it went as
far as it could. He went into the wound and found no blood – just as he had
thought. He reached in until he felt the Life itself. He knew that this was the
victory that was wrought for himself and others. Thomas rejoiced at seeing the
Lord, not the one he knew after the flesh, but the one he knew after the Spirit,
that he saw before they went to Lazarus’. As they faced each other eye-to-eye Thomas’ response
was, “My Lord and my God,” signifying Thomas understood the
revelation of Jesus as Lord and God. If
one were to see Thomas thereafter, one would see his Lord and God emanating from
his being, for they were one. Thomas
saw the finished work. Jesus removed the veil of flesh and the wrapper to show
all of Himself. Thomas’ joy knew no bounds. He knew that he could
conquer all things through Christ because of the union he felt with the Lord. He
had reached in because he had felt the liberty to do so. He reached in in faith,
and out of the knowledge of what was supposed to occur, he sought the finished
product. There was no doubt in Thomas. He was walking by faith from the time of
Lazarus, and now he saw his faith fulfilled and the reality standing before him. How many of the brethren sought to be disciples before
the Lord? Many. Yet, out of the twelve there were only a few who completely
identified with the Lord. And there was only one before the time of the Lord’s
death and resurrection and after the resurrection that sought out the Lord to
experience what the others did not see. Thomas was not trying to be unsightly in touching the
Lord. Do you think our Lord would let someone touch Him if He didn’t want to?
Didn’t our Lord rebuke Mary from touching Him (John 20:17)? Why did our Lord
permit Thomas to do such? Only a brother, an intimate friend, would permit such
or would suggest for someone to feel their pain, even their life, even their
victory! Jesus wanted Thomas to be included in the victory He wrought in His
resurrection. While others mingled about as onlookers, Thomas stepped forward
readily and gladly partook experientially of the finished work of Jesus. On the cross water and blood came out of the side of
Jesus. In the natural that is a physical sign of congestive heart failure. In
the Spirit it is a sign of the Lord. For the water speaks of the Spirit and the
blood speaks of Life. His words are Spirit and Life (John 6:63). He was the Word
of God made manifest in the flesh, and He is sown in us (Luke 8:11). Thomas
wanted the fullness of that experience.
I believe that the Scriptures are inspired of God and that every
Scripture, every word in every sentence, is placed in a particular way. Ivan
Panin, who became president of Harvard in his twenties, proved that the New
Testament is a numerically ordered book and that numerical patterns exist. Since
each letter in the Greek makes up a number, this is a very interesting fact.
Thus, every letter in every word was placed that way for a reason in a chosen
order. I state this because we find in Matthew 10 a listing of the disciples. We
find that Thomas is listed as the seventh. This was in the order of their
calling. But in John 21 after the resurrection, Jesus revealed Himself again to
the disciples and the order is: “Simon Peter and Thomas, who is called
Didymus.” Now Thomas is number two. This is not a small thing.
For we know the special calling of John and Peter.
But the Spirit places Thomas right up there also, for he understood the
mysteries that were hidden to others. Didymus knew he was a twin. He knew he was
like his Brother. He knew he was called to follow his Brother. He knew he was to
walk in the burial and resurrection of his Brother. He rejoiced that he found
his spiritual twin Brother. Thomas rejoiced that he knew his Brother, not after
the flesh but after the Spirit, after the resurrection.
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