RECONCILIATION
January 2010

And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. 2 Corinthians 5:18-21

It seems to me that the impact of the above scripture may not entirely be understood by many believers. We actually become and are the righteousness of God in Christ. We have been reconciled to God the Father through Jesus the Christ. We are made one with Him, in Him and of Him. I think it’s too much for the mind to grasp. One thinks, “I’m sitting here at my desk, and I don’t understand how I can be IN and ONE WITH Christ.” However His Word says it is so, therefore we know it is true. Unlike many of us, He means what He says. That is like the Word in Ephesians 2:4-6: But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. People tend not to actually believe this because they see themselves at home or at work, but not in heavenly places in Christ. It is the Spirit of God within that prompts us to immediately believe and know the truth of the Word that we hear or read, and without that Spirit, this Word is not ingested as Truth. It passes right by us, and we do not become a partaker of its Life.

The Holy Spirit was sent at Pentecost to reveal God’s Word to us. Without having received the earnest of the Spirit, it is difficult, perhaps not possible, to hear and understand His Word. One should realize that while all believers have experienced the Feast of Passover, represented in the Temple by the Outer Court with its laver and altar of burnt offerings, many of these same people have not experienced walking through Pentecost, represented in the Temple as the Holy Place. I hear talk about “walking in Holiness”, but I don’t think I see much of that. Most churches teach that one receives the Holy Spirit at the time of conversion to Christ. Well, to be sure, one is not converted apart from the work of the Holy Spirit. However, let’s look at the Word of God. The Word shows us that Passover is the time of accepting the death of our Lord Jesus the Christ, and His subsequent resurrection to life, as substitutionary for us, having paid the price we owe for our debt. This requires repentance, turning away from our own ways, and receiving forgiveness from Christ, which in His mercy, He will gladly give. When we acknowledge His payment for our debt, we die in Him, and are resurrected in Him. This is “reckoned” to us as payment in full for our debt, a very exact accounting term. He imputes His righteousness to us, and we are justified, the price having been paid by His blood. We have walked through Passover and His resurrection from the dead. Now it is not we who live, but Christ Jesus lives within us. Colossians 2:20: I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. It’s not only His life, it is also His faith. He does it all. Struggle not, friend. Trust Him who is trustworthy.

Fifty days later, He sent His Holy Spirit at the Feast of Pentecost. The church is full of believers who have passed through the Feast of Passover with grief and tears, to emerge joyful and triumphant. But they will not put even their baby toe into Pentecost.

Pentecost, often called the Baptism in or with the Holy Spirit, is essential for hearing and understanding the Word of God, essential to growing in the knowledge of the things of God. Pentecost is difficult partly because there’s so much baggage carried along by abuses. Baptists won’t touch it, but they’re not alone. Set aside problems you may have seen in today’s Pentecostal church denominations; just think about God the Word, and His Spirit. We receive only an earnest of His Spirit, but it is sufficient for now. We must walk through this Feast in order to more clearly know the mind and will of God. Receiving the anointing of the Holy Spirit will change your life, and open your heart and mind to more of God. Once we’ve received this earnest of the Spirit, the fire also comes in earnest. Well, do you want that fire now? Or would you prefer to wait to receive a tougher correction after the general resurrection from the dead at the great White Throne judgment? I prefer the fire, now. I’ll take all the fire I can get, because it represents His Word/Law/Truth. We need the purifying and purging the fire brings. We need to know His Mind to be in agreement with Him. This tribulation is His doing for our own good and His.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:8-10. This purging, cleansing and changing is His work in us. We can’t make ourselves holy or righteous. We can’t understand His Word by sheer will power or by study alone; it is His work within us, by the power and might of His Spirit, that we understand or do anything. His work. Not ours. We are His workmanship. That’s a huge relief, is it not? We don’t have to worry or strive. It would be in vain. He has already ordained that we should walk in these good works (verse 10 above). It’s all His doing. Paul says that He works within us in order that we may be filled with all the fullness of God: That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. Ephesians 3:16-21.

His power, through His Holy Spirit, works in us. Now, being enabled to walk closely with Him in your life, longing to study and know His Word, learning to live with His Life and to love with His Love, walking in His Light, we begin to move towards the third and final Feast of Tabernacles. We must pass through Pentecost before we can approach the Feast of Tabernacles.

Philippians 3:7-16: But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

The high calling of God in Christ Jesus to which Paul refers above is not salvation, as some teach; rather, this high calling is the first resurrection from the dead, wherein the manifest Sons of God will be resurrected at the beginning of the Kingdom Age to become the body of the Head who is Christ. Together with Him they will rule in the Kingdom Age on the throne of David, which is the throne of God. Some call these believers the remnant, or the overcomers. We don’t know who they are, but permit me to assume that they would include Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David, Elijah, Elisha, Paul, John and the other apostles, among the thousands, as well as believers from throughout the ages even to today.

I feel, like Paul, that although I do not count myself as already having been apprehended for such a calling, I am pressing on toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. He says that we who are perfect (believers, through the work of our Savior) should be thus minded. Those who are apprehended for this overcomer calling will be entering into the Tabernacles experience first. The rest will await the second, general resurrection of the just and the unjust after the Kingdom Age, at which time they too will receive their immortal bodies (after some stripes/fire/law/judgment if necessary) and become one with the King. These believers, too, will have passed through the Outer Court for cleansing, the Holy Place with the fire of His Word, and will be entering the Holy of Holies wherein is the presence of God.

The temple is a picture of our bodies, also, wherein resides the King. Very briefly, the Outer Court with the laver for washing and the alter for burnt offerings is represented by Passover (barley harvest), where our spirit receives resurrection life in Christ. The Holy Place, where we come into agreement with Him through His Word/Law (the fire) is represented by Pentecost (wheat harvest) where we receive sanctification within our mind/life/soul/heart (Heb: nephesh), being reconciled to God in our thinking and attitudes, our inner man. And The Holy of Holies, the presence of God, is represented by the Feast of Tabernacles (grape harvest), wherein our bodies are glorified with and in Him, being the completion of the full reconciliation to Him.

Colossians 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; and, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

He has created all things and by Him all things consist. Paul says He will reconcile all things unto Himself, whether things in earth or things in heaven, because all things are of Him. Some believers don’t want to accept the all things. Many don’t want Him to reconcile the really bad guys Others want Him to reconcile true Israel only (not the Zionist Jews, who represent Edom today). He says He’s going to reconcile all things in earth, things under the earth, or things in heaven. All things. Philippians 2:10: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth. Every knee will bow to our glorious Savior and King. Isaiah 45:5-7 says, I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me…. I am the LORD, and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things. The evil He has created is part of His great plan and purpose, and part of His all things. Our God is just and righteous. He is not like us, and does not think like us. His rewards are not the same for everyone, and His callings are not the same. Races, nations, and individual people have different purposes and functions in His plan. We think too small. Our God is big, very big. His Light puts out the darkness. He overcomes evil with good.

This writer also was in darkness, and was not seeking Him. I did not believe He is. By His Spirit He apprehended me, and His light put out the darkness. I resisted, but He is persistent. He wins. We will all “melt” in His presence when He reveals Himself. None can resist Him. None will want to resist Him. Think of Paul, who many knew as the persecutor of that time. A zealous Attorney General appointed by the Sanhedrin, he requested to be sent to prosecute Christians. Paul was melted with one flash of revealing Light, and changed in an instant by the mercy and grace of a loving Almighty God through His son, our Savior and Redeemer, who intends to reconcile all things to Himself.

We need to let go and accept the utter, complete and absolute sovereignty of our God, who is dealing with minds too small to understand the magnitude of His mind and His plans. He intends to reconcile all of His creation to Himself. He plans to restore the earth as it was before the fall of Adam man. He said it was all very good. He plans to have Adam man, and more specifically, I believe, Israel (not the "Jews"), rule creation with Him in love. This time, we will know good and evil, but will have chosen to serve our King in righteousness, and will be one with Him. Don’t be holding on to the humanistic world value of “we’re all equal.” We may all be equal before the Judge who can read our hearts, but we are not all created equal in our callings, functions, purposes, talents or opportunities. In fact we are all unique, as are His rewards. His mind is not small as is ours.

1 Corinthians 15: 20: But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ, the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet… And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

We are facing the last days of our once great Constitutional Republic. This nation was man’s last effort to “do our own thing.” That’s always the desire of a rebellious people. The Constitution was not the problem: the problem has always been the fallen nature of man, including an insatiable greed for money and power. If we have a revolution and begin again, we will fail again for the same reasons. Man is unable to rule himself righteously, even though his original intentions may be honorable. Those who try to remain true to Biblical principles (Law) are pushed out by those whose do not. Many give up because the stench of wickedness is too vile. Many are killed. We don’t need to begin again with men who will ultimately fall short, or who will be taken over by the wicked as now. Moreover, our financial debt, created by deception and fraud, is so great worldwide, that it is impossible to pay. We are lost, we are destroyed. We need a Kinsman Redeemer and a Righteous Ruler, and there is but One, our Savior, our King, Yahshua.

We must appeal to our merciful King, our kinsman, for a Jubilee. We who have become slaves to Mystery Babylon need liberation and reconciliation to our own families and land to serve our own King in His Kingdom. And that, in fact, is His plan.

Watch now for evidence of the two witnesses, probably two groups this time, rather than two men, who will represent the Law and the Prophets. These will witness worldwide of His Kingdom and the love and mercy of our Lord and Savior. Watch for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit to accompany this ministry. Pray that you may be a part of it.

May our Holy God enrich your life with His Peace and Truth in the coming days.

Faith