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"Conversations" THE MYSTERY OF GLORY ON FLESHReflections on the New U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem and the Triumphal Entry (with Special Commentary on the Two-fold Dynamic of a Move of God)
Hello Circle, I
want to forward on some comments from our friend and sister
Janell about the new US embassy in Jerusalem, and then add
some of my own. This is a truly significant historic event,
but not for the reasons it would appear to be so.....
------ Original Message ------ Hello
Chris,
I agree with Janell and would encourage any who are unfamiliar with the Israel Treatises at the website to dig into them. As we move toward the end of this age in earnest, issues surrounding Israel as we see it are going to become more and more pronounced. Jerusalem will become more and more of a "burdensome stone" for all peoples (Zec. 12:3). The 70th anniversary celebration should come as no surprise, while the US embassy move provides added intrigue to what God is doing (or not). The question is, how do we best understand what is happening? The ability to answer this question with spiritual wisdom will be one more hallmark divider between wise and foolish virgins at the Lord's appearing.
As with everything, there are two ways to look at things. The first is to rejoice in the visible appearances--the rejoicing Janell is commenting about which is capturing the mainstream evangelical and prophetic hearts. The second is to oppositely conclude that being a visible fleshly event means it can only be a lie, the work of satan, the preparing for the man of sin to set up his throne in Jerusalem, etc. After all, we know the true Israel is spiritual and that the fleshly Israel as it exists today was originally set up largely by atheists using carnal means (including terrorism), etc.
The Mystery of Glory on Flesh All this comes down to the mystery of the divine interaction of
God's glory with rebellious flesh. Wherever God's glory
intersects with visible human flesh there is always going to
be a clash of realities and a troubling outworking of heart
in negotiating sound wisdom for rightly dividing God's true
heart and Mind behind His actions. In fact I would dare say
that the life of this ministry has been fashioned over the
relentless search for just such wisdom at such times. To
every reader and all observers, I would always encourage
above all, do
not
be hasty in your conclusions! Never say it is "all" this or
"all" that.
The mystery of God's outpouring of glory upon all flesh is never an "all" this or that. It is never a clearly definable polarity. When it comes to the glory, if there is an "always," it is that there is always a mystery of outworking requiring discerning perception between the lines of what God (or satan) appears to be doing. There is "always' an intertwined double helix. (Please review the section II. Wheat and Tares: The Superimposing of Spiritual Forces on Human Events from the article On Whose Side Is God?)
We have seen this over and over and over as we watch one phenomenon after another pass us by. We saw this clash for instance 10 years ago with the Lakeland Revival. Those of you on the Circle at that time remember the extensive outworking we passed through daily in search for discernment. (And we came away rewarded, I will add.) But the same remains true regarding human events, including events surrounding Israel. This mysterious clash is no more evident than in the Psalms and the Old Testament prophets themselves, where we witness a torturous intertwine of conflicting phrases in which God is both for and against the people of Israel at the same time!
The issues of God's glory interacting with human events forms the
grist for the clash between culture prophets and ministries
like this one dedicated to identity severance from
allegiances to the world in pursuit of the eternal. Culture
prophets, for instance, supported by a certain strain of
divine glory, basically "prophesied" Donald Trump into
office as "Cyrus" the deliverer. And superficially to some
degree, Trump has met with some remarkable successes that
have pepped up things in America (despite the debauchery
inherent in his leadership), including this move of the
embassy to Jerusalem. These things are undeniable.
But as a perceptive wilderness ministry, we also warned that even if Trump were to meet with some superficial success, it was not going to change the bent of world history or the coming demise of America. (And of course, none of this "success" accounts for all the years the culture prophets got it "wrong" throughout the 2000s while wilderness prophets continued to rightly prophesy of increasing darkness to come--nor for the fact that the final man of sin will also meet with great initial successes to get to where he gets to on the world stage!)
Here is the thing. God's glory is not on the side of the culture prophets or of wilderness prophets (like me). God's glory is on the side of God's glory. This is what the captain of the hosts made clear to Joshua. God will do what God is going to do for His Name's sake and for His glory's purpose. But it is going to involve interaction with flesh which He has no Mind to glorify and He doesn't want us to glorify, though the flesh will automatically awake to start glorifying and prophesying to itself and reinforcing its own values and reference points whenever God acts and moves upon it—which is what culture prophets are all about. (Meanwhile most wilderness prophets will erroneously deny God is doing anything because it is so flesh tainted.)
So—getting back to the original topic--if we are talking about Israel for instance, let's get it straight: God's glory "counter-intelligently" moved upon an atheistic people to move them back to Israel to set up a new Jewish state under reluctant auspices of world powers. Isaiah 43 prophesied this would happen and we thoroughly expounded on this in the Treatises. And now, 70 years since "statehood" (a gentile term), we are seeing some more glory at work. But what you see is not what you get! These divine moves, whether on Trump in America or in Israel, do not communicate God's real Mind on what He is doing! And that is where the real discernment comes in and where God divides the wise from the foolish prophets, intercessors and virgins.
If we want to be wise, we will have the wisdom to recognize when God's glory is in action, but also that it is not towards the ends the flesh has in mind when the glory shows up to act upon it ("Make Israel Great Again"). Do not be fooled to think that the divine act behind the move of this embassy has anything to do with what everyone who participated in that move thinks it signifies about the "glory of Israel." Because in just another short season, all that apparent "glory" is going to go down the tubes when the real trial begins. What appears to be such a "glorious" thing in this embassy move is only part of the setting up of the divine courtroom in which all the peoples of the earth are going to be put on trial for the crucifixion of the Son of God. (Again, you can read all about this in parts 13 - 15 of A Transcendent Presentation of Israel.)
Again, I can't stress this enough. Just because you rightly prophesy that a certain culture event is going to happen does not mean you have the Mind of God on it if your heart is also bound up in that culture. If your heart is bound up in the flesh, and you "rightly" prophesy that God is going to act such and such a way upon your flesh, then when you boast about the rightness of your prophecy, you will have certified yourself as deceived by God under a lying sign and wonder. You are a Balaam. And that is what happens in the culture prophetic camp every time they are "right" (forgetting how many times they are "wrong"). But therein lies the mystery of God's glory in action upon human flesh.
He's the Glory and the Sifter of My Heart: Reviewing the Triumphal Entry There are so many other pictures I would like to re-visit that explain to us this mystery of the glory acting on the flesh. There's the picture of Judas under the anointing, the precursor to the man of sin who does real works of God under a false persona. There's the mystery of the two seeds, of Christ and anti-christ, struggling to be born from within the same womb of glory. There's the picture of the Rev. 12 woman under glory yet surrounded by the dragon who her glory will never defeat, who ends up getting "kicked" out into the wilderness once the wise ones are born up and out of her. There's the truth about the deception that occurs when the Holy Spirit falls upon the church of Laodicea. (And then there's all the exhortations on the hidden, the branded and the undistracted hearing of God behind and between the lines of all the "prophecies" by which we discern these mysteries.) I strongly encourage everyone to read again the articles linked to these thoughts. They all say the same thing from different perspectives.
But the illustration I really want to close out this article with is the Triumphal Entry. The Triumphal Entry gives us one of the best all around pictures of genuine glory operating on a fleshly people while informing us of the real Heart of God underneath and behind the event. This story amazingly accounts for both the culture prophets and the prophetic wilderness pharisees.
It was the glory of God for the very son of God to ride triumphantly into the capital city of the kingdom, to be hailed as the messiah and king come to deliver Israel once and for all. In fact this was no culture prophecy. The Old Testament had prophesied it. It was bona fide word of God. And every culture-hearted prophet would have embraced this prophecy and drummed it up at the very event as it was unfolding.
So what did you have? There were literally thousands of people hailing Jesus as the coming King, all in fulfilment of this very thing. A wave of the glory of God was riding upon a sea of outright flesh. Reporters from Charisma and Christianity Today were all on hand to write up the event and interview the throng. The entire crowd was made up of prophetic intercessory worshippers--all with heart geared on the natural hopes and the carnal fulfilment of the true word of God.
Oppositely, you had the wilderness pharisees that totally denied that this was the "glory" of God or fulfilment of any true word at all! "This people who know not the law are accursed!" That was their attitude. And they put Jesus to the test to get Him to shut up the crowd. "Stop this worship, Lord! Stop all this banner waving and dancing. It's all a bunch of hype. It's all emotionalism. You're not about hype, Lord!"
But the real question between the crowds and the pharisees, and between the culture prophets and the wilderness prophets was, where was the Lord's real heart??
His answer to the pharisees was, "I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!" Jesus doesn't like it when the glory is falling and wilderness prophets want to shut up the praises of the fleshly crowds. (Hear this fellow wilderness worshippers!)
But the answer in Jesus' heart to the fleshly crowds enthralled in all the glory was,
"If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation." His heart was totally opposite to what the glory appeared to be indicating.
Jesus knew the praise of the crowds wasn't the real deal. It was not of His real heart. He knew He was witnessing real glory, but upon unreal flesh. He didn't want it shut down. It was God. It was His Father doing this! But it didn't impress Him. He didn't soak it in as an earthly monarch would have. He wasn't fooled. Instead, it made him cry! He knew that in just a matter of days all these throngs were going to be yelling "Crucify Hin, Crucify Him!" (And He knows what 's really coming by this embassy move now.)
But this is the mystery of glory upon flesh....There is always a real heart behind the glory that is not reflected by the appearance of the glory. Does everyone understand this? Are you tracking with me? We want to know what is the divine heart behind the glory, not, what is the appearance of the glory saying through everyone prophesying about it?
If you saw glory in Israel this week at the christening of the new embassy, did you inquire about the heart of God behind it, or did you go for the appearance? And if you think you have been seeing some glory in America lately stirring (and there is--at least up here in New England), have you inquired about the heart of God behind it, or are you going for the appearance? God loves banners, but what if His heart isn't in the banners (or in the wind, earthquake and fire)? And God may love Trump, but do you really think He loves Him the way the crowds and the politcos at Fox News do?? And do you really think you know what you're prophesying about?
&&&&&&&&&&
The word I have shared with you today keying off of Janell's comments stems from three words the Lord has deeply etched into my spirit at this season:
1. Don't take ownership of My burden. 2. Stay teachable and correctable. 3. Do not be perplexed by anything you see Me do.
And so this article reflects my commitment to these solemn words of warning and instruction. I earnestly desire to be found at last in the camp of the wise, and not of the foolish.
May you be found there also, and may we all meet together on Mt. Zion behind the Lamb, whithersoever He goes.
Love in the faith, Chris
Anderson - a ministry of Anglemar Fellowship http://www.firstloveministry.org 5/18 Special Commentary on the Two-fold Dynamic of a Move of God
------ Original Message ------
I spent some time reviewing the various articles and comments about The Glory of God and living Circumspectly, particularly your comments on the Glory of God and Human flesh on the May 24 article.
What amazed me was how much the comments had to do with Israel and prophecy versus the issue of living circumspectly and truly seeing the heart of the Father. Is it not so true of us that we spend our time "trying to figure God out"....rather than focusing on living out the life of God in our daily lives, not that we are to be ignorant of His ways and works among us and His plan and purpose.
As God moves here in Washington State once again and the Glory is poured out in various ways, the question of how then shall I live continues to be the focus of my heart as well as seeking to understand the context in which my life is going to be lived out in relationship to Him. Do I seek His Glory being poured out for the sake of "the glory"? Do I run wherever the "cloud" is? Do I forsake all for times "in the Glory?" Many questions.......what is my place, my part in His plan and purpose in the outpouring of His Glory upon us folk here in Lewis County Washington? Is it about the local congregation that He is pouring his Glory out at or is it something so much bigger?
These are things I long to hear the brethren talk about locally and yet it seems there is so much of other matters on the mind....how to expand the parking lot to hold the possible increase in people attending services where the Glory of God is being poured out.....how do we staff the nursery and find teachers for various Sunday school classes as young folk come in as their parents come to experience the Glory and have that thirst in their soul satisfied? I realize these are perhaps necessities that are part of the "wall" that God would build around his people to equip them to become what God purposes. Yet are we really comprehending what God is purposing among us?
I see people so caught up in the excitement like on the day of the triumphal entry that I wonder if they are longing to be prepared for the day ahead...are they being equipped to stand when the state removes tax exemption from the church, when the Internet collapses, when our power grid fails....are they equipped to stand in Washington State when the rebellion of our state leadership begins to see response from our Heavenly Father and the participants in the Pride parade and Summer Solstice find that what they have been participating in is the manifestation that the rising tide of Islam is preparing to come against and destroy at it's roots? Are we ready to have the resentments that forever manifest among congregations exposed, forgiven and relationships restored? what of the roots of our own congregations and the lies and thievery upon which many church buildings were built with the poor and the needy fleeced?
It still seems like we are more about international and national prophecy...than dealing with local congregations, our lives in our families, and what God wants to work at the grass roots level so that He can have a people who will stand when the grass is burned and there are no figs on the trees and no cattle in the field, who will stand manifesting the very nature and works of the Lord God Himself?
Meri Ford
[my response] OK....I appreciate this discussion....the points about the distraction of dealing with infrastructure as God begins to move, and then about what's really going on in the people underneath this move. We are experiencing the exact same issue right now in the Providence area. We are seeing a more intensified Presence of the Lord starting to bring multitudes into the church, plus we have a major evangelistic crusade building up a strong intercessory fire involving street witnessing to thousands of people, something never seen in this area before ever.
Regarding both the infrastructure issues and the attitude issues I want to point out that God works in "twos." Let's start with infrastructure.
Any time God pours out new wine, there has to be a wineskin to hold it and channel it. We have to recognize the relationship between the wine and wineskin issues. This is something God has provided for from the beginning. In the beginning, with the tabernacle, there were priests, and then there were Levites. Priests did the "Mary" work of the worship and sacrifices. Levites did the "Martha" work of the nuts and bolts preparations of the articles and utensils and what goes where here and there.....The priests ministered to the Presence. The Levites ministered to the infrastructure and the crowds.
Later, in the New Testament, God provides for the same breakdown in the spiritual tabernacle. He ordains the elders to minister to the core wine issues of the Spirit through devotion to the word and to prayer. And He ordains deacons to minister to the infrastructural wineskin issues attending to the service of the natural needs of the people in conjunction with the pouring out of the wine. Recognizing the place of these two functions is important for stewarding a move of the Lord. Leaders stewarding the wine have to resist getting distracted by wineskin issues. Too many elders including pastors really function as deacons and Levites. They start focusing on the building and the parking lot. And we are dealing with that here as well. But so we have to trust God to govern in balancing the stewardship of His moves. If in doubt, always realign with the word and with prayer, and then work outward again. This is a word for anybody in leadership right now where a move of the Lord is starting to manifest.
Now about the attitudes. There are always going to be two kinds of attitudes going on in conjunction with a move of the Lord as well. There are going to be the hungry and there are going to be the curious. There are going to be the desperate and there are going to be the fad followers. It's unavoidable, and God made provision for this too. Back to the tabernacle again. The tabernacle was structured in twos. There is an inner building, and there is an outer court. The inner building, the holy place, the tabernacle proper, is the place where the hungry and the desperate draw near to God in conjunction with the ministry of the priests. The outer court on the other hand is for the curious and the fad followers. They are the people who always sit in the back and watch. They have come for the show and to be able to say they were there, and took a selfie of it. So there are actually two competing energies that will always accompany a move of the Lord. There will be the energy of the Lord Himself at the center. And there will be the natural social energy of the outer court buzzing with vanity.
The challenge is again for leaders under the move to recognize the two. The outer court will always have more people flocking to the show. And the inner building will have fewer but real hungry and desperate people crying out for God. This is why it is inappropriate to "judge" a move by the numbers of people in the outer court, whether for or against. Carnal people look at the big numbers and say, "What a great move of God." Wilderness prophets look at the big numbers and say, "See, just another fad." We have to look to the inner building under the glory to appreciate its reality for us, and forget about the outer court deficiencies. They will always be there.
This dual spiritual reality comes down to us through the ministry of Jesus and then to the church. Jesus had an outer court ministry to the masses in parables. And He had an inner building ministry to disciples. He ministered to both, but focused on His inner building. When He said He was going to build His church, He was talking about building / making disciples. He called Peter a "rock." By contrast, the outer court masses served as "sand." Jesus said you build on rock, not on sand, if you want to build wisely. If God's glory is on you, expect the masses to follow, but don't build on them. Minister to them, but don't build on them. The problem with modern moves of glory is that they don't last because leaders don't move from ministering to the numbers to building the few under the glory that will become disciples. So the move builds on sand, then folds, with nothing much left behind after it blows over, (except maybe a new building with massive debt). And the same thing will happen whenever times get hard. The sand castle builders will always see the work fall apart by the waves. But the rocks, the real disciples, will make it.
This same dynamic followed into the church at Pentecost. The apostles knew it was their job to build disciples, but they had to deal with masses and their issues. So here is where we see the connect between the two kinds of followers and two kinds of ministry to accommodate God's move. Deacons and Levites are designed to handle outer court parking lot issues brought on by the masses while elders and priests are designed to handle inner disciple making issues among the hungry and desperate in small venues through devotion to the word and to prayer.
Jesus gives the parable about the net which catches the multitude of fish which then have to be sorted and the bad fish thrown back out. Again, the same division. Masses versus the chosen. And this just goes on and cycles around all the time. It is the way of God. Who can argue with it? But we have to discern it. Evangelists brings all kinds of people in, often on deficient gospel messages. ("God has a wonderful plan for your life." Who wouldn't respond to that gospel?) But then apostles and prophets cull out looking for disciples that will last and who will endure to the end and can pay the prices necessary for the proven lasting salvation of new birth.
One last thing. Under the glory, you are also going to have the true and the false. We've talked quite a bit about this. There will be Christ in the move, and then there will be antichrist in the move (like Judas). And God's Spirit will always be trying the hearts under the move saying, what do you really want here? Because I'll give you what you want. If you want Christ, I will give you Christ. And if you want a delusion, I will give you a delusion. I will let you have antichrist. (And we all know who the end time masses under the glory will finally get....)
And so it is and so it shall be as the glory rises to cover not just a local assembly, but an entire region such as we are beginning to see here in our area. So my advice is, yes, walk circumspectly under the glory as you start to witness it anywhere and come into range of it. Know what you want. Be sure you want the Lord. Be sure you are hungry and desperate. Be sure to give yourself to prayer and the word. And that is what you will get. And I know that's what the readers on this Circle want. You are all disciples. You aren't outer court people. But just don't get distracted by the fact that there is and always will be an outer court that's larger than the inner remnant building, and don't let the fact that Levite and deacon infrastructure issues have to be addressed to accommodate the masses get you down or interfere with your own ability to focus on the inner building, the holy place, and of course, your own innermost holy of holies before the Lord.
May these few thoughts help us all cope better wherever and whenever we begin to come into proximity to the glory of God moving upon "all flesh." Chris Anderson New Meadow Neck, Rhode Island First Love Ministry - a ministry of Anglemar Fellowship http://www.firstloveministry.org 6/18 BACK TO TOP Page created January 18, 2019 |