KINGDOM BIBLE STUDIES
studies in end-time revelation
THE HEAVENS DECLARE
Part 13
LIBRA- THE SCALES
In this Study we come to the third and final minor constellation, or group of stars, which surrounds and completes the Sign of Libra. This constellation is known as CORONA BOREALIS--the Northern Crown---or simply, the Crown. It is a lovely semicircle of twenty-one stars, most of which are of the white, twinkling kind, so that the crown is fully jeweled. This beautiful crescent is right overhead in the early summer sky. The Hebrew name for Corona is ATARAH, meaning "Royal Crown.' In Arabic, its name is AL ICLIL, meaning 'an ornament' or 'jewel.' This star name is found a number of times in the Old Testament, but Isa. 28:5 is one of the most significant references to the most perfect of all royal diadems: 'In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a CROWN (Atarah) OF GLORY, and for a DIADEM OF BEAUTY, unto the residue of His people.' Here we are shown the great truth that the 'crown of glory' and the 'diadem of beauty" of the elect of God is just the Lord Himself--THE INDEWELLING SPIRIT OF LIFE.
It is interesting to note that each sign, each mansion, each house of the Zodiac ends its final Decan with one of surpassing glory, one of resounding victory, one of eternal triumph either for Christ the Head, Christ the body, or for the whole race of mankind! In the same way we see that the Bible and the book of Revelation end with the great triumph and. victory of our Lord Jesus Christ and His Kingdom. In the house of LIBRA which we are now considering, the Sign means "the scales." The scales are not balanced--one side is high and the other is low--revealing an imbalance, deficiency, lack. It is the picture of man, weighed in the balances and found wanting; man missing the mark; man lacking a little from Elohim; man face to face with divine justice weighing the demerits and awards of self, sin, carnality and death on the one hand, and the commensurate price and infinite power of redemption and restoration on the other. In our journey from the natural to the spiritual realm we are continually faced with our dreadful sense of LACK and the need to apprehend the necessary restoration to WHOLENESS IN GOD. This profound sense of lack, with the corresponding dealings of God to meet that deficiency and bring our state of being into completeness and balance, is wrought out under the spiritual influences signified by the Sign of Libra, the place of weighing.
In solemn truth this process of restoration is wondrously wrought out along the precise lines dramatically revealed in the three Decans of Libra: the CROSS, the VICTIM, and the CROWN. The cross is the transition point by which we die to this carnal realm and are made alive unto God. There is a new consciousness of life from a heavenly source--"born of the Spirit." This new reality of spiritual life establishes our identity as sons of God. The cross withers the old consciousness, and the Holy Spirit imparts the new. The cross is the sword, in the hand of the Spirit, to make place for the new life from above. The life from beneath and the life from above are bitter enemies that will never be reconciled. As in warfare, there can be but one victor and one vanquished. This is the point were it hurts. The cross withers and dries the carnal consciousness, the self-life. There is real pain. The struggle of life against life--or rather life against death. The old life is death---a paradox of paradoxes.
The constellation of the CROSS represents the process by which we are crucified with Christ. The second Decan in the house of Libra is called VICTIMA, meaning "the victim." It is located right below the scales, and was anciently called SURA-- a sheep or a lamb. This is our blessed Lord Jesus Christ giving His life for us and to us, "the lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Rev. 13:8). We would have thought that in calling our Lord 'the Lamb' this name would have been used only in respect to His humiliation and His earthly life and physical death. However, in scripture it is most often used in reference to His glory in heaven the realm of Spirit. John saw the Lamb in the midst of the throne, standing as if slain, "having seven eyes which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth" (Rev. 5:6). The Spirit works as the Spirit of the Lamb. He works as a hidden, but divine power, breathing into the heart of His own people that which is the divine glory of the Lamb--His life, His nature. The Lamb is the Temple and the Light of the New Jerusalem. It is from beneath the throne of God and of the Lamb that the river of the water of Life flows. There must be a deep union with the crucified, resurrected and ascended Lord, that the saint and the Saviour may consciously share the same life. There was great energy thatbrought Him out of the grave--the power of an incorruptible life--greater than atomic power. This resurrection life energy is now available for the saints, for it abides right within YOUR SPIRIT. "He that is joined to the Lord IS ONE SPIRIT" (I Cor. 6:17).
The last constellation in the house of Libra is the CROWN. This is the Crown of Life which Jesus Christ has won by His death and resurrection, as He has been highly exalted by God. The scripture says, "a CROWN was given unto Him" (Rev. 6:2). Again, "But we see Jesus....CROWNED with glory and honour...' (Heb. 2:9). The voice of omnipotence proclaims, "I have set MY KING upon My holy hill of Zion" (Ps.' 1:6). And so we rise from the Cross and from the slain Victim to that One whom God hath raised up from the dead, taken up into the higher than all heavens and caused to sit at the right hand of the Majesty on high, CROWENED with glory and honour. Christ has risen from the depths of the SOUTHERN CROSS, all the way up to the heights of the NORTHERN CROWN! His shameful Cross issued in a glorious Throne. In the light of these beautifully meaningful pictures who can deny that the great and glorious plan of the Almighty is foreshown in these starry patterns above GODS BIBLE IN THE SKY! That Southern Cross connects with the Northern Crown. There is a CROSS formed of stars, and there is a CROWN formed of stars. With what joy and satisfaction do we now entertain His precious promise, "Be thou faithful unto death (the work of the Cross); and I will give thee a CROWN OF LIFE" (Rev. 2:10). Look up into that night sky and see the Northern Crown, the CORONA BOREALIS (which, by the way, at midnight every night shines over the city of Jerusalem!) and be reminded that there is a CROWN of life and righteousness and glory and honor for all who follow on to know the Lord. This crown is that FULL SALVATION which includes the plenteousness of His incorruptible life, nature and power. It is the FULL SALVATION of spirit, soul and body. That is a glorious promise. His Word declares it. The heavens declare it. Oh, the wonder of it!
THE CROWN
From the dawn of time the crown has been a symbol of rule, whether by secular monarch or by sacred priest. '/'he early form of the crown was a simple band that was first used to hold back the long hair of the wearer, not unlike our modern headband. Eventually it was adopted as a royal headdress even among peoples wearing short hair. Such bands are represented in sculptures of ancient Egypt, Nineveh, and Persepolis. Some of these bands were about two inches wide and were made of linen, silk and even silver and gold. These ancient headbands gradually developed into the more elaborate turbans encircled by a band of silk or other expensive material and decorated with diadems and other precious objects to assume the dignity represented. When a ruler conquered other countries he would sometimes signify his multiple-kingdom rule--by wearing several bands of cloth or metal around his turban. An example of this is seen historically in the advent of Ptolmy into Asia Minor. When he made his entrance into Antioch, Ptolmy wore two bands or CROWNS around his headdress to advertise the fact that he was emperor of Asia Minor as well as Egypt. In the process of time, when bands of precious metal replaced the bands of cloth as crowns, "horns" were added to the royal circlets. In the Middle East, as in the Bible, a horn is a symbol of power and authority. It was natural, therefore, for the designers of crowns to use points on the bands to indicate the might of a king or ruler These bands were an artistic rendition of horns and indicated the number of countries under the rule of the wearer If his crown had three horns it meant that he ruled over three countries, five horns meant that he ruled over five countries, and so forth. But whether simple headband, turban, or the elaborate metal crowns of recent ages their message has always been the same--to declare that the wearer is SOVEREIGN!
One of the Greek words for crown is DIADEMA which may be translated into English as "diadem." When heaven was opened to the blessed apostle banished to the wilds of Patmos, and the white horse Rider appeared in the bright skies above, the glory and eternal triumph of God's Christ was magnificently expressed in these meaningful words: "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a whim horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were MANY CROWNS; and He had a name written, that no man knew, but He Himself. And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron... and He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS" (Rev. 19:11-16).
Can you not see, my beloved, that this remarkable vision, blazing and shining with its scintillating glory of power and truth, points directly to our Lord Jesus Christ who is the King of kings, and Lord of lords, ruling the universe and guiding the spheres. This reference is clearly not to the entire Christ body, but to the Head of that body. He is King of kings because He is King of all those who shall rule with Him as kings. This same book of the Revelation distinctly and markedly identifies the Lord Jesus as the King of kings. "And from JESUS CHRIST, who IS the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and THE PRINCE OF THE KINGS OF THE EARTH"
(Rev. 1:~). The word "prince" in this verse is translated from the Greek word ARCHON which means "a first in rank or power; chief ruler; prince; ruler." So Jesus is 'The FIRST IN RANK of the kings of the earth! I would solemnly admonish all who read these lines, DON"F TRY TO PULL RANK ON JESUS! Ah, "HE is the Head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things H-E MIGHT HAVE THE PREEMINENCE' (Col. 1:18).
Jesus is Lord of lords because all others who rule with Him as lords have completely and lovingly submitted themselves to His supreme Lordship. No one can promote the Kingdom of God who has not, first of all, subjected himself to the very Lordship of Jesus the Christ--for the whole objective of the Kingdom of God is to ultimately bring to pass this wonderful end: "Wherefore God hath also highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: that at the name of J-E-S-U-S EVERY KNEE SHOULD BOW, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that EVERY TONGUE SHOULD CONFESS THAT J-E-S-U-S CHRIST I-S L-O-R-D. to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:9-11).
What does the word "Lord" mean? In the days of Jesus, the word "lord" (Greek: kurios--with lower case letters) was the title by which slaves addressed their masters. When the word appeared in capital letters and with the definite article --THE LORD--it meant the Caesar of Rome. In fact, when soldiers or public servants met each other they used to greet one another by calling out "Caesar is Lord," and the response came, "Yes, the Lord is Caesar!" But, you see, when Jesus came preaching the Kingdom of God He came proclaiming MORE than just forgiveness of sins and a home in heaven. tie came introducing a KINGDOM. In the Old Testament the Messiah was always represented as the coming KING, the coming LORD, greater than Moses, greater than David, greater than angels. Even the great king David proclaimed of Him, "The Lord (Jehovah) said unto My Lord, Sit Thou on My right hand, until I make Thy foes Thy footstool" (Acts 2:34-35). And Peter said in reference to that statement, "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same JESUS, whom ye crucified. BOTH LORD AND CHRIST" (Acts 2:36).
This presented a problem for the early disciples. In the culture of their day Caesar was hailed as THE LORD They insisted to the contrary that Jesus Christ is the Lord! Caesar didn't mind other men being called "lords" as long as the title "T-H-E LORD" was reserved for him. But when the believers gave themselves to Jesus they recognized that they were doing something far more significant than "accepting Jesus as Savior" at a revival meeting. They were pledging allegiance to a NEW KINGDOM--a new GOVERNMENT! They were being "born again" into a new realm as citizens of an entirely new order--a new age-- a new WORLD! Therefore, Jesus, to them, became not only their sin bearer but the CHIEF-OF- STATE--THE LORD! The message was: "J-E-S-U-S IS T-H-E- LORD! It is HE who possesses supreme authority over us!" That is the real reason Caesar persecuted the Christians. The gospel we find in the scriptures is a far different gospel than we have in the religious systems, the evangelistic efforts and revival campaigns of today. The gospel of today is a gospel of "easy-believism' salvation. But the gospel of the Bible is the GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD. That gospel presents Jesus as KING, as LORD, as FIRST ONE, as MAXIMUM AUTHORITY. The word LORD bespeaks of authority--the authority over all authority. Truly "we see Jesus CROWNED."
The revelation of Christ to the human heart as King will always be subsequent to the revelation of Him as Saviour. There need not necessarily be a long interval between these two revelations, indeed the sooner the one occurs after the other the better; but the Saviour must ever be discovered first, and in the joy of that discovery the soul will be led on to find the King. When Gideon had achieved the liberation of his countrymen from the yoke of Midian, we are not surprised at hearing that they offered him a throne. It was natural that they should say, "Rule over us," when his prowess had by divine assistance rescued them from the pitiful bondage of their enemies. It is even so in the history of our own spiritual progression in God. As we make proof of HIS power to save, and earnestly desire that He should carry on His saving work to its final triumphant conclusion, we begin to feel that He will be the better able to do this, the more completely we surrender ourselves to His control. If He is merely a Saviour, called in at a moment of emergency, He will show Himself on such occasions strong to save. But if He can once become our King, then He will exert His regal power in making such transformations within the little kingdom of our own nature as shall bring us to our full rights, benefits and state of being as citizens of His glorious Kingdom.
Thus we begin to long for His reign within; earnestly to desire that every lofty imagination may be cast down and every fleshly desire subdued, so that He may have His will, and ours be lost in His. And then we begin to find out that there is a vast difference between the conditions of the discovery of the Saviour and the conditions of the quest of the King, and oftentimes great searchings of heart will follow ere we can make up our minds at all costs and hazards to start upon this quest and to accept this allegiance. Fear not, oh, my brother, my sister! Let us not pause to calculate the consequences of His Rule. What are all these outward trails, the strippings, purgings and processings, as compared with the inward glory which the discovery of the King induces in our consecrated hearts? Surely we cannot lose by His sovereignty! If He asks us to give up all that we have in the world of appearances, it is only that He may enrich us with His VASTER ALL--the true riches, the eternal glory of the Spirit.
The word "kingdom" is derived from the two terms "king" and 'dominion"--KING'S DOMINION. It exists wherever the dominion of the Christ rules and holds sway over the hearts of men. Christ is the great King right now, ruling all things for the well-being of His subjects and bringing absolute perfection and completion to His plans which He ordained before the foundation of the world. He is the King of the ages and invincible. He shall yet arise in power and glory in His completed and perfected body---the MANIFESTED SONS OF GOD---and reveal Himself as the great conquering King, initiating the mightiest of all campaigns, bringing deliverance to the whole creation, reconciling all things unto Himself, and then shall all know the glory of His Kingdom as every tongue confesses and every knee bows, arid all in that day declare that JESUS CHRIST IS LORD. At the triumph of His Kingdom sin, sickness, sorrow, pain and death all flee away to be remembered no more in the consciousness of creation.
He is the great King of kings and Lord of lords, crowned with glory and honor, and His Kingdom rules over ALL. And praise His name, He is even now bringing forth in the earth a KINGDOM PEOPLE-- the firstfruits of His redemption--who are discovering His Lordship over all of their lives. When all hell assails us, when the power of death all around crowds in upon us, when the pressures of this world would frustrate, vex and suffocate us, when our own soulish passions and emotions and self-will would drown us in a sea of carnality and ungodliness, HE THEN STANDS UP WITHIN US AS KING--in Kingly authority. When old Adam, the outer man, mortal consciousness in this gross material realm, would tear us apart, frustrate our lives, suffocate our inner reality, and smash our identity as sons of God upon the rocks, HE IS THERE, the still small Voice, that deep, Inward Knowing. Let us learn of the real and eternal, and make way for the reign of the Spirit, the Kingdom of Heaven, the rule of His Truth and Love and Life birthed within each one of us. "This is life eternal," says Jesus,-- IS, not SHALL BE; and then He defines everlasting life as a present knowledge of His Father and of Himself, --"This is life eternal, that they might KNOW THEE, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom 'thou hast sent." To know God as Truth, as Love, as Life, as Spirit--this certain knowledge is what eternal life is composed of. Thank God, in every situation and circumstance of life HE IS PRESENT TO SUBDUE ALL THINGS unto Himself, thus reigning as King over our domain. As this victory is secured within, it is then, and only then, that truly "we see Jesus... CROWNED with glory and honour."
We are to crown the Lord, the Spirit, as King in every place in our being, outer and inner. It was the humiliation of France, in the fifteenth century, that her king Charles VII, was not crowned in the proper city, where former kings were crowned. Joan of Arc, burning with the high resolve to remove this dishonor, and have the king crowned in Rheims, emerged from obscurity, gathered an army, drove the enemy back from one point to another, until she dislodged him from Rheims. The king came then. The crown was placed upon his brow in the right place; and the fair maiden, Joan, bowed at the foot of the throne, the tears of joy streaming down her beautiful cheeks. Where are we to crown our King? We are to crown Him in the most sacred and authoritative chamber of our nature, from whence proceed the impulses and propensities of our spiritual life. Jesus taught His disciples to pray, "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven" (Mat. 6:10). So then the Kingdom of God originates in the realm of spirit (heaven) and finds expression in the earth-realm (physical). If you walk after the SPIRIT you will live, you receive the crown of life, the crown which IS LIFE, the dominion of life out of your spirit. The authority of life is in the Spirit, even the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus. And this Spirit of Life is in YOUR SPIRIT, AND FROM TI-IENCE HE WOULD BE CROWNED AND RULE IN LIFE OVER THE KINGDOM OF YOUR BEING.
So, precious friend of mine, when you conduct the King to the place of crowning in your nature, you may have to escort Him down a winding passageway, intricate with illusions, fears and wild distortions of the carnal mind, dismal with sin, sickness and weakness, bare and jagged with earthly consciousness and evil tendencies, on through the gloom and grime of corruption and death, to the most sacred altar of your heart. There crown the Omnipotent Ruler--the Spirit--and implore Him to arise and cleanse and purify all your entire nature every whir. Bid Him write His laws upon your very heart, so that it cannot beat unless it beat in conformity with the TRUTH and LOVE, and RIGHTEOUSNESS and POWER and LIFE and VICTORY of God's glorious Christ!
There is an interesting and enlightening statement in Rev. 4:11 wherein we read, "Thou art worthy, Oh Lord, to RECEIVE glory and honour and POWER: for Thou hast created all things and for Thy pleasure they are and were created." The Lord is here declared to be worthy to R-E-C-E-I-V-E POWER--as well as glory and honor. The question follows, How can God, who inherently possesses A-L-L POWER--R-E-C-E-I-V-E POWER? The 62nd Psalm says, "God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that POWER BELONGETH UNTO GOD." Fifty-six times the scriptures proclaim God to be THE ALMIGHTY. "Almighty" means "All ruling; all powerful; absolute sovereign; omnipotent." Now, how can the omnipotent, sovereign, all-powerful, all-ruling God RECEIVE POWER It is time, beloved children of God, that every man comes to know that there is no power apart from God. Omnipotence has all-power, and to acknowledge any other power is to dishonor God. Either there is no omnipotence, or omnipotence is the only power. A child of ten should be able to understand a truth so simple, a truth so sensible.
The truth is, of course, that although God (SPIRIT) is the supreme authority and power, and the only reality of the universe--nun with his mortal mind does not so perceive Him. The carnal mind ever pursues an identity apart from God, proclaiming the ancient error: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds: I will be like the Most High" 0sa. 14:13-14). I will...I will... I will! So man, in his distorted consciousness, rules his own life and destiny apart from the consciousness of God--yea, in opposition to God! And the inevitable result of this course is chaos, sorrow and death. How certain R is that "there is a way which SEEMETH RIGHT unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death' (Prov. 14:12). The power of the human will is not sovereign. The human will pertains to the material senses, the outer man who is perishing. There is no reality there.
There are many species of insanity. All sin is insanity, in different degrees. The carnal mind is an insane mind given wholly to destructive delusions. The natural man is mentally ill beyond comprehension. The carnal mind is spared from this classification in our world, only because the vast majority of the inmates in this vast asylum called 'society' is equally mad and in consonance with the delusion. There is a universal insanity of the so-flied 'wisdom' of this world, but the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God--4he Spirit. The mortal, sinful, sick, warring, confused, sorrowing, imperfect, carnal children of men are counterfeits, to be laid aside for the pure reality--man in the image of God. This mortal, this deranged mind of old Adam, must be put off, and the new man or real man, the sane man in the precious mind of Christ must be put on.
This brings us back to our question: If the Lord HAS ALL POWER, how is it that He R-E-C-E-I-V-E-S POWEI~ The answer is found in the prayer Jesus taught us which sets forth the great principles of KINGEK)M PRAYER. Jesus says, 'When you pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. THY KINGD(DM COME. THY ~VILL BE DONE IN EARTH, AS IT IS IN HEAVEN' (Mat. 6:9-10). What does it mean for God's Kingdom to come? I am the king of my life; I am seated upon the throne; I make the decisions; I do according to my own will. But when THE LORD comes I must abdicate my throne and let HIM sit upon the throne! The testimony of sons in the Kingdom of God is: 'Till I met THE LORD I was the commander of my life. Since I came into relationship with Him, HE COMMANDS.' 'Thy will be done in earth" is something for now--not tomorrow, not in the millenium nor the ages to come. You see, when I abdicate the throne and resign from the dominion I have exercised in my life, that realm of dominion which was reserved unto myself is GIVEN TO THE LORD. The power which I once held in my own hands is YIELDED UP TO HIM and He now exercises the power and authority that I formerly exercised. Thus, HE RECEIVES POWER! He receives the RULE over my life. He never took that rule by force, but He receives the rule when I surrender it up to Him. It is when I truly recognize that there is NO POWER BUT THE LORD, THE SPIRIT, that I crown HIM Lord of ALL!
THE VICTOR'S CROWN
There are two different Greek words in the Greek New Testament which are translated 'crown" in English. One of them is STEPHANOS, which denotes a wreath,' a "chaplet.' The other is DIADEMA, meaning a 'diadem." The most common term rendered 'crown' is the word STEPHANOS. The popular name 'Stephen' is derived from this word, and this crown was usually a laurel wreath woven of fragrant branches, or the like. It was granted to winners in the Olympic games and also as a token of public honor for distinguished service--especially military leaders who bad been victorious over their enemies on the battlefield. It was also given at marriage feasts, specially in royal families, to celebrate the joy of the bridegroom in having 'won' the maiden as his bride. This crown always denotes a VICTOR'S CROWN ---~e crown of an OVERCOMER-- one who has fought and WON!
Everywhere in the New Testament world, Greek society left its mark on the culture and religion of the people. Perhaps one of the greatest contributions was that of the Olympic Games. Held every four years in Greece since its inception, the Olympic Games quickly became world renowned. There was scarcely a city in the Roman empire where mention of the games did not brinng excited discussion. Many cities were anxious to host the games. Two cities in Palestine were granted this honor: Dor and Samaria. During the reign of king Herod in Palestine, he built magnificent accommodations for the games.
The apostle Paul evidently enjoyed the games; he did not hesitate to stop and watch them and to draw lessons from them. He had been in the great coliseum in Rome. He had attended the Greek Olympics in Athens. Heb knew the thrill of watching the races. No doubt he had cheered with the crowds as the athletes strained their muscles and pressed toward the mark for the prize. I am sure that Paul was often caught up with the excitement of a great crowd in the sports arenas of his day. Out of his experience he penned these instructive words: "Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: but I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be castaway" (I Cor. 9:24-27).
In the passage before us, Paul likens the spiritual life unto a race. Pointing to the track runners, he said they run their race to receive a prize. The Greeks of that day presented a crown of woven green leaves to each winner. To win the crown was a great thrill, a tremendous achievement and a coveted honor. To the Greeks, athletic supremacy was the epitome of life. The Olympic victor's crown is said to have been the ancient world's most coveted, sought after prize. the victor was duly celebrated. Honors of various sorts were conferred upon him, including the erection of statues in his honor, as well as the composition, by a renowned poet, of a poem or "victory ode." Olympic heroes in many cities reportedly were even kept at public expense for the rest of their lives.
Paul had felt the electric charge permeate the air in the arenas when the games were finished and all the winners were gathered together to receive their crowns. The trumpets sounded, the crowds cheered and the granite walls trembled as the victors knelt in the center of the arena. Suddenly, emerging from his private observation box, the king would walk in great pomp and colorful display toward the kneeling victors. A hush would come over the crowd. Silent tears dropped from happy faces. In the suppressed silence, the winners could hear their own hearts pounding with joy as the king placed the crowns on their heads one by one. When the last crown decorated the last brow, the trumpets played an anthem of victory. Amidst the deafening roar of the crowd, the athletes embraced each other while tears spilled down their faces and they talked of "next year" when new crowns would be won. Paul reminds us that the athlete trained and ran to obtain a CORRUPTIBLE CROWN. Those green leaves would soon dry up, turn to a faded brown and crumble into oblivion. The fragrant branches soon wilted and became dead and brittle. In contrast to this, oh ye saints of God, OUR STEPHANOI are INCORRUPTIBLE CROWNS which will never fade away in death--for our crown is the Crown of Life--LIFE ITSELF!
How appropriate that we should read of the twenty-four Elders: "And round about the throne were... four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads CROWNS (stephanos) OF GOLD" (Rev. 4:4). Golden Stephanos! Golden Victor's Crowns! Gold is a symbol for the divine nature. And how true that we are only able to overcome by being made partakers of HIS DIVINE NATURE! To be "crowned" means to be given kingly authority. As the kingly authority of God's divine nature ascends the throne of our lives we are CROWNED, MADE RULERS, not after the carnal pursuits of the flesh, but in the love, truth, life and glory of God's own character.
"And immediately I was in the spirit: and behold, a throne was set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. And round about the throne were four and twenty seats (thrones): and upon the seats (thrones) I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. And in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to Him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, the four and twenty eiders fall down before Him that sat on the throne...and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power...after this I beheld, and lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes and palms in their hands; and all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God" (Rev. 4:2-11;7:9-11).
The imagery of this passage is drawn in allusion to the encampment of the children of Israel in the wilderness. God is represented as sitting upon His throne in the Tabernacle of Moses, within the Most Holy Place. The twenty-four Elders bear a special signification for they are represented as distinct from both the four Living Creatures "in the midst" of the throne and the great multitude "before" the throne. These Elders occupy a unique position described as "round about" the throne--yet UPON THRONES! In order to fully appreciate the scenery here drawn by the Spirit we need to go back and examine one particular of the order established by God among the people of Israel after thy came up out of the land of Egypt. It is important that we get a clear idea, not only of the structure of the Tabernacle of Moses, but also of the arrangement of both the people and the priesthood in relation to it.
The Tabernacle was erected in the very center of the camp of Israel. Within the Tabernacle the Most Holy Place was uniquely the abode of the God of Israel among His people. When the Tabernacle was set up as described in Exodus chapter forty, the Shekinah, the Cloud of God's Presence, covered the Tent of the Congregation, and then the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle, resting in the Holiest of All. The Lord instructed Moses, 'Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the Holy Place within the veil before the mercy seat... that he die not: for I WILL APPEAR IN THE CLOUD UPON THE MERCY SEAT" (Lev. 16:2). Isaiah testified, 'O Lord of Hosts, God of Israel, that DWELLEST BETWEEN THE CHERUBIM, Thou art God" Isa. 37:16). God was IN the Cloud, He APPEARED in the Cloud, He SPOKE out of the Cloud, He LED Israel by the Cloud, and in the Cloud He DWELT IN THE MOST HOLY PLACE. Thus, the Tabernacle was in very fact GOD'S THRONE amon8 Israel from which HE RULED OVER THEM!
The Most Holy Place is, then, an earthly picture of the throne of God--the realm of God's manifestation in power and dominion. The Most Holy Place prefigured CHRIST THE KING together with all those holy sons of God who reign with Him. It is the glory of KINGSHIP. Armed with the understanding that the Tabernacle constituted God's throne among His people, let us remember that there is "before" that throne a "great multitude" of people receiving the blessings and benefits of His Kingdom ministered through the typical sacrifices and ritual of the Tabernacle service. The arrangement of the Tabernacle, the Priesthood, and the Camp of Israel into three distinct divisions, sets forth the three-fold economy of God in His redemptive processes. Let us see! The Tabernacle is the dwelling place of God---His throne, His sphere of activity, the center of His power and glory and authority. The Camp of Israel, the great multitude "before" the throne, represents the whole world of mankind outside of God, estranged from the life that is in Him. But there is a third company--the CAMP OF THE PRIESTS--situated, as it were "round about the throne," directly BETWEEN the Tabernacle 'throne" and the "great multitude" of the Camp of Israel 'before" the throne. The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 'The Israelites shall encamp each by his own tribal standard or banner, with the ensign of their fathers' houses, opposite the Tent of Meeting, and facing it on every side. Then the Tent of Meeting shall be erected, with the CAMP OF THE LEVITES (PRIESTS) IN THE MIDST OF THE CAMPS" (Num. 2:2,17). Divine infinite purpose lies behind this whole arrangement and the moment the wonderful significance of this dawns upon your spiritual understanding, you will see that God has placed a PRIESTHOOD COMPANY between Himself and the world of mankind!
The priests made their Camp around the Tabernacle and between the Tabernacle and the great Camp of Israel. It should be clear to every thinking mind that the Priesthood camped "round about" the Tabernacle corresponds precisely to the twenty-four Elders seated "round about" the throne in Revelation chapter four You will recall the account in I Chronicles twenty-four of how, under David, the Levitical Priesthood was divided into TWENTY-FOUR COURSES under the headship of TWENTY-FOUR ELDERS. The twenty -four courses or orders of the Priesthood were chosen by families--according to the twenty-four grandsons of Aaron the High Priest. Each course was named for one of these twenty-four grandsons and the male descendants of each grandson constituted one of the twenty-four courses throughout their generations. We are indited to lightly pass over many profound statements of Holy Scripture. The Priesthood was divided into twenty-four orders for this stated purpose: "This was their order for coming on duty to serve in the house of the Lord, according to the procedure ordered for them by their forefather Aaron, as the Lord God of Israel had commanded him" (I Chron. 24:19, Amplified).
The priesthood numbered thousands. Of course, all those priests could not go into the temple at one time, so they were divided into courses and assigned to work shifts, each "course" of Priests and Levites came on duty for a week, from one Sabbath to another. When a "course" was on duty, all its members were bound to appear in the temple, and the service of the week was subdivided among the various families which made up that course. The point I wish to emphasize here is this: It took all twenty-four courses to MAKE UP THE ENTIRE PRIKSTHOOD OF GOD! As the Father unfolds these truths to the inner man, we become convinced that as the four Living Creatures 'in the midst of the throne" reveal the glory of KINGSHIP, so the twenty-four Elders "round about the throne" reveal the glory of PRIESTHOOD. KINGS AND PRIESTS! A KINGIX)M OF PRIESTS! PRIESTS THAT SIT UPON THRONES! REIGNING PRIESTS! A MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION WITH AUTHORITY AND POWER! This is the great troth revealed in the throne of God, with four Living Creatures in the midst of the throne, and the twenty-four Elders around the throne. John the Revelator summed up in three short verses the wonderful truth of which I now write: "And when He had taken the book, the FOUR BEASTS and FOUR AND TWENTY' EIDERS fell down before the Lamb, every one of them having harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of the saints. And THEY (the four Living Creatures and the twenty-four Elders) sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for Thou was slain, and hast redeemed US to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast MADE US unto our God KINGS AND PRIESTS; and WE shall reign on the earth" (Rev. 5:8-10). The four Living Creatures---KINGS! The twenty-four Elders PRIESTS! Together they bow low before the great King of kings and High Priest of the heavens, intoning this NEW SONG---"Thou hast MADE US unto our God KINGS AND PRIESTS: and we shall REIGN over the earth
Ah, beloved, those are not mere words. This passage is one of rare beauty. It is like a precious diamond, the effulgence of whose radiance dazzles the mind. It is a drop of pure distilled essence, whose fragrance fills the rooms of the heart of every man and woman who has received the call to sonship. It is a joy forevermore and challenge to all who comprehend its message. It must be engraved deeply upon every heart of God's Royal Priesthood. It exalts and glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ. "THOU has MADE US!" THOU! There is so much depth to that text that I am afraid that we often do not perceive it. It is like a beautiful star-studded sky on a bright clear night and one cannot even begin to grasp the vast depth that lies above us. So it is with these marvelous words: "Thou hast MADE US TO BE KINGS AND PRIESTS!" Can you say that> As we plumb its depths a little more I hope that you will ask yourself the question more carefully, "Am I being MADE a PRIEST unto God? Is the process of transformation into the priestly nature taking place in my life? My deepest desire for you, dear one, is that you will come to be able to experientially say these words: "Jesus Christ is MAKING ME A PRIEST!" Not in the sweet bye and bye--but HERE AND NOW!
However clearly we see by the eye of revelation and faith the truth of this realm of Kingship and Priesthood, however earnestly we desire it, however firmly we think we grasp it by faith, all will not avail--GOD HIMSELF MUST 12)O IT! As the path to Priesthood, God Himself must write His law in our hearts, bring forth the new divine nature in such power of the Holy Spirit, that it is HE that works WHTHIN US both to will and to do. So often the emphasis is upon the soul submitting to the Spirit; but it is the Spirit which must subject the soul. God Himself in us must by the Holy Ghost so shed abroad His love in our hearts, that to love becomes as natural to us as it is for the dove to be gentle. God Himself in us must by the Holy Ghost so fill us with the nature of righteousness that to be righteous becomes as natural to us as breathing. God Himself in us must by the Holy Ghost so clothe us with the mind of Christ, that to think the thoughts of God becomes as natural to us as are the self-serving thoughts and desires of the unregenerated man. God Himself in us must by the Holy Ghost so make us vessels of mercy that to be merciful becomes as natural to us as the emotions of anger and retaliation are to the carnal nature.
Consider, beloved, is it not GOD HIMSELF who has faithfully directed all your steps, who has initiated each Circumstance of your life, who has given sight to your poor blind eyes and caused you to behold the majesty of HIS PURPOSE? Is it not GOD HIMSELF who has led you out of the blinding traditions and enslaving bondage of Babylonian religion, and nurtured you and brought you to the place in which you stand in Christ today? Is it not GOD HIMSELF who placed the circumstances and experiences in your pathway which thrust you onward and upward at the crossroads of your life? I do not hesitate to tell you that no more than you can SAVE YOURSELF can you MAKE YOURSELF an overcomer, BRING YOURSELF to perfection, TRANSFORM YOURSELF into life and. immortality, or OF YOURSELF apprehend the beautiful ministry of Kingship and Priesthood unto God.
The unveiling of the sons of God is not the revelation of some people that can 1)() something. No, it is the unveiling of some people who have BECOME something. "To as many as received Him, to them gave He power to BECOME the sons of God" Jn. 1:12). "Thou has MADE US unto our God Kings and Priests." If Jesus IS who He IS, then certainly He can DO all things, but the doing is incidental, a by-product of the BEING. If you arc BECOMING what HE IS, the signs will follow automatically, you cannot help it But we are not following signs. We are "following on to KNOW THE LORD." Our hearts are set on HIM. Wk are not becoming occupied with ourselves, we are occupied with what He has said He would MAKE US, for HIS sake. "This people have I formed F()R MYSELF." "Ye shall be UNTO ME a Kingdom of Priests."
Once God has you, it is up to Him to MAKE YOU whatever He desires you to be. tie can make the vessel as it pleases Him. If He wishes to make you a healer, that is not your business. If He wants to make you an evangelist, or a deliverer, or a teacher, or a King-Priest after the order of Melchizedek, let him MAKE YOU whatever He wants to make you! And when the revelation of His calling bursts within your bosom, embrace the calling with all that is within you, yielding to the processings necessary to bring it to pass. Do not drown the high purposes of God in a flood of false humility Set your face as a flint, turn neither to the right hand nor to the left, consider not your on weakness, [faults, inability or insufficiency, for YOUR SUFHCIENCY IS OF GOD! As with the halting and stammering Moses of old--HE WIH. MAKE YOU!
Yes, God will make us--but as we learn His ways our cooperation, yieldedness, and submission are vital to the process. He never rapes or brutalizes us. But we must surrender. The twenty-four Elders, the Royal Priesthood, have on their heads CROWNS of gold. Golden Stephanos! Golden Victor's Crowns! In the Theatre of Ephesus there was found an inscription which read: "He fought three bouts, and was crowned two times." In like manner the sons of God will soon be rewarded for their bouts with "principalities and powers" which have their rule in the darkness of the carnal mind. God is even now bringing forth an INCORRUPTIBLE people. OVERCOMERS! Who shall overcome ALL THINGS. And of them, finally, it shall be said: "They fought many bouts, and were crowned EVERY TIME!" No more weakness or failure. No more flunking two tests and winning one. Overcoming ALL THINGS! A Royal Priesthood. Priests reigning in God's own nature, love and power. Reconciling the world. Subduing all things. As Kings they are seated IN THE THRONE; as Priests they sit ROUND ABOUT THE THRONE. From thence they minister to the Great Multitude standing BEFORE THE THRONE. In their surrender to the rule of the Spirit, they themselves BECOME RULERS as the authority of God flows through them. God, the Spirit, RECEIVES POWER in their abdication of the thrones of their lives; they RECEIVE CROWNS (authority) as the dominion of God expressed through them.
God will have a body through the earth in these days, a people filled with God, walking as God terrible as an army with banners--whose only purpose is that the Father be glorified, a people formed for Himself, through whom He can reveal and manifest Himself in all His wonderful fullness. Oh, beloved, come, let us now open our he-arts wide to him. Come, and as we gaze upon this glorious ministry and its life-flow unto all the peoples of the earth, let us yield ourselves under the mighty hand of God that He may work HIS WONDROUS WORK in our lives until we am CROWNED with His life, His love, His mercy, His goodness, His glory and power unto the blessing of all the families of earth. May God grant it in these days.
Precious elect of the Lord--we are now to run the race for the high calling of God in Christ Jesus as if there were a vast audience in a large amphitheater eagerly watching and enthusiastically cheering us on. In particular we are to look to our trainer and coach, Jesus, who has run this course before us, and been highly, completely successful. After elaborating upon the exploits of the great heroes of faith in the Old Testament dispensations, the writer to the Hebrews says, 'And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with SO GREAT A CLOUD OF WITNESSES, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith' (Heb. 11:39-40; 12:1-2).
'Cloud of witnesses" means STADIUM OF SPECTATORS in Greek. In some of the more spacious amphitheaters of olden times, the spectators rose in tier above tier to the number of forty or fifty thousand; and to the thought of the combatant as he looked around on this vast sea of human faces, set in various and gorgeous coloring, these vast congregations of his compatriots must have appeared like clouds, composed of infinitesimal units, but all making up one mighty aggregate, and bathed in such hues as are cast on the clouds at sunrise or sunset by the level of the sun. And though in their day this multitude of faithful warriors received not the promise--did not win the crown at the end of their race--yet God prepared some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. From beyond the veil, in that great amphitheater of departed spirits, that vast stadium of spectators, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Noah, Joseph, Abel, Gideon, Samuel, David, Daniel, Isaiah, Jeremiah and all the ancient worthies are joyfully cheering us onward, for they all know that if we can conquer sin, limitation, and death, THROUGH US they also shall receive the promise! They are most certainly the ones who now, with us, are going to be perfected (Heb. 11:40): who are going to receive all the glorious fullness of the Lord for this new day. Have you ever considered how it is that 'they apart from us shall not be made perfect'? Their perfection depends on our perfection. Our victory will be their victory. The victory we obtain shall in turn be ministered unto them. Hark! Brethren, hark! Do you not hear the deafening roar of the crowd as they cheer us onward, do you not feel the electric charge that permeates the air? Can you not hear? Have you seen--have you seen the heavenly hosts gathering from all the heavens? Can you not see the CLOUD OF WITNESSES by which we are compassed about? Let us run the race! Let us overcome sin and sorrow and pain and death! Let us win the victory over the flesh, the world and the devil! Even now the trumpets are ready to sound, the King is prepared to decorate the brows of the overcomers with the Golden Stephanos--the VICTOR'S CROWNS! Press on, saints of God, the victory is nigh at hand!
J. PRESTON EBY
P O BOX 371240
El Paso Texas
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