ENTERING THE LAND NO 1

      DEU 1:8 'See, I have placed the land before you; go in and possess the land which the  Lord swore to give to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to them and their descendants after them.'
     There has been no other time period like this in the history of the church. We are between the last move of God and the next move of God. God has been restoring the church precisely according to the pattern of the Tabernacle of Moses and according to the pattern of the children of Israel coming out of Egypt.
     1CO 10:1 For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 1CO 10:2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 1CO 10:3 and all ate the same spiritual food; 1CO 10:4 and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ. 1CO 10:5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased; for they were laid low in the wilderness. 1CO 10:6 Now these things happened as examples for us, that we should not crave evil things, as they also craved. 1CO 10:7 And do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written, " The people sat down to eat and drink, and stood up to play. " 1CO 10:8 Nor let us act immorally, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day. 1CO 10:9 Nor let us try the Lord, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the serpents. 1CO 10:10 Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 1CO 10:11 Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
     The move of God is always forward and into His eternal purpose. Never backward. If it is apparent that we are going backward and not forward, it is certain we have missed the move of God. There is no use in looking back to where we have come from. That time has passed. There is nothing to go back to. Whatever worked in the past will no longer work. This is a new day. A time of new beginnings. We haven't been this way before.

     Forget the leeks and garlics, the fish and cucumbers the melons and onions. All that is in the past and part of a past move of God. The Passover was tremendous, the Red Sea was a great deliverance of God, The bitter water turned sweet was God's testing, the quails and manna were God's supernatural provision. The water out of the rock was another manifestation of God's great salvation. The tremendous demonstration of God's presence at Mt. Sinai was unsurpassed in all previous history. God's eternal purpose was revealed in the priesthood, the tabernacle, the law, and the sacrifices. But now it is time to possess the land according to God's promises.
     Israel was numbered and set into God's divine order. Each tribe marched behind their own pennant with their own soldiers and leaders. All who were able to go out and make war were included and assigned a place to function. Some excelled as archers, others as praisers but all were a part of the move forward of God. All were essential. None were unassigned. The total number made up one total army. All were needed. None were excluded from entering the land. God's will and His purpose were clearly spoken. What then happened that Israel was not able to enter in and posses the land???
FROM MT. SINAI TO CANAAN
     DEU 1:2 It is eleven days' {journey} from Horeb by the way of Mount Seir to Kadesh-barnea. DEU 1:6 "The Lord our God spoke to us at Horeb, saying, 'You have stayed long enough at this mountain.      DEU 1:8 'See, I have placed the land before you; go in and possess the land which the Lord swore to give to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to them and their descendants after them.'
     This was a crossroads, a turning point, a new dimension. It was time to take the covenant made at Sinai and apply it to their experience. All the promises of God were before them. Finally the time has come for the fulfillment of God's promises to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, and to Israel as their descendants. They could at last enter and inherit the land God had promised them. There was no time like this in all past history.  They were standing on the threshold of the unfolding of God's purpose for Israel. God calls this time of restoration " His rest." But there are still many uncertainties. They had never been this way before. What enemies were ahead of them ? Serious times have come upon them. They had been pressed into Egypt's mold for 430 years. They had adopted certain customs and traditions. Certain eating habits. They had only heard of the God of their fathers through stories handed down from generation to generation. They never were called upon to totally depend upon this God for everything. Now they must be pressed into a totally different mold. One designed by this God they really didn't know. What worked for them before, won't work for them now. This is a new day.
     They had to settle something in their own hearts. They were on a new way that was not of their own choosing. They must move with the cloud. No options, no choices! Since God was the giver, obedience was the way. Since they didn't have a map or know the plan, they must move step by step by faith. Disobedience or unbelief would be fatal.
     This is the place that we in the spirit baptized church, are standing today. We have been resting between the Charismatic movement and this next restoration movement of God. Many uncertainties are just ahead. We have never been this way before. If we have to choose between the customs and traditions of the past or God's now Word to the church we must choose to follow God's Word.
     When the Charismatic movement began it split churches and relationships and disturbed whole denominations. Those that responded to God's restoration were set on totally new paths that has brought us to today and in this place. Those that resisted are still camped at their last decision. But we have been at this mountain long enough. The kingdom is before us. God has given it into our hands. It is ours if we just put our feet into it.
           It is not a matter of making it happen or rushing ahead. It is a matter of entering His Sabbath rest and flowing with the river of God . Put the oars in the boat and see the salvation of God. There is no room in the river of God for oars or for religious trappings of the past or for the hype, the hypocrisy and irrelevancy of today. It is a new day. It is not a day to be caught up in degrees, titles, ministries, gifts or achievements of the past. This is God's own hour and He alone must motivate, design and appoint. This is a corporate move for the church. Not a spying out by individual ministers. This is an army maneuver like desert storm. Man can only participate when he responds to God's total plan. This is not designed for commandos or guerrillas.
     Let us see how Israel responded to the challenge of this 11 day march from Mt. Sinai to Canaan. First let us review quickly the first leg of the journey from Egypt to Mt. Sinai.
     Mt. Sinai was not the goal. Even though Israel camped there for about 45 days less than one year, Canaan was the goal. The approximately 320 days at Mt. Sinai was exciting and filled daily with sometimes breathtaking events. Things happened so fast it was difficult to stay abreast of the unfolding of God's plan.

     It was on the 50th day out of Egypt that God came down on Mt. Sinai with the awesomeness of His presence. This is the picture for us of Pentecost. However the entire feast could not be fulfilled because the feast is a harvest feast and there was no harvest in the wilderness. Pentecost was when Israel was to bring the first fruit of the harvested grain into the house of the Lord. The harvest must wait until after they entered the land.
     LEV 23:10 "Speak to the sons of Israel, and say to them, 'When you enter the land which I am going to give to you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring in the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest.
     Since Passover was also a harvest feast, it could not be kept in it's entirety in Egypt or in the wilderness. At Mt. Sinai God still had another dimension of salvation, deliverance and attitude changes to add to Israel after they had entered Canaan.
     Can you see the church cannot fulfill Passover or Pentecost outside of Canaan, which is a type of the Kingdom? What happened to Israel is a picture of what has taken place in the church. When we are in God's timetable, the prophetic word always precedes the move of God.
     Mt. Sinai was a time of tremendous preparation. God gave the law, the Tabernacle, the priesthood, the sacrifices, the offerings, and the placing of each tribe in divine order.
     NUM 9:1 Thus the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, NUM 9:2 "Now, let the sons of Israel observe the Passover at its appointed time. NUM 9:3 "On the fourteenth day of this month, at twilight, you shall observe it at its appointed time; you shall observe it according to all its statutes and according to all its ordinances."      They kept Passover at Mt. Sinai on the 14th day of the first month in the second year after they left Egypt. The 15th day was the feast of unleavened bread. Now it was 50 days until Pentecost and it was only a 11 day march.  
     DEUT 1:2] It is eleven days' journey from Horeb by the way of Mount Seir to Kadesh-barnea. [3] And it came about in the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, that Moses spoke to the children of Israel, according to all that the LORD had commanded him to give to them,
     It is obvious where God intended for Israel to kept Pentecost in Canaan ! Why ? So they could harvest the land and keep the rest of the feast.
     NUM 9:6 But there were {some} men who were unclean because of {the} dead person, so that they could not observe Passover on that day; so they came before Moses and Aaron on that day. NUM 9:10 "Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'If any one of you or of your generations becomes unclean because of a {dead} person, or is on a distant journey, he may, however, observe the Passover to the Lord. NUM 9:11 'In the second month on the fourteenth day at twilight, they shall observe it; they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
     Since some of Israel were unclean they lost 30 days. But it was an 11 day march and it was still 20 days until Pentecost.
     NUM 10:33 Thus they set out from the mount of the Lord three days' journey, with the ark of the covenant of the Lord journeying in front of them for the three days, to seek out a resting place for them. Now it is only 8 days journey to the border of Canaan and they had 17 days until Pentecost. They had 9 days to spare. They were so close to entering into God's purpose and it was well within their reach.
     Canaan was the place of great abundance of all things, but the people wanted meat to eat, and couldn't wait for God's provision. In fact they said " We were well off in Egypt." They were slaves, but that was a year ago, and they couldn't remember. These are examples for us.
      NUM 11:18 "And say to the people, 'Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept in the ears of the Lord, saying," Oh that someone would give us meat to eat! For we were well-off in Egypt. "Therefore the Lord will give you meat and you shall eat.
     When Israel ate the meat many died and they lost another 2 days. But it was still 15 days until Pentecost, and it was only an 8 day march. They had 7 days to spare. They could still keep Pentecost in Canaan. They had time to harvest the grain and bring in the first fruits to God.
     NUM 12:1 Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married (for he had married a Cushite woman); NUM 12:9 So the anger of the Lord burned against them and He departed. NUM 12:10 But when the cloud had withdrawn from over the tent, behold, Miriam {was} leprous, as {white as} snow. As Aaron turned toward Miriam, behold, she {was} leprous. NUM 12:14 But the Lord said to Moses, "If her father had but spit in her face, would she not bear her shame for seven days? Let her be shut up for seven days outside the camp, and afterward she may be received again."
     All of Israel was delayed for 7 days. Still if they moved quickly and didn't stop to complain there was a possibility they could just pass over the border into Canaan on Moses’ word. Don't stop. Go in and possess the land.
     DEU 1:21 'See, the Lord your God has placed the land before you; go up, take possession, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has spoken to you. Do not fear or be dismayed.' DEU 1:22 "Then all of you approached me and said, 'Let us send men before us, that they may search out the land for us, and bring back to us word of the way by which we should go up, and the cities which we shall enter.'
     Therefore Israel spent Pentecost in the wilderness but there is no record of them even attempting to participate in the feast. There was nothing there in the wilderness that they could offer to the Lord. There is no harvest in the wilderness!
     When the spies crossed over into the land of Canaan, they saw it was a land that flowed with milk and honey. It was a land of abundance of all things. It was all that God said it was. But Pentecost was past. Israel failed to enter into God's purpose. It was 40 years before they would have another opportunity. Neither Passover or Pentecost or the feast of the 7th month could be kept in their fullness for 40 years. These are all harvest feasts and there was no harvest in the wilderness.
     The application is this; God's purpose for Pentecost is to bring His people into His kingdom. All the provision that is necessary to complete the feasts and bring in the first fruits of our labor to God is all in the Kingdom!! If we are standing in the wilderness and rejoicing in the harvest we show our ignorance.
     God restored Pentecost to the church 98 years ago in 1906 at Azuza St. in Los Angeles. It was 40 years later that God moved in power in the big tent meetings starting in 1945. Much more of the feast was restored from 1970 to 1985, through the Charismatic movement. That wave has washed upon the shore and another wave is building. Now we are on the threshold of a new restoration movement of God.
      We could say the church has been at this mountain long enough. Or we could say we have wandered long enough. It is time to go in and posses the land. To stand in the promises of God. To participate in the Kingdom in fullness. To make an offensive attack upon God's enemies.          
     The church has despised the manna ( THE WORD OF GOD ) like Israel. They have craved variety instead. We want the leeks, the garlics, the onions, the cucumbers, the melons and the fish of Egypt. Give us the gospel clowns, the spiritual dancing, the mimes with the white faces and black tights, the singing groups, gospel magic, or Christian karate. Gospel comedians are popular in some places! We are tired of the Word of God.
     The church has recognized many church leaders are less than they had expected and have rejected leadership, just like the pattern of Israel. The church has delayed and delayed by always insisting upon spying out the last move of God or spying out the next move of God, but failing to move forward. They prefer safety to the risk of participating.
     The Kingdom has become a " BLESSING SOMEDAY ". Some are waiting for the Kingdom to be established in Israel during the millennium but not a present reality.
     Whatever the next restoration movement of God is, THE KINGDOM cannot be far behind. May we not be numbered among those who hinder or delay the church in responding to God's next call to move ahead. By faith, we should see ourselves as the Joshuas and the Calebs of today. We are well able to go up and take the land, even if we are 40 years late.
     But what if the Jordan River is at flood stage? How can we cross over? God knows we can’t risk the children and our old folks and our flocks and herds in that flood.