#561 – The New Covenant; The Kingdom And the Priesthood

            The Sequence of the Christian Development.

            Growth into the Eternal Function and Dominion.

December 10, 2013

Dan 7:27 ‘Then the sovereignty, the dominion, and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His Kingdom will be an Everlasting Kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him.’

Dan 7:18 ‘But the saints of the Highest One will receive the Kingdom and possess the Kingdom forever, for all ages to come.’

The Kingdom Government of Eternity, which involves the sovereignty and the dominion of the saints of the Highest One, is the most radical proposal ever offered to mankind. The plan that God had for Adam pales into insignificance when compared to this understanding of what God has proposed for “the saints of the Highest One.” If our minds can receive such a thing, it should cause us to tremble with expectation and anticipation.

Since EVERYONE will serve and obey the Last Adam, it should make us wonder if there is some preparation required or will God accept ANYONE into His Eternal Government? Is it reasonable for us to expect that these future rulers who are King/Priests would be tried and tested and then qualified to obtain such a high position in the Eternal Government? Must these saints be counted worthy of the Kingdom or do they just have to receive forgiveness of sins? If Judas was forgiven would he be qualified to rule with Jesus? We should remember that to “serve and obey” is directly related to the Sprinkled Blood.

1Thes 2:12 so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the God Who calls you into His Own Kingdom and glory.

2Thes 1:5 This is a plain indication of God’s righteous judgment so that you may be considered worthy of the Kingdom of God, for which indeed you are suffering.

1Pet 1:2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, that you may obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His Blood: May grace and peace be yours in fullest measure.

God has spent over 6000 years assembling this Eternal Government and we might guess that multitudes of believers have already been rejected over these years. Why? They never prepared themselves for the Kingdom. Why? No one told them this was necessary!

God has planned for this Ultimate Purpose from before the foundation of the world. However, this was not the plan presented to the first Adam. First Adam was just assigned to ruling over the birds, the fish, the animals and eventually over other areas of the earth. Adam was NOT given dominion over other men and no other man was assigned to serve and obey him. In fact there was NO OUTWARD GOVERNMENT involved in the first Adam’s calling. He was not guaranteed ANYTHING for eternity. Why? He must first have received Eternal Life!

Dan 7:13 “I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. 14 “And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a Kingdom, That all the peoples, nations, and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an Everlasting Dominion which will not pass away; And His Kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.

The prototype Son, Who is now our Great High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, has already received the Kingdom and all the authority, power and dominion that is included in His position is now His. He is ruling now until every enemy is put under His feet. That Kingdom is permanent for all ages to come and will NEVER be diminished in any way. However, God is still not satisfied with one perfected Son because His Plan is to bring many sons to that same glory. Nevertheless, everyone, including the many sons, will serve and obey Him, our Great High Priest. Where will we learn to function in that measure of discipline? Right here, during the church age! Where will we be tried and tested to see if we are worthy of any position in that Government? Right now, during the church age!

1 Pet 4:12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; 13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation. 14 If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.

The message of the Kingdom reveals God’s plan to replace the unworkable governments of the world systems with the Divine Government of the Kingdom of God. Since this Divine Order is to be among men, the saints of the highest One are to be given sovereignty and the dominion and they will rule, but in obedience to Christ Jesus. The “perfected saints” will rule over the various areas of earth and replace the corrupt former governments with God’s Sovereign Government. This makes it clear that they will NOT rule with Him as equals but will serve and obey Him.

NEVER has a more radical, innovative or progressive plan ever been offered to man than this dimension of the Kingdom! If we just stop all this outward religious activity and ponder what this says about God’s Plan for His saints, it will surely make all other activities shallow, secondary or even irrelevant. Our total preparation for this tremendous assignment should take first priority over all other activities. Our response to this vision should be at least equal to Daniel’s reaction because he was just speaking prophetically and about US!

Dan 7:28 “At this point the revelation ended. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts were greatly alarming me and my face grew pale, but I kept the matter to myself.”

If we loosely expanded this it might say; When I saw this and the magnitude of the revelation, my mind was full of extreme anxiety and I was confused and distressed. I was overwhelmed just trying to comprehend the importance of what I saw. I felt faint and dizzy and nearly passed out but I was afraid to share this because who would believe such a thing?

When did this happen to Daniel? That overwhelming feeling of total dismay came when he saw that; ‘Then the sovereignty, the dominion, and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His Kingdom will be an Everlasting Kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him.’

Why the church has lost its enthusiasm for this Giant Offer is baffling and a great disappointment. One would think that this tremendous “good news” would be the predominant message and the full emphasis of everything the church did or taught. This should be the logical and central focus of all church life, activity and vision. This should be the primary reason given for all growth and function in the local assembly. However, contrary to this vision, there seems to be a dying enthusiasm for most things eternal, EXCEPT going to heaven when we die. Instead of this vision there is a carnal, visible, temporal, selfish and entitlement mentality that has become the central focus of too much of the current church system. The reality of the Kingdom is even denied as relevant for the church age.

Our Great High Priest made the Kingdom His number one priority. However, the church seems to have made a hundred other things their number one priority! Some groups have just made “forgiveness of sins” their number one priority, which they call “winning souls.” Of course no one can even “see” the Kingdom until those primary experiences takes place. There, also, must be birthed a New Inner Man with renewed eyes that are capable of seeing into the eternal realms. Nevertheless, the visible church appears to be totally helpless to see anything except what is visible and is within the status quo.

It seems reasonable to expect that all of “saved mankind” would quickly make the Kingdom their number one priority. Since the Kingdom is to be preached to the entire world, the preparation of the saints to accomplish this “calling” would appear to be the very first priority and the full focus of all church activity.

Mat 24:14 “And this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come.

What would we expect should be the result of this worldwide Evangelism of preaching the Kingdom of God to every nation? We would anticipate that multitudes of believers would be CONVERTED TO THE KINGDOM and that their lives would be transformed as multitudes would bring their whole consciousness into the obedience of Christ and to the Government of God. At least this appears to be the ONLY reasonable expectation from what we know about the Kingdom and from the testimony of the Book of Acts.

I have been repeating this “message” in some measure since 1981 but few have any ears that CAN hear. The Kingdom seems to be received as just another message to be added to the archives. However, when we find someone who is seeing and hearing Truth, we feel a responsibility to encourage them to begin to RUN for that prize of the High Calling of God. Nevertheless, when so many believers, worldwide, are so slow to understand the Kingdom, there may be a valid reason for that. In one way it is certainly understandable! Why?

That is because we are unable to clearly state the sequence of growth and the true pattern of development into the Christian / Kingdom Life. The reason seems to be that everything in the Kingdom “message” appears to be either abstract or just theoretical. The problem revolves around the fact that the Kingdom is in that invisible realm and that it begins within us. It is, also, because it requires that we receive the basic experiences before there is an understanding that leads to this higher Life. Added to that confusion is the fact that these basic experiences are subjective. In addition to that, the Kingdom Growth is still not identifiable because the New Testament Scriptures do not present a clear list of the progressing experiences or what we can expect to be the evidence. It is also true that the Kingdom is really NOT a message at all but a living event.

It is for that reason that a “Christian” philosophy has arisen that the Kingdom is just an Idealized Christianity and not an actual expectation of anything for the church age! Of course our theory is that the Kingdom is not an idealism at all but the Ultimate Realism.

While the order of the foundations for the Christian beginnings are given in Hebrews 6, these are not directly related to our subject in this document. Nevertheless, God has given us the Tabernacle of Moses to reveal the sequence of experiences in the preparation and function of the Priesthood after the order of Aaron. This is an invaluable blessing when sharing on this subject of the preparation for the New Covenant Priesthood after the Order of Melchizedek. Why? Because this Tabernacle and its priesthood is a copy and shadow of heavenly things. This earthly preparation of natural priests can be compared to the spiritual preparation for the Kingdom of God which precedes the New Covenant Priesthood function. Why? That is because the New Covenant Priesthood will manifest the Kingdom and will, eventually, become a Kingdom of Priests. How do we know that? Because, we look to the Prototype Son for our pattern of growth and for the clarification of Scripture. In fact, even some of the parables are defined and clarified by the Life of the Prototype Son.

Luke 11:20 “But if I cast out demons by the Finger of God, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.

However, this document is limited to and related to our Growth and Qualification to participate in the Eternal Priesthood Function! It is in this realm, allocated to the Kingdom of Priests, where the “perfected saints” are given the Sovereignty and the Dominion which is assigned to the “saints of the Highest One.” These “perfected saints” will serve and obey Him. However, the basic foundations of Hebrews 6 are certainly essential to our growth and preparation for the priesthood function. Why? That is because this “basic growth” is essential to our preparation so we can eventually function in the Kingdom dimension. In that realm we step within the canopy of the Absolute Sovereignty of God and into His absolute Government! In this higher realm of Life, obedience is NOT optional and the foundations are essential for our obedience! Our obedience is essential to be sprinkled with His Blood.

1Peter 1:2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, that you may obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His Blood: May grace and peace be yours in fullest measure.

For the true Christians {“saints of the Highest One”} to fulfill God’s predestined purpose there are three basic provisions necessary for their development. Their “development” is necessary to their obedience! (1) The New Covenant (2) The Kingdom of God (3) The New Covenant Priesthood after the Order of Melchizedek. I am speculating that each of these dimensions must be experiential to be effective.

The New Covenant provides for much more than our forgiveness of sins which is the emphasis of the evangelical church. Of course, forgiveness of sins is just one experience within of the total provision of the New Covenant. Nevertheless, this first experience is certainly essential before we can go on to the next.

{Heb 8:11 “AND THEY SHALL NOT TEACH EVERYONE HIS FELLOW CITIZEN, AND EVERYONE HIS BROTHER, SAYING, ‘KNOW THE LORD,’ FOR ALL SHALL KNOW ME, FROM THE LEAST TO THE GREATEST OF THEM. 12 “FOR I WILL BE MERCIFUL TO THEIR INIQUITIES, AND I WILL REMEMBER THEIR SINS NO MORE.”}

Every provision that mankind would ever need for them to complete God’s Purpose was already supplied within the predestined Plan of the Almighty God. All this was determined before the earth was restored out of the water in Genesis 1:2. We were even “chosen in Christ before the world was.” Everything, then, that man would ever need was and is provided “in Christ.” {The Living and Abiding Word of God} All this was determined and supplied by God before man existed.

It seems clear from the two specific trees in the garden that God had designed man to become much more than a physical creation. God had designed man to receive His Uncreated Life! It is that Life which would enable man to fulfill God’s original purpose for creating man upon this earth. This also reveals that man was free to choose how he would respond to God and to His Eternal Purpose.

This is the choice that confronts every born of God Christian today. It is not enough to just be loved, accepted and forgiven from our sins. We must receive His Eternal Life and the ability and vision that was offered to the first Adam. However, “forgiveness” IS the first stage of a long list of changes, rectifications, sanctifications and disciplines that must occur As WE ARE BEING redeemed. That means “redeemed” from the realm of the first Adam to exist and to function in the realm of the Last Adam.

2Thes 2:13 But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.

Heb 5:8 Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. 9 And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation, 10 being designated by God as a High Priest according to the Order of Melchizedek.

It should be noted that God purposed all these things “in Christ” before man was created. Forgiveness of sins will not and cannot modify God’s total plan for man. Thank God for forgiveness of sins, we all need that, but we must see that Eternal Salvation is directly related to our obedience and to God’s Purpose. To “obey Him” requires that we first MUST be recipients of His Life and be equipped to live by His Life! This is the understanding related to continually eating from the Tree of Life which is essential for man to participate in God’s Ultimate Purpose. This is confirmed again in Revelation 22.

Rev 22:1 And he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, 2 in the middle of its street. And on either side of the river was the Tree of Life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

Rev 22:14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the Tree of Life, and may enter by the gates into the city.

Rev 22:19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Tree of Life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.

We cannot emphasize too often that we were “created in Christ, predestined in Christ and chosen in Christ” before the world was. This is essential for us to appreciate God drawing us to Himself! It is also important to understand the New Covenant, the Kingdom and the New Covenant Priesthood. Why? These were part of God’s predestined plan.

We should remember that God made the New Covenant from out of His Total Sovereignty and Ultimate Dominion and does not ask for man’s input, suggestions or modifications. Man can either accept it as it was given or reject it but he cannot change or modify it.

My thesis for this document is that the visible church and its hierarchies have attempted to do both. They have “accepted” the part they agreed with (redemption) and then changed and modified the Covenant to agree with their doctrines and desires. Some of the New Covenant has been openly rejected. The result is that “going on to perfection” and other aspects of the New Covenant is understood to be optional or unnecessary! The reason given is; “because we are already saved.”

Some of the believers are asking why God is not doing miracles, signs and wonders among them now. This is a valid question! The hierarchies then must come up with an excuse as an answer. They create a doctrine that these things passed away with the last Apostle or these signs were only needed to get the church started. My theory is that when the church ignored the New Covenant, the Kingdom of God and the New Covenant Priesthood “MINISTRY”, they cut themselves off from the full provision of God and from the understanding that is essential for the growth and development of the believers! These various provisions “arrived” at Pentecost with the indwelling Holy Spirit and continue throughout the church age. These “provisions” were NOT just to get the church started but it is essential that every aspect of every provision of God is experienced, throughout the church age, for the church to fulfill God’s predestined purpose!

This shortness of vision also reveals that man is still free to choose IF he will respond to God, accept His Total Provision and then to press into His Eternal Purpose. Of course, he may just accept forgiveness of sins as good enough. This is the choice that confronts every born of God Christian today. It is certainly not enough to just be forgiven from our sins. However, this IS the first stage of a long list of changes, rectifications, sanctifications and disciplines that must occur when we enter the process of being fully redeemed from what we were to what He is and from our government to His Government.

The Coming of the Holy Spirit, in the New Covenant dimension, was not available to any generation before the first Pentecost! Receiving this dimension of the Holy Spirit is unique to the whole church age. Without the arrival of the Holy Spirit, in the New Covenant dimension, there could be NO Book of Acts. My Bible calls the Acts “the Book of the Acts of the Apostles” but that has been added. Other Bibles call the Acts “The Book of the Acts of the Holy Spirit.” My theory is that there could be No “acts of the Apostles” if there was not first the “Acts of the Holy Spirit.” I base that wholly upon the provision of the New Covenant and upon what Jesus said would happen when the “Promise of the Father” was realized.

The Holy Spirit is not just preparing a people to be “saved from hell” but He is preparing the “people of the saints of the Highest One” to rule with Christ Jesus during the Millennial reign of Christ Jesus when the Sovereign Government of God will become a reality on earth.

Rev 2:26 ‘And he who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, TO HIM I WILL GIVE AUTHORITY OVER THE NATIONS; 27 AND HE SHALL RULE THEM WITH A ROD OF IRON, AS THE VESSELS OF THE POTTER ARE BROKEN TO PIECES, as I also have received authority from My Father;

The “HE SHALL RULE” refers to the “saints of the Highest One” who have also have been “perfected” and have overcome. They will be assigned to rule over the nations with a rod of iron. However, their attitude toward the nations and the other saints is extremely rectified and adjusted because the “rulers” themselves will have first been broken into very small pieces. Why? That is the process necessary for receiving this Millennial Authority. These “rulers” will minister extreme discipline but with tremendous humility because they were first broken to very small pieces BEFORE they were given that authority. It is obvious that most “authority” in the visible church is Not of that caliber. Why? That is because this wonderful work is the result of the discipline of the Holy Spirit.

One famous English miracle worker, during the Pentecostal Movement, boasted that if the Holy Spirit didn’t move him, he moved the Holy Spirit. Much of the faith movement applied the same theory. However, while that may have worked during that time period, that is Not the New Covenant dimension of ministry. The Holy Spirit is actually the Sovereign Lord of the church and has the responsibility of choosing a Bride for Jesus and for the perfection of the City of God. To resist or to blaspheme Him, in this time period, is a very serious mistake.

The New Covenant has multiple and varied provisions for almost every aspect of the Christian Beginnings. It is the experiential provisions of the New Covenant that supplies the abilities to live within the tremendous demands of the Kingdom of God. Then it is the discipline, the obedience and the internal Government of the Kingdom that provides for the function of the New Covenant Priesthood after the Order of Melchizedek. The discipline, function and demands related to the Priesthood and its responsibility as “Priests of the Most High God” during the Millennium are also the qualifications and the development of a Kingdom of Priests for eternity future. In other studies we have related this “growth and development” to the manifestation of sons or “sonship.” This “priesthood function” is what we are calling the “Body of the High Priest!”

Rom 8:12 So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh-- 13 for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

It is the New Covenant that provides for this fuller dimension of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Jesus said in; John 14:17 that is the Spirit of Truth, Whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you, and will be in you. To be “with you” or to be “in you” may well apply to the “children of God” but a certain maturity is required to the “led by the Spirit of God.” Why? That is because these who are being led are the sons of God!

To be “led by the Spirit of God” is one of the wonderful provisions of the New Covenant. Still, the Holy Spirit will “cause you to walk in His Ways” and this suggests some discipline and pressure from within.

Ezekiel 36:26 “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 “And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.

My theory is that the “Government of the Holy Spirit” within us is the precursor to our preparation for the Kingdom and to function within God’s Eternal Government. Could we possibly rule the nations if the Holy Spirit could not first rule over us?

Ezekiel 11:19 “And I shall give them one heart, and shall put a new spirit within them. And I shall take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, 20 that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances, and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God.

If we take these prophesies as literal truth, because these provisions are exactly what the New Covenant has provided, it should be evident that to really be the “people of God” requires something more that to confess, believe or agree with some doctrine about salvation. The question we are presenting is this; Is there ANY salvation outside of the New Covenant provision? Is there some level of Salvation outside the Kingdom Government of God? Is there some measure of Salvation outside of obedience to Christ Jesus, our High Priest?

Hebrews 5:8 Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. 9 And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation, 10 being designated by God as a High Priest according to the Order of Melchizedek.

When we add the dimension of the Kingdom Government of God and our Divine Calling to be Kings and Priests to enhance our Christian Experience, our whole gospel changes. It is then we understand that so many of these revealed truths are contrary to the concepts of the modern gospel of “just believe” something (whatever we tell you) and be “saved.”

Because of certain Kingdom Parables there is a concept that if we use the word “kingdom” or if we preach a verse, that “message” then is “sowing the seed of the Kingdom.” Of course, if we don’t see any results or harvest in several years we can use the excuse; well, at least we sowed something that will produce a harvest, someday. We did our part! The excuse for the lack of Kingdom results seems to be that the soil wasn’t any good. It is easy to blame the soil but will that excuse be acceptable!

We should ask; Is the “seed of the Kingdom” just preaching some verse containing the word “Kingdom” or is the “seed of the Kingdom” the “WORD OF THE KINGDOM?” If we are “sowing” some concept and calling that seed, we can expect no true harvest. Only that which produces a harvest of Kingdom life and experience is the real seed of the Kingdom. It is this “seed” that produces the “sons of the Kingdom!

Mat 13:37 And He answered and said, “The One Who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, 38 and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the Kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one;

In other words, the “seed of the Kingdom” is NOT just more knowledge or concepts, it must be an infusion of the “Sovereign and Governmental Laws of Life?” Is the “Kingdom” a doctrine to be believed or a “Governmental Experience” to be accepted, received and obeyed?

It appears that the real “Kingdom Seed” produces a “Kingdom Harvest” which can be seen in the experience of true believers. This is what testifies to their growth and development. This “harvest” produces the “converts” for the “Kingdom Government of God” that can live and function in that higher realm of Life. In this realm of government, the parables take on a completely new dimension of reality and eternal substance rather than as just stories to tell.

If we sow “Kingdom Seed” and get some “Kingdom results in the Life of the believer,” this experience will agree perfectly with provisions of the New Covenant. Why? Because both of these realms, the Kingdom and the Covenant, harmonize and support each other. The primary experiences of the Kingdom, when they become personal, releases more provisions of the New Covenant into the life. In other words; If we walk in the Spirit of the New Covenant, experientially, He will lead us into all Truth and we shall be taught by God! If we ignore the Spirit of the New Covenant we will be taught NOTHING by God but we will need to be continually instructed by man. Truth is revealed in stages, here a little and there a little. As we are able to live in that level of Truth more truth is revealed.

Truth is NOT just an increase in knowledge or information but an increase of Life. How do we know that? By recognizing the New Covenant dimension of the work of the Holy Spirit as He gives us revelation, within.

1Cor 2:10 For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. 11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man, which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit Who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God, 13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. 14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.

None of this dimension of the Holy Spirit, working directly in man, was available to man until the New Covenant provision became a reality. Therefore, if this reality is NOT our experience, we should question if we are really New Covenant Christians. If all this appears to be just foolishness we should recognize that we are just “natural men” and without this dimension of spiritual infusion.

Then, what is the fatal mistake the visible church has made that leaves their believers in this pitiful condition, short of New Covenant reality? They made the “part” about the forgiveness of sins to be the whole package of redemption. Why has this happened? That is because the New Covenant, the Kingdom of God and the New Covenant Priesthood Ministry has been ignored. These have been understood to be a special calling of someone to “ministry” or even unnecessary because “we are already saved.” The first step of redemption has been accepted as the whole package!

Since we were “chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world,” the “Eternal Christ” needs to be viewed within the proper framework of the God-Head Himself. This “Eternal Christ” is the Living and Abiding Word of God. We were “predestined and chosen” to participate in this total dimension of the Living and Abiding Word of God, the Spirit of Christ. This is the picture given to us within the “Eternal Tree of Life!” Our participation “in Christ” is summed up by how much of His Life we have experienced and are living within. It is this level of our experience of “His Life and Spirit” that is the measure of our outward ministry that is truly effective.

It has been speculated that even if man had not sinned in Genesis 3, it was still essential that man must eat from the Tree of Life if he was ever to fulfill the purpose for his creation. In other words; We were (past tense) “Chosen in Christ” long before man sinned so sin was NOT necessary for Adam to fulfill God’s Purpose. Then what is essential for us? For each of us to receive His Spirit and His Life, Zoe! However, this “Resurrection LIFE, Zoe” is more than Adam could receive because this Life, available to us now, has already passed through death. Therefore, to be forgiven of our sin is not complete until we have received His Resurrection Life, Zoe! The modern church has apparently believed that if Adam’s sin had been forgiven that Adam could then fulfill God’s purpose. No! Without His Life, all Adam could experience was death.

Heb 9:26 Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.

John_1:29, “Behold the Lamb of God Who taketh away the sin of the world.” (not merely the sins plural)

While this may not be easy to understand, it is certain that we must cooperate with God before this blessing becomes experiential within us personally! Just to assume that “sin no longer exists” because Jesus took it away may appear to be true by many. However, redemption (fully redeemed) is a process in which we must fully participate in the experiences through faith and obedience. {The righteous shall “continually” Live by faith} Finding a verse that seems to provide something automatically because of Calvary is very dangerous until we have personally experienced the full provision of Calvary. This is especially true of the coming Holy Spirit and the reality of the New Covenant and the Kingdom of God.

IS IT THE ONE WHO MEMORIZES THE MOST CLICHES THAT WINS THE KINGDOM?

Just coming together on Sunday to practice and compare our clichés or to read some verses and sing some songs should be exposed as something less than “a New Covenant church service.” Why? We should only, at this time, relate to the provisions within the New Covenant for the “church service!” This “service” functions within the realm of the Holy Place where the Lampstand Church is designed to sit under the illumination of the Seven Spirits of God. In this realm “Worship/ Activity” is reserved for the Priesthood Function of burning Incense, (prayer, praise, worship and thanksgiving) which is wholly FOR God! Why? Because, the Incense Altar is designed to be wholly for God, to complete His Eternal Purpose and for getting His Will done on earth as it is currently being done in Heaven. This cooperation with God at the Altar of Incense is where our actual ministry as Priests begins to operate within the Kingdom realm. We might call this; Learning to rule with Christ through Incense!

Nevertheless, NOTHING can be “ministered to God” until we have first eaten from the Showbread. Eating, daily, from this Living and Abiding Word of God is essential for the revelation and understanding of how this Eternal Priesthood functions AS PRIESTS OF THE MOST HIGH GOD.

John 4:31 In the meanwhile the disciples were requesting Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” 32 But He said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” 33 The disciples therefore were saying to one another, “No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?” 34 Jesus *said to them, “My food is to do the Will of Him Who sent Me, and to accomplish His work.

Even if “WE ACCOMPLISH OUR WORK” it cannot be compared to this “elusive food” which is “DOING HIS WILL and accomplishing HIS WORK.” Why? Accomplishing His Work is all that is valid or relevant in the Priesthood Ministry. Being continually busy, doing our own thing, is the hallmark of most outward ministry but is totally irrelevant in the Kingdom dimension.