Rising
of the Son no. 17
God's
shield of protection, His Crown of Glory
November 16,
2016
Brian Kocourek, pastor
2 I
certainly deem this a marvelous privilege this morning to be back here in
Jeffersonville, Indiana, with this great congregation, the church packed and
standing in and outside and in the lots and everywhere. To you people on the
phones across the nation, it's a beautiful morning here. Five o'clock this
morning, my little friend with a red breast flew up at the window and woke me
up. Seemed like his little heart would burst saying, "He is risen."
I've always thought of this little bird as being a friend to me because I like
him. As the legend about him says, a little brown bird saw Him suffering on the
cross where sin had placed Him. Of course, the little bird had no sin; He
didn't have to die for the little bird; but he flew in to the cross and tried
to pull the nails out with his little beak, and he got his breast all red. And
that's the way I want mine too, as this shield of trying to protect this glorious
thing that He died for.
Now, this paragraph might
seem a little innocuous, but it is not. Notice his story about the little robin
was to bring out a little thought concerning the red breast and he called
it "this shield of trying
to protect this glorious".
Notice he is referring to a shield to protect the glory. Now, we
know what the glory is that Christ
died for, it is the glory his Father
gave him before the foundations of the world.
John 17:20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall
believe on me through their word; 21 That
they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that
they also may be one in us: that
the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22 And
the glory which thou gavest me I
have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: 23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in
one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them,
as thou hast loved me. 24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be
with me where I am; that they may behold my
glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
So the red breast he says
represents the
shield that protects the glory.
Therefore this odd expression
that brother Branham used is what I would like to speak on tonight, and go into
scripture so we can get an idea of what he is referring to here with this
illustration of the little robin and its red breast.
In his opening statement in
his sermon, Who
is this Melchisedec brother Branham says, We thank Thee for Thy great power, Thy great revelation of thyself
to us in this last days. It makes our heart most happy and
joyful to know that we have come in contact with the living God, Who vindicates
it right back in physical, material evidences as He did in the days gone by and
as He has promised for this day. We're
so grateful to Thee our God. This dark day where no one seems to know which
a-way to go, we're so glad
that we found the safety zone, the retreat.
Now, this evening, we will focus our
thoughts on these two statements from the two sermons brother Branham preached, We're so grateful to Thee our God. This dark day where no
one seems to know which a-way to go, we're
so glad that we found the safety zone, the retreat.
Notice, in this quote br. Branham speaks
of a safety zone in difficult times. Times of trials and uncertainty. Yet it is been given us to know that
during these times we will have a
zone of safety.
Now to begin with we must ask ourselves
what is this zone he speaks of is, because in Rising of the sun he also calls
it a shield or
protection for the Glory.
The word Zone comes from a Greek word
Z.o.n.e. pronounced zo-nay, and
it refers to a belt used to gird about.
Matthew 3:4 And the same John had his raiment of camel's
hair, and a leathern girdle
about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.
This girding of the loins is not something
children need to do. But it is done by the male only, and for the purpose of
protecting his future family, his heirs to be.
Job 38:1 ¶ Then
the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, 2 Who [is] this that darkeneth counsel by
words without knowledge? 3 Gird up
now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.
Job 40:6 ¶ Then
answered the LORD unto Job out of the whirlwind, and said, 7 Gird up thy loins now like a man: I
will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.
In Ezekiel we find when God calls Him to
go forward, Ezekiel still thinks he is a child, but God tells Him not to even
think it, for he is now a man, and He must go forth, gird his loins and speak.
Jeremiah 1:4 ¶ Then
the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 5 Before I formed thee in the belly I
knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee,
[and] I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. 6 Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I
cannot speak: for I [am] a child. 7 But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I
[am] a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I
command thee thou shalt speak. 8 Be not afraid of their faces: for I
[am] with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD. 9 Then the LORD put forth his hand, and
touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy
mouth. 10 See,
I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out,
and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.
11 ¶ Moreover the word of the LORD came
unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an
almond tree. 12 Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast
well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it. 13 And the word of the LORD came unto me
the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot; and
the face thereof [is] toward the north. 14 Then the LORD said unto me, Out of the
north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.
15 For, lo, I
will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the LORD; and
they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at the entering of the
gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against
all the cities of Judah. 16 And
I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken
me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their
own hands. 17 Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and
arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their
faces, lest I confound thee before them. 18 For, behold, I have made thee this day
a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land,
against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests
thereof, and against the people of the land. 19 And they shall fight against thee; but
they shall not prevail against thee; for I [am] with thee, saith the LORD, to
deliver thee.
Now, we find Peter speaking of a girding
up and getting ready to move out in at the end time when the great Revelation
of Jesus Christ is to take place.
1 Peter 1:1-13 ¶ Blessed
[be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his
abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of
Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and
undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
5 Who are kept
by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the
last time. 6 ¶ Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now
for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
7 That the trial of your faith, being much more
precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be
found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
8 Whom having
not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see [him] not, yet believing, ye
rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: 9 Receiving the end of your faith,
[even] the salvation of [your] souls. 10 ¶ Of which salvation the prophets have
enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace [that should
come] unto you: 11 Searching
what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did
signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory
that should follow. 12 Unto
whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister
the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the
gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the
angels desire to look into. 13 ¶ Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind,
be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at
the revelation of Jesus Christ;
And notice what loins he is speaking of?
he said gird up the Loins or your mind. That is where the seed has been placed.
And when you are ready to move out you must protect that seed.
The next time we see this girding take place
in the scriptures is in the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, when Jesus
Christ, the God of heaven and earth is gird about with a golden girdle.
Revelation 1:13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks [one] like unto the Son of man,
clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
Now, it does not say this was the Son of
Man, but One Like unto the Son of Man. It is God.
Now, notice that the Son of
Man comes forth wearing a golden girdle, that is the word Zone.
Revelations 15:6 And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven
plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts
girded with golden girdles. 7 And one of the four beasts gave unto
the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth
forever and ever. 8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God,
and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the
seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.
52-4 Patmos
Vision - Church Age Book CPT 2 No Longer The
Priest "Revelation 1:13, "And in the midst of the seven candlesticks
One like unto the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt
about the paps with a golden girdle." There He stands, One like unto the Son of Man.
As the jewel is beautified by the mounting of the ring, so He is glorified in
the midst of the churches. It is the Lord's Day; for John sees Him standing,
not as a priest, but as the coming Judge. The golden girdle is no longer
girt around the waist where the priest must wear it as he
ministers to God in the Holiest Place, but it is now around His shoulders,
for He is not now the priest but the JUDGE.
Now has John 5:22 come to pass, "For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto
the Son." His
service has been rendered. The priesthood is over. The days of the prophecy are
finished. He stands girded as the JUDGE.
Now, this is very
significant because during the seven church ages, he served as the High Priest
of our confession, but now in this hour H has appeared as the white wigged one,
the Supreme Judge. and the significance of the girdle or sash moving from his
waist which hung over his loins, to now it covering his heart, show that the
Glory of God, His Doxa in this hour is protected in the heart.
In the
book of Jeremiah we are told there will come a people that will Know God in
their hearts and will serve Him with
their whole heart.
Jeremiah 24:7 And I will give
them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.
1 John 3:19 And hereby we know that we
are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.
Yet we
are also told by this same prophet Jeremiah, that the heart is desperately
wicked, and no man really knows his own heart. Jeremiah
17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately
wicked: who can know it?
But
notice in both Jeremiah and in Isaiah as we will read, God said His Law which
is His word will be established in the hearts of a certain people. Isaiah 51:7 Hearken unto me, ye that know
right-wise-ness, the people in whose heart is my law;
fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.
Yet we
are told in John 1:12 that God gives
those who are born of His Spirit a heart that can receive His Word, and a heart
that can make a right decision to become what they were ordained to become
which is sons of God.
John 1:12 But as many as received Him, (The
word received is translated from the Greek word Lambano, which means to lay
hold of, to appropriate to oneself, to give one access to oneself, to
experience) and John is talking of him, to them
He gave power (to them
gave he exousia which is the authority,
or right, or judicial decision,
or judgment, in other words, He gave
the ability to make a right decision, He gave the
ability to make a right choice. And what is that right choice?) to become (to
ginomai, to come to
fulfillment as) the sons of God,)
And Brother Branham
tells us in Who
is this Melchisedec 65-0221E P:26 "The very revelation itself is sovereign in God. That's how people pound
at things, and jump at things, and hit at things, and not knowing what they're
doing. God is sovereign in His works."
And that
is exactly what John tells us in verse 12 because he goes on to say in verse 13 Which
were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man,
but of God.
So this
tells us we are looking at God seed, sons and daughters of God being
given this ability
to make right decision or judgment, and receive right opinion, and right values,
which is the
doxa of God, his very Glory.
But as we
read in Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful
above all things, and desperately wicked: who
can know it?
Then it is not our ability to know our
own heart, but to know Him is what counts, and His Word, His Glory, His
opinions, values, and thus have right judgment which is right decision making
ability.
David
said in the Psalms 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and
know my thoughts:
Therefore it is not you
knowing your own heart that matters, but God knowing your heart and sovereignly
placing in your heart his doxa
to make you one with him as He and His first born son were one.
Now, we find that this girdle or Zo-nay or
ZONE is used for protection, and in Who is this Melchisedec we find brother
Branham speaking of this Great Revelation of God in this hour is our safety
Zone. And in The Rising of the Son brother Branham called it "a shield of protection for the glory."
Notice that brother Branham uses the word safety zone or shield of protection in context with the world groping in darkness and being
uncertain as to which way to go. But we have a safety
Zone given by a vindicated Revelation. And
don't forget we have already established that this word means to encircle, as like a belt.
Brother Branham spoke of this same thing
when he preached the Rapture message and in fact took for his text 2 scriptures
which speak of a time when we will need this protection.
Psalms 27:1 ¶ [A
Psalm] of David. The LORD [is] my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
the LORD [is] the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When the wicked, [even] mine enemies
and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. 3 Though
an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: (you see, it is all about the heart in this hour.
This is the hour that the hearts of the children is turned to the doctrine of
the fathers) though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. 4 One thing have I desired of the
LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the
days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple. 5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide
me in his pavilion: in the secret of
his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.
And we know according to
Davis that this secret place where God will hide us in His presence.
Psalms 31:20 Thou shalt hide them in the
secret of thy Presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep
them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.
Psalms 23:1 ¶ A Psalm
of David. The LORD [is] my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to
lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He
restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's
sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou [art] with me; (it's all about His
presence with us and even in us) thy rod and thy
staff they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence
of mine enemies: thou anointest my head
with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow
me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Proverbs 18:10 ¶ The
name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.
Now, let's go back to Jesus
prayer in John and get an application of what we have read so far.
John 17:11 ¶ And now I am no more in the world, but
these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through
thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be
one, as we are. 12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou
gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that
the scripture might be fulfilled. 13 And now come I to thee; and these
things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in
themselves. 14 I have given them thy word; and the world
hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the
world. 15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but
that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. 16 They are not of the world,
even as I am not of the world. 17 ¶ Sanctify them through thy truth: thy
word is truth. 18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also
sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself,
that they also might be sanctified through the truth. 20 ¶ Neither pray I for these alone, but
for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art
in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may
believe that thou hast sent me. 22 And the glory which thou gavest
me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
Now, this Glory which He has given us is our
protection, for it is the wisdom and the very mind of God. It is the Doxa, the opinion, assessment
and judgment of God.
Proverbs 4:7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with
all thy getting get understanding. 8 Exalt her, and she shall promote
thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. 9 She
shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.
Notice then this crown of Glory is also
what shall protect us.
James 1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is
tried, he shall receive the crown of life,
which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
Revelations 2:10-11 Fear
none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye
shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. 11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit
saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second
death.
Notice this crown of Life is
for our protection, and he that hath the crown of Life is protected from the
second death.
And yet this crown can be
taken from us, because we are warned in Revelations 3:11 Behold,
I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy
crown.
Now, We have talked about the hedge that GOD has put around us for
our protection, and it is His Glory which lays not in the mind but in the
heart;
Psalms 1:6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the
way of the ungodly shall perish. The
word Knoweth
was translated from the Hebrew word yada'
which means to be made known, be/become known, be revealed to make oneself known:
to be perceived : to be instructed, to cause to know to make oneself known,
reveal oneself...
Therefore we see that the Lord
actively works in the Life of the righteous, to make sure that
the Righteous understands the True Revelation and disclosure of God. In other
words, God purposes in His heart to make sure that His kids know Him.
Now that sounds like a real dad, doesn't it? But with the ungodly it is not so. Notice what
is said about the ungodly... : but the way
(the course of Life) of the ungodly shall
perish
That word perish was translated from the Hebrew
Word 'abad
= which means be lost, strayed to give up as lost.
So we see in Psalms 27:5 God takes an active participation in our protection
and we read, For
in the time of trouble he shall hide
me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me;
he shall set me up upon a rock.
And again in Psalms 31:20 we find out this pavilion is His
Presence. 20 Thou
shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt
keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.
And we find the devil
calling this protection of God's Presence a hedge that God places around his
elect.
Job 1:10 Hast
not thou made an hedge about him, and
about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed
the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.
Therefore we come to realize that the hedge is GOD Himself.
Notice this hedge of protection is called a
hedge by Satan, but one of God's children David calls it a crown of protection.
Psalm 103:4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender
mercies; And the word crowneth was translated from a Hebrew word
"atar"
which means "to encircle from attack".
Again we see this also in Psalm 1:6 For
the LORD knoweth the way of the
righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish. For
the Lord watches over the way of the righteous. Like a hen doth her brood Jesus
said. And how does a hen watch over her brood? She lays a covering of her wings
all around them.
We again see this crowning or covering is
God's presence in Psalms 31:20 20 Thou
shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion
from the strife of tongues.
We see in all these examples of scripture
that God encircles us and we are caught
up into His Presence like a
whirlwind that encompasses all around us.
2nd Corinthians 3:18 we read NIV "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the LORD'S Glory, are
being transformed into His likeness with
ever increasing glory,
(with ever
increasing doxa, with ever increasing opinions, values, and judgments) which comes from the LORD, Who is The Spirit.
And we find that this crowning is one which fadeth not away as we see in 1 Peter 5:4 And when the chief Shepherd
shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.
But we see in Isaiah 40:5-8 that man fades and everything that is created
will fade, so this crown
which fades not must
be the Word as ISAIAH says," only the Word of GOD will not fade but
endures forever." 5 And
the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth
of the LORD hath spoken it.
6 The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:
7 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of
the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the
people is grass. 8 The
grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the
word of our God shall stand for ever.
Now, remember in Isaiah 28:5 he tells us God is our Crown. 5 In that day shall the LORD of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of
beauty, unto the residue of his people,
Br. Branham from a message entitled Testimony of a True Witness says,"I got Isaiah 28:11, let's
just read for a moment and find out here what He said about the coming of the
HOLY SPIRIT. Isaiah the 28th chapter, let's begin at
the 5th verse "'In that day shall the Lord
of Hosts be for a crown of Glory."' "He's speaking of this great day when the Witness
would come. What is our crown? ( pounds on pulpit ) The Holy Spirit
crowns us. A crown of Glory, "and for a diadem of beauty unto the residue of His people." 'The
residue, the people that's left over. He'll be a Diadem, a Crown of Glory, a Diadem of beauty. Think, this is seven
hundred years before it happened'. "For a spirit of judgment to
him that is setting in judgment," 'That's what He does to us at the altar. '"For strength to them that turn the battle to the gate." 'Let me see, "that turn the battle to the gate," 'them
who are standing for Him and with Him, this Great
Spirit, Holy Spirit that is prophesied , will be the
strength of him that stands at the gate in the battle. He is our
strength, we rely upon Him, not upon culture, not upon education, not upon
things of the world. "Not
by power, not by might but by My Spirit, Saith the Lord." The
church rest's solemnly in that. He will be the strength of him that
stands in the gate,
not his theological background, not his denomination, but the Holy Ghost
will be his strength. He'll be the One that'll stand at the
gate. He'll rely upon the strength of the Holy Spirit to turn the alien away.'
Now Jesus received this same crown as we
see in Hebrews 2:9 But
we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of
death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the
grace of God should taste death for every man.
Which David prophesied in Psalms 8:5 5 For
thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
Therefore we must ask the question,
"When then does this crown come to the Elect?"
And we
find our answer in 2
Timothy 4:8 8 Henceforth
there is laid up for me a crown of
righteousness, (a crown of
right-wise-ness) which
the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
Therefore at the time of the
appearing we find in 1 Peter 5:44 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye
shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. At the time of THE Appearing. This word for crown is the Greek word (stephanos )'A BADGE OF ROYALTY.
Brother Branham said to Lee Vayle in his
private audio letter, "For
as He come then to the natural seed, Abraham, He comes now to the Royal seed Abraham, who is ALSO waiting for the promised Son, not the
natural son Isaac, but the Royal promised Son." 1 Pet 5:4.
Now as she receives this crown which is
Himself, and never forget he is the Word.
Therefore as she receives His presence and His Shout, His Message, She
gives back to Him this revelation which she received by Him and this then
becomes her offering unto Him. She then becomes His crown as we see in Isaiah 62:3 Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the
hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in
the hand of thy God.
And we also see this by type in Proverbs 12:4 "A virtuous woman is
a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is
as rottenness in his bones."
Therefore the difference between Him as her crown and her as His crown is that the Hebrew word for Him as CROWN is TSePHIYRAH meaning a crown ( as encircling the head). But the Hebrew word for her as a crown
is TSANIYPHAH a head dress (ie. a piece of cloth wrapped around ) a hood, diadem, mitre. MITRE as in the
official headdress of the ancient Jewish High-Priest.
And we all should know and understand the
parable that Jesus told of the wife who lost the piece of silver in her crown.
And brother Branham told us concerning that parable
Second Coming of the Lord 57-0417 56 Today, if a
woman is married, she should wear a wedding ring as a sign that she's married. That's to keep other men from
having anything to do with her. They
look and they see she's a married woman. In those days, they didn't
have wedding rings; they had a tablet They call it "tablet." they
put on their head. It
had ten coins, and it went around their head. And that
was a sign they were a married
woman, and no man was to fool with them; no boys was to flirt with them.
They were married.
So we see that she is not for His
protection as He is for hers, but rather she is for his beauty personified, in which she, by her
beauty and life, is to attract
attention to the head, giving the head the full preeminence. Thus we have a
true picture of a bride and her groom and how each compliments the other.
Malachi 3:16-18 gives us a better understanding then of
this protection he gives her and her giving back this revelation to Him which
He has given to her. 16 "Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD
listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance
was written in His presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored
His name. 17
"They will be mine," says the LORD ALMIGHTY, "in the day when I make
up My treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man
spares his son who serves him.18 And you will again see the distinction between
the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do
not."
Now once again we have a perfect picture
of Eden again where husband was to feed wife from the tree of life, she then
would feed him of the same tree (a beautiful type of giving back to GOD the
revelation He has given to HIS bride) but instead, before Adam gave to her, the
serpent got to her with the wrong tree and thus perverted the original course
GOD had intended for man. But at this time He has come back "to restore the kingdom to its rightly
position that fell by sin by the first Adam, back to where He walked in the
cool of the evening with His people, talked with them, fellowshipped with them." Christ is the Mystery p.24-25
Now we see here a beautiful
picture of Bride and Groom. As she
dresses to meet her mate, she first puts on her shoes (which is the
preparation of the Gospel). She is then
dressed in the Word and the last piece of apparel she puts on before she is
presented to her Groom is the crown or headpiece which
consists of a headband, veil and train, representing God before her, GOD behind
her, GOD over her and all around her."
She is then ready to proceed down the
aisle to meet her Groom. As
she walks toward her Husband she is veiled to all who happen to look on. She
then takes her place before Him and as she stands in His presence, He reaches
forward, removes her veil once and for all. He then kisses her and for the
first time she is purely face
to face and mouth to mouth.
( for the Bride will have
"Thus Saith the LORD," or she will keep still.)
Christ is the mystery
63-0728 P:199 Now, my, there's just so much
here, we could just keep on going. Notice, the Tree of Christ, the Body in the
garden, making now--making His mystery known to this Bride Tree (watch)
redeemed by Christ, the second Adam (You believe He was?), going back home to
Eden with His fallen wife, redeemed back home again. That's Christ and the
Church today--taking His Wife back. See the threefold mystery now? God
manifested in Christ; Christ manifested in the Church; all together to bring
back the original Adam and Eve again, man and woman, which are one, made out of
the same Blood, and same Spirit, and everything else.
Zephaniah 3:9-17 " Then will I purify the lips of the
peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve Him
shoulder to shoulder.
let us pray