Thursday, December 29, 2011

Understanding Our Inheritance - Part 1

Dearly Beloved,

-    There are some biblical understanding that Christians unconsciously plan to grasp when they get to heaven, one of which is our inheritance in God. Interestingly, understanding the world of angels and the role they play in our salvation sheds light  on this subject. (Heb. 1:14)
-     My mentor in the faith once said, ‘If you are not rooted in the knowledge of angels, you won’t know about your inheritance as they models of our inheritance. You would hardly understand Christ as you ought without it. Angels were ministers/representatives of the Lord before he came. They are the anointed ones (Eze 28:14) before The Anointed One (i.e. Christ) came.  
-        Angels are enjoying their inheritance in this present creation/world. Man would primarily enjoy his inheritance/reward in the world to come but mainly has the days of his sojourn in the flesh to prepare for it.
-     Mankind is currently being tried while angels have been tried and some of them kept their estate (i.e. remained under covering/authority) while others like Satan and his cohorts didn’t (Jude 1:6). Satan remains the ruler/prince of this world (Jn. 14:30), and we need to understand the realm of  angels to discern and beat him. The following is therefore a brief appraisal on angels.

-       There are angels of God’s footstool that handle earthly/carnal ministrations. Those that kept not their estate (Jude 1:6) and fell in this class of angels became demons which are lesser in fabric/ministry than all other angels. They are described as angels of the realm of the living soul (the realm of man) in Ps. 103:22. They specialize in deceiving and oppressing unbelievers and young believers. They toss young believers to and fro (Eph. 4:14) and promote doctrines of demon but are lesser than seducing spirits described in 1 Tim. 4:1. They can be cast out with the authority in the name of Jesus according to Mark 16:17
-       There are angels who handle a higher grade of spiritual things than angels of his footstool. While moving from the earth heaven wards, they are the angels of the outer court of heaven, angels of the first heaven. Those that kept their estate were called Principalities, Powers, Might & Dominion in Eph. 1:21 while Col. 1:16 called this same class of angels as Principalities, Powers, Thrones & Dominion. They are war-like in operation. Ps. 103:22 described them as dwellers in places of his dominion. Isa. 14:13 described them as ‘Stars of God’. Some out of them that were deceived by Satan were described as a part of our main enemy in Eph. 6:12 i.e. Principalities and Powers, here, in a fallen state. They specialize in ensuring believers don’t come into the arena of Spiritual Knowledge (i.e. Sonship)

-       There are angels who handle a higher grade of spiritual things than angels of the first heaven, i.e. than dwellers in the places of his dominion. They are the angels of holy place of heaven, angels of the second heaven. They are called Seraphs and in different places described as Hosts of Heaven, Sons of fire or Stones of fire. They make up the ‘mount of congregation’ described in Isa. 14:13. Ps. 103:21 described them as ministers of the Lord. Because of The Lord’s operations in their midst, He is called The Lord of Host = Isa. 6:3. Such was the angel encountered by Prophet Isaiah in Isa. 6. They burn and are not given a face like Cherubs to behold God and therefore use their wings to veil their face = Isa. 6:2. They are part of the class of angels with names (spiritual operations) that Apostle Paul compared the Lord Jesus with after resurrection by stating ‘… every name that is named’ in Eph. 1:21. Because the holy place makes up part of the tabernacle (Heb. 9) where Seraphim’s minister with the oracles of God, Seraphs are part of the company of angels Paul was referring to in Heb. 1:4 when he compared this class of angels with Christ by saying ‘…the Lord was made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than ‘they’ (i.e. Seraphs and Cherubs). Eph. 6:12 described those that fell out of them as rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in high places. Like priests of the holy place, their loins are girded and are partially clothed (Dan. 10:5-6). They limit potential sons from becoming established in Spiritual Knowledge, in their Priestly calling. Their operations can’t be cast out like Mark 16:17 counsels, but rather, a believer must WRESTLE with them by WALKING AGAINST THEIR COURSE, WALKING EXTENSIVELY IN THE SPIRIT (Eph. 6:12/2:2)

-       There are angels who handle the most superior grade of spiritual things in the heavenly realm, higher than angels of the second heaven in make. They are the angels of the third heaven, the most holy place. They are called Cherubs and in different places, they are described as Sons of the morning, Sons of the beginning = Isa. 14:12/Job 38:7. Ps. 103:20 confirmed them as angels that excel in strength, that can represent and act as a witness or ambassador of the Lord. They glow and shine are therefore called Cherubs of Glory = Heb. 9:5. John the Baptist was described as a shining light because of the prophetic nature of a cherub that he engaged while witnessing about the Lord. Satan was a Cherub who had a height/light advantage. He was decked with precious stones with which he ministered light/knowledge unto seraphs (Eze. 28:13-14) before he fell. Cherubs are equipped with eyes within and without and are endowed with a face to administer spiritually inclined blessings (Jer. 1:18/Exo. 25:20/Eze. 28:14). Satan later used and still uses his face to curse/limit nations (i.e. limit souls) since he fell = Isa. 25:7/Rev. 22:3/Rev.12:14. Like the high priest that ministers in the most holy place, Cherubs are always clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt themselves about with a golden girdle. Most angels in operations in the Book of Revelation were Cherubs, including those who spoke like the Lord would have personally did i.e. Rev. 1:13 e.t.c. The ministry of the face of Christ (the hidden wisdom of Christ – 1Cor.2:7) is the only antidote to the ministry of his face, which is the operation of a high wisdom. Any believer that comes into the arena of knowledge (i.e. Sonship) and desires to inherit the throne would have to go through the tough hurdle of overcoming Satan’s wiles (i.e. overcome the stature of his perverted spiritual wisdom – Eze.28:12/17) by walking against their course which is synonymous to wrestling with them. Completing this warfare syllabus is the litmus test before all heavens and before the Godhead that a believer has attained the status is an overcomer and is superior to angels/has laid hold of eternal life. Seraphs as earlier explained and also Cherubs are the only grade of angels that Apostle Paul was referring to in Heb. 1:4 when he compared Angels with Christ by saying ‘…the Lord was made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than ‘they’. The process of terminating the reign (Rom. 5:14) of the only fallen cherub, Satan, is still ongoing and is premised on the raising of a company of first fruits/overcomers called the Man-Child in Rev. 12:5-8. The true church (Isa. 66:8/Rev. 12:2) would be responsible for raising that Man Child, who would be a Man because of the formation of Spiritual Stature of the knowledge/wisdom of Christ in them (Eph. 4:13) and a Child because of the meek nature of the lamb that made them compatible with the throne/receive the kingdom (Lk. 18:17/Matt. 11:29)

Some Scriptural references

Rev. 1:1The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel  (a cherubim) unto his servant John’

Rev. 1:8I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty’. (THIS WAS A CHERUBIM SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF THE LORD UNTO JOHN, AS AN AMBASSADOR/REPRESENTATIVE/MINISTER, SPEAKING AS THE LORD WOULD SPEAK)

Heb. 1:7 ‘And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits (referring to Cherubs), and his ministers a flame of fire’ (referring to Seraphs).

1 Tim3:16 ‘And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory’. (i.e. angels came into a high degree of Glory before man and were before man, so they had to be given that honor)

Isa. 14:12 -15 ‘How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, Son of the morning (an angel of the third heaven)! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven (the realm of authority over the earth that Satan stole from Adam), I will exalt my throne above the Stars of God (angels of the first heaven): I will sit also upon the Mount of The Congregation (angels of the second heaven), in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the Heights of The Clouds (i.e. above the angels of the third heaven); I will be like the most High’ (the kind of likeness that only man was called to inherit, that which Christ attained on our behalf = Heb. 1:3/2Cor.3:18

Eze. 28:14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth (blesses); and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God (holy place); thou hast walked (ministry of dispensing light/knowledge) up and down in the midst of the stones of fire (i.e. Seraphs).

Eph. 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air (i.e. the realm of authority over the earth which was stolen from Adam, the place where believers would meet with Christ at his second coming after it would have been cleansed of his enemies = 1Thes.4:17), the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience

Dan. 10:13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia (i.e. a fallen Seraphim, a Ruler of the darkness of this world/spiritual wickedness in high places) withstood me (i.e. the holy seraphim described in Dan. 10:5-6) one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael (i.e. a cherub), one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.

Rev. 12:7 And there was war in heaven (i.e. the air, realm of authority over the earth): Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels (i.e. Satan and angels of the first and second heaven which he deceived), And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven (i.e. the air was cleansed of its usurped authority). And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan,

David, A type of an overcomer in the Old Testament, understood the heavens/the angelic realm

Ps. 18:12 At the brightness that was before him, his thick clouds (i.e. Cherubs) passed, hail stones and coals of fire (i.e. Seraphs).
Ps. 78:14 In the daytime also he led them with a cloud (i.e. a Cherubim), and all the night with a light of fire (i.e. also a Cherubim, because they can manifest and carry out the ministry of a seraph, they can switch to a lower operation).
Ps. 19:1 The heavens (plural) declare the glory of God; and the firmament shoes his handiwork.
Ps.115:16 The heaven (i.e. the air/realm of authority over the earth that Satan stole from Adam), even the heavens (i.e. the first, second and third heaven), are the LORD’s: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.
Ps. 80:1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that lead Joseph like a flock; thou that dwells between the Cherubs, shine forth.

Bless You!