Dear Phyllis,
There is much in my heart, but I have
no idea how to express it, or even what to talk about. Richard Feynman said,
“Anybody who says they understand quantum physics has only proven that they know
nothing.” I would like to say, anyone who says they know spiritual truth is an
idiot and has no idea what they are talking about.
One of the clearest arguments is
Ezekiel's Temple in Ezek. 40-48. I know of knowledgeable PHDs who confidently
tell us that this is describing the Millennial Temple that will be built in
Jerusalem after Jesus comes back, and the sacrifices that will be offered then.
You idiot! Have you ever read chapters 40, 41, and 42? Being a carpenter and
having built a number of buildings, several years ago I was determined to get a
better handle on Ezekiel; I decided to draw this Temple as it is described in
detail in chapters 40-42. Now the Lord is very precise. At the beginning we
read that Ezekiel was given a measuring rod (reed) and told specifically to
measure the building. Okay, that sounds straight forward. First we see that
there was a wall, and the breadth of it was one reed and the height was one
reed. Then there was a gate and the threshold was one reed and the breadth of it
was one reed. Then there were little chambers that were one reed long and one
reed broad. Then there was a porch that was one reed. Okay, let's see you put
that on a sheet of paper. And you want me to believe that this is an actual
temple that will be constructed in Jerusalem when Jesus gets here? What in the
world is Ezekiel talking about? There is only one possible explanation. This is
the Temple that Paul is talking about in Eph. 2 that is built for a habitation
of God through the Spirit. The Church. If we understand that and read Ezekiel
by the Holy Spirit we see that Ezekiel has a great deal of vital information to
share with us. First of all there is a wall. Any preacher who tells us that
there isn't a wall is not of God. I went to church here in Chiang Mai where the
pastor had a series preaching on Nehemiah. Nehemiah was the wall builder.
Rupert preached for weeks and never once mentioned that there was a wall. He
refused to draw lines between conservatives and liberals I quit going to
church. Then there are specific measurements. We see the measuring rod (reed)
is six cubits. Six is the number of man. And every cotton picken thing in that
Temple is one reed. What is the measuring rod? May I suggest it is the Man
Christ Jesus?
The only way I have been able to get
any spiritual teaching out of Ezekiel is by simply taking the objects that are
presented to us. The first thing is the Wall, the next is the Gate, the next is
the Thresh- hold, The next is the little Chambers, Stairs, Posts, Arches, etc.
All of that is highly meaningful to me. It is interesting that there is no
mention of any beams. There is a difference between an arch and a beam. A beam
holds everything up by itself. In an arch everything is compression where every
brick (stone) is dependent on the one next to it. In the Body of Christ we are
all dependent on each other. Lone Rangers in the Body of Christ are in bad
shape. Enough said.
I see the same thing in Revelation.
Several years ago I was was convinced that Revelation is not lineal – 1,2,3,
etc. Many Bible scholars tell us that Revelation is lineal. I am convinced that
it comes in a configuration that we do not have on this earth. There is no
question, in my mind, that the 6th Seal at the end of chapter 6 and
the 7th Bowel in chapter 16 are exactly the same event. I believe I
can incontestably prove that argument. I see the 7 Trumpets and the 7 Bowels as
being an overlay of the same things. This is obvious. They are circular – not
lineal. By setting aside my natural reasoning and human logic I have found that
the Holy Spirit has opened vast treasures of spiritual truth to me that make no
sense to the natural mind.
One of those truths is the Inverted
Kingdom. By accepting that things in the Kingdom of God are backwards to the
natural laws of this world, this has explained a great deal of things that make
no sense at all. One truth that Jesus told us about was when He saw the poor
widow put her two cents in the offering plate. There had been the big doners
who had written big checks, and then that poor thread-bare woman put in her two
pennies, and Jesus said that was the biggest donation of the day (Lk. 21:1-4).
Really? Obviously, the accounting in heaven is different that the way we keep
books. In this world we count by what is put in, but in heaven the Lord counts
by what is left over. When she gave all, and had nothing left over, that was
the biggest donation.
Grasp this truth, I have been trying to
console myself with the lot Jesus has granted me here in Chiang Mai. This is
almost exactly the way I didn't want things to go. I have said for years I want
my last lap to be my best. When I head down the final 100 yards towards the
finish line, I want to have my head down giving it all I have. I want to be
wide out at the finish line. I have said for years the most disgusting thing I
can think of is to retire and go to Fort Lauderdale to play shuffle board.
Today I look with envy at the men in Fort Lauderdale with shuffle board sticks
in their hands.
Towards the end of Corey ten Boons life
Jesus spoke with her asking her what she wanted. He asked, “Do you want to come
home now or stay here for five more years?” She replied, “Lord, I want the one
that will bring the most glory to You”. And the Lord gave her five more years.
They were the worst years of her life. She had virtually no ministry. She was
dependent on others to take care of her. Most of the time she was in bed. Her
body was so frail that to touch her would break a bone. Cliff Barrows was
visiting her, and she looked up and said, “Cliff, why does the Lord leave me
here like this when I can do nothing?” Cliff replied, “I don't know. That is a
mystery. Maybe it is to prepare us so we will enjoy heaven more.” I don't know
either. But I know Corey ten Boon is an inspiration to me.
I thank God for 15 years that I was
able to engage in one of the most satisfying ministry of carrying Bibles to
people who have no access to the Word of God. But today I am doing no
traveling. There are still needy pockets but those days are behind for me. Today
I am silent. Lord, That is a mystery that I don't understand.
The other night I had a most unusual,
very emotional, encounter with Jesus. I had just been looking, for two hours,
at WW 2 battle films on You Tube. The human suffering there was horrific. After
turning my computer off, I thought I would spend a little time in the Word
before going to bed. I turned at random to the 54th & 55th
Psalm. The cry there was by the Psalmist to save him. He told of the horrible
suffering he was in. I thought, “Well that doesn't apply to me”. But then
suddenly, the Holy Spirit said to me, “This is Messianic. This applies to
Jesus.” Putting in Jesus has made much of Psalms a different book to me. Then
in a way that I had never seen before, the Holy Spirit pulled back to curtain
and let me look into the heart of Jesus. Oh it was awful! No one knows the
suffering He undertook and the battles He fought by Himself. I thought of the
terrible battles I had just been watching on You Tube and somehow the same
thing applied to Jesus slugging it out by Himself. What He fought inside
Himself was on a level that goes beyond human comprehension. The only passing
note that we have in the Word of God, is that He sweat great drops of Blood,
and angels came to strengthen Him (Lk. 22:43,44). When I saw that Messianic
Scripture and had a brief glimpse inside the heart of Jesus it was more painful
than I could bear.
Oh. what can I say? We haven't the
fainest idea of what Jesus went through to save us. Our most eloquent
expressions are only trite suggestions of the reality of Jesus' experience. Oh,
will we ever know? Will the Lord pull back the curtain of reality? I don't
know. The only thing I know is that this is spiritual truth on a level that is
humanly impossible for us to handle right now. Oh, I'm embarrassed. How can a
man see this and be so cold-heartedly indifferent? This puts a new light on
heaven. All I know is that the Bible says He will wipe away all tears. I used
to think that applied to the sorrow we had in this world. But if the Father
gives us a showing of what Jesus went through to save us, there will be rivers
of tears in heaven that will leave us speechless.
Oh Lord, thaw my frozen heart and let
me Love you today.
bill
ü.....
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