Patterns of Preparation & The Trampling of Truth / December 1998
- For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made…
- Romans 1:20a
- But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
- II Peter 3:8
- …we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom, which God predestined before the ages to our glory;
- I Corinthians 2:7
- Remember this, and be assured; recall it to mind, you transgressors. Remember the former things long past, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure; calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of My purpose from a far country. Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it.
- Isaiah 46:8-11
- You must be willing to leave Egypt in order to get to the promised land.
- You must leave leavened things behind to journey with God.
- You are responsible for your temporary shelter; God takes care of the rest.
- Your enemy is real and will try to kill you.
- You can not go by the way of the Philistines.
- Your gold and silver will not deliver you.
- Your transformation into the Bride of the Messiah is born out of the wilderness experience.
Contents
Patterns are the evidence of a creator. Whether it be a fabric or a flower, someone decided to develop a design into reality. Our world is filled with these patterns, things created both by God and man. Whether it be the image of mankind itself or the construction of a house, the pattern of the item tells us a lot about the creator.
The Bible says that we can see the evidence of the Creator by looking at His creation.
The work of the Messiah is according to a pattern. Moses had instructed the children of Israel that a Lamb of God sacrifice would pass them from death to life. The Passover Lamb was to be brought into the house on the 10th of Nisan and slain on the eve of the 14th. It's blood was to cause the Angel of Death to pass over their houses. This pattern was replicated by Yeshua. Yeshua entered Jerusalem on the 10th of Nisan and was slain on the Passover. His blood provides the same protection from eternal death.
The Biblical patterns document what has happened and at the same time project and prophesy of the future. One of the most profound patterns given to us is the common week. From the very creation, God laid out the week of seven days creating a plan that would span seven thousand years. The Apostle Peter understood this pattern and warned us to remember its significance.
As we look back at Biblical history, this plan is readily displayed with simplicity and wisdom. Even a child can see the patterns and Godly men are inspired by the depth of God's wisdom and understanding. Beginning with Adam's warning that he would die in that day (the first day) if he ate of the tree, Adam died, just as the Lord said, having lived 930 years. He died in that first one thousand year day. Just as God created light and separated the light from the darkness; so, Adam brought darkness into the world by sin and was separated from the presence of God. This pattern continues to the end of the week with Sabbath. The prophecies clearly tells us that God will cease from His labors and take His seat in Jerusalem for a thousand years. We call it the last day or the millennium (the last thousand years).
The sequence of seven days, a week, can be likened unto the border pieces of a great jigsaw puzzle. The number seven always illustrates the plan or pattern of God. All activities of God revealed to us fall within the borders (the sets of sevens) of this plan. The Word of God presents a host of patterns from places, to names, to numbers. The wisdom and glory of God are displayed for us with awe and majesty in each pattern. As each pattern is uncovered, we are swept up with the great mystery of our God and the reality of our part in His plan. Paul described the process this way.
The patterns illustrate the work of the Messiah beginning with creation working toward Redemption and finally, Restoration. Some believers are able to see the patterns. Some are not able to see, and yet others wonder what the patterns mean. It is a sign of one's spiritual maturity to see and understand these patterns. One thing is clear though. God uses these patterns like a builder uses blueprints. God has clearly planned what He is doing and will follow those plans. If we are to understand the work of God, then it is essential that we observe and study these patterns and plans.
As we approach the end of the age and prepare for the days ahead, one particular pattern should make us, the last generation, sit up and take particular note. It is the pattern of the exodus from Egypt. A considerable amount of detail is afforded us from Moses, much of which was commanded by God to be documented, but served no purpose to Israel in those days. Given that a specific pattern is presented that corresponds directly with future events, I submit that the ancient pattern has to do with our future. Specifically, I believe it has to do with our future at the end of the age.
Israel camped 42 times in the wilderness. Israel was instructed to establish 42 cities in the land (with six cities of refuge). The Tribulation saints are to endure the rule of the antimessiah which is 42 months. The Messiah warns us to flee from cities of oppression and states that He will return before our repeated relocation of the cities of Israel (42 times). Therefore, the plan of exodus from Egypt is the plan of the Tribulation saints exiting from this world (Egypt) and journeying through the tribulation (wilderness) enroute to the Millennial kingdom (the Promised Land).
By examining some of the details of Israel's journey, we can find a pattern for ourselves in the days ahead when we make our exodus from this world to the millennial kingdom. In particular, the issues affecting Israel's journey are the key issues for us to consider in our preparation. Consider the pattern of Israel's journey from Egypt and its implications for us:
You must be willing to leave Egypt in order to get to the promised land.
Most Christians believe in the doctrine of the second coming but few are looking forward to the Lord's return. In fact, most Christians would prefer that the Messiah not come back anytime soon. They have plans and the Lord's return will just mess them up. They want to spend their retirement funds and they want to see their grandchildren grow up. For youth, they want to get a driver's license, go to college, have a career, get married, and do all the things that life has to offer. People fearful of, or in disagreement with, the Lord's coming do so out of a sense of loss. That is, they have plans here and now and don't want anything to upset or disturb those plans.
An argument could be forcefully made that had Israel known they were going to the wilderness for 40 years, that they most likely would not have left Egypt. Part of that argument is confirmed by Israel's request to return to Egypt after going to the wilderness. The same argument faces us today. Some believers are willing to let God “zap” them to heaven, but are not interested in going through the great tribulation enroute to the millennial kingdom. They view the great tribulation as a “bad report” just as the spies told Israel of the land before them. Today the Joshua's and Caleb's are those who stand and say, “The Lord will go before us into the Great Tribulation!” Today the Joshua's and Caleb's are those who are preparing for others to leave Egypt.
Leaving Egypt is leaving this present world system. The fact is that the present world system enslaves us to sin. We are subject to task masters and worldly burdens just as strongly as the ancients were subject to Egypt's taskmasters and the bricks made with mortar and straw. Leaving Egypt is leaving slavery and walking out as free men. But some people don't want to be free; they prefer the routine of slavery. They don't want the responsibility of being free men. Free men must make decisions and be responsible for themselves and others. It is the free men who will enter the Millennial kingdom.
Leaving Egypt means you may have to leave your job, your home, and family members. If you prepare in advance, you may not have to leave your family. Leaving Egypt like the Israelites did means walking out before the eyes of the Egyptians. It means leaving according to God's schedule and not Pharaoh's wishes. It means leaving in a planned orderly manner, not in haste or panic. It means preferring the presence of God to the pleasures of this world.
You must leave leavened things behind to journey with God.
Israel ate unleavened bread for seven days. There was no time to let the bread rise. Leavening has always been a symbol of sin and lust. Preparing to leave Egypt means leaving the leaven of Egypt behind. There is not sufficient time for you to take your personal wants and desires. There is only enough time to do what is necessary and appropriate. As we plan and prepare for the great tribulation and the Lord's return, we need to evaluate closely what is leavened and what is unleavened in our lives.
You are responsible for your temporary shelter; God takes care of the rest.
Basic survival demands that you have shelter from the raw elements of heat and cold, wind and rain. The Israelites camped first at Sukkoth (huts, booths). They erected tents and were met by God's presence in the form of a pillar by day and fire by night. You must be willing to leave your city dwelling place and go mobile. Whether it is a trailer, a tent, or a tarp with rope, you must provide basic shelter for your family. Even Noah did this; the ark was mobile.
God provided water and food for the children of Israel. Then the children of Israel built God's tent (the tabernacle) so that He might dwell with them.
Your enemy is real and will try to kill you.
You will be betrayed, arrested, delivered up, and killed according to Yeshua. Those that believe His words will exercise our best mode of defense — move. There is no reason to delay if you believe Yeshua. There is no reason to have it proven to you personally. Therefore, if we believe Yeshua, then we should not be shocked if friends and family members betray us. We should not be alarmed if brethren are arrested and civil liberties are trampled down. It is going to happen.
You can not go by the way of the Philistines.
There is a general principle about surviving chaos. If the people are fleeing, you hunker down. If the people are hunkered down, you flee. Israel did not go the easy way with prepared roads along the coast. That was the way of the Philistines. Had they gone that way, conflicts greater than them would have occurred. In the same way, we should not go where other people are going to flee. We should not travel the way of others. In simple terms, don't flee where everyone is planning on fleeing to, such as the mountains. The traffic jam will be horrendous. Don't go through another large town having left a large city. Stay with your brethren, those who are like minded and those whom you can count on.
Your gold and silver will not deliver you.
Israel departed Egypt carrying much gold and silver. In fact, they plundered Egypt. But what happened to them and how did they use the gold and silver? They did three things with it: 1) they built a golden idol out of it (this was a very bad thing). 2) they constructed a tabernacle to the Lord (this was a very good thing). 3) they were tempted many times to return to Egypt (they thought they could buy their way back in).
Many people are preparing for the days ahead by collecting their monies. This is not preparation. This is plundering Egypt. Sucking on gold coins will not give you nourishment. There won't be any place to spend it, except where it is dangerous. God does not need any of your money to deliver you in the days ahead.
What do I recommend that you do with your money then? Build up the tabernacle of God in the hearts of your brethren. Help others to flee Egypt. Help get the word out. Do good to those of your family now! Purchase a mobile shelter. Get your “go-bag” ready. Minister to others. Make an eternal investment in the things of God.
Your transformation into the Bride of the Messiah is born out of the wilderness experience.
Everyone goes to the wilderness, if you are special to God. Moses and Israel went to the wilderness. David went to the wilderness. Elijah went to the wilderness. John the Baptist went to the wilderness. Yeshua went to the wilderness. The tribulation saints will go to the wilderness.
Going to the wilderness of the Great Tribulation can be a terrifying ordeal or it can be camping out with God. It is a matter of choice and attitude. Why would God make us go through the tribulation? The answer: to be transformed. Just as Israel was transformed from Egyptian slaves into free men with a nation of laws, so the tribulation saints will be transformed into the bride of the Messiah. The bride that receives the Messiah will be dressed appropriately. She will be without spot or blemish. There will be neither wrinkles nor filth. She will be ready.
There is an unusual law in the Torah called the “Law of Jealousy.” This law provides for the husband who has a spirit of jealousy, who believes that his bride has committed adultery, to test his bride by ordeal in the temple. The woman in question is positioned before the altar and God. Dust is collected from the temple floor and put into a cup of water. The priest gives her the cup with the understanding that if she has been unfaithful, she will be cursed. If, however, she has not been unfaithful, she is restored to her husband and the jealousy ends there.
God describes Himself as a jealous God. He desires a bride that has not committed adultery with other gods. Therefore, according to the Torah, He has the right to place us before the altar and put us to the test, the trial by ordeal, to see if we are unfaithful to Him. The Great Tribulation is a test. It is a test for the bride of the Messiah. Out of the tribulation experience the bride of the Messiah will emerge, clean and pure. (See Numbers 5:11-31)
Conclusion:
There are many patterns in the Scripture. Our ability to understand and implement them is the key to preparing spiritually. May the Lord bless and keep you in the same manner that He keeps Israel.
The flag should be lowered to half staff in honor of its demise. From the beginning of this nation, it has served us through thick and thin. Now, unceremoniously it has fallen before our eyes. Is it a past president or statesman? No. It has been here since the beginning of the nation. It has been the guiding friend for all our peoples and, in times of crisis, our last line of defense. It is truth. No longer does truth hold a stable position with the majority of the United States of America. The very foundation of our form of government and the bulwark of our society has slipped into the mire and muck of disregard and apathy. Truth has been abandoned.
Looking into our Biblical past, this is what happened at Yeshua's trial before Pilate, the conflict between John the Baptist and King Herod, and Esau's rejection of his birthright. But, we have not learned the lessons.
The year 1998 has been a tumultuous year for the President of the United States. He was accused of gross sexual misconduct in the White House. As charges became public, the press went into a frenzy reporting the scandal. The possibility of resignation and impeachment loomed. The American people struggled with what to believe. Our moral fortitude was challenged. Republicans licked their chops and miscalculated political gains. Democrats scrambled to hide from embarrassment. The President needed to say something to clear his name and remove the suspense.
The President looked us in the eyes, shook his finger at us and denied it.
The First Lady said it was a vast right wing conspiracy. Friends and aides of the President denied everything and blamed everyone else involved. Witnesses were discredited. Talk shows discussed every nuance of the affair. It was high political, sexually obscene drama. People were shocked and repulsed. The media flooded us with information and commentary. Then we started to get used to it. It didn't shock so much, but we wanted it to all go away. White house spin doctors, TV talking heads, and media opinion polls began to rule over us. Somewhere in the stampede, truth was thrown to the ground and left in the dust.
The President was called to testify before the Grand Jury. He admitted to an improper relationship contrary to his previous testimony and finger-waving denial to the American people. The entire nation now understood that the President had lied to his own family, his staff, his friends, and to the entire nation. The impeachment report was given to congress and the American people. The lurid details and the extent to which the President misbehaved became public knowledge. Still the President, would not admit that he had lied, even while under oath. Instead, the investigators were vilified for exposing the darkness and finding the truth. The feeding frenzy turned on the truth and its pursuit. “It was the way he was investigated. It wasn't fair,” they said. “But what about perjury?” the average person asked. “It doesn't count, because it was caused by sex and an over zealous prosecutor,” they countered. Truth was slapped to the ground again.
The truth is that President Clinton lied to cover up an improper sexual relationship. He committed perjury in both civil and federal proceedings. He broke the law. Congress is struggling to decide what they should do about it. Congress must impeach if they find evidence of treason, bribery, high crimes, and misdemeanors. Perjury is a high crime; there are government employees in prison now serving multi-year sentences for the exact same crime. Any military officer doing the same thing would be disgraced and go to military prison. The President is Commander-in-Chief of the military. Is he not subject to the same rules of “an officer and a gentleman.” Any judge, state or federal, would be removed from office by impeachment and disbarred. The President is the chief law enforcement officer of the land. Is he not subject to the same rules of conduct as an officer of the court?
The President has rights also. I believe he should be afforded the same rights as any other government employee, military officer, or judge of the court. As President, he should be impeached only by the constitutional process and not be driven from office by opinion polls. However, he should not stay in office because of an opinion poll either. The truth should always come first in the process.
The President committed perjury.
The President knows it. The American people know it. The Congress knows it. God knows it. The President should be impeached and held accountable to a court just like any other government employee, military officer, or judge in this land. But the President won't be held accountable if truth is slam dunked again.
This entire affair reminds me of another struggle that occurred in a legal proceeding many years ago. In that case, an innocent man was charged and his accusers wanted nothing less than his life. The political leader wrestled with the verdict. He had to weigh both political and legal issues. Should the rule of law within the republic prevail or should political expediency carry the day? He finally asked, “What is truth?” With that fateful question, Pontius Pilate made his decision. Truth was not invited to join the decision. You know the rest of the story.
Our congressional leaders are wrestling with what to do with our President. Shall they impeach or censure? They, too, are struggling with the question, “What is truth?” Should politics, the economy, the President, the constitution, or truth be first and foremost in our decision making. Truth, it appears, has way too many competitors to win this race.
If our leaders answer the question about truth the same way Pilate answered his, then you will have the last piece of evidence to conclude that our country is on the brink of destruction. You see, there is a specific quality to truth that makes truth so valuable. The Bible says that knowing the truth makes us free. Conversely, ignoring or discarding truth is the path to losing freedom. With the loss of freedom, we lose a host of other virtues like justice, righteousness, and the blessings.
When we decide that the President will not be held accountable to the rule of law, we decide to discard justice. When we tolerate the excuse of sex for a reason to lie, we throw righteousness out the window. When we ignore the truth, we discard the belt in the “whole armor of God.” We find ourselves embarrassed and entangled with our pants at our ankles. In the President's case it appears to be literal.
Our nation has decided not to have justice any more. Our President is so good that we will excuse and ignore the willful and defiant transgression of law. Do we believe that the economy and money are more important? Our nation has decided not to be righteous any longer. “Everyone does it. Why should we hold him accountable when others do the same thing?” Maybe they're right. In the days of Noah, it was said that every thought was evil continually. Our nation has been embarrassed, yet we attack those who found the truth, as though they caused the embarrassment. But more than all that, we have blinded ourselves and plugged our ears not only to the President's behavior but also to God Himself. That is what happens when you don't want to know the truth. You become blind to God's hand. You become deaf to God's voice.
It's not like we haven't had this issue of misbehaving leaders illustrated before. In the days of John the Baptist, King Herod had an improper sexual relationship. John objected to this open and flagrant behavior as a leader. It cost him his head. Where were the righteous leaders in that day? Who was willing to stand with John and speak the truth? But before we grow too critical of their inaction, let us consider ourselves.
It turns out that we are not so different from those religious peoples in John's day or the Roman Governor Pilate. Who else is willing to stand with Ken Starr? It turns out that we don't really love the truth. We just use it a little while because it is convenient for us. Now that the truth is inconvenient and shocking, we have decided to shrink back and not be bothered with it. Let someone else deal with it. We are to be compared with other parts of creation like the worm and the cockroach — you know, things that don't understand or care about truth and prefer darkness to the light.
Our nation has decided to abandon our national birthright — truth. Esau did the same. He rejected his birthright and devalued it. Esau did not realize it, but he also lost his future blessing. As citizens of this country, we have a birthright and a heritage of freedom. Like Esau, we are rejecting and devaluing that birthright by rejecting and devaluing truth. It will follow that we will lose our freedom and blessing. Esau did not see nor believe his future; we also can not see nor believe the trauma about to come upon us.
Some may argue that these words are the abandonment of hope, that they still believe in the country's basic goodness, the economy, and the stock market. Let us not be deceived. Hope is not a substitute for truth. Hope is not a substitute for justice, righteousness, and freedom. Truth is the bread of free men, but lies and deceit are the swill of slaves.
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