From the Prophetic to the Reality

“Thus says the LORD, “heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool. Where then is a house that you could build for Me? And where is the place that I may rest?” Isaiah 66:1.

Recently as I was waking up, the words of part of an old chorus were going through my mind. It went like this: This is that day, this is that day, Heaven is His throne, As the earth becomes His footstool And through sons, His glory now shall be unveiled!

Within the spirit of many of us today, there is a longing to see the unveiling of the glory of God in a way that supercedes that which we have known. Throughout history our Father has graciously sent times of reviving, refreshing, and times of ingathering. Wonderful moves of the Spirit have come, and then gradually receded away. All too often we have camped around theses glorious times, wanting to build three tabernacles as the disciples did when they saw Moses and Elijah with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. The end result often is the forming of a new group, by those who may have been cast out of their church or denomination, because of a new truth or experience. Sadly it ends up becoming another abomination/denomination, with the idea that, “We alone hold all truth,“and, “We alone are the chosen people of God.”

It is not that something glorious hasn’t happened at these times of refreshing, as it clearly has and the church world wide has been blessed by it, Rather it is the way we so easily end up worshiping that which was once living, and a vital reality for that time. Do you remember when the children of Israel rebelled against God in the wilderness that God sent serpents to kill them? (Numbers 21) Then God instructed Moses to make a serpent of bronze so that those who looked at it lived. Hundreds of year later, we find that this thing that God used for their good was being worshiped. It had become an idol to them. (See 2 Kings 18:4.) The reality is that our experiences, and pet doctrines, can also become idols.

History has shown that each move, revival, awakening, call it whatever you want, has left a deposit of God in a special way for that time. As we look back, we long for more of the same, and even a greater move, a greater revival, or what some would call, the ultimate and final move of God’s Spirit. Surely many of us find ourselves like creation, groaning for the unveiling of the sons of God. We cry out, “Lord hasten the day!” And, “How much longer Lord do we wait, for we feel like a people in a dry and barren land longing to see Your glory.” Is this your heart cry? Or, are you just wanting to fly away to heaven’s happy land?

The glorious news is that our Father is ALWAYS ON TIME! He has all things under His perfect control. It is true that some say that God is waiting for enough of us to become more spiritual by, praying harder and longer, sweating, fasting, doing the hermit thing, and much more. Somehow this is supposed to make us more worthy or deserving, as if God gives “brownie points” for this. These things may be good WHEN and IF the urging to do so is of the Holy Spirit and not because it worked that way for others. If its origin is not birthed by the Holy Spirit, then it becomes the work of the flesh! Some of us love to glory in our spiritual exercises, like the Pharisees of old. The fact is, anything produced, other than by the sovereign act, or initiation, of the Holy Spirit, usually becomes another type of Ishmael. Remember that God promised Abram a son and as time went by, no son, so Abram did it his fleshly way.

We have been placed in a high realm in Christ by God our Father. It is from this realm that we see the handiwork of God as He perfects all that He set out to do long before we, as individuals existed. The fact is, “heaven is His throne,” and Jesus Christ is NOW reigning there, and we WITH Him. It is from this place that we will, and should even now function. It is the heavenly dimension of rest, for it is not of us, but ALL of HIM.

In Psalm 132 we read, “Arise, O LORD, to your resting place, you and the ark of your strength.” (Verse 8) “For the LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His habitation. "This is My resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it.” (Verses 13 & 14) The place of His REST is in ZION. We must be clear, Zion is NOT one of seven dirt hills in earthly Jerusalem, as it once was. Zion today is His Holy Hill. It is the true Body of Christ. It is the place where the King reigns NOW, and will until the time when the Son hands the kingdom back to the Father, so that God may be all and in all.

Here are the rest of the words to the chorus I mentioned earlier, whose composer is unknown to me.

And the government will be upon His shoulder, As with rod of iron He shall rule and reign, Every knee shall bow and tongue confess His glory, As creation finds, it’s home in Him again. This is that day, this is that day, Heaven is His throne, As the earth becomes His footstool, And through sons, His glory now shall be unveiled.

The prophet Isaiah wrote: “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulder; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”

“There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.” Isaiah 9:6-7.

We know that the child to be born was the infant Jesus. And we know that the Son was “given.” The Hebrew word for “given” can also mean “set.” In Galatians 4:1-6, we read of the adoption of sons. It happened when a lad had grown from infancy to maturity, and had been trained in his father’s ways. It was then that the time came for his adoption, or his setting/placing as a son. He had been disciplined to become as his father, and now he was set as a son, one who could walk and talk with his father as man to man. The time came in the life of Jesus for His adoption as a son. At the time of His baptism in water, His Father declared, “This is my beloved SON, in whom I am well pleased.”

Now, let us go back to the time just eight days after the birth of Jesus when He was presented to the LORD at the Temple in Jerusalem, as recorded in Luke 2:25-32. “And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came IN THE SPIRIT into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said, "Now Lord, you are releasing your bond-servant to depart in peace, according to your word; FOR MY EYES HAVE SEEN YOUR SALVATION, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a LIGHT of revelation to the nations [gentiles], and the glory of your people Israel."

Simeon had been given a promise that he wouldn’t die until he had seen God’s salvation. Yet, ALL that Simeon then saw was a BABY. We know that he didn’t see the crucified risen and ascended Savior. All that he saw was a suckling baby. Yet, by the eyes of the Spirit he could see past that wee bit of flesh that he held. He saw the SALVATION of GOD for ALL MANKIND.

When we hear or read a prophecy, we often have a tendency to misunderstand the timing of it, especially when it says, “Today, I will do, such and such.” The reality is that God is setting in order a process, a beginning of it, and in due time we will see the fullness of that which was said. So, we need to take heart and keep our eyes upon the goal of the high calling in Christ Jesus, for that which He has said shall come to pass, and if He hasn’t we don’t need it.

Verse One of Psalm 110, is the Old Testament verse that the Holy Spirit, has caused to be repeated more than any other. “The LORD says to my Lord: "Sit at My right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet." (See Matthew 22:44, Mark 12:36, Luke 20:42 & 43, and Hebrews 1:13).

Peter quoted it on the Day of Pentecost. “For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says, “THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, "SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET."' Acts 2:34-35).

As we read Ephesians 2:6 it becomes clear where we have been placed - past tense, “and raised us UP with Him, and SEATED us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. To bring this out better let me quote from Jonathan Mitchell’s Translation, “and together He roused (awakens) and caused us to sit (seats us) together WITHIN the things upon [thus. above] the heavens (within the full, perfected heavenlies; [or, tho' neuter: among those comprising the complete and perfected heavenlies; among the ones upon the heavens ]) WITHIN Christ Jesus,”

Now, we know where He is, and guess who is with Him, or better said, ”within,” Him? We are, and ALL the others whom our Father has raised, for “we were made alive together in Christ.” We were joined into a union In Him. It is no longer “you and “I” but it is Christ who lives today, and we are in Him together as members of His body. This is not something that we must work to attain to, it is because our Father has already placed us there. What a rest this is! As Ephesians 3:21 says, “to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen!”

Why can this be said? It is because of the proclamation Peter made in Acts 2:36 is a fact. "Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both LORD and CHRIST-- this Jesus whom you crucified.” He became the Anointed One, the Christ, AND He became LORD. The Greek word is KURIOS. In the days of the early church there was an issue that caused much persecution from the Romans, as they wanted everyone to acknowledge that Caesar was lord, the master and supreme ruler of the empire. Those who had been “born from above,” believers in Christ, could only acknowledge that JESUS is LORD.

The time will come when every knee shall willingly bow, when of ALL creation, not just a handful, will bow in humble adoration and worship, as they confess that JESUS CHRIST IS LORD to the glory of God our Father!

This ONE who is Lord, is the ONE who was, and is, destined to rule all peoples, for the government shall, and will be, upon His shoulder. Revelation 2:26-27 tells us about those who overcome will be reigning with Him. "He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him will I give authority over the nations, and HE shall rule them with a rod of iron. This is a Co-Rulership as we are called to reign WITH Him. There is nothing glorifying to ones self in this, as we are IN Christ and He is IN US. Our very life is CHRIST! Again, I quote a prophetic chorus from the past.

He shall subdue the people under us, And the nations under our feet, We shall reign on high at His right hand, In power and authority, In union with Him, We shall speak the word, That sets the creation free, From the bondage of corruption, Into the liberty, Of the glory of the sons of God.

It is ALL in UNION with Him. What a glorious day awaits us! But, what about now? We are called to reign in this life, in all of the circumstances of this life. Again, it is in UNION with/in HIM, and from the place of His REST. Yes! This is that day! The day of His Lordship, the day of His triumph! Amen!