The Hidden Manna

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Revelation 2

12And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;

13I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.

14But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.

15So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate.

16Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

17He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.
There is something mysterious about this hidden manna.
Jesus mentioned in John 6 that first of all Moses didn't give the manna in the wilderness but God. Second God gave the bread from heaven which is Jesus Christ.

But looking from Exodus to Joshua we see the beginning of the giving of manna to Joshua as they enter the promised land the manna stopped. But Leviticus doesn't mention anything. No manna mentioned. Leviticus being the 3rd book and the 3rd church, Pergamos numerically are associated.

Searching for the word manna (http://www.blueletterbible.org/search/translationResults.cfm?Criteria=manna&t=KJV).

But in Hebrews is mentioned a pot of manna is put in the ark of the covenant:

Hebrews 9:4
Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein [was] the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;
How does the writer of Hebrews know? Who or when did they put that pot of manna? And if the hidden manna is referring numerologically to something to Leviticus then what is it?

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The Missing Ark... The Hidden Manna (http://newlifeinternational.faithweb.com/STHiddenMannaMissingArk.html)

No Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle? No Ark of the Covenant? Impossible! But it was true! In 2 Chronicles chapter 1 we read that "Solomon and all the congregation with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon; for there was the tabernacle of the congregation of God, which Moses the servant of the Lord had made in the wilderness." But it goes on to say that David had brought the Ark of God, which was wrapped and covered by the most beautiful Vail, and placed it under a tent at Jerusalem. So that when the priests went into the Tabernacle to worship and to light the candlesticks or lampstands, there was no Vail, no Holy of Holies compartment, no Ark or Mercyseat. They could slay their rams, their bulls, their lambs... but there was no Mercyseat on which to place the blood. The Day of Atonement had no meaning to them. The Feast of Tabernacles was a mockery.

Moses had the Tabernacle built according to the pattern showed to him in Mount Sinai, and for forty years in the wilderness the children of Israel had worshipped and lived around this beautiful type and shadow of New Testament reality. When Joshua took Israel across Jordan into the Promised Land, he set the Ark of the Covenant 2,000 cubits ahead to show them the way, and to hold back the waters of Jordan so they could cross over dry shod. Just so, Jesus went down into the waters of death, conquered them and held them back so that His Body could cross into the promised land 2,000 years later.

The Sin of Eli

After Joshua passed from the scene, Israel began to wander from God. Judges were raised up to judge Israel, and their priests continued to minister at the Tabernacle, but they did not fulfill the whole law of God. For from the time of Joshua until after the captivity in Babylon, they did not celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles (Nehemiah 8:17). Almost a hundred years before David was born, Eli was Israel’s High Priests. He judged Israel 40 years, but he became heavy with flesh and dim of eye. His sons were wicked, and he did not restrain them. He made the mistake of thinking that since they had divine order and the Presence of God in the Tabernacle, they did not need holiness of heart and purity of priesthood. God decided to remove His glory and His presence from this old order which had worked so well in the wilderness.

A man of God with courage and anointing visited Eli and delivered to him the Word of the Lord (1 Samuel 2:27). Eli had kicked at God’s sacrifices and honored his sons above God. The judgment was clear. God was going to change the order and the priesthood. He was going to suddenly cut off Eli’s sons, and "raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine Anointed forever." (1 Samuel 2:35). It wasn’t long until the fulfillment of this came, when Eli’s sons Hophni and Phinehas took the Ark of God out of the Tabernacle in violation of God’s Law. They carried it to the battle front to try to help Israel against the Philistines, but ended up with the Philistines capturing the Ark and killing 30,000 men including the two wicked priests. When Eli heard this news, he fell over backward, broke his neck and died on the spot. Phinehas’ wife was with child, and when she heard the news she bowed herself and travailed in birth. Before her death, she named her son "Ichabod", meaning "the glory of God is departed". So even at the time of God’s judgment on the old order, there was an effort made to perpetuate the old priesthood without the glory of God. But God’s glory never returned to that order.

The Ark of God in the House of Dagon

For three days and nights they had the Ark in the house of Dagon, the fish god. But on the morning of the third day they came in and found that the Ark had conquered Dagon and broken off his hands and his head. This is a beautiful picture of Jesus invading the dark realms of hell and destroying both the works and the dominion of Satan. The Philistines soon expelled the Ark out of their land, and sent it back to Israel. The Ark went first to Beth-shemesh, then to Kirjath-jearim where it remained for many days.

David’s Great Desire

During the time that Samuel the prophet judged Israel, as well as the 40 year reign of Saul, the Tabernacle was at Shiloh, then at Gibeon. But it had no Holy of Holies, no Ark or Mercyseat. They offered many sacrifices at the brazen altar, but the Glory and Presence of God was missing. They tried to carry on their religious activities, they might have called it "God’s divine order", but something was missing. They had no Ark to inquire of in the days of Saul (1 Chronicles 13:3).

When David took over the Kingdom, his heart was filled with a great desire to see the Glory of God back where it belonged. But he got a vision of a higher order than the old order under which Eli had operated. He saw that God deserved something better than just a temporary tabernacle or tent. Now that they were in the land that God had promised them, he wanted to build God a permanent House, or Temple.

We see the frustration of David’s efforts to bring the Ark to Jerusalem when he fails to seek God after the due order. He thought that a one man order would work, together with a new cart drawn by oxen. What a picture here of the ONE MAN pastoral rulership system, riding on the back of organized denominational religion, with God’s people pictured as oxen or servants of the System. But it would not work. Things came to a standstill, until the true anointed leadership came into view, and a plural ministry of Levites joined together to carry the Ark as the Word of God teaches.

A New Home for the Ark

Finally the Ark came home, but not back to the old Tabernacle order at Gibeon. God had greater plans for it than ever before. But with God the way up is down. So during David’s reign the Ark was in obscurity under a tent that David had pitched for it on Mt. Zion. And there it stayed until the Temple was completely built and ready to be dedicated. Oh, beloved, I hope you see what a glorious picture this gives us of the Church of Jesus Christ, and the ministry of the Sons of God! As we read Psalms 102:21; Psalms 22:22; Hebrews 2:11-12; and Romans 8:19, we see that Zion represents that great company of Sons of God who are the "brethren" of the Lord Jesus, and members of that glorious Body of Christ.

Now we begin to see what happens in the last days. The Glory and Presence and Fulness of God will never return to the church system as we have known it in the past. They can carry on their religious activities, their ecumenical councils, their denominational dabblings. They can divide God’s people up into 500 more sectarian groups if they wish. But they are never going to bring God’s Glory back into the tabernacle. Men are striving mightily in all sincerity to bring us back to New Testament order. I have news for you... God has a New Order on the horizon. And except for the short time that Jesus Christ was here on the earth, this thing has never been seen before.

The Next Move is Temporary

What is the next move? It is to bring the Fulness of His Glory to a company of Sons on Mt. Zion. This is not to be done in glorified bodies. For notice that the Ark was placed under a tent. This speaks of a mortal body. The Apostles Peter and Paul both speak of laying aside this "tabernacle" or body. But in 2 Corinthians 4:11, Paul tells us that the life of Jesus must be manifested in our mortal bodies. He also speaks of the treasure we have in "earthen vessels".

So we find that before permanent divine order comes to the Church, and before His Glory fills His Temple, there must be a company of Sons, predestinated "brethren", who receive His Glory and His fulness and manifest it in mortal bodies "on Mt. Zion" or in the realm of divine authority. For the law went forth from Zion, it was the place of David’s throne. And "when God brings again Zion, His watchmen shall see eye to eye". (Isaiah 52:8). Through this ministry of the Sons, all creation is loosed from the bondage of death and corruption, and God’s Temple is finally built. Then the mortal is swallowed up in immortality, and the Glory of the Ark of God is moved to it’s permanent resting place in the Temple made of living stones. This is the House of God that God shall abide in forever. All the nations are going to be blessed because of this House.

Not only those who are living at this time will enter into this glory, but those who embraced these promises by faith, tho they be dead, shall be resurrected and return with Jesus to become One with those still on the earth. (Ephesians 1:9-11) Now the staves are pulled out of the Ark. No more traveling from glory to glory. No more moving to higher realms and greater truths. With the Fulness of God and the constant manifestation of His Presence and Glory, there is rest.

The Glory of the Temple

Words would fail us to tell of the glory that came to Israel when the Temple was finished, the Ark put in his place, and the Cloud of glory filled the House of God. Israel had never seen anything like it. 2 Chronicles chapter five records this great day, and what a time they had! There was worship such as they had not known. The manifestation of the Presence of God was so great that they could not minister. King Solomon sang and prophesied and prayed a prayer of dedication.

Oh beloved, if we could only catch a glimpse of the glory that is coming to His Church, all the petty differences would fade into insignificance. A new glory, a new realm of worship, a new righteousness, a new fellowship, a new dominion! Quit trying to perfect the old order. God is going to perfect a people and bring them into a new order. An anointed and faithful priesthood, Sons of Zadok (Ezekiel 44:15), shall enter His Temple and go into that realm beyond the Vail to the Holy of Holies. There they shall minister before the Lord in garments that can never be seen in the outer court. Now we can realize what Paul meant when he said that he was caught up and hard things in that third heaven that could not be uttered. These things are hard to speak of, to break down into earthly language. The carnal or natural man cannot understand them at all. Be faithful, weary pilgrim, we are coming to a place of rest. The Sons of God are coming to Mt. Zion, and there His Glory shall they manifest! The stones of the temple are being perfected. The time for them to be brought together is at hand. The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the Glory that shall be revealed in those that stand. Raise up your heads and shout aloud! No longer art thou to be clothed in a shroud. The voice of joy shall be heard in my own, for out of the prisons their spirits have flown. No longer the enemy shall bind them in fear, for I have spoken release, and my voice they now hear. Arise up my people, to Zion now flee; and there thou shalt find the glory that’s of me. With my power I have brought thee to a place of new birth, and I’ll anoint thee and send thee to the nations of earth. For thou shalt bring life, and joy and peace, and bring to the prisoners their day of release. In thy heart shall be joy, and on they lips a glad song; for this is the Day for which thou hast waited so long. Others are waiting on yon side of the Vail, to strengthen this Army that never can fail. For tho sometimes thou feel so alone in the battle, the sound thou art hearing is the enemy’s death rattle. For he knoweth his time is about to be through, I have raised up a people, and that people is you; overcomers and conquerors thou art in the fray, I am with you forever, and this is my Day! Go forth, go forth, as an army so brave, with compassion and courage a lost world now to save. Fear not, little flock, have I not said this before? Behold I set before thee a new open door. Enter in and rejoice, rejoice in this place; with patience thou ran in life’s weary race. So now I am coming at last unto thee, look up and rejoice, my reward is with me. Hallelujah! Well, praise God, I feel like shouting!

The Hidden Manna

Let us go now to that glorious fifth chapter of 2 Chronicles "thus all the work that Solomon made for the House of the Lord was finished." The vessels of silver and gold that had been dedicated under David’s ministry were now brought into the Temple. There was a gathering together of the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes to Jerusalem, true Jerusalem (not the Babylon effort of men to gather the heads of denominations together into ecumenical councils and form a "super-church".

Notice in verse three that this gathering takes place in the feast of the seventh month, the Feast of Tabernacles! To you who are unfamiliar with Israel’s three feasts, Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles, let me say briefly that these feasts were types and shadows of the realities of our Christian experiences. Just as Israel was commanded to meet God three times in the course of a year to fully complete their relationship with God, just so is the Church to meet God in the course of this earth’s history on three different realms of relationship.

Passover

"These are the feasts of the Lord, even holy convocations which ye shall proclaim IN THEIR SEASONS. In the fourteenth day of the FIRST month at even is the Lord’s PASSOVER..." (Leviticus 23:4-5). Here is the beginning. This was to be "the beginning of months" unto them. In Deuteronomy 16:16, we read: "Three times IN A YEAR shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which He shall choose: in the FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD (Passover), and in the FEAST OF WEEKS (Pentecost), and in the FEAST OF TABERNACLES: and they shall not appear before the Lord empty."

"Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our PASSOVER is sacrificed for us;" (1 Corinthians 5:7). As we read the laws concerning the Passover feast in Exodus and Leviticus, we can easily see that it is a type of our salvation experience, or justification. No time to go into all that now, as it is thoroughly covered in the book "FEAST OF TABERNACLES". This feast was fulfilled in reality and made available to the Church in it’s real meaning when Jesus went to Calvary as the "Lamb of God", and shed His blood to cover our sins. All fundamental Bible scholars will agree to this statement.

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Pentecost

"Pentecoste" is a Greek word meaning "fiftieth". For this reason you do not find this word in the Old Testament in relation to this feast. It was a new feast that took place fifty days after the resurrection of Jesus, which was symbolized by the waving of a sheaf on the morrow after the sabbath. (Leviticus 23:11). This "feast of weeks" is introduced in Leviticus 23:16: "Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number FIFTY DAYS; and ye shall offer a new meat-offering unto the Lord." It goes on to describe this feast, and we can readily see that it is a beautiful type of what happened to the early Church in Acts 2:1-4, when the reality of the Spirit on the "day of Pentecost" replaced the shadow of the old "feast of weeks".

Now the Fundamentalists will readily agree that Passover is ours to enjoy and feast on in this life. In fact, they will quickly tell you that it is imperative and necessary for the Church to operate in this realm of the Spirit. But they deny that the Church today can or should enjoy the Feast of Pentecost as the early Church did. They would tell you that tongues, gifts of the Spirit, healing, the supernatural operation of the Spirit and all that pertained to the fulfillment of the "feast of weeks" or "pentecoste" was only for the early Church and not for us today.

The lives of millions of Spirit-filled people around the world declare, however, that we today can enjoy and feast on the glorious realities of this Pentecostal realm of the Spirit. So the Pentecostal people will tell you that you can enjoy not one, but TWO of the feasts of the Lord. But Pentecostal scholars would try to tell us that the last feast, Tabernacles, is not for us today. It is for the Jews, they say, and we will not see the fulfillment of that shadow in our lives until eternity when we all get to heaven. However, thousands of saints today are realizing that God has something else for the Church, a glorious End-time program, and that this last day move of the Spirit is connected with this last great feast.

Tabernacles

Now that the supernatural realm of the Spirit, the Feast of Pentecost, has been restored to the last day Church, there is a great difference of opinion as to what God will do next. Some are building in that realm and continuing as tho it was going to last forever. Others have given up trying to perfect the Church, and disgusted with the imperfect, half-hearted, backsliding ways of the modern Pentecostal movements, they now only look forward to a "rapture" to carry them away to a beautiful far-away land where there are no problems to overcome or battles to win. Then there are those who feel that if they can only set up local assemblies into a fellowship of churches in "New Testament" order, they will turn the world upside down and bring about the perfection of the Church.

Tho we love every man of God who is sincerely trying to work at the problem, and sympathize with those who meet with frustration on every hand in their efforts, yet we can see that it is clear they are ignoring the key to the last day move, and that is the fulfillment of that last great feast, Tabernacles.

The Pattern in the Book

No one would be foolish enough to claim that anything either in scripture or in history indicates that the feast of the seventh month (Tabernacles) has ever been fulfilled in the Church. Yet when we trace these three feasts through the entire Bible, we find that very little is said about the first two feasts, while a great deal is revealed in both Old and New Testaments concerning what happens to the Church at the fulfillment of Tabernacles. As you read the Bible, or search in your concordance (Strong’s or Young’s), it is amazing what you find in connection with "Trumpets", "Day of Atonement", "Seventh month", "Tabernacles", etc. But we will have to limit our investigation here to what we see in 2 Chronicles chapter 5, where we read in verse 3: "Wherefore ALL the men of Israel assembled themselves unto the King in THE FEAST WHICH WAS IN THE SEVENTH MONTH".

The Glory Comes to the Church

Finally, in verse 5, the Ark of God comes to the Temple. David’s great vision of a House for the Glory and Presence of God is fulfilled in the natural. Up to this time the Ark had only dwelled under a tent on Mt. Zion, in the mortal bodies of the Sons of God company. But now the stones (living stones of the True Church) have been brought together into one glorious structure, a fit place for the Ark to dwell permanently. Hallelujah! When this Glory came to the Temple of God, several things happened. First there is mentioned in verse 6 a great Revival, where the sacrifices could not be numbered nor told for multitude. The three thousand on the Day of Pentecost, and the thousands of converts of our present day system of evangelization cannot be compared with what takes place when the Glory and Presence of God enters His completed last day Temple, the body of Christ. Verse 9 says that they drew out the staves from the Ark, indicating that it would be moved no more. It has found it’s final and permanent resting place. When God has brought together and dedicated His glorious Church without spot or wrinkle, then He will eternally dwell in them, manifesting Himself through them, and will never again withdraw His Spirit because of backslidings. While the Tabernacle in the wilderness represents a temporary passing order that God blesses as long as His Presence and Glory is allowed to remain in it, the Temple is a picture of that eternal condition of the Church in Glory!

What Happened to the Manna?

A very strange and puzzling statement is made in verse 10... "There was nothing in the Ark save the two tables which Moses put therein at Horeb, when the Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of Egypt". Now in the book of Hebrews, chapter 9, verses 3 and 4 it tells us that while the Ark was in the Tabernacle it had "the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and tables of the covenant." In Exodus 16:33 we read where Moses gave commandment for the manna to be put into the Ark of the Covenant: "And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a pot, and put an omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before the Lord, to be kept for your generations. As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept." Now, in 2 Chronicles 5, as well as in Solomon’s message in 2 Chronicles 6:11, we read that the Manna and the Rod of Aaron were no longer in the Ark. Where were they? What happened to them? The story of the Rod of Aaron is quite lengthy, and we will deal with it at a later date, but I want to limit our investigation here to the missing manna.

Promise to the Overcomer

"Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the Temple of my God, and he shall go no more out." (Revelation 3:12). "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the Tree of Life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God." (Revelation 2:7). "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the Hidden Manna." (Revelation 2:17). When I cried to God for an answer as to what happened to the manna in the Ark, the Spirit spoke to my heart, and said: "No longer is the True Manna to be kept from my people, but I have given it to the Overcomer, and when my Temple is brought together in Glory, the Manna is consumed by those living stones that make up my Temple."

So the Hidden Manna is hidden no longer. That which was kept in Christ, in the hidden recesses of the Ark of the Covenant, is not to be shared with members of His glorious Body. Not in the imperfect state of the constantly moving Tabernacle, but only when the Overcomer comes together into One Body, filled with the Glory of God! And this Body now demonstrates and manifests to the world that endless Life that comes from eating of the True Manna from heaven. That which was hidden is now brought to light (2 Timothy 1:10). Life and immortality now belongs to humanity, as it flows like a River of living waters out of the Temple of God where God rules. (Revelation 22:1; Ezekiel 47:1).

Jesus Christ the True Manna

In the sixth chapter of John’s gospel we have the great message by Jesus on this true manna. We do not have room here to print the entire chapter, but do not need to, since you have a Bible and can read it for yourself. Stop here if you can, and read that chapter before going on. I will quote a few important verses...

The Jews said to Jesus (verse 31): "Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat." But Jesus answered: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you NOT that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you true bread from heaven. FOR THE BREAD OF GOD IS HE WHICH COMETH DOWN FRO HEAVEN, AND GIVETH LIFE UNTO THE WORLD." "The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven." But Jesus answered: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I AM THAT BREAD OF LIFE. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead, this is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and NOT DIE. I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any man eat of this bread, HE SHALL LIVE FOREVER: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."

"The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" But Jesus said: "As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This IS that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: HE THAT EATETH OF THIS BREAD SHALL LIVE FOREVER." "From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with Him".

So now we see that not everyone will accept Christ on this basis, nor eat of the true manna that has been hidden from ages and from generations. Only to the Overcomer is the promise given. That Temple of God. That endless life which was manifested in Jesus Christ, voluntarily laid down by Him in order to bring us into the same glory, is now consumed by the Overcomer and made a part of a great company of people. And out of that people, the real Melchisedec priesthood, shall flow the fulness of the Life of God to a lost and dying world, to bring them life and immortality. The full salvation of all humanity, and complete deliverance from their every enemy, awaits the manifestation of the Sons of God (Romans 8:19). That true manna, the hidden manna, that came down from heaven is JESUS CHRIST. And as His divine life becomes our life, so that we are no longer in the image of the earthly Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45-50), but are truly bearing the image of the Lord from Heaven, then that life of God shall flow out to the nations of the world thru His Church until there has been brought into being a new heaven and a new earth. Praise God! Hallelujah! 1 Corinthians 15:49 says that "as we HAVE borne the image of the earthy, we SHALL also bear the image of the heavenly." This comes from partaking of His life, eating His flesh and blood, in other words, eating the Hidden Manna. No more death! Not only for them, but also for all humanity. They have put death under their feet, destroyed it finally and forever, as Jesus did eternally when He came and lived by the life of the Father. Not only do they win victory over death, but they now have the power of Life. The first Adam became a living soul, the last Adam (whose image we shall bear) was a life-giving spirit. So that now out of the Temple of God flows a river of Life to bless the nations. All those who failed to attain to the status of an Overcomer will be greatly blessed by those who did.

In the Image of the Son

Jesus was so much in the image of the invisible God, that when you saw Him you saw the Father (John 14:9; Colossians 1:15). He was the brightness of His glory, the express image of His person (Hebrews 1:3). He lived by the life of the Father, and came only to do His will (John 6:38). He was filled with the glory of the Father (John 1:14), and He said "Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in Him" (John 13:31). Perhaps you don’t like to see Jesus of Nazareth exalted and glorified so much in a message, but that’s all this messenger can do when he gets a glimpse of the glory of God that was manifested in that man, Jesus Christ!

After his resurrection, Jesus spoke to his disciples in John 20:21 and said: "Peace be unto you: AS MY FATHER HATH SENT ME, EVEN SO SEND I YOU." In His prayer in John 17:18 he prays: "As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world." And in verse 22: "And the Glory which thou gavest me I have given them:" Think of it! The same Life, the same glory, the same authority, the same throne (Revelation 3:21) that He received of His Father, He now gives to His Body, the Overcomer! What love! What grace! What a divine sharing! Bless His dear Name!

Now I am going to make a big statement... what Jesus of Nazareth was to the Father, we are to him. He was the visible manifestation of the invisible God, the fulness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9). We are His ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20) and representatives on earth, and His Body (1 Corinthians 12:27), the fulness of Him that filleth all in all (Ephesians 1:23). He was the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16). We are the Lord’s Christ (Revelation 11:15), and as Overcomers we are His Son (Revelation 21:7). He came to do the will of His Father, and to manifest the life of God. We are come to do His will, and manifest the life of Christ (Galatians 2:20). In His deity, He is equal with God. In His HUMANITY, we are brought to equality with him, called "his brethren", (Romans 8:29; Hebrews 2:11), and made joint-heirs of all that he receives by inheritance (Romans 8:17). What a Saviour! What a plan of redemption! How far-reaching... from the depths of sin, to the heights of His Glory! No one else could do it but Him! Someone says: "But Brother Bill, such a thing as this is impossible". Yes, I agree. And I’m so glad that it is impossible. For if it were possible, some man would do it. But now has God provided a plan of salvation that is absolutely impossible. And only He himself is able to do such a thing. So that WHEN it is done, it will have to be Him that did it, and the glory will go to Him where it belongs! There is so much more to be revealed on this line, but we must close this message. Let us go back to the picture of the Ark in the Temple.

The Cloud of Glory

As we turn our attention once again back to the fifth chapter of 2 Chronicles, we see what happens on the day when the Temple is dedicated and true worship begins. Verse 11 says that "all the priests that were present were sanctified". Thank God for a holy priesthood, no longer contaminated with the rituals of Babylon, nor the taint of preaching for gain, nor the lusts of the flesh. Sanctified. Praise God! He will have a ministry who have laid their own lives down for His sake, and for the House of God. As we look at history, we find this hard to believe, but it is so anyhow.

Verse 12 says there were 120 priests sounding with trumpets. Just as on the day of Pentecost when 120 of the Spiritual Priesthood sounded their trumpets in many languages of the "wonderful works of God". (Acts 2:11; 1:15). This message on the 120 trumpets is too long to deal with here, but will be dealt with in another message. But I just wanted to call to your attention that it is here, at the time when the Glory of God comes to His Temple, that these 120 trumpets sound forth.

Finally, in verses 13 and 14 we see the Lord descending in a cloud of Glory to fill the House of the Lord with His Glory. His Presence was so great that men could not stand to minister. Oh, that we come to that place where we fall prostrate before His mighty living Presence! What a day! What a hope! What a Saviour!

So in the end of this age, in the feast of the seventh month, we find God bringing His Body together in such a way and with such an anointing that the fulness of Him is manifested in them! No longer is the inheritance hidden, reserved in heaven, kept only in Christ Jesus. No longer is that Kingdom revealed only in Heaven, but now is it come to earth in fulfillment of the prayer of Jesus (Matthew 6:10): as the apostle Peter said: "God hath begotten us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an INHERITANCE incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation READY TO BE REVEALED IN THE LEAST TIME."

The Time is at Hand

Be ready! He will soon appear! He will come to His Temple. All signs point to the fact that we are ready now to begin the feast of the seventh month. The Feast of Tabernacles finally to be fulfilled in this last day Church! Praise the Lord Jesus! Glory to His Name! You will eat of Hidden Manna. You will never die! The Church will come into a perfect and divine order, a permanent order! The glory of God will come to His Church and abide forever! The Sons of God are about to make their move. A clean and perfect Priesthood is being made ready. Kings and Priests are getting ready for this great day! It is the Day when His glory will be revealed. It is the Day of the Lord!

[kathryn]

Thank you Gilgal. These were a joy to read!

[Richard Amiel McGough]

The Time is at Hand

Be ready! He will soon appear! He will come to His Temple. All signs point to the fact that we are ready now to begin the feast of the seventh month. The Feast of Tabernacles finally to be fulfilled in this last day Church!

I'm totally confused. Why does the phrase "the time is at hand" mean "the time is at hand" in that article, but not in this verse from the Bible?

Revelation 1:1 The 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 unto his servant John: 2 Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. 3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
This is a HUGE problem. Everyone who thinks that the events in the Bible are "soon" to be fulfilled use exactly the same language as all the verses in the New Testament that predicted the coming of the Lord! How then are we able to speak of a "soon" coming of the Lord if the word "soon" doesn't mean "soon" but rather "2000 years in the future" just like it does in the Bible?

Richard

[CWH]

One thousand earth years is one God's year and one God's year is one thousand earth's year. That is the meaning of soon....see my former response to "soon":

What does everyone think of what those passages were talking about in the OT 500 years or 600 years before the arrival of Jesus in AD 1? Is "soon" or coming really mean soon in human terms?

Ezekiel 12:23
Say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am going to put an end to this proverb, and they will no longer quote it in Israel.' Say to them, 'The days are near when every vision will be fulfilled. (Author's note: when was "the days are near" when every vision fulfilled)

Daniel 10:20
So he said, "Do you know why I have come to you? Soon I will return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I go, the prince of Greece will come; ( Author's note: the "soon" seems to be 300 years later from Daniel's time when the prince of Greece, Alexander the Great came into the scene in about BC 200)

Jeremiah 23:5
"The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.
(Author's note: Was Jeremiah talking about the days are coming of the coming of Jesus, a branch of David, 600 years later?)

Jeremiah 31:31
"The time is coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.
(Author's note: "The time is coming" was at least 600 years later when the old covenant was removed and replaced with the new covenant during Jesus's time).

Amos 9:13
"The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills. (Author's note: when did "the days are coming" with the mountains and hills flow with new wine).

Zephaniah 1:2
[ Warning of Coming Destruction ] "I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth," declares the LORD. (Author's note: when did the Lord sweep everything from the face of the earth?).

Zechariah 9:9
[ The Coming of Zion's King ] Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. (Author's note: obviously that would be 600 years later when Christ rides on a donkey in Jerusalem).


Many Blessings.

[gilgal]

I'm totally confused. Why does the phrase "the time is at hand" mean "the time is at hand" in that article, but not in this verse from the Bible?

Revelation 1:1 The 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 unto his servant John: 2 Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. 3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
This is a HUGE problem. Everyone who thinks that the events in the Bible are "soon" to be fulfilled use exactly the same language as all the verses in the New Testament that predicted the coming of the Lord! How then are we able to speak of a "soon" coming of the Lord if the word "soon" doesn't mean "soon" but rather "2000 years in the future" just like it does in the Bible?

Richard

The reason I posted this is concerning the subject of the hidden manna. But the site seems to be hyping things up.

A thousand years is a thousand years. A day is a day. The point Peter was making is that a thousand years can go real fast. We esteem our last 10 or 15 years as it was just yesterday.

[Richard Amiel McGough]

One thousand earth years is one God's year and one God's year is one thousand earth's year. That is the meaning of soon....see my former response to "soon":

What does everyone think of what those passages were talking about in the OT 500 years or 600 years before the arrival of Jesus in AD 1? Is "soon" or coming really mean soon in human terms?

Ezekiel 12:23
Say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am going to put an end to this proverb, and they will no longer quote it in Israel.' Say to them, 'The days are near when every vision will be fulfilled. (Author's note: when was "the days are near" when every vision fulfilled)

Daniel 10:20
So he said, "Do you know why I have come to you? Soon I will return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I go, the prince of Greece will come; ( Author's note: the "soon" seems to be 300 years later from Daniel's time when the prince of Greece, Alexander the Great came into the scene in about BC 200)

Jeremiah 23:5
"The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.
(Author's note: Was Jeremiah talking about the days are coming of the coming of Jesus, a branch of David, 600 years later?)

Jeremiah 31:31
"The time is coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.
(Author's note: "The time is coming" was at least 600 years later when the old covenant was removed and replaced with the new covenant during Jesus's time).

Amos 9:13
"The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills. (Author's note: when did "the days are coming" with the mountains and hills flow with new wine).

Zephaniah 1:2
[ Warning of Coming Destruction ] "I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth," declares the LORD. (Author's note: when did the Lord sweep everything from the face of the earth?).

Zechariah 9:9
[ The Coming of Zion's King ] Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. (Author's note: obviously that would be 600 years later when Christ rides on a donkey in Jerusalem).


Many Blessings.
Hey Cheow,

You missed my point. The author of that article said that the "time is at hand" meaning that all those things were going to happen "soon," not in the year 4000! So the question is this: why does "the time is at hand" mean "the time is at hand" in the sense of "soon" when folks talk about Jesus coming in the near future (say 2010-2030) but not when the Bible uses the same words? If your "explanations" are correct, then that article says NOTHING when it says that the "time is at hand" and that there are man "signs" showing the "soon" return of the Lord.

Also, you examples are all wrong. I already explained (source (http://biblewheel.com/forum/showpost.php?p=24550&postcount=7)) that Dan 10:20 does not contain the word "soon." It was erroneously added in the NIV. I don't know of any other version that inserts that word.

Likewise, the passages from Jeremiah and Zechariah have nothing to do with the meaning of "soon" in the Bible because the word "soon" does not appear in those passages. I don't understand why you posted them. No one is disputing that God could give prophecies about things 600 years in advance! The issue is that no futurist is able to say that we are in the "end times" because they don't have any words to indicate "the time is at hand" since they have destroyed the meaning of that phrase. That was my point. The Manna article claimed that "the time is at hand" and Jesus would "soon" appear. If we interpret those words in the futurist sense that you advocate, then it is the same as saying "The time is at hand, Jesus will return soon in the year 4000!"

Surely, you understand this, right? I mean, it is the plain meaning of the words. Why would a futurist want to say that Jesus will appear "soon" if they do not mean 2000 years in the future like they do when they read the same word in the Bible?

All the very best,

Richard

[CWH]

No I did not missed your point. There are evidence that says, "the time is at hand" does not mean soon. There are evidence that the "hour" in the last hour does not mean soon but several days or even years later. And the last hour seems to last forever from the first century when John said this is the last hour when many false prophets and anti-christs appeared. The hour here seems to mean a long period of time and may suggest an age.

1 John 2:18
[ Warnings Against Denying the Son ] Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.

"The time is at hand" when Babylon was destroyed never to be inhabited again was a few hundred years later from the time of Isaiah:

Isaiah 32:19 Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms,
the pride and glory of the Babylonians,
will be overthrown by God
like Sodom and Gomorrah.
20 She will never be inhabited
or lived in through all generations;
there no nomads will pitch their tents,
there no shepherds will rest their flocks.
21 But desert creatures will lie there,
jackals will fill her houses;
there the owls will dwell,
and there the wild goats will leap about.
22 Hyenas will inhabit her strongholds,
jackals her luxurious palaces.
[B]Her time is at hand,
and her days will not be prolonged.


RAM:
Also, you examples are all wrong. I already explained (source) that Dan 10:20 does not contain the word "soon." It was erroneously added in the NIV.

BTW, can I also say that the "I am coming soon" in Revelation was also erroneously added?

Many Blessings.