A preachers' beautiful feet

[murjahel]

2. THE REVELATION OF KNOWLEDGE

THE WORD OF KNOWLEDGE is the supernatural revelation of certain facts in the mind of God to a Christian. Man has nothing to do with it, except to receive that bit of knowledge that God chooses to reveal. The knowledge will help make a scholar, but being a scholar will never help one to obtain this knowledge.
God does not impart all knowledge, only a fragment that is needed for a temporary need. This knowledge is not acquired by study, but it is a miraculously conveyed knowledge. It is a mental impression, or picture, or vision in which the Spirit discloses some hidden fact or circumstance.

This is not a vocal gift, it may be spoken, but it is received in silence. The gift of prophetic utterance is a similar gift, but the one who speaks the prophecy listens to it as the other hearers.

The word of knowledge is given to the mind first, and the use of that knowledge varies. It may be held in silence, as Mary pondered in her heart the facts told to her about Jesus by Gabriel. It may be spoken, as Noah preached about the flood that he was told about.

Why does God give us a word of knowledge? There are many reasons, these include:

1. It may be given to tell us to pray for someone's need, that we wouldn't know naturally. Sometimes God will tell someone what is in the mind of yourself through someone else having a word of knowledge. This will show you that God is aware of your thoughts.

I Samuel 9:19
"I WILL TELL THEE WHAT IS IN THINE HEART."

2. A word of knowledge may be given to help us recover lost property.

3. It may reveal causes of sickness, or demonic possession. The Lord revealed to Peter that Satan had inspired Ananias and Sapphira to lie to the Holy Spirit. So Peter knew the source of the trouble was satanic suggestion. Sometimes in the lives of people today that are troubled by the demons, there is an underlying reason that needs revealed. For Ananias and Sapphira it was their greed and selfishness that allowed the devil to make them lie.

4. A word of knowledge may reveal facts in the lives of others for spiritual correction or profit. John wrote to the seven churches and revealed their spiritual condition to them. Elijah exposed the hypocrisy of Gehazi by knowing from God what he had done. Through a word of knowledge the hiding place of Saul, amidst the baggage, was revealed. David's sin with Bathsheba was revealed to the prophet Nathan.

5. It may reveal facts for us to use in our witness. Ananias was told of Saul's conversion and blindness. Peter was told in a word of knowledge about the fact that Jesus was the Son of God, and was told to not use it in his witness until later. Jesus knew about the past of the woman at the well, and thereby could witness better.

6. A word of knowledge may tell us facts to enable us to know what to do. The location of the Syrian camp was revealed to Elisha. Peter was told of the soon arrival of the men from Cornelius' household.

7. It may be revealed to enlighten and encourage us. Elijah was told by God that he was not the only one left, there were 7000 more.

8. A word of knowledge may be used to take away the arguments of opponents.

Luke 21:14-15
"SETTLE IT THEREFORE IN YOUR HEARTS, NOT TO MEDITATE BEFORE WHAT YE SHALL ANSWER: FOR I WILL GIVE YOU A MOUTH AND WISDOM, WHICH ALL YOUR ADVERSARIES SHALL NOT BE ABLE TO GAINSAY NOR RESIST."

 

[murjahel]

3. THE REVELATION OF DISCERNMENT OF SPIRITS

DISCERNING OF SPIRITS is insight into the spiritual realm to reveal which type of spirit is at work in and through a person. Discernment of spirits outside the spiritual realm is the word of wisdom, and the word of knowledge. This gift is the ability to determine whether someone is speaking or acting under the influence of the Holy Spirit, or under the influence of their own spirit, or under the influence of a demonic spirit.

The word, "discerning", comes from the Greek word - "diakrisis." It means - "judging through."

This refers to a seeing through of that which is outward. God sees the heart of man, and man looks on the outward appearance. The Spirit, through the gift of discernment, helps us see through the outward, and into the inner being.

There are three kinds of spirits.
There is the Divine, the satanic, and the human.

To know which of these is at work in a situation is very difficult. Sometimes, if on our own, we would only be able to guess. The Holy Spirit can enable us to pinpoint the source.

There are many instances whereby we can see this gift in action. Elisha perceived a lying spirit in Gehazi. Peter exposed a demonic influence on Ananias and Sapphira. Peter also exposed the evil condition of Simon. Paul exposed the woman who praised Silas and himself, as being demonically inspired.

There is a definite need for this gift today. We have been warned often in the Bible that in the last days, there would be many false prophets, many who would sneak into the church to disrupt the work of the Lord, and many who would fall away from the grace of God. Satan will attempt to deceive the very elect, if possible. The doctrines of devils will flourish in the last days. If we are to stop these false doctrines, and seducing spirits that are so evident in the last days, we need the gift of discernment to alert people to the problem.

The gift of discernment is to be used to:

1. help in delivering those afflicted by demons...
2. discover a servant of the devil...
3. expose plausible error...
4. unmask demonic miracle workers. (II Thess. 2:9)

There are different methods by which people receive the gift of discernment. These include:

1. Sight - The person actually sees the demonic spirits.

2. Hearing - The person hears God speak a word to them concerning the spiritual activity.

3. Spiritual insight - The person has a kind of knowing, an intuition about the situation.

4. Physical sensation - Some have experienced the hair on the back of the head to stand up whenever the demonic influence is near. For others, the ears burn. Many have reported a sick feeling in the stomach whenever a human or demonic spirit is doing an evil work.
　
The revelation gifts are best to be sought as a package. When out on the work of the Lord, it is most often necessary to need all three at one time.

We need to "COVET EARNESTLY" (I Cor. 12:31) these gifts, because they are vital to the church. We would see more healings and miracles if the word of knowledge were more in use to tell us what God wanted done, and how, and if there were a reason for the healing not coming yet. All of these revelation gifts need to be in operation daily in the church body. These are not gifts that are only needed several times a year. There are church problems, doctrines, attacks of the devil, etc. that come daily to a congregation.

The operation of these gifts in one's life should not be used as an excuse for not studying the Word of God. Bible study is commanded, and to neglect that command, yet still expect the Lord to give a word of knowledge is presumption. These words of wisdom, and words of knowledge, and the discernment of spirits, come to those who "FEAR" and reverence the Lord. If we reverence Him, we will reverence His Word. If one does not study the Word of God, he cannot adequately test the revelations given to see if they are scriptural and valid.

 

[murjahel]

More vital Bestowments of power, for the preachers​

ANOINTING OIL
part 1​

　
There are many bestowments of power to be received from the Spirit in our age. We will examine a number of these, and show the Biblical instruction for the bestowments.

The act of anointing someone was done for one who is consecrated to employ a separated to God life.

The king, the prophet, the priest, high priest (Ex 29:29; Lev 4:,3 1Kings 19:16 1Chronicles 16:22; Ps 105:15), and the sacred vessels (Ex 30:26) were anointed to be therein available to be used by the Lord in His work. The high priest and king were called "the anointed" (Lev 4:3, 5, 16; Lev 6:20; Ps 132:10). Anointing a king was tantamount to crowning him (1Samuel 16:13; 2Samuel 2:4). Jesus, the coming Messiah, is called the "Anointed" (Ps 2:2; Daniel 9:25, 26). Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit (Isa 61:1). Jesus Christ means "Jesus the Anointed One" (John 1:41; Acts 9:22; Acts 17:2, 3; Acts 18:5, 28).

ANOINTED WITH OIL
　
Leviticus 8:1-12 (KJV)
1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, and the anointing oil, and a bullock for the sin offering, and two rams, and a basket of unleavened bread;
3 And gather thou all the congregation together unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
4 And Moses did as the LORD commanded him; and the assembly was gathered together unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
5 And Moses said unto the congregation, This is the thing which the LORD commanded to be done.
6 And Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water.
7 And he put upon him the coat, and girded him with the girdle, and clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod upon him, and he girded him with the curious girdle of the ephod, and bound it unto him therewith.
8 And he put the breastplate upon him: also he put in the breastplate the Urim and the Thummim.
9 And he put the mitre upon his head; also upon the mitre, even upon his forefront, did he put the golden plate, the holy crown; as the LORD commanded Moses.
10 And Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was therein, and sanctified them.
11 And he sprinkled thereof upon the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all his vessels, both the laver and his foot, to sanctify them.
12 And he poured of the anointing oil upon Aaron's head, and anointed him, to sanctify him.

The anointing oil represents the Holy Spirit. Aaron was to do the work of God, and therefore needed an anointing of power and authority from the Spirit. We also, in this age, need the anointing of the Spirit.

The anointing comes as part of the consecration. Consecration is the ‘setting apart’ from other things, to do the work of the Lord. Do not expect the anointing, if you are not consecrated yourself, the anointing will not come.

If you lose your consecration, the Holy Spirit is grieved, and a refilling of the Holy spirit becomes necessary. Those who do not have their hands full, do not need an anointing. The ‘anointing’ is the ‘authority’ to do the work of the Lord. He authorizes us to share in His ministry to this world by the anointing upon us.

Exousia authority is the anointing.

Two words are often translated ‘power’ in the New Testament. The word ‘dunamis’, means miraculous power over the situation. The other word is ‘exousia’ means ‘authority’. We were told to ‘tarry until’ there was an ‘enduing’ with 'power’ (dunamis).

This power is the gifts of power of the Holy Spirit. Healings, miracles, revelations from God, etc are this dunamis power.

The ‘exousia’ kind of power is the authority that comes with the ‘anointing’ from the Spirit. It is the power over the spirits of this world, over the voices that rise against the Lord. This authority is more like the General of the army, who gives a command, and it happens. He speaks and soldiers listen to his authority. The soldiers may have the weapons, and exert another kind of ‘power’ with them. Yet, the ‘authority’ of the commander is that he speaks and people hear and heed. The anointing power (authority) does not give us ability to lord or command others, but with the anointing, one speaks the rhema of God with authority. God’s Word directs, and when an anointed preacher preaches, the message is heard as God’s Words, and devil’s flee, sinners feel the pricking of the Spirit upon their souls.
　
　
This anointing authority is something we should exercise. The exercise of this authority is chained to the gifts and offices that we are given by God. When we have a particular gift—whether administration, preacher, evangelist, prophet--we already have authority in that area because we have a gift and calling of empowerment in that area. The ‘anointing’ authority is a right to speak with the rhema power that prophetic words would have. God speaks with authority through the anointed one.

Luke 10:18-19 (KJV)
18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
19 Behold, I give unto you power (exousia) to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

This power to tread over the serpents and scorpions is a delegated authority from God to command them to leave, to be bound, to be taken to the abyssed. They are subject to the words of one who is anointed, as they would be to the voice of Jesus Himself. The anointed one has the right to use the authority of God to destroy Satan's works.


The words "to tread on" means to have complete supremacy over the evil spirits. This ‘anointing’ authority is like the ‘shadow of the Almighty’, and like the ‘feathers’ and the ‘wings’ of God that come upon us, to protect us from the works of devils.


Psalm 91:1-9 (KJV)
1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
9 Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;


Anointed Christians are to have power over all power of the devil, "and nothing shall by any means hurt" them. This does not mean none of us shall ever die, nor get sick. The ‘serpents and scorpions’, i.e. the demon and evil spirit powers have no power over the anointed. Rather, the anointed has authority over them, can cast them out, defeat their lies to others, by speaking words that explode their lies.

"The people were astonished at His (Jesus’) teaching,... for He taught them as one having exousia." The ‘authority’ of Jesus made His words to astound and befuddle the evil ones. The ‘wisdom’ of others was made to be shown to be foolishness by the words of Jesus. There was power in His words, not only when miracles were done by them, but even the hindrances and walls of devils could not keep the words of Jesus from reaching the hearers.

Jesus taught on a wholly different plane.

John 12:47-50 (KJV)
47 And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.
48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.
49 For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.
50 And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.

When words that are ‘anointed’ words are spoken from an anointed one, they may be rejected, but the rejection of those words brings judgment.

John 17:14 (KJV)
14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

John 14:10 (KJV)
10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.

John 14:22-24 (KJV)
22 Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?
23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.

God needs ‘anointed ones’ who with authority speak what God gives them to speak. The sermons that are anointed have results, and the ‘word’ does not ‘return void, but accomplishes’ its divine goals.
Jesus, because of His words of authority, was "despised and rejected of men". Rejected, despised, but still, the anointed words have great authority.

more to come

 

[murjahel]

part 2 of THE ANOINTING bestowment

Fake Imitations of the anointing

There is a danger of mistaking the indulgence of self-conceit to be a movement of the Holy Spirit. This dishonors the Spirit. Beware of false spirituality. It is found in many, many religious circles. The big Bible, the spiritual looking smile, the fake "Amen", and the shouting, dancing, and arm waving that is not inspired by the Spirit's anointing, easily fool some to think that the Spirit's anointing is present. Too many congregations are filled with false spirituality, and not a true anointing of the Spirit.

Some have claimed an anointing that makes them the impregnated glory of God, with the authority to restore power to all others. They think they are Christ Himself, and want more than an ‘anointing’ to be used, but rather want to replace the Lord as a ‘lord’ themselves. No! The anointing gives one authority to speak God’s loving message to others.

We do not control nor rule the ministries of others. Apostles are not rulers of the prophets, prophets are not rulers of the pastors, pastors are not rulers of those with other ministries. We never rule as King or as Lord, but we can be anointed to have the authority of God to speak His Word.

JESUS’ ANOINTING

The anointing oil was poured upon the head of Aaron, and over the mitre. This was Aaron's anointing to minister. Jesus had an anointing like this.

Luke 4:18
"...the Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor..."

The anointing is for only the consecrated. It is for those who have filled their hands with the work of God. The Holy Spirit is willing to anoint any who thus come and ask. Yet, their goal must be to be doing the work of the Lord, not seeking acclaim, popularity, nor self glory. They must be set apart to be a blessing to the Lord. This brings an anointing.

Our righteousness, our authority to stand before God, and before mankind, comes from the ‘blood’ that our Lord shed, and the oil of anointing, i.e. the authority of the Holy Spirit.

Blood and Oil

Exodus 29:21 (KJV)
21 And thou shalt take of the blood that is upon the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon the garments of his sons with him: and he shall be hallowed, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments with him.

The sprinkling of the blood and anointing oil together onto the bodies and clothes was a fitting finale for their consecration. Blood had been put on the bodies earlier (Lev. 8:23-24). So this new part did not cleanse from sin except to show a continued confidence in the blood and the continued anointing of the Spirit. The outward anointing with oil stood for the choice of God to bestow authority upon one was called to do His work.

David was anointed.

David was not baptized in the Spirit, for that ‘infilling’ began on the day of Pentecost after Jesus’ ascension. Yet, David was blessed with an authority of the Spirit, to stand as a King, having the authority of God upon him.

1 Samuel 16:13 (KJV)
13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.

Psalm 89:19-29 (KJV)
19 Then thou spakest in vision to thy holy one, and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people.
20 I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him:
21 With whom my hand shall be established: mine arm also shall strengthen him.
22 The enemy shall not exact upon him; nor the son of wickedness afflict him.
23 And I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague them that hate him.
24 But my faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him: and in my name shall his horn be exalted.
25 I will set his hand also in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers.
26 He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation.
27 Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth.
28 My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him.
29 His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven.

This is the authority of God, put upon David, via that anointing. We can also be anointed to do the work of God, having authority from Him.

"Christ" is a Greek word, Christos, signifying ‘anointed’.

The Hebrew word mâshîyach meaning the same as ‘Christos’ refers to the Messiah. Jesus is called either "Messiah", or "Christ", for they mean the same thing. Jesus was the Person anointed come and do the work of God in the salvation provision.

To anoint means to consecrate, to set apart to any office. Those set apart are said to be anointed by God. So, Jesus is given the name ‘Messiah’, Christ, Anointed One. He was set apart by God to be the King, High Priest, and Prophet. Anointing with oil was, symbolic of the authority of the Holy Spirit. God gave him the Spirit without measure, (John 3:34) so Jesus is Divinely appointed the Anointed of God.

We have been told to carry on the work of Jesus, and to thereby, do greater works than even Jesus did in His first coming.

"Jesus," was a name of His humanity. Christ, Messiah, was added to His name when He became anointed of God thirty years after He was called Jesus. Jesus was always Divine, One of the Trinity, and yet, became as a 'man', but the 'anointing' was the Spirit upon Him in bestowment of authority to speak, in that human form, and have that bestowment of power.
　
It was prophesied that God would make Him the "Anointed".

Isaiah 61:1(KJV)
1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek;

Jesus became the "Anointed" of God was at His baptism (Matt. 3:16-17; 12:15-20; Luke 3:21-22; Acts 10:38). Jesus confirmed the time He became God's "Anointed".

Luke 4:16-21 (KJV)
16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit, not with oil as in the Old Testament.

We, in this age now, do not depend on the ‘oil’ of the Old Testament, we have the real ‘oil’ of the Spirit Himself to anoint, and authorize our ministries.

We can receive the bestowment of the ‘anointing’ also.

I Corinthians 1:21 (KJV)
21 Now He which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;

The ‘Us’ are we who are Christians. It was customary to anoint kings, prophets, and priests, on their entering into their work that needed God’s authority. We can thereby be consecrated, set apart, to the service of God by the Holy Spirit.

stay tuned for part 3 of the anointing

 

[murjahel]

part 3 of the ANOINTING betowment of power...

COMPOSITION OF THE ANOINTING OIL of the Old Testament​

Exodus 30:22-33
"Moreover, the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Take thou unto thee three principal spices, of pure myrrh 500, of sweet cinnamon - one half so much- 250, and of sweet calamus 250. And of cassia 500, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a hin. And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary; it shall be an holy anointing oil. And thou shalt anoint the tabernacle... the ark,... the table and all his vessels... the candlestick and his vessels... the altar of incense... the altar of burnt offering with all his vessels... the laver and his foot... and thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy; whatsoever touches them shall be holy. And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them that they minister unto Me in the priest's office. And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, This shall be an holy anointing oil unto Me throughout your generations. Upon man's flesh shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make any other like it, after the composition of it, it is holy and it shall be holy unto you... whosoever compoundeth any... shall be cut off..."

Thus, the anointing oil consisted of:
a hin of olive oil mixed with...
500 shekel weight of myrrh...
250 shekel weight of cinnamon...
250 shekel weight of calamus...
500 shekel weight of cassia...

Each of these has a message for us, our anointing from the Holy Spirit consists of certain elements.

The olive oil is a healing and soothing agent. The Holy Spirit is called the "Comforter." He will comfort and give us peace and love as we are anointed. He will minister through us that same soothing and healing peace and love to others.

The myrrh flowed freely from the plant from which it is extracted. It is very bitter in taste. The Holy Spirit gives, or allows some bitter things to happen to the anointed, and it is sometimes something we wish would not flow so freely. Yet, these bitter events come, but we must remember we are on the battle field, not at a summer resort.

The cinnamon is an aromatic spice. The Holy Spirit anointing gives a fragrant aroma to our lives as we serve the Lord.

The sweet calamus is a spice that comes from a cane (as sugar comes from a cane). This is the new sweetness that comes to our lives as we are anointed by the Spirit.

Cassia is a word that means "to cleave", "to stoop", or "to bow down". This indicates that the anointed life is a life of humility, not pride. The truly anointed do not lift up themselves, seek praise and adoration from others... The truly anointed are bowed down in worship and adoration of the Lord Jesus.

The anointing oil is typical of the Holy Spirit resting upon the priest. No imitation of the anointing oil was to be made.

Likewise, no human imitation of the gifts or unction of the Spirit is to be attempted. Some have tried to imitate what happens when one is truly anointed. Some preach their sermons without the anointing, but continue to shout, wave arms, show emotion. This is a fake of the real anointing, and it is sinful to imitate the true anointing of the Spirit.

This fake anointing grieves the Holy Spirit. If we have the anointing, but add to it, something different than the original ingredients, as lifted up rather than the humbled, bowed down, or as bitterness rather than the sweetness of the Spirit, or as the non-fragrant aroma of a fleshly life, rather than the fragrance of the a Spirit-led walk, or if we fight the bitter hurts of the anointed ministry, then we lose the anointing. The Spirit withdraws from the person who does not show the acceptance of the real ingredients of the anointing oil.

The anointing needs to remain.

1 John 2:20-28 (KJV)
20 But ye have an unction (chrisma, anointing) from the Holy One, and ye know all things. ...
27 But the anointing (chrisma) which ye have received of him abideth (meno, remains) in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
28 And now, little children, abide in Him; that, when He shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.

We are to seek to have an anointing that remains. We are to have it at the time of His coming. It is supposed to be used now, and continue to be used.

The anointing is designed to be emblematic of the empowerments of the Holy Spirit. These empowerments are to continue until the rapture of the church.

This is a bestowment of power that the Holy Spirit wants to put upon those who consecrate themselves to God, separating themselves to God and His work.
　
　
other bestowments of power for ministry are yet to come...

 

[murjahel]

MANTLES​

part one
　
2 Kings 2:9 (KJV) ​

9 And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. 2 Kings 2:13-14 (KJV)

13 He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;
14 And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.
　​

　WHAT IS THE MANTLE?

The outer garment in Bible times, was a large robe which served the purpose of an overcoat. It is made of sheepskin with the wool still on it, of goat's hair, or of cotton. It was dark brown, different shades and having whitish stripes.

The robe or loose mantle was thrown over the other parts of the dress. It served as shelter from wind and rain, and as a cover at night. It was common sight to see a man walking even on a hot day with his heavy mantle. For the mantle that kept out the cold of winter, kept out the heat of summer.

This mantle with which Elijah smote and parted the waters of Jordan became the property of Elisha (2Kings 2:8-13). The three young men who were cast into the fiery furnace were clad in their mantles as well as their tunics and other garb (Dan. 3:21).
The act of Elijah, conveying a double portion upon Elisha, by throwing his mantle upon him, has made the subject of ‘mantles’ to be of spiritual discussion for centuries since. Even the popes of the Roman Catholic church have borrowed the ceremony in the ordaining of archbishops, seeking to invest them with church authority, by sending him what is called by them, a pallium, pall, or cloak.

This pallium was not much like the mantle, actually, for in Zechariah 13:4, and 2 Kings 1:8, we see that the original mantles were rough or hairy garments. The pallium or pall was made of white wool. The nuns of St. Agnes, annually, present two white lambs on the altar of their church. The lambs are later to the pope's sub-deacons, who send those lambs to pasture till shearing time. They are then shorn, and the pallium is made using their wool. The pallium is then placed on the high altar on the supposed bodies of Peter and of Paul. This becomes to them, like the mantle of Elijah, only to them this having been upon what is supposed to be the body of Peter, is supposed to pass the power they afforded Peter, and feel it is invested into the successors.
​

No, that is not the teaching of the ‘gift’ of the mantle. There is a mantle that God can share with us, and we can gain blessing from its bestowment.

JESUS WORE A MANTLE.

Did Jesus wear a literal mantle? Famous artists have painted pictures of Jesus, and have not always given an letter-perfect view. Upon His head He must have worn the turban. It was probably white, and fastened under the chin by a cord, and came down to the shoulders over his tunic.

His tunic, His underneath apparel, was of one piece without seam. It was of value, This tunic had probably been given to Him by one of those women who "ministered to Him of their substance."

Over this He wore the mantle which was unsecured and flowing. This mantle was not white, for it became white during the transfiguration. It was not red, for that was only the military color, It may have been blue, if it were of the cotton type, or it may have been white with brown stripes if it were sheepskin.

John 13:4 (KJV)
4 He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself.

Jesus laid aside his garments, i.e. His outer garment. (Matthew 5:40) This was his mantle, which is also said to have been without seam. It was customary to lay this aside when they worked. So, this mantle was even worn by our Lord. The significance of the mantle, and of its typical meaning should be discovered, so as to understand what this gift of the Spirit is.

more to come on the mantle bestowment​

 

[murjahel]

THE DOUBLE PORTION MANTLE IS NEEDED TODAY.
　
part 2 of 3

Christians have a promise of a ‘double portion’. Elijah and Elisha took a long walk. Elijah was preaching his last set of sermons, to some ‘schools of prophets’ in various communities. The lessons taught teach us yet today. There was a double portion blessing that Elisha wanted to have, and he needed a teaching to illustrate to him how one gets a double portion of God’s power.

When they walked through Gilgal (II Kings 2:2) Elijah told Elisha, ‘tarry here, I pray thee, for the Lord hath sent me to Bethel.’ But Elisha told Elijah ‘I would not leave thee.’

When they walked through Bethel, a bit more advanced group of prophetic students, Elijah also told Elisha to remain there (II Kings 2:3-4). Elisha would not, but continued on with Elijah, for Elijah had prophesied that he would be taken up, and Elisha wanted to be there when that happened.

When they came to Jericho, (II Kings 2:4), Elisha would not stay there either, though requested to do so. The ones there were a bit more spiritual, and also knew that Elijah was to be raptured. A group of 50 of them followed a bit far off, just wanting to see what happened. When Elijah parted the Jordan, they were a bit far off to cross over with them, so they had to wait there, and did not see the rapture of Elijah.

Elijah then had the one prophetic student of the groups, that was the hungriest, most desirous of more. So, Elijah asked:
‘Ask what I shall do for thee... I pray thee a double portion of thy spirit be upon me...’

So, Elisha asked for a double portion, and had already proven, he was not satisfied with what others had, but he wanted more.

The last day revival is a time when a double portion will be available for all, but some will not want it desperately enough.

Many have not learned the key to receiving a double portion.

The key is the ‘mantle’.

How many Elisha’s are there out there in this day? How many are like the ‘sons of the prophets’ that are apathetic, or at best curious enough to just stay close enough to see what is happening?

Elijah told Elisha, that if he were near when Elijah would be raptured, and caught his mantle, he would have as he desired. That would take some courage, for as the chariots of fire came near, and a whirlwind caught up Elijah, the normal human tendency would be to run and be safe. But, Elisha was courageous, and stood there, probably hoping he would get taken up too.

Some are like the prophets at Gilgal and Bethel, who did not even know about the rapture of Elijah that was to happen.

Some like those in Jericho, knew, but only were interested enough to follow afar off. But Elisha wanted to be empowered, and the mantle represented that empowering.

The mantle was a blanket like garment. It was often shared by two as they would walk together, for it could be cold, and the two that were in fellowship together, would share the mantle for warmth, and be able to fellowship easily. The mantle therefore represents ‘fellowship with God’. And God let Elijah pass on that ‘fellowship’ to Elisha. It became a double portion blessing to him.

It was not till Elisha had refused to stay at Gilgal, Bethel, Jericho and at Jordan’s edge, that the offer was made. There are some today, in Christianity, around the world, that are pushing past the snares of the devil, the false doctrines of demonic doctrines, the lures of false prophets, the concerns of the cares of life, the lust for things and carnal mammon. These ones are being offered a garment of clothing beyond the normal blessings of all saints. This mantle experience, this double portion, is a closer fellowship with God. It is a walking daily in fellowship with the Lord.

Elisha was the only one who ventured to stay with Elijah. Some want to press on, and seek in the Word, study with the Spirit, pressing on through all the distractions, and come to a place where God is offering a mantle experience for the last days.

We can see great examples of the faith, in the present, and in the past, and we can desire to have more. The key is a ‘mantle’ walk with the Lord.

Elisha knew of the great ministry of Elijah, and wanted more. Others were satisfied, complacent, apathetic, or at best, curious. Yet, Elisha was hungry, anxious, and requested this mantle experience. Some give up in trials, some ‘stay put’ when told to, some refuse to get so desirous of blessing and power, that they do not press on. This is still a request, when we ask for the mantle. But it is a request that shows by action that it is wanted desperately.

God wants us to be ‘thoroughly furnished’... ‘that the man of
God may be perfect.’ (II Timothy 3:15-17) The mantle experience is not just for an elite few, but for an anxious many. God would like if it all would desire it. God would have loved for all 50 on the other side of Jordan had had the same desire as Elisha. God would have loved the others in other towns to have followed, and requested the double portion. It was not God’s will they were excluded, it was their lack of earnestness that lost their possible blessing.

Are you willing to be dishonored, despised, de-valued, hated, shunned, by others? Are you willing be the ‘off-scouring of all things’ (I Cor. 4:3) to others? If you have no ambition for self, no reputation to try to build, and are willing to just want to do more for God, to be more useful for Him, then you are able to ask and receive the mantle clothing.

David was a man ‘after God’s own heart.’ This means that David wanted to know God’s thoughts. Elisha wanted a double portion experience. What do you want?

Elisha was bent on getting that double portion, he was not indifferent. He had faith and labored toward that goal. He refused to be told ‘no’ by Elijah. He was patiend, bold, and determined.

God’s blessing upon the person of Elisha was great, but add to that the mantle experience he was given, and it became an awesome wardrobe to wear. What are you wearing in this battle? We have the armor, we have the sword, and now, we can receive the the double portion mantle, and watch God work. Yet, few have the spiritual ambition that Elisha had.

Isaiah 64:7
"There is none... that stirreth up himself to take hold of Thee...’

Too often this is still the case. God calls us all to a double portion, and few step up to claim His gift. We can walk closer to the Lord, than we ever imagined. We can see God work miracles for us, and through us, if we are determined to keep closer fellowship with the Lord. He offers this mantle of fellowship, and that mantle allows the double portion blessings.

The day of Pentecost came as people had ‘tarried until’. If you had to ‘tarry until’ the mantle experience would come, would you? Some cannot ask God twice for the same thing. They ask once, and if the answer is not there immediately, they cease trusting God, and look to do what they can for themselves.

God wants us to seek, request, and keep on wanting great things from Him. He commanded that we ‘ask largely’.

It is a lonely walk in walking past all the others who are not so inclined, as it was for Elisha. He passed by many other prophets who did not have the desire he had. God will not give the mantle to ones like those. But He stands ready to give out mantles to all who will push toward that goal, and claim the offered mantles.

Elijah cast his mantle upon him. The ‘mantle’ was used to be in fellowship with another walking along the same path. We are in fellowship with God, when He casts the ‘mantle’ experience upon us. Elijah and Elisha walked in fellowship as they walked toward the Jordan River. As we walk this pathway with Jesus, carrying our cross, we will be able to have this ‘mantle-fellowship’ with Him.

 

[murjahel]

THE POWER OF GOD IS AVAILABLE WHEN WE HAVE THE MANTLE.

2 Kings 2:13-15 (KJV)
13 He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;
14 And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.
15 And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha.

The fellowship with the Lord, that the mantle represented, was obvious to others. He walked with God, had double the recorded miracles of Elijah. The fellowship he had with God provided many bestowments of power.

THEY WANDERED IN SHEEPSKIN AND GOATSKIN MANTLES, BUT SOME COUNTERFEITED THE RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD THAT THEY PROCLAIMED.

Hebrews 11:37-40 (KJV)
37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
38 (Of whom the world was not worthy they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

"They wandered about in sheepskins" What this refers to are the sheepskins dressed with the wool still on. This was like the mantle that Elijah wore, and which was afterwards used by Elisha. In the Septuagint, in 2 Kings 2:8-13, it says: "and Elijah took his SHEEPSKIN (mantle.)" "And he (Elisha) took the SHEEPSKIN of Elijah which had fallen from off him."

Many of the false prophets imitated this, in order that they might gain the greater credit.

Zechariah 13:4 (KJV)
4 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he hath prophesied; neither shall they wear a rough garment to deceive:

The mantle of Elijah and of Elisha represented the walk of fellowship that we can and should have. In that time, some wore a hairy mantle to be perceived as a prophet. Today, many claim a fellowship walk with the Lord, but they do so to imitate the real. Some claim to be told things from God that are not from God, do not harmonize with the written Word of God. They tell people what to give to them, promise blessings that God never spoke for them, and pretend to be a real prophet of God. This is the same kind of pretense that many claimed in those past days, by wearing a mantle.

THE REAL MANTLE CANNOT BE PASSED ON, NOR TAKEN FROM ANOTHER.

Exodus 22:26-27 (KJV)
26 If thou at all take thy neighbour's raiment to pledge, thou shalt deliver it unto him by that the sun goeth down:
27 For that is his covering only, it is his raiment for his skin: wherein shall he sleep? and it shall come to pass, when he crieth unto me, that I will hear; for I am gracious.

If ever one would take another’s neighbor’s garment in pledge, or if one ever enjoys the presence of the Lord felt via another who has a mantle fellowship with the Lord, they will find that the mantle experience is not to be gained by taking another’s.

The experience must be from God, must be a personal walk with the Lord. Another’s walk can be shared for a short time, but when one leaves that person, the feeling they had of God’s presence is gone. One must obtain the mantle fellowship from the Lord Himself to make it be a permanent possession.
Going to bed was an uncomplicated issue for the people of that day. Mats were used to lie upon, but the innkeeper did not provide any covering. Each person provided his own covering, i.e. his mantle. It was warm for even the coldest of nights. If he were sleeping outdoors, this covering was waterproof, and therefore far superior to our blankets of today. It was this outer garment, the mantle, that was a person's covering that the law did not allow anyone to keep this pledge or surety, for this would deprive him of his means of keeping warm while sleeping. Such a garment if taken, for a surety, had to be returned by sunset.

In the same way, the circumstances of life require that we keep our fellowship with the Lord, stay close to Him to warm us from life’s cold, to shelter us from life’s storms. We need the mantle fellowship. This mantle relationship with the Lord is something we should all desire. We need to walk closely with Him, fellowship with Him, stay close for His power, and His comfort, to be available as we need it in our ministries.
　

 

[murjahel]

THE ROD OF GOD
　
THE BURNING BUSH

​

This bush in the dry desert pictured the ungodly, Hebrew people who were in bondage. The thorns of the bush are typical of the consequence of sin (Genesis 3:17-18). Fire symbolizes their suffering and tribulation. The bush was unharmed by all the persecution, and the trials could not eradicate them. The voice of God from that burning bush shows the presence of God amidst them, preserving them for a day of deliverance.

God startled Moses with this revelation, and the teaching that Moses received that day, needs to be re-spoken today and always. God has not forgotten those who have become in bondage to sin, He is still working out His plan to try and deliver them. He calls for prophets, pastors, evangelists, to go to ones in bondage, and lead them to deliverance in God.

Today we have Scriptures to direct us, and we have the Holy Spirit to guide us, but occasionally God still must use "burning bush" experiences to make sure we definitely know His will. His calling for ministers is to have direction, and power to do His will. In this case, Moses realized he had a ‘rod’, one that God had provided, and God would overcome all of Moses’ inabilities and weaknesses, with the power of God that could work through him.

Psalms 37:23
"The steps of a good man are ordered of the Lord..."

Moses had been led by circumstance and design to this place of the burning bush. God wanted to lead him from the burning bush, to the people it represented, and to deliver them with the power of God.

GOD'S MINISTERS NEED THE CALL OF GOD.

Too many of today's ministers feel that the ordination of a denomination is sufficient to indicate a calling and ministry. There is a greater credential authority that is mandatory for any ministry. Moses knew that if he appeared before the elders of Israel, they would not accept him, or believe him. They would not accept the words and direction of Moses as the message from God. Therefore, Moses felt unprepared, afraid, inferior, and unworthy.

Moses then, and many ministers today feel an inferiority in God’s work. This inferiority comes from two fears:

1. Fear of failure
This is the fear that one cannot do what is required of him. This fear of losing even self-respect by lack of ability is devastating. The fear of failure is taking a wrong estimate of God's promises and provisions. The secret is to learn that it is not what can we do, but what can God do!!! We can "do all things through Christ..."

2. Fear of man
There are always people who will disapprove. No one will get 100 % approval. Christ even had a "Judas" in the twelve disciples. Christ was perfect, but His critics were many. If we are in a perfect harmony with the Lord, many will think we are not in harmony, because they are not in harmony. Criticism must not be used to defer us from doing right, for we would never get anything done for God if we await 100 % agreement from those whom we know.

These fears needed to be settled, cleansed from Moses. The fears inside mankind crowd out God and His peace. They blind from truth, they deafen spiritual ears from faith. Moses had fears that had to be discussed, and replaced.

THE EXCUSES OF MOSES

1. LACK OF CAPABILITY
In Exodus 3:11, Moses said: "...Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh...?
God answered in Exodus 3:12: "Certainly, I will be with you..." Walking alone in our calling is a recipe for disaster. Walking with God in our work for Him, we are assured of victory.

2. LACK OF MESSAGE
Moses said in Exodus 3:13: "...what shall I say unto them???" God answered in Exodus 3:14: "Thou shalt say, 'I AM' hath sent me..." We do not need to know what to say. The Bible has it all written out, the Holy Spirit is in us to inspire us. We are but to trust His message.

3. LACK OF AUTHORITY
Moses tried again, with the excuse found in Exodus 4:1: "...behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken to my voice..." God promised multitudes of miracles in His answer in Exodus 4:2-9: "What is in thine hand?" ("A rod") "... put hand into thy bosom..." ("leprous")... "If they will not hearken to the voice of the first sign, they will believe the voice of the latter sign..." God showed and promised miracles to confirm that Moses was called and chosen for the work. We can have miracles, which are the ‘signs following’ that we are to have for ministry.

4. LACK OF ELOQUENCE
In Exodus 4:10, Moses tried another excuse: "I am not eloquent..." God answered in Exodus 4:18-19: ‘Who hath made man's mouth? ...I will be with thy mouth..." God dwells in us, speaks rhema words through us. We do not need ‘eloquence’ or training to be articulated in speech. We will have God’s message of rhema, and those words have power.

5. LACK OF A HELPER
Moses tried another excuse, found in Exodus 4:13: "Send, I pray thee, by the hand of him who thou wilt send..." God's anger was ignited by this excuse, and His answer is found in Exodus 4:14-16: "The anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses... Is not Aaron, the Levite, thy brother? ...he shall be thy spokesman..." We have God Who is offering to work through us if we minister for Him, why would we need a human assistant to help Him get done what He wants us to do?

6. LACK OF PREVIOUS SUCCESS
Moses reminds God of his previous failures in Exodus 5:23: "For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Thy name, he hath done evil to this people, neither hast Thou delivered Thy people at all..." Moses wanted to share the blame for the failures with God, but God had never failed, only Moses had. God is not intimidated by powerful people. We may have fled them in the past, but with God we can march forward toward sure success. God answered in Exodus 6:1: "Now thou shalt see what I will do to Pharaoh..."

7. LACK OF PREVIOUS ACCEPTANCE
Moses thought the people needed to give him authority to minister, but God did not think that way. Moses said in Exodus 6:12: "Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me..." People do not ordain God’s ministers, only God can call a person. God does not seek, nor want man’s approval. He is sovereign, and knows who He wants to call into ministry. God answered Moses in Exodus 6:13: "...the Lord spake unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and gave them a charge..." God gives us our orders, our calling, our ministry.
　
God can get angry at our excuses, and out lack of trust in Him as our answer. Many think God sits in heaven, immovable, uncaring. God does have emotions, feelings. He shares His sorrows, He pities His children, He loves, He can regret, He can be jealous, He can get angry, He can be touched. The many excuses of Moses are being re-used over and over yet today, but God’s answers are still the same. He is our Lord, our Empowerer, our Guide. We have no excuse, nor did Moses, that will ever have God exempt us from our calling and ministry.

end of part one, stay tuned...

 

[murjahel]

part 2 of 3 the rod of God...

GOD HAS POWER FOR US TODAY, A ROD

God always gives anyone that is called to ministry the might and miraculous power that is needed. Moses here is promised the power, with the rod of God, to do miracles that are needed. Ministerial badges, denominational licenses, or robes with turned around collars, do not give us authority nor success in ministries.

We need the miraculous power of God, with signs and wonders following, in order to succeed in any of our callings from God.

The people could not say: "The Lord did not appear to you..." for the Lord was bestowing miraculous signs to indicate that He was still appearing to Moses. God gave Moses signs to show that he was not inferior to the magicians of Pharaoh. The signs showed that Moses had greater powers from God than the Pharaoh's had from their demonic impersonators of God.

The miracles accompanying Moses, were symbols of divine power. The Pharaoh wore a diadem, and upon it were the symbolic signs of divine power. Moses had no diadem. He had a ‘rod’, and with that ‘rod’ came the power of God to show that His God was greater than the gods of Pharaoh. Our God will still back up His chosen, His elect, His called, His anointed, and His witnesses.

Mark 16:17-18
"And these signs shall follow them that believe; in My name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover..."

John 14:12
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works that these shall he do; because I go unto My Father."

Why should a person claim a divine call or mission without the power and miraculous anointing to demonstrate the calling of God. Moses had a ‘rod’, and we have the promises of Jesus, and the infilling of the Spirit, to give us the greater power now, than even Moses had with that rod.

Christ told the disciples:

Acts 1:4-8
"...commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, Which, saith he, ye have heard of Me... Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses unto Me..."

The disciples were to have a Holy Spirit anointed ministry, with signs and wonders following. These were to be their credentials, and they were to await this empowering before beginning their ministries. God desires to give us credentials before the world. They may not listen or recognize the credentials of God's power, but God still gives them.

WHAT WAS THE ROD OF GOD?

Exodus 4:2 (KJV)
2 And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.
Exodus 4:17 (KJV)
17 And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs.

This rod mentioned in the Bible many times is called "the rod of God..."

Exodus 4:19-20 (KJV)
19 And the LORD said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life.
20 And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.


A rod, but one called the ‘ROD OF GOD’. It was made the tool of working many miracles. The rod of God, a sign of God’s power, by which Moses was to perform all his miracles.

In mythology, the devil used the idea of a rod, to counterfeit God’s power. The rod of Mercury in mythology was said to have wrought many miracles. It was even said to kill and to make alive, to send souls to an invisible world and bring them back. But those kind of counterfeits cannot denigrate the real rod of God. The devil’s imitations, his fictional copies, are mere illusions of power. God has for Moses and for us, the real ‘rod’ of power. Moses was told to take this rod, and hold it up, to secure victory for God’s people in the battle.

Exodus 17:9 (KJV)
9 And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand.

Moses took his position on the top of a hill, holding in his hand, the rod of God. As long as the rod was held up, Israel dominated the battle. Yet, when Moses' hands became limp, Amalek triumphed. Aaron and Hur stayed the hands of Moses until sunset, and Amalek was defeated.

The reason that the holding up the hands was effective, was not typical of enduring prayer, but it was the unity of claiming the power given by the rod of God. All of Israel had that promise of God, that His power would be with them, and as they looked upon the hill, they saw the rod of God promising them

With this the name of the memorial-altar, which Moses built there, called Jehovah-nissi, "the Lord my banner" agrees. The rod of God was the banner of God -a promise of God’s power that was given to the one who was to lead them to deliverance.

Amalek opposed Israel journey to the promised land of victory. Moses held the rod of God in the hand of faith. The rod must ever be uplifted in faith, to secure its promised blessing. God’s rod, in the hands of God’s children, is a powerful tool and weapon in this battlefield of today.

TRADITIONAL ROD, OR SPECIAL GIFT?

The traditional idea of a rod is a piece of a tree limb used for support or as a weapon. It became a symbol of authority. The reason this rod was a symbol of authority, and the reason it is called "the rod of God" is because its origin is not simply a branch Moses used to aid his support.. Its origin is from God, and the book of Jasher tells us the needed details to understand why it became the symbol of authority to Moses, and to all the Hebrew people.

This rod, we have assumed was a piece of a tree limb, like other ‘rods’ of the day. Those kind of rods were used as a weapon, to protect oneself, or the sheep that the shepherd was protecting. Yet, according to Jasher 77:39-51 , it was a "sapphire stick" that had the name of the Lord God of Hosts written upon it. It is the same sceptre which God held as He created the earth and the universe.

It was given to Adam to till the ground after his expulsion from the garden, and represented the authority and dominion over the earth given to Adam.

It was passed down. First, Noah, then successively to Shem, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and finally to Joseph. Then following the death of Joseph, some in Egypt kept it until it came to Jethro (Reuel). Jethro left Egypt with it, and placed it within his garden. It became impossible for anyone to remove it from the place wherein it was planted. Jethro knew that only the worthy person to have it would be able to remove it. Mythology took this story from Jasher, and incorporated it into some of the fiction of the devils.

Moses walked up to this rod of God, read God’s name, and removed it. Jethro offered Zipporah to Moses in marriage, to bring favor from Moses. This is how Moses came into possession of the "rod of God..."

Some may not accept Jasher’s account of the rod. Some may choose to think of it as a short branch from a tree. Either way, this ‘rod of God’ had power from God flow through it.

With this rod:
was brought hail and lightning (Exodus 9:23),
locusts (Exodus 10:13),
a rock was smitten and water came forth (Exodus 17:5-7, Numbers 20),
it was changed into a serpent (snake) (Ex 4),
It was held over the waters and the waters parted...
etc.

 

[murjahel]

part 3 of 4 the rod of God

NOBODIES CAN HAVE THE ROD OF GOD

When God called Moses, He asked him, "What is in thine hand?" Moses answered, "A rod." Then God told Moses, "Thou shalt take this rod in thine hand wherewith thou shalt do signs..." (Exodus 4:2-17) Moses was a ‘nobody’, a criminal, one hiding in the desert, unwanted by his own people, a criminal to his enemies. He was a ‘nobody’. But God had a rod of power for him to use.

This rod represented the great power of God that God bestows as a gift upon us. We have been promised to be able to do greater works than Christ did when He walked this earth, because of an enduement of Power from on high, that we would be given.

The Holy Spirit was shown in type by this "rod of God..." As a gift to the men of God in the Old Testament, this rod was thrown down, when the situation required a miracle. We too can call on the Holy Spirit when the situation calls for a miracle, a gift of the Spirit is always available to God's chosen people, the church. The church are ‘nobodies’ in this world. We have no power, no great authority, no miraculous strength.

Yet, the Holy Spirit fills us with power, His power.
Moses was about to face the great struggle to free God's people from Egypt. He needed the power of God to help him.

We, the nobodies of today, are now engaged in the struggle against the devil to free the saints from this earth via the rapture, and we are struggling against the sin, and the demonic cohorts of the devil who try to ensnare sinners so they cannot escape with us. The Holy Spirit, His power, His miraculous workings are needed by us, especially in these last days.

"Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me..." (Psalms 23:4). The Holy Spirit is the "Comforter..." The ‘rod of God’, i.e. the Holy Spirit of power, is with us, to show forth the power of God.
God took what Moses, a nobody, having only a the rod in his hand. God showed that nobody, that is all he would need. God can use the weakest nobody to accomplish the greatest ends.
　
All the wisdom of Egypt could not prepare him for the work of God.

Acts 7:22
"And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians..."

Yet, the attempts of Moses were carried out in the flesh, without the guidance, and direction of the Lord.

Acts 7:25
"For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them; but they understood not."

Therefore, God took Moses from the scene of Egypt to drain him of all self-sufficiency. These next years drained him from "somebody" to a "nobody" that God could use. Finally, Moses qualified, by realizing that he was "nobody".

Exodus 3:11
"And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?"

Why did God decide that this was the correct time to deliver the Hebrews? God heard the "groaning" of His people, He remembered His covenant of promise to them, and He loved this people...

Exodus 2:24-25
"And God heard their groaning, and remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them."

Exodus 3:7
"And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of My people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows..."

Moses was fully prepared, educated, but drained of all self-sufficiency. He had become a ‘nobody’ that the rod of God could be then available to him. The power to part waters, bring victory, was the rod of God, not Moses’.

 

[murjahel]

Aaron’s Rod that Budded
　
part one
　
The name ‘Aaron’ means ‘enlightened, rich, fluent. He was the eldest son of Amran. Miriam was his sister, and she was several years older. Aaron was three when Moses was born.
Moses took Aaron as his assistant. While Moses was slow of speech, Aaron was fluent and a ready spokesman. He is called Moses’ ‘mouth’ (Ex. 4:16).

Aaron became a ready assistant to Moses. He had some failures, as the ‘golden calf’ fiasco. Yet, Aaron repented, and was a good brother to Moses in the end.
　
　
THE DEAD BRANCH MADE ALIVE
The ‘rod of God’ was carried by Moses. Aaron had a rod too. It was a ‘branch’, it once had been growing as part of a tree of this earth. It was now a dead branch. This rod was far different in type from the ‘rod of God’ that Moses carried. Moses held a ‘rod’ that had power, the power of God. Aaron had a rod that was a dead stick.

This dead branch represents our lives. We are of this world, but we are not sustained by this world any longer, we are dead in sins. There needs to be a new life in us, we need to have a supernatural healing of the dead branch that we are.
The Lord told Moses to take the branch that was used by Levi, several generations before, and to write Aaron’s name upon it. This was to be laid in the tabernacle, in the presence of God.

Numbers 17:3-6 (KJV)
3 And thou shalt write Aaron's name upon the rod of Levi: for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers.
4 And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation before the testimony, where I will meet with you.
5 And it shall come to pass, that the man's rod, whom I shall choose, shall blossom: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you.
6 And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, and every one of their princes gave him a rod apiece, for each prince one, according to their fathers' houses, even twelve rods: and the rod of Aaron was among their rods.

The others took their rods and put them there with Aaron’s, to see which one would supernaturally blossom. The one that would blossom, was to be the lineage of the priesthood. We come to God and want to have supernatural, cathartic healing of our dead, hurting from the removal of life in us.

The other rods continued as they were. Aaron's rod became a living outgrowth from a life outside of itself. We are outgrowths of a life that comes to us from God, we have no life of ourselves, this body is mortal, and the spirit without God is dead. There were buds, blossoms, and fruit, and this was all miraculous.

Thus Aaron was shown there was in his ‘rod’ a life, with this special life blessing of God. Fruitfulness is the evidence of a Divine call.

This rod was made to live, with evidence, with fruit of life, to prove to the murmurers, the doubters, that life was within. Moses carried the ‘rod that represented the ‘power of God’, but Aaron had the rod that represented the fruit of the Spirit, that is the evidence of the new life within.

The design of God is to take away sin, and provide us with power and a change of heart, a life that is bearing fruit for God. But the dry rod revived and blossomed to the confusion of the others, and proved that the presence of God, indwelling the dead, the lifeless branch, can make alive and fruitful.

The people cried out: "Behold, we die, we perish, we all perish!" Without the life of God in us that comes when we yield to the Lord in repentance for our sins, remove our own pride and self centeredness, we are but perishing, dead branches.

If we die, if we perish, it is because of our own selves. We bear the blame for our own ‘deadness’. Yet, we cannot take credit for our salvation. The buds and blossoms, the fruit of life, has to come from without ourselves, as it did in Aaron’s rod.
　
　
BY THE FRUITS WE ARE KNOWN

Numbers 17:5-11 (KJV)
5 And it shall come to pass, that the man's rod, whom I shall choose, shall blossom: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you.
6 And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, and every one of their princes gave him a rod apiece, for each prince one, according to their fathers' houses, even twelve rods: and the rod of Aaron was among their rods.
7 And Moses laid up the rods before the LORD in the tabernacle of witness.
8 And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.
9 And Moses brought out all the rods from before the LORD unto all the children of Israel: and they looked, and took every man his rod.
10 And the LORD said unto Moses, Bring Aaron's rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not.
11 And Moses did so: as the LORD commanded him, so did he.

The Aaronical priesthood was never after disputed, after that, for the ‘life’ was proven in that rod, by the fruit it produced.

The rod of Aaron budded, and produced buds, blossoms0, and ripe fruit. The life of a Christian bears fruit. We may fail, we may sin, but the life within us brings us over and over back to repentance, back to bearing again the fruit of the Spirit. The fruitfulness, the buds of good desires, the blossoms of holy resolutions, the ripe fruit of faith, love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, kindness, all spring from the High Priest, our Lord Jesus.

Aaron's staff, perhaps the rods of all the tribes, were out of the amygdala communis, the almond tree. In that soil and climate, it grows to twenty feet in height: The blossoms of this tree are delicate red, coming early in March, having begun to bud in January. In Hebrew it is "shaked" from shakad, to awake, because it buds and flowers sooner than most other trees. So, the rods borne by many of Israel were made of this tree.

To see a dead branch long ago cut off from the tree, without bark or moisture remaining, put in a dry place for one night, produce not only buds, but also the flowers and fruit, was a demonstration of the peculiar intervention of God into the persons who come to Him in humble repentance.

THE ROD WAS PRESERVED IN THE ARK OF THE COVENANT

The rod of Aaron was put into the ark of the covenant. Christ Jesus is the sanctuary of mercy, and we are in Him, when we receive spiritual life. The ark of the covenant represents the Lord Jesus. Aaron's rod, the pot of manna, the tables of the law, all are in Jesus, our Sanctuary.


Hebrews 9:2-4 (KJV)
2 For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary.
3 And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;
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;

The covenant of the law had regulations for worship and an earthly sanctuary. The tabernacle, a tent was constructed, in which were the lampstand, the altar of incense, and the table of shewbread in the Holy Place. Behind the next curtain was the Holy of Holies. In it was the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold. Above it were the golden cherubim overshadowing the mercy seat.

When we come to God, we are damaged by sin and the world, sinful in nature, sick from past sins. God puts life within us. Suddenly, the fruit of the Spirit is evident. We then dwell in Christ, in His very Presence.

more to come on
Aaron's rod

 

[murjahel]

THE MIRACLE OF PROOF TO THE WORLD
　
Exodus 7:8-12 (KJV)
8 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
9 When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Shew a miracle for you: then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent.
10 And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the LORD had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent.
11 Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.
12 For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods

When the ‘rod of God’ that Moses carried turned into a serpent, it is the Hebrew word "nachash", a term that refers to normal snakes. The word for ‘serpent’ in the case of the rod of Aaron is different, it is the Hebrew word ‘tanninim. The word refers to a ‘sea serpent’ (Job 7:12; Psalm 91:13; Isaiah 27:1; 51:9; Jeremiah 51:34; Ezekiel 29:3; 32:2, Lamentations 4:3).

As the rod changed into the sea monster, the magicians of Egypt turned theirs into crocodiles, and then the sea monster ate the crocodiles.

The pharaoh’s challenge, "Shew a miracle...’ brought the miracle proof, beyond doubt, that Jehovah is God, and that God had commissioned His servants. The question in the minds then, and stll now, is whether the gods of this world are equal to our God. There are many religions, many other gods that are worshipped, but our God is far superior.

The inferiority of their power was proven when" Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods." The hardness of the heart of pharaoh made him still resist this proof, and he refused to admit God to be the only God of poower.

When he cast down his rod, and it became a sea serpent, and "the magicians of Egypt" "did cast down theirs too, the superiority of Aaron appeared when his "rod swallowed up their rods."

All the false gods, the false religions are of no power over our God, and He put life into the rod of Aaron to show forth His great power and life in us.

The magicians' rods had become crocodiles but Aaron's rod, suddenly a sea serpent, swallowed them up, proving that God's power is greater than Satan's power.


The miracles of the magicians were that their rods were changed to crocodiles (Ex. 7:11-12), the turning of water to blood (Ex. 7:22), and their bringing up frogs (Ex. 8:7). These were astounding to the persons of that day. Yet, they were no match for the power of God. The devils have only limited power. In the future, the power of the devil through the false prophet and the antichrist will call fire down from heaven, and do some miracles to deceive (Mt. 24:24; 2Th. 2:8-12; Rev. 13:2,4,11-18; 16:13-16; 19:20). Yet, then again, the power of God will be shown to be far superior, when God works through the two witnesses.
　
When the power of God changes our dead branch into a rod of budding, flowering, fruitful rod, we have new power within that is superior to all the power of the devils.

THE ALMONDS ON OUR RODS

Galatians 5:22-25 (KJV)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

The fruit of the Spirit is the almond that the Holy Spirit produces. It is with purpose that Paul uses the word "Spirit", to denote that these fruit do not flow from our own nature. The virtues which he enumerates are produced only by the person of the Holy Spirit. Hence Paul does not let it be thought that they can come from our own hearts, even when regenerated.

1. love
This love is one that is for God and for other persons. On the meaning of the word love, 1 Corinthians 13:1 was written, and embodies far more than mankind could ever create.


2. Joy
In the love of God there will be joy. By the pardon of salvation from our sins, there comes a communion with the Redeemer. As we begin to serve Him, the joy continues.


3. Peace
This comes with realization of the reconciliation with God.
Romans 5:1 (KJV)
1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:


4. Long-suffering
When we are in affliction and trial, and when injured by others, we choose now to suffer long, and not to seek to retaliate.
1 Corinthians 13:4 (KJV)
4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

5. Gentleness
The word means goodness, kindness, benignity; unlike the harsh, mean temper. It is a mildness of temper, calmness of disposition, a politeness. The Holy Spirit sweetens the irritable; makes the heart kind; disposes us to make those near to us as happy as we can. This is a kind of politeness which is only authored by the Spirit.


6. Goodness
This is the disposition to benefit others.
Romans 15:14 (KJV)
14 And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.


7. Faithfulness
This is a fidelity, a faithful person to his word and promises, a person who can be trusted. The Holy Spirit makes a person faithful to neighbour, to friend, mate, to child. All pretensions to being Spirit filled and to not have fidelity are deceitful.



8. Meekness
This is the taking of offences as though they were not cumbersome. It is the accepting of the troubles in life, as though they are all going to ‘work together for good.’

9. Temperance
This is self-control. It is derived from strength; and has reference to the power evil passions of all kinds. It speaks of self-rule of a person over the evil desires of his nature. We often think of abstinence from intoxicating drinks, but the word is much more extended in meaning. Temperance is dominion over all evil desires, a moderation to all indulgences, as well as abstinence from alcohol. Temperance makes a person moderate in all indulgences; teaches that person to restrain his passions, and to govern and to control his evil tendencies.
　
There is no law of God against these fruit. These things in a person should never be condemned. Law condemns sin and sin only. Those with the fruit of the Spirit are not sinning when they have the fruit of the Spirit.


They have crucified the flesh, have yielded to the Spirit’s control. The Spirit has therefore put these fruit upon the ‘dead stick’ that is our life. We now have life in the dead rod.

If we live in the Spirit, we are under the influence of these ‘fruit’ from the Spirit. Let our sins of intention cease, and if we fail, let it be unintentional, and be quickly repented. We profess not to be under the influence of the flesh; and to not be controlled by its appetites. Let us yield ourselves to his influences, and show that we are controlled by that Spirit.

The rod of Aaron spoke of this fruit, and this fruit should take over and change the dead branch we once were.

 

[murjahel]

Revelation 3:11

"Behold, I come quickly, hold that fast that thou hast, that no man take thy crown."


Satan wants to strip your crown from you, He will instigate men to try to get you to yield your crown.


The wise will wear the crown.

Proverbs 4:7-9

‘Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom, and with all thy getting get understanding. Exalt her, and she (wisdom) shall promote thee; she shall bring thee to honor, when thou dost embrace her. She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace; a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee."


The unwise and the unlearned will miss the crown.


Hosea 4:6

"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge."

Not many talk about this crown. Some who do, pervert its teaching by ‘carnal-prosperity seeking’.

Many are struggling saints, without the wisdom to wear the crown. Religious traditions, and faulty teaching, trains many saints to not wear the crown.


Matthew 15:6
"Thus have ye made the commandments of God of none effect by your traditions."


Satan would like us to yield our authority and glory. Through many of the "doctrines of demons" the faith of many is simply form, ‘denying the power.’ The church of many is just cushioned pews, where ‘hearers only’ do not have training to be ‘doers of the Word." The church, without its crown, is helpless.


There is no need to stay helpless.


Romans 5:17
"For if by one man’s offence, death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace, and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by One, Jesus Christ."


In heaven, all saints will finally realize that God wants them to reign. Look at the song the saints sing in heaven:


Revelation 5:10
"And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof; for Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God, kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth."


We are a royal priesthood. We are made priests, like unto the tribe of Levi... but we reign, like unto the tribe of Judah, so we are a royal priesthood. We are a priesthood, that wears a crown. The High Priest pre-figured Jesus, with a crown on the mitre, and now that Jesus has come, we can wear a crown too.


I Peter 2:5, 9
"Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable unto God by Jesus Christ.

"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of Him Who called you out of darkness into marvelous light."


The world may call us fanatics, extremists. Yet, we are just claiming what God wants us to have. We are a royal priesthood, and we are to be wearing the ‘crown’.


The mitre of the High Priest was linen, and rolled, or wound around the head.


Exodus 28:39
"And thou shalt make the mitre of fine linen."


A golden plate (Hebrew word was ‘tzeetz’ meaning ‘flower’) was upon the mitre.


Exodus 28:36-38
"And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave on it, like the engravings of the signet- ‘HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD’. And thou shalt put on it a blue lace, that it may be upon the mitre, upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be. And it shall be upon Aaron’s forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things... shall always be upon his forehead, that he may be accepted before the Lord."


The crown on the mitre represents the glory and honor and power given to the children of God.


We do not deserve it, we have not earned it. It is ours, due to the ‘holiness of the Lord.’ As High Priests, we claim the crown to wear.


In the New Jerusalem, the children of God wear the crown. For it says of such ones... ‘His name shall be in their foreheads’ (Revelation 22:4). The name on the golden plate, i.e. the crown, is God’s name.

 

[murjahel]

The URIM and the THUMMIN
.......
the voice of Jesus speaking to us​

The ephod, its shoulder stones, the breastplate, and the two stones inside that pocket, formed the prophetic dress of the High Priest, the speaking voice of God to His people. By means of these items of clothing, the High Priest could learn the counsel and judgment of God on various problems the nation would face. He could then declare the course of action that the people should take. He could sometimes then tell what events were about to happen. This is a gift that all of us in ministry today need also. Jesus is still bestowing gifts to the ministries.

Abiathar (the only surviving priest of the line of Eli) fled to David with the ephod, having escaped being killed at Nob. David, using these parts of the High Priest’s garments, ascertained the purpose of the men of Keilah was to deliver David up to Saul. (I Samuel 23:6).

At Ziglag, David again consulted the Lord’s answer through Abiathar and the garments, and obtained a favorable answer. (I Samuel 30:7-8)

Later, David enquired of the Lord, and obtained favorable answers. (II Samuel 2:1). In these three cases, the ark of the covenant was not with David, only the priest and the breastplate on the ephod, with the urim and thummin within it.

God spoke to His people, answered their questions, gave judgment of situations, via the garments of the High Priest. The breastplate, is called the ‘breastplate of judgment’, and yet, too many have viewed and studied such breastplate, as though it were only a decorative item of clothing. It was so much more, and we need to see what God is showing us in ‘shadow’, in type, and in symbolism, with the breastplate, and the two (seldom mentioned) stones that were carried within it.

We do not receive a literal breastplate to wear, nor do we receive literal urim and thummin.
Yet, there are the spiritual gifts, that those things represented, that we can receive in this age.

We need to see what they represent, what they teach to us, so as to be cognitive of the blessings Jesus bestows to us, ministered to us by the Holy Spirit, and planned by God for us.
　

The URIM and the THUMMIN​

​

　
Exodus 28:30
"And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment, the urim and thummin; and they shall be upon Aaron’s heart when he goeth in before the Lord; and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart continually."

The breastplate and its contents, the urim and thummim, were over the ‘heart’ of Aaron. The ones to whom we minister must be upon our hearts, must be carried as something for which we have a great loving burden, if we want to have these gifts bestowed upon us in these days.

The breastplate was folded so as to form a bag, a pocket, and the urim and thummin were placed within it. (See Exodus 28:30, Leviticus 8:8, Numbers 27:21, Deuteronomy 33:8, I Samuel 28:6, Ezra 2:63, Nehemiah 7:65)

"Urim" means ‘lights, enlightenment".
It is the Hebrew word ‘uwriym’, the plural of ‘uwr’. ‘Uwr’ means ‘light, flame, to enlighten, to set on fire.’ Urim is also translated ‘fire’ in Isaiah 24:15 ‘wherefore glorify ye the Lord in the fires.", and in Isaiah 31:9 ‘his princes shall be afraid of the ensign, saith the Lord, whose ‘fire’ is in Zion." (See also Isaiah 44:16, 47:14, and 50:11).

"Thummin" means ‘perfection, integrity."
This is from the Hebrew word ‘tummiym’ which is the plural of ‘tom’. "Tom’ means ‘completeness, innocence, and integrity, upright, perfect.’

In the Septuaguint, these words are translated with the Greek words ‘delosis’ and ‘aletheia’, meaning ‘manifestation and truth".

These were already made when Moses told about them, and who made them, from where they came, is not told.

The High Priest, with the urim and thummin, became the channel by which God would speak and manifest His opinions and decisions. The High Priest could have been judged harshly for decisions he would have to make. He could have been charged with favoritism, harshness, leniency, etc.

But God made the urim and thummin, which in some way revealed God’s judgment. The High Priest became only the conveyor of the Lord’s message. The High Priest was given enlightenment and integrity.

James 1:17 shows that God is called ‘the Father of lights, from Whom every good and every perfect gift cometh down."

These urim and thummin represent the presence of the Lord, in our hearts, there to give enlightenment, and perfect wisdom and counsel freely to us.

　​

Operation of the urim and thummin​

Supposedly, Joseph Smith received plates and instruments called ‘interpreters’ (urim and thummin) which helped him translate the ‘reformed Egyptian’ and made from that the ‘Book of Mormon" on September 22, 1827. This is, of course, not truth, and a misrepresentation of what the urim and thummin were, and how they operated. For the reason of this ‘Mormon’ story, many in Christian circles have avoided studying the urim and thummin. In fact, many in Christianity, have never heard of these stones.

There are three channels by which God spoke in the Old Testament. We find them revealed in I Samuel 28:6:
"When Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by urim, nor by prophets."

Abiathar used the urim and thummin to answer David’s questions and concerns (I Sam. 22:20-23, 30:7-8). But we see that Saul had no dreams to answer his quandry, the urim would not answer him, and no prophet was given a message from God to answer him.

In Numbers 27:21, Eleazar, the priest was to ask counsel for Joshua ‘after the judgment of the urim, before the Lord.’ Moses had authority over the High Priest, but Joshua was to ask counsel of the High Priest through the urim and thummin. Joshua later failed to get such counsel later (Joshua 9) and was deceived by the Gibeonites.

Many in ministry today, try to use their textbooks from learned ministers of the past, their psychology books from educated scientific minds of the recent past, and from self help books of wise? advice.
These pale in comparison to the available counsel of the Lord Himself, our urim and thummin.

The tradition told by the Rabbi’s was that the High Priest put on his robes and went in to the inner veil. Facing the veil, all alone, with the person wanting to know the answer standing outside. The High Priest would inquire of God, speaking audibly. Then he would withdraw the urim and thummin, and somehow receive the answer. The rabbis indicated that the shining of the stones, one or both, in some way indicated an answer.

Josephus said– ‘Now the breastplate and this sardonyx left off shining 200 years before I composed this book."

The Jewish encyclopedia suggests that the urim and thummin were in the form of sacred dice. Hasting’s Dictionary of the Bible also claims that the urim and thummin were two stones, used by the High Priest in casting lots.

Some have in great error thought that we can substitute these ‘urim and thummin’ with the ‘flip of a coin’, or the ‘tossing of dice’ to get answers.

That may be an easy way to get ‘an’ answer, but these stones represent the wise, personal, direct, and perfect enlightenment that the Lord Himself wants to convey upon those who carry His people upon their heart in love.

A story involving Saul gives us an idea of the modus operandi of the urim and thummin.

I Samuel 24:41:
‘And Saul said, Lord God of Israel, why hast thou not answered thy servant this day. If this iniquity be in me; or in my son, Jonathan; Lord God of Israel, give urim. But if it be in Thy people Israel, give thummin. Then Jonathan and Saul were taken by lot."

Some things we can note from this story are that the urim and thummin were recognized as a method to find and discern guilt. One question seems to be answered at a time. There was an agreed upon interpretation of the stones beforehand.

In Jesus, we find all the lights and perfections, all the grace and truth, all the mercies and righteousness. Jesus is the LIGHT, and Jesus manifests forth that light. He is urim. Also, in Jesus, we find ‘PERFECTIONS’. He is the thummin. Jesus is the unblemished Lamb of God. He lived a sinless life, tempted of the devil himself, but unblemished, unsoiled by sin. Jesus, as the great High Priest, made manifest the counsels and purposes of God. He is the light to our lives, He has no darkness at all. He is the brightness or shining forth of God’s glory. He dwells within His people, as the urim and thummin were within the breastplate of the twelve stones. And looking to Him, we find all the answers to our problems.

The word ‘urim’ begins with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the ‘aleph’.

The word ‘thummin’ begins with the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the ‘tau’.

Jesus spoke saying
‘I am the alpha and omega’ (Rev. 22:13).
These are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. Likely, Jesus spoke it in Hebrew, and it was translated into the Greek by John.
So, what Jesus said, was
"I am the aleph and the tau."

Jesus said also:
"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end." Rev. 1:8
"...saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last." Rev. 1:11
"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end." Rev 21:6...

Is there correlation between the urim and thummin, and the words of Jesus there? Jesus said He was the ‘beginning’ (arche, Greek)... and He said He was the ‘first’ (protos, Greek)... He also said He was the ‘end’ (telos, Greek) and the ‘last’ (eschatos, Greek) ‘Arche’ means ‘the first cause, the opposite of ‘telos’. ‘Protos’ means the ‘first of several, the earliest, the most important.’

These words bear a striking similarity to the words ‘urim and thummin’, and the fact that both sets are the first and last letters of the particular alphabet, also bears noting.

So, Jesus seems to be showing us, that He is the fulfilment of the ‘urim and thummin’. He is the ‘first’ (the original picture type, and He is the ‘last’, (the final fulfillment of the type.) He is the One predicted to come, Who would speak for the God of heaven, giving mankind the answers they desire to have.

Jesus is seen in the vision of the Son of man in Rev. 1:12-16, to be the High Priest, in the midst of the seven churches, and the ‘eyes’ are seen to be as a ‘flame of fire’ (‘urim’ means ‘fires’).

The ‘eyes’ of the Lord', there, searched the ways of the ‘seven churches’, judging their works and faith.

The breastplate was called the ‘breastplate of judgment’, for the urim and thummin were used to judge.

Revelation 19:12
"...eyes were as a flame of fire..."
Daniel 10:6
"... eyes were lamps of fire"

The urim and thummin were types of Jesus as He was to come. He is our Judge, He answers our questions, He sees as with eyes of fire into our souls, and He dwells amidst His people, as the urim and thummin dwelt within the breastplate of twelve stones.

The urim and thummin were instruments ordained of God, kept hidden within the pouch of the breastplate. This breastplate was worn only when the High Priest was clothed with the ephod. The urim and thummin were used to find God’s will and guidance. God’s decisions were ascertained with the use of the breastplate and the hidden stones within, were the most vital part of the breastplate.

We, in this age, in the various ministries to which we are called, have Jesus dwelling within us.

Jesus has all the answers to the various problems we encounter with those to whom we minister that are on the breastplate on our hearts.

We need enlightenment and wisdom from the Lord, and Jesus is there to speak to us, His guidance, His judgments of the situations. How blessed we are to be in this kind of ministry. The answers are there, abiding within us, upon our heart.