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Doug_s
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Posted on Tuesday, July 20, 2004 - 12:39 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Every now and then I have what I call a ìwhoaî moment. This ìwhoaî moment is best thought of as when something truly profound strikes me, out of the clear blue sky, like a bolt of lightening. When the old light bulb turns on and I see something I never saw before. Itís when I just sit back and go ìwhoa!î This happened to me the other day when I was reading something on this forum. I believe it may have been something Colleen said, something about God being the author of symbols and figures. It got me to thinking about the Garden of Eden, the Sanctuary, the Temple, the city of Jerusalem, and the New Jerusalem. I started doing some investigating into these, the description of each and how they may relate to one another. You know there are a lot of opinions out there on where the Garden of Eden was located on earth. Well, after looking into this, I have, at least preliminarily, concluded that the Garden of Eden may have been located right where Mt. Moriah sits, more specifically, the site of the Temple Mount. God called his people back to where it all began. Certainly, one canít expect the geography to resemble antediluvian landscape. So, I feel itís futile to determine its location based on the Genesis account of headwaters and the rivers flowing from the garden. I think God has given us the symbols and figures, in scripture, describing the Garden, and where Adam and Eve were cast out, the Sanctuary and how the camps were laid out around it in the wilderness, Jerusalem, the Temple, and the gates around the old city. As we compare these with the description of the New Jerusalem in Revelation, our new life in Christ, God will open up to us His truth. Iím just in the beginning stages of prayer and study on this, but, I have already learned some pretty amazing things, at least to me anyway. Many of you may already have been enlightened to what I am learning. So, you may have already had your ìwhoaî moment on this particular subject. I can share what I found so far if anyone is interested, if not, thatís okay Iíll just ìwhoaî it alone. :-)

Doug
Susan_2
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Posted on Tuesday, July 20, 2004 - 1:30 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Yes, Doug, this is how I understand much of the writings of the O.T., exactly as you stated above. I also believe the story of Moses taking his son to the mountain as a human sacrifice as symbolism writing. It is symbolism leading us to recognise Jesus as our sacrifice. I believe God did not even for one minute intend for Moses to kill his son. After all, God is the one who decreed, "thou shalt not kill". A lot of the O.T. is written in terms and words to emphasise a point, not to be taken literaly. Another thing I would like to be courious about is Noah's flood. The Bible says the entire earth was covered with water. My opinion is that means only the entire earth that those people knew about. I frankly don't take this to mean THE ENTIRE EARTH, all the way from the North Pole to the South Pole and completely around the Equater. Some people do, though.
Melissa
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Posted on Tuesday, July 20, 2004 - 1:59 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Susan, do you mean Abraham and Isaac?
Pheeki
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Posted on Tuesday, July 20, 2004 - 2:50 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Was it someone on here who mentioned the temple was set up in the shape of a cross if you looked at it from above?

Saving Noah and family through the water is also a shadow of baptism. The OT is full of shadows.
Colleentinker
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Posted on Tuesday, July 20, 2004 - 3:02 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

So true. And here's one I heard from Dale Ratzlaff a few years ago: the New Jerusalem is described in measurements that form a cube. The only other cube described in the Bible is the Most Holy Place in the tabernacle/temple. And speaking of the New Jerusalem, in Revelation 21:9, one of the angels says to John, "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." So saying, John was carried away in the Spirit and was shown "the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God." Previously, in verse 2, John saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, "coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband."

So I ask: Who exactly is the bride? A physical city? Or is it the saints, the children of God, the bride of Christ? Perhaps the New Jerualem is more about the saints of God than a physical city--although there does seem to be evidence of some sort of physical reality to the city!

Colleen
Susan_2
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Posted on Tuesday, July 20, 2004 - 7:59 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Yeah, I ment Abraham and Issac. I tend to mix up Abraham, Noah and Moses a lot when I'm talking. I know what I mean but I put the wrong name to the incident.
Hallanvaara
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Posted on Wednesday, July 21, 2004 - 1:54 am:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

It¥s quite interesting that all around the world there are ancient legends about a great flood. I found 26 different stories, legends of that. For example Edda-poetry (from North, Iceland), sumerian and babylonian scriptures, Welsh legend, chinese legend, South-American indians like azteks, tolteks, mayas, different indian tribes in North-America like Hopi-indians, Sioux-indians, Huron-, Chickasaw- and Mandan-indians, Tuscarora-tribe, Brazil and Tlingit-tribe, Alaska.
It seems that Bible¥s story is the most reliable and the other legends are more or less "coloured".

So there must be some very big flood as Bible says.

And talking about the Garden of Eden some scientist have come into this conclusion that it¥s located in the bottom of a gulf which is on the border of Irak and Iran and is now under water.

To me it¥s not impossible that the Garden was somewhere else than in Jerusalem. But Doug¥s "whoa" is very interesting and you may be right. Bible is ultimately logical book when you read and realize it. It¥s secrets opens only you read it without any "denominal eye glasses" on.

Tuija
Doug_s
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Posted on Wednesday, July 21, 2004 - 6:59 am:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Precisely, Colleen. Iím of the opinion that when we understand the description, symbols given in Revelation, of the bride, that is to say the church, we begin to see that the New Jerusalem is the realization and fulfillment of all Godís object lessons throughout time on this earth, starting at creation. I believe that the references to the precious stones, gold, sea of glass, etc. to be symbolic of the eternal riches we have in Christ Jesus. The reality is our eternal life in Christ, His literal second coming, our glorified bodies. The NT speaks abundantly to the unsearchable riches of Christís grace and glory, the exceeding riches of wisdom and knowledge of Him. We wonít need to bring any of our accumulated earthly riches into the city with us, because all the riches we will ever desire are already there. We have to drop them off and leave them behind. Thatís why it is difficult for the rich man to enter into the gate of heaven, because, he is laden with unnecessary earthly riches. If we could just realize that there are far more riches waiting for us inside the city of New Jerusalem, the bride of Christ, we would drop our earthly possessions and sprint for the door, because outside the city are dogs, whoremongers, liars, etc. ìCharge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;î 1Ti 6:17

Doug
Dd
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Posted on Wednesday, July 21, 2004 - 7:48 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Doug,
I love the new term - "A Whoa Moment". It is a classic. Thanks for putting an accurate term to the workings of the Holy Spirit. As I have traveled this path of truly "asking, seeking and finding" (without any human input), I have come to realize it is only a journey that can be safely troddened through the light of Jesus Christ! To live by His light is to see the clear meaning of life and the messages of God's Word. To have His light is also to have life, for life cannot flourish where there is no light (John 8:12-20).

I am with you on your understanding of symbolic eternal riches found in the Bible. For so long I read those stories through the eyes of my teachers and thought, "that's nice". But when you are looking through God's Word, with the Holy Spirit directing, there is so much more to see.

A couple of my favorites-

Jesus' first miracle of water to wine. It was always "wine"..."grape juice". My whoa moment was John 2:10 - I realized the best wine was symbolizing the new creation, the new joy of the gospel that Jesus came to bring into common life. 2Cor. 5:17 - "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature (a new wine!)" Whoa!! I like the symbol!

Another moment - the parable of the ten virgins. Those who are ready vs. those who are not ready for Christ's return...that's what I was told anyway... My whoa moment...All 10 of the virgins are professed believers...they all know about God and say they love Him...but 5 have oil and 5 run out....oil is the power of the Holy Spirit! Wow! That startled me when it hit! My light shines through the power of His Spirit!

Am I just slow or has it taken other people as long as it's taken me to see so such deeper meaning to these well known Bible stories?

Anyway...thanks, again, Doug. I had my own "whoa moment" when I read your "whoa moment" and realized that's what it's called! :-)
Flyinglady
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Posted on Wednesday, July 21, 2004 - 8:55 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I had a "whoa" moment when I read John 17:3 "And this is eternal life, to know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent".
Another moment was when I read what Stephen said when he was stoned. And then another one was when Paul was in prison and there was an earthquake and no prisoner escaped and the jailer cared for him and he and his household believed.
Those are the stories that showed me that the gospel is Jesus, his birth, life, death and resurrection. I know there are others but I cannot think of them at this time. I did not call them anything, but was just amazed that the gospel is so simple and not complicated as I was taught to believe with a bunch of doctrine.
So thanks for reminding me of the whoa moments in my life.
I am constantly amazed how awesome our God is.
Diana
Colleentinker
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Posted on Thursday, July 22, 2004 - 9:40 am:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

You're not slow, Dd--it seems every parable of Jesus and every NT story has yielded (and sometimes keeps yielding!) new meanings I never saw before!

One of my "whoa" moments was when I really understood Jesus' words to his disciples in Matthew that many false prophets would come in His name and deceive many--and I realized with a jolt that EGW was one of those.

Another "whoa" moment was Jesus' parable of Lazarus and the rich man--and I heard our pastor say, "Jesus would never use a story that was false to teach a principle that was true." And another was when I realized what Jesus meant when he told the Pharisees, "One greater than the temple is here." Wow, the law, the Sabbath, the very reality/presence of God was all in Jesus--no longer in the temple made with hands! Whoa!

Colleen
Esther
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Posted on Thursday, July 22, 2004 - 10:12 am:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I can relate with all the "whoa" moments going on...as I've had several of the same myself. I was contemplating this myself the other day when I remembered reading this verse...and until you've has a "whoa" moment...I think this means so much more now:

"14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,
15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name,
16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,
17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
18 MAY BE ABLE TO COMPREHEND WITH ALL THE SAINTS what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
19 and to know the love of Christ which SURPASSES KNOWLEDGE, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
20 Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,
21 to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen." Eph 3

There truly is a new light...a new Spirit that teaches when we are connected with Christ.
Freeatlast
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Posted on Thursday, July 22, 2004 - 11:47 am:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

whoah, Jesus frying up fish for breakfast???

I guess He wasn't ready for translation when He did that, suppose He still had "present truth" to learn before ascending... (sarcasm)

I have more "whoah"s than a horse trainer.
Raven
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Posted on Thursday, July 22, 2004 - 3:10 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

The biggest whoa moment I remember having was nearly a year ago when I read in Ecclesiastes 7: 16 & 17 "Do not be excessively righteous, and do not be overly wise. Why should you ruin yourself? Do not be excessively wicked and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time?"

So much for needing to be perfect! I read that text to my mom, a firm believer in EGW, and her comment was "I guess that means we don't have to be perfect to be translated." I said "Exactly!"

Raven
Melissa
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Posted on Friday, July 23, 2004 - 8:47 am:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Was the word "translated" popular in the time of EGW or is it a phrase she used alone? I've never heard it used in this context in "regular" Christian circles.
Colleentinker
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Posted on Friday, July 23, 2004 - 11:08 am:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Melissa, I've begun to wonder that same thing! I sort-of began to realize that "translated" drew blank stares when I used it in this Ellen context, and I also wonder exactly where she came up with it.

My Webster's Universal College dictionary has, as the fourth definition of the word, "to bear, carry, or move from one place or position to another; transfer." Perhaps this meaning of the word was more common 150 or so years ago, hence Ellen's use of it to mean being moved from earth to heaven without dying??

You're right; it's certainly not a word Christians in general understand with this meaning!

Colleen
Sabra
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Posted on Friday, July 23, 2004 - 8:10 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Doug,

I agree with you. The Garden of Eden was centered around Jerusalem. I don't think it is confined to that city, but that would be the central part. They say that the Euphrates and Tigris rivers are the only rivers that fit the descriptions in the Garden.

For SDA's and others to deny Israel and it's purpose is so unbelievable, it is so obvious that they are God's people and their land is His.

When the New Jerusalem descends, all of the stones represent tribes of Israel, I have a study on it, I'll post it. I think we (church) are the physical bride,-the body- the newness of everything made new, earth and God's people, like a virgin, clean and sparkling, is the spiritual bride, the combination of us new, the earth new and Israel renewed is the physical new Jerusalem, just like Gen 1.

Glory!

Something I "whoaed" about: Our pastor said last week that when Adam and Eve sinned God came down and he imagined Him saying: "I'm so sorry you did this. I'm giving you a temporary covering of animal skin, but I'll be back in My own skin to fix this for you once and for all." (gives me chills)

Whoa! It wasn't a shock to God, He knew they would fall, He knew all of the heartache and horrible acts that would follow, somehow, He knew it was all worth it.

I think when we get to heaven and look back on our lives, all of the bad, and the good, no matter what horror we have gone through, we will see that it was all perfect, perfectly planned and ordained.

Praise His Holy Name!
Sabra
Sabra
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Posted on Friday, July 23, 2004 - 8:28 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Here is the page of the bride: The site isn't working, sorry:

Lets look first at the gospel of John 3:29. John the Baptist declared in regard to the Lord Jesus Christ and His followers, He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroomís voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled.



The reason why many people arrive at the first theological view is because of this verse. If you take this one verse Jn. 3:29 and make a theology out of it, you would say that all the Old Testament prophets and saints are friends of the bridegroom inclusive of John who represents the last of the Old Testament prophets. Since they are the friends of the bridegroom, they therefore could not be the bride. The bridegroom has the bride but the friend of the bridegroom stands aside and hears him. Therefore, the friend is not the bride. And therefore, the Old Testament saints are the friend of the bridegroom and are not the bride. Therefore, only the church would be the bride of Jesus Christ. However, this view forgets that Israel as a covenant people to God will be restored during the tribulation years as a nation and therefore would also be part of the bride. Theology cannot be based just on one verse. In fact you could take any single word from the bible isolate it by itself and build a whole theology that is against the rest of the bible.



The second theological view of the hundred and forty-four thousands witnesses as a special group, a special bride, is based on the book of Revelation where they see the bride calling on the bridegroom. These are the tribulation saints calling upon the bridegroom. Then proponents of this build a whole theology that the bride is only the hundred and forty-four thousands, just based on this passage from the book of Revelation alone. We know from Ephesians chapter 4 and 5 that the church is regarded as the wife of Jesus Christ. So that knocks down the second theological view that the bride refers to only the one hundred and forty-four thousand. We have scriptures to disprove that. The Lambís wife includes the church.



As we cross reference the bible, we find that the third view is possibly the best.



Revelation 21 tells us specifically who the bride is. From this, we can build a theology, drawing on the rest of the scriptures. Verse 9 The one of the seven angels who has the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, ìCome, I will show you the bride, the Lambís wife.î



Verse 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.



The angel said to John, ìCome, I will show you the bride, the Lambís wife.î Then instead of showing a woman, the angel showed John ìthe great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God.î From this, you can infer that the bride of Christ is equivalent to the New Jerusalem descending from God.



Now, letís probe the meaning further. John said this heavenly Jerusalem ìhad a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and the names written on them which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.î



You would notice that the twelve gates are inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel (Rev. 21: 12). Therefore, the names of the twelve tribes inscribed on the twelve gates indicate that these names are watching over the twelve gates. If anyone were to come into the holy city, into the New Jerusalem and be part of the bride of Christ, the requirement of the names must be fulfilled. The names are watching over the gates. The names are the gate watcher or the guard at the gate to insure that you have fulfilled its requirement. As you are ìwalking through the gate,î the names say that you are okay. You are what the names are and the names say you are okay. That is why we have to get to the root meaning of the names of the twelve tribes to see what will give us entrance into the holy city of the New Jerusalem and qualify to be the bride of Christ.



Suppose you arrive at the gate called ìJudah.î Judah means praise, but you hardly ever praise God in your life. There were many opportunities to praise God in your life but you never made use of them to praise God. Then Judah says, ìSorry, no entry. You did not praise and worship and thank God in everything when you were on earth.î You tell yourself, ìWell, at least there are eleven more gates. Let me try Benjamin.î You arrive at the gate of Benjamin. Benjamin means son of my right hand. Benjamin says, ìSorry, no entry. You never carried out the desires of God as the right hand man of God.î And on you went around to the other gates. If your life does not have any of the twelve truths or characteristics, you will be denied entry into the holy city of Jerusalem forever. You get the picture now?



Now we see that the names of the twelve tribes are the key to understanding the heavenly Jerusalem, which is the bride of Christ, the Lambís wife. Hidden in the title of the bride of Christ are twelve facets of Christian life, twelve truths that must be indelibly imprinted on and shining from our character. These twelve truths are found in the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. Actually, they are four main facets with three subdivisions under each facets ñ making a total of twelve truths or characteristics.



There are twelve gates and twelve angels manning the gates. I donít know how Christians got the story of Peter guarding the gates. Possibly, itís a deviation from Matt. 16 where Jesus says to Peter, ìI give to you the keys of the kingdom.î So, through time and tradition people have made Peter the gatekeeper. I donít think that he is the one. Itís the angels of God guarding the pearly gates of heaven. We notice here that it refers to the Old Testament saints. The twelve names of all the twelve tribes of Israel are inscribed upon the gates. That means that the New Jerusalem is an actual tangible building that will come down on this planet earth. So this new Jerusalem is both a heavenly building and a spiritual group of people just as a church is a building of living stones.



At the same time, it has a spiritual significance and refers to people. One of the promises to the overcomers in Rev. 2 and 3 is that God will make them a pillar in the temple of God. Now definitely God couldnít be talking about a real physical pillar. Who wants to be part of the brickwork in heaven? He takes you and makes you a pillar holding up the temple for ten thousand and ten thousand of years. We know that it has to be a spiritual symbolic building. So here the twelve names of the twelve tribes of Israel inscribed on the walls of the heavenly Jerusalem imply that the Old Testament saints are a part of the great New Jerusalem. Otherwise, their names would not be written there.



Some will run away with that verse and say, ìLook, since the names of the twelve tribes are inscribed on the walls of the heavenly Jerusalem, the title the bride of Christ should only refer to the Jewish hundred and forty-four thousand tribulation saints.î



Hold your horses. You didnít read further down. If you read on it continues in verse 13 three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west. Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations - now comes the New Testament - and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.



Now that is the New Testament. The New Testament was inaugurated with twelve apostles leading the church. Jesus left behind twelve apostles and a whole group of disciples. That refers to the New Testament. They are the foundation of the church. We therefore see that the New Jerusalem is a combination of the old and the new. Biblically speaking, just as the Old Testament is incomplete without its prophetic fulfillment in the New Testament, likewise the New Testament is also incomplete without the prophetic foreshadowing of the Old Testament. In the symbolism of the heavenly Jerusalem, the Old Testament was the walls and the New Testament the foundation.



We therefore take the third view that the bride of Jesus Christ is composed of both the Old Testament saints that looked forward to redemption to be accomplished by Jesus Christ and the New Testament saints that looked backwards to the work of redemption and atonement accomplished by Jesus Christ.



The New Jerusalem will be the composition of all Godís chosen and redeemed people, including all the saved Israelites under Godís old covenant and all the believers of Godís new covenant, as a common portion to all Godís chosen and redeemed people in eternity. This is proven by verses 12-14 in Revelation 21, which say that the New Jerusalem bears the names of the twelve tribes and the names of the twelve apostles. The twelve tribes represent the Old Testament saints, and the twelve apostles represent the New Testament saints. This presents a clear view that the entire New Jerusalem is a total composition of the Old Testament saints under Godís first covenant and all the New Testament saints under Godís second covenant, the new covenant.



We see here that the angel continued to speak to the apostle John about the city and measured it. This is an interesting development in looking at the bride of Jesus. And seeing that the bride of Jesus consist of all the Old Testament revelation and its fulfillment in the new, we see that the bride of Jesus Christ is the redeemed man in the whole of the history of mankind. Man has only one history. This planet earth has only one history as far as God is concerned. Itís the history of the creation of man, the fall of man, and the redemption of man. From the time that God prophesied after the fall of Adam that the seed of the woman will bruise the head of the serpent, God began the work of redeeming man and the bride of Christ was inaugurated. But the completion and the finest operation of the bride of Christ was reserved for the church age since it had the greater revelation of the new and better covenant, according to the author of Hebrews. It is in the New Testament that the mysteries of the ages were revealed, things that angels and prophets had sought to looked into but were not revealed to them. Rather it was only revealed that it was not for them but for the church age. Therefore, specifically it has a direct reference to the church. But we are incomplete without the old. The foundation of the twelve apostles is built on the twelve tribes of Israel.



The twelve apostles symbolize the fullness of the New Testament revelation. But how do the twelve tribes relate to the bride of Jesus Christ? For that we need to look at some Old Testament history. Lets look first of all to the arrangement of the twelve tribes found in the book of Numbers and see the correlation with the twelve gates with the twelve names of the tribes. From this correlation, we can see the twelve tribesí relationship to the bride of Jesus and the qualities that are required. What does God mean when He calls us the bride of Jesus. What works do we have to do? What kind of attributes must we exhibit? The answer is found in the name of each tribe.



The Meaning of the Twelve Names



In the book of Numbers, we are told of the arrangement of the army. Num. 2:1 And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: ìEveryone of the children of Israel shall camp by his own standard, beside the emblems of his fatherís house; they shall camp some distance from the tabernacle of meeting.



On the east side, toward the rising of the suns, those of the standard of the forces with Judah shall camp according to their armies and Nahshon the son of Amminadab shall be the leader of the children of Judah. Verse 5 Those who camp next to him shall be the tribe of Issachar, and Nethanel the son of Zuar shall be the leader of the children of Issachar.î Verse 7 Then comes the tribe of Zebulun, and Eliab the son of Helon shall be the leader of the children of Zebulun.



Verse 10 On the south side shall be the standard of the forces with Reuben. Verse 12 Those who camp next to him shall be the tribe of Simeon. Verse 14 Then comes the tribe of Gad and the leader of the children of Gad shall be Eliasaph the son of Reuel.



Verse 18 On the west side shall be the standard of the forces with Ephraim. Verse 20 Next to him comes the tribe of Manasseh. Then verse 22, Then comes the tribe of Benjamin.



Verse 25 The standard of the forces with Dan shall be on the north side. Verse 27 Those who camp next to him shall be the tribe of Asher. And verse 29 Then comes the tribe of Naphtali.



So these are the twelve tribes that are encamped at the four different points of the earth in the following order - east, south, west and north.



The placement of the tribes in the Israelite encampment may be graphically illustrated as follows:





THE CAMP


Dan

Asher

Naphtali





Merarites



Ephraim

Manasseh

Benjamin
Ger-

shonites
Tabernacle
Aaron

Moses
Judah

Issachar

Zebulun



Kohathites





Reuben

Simeon

Gad








Judah means praise. Each side has a symbol. Judah is a symbol of the lion. Dan has a symbol of an eagle. Ephraim has a symbol of the ox. Reuben has a symbol of a man.



The four creatures do show what the bride of Christ fully consists of. But here when we study the bride of Christ there is an emphasis on the names of the tribes. It is found in Rev. 21.



East Side



Judah means praise. So thatís one angle of what the bride of Christ will do. When God calls us the bride of Christ He is telling us that we are a people of praise and a people of worship. Whenever we enter into worship, He loves it. These names of the twelve tribes symbolize the love relationship between God and His people. Judah means a people of praise.



Then we have Zebulun. Zebulun means dwelling. It represents the dwelling place of God. When God calls us the bride of Christ He says that we are His dwelling place. So when God calls us the bride of Christ we want to know what God means. Although we know what a bride is, when God says, ìYou are the bride of Christ,î we want to know what He actually means. It is just like when someone calls you the apple of his eye. You want to know what an apple symbolically means. Maybe you come from a country that has never seen an apple.



It is just like you telling your wife, ìHoney, you are the durian of my eye.î (A durian is a local Asian fruit with a thorny husk and luscious flesh. Most Asians love it though Caucasians may find the smell overbearing.) It has to be taken into context whether your wife likes durians or not. She may wonder whether you are referring to the luscious flesh of the durian or to the thorny husk of the durian. She may either think that you meant that she is a thorn in your flesh or that she fills your life with delight and fragrance.



Likewise when God calls us the bride of Christ, we want to probe its meaning further. The name of Judah (which means praise) and the name of Zebulun (which means dwelling) are found inscribed on the walls of the New Jerusalem, which is described as the bride of Christ. Therefore, part of the meaning of the bride of Christ is to have both Judah and Zebulun in our lives. This means to be part of the bride of Christ, we are to be the people of praise and His dwelling place. Let us look at the meaning of the names of the other tribes to uncover more meaning to the title, the bride of Christ.



Issachar means reward, pay or hire. What does it fully mean? It means that we are the reward and all that God possesses. Now we can look at it from our perspective that we receive the reward from God. But look at it from Godís perspective. As far as God is concerned when He looks at this planet earth gold and silver are nothing to Him. He uses such stones to pave the road in heaven. Jewels, diamonds and precious stones are nothing to Him. He uses them for foundational material to build the walls. What is Godís actual reward in all the sacrifices that God has made through Jesus Christ? We are His precious reward. One soul is more precious than the whole entire world. The souls of men are His reward. When He calls us the bride of Christ, He is saying to us, ìYou are My reward. You are My precious possession. For all that I have done you are what I want - the bride of Christ.î



There is a whole difference when you look at different gates. All three of them are related. When we are constantly praising God, we become the dwelling place of God and end up being the reward of God or the precious possession of God. All three are related. In the realm of praise and worship, God dwells in the praises of His people. And praise is what He can receive because of our love. That is why there is a difference between redeemed saintsí praise and worship and the angelsí praise and worship. The angels do not stand in need of redemption, and therefore could not praise and worship the way the redeemed saints could. Angels cannot sing the song of the redeemed.



North Side



Then we look here toward the north side the tribe of Dan. Dan means to judge. God says Dan shall judge His people. What does He mean when He calls us the bride of Christ? He means that we are the people to whom He has committed judgment and to whom He has delegated a measure of judgment. We donít fully comprehend what Paul meant when he says, ìYou shall judge angels.î That is a phrase that is not fully comprehended. Some say that we are to judge all the various ministering angels. But then as we look at it, there is no believersí judgment on angels anywhere in the bible and we canít build a theology on just one verse. Some say that means we are to judge demonic powers, which seems very likely. But at the same time, we classify it as gray areas that are not fully understood.



Jesus said, ìI give to you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth is bound in heaven.î He also said, ìWhosoever sin you remit are remitted and whosoever sin you forgive, they are forgiven,î as if we got a measure of authority in the life of this earth. When He calls us the bride of Christ He is saying, ìI have given you a measure of authority. I have given you a measure of delegated authority to judge and to rule the earth.î We may have neglected the use of that. We have more authority than we realize on this earth. We have more power than we have utilized.



In the end times, God will judge His church through His anointed vessels that He has prepared beforehand. Just as Peter pronounced judgment on Ananias and Sapphira and they died, so likewise the days are coming when Godís anointed vessels will pronounce judgment on the Ananiases and Sapphiras of the end times. It is a solemn thought that these end times Ananiases and Sapphiras may be ministers serving in the ministry unlawfully or lawlessly. You will hear of ministers who seem to be popular and drawing in the crowds suddenly being struck dead mysteriously. You will hear of Christians and even ministers dying of incurable diseases.



Next to Dan is Asher. Asher means happiness, filled with joy, goodness and contentment. Happiness relates to the world, joy relates to the spirit. But here the word Asher means the kind of happiness when there is a right relationship between the world and the spirit. So here, it talks about happiness when there is a certain harmony. Like Paul says, ìI am content in whatever state I am.î Thatís the state of contentment. When you are in a love relationship, you would be contented. We are the bride of Christ and we are contented. You are filled. You are satisfied. So when God calls us the bride of Christ He means that you are the one to whom He has delegated authority to. He means that we are the ones who are satisfied with Him and He is satisfied with us. There is a level of satisfaction, contentment and happiness. In other words, the bride does not seek happiness in any other person. The bride only seeks happiness in the bridegroom.



Then we have Naphtali. Naphtali means wrestling. All these meanings were given in a strange way between Rachael and Leah Jacobís two wives. But yet they have a prophetic significance. Here it talks about wrestling. Wrestling not with God but wrestling here implies wrestling with the flesh that God has warned our hearts. But when it relates to the world, the only people we wrestle with are the principalities, powers, wicked rulers of the darkness of this age and spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places. Wrestling speaks about us dealing with the world and the enemy satanic forces.



And all these three are related just as praise, dwelling and precious possession and the reward of God are related. So these three ñ judgment, wrestling and happiness are related. The delegated authority is the key to contentment and to spiritual authority being exercised in wrestling. If you donít have authority, you canít wrestle. You will be thrown out of the ring. So how successful we are in our wresting is related to our delegated authority that we have received from God. But when you have set things right by judging and by wrestling in spiritual warfare and intercession, you will be satisfied and contented.



West Side



Then we have on the west side where the main tribe is Ephraim. Ephraim speaks about double fruitfulness. Ephraim means doubly fruitful. Remember Ephraim and Manasseh were sons of Joseph. He was in a foreign land and he married a foreign wife. He considered these two sons that he had to be doubly fruitful. When God calls us the bride of Christ He is saying that you are the people who bear fruit abundantly. We are all that God wants to bear fruits. It brings us back to Jn. 15 that as we abide in Him and He abide in us we will bear much fruit. But here, we are not only bearing fruit, we are bearing double fruit.



Next to Ephraim is Benjamin. Ben means son. The word Ben is also used in the word Reuben. But here the word Benjamin means in the Hebrew son of my right hand. When God calls us the bride of Christ He is saying, ìYou are My right hand.î When you call somebody, ìThis is my right hand man,î that means he is your assistant. You depend on your right hand man to execute your plans and desires. Your right hand man knows how you operate. He knows your mind. When you give the word, he knows exactly how to carry out your wishes. If you lose your right hand man, you will feel lost.



On the other side of Ephraim is the tribe Manasseh which means forgetfulness. But itís not the wrong kind of forgetfulness. It means like what Paul says in Philippians 3 he says, ìForgetting those things that are behind me, I press forward to the things that are ahead.î So forgetfulness deals with the area of pruning. Remember in Jn. 15:3 it says that the branch that bears fruit He will prune that he will bear more fruit. So there are principles of pruning or removal. Every time you bear fruit, you need pruning.



Again, we see that these three are related. Bearing fruits relates to the area of pruning or being able to cut off what has been accomplished and press on to that which is ahead. If Paul did not and was not able to forget those things behind, he would not be able to press forward to those things that are ahead. A lot of people try to put that verse into practice but they could not because every time they try to press forward there is something in their past that holds them back. Many people are tied and chained in their past. And they can never go forward because their backward retrospective looking restricts their forward motion. You canít drive a car forward unless you see forward. Nobody drives a car forward by looking backward. As long as you are looking backward and are not forgetting those things that are behind, you can never press forward to bear fruit for God.



Of course, the name, son of my right hand shows how God depends us. We are the ears the eyes, the hands of God today to bear fruit. Whatever Jesus does today, He does it through the bride. When He says, ìYou are My right hand,î He means, ìWhatever I am doing I am going to do through you.î Again, it is in line with fruitfulness.



South Side



Then we have the other tribe of Reuben. Reuben simply means, ìBehold a son.î This talks about our relationship with God as sons and daughters of God. Although a bride is in a feminine sense, when we are called the sons of God, it means we have a living right relationship with God.



Next to Reuben is Gad, which means a troop or fortune or lord. So we notice sonship has to do with inheriting the blessings of God. God says, ìYou are the ones whom I have reserved that special inheritance and the special blessings. You were chosen because you bear My name.î



Then we have Simeon, which means hearing. Hearing implies relationship. So we have all the names of the tribes and each one symbolized an area that is central.



The emphasis here is on relationship with God through being sons having an inheritance and hearing from Him. And the symbol here is of a man.



The Four Symbols



On the north side, Dan is a symbol of an eagle. On the east side, Judah is a symbol of a lion. On the west side, Ephraim is a symbol of an ox. On the south side, Reuben is the symbol of man. Each one has a particular perspective. Ox symbolizes service. All on the west side symbolize service. The south side symbolize relationship, the picture of a man. And all on the north side the eagle symbolizes warfare.



The west side is like servants of God. The south side is like sons of God. The north side is warriors. They do wrestling. They have delegated authority. On the east side is the lion of the tribe of Judah, the worshippers.



The north side portrays the army of God and the south side manliness. The west side is servanthood and the east side godliness. When God calls us the bride of Christ He implies all these different qualities.



Now we are going to see how it works together. The letter to the Ephesians speaks about the bride of Christ and mentioned all these qualities found in the names of the twelve tribes. They are the key to understanding the bride of Christ.



Eph. 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. He is talking about the relationship between Christ and the church.



Now all those four areas that we have looked at with all its side results are important. There are four emblems. One is the lion and the tribe of Judah symbolizes praise. And as a result of praise or working together with praise is the precious possession to God and that is why Jn. 4 says that God seeks out those who are true worshippers. This is only possible when we love God. Otherwise, it is not praise and worship. Then comes the dwelling place. Both the precious possession and dwelling place relate and come out from praise and worship.



As we look at Ephesians there is here in chapter 5 in verse 18 and 19 he speaks about praise and worship. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Peter says it differently. He says that we are a living stones we are a people of praise. Eph. 5 emphasizes the aspect of praise and worship. Eph. 5 speaks about being filled with the Spirit by the different aspects of praise and worship. It correlates with the lion of Judah.



Eph. 6 is like a tribe of Dan. Put on the whole armor of God that you maybe able to stand. Eph. 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Now the tribe of Dan symbolizes judgment. Authority has been given to the church to judge, to rule and reign in Christ. And part of that ruling the world is learning to be contented with the world, happy, and contented in God and being able to be balanced between possessing worldly riches with spiritual riches. And on the other side it is ruling over demonic powers and wrestling with demon forces who refuse to obey the name of Jesus whom you exercise and take authority over. Eph. 6 is a picture of wrestling and authority and judgment.



Then we have the tribe of Ephraim. Ephraim symbolizes service onto God and fruitfulness onto God. As we look at the tribe of Ephraim, which means doubly fruitful, we look at Ephesians chapter 1 right on to chapter 3. All these three chapters are by themselves special in that sense. Paul speaks about different things that worked out fruitfulness in chapter 1:17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe.



Here is a picture of the ox that symbolizes service. It is working out what God has worked inside us. And the fruit can only come when we abide in Him and He abides in us. In chapter 3:17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, that you being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Again, that is Christ filling our lives and we bearing fruit. The word comprehend is katalambano which means to receive together with all the saints.



Then we have the picture of a man in Eph. 4:13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. In other words, we grow into manhood. So, we grow in the fullness of being a lion the tribe of Judah. We grow in the fullness of being an eagle in the sight of God. We grow to the fullness of being an ox in the sight of God and then we grow to the fullness of manhood the picture of a man, which is the tribe of Reuben.



All these four relationships emphasize the bride of Christ. But they are not just twelve points. They are four main points with all the other sub-divisions. When God calls us the bride of Christ He says, ìYou are My lion.î When He calls us the bride of Christ He says, ìYou are My eagle.î When He calls us the bride of Christ, He says, ìYou are My man on this earth.î When He calls us the bride of Christ, He says, ìYou are My ox.î



Lets look at the spiritual picture of the bride of Christ and see how it emphasizes the different aspects of the growth of God in our life as a bride. A bride receives different things from the bridegroom. A bride has a special purpose. We look first at the bride as a lion. When we are the bride of Christ we are called to praise and worship. And when we lack praise and worship, we are not exhibiting our position as the bride of Christ. Every time you worship God in your private chamber, you kneel down and say, ìGod, I love you,î or just sing a song to God you are being the bride of Jesus Christ. And God chooses to dwell in your life.



But how can I continue in the praise and worship of God as the lion. There are two aspects to it. First, be filled with the Spirit and secondly be filled with the Word of God (Colossians 3:16). When we are filled with the fullness of the Spirit and fullness of the Word we are being what God wants us to be the bride of Christ.



What aspects are there to perfect in the bride of Christ? There are four different realms of worship - psalms, hymns, spiritual songs and making melody in our heart. God is not dull He is creative and we need to move into that realm. Singing in the spirit is one realm. Singing psalms is another. Psalms are new songs onto God that come out from your life and experiences with God. Sometimes when hard times come your way, you look around and you encourage yourself in the Lord. One of the keys to encouraging yourself in the Lord is learning to sing psalms onto God. James tells us this way if anyone is merry let him sing psalms. Many of the greatest songs that were written came out of trials.



Why is it that many of the greatest songs came out from trials? It is the opposite. It is because those songs help them came out from their trials. The Japanese were devastated as a nation after the Second World War. Today one of Japanís favorite classical music is the Ninth Symphony of Beethoven. It is so popular that they just called it No. 9. And they have huge big concerts just to sing Symphony No.9. The Japanese were the ones who invented the compact discs (C.D). You would think that the C.D. should have a playing time of 60 or 90 minutes, much like audio and videotapes. But it is not; it is about 74 minutes. When they first made that C.D. they say we must be able to contain the Ninth Symphony in one piece. Just because of that Ninth Symphony, we got a C.D. with an odd length of 74 minutes. That nation loves the Ninth Symphony possibly because they helped to bring that nation up. When there was hopelessness, when there was a trial, when there was devastation, that song kept them up.



God will surround you with a song of deliverance. So there are different realms. There are singing in the spirit, there are psalms, just making melody in your heart. Melody is when you have no song. Have you ever seen little children how fast they are in making melody? Children seldom move into psalms although they move into simple poetry. But children move into melody easily because itís the most basic. When a child is happy, what do they do? They just sing melody la la la.



What does God means when He says, ìYou are My bride?î He says, ìI want you to always remain childlike. Not childish but childlike.î Making melody takes a childlike heart and childlike spirit. You canít make melody in your heart if you are suffering from self-consciousness or society consciousness. You canít be free to be yourself. Even when you want to cry in the presence of God, you couldnít. You become too conscious to move into a childlike display of worship. You want to dance in the Spirit, you feel inhibited. So, we have lost the simplicity of loving God. When God says, ìYou are My bride,î He is saying, ìDonít lose your spontaneity.î We know in a relationship between a husband and wife you can plan everything to the exact kiss but if it is not from your heart it means nothing. No husband will say, ìNow its my official duty to give you a kiss,î and then kiss her. It will be meaningless.



Part of the joy of a relationship is the spontaneity. It just cones from your heart. And God says donít lose that childlikeness. There are four different realms. There is a melody in your heart that can only come when you are childlike. There are psalms, which means that learning to hold on even when trials and difficulties come. Great relationships are formed when you not only go through the blessing but you also go through hard times together. You go through the thick and the thin together. So thatís the area of psalms. The area of spiritual songs speaks about your spirituality in God. And the area of hymn speaks about not forgetting about all those things that He has taught you.



Every relationship has an adjustment period of giving and taking. When you first get to know a person you donít know what level to give and take. So, you get to know each other and adjust to each otherís space. The thing about adjustment is that once you have adjusted, you learn not to forget about it. If a committee meeting has discussed an issue, and then re-discuss it at the next meeting and even in the next meeting they go back to the same grounds, they will never progress. One of things a committee meeting has to learn is how to hold fast to what has been agreed on. Otherwise, you will be re-negotiating it over and over again. So learn to follow what has been discussed. Hymns speak about those areas. Hymns are usually songs that come out based on our life experiences and we have adjusted to them. They are principles that we continue to hold by to.



On the north side, when God says, ìYou are My bride,î He is also saying, ìYou are My eagle.î There is an adjustment state there too. On the north side, there are judgment, happiness and wrestling. In the area of wrestling, there is one key word in Ephesians 6 and the word is standing. Standing implies knowing all those authority that God has given you. Standing implies knowing your exousia knowing your dunamis knowing your kratos and knowing your ischus. Standing is knowing these realms of power that God has for your life. Here there are four areas for standing. Those are the four Greek words that we need to study ischus, kratos, exousia and dunamis. When you know those four realms, you can battle properly. (Please see our teaching series on ìRevival of Word and Spirit.î



On the west side is the ox. When God says, ìYou are My bride,î He is also saying, ìYou are My people, My servant. You are those through whom I bear fruit.î That is from Ephesians chapter 1 right on to chapter 3. And there is one key area from Ephesians chapter 1,2 and 3. At the end of each epistle is the word saying that we are the habitation of God. At the end of the first three chapters is the body the church becoming the fullness of God. in Eph. 1:23 which is His body the fullness of Him who fills all in all. Chapter 2:22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. Chapter 3:19 it says here that you will know the fullness of the love of God. So over here being the ox of God there is one key word and that is fullness of God. You canít serve unless you are full. Service is drawing water out of the well for salvation and the rivers of living water flowing out from you. Without being full of God, you canít do anything for all your works will be in the flesh. All our works will not be born of the Spirit and born of love. So the key word here is the word fullness. Unless you are full, you canít witness. Part of the work of God is you have to be first before you can do. Unless you know the strength of an ox, you canít serve as an ox. Being is emphasized in service.



When Jesus emphasized bearing fruit in Jn. 15, what was the emphasis on? Abiding in Him. Abide in Me, abide in My words. The key is in the word meno abide. But here is where we are dwelling in Him ñ when we have the Word dwelling in us. But for the Word to dwell in us there is these fours areas you got to bring out to God. Abiding is keeping ourselves in God. The first area is agape. For the fullness to fill our life, we got to understand what agape love truly is. No true service can be done for God unless it is done out of agape love in God.



The second area in order to serve God and demonstrate all that God wants us to do is the area of prayer. Ephesians chapter 1 and 2 is the area of prayer. Unless there is prayer there is no service onto God. So love is the first emphasis and prayer is the second emphasis.



The third area that is implied here is the area of renewal of the mind. Unless your mind is renewed, service to God would be hindered. Paul mentioned that God is able to do above all that we ask or think. Therefore, what we ask or think need to rise up to the level that God wants us to have.



And of course, the third area is the resurrection life of Jesus. In other words, what does it mean to sit in the heavenly places? Unless you are at seated at rest in Christ and have ceased from your own works, you cannot serve Him. There is love, there is the renewal of the mind, there is prayer and there is the sitting in the heavenly place.


On the south side is the area of the man. Eph. 4 describes the fullness of a man when He calls us the bride of Christ. In Eph. 4 we can see the fullness of a man in four different areas. No. 1 five-fold ministry. No. 2 the gifts of the Spirit will build the church to its fullness. No. 3 is doctrinal soundness. Eph.4:14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine. So the word is to be strong in our life. No. 4 fellowship with the body will bring about the fullness of manhood that God has for our lives. So all these areas are implied when God calls us the church, the bride of Christ. And all these need to be taken in its order.

Do you notice in the book of Numbers He gives a certain order? God starts with the east gate. You start with praise and worship. Then He moves to the south gate. You donít move to the north gate. The north is Dan judgment, wrestling and happiness. From praise and worship, you move into the south gate; manhood, the gift of the Spirit and finding your office in God. You develop doctrinal soundness and have fellowship in the body. Then you move to the west gate. The west gate is fruitfulness. Fruitfulness involves developing love, praying, renewal of the mind and sitting in a position with Christ. These areas are found in the west gate. Then finally you move to the north gate and began to judge. You judge yourself and you are given the authority to judge the fallen angels. You wrestle in intercession and spiritual warfare for the souls of men taken captive by the enemy. There is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine who needs no repentance. Happiness ensues when there is restoration and when righteousness and justice are meted out. All these are in the north gate.

Basically, you are looking at Isa. 40: 31, which has all these four different things. They that wait on the Lord. Waiting speaks about this area of sitting. They shall mount up with wings like eagle. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. And then it goes back to waiting. So itís the same circle of four motions.
Sabra
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Username: Sabra

Post Number: 139
Registered: 10-2001
Posted on Friday, July 23, 2004 - 8:30 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I'm really sorry that was so long. I tried to post the site address, Colleen, you can delete it if you need to.
Susan_2
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Username: Susan_2

Post Number: 730
Registered: 11-2002
Posted on Friday, July 23, 2004 - 9:32 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Sabra, Every time I see your name, well, I just love your name. Like the awsome and beautiful Sabra toothed tiger.

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