New Wineskin for the Water Turned Wine 2

As mentioned in part one of this series, God is changing the wineskin of the Church. For that, He's asking us to make room for Him in our hearts and commit ourselves to learn His truths and gather together in prayer until we see His will manifested in our lives. However, this invitation to position ourselves to drink this new wine of the supernatural of God is conditional to those who say yes to Him. 

Not everyone wants to leave their old ways of thinking and living to embrace the new God is doing. Some people will not even notice that God is moving among us. Others prefer to be spectators and a few will advance with the Kingdom into the new. But this does not negate the fact that God is making His call for all to partake. We also see this invitation in the Book of Esther chapter 1. 

Verses 2-4 reveal the grandeur of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, King of Persia as well as his benevolence towards the people under his kingship. The Scripture says, “In those days King Ahasuerus’ throne was in the citadel of Susa. During the 3rd year of his reign, Ahasuerus gathered together all of Persia’s ruling authorities —nobles and officials, leaders of Persia and Media, and nobles of his provinces —for a grand, state banquet. For 180 days, King Ahasuerus continuously paraded his glorious kingdom’s riches and the splendor of his own notoriety in front of his nobles. Day after day the party continued with Persia’s grandeur on display.” VOICE

We can see that this particular celebration on behalf of the officials, nobles, and authorities of the kingdom of Ahasuerus to which everyone was called to gather together, lasted 180 days! This passage is speaking of the impressive splendor of the king and the way he celebrated with his people. And although it doesn’t compare, God is trying to give us an idea of the immensity of the greatness of His Kingdom, of which we are heirs, and during His appointed times, He comes to bless His people in supernatural ways. 

Verses 5-8 highlight another festivity the King had ordered for the people of the citadel of Shushan, both great or small. There was no prejudice as to who was allowed to be present during this celebration. Everyone was invited. The opulence of the kingdom of Ahasuerus was once again on display. Nevertheless, the king gave an order to his servants—that they could only serve the wine according to the desire of each guest. No one would be compelled to drink the wine no matter how much of it was available for them. It says,

“And when these days were completed, the king made a feast lasting seven days for all the people who were present in Shushan the citadel, from great to small, in the court of the garden of the king’s palace. There were white and blue linen curtains fastened with cords of fine linen and purple on silver rods and marble pillars; and the couches were of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of alabaster, turquoise, and white and black marble. And they served drinks in golden vessels, each vessel being different from the other, with royal wine in abundance, according to the generosity of the king. In accordance with the law, the drinking was not compulsory; for so the king had ordered all the officers of his household, that they should do according to each man’s pleasure.”  NKJV

Fortunately, the 120 remnant of believers who birthed the early Church heeded the call and gathered together in expectation of the move of God. The Spirit came and the promises of the Prophet Joel started to manifest right before their eyes. The people were marveled at the miraculous signs and wonders that God had sent from heaven in answer to their prayers. The exceeding greatness of God’s marvelous works showed them that everyone was welcomed to drink of the wine of His Spirit and become part of His family of believers. 

 And so, leading up to this wonderful move of God, and before the ascension of Jesus, He gathered together and commanded His disciples to remain in Jerusalem to wait for the promised Holy Spirit and to not depart before His coming. They probably had no idea what that was going to look like. Yet, they positioned themselves in expectation of what was promised and were not disappointed. In fact, what God manifested among them exceeded their expectations. Acts 1:4-5 says,

“And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, ‘which,’ He said,  ‘you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’” NKJV

Following Jesus’ instructions, the 120 came together to call forth the promise of the Father He spoke to them about until it came. And finally, they encountered the suddenly of God that came with a new baptism. Their baptism with water was a ceremonial washing in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, as mentioned in Acts 2:38 (mentioned in the last post). But this new baptism was of a transforming, limit-removing fire. This time, as they continued to partner with the God of glory, they were made witnesses of the One to whom nothing is impossible. Acts 2:1-4 says, 

“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” NKJV

This new baptism of the Holy Spirit presented them to the world around them in their new identity as sons and daughters of a Mighty God who had made them unto Him a holy—set apart people for His purpose, His very own possession of royal priests—carriers of the glory realm and representatives of the government of His Kingdom on earth.  As new agents of God’s mercy to the people, they now concerned themselves with being conduits of His goodness wherever they went as 1 Peter 2:9-10 tells us, 

“...for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. ‘Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.’” NLT

Right away they put this new baptism and new identity to work. Their partnership with God brought manifestations of the authority, justice, truth, power, and goodness of the Kingdom with miracles made accessible to the people they encountered. As the Apostles shared the message of the Kingdom and the people received it in her hearts, in one day alone, 3,000 people joined them and committed themselves to their teachings. They also met for prayer, breaking bread together, and with a sense of togetherness, they shared their possessions with those in need. (See Acts 2:41-47). 

What’s more, Acts 3:1-11 also shares the wonderful works of God in partnership with Peter and John at the Gate Beautiful of the Temple. It says, “Peter and John went to the Temple one afternoon to take part in the three o’clock prayer service. As they approached the Temple, a man lame from birth was being carried in. Each day he was put beside the Temple gate, the one called the Beautiful Gate, so he could beg from the people going into the Temple. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money.” 

“Peter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, ‘Look at us!’ The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money. But Peter said, ‘I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!’ Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man’s feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened. He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk! Then, walking, leaping, and praising God, he went into the Temple with them.”

“All the people saw him walking and heard him praising God. When they realized he was the lame beggar they had seen so often at the Beautiful Gate, they were absolutely astounded! They all rushed out in amazement to Solomon’s Colonnade, where the man was holding tightly to Peter and John.” NLT

To God alone be all the glory. *

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New Wineskin for the Water Turned Wine 1

John 2:1-11 says,

“Three days later, they all went to celebrate a wedding feast in Cana of Galilee. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was invited together with Him and His disciples. While they were celebrating, the wine ran out; and Jesus’ mother hurried over to her son. 

Mary:  The host stands on the brink of embarrassment; there are many guests, and there is no more wine. 

Jesus:  Dear woman, is it our problem they miscalculated when buying wine and inviting guests? My time has not arrived. But she turned to the servants. 

Mary: Do whatever my son tells you. 

In that area were six massive stone water pots that could each hold 20 to 30 gallons. They were typically used for Jewish purification rites. Jesus’ instructions were clear: 

Jesus: Fill each water pot with water until it’s ready to spill over the top; then fill a cup, and deliver it to the headwaiter. They did exactly as they were instructed. 

After tasting the water that had become wine, the headwaiter couldn’t figure out where such wine came from (even though the servants knew), and he called over the bridegroom in amazement. 

Headwaiter:  This wine is delectable. Why would you save the most exquisite fruit of the vine? A host would generally serve the good wine first and, when his inebriated guests don’t notice or care, he would serve the inferior wine. You have held back the best for last. 

Jesus performed this miracle, the first of His signs, in Cana of Galilee. They did not know how this happened; but when the disciples and the servants witnessed this miracle, their faith blossomed.” VOICE

In this new series, we see an interesting scenario where there was a wedding feast. This was a celebration where many close to Jesus such as His mother and His disciples, as well as others were invited. This must’ve been a tremendous celebration that many came to witness. But suddenly, the wine ran out! So now, let’s examine the plot of what God is telling us in this hour. 

First, seeing that the wine, one of the main features of the celebration, was gone and the lack of it would be noticeable, Mary, the mother of Jesus, hurried towards Him to ask Him to perform the miraculous. But Jesus’ time to perform the miraculous out in the open was not supposed to be yet. Nevertheless, His mother urged Him to make Himself available to bring the new wine of the supernatural works of God in partnership with the Father.

Next on the scene, there were six stone waterpots used for Jewish ceremonial washings. Six is the number of men. Adam was created on the sixth day of creation. Genesis 1:27, 31 tells us, “So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them. God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good and He validated it completely. And there was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.” AMP

Looking at the capacity of these pots which contained the water that was going to be transformed into wine, today, these 20 to 30-gallon pots could’ve served anywhere from 96 to 144 bottles of wine each. This means that anywhere from 576 to 864 bottles of the best wine may have been served after the first wine had run out. 

In these last days, the wine that ran out is the wine of the last move which was a move of human efforts, where man had followed the wisdom of the world, influenced by its ruler (Satan). This worldly influence brought results of struggle, defeat, and devastation to those that lived by it. 

But now, just like Mary, the mother of Jesus urged Him to step in and change the chaos into order at the wedding feast by bringing the glory of God to change things in a way that only God can change them, it is time for the Lord to step in and dethrone the enemy of the glory of God where man does not need to conjure things to bring the answers. 

In the next scene, Jesus said to fill the pots until the water is ready to overflow. In the same way, He’s asking us to seek Him and prepare ourselves by praying and coming together in unity and trust in Him until the answers come. This way, we will receive the miraculous that God is bringing to us during His feast days. Verses 10 and 11 once again tell us this, once again in the Complete Jewish Bible Version, 

“and said to him, ‘Everyone else serves the good wine first and the poorer wine after people have drunk freely. But you have kept the good wine until now!’ This, the first of Yeshua’s (Jesus’) miraculous signs, he did at Kanah in the Galil (Cana of Galilee); manifested his glory, and his talmidim (disciples) came to trust in him.” CJB (Parenthesis emphases mine).

The Lord is telling us that during these times of feasts that are approaching us, beginning with the Feast of Passover (Pesach - or Feast of Unleavened Bread 5781 at sundown of Saturday, March 27th, 2021 and ends at nightfall of April 4th, 2021) and then the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot - or Pentecost at sundown of May 16th to nightfall of May 17th, 2021. This Feast commemorates when the Holy Spirit came on the 120 that were in the upper room praying for a move of God). 

I know this is a foreign language to many in the Church, especially in the Western Church because of a lack of understanding of the importance of the observance of the Feasts of God which these are two of the three we’re commanded to observe every year. These are times in which God calls us to come together to honor Him by following the protocol He established in His Word, mainly in the Books of the Old Testament. 

His Word says to observe these feasts by coming together as a body, preparing our hearts and cleansing ourselves with repentance, and also by bringing a special offering to Him for these feasts. This offering is not the tithe. It is a special offering unto the Lord as we remember Him during these special times of His Feasts. The Word says that during these times, we’re not to come before Him (His presence), empty-handed. Deuteronomy 16:16-17 says, 

“‘Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses, at the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Passover) and at the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) and at the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles), and they shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed. Every man shall give as he is able, in accordance with the blessing which the Lord your God has given you.” AMP

The enemy stole these observances from the Church and brought man-made feasts and pagan traditions that kept the people from entering into the supernatural, miraculous, and wondrous works that God manifests in unprecedented ways, as Jesus did at the wedding celebration. Thus, the Lord is calling His Church to renew our minds to these truths and posture ourselves like the 120 to welcome the new wine of the Holy Spirit that will bring greater miracles than He performed during the times of the early Church as the Prophet Joel prophesied. Joel 2:28-29says,

“Then in those days I will pour My Spirit to all humanity; your children will boldly and prophetically speak the word of God. Your elders will dream dreams; your young warriors will see visions. No one will be left out. In those days I will offer My spirit to all servants, both male and female.” VOICE

The early Church experienced this new wine in a great way, but the Lord has promised that in these end times we will experience a great grace that gives us access to accelerated manifestations to the miraculous for His people as we show our hunger for His presence and boldness to do His will. Haggai 2:9 also says,

“You will stand by and watch as the magnificence of this new house will eclipse the magnificence of My first house. And in this new house, I will give you peace.’ So says the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies.” VOICE

 

Acts 2:36-39 adds,

“Everyone in Israel should now realize with certainty what God has done: God has made Jesus both Lord and Anointed King—this same Jesus whom you crucified. When the people heard this, their hearts were pierced; and they said to Peter and his fellow apostles, 

Pilgrims: Our brothers, what should we do? 

Peter:  Reconsider your lives; change your direction. Participate in the ceremonial washing of baptism in the name of Jesus God’s Anointed, the Liberating King. Then your sins will be forgiven, and the gift of the Holy Spirit will be yours. For the promise of the Spirit is for you, for your children, for all people—even those considered outsiders and outcasts—the Lord our God invites everyone to come to Him.” VOICE

More on the next post. To God alone be all the glory. *

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The Remnant That Escapes the Traps of Dead Works 4: Fire That Brings the Church to Unity and Maturity

 

In the last post, we learned about the protocol God required for the sin offering in the Old Testament. At the time of the confrontation of the false prophets of Baal and Asherah on Mount Carmel, God chose the prophet Elijah, to rebuild the altar to the Lord Most High and offer up the sin offering according to the Levitical laws to restore the people and the land to Him. 

We also learned that this sin offering was another type and shadow of the sacrificial offering Jesus volunteered Himself to become for the new covenant that freed us and cleansed our conscience from dead works once for all and also gave us access to the Holy of Holies. Thus, the people no longer needed to go once a year and sacrifice a bull, a goat, or a ram to be ceremonially cleansed. 

However, 1 Kings 28:40 says that what followed the sin offering that restored the Israelites to God, was that Elijah commanded the prophets of Baal to be seized and not one be allowed to escape. Then they were brought to the brook Kishon and killed as the law also required. This law in Leviticus 17: 1-4 describes why this was a necessary measure, 

“Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to Aaron and his sons and all the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord has commanded, saying, ‘Any man from the house of Israel who kills an ox or lamb or goat in the camp, or kills it outside the camp and has not brought it to the doorway of the Tent of Meeting to offer it as an offering to the Lord before the tabernacle of the Lord, that man shall be guilty of bloodshed. He has shed blood and shall be cut off from his people [excluding him from the atonement made for them].” AMP

Verses 3-4 mention that this law was first for the people of Israel, but as we continue to read in verses 5-9, we will see that this command was also extended to the strangers living among them. Therefore, even those that were not of the house of Israel by birth were required to follow the Levitical laws of God and could not escape the punishment that came for disobeying the law. The verses show,

 

“This is so that the sons of Israel may bring their sacrifices which they were sacrificing [to idols] in the open field [where they killed them], that they may bring them in to the Lord, at the doorway of the Tent of Meeting to the priest, and sacrifice them as sacrifices of peace offerings to the Lord . The priest shall sprinkle the blood on the altar of the Lord at the doorway of the Tent of Meeting and offer the fat up in smoke as a sweet and soothing aroma to the Lord. So they shall no longer offer their sacrifices to goat-idols or demons or field spirits with which they have played the prostitute. This shall be a permanent statute for them throughout their generations.’’ ‘Then you shall say to them, ‘Any man from the house of Israel or any of the strangers living temporarily among you, who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice and does not bring it to the doorway of the Tent of Meeting to offer it to the Lord shall be cut off from his people [excluding him from the atonement made for them].” AMP

All this was required for the rain to return that ended the famine. Idolatry and those who caused it were to be removed because of their unrepentant hearts and haughty attitudes. This reminds me of the parable of the wheat and the weeds in Matthew 13:27-30 which tells us, “The servants of the owner came to him and said, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? Then how does it have weeds in it?’ He replied to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants asked him, ‘Then do you want us to go and pull them out?’ But he said, ‘No; because as you pull out the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, ‘First gather the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; but gather the wheat into my barn.’’” AMP

The weeds represent those who have chosen to impose on others their pagan, repulsive ways and ignore God’s calling to repentance. For this reason , now God has reserved the right to choose their punishment according to what they have done.

Isaiah 5:20-23 says,

“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; 

Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; 

Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! 

Woe to those who are  wise in their own eyes, 

And prudent in their own sight! 

Woe to men mighty at drinking wine, 

Woe to men valiant for mixing intoxicating drink, 

Who justify the wicked for a bribe, 

And take away justice from the righteous man!” NKJV

Isaiah 66:3-4 also says,

“He who kills an ox [for pagan sacrifice] is [as guilty] as one who kills a man; He who sacrifices a lamb, as one who breaks a dog’s neck; He who offers a grain offering, as one who offers swine’s blood; He who offers incense, as one who blesses an idol. Such people have chosen their own ways, And their soul delights in their repulsive acts; So I will choose their punishments, And will bring the things they dread upon them Because I called, but no one answered; I spoke, but they did not listen or obey. But they did evil in My sight And chose that in which I did not delight.’” AMP

In the same way, in the New Testament, we are commanded to take a stance concerning those whose pollution brought by their lawlessness, even in the Church, have made a mockery of the grace of God and the sacrifice of Jesus for their sins. Instead, they have chosen to not only remain in their darkness but take others naive and unsuspecting Christians away from their belief and trust in the saving sacrifice of Jesus and back to engaging in dead works. 

This bewitching of the people has caused them to live defeated because although they live what outwardly looks like godly lives, their wrong beliefs and unholy practices deny the power of God that comes from the Holy Spirit and His manifestation of the truth of God’s Word as they pursue and follow His guidance.  2 Timothy 3:2-5 tells us, 

“You see, the world will be filled with narcissistic, money-grubbing, pretentious, arrogant, and abusive people. They will rebel against their parents and will be ungrateful, unholy, uncaring, coldhearted, accusing, without restraint, savage, and haters of anything good. Expect them to be treacherous, reckless, swollen with self-importance, and given to loving pleasure more than they love God. Even though they may look or act like godly people, they’re not. They deny His power. I tell you: Stay away from the likes of these.” VOICE

Galatians 3:1-5 adds, 

“Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross. Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? Have you experienced so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it? I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ.” NLT

Jesus took a stance against the mockery of these people in Mark 5:36-43. In this scenario, Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue came to Jesus because his daughter was sick. Jesus went to the house of the ruler in the same way that He’s coming to His house to revive what was presumed dead. But to succeed in this accomplishment, He needed to get rid of the mockers that were in the way of the rising of the girl from sickness by His hand. Only those authorized by God could enter in and participate in this revival, so the girl (the Church) can receive the right kind of nourishment. The Scripture says,

“But Jesus overheard them and said to Jairus, ‘Don’t be afraid. Just have faith.’ Then Jesus stopped the crowd and wouldn’t let anyone go with him except Peter, James, and John (the brother of James). When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw much commotion and weeping and wailing. He went inside and asked, ‘Why all this commotion and weeping? The child isn’t dead; she’s only asleep.’ The crowd laughed at him. But he made them all leave, and he took the girl’s father and mother and his three disciples into the room where the girl was lying. Holding her hand, he said to her, ‘Talitha koum,’ which means ‘Little girl, get up!’ And the girl, who was twelve years old, immediately stood up and walked around! They were overwhelmed and totally amazed. Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell anyone what had happened, and then he told them to give her something to eat.” NLT

That’s why we’re in the times of a wave of the Spirit of God where His fire has been released to devour the works of the enemy beginning in the house of God. The bewitching of the people beginning with many leaders, that has infiltrated the Church, has deprived many of receiving the promises of God and offering to Him the right kind of sacrifices from their heart in obedience to His commands and His Word of truth. Malachi 3:1-4 says, 

“‘Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger of the covenant, whom you look for so eagerly, is surely coming,’ says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. ‘But who will be able to endure it when he comes? Who will be able to stand and face him when he appears? For he will be like a blazing fire that refines metal, or like a strong soap that bleaches clothes. He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross. He will purify the Levites, refining them like gold and silver, so that they may once again offer acceptable sacrifices to the Lord. Then once more the Lord will accept the offerings brought to him by the people of Judah and Jerusalem, as he did in the past.” NLT

God has chosen His servants, including His apostolic and prophetic people to release this fire intended to destroy the demonic strongholds that have gripped the people through fear so they can now grow in their faith and their individual and corporate knowledge of the Son of God, and also so that they can mature in the Lord until we can walk in unity as well as reach the complete standard of Christ, according to Ephesians 4:11-13,

“Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.” NLT

Verses 14-16 also add, “Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” NLT

To God alone be all the glory. * 

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The Remnant That Escapes the Traps of Dead Works 3: The Proper Protocol for Repentance

As we continue with this series, post # 2 reveals what the bulls that were prepared for sacrifice represented for each side that was calling on their god. We saw that the bull that the false prophets cut was offered to Mammon, their god of greed, false power, and covetousness. But in the times of the Old Testament, the bull Elijah prepared represented a sin offering on his behalf and also on behalf of the people of Israel because the sin of idolatry was the root cause of the severe famine in the land. 

Leviticus 16:6,11 tells us once again, “Aaron will present his own bull as a sin offering to purify himself and his family, making them right with the Lord.” NLT

Another example of sins atoned for by the sacrificing of bulls in the Old Testament is found in the Book of Job. The scenario here is that Job had been put through a tough test to see if he would forsake his trust, reliance, and devotion to God. After being considered the wealthiest and most influential person of his time, Job lost everything: his family, marriage, his good name, and his health. Nothing was off-limits for the enemy regarding Job’s life except that he couldn’t be killed.

Job had suffered great losses, but he still chose to trust the Lord. Contrary to that, his three friends were continually blaming him for his misfortune. They kept accusing him of great sin that must’ve ignited the wrath of God against him. They also accused him of not doing enough to solve his problems. It seems that they would’ve preferred that Job entered into dead works to stop the mouths of his accusers.

Their arguments against Job were unceasing, until one day, the Lord Himself confronted them about the unfounded accusations that were igniting His wrath against them and gave them a command that would keep them from suffering the consequences of their folly. Being true to the laws of the time, the command was that they would bring seven bulls and seven rams for a sacrifice that would make them right with God again as Job prayed for them because God was not listening to their prayers. Job 42:7-9 shows this,

“It came about that after the Lord had spoken these words to Job, that the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, ‘My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has. Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, and go to My servant Job, and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves, and My servant Job will pray for you. For I will accept him [and his prayer] so that I may not deal with you according to your folly, because you have not spoken of Me the thing that is right, as My servant Job has.’ So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the Lord told them; and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer.” AMP

But going back to the meaning of the bulls for both the idolatrous people who served evil Queen Jezebel and for the prophet Elijah who served the Most High God, the time of the confrontation to show who was the One true God had finally come. So, the false prophets of Baal took the center stage first to perform their rituals of dead and illegal works that were not recognized by God and His Kingdom. Those things only arouse demonic activity to keep them that performed them in deeper bondage to sin. 

That is why no shouting, no leaping and dancing, no pleas, and no raving was able to cause the fire to come down. This must’ve looked funny to God and the prophet Elijah because he made fun of what he knew would cause no reaction. After all, first, it was to a false god, and second, it was not based on recognizing their need to be forgiven of their idolatry. It is also disturbing to see that the lies of the enemy made them believe they needed to cut themselves and bleed to sacrifice to their god. 1 Kings 18:26-29 highlights,

“So they took the bull that was given to them and prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, ‘O Baal, hear and answer us.’ But there was no voice and no one answered. And they leaped about the altar which they had made. At noon Elijah mocked them, saying, ‘Cry out with a loud voice, for he is a god; either he is occupied, or he is out [at the moment], or he is on a journey. Perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened!’ So they cried out with a loud voice [to get Baal’s attention] and cut themselves with swords and lances in accordance with their custom, until the blood flowed out on them. As midday passed, they played the part of prophets and raved dramatically until the time for offering the evening sacrifice; but there was no voice, no one answered, and no one paid attention.” AMP

Proper Protocol for the Restoration of the People of Israel Back to God

There was a specific protocol to follow to properly offer the sacrificial sin offering that would restore the people and the land of Israel to God and would stop the famine in the land. Here are some strategic things the prophet Elijah did by the leading of the Lord and under the Old Testament law to restore the people to God and turn them away from idolatry. These included:

 Ahab, king of Israel was present for the confrontation

1 Kings 18:19-20 

“‘Now summon all Israel to join me at Mount Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who are supported by Jezebel.’ So Ahab summoned all the people of Israel and the prophets to Mount Carmel.” NLT

King Ahab represented the established governmental authority in the land, though during his leadership he and his wife Queen Jezebel led the people to idol worship. Thus, the king also had to be restored to the Lord as the governmental head of the people of Israel with his repentance. Although he was later cut off along with his household, the king repented of his wrongdoings (See 1 Kings 21:17-29).

The Priest that performed the sacrifice could only be approved by God 

1 Kings 18:36 

“At the usual time for the offering of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet walked up to the altar and prayed, ‘O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, prove today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant. Prove that I have done all this at your command.” NLT

According to the Old Testament law in Leviticus 16:32-34, the Lord commanded Moses to establish this protocol for the offering of sacrifices to make the priests and the people right with the Lord. The Scripture says, “In future generations, the purification ceremony will be performed by the priest who has been anointed and ordained to serve as high priest in place of his ancestor Aaron. He will put on the holy linen garments and purify the Most Holy Place, the Tabernacle, the altar, the priests, and the entire congregation. This is a permanent law for you, to purify the people of Israel from their sins, making them right with the Lord once each year.’ Moses followed all these instructions exactly as the Lord had commanded him.” NLT

While Elijah followed the proper protocol for the sin offering, the prophets of Baal and Asherah on the other hand, violated this protocol with their idolatry. They all appointed themselves to make the sacrifice. There was no ranking order like with the prophet Elijah who was God’s chosen prophetic voice and office to perform the sacrifice. 1 Kings 18:25-26 states,

“Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “You go first, for there are many of you. Choose one of the bulls, and prepare it and call on the name of your god. But do not set fire to the wood.” So they prepared one of the bulls and placed it on the altar. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning until noontime, shouting, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no reply of any kind. Then they danced, hobbling around the altar they had made.” NLT

Today, according to Scripture, turning from idolatry and to God begins with our repentance for our sins and receiving by faith the sacrificial offering of Jesus for our sins with the shedding of His blood and death on the Cross at Calvary. Let’s also remember what Jesus, our High Priest offered Himself to do for us. Hebrews 9:11-15 reminds us,

“So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever. Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity. Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. That is why he is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant.” NLT

Romans 10:9-11 also declares, “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. As the Scriptures tell us, ‘Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.’” NLT

Restoration of the altar to the Lord

1 Kings 18:30

“Then Elijah called to the people, ‘Come over here!’ They all crowded around him as he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been torn down.” NLT

The altar of the Lord needed to be rebuilt. This action would re-dedicate and set apart the land and the people of Israel to God and the Kingdom of heaven would once again become the spiritual government over them. Because of their idolatry, the king and the queen had destroyed the altar to the Most High God and replaced it with altars or monuments to their pagan gods. Thus, Elijah rebuilt the altar to the Almighty and made the sacrifice that would restore their right standing with God and bless the nation for Psalm 33:12 says, “Blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the nation whose God is the Lord, The people whom He has chosen as His own inheritance.” AMP

Elijah set up 12 stones 

1 Kings 18:31-32

“He took twelve stones, one to represent each of the tribes of Israel, and he used the stones to rebuild the altar in the name of the Lord. Then he dug a trench around the altar large enough to hold about three gallons.” NLT

The Scripture says that these 12 stones represented the twelve tribes of Jacob. They were a memorial to the generations of the wonderful works of God, for He showed His extraordinarily powerful hand to deliver His people from Egypt and also as they were conquering their promised land, that the people may reverently fear Him, worship, and obey Him all the days of their lives (Joshua 4:24). 

In addition, according to Genesis 35:9-15, God made a covenant with Jacob where as part of His blessings, He changed his name to Israel. This name change also included the command to be fruitful and multiply (have children, or multiply ourselves in others through our influence in them for the Kingdom) so he would become a nation. The Lord promised Jacob at that time that a company of nations was coming from him and kings would be born from his loins. Besides, God promised him the land He gave to Abraham and Isaac and also to his descendants after him. In this place where Jacob encountered God, he set up a pillar of stone as a memorial (a monument) where he poured a wine and oil offering to declare it sacred and for God’s purpose. That place was named Bethel (the house of God). 

Therefore, during the sacrificial offering at Mount Carmel, Elijah remembered the covenant God made with Jacob that later birthed the twelve tribes which became the nation of Israel and the land He gave to them throughout their generations. The number 12 means government and with the twelve stones, Elijah built the altar in the name of the Lord. This is important to highlight because by his action, Elijah was establishing the government of God in the land and over the people which were once again declared sacred and for God’s purpose. 

The 12 pitchers of water

1 Kings 18:33-35

“He piled wood on the altar, cut the bull into pieces, and laid the pieces on the wood. Then he said, ‘Fill four large jars with water, and pour the water over the offering and the wood.’ After they had done this, he said, ‘Do the same thing again!’ And when they were finished, he said, ‘Now do it a third time!’ So they did as he said, and the water ran around the altar and even filled the trench.” NLT

Elijah had four pitchers poured on the trench three times. This adds up to twelve pitchers. Again, because 12 means government, God was bringing a representation of what the water of His Word and the mighty works of His Holy Spirit would do in the hearts of the people in the new covenant through the death of Christ to cleanse them from the filthiness of idolatry and dead works according to Ezekiel 36:25-32. And by their repentance and obedience to God and His statues they would never have to suffer famine again. 

All of this worked to eradicate the government of Satan and whatever legal right he had over the people and over the land of Israel through the sinful acts of those who governed it as well as those who followed them. Therefore, Elijah knew that in order to complete the sacrifice God needed to send the fire. He knew that God would answer his prayer because Leviticus 16:27 says, 

“The bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the Holy Place (Holy of Holies), shall be taken outside the camp; their skins, their meat, and their waste shall be burned in the fire.” AMP

God indeed answered with fire and consumed everything on the altar—the wood, the stones, the dust, and the water in the trench. This caused the people to fall face down and say, “The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!” (1 Kings 18:39). The people’s hearts were turned back to God. 

More on the next post. To God alone all the glory. *

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The Remnant that Escapes the Traps of Dead Works 2: Coming out of Limping Between Two Opinions

Continuing from post # 1 of this series, we mentioned that the Blood Jesus shed for our redemption, helped us not need to rely on the sacrifice of animals to cleanse our conscience. His once and for all sacrifice redeemed us and gave us access to His throne of mercy and grace. He became the sacrifice so we would not suffer the consequences of our sinful nature inherited from Adam after he forfeited his authority to co-rule the earth with God to the enemy due to his disobedience. Now that we were set free from dead works, we can serve the Living God in full surrender to Him and give our worship solely to Him.

In this post, we will study the difference in motives for sacrificing between the prophets of Baal and Asherah and the prophet Elijah. And so, the Book of 1 Kings tells us that there was a severe famine in the land of Israel. The idolatry of the people, starting with their leaders, king Ahab, and queen Jezebel, had caused the heavens to close and at the word of the prophet Elijah, the heavens did not send rain for three and a half years. Thus, their source of livelihood (agriculture) was shut down for the earth could not produce its crops since the water had become a commodity. 

Both people and animals suffered the consequences of this devastating famine, but God wanted them to be delivered of this devastation for He saw their suffering and heard their cries for help. For this reason, the people of Israel were summoned to Mount Carmel. A confrontation was about to begin. 1 Kings 18:1-2, reveals,

“And it came to pass after  many days that the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, “Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the earth.” So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab; and there was a severe famine in Samaria.” NKJV

As a spiritual principle, God judges idolatry for lack of repentance of the people as they continue to put other things on the pedestal of their hearts that only belongs to God. This creates a vacuum that consumes all the dead works of idolatry. Only our repentance turns things around and we can begin to see restoration in our life. We repent by asking God to forgive us of the sins committed and also produce fruit in keeping with the repentance. 

Matthew 3:1-2, 5-6, 8 shows, “In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!’ Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance,” NKJV

As mentioned, repentance means that we stop performing those dead works and instead, pursue doing what is pleasing to God and shows that it is He who we worship in everything we do. We also pursue the renewal of our mind so our wrong beliefs that produced those dead works change to the truth of God’s word (Romans 12:1-2). This, in turn, will help us live following His perfect will because our relationship with Him is based on recognizing and receiving His love for us. And because we know He loves us and wants the best for us, we want to please and obey Him.

2 Chronicles 7:14 also says, “if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” NKJV

Another thing that happens whenever we have lifted our worship to an idol and to what is false, is that our hearts become hardened and we see things in a wicked (twisted) way. That is because Satan has put a veil over our eyes that keeps us from seeing the light and truth of the Word of God. We then start calling what is good evil, and what is evil we call good. Thus, our twisted view of things causes us to reject God as well as the people that bring what is good and to our benefit. But repentance removes this veil of falsehood.

“Then it happened, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, ‘Is that you, O troubler of Israel?’ And he answered, ‘I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have,  in that you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and have followed the Baals.” NKJV

2 Corinthians 3:14-17 also says, “But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand. But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” NLT

We saw that God had announced to the prophet Elijah that He was going to send the rain that would stop the famine. But first, He would prove that only He is God. For this, God had the prophet Elijah gather the people of Israel, King Ahab, and Jezebel’s prophets of Baal and Asherah. Once gathered, the prophet rebuked their double-mindedness and admonished them to choose who they would truly worship—God or Baal. 1 Kings 18:20-21 explains, 

“So Ahab sent to all the people of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel. And Elijah came near to all the people and said, ‘How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.’ And the people did not answer him a word.” ESV

Also, Elijah asked those who sided with idolatry to provide two bulls to cut in pieces and place on the wood for their sacrifice, and one for the prophet to sacrifice to the Most High God. However, the important condition we need to pay attention to here, is that no one cut put fire to their sacrifice, not the false prophets or the prophet Elijah. For the God who answered by fire would prove to be the One true God. 1 Kings 18:23-24 discloses,

“Let two bulls be given to us, and let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. And I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood and put no fire to it. And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the Lord, and the God who answers by fire, he is God.” And all the people answered, ‘It is well spoken.’” ESV

Each of the bulls represented something different to those who set up the altars for their sacrifice. To the prophets of Baal and Asherah, their bull represented the god of their greed for economic power and material possessions. Baal was the god of the rain which caused earth to produce for them bountiful crops and Asherah was considered their god of multiplication and abundance. But everything was done in a perverted way. The rituals they performed to their gods were full of immorality and other kinds of perversion. 

What’s more, and as mentioned, the system they operated by the majority of the times involved covetousness. A covetous person is greedy, avaricious, eager, and with an excessive desire for material possessions that belong to another (Source: Merrimack-Webster Dictionary). The name of their god is Mammon and its figure is of a man with the head and hooves of a bull, and the body of a man. 

Mammon is defined as wealth regarded as an evil influence or false object of worship or devotion. It is also the name of the devil of covetousness. (Source:Lexico.com). (See also “Taking Down the Giant of Mammon Worship in the Church Today and Cutting Its Head Off” a blogpost from this site published January 19, 2019). 

To worship this god some turn to perform rituals of sorcery, others turn to live for self, gain, fame, and status. The thought of attaining material possessions and power is what consumes their thoughts and behaviors, not knowing they’re gripped by the influence of this spirit. They’re never satisfied with what they have and seek to have everything in bigger amounts and greater ways.

That is because they’re driven by the fear of not having enough or going without. This fear, which is rooted in a poverty mentality, leads them to other types of dreads and anxieties. In the end, the only way they can cope with life is by controlling and manipulating their way through their circumstances. Even if they don’t engage in occultic rituals, they still live as if they did because of their lifestyle of pursuing gain for selfish ambitions, and away from a relationship with God which is still idolatry. 1 Samuel 15:22-23 says in the Message Version,

“22-23 Then Samuel said,

Do you think all God wants are sacrifices—

    empty rituals just for show?

He wants you to listen to him!

Plain listening is the thing,

    not staging a lavish religious production.

Not doing what God tells you

    is far worse than fooling around in the occult.

Getting self-important around God

    is far worse than making deals with your dead ancestors.

Because you said No to God’s command,

    he says No to your kingship.

Likewise, the people of Israel who had adopted the customs of Egypt after living there in bondage for 430 years, had a golden calf made with the jewels they had gathered as part of the plunder when they left Egypt. Rather quickly they forgot that the Lord Almighty had brought them out of their bondage and slavery with a mighty arm and an outstretched arm. The idolatrous customs of Egypt were still set in them although they had left physically. Therefore, they bowed down to the golden calf and called it the god who brought them out of Egypt. Exodus 32:7-8 explains, 

“The Lord told Moses, ‘Quick! Go down the mountain! Your people whom you brought from the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. How quickly they have turned away from the way I commanded them to live! They have melted down gold and made a calf, and they have bowed down and sacrificed to it. They are saying, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.’”” NLT

In all these instances, the presence and the will of God had lost their value in the sight of the people, giving way to demonic bondage. On the other hand, for the prophet Elijah, in the times of the Old Testament, before Jesus entered the earth, the bull placed on the altar of sacrifice represented a sin offering. This offering was on behalf of the priest that presented the sacrifice as well as on behalf of the people. Through the sin offering of a bull, the sins committed by the people of Israel were atoned for (repaired). This way, they would be made right with the Lord again. Leviticus 16:6, 11 tells us this, 

“Aaron will present his own bull as a sin offering to purify himself and his family, making them right with the Lord.” NLT

This was another type and shadow of the sacrifice Jesus made for us for our redemption just like Abraham’s sacrifice of the ram that was caught in the bush. The bull was offered up to atone for our sins in the old covenant, but in the new one, Jesus became that sacrifice for us once and for all. He took our guilt of sin upon Himself so we would not have to. And instead, cleansed our conscience, gave us adoption as sons and daughters, as well as eternal life.

More on the next post. To God alone all the glory. * 

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