Entering The Land of God's Rest
To saints who have open and teachable hearts, the Lord is speaking about the "church age" that is passing away. He is also revealing at this time many profound truths which must be understood, embraced, and eventually walked out by us if we are to be of the group that will rule and reign with God (by the power of Christ’s love) in the age to come.
Yes, the time is nigh and upon us, friends, for us to possess the Land of our inheritance. This is so that we can then exercise the authority that is rightfully ours in Christ as heirs to the Father’s Kingdom.
Jesus proclaimed to Pilate in John 18:36 …
"My kingdom is not of this world," and, "My kingdom is not of this realm." (NASB)
The truth is that this very same kingdom that Jesus spoke of is within you and me, and this kingdom shall also soon be gloriously manifested (both in us and through us) in the age that is just ahead.
As many of you probably know by now, the Lord has used the "church age" as a stepping stone to another age in which the saints of God shall rule and reign with Him on the earth (but from the realm of the spirit). This age is the age of Tabernacles, the time appointed by God for a company of His own to possess the Land of their inheritance together, to enter into His rest, and by doing that put ALL enemies of God under their feet.
Yes, ALL enemies of God shall be subdued and put under the feet of the body of Christ in the coming age. Then it can be said, "The kingdoms of this world have become the Kingdom of our God and of His Christ." The body of Christ will be used for this work. Not the disjointed and decapitated body that we see at the present time, but a body that has been brought into a place of unity, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
Beloved, this may or may not come as something new to you, but the FEET (under whom the enemies of God shall be subdued) are MEMBERS OF THE BODY OF CHRIST, just as your feet are members of yours. Jesus Christ is the HEAD of His body which has many members with many different functions and gifts, and as far as I understand it, the "feet" are those who will manifest the overcoming life of Christ to the world (and an unbelieving church) in the end of this age.
Brothers and sisters, the Lord so longs to share the mysteries of His Kingdom with His children, yet so many of His own have hardened their hearts to present truth and have stopped up their ears with old understanding (the traditions of men). Many of these old ways of thinking must be put away in order for us to receive fresh truth from the Lord. This principle of leaving some of our old mindsets, traditions, and teachings behind so that we can move on into the "Land" is revealed to us in Joshua chapter 4, and this by two sets of "twelve stones" spoken of there. Let's take a quick look at those ...
Now when all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD spoke to Joshua, saying, "Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from each tribe, and command them, saying, 'Take up for yourselves twelve stones from here out of the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the priests feet are standing firm, and carry them over with you and lay them down in the lodging place where you will lodge tonight...'"
Thus the sons of Israel did as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, just as the LORD spoke to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel; and they carried them over with them to the lodging place and put them down there...
Then Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan at the place where the feet of the priests who carried the ark of the covenant were standing, and they are there to this day.
Beloved, please take notice that the first set of "12 stones" was taken out of the middle of the Jordan and it was then carried with the Israelites to their lodging place in the new Land (Joshua 4:8). Also take notice that the other set of "12 stones" was brought into the middle of the Jordan and was placed under the feet of the priests who were standing in the bed of the river. This second group of stones was to be left behind in the river when the waters of the Jordan were again released. They were never to be picked up again.
Now "stones" in the scriptures often speak of doctrines, and spiritual principles. With this in mind, we should be able to see in the above passage of scripture that the body of Christ will need to leave some of their old church doctrine and mindsets behind in order that they cross over into a new form of Kingdom order - the Land.
On the other hand, when the waters of the carnal nature are stood up in a heap all the way to the city of "Adam" (Joshua 3:16), then fresh understanding of God's truths, doctrines, and principles will be uncovered (represented by the other "12 stones"), and these must then BE POSSESSED and carried into the Land for they will be used by us in the age that is to come.
Oh dear friends in Jesus, we have come to a time ordained by God for a remnant people to enter into the Land of their inheritance and to then take full possession of it! But in order for us to do that, we must first be willing to leave some of our old (church age) thinking behind.
Beloved, we must not be like those Israelites of old who heard the word of God but to whom it did not profit because they did not unite the word with faith. We must be careful that our hearts do not harden to things that we do not yet understand. Fear, doubt, unbelief, and refusal to bury the old understanding of the old order can keep us from entering into the rest and promise of God. Those things can keep us from possessing our inheritance, and can keep us then wandering around in subjection to an old order of religion that has no life (Heb.4:2,3).
Beloved, the Father is even now preparing "dry ground" for us to cross over into the promise of His rest. We should be greatly encouraged in this. "Dry ground" speaks of sure footing. As the waters of the carnal nature of Adam have been overflowing their banks for 6000 years we have now come to a time when they are being stopped!! And for those who are pressing for the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, there will not even be a muddy bottom (the residue of the carnal mind) to slip or slide on or get stuck in. God is making way for us now for a firm walk in the Spirit, where footing is sure and destiny secure, for every step is ordered of God Himself!
So in this awesome day, may we all be exhorted (as were the Israelites in the day of Joshua who were to cross into the Land in that day)...
Consecrate yourselves for the Lord is about to do wonders among His people. Keep your hearts tender and open before Him whereby you may receive fresh understanding in the ways, purposes, truths, and principles of His coming Kingdom, and be prepared to leave behind many of the traditions of men and mindsets that you may have embraced as truth under the old order.
Do not submit to a spirit of religion any longer, but rather put all of your trust in the Lord your God and not men. Trust and believe that the Holy Spirit of Truth will lead you and guide you into all truth as the Lord has promised. Great accountability is coming to God's people for the things that He is now revealing. Be accountable to God for what you hear, and when He gives you a witness in your spirit to a word, possess it and let it become His life within you; something that can never be taken away from you.
Be not afraid nor dismayed, beloved ones, of things that are new to you, or that which you do not yet understand, for the Lord is with you, and He is taking you into a place of great power and tremendous authority . This “place” is THE LAND of your inheritance.