"Now Solomon assembled the elders of Israel
and all the heads of the tribes,
the chief fathers of the children of Israel,
in Jerusalem, that they might bring
the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord
up from the City of David, which is Zion."
2nd Chronicles 5:2
As I read this whole chapter the tears fell unbidden and unstopable, all I could think of was that this is a picture of Jesus when he will be coronated King in Jerusalem. It's such a glorious picture, one's heart cannot help but be stirred to glory in the reading of it.
King Solomon had finished building the Temple in Jerusalem, and now it was time to bring the Ark of the Covenant and all the furnishings of the sanctuary into it and dedicate it. He made a great feast and brought all the elders and the chiefs of the tribes of Israel, along with the multitudes of Levites who alone were permitted to touch and carry the holy things.
vs 7:
"Then the priests brought in the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord
to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the Temple,
to the Most Holy Place, under the wings of the cherubim."
Picture the jubilation as the multitudes and multitudes of priests and singers and all the musicians, all clothed in white, gathered in festive array to sound the praises of God as the Temple was finally being filled and dedicated, all to the sound of trumpets and stringed instruments and cymbals, a joyous sound heard for miles around. Can you imagine the sound of a hundred and twenty trumpets?
vs 11-13:
"And it came to pass when the priests came out of the Most Holy Place,
for all the priests who were present had sanctified themselves,
without keeping to their divisions, and the Levites who were the singers,
all those of Asaph and Heman and Jeduthun,
with their sons and their brethren, stood at the east end of the altar,
clothed in white linen, having cymbals, stringed instruments and harps,
and with them one hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets,
indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one,
to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord,
and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals
and instruments of music, and praised the Lord, saying:
'For he is good, for his mercy endures forever…"
And then suddenly ...as they raised their voices and musical instruments loud "AS ONE" ...the glory of God fell upon them so overwhelmingly that the priests were too overcome and couldn't continue.
vs 13-14:
"...that the house, the Temple of the Lord, was filled with a cloud,
so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud,
for the Glory of the Lord filled the house of God."
Saints, this is a picture of the day when Yeshua, the Lord Jesus Christ, will finally come to take his place in the new Temple of God in Jerusalem - to rule and to reign forever. The earth will have been cleansed from all the evil ones and all that will remain will be pure and righteous, forgiven, cleansed, and holy. Imagine the volume of the voices, the musical instruments and joyous shouts as we return WITH HIM, raising up a glorious sound in honor of THE KING, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords whose coronation will be the most glorious event mankind has ever witnessed.
It's beyond the imagining. The end of all that was, and the beginning of all that will be! Oh glory to God in the highest, GLORY to his Name, "...for he is good, and his mercy endures forever!" Praise him all peoples, bow before him, give him the glory and honor due his Name. Oh worship the King in the beauty of holiness! Sing praises to his Name!
"Give to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
give to the Lord glory and strength.
Give to the Lord the glory due his Name;
bring an offering, and come into his courts.
Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!
Tremble before him, all the earth.
Say among the nations, 'The Lord reigns;'"
Psalm 96:7-10
Oh how we yearn for that day!
“If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true."
John 5:31
"As I said in my book…"
I'd like to see the day when a man who has written a book might speak on a tv broadcast without saying over and over and over again, "as I said in my book..." to bring attention to himself and the book he has written. Or the song he has written. Or the places he has spoken at. He bears witness of himself, but his judgment is prideful. To a man, they all do this. Is there a man who doesn't?
There was a man named George Muller, a truly great man of God. He founded an orphanage and cared for more than 10,000 children in his lifetime. In reading a book on his life, one is immediately impressed with his humility. He lived by a determined principle, that is, that when he had a need he took the need to God and kept all his needs just between God and himself. You'd think, wouldn't you, that his orphanage would fail if he didn't appeal to men to support his work? But no, what God ordains God sustains and in humbling himself before God in all instances, his work thrived marvelously, at times miraculously. God will honor those who put their trust entirely in him.
How can a man think to bear witness of himself? Who must he impress? If he gains the accolades of men, what are those accolades worth? Actually, they are worth nothing because men do not have the correct perspective. Therefore, the only praise that is worth anything is the praise of the One who knows all the truth about us. Anything else is vanity, plain and simple. All done in pride will be in vain when they stand before the Lord.
“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites.
For they love to pray standing in the synagogues
and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.
Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.”
Matthew 6:5
They have their reward here, forfeiting it there.
We are called to walk the walk of faith.
"But without faith it is impossible to please him..."
Hebrews 11:6
What IS the walk of faith? It is the attitude of total and complete trust in the God who has a plan for each person's life. If God is in control, what more is needed? The praise of mortal men is empty and vain; the believer must strive to walk in the way of faith knowing that only the evaluation of God himself has any worth.
Faith will be tested to prove whether it is from the heart or just lip service – or worse, done in pride. Beware lest your works be found to be wood, hay, and straw ...worthless.
"For no other foundation can anyone lay
than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Now if anyone builds on this foundation
with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,
each one’s work will become clear,
for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire;
and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is."
1st Corinthians 3:11-13
If you want to be approved by God, the walk of faith is the only way given. It's a difficult walk, very much so, and in all circumstances our faith will be put to the test.
"...that the genuineness of your faith,
being much more precious than gold that perishes
though it is tested by fire,
may be found to praise, honor, and glory
at the revelation of Jesus Christ."
1st Peter 1:7
Friends, if you desire the praise of God when you stand before him, then you must set your heart on the ways of God, to do it his way and not yours. Any work that he has planned for you, he will provide the circumstances for you to succeed. Bring all your need and your cares to him alone, personally and privately, and watch how he will open doors you never could have anticipated.
"He came to his own, and his own did not receive him. But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to BECOME children of God, to those who believe in his Name.." John 1:11-12 He gave them the right to BECOME children of God… HOW does a person BECOME a child of God? The next part of the verse tells us how: vs 13: "...who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." Some religions teach that "we are all children of God." Nothing could be further from the truth. Until a person is born again, he is not a child of God. We are born into a fallen human nature, born into the world which, since Adam brought sin into the world, is now under the dominion of Satan, "the god of this world." "But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds THE GOD OF THIS WORLD has blinded..." 2nd Corinthians 43-4 Before Jesus was taken to be crucified, he acknowledged that fact: "I will no longer talk much with you, for THE RULER OF THIS WORLD is coming..." John 14:30 Jesus made it very clear that one MUST be born again, and until that moment, the person is NOT a child of God. To be born again is not an option, it is a vital necessity: "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You MUST be born again.’" John 3:6-7 Friend, if you are not born again you are living in the kingdom of the world, under the rulership of Satan. The born again experience is the only way you can become a child of God, that's why Jesus came - to rescue us from the dominion of Satan. The born-again experience dramatically changes a person. As the song goes, "The things of this world grow strangely dim..." One's interests change, one's outlook changes, everything changes because the Kingdom of God is vastly different from the kingdom of the world. After being born again I was totally amazed at the changes that took place inside of me, not by my choice, but by the effective working of the Spirit of God within. It was remarkable. A person who has been born again finds that the Lord is not a tyrant. He is the God of love. That doesn't mean that all painful things stop, but it does mean that all that happens is under the oversight and direction of God. He uses painful experiences to change us, to remake us, to mature us, to establish in us correct priorities; but he doesn't seek to destroy us as the ruler of the kingdom of the world does. No, the Lord of heaven wants only good for us, and it will become obvious to his born-again son or daughter that we are enveloped in the love of God and given the hope and promise of eternal life. "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." John 10:10 Pray with me: Father God, I've always thought that I'm a child of God, but I wonder now if I might have been deceived by religious teachers who do not teach the truth but give us false hope. Am I born again? Is my name written in "the Lamb's Book of Life?" If not, I come to you asking you to receive me as your son/daughter and make me your own. I am willing to turn my entire life over to you, asking you for salvation and inviting you to become my Lord. I am ready to surrender all to you. Please draw me to yourself and teach me daily from the Bible, which is your Word, the very Word of God. Please help me with the doubts that trouble me. I pray that you give me an assurance that I belong to you and am a son/daughter in your Kingdom, under the ruler-ship of my Creator who gave his life for me on that Cross for the forgiveness of my sins. I will live for you for the rest of my life, and look with joy to be with you in eternity. Amen. More