SEEK YE FIRST...

A year-long devotional study of the Kingdom of God from the writing of Robert B. Thompson

Compiled and Edited by

Edward J. Reiter

Copyright © 1995, 2006 Trumpet Ministries, Inc. All Rights Reserved

If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. (Philippians 3:11)

A prior judgment and transformation of our spiritual nature is necessary if we are to participate in the first resurrection--the resurrection from among the dead that will occur when the Lord Jesus appears.

The saints who will be glorified in the resurrection that occurs when Jesus is revealed, who will be like Him and who will see Him as He is, will not be judged after their glorification.

They already have been judged and sentenced to everlasting life, to the resurrection from among the dead. They are alive forever with the Lord, being an integral part of Messiah's appearing. The second death no longer possesses any authority over them.

Prayer: Father, my desire is to be judged now, in this life, before Jesus returns. Lord, today let resurrection life lead me into Your glory, Amen.

January 4th

Revelation 20:4-6

ASPECTS OF THE RESURRECTION OF THE SAINTS

Blessed and holy {is} he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. (Revelation 20:6)

The Book of Revelation is a description of the Day of the Lord. The emphasis is on the return of Messiah Jesus to the earth, the resurrection of the dead, and the Divine judgment on the conduct of human beings.

Participation in the first resurrection from the dead is not imputed to us by the Lord, nor is it given to us on the basis of mercy.

Rather, the first resurrection from the dead, the resurrection of God's kings and priests, must be attained. It is the consequence of permitting the Lord to crucify our Adamic nature and form His own Substance and image in us.

Prayer: Father, I would like to be a candidate for the first resurrection from the dead. Help me today to begin attaining it by allowing You to crucify my Adamic nature, and form Jesus in me, Amen.

January 5th

Philippians 3:8-14

ATTAINING THE FIRST RESURRECTION

If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. (Colossians 3:1,2)

The first resurrection from the dead is Messiah Jesus. He is being formed in us now. If He is not, then we are not attaining the first resurrection.

Either we are gaining the resurrection today or else we are losing the resurrection today. The Day of the Lord will not cause a change in our personality; rather, it will be an unveiling of that which has been wrought patiently throughout our pilgrimage on the earth.

If we are seeking the things that are above, if our attention, our love, our interests, our hopes, continually are focused on the Throne of God, on Messiah Jesus who is at the right hand of God, then we are attaining the spiritual dimension of the first resurrection from the dead.

Prayer: Father, help me to set all my affections upon Jesus today, hour by hour, Amen.

January 6th

Hebrews 1:1-1

ATTAINING THE INHERITANCE

In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: (Ephesians 1:11)

The Father offered a marvelous inheritance to the Lord Jesus the Messiah, and the Lord Jesus had to overcome all enemies and gain His inheritance. He had a work to do and He finished it.

To each one of us the Father is offering a marvelous inheritance--that of being a son and heir of God. To no angel has such an inheritance ever been offered. But it is being offered to us.

We are required to overcome, through Messiah Jesus, all the enemies that would seek to prevent our attaining our great inheritance. We have our own work to do and it is up to us, by the Lord's help, to finish it in the same spirit of faithfulness the Lord Himself manifested.

Prayer: Father, I desire the great inheritance that Jesus purchased for me. Lord Jesus, help me to overcome even as You faithfully did, Amen.

January 7th

Luke 8:5-16

ATTAINING THE OUT-RESURRECTION

Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. (Philippians 3:21)

The traditional understanding is that every person who makes a profession of faith in the Lord Jesus the Messiah and is baptized in water will participate in the first resurrection from the dead.

The traditional understanding does not agree with the third chapter of the Book of Philippians nor does it agree with the parables of the Kingdom of God that Jesus taught us.

The Kingdom of God, the resurrection, is a living Seed that enters us causing us to be born again. If we would attain the out-resurrection we must conscientiously nourish the living Seed. Otherwise, the Seed, the resurrection life, will wither away or be choked out before it can bring any fruit to perfection (Luke 8:5-16).

Prayer: Father, deliver me from the traditions of men and align my life with the Word of God. Lord Jesus, help me to nourish the living Seed within me, Amen.

January 8th

Isaiah 60:1-3

A BASIC CONCEPT

That they all may be one; as thou, Father, {art} in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. (John 17:21)

We cannot comprehend the Divine plan of salvation, or the Kingdom of God, until we grasp the fact that there are two classes of saved people--the elect (the Church), and the saved nations.

There also are people who are not saved, that is, they are not accepted of God for one reason or another.

The primary purpose of the two thousand years of the Christian Era has been to bring the elect, the saints (holy ones), to the maturity God desires.

As soon as the elect, or at least a firstfruits of the elect, have come into the unity with the Godhead to the extent God desires, many nations of the world will believe that God has sent Messiah Jesus and will come to the spiritual light emanating from the Messiah--Head and Body.

Prayer: Father, my desire is to be one with You and Messiah Jesus, Amen.

January 9th

Exodus 12:1-14

BEHOLD THE LAMB!

The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. (John 1:29,30)

The Passover commemorates the release of the Jews from bondage in the land of Egypt. In spiritual terms, Egypt represents the world spirit.

The actual Passover celebrated in Egypt over 3,000 years ago was an expression, a foreshadowing of God's ultimate sacrifice.

The Passover lamb portrays Messiah who is to come and deliver God's people, not from Egypt but from the wicked world spirit.

In Passover, God is telling us that release from slavery to the wickedness of the world can come only through the blood of the atonement made by Messiah and through eating the flesh and drinking the blood of Messiah.

Prayer: Father, thank you for my Passover lamb, Jesus Your Son. May His blood and Your Spirit deliver me more fully from the wicked world spirit around me, Amen.

January 10th

Ephesians 4:11-16

BEHOLD MY SERVANT !

Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, {in whom} my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. (Isaiah 42:1)

The Servant of the Lord is Messiah, the Anointed Deliverer. He is the One sent from God to bring deliverance to God's elect.

At the next appearing of the Lord Jesus the Messiah, His saints will be revealed together with Him.

The saints constitute the Body of the Messiah, the Body of the Anointed Deliverer, the Church, the Wife of the Lamb.

The Church will have become eternally one with Messiah by eating His flesh and drinking His blood. God will establish His Kingdom and bring justice to the nations through Messiah--Head and Body.

Prayer: Father, my desire is to become one with Your Servant, Messiah Jesus. Today, may His body and His blood be the complete source of my life, Amen.

January 11th

Acts 26:16-18

BELIEF IS NOT SALVATION

Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. (James 2:19)

Throughout the history of the Christian Church great emphasis has been placed on the individual's agreement with and profession of the accepted positions and beliefs concerning what is the correct understanding of the areas of knowledge.

Knowledge plays a very important role in the Divine salvation. There is a need for people to be aware of the existence of the Godhead--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and of the righteous and holy Nature of God.

There are aspects of the rebellion of the angels, and of the entrance of sin into the world, that when we know of them help us understand the presence and results of sin in the human personality and the need for forgiveness and deliverance.

However, a correct belief and profession of the facts of the Kingdom of God is not salvation.

Prayer: Father, help my beliefs and profession about the Kingdom of God translate into living proof of the power of Your salvation, Amen.

January 12th

Leviticus 23:24

THE BLOWING OF TRUMPETS

Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. (Psalms 24:7)

There were seven "feasts of the Lord." These seven feasts are set forth in the twenty-third chapter of the Book of Leviticus.

Each of the seven feasts has a great Kingdomwide fulfillment, and each has a personal fulfillment in the life of the individual believer in Messiah Jesus.

The Kingdomwide fulfillment of the blowing of Trumpets is the blowing of the seven trumpets, as described in the Book of Revelation. The saints will be raised from the dead at the seventh trumpet, and the kingdoms of this world will come under the rule of God and His Messiah.

The personal fulfillment of Trumpets is the coming of King Jesus to us to set up His Kingdom in our personality.

Prayer: Father, my desire is for Jesus to set up His Kingdom in my whole personality. Come, Lord Jesus, come, Amen.

January 13th

Luke 14:16-24

CALLED TO BE SAINTS

As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. (John 17:18)

Each of God's elect, His saints, has been sent into the world by the Lord Jesus just as the Father sent the Lord Jesus into the world.

The Father sent Jesus into the world to bear a true witness of the Father. The Lord Jesus has sent each of His chosen into the world so he or she may bear a true witness of the Lord Jesus.

The calling of each saint is to reveal the Glory of God in Messiah Jesus. This does not mean that every saint is a preacher or teacher or is called to leave his job and trust in Messiah for his wages.

It does mean that the foremost responsibility of every member of God's elect, his purpose for being on the earth, is to reveal Messiah in his life and behavior. Every other employment is for temporary, practical purposes.

Prayer: Father, my desire is to bear a true witness of the Lord Jesus. Today, let everything I say and do at home or at work reveal Him, Amen.

January 14th

1John 3:1-3

CHANGE

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, {even} as by the Spirit of the Lord. (2Corinthians 3:18)

The Christian salvation is not a preserving of what we are but a changing of what we are. We are to be transformed, and the process of change often is painful.

God has a purpose in our pain. If we are not transformed we cannot possibly enter the Kingdom of God, for there is neither sin nor self-seeking in the Kingdom.

Following and obeying the Holy Spirit as He leads us through hardship and tribulation brings down our old nature and raises up a new creation. A transformation takes place and we are changed into the image of the Son of God.

Prayer: Father, do not let me stay the way I am, but change me from glory to glory. May the Holy Spirit guide me along this path of transformation. And Lord, when the way becomes painful, help me to keep my eyes on Jesus, Amen.

January 15th

Jeremiah 3:16,17

A CHANGE OF EMPHASIS

But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, (Hebrews 12:22,23)

All we associate with Heaven, the blessing, the peace, the joy, the wonder, the beauty, the holiness, the music of the angels, and--best of all--the Presence of the Father and the Lord Jesus, are coming to the earth.

Men will speak of the Ark no longer or of any other sacred object. Now we will have the Person of God among us to love.

All we have hoped for in Heaven will have come to the earth. We will have the best of both worlds for an eternity in which each moment will be more glorious than the preceding.

Prayer: Father, I desire Your Presence more than the glories of a place called Heaven. Let me be at Your side forevermore, Amen.

January 16th

Romans 6:1-10

CHOOSE YOU THIS DAY!

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that {were} on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15)

An understanding of the sixth chapter of the Book of Romans makes clear the role of righteousness and holiness in the Christian salvation.

The consequences for the believer of continuing in sinful conduct is spiritual death while the result of cooperating with the Holy Spirit in putting to death the deeds of the flesh is eternal life.

Through Messiah the Christian has the power to choose to obey sin unto spiritual death or righteousness unto eternal life.

To understand the sixth chapter of Romans is to understand God's program of salvation from sin.

Prayer: Father, today I choose to lay down my life, pick up my cross, and follow Jesus. Today I reckon myself dead unto sin, but alive unto God, Amen.

January 17th

Romans 8:28-30

CHOSEN TO RULE

For many are called, but few {are} chosen. (Matthew 22:14)

God's rulers were (are) all known to Him from the beginning of the world. Each comes into the world at a specific point in time and through the circumstances of his life is molded into the chosen vessel of service.

Some people are born into the world for the purpose of being made rulers in the Kingdom of God. They were chosen to be of first rank in the plan of God before God framed the world.

If God has chosen us from the foundation of the world to walk in good works and authority in the Kingdom, He will carefully oversee our deeds, words, and motives. No area of our personality or behavior will be left untouched by His Virtue and will.

The rulers of the Kingdom must be perfected in the earth. It is here we learn patience. It is in the earth that the pearl in us is formed by the continual irritations of life. The pearl in us is a gate of the new Jerusalem, a gate through which people may enter and find God.

Prayer: Father, if You have called me to rule, let me do so with diligence, Amen.

January 18th

1 Peter 4:12-18

THE CHRISTIAN AND JUDGMENT

{Which is} a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer: (2Thessalonians 1:5)

The Scriptures teach plainly and in several places that every person who has ever lived will be judged, including the believers in Messiah Jesus.

Each individual will be rewarded according to his deeds, according to what he has done during his lifetime on the earth.

The Scriptures teach also that judgment begins with the saints and that the afflictions and tribulations that come upon them are Divine judgment.

Prayer: Father, I believe the Scriptures do teach us that we shall be judged according to our works. I choose to obey the Word, and not the traditions of men. Lord Jesus, help me today to allow You to deliver me from evil works, Amen.

January 19th

1 John 2:1-6

THE CHRISTIAN AND THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate {to be} conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. (Romans 8:29)

It has been difficult for Christian people to understand the relationship between the Law of Moses, particularly the Ten Commandments, and salvation through the grace of Messiah Jesus.

The typical Christian reaction to this question is, "I am not under the Law but under grace" (Romans 6:14).

What is the scriptural relationship of the Ten Commandments to the Christian redemption?

Perhaps the truth can be arrived at more readily when we change the traditional goal and means of the Christian salvation to the scriptural goal and means.

Prayer: Father, I want to keep Your commandments, every one of them. Lord, I believe You can help me to keep your Word, and if I do, You will keep me in the hour of temptation, Amen.

January 20th

2 Corinthians 5:1-11

CHRISTIANS SHALL BE REWARDED ACCORDING TO THEIR WORKS

Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. (Revelation 3:2)

There is a widespread belief among Christians that they will not be rewarded according to their works. The Scriptures do not support this confidence.

The Apostle Paul never taught that Christians are not judged and rewarded according to their works, nor did Jesus, John, Peter, James, Jude, or the writer of the Book of Hebrews.

This teaching is a Christian tradition. It is not found in the Scriptures. It is not of the Holy Spirit of God.

If the Christians of today had any idea of the terror of the Judgment Seat of Messiah Jesus, if they had any concept of the humiliation, pain, and loss of reward facing them in the near future, the churches would be on their face in an agony of repentance and confession of sin.

Prayer: Father, clearly we shall be judged by our works. Let mine be fruitful, Amen.

January 21st

John 17:15-26

THE CHURCH

So we, {being} many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. (Romans 12:5)

One of the great purposes of the past two thousand years of the Christian era has been the creating of the Body of Messiah.

The Body of Messiah is the Church, the Wife of the Lamb, the very representation of Messiah Jesus and God in Him to the world.

It is our point of view that as yet we possess an extremely faint notion of what God means by the Church. The seventeenth chapter of the Gospel of John may be the best description in the Scriptures of the Church of Christ.

Messiah Jesus has sent the Church, His Body, into the world as the living revelation of the Person, the Word, the way, the Nature, the Substance, the eternal purpose of Messiah. All that the Lord Jesus is He has placed forever in the Church so that the Church may be the perfect and complete manifestation of all that Messiah Jesus is and does.

Prayer: Father, my desire is to be one with Jesus even as He is one with You. Lord Jesus, make me part of your Bride, Amen.

January 22nd

Revelation 3:1-5

THE CHURCH WITHIN THE CHURCHES

My dove, my undefiled is {but} one; she {is} the {only} one of her mother, she {is} the choice {one} of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and blessed her; {yea}, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her. (Solomon 6:9)

The Christian churches of today consist of those whom God has called out of the world plus a multitude of people who have been brought into the assemblings by means other than the drawing of the Holy Spirit of God.

Within the churches there is a firstfruits, a warlike remnant who are faithful workers in the organization but whose hearts are married to the Lord.

In the days to come the holy remnant will be called out of the babylonish confusion of institutionalized Christianity.

They will be purified by the fires of tribulation and will be prepared to meet the Lord when He appears.

Prayer: Father, my desire is to be part of the firstfruits, to come out from the religious traditions of men. Lord Jesus, purify me today and let me walk with you in white, Amen.

January 23rd

Isaiah 60:4-22

THE CHURCH AND THE WORLD

I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. (John 17:9)

Today's understanding of the Kingdom of God is that there will be two groups of people in the age to come: the saved, and the lost.

This is not the case. There will be three groups of people in the age to come: the Church, the nations of the saved, and the lost.

The Tabernacle of the Congregation is a model of the Kingdom of God portraying the saved who rule (Israel, the elect of God), and the saved who are ruled (the saved nations of the earth--Revelation 21:24). In addition there will be those (hopefully few in number) who are lost forever to God and His saints.

Prayer: Father, help me to better understand Your plan of salvation. Enable me to cooperate with what You have planned for my life. Let me find the place You have chosen for me and help me to be ever faithful, Amen.

January 24th

Daniel 9:24-27

THE CLOCK STARTS TICKING AGAIN

And I will give {power} unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred {and} threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. (Revelation 11:3)

It is our opinion that the eleventh chapter of the Book of Revelation describes the seventieth week of Daniel, the time when the clock resumes ticking for the nation of Israel.

The first half of the week will consist of the latter-rain, double-portion revival that is prophesied in the Old Testament.

The latter-rain revival will result in the preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God to all nations for a witness.

The last half of the week will include the reign of Antichrist and the great tribulation.

Prayer: Father, make me ready for the last days. Wash me and cleanse me today. My desire is to find my place in the latter-rain revival and be Your witness, Amen.

January 25th

Psalm 149:5-7

THE COMING OF THE KINGDOM

And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. (Mark 1:15)

Messiah Jesus did not set up His Kingdom on the earth at His first coming because mature warrior-saints were not available at that time.

One of the main purposes of the two thousand years of the Christian Era has been the development of a mature army, an army that has been brought to the measure of the stature of the fullness of the Messiah.

There must be a company of strong people in whom and with whom God in Messiah Jesus can drive all sin and lawlessness from the face of the earth.

Prayer: Father, may Your kingdom come and may Your will be done in earth as it is in Heaven. Let Your perfect will be done in my life today, in everything I say and do. And Lord, let me become mature in Jesus and become part of Your company of strong people in whom Messiah Jesus can dwell, Amen.

January 26th

Luke 17:26

THE COMING OF THE LORD

And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what {shall be} the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? (Matthew 24:3)

Our vision of the return of Messiah Jesus to the earth affects the sincerity with which we prepare ourselves to do our Lord's will.

The present evangelical expectation is confusing, focusing on meeting the desires of people rather than being a true witness of the Person and will of almighty God.

Our current understanding is in error. It is leaving the believers unprepared for the spiritual desolation on the horizon.

The great and terrible Day of the Lord is at hand. Let us without delay cast aside our myths and traditions and search the Scriptures.

Let us pray that we may be accounted worthy to escape spiritual destruction and to stand before Messiah Jesus in victory.

Prayer: Father, my prayer is to be accounted worthy for the return of Jesus, Amen.

January 27th

Revelation 22:1-5

THE COMING OF THE THRONE

Thus saith the Lord, The heaven {is} my throne, and the earth {is} my footstool: where {is} the house that ye build unto me? and where {is} the place of my rest?      (Isaiah 66:1)

What is man? Man is destined to be the throne of God.

In the present hour the preparations for the moving of the throne of God from the heavens into the hearts of the victorious saints have begun.

No more awesome occurrence than the moving of God's throne, no event of more significance for the spirit and material realms, could be imagined.

An age of horrors is upon us. The provision God has made to save the righteous during the age of horrors is to place His throne in a holy remnant so they can serve as a hiding place for all who call upon the Lord in the dark hour.

Prayer: Father, please make my heart Your very throne. And prepare me, Lord, for the dark days ahead, Amen.

January 28th

Joshua 1:1-9

THE CONQUERING PERSONALITY

Therefore if any man {be} in Christ, {he is} a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

The reason the earth remains in darkness is that the members of the Body of Messiah are immature in the things of God.

They have not had created in them the conquering personality. They speak of going to their eternal home in Heaven, not realizing that God has given the world to them. They are not soldiers, they are sheep.

We are living in an hour when Messiah is ready to convert his sheep into soldiers. The "new creation" of the Kingdom of God is a conquering personality.

The purpose of ministry is to create the conquering personality. Ministry is temporary--a means to an end. The conquering personality is eternal.

Prayer: Father, my desire is to become a mature member of the Body of Messiah. Lord Jesus, create in me a true conquering personality that I may be a new creation in You, Amen.

January 29th

Philippians 3:13-14

THE CONQUEROR

He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. (Revelation 21:7)

The rewards assigned to the overcomer that are described in the second and third chapters of the Book of Revelation are aspects of the first resurrection from the dead.

They are the life, authority, power, and union with God through Messiah that God's kings and priests must possess if they are to perform their predestined roles in the Kingdom of God.

What does it mean to overcome, to conquer? Is it necessary for the Christian believer to be a conqueror in order for him to attain the first resurrection, to rule with Messiah at His appearing?

If so, how does the believer become a conqueror? How can the disciple be sure he is living as one of Messiah's conquerors?

Prayer: Father, my desire is to attain the first resurrection and rule with Messiah Jesus. Lord Jesus, lead me in the path of discipleship today, and conquer all my enemies, Amen.

January 30th

1 John 2:1-5

A CONTEMPORARY ERROR

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. (1John 5:3)

How are Christians to regard the admonitions and warnings of Messiah and His Apostles?

Are we to regard them as Christian law that we are to follow after the manner of the Law of Moses? Are we to consider them important moral guidelines that we ought to heed whenever convenient, knowing that we are not saved by doing these but by our profession of faith in Christ?

Or are we to view the commandments and warnings given by Messiah and His Apostles as the Word of God that we must keep, as He gives us the wisdom and power, with the understanding that it is only as we obey them that we enter the Kingdom of God?--that we show our love for Messiah and become candidates for the fullness of God?

Prayer: Father, I believe Your commandments are to be obeyed, today and forever. Today, by Your grace and help, I will take heed to the admonitions and warnings of Messiah and His Apostles, Amen.

January 31st

1 Peter 1:10-12

THE CONTINUITY OF THE TESTAMENTS

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10)

There has entered Christian thinking the belief that the New Testament describes a "dispensation of grace" different from (almost unrelated to) the previous working of God with men, particularly with Israel--God's elect.

The interpretation of the Apostle Paul's doctrine to mean God has introduced to mankind a new plan of salvation by "grace" that excuses people from the penalties of sin and rebellion, with the intention of bringing them into Paradise in their untransformed state, is unscriptural. Such is not the Gospel of the Kingdom of God.

There appears to be great misunderstanding today, not only in the relationship of the new covenant to the old covenant but also in the relationship of the events and doctrines described in the New Testament writings to the events and doctrines set forth in the Old Testament.

Prayer: Father, separate me from the traditions of men, and cause me to understand fully the relationship between the old and new covenants, Amen.

February 1st

Ephesians 2:11-22

THE CONVERGENCE

For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp {that} burneth. (Isaiah 62:1)

The promises of God concerning the Kingdom always are to Jerusalem. Those who would press forward in God today must become rightly related to Israel, for the promises of the Scriptures are to Israel.

Convergence is an important concept to grasp in the present hour. The Kingdom of God is a convergence of the spiritual and material realms. The fullness of what today is in Heaven at the right hand of God is destined to find material expression in the earth in the Day of Messiah.

Another convergence must be considered also, and that is the convergence of the Christian Church, which is the Body of the Messiah, and the land and people of Israel.

Spiritual Israel and natural Israel will come into glory at the same time, and the light of the knowledge of the Glory of the Lord will issue from the saints and cover the whole earth.

Prayer: Father, make me one with Your house of Israel, Amen.

February 2nd

1 Corinthians 1:17-31

THE CROSS AND THE NEW CREATION

Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with {him}, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. (Romans 6:6)

The cross is the center, the core of the Kingdom of God. Every member of the Kingdom of God is to view the creation from the cross.

The saint does not seek his own will but the will of God. The cross insures that the will of God is done in the Kingdom of God.

Being crucified with Messiah purifies the believer of self-will. The cross of the saint destroys self-will, personal ambition, fleshly enthusiasm, self-centeredness, self-love from his personality.

Living a crucified life means there always is a point of pain in our consciousness. We never can completely relax, settle back and be at ease in Zion.

Prayer: Father, I believe that without the cross there is no Kingdom of God. I choose today to enter more fully into my crucifixion with Messiah. Lord Jesus, help me today to pick up my cross and follow You completely in all that I say and do, Amen.

February 3rd

Leviticus 23:26-28

THE DAY OF ATONEMENT

And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21)

There were two principal observances that made an atonement for Israel on the Day of Atonement. The first observance involved the slaying of a goat. The blood of the goat was sprinkled on and before the Mercy Seat as a sin offering for the people.

The second observance was conducted with a living goat. The High Priest confessed the sins of Israel, putting them on the head of the living goat. The goat then was led away into the wilderness, bearing on itself all the iniquities of the people of Israel.

The redemption of a human being must include the pardoning of the guilt of his sin and also the removal of the presence of sin from him.

Before a person can be healed morally, obtain full fellowship with God, and enter his Divinely appointed inheritance in the Lord, his sins must be forgiven and the presence of sin removed from him.

Prayer: Father, I desire not only forgiveness, but the complete removal of sin from my life, Amen.

February 4th

2 Thessalonians 1:7-10

THE DAY OF THE LORD

Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. (Matthew 24:42)

Our vision of the return of Messiah Jesus to the earth affects the sincerity with which we prepare ourselves to do our Lord's will.

It is necessary that Christian people study the Scriptures concerning this supremely important event and not just accept the traditions that have been handed to us.

Many of us have trusted that the saints will not be called on to endure tribulation. Yet, this is not borne out by church history or by the Scriptures. One area of confusion concerns the great tribulation. The difference between tribulation and Divine wrath is not always made clear.

Tribulation is necessary for the perfecting of the saint. We enter the Kingdom of God through much tribulation. Wrath falls on the wicked and is nonredemptive. God has not appointed us to wrath but to obtain salvation through our Lord, Messiah Jesus.

Prayer: Father, I want to be ready for the Day of the Lord. Keep me from deception, O God, Amen.

February 5th

Matthew 24:29-31

THE DAY OF MESSIAH

Let no man deceive you by any means: for {that day shall not come}, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; (2Thessalonians 2:3)

The Day of Messiah, the Day of the Lord, the second coming of the Lord Jesus the Messiah to the earth, is the blessed hope of the Christian Church.

It is the coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth--that which was preached by John the Baptist, Jesus of Nazareth, and the Apostles of the Lamb.

In this booklet we are speaking of Messiah's return in glory, the Day of Redemption, the promised worldwide revelation of the Messiah to set up His Kingdom on the earth.

We are stating that there shall be no secret coming of the Lord for His Church before His worldwide appearing, and that the current teaching of a pretribulation "rapture" is a very destructive error.

Prayer: Father, the return of Messiah is my blessed hope. Come, Lord Jesus, come, Amen.

February 6th

Galatians 2:16-19

DEATH AND RESURRECTION--THE HEART OF THE NEW COVENANT

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

The sixth chapter of the Book of Romans may well be the clearest exposition of the new covenant to be found in the Scriptures.

The crucial aspect of new-covenant grace is our union with Messiah in His crucifixion and our union with Him in His resurrection and ascension to the right hand of God.

Our union with Messiah's crucifixion and resurrection distinguishes the Divine redemption from all other religions and philosophies.

Prayer: Father, deliver me from evil and lead me not into temptation. Help me to take my place in the death and resurrection of Your beloved Son. Lord Jesus, our union is essential. Let it increase today, Amen.

February 7th

Romans 5:8-10

DE JURE AND DE FACTO SALVATION

Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? (Romans 6:16)

He who believes in the justifying blood of Messiah Jesus has been forgiven his past sin and disobedience to God's will. This is de jure salvation--salvation by the Lord's legal provision for us. Through it we receive the authority to be children of God.

But eternal life is maintained by actual (de facto) righteousness. There can be no Divine, eternal Life where sin and self-will are active except as God is leading the believer toward deliverance from such behaviors. Imputed (assigned) righteousness is a temporary provision.

Imputed, de jure righteousness is not the Kingdom of God but a provision God has made so people may be able to press forward to the righteousness of behavior that is the Kingdom of God. Ignorance of the proper roles of de jure and de facto righteousness lies at the root of the current evangelical error.

Prayer: Father, lead me along the path from imputed to true living righteousness, Amen.

February 8th

1 John 3:5-7

DELIVERANCE FROM SIN

O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? (Romans 7:24)

There are two kinds of righteousness that come to us as part of the new covenant. The first is imputed (assigned) righteousness.

The second kind of righteousness is actual deliverance from the nature and the effects of sin.

Today there is little understanding of the second kind of righteousness. Yet, it is the second kind of righteousness that characterizes the new covenant.

There are relatively few verses in the New Testament that speak of imputed righteousness. However, there are numerous passages in the New Testament that proclaim the necessity for the practice of righteous behavior on the part of the believer.

Prayer: Father, in You I take hope that I can be delivered from the body of this death. Lord Jesus, in You there is power over sin and death, lead me into absolute victory! Amen.

February 9th

2 Peter 2:20-22

THE DESTRUCTION OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. (Isaiah 61:11)

True faith in the Lord Jesus the Messiah produces honor and integrity in the human personality. The maturing saint learns to act righteously, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God.

The deceptions prevalent in current Christian thinking work against the producing of actual righteousness, of righteous works, of honor and integrity in the believer in Messiah Jesus.

These teachings are not pardonable misunderstandings of theological details, they are of the spirit of deception. They come from the enemy. They are destroying the work of God.

Prayer: Father, I desire to spring forth and live righteously before You and the nations of the earth. Lord Jesus, lead me today in paths of righteousness, Amen.

February 10th

Leviticus 23:1-4

DEUTERONOMY 16:16

Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the Lord empty: (Deuteronomy 16:16)

The gathering of the Hebrew males in observance of God's command in Deuteronomy 16:16 typifies the three platforms of the Christian salvation:

1. The feast of Unleavened Bread portrays the blood atonement, repentance, water baptism, and the born-again experience.
2. The feast of Weeks (Pentecost) speaks of the work of the Holy Spirit--He who in faithfulness prepares the Bride for the Bridegroom.
3. The feast of Tabernacles represents the coming of the Father and the Son to take up their eternal abode in the saint

Prayer: Father, so much of Christianity believes that there are only two great works of redemption. Lord Jesus, take me past Pentecost into the Tabernacles experience, Amen.

February 11th

2 Timothy 2:1-7

THE DISCIPLE

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: (Matthew 28:19)

There are two kinds of "Christian" believers in the world--the church-attender and the disciple. Only the disciple is a true Christian.

The question is, what is a disciple; for it is the disciple who is the genuine Christian.

The Lord Jesus described what He means by a disciple.

How many "Christians" of our day have forsaken all in order to follow the Lord? Not very many, it appears. How many are following the Master, bearing their personal cross? Not very many!

The Christian churches of today are filled with church-attenders. They call themselves "Christians" but they are not! They are not disciples of the Lord Jesus-not at all! They simply are not genuine Christians.

Prayer: Father, make me more than a church-attender, make me a true disciple of Messiah Jesus! Amen.

February 12th

Luke 12:47-48

DIVERSITY OF DESTINIES

And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: (Hebrews 9:27)

Christians do not pay enough attention to the different destinies available to those whom God saves from destruction. For each person who escapes the Lake of Fire there exists a wide array of roles and opportunities for service. These range in authority and glory from being seated in the throne of Messiah to being "saved; yet so as by fire."

Christian teaching and preaching leave people with the impression that only two choices of destiny, to be saved or lost, are available to mankind, and that all the saved are given much the same reward. However, it is not true that the destinies of all the saved are so similar there is not much point in examining the issue.

The differences in destiny among the saved are indeed important. The rewards the Scriptures hold out to us are desirable. They will be our possessions for eternity. The fear of punishment and the hope of glory provide us with the strongest of motivations to serve the Lord with all our mind and strength.

Prayer: Father, today I desire to serve You with all my mind and strength, Amen.

Hebrews 2:1-10

DOMINION

Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing {that is} not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. (Hebrews 2:8)

In the timeless vision of God, man has been crowned with glory and honor. Man is destined to be above the angels in authority.

Today man is proud, spiritually weak, self-centered, rebellious, hard of heart. He is under various teachers and rulers. He has been placed below the angels temporarily in order that he may experience suffering, humiliation, and the denial of his desires.

To the man who is faithful to carry his cross and endure hardness as a good soldier will come the dominion promised him from the beginning.

Prayer: Father, I bow before Your glory and truth. Today let me see, anew and afresh, what You have in store for the person who follows You into complete union with Messiah Jesus. Lord Jesus, You are the captain of my salvation. You I obey, Amen.

1 Peter 4:1-11

DYING IN THE LORD

And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed {are} the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them. (Revelation 14:13)

The fourteenth chapter of the Book of Revelation portrays the firstfruits of the Lord, the holy remnant who, through Messiah Jesus, have overcome sin and now stand before the throne of God. The lie with which human nature is filled has been destroyed from them.

Divine judgment in the house of God, and the shaking of all that is not found in the Lord, are the burden of the hour.

Those who are willing to follow the Lord into judgment, death, and resurrection, will stand in the darkness and save many.

Those who choose some other way, evading the personal cross of death to the Adamic personality, will continue to deceive themselves and their followers.

Prayer: Father, today I choose to enter into the death and resurrection of Jesus. I trust that if I do, You will raise me unto glory, Amen.

February 15th

Epheisans 1:10-12

EAGLES' WINGS

Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and {how} I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself. (Exodus 19:4)

We are brought out of Egypt on eagles' wings but we enter our inheritance, our land of promise, on our feet.

God has given us everything in Messiah Jesus. All that people could desire, and eternity in which to enjoy it, are ours the moment we receive the Lord Jesus as our Savior and Lord.

But we must lay hold of our inheritance, maintaining it, developing it, perfecting it.

The Scriptures are clear that to neglect our great salvation is to risk disaster.

Prayer: Father, I believe You have given me every good thing in Jesus Christ. In Him, I lack nothing.  Lord Jesus, today let me take my place with you in the heavenlies. In everything I say and do today, let me be pleasing in Your sight, Amen.

February 16th

Psalm 45:3-7

THE END-TIME JUDGMENTS

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. (2Peter 3:10)

The seven trumpets announce the coming of King Jesus to destroy His enemies, beginning with the forces of darkness that bind His own people.

The blowing of the seven trumpets will result in the great tribulation. The purpose of the great tribulation is to separate the true people of the Lord from Satan, from Antichrist, from the False Prophet, and from Babylon.

The blowing of the seven trumpets represents those interventions in human history designed to humble and purify the Bride of the Lamb and to prepare mankind for the coming of the Lord.

Prayer: Father, deliver me completely from the darkness within me and bring me into Your marvelous light. Today Jesus, make more ready than ever for Your appearing, Amen.

February 17th

1 Corinthians 6:9-10

ENTERING THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN

From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matthew 4:17)

We Christians speak of "going to Heaven" as though the goal of the Divine redemption were to bring man to the spirit world to make his eternal residence there. We sing of going to a place--to a paradise that will put an end to all our pains and dreads.

But the Scriptures speak of entering or inheriting the kingdom of Heaven. This is a different concept from that of merely going to a delightful place.

Because the Kingdom of Heaven is God in Messiah in the saints performing God's will, the "heaven" we desire is not, first of all, a place but a state of being--a state of being based on a set of relationships with God and people.

The condition of each individual depends upon where he is with respect with God and where he is with respect to the universe. If he is far from God he soon will be living in Hell. If he is dwelling in the bosom of the Father with the Lord Jesus he soon will find himself in the Paradise of God.

Prayer: Father, I desire union with You more than a place in glory, Amen.

February 18th

Hebrews 3:7-19

ENTERING THE LAND OF PROMISE

From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast. (Joshua 1:4)

The Book of Joshua is an illustration of what will occur at the end of the Church Age.

The death of Moses and the installation of Joshua as leader illustrate the change of the Lord Jesus from Shepherd to Commander in Chief of the army of God.

The two spies portray the dedicated disciples in the present hour who are pressing into the promises of God and returning to describe them to the remainder of the Church.

The Israelites crossing Jordan and attacking Jericho represent the saints of Messiah Jesus entering their land of promise.

The people of Jericho typify Satan and his demons who at this time are inhabiting the inheritance promised to the Lord's elect.

Rahab signifies the people of the world who will assist the saints of the last days, thus saving themselves and their loved ones.

Prayer: Father, deliver me from a heart of unbelief, and lead me today more fully into my inheritance, Amen.

February 19th

Hebrews 12:22-29

ENTERING THROUGH THE GATES

Blessed {are} they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. (Revelation 22:14)

The Glory of the Lord will fill the earth in the ages to come.

What we think of as Heaven will be found in Zion, in Jerusalem, in the holy mountain of the Lord.

It is not enough to die and pass into the spirit realm.

Our objective is to enter through the gates into the holy city of Jerusalem.

The new Jerusalem will be all we mean by the term "Heaven."

Prayer: Father, I desire the right to eat of the tree of life and to enter into the New Jerusalem. Lord Jesus, help me today to keep Your commandments and live by Your body and blood, Amen.

February 20th

Jeremiah 31:31-34

THE ETERNAL LAW OF GOD

For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, (Hebrews 10:26)

Perhaps the greatest error in Christian thinking is that Messiah's grace brings us eternal life and fellowship with God apart from our obedience to the eternal moral law. It is a misunderstanding of the Apostle Paul of enormous significance. This error has wrecked the work of the Kingdom of God in the earth. Eternal life can exist only where there is obedience to the eternal law of God.

The eternal law of the Lord God of Heaven never changes. It has existed from eons past. It abides today and will endure throughout the eons yet to come. It never shall change or pass away. The eternal law was given to Moses to pass on to Israel, and through Israel to all mankind. At that time its expression was somewhat hindered because of the limitations of our flesh.

Now that we have been born again of Messiah, and the Spirit of God is dwelling in us, we can begin to respond to the fullest implications of this holy law.

Prayer: Father, I desire absolute obedience to Your eternal law, Amen.

February 21st

John 3:14-17

ETERNAL LIFE

And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. (John 17:3)

We understand that to have eternal life is to live, move, and have our being in the Presence of God.

We understand also that Messiah Jesus Himself is eternal life.

The message of Easter is not that Messiah's Spirit was raised from the dead.

The physical body of Jesus--His flesh and bones--walked out of the cave of Joseph of Arimathea.

Messiah arose physically. Messiah Jesus came in the flesh and was raised from the dead in the flesh.

This is the marvelous, incomparable hope of the Christian faith.

Prayer: Father, the resurrection of Jesus is essential to my faith. Make eternal life more real to me today that ever before, Amen.

February 22nd

Revelation 21:1-7

THE ETERNAL PURPOSE OF GOD

Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left {us} of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. (Hebrews 4:1)

Before the heaven and earth were created, God saw in His mind the new heaven and earth, and the new Jerusalem. When God created the first heaven and earth and all of earth's inhabitants, including man, God knew every event that must transpire before it would be possible for Him to bring forth the actual heaven and earth that He had in mind, and a government that would bring righteousness, peace, and joy to the inhabitants. After all had been created in timeless vision, God rested. Our sole business in life is to enter that rest, that finished work of the Lord God and His Messiah.

Each human being is occupied with creating heaven and earth according to his own desires, fashioning himself and his destiny as he sees fit. But God invites us to enter His rest, that is, into the heaven and earth which God has chosen. Also, God knows what our destinies to be. All that God asks is that we cease from our own works and receive the heaven and earth, and the personality and role, that He has chosen for us.

Prayer: Father, make it my business to find and enter Your rest, Amen.

February 23rd

Romans 12:1-3

THE EXERCISE OF FAITH

For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think {of himself} more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. (Romans 12:3)

No term is more familiar to Christians than faith. Faith is discussed in association with Divine healing, financial need, and success in living the Christian life. It is important that we understand the difference between mental faith and scriptural faith, and how to apply scriptural faith in our hour of need.

There is a modern concept that faith is a spiritual force we can use to manipulate our surroundings. We can learn to use faith to get what we want. We can command the angels. This is the spirit of religious delusion that has "two horns like a lamb" and that speaks "as a dragon" (Revelation 13:11). It is to attempt to use the power (the horns) of Messiah (the Lamb) apart from entering into the death and resurrection of Messiah. It is to remain a spiritual single and yet try to draw on the bank account of Messiah.

Prayer: Father, teach me what You mean by "the just shall live by faith," Amen.

Galatians 2:1

FAITH AND FRUIT

Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. (James 2:24)

The Scripture presents two separate viewpoints of righteousness. Paul stresses that we are made righteous by our faith in Messiah. James emphasizes that we attain righteousness by means of righteous works.

The believer who embraces the Lord, sharing each day in the death and triumphant resurrection of Messiah, reveals in himself or herself both the faith and the fruit that go together to form the true salvation that God has given us in Messiah Jesus our Lord.

Faith and godly behavior fit together in the new covenant concept of fruit--the fruit of the new creation. The God of Heaven requires the fruit of godly behavior as part of salvation by faith.

The healthy, growing Christian will bear the fruit of Messiah-likeness in his personality. If over a period of time there is no change in the personality, then something has gone wrong. Spiritual sickness is present. Spiritual death will occur unless steps are taken to correct the deficiencies.

Prayer: Father, today lead me in the perfect balance of faith and works, Amen.

February 25th

Luke 16:1-8

FAITHFUL STEWARDSHIP

And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward. (Luke 16:2)

It is time for men and women of God to come forth--men and women who are on the Lord's side. There always is an adversary relationship in the Christian ministry. The people whom we serve are debtors to God. They will, without realizing it perhaps, bring pressure to bear on us, hoping we will minimize God's demands on them.

They believe that if they can get us to say they are acceptable to God as they are, somehow it will prove to be true; if we change their account they actually will "owe less money."

The Lord's debtors, His followers, are holding us responsible (as indeed we should be held) to say to them precisely what God is saying to them. Yet, they will pressure us to relax the demands of God. The minister of God who yields to this pressure, who attempts to gain security by seeking favor with the people, who misrepresents their debt to God, is worthless in the Kingdom of God.

Prayer: Father, I desire to be utterly faithful in the stewardship You have given me, Amen.

February 26th

Leviticus 23:34-44

THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES

Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month {shall be} the feast of tabernacles {for} seven days unto the Lord. (Leviticus 23:34)

There were seven "feasts of the Lord."

Each of the seven feasts has a Kingdomwide fulfillment and each has a personal fulfillment in the life of the individual believer in Messiah Jesus.

The Kingdomwide fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles is the eternal reign of Messiah Jesus.

The personal fulfillment of Tabernacles is the coming of the Father and the Son through the Holy Spirit to make Their eternal home in the personality of the saint.

Prayer: Father, I believe that today You are calling Your people to go past Pentecost and on to Tabernacles. Come to me, with Your Son Jesus, and make Your eternal home in my personality. Lord Jesus, fulfill Your will in my life today, Amen.

February 27th

Hebrews 4:8-11

THE FEASTS OF THE LORD

And the Lord spake unto me, saying, Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward. (Deuteronomy 2:2,3)

What can we expect after we have experienced Pentecost?

Toward what, precisely, do we press after Pentecost, after we receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit?

The Jews under Moses were given seven holy convocations to observe annually. Do you know what they were? Do you know how they apply to our Christian walk?

The Feasts of the Lord explains the plan of redemption, how we move with the Holy Spirit to the rest of God, to the spiritual fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles, to the fullness of the salvation that is in Messiah Jesus.

Prayer: Father, my desire is to move with the Holy Spirit on to the rest of God. Do not allow me to settle for anything less than the fullness of the salvation that is in Messiah Jesus, Amen.

February 28th

Revelation 20:11-15

THE FIRE OF GOD

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death. (Revelation 2:11)

It is apparent that there is more involved in the second death than just the wicked being cast into the Lake of Fire at the end of the thousand-year Kingdom Age.

The wording of the Book of Revelation suggests that the second death has authority over the believer until he, through Messiah Jesus, gains victory over the works that God condemns. The second death has authority over all sinful behavior!

Our God is a consuming Fire. His fire comes upon us now and separates us from our sins. If we are not willing to be separated from our sins, we run the risk of having the Lake of Fire claim us for its own.

The second death, the Lake of Fire, has Divine authority over fearfulness, unbelief, abominations, murder, fornication, sorcery, idolatry, and lying. Until we are free from these the second death has authority over us.

Prayer: Father, burn in my heart as a flame of fire and help me to overcome the second death, Amen.

March 1st

Revelation 20:1-15

THE FIRST AND SECOND RESURRECTIONS

But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This {is} the first resurrection. (Revelation 20:5)

The first resurrection is not the general resurrection of salvation.

It is a special advance resurrection for the purpose of changing the occupants of the spiritual thrones that govern the earth from fallen angels to the Lord's victorious saints.

The first resurrection will take place when the Lord Jesus returns, at the beginning of the thousand-year Kingdom Age. Its mission is to establish the Kingdom of God on the earth.

The judgment of most people and their entrance into eternal life or eternal death will take place at the second resurrection.

Prayer: Father, there is much confusion in the churches today concerning the resurrection of the believer. Deliver me God from all that is false.

March 2nd

John 5:25-28

FIRST CORINTHIANS, FIFTEEN

And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame {and} everlasting contempt. (Daniel 12:2)

The main vision of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God is that of the resurrection to eternal life.

Every person who has lived on the earth will be raised from the dead, some to eternal life and some to judgment and possibly shame and everlasting contempt--if not worse!

Because of the numerous errors contained in present-day evangelical theology, the hope of the bodily resurrection to eternal life, and the fear of meeting the consequences of ungodly behavior, have all but disappeared from Christian preaching and teaching.

Prayer: Father, my desire is to awake to everlasting life. Deliver me from all that would bring shame and contempt. Lord Jesus, lead me in paths of obedience and righteousness today for Your name's sake, Amen.

March 3rd

1Thessalonians 4:13-18

FIRST THESSALONIANS 4:13-18

But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. (1 Thessalonians 4:13)

Can we state reasonably that the Lord Jesus, as recorded in the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew, suggested in any manner that there was to take place a glorious appearing from Heaven, a shout of battle from the armies of Heaven, the powerful cry of the chief angel, the trumpet of God, and the resurrection of the dead and living saints, before the coming that He told His disciples about in Matthew 24:30,31? And this against the express declarations of the Apostle Paul?

Messiah Jesus is coming from Heaven and we shall be caught up together with all the saints from all time to meet Him in the air.

But we must prepare ourselves today because the Day of Messiah will not come until there has been a worldwide revolt against all lawful authority and the Satan-filled man of sin is revealed.

Prayer: Father, help me today to prepare evermore diligently for the return of Jesus, Amen.

March 4th

Revelation 12:12-17

FOOD SACRIFICED TO IDOLS

But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. (Revelation 2:14)

Many people of today partake of "food" sacrificed to idols. Not all of these idols are commonly referred to as sin, but each of them is often a source of gratification for demons. One of the most important aspects of moral deliverance is a clear, well-defined statement of the problem. It does little good to ask the Lord to remove all sin from us. We have to specify exactly what the Holy Spirit has revealed to us, precisely what has come to our attention.

It is better that we discuss our problems as sin. Many of the "foods offered to idols" can be referred to as a psychological problem. Often such an attitude is helpful in encouraging the individual to work through his or her problem without excessive condemnation or spiritualizing. However, it is well to keep in mind that evil practices have a demonic counterpart. When we denounce them as sin the Divine judgment comes to our assistance.

Prayer: Father, deliver me from food offered unto idols, Amen.

March 5th

Isaiah 2:2-4

FOUR ASPECTS OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD

When the people are gathered together, and the kingdoms, to serve the Lord. (Psalms 102:22)

Four aspects of the Kingdom of God need to be considered:

1. the Feast of Tabernacles and its relationship to the Kingdom of God;
2. the oneness of the Scriptures, of the Israel of God, and of the Kingdom of God;
3. the nature of the new covenant;
4. the role of Israel among the nations of the saved.

It is difficult to comprehend the Kingdom of God until these four areas are understood.

Prayer: Father, lead me into a greater understanding of the Kingdom of God. Teach me the importance of the Feast Of Tabernacles, the oneness of the Scriptures, the nature of the new covenant, and the role of Israel among the nations of the saved as they relate to Your Kingdom, Amen.

March 6th

Revelation 11:15-19

FOUR ASPECTS OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD

He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law. (Isaiah 42:4)

The booths of the Feast of Tabernacles speak of the dwelling of God in Messiah in us, and therefore of the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is the Presence and rule of God in us.

The Old and New Testaments constitute one Word of God to mankind, particularly to the Israel of God. The entire Scriptures speak of one God, one Spirit, one Messiah; of loving mercy, of practicing righteousness, of walking humbly with God.

The new covenant includes the grace of forgiveness but has much more to do with righteous and holy conduct. The grace of God in Messiah Jesus is not a ticket to Paradise. It is the power to change our deeds as our mind and heart are changed.

God's Israel, the olive tree, the Seed of Abraham, is to serve as a royal priesthood over the nations of the saved peoples of the earth. The nations of the saved will walk forever in the light of the new Jerusalem.

Prayer: Father, Thy will be done, Thy Kingdom come, Amen.

March 7th

Psalm 111:1-110

FOUR TYPES OF THE PLAN OF SALVATION

He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend {is} his name. (Psalms 111:9)

Redemption is the restoring to the rightful owners of what was stolen from them, or what they forfeited for some reason, or what was wrested from them by force. The natural right of mankind is to be in God's image, to have union with God, to be fruitful, and to have rulership over God's handiwork. These original rights were taken from mankind by evil, unclean spiritual forces in the heavenlies.

Through Messiah, God has set in operation a complete plan that will totally redeem mankind and restore to His obedient children all that was taken from them by the ancient adversary who seeks their ruin.

There are four great types of the Divine plan of redemption. These four types are found in the Old Testament. They are the Tabernacle of the Congregation, the seven days of creation, the wilderness wandering of Israel, and the feasts of the Lord. Each of these four are divided into seven principal parts, and each part gives us insight into the program of salvation.

Prayer: Father, redeem me fully, Amen.

Hebrews 10:38-39

FROM EGYPT TO CANAAN

Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. (Joshua 1:3)

The exodus of Israel from Egypt, the wandering in the wilderness of Sinai, and the entrance into Canaan constitute one of the greatest of the Old Testament types of the Christian salvation.

Traditionally, Egypt is regarded as a type of the earth, the wilderness wandering is viewed as a type of our life upon the earth, and Canaan is considered to be a type of Heaven.

These views are incorrect! Egypt is a type of the world system, not a type of the earth. The world system is wicked but the earth itself is not wicked.

The wilderness wandering is to some extent a type of life lived on the earth in which our instruction and testings take place here.

But by no means is Canaan a type of Heaven, unless by "Heaven" one means the Presence of God in Messiah Jesus.

Prayer: Father, lead me through the wilderness and into Your heart, Amen.

March 9th

Romans 8:28-39

FROM JUSTIFICATION TO GLORIFICATION

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to {his} purpose. (Romans 8:28)

God has a purpose, a plan, a method, an objective. If there is an area of greater confusion in Christian thinking than that of God's eternal purpose we do not know of it.

According to current thinking, the purpose of God is to bring us to Heaven when we die. However, this objective is not found in the Old Testament or the New Testament.

The scriptural purpose of God is set forth as follows:

• For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate {to be} conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. (Romans 8:29)

The principal goal of the Christian redemption is to change into the image of the Lord Jesus those whom God has predestined and to glorify them together with Messiah Jesus. Messiah then will be the Firstborn of many brothers.

Prayer: Father, my desire is to be changed into the image of Jesus, Amen.

March 10th

Ephesians 1:1-14

FULFILLING THE VISION

That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; {even} in him: (Ephesians 1:10)

In the beginning God endowed man with the fullness of blessing--an inheritance truly worthy of the sons of the Mightiest of all kings and lords:

• To be in the image of God.
• To be male and female, that is, capable of entering union with God and with one another.
• To be able to reproduce his own image.
• To govern all the works of God's hands.

God has given us a vision. He has shown us what He had completed in vision before the foundation of the world. The total restoration has been completed in God's mind all the way to the new heaven and earth reign of the Lord Jesus the Messiah.

Now God is resting. Our task is to follow the Lord Jesus into that rest, into that finished work.

Prayer: Father, finish the work in me, Amen.

March 11th

Ephesians 1:15-23

THE FULLNESS OF GOD

And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God {is} with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, {and be} their God. (Revelation 21:3)

Seven feasts of the Lord are set forth in the Book of Leviticus.

Each of these seven feasts has a Kingdomwide fulfillment and each has a personal fulfillment in the life of the believer.

The personal, spiritual fulfillment of the first four feasts are preparatory works.

The last three feasts must be fulfilled in us before we are prepared to meet the Lord when He appears and to rule with Him over the nations of the earth.

The spiritual fulfillment of the last three feasts is the coming of the Kingdom of God to us.

Prayer: Father, fulfill in me Your complete work of salvation. Lord Jesus, redeem me thoroughly with Your Spirit and blood, Amen.

March 12th

Malachi 3:1-6

THE FULLNESS OF SALVATION

Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. (Malachi 3:1)

Messiah is entering the members of His Body in the present hour, preparing each of us for the fullness of God.

He is casting out what does not belong in the eternal Temple of God, in the Wife of the Lamb.

The entering of God into us will continue to increase until the fullness is revealed at the time of the appearing of Messiah Jesus in the clouds of glory.

We are growing together until the fullness has been attained and received.

Prayer: Father, You are my refining fire. Burn out of me God all that is displeasing to You. Lord Jesus, today cause me to grow in You, Amen.

March 13th

Acts 3:21

THE FULLNESS OF SALVATION

Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:5)

There are at least seven aspects of the Christian salvation:

1. Salvation from guilt to forgiveness.
2. Salvation from spiritual death to spiritual life.
3. Salvation from spiritual bondage to spiritual freedom.
4. Salvation from disobedience to obedience.
5. Salvation from Satan's image to Messiah's image.
6. Salvation from emptiness to fullness.
7. Salvation from bodily corruption to bodily incorruption.

Prayer: Father, I am a candidate for the fullness of salvation which is in Messiah Jesus. Lord Jesus, today save me to the uttermost, Amen.

March 14th

2 Corinthians 6:14-18

THE GAP OF LAWLESSNESS

Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, {even} to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. (Romans 7:4)

Many--perhaps most--of the believers in Messiah are living in the gap of lawlessness.

They have been taught that the Law of Moses does not apply to them but they do not understand how to enter the law of the Spirit of life.

They do not realize we have become dead to the Law of Moses in order that we may be married to Messiah Jesus, not so we can live as we please.

They are waiting to die and go to Heaven so they may be happy.

The Kingdom principles of righteousness, peace, and joy are not known to them.

Prayer: Father, deliver me from any traces of the gap of lawlessness in my life. Lord Jesus, my desire is to be married to You and bring forth fruit worthy of the Kingdom, Amen.

March 15th

2 Peter 3:14-16

THE GIFT OF AN OPPORTUNITY

But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? (James 2:20)

The Christian salvation is the gift of an opportunity. Eternal life is the gift of an opportunity. There are gifts that require no action on our part. Then there are gifts such as a piano that, if we are to obtain the value inherent in them, require a great deal of effort on our part.

The salvation, the eternal life, the glory, the joy, the peace, the redemption in Messiah Jesus are always an opportunity. It is what we do with this opportunity that determines whether or not we actually gain glory, joy, and eternal life.

God has given us the opportunity to attain resurrection life, to gain a change of character, power, glory, eternal residence in the new Jerusalem, and an eternity of service and rulership in a new world of righteousness.

Best of all we have the opportunity to become God's son. How we respond to this opportunity, this "piano," will determine our role in the Kingdom of God--the eternal Divine rule soon to come to the earth.

Prayer: Father, help me today to take full advantage of the opportunities You have given me, Amen.

March 16th

Isaiah 4:2-4

GLORIFIED IN HIS SAINTS

When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.                        (2 Thessalonians 1:10)

The Christian churches of today are a mixture of righteousness and sin. They are not ready for the Lord Jesus to be glorified in them.

Therefore, persecution and tribulation are about to come on the Christian churches. From now until the Lord appears His Churches will experience every possible form of chastening and testing. The purpose of the suffering is to purify and unify the one Church, the Wife of the Lamb, the Body of the Messiah, the new Jerusalem.

The persecution and tribulation will continue until the Church has been made ready for the Lord's appearing. Then the Lord will be revealed from Heaven and be glorified in His purified and unified Body. The saints will enter rest at the coming of the Lord because the power of the Lord now has made them more powerful than those who had been persecuting and afflicting them.

Prayer: Father, I desire to be called holy, and live in the New Jerusalem. Be glorified in me today, Amen.

March 17th

Acts 7:45-50

THE GOAL OF THE CHURCH

In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:22)

The traditional understanding of the goal of the Church, of the Christian discipleship, is eternal residence in Paradise.

But our goal is not to go to Heaven to live forever.

Our goal is to learn to live in the Spirit that is from Heaven, from God, so that when the Lord Jesus returns to earth we may return with Him in the fullness of the glory and power of Heaven.

The goal of the Christian redemption is not a place. Our goal is the eternal Life that Messiah Jesus Is.

Our goal is to dwell in God, in the glory and joy of His Presence.

Our final destination is the earth, for the Kingdom of God will be established on the earth.

Prayer: Father, I long to dwell in You, and for You to dwell in me fully. Lord Jesus, today draw me into complete union with You, Amen.

March 18th

Numbers 32:1-15

GOD OR CATTLE?

And Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here? And wherefore discourage ye the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the Lord hath given them? (Numbers 32:6,7)

Multitudes of the Lord's people are satisfied with their spiritual development.

They are ready to settle down and make a little nest in the world, enjoying what they think they have attained in Messiah Jesus to this point.

They do not seem to have in them the fierce gladness of the victorious saint, the joy of seeking the Lord and of pressing on to the fullness of the possession of God in Messiah.

They do not love God. They do not have a heart to press into marriage to Jesus. They may love the things of God or the things of the churches or what God has done for them. They may desire to go to Heaven to "live in a mansion," and they are afraid of Hell. But they do not love God Himself. They do not love Messiah Jesus.

Father: Father, deliver me from complacency, today and forever, Amen.

March 19th

Titus 2:11-14

GOD'S UNFOLDING PLAN

For I {am} the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. (Malachi 3:6)

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. (Hebrews 13:8)

God never changes. The Scriptures teach and we Christians acknowledge that God never changes.

But there is pressure on us to accept that the "God of the Old Testament" was different somehow from the "God of today."

The truth is, He was not different. The living God does not change.

It is true also that God's plan for man including man's obedience to the eternal moral law, his acquiring righteousness by faith, purity of heart, meekness, and a multitude of other conditions and relationships, has not changed from the time of Adam and Eve and never shall change.

Prayer: Father, You are the living God and I believe You do not change. Lead me today to find my place in Your plan of salvation, Amen.

March 20th

John 14:1-6

GOING TO THE FATHER

And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we {are}. (John 17:11)

There is an important difference between the goal of going to Heaven to live in a mansion, and working with the Holy Spirit as He prepares a place in Jesus for us, and a place in us for Jesus and the Father.

Our growth to spiritual maturity may be affected by which of the two goals we choose.

The wrong goal and the wrong way will cause practical mistakes in the Christian life.

A multitude of believers are holding their "ticket to heaven" while they continue to live in the flesh, instead of pressing forward each day to union with the Father through Messiah Jesus, which is eternal life.

Prayer: Father, my one and only goal is to be in absolute union with You. Lord Jesus, today draw me closer to You than ever before, Amen.

March 21st

Ezekiel 37:21-28

GOING TO HEAVEN

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. (Jeremiah 23:5)

The concept of going to heaven when we die is one of the most deeply ingrained of the traditions of Christianity.

As far as we know, the phrase "going to heaven" does not appear even one time in the New Testament.

The Apostles of Messiah Jesus preached the return of Messiah in His Kingdom, not our going to Heaven.

We may have assumed that they preached or implied that the righteous are going to make Heaven their eternal home, but they did not do so.

Such is our tradition and it needs to be examined, for the wrong goal leads to the wrong approach.

Prayer: Father, make the focus of my life a right relationship with You. Lead me in thy truth O King Eternal, Amen.

March 22nd

Genesis 1:26-31

THE GREAT DESIGN

But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him? (Hebrews 2:6)

In the beginning God spoke four things concerning man:

1. He is to be in the image of God.
2. He is to be male and female.
3. He is to be fruitful, filling the earth with the image of God.
4. He is to govern all the works of God's hands.

This is the great design. All the workings of God are moving toward these goals. The four aspects of man are in a primitive form as yet. They are to be greatly expanded and glorified.

Prayer: Father, thank you for being mindful of me and including me in Your great plan of redemption. I yield all that I am today to You, and trust You completely, Amen.

March 23rd

Genesis 3:1-5

THE GREATEST LIE EVER TOLD

Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every {branch} that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. (John 15:2)

The numerous passages of the Epistles that warn us concerning the consequences of sin are often preached to the unsaved, but none of them were written to unsaved people.

Unsaved persons are already dead in their sins.

It is the Christians who will lose their eternal life, who will slay their own resurrection, if they continue to live according to the lusts of their flesh.

But what do we hear from pulpit and pew?

You shall not surely die!

Prayer: Father, deliver me from the great lie! I believe that Jesus came not only to forgive my sins but to deliver me from the power of sin. Lord Jesus, lead me not into temptation but deliver me from all evil, Amen.

March 24th

2 Corinthians 6:17-7:1

THE HISTORICAL DISASTER

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; (Titus 2:11,12)

It appears that the Catholic Church emphasizes its rites and the Protestant churches stress the grace of forgiveness.

In neither case is a transformed moral personality shown to be the purpose of the Divine redemption.

In many instances righteous behavior is held to be desirable but not the necessary outcome of the Christian salvation.

We Christians have suffered and the world has suffered because of our lack of righteous behavior.

Prayer: Father, my desire is to live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world. Lord Jesus, today cleanse me from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, Amen.

March 25th

Exodus 30:22-31