“Really?” he said. “Do you know who the greatest missionary was? The Messiah.”
“How was He a missionary?”
“His mission was from heaven to earth, from God to man. His mission is this planet. In the Book of Hebrews, He is spoken of as the Apostle, meaning one sent as on a mission. So for Him, the world was not home or the place to live one’s life. The world was the mission field. And so His life on earth was radically different from the lives of others. He didn’t live from the world. He lived to the world. And if Messiah is now in you, what does that mean?”
“The world is no longer our native land . . . but our mission field?”
“That’s correct.”
“But that could be true for God, because He’s not from this world. But we are.”
“No,” said the teacher, “you were from this world. But when you were born again, you were born from above. Therefore, from now on, you must see this world in a new way—not as your home—but as your place of mission. So you are not in this world to become rich or powerful or comfortable. You’re not in this world to get anything from it. You are in this world to give to this world. So you are no longer to live from your circumstances, from your problems, or even from your life. You are now to live to them, from God and to the world. So it’s not a question whether you’re called to be a missionary to the mission field. You already are a missionary, and you’re already in your mission field. So get on with your mission. Bring to the earth the Word, the truth, and the love of God. And live as an agent of heaven on earth, on a mission from God to bring the message of salvation to the natives of this planet—the mission world.”
The Mission: You are already on the mission planet. Start living today not as one at home, but as one sent here on assignment. Fulfill your mission.
John 8:23; 17:16–18; Acts 13:3–5; 2 Corinthians 5:20; Hebrews 3:1
Mission World
DAY 353
THE ANGELIC MEASURING ROD
HE BROUGHT ME into the Chamber of Measures and to a tall wooden cabinet attached to the wall in front of which we both stood. It had to be at least eight feet high.
“Open it,” said the teacher. So I did. Inside the cabinet, leaning against its back wall, were several rod-like objects almost as tall as the cabinet itself. At the bottom of the cabinet were cords and ropes of various lengths.
“Measuring rods,” he said, “and measuring lines. They were used as rulers and tape measures are used today.”
He removed one of them and gave it to me to hold.
“But they weren’t only used by men,” he said. “They were used by angels. The prophets Ezekiel and Zechariah each saw an angel holding a measuring rod or line in his hand. In each case, the angel with the measuring vessel was a sign concerning God’s future prophetic purposes, namely, the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Temple. But God’s prophetic purposes not only require building materials but events of human history. For Jerusalem to be rebuilt, human events had to conform to the measurements of angels.”
“And in modern times,” I said, “Israel was restored again, according to the biblical prophecy.”
“Yes,” said the teacher. “And in order for those prophecies to come true, world history and the lives and actions of individuals around the world had to all work together—acting, reacting, and interacting one upon the other at the exact place and time—for the plans of God and the measurements of angels to be fulfilled. You see, there exists a plan of precise measurements not only for the construction of temples but for human history and for your life. And even a world that wars against His purposes will, in the end, conform to the angelic measurements. He will use all things of this world and of its history—the good, the bad, the godly, and the ungodly—to bring about the fulfillment of His purposes. So whenever things appear out of control and you’re tempted to fear, be at peace. Just remember this rod. It is a sign to you that, in the end, every evil will be overcome, every purpose of God will be fulfilled, the good will prevail, and the history of this world, and of our lives, will conform to the plans of heaven . . . and to the precise dimensions set forth by the angelic measuring rod.”
The Mission: Take the Word of God today and follow its exact measurements and specifications and you will walk into the exact dimensions of God’s will for your life.
Isaiah 46:10–13; Jeremiah 21:11; Ezekiel 40:1–5; Revelation 11:1; 21:15
The Heavenly Pattern I–IV
DAY 354
THE BOOK OF AGES
THE TEACHER LED me into the Chamber of Scrolls. There on two wooden stands rested two open scrolls, one next to the other. The scroll on the left was opened to its beginning and the scroll on the right, to its end. “This, on the left,” said the teacher, “is the Book of Genesis. And on the right is the Book of Revelation. What do they have in common?”
“Genesis is the first book of Scripture and Revelation is the last.”
“The beginning and the end,” he said, “written over a millennium apart, one in Hebrew, the other in Greek. We’re going to look at the beginning of the beginning and the end of the end, the first three chapters of Genesis and the last three last chapters of Revelation. It is here in the beginning, in Genesis, that the curse begins. And it’s here at the end, in Revelation, that it’s written, ‘There shall be no more curse.’ In Genesis, death begins. At the end of Revelation there is no more death. In Genesis, the tree of life is taken from man and disappears. In Revelation, the tree of life reappears and is given back to man. In Genesis, the first act of creation is God calling the light into being. In Revelation, God Himself becomes the light. And in Genesis God creates the heavens and the earth. In Revelation, He creates a new heaven and a new earth . . . That which begins at the beginning of Genesis only finds its resolution, and perfectly, at the end of Revelation. Think of it . . . The Bible was written in a span of ages, and not by one writer but by a multitude, each at a different point of time within those ages . . . No one person was alive to direct it or coordinate it . . . except one . . . God. Only He could have woven it all together from Genesis to Revelation, from the beginning to the end. So too perfectly does He work His plan of salvation from the creation to the New Jerusalem. And no less perfectly will He work the plan and story of your life. And as it is in the middle of His story, you can’t quite see where it’s all heading, so in the midst of yours. But at the end, it all comes home. In the end you’ll see it all perfectly woven together from the beginning. Until then you must trust His perfect working in what you don’t see and press on to the end when you will see. For as perfectly as He has written His story from Genesis to Revelation, so perfectly is He writing and will He write your story . . . from the beginning to the end.”
The Mission: Don’t try to understand your life from the middle. But know that as you follow His leading, your story will, in the end, become perfect.
Genesis 1–3; Hebrews 3:14; 12:2; Revelation 20:1–22:3
The Word
DAY 355
THE BRIDE AND GROOM IN THE MARRIAGE CHAMBER
IWAS THINKING OF the wedding celebration,” I said. “We left at the beginning . . . but it went on.”
“Yes,” said the teacher, “for seven days.”
“I would have loved to have seen some of it.”
“That celebration is long over,” he said, “but there was another bride, the one you saw when I spoke of the calah. And right now she’s in the midst of her seven days. Would you like to see it?”
My answer was, of course, yes. So we journeyed to the tent village where the celebration was still in full bloom. It was evening when we arrived. We followed the sound of laughter and singing and made our way to the celebration. The bride and groom were inside a festive-looking tent made of thin white fabrics. The light inside the tent caused their shadows to appear on the tent walls. There were others with them, their family and friends, but only the silhouette of the bride and groom could be seen through the tent wall from where we were standing.
“What’s happening?” I asked.
“The bride and groom are surrounded by celebration and yet are also to themselves, alone in the midst of the celebration. Up to this point they’ve only seen each other in the midst of other things, mediators, rituals, families, villages, bridesmaids, and groomsmen. But now for the first time they’re sitting in each other’s presence, and everything around them fades into the background . . . It’s a picture of the end.”
“Of the end?”
“At the wedding celebration, when the bride and the Groom dwell in each other’s presence. When the bride sees the Groom with no more mediation. Up to then we will have seen Him through other things, through His blessings, through His creation, His people, and His working in our lives . . . But then we will see Him with no more mediation. As it is written, in heaven there will be no temple. For God Himself will be our temple. And there will be no more need for the sun to give light, for God Himself will be our light. Then it will be as if it was only Him and us . . . only Him and you . . . Then you will see Him as He is . . . and always was . . . but now face-to-face . . . And everything else will fade away into the background . . . just the bride and the Bridegroom . . . you . . . and the One for whom you were brought into existence . . . alone together . . . as if for the first time . . . you and God . . . in the bridal chamber . . . and nothing else.”
The Mission: Today, enter into the marital chamber and dwell there with your Beloved, you and God, alone, and nothing else.
Song of Solomon 1:4; 2:14; 1 Corinthians 13:12; Revelation 22:4
Under the Huppah
DAY 356
SHEMEN
THE TEACHER LED me into one of the olive gardens and to a stone vat filled with a brownish liquid. Sitting on the ridge of the vat was a clay pitcher. He dipped the pitcher into the liquid, lifted it up, and slowly poured back its contents, which glistened in the light of the afternoon sun.
“A sacred substance,” he said. “Oil. The substance of anointing. And yet the true anointing comes from the Spirit of God. Oil is the symbol of God’s Spirit.
And it holds a mystery.”
“What mystery?”
“The name for oil in Hebrew is shemen. The word for eighth in Hebrew is shemini. The two words are joined together. Oil is the symbol of the Spirit. And oil is linked to the number eight. So the power of the Spirit is linked to the number eight.”
“I’m not understanding.”
“Seven, in Scripture, is the number of completion. Then what is eight? That which is over and above completion, that which exceeds, that which surpasses, that which abounds and overflows. Thus the power of the Spirit is the power to go over and above, to exceed, to surpass, to not only be full, but to be filled up to the point of overflowing. The seventh day is the end of the week. Seven signifies the end. Thus eight signifies beyond the end, beyond the limit, beyond the finite, beyond all limitations. So the power of the Spirit is to go beyond the end, to transcend the finite, and to live beyond all limitations. And what is the eighth day of the week. It’s the first day, the new beginning. So the power of the Spirit is the power of new beginnings, the power of newness. And lastly, eight is the number of the mystery day, Shemini Atzeret, the day that signifies what comes after the end, eternity . . . heaven. What will heaven be? Filled with the Spirit of God. So the power of the Spirit is the power of the age to come, the power of heaven. Therefore live in the Spirit, and you will have the power of shemen—the power to live over and above, beyond full and overflowing, exceeding, surpassing, going beyond the end, transcending the finite, breaking through all limitations, walking in newness and new beginnings, and living now, beyond this world, in the realm of heaven. That is the power of the Spirit . . . and the mystery of shemen.”
The Mission: Discover the mystery of shemen. Live in the power of the Spirit, beyond your limitations, over and above, exceeding, transcending, overflowing, and dwelling in the heavenlies.
Exodus 30:30–31; John 7:37–39; Acts 1:8; Romans 15:19; Galatians 5:22–25
The Spirit-Filled Life
DAY 357
THE REBEGETTING
IT’S DRAWING NEAR,” he said, “the end of our time together.”
“And then what?” I asked.
“Then you’ll go forth from here.”
“It’s kind of sad,” I said.
“It’s the way of life,” said the teacher. “When you grow up, you leave the house of your childhood. From the parent comes the child, and from the child comes a parent. Life reproduces itself. When you’re a child, your purpose is to receive more than you give. But when you become an adult, your purpose is to give more than you receive, to give just as you were given as a child. So then those who live to take from this world have not attained completion. Only those who give have become complete. And when you give, then that which has been given to you has also become compete. And as it is in the natural realm, so too in the spiritual. Messiah made disciples of the fishermen. But the time then came for them to go out and make disciples of Messiah. So from the teacher comes the disciple, and from the disciple comes the teacher. It’s the way of life . . . and the way of God. Whatever you have received from God, you must give to others. If you’ve been loved, you must love. And if you’ve been loved without having deserved that love, then you must love those who don’t deserve your love. If you’ve been given joy, your life must bring joy to others. If you’ve been saved, then you must save others. And if you’ve been blessed, then your life must bring blessing into the lives of others.”
“But God didn’t only give,” I said. “His life was the gift. And He didn’t only bless. His life was the blessing.”
“Yes, and therefore, if you’ve received that blessing, your life must become a blessing. And if you receive that gift, your life must become a gift.”
“And He didn’t just save,” I said, “He became salvation. He became Yeshua.”
“Yes,” said the teacher. “And therefore, if you’ve received Yeshua, then your life must become Yeshua and Yeshua must become your life. Life begets life. Love begets love. So He made His life a gift to you, that your life would become a gift to the world. Only then is the circle complete . . . when your life becomes love.”
The Mission: Life must beget life. Whatever you have received, you must give. Love others, bless others, give to others, and save others—as God has done to you.
Deuteronomy 3:14, 23; 34:9; Matthew 10:5–8; 28:19–20; John 14:12; 2 Timothy 4:1–2
Graduation I–II
DAY 358
THE PELEH
WE WERE SITTING on the plain where he had previously drawn words and letters in the sand. He now did so again.
“It’s the word Peleh,” said the teacher. “It means a wonder, something so amazing that you can’t do anything but wonder about it. It’s the word used in Isaiah’s prophecy of Messiah’s birth, a child will be born, and His Name will be Peleh, the Wonder. Messiah is the Peleh, the Wonder. His impact on the world defies natural explanation and, after all these ages, He still causes people around the world to wonder over Him. But Peleh also means the miracle. So Messiah is the Peleh, the Miracle of this world. His birth was a miracle, His ministry was a miracle, His resurrection was a miracle. Every moment of His life on earth was a miracle. And the word Peleh also means too high, too hard, too great, and too much. What does this tell you about salvation?”
“It’s above us,” I said. “It’s above our ability to attain. We can’t do it.”
“But He can . . . because He’s the Peleh. He can do that which is too hard for you, even what’s impossible. And if He’s in you, then you have the power to do that which is too hard for you to do, to attain what is too high for you to attain, and to live a life that’s too great for you to live. If He’s in you, then the Peleh is in you, and therefore you have the power of Peleh, the power to live a miraculous life, a life that causes those around you to wonder. But for that to happen, you must never forget the first meaning of Peleh.”
&
nbsp; “The Wonder?”
“The Wonder. He must be the One who always causes you to wonder . . . to wonder over His grace, to wonder over His mercy, to wonder over the fact that God loves you, and to wonder over the fact that you’re saved. Never stop knowing Him as the wonder of your life. And never stop wondering over the wonder of being saved, the wonder of being forgiven, the wonder of knowing His love . . . the wonder of Him. If it doesn’t cause you to wonder, then it’s not the Peleh. Let Him be the Peleh, the Wonder, of your life . . . And your life will be full of miracles and wonders . . . Your life will become . . . a Peleh.”
The Mission: Get back to the Peleh, the wonder of His love, the miracle of your salvation, and the power to do the impossible.
Exodus 15:11; Isaiah 9:6; Acts 2:43; Ephesians 3:19
Peleh
DAY 359
THE SEVEN MYSTERIES OF YOUR LIFE
HE LED ME up one of the hills overlooking the school. Waiting for us there at the summit were seven stone pillars, the same seven pillars he had shown me at the school.
“The seven pillars,” said the teacher, “representing the holy days and times of Israel. They hold the mystery of the age. But they also hold the mystery of your life. You see, God has ordained the lives of His children according to the sacred Hebrew year and the holy days of Israel.”
“What do you mean?”
He led me to the first pillar, representing the Feast of Passover.
“Passover opens the sacred Hebrew year,” he said. “So too Passover opens your life in God. Your salvation begins as you partake of the Passover Lamb . . . and its power begins changing your life, releasing you of bondage, ending the old, and setting you on a journey with God.”
The Book of Mysteries Page 51