Preparing the Bride of Christ For His Return By Janet Van Hierdan
A Tale of Two Brides is now available on Amazon.com:
Sunday, December 27, 2015
Another
Coffee Break:
Mathematical Metaphors, Part 2
November 13, 2015
Continuing where we left off last
week, we consider the number 12 in the picture of the Bride of Christ -- the
number of Ekklesia, the number of preparation, and the number of governmental
authority.
Last
week, we said that the New Jerusalem does not only consist of Jews. Representing the call to, and gathering from,
the nations are the twelve foundation stones, and on them the names of the
twelve apostles who made up that first Ekklesia.
The
dual groups of 144,000 represent the two Brides – now made One. The significance of the number, 144, is that
it is 12 X 12; that is, a finished, a completed, a fully tested and tried
people. The work of the Paraklete in
Ekklesia has been accomplished. The time
of Ekklesia has come to an end, and the finished Bride has been joined to her
Bridegroom.
If
you will recall the vision of Zechariah, he saw the Golden Candlestick between
two olive trees. When he asked the angel
of the Lord what the two olive trees represented, the angel replied, “These
are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.” (Zechariah 4:14)
While
I recognize that there are other explanations and interpretations of these two
“anointed ones,” I am convinced that they represent the two segments of the
completed and anointed Bride. The two
olive trees are the source of the olive oil used in the Golden
Candlestick. The Golden Candlestick was
always representative of the flame of love burning night and day for the
Bridegroom.
In
Zechariah’s vision, there is only one candlestick – not two. The flame of the Bride is one. But it burns out of the oil from two source
olive trees: the Bride taken from Israel, and the Bride taken from among the
nations of the earth. The olive is
metaphoric of the crushing process which takes place during Ekklesia as the
Bride is prepared.
A
corollary to this picture is the evidence of the two witnesses who appeared
with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration.
Peter, James and John saw Moses and Elijah. Moses is representative of the Law, and the
Bride of Law. Elijah typifies the
Spirit, and the Bride of the Spirit.
John
witnesses this in two other sets of measurements. The city is 12,000 furlongs (roughly a
distance of 1,500 miles) long, 12,000 furlongs wide and 12,000 furlongs
high. Thus you have the twelve
multiplied by a thousand in triplicate.
It is a square of twelve.
Then
John sees as the wall of the city is measured, 144 cubits thick. Again he is shown the completion of the work
of the Paraklete in Ekklesia as the city is protected by a barrier measuring 12
X 12 cubits (roughly 216 feet) in thickness.
That barrier is the work of Holy Spirit in the erection, the building,
and the fortification and complete protection wrought in the realm of the spirit
within the Bride.
The
picture of the city with its measurements, the makeup of the foundations in
twelve specific precious stones, and the representation of the gates in pearls,
all depict a finished, a glorified, a united people – all grafted and
integrated together -- made One with Jesus Christ. The study of the New Jerusalem is a study of
the completed Bride.
There
is no more Bride of Flesh or a Bride of Law, separated from the Bride of
Spirit, or the Bride of Love. Jesus
Christ has reconciled all to Himself.
By
this, I do not mean that the flesh and the Law can coexist with the Spirit and
love. They cannot! This is not a picture of the Bride of flesh
continuing to serve the flesh, or the Bride of Law continuing in her bondage to
the Law. Jesus was the end – the
completion of the Law. He was its
objective! Jesus, however, has made it
possible, and is making it possible, for the those who have served the Law and
the flesh to have one more opportunity to reject them and overcome by the
Spirit.
The
New Jerusalem is that finished and prepared people, no longer divided by the
Law from relationship with the Bridegroom, and subservient to the flesh. Flesh and Law, Love and Spirit have been
reconciled together in and through Jesus Christ.
Do
you see it? Do you see what the Lord is
doing among us? Do you see why you have
been going through the trials and afflictions which never seem to end? Do you see the objective of Jesus Christ, our
Bridegroom? Do you see the two Brides,
made One?
If
you do, then you see what John was permitted to see in the Spirit! If you do, you are seeing the Brightness of
the Lamb, the Glory of the Father, the surpassing greatness of His Love toward
us. It has all been wrought because it
is the will of the Father, the desire of the Son, and the purpose of the Holy
Spirit. That will, that desire, that
purpose are all summed up in Jesus Christ’s inheritance in us!
The
picture of the two Brides really is just one complete story.
Consider
this.
Jesus
Christ has never had two plans. He has
never had a plan “A,” or a plan “B” if the first plan did not work. Israel was not Plan “A.” Neither was the “Whosoever Will Bride” an
alternative to Israel.
When
the first words of Creation were spoken, Jesus knew, as did the Father and the
Holy Spirit, that there was only one plan for one Bride and Counterpart.
Adam
and Eve were not Israelites. Contrary to
the opinion of some, Abraham and Isaac were not of the House of Israel, and
they were not Jews. They were simply the
forebears. (I’m not trying to shock
you. I just want you to see past Israel
to the reality of the Bridegroom’s call.)
God’s purpose was never to call Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, and then --
if their descendants missed the boat – choose an alternative.
Abraham
was the father of the Bride.
Period! He was the father of
Isaac, and the grandfather of Jacob,
from whom descended the twelve tribes of Israel. He was also the father of those who walk by
faith.
The
fact that Israel followed after false gods and missed out so drastically in
understanding the purposes of the Lord did not suddenly make them social
outcasts in God’s sight. Neither did the
Lord make a big mistake in choosing Israel.
It has never been a case of Jew versus Gentile, or Hebrew versus
Heathen.
From
the beginning of time, Adam and Eve, Shem and his wife, Abraham and Sarah,
Jacob and Rachel and Leah, Judah and Tamar (the Canaanite), Salmon and Rahab
(the Jebusite), Boaz and Ruth (the Moabite) Joshua and his wife, Caleb and his
wife, David and Bathsheba (the Hittite), Esther and Xerxes (the Persian king)
and a slew of others too numerous to recount, were incorporated into a single
plan, together with those of every generation since the time that Jesus Christ
appeared in person.
Adam
and Eve were the first picture of the Bride in the earth. Shem and his wife were the second. Isaac and Jacob were the third. Israel – the twelve tribes -- was the
fourth. The “Whosoever Will” people are
the fifth.
Along
the way, the Lord incorporated into Israel those whose walk of faith and
perseverance, love and overcoming exemplified His heart for a single people
drawn from every nation on earth. The
picture of Tamar the Canaanite girl, Rahab the Jebusite harlot, and Ruth the
Midianite who descended from Lot, Abraham’s nephew, is a picture of those from condemned nations and
accursed lifestyles being incorporated into the Bride because of the remarkable
faith demonstrated in the face of death.
In them is the most dramatic demonstration of the opportunity Jesus
Christ has made – and is making – for the Bride of flesh to overcome by faith.
Tamar,
Rahab, and Ruth were (ex-) citizens of those nations who had been judged,
rejected and cursed by the Lord because of their sins of the flesh and their
sins of the spirit. Yet these three
women were incorporated not only into the Bride, but into the direct lineage of
Jesus Christ because of their stupendous demonstrations of faith in God in the
face of certain death.
That
which occurred on the day of Pentecost was a follow-up to Tamar, to Rahab, to
Ruth, to Esther. On that day, there were
gathered together some seventeen different peoples or nationalities or ethnic
groups, all of whom heard the praise and glorifying of Jesus Christ in their
languages as they were uttered by the 120 gathered together in the upper
room. Suddenly the Bride began to exist
as Jew and Gentile, Israelite and Arab, bond and free, male and female without
any regard for race, nationality or sex.
From
that time to this, there has only been one Bride in the earth. Even though we all know that there is a very
unique calling going forth among the Jews around the world, and an incredible
response taking place even as this Coffee Break goes forth, it is happening only
because they are being rejoined to Jesus Christ as a direct product of His
everlasting Covenant.
The
gifts – which represent His dowry to the Bride – and His calling of that Bride
are without repentance. Even though we
have seen what appears to be the processing of two, there really is only one
Bride. The two parts of the Bride have
become one.
Jesus
Christ is receiving His inheritance!
Let
me wrap up this discussion with a portion of a poem that I wrote for my wife on
Christmas of 1995. It puts things in
perspective.
BRIDEGROOM and BRIDE
That wonderful day,
those years ago,
The Lord brought a bride -- a counterpart;
Eons had passed, it
seemed, while incomplete:
This was a day
designed to fill the heart.
Destined from the
beginning, an Eve to be:
The picture of
perfection, grace like a dove,
She came from the cry
of a being in need:
The Lord Jesus Christ,
who sought for His love.
Flowing in beauty,
filled with desire,
Her whole being spoke,
"I love you!
I'm yours!"
Adam's very essence
leaped as he saw
God's gift to him, his
delight, his concours.
Then as the years
turned into millennia
A new cry was heard, a
cry in the earth:
A cry for completeness
with
She who'd be His,
A yearning which most
surely would be brought to the birth.
This second Adam then
went to the cross
To buy back a people
in captivity,
Created for Him;
Pierced with a sword
thrust into His side,
He foresaw the future
-- love filled to the brim.
The process began, a
people in fire:
A Bride in the making,
a Bride to abide;
Years again became
millennia,
But to Jesus ‘twas
irrelevant:
He saw to the day
they’d sit at His side.
A people came forth --
a people who loved -
A people who overcame
all to say,
"I love you, My
Lord!
Your onoma I take;
All that I am, or ever
will be, is yours for eternity, going forth from this day."
The creator of all,
the Lord Jesus Christ,
Now made complete --
having been joined to His Bride --
Sees destiny unfold,
eternity resume,
His cry has been
answered,
His love's at His
side.
The future unfolds, a
thousand years of time,
The throne of the
heavens,
a new onoma presides;
The past is behind,
the cry is fulfilled;
The need has been met,
In Bridegroom and
Bride.
Know this: “that He who began a good
work in you will perfect and complete it up to and until the day of Jesus
Christ!” (Philippians 1:6,
RAC Translation & Amplification)
It
is happening! He is doing it! The work of perfecting and completing
continues so long as we continue wholeheartedly responding to everything He
says, does and requires in us!
Let
us go on to the finishing!
Once again, here is the wrap up that we used last
week. "When you want what God wants
for the same reason that God wants it, you become unlimited and
unstoppable!" Today, we will add to
it the following: "When you want what God wants in your life, you will see
the Glory of God revealed -- in yourself and in the earth around you."
Blessings on you!
I remind those of you in need of ministry that our Healing Prayer Call
takes place on Mondays at 7:00 PM Eastern (4:00 PM Pacific). Our call-in number has changed to (712) 775-7035. The new Access Code is: 323859#. For Canadians who have difficulty getting in
to this number, you can call (559) 546-1400. If someone answers and asks what your
original call-in number was, you can give them the 712 number and access code.
At the same time, in case you are missing out on real fellowship in an
environment of Ekklesia, our Sunday worship gatherings are available by
conference call – usually at about 10:45AM Pacific. That conference number is (605) 562-3140, and the access code
is 308640#. We hope to make these gatherings available by
Skype or Talk Fusion before long. If you
miss the live call, you can dial (605) 562-3149, enter the same
access code and listen in later.
Blessings
on you!
Regner
Regner A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES
CAPENER MINISTRIES
RIVER WORSHIP CENTER
Sunnyside, Washington 98944
Sunnyside, Washington 98944
Email Contact: Admin@RiverWorshipCenter.org
All Coffee Break articles are
copyright by Regner A. Capener, but authorization for reprinting, reposting,
copying or re-use, in whole or in part, is granted –provided proper attribution
and this notice are included intact. Older Coffee Break archives are available
at http://www.RegnersMorningCoffee.com.
Coffee Break articles are normally published weekly.
If you would like to have these articles arrive each morning in your email, please send a blank email to: Subscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com.To remove yourself from the mailing list, please send a blank email to Unsubscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com.
If you would like to have these articles arrive each morning in your email, please send a blank email to: Subscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com.To remove yourself from the mailing list, please send a blank email to Unsubscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com.
CAPENER MINISTRIES is a tax-exempt church ministry.
Should you desire to participate and covenant with us as partners in this
ministry, please contact us at either of the above email or physical addresses,
or visit: http://www.RiverWorshipCenter.org.
Another
Coffee Break:
Mathematical Metaphors, Part 1
November 6, 2015
In our last series, we've talked at
length about the New Jerusalem as a picture of the Bride of Christ. We’re still talking about the completed Bride
of Christ, and doing the prophetic comparison made by John as he talked about
the New Jerusalem, but for the next couple of weeks, I'd like to take a
different tack.
Throughout Scripture, we see numbers
repeated again and again and again. What
most folks miss is that these numbers are metaphors in Hebrew with pictures
that go well beyond the surface.
When
John wrote, “And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from
God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband,” the angel of the
Lord was showing him the same thing that Ezekiel had seen in a vision. It was not a city in the sense of a physical
or geographical place; it was the ensample of a principle: a principle which
strikes at the very heart of all that the Lord has been doing in our midst.
The
mathematical revelations of this city are, individually and collectively, inescapable
proofs of the calling, the preparation, and the final adornment of us as a
people for Jesus Christ. As John was
carried about the city in the Spirit, he saw the following:
1) And [it] had a wall great and high, and had
twelve gates,
2) And at the gates twelve angels, and
the names written thereon,
3) Which are the names of the twelve
tribes of the children of Israel.
4) And the wall of the city had twelve
foundations,
5) And in them the names of the twelve
apostles of the Lamb.
6) And he measured the city with the reed, twelve
thousand furlongs.
7) The length and the breadth and the height
of it are equal. (i.e., 12,000 X 12,000
X 12,000 furlongs)
8) And he measured the wall thereof, an
hundred and forty four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is,
of the angel. (i.e., 12 X 12
cubits)
Before
we continue, let me take you back to two earlier pictures in Revelation which
parallel this picture of the city.
In
Revelation 7:3 - 4, 14, John describes hearing an angel cry, “Do
not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the
bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.’
And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and
forty-four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel……
“…And he said to me, ‘These are the ones who have come through
great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the
blood of the Lamb.”
Then
John describes a second group of 144,000 (see Revelation 14:1). “And I looked, and behold,
the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four
thousand, having His onoma, and
the onoma of His Father written
on their foreheads. And I heard a voice
from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder,
and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their
harps. And they sang a new song before
the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one
could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had
been purchased from the earth.”
Have
you ever considered the significance of this number, 144? It is twelve in its completeness: 12 X 12,
twelve squared, twelve completed and fulfilled.
As
you will easily remember, we have discussed the number, 12, and its
significance on numerous occasions over the years. Twelve is the number of Ekklesia. It is the number of preparation and
processing. It is the number of
tribulation and affliction.
Twelve
in atomic physics, as we have previously noted, is the maximum number of atoms
which can be cohesively related one to another.
It is the number of relationship.
When
Jesus chose His disciples, He chose twelve – not nine or ten or thirteen or
fourteen. Why? Because it was the maximum number of people
with whom He could develop an interpersonal, intimate relationship. It was the maximum number of people (units,
actually; where we define a family as a unit – not just the father or the husband)
with whom a relationship of trust, transparency, openness, faith and love could
develop without becoming watered down or diminished.
Twelve
was the maximum number of individuals who could relate one to another without
becoming divided into cliques or private little circles. It was the perfect number of trust and
transparency. Within the framework of
twelve, relationships could develop in which barriers of distrust and fear
could be dissolved. Processing and change
could take place within the individuals without the fear of betrayal. (OK, I know the original twelve had a Judas,
but the Lord permitted that so as to fulfill His plan to have a Bride, free
from the bondage of the Serpent. The
apostle Paul recognized that he was one “chosen out of due season” to replace Judas as
a completing member of the original twelve.)
This
picture was initiated with Israel’s selection as the first Bride in the
earth. Jacob had twelve sons, each of
whom represented one/twelfth of the whole Bride. Some have erroneously concluded that there
were thirteen tribes because of the half-tribes of Joseph: Ephraim and
Manasseh, but Ephraim was chosen to take the place of Levi, whose inheritance
was the Lord – not land and holdings as did each of the other tribes. Levi was instructed to live amongst the other
tribes, being a separate yet joined people who existed entirely as a channel of
communication between the Bridegroom and this corporate Bride.
Anyway,
John sees two distinct groups of 144,000.
The first is taken from the twelve tribes of Israel. The second was “purchased from among men” (in
the larger sense of the earth). Why two
groups instead of one?
Remember
the first Bride in the earth: the Bride who chose the flesh and the Law instead
of the intimate relationship being offered by God? That Bride was Israel. Here is an extraordinary picture of the
Spirit of Grace and Supplications, of whom Zechariah prophesied.
Though
Israel had been divorced by the Lord, though she had been “sent away” into
captivity for her adulteries, and even though the Law specifically forbade
remarriage to one who had been “put away” (see Deuteronomy 24:1-4), the Lord
promised that He would once again call Israel to Himself, that He would take
her back, divorce, warts and all! He
even sent Hosea to live the picture of that promise prophetically before
Israel.
Hosea
was instructed to marry Gomer, a woman who had been a prostitute, and to have
children with her. True to her past
life, Gomer ran off from Hosea after several years of marriage, and married
another man. Hosea was instructed by the
Lord to go and find her and bring her back to himself, and in so doing to say
to Israel, “Thou shalt abide for me many days; thou shalt not play the
harlot, and thou shalt not be for another man: so will I also be for thee. For the children of Israel shall abide many
days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without
an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim: Afterward shall the
children of Israel return, and seek the Lord their God, and David their king;
and shall fear the Lord and His goodness in the latter days.”
Jesus
made it clear that there would come an end to the days of His Grace to the
Gentiles (all non-Jewish nations), that Jerusalem (which had been under foreign
occupation and rule since the first days of Israel’s captivity) and Israel
would once again return to a place of relationship with Him, becoming a free
people. Luke quotes Jesus as saying, “For
there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the sword, and shall
be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of
the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.” (Luke 21:23b-24
NASB)
Then
Paul shares some startling revelation and promises.
“For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed as to this
mystery, lest you become wise in your own estimation, that a partial hardening
has happened to and in Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in;
know therefore that Israel will be saved, healed, delivered and made whole,
just as it has been written, ‘The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove
ungodliness from Jacob. And this is My
Covenant with them, when I shall have taken away their sins.’
“From the standpoint of the gospel (at this moment in time) they
are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice, they are
beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and calling of God are
irrevocable. For just as you were once
disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy through and because of their
disobedience, so these also have now been disobedient, in order that because of
the mercy shown to you, they may now likewise be shown mercy.” (Romans 11: 25-29, RAC Translation &
Amplification)
What
he is saying is this: the purpose of the Bridegroom from the beginning was to
permit Israel to fall away so that He could extend His mercy to the nations,
calling them to Himself; and that when the day of His mercy and calling to
those nations is fulfilled, He will – because of their past disobedience – now
again show mercy to Israel and call her to Himself as in the days of old. The promise of the Bridegroom to Israel,
therefore, is His Covenant. In spite of
Israel’s adulteries, and her subsequent divorce from the Lord, the Bridegroom’s
gifts and calling to her are without repentance.
That
this is Truth is evidenced in a stupendous move in today’s Jewish
community. When I first began to work on
this article, I was told that in New York City alone, more than a thousand
Jews per day are coming to know Jesus Christ as their Messiah and
Bridegroom. In Israel, in spite of the
media attention to the uprisings and problems between the Arab and Jew,
hundreds and even thousands of both Arabs and Jews are turning to Jesus Christ
with their whole heart.
Jews
are forsaking their Judaism and legalistic past in staggering numbers. Even though the media spotlight is turned on
the political conflicts, a spiritual peace is in the works which will sweep the
nation of Israel and bring about the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise.
I
know this doesn’t seem to fit with many of the contemporary interpretations of
“end times,” but it is happening nonetheless!
We are about to behold a miracle of the ages as the Lord brings about a
peace between brethren: Jews and Arabs.
(And, NO, I didn’t grab this out of thin air, or make it up as some kind
of new doctrine. Isaiah prophesied it. Ezekiel prophesied it. Jeremiah prophesied it.)
Jerusalem
– the New Jerusalem – the Bride of Christ has, as her gates, the fulfilled, the
completed, the made whole Bride drawn from Israel and seen in the
representation of each of the twelve tribes.
Standing before each of the twelve gates are twelve angels who sound
forth the call of the Bridegroom. But the
New Jerusalem does not only consist of Jews.
Next
week, we’ll wrap up this picture of the New Jerusalem. Maybe these analogies don’t fit with what
you’ve heard or been taught but I want to stir your spirit and cause you to
rethink things. Hopefully, this overall
picture I’ve been drawing for you of the Call to the Bride by the Bridegroom
going forth in the earth today will awaken things in you and cause you to
realize that the Lord has a grand and glorious purpose for His people.
Things
are not unfolding in the traditional ways we’ve been taught. God is working in extraordinary ways with
folks who are responding. This is a year
of overflow for those who walk in commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a year of tremendous change. It is a year of spectacular disasters, and a
year of spectacular blessings for those who are one with the Lord.
If
you aren’t experiencing that overflow, perhaps it is time for you to reevaluate
your responses to the Lord. Maybe it is
time for you to junk some doctrines that have kept you in bondage, doctrines
that have kept you from walking in the fullness of all that Jesus Christ is
doing, saying, and breathing into His called-out people.
I've used this phrase in the past before, and I
want to repeat it for this Coffee Break.
"When you want what God wants for the same
reason that God wants it, you become unlimited and unstoppable!"
Blessings on you!
I remind those of you in need of ministry that our Healing Prayer Call
takes place on Mondays at 7:00 PM Eastern (4:00 PM Pacific). Our call-in number has changed to (712) 775-7035. The new Access Code is: 323859#. For Canadians who have difficulty getting in
to this number, you can call (559) 546-1400. If someone answers and asks what your
original call-in number was, you can give them the 712 number and access code.
At the same time, in case you are missing out on real fellowship in an
environment of Ekklesia, our Sunday worship gatherings are available by
conference call – usually at about 10:45AM Pacific. That conference number is (605) 562-3140, and the access
code is 308640#. We hope to make these gatherings available by
Skype or Talk Fusion before long. If you
miss the live call, you can dial (605) 562-3149, enter the same
access code and listen in later.
Blessings
on you!
Regner
Regner A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES
CAPENER MINISTRIES
RIVER WORSHIP CENTER
Sunnyside, Washington 98944
Sunnyside, Washington 98944
Email Contact: Admin@RiverWorshipCenter.org
All Coffee Break articles are
copyright by Regner A. Capener, but authorization for reprinting, reposting,
copying or re-use, in whole or in part, is granted –provided proper attribution
and this notice are included intact. Older Coffee Break archives are available
at http://www.RegnersMorningCoffee.com.
Coffee Break articles are normally published weekly.
If you would like to have these articles arrive each morning in your email, please send a blank email to: Subscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com.To remove yourself from the mailing list, please send a blank email to Unsubscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com.
If you would like to have these articles arrive each morning in your email, please send a blank email to: Subscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com.To remove yourself from the mailing list, please send a blank email to Unsubscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com.
CAPENER MINISTRIES is a tax-exempt church ministry.
Should you desire to participate and covenant with us as partners in this
ministry, please contact us at either of the above email or physical addresses,
or visit: http://www.RiverWorshipCenter.org.
Subscribe to:
Posts
(Atom)