The Ark of His Covenant

THE ARK OF HIS COVENANT

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The Ark of the Covenant was lost when the Babylonians invaded Jerusalem. The Ark will not be seen again until the Lord Jesus returns. The appearing of the Ark at the coming of Christ tells us it will be the warlike remnant, the holy priesthood, who will rise to meet the Lord in the air. The Ark also portrays the mature character of those who are eligible to participate in the return of Christ.

Introduction
The Resurrection: Divided Into Two Parts
The Warlike Remnant
Items Inside the Ark
The Ten Commandments
The Memorial Jar of Manna
Aaron’s Rod That Budded
Conclusion

Introduction

Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail. (Revelation 11:19)

King Jehoiachin of Judah surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar II about 600 B.C. At that time, the Ark of the Covenant disappeared from view, as far as we know, and will not be seen again until the events described in Revelation chapter 11 take place. Revelation chapter 11 describes the ministry of the two witnesses, which we believe to be the last-day testimony of Christ — Head and Body. The witness will be overcome by Antichrist, with the Lord’s permission, and then will be raised from the dead. Immediately, the seventh trumpet will be blown and the Christian Era will end.

Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” (Revelation 11:15)

The purpose of this article is to explain the significance of the appearing of the Ark at the time that the kingdoms of the world are put under the authority of Christ.

Whether the temple referred to in Revelation chapter 11 is the great Temple of God in Heaven that Isaiah saw, or the new temple, which is the Christian Church, we do not know. But since Christ and His Body are now the eternal dwelling place of God, we would suggest that it is the new living temple, the Church, that is being emphasized.

The Resurrection: Divided Into Two Parts

The next coming of the Lord, the coming described in Revelation chapter 11, signals the beginning of the thousand-year Kingdom Age and the raising of the victorious saints to meet the Lord in the air. Let us think for a moment about the resurrection of the dead. The Day of God, including the fleeing of the present earth and sky from the face of Christ, followed by the resurrection of the dead, is mentioned by the apostle Peter:

looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? (II Peter 3:12)

It appears that Peter did not know there would be a “first resurrection,” a resurrection of the royal priesthood that would occur prior to the fleeing of the earth and sky from the face of Christ. Peter passes over this event and goes directly to the last resurrection, for it is at the last resurrection that the earth and sky flee from the face of Christ.

The book of Revelation reveals that the resurrection of the dead will be divided into two parts by the thousand-year Kingdom Age. The first resurrection, the resurrection from among the dead, will take place at the beginning of the thousand years. The second resurrection, the general resurrection of the dead, will take place at the end of the thousand years. Both resurrections are announced in Revelation chapter 20.

But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This [living again] is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power [authority], but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years. (Revelation 20:5,6)

Note the statement above, “This is the first resurrection.”

Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.
And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. (Revelation 20:11,12)

“And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God.” This verse describes the second or last resurrection.

The first resurrection from the dead, the resurrection out from the dead, will take place when the Lord returns.
The second resurrection, the general resurrection of the dead, will take place at the end of the thousand-year Kingdom Age.

These two facts are commonly believed. What is not as commonly known is that the first resurrection will include only the overcomers, the victorious saints. The second resurrection is the general resurrection of mankind. All people will appear here except those who attained to the first resurrection.

Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth — those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. (John 5:28,29)

The verse above is speaking of the second resurrection, the resurrection that will take place after the thousand years. The first resurrection, on the other hand, must be attained.

if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:11)

As we have stated, the second resurrection will include all people except those who attain to the first resurrection.

The revelation of the Ark of the Covenant in the Temple of God speaks of those who attain to the first resurrection. They are God’s blessed and holy priesthood. They are brought back to life so they may rule with the Lord Jesus over the saved nations of the earth.

And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This [living again] is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power [authority], but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4-6)

Participation in the first resurrection was the goal of the apostle Paul and is to be the goal of the saint who is living in victory. The remainder of this article discusses the requirements for participating in the first resurrection, the resurrection out from among the dead.

The Warlike Remnant

There are several types and statements in the Scriptures, both Old Testament and New Testament, that portray the temporary division of the Christian Church, the Body of Christ, into a warlike remnant, and then the remainder of the Church. The purpose of the division is that the warlike remnant may defeat the enemy and establish the Kingdom, a David-type victory over Goliath, so that the remainder of God’s Israel may enjoy the righteousness, peace, and joy of the Kingdom.

We believe that only the warlike remnant will be raised when the Lord appears, at the beginning of the thousand-year Kingdom Age, and that these saints will serve as a ruling priesthood with the Lord Jesus over the saved nations of the earth. According to our understanding, the rest of the dead, including the remainder of the elect as well as all the peoples of the earth, will be raised at the end of the thousand-year period. Those whose names are found in the Book of Life will be given back their bodies and will enter the glory of the new heaven and earth reign of Christ. They are saved to the new world of righteousness.

Those whose names are not found written in the Book of Life will be thrown into the Lake of Fire. Each individual will stand before God in his body and be judged according to his or her works.

Some of the types and statements that suggest to us the temporary division of the Church are as follows:

≻ Gideon’s 300. The story of Gideon and how his remnant of warriors defeated the enemy may be the strongest of the Old-Testament pictures of the coming of the Lord. The mention of the barley bread, in the story of Gideon, is significant in that barley was the grain reaped during the feast of firstfruits. The barley bread suggests that Gideon’s 300 were a firstfruits of Israel.

And when Gideon had come, there was a man telling a dream to his companion. He said, “I have had a dream: To my surprise, a loaf of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian; it came to a tent and struck it so that it fell and overturned, and the tent collapsed.” (Judges 7:13)

Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: “When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest.” (Leviticus 23:10)

The “sheaf of the firstfruits” was from the barley harvest.

≻ The separation of the Ark of the Covenant from the remainder of the Tabernacle of the Congregation throughout the reign of King David. The Ark was kept in the Tabernacle of David in Zion. We believe that the rule of King David is a portrayal of the thousand-year Kingdom Age while the rule of Solomon represents the new heaven and earth reign of Christ.

The mention of Mount Zion in Revelation 14:1 points to the Tabernacle of David because David placed the Ark of the Covenant in his city of Zion, a small area within the city of Jerusalem.

The locating of the Ark in Zion, a suburb of Jerusalem, after its return from the house of Obed-Edom, is of enormous prophetic significance. The remainder of the Tabernacle of the Congregation was established at the high place in Gibeon, a city outside of Jerusalem. David supplied priests for both locations. The Ark was kept separate from the Tabernacle until both the Ark and the Tabernacle were placed in Solomon’s Temple.

The temporary separation of the Ark from the Tabernacle is a strong portrayal of the temporary division between the warlike remnant of saints and the remainder of God’s elect. They will not be made one until the new heaven and earth reign of the Lord Jesus.

≻ David’s 7½ year rule over Judah followed by his 33 year rule over all Israel and Judah. This type speaks of an initial rule of Christ over a part of His Church.

≻ The Bride at the beginning of the thousand-year period, and then the Bride at the end of the thousand-year period. First, the Bride at the beginning of the Kingdom Age:

Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. (Revelation 19:7)

Then we see the Bride at the end of the thousand years.

Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. (Revelation 21:2)

Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.” (Revelation 21:9)

We see that at the beginning of the thousand-year Kingdom Age, the Bride makes herself ready. She is clothed in the white linen of her righteous behavior (Revelation 19:8), a righteous behavior coming from Christ who has been created in her and is dwelling in her. A few verses later, she appears as an army that will descend with the Lord Jesus and drive the wicked from the earth.

However, at the end of the thousand years, the Bride is prepared or made ready. She now is the holy city, the new Jerusalem. We believe that one of the main purposes of the thousand-year period is to perfect all Israel so that the holy city can descend from Heaven as the eternal Tabernacle of God among the nations of saved peoples of the earth.

≻ And then the very concept of a firstfruits.

These are the ones who were not defiled with women [not married to the world], for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. (Revelation 14:4)

≻ The people who were “great strong” in the second chapter of Joel, and similar passages of the Old Testament, represent the army of the Lord. This expression does not appear to refer to all Israel.

A day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, like the morning clouds spread over the mountains. A people come, great and strong, the like of whom has never been; nor will there ever be any such after them, even for many successive generations. (Joel 2:2)

Below, the phrase “ten thousands of his saints” suggests an army drawn from the total ranks of Israel.

Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men [“Christian” sinners] also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, (Jude 1:14)

≻ The concept of David’s “mighty men” — warriors distinguished by prowess in battle.

Was he not the most honored of three? Therefore he became their captain. However, he did not attain to the first three. (II Samuel 23:19)

It is interesting that of all the ways an Israelite could be distinguished, as a teacher, a writer, a musician, a poet, a farmer, a builder, a businessman, the evidence of honor during the reign of King David was prowess in war. So it is that from the present hour forward, there will be a need for saints who are strong in spiritual warfare. There is an enemy to be crushed, a righteous King to be installed, before true and lasting peace and joy can come to the earth.

≻ The bride “terrible as an army with banners” — the “only one of her mother.”

My dove, my perfect one, is the only one, the only one of her mother, the favorite of the one who bore her. The daughters saw her and called her blessed, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her. (Song of Solomon 6:9)

≻ The three taken from the twelve in order to see the Glory of the Lord on the Mount of Transfiguration.

≻ The very wording of Revelation 20:4-6, suggesting a part of the Church that is distinguished by being blessed and holy and by being free from the authority of the second death.

And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. … Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power [authority].… (Revelation 20:4,6)

It is the overcomer, the victorious saint, who is free from the authority of the second death, which is the Lake of Fire.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death [lake of fire]. (Revelation 2:11)

Based on the preceding passages, we believe that only a holy remnant of victorious saints will rise to meet the Lord when He appears. This concept is not commonly believed. We have come to this belief after several years of consideration. If we are correct, the members of the Body, the Church of Christ, must take a more serious and determined view of the need to live in spiritual victory if they expect to be received of the Lord Jesus at His appearing.

It is plain that the current emphasis on perpetual forgiveness apart from growth in righteous behavior, and the hope of the pre-tribulation catching up of all believers no matter how undisciplined their lives, is not preparing the saints to be part of the glorious appearing of the Lord.

Items Inside the Ark

Three items were inside the Ark of the Covenant:

The Ten Commandments.
The memorial jar of manna.
Aaron’s rod that budded.

These three items in the Ark portray the character of the victorious saint, the character required for participation in the first resurrection from the dead.

which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; (Hebrews 9:4)

The Ten Commandments

The first article is the two stone tablets on which were inscribed the Ten Commandments, which are a limited expression of the eternal law of God.

You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony [ten commandments] that I will give you. (Exodus 25:21)

The Ten Commandments were the only remaining article when the Ark was placed in Solomon’s Temple.

Nothing was in the ark except the two tablets of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. (I Kings 8:9)

We see from the above two passages that the stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments were the most important of the items placed in the Ark. In fact, the Ark of the Covenant derived its name from the Covenant, the Ten Commandments, placed within it.

The Ten Commandments reflect the eternal moral law of God. They are God’s judgment on the spirits of the heavens that rebelled against Him. The letter of the Ten Commandments was a temporary covenant with the people of Israel — temporary until Christ appeared. The eternal law of God, of which the Ten Commandments are an abridged, covenantal expression, is not temporary. The eternal moral law of God shall never be changed in any manner.

Both the old covenant and the new covenant are based on the moral law of God. Under the old covenant, the moral law of God was expressed in the Ten Commandments, commandments that were to be obeyed by every member of the twelve tribes of Israel.

Under the new covenant, the moral law of God, now expanded until its full meaning is brought forth, is written in the heart and mind of the worshiper. Christ Himself is the eternal moral law of God. As Christ is formed in us, the eternal moral law of God is formed in us. The holy city, the Bride of the Lamb, will be the eternal expression in the earth of the moral law of God.

Outside and inside. We have stated that the new covenant, as well as the old, is based on the eternal moral law of God. Let us think about how the new covenant operates in terms of the moral law of God.

When we first become a Christian, we are forgiven through the blood atonement made by the Lord Jesus on the cross of Calvary. We repent of our worldly ways and are baptized in water, showing our willingness to die to the world and to enter the Kingdom of God. We are born again of the Spirit of God, meaning that the divine Seed, Christ, is planted within us. At that point, we have been forgiven and have the Life of God in us. But our old adamic personality still governs most of our thoughts, our words, and our actions.

In the New Testament, we have numerous commandments. We are to obey those commandments, remembering that we still are an adamic personality.

“Love your enemies.”
“Be perfect as your Father in Heaven is perfect.”
“Present your body a living sacrifice.”
“Let him that stole steal no more.”
“Do not forsake the gathering of yourselves together.”

And many more. We are to obey all these commandments.

But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. (Romans 6:17)

“You obeyed from the heart.” When we find ourselves unable to obey what the Scriptures say, we are to go to God in prayer and obtain help in our hour of need.

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)

God keeps on forgiving us through the blood of atonement provided we pray, study His Word, gather with the saints, and cooperate with the Holy Spirit as He leads us into battle against the sins of the flesh.

We are to obey the Scriptures. We can obey the Scriptures as the Holy Spirit guides and empowers us. Sometimes it is wise to confess our sins to another Christian, or the elders of the church, and have them pray for us. We are in a battle against sin and we are to put to death the appetites and passions of our flesh.

For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. (Romans 8:13)

Obedience to the commandments of the New Testament has many points in common with obedience to the commandments of the Law of Moses. But while the old covenant consisted of obedience to the writings of Moses and the Prophets, obedience to the commandments found in the New Testament is not the new covenant. The new covenant is the creating of Christ in us so that we keep the law of God by nature.

We enter the new covenant as we obey the commandments of Jesus and the apostles. We must obey their commandments until the new moral nature, Christ in us, takes control of our behavior. If we do not keep their commandments, Christ will not be formed in us. In this case, we will have made the grace of God of no effect as far as our entering the Kingdom of God is concerned.

First the law is on the outside, just as the book of Moses was placed alongside the Ark of the Covenant.

Take this book of the Law, and put it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there as a witness against you; (Deuteronomy 31:26)

Then the law is written on the inside.

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. (Hebrews 8:10)

If we are faithful in obeying the commandments of the Lord and His apostles, the day will come when we begin to keep the eternal moral law of God by nature because it has been written in our mind and heart by the Spirit of God. This is the new covenant.

Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. (I John 3:9)

The creating of Christ in us, which is the new covenant, is a process that takes place over a period of time.

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. (II Corinthians 3:18)

As we have stated, the Law was the first article to be placed in the Ark, and the Law was the only article remaining when the Ark was placed in Solomon’s Temple.

God will have no fellowship with someone who is unclean or unrighteous. No believer will be raised in the first resurrection unless the eternal moral law of God has been engraved in His personality.

Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: (Hebrews 12:14)

If we hope to be ready to meet Christ when He appears, we must cooperate with the Holy Spirit as He forms Christ in us. Christ must be written “inside” before He can be written “on the back,” referring to our outward appearance including the redemption of our mortal body.

And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. (Revelation 5:1)

“A scroll written inside and on the back.” This is the whole personality of man.

The Memorial Jar of Manna

The first characteristic of the believer who is eligible to participate in the first resurrection is a personality that practices righteous, holy behavior. The second characteristic of the believer who will appear with Christ in the Day of the Lord is represented by the memorial jar of manna, which was placed in the Ark along with the Ten Commandments and Aaron’s rod that budded.

The Ten Commandments represent the righteousness and holiness of Christ created in the saint. The jar of manna portrays the dependence on God that we learn as we are brought low and are unable to proceed without God’s help. Whoever wishes to meet the Lord at His appearing must be “leaning on his Beloved.”

So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD. (Deuteronomy 8:3)

“That he might make you know.” God has His ways of bringing us down to helplessness so that His wisdom and strength may be revealed. God has his ways of causing us to look to Him each moment of each day.

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (II Corinthians 12:9)

The longer we walk with Christ, the more helpless we become apart from Him. We long to know the power of His resurrection, the fellowship of His sufferings, to be conformed to His death on the cross. Finally, we have the sentence of death in ourselves that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead.

Perilous times will soon come to the earth. An age of moral horrors is on the horizon as well as an age of reconciliation to God. No human being will be able to stand or work spiritually as the spiritual forces of darkness are hurled from the heavens to the earth.

Christ will face Antichrist. The Holy Spirit will face the False Prophet. God the Father will face Satan. The powers of the heavens will be shaken. Man apart from God is only dust and cannot endure the titanic personalities who will confront one another. Only the person who is part of Christ’s eternal resurrection Life will be able to save himself and others as the Day of the Lord approaches.

Man uses money to keep himself independent of God’s assistance. Money will protect no one in the chaos soon to afflict the population of the world. He who wants to be ready to greet the Lord Jesus must learn now to depend on the Lord for every aspect of personality and behavior.

Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; (Philippians 3:8,9)

Aaron’s Rod That Budded

So far we have discussed two of the three items of the Ark of the Covenant — the Ten Commandments and the memorial jar of manna. The victorious saint is coming to maturity in righteousness and holiness, and is also learning to depend on the Lord for wisdom and strength in every part of each day. Truly we are to take no thought for tomorrow. Truly each day has enough trouble present in it, and the Lord will help us if we look to Him constantly.

The third article in the Ark was Aaron’s rod. Aaron’s rod speaks of divine election and of the resurrection life by which each member of the blessed and holy priesthood rules with God.

who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life. (Hebrews 7:16)

“The power of an endless life.”

Many of the chief men of Israel had challenged the right of Moses and Aaron to lead the people of Israel through the wilderness.

Now Korah the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and on the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men; and they rose up before Moses with some of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, representatives of the congregation, men of renown. (Numbers 16:1,2)

Probably most of us know the story, how the Lord came down and destroyed the rebels.

and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods. (Numbers 16:32)

Then the Lord gave the people of Israel a plan whereby they could determine who was chosen to lead them, on whom the divine election rested. Moses was to take a rod from the leader of each of the tribes. Aaron’s name was written on the rod representing the tribe of Levi. The rods were to be placed in the Most Holy Place in front of the Ark of the Covenant. The owner of the rod that sprouted would thus be shown to be the High Priest of Israel.

And it shall be that the rod of the man whom I choose will blossom; thus I will rid Myself of the complaints of the children of Israel, which they make against you. (Numbers 17:5)

Those who participate in the first resurrection are the blessed and holy priesthood of God. God’s true priesthood is as a dead rod except when resurrection life is present. Each member of the Body of Christ must be crucified with Christ and living by Christ. Each member of the Body must come to know the power of Christ’s resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings.

that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, (Philippians 3:10)

There are two errors that can be made that will cause us to fail as one of God’s ruling priests:

Neglect.
Ambition.

Both errors will result in our not being prepared when the Lord returns, and both carry heavy penalties.

≻ Regarding erring on the side of neglect:

how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, (Hebrews 2:3)

The concept of the clergy and laity, that some members of the Body of Christ serve in a priestly role over other members who are the “laity,” is at the root of much of the spiritual immaturity that we see today. If a believer views himself as a member of the “laity” he may then choose to occupy himself with some worldly pursuit or vocation and leave the “ministry” to those who are “ministers.”

The truth is, the Holy Spirit has given a ministry to every member of the Body of Christ.

But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. For as the [human] body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. (I Corinthians 12:11,12)

There is no Christian who is a priest over other Christians. Every Christian is called to be a priest of God, not over other Christians, but over the saved nations of the world. The very concept of Israel is that of a people who have been called out from among the rest of mankind to serve God as a royal priesthood on behalf of the people of the nations.

Every Christian without exception is obliged to present his or her body as a living sacrifice to God in order to prove the will of God for his life, particularly in the area of ministry.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:1,2)

Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; (Romans 12:6)

When we do not devote our life to discovering, developing, and using our ministry, we are guilty of neglect by “burying our talent.” The penalty for burying our talent is to be cast into outer darkness.

For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 25:29,30)

Ordinarily, God does not dramatically call a believer to a spectacular ministry, as God did in the case of Saul of Tarsus. For most of us most of the time, we find an area of service as we faithfully wait on the Lord.

We are commanded by the Scripture to earnestly desire gifts of the Spirit so we may build up the Body of Christ.

But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way. (I Corinthians 12:31)

The believer who does not spend his life serving the Lord, using all the abilities God has given him to build up the members of the Body of Christ, is not a disciple of Jesus and therefore by definition is not a Christian. He has no hope of being raised from the dead and ascending to meet the Commander in Chief in the air. He does have the terrifying prospect of being placed in outer darkness when the Lord returns.

≻ Erring on the side of ambition. The error of Korah and the other leaders of Israel was not neglect of God’s calling, but personal ambition. They desired to supplant Moses and Aaron. They were reflecting the fallen angelic lords who left their first positions of authority and responsibility. They were not content to abide in their assigned places.

Apparently, Korah, Dathan, and Abiram were not aware that every role in God’s Kingdom is established by divine election. Not to be content in our own calling and role is to repeat the sin of Satan. So great was God’s displeasure over this satanic display of lust for preeminence that the earth opened and the rebels went down alive into the pit.

and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods. So they and all those with them went down alive into the pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished from among the assembly. (Numbers 16:32,33)

Spiritual ambition, the desire to be preeminent among the servants of the Lord, is close to the spirit of Satan.

For you have said in your heart: “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north;” (Isaiah 14:13)

“I will exalt my throne above the stars of God.” Even the Lord’s disciples argued among themselves, each seeking to be greater than the others.

But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest. (Mark 9:34)

The history of the Judaic-Christian revelation has included numerous Korahs and Absaloms — those who would supplant the leaders God has chosen. The Lord Jesus was murdered because of the envy of spiritually ambitious leaders.

For he knew that they had handed Him over because of envy. (Matthew 27:18)

Throughout the Christian Era, ambitious spiritual people have tortured and murdered other believers who appeared, for one reason or another, to be preventing their rise to ever higher levels of power and prestige.

If a person desires power, he can never be satisfied. The boss wants to be over other bosses. The governor of a city longs to be president of his country. The president of a country hopes to be the president of the world. The president of the world will compel people to worship him as God. Why is this? It is because Satan is behind all desire for power over other people.

Is there a greater evil than personal ambition — the spirit that murdered the Lord Jesus?

The choices God makes are beyond our comprehension. God sets up one individual and puts down another. He is the Potter and we are the clay.

For exaltation comes neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south. But God is the Judge: He puts down one, and exalts another. (Psalms 75:6,7)

God chose Moses and Aaron. Korah and the other rebellious leaders became bitter, envious, blind, and stupid because of their desire to supplant Moses and Aaron. The same was true of Absalom when he sought to supplant his father, King David.

Korah and the others were blind and stupid. Why didn’t they realize that Moses was the friend of God and that God would never accept their rebellion? Why didn’t Absalom realize that God would never be with him as God was with David? How could Absalom govern Israel without God?

The authority to rule with the power of eternal life rests only with those whom God has chosen. There are many imitators, many supplanters in the realm of Christian leadership. How different Church history would be if there had been no Korahs or Absaloms! They are still active today as any experienced pastor will tell you.

The true Christian, the disciple of the Lord Jesus, thinks, speaks, and acts in an increasingly righteous and holy manner.
The true Christian, the disciple of the Lord Jesus, does not neglect his salvation. He is always busy serving the Lord with a pure heart.
The true Christian does not vaunt himself or seek to supplant another. He thinks soberly according to the measure of faith God has given him. He is at rest in God’s Presence being neither careless nor ambitious regarding his salvation.

If we continue behaving in an unrighteous, spiritually unclean manner, we cannot have fellowship with the Lord. We will come under the judgment of God.

If we neglect our salvation, our Kingdom talents, we will not rise to meet the Lord at His coming, and we stand in danger of outer darkness.

If we are spiritually ambitious, we will experience the wrath of God as did Korah and the other leaders. The Lord will have no ambitious individual in His army who is seeking to set himself over his fellow members of the Body of Christ.

The boards that formed the sides of the Tabernacle of the Congregation were all of the same height, symbolizing the fact that only Christ is the Master among the holy priests of God.

And for the tabernacle you shall make the boards of acacia wood, standing upright. Ten cubits shall be the length of a board, and a cubit and a half shall be the width of each board. (Exodus 26:15,16)

But you, do not be called “Rabbi”; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. (Matthew 23:8)

We are not to seek to be more important than others in the Kingdom of God. Whomever God chooses to exalt shall be exalted in the Kingdom.

So He said to them, “You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father.” (Matthew 20:23)

If God promotes someone in the Kingdom, and envy arises in our heart, then we are to go to the Lord immediately and beseech Him to remove the satanic impulse from us. We are to be content with our own ministry and place in the Kingdom, neither being neglectful nor ambitious. We are to be content in the state in which we find ourselves in God.

Aaron’s rod alone brought forth buds. God had spoken. He had chosen Aaron. Those who wanted to supplant God’s choice went down alive into Sheol.

Let us stop every trace of envy, every attempt to supplant another, every attempt to be first among our brothers and sisters. Then the Lord will be pleased to bring us into the inheritance designed for us from the beginning of the world.

Conclusion

The goal of the victorious Christian life is the first resurrection from the dead. This resurrection will precede our being caught up to meet the Lord in the air. In the day of resurrection, we shall be rewarded precisely according to what we have practiced while living on the earth.

Perhaps the greatest of all the hopes of the Christian is that of (1) being raised from the dead and (2) rising to meet the Lord in the air at His coming, to walk with Him in white at His appearing. This is our traditional hope. We must remember, however, that participation in the first resurrection is promised to the victorious Christian, to no one else. To our knowledge, there is no passage of Scripture stating that everyone who is saved will rule with Christ over the nations.

There might have been many Christians in the church in Sardis because it had the reputation of being alive. Only a few of its believers were ready to govern with Christ.

You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. (Revelation 3:4)

It is those who suffer patiently with Him who shall reign with Him.

If we endure, we shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. (II Timothy 2:12)

The Word of God is our only reliable source of truth concerning our eternal destiny.

We Christians have many traditions. We absolutely must, in the present hour, return to a careful study of the written Word and determine whether or not our hope is solidly founded in the Scriptures or is a fable.

The hope of a pre-tribulation “rapture” that will carry all believers into Paradise so they will not suffer under Antichrist or during the great tribulation is definitely not found in the Scriptures. It is a fable. The hope that Gentile Christians will rule in Heaven while Jewish believers install God’s Kingdom on the earth is definitely not found in the Scriptures. It is a fable. The hope that no believer in Christ will experience evil at the Judgment Seat of Christ is definitely not according to the Scriptures. It is a fable.

The hope that God does not see our sinful behavior because we are covered with the righteousness of Christ is a true hope only as long as we are pressing forward in the light of God’s will. The moment we stop offering our body a living sacrifice and begin to look back toward the pleasures of the world, in that moment the divine judgment rebukes and chastens us and leads us to repentance so we will not be condemned with the world. If we then persist in sin we are close to the fire of God’s anger. The teaching that the question of righteous and holy behavior does not arise after we receive Christ, and that there is no penalty if a Christian does not serve God, is a fable.

But if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; because of the righteousness which he has done, he shall live. (Ezekiel 18:21,22)

“None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him.”

But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? All the righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; because of the unfaithfulness of which he is guilty and the sin which he has committed, because of them he shall die. (Ezekiel 18:24)

“All the righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered.”

The wonderful divine grace given through the Lord Jesus Christ does not change the above two passages in any manner. The soul that sins shall die. The soul that practices divine righteousness shall live. New-covenant grace does not change the eternal moral law of God. Rather it establishes the moral law for eternity. Any teaching contrary to this is a fable.

Grace is the divine virtue, wisdom, and strength that enable us to practice righteousness and live. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself is the divine grace and the only divine grace. Through His blood we are forgiven. Through His Life we live.

The hope that we can live a merry, pleasure-filled existence on the earth and then be ushered into Paradise when we die because we are “saved by grace” is definitely not found in the Old Testament or the New Testament. It is a fable.

The hope that divine grace under the new covenant signals a new era in which God no longer views the behavior of man is definitely not found in the Scriptures. The purpose of divine grace is that we may be able to practice righteousness, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. The individual who does this will be blessed by the Lord. The person who practices wickedness, who is unmerciful, who walks in the pride of his own strength and resources, will be punished by the Lord whether or not he is a Christian. To believe otherwise is to be deluded.

The hope that we will not reap what we sow is definitely not according to the Scriptures. The law of sowing and reaping is a basic law of the Kingdom of God. Grace cannot make this law null and void. Divine grace does not change what we reap but what we sow. The teaching of today concerning grace is a fable.

None of us wants to face an angry God. Let us therefore always pray that we may escape being harmed spiritually during the age of moral temptations and horrors that is approaching, and may stand in triumph before the Son of Man at His appearing and His Kingdom, being fully reconciled to God.

We have seen, then, the significance of the appearing of the Ark of God’s Covenant at the time of the return of the Lord Jesus to the earth to set up His Kingdom.

The resurrection from the dead will be divided into two parts by the thousand-year Kingdom Age. It is the warlike remnant who will be raised at the beginning of the thousand-year period.

The Ten Commandments are a limited expression of the eternal moral law of God. The moral law has never changed and never shall change — not one iota! At first, we keep the commandments of Jesus and the apostles as the Holy Spirit enables us. After a while, Christ, who has been created in us, begins to guide our behavior from within our personality.

The memorial jar of manna teaches us continual dependence on the Lord for every aspect of our personality and behavior.

Aaron’s rod that budded portrays the divine election. Every one of us is to be content in the role and place in the Kingdom that is ours by divine election. We can err by neglecting our assigned place and also by seeking a role not assigned to us.

It is those whose character reveals the Ark of the Covenant who will be raised in the first resurrection and will rise to meet the Lord Jesus when He appears in the clouds of glory.

(“The Ark of His Covenant”, 3569-1, proofed 20240821)