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Manifest Destiny

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Titus 1:3 And [now] in His own appointed time He has made manifest (made known) His Word and revealed it as His message through the preaching entrusted to me by command of God our Savior;…

When Christianity first began the followers of Jesus were mostly of Jewish descent yet there were those, numbered among them, who were Gentiles. Those Gentiles, or Nations, had no grid of reference for the teachings of Old Testament Scripture; no traditions, or holidays they could fall back on as reference points. When they came together to be taught it wasn’t to gather more information. They came together in order to be instructed in how to practice being a follower of Jesus. The Word of God had multiple meanings to them. The Book was more than just a book. It was a mirror of Jesus – the Living Word of God. It wasn’t simply a gateway to information but was a literal portal into the very worlds the heroes of the faith had experienced. What has happened to Christians that has reduced the Book to a collection of children’s stories?

Revelation 19:10 states: the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of all prophecy…Prophecy was a world of words manifesting into a living, physical reality. The Testimony of Jesus, and of the Word of God, manifesting – being made a physical reality. When you take the time to consider that if you truly embraced the Testimony of Jesus – by faith, or anyone who had embraced His Testimony – you became a manifestation of that Testimony. You were born-again of the Spirit. Your spirit man came to life and you began to have the capacity for spiritual things. On the day you believed, and trusted, you heard God. I would dare say that on that day your spiritual senses were activated. Things that you thought you might have imagined were actual spiritual realities you slowly learned to dismiss.

In 1845 a newspaper editor by the name of John L. O’Sullivan coined the term manifest destiny describing the collective belief of many Americans. According to historian William Earl Weeks, there were three basic tenets behind the concept: The assumption of the unique moral virtue of the United States. The assertion of its mission to redeem the world by the spread of republican government and more generally the “American way of life”. And lastly, faith in the nation’s divinely ordained destiny to succeed in this mission. This belief led to the westward expansion of the United States into unclaimed territories. O’Sullivan believed that Providence had given the United States a mission to spread republican democracy (“the great experiment of liberty”). No where in the mind of any American was the thought of dedicating schools, teachers, and books to “learn” the meaning of this term. It would have seemed preposterous to any citizen or settler venturing out into the unknown, mysterious, untamed wilderness of anything west of the Appalachians or Alleghenies – to research the etymology of the phrase, or take a course on it in school. Absolutely not! For them it was a term that embodied what they believed and many would give their lives for. It was every individual Americans’ God ordained destiny to push forth into a manifestation of what they believed, and valued.

Followers of Jesus are called, and destined, to push forth into spiritual wildernesses to stake their claim on the land as their inheritance. The Word of God, and the promises of God, become their manifest destiny until it manifests as reality and they are living in and on that land. Once there was a time in the history of Christianity when the belief in Calvinism was so entrenched in the minds of believers that led them to assume some were destined to Heaven and others to Hell. Because of this belief, few if any practiced sharing the Gospel with others, and the taking of that Gospel to other nations was totally unheard of. Yet in the early 1700’s some Moravians became filled with the Spirit and were so moved that they sold themselves into slavery in order to finance their way to the mission field. It took another 100 years for this belief to spread in which Christians began to press forth into their inheritance and manifest destiny. The same could be said of being filled with the Spirit, Worship, the Gifts of the Spirit – tongues, healing, miracles, and discerning of demons. I can remember when raising the dead was unheard of and Bible believing Christians scoffed at the idea. Yet, he we are living in a time where we are encountering those who have not only raised one person from the dead but several. His Living Word pulsates all around you – if you believe that creation came into existence simply through His spoken Word and not a cosmic accident – waiting for someone to access the riches of it’s unimaginable Glory.

New York newspaper editor Horace Greeley once wrote: Washington [D.C.] is not a place to live in. The rents are high, the food is bad, the dust is disgusting and the morals are deplorable. Go West, young man, go West and grow up with the country. Some One greater than Horace Greeley, the Living Word, stated: Therefore GO! Are you a classroom Christian theorist or a Manifest Destiny Explorer and Pioneer? Are you growing up with the Word – into the Manifestation of the Word?

Milk and Meat of God’s Promised Land

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Judges 1:1-3 After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the Lord, Who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites to fight against them? 2 And the Lord said, Judah shall go up; behold, I have delivered the land into his hand.3 And Judah [the tribe] said to [the tribe of] Simeon his brother, Come up with me into my allotted territory, so that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with you into your territory. So Simeon went with him.

There are several ways to interpret the writings found in the Bible. Some are literal, like commands, instructions, and teachings. Others are inferred, like following the examples set before you. Still others are historically, and literally true, yet there is an allegorical, or symbolic meaning behind their narrative. For example when you read the parables of Jesus, or the Book of Revelation, most are not to be read literally, but symbolically. Participants in the New Covenant, primarily get their spiritual “milk” (a metaphor for the Word of God) from the New Testament. We can read and ascertain clearly what we are to do and not do. (which explains why most New Testament readers scratch their heads in confusion when they read the Parables of Jesus or the Book of Revelation). Unfortunately, or fortunately, when it comes to reading the Old Testament you will need to come prepared to read most of it allegorically, or symbolically (although it is literally, and historically true). You will need to see the message behind the message.

The passage in Judges 1:1-3 is just such an example. You can read it literally, and historically but it doesn’t make for much of an in-depth Bible study. As a pastor-teacher I could make the obvious point (which we all know and need to be reminded of) that when it comes to conquering our enemies we can’t do it alone. We need to call on others to help us achieve our goals. Which is a nice devotional thought – what the Apostle Peter, Paul, and the writer of Hebrews would call spiritual milk. But if you want some spiritual meat added to the meal you would need to ask for revelation from the Holy Spirit. He would reveal the message behind the message. You could begin with the Hebraic meanings of the words for the two tribes that partnered together: Judah, and Simeon. Judah means to praise, or give thanks, which is a form of worship (serving or ministering to the Lord). Simeon, on the other hand, means he who hears or a man of listening; or one who hears and accepts what is heard. Now, what’s the application? When I, or the church, partners in praise, thanksgiving, and worship (serving and ministering to the Lord) – with hearing and listening (to God) – accepting what has been heard – I, or the church, can defeat enemies. Not only can you defeat your enemies you are empowered to possess the manifestation of His Promised Inheritance. The real challenge comes when you ask, Is He calling you to partner with another – to see the manifestation of His Inherited Promises – in your life and theirs? Another thought, even more challenging, would be to ask, Do you want me to lay down the promises You’ve specifically given; the inheritance you have prophesied was mine; the dreams, and prophetic words You have given – so another can inherit theirs? Now, all of that taken together has enough milk, to wash down the meat at the table He has prepared for those who are spiritually hungry. But that table has only been prepared for those who have made the Lord their Shepherd.

Confession & Declaration 24

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Romans 8:17 And if we are [His] children, then we are [His] heirs also: heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ [sharing His inheritance with Him]; only we must share His suffering if we are to share His glory.

A few months ago I was intrigued by a promise repeated five times in the 37th Psalm:

Psalm 37:9 For evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait and hope and look for the Lord [in the end] shall inherit the earth.

Psalm 37:11 But the meek [in the end] shall inherit the earth and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

Psalm 37: 22 For such as are blessed of God shall [in the end] inherit the earth, but they that are cursed of Him shall be cut off.

Psalm 37:29 [Then] the [consistently] righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever.

Psalm 37:34 Wait for and expect the Lord and keep and heed His way, and He will exalt you to inherit the land; [in the end] when the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.

I knew that in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount that He repeats this promise in Matthew 5:5 Blessed (happy, blithesome, joyous, spiritually prosperous—with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the meek (the mild, patient, long-suffering), for they shall inherit the earth!

But after my discovery in Psalm 37 I had to say, Lord, all I really want is to be with You. I could care less about inheriting the earth. But my question for You is, Why is this such a big deal? The first thing He reminded me of was that to be on earth during the Millennial Reign of Christ is to be with Him. But the second thing He showed me was that which is in Romans 8:17 “…heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ [sharing His inheritance with Him]…”

We need to understand something. In Hebrews 1:2 it states: “…has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;…”

Jesus is Heir of all things. In the Greek “all” means “ALL.” So everything belongs to Jesus – the earth and all it contains; the heavens’ and all they contain; the seas and all it contains; the universe, with its stars, planets, milky way, asteroids, comets, and moons. All of these things belong to Jesus. We belong to Him. Angels and demons are His. He owns it all. But guess what? Because He has made us His children, we have full rights to receive His inheritance. According to Matthew 25:34; Galatians 3:29; Colossians 1:12; and 3:24 – we are His beneficiaries. Matthew 25:34 Then the King will say to those at His right hand, Come, you blessed of My Father [you [a]favored of God and appointed to eternal salvation], inherit (receive as your own) the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

Galatians 3:29 And if you belong to Christ [are in Him Who is Abraham’s Seed], then you are Abraham’s offspring and [spiritual] heirs according to promise.

Colossians 1:12 Giving thanks to the Father, Who has qualified and made us fit to share the portion which is the inheritance of the saints (God’s holy people) in the Light.

Colossians 3:24 Knowing [with all certainty] that it is from the Lord [and not from men] that you will receive the inheritance which is your [real] reward. [The One Whom] you are actually serving [is] the Lord Christ (the Messiah).

The payoff of the “blessed’s” found in the Psalm 37, and the Matthew 5:5 passages, is that we get to be with Jesus in Heaven. We get to be with Jesus during the Millennial reign. We get to be with Jesus in the New Heaven and New Earth. Oh yeah, and by the way, we inherit everything that belongs to Him!!!! Jesus is setting things back to the way they used to be. Have you ever thought about that? When God the Father placed Adam and Eve here that the entire universe belonged to them also? They got to co-steward it all with the Godhead. (Now you can understand why the devil hates your guts so bad: you own him!) Wrap your head around that. Even crazier is the idea that the earth and all it contains; the heavens’ and all they contain; the seas and all it contains; the universe, with its stars, planets, milky way, asteroids, comets, and moons. All of these things belong to you too. You don’t have to buy a star and put your name on it; all of them are your inheritance. When Paul speaks of the riches of our salvation he wasn’t joking. We had no idea we really are royalty.

Declaration 24: Father, I’ve often pondered the admonition: Be still and know that I AM God. I’ve also puzzled over the silence in Heaven in the Book of Revelation. But now I’m stunned. I’m stunned, humbled, and prostrated spiritually before You – groveling with my face to the ground. What words can express the measure and depths of Your love? The praise and worship You are worthy of? “Thank You’s” fall to the ground sounding hollow, and cheap. Words really can’t express my sincere and humble gratitude, and admiration. It all requires the fullness of all that I am to give You the worship You are due; to provide You with an eternity of service. But now I rise. Lord Jesus I rise above the sin and shame. I rise above the failures and rebellion. I rise above memories of my disobedience and my treatment of such an amazing salvation. I rise and stretch my hands towards You in Praise. I rise and raise my voice as thunder to You. I rise lifting the fullness of my soul – mind, will, emotions, and personality – and I pour it all out to the One Who is Worthy. Worthy is the Lamb Who was slain before the foundation of the world! Worthy is the Lamb, the Conquering King Victorious! Hallelujah I shout Your praises joining my voice with all the Voices that know this full well. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! How can I be quiet any longer? How can I be still? Crown Him with many crowns is my anthem now! Crown Him forever more!

Who’s Your One? Saturday, February 1, Day 20