Third Day Church

by Bill Burns

https://www.ft111.com/

Forward

Preface

Chapter 1 - The Third Day Defined

Chapter 2 - The Third Day Revealed in Christ

Chapter 3 - The Witness of the Scriptures

Chapter 4 - The Pattern of The Tabernacle

Chapter 5 - The God of The Three

Chapter 6 - Present Truth

Chapter 7 - Prophetic Progression

Chapter 8 - Zion - The City of God

Chapter 9 - The Firstborn

Chapter 10 - The Third Day Anointing

Chapter 11 - The Question

Chapter 12 - Conclusion

 


 

 

Forward:

I was introduced to the ministry of Bill and Marsha Burns by the Holy Spirit in the very late fall of 1997. Since that time we have come to know each other very well, even to the point of actually working closely together with many other precious saints to carry out our part, both individually and corporately, in the establishing of the Glorious Church in this hour.

From the time that I first heard Bill minister the Word of God I have gained a deep and profound revelation that he is a very important tool in the hands of the Father for the task of painting a clear picture in the hearts of God’s people of the true Christian life and of the powerful and glorious Third Day Church that we are called to be.

It is extremely important in these days for every last child of God, who truly desires to fulfill the precious calling upon their life and ministry, to continually seek after a deep and abiding revelation of the Father’s desire for a “spotless and unblemished” church.

With these things in view, Bill has been commissioned by the Father to put together a “foundational outline” pertaining to the entrance of the Church into the Third Day of Christ, a day of perfect rest and power. It is very, very important for one to understand that in this last of the last hour the outpouring of the Holy Spirit through a holy and righteous people shall begin to increase to a continually greater degree.

As the Word of God is ministered to hearts that are wholly given, the “impartation” that takes place is one in which the hearer receives the incorruptible seed of the Word and THEN, in that place of intimate fellow-ship with the Father, that the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation, is able to enlighten their heart and reveal precisely that which is necessary for them to carry out their part in the Plan with pin-point accur-acy.

Bill has done a fine job in bringing the various types and symbols (shadows) from the Old Testament together with the clear and distinct declarations (proclamations) of Jesus, Paul, and the other apostles relating to the fullness of the Father’s will concerning the Bride of Christ and her entrance into the fullness of His glory.

It is my earnest and fervent prayer that as you read and meditate on the words and scriptures in this book you will be elevated above and beyond ALL of the mindsets and attitudes of the past – mindsets and attitudes, which have kept the church in a place of powerlessness and weakness compared with her soon coming glory.

May the Father bless you continually with deep insight into the fullness of His plan for the Third Day Church and your perfect part in it in this most critical and glorious hour.

Glenn H. Jackson

JTL Ministries

 

 

 

Preface:

This book barely touches upon the revelation of the Third Day Church. It is sketchy at best, and is merely an outline of the Third Day concept. It was written in this manner on purpose, and is meant to whet the appetite of those hungry seekers of present truth.

My prayer is that each one who reads this writing would be motivated to seek God for further revelation of this, the season of the Third Day Church.

This concept will impact everything the believer already knows about the scriptures. Revelation knowledge will be birthed regarding the times and seasons in which we live. God's purpose for His church will be revealed, and individual direction will be established.

Those who are serious about the Third Day kingdom of God will use this book as a springboard to greater understanding of the spiritual season that is before them. They will go with God on a great treasure hunt into the Third Day.

They will begin to uncover for themselves the glorious last-day mysteries of the kingdom of God. May your journey be filled with joy as you go forth on this adventure into the third day of Jesus Christ.

 

 

 

Chapter 1

The Third Day Defined

As Christians we have the privilege of understanding the mysteries of the kingdom in which we live. The Lord Jesus Christ made this wonderful statement in Matthew 13:11, "It has been given to you to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven."

The mysteries of God are hidden truths; they are secret things that the Lord reveals to those who seek Him.

Amos 3:7,"Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets."

The revelation of the Third Day Church is one of the mysteries of the kingdom that the Lord is unsealing in this present time. The following is one of the prophetic words that the Lord has spoken about this subject:

"The Lord says, I am indeed bringing you into the Third Day Ministry, and it will be earmarked by the resurrection power of My kingdom. For, not only have I spoken it in My word, but it has been prophesied to you and preached to you. It exists within the realm of your spirit man now, for in your spirit man abides eternal life. Out of that eternal life shall flow forth the power of resurrection, the power of glory that I have desired to bring My people into. I say unto you that the angels themselves desire to see what I am about to do.”

The heroes of faith that you have read about in My Word desire to see what you will do with the Third Day anointing and Third Day power. For, there comes forth a company of redeemed in the manifest presence of My power, and I say to you that the dead shall arise. I say to you that the blind shall see. I say to you that the lame shall walk. I say to you the prison house doors shall be opened, for the gates of hell shall not prevail against My church! For three days and three nights I was in the belly of hell itself stripping Satan of his authority, and I defeated him there. Now you shall go forth and complete the work that I have begun by first defeating him in your life and then in the lives of others, for this is the Third Day power of My ministry that I am bringing forth. So, I say to you, rise up by the Spirit; ascend Zion's hill. Come to Me with faith and expectation, for I will anoint you with the oil of gladness and the oil of joy. As I anoint you, My resurrection power shall flow through you, and you will come down from that mountain in the power of the Third Day ministry and the resurrection power that comes forth from Me. I give it to you, says the Lord God Almighty, for it is within My purpose and My timing. Now comes the Third Day power of resurrec-tion. Come into it!"

Revelation of the Third Day begins with the understanding that a prophetic day is equal to 1,000 literal years. This concept is given to us by the Apostle Peter in 2 Peter 3:8, "But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."

The context for this verse is established in verses 3 through 7 and has to do with the creation of the world. We know from the Genesis account that God created the earth in six days and rested on the seventh day. If a prophetic day is equal to 1,000 years, then the six days in which God created the earth is equated to 6,000 years of time. The seventh day is the beginning of the seventh millennium of rest.

The seventh prophetic day is mentioned in 2 Peter 3:10 and is referred to as the Day of the Lord. The reason that God the Father ceased from His works upon completion of the sixth day is that the seventh day was to be completed by His Son, Jesus Christ. This thousand-year period of time is referred to in Revelation 20:6, "They (the saints of God) shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with Him a thousand years."

Many bible teachers dispute the theory that the passage of scripture in 2 Peter can be applied prophetically. However, there is further evidence that supports this idea found in the epistle of Barnabas, believed to have been written shortly after the destruction of the temple in 70 AD. Barnabas was most likely the Apostle Paul's companion who went with Paul to Antioch.

Acts 11:25-26 "Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul. And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch."

This is what Barnabas wrote in chapter 15, verses 1 through 5: "Furthermore, concerning the Sabbath it is also written, in the Ten Words; which he spoke to Moses face to face on Mount Sinai: And sanctify the Lord's Sabbath, with clean hands and a clean heart. And in another place he says: If my sons guard the Sabbath, then I will bestow my mercy upon them. He speaks of the Sabbath at the beginning of the creation: And God made the works of his hands in six days and finished on the seventh day, and rested on it, and sanctified it. Observe, children, what he finished in six days means. It means this: that in six thousand years the Lord will bring everything to an end, for with him a day signifies a thousand years.  Therefore, children, in six days--that is, in six thousand years everything will be brought to an end. And He rested on the seventh day. This means: When His Son comes, He will destroy the time of the lawless one...."

We have just entered into the seventh millennium, which is the seventh day of God from creation. This covers the years 4000 BC to 1 BC, which is 4,000 years, and it includes the 2,000 years from Christ's birth in 1 BC to 2000 AD, which is 2,000 years.  Thus, we have the six prophetic days of God, which is equal to 6,000 literal years.

The Seventh Day of God and the Third Day of Christ both began in the year 2000 AD. The Third Day of Christ is calculated from 1 BC to 2000 AD which is 2,000 years or two prophetic days.

In context with the scriptures that we used in 2 Peter, chapter 3, to establish the concept of the six days of creation equaling 6,000 years, we have another reveal-ing scripture.

2 Peter 3:2, "That you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets."

The prophet that reveals the Third Day of Christ is Hosea.

Hosea 6:1-3,"Come, and let us return to the LORD; for He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight. Let us know; let us pursue the knowledge of the LORD. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth."

Some have asked, "How do you know that the timing of this scripture has to do with the birth of Christ rather than the crucifixion; after all Jesus was resurrected on the third day?" My answer is because the next prophetic scripture in Hosea has to do with Jesus, Bethlehem's child.

Hosea 11:1,"When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son."

This scripture is referred to in Matthew 2:15, "And was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, 'Out of Egypt I called My Son.' "

Also the Seventh Day of God and the Third Day of Christ must coincide in order for both to be the Day of the Lord.

The first partial fulfilling of Hosea 6:1-3 took place when Jesus arose from the dead on the third day. However, He has not yet raised the church up in the rapture to live in His sight. He must first come to the church, to the earth, like the latter and former rain before He comes for His church to take it from the earth.

Hosea chapter 6, verses 1-3, gives the church some glorious promises:

1. Restoration is promised for the Third Day. The promise for returning to the Lord, our First Love, is that He will revive us and heal us and bind up our wounds.

2. He will raise us up at the time of the rapture, but before that He will raise some up in Spirit, in His sight, and give them revelation knowledge of His end-time plans. I had a dream that startled me. It was so real. I was in church talking to someone about the Holy Spirit. I said that we have to get past the mind into the realm of the Spirit, and when I said the word "Spirit" the church began to fill up with the glory of God to the extent that I could not see anybody. It began to move me at accelerated speed in an upward fashion that jolted me awake. It seemed very real and was tangible. He is going to so captivate us in the power of His Spirit. He is going to elevate us in heavenly realms where we receive revelation from God, marching orders from God, mandates from God, and we will go speedily to the places that God sends us to carry out His work as His ambassadors. And, the Lord says, "On the Third Day I will raise you up into My presence so that you can see Me face to face, that you might receive that which I have spoken to you. You will have revelation knowledge and never again be confined to the natural realm or move by what is natural. But, you will have seen, and you will have heard spiritually that which gives direction. In that direction, you will make haste and speedily you shall go forth. My purposes are now being established in all of the earth. The times of redemption are now coming to a place of completion."

3. He will come to us like the rain of the Spirit, a double-portion anointing. The former rain represents the anointing of the Old Testament prophets. The latter rain represents the anointing of the apostles.

4. His coming forth is a set time established as the morning, a new day, the Third Day. Psalm 110 declares that this day will come forth in the beauty of holiness from the "womb of the morning." It will be the day of His power when the rod of His strength, His authority, will be sent forth from His church, Zion. His word to His people is, "Rule in the midst of your enemies."

The Third Day is a day of victory. Hallelujah! It is the day of the Master's power in which He will give His church the gift of faith.  As we are lifted up into His presence, the Author of our faith will quicken us, and a new dimension of faith will be given.  The following is a word the Lord gave me:

Shall not My Third Day Church walk in a dimension of glorious faith? Faith that extends beyond the normal, faith without measure that is yours by inheritance, faith that will lift you, faith that will compel you, faith that will reveal unto you the knowledge of the Lord, faith that will magnify Me as I work through you as witnesses in the world to heal the sick, raise the dead, and cast out demons. I have given the Spirit of faith to you today that you might be moved on the wings of faith according to the gift of the faith of the Holy Ghost that you might be elevated in your believing and your ability and potential to receive according to covenant promise all that I have for you. You would say, ‘Why?’ I would simply say, because it is time! It is the day of the resurrection power, which is the earmark of the Third Day, and now it will begin to flow forth as I magnify Myself in My people, and I must magnify Myself in My people before I can magnify Myself through My people. For, you must be brought to new levels of faith and understanding, new levels of wisdom by which your faith operates.  I say unto you today, take a step up in the Spirit.  Launch out into the deep.  Move where you have never moved before. Release your spirit and let it come before My throne to receive the witness of the Holy Ghost that you might be elevated, never again to return to that low level of faith that you have demonstrated in the earth before.  Come, My people!  Come and receive.  Come and enjoy My presence.  Come and receive the gift of faith."

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

 

 

 

Chapter 2

The Third Day Revealed in Christ

The miraculous ministry of Jesus Christ began on a third day and culminated on a third day. John chapter 2 records the beginning of Christ's miracle working ministry.

John 2:1  On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.

John 2:2  Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.

John 2:3  And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine."

John 2:4  Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come."

John 2:5  His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it."

John 2:6  Now there were set there six water pots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece.

John 2:7  Jesus said to them, "Fill the water pots with water." And they filled them up to the brim.

John 2:8  And He said to them, "Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast." And they took it.

John 2:9  When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom.

John 2:10  And he said to him, "Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!"

John 2:11  This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.

You will notice that this third day prophetically points to a wedding feast.  We can then expect that the wedding feast of Jesus and His bride will take place early in the Third Day. We also notice that verse 6 refers to six water pots of stone.  These represent man (six is the number of man) who was created on the sixth day.  Jesus had these water pots filled with water, a type of the Holy Spirit, and changed it to wine, which represents the blood of Jesus.  So, by the power of His blood and Spirit, He would take away the stone heart of man and give us a new heart of flesh that would love Him.

Ezekiel 11:19 "Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh,

Ezekiel 11:20  that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God."

We can also see that the best wine will be reserved for the end of the Church Age.  New wine will be poured into new wineskins.  These new wine skins will be the temple that the Holy Spirit will indwell.  We are the new wineskins, which are the temple of the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 3:16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

Haggai 2:9 "The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former", says the LORD of hosts. "And in this place I will give peace," says the LORD of hosts.

The earthly ministry of Jesus Christ was also concluded on a third day.  We have come to know that day as Resurrection Day.  This was the day Jesus spoke of in Luke 13:32 when He said, "The third day I shall be perfected."  He was speaking of the day that He would be glorified and His body of flesh would be resurrected.

The essence of the Third Day is depicted by the resurrection.  Jesus Himself gave the prophecy.

John 2:18  So the Jews answered and said to Him, "What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?"

John 2:19  Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."

John 2:20  Then the Jews said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?"

John 2:21  But  He was speaking of the temple of His body.

The body of Jesus was put in a tomb and lay motion-less for two days.  Then came the third day, and Christ Jesus who said, "I am the resurrection and the life,"  (John 11:25) conquered death and the grave.  Resurrection power exploded in that lifeless form in the tomb, and on the third day the Master of Life forever shouts, "I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death."  (Revelation 1:18)

Resurrection power shall be the earmark of the Third Day Church.

In addition to the Third Day signs with which Jesus began and finished His ministry, He also gave us several other signs during His ministry that point to the Third Day.  One of the most significant of these is recorded in Matthew chapter 16 and 17.

These chapters give us a preview of Jesus coming in the glory of His kingdom.

Matthew 16:27  "For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.

Matthew 16:28  "Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom."

Matthew 17:1  Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves.

The prophetic word given by the Lord in chapter 6, verse 28, is fulfilled seven days later (after six days).  Remember that the Third Day of Christ and the Seventh Day of God are the same.  The high mountain in Matthew 17:1 represents Zion, which we will speak of later.

The glory of Christ was revealed on the mountain top.

Matthew 17:2  and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.

Matthew 17:3  And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.

Matthew 17:4  Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

Matthew 17:5  While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!"

Matthew 17:6  And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid.

Matthew 17:7  But Jesus came and touched them and said, "Arise, and do not be afraid."

Matthew 17:8  When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

The prophetic Seventh Day has already been revealed in Matthew 7:1, and there are two more symbols of the Third Day given in these passages of scripture.

Jesus took with Him three disciples--Peter, James and John--who represent the Third Day Church.  These three then saw Jesus with Moses and Elijah, and these three represent the power that the Third Day Church will walk in.

Jesus, of course, represents the ruling authority of the church; He is the Head of the church.  Moses repre-sents the apostles of the end-time church, and Elijah represents the prophets that will work with the apostles to restore the foundations (of doctrinal truth) of the church that have eroded down through the centuries.

Ephesians 2:19  Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

Ephesians 2:20  having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone,

Ephesians 2:21  in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,

Ephesians 2:22  in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

This prophetic vision was such a marvelous thing to behold that Peter, overwhelmed with joy, said, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

The Third Day apostles and prophets will begin to restore doctrinal truth, and the revelation of those truths will release glory and power in the house of God. The Third Day Church will be those who see Jesus only, for He is the author and finisher of our faith.

Hebrews 12:1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

Hebrews 12:2  looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Another hidden passage in the scriptures that reveals the power of the Third Day is found in the account of what took place before Lazarus was raised from the dead.

John 11:1  Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.

John 11:2  It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.

John 11:3  Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."

John 11:4  When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."

John 11:5  Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

John 11:6  So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.

Verse 6 tells us that Jesus waited two more days  where He was.  This points prophetically to the Third Day from the day that Christ received the message that  Lazarus was dead.  The Third Day of Christ, in our day, is to be one of resurrection power.  This same power with which Jesus raised Lazarus is to be the earmark of the Third Day Church.

In verse 25 Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life.”  He was telling Martha that the resurrection is not just an event. He was also telling the present-day church, the Marthas who are busy with religious exercise, that His ministry is more than religious busyness. Jesus is also telling us that He wants to demonstrate resurrection power through His church before the rapture.

To make His point, He raises Lazarus from the dead.  We don't know what killed Lazarus, but we do know that the chief religious leaders wanted to kill him after Jesus raised him from the dead (John 12:10).

Lazarus was prepared for burial according to tradition, religious tradition.  He was bound hand and foot with strips of cloth soaked in spices.  Jesus spoke with the voice of resurrection power, and Lazarus came forth from the grave, from religious death, no life in the Spirit.  But, he was still bound.

John 11:43  Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"

John 11:44  And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."

This story is one of resurrection power, which foreshadows the Third Day.  However, Jesus did not raise Lazarus on the third day even though He went to Bethany in Third Day power.

Lazarus was raised on the fourth day. This number, four, also foreshadows the power that God wants to demonstrate through His church. The number four represents the ministry of God in and through man. Three is the number of the Trinity (God), plus one (man).

Even though Jesus was God, His ministry power was made manifest through the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:38).  We are to follow His example (Acts 1:8 and Mark 16:14-18). Now let's go back to John 11:44 and consider what Jesus commanded. "Loose him, and let him go," was directed to the Third Day Church.

Lazarus is a picture of those who have been called out of dead religion. His name means "without help." The Third Day Church is called to loose them from their bondages and bring them into the glorious liberty of the Third Day. Who is Jesus speaking to? He is speaking to those who were standing there and saw this glorious event.

How then does this relate to us? It is like this: Those who are standing in the revelation of what God has in mind for the Third Day Church will see. They will have vision for the resurrection power of the Third Day, and they will loose the captives and bring them into His glorious light.

The traditional church will try to put to death those who are raised from dead works even as the chief priests wanted to kill Lazarus after he was raised up. Those who are raised up will have to come out of the old systems, or they will be put to death again.

These events are recorded in the written word of God, and the scriptures cannot be broken. The apostle Peter, who saw Jesus in His glory on the Mount of Transfiguration, made a most amazing statement in his second epistle:

2 Peter 1:16  For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.

2 Peter 1:17  For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

2 Peter 1:18  And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.

2 Peter 1:19  And so we have the prophetic word made more sure, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

Peter said that the prophetic word, which we have received, is more sure evidence than the eyewitness account of that which he saw on the Mount of Transfiguration.  The revelation of these scriptures is a light that shines in our hearts, and this light points to the dawning of a new day, the Third Day, in which the Morning Star shall reveal the hidden mysteries of His kingdom which will produce resurrection power.

Let us, therefore, arise and by faith prepare ourselves for this new day, the Third Day of His power.

Isaiah 60:1 Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you.

Isaiah 60:2 For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the LORD will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you.

Eph 5:14 Therefore He says: "Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light."

 

 

 

Chapter 3

The Witness of the Scriptures

In chapter two we examined some of the scriptures in the New Testament that established the Third Day concept in the ministry of Jesus Christ.

In this chapter we will examine some of the Old Testament scriptures that also witness to the Third Day. It is not a coincidence that these events occurred on the Third Day. They are a prophetic revealing of that which has become a revelation to this present generation. Let us remember the words of the apostle Paul in Romans 15:4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.

The Lord our God found a man named Abram. The Most High made a covenant with Abram, and his name was changed to Abraham, which means “father of a multitude.” Isaac, the seed that was the first of the multitude of promise, was born and then God tested Abraham.

Genesis 22:1  Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am."

Genesis 22:2  Then He said, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burntoffering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you."

Genesis 22:3  So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.

Genesis 22:4  Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off.

It was on the third day that Abraham saw the place called Calvary.  In John 8:56 Jesus said, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad."  Abraham must have seen the three crosses on Calvary.  He must have known that the man in the middle was the Son of God who was like unto the ram caught in the thicket, the One that would become the sacrifice for sin.

Not only did Abraham's Third Day experience point to the Cross of Calvary and the Third Day resurrection of Christ, but it prophetically pointed to the Third Day Church and those who would be found in covenant with God even as Abraham was.

Genesis 22:13  Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son.

Genesis 22:14  And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, "In the Mount of The LORD it shall be provided."

Again, the mount of the Lord represents Zion, the dwelling place of the Third Day Church. The Third Day will bring the church out of man-made religious bondage into the promised inheritance of liberty and possession of the kingdom of God.  What is about to happen will be like unto what is recorded in the book of Joshua.

Joshua 6:2  And the LORD said to Joshua: "See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor.

Joshua 6:3  "You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days.

Joshua 6:4  "And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets.

It was on the seventh day that the fortified stronghold, called Jericho, fell. This is a shadow of the Seventh Day of God and the victories that will take place in the Third Day Church. Resurrection power will destroy the enemy's strongholds.

Joshua 6:20  So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.

There are many spiritual parallels in Joshua that relate to the type of victory that the church will have as she crosses her spiritual Jordan and begins to possess Canaan Land.  Joshua's conquest began on a third day.

Joshua 1:10  Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying,

Joshua 1:11  "Pass through the camp and command the people, saying, 'Prepare provisions for yourselves, for within three days you will cross over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which the LORD your God is giving you to possess.' "

The Jordan River represents the anointing of power that comes with the baptism in the Holy Spirit.  This is the spiritual power that is necessary for the church to possess in the Third Day.  This is the power that will defeat the enemy of our souls and bring the walls of Jericho down.  Jericho represents the enemy's strong-holds that stand between God's people and their inheritance.  It is the Third Day, so let us cross over our spiritual Jordan, and let the shouts of prophetic proclamation of victory begin!

The Lord is rebuilding His church in this, the Third Day. The house of God is being re-established in Jesus Christ (the resurrection power of the Third Day).

Ephesians 2:21  In whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.

The church was birthed on the Day of Pentecost in power.  The First Day Church began in power, but within several hundred years that spiritual temple was torn down.  Even so that temple is going to be rebuilt in this, the Third Day.

The foreshadowing of this great event is recorded in the book of Ezra.  Solomon's temple was destroyed, but once the Babylonian captivity was over, the temple was rebuilt, and it was finished on the third day of the month of Adar.

Ezra 6:14  So the elders of the Jews built, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they built and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the command of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.

Ezra 6:15 Now the temple was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.

The Babylonian captivity for the remnant church is over, and the Master is rebuilding His temple, and it will be a glorious temple, a glorious church without spot or wrinkle.

Ephesians 5:27 That He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.

This scripture tells us that Jesus is preparing for Himself a glorious church or temple, which is also the bride of Christ. The Old Testament book of Esther is a foreshadowing of the Third Day Church, the bride. The church currently finds herself in a time of preparation for the Third Day just as Esther was. After her pre-paration, Esther was presented to the king in the seventh year.

Esther 2:16  So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, into his royal palace, in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.

The seventh year of Ahasuerus can be likened to the seventh church dispensation (Laodicea), and the Seventh Day or seventh millennium of God.

The overall characteristic of the present church is distinctly Laodicean, but there is a remnant who will be obedient to the Lord's word in Revelation 3:18, "I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see."

The Babylonian church, which is revealed in Revelation chapter 17, will hate the remnant church and desire to destroy her.

Revelation 17:5 And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

Revelation 17:6 I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.

In the book of Esther, Haman represents the harlot church that wants to destroy God's people. Victory will come on the Third Day just as it did in Esther's day.

Esther 5:1  Now it happened on the third day that Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king's palace, across from the king's house, while the king sat on his royal throne in the royal house, facing the entrance of the house.

Esther 5:2  So it was, when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, that she found favor in his sight, and the king held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther went near and touched the top of the scepter.

Esther 5:3  And the king said to her, "What do you wish, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given to you; up to half the kingdom!"

It was on the third day that Esther received favor from the king, and because of the king's favor, wicked Haman was destroyed and the people of God plundered the enemy's goods. And so it shall be in this prophetic Third Day. Once again it shall be according to the pattern given in the Holy Scriptures. The temple shall be finished on the Third Day, and the bride shall enter into the year of the favor of King Jesus. Oh, praise His mighty name!

 

 

 

Chapter 4

The Pattern of The Tabernacle

I have already used the terms "foreshadowing" and "pattern", so I should probably bring some clarity to those terms.

A shadow is created by an object standing in light. When God created the earth, the first thing that He did on the first day was bring forth light. The light that God brought forth the first day was not the light from the sun. The sun was not created until the fourth day.

Genesis 1:16 Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also.

The light that was produced the first day was the illumination of the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus was the Word who spoke things into existence in the creation story.

John 1:3  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

John 1:4  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

John 1:5  And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

All things were created through Jesus, and He is the spiritual light of the world that produces a shadow when an object is illuminated.  The shadow produced by the object (pattern or type) in the light of revelation becomes the spiritual reality of that which is in the natural.

Colossians 2:17 A shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.

The natural is first and then the spiritual. This is why Peter's shadow had healing power in it. Peter was the object in the natural, his body, but the illumination of Christ (the substance of life) within Peter produced spiritual power. In like manner, illumination of the natural events of the Old Testament by way of revelation produced the spiritual realities of the New Testament. These Old Testament foreshadowings point forward to the spiritual realities of the New Testament.

In 1 Corinthians 10:11 the apostle, Paul, validates this truth when he says, "Now all of these things (Old Testament events) happened to them as examples, and they are written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the ages have come."

Moses' tabernacle is a foreshadowing that establishes a spiritual pattern that reveals New Testament truth, which is presently coming forth. The Tabernacle of Moses was a copy of the heavenly tabernacle and was made according to the pattern of the heavenly one.

Hebrews 8:5  Who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, "See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain."

This pattern of the tabernacle revealed in the Old Testament has cast its shadow into the New Testament, which is symbolic of this present time.

Hebrews 9:9  It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience.

The tabernacle pattern shows three distinct sections that identify the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. The three sections are the Outer Court where the brazen altar and laver are located, the Holy Place where the table of showbread, the golden candlestick and the altar of incense are located, and the Holy of Holies in which the Ark of the Covenant is situated.

There are many types and shadows revealed in the tabernacle pattern, which I will not go into at this time.  My purpose is to use the pattern of the tabernacle to establish the Third Day concept.  The pattern of the tabernacle reveals a prophetic progression, which leads to the third section, the Holy of Holies, representing the destiny of the Third Day Church.

Let us examine this prophetic progression.  In the Outer Court we find two symbols of Christ's redemptive work.  The brazen altar is the place of sacrifice where the blood is shed.  It represents the cross on which our Lord was sacrificed.  It represents the place where we are born again or justified.

The next object that is found in the Outer Court is the laver.  The laver holds the water where the priests wash their hands and feet.  The laver is where re-generation begins.  Being washed by the water of the Word and the Spirit.  This is where we are prepared to enter into the Holy Place as priests to serve our God.

As we enter the Holy Place, we see three objects--the table of showbread, the golden candlestick, and the altar of incense.  The Holy Place is the second section of the tabernacle, which represents service to the Lord and the place of sanctification.

The golden candlestick with its seven lamps symbolizes the fullness of the Holy Spirit.  The candlestick is the place of illumination or revelation.  The illumination or light of the Spirit shines on the table of showbread, which is symbolic of the written word of God.  The written word becomes revelation knowledge because the Spirit of Truth, the candlestick, illuminates the word.

The altar of incense represents the priest's position as an intercessor before God who resides in the Holy of Holies.

Revelation 8:3  Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar, which was before the throne.

The Holy Place is the place of service to the Lord as we are busy putting new bread on the table of showbread daily.  We also keep fresh oil in the candlestick so the light doesn't go out.  And, we keep incense on the golden altar.

The Holy Place is a place of the activity of men and women serving God and being about the Father's business.  The service produces busyness.  The table of showbread represents the written word and our reading of it, witnessing to it and the preaching of it.

The altar of incense is the place we spend time in prayer and prophetic proclamation.  The golden candlestick is where we keep our lights shining as we learn to live and walk in the Spirit.  It is where we learn to exercise spiritual gifts.

This is what the ministry of the Second Day Church has looked like.  The Holy Place is representative of the Second Day, but the three objects of service are point-ing us to the third section and preparing us for it.

The Holy of Holies is where the Ark of the Covenant is located and is where the glory of God is made manifest.  The Holy of Holies is the third section of the tabernacle, and it represents the destination of the Third Day Church.  As we enter into the Third Day, the church will begin to abide in the glory of God and in His continual presence.

The ministry works of the Second Day will cease, and the church will learn to rest in the glory of God.  Ministry will then be God saturated and God directed.  Man's ministry will stop, and God's ministry will go forth in His power and at His direction.  Ministry will no longer be born out of man's good ideas.  Instead they will be God ideas.

This concept of resting in God's presence in the Holy of Holies relates to God's Seventh Day, the Sabbath Rest.  Remember that the Third Day of Christ and the Seventh Day of God are the same day.

Genesis 2:2  And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.

Genesis 2:3  Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

The Seventh Day or the Sabbath rest, has been blessed by God.  Sanctification becomes complete, for it is the day of glorification.  The church will become a glorious church without spot or wrinkle!

The writer to the Hebrews identifies this day of rest.

Hebrews 4:1  Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it.

Hebrews 4:2  For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.

Hebrews 4:3  For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: "So I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest,' " although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

Hebrews 4:4  For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: "And God rested on the seventh day from all His works";

Hebrews 4:5  and again in this place: "They shall not enter My rest."

Hebrews 4:6  Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience,

Hebrews 4:7  again He designates a certain day, saying in David, "Today," after such a long time, as it has been said: "Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts."

This certain day has been designated in David.

Acts 15:16  'After this I will return And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, And I will set it up;

Acts 15:17  So that the rest of mankind may seek the LORD, Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, Says the LORD who does all these things.'

One might ask what the Tabernacle of David has to do with the Seventh Day?  The Tabernacle of David con-tained only one of the objects found in the Tabernacle of Moses, and that was the Ark of the Covenant.  David's tabernacle represents the Holy of Holies, which is the day designated in David where the glory of God rests upon those who choose to enter into the rest of God.

This certain day is the seventh millennium from creation, and it is also the Third Day of Christ, the third thousand years from His birth.  When Jesus was born, He rested in a manger.  In the same way the Third Day Church will rest in the Ark of the Covenant, in the glory of God and in the fullness of Christ.

The book of Revelation declares that the temple in heaven is about to be opened.  This is the temple that Moses patterned the tabernacle after.

Revelation 11:19  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.

The temple revealed only one object, the Ark of the Covenant.  The following is a prophetic word that the Lord gave me:

"Shout it from the mountain tops; tell it in the streets; proclaim it to the nations, THE GLORY OF THE LORD HAS COME.  The temple of your God in the heavenlies has been opened, and the ark of My covenant shall now be seen.  It shall be seen resting upon a covenant people, a people who have sought Me, a people who have loved Me with all of their hearts.  Behold, a people come, the likes of which have never been seen before, a covenant people who will not break their ranks.  They will run like the mighty men. Yes, like David's men, men mighty in war.  The enemy shall fall before them, the giants shall fall as My mighty ones go forth, for I have called them, and with the horn of oil Samuel has anointed them.  These are the sons of fresh oil, those called to rebuild the Tabernacle of David.  These are My two witnesses, My sons and daughters of glory, those who have been anointed with the golden oil.  Is it not written that I saved the best for last?  In Cana of Galilee the water was turned to wine, and was served last.  Again, it shall be so, the best oil, the sweetest oil, the purest oil, the golden oil comes at the last...yes, in the last days."

"It is the Third Day, you saints of the Most High.  The Holy of Holies is now open.  Is not the Ark of the Covenant My throne?  For, I sit upon the seat of My mercy, and I say come boldly before the throne.  Come, My people, for the veil has been rent, a new man child has been birthed.  The first man child was birthed in Bethlehem even as David was.  Is it not written that My Son would rule from the throne of David?  Yes, the One who holds the key of David shall rule over the new man child.  He will open the Holy of Holies to them and He shall lead them into His rest, and He shall lead them out to war.  Wherever the Lamb goes, they shall follow."

"Come, My people, for it is the Third Day, and I will raise you up that you now live within My sight, and you shall see Me and know Me as never before.  I am now coming to you like the rain, like the former and latter rain, and the glory of this latter temple shall exceed the former.  It has been written, and the scriptures cannot be broken."

Isaiah 62:2 The Gentiles shall see your righteousness, And all kings your glory. You shall be called by a new name, Which the mouth of the LORD will name.

Isaiah 62:3  You shall also be a crown of glory In the hand of the LORD, And a royal diadem In the hand of your God.

Isaiah 62:4  You shall no longer be termed Forsaken, Nor shall your land any more be termed Desolate; But you shall be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; For the LORD delights in you, And your land shall be married.

 

 

 

Chapter 5

The God of The Three

God revealed Himself to Moses as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It was in one of my night watches that God used an Old Testament pattern to speak to the Third Day Church.

Once again, I found myself awakened in the darkness for the night watch. I was troubled about some things that recently transpired. I found myself in Psalm 77:3-6, "I remembered God, and was troubled; I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah. You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak. I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times. I call to remembrance my song in the night; I meditate within my heart, and my spirit makes diligent search."

The Lord then spoke and said, "My church must consider the days of old and remember the years of ancient times. Meditate upon these things and go forth in Spirit to search diligently for the truths of olden days." The Master then said, "It is time for My church to rediscover the ancient pathways. It is time to redeem the high places. It is time to re-establish the ancient boundaries, and it is time to rebuild the ancient cities that have become waste places."

A pause followed and then came these words: "I am the Lord your God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Walk before Me as Abraham did, and I will make My covenant with you and command My blessings upon you. Follow after Me as Isaac did and re-dig the ancient wells, and the living waters shall be yours. Come unto Me as Jacob did, and I shall bring you into My Father's house. The gate of heaven shall be opened to those who dwell in My house, and no good thing will I withhold from them."

Our journey now begins as we go in search of ancient paths, which will lead us into present truth. Let us begin our journey with Moses as he first meets the God of the burning bush.

Exodus 3:1-6 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. Then Moses said, "I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn." So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." Then He said, "Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground. Moreover He said, "I am the God of your father; the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.

The Lord wants us to rediscover the ancient truths, which He revealed through Moses as it relates to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and then becomes relevant to the church in this present time.

The church has entered into the Third Day of Christ (from His birth) and into the Seventh Day of God (from creation). The question is: Can we find this pattern in the scriptures as they relate to ancient times and to Moses, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob?

It was on the third day that God called Moses up to the top of the mountain. The third day began with the trumpet of God.

Exodus 19:16, 20 "Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud...Then the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain. And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up."

For the present day this points to the release of revelation knowledge to those who will go up the ancient pathway to the top of the mountain.

Again, the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain (ancient heights) and gave Moses the revelation of the tabernacle. It was on the seventh day that God called to Moses.

Exodus 24:15-18, "Then Moses went up into the mountain, and a cloud covered the mountain. Now the glory of the LORD rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day He called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. The sight of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel. So Moses went into the midst of the cloud and went up into the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights."

It was then that God gave Moses the pattern of the tabernacle, which consisted of three parts-the outer court, the Holy place and the Holy of Holies. The church is now moving into the Third Day (third position) into the Holy of Holies where the glory of God abides.

Now we will apply this pattern to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and bring this revelation to present truth for the Third Day Church.

First Position (the outer court) as it relates to Abraham and also to us: The brazen altar and the laver are in the outer court. This is where we come when we are called out of the world as Abraham was.

Genesis 12:1-3 Now the LORD had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

Here is where we begin our journey on the ancient path that Abraham walked. This path is one of covenant promise as we come to the brazen altar, to the place that the blood is shed and the sacrifice is confirmed by fire.

In Genesis 15 the Lord makes covenant promises to Abraham and seals the covenant as He walks through the blood sacrifice prepared by Abraham.

Genesis 15:17-18, "And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces. On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates."

The symbols given (torch and smoking oven) represent the brazen altar where Jesus becomes our blood sacrifice and baptizes us with fire...baptized into Christ and His covenant of eternal life.  Then, we must walk with Abraham to redeem the high places.

Genesis 22:1 Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." Then He said, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you." So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off.

This journey begins at the laver (in the outer court). The brazen altar represents the place of justification, and the laver represents the place of sanctification. It is the place of washing of the water by the word (command of God) where the priests wash their hands and feet. Sanctification demands obedience to the word of God.

This is Abraham's test: to be obedient to God's direction. Again, this took place on the third day. This is how the high places are redeemed. Obedience will break down the self-exalted places that we establish as idols. When we are obedient to be willing to sacrifice our Isaac (the self nature that we rejoice in), then God will provide the Ram caught by its horns. Horns represent authority, and when we are caught by the Ram's horns (Christ's rule), then the high places in our lives will be redeemed. Then, we can redeem the land as outlined in Ezekiel 36:1-10.

Second Position (the Holy place) as it relates to Isaac and also to us: It is Isaac that re-establishes the boundaries of covenant promise as we move into the Holy place to receive the living waters.

Proverbs 22:28, "Do not remove the ancient landmark Which your fathers have set."

The Holy place is where we receive the fullness of the Spirit as represented by the candlestick (7 lamps).

Number 7 is God's number of completion or fullness.

Jesus likened the Spirit of God to water (see John 7:37-39). The fullness of the Spirit comes as we feed on the showbread (word of God) and as we pour incense (our prayers) on the golden altar. As we add oil (the Spirit) to the candlestick, our light burns brighter and illumination (revelation) increases.

Isaac re-established the boundaries of the land, which Abraham had established by re-digging the wells that the enemy had plugged up. The last well that Isaac dug was in Beersheba, which means the well of seven. The water of seven represents the fullness of the Spirit, which is also represented by the 7 lamps of the candlestick.

The church must, therefore, re-establish the power of the living water, which was given on the Day of Pentecost. We must re-establish the ancient boun-daries and re-dig the ancient wells until we have the fullness of the Spirit of God (the promise of the Father). The enemy has plugged many of these wells up by stealing the truth of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  It is now the Third Day and, therefore, time for these ancient boundaries to be established, for this is God's purpose.

Acts 17:26-27 "And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us."

Third Position (Holy of Holies) as it relates to Jacob and also to us: Jacob represents our final destination, the Holy of Holies where we see God face to face. When we have seen God face to face then we can rebuild the foundations and walls, and re-hang the gates to the ancient ruins of the cities of God.

Isaiah 61:4, "And they shall rebuild the old ruins, They shall raise up the former desolations, And they shall repair the ruined cities, The desolations of many generations."

Genesis 28 records the story of Jacob's first encounter in God's house. Jacob laid his head on Christ, the Cornerstone, and he saw Jesus, the ladder of God (John 1:51), extending into heaven. Jacob poured oil on the Rock, identifying Jesus as the Anointed One, and he called the place Bethel (house of God) and said, "This is the gate of heaven."

Later Jacob wrestled with God.

Genesis 32:24-31, Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob's hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. And He said, "Let Me go, for the day breaks." But he said, "I will not let You go unless You bless me!" So He said to him, "What is your name?" He said, "Jacob." And He said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed." Then Jacob asked, saying, "Tell me Your name, I pray." And He said, "Why is it that you ask about My name?" And He blessed him there. And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: "For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved."

Just as he crossed over Peniel the sun rose on him, and he limped on his hip.  Jacob's way of walking was changed, and therefore, his name was changed to Israel (prince with God). Jacob no longer walked by the power of his flesh, but then he had to walk by the Spirit. The name Peniel means “face of God.” This is what we are seeking in the Third Day: the face of God. Later God sent Jacob back to Bethel (Genesis 35), and this time he called the place El Bethel, which means the God of the house of God. Jacob had seen God face to face and then he knew the God of the house.

Jacob was now walking in the Spirit, so he was moved by the Spirit to go to Ephrath (the ancient name for Bethlehem). Bethlehem was only 5 miles from Bethel, but Jacob had to go to the birthing place. Rachel's name means "a lamb." The Lamb had to die so that the sons of the right hand (Benjamin) could be born in Bethlehem, so that one day Jesus, the Lamb of God, could be born there and later die for us.

We, then, are the sons of the right hand of the last generation, those of the Third Day who repair the cities of God (cities of refuge) so that the gates of heaven can again be opened over the house of God and the fullness of the Master's power can be visible in this earth.

Later, when Jacob was about to die, he had Joseph put his hand under his thigh (Genesis 47:29). This was a sign of an oath taken, but to Jacob it was more than that. It represented the ability to walk in the power of the Spirit, and this promise of the Father to the sons of the right hand would be that which would enable them to do the works of God.

These ancient truths must be rediscovered so that the Third Day Church, the present day sons of the right hand, can go forth at the Master's direction to:

Rediscover the ancient paths

Redeem the ancient high places

Re-establish the ancient boundaries and re-dig the wells

Rebuild the ancient waste places, the cities of refuge, the modern-day Bethels over which the gate of heaven shall be opened.

Isaiah 61:4  And they shall rebuild the old ruins, They shall raise up the former desolations, And they shall repair the ruined cities, The desolations of many generations.

Isaiah 61:5  Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, And the sons of the foreigner Shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.

Isaiah 61:6  But you shall be named the priests of the LORD, They shall call you the servants of our God. You shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, And in their glory you shall boast.

Isaiah 61:7  Instead of your shame you shall have double honor, And instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore in their land they shall possess double; Everlasting joy shall be theirs.

 

 

 

Chapter 6

Present Truth

The Third Day is a day in which revelation is coming forth as present truth. The mysteries of God are being revealed by the apostles and prophets. Those who have a violent faith are pressing into the habitation of the Third Day.

The apostle Peter said in 2 Peter 1:12, " For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth."  Peter said that we should be established in present truth.  Present truth is estab-lished by discerning the present purpose of divine visitation.  It is also established by hearing the pro-ceeding word of God, which is presently coming from the throne room.

In Matthew chapter 4, verse 4, Jesus said, "Man shall not live by bread alone (the written word-logos) alone, but (also) by every word that proceeds (is coming forth now) from the mouth of God.”

We are talking about revelation knowledge that is given by the Holy Spirit.  This proceeding word can be inspired preaching which produces revelation.  It can also come by the prophetic word functioning as the Spirit wills to bring forth a prophecy, word of knowledge, word of wisdom, or tongues with interpretation.

In my opinion, one of God's greatest desires is to reveal His hidden mysteries to His people.  In Matthew 13:11 He told His disciples, "It has been given to you to know the mysteries (secrets or hidden truths) of the kingdom of heaven."

An often asked question is, "How can I hear the voice of God?"  Jesus answered that question:

Matthew 7:7  Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

Matthew 7:8  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

The voice of the Lord is revealed by the Holy Spirit as He gives gifts to men.  This is what Jesus said about His Father's desire for His children:

Matthew 7:11  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

The gifts of the Holy Spirit outlined in 1Corinthians 12:1-11 are available to every born-again believer who is baptized in the Holy Spirit.  These gifts are not for just a select few; they are not just for those in ministry.  One must simply ask for the gift of the Holy Spirit and believe that God will give this gift, because He said He would!  Romans 12:6 tells us that we must begin to exercise the gifts according the proportion of faith that we have.  If we do so, our faith will grow and so will the gift.

The Third Day will bring a visitation from the Lord that will release many powerful proceeding words that will begin to unseal and reveal the mysteries of God that have been reserved for this, the end of the Church Age.

When the apostle John was caught up into heaven and received the revelation, which Christ gave him, he heard the sound of seven thunders that came forth as the Lion of Judah roared.

Revelation 10:3  And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars. When he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices.

Revelation 10:4  Now when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, "Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them."

The revelations of the seven thunders were sealed in John's day, but are to come forth in the Third Day prior to the sounding of the seventh trumpet.

Revelation 10:7  But in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets.

Imagine!  Seven secrets of God, which I believe will be known by the Third Day Church.  The question is:  are they just 7 secrets, or are they 14 secrets because the word of God is a two-edged sword?  Or, just maybe it will be 7 times 7, or 49 mysteries or events.  And then, there is Daniel's pattern of 7 times 70. Several of these mysteries have already been revealed, but not all.  The 7 times 7 principle is easily justifiable because the book of Revelation is a book of multiplied sevens.

Revelation 10:11 may be a clue.  The angel spoke to John as a representative of the church and apostles, and he said, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues and kings."

One of the jobs of the Third Day apostles and prophets will be to once again establish a pure doctrine.  This doctrine, redefined, will become the foundation of the Third Day Church that God will inhabit.

Ephesians 2:22  In whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

A pure and true doctrine must be redefined because the doctrine that the first century church held to has been eroded by the doctrines of men and devils.  The apostle, Paul, prophesied this happening:

1 Timothy 4:1  Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.

In my opinion, the apostle Paul wrote the book of Hebrews, and in chapter 11 he spoke about faith.

Hebrews 11:1  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

He said that faith becomes a substance (substantiation), which is based on evidence or truth.  In other words, truth or spiritual evidence will give substance and power to faith.

The first century church had a pure doctrine, perfect truth, which produced a dynamic faith, and that is why so many signs and wonders took place.  The Spirit of Truth gave witness to the word of truth and confirmed the word with signs and wonders following.

When present truth is once again the foundation of the church, the church will function with apostolic authority and power, and signs and wonders will once again be the norm.  This will become a reality in the Third Day Church.

The Holy Spirit recently revealed twelve foundational doctrines in the book of Hebrews chapter 6 through 12.  The first six are identified in Hebrews 6:1-2.  The subsequent six were given by revelation of the Spirit.

The first doctrine identified by the apostle is that of repentance from dead works.  I believe that this doctrine has a two-fold meaning.  First, it would mean repentance, which is to turn from the sins that were committed before we were born again.  Once we are born again, we must continue to repent for the sins committed as a Christian when convicted by the Holy Spirit.  This would also include any involvement in Christian activity or ministry that is not led by the Spirit.  This kind of activity will produce dead works.

The second doctrine is that of faith towards God.  This doctrine identifies that object of our faith, which is God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Most Holy Spirit.  Justification occurs when one’s faith is extended towards God’s finished work of redemption.  Salvation occurs as a result of faith in what God has already done.  This doctrine identifies “saving faith,” which qualifies one to enter into the kingdom of God.  Salvation must be maintained by looking unto Jesus, having faith towards Jesus, who is the author and finisher of our faith.

The third doctrine is that of baptisms.  Please notice that the word baptisms is plural, which means that there is more than just one baptism.  The scriptures reveal three baptisms.  We are baptized into Christ and His sufferings.  Once we are born again, we should be baptized in water as a covenant sign that we have been born again and have made Jesus the Lord of our life.  The third baptism is that of being baptized in the Holy Spirit for power to serve in the kingdom of God.

The fourth doctrine is that of laying on of hands.  This doctrine tells us that the anointing is transferable.  The virtue of Christ can be transferred from one believer and deposited in another through prayer and the laying on of hands.  Three primary reasons for this process are revealed in the scriptures.  The first is to lay hands on the sick so that they may be healed.  The second application is for the purpose of equipping people for ministry by imparting gifts that accompany the calling or office.  The third is to get people baptized in the Holy Spirit.

The fifth doctrine is that of the resurrection of the dead.  The scriptures tell us that all who are in the graves of this earth will be resurrected.  Those who have done good will be resurrected to eternal life, and those who have done evil, have not been born again, will have their part in the resurrection of the damned.  Those who are alive and belong to Jesus Christ at His coming will escape death, hell and the grave in the great event that we call the rapture of the church.  This “catching away” of the righteous is a part of the doctrine of the resurrection.

The sixth doctrine that is one of the “elementary principles” is that of eternal judgment.  This doctrine teaches us that the final resting place of man, heaven or hell, is forever.  At the Great White Throne Judg-ment, the dead are judged according to their works.  Those whose names are not written in the Book of Life will be cast into the Lake of Fire for eternity.  There will be no escape from the eternal torment of the fires of hell once the judgment of the dead takes place.

Now, we will move on from the elementary principles and go on to maturity as we examine the next six doctrines, which are revealed in Hebrews chapters 6 through 12.

The seventh doctrine is that salvation can be lost (Hebrews 6:4-8).  This doctrine will not be popular with those who teach to the contrary.  However, that is the next truth that God permitted the apostle to proclaim.  This doctrine is also reinforced in Hebrews 10:26-39.  Once this doctrine was established, the statement is made in Hebrews 6:9,   “But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner.”  From this point on we are made aware of the doctrines, which are wonderful promises of God that accompany salvation.

The eighth doctrine is that of covenant promise.

Hebrews 6:17  Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath,

Hebrews 6:18  that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.

The two immutable things that God promised are fulfilled in two covenants. The covenant God made with Abraham was not annulled by the law (Galatians 3:10-29). The promises that God made to Abraham are fulfilled in Christ and become a part of the covenant of grace that the church presently lives in. These two covenants are established by two immutable things God did.  He made promises and guaranteed the promises with an oath.  The guarantee was a blood covenant in which the shed blood of Jesus Christ became God’s signature that He would keep His promises.

The ninth doctrinal revelation is the revealing of the Melchizedek priesthood.  Jesus is a priest after the order of Melchizedek, and therefore, not after the Levitical priesthood. This establishes a pattern for us to understand, which is that we are also priests who are to rule and reign with Jesus as joint heirs.

The first revelation that is revealed in the Book of Revelation (1:6) is that we are kings and priests.  Melchizedek was a king and a priest, so is Jesus, and so are we.  As priests we are to minister to God and those He sends us to.  As kings we are to rule in the midst of God’s enemies by exercising the authority that we have been given.

Luke 10:19  "Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”

What a glorious promise!  May the Lord open the eyes of our understanding that we might see who Jesus is in us, King of kings, and who we are in Him, kings and priests.  Psalm 110 gives the prophecy of Melchizedek, and it also commands us to “rule in the midst of Your enemies!”

The tenth doctrine expounds the mysteries that are revealed in the tabernacle.  The pattern of the heavenly tabernacle that God showed to Moses is a type and shadow of the redemptive work of Christ revealed in the New Testament.  These types and shadows also bring revelation to the ministry of the New Testament priests, those who serve God.  Extensive revelation is brought forth from examining the pattern of the tabernacle.  This is especially true when we have the revelation that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.  The spiritual order of the temple is established in the tabernacle pattern, which God revealed to Moses and Christ reveals to us.

The eleventh doctrine is an expanded truth about faith.  This doctrine has to do with sustaining faith that is in addition to saving faith (the second doctrine).  Hebrews chapter 11 identifies the necessity of a strong, mature faith, which will sustain the Christian through hardships, persecution and chastening.  We must continue to have faith towards God, the object of our faith, but sustaining faith demands that we main-tain a vision of Jesus Christ as we continue to look unto the author and finisher of our faith.  Romans 5:1-2 gives us revelation of this doctrine of faith.  Verse one tells us about saving faith, but verse two teaches us that we also have “access by faith” into God’s grace.  God’s grace includes all that He has promised in His Holy Word.  Faith gives us kingdom access into the manifold blessings of God.

The twelfth doctrine, the last but certainly not the least foundational doctrine, is that of Zion.  Zion is a code word for the eternal kingdom of God in which the saints will forever abide.  This revelation is more fully expounded in chapter 8 of this book.

I do not make any claim that these twelve doctrines are absolute or complete.  However, I have not found any New Testament truths, which will not rest upon one of these twelve foundations.  I have also experienced an exponential increase in faith and anointing as revelation of these doctrines were birthed in my spirit.  I do not, however, believe I have attained to all that the Master has for his Third Day Church.

This much I have learned in my spiritual walk, revelation knowledge and present truth is progressive.  The apostle, Paul, also knew this secret:

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

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

Philippians 3:12  Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.

Philippians 3:13  Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,

Philippians 3:14  I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

The earmark of the Third Day will be resurrection power (verse 10), but it will come to those who press towards the goal, and that goal or standard is before us.  It is in the Third Day!

 

 

 

Chapter 7

Prophetic Progression

The church's journey into the fullness of God's purpose is taking place through prophetic progression. Revelation is progressive. That means that it becomes more complete and more revealing as time moves on. Revelation produces glory, which is the illumination of God's word.  The veil is removed when we enter into the Holy of Holies, and there we dwell in God's glory.

2 Corinthians 3:18  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.

We are being changed from glory to glory, which is from encounter to encounter with God.  This process is called progression, and the goal is to finally be found in the image of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The church began its journey on the Day of Pentecost in power.  That power diminished within a hundred years, and by 300 AD that church had become a religious institution without power.  Then, God began the process of restoration when He used Martin Luther to bring the word of truth back to the church.  The progression began with the restoration of the Word.  The progression continued at the turn of the century with the Azusa Street revival when the gifts of the Holy Spirit began to function again.

Now, we have the word of truth and the Spirit of Truth functioning within the church once again.  This has been going on for some time now, and is preparing the church to move into the Third Day.  The Third Day will restore the power that the first century church walked in.

The Third Day was designated in David and revealed in this Psalm of David:

Psalm 110:1  The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool."

Psalm 110:2  The LORD shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of Your enemies!

Psalm 110:3  Your people shall be volunteers In the day of Your power; In the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning, You have the dew of Your youth.

Psalm 110:4  The LORD has sworn And will not relent, "You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek."

Psalm 110:5  The Lord is at Your right hand; He shall execute kings in the day of His wrath.

Psalm 110:6  He shall judge among the nations, He shall fill the places with dead bodies, He shall execute the heads of many countries.

Psalm 110:7  He shall drink of the brook by the wayside; Therefore He shall lift up the head.

The day of power that it talked about in verse 3 is the Third Day.  It is a new day, birthed from the womb of the morning.  It is a day of victory in the church, a day in which we will rule over the enemies of the kingdom of God.  It is a day in which the power of the kingdom will be demonstrated.  A perfected church in the image of Jesus will cast out demons and heal the sick just like Jesus did. 

Luke 13:32  And He said to them, "Go, tell that fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.'

The church is progressively being brought into a state of perfection.  This must be so if the words of Jesus are to be fulfilled:

John 14:12  Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.

The church is presently in transition as we are moving into the Third Day.  If this is the day of His power, then we must become volunteers and willingly lay down the things, which will keep us from being perfected.

The following is a word the Lord gave me concerning this time of transition:

THE BRIDGE:  I saw a city, and I asked the Lord, "What City is this?"  The Master answered, "The name of this city is Christian City; it represents the church.  But, it will soon be called Babylon."  He then asked me a question, "What are they doing?"  I quickly went from house to house, and then gave this report:  They are watching television and the news reports about the election results in America, and they are discussing what will come of all of this.

The Lord then said, "What did you learn from watching?"  I replied, "America is divided."  He then said, "As it is in the natural, so it will be with the church.  Watch and learn."  As I watched, an angel flew over the city and cried out with a loud voice, "Come out of her, you people of the Lord, for the Master is calling you to come out from among them and touch not the unclean things of this world.  The time is short; come and follow your Jesus."

I watched in amazement, for most of those in the city were too engrossed with the cares of their world to answer the call.  However, some had listened, and some had obeyed, and they came forth from that city.  As they gathered together for the journey, I noticed that each one brought their baggage with them.  Some carried only a brief case; some had a couple of suitcases; some were pulling a small cart filled with an assortment of bags.

The angel then called to the people and told them to follow the trail called "Zion's Way" to the top of the mountain.  The people obeyed and followed the ancient pathway to the top of the mountain.  It was quite a hard journey for those who were pulling carts because the path was narrow, and it was also steep.

They all made it to the top of the mountain, but they came to a deep canyon, and they could proceed no further.  They camped there not knowing what to do.  At this point, the Lord began to speak to them, and this is what He said:  "You are here because you have each desired to know Me, and this is why you were able to hear Me.  This is why you have obeyed the command to follow Me.  Many of you desire to know Me better than you do now.  You have often struggled because of unbelief, but as you cross over this canyon, your desires shall be fulfilled.  The name of the mountain that you are camped on is called "Second Day."  The mountain across the canyon is Mount Zion.  That is your destination."

Some of those in the camp said, "But, Lord, how shall we cross over?"  The Master replied, "Examine yourselves now.  Do any of you have any faith?  I say that all things are possible with God.  Do you have any faith?"

A few of the people said, "Yes, Lord, we believe that if you want us to go to Zion, then you will make a way."  The Lord of Hosts then commanded the angels to gather up the faith of those who had spoken and said, "Build My Bridge."  The angels then brought the faith of those who spoke to the edge of the canyon and began to build.

As the angels picked up the faith of the people, their faith took the shape of various sizes of bricks, depending on the faith that was produced.  As the angels set the bricks in place, the Master Builder, Jesus, would bind them together with a substance, which I knew was His glory.

As His glory touched each brick, the bricks became larger, and the work was begun.  This work quickened the faith of the people, and soon shouts of faith were heard throughout the camp, and more building bricks were produced.  The work was progressing quite well when an angel came and posted a sign at the gateway to the bridge which read, "This bridge leads to Zion.  As you cross over, you will enter into the Third Day.  The name of the bridge is The Narrow Way, and you cannot take any of your baggage with you."

The bridge was, indeed, very narrow and had hand rails on it that would not allow any baggage to be carried across it.  The bridge was designed so that it was necessary that one's hands remain in contact with the rails to insure a safe journey.  The name of the rails was hope.

At this point I began to see that each piece of baggage had a name on it.  I saw bondage and unbelief labels on some, and others were called compromise, works of the flesh, fear, and many other things that had become attachments to this world.  I had also noticed that those who carried brief cases had never set them down...not even for a moment.  The labels on the brief cases were identifying different kind of ministries.

The Master then spoke, "This canyon represents a further place of division.  The baggage that you have brought with you belongs to the Second Day, and you cannot bring it with you.  You must decide, for those things cannot be brought into the Third Day.  If you will leave your baggage and cross over by faith, I will deliver you from the bondages of the Second Day and bring you into the glory of the Third Day where all things become new.  This is the time of the Great Crossover.  Come, My people, for the bridge is finished.  Cross over now before the night comes and the way cannot be found.  Forget those things which are behind you, and press forward into a bright and glorious new day."

To my delight most of the people, who had followed the Master to the mountain top, crossed over.  They left their baggage, and by faith crossed the bridge.  But, not all; some could not bear to give up their possessions, and like the rich, young ruler they went back down the mountain, back to Babylon and bondage.

The sun was now setting, and back down the valley I could see the dim lights of the city.  It was now time for me to also cross the bridge.  As I reached the other side of the canyon, the darkness was behind me, and I could see a great light before me.  This was the light of Zion, the city set upon the mountain of the Lord.  The echo of the Master's words have persuaded me, "Cross over; cross over now, for deep darkness is coming upon the earth, but the light of My glory shall rest upon My people."

What about you?  Will you lay aside your baggage and the sin that so easily besets you?  Will you come and cross over the bridge of faith?  Will you come to the mountain of the Lord?

Micah 4:1  Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the Lord's house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And peoples shall flow to it.

Micah 4:2  Many nations shall come and say, "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths." For out of Zion the law shall go forth, And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

The progression of God's revelation is established in the vision of the bridge.  We are going where we have not been before. We are going up to Zion, the City of God, the Third Day dwelling place of the saints of God!

 

 

 

Chapter 8

Zion - The City of God

Zion is the Third Day spiritual habitation of the end-time church. The revelation of Zion is revealed in the twelfth foundational doctrine and is found in the twelfth chapter of the book of Hebrews.

Hebrews 12:18  For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest,

Hebrews 12:19  and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore.

Hebrews 12:20  (For they could not endure what was commanded: "And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned or shot with an arrow."

Hebrews 12:21  And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, "I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.")

Hebrews 12:22  But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels,

Hebrews 12:23  to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect,

Hebrews 12:24  to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

Verses 18 through 21 refer back to the natural events of the third month and the third day after Israel came out of Egypt.  These events are recorded in Exodus, chapter 19.  The shadow that these events reveals to us is that, in like manner on the Third Day, the church will be found dwelling in Mount Zion in God's presence.

The following is a word, which the Lord gave me about Mount Zion:

In my spirit I continue to hear the sound of a trumpet blowing, and it is becoming increasingly louder. With the sounding of the trumpet I am also hearing the Master's voice:

"Blow the trumpet in Zion, lift up your voice like a trumpet, sound the alarm in My holy mountain. Set the trumpet to your mouth and awaken those who slumber, for the Day of the Lord comes burning with holy fire."

"The unholy shall not touch Zion, My mountain, My chosen habitation where My glory abides. Again, I say, blow the trumpet in Zion; tell the people to consecrate themselves. Tell My people that they must sanctify themselves and make themselves ready for the Third Day."

"The Third Day shall release My glory upon My holy mountain (Zion/church), and it shall produce resur-rection power which shall abide on the righteous as a covering.  My glory will be life to those who love Me with all of their hearts, but it will become a fire of destruction to those whose hearts are not wholly given." (Exodus 19:9-12)

"Beware, My people, for these are the days of glory in which the Third Day anointing will be released, and that anointing will produce either life or death. Again, it will be according to the patterns set forth in My word. Do you hear the sound of the trumpet? It is I, Myself, that is blowing the trumpet in Zion, so I say come up to the top of the mountain. I am calling you to come up higher. Is it not written that I will raise you up on the Third Day that you may live in My sight and have knowledge of Me? (Hosea 6:1-3) Only those who have clean hands and a pure heart can come up and live in My presence."

"Come today. Do not delay, for it is the Third Day, and I am calling to you as I did to My servant, Moses."

Exodus 19:16-20, "Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly. And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by voice. Then the LORD came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain. And the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up."

Note: In Matthew chapter 17 Jesus is seen on the Mount of Transfiguration talking to Elijah and Moses. Moses represents the apostle and Elijah the prophet. The foundation of the New Testament church is built upon the foundations built by the apostles and prophets (Ephesians 2:20)

It is now time for Moses (the apostles) to go up to the top of the mountain (Exodus 19:20). As the apostles go up on the Third Day into God's presence, they shall receive knowledge (revelation of the Lord's plans and purposes). And, like Moses, they will bring this word back down to the earth as the latter and former rain. This proceeding word shall equip the church for the work of the ministry in the power of Christ (stature of His fullness).

I have come to the end of the Master's words for this writing, but I can still hear the sound of the trumpet. Louder and louder it sounds, and I suspect that it will become deafening in the days ahead. Then there will be a brief moment of silence in heaven before… 1Thessalonians 4:16-17, "The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord."

Zion is a code word for the church within a church.  Zion represents the remnant, who is the Church of the First Born, who is Jesus Christ (Hebrews 12:23).  They are those whose eternal home will be the New Jerusalem (Hebrews 12:22).

Zion is a spiritual habitation that our heavenly Father will establish for His church in this, the end of the age. For those of us here at Faith Tabernacle, He has likened Zion to cities of refuge. These cities of refuge will be spiritual atmospheres that God will establish around the world.

Many of these cities of refuge will also be connected to one another by divine intervention. The Internet will provide the avenue by which some of these connec-tions will be made; others will be connected by apostles who are led by the Spirit to connect different ministries.

These cities will be places where revelation knowledge will abound.  The glory of the Lord will be the covering over these habitations of the Most High.

Isaiah 4:5  then the LORD will create above every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and above her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night. For over all the glory there will be a covering.

Isaiah 4:6  And there will be a tabernacle for shade in the daytime from the heat, for a place of refuge, and for a shelter from storm and rain.

These cities of Zion will be watched over and protected by the Lord in the same way that the Old Testament cities of refuge provided a safe habitation for the manslayer.

Not only will the Lord provide revelation and protection for these cities, but He will also supernaturally provide for the inhabitants of these cities.

In Matthew, chapter 15, Jesus reveals His heart towards those who will continue to follow Him into the Third Day and up to the mountain, Zion.

Matthew 15:29  Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there.

Matthew 15:30  Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them.

Matthew 15:31  So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.

Matthew 15:32  Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way."

Matthew 15:33  Then His disciples said to Him, "Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?"

Matthew 15:34  Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?" And they said, "Seven, and a few little fish."

Matthew 15:35  So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.

Matthew 15:36  And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude.

The seven baskets represent the Lord's provision for those who dwell on the mountain with Him in the Seventh Day of God.  Verse 32 identifies the Third Day, and verse 30 tells us that those who go to the mountain (Zion) will be healed by Jesus who dwells with His people.

Psalm 110 is a psalm of David, and it is prophetic for the Third Day Church.

Psalm 110:1  The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool."

Psalm 110:2  The LORD shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of Your enemies!

Zion, as it relates to the Third Day Church, is found in the earth as the restored tabernacle of David, which we identified in chapter 4 of this book.

Those who dwell in Zion will be like unto David and his mighty men, and Psalm 110:2 declares that the Lord will send His rod of authority and power out of Zion.  The prophetic proclamation is that God's people will rule in the midst of Christ's enemies.

The seventh millennium is the Day of the Lord in which Jesus will return.  But, before He returns for His people, He is going to use them as signs and wonders to His enemies.

Zechariah 12:8  "In that day the LORD will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of the LORD before them."

Who are these mighty men that are like David?  These are the Sons of Glory that you have heard of in the prophetic words of the last few years.  They are Joel's Army made up of those who are like David's mighty men.  They are the Gideons and Elijahs of these last days.  These are those who have the vision of eagles and the power of young lions.

They will go forth in the courage of David, and the giants will fall before them.  The powers of darkness seated in heavenly places are already trembling as these mighty warriors of the seventh millennium are beginning to come forth.

Behold, an army comes forth, the likes of which have never been seen before.  They are bold like the lion and swift to take the prey like the eagle.  They have no fear of the enemy because the King of Glory is with them, and He is terrible in battle.  He is the Lion of Judah, and the Commander in Chief of His mighty army.

These are those who live in Zion, but they are not at ease.  They have come to Mount Zion to live, and they belong to the Church of the First Born.  They have crossed the bridge, and they have entered into the Third Day!

They have received a kingdom, a habitation, which cannot be shaken.  The city set on a hill is glorious Zion!

Joel 3:16 The LORD also will roar from Zion, And utter His voice from Jerusalem; The heavens and earth will shake; But the LORD will be a shelter for His people, And the strength of the children of Israel.

Joel 3:17  "So you shall know that I am the LORD your God, Dwelling in Zion My holy mountain. Then Jerusalem shall be holy, And no aliens shall ever pass through her again."

Joel 3:18  And it will come to pass in that day That the mountains shall drip with new wine, The hills shall flow with milk, And all the brooks of Judah shall be flooded with water; A fountain shall flow from the house of the LORD And water the Valley of Acacias.

 

 

 

Chapter 9

The Firstborn

Hebrews 12:22-23 tells us that those who dwell in Zion will belong to the Church of the Firstborn. The Head of the Church of the Firstborn is Jesus Christ.

Colossians 1:18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

Romans 8:29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

When we are conformed to His image, we then become His brethren, and we become a part of the Company of the Firstborn.  In biblical terms the firstborn has specific privileges and responsibilities.  The firstborn was presented to God and became His property.  The inheritance or birthright of the firstborn was a double portion.

This double-portion inheritance, as it relates to the born-again believer, guarantees kingdom blessings in this lifetime and in the eternal hereafter. Jesus pronounced this double-portion blessing upon those who would join the Church of the Firstborn.

Mark 10:29 So Jesus answered and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's,

Mark 10:30 "who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time; houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.”

The concept of the redemption of the firstborn was first revealed in the Old Testament when God was about to bring Israel out from under Egyptian bondage.  This great event is called the Passover when God killed all the firstborn of the Egyptians.  The children of Israel were to place the blood of a lamb on the two doorposts and on the lintels of their houses.

Exodus 12:12  For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.

Exodus 12:13  Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

The blood of the Passover lamb was a foreshadowing of the blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God that would take away the sin of the world.  However, because the blood of Jesus had not yet been shed, the firstborn of Israel became the property of God Almighty.

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

Exodus 13:2  "Consecrate to Me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and beast; it is Mine."

Numbers 3:12-13  "Now behold, I Myself have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the children of Israel. Therefore the Levites shall be Mine because all the firstborn are Mine. On the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast. They shall be Mine: I am the LORD."

Instead of taking the firstborn from every tribe of Israel, He took the tribe of Levi.  The Levites would become the priests of God who would attend to the work of the Tabernacle.

Now, we come to the part of this story that gets very interesting. There were two hundred and seventy-three more firstborn children of Israel than there were Levites.  The Lord then instructed Moses as to how this mathematical problem would be solved.

Numbers 3:46-48  "And for the redemption of the two hundred and seventy-three of the firstborn of the children of Israel, who are more than the number of the Levites, you shall take five shekels for each one individually; you shall take them in the currency of the shekel of the sanctuary, the shekel of twenty gerahs.  And you shall give the money, with which the excess number of them is redeemed, to Aaron and his sons."

The revelation of the position of the firstborn is revealed in this transaction when God purchased two hundred and seventy-three priests (Levites) for a future purpose.  Two hundred and seventy-three represents the spiritual number of the firstborn that would become the New Testament priests of God.

It takes another Old Testament event to connect the revelation of the firstborn to the New Testament.  When Solomon finished building the temple, he dedi-cated the temple to God.  Once the Ark of the Covenant was set in place in the Holy of Holies, one hundred and twenty Levites (firstborn priests) began to praise God (2 Chronicles 5:12).  As a result of the praise of these one hundred and twenty, the temple of God was filled with His glory (2 Chronicles 5:13-14).

With this understanding of the  one hundred and twenty Levites, who were the firstborn redeemed by God and bought with a price, we can now take this revelation into the New Testament.

After the resurrection Jesus instructed His disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father.  The disciples then went up into an upper room where they continued to wait with one accord in prayer.

Acts 1:15 And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples (altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty).

We see that the one hundred and twenty priests that God purchased from the Levites are about to become the New Testament priests.  They would be the temple made without hands, and on the Day of Pentecost, the one hundred and twenty would become the Church of the Firstborn, the last days’ temple of God.  They would become the first fruits of the firstborn, those who were bought with a price, the precious blood of Jesus.

The events that led up to the Day of Pentecost are very enlightening.  Even after the resurrection Peter decided to return to his old profession of fishing.  This episode is recorded in John chapter 21.  Simon Peter and the boys had fished all night and had caught nothing.

John 21:4  But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.

John 21:5  Then Jesus said to them, "Children, have you any food?" They answered Him, "No."

John 21:6  And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish.

Jesus told His disciples to cast the net on the “right side of the boat.”  In other words, He was about to bring His disciples, and especially Peter, into a “right understanding” of His purposes for His church. He had already told them that they were to become fishers of men, which the fish that they caught on the “right side of the boat” represented.

John 21:10  Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish which you have just caught."

John 21:11  Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken.

We now come to the unsealing of the revelation of the firstborn.  If we add the 120 who would be in the upper room on the Day of Pentecost to the 153 fish,  which represents the harvest of souls to come, we have 273.  Remember, this is the number of the firstborn that God purchased from the Levites.

If we subtract 120 from 153, we have 33, which is the age of Jesus at the time of the resurrection.  Jesus was the first fruits of the firstborn, followed by the 120 on the Day of Pentecost, who would be followed by the harvest to come, as represented by the 153 fish.

The Hebrew alphabet letters each have a numerical value.  In the Hebrew “Beni Ha-Elohim” means the sons of God and has a numerical value of 153.

The sons of God are those who have been bought with a price, the blood of Jesus, and have been baptized in the Holy Spirit in the same manner that those in the Upper Room were.  These are those who dwell in Zion and belong to the Church of the Firstborn.

This is a revelation that was set aside for the Third Day Church.  John 21:4 tells us that a new day would come, and it is the morning of the third day that springs forth in power from the womb of the morning. (Psalm 110:3)

John 21:14 This is now the third time Jesus showed Himself to His disciples after He was raised from the dead.

This event took place the third time that Jesus showed Himself to His disciples as a group, and it was His seventh appearance since the resurrection.  Once again, hidden in God’s word we have a sign post of the Third Day of Christ and the Seventh Day of God.

Once the fish and bread were eaten and breakfast was over Jesus prophetically spoke about the Third Day harvest as He reminded Peter that he was to be a fisher of men instead of fish.  His question which came three times was:  Peter, do you love Me more than these fish you have just caught?  Three times He spoke to Peter as a representative of the church.  He was telling us that three days of harvest would come and that His sheep must be tended in all three days.

In this conversation between Peter and Jesus, Peter represents the first century church (first day) when he asked a question about John.

John 21:21  Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, "But Lord, what about this man?"

John 21:22  Jesus said to him, "If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me."

When Jesus took some of His disciples up to the Mount of Transfiguration to show them the glory of His kingdom, he took Peter, James and John – three men representing the three days of the church.  Jesus said, “If I will that he (John as a representative of the Third Day Church) remain till I come, what is that to you?”

John represents the Third Day Church that will be here when Jesus returns for the Church of the Firstborn.  It is John who tells us that we are kings and priests (Revelation 1:6).  It is John who received revelation of the resurrected Christ and the end-time events of the Third Day.  It was John that was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, the Day of the Lord, the Seventh Day of God, and the Third Day of Christ.  John’s message is also our message.

Revelation 1:7  Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.

Revelation 1:8  "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."

This is the message of the sons of God, the firstborn of the Third Day.  Jesus is coming; let the redeemed say so.  Let us shout it from the mountain tops.  The Firstborn of all creation is coming for His own.  Amen.

 

 

 

Chapter 10

The Third Day Anointing

The Lord recently told me that the book of Third John was for the Third Day Church.  It is the only book that is a “third” epistle. This little book of only fourteen verses powerfully identifies God's purposes and blessings for the Third Day Church.

In order to receive revelation of this third epistle, one must perceive that God is speaking to His church. The book is written to Gaius who represents the church.  The name Gaius means "on earth." In other words, this letter is to those who are on the earth in the Third Day Church.

3 John 1:2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.

In this verse the Holy Spirit has made intercession for the Third Day Church.  The blessing will be one of prosperity in every area.  As a result of this prayer for the church, an anointing for prosperity will be released in this Third Day.  This anointing will generate faith that will call forth provision for those who dwell in Zion.    If your spirit is prospering, your soul will prosper.  The prayer declares that we will prosper in all things.  That means spiritual blessings,  gifts and revelation, and it also means that the soul will rest in God in this Seventh Day, the Sabbath rest, and will find peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

This perfect rest in Him will provide a flow of supernatural energy and health for our physical bodies. This promise is for all things and would, therefore, include God’s provision for those material things, which we require.  What a glorious promise for those who abide in His glory on the Third Day.

Verses 3-4 and 8 tell us that the Third Day Church will walk in truth - sound doctrine and revelation knowledge.  The exhortation to the Third Day Church in Hosea 6:3 is, "Let us know (Him), let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord."  And, the promise is that He will come to us as the rain of the Spirit.  This rain of God's Spirit will bring words of knowledge and wisdom to the Third Day Church.  The Holy Spirit will reveal Jesus more fully to those who pursue the knowledge of the Lord.

Verses 5-7 speak of the faithfulness that the Third Day Church will walk in, faithful to God and to the brethren. Faithfulness will be demonstrated through provision to the stranger, brethren sent by God to us for help. The love of God will be the catalyst that bonds the Third Day Church together.

Verses 9-10 warn us about those who will desire to have preeminence and will try to take over and control the Third Day Church. We must set a watch for those who will be sent by Satan to undermine what God has purposed.

Verses 11-12 exhort us to overcome evil with good so that we, like Demetrius, will have a good testimony that all may see. We must operate from a position of truth as children of the light.  The truth will set us free, and the truth will keep us free.

Verse 13 tells us that many things could have been written to us that were not.

John 21:25  And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.

Verse 14 reveals why all things were not written.  It is because He wants to tell His Third Day Church, those who are His friends, face to face!

That, which the seven thunders spoke, was sealed up as mysteries for the Third Day Church to unseal.  The Lord wants to speak to this generation face to face even as He did to Moses. God met with Moses face to face and revealed the hidden mysteries recorded in the book of Genesis.

No man was there to witness the creation account, but God showed it to Moses as He spoke to Him face to face.  Oh, what wonders await the Third Day Church!  What glorious mysteries He will reveal in these days! I have a feeling that the Lord has saved some of His best surprises for last.

This promise of being face to face with the Lord is also established in Hosea 6:2, "On the third day He will lift us up that we may live (abide) in His sight."  And there we shall find ourselves face to face with the Glorious One. And, we shall be changed from glory to glory into the image of the One that we are beholding.

As we abide in the presence of Christ, the Anointed One with His anointing, we shall receive an impartation of the Third Day anointing, which will be an anointing of resurrection power that will be produced by the glory of God.

Jesus is the Son of David, and He is ruling from the throne of David.  The throne of David that Jesus is ruling from is set over the restored tabernacle of David (Zion).  Therefore, the Third Day Church of the first born will have a Davidic anointing.

1 Samuel 16:13 tells us that when Samuel anointed David, "the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward."

The Holy Spirit coming upon David was a foreshadowing of the Holy Spirit coming upon the New Testament believers. Jesus spoke of this great happening in Acts 1:8 when He said, "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you."

This coming upon by the Holy Spirit is not the born-again experience. In the born-again experience the Holy Spirit comes within. The coming upon of the Holy Spirit is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This is what occurred on the Day of Pentecost in Acts, chapter 2. The baptism of the Holy Spirit empowers and anoints one for service.

The word "anointed" means to be smeared upon or rubbed against by the Holy Spirit. This action by the Holy Spirit anoints the person and supernaturally enables him/her to have divine power for specific functions.

The prophet, Isaiah, prophetically speaks to those who will dwell in Zion:

Isaiah 10:24 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD of hosts: "O My people, who dwell in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrian. He shall strike you with a rod and lift up his staff against you, in the manner of Egypt."

The Assyrian is symbolic of Satan's demonic powers that oppress God's people.  Isaiah is also speaking about the Third Day of Christ, the Day of the Lord.

Isaiah 10:27  It shall come to pass in that day That his burden will be taken away from your shoulder, And his yoke from your neck, And the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil.

What a wonderful promise this is! The Third Day anointing will be powerful enough to break the yokes that have had much of the church in bondage until this point in time.  Those who dwell in Zion will have three anointings like David had.

The Spirit of the Lord that came upon David, when he was anointed by Samuel, manifested in three specific ways. David was anointed as a prophet, a priest, and a king.  The Third Day anointing will be a combination or mixture of these three anointings.

The anointing of a prophet was manifested in David as that of a psalmist.  This prophetic gift brought forth prophecy in song. David was a prophetic worshipper.  Those in the Third Day Church will be prophetic in nature, and they will also be anointed and break Satan's yokes of bondage. When David played and sang for Saul, the tormenting spirits fled.

David also prophesied by the Spirit, and so will the Third Day Church. Prophetic intercession and proclamation will pull down Satan's strongholds.  This prophetic anointing will destroy Satan's yokes and set captives free.

David was also anointed as a priest after the order of Melchizedek.  David was able to eat the showbread from the temple in 1 Samuel 21:6. Only a priest could eat showbread. David also ministered in dance  before the Lord in 2 Samuel 6:14.

The Third Day Church will also have a priestly anointing to minister to the Lord in fellowship, and as they do, they will receive the bread of heaven, which is revelation knowledge.  The psalmist said, "I know more than my teachers because the Lord has taught me." (Psalm 119:99)

This priestly anointing will also be a pastoral anointing, which will allow those in the Third Day Church to minister the word in power to those God sends them to.  Revelation 1:6 tells us that we are priests and kings of God.

The third anointing that the Third Day Church will have is a kingly anointing.  This will be an apostolic anointing of power to rule and reign with Christ.  This apostolic anointing will produce the power necessary to cast out demons and heal the sick.

The Third Day Church will rule in power in the midst of God's enemies.  The enemy will not be found ruling over those in Zion.  The combination of these three anointings will cause the church to minister in the power of the Holy Spirit in the likeness of Jesus.

Acts 10:38 "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him."

 

 

 

Chapter 11

The Question

As the Spirit of God begins to move upon the hearts of His people to compel them to leave the old, dead, dry, religious systems of this day, a question will arise:

What shall I do now?  I can't find a Third Day Church in my area?  And, what about ...

Hebrews 10:24  And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,

Hebrews 10:25  not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

Even though you can't find a Third Day Church, you should be able to find some Third Day Christians with whom you can have fellowship.  Acts 2:46 tells us that the first-century church continued from house to house.  This speaks of home-fellowship groups.

The first order of the home-fellowship groups should be prayer for the purpose of seeking God's direction for their group.  Also, pray that God would bring your group into contact with other like-minded, Third Day Christians.

As the groups grow, the Holy Spirit will identify and establish leadership within the groups.  Eventually, a glorious, local, Third Day Church will emerge from these home fellowships.

Most churches in their present structure will not be willing to be restructured into a Third Day Church.  Third Day churches will be patterned after the book of Acts church.  The book of Acts church didn't have a voting membership, and it didn't have an Elder Board or denominational hierarchy that controlled the set ministry.

The Third Day churches will function according to the scriptures.  They will have a five-fold ministry function-ing under the leadership of a man or woman who has been designated and gifted by the Lord.

There is a prophetic picture in  John chapter 4 of the harlot church that refuses to embrace the five-fold ministry.

John 4:6  Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

John 4:7  A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink."

John 4:8  For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.

John 4:9  Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.

John 4:10  Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."

John 4:11  The woman said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water?

John 4:12  "Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?"

John 4:13  Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again,

John 4:14  "but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."

John 4:15  The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw."

John 4:16  Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here."

John 4:17  The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have well said, 'I have no husband,'

John 4:18  "for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly."

In verse 6 the sixth hour is the hour of man.  The woman is not of the Jewish faith; she is a Samaritan, and she is a harlot.  She has rejected five husbands, which represent the five-fold ministry.

She is not married to her sixth lover; again 6 is the number of man, the number of flesh that isn't in covenant relationship.  She needed the living water that Christ could have provided for her, but she refused to believe and receive it.

Verse 25 tells us she even knew the Messiah was to come, and  in verse 26 Jesus said, "I who speak to you am He."  Even though Jesus told her that He was the Christ, she questioned that statement.

John 4:29  "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?"

She referred to a man, a prophet, who told her about her husbands.  But, we have no record that this woman ever believed in Jesus as the Messiah, nor do we have a record in the scriptures that she followed Him.

I have witnessed this same kind of a thing in ministry.  I have watched some of those who didn't believe in the five-fold ministry hear a prophetic word, and even though they saw the fulfillment of that word, they still refused to believe that we have prophets today.

Ephesians 4:8-11 tells us that He gave gifts to men, and He gave those men to the Body of Christ for the equipping of the saints.

1 Corinthians 12:18-28 tells us that He sets these (apostles, prophets, teachers/pastors) in the church as leadership.

A position of accountability will be established, but not a position of control.  The present Babylonian church systems are designed to control set ministry or leader-ship.  This was never God's plan; His government is a theocracy, not a democracy.

The scriptures reveal that the majority vote is usually wrong.  Seventy disciples voted to leave Jesus; twelve stayed.  Ten of Moses' twelve spies voted to stay in the wilderness. Only two wanted to possess the Promised Land. Satan is able to move in most church boards to control the leadership.

If the set office is truly of God, everything will function for the good of all.  Plurality of leadership (five-fold offices) will only function in proper order under set ministry, which can be that of an apostle or prophet or teacher/pastor.  Ephesians 4:11 identifies the office of pastor AND teacher as one.

The set man will facilitate the other offices of the five-fold ministry in the local church.  To facilitate means to make a place for these ministries.  In other words, he will make it easy for these gifts, which Christ has given, to function within the assembly.

In the beginning, the local church may not have all five offices in place.  If that is the case, they should seek some outside input from the offices that are not yet established locally.

For instance, let's say the set man/woman has been identified and is a pastor/teacher.  The pastor/teacher should seek the input of an apostle and a prophet from outside the group until those offices are raised up within the group.

The Lord is establishing His divine government in this the Third Day.  And, when the church is in proper order, then resurrection power will be found in His house.

Many will say, "Is this possible?"  Can a glorious, local

Third Day Church come into being and function as I have described?  The answer to that question is, "Yes!" That is exactly what has happened here at Faith Tabernacle, Kremmling, Colorado.

The Master has used our ministry as a prototype of the Third Day Church.  His blessings and anointing have come as a result of our obedience to follow His plan and not man's.  We are a small, local church mightily blessed by the Lord, and we believe that the Lord wants to establish this kind of dwelling place around the world.

Be bold, believe for God's best, step out, and say, "Here I am, Lord.  Use me.  Position me.  Establish me in the habitation that you would have me in."  And, then, launch out into a bright new day...the Third Day!

 

 


Chapter 12

Conclusion

First and foremost, a revelation of the Third Day Church will reveal the Father's purposes for these present times and seasons that are now upon us.

The purpose for this present visitation is to bring us, as a church, into the glory of God. The Master is preparing His bride, a glorious church.  As we enter into the Seventh Day of God and the Third Day of Christ, we will find the Lord is there (Ezekiel 48:35) in His house, in His church that has prepared herself to contain His glory (Ephesians 2:20-22).

The end of the sixth millennium has passed us by, and a bright new day stands before us.  The Spirit of the Living God is declaring the beginning of a new day.  The Sun of Righteousness is beckoning to His bride to leave the old behind and come and cross over into the Third Day.

These are the days of the fullness of time when the restoration of all things will come to pass. The Third Day Church will be restored to a pure doctrine, and therefore, the power of Pentecost will be witnessed once again.

Those who have been persuaded of the prophetic reality of the Third Day will not be bound by fear of the future. They will not run with the doom and gloom crowd.  They will instead be looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of their faith.  They will not have an escapist's mentality, but will be looking forward to doing mighty exploits with their God.

That day spoken of by the prophets of old has become this day, the Day of the Lord, the Seventh Day of God, and the Third Day of Christ. In 2 Peter 3:10 the apostle Peter states that the Day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night.  The apostle Paul agrees with Peter and also writes:

1 Thessalonians 5:2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.

The Day of the Lord begins in obscurity of the darkness of the early morning just prior to the first rays of the morning light.  This is the time period that we are presently in.  This is the reason that most of the church does not perceive the coming of the Third Day.

The first light of this day is given by the revelation that Jesus will come as the Morning Star before He comes as the Sun of Righteousness (Malachi 4:2). Those who are asleep will not see the beginning of the Day of the Lord. The light of this day will first be revealed to our hearts.

2 Peter 1:19  And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

The last chapter of the Bible that is a Revelation of Jesus Christ reveals how He will first come and identifies the invitation that will be given to enter into Zion, the City of God. (Revelation 22:14)

Rev 22:16-17 "I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star." And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

The Bride will dwell in Zion, the City of God, and the anointing (streams from God) will prepare the people for the day that is coming.

Psalm 46:4-5 There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.

Jesus left us with a prophetic illustration of His coming to His church in the darkness of the morning when the church is storm-tossed. In Mark 6:45-51 Jesus sends His disciples out onto the sea (of humanity) and then He goes up to a mountain to pray.  This is a type of the Great Commission being given and the ascension of Jesus to the right hand of the Father where He ever liveth to make intercession for His church.

Just when the church is struggling for survival, Jesus comes to His church. He comes walking on the troubled waters, and He comes in the fourth watch of the night. The fourth watch is from 3:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.

The Day of the Lord will come even as our natural days do. This is according to the pattern of creation when God created the first day.

Genesis 1:5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.

The Day of the Lord will then progress just as our natural days do. First the morning darkness gives way to the first rays of the sun. The sun will then produce the light of Christ’s rule on the earth for a millennium.

This is the day of Christ's power, and the dawning of this day is bursting forth from the womb of the morning. The bright and morning Star is shining forth in the darkness of this present age, and the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!"

These days will be wonderful days, filled with the joy of the Lord. These will be the days of the manifest glory of God. The whole earth will be filled with the glory of God and the fullness thereof.

Precious Heavenly Father, open the eyes of our understanding that we might perceive what a wonderful opportunity that You are giving us to enter into this, the Third Day. This is the glorious day of Your power. Help us, oh Lord, to be volunteers to follow You and do Your perfect will. Let the Spirit of this present age be birthed in us, and let us be found in Your perfect habitation in this hour. Amen.