“Let us build with you …” (Ezra 4:2, NKJV)
We are currently involved with the extensive task of examining the mantle of Zerubbabel, and have already discussed eleven characteristics of this corporate spirit, which has as its primary aim the empowering of believers in the Bride of Christ (thus, you and I), so that we can build the third, spiritual temple.
The twelfth characteristic of the mantle or spirit of Zerubbabel that we would like to point out is presented in this section of Ezra 4:1-5: “Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the descendants of the captivity were building the temple of the Lord God of Israel, they came to Zerubbabel and the heads of the fathers’ houses, and said to them, ‘Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do; and we have sacrificed to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.’ But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the fathers’ houses of Israel said to them, ‘You may do nothing with us to build a house for our God; but we alone will build to the Lord God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.’ Then the people of the land tried to discourage the people of Judah. They troubled them in building, and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.”
It is immensely interesting that the first temple was marked by the fact that there was no opposition to it being built, which was not the case with the second temple. In 1 Kings 5:4 we for instance read how Solomon notes that “… now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor evil occurrence”. This is in stark contrast to Zerubbabel, Ezra and Nehemiah who built the second temple in the midst of great opposition. Why would this be the case?
The reason for this is closely linked to the tabernacle typology.
Have you ever wondered why believers of the first dimension, where the gospel of salvation is preached, lead their lives without much trouble or spiritual opposition? To make the choice of following Jesus, in other words grabbing onto the offer of salvation brought by the cross, is in accordance with God’s perfect will that we ALL believe, as 1 Tim. 3-4 makes clear: “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” The reason for this is presented in Tit. 2:11: “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men …” [Here we need to selah for a second – what does this then mean for those who are not saved, and who die without ever having heard the gospel of Jesus?]
The call to salvation is clear: “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance.Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you …” (Isa. 55:1-3). The imperative prerequisite is that an individual needs to practice his free will to accept the offer of salvation that Jesus makes.
God does not find pleasure in the death of unsaved individuals: “’Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?’ says the Lord God, ‘and not that he should turn from his ways and live?’” (Ezek. 18:23).
We forget the nature of God’s heart when it comes to a world that is lost – He will never allow people to be deterred from getting to the cross by evil powers, or whatever else. God certainly did not endure the entire process of becoming man only to have it be impossible for the lost to reach his sacrificial gift. He came so that He could act as a gate to salvation for humanity, “that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:15-17).
It’s often only once we listen to people’s testimonies of how they accepted the “gospel … of salvation” (Eph. 1:13) that we realise that it was pretty easy. It might entail an internal struggle with oneself to bow the knee, but there are no external agents who oppose your committing to Christ. Indeed – “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom. 10:13).
As long as believers stay in the first dimension, where the only concern is salvation and the truth of the Bible, there are very few demonic claims that are made on the person, except perhaps that of misleading the believer, through carnal distraction, to harbouring the illusion of spiritual self-sufficiency.
But if the believer starts considering the baptism with water, or desire to be baptised in the Spirit, it is as if all hell breaks loose. It is as if all spiritual opposition in the demonic realm is suddenly aimed at this person, and this attack is often spearheaded by believers in the first dimension.
The reason for this is simple – being born again must be opposed at all costs. Once the person has been baptised, and through the laying of hands has received the Holy Spirit, he/she has received the seed of Christ (Gal. 3:16), and literally becomes a different specie (2 Cor. 5:17). Therefore Paul notes in Gal. 6:15 (and read circumcision here as the tradition of the law, thus symbolically pointing to the religiosity of the first dimension): “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.”
From this the readers of these teachings can clearly see that the first dimension is often devoid of spiritual opponents, but that a difficult struggle awaits the believer who moves to the second dimension. Paul argues that there is a struggle which takes place “against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12). For this reason the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements of the second dimension are so focused on spiritual warfare.
Once you are born again the house/temple is filled with the Holy Spirit – this makes it very difficult to oppose God’s plan for the believer, as it is now “God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” (Phil. 2:13).
If the baptism with the Holy Spirit does not occur, Matt. 12:43-45 takes place: “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.” It is often the religious spirits that enter the believer who is not Spirit-filled. If you have not received the “life-giving spirit” (1 Cor. 15:45), you still only have “a natural body”, and not “a spiritual body” (verse 44). This natural body who, like Simon Peter, only ponders the things of men (Mark 8:33), or in other words the wisdom that is not Christ, is earthly, natural, and DEMONIC (James 3:15)!
In John 8:39-40 Jesus himself explains these principles to the Jews who thought they could get away on account of their religious genealogical roots: “They answered and said to Him, ‘Abraham is our father.’ Jesus said to them, ‘If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham.’” And then this condemnation in verse 44: “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.” This implies that they are born from different seed: the seed of the snake (Gen. 3:15). Although they were religious, Jesus thus refers to them as as “brood of vipers” (Matt. 3:7; 12:43; 23:33), those who were born from bad seed (Matt. 13:38). There are only two types of people on earth: the children of God and the children of Satan (1 John 3:10) – the seed you are born from determines what category you belong to – the seed of Jesus or the seed of the snake (Gen. 3:15), and there is always enmity between them.
However badly this may fall on the ear – it is usually believers of mixed seed who become the Bride’s greatest opponents, they who do not ponder the “things of God”, but rather the “things of men” (Mark 8:33) are the devils, or rather, those who have “the spirit of the Antichrist” (1 John 4:3). Selah.
They are the ones who approach Zerubbabel to help rebuild the temple, but whom are given the cold shoulder, as he discerns them as adversaries, “satans” in Hebrew, even though they are religious, and claim that they want to serve Him. Zerubbabel is not fooled by this – he knows that they are actually still “the sons of the captivity” (Ezra 4:1, ASV). In 2 Kings 17:33 the following is said of them: “They feared the Lord, yet served their own gods—according to the rituals of the nations from among whom they were carried away.”
There are various instances in the New Testament where the Bride is warned to distinguish themselves from ‘believers’ “who hav[e] … a form of godliness but deny … its power. And from such people turn away!” (2 Tim. 3:5). Also see these other explicit examples:
- “But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us.” (2 Tess. 3:6)
- “If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.” (1 Tim. 6:3-5).
- “Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned.” (Tit. 3:10-11).
This twelfth characteristic of the mantle of Zerubbabel requires that one is able to discern, in the spirit, if someone is part of the true Body of Christ (1 Cor. 11:29). If this does not occur it has immense implications.
- Selah: Do you practice such discernment?
- Read: 1; Jos. 1-7; Prov. 18-20.
- Memorize: 1
- Memorise: 1.
[Unknown A1]Verkeerde Skrifverwysing in oorspronklike. Is 2 Tess. 3:6, nie 2 Tim. 3:6 nie.
