Aligning with God
Hi Everyone,
I hope all is well. The nation is mourning Charlie Kirk’s death, a young man of 31 years who was a true Christian, who loved people and loved the Lord. My prayer is that his death will not be in vain, but will move this nation to return to God and to return to teaching our children about the Lord through His Word, the Bible. “For Jesus is the way, the truth and life.”
Alexander de Tocqueville said, “America will cease to be great when America ceases to be good.” Let us make America good, and so make America great, not in the eyes of Man, but in the eyes of God.
“Be holy for I am holy.” Leviticus 11:44
The Visions
A Double Wall Corner
In this vision, I saw a portion of two walls that joined to create a corner. These walls were made of two layers, an external layer and an internal layer. In the vision there was no gap between the two layers as might occur in “double wall construction. There is no scale, so it is impossible to say whether the walls form a corner of a building or the corner of a frame.
In order to make a corner square, you need either a protractor, a cornerstone, or a piece of paper that is folded in half twice, lining up the edges so that a square corner is created. You can use this to confirm a 90 degree corner. The rest of the building or object is unseen.
As I thought about the vision, the scriptures that came to mind speak of Jesus as the cornerstone. Paul spoke of himself as a master builder, and described Jesus as the chief cornerstone.
By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one must be careful how he builds. For no one can lay a foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 3:10-11
Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. Ephesians 2:19-22
Jesus quoted the Old Testament prophets who spoke of him as “the stone the builders rejected,” and as “a stone that caused men to stumble.” This first scripture references the psalm which Jesus quoted when speaking to the Pharisees:
The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is from the LORD, and it is marvelous in our eyes. Psalm 118:22-23
And 700 years before Jesus came in the flesh, Isaiah spoke of the Messiah who would be the stone that would cause men to stumble:
And He will be a sanctuary—but to both houses of Israel a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, to the dwellers of Jerusalem a trap and a snare. Many will stumble over these; they will fall and be broken; they will be ensnared and captured.” Isaiah 8:14-15
And the stone, that was a trap and a snare to the religious leaders was a sure foundation to those who would believe in him. So again, Isaiah prophesied:
“So this is what the Lord GOD says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; the one who believes will never be shaken.” Isaiah 28:16
Isaiah’s prophecies came to pass in AD 70 when the Roman armies surrounded Jerusalem and brought total destruction to the Temple of God and to the city. As prophesied, they were “ensnared and captured.”
The prophet Daniel prophesied of the Lord coming as a rock that would destroy the kingdoms of the earth as represented by the gold, the silver, the bronze and the iron and clay, and would establish his heavenly kingdom “as a great mountain” that would “fill the whole earth.”
As you watched, a stone was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay, and crushed them. Then the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold were shattered and became like chaff on the threshing floor in summer. The wind carried them away, and not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that had struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. Daniel 2:34-35
About 80 plus years before Daniel, the prophet Habakkuk spoke of the earth being filled with the knowledge of the glory of God.
For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. Habakkuk 2:14
I believe that Habakkuk was speaking of the kingdom of God which fills the earth with knowledge of the glory of God. We are to be his witnesses, for we are the temple of the Holy Spirit.
In the vision, we do not see the cornerstone itself. We only see what the cornerstone allowed to be made - a perfect 90 degree corner. By conforming to the shape of the stone, a perfect corner can be made. We are to align ourselves with what makes us square or true, which is Jesus the cornerstone. We are to follow Jesus for He is called “the Word of God and he gives us the inner witness of the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth. By following Jesus and his teachings, we will see that the whole earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord.
Jesus gave us his Spirit so that we would be able to overcome evil and our sinful nature and be witnesses for him.
However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to you what is to come. He will glorify Me by taking from what is Mine and disclosing it to you. Everything that belongs to the Father is Mine. That is why I said that the Spirit will take from what is Mine and disclose it to you. John 16:13-15
The Word of God transforms us, and we become more like Him as we read, discover and believe who he truly is. The Holy Spirit reveals truth and gives us understanding to embrace it. It is the word that trains us in all godliness and helps us to conform to the Lord’s image.
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 2 Timothy 3:16
As the Lord is true and perfect, we are to be aligned or made true (upright, erect, aligned, straight) to the truth, which is God himself. We are therefore to be conformed to his ways, his values, his purpose and to his very image. As the Lord is considered a cornerstone, a foundation upon which everything else is to align, to be set and to be made true, we are to represent Him to the world. That is why it is so important to know the Lord through his word.
Jesus answered, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.” John 14:6
By his word we see what he values: what is holy and what is impure, what brings him glory and what grieves his heart. God is eternal, and perfect. We are sinful, and without the blood of Jesus cleansing us of our sins, we would not be able to stand before God. It is Jesus who is our righteousness.
In the vision, there were two double walls coming together in a corner. These two layers may represent a believer, as body and spirit. It is our spirit that us allows us to commune with God. Before we are born again, our spirits are dead, and unable to see or know God. But when they are made alive, when we become born again and filled with the Holy Spirit, our desires change, and we want to know and be with Him. The external layer represents the body that is visible to everyone. It is that part of us that does not want to submit to God. Only when our spirit is alive can we overcome the flesh and please God. The word tells us that the flesh and the spirit oppose each other.
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are opposed to each other, so that you do not do what you want. Galatians 5:16-17
Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation, but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. Romans 8:12-14
So in order to be in alignment with Jesus, we have to have both our bodies and our spirits in alignment with his word. In the vision the two layers were parallel, and both true to square. This is God’s desire that we be people of integrity, with every aspect of our being in union and alignment with Him. Jesus is called the Word of God and if we know the Bible, the Word of God, we will know him as he truly is. If we do not know him, we will make him out to be a god made to our specifications.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:1-5
We know him by spending time in his word, and by spending time in prayer. The Lord wants to reveal himself to us so that we can trust him and know that his promises are true. If we do not know him as the Bible declares him to be, then we are likely to give him the attributes that we appreciate. We may see God as baby Jesus: sweet, innocent, beautiful, loving, kind, generous, and full of compassion and peace. But we may not know him as he truly is. God is Love, but he is far more than that. If you do not read the Bible you might not see or appreciate his holiness, his righteousness and his demand for justice. He is merciful to those he chooses to show mercy. But because he is just, he cannot wink at sin. He brings punishment on the wicked and the unrepentant. God is not a chameleon that takes on the attributes that each of us want him to have. God is to be honored, to be feared, and yes, to be loved in complete devotion to him. When giving the Ten Commandments, the Lord declared himself to be jealous for his people’s love. That is why the Lord hates idolatry:
You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing loving devotion to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments. Exodus 20:5-6
The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Proverbs 9:10
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8
Jesus is and was from the beginning, as we just read above in the Gospel of John. The God of the Old Testament is the same as God is in the New Testament. Somehow, many people do not fear God because they do not appreciate his wrath, and righteous judgment. They do not see that they deserve death.
“For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
Many people have a universalist view of Jesus. They believe that Jesus died for everyone, so that everyone is going to heaven as their eternal reward. But Jesus came to die for those who would believe in him and accept his atonement on the cross for their sins. It is not an automatic thing. We have to choose the Lord and follow him. This is a sobering passage that everyone should know:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ Matthew 7:21-23
God is patient, not wanting anyone to perish. But he is also a God of wrath. It is important to fear him. Jesus said:
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10:28
Jesus was perfect and sinless. He was also filled with zealousness and righteous indignation as he overturned the tables in the temple, declaring:
“It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’” Matthew 21:13
Jesus condemned the Pharisees in the 23 chapter of Matthew. With conviction and powerful words, Jesus pronounced seven woes over “that generation,” the very leaders standing in his presence. His last words included His judgment and sentencing to hell. He prophesied the desolation of the temple, which was the economy of Jerusalem, the source of their prestige and wealth.
“Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.” Matthew 23:31-36
After pronouncing the seven woes and his verdict stated above, Jesus showed his great disappointment in their inability to be faithful. He knew that he would return in that generation, to bring wrath and destruction upon those who loved money and the praise of men more than God.
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’” Matthew 23: 37-39
We have to see that Jesus, and the Father and the Holy Spirit are one. They are the same - unchanging they are unified, a Trinity. God is holy, righteous, omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent. God is both merciful and just. He will punish and he will reward. He came as he promised to bring judgment against Jerusalem, to destroy the temple, to close out the Old Covenant Age, ending the temple sacrificial system. He came to that generation as he promised, to end one age and to begin another: the New Covenant Age. He came to inaugurate the New Covenant in his blood, to build his church and consummate the marriage between himself and his new bride the Church. We are now living in the new heavens and new earth, for the old has passed away. Behold, all things have been made new: The temple of God is no longer a building, but we who belong to him are a living temple of God, the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. Revelation 23:3
Last Notes:
We have to be those who will read and study the Bible for ourselves. We are to take in the full counsel of God. The Old Testament is filled with historical events that show God’s heart. The New Testament writers were very familiar with the Old Testament scriptures and quoted them often. The Old Testament scriptures create a framework for understanding the New Testament. For example, if people were familiar with the prophetic language of the Old Testament, they would not be so quick to jump to conclusions about the Book of Revelation. Too many people read the words of the revelation without understanding the historical significance. They believe that the book was written to them, and for them in the 21st century!
It would be so much more clear if people would see that the visual words that were used throughout the text were used in so many places where the Lord brought national judgment to Israel, to Judah, to Edom, to Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon, and many others. The earth is not going to physically disappear and the stars are not going to physically fall from the heavens. These are prophetic words that were used time and time again. The Lord “coming on the clouds,” means that he is coming spiritually to oversee and bring punishment against a nation using physical armies. I cannot stress it enough. If you do not read the Bible you will create a god of your own choosing. And without understanding and taking in the full counsel of the Word of God, you will live in fear of the future, instead of knowing that Revelation was written to warn the Churches of the first century, that national judgment was “right at the door,” “coming soon” (not 2000 plus years later). The wrath of God was to be poured out upon the leaders who killed the prophets from the beginning of the world, through their day. The leaders Jesus spoke to in Jerusalem killed John the Baptist, Jesus the Son of God, and even Jesus’ natural half brother James the Just, leader of the church at Jerusalem. The Temple had to be destroyed so that they would not be able to light “useless fires.” anymore.
It was Malachi the last prophet to prophesy the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, before the 400 silent years began and ended with John the Baptist.
“Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would no longer kindle useless fires on My altar! I take no pleasure in you,” says the LORD of Hosts, “and I will accept no offering from your hands. For My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. I n every place, incense and pure offerings will be presented in My name, because My name will be great among the nations,” says the LORD of Hosts. Malachi 1:10-11
I hope you will read and study, for what could possibly be more important?
God bless you on your journey of devotion to the Lord and to his kingdom that never ends!
