A PLACE CALLED THERE

Transcription

1 A PLACE CALLED THERE April 2018 Rian Cilliers

2 A PLACE CALLED THERE CONTENT Page no PREFACE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 1. A place called THERE 2 2. THERE is a place in man s spirit 5 3. THERE is anywhere man s body is 9 4. THERE is a place of mercy Describing the Secret Place, THERE God s plan is the Secret Place, THERE THERE is where God s kingdom resides The desire to dwell THERE continuously THERE can be overrun by God s enemies Christ prepared THERE on the cross THERE is the source of blessings Few find the Secret Place, THERE 45 46

3 A PLACE CALLED THERE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The place behind the curtain in the tabernacle of God, representing man s spirit, the Ark of the Covenant stood, and it is from THERE that Christ, the spirit Word of God. " THERE I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel (Ex 25:22). Thus, THERE is a place in man s spirit, inside of man s body, where the New Testament indicates that man s body is the temple of God. THERE is anywhere man s body is. THERE is inside of a person s chest, just below his breasts, and just above his stomach, and not to the left where the physical heart is situated. From THERE man s soul can sense Christ inside of him, and through his spiritual eyes sense in his surroundings what activities Christ are busy with. THERE is the Secret Place where God lives. It is a place of mercy. THERE can be overrun by God s enemies. Christ prepared THERE on the cross. THERE is where God s spiritual kingdom of heaven resides, inside of man s body. This kingdom is not restricted to time, space, directions, mass, gravity and temperature. The mind of man s soul ought to desire to dwell THERE continuously. THERE is a source of numerous blessings, of which many are described. Few people find this Secret Place, called THERE.

4 2 1. A PLACE CALLED THERE This chapter briefly focuses on the importance of the word THERE in scripture. NOT AN IDLE WORD The word THERE in scripture is not an idle word used whenever it was necessary. God is not chit-chatting when He uses the word THERE. Christ has declared: "For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled (Matt 5:18). God has a specific use, and an important use, for the word THERE when He uses it in Scripture. Christ had only the Old Testament scriptures at His disposal. Yet mighty works of God flowed from Christ by merely reading these scriptures. In contrast, Christians today seem to think that the Old Testament scriptures are dead, are redundant, are outdated,.no longer worth studying Christians nowadays do not even worry to read the Old Testament. Yet, these scriptures are still the eternally true Word of God, which is Christ eternally, pursuing eternal life inside of man. By rejecting the important role which the Old Testament is still playing, man s soul is rejecting Christ, the Word of God. Man s soul crucifies the Word, which is Christ. There is something that Christians today are missing, about how Christians approach the Old Testament scripture, compared to how Christ approach the same scriptures. Apart from the truth which Christians are totally neglecting that the Old Testament scriptures refers to Christ, as Christ has declared: "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me (John 5:39), there is a second truth which is totally neglected. This second issue, which is part of this wrong interpretation of scripture, is that the word THERE has a specific meaning, an important meaning, in the mind of God, which fallen man, even the new creation man in God, is missing to grasp. THERE REFERS TO A PLACE IN MAN S SPIRIT From Genesis 1 to Revelation 22, the word THERE has a particular meaning, referring to a place in the spiritual realm, because the scriptures are all spiritual words. This place is not a place that could be fixed with dimensions all of the time. Yet, its starting point is within man s spirit. This issue will be elaborated further in subsequent chapters in this volume. This implies that man s body is the initial dimensions of the place called THERE.

5 3 You could read the scriptures from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22 and consider the word THERE as inside of the body of a human being, in fact inside of the bodies of every human being on earth if need be. That is where the spiritual significance of the word THERE, and its associated activities find their proper place. The word THERE refers to a place in the spirit of Christ, the first new creation man, according to Christ s own words: "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me (John 5:39). And since what is Christ s is the inheritance of the true followers of Christ, those who operate in the Spirit and are led by the Spirit, this place THERE is therefore also part of their spirits. THE KINGDOM OF GOD INSIDE MAN S SPIRIT Within the spirit of the Messiah, Christ, the spiritual kingdom of God would reside. Within that kingdom, numerous activities would occur. Also within the spirits of fallen men, several activities would occur against the spirit of man which is destructive towards man s spirit. The place THERE refers to activity in the spirit of men, who is and who ought to be, the image of God, as well as in the spirit of the Messiah, Christ, to enable the Messiah Christ, to grasp the dangers of the enemies of God on man s spirit, such as the flesh in man, Satan and Death. That is why the endeavour of the Messiah, Christ, was to establish the kingdom of God back into the spirits of men, so that man s body again can become the temple of God, and also the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven. Initially, man s soul would be prone to believe that man s spirit is separate from man s earthly environment, but that the two are linked: what happens in man s earthly environment is a mirror image of the condition in man s spirit. Yet, that separation is from Satan. Man s body is not separating man s spirit from man s earthly environment. Man s body does not play such an important role. Spiritual activities dominate. And therefore scripture reveal spiritual activities inside of man s spirit, whether the flesh in man dominates or not. Automatically these spiritual activities in the place called there have an impact in the physical realm. Christ s prayer is to align the activities in the earthly, fleshly realm with those Godly activities in and around man s spirit, where heaven also resides: Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matt 6:10). Heaven and earth are superimposed on top of each other. The free will of man s soul is sandwiched between these two places. This place can eventually expand beyond the borders of the body of a person, so that the whole person with his whole being is eventually engulfed in his surroundings as well, becoming omnipresent just as God is omnipresent. And that is where the place THERE plays an important role. The place THERE is a spiritual place, and the free will choices of man s soul, and the soul of the Messiah, Christ, will determine what happens with THERE, and what activities occur in that place called THERE, spilling over to man s physical environment as well. The Messiah, Christ, reading the Old Testament, and guided by the Holy Spirit, could therefore knew exactly what are the dangers lurking for the spirit of man.

6 REFERENCES TO THE PLACE CALLED THERE There are 2223 references in the Old and New Testaments of the place called THERE, namely 1725 in the Old Testament and 498 in the New Testament. This merely reveals the absolute important role that the Old Testament plays in understanding the place called THERE. Many volumes could be produces, by merely focusing on seeing each scripture in which the word THERE exists in a different light. SENSING A NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH The place called THERE brings heaven and earth closer to each other. They are indeed not far away. The free will choices of man separates them from each other. By studying the word THERE, man s soul will be moving deeper and deeper into God s spiritual kingdom of heaven, while sensing the references of the earth in a different light. Man s mind will be constantly renewed by Christ and the Holy Spirit. Man s soul will be sensing a new heaven and a new earth at regular intervals, while heaven and earth will be moving closer and closer to each other. This occurs as man s soul moves closer and closer to Christ at regular incremental levels, moving from glory to glory. It will become true in man s life, as it is stated: I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea (Rev 21:1). Here, the sea (Rev 21:1) refers to: "The (many) waters which you saw.are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues (Rev 17:15). It refers to those who are not part of the cloud of witnesses in heaven, but who are part of the waters that are from below, those who operate in the flesh, who have fleshly thinking of heaven and earth. The sea (Rev 21:1) should be spiritually discerned, for these are spirit words.

7 5 2. THERE IS A PLACE IN MAN S SPIRIT This chapter briefly focuses on the reality that the place THERE resides inside of man s spirit, and that man s soul can go in and out of that place THERE. THE TABERNACLE OF MOSES God required of Moses to build a physical tabernacle which was an image of man s being as the temple of God. Moses had to build in the physical realm an image, a shadow, a replica, of the heavenly tabernacle. This tabernacle had to have an outer court, a holy place, and the Holy of Holies, with a veil between the last two. The outer court of the tabernacle represented man s physical body. The Holy Place in which the priests the Levites did some service represented man s soul. The Most Holy Place, or the Holy of Holies, which was hidden behind a curtain, represented man s spirit. Man s body is God s tabernacle, or temple, as Paul has stated: Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are (1 Cor 3:16, 17) and do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? (1 Cor 6:19). GOD SPEAKS FROM WITHIN MAN S SPIRIT It is within this hidden place, the place behind the curtain, representing man s spirit, that the ark of the covenant stood, and it is THERE that Christ, the spirit Word of God, spoke to Moses, representing Christ, and to the high priest who came in once a year into the Holy of Holies. "And THERE I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel (Ex 25:22). God confirmed on several occasions the exact place from where He will meet Moses and speak to him. And each time it refers to the place before the mercy seat of the ark situated in the Most Holy Place, representing man s spirit. "You shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. And you shall put it before the veil that is before the ark of the Testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the Testimony, WHERE I will meet with you (Ex 30:5, 6). "And you shall beat some of it very fine, and put some of it before the Testimony in the tabernacle of meeting WHERE I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you (Ex 30:36). That is why man has to be reborn, receiving a new spirit, the spirit of Christ, which overcame all enemies. It is within the spirit of Christ inside of man s body, that God is able to speak to man s soul.

8 6 THE PLACE THERE IS A SPIRITUAL PLACE This place behind the curtain is dark. The Holy of Holies is dark. No physical light penetrates into that space. No physical eyes can see in there. This is because man s physical eyes cannot penetrate into man s spirit and see into man s spirit. It is impossible. We also know that this place is inside of man s spirit because God declared that THERE is between the two angels, the two cherubim, which are on the Ark of the Covenant. Angels are spirit beings. Therefore, if Christ, the spirit Word of God, speaks between two spirit beings, then the words which are uttered are also spirit in nature. MOSES KNEW THE SPIRITUAL PLACE THERE When Moses met with God in the earthly tabernacle, in the Holy of Holies, God also spoke to Moses from within the spirit of Moses, where spiritual heaven was. Moses knew that place inside of him, because he wrote quite extensively in Ps 90 and 91 about that Secret Place inside of himself, inside of his spirit. And when Moses wrote about that spiritual place, Moses also knew that that place is not only destined for the earthly High Priest once a year. Only the earthly shadow of the genuine original was destined for an earthly High Priest once a year. The genuine original inside of man s body was destined for man s mind to dwell in continuously. Moses wrote: He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty (Ps 91:1). Moses was here speaking about Christ, but also about anyone else who is a follower of the Word, Christ. And that person not only goes THERE once a year, or on a regular basis, but his mind dwells continuously in that place. When Moses met with God in the earthly tabernacle, God spoke to Moses from the earthly mercy seat situated above the earthly Ark of the Covenant, as well as spoke to Moses from within his spirit, the Secret Place in the spirit of Moses. Both occurred simultaneously. Moses sensed God interacting with him from the earthly Ark, and also from within Moses. We know that God was working inside of the body of Moses as well, because at the age of 120 years, when God told Moses that his days were full and that he had to die, Moses was still vibrant in his body: Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died. His eyes were not dim nor his natural vigor diminished (Deut 34:7). Moses also told the Israelites when his days were full: "I am one hundred and twenty years old today. I can no longer go out and come in. Also the LORD has said to me, 'You shall not cross over this Jordan.' (Deut 31:2). Moses was here not speaking about been feeble and weak to go out and come in. Moses was speaking that his time was up in the eyes of God to go out and come in, even though he had still a lot of energy and vigor. Moses was here speaking about his mind going out and coming in to that Secret Place inside of his body. That was the heavenly genuine original. Moses was saying that, even though he still has a lot of energy, God does not want him to continue going in and out of God s spiritual kingdom of heaven which was residing inside of the body of Moses. Moses also spoke about the earthly image, that he would not go into the earthly image, the Promised Land, which resided across the Jordan River. Thus, Moses was well aware of the genuine original Secret Place inside of him, the spiritual place of power and authority represented by a spiritual throne inside of his spirit. Moses was

9 7 also aware of the earthly image of the Secret Place behind the veil of the earthly tabernacle, and the earthly throne, the mercy seat, above the earthly Ark of the Covenant. Moses was also aware of the other earthly image of the Promised Land, which was also an image of the spiritual kingdom of God in the physical realm. Moses realised that he would not be part of allowing the 2 earthly images to blend into one image, that the earthly tabernacle would reside inside an earthly Jerusalem inside the earthly kingdom of the Promised Land, the land of Israel. When God spoke to Moses within the Holy of Holies in the earthly tabernacle, from the earthly mercy seat above the earthly Ark of the Covenant, then, at that moment, heaven and earth became one in Moses, an image of the Messiah, Christ, who was yet to come. In Christ, heaven and earth would be one as well, increasing in intensity within Christ and within His surroundings, so that Christ eventually ascended into heaven, or moved into heaven, while been among His disciples. Moses used the phrase to go out and come in (Deut 31:2), because Moses dwelled THERE. If earthly matters needed attention, the mind of Moses would go out (Deut 31:2) of that heavenly spiritual place inside of his body. And after Moses had attended to the earthly matters, the mind of Moses would come in (Deut 31:2) to that heavenly spiritual place again where his mind dwelled continuously. In terms of heaven and earth becoming one, I also once sensed Christ through my spiritual eyes in my surroundings as well as operating inside of my spirit, inside of my body, simultaneously. I felt a slight pressure inside of my chest, just below my breasts, and just above my stomach, and not to the left where my physical heart was situated. From THERE I could sense Christ inside of me, and through my spiritual eyes sense in my surroundings what activities Christ were busy with. That place THERE inside my chest is the place THERE above the Ark in the Holy of Holies, representing man s whole spirit. There are few who can sense Christ s voice, Christ s thoughts, from the place called THERE, inside of them. This is similar to Moses sensing Christ speaking to him inside of his spirit. Even fewer people are able to sense Christ s thoughts speaking inside of them and simultaneously experiencing Christ speaking from his physical surroundings outside of his body, but still in the spiritual realm. What people, church members of traditional churches, experience most is Christ speaking through the physical temple of a Christian religious leader, and them experiencing Christ speaking inside of them, through their spirits into their souls as well. This is similar to Moses sensing Christ speaking to him through his spirit into his soul, and simultaneously speaking from the earthly image above the Ark of the Covenant, at the earthly mercy seat. Those who sense Christ interacting from within him, with His throne firmly set inside of a spiritual kingdom inside of man s body, and spilling over into the physical realm into a kingdom in the physical realm, even though that kingdom may only be in his immediate surroundings, is even fewer. Moses saw a myriad of angels who are part of the spiritual kingdom of heaven, but did not see it manifest in an earthly kingdom where the physical tabernacle inside of an earthly city Jerusalem and an earthly kingdom, the Promised Land. Most people do not reap the full spiritual harvest in the physical realm. Their descendants will reap that harvest in the physical realm. CHRIST S MIND IN HEAVEN CONTINUOUSLY Christ declared that while His soul was still operating in a physical body, His mind was continuously in heaven: "No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven (John 3:13).

10 8 It is also stated: the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says: 'Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. What house will you build for Me? says the LORD, or what is the place of My rest? (Acts 7:48, 49). Here, it is clear that God does not dwell in temples made of stone. God dwells in the bodies of people, where heaven is situated inside of his spirit, while his physical body, which is the image or shadow of man s spirit, is still part of the earth, that is, the earthly is God s lowest priority, His footstool.

11 9 3. THERE IS ANYWHERE MAN S BODY IS This chapter briefly focuses on the reality that the place called THERE is any place where the body of a person is, where the body of the new creation man is the temple or house of God. MOSES EXPERIENCE OF THERE BEEN ANYWHERE Joshua became envious and told Moses that there were people walking around, thinking they were little Moses. Joshua was working and walking with Moses and now he saw people with Moses anointing in the camp. When Moses spoke to God face to face, Joshua stayed near to the tabernacle. When Moses eventually departed from the tent of meeting Joshua remained at the tent of meeting and didn t depart when Moses departed. So the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle (Ex 33:11). Joshua was intrigued by the place called THERE where Moses could speak to God face to face. And Joshua incorrectly saw that place THERE to be inside the physical tabernacle, the tent of meeting, because, according to the understanding of Joshua, Moses had to physically go inside of the tent of meeting in order to speak to Moses. Joshua did not realise what goes on in the spiritual realm, that that place THERE is not restricted to space and dimensions. Joshua did not know what goes inside of the body of Moses as the temple of God, where the place THERE also resided. When God lessened the burdens of Moses to manage all of the Israelites, God told Moses the following instruction: "Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; bring them to the tabernacle of meeting, that they may stand there with you. Then I will come down and talk with you there. I will take of the Spirit that is upon you and will put the same upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bear it yourself alone.so Moses went out and told the people the words of the LORD, and he gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tabernacle. Then the LORD came down in the cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and placed the same upon the seventy elders; and it happened, when the Spirit rested upon them, that they prophesied, although they never did so again (Num 11:16, 17, 24, 25). However, two of the 70 men did not gather with the rest around the tent of meeting, and thus did not receive a portion of the Holy Spirit there at that physical place. These two men received the Spirit while they were still in the camp of the Israelites. But two men had remained in the camp: the name of one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad. And the Spirit rested upon them. Now they were among those listed, but who had not gone out to the tabernacle; yet they prophesied in the camp (Num 11:26). When, Moses was told of these two prophesying in the camp under the influence of the Spirit of God, Joshua became jealous, and that event as taking place outside of the order and structures ordained by God. Joshua told Moses to forbid those two to prophesy in the camp. And a young man ran and told Moses, and said, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp. So Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, one of his choice men, answered and said, "Moses my lord, forbid them!" (Num 11:27, 28).

12 10 According to Joshua, the only place where THERE could be was in the physical tent of meeting. When people started to receive the anointing of the Holy Spiri without entering THERE, Joshua, who always remained at the tent of meeting, became jealous. What Moses told Joshua was that the place called THERE was in the Spirit and the Spirit is omnipresent. Then Moses said to him, "Are you zealous for my sake? Oh, that all the Lord's people were prophets and that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!" (Num 11:29). Moses had to teach Joshua that the real temple of God would eventually be the body of a person, and thus, where the body of a person would be, the place THERE would be as well. The physical place called THERE, the tent of meeting, was only a shadow for the hardhearted Jews. God said that He does not really have a place called THERE on this earth, but he gave the example of the tent for those who wanted a sign and a wonder. To the people in the Spirit, THERE can be anywhere, because it is in the Spirit. The place THERE doesn t necessarily have to be a physical place. SAMUEL LEARNING OF THE SECRET PLACE THERE Samuel lived roughly 250 years after Moses. Samuel went through the same experiences of Moses, that the place THERE could be anywhere man s body as the temple of God would be. The little boy Samuel crept underneath the veil and slept in the Most Holy Place, right next to the Ark. It is stated: The lamp of God had not yet gone out in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was lying down (1 Sam 3:3). Samuel as a little boy was in a place where he could hear the voice of God, because he slept THERE, next to the Ark of the Covenant. Samuel didn t get caught up with the physical place and we see that later in life not one of his words fell to the ground, as it is stated: So Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. (1 Sam 3:19). One of the things which God taught Samuel was that the place to meet God, the place called THERE could be EVERYWHERE. The Spirit of the Lord rested on him and everywhere he went and whenever he felt like it, he built an altar. He just took blood and sprinkled it and God met him right THERE. When the Israelites were in trouble, the place where he was became the place called THERE. God met him in the valleys, in the dungeons, on the mountains and everywhere he heard God s voice. Samuel met with God any time of the day and night, whenever he wanted to meet with Him. In the one case it was at Shiloh, as it is stated: Then the LORD appeared again in Shiloh. For the LORD revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD (1 Sam 3:21).

13 11 In another event it was at Mizpath, as it is stated: Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpah and I will pray to the Lord for you. So they gathered at Mizpah and drew water and poured it out before the Lord and fasted on that day and said there, We have sinned against the Lord. And Samuel judged the Israelites at Mizpah..So Samuel took a sucking lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord; and Samuel cried to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him (1 Sam 7:5, 6, 9). The answer of the Lord came in the form of the Israelites defeating the Philistines in battle: As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. But the Lord thundered with a great voice that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel (1Sam 7:10). It was at this event that Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far the LORD has helped us." (1 Sam 7:12). At Ramah, the Israelites asked Samuel for a physical king, and here again, God spoke to Samuel, as though the place THERE was at Ramah as well. It is stated: Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge us." So Samuel prayed to the LORD. And the LORD said to Samuel, "Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them (1 Sam 8:4, 6, 7). It was here at Ramah, that Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who asked him for a king (1 Sam 8:10). It was because the Spirit rested on Samuel. Samuel s body became the true temple of God, which was no longer restricted to where the physical tent of meeting and the Ark of the Covenant was situated. At a physical place called Gilgal, God answered Samuel again before all of the people. It is stated: Samuel said to the people, Come, let us go to Gilgal and there renew the kingdom. All the people went to Gilgal and there they made Saul king before the Lord. And there they sacrificed peace offerings before the Lord, and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly (1 Sam 11:14, 15). It was then that Samuel spoke strong words of admonition to the people and eventually said: Is it not wheat harvest today? I will call to the Lord and He will send thunder and rain; then you shall know and see that your wickedness is great which you have done in the sight of the Lord in asking for a king for yourselves. So Samuel called to the Lord, and He sent thunder and rain that day; and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel. And [they] all said to Samuel, Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins this evil--to ask for a king (1 Sam 12:17-19). At a physical place called Bethlehem, God spoke freely to Samuel, while Samuel was sent to anoint the king who would follow in the footsteps of Saul. It is stated that Samuel listened to the voice of God and departed to Bethlehem: And Samuel did what the Lord said, and came to Bethlehem (1 Sam 16:4). It is then stated: And the elders of the town trembled at his coming and said, have you come peaceably? And he said, peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice. And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and called them to the sacrifice. When they had come, he looked on Eliab [the eldest son] and said, surely the Lord's anointed is before Him. But the Lord said to Samuel, Look not on his appearance or at the height of his stature, for I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. But Samuel said, neither has the Lord chosen this one. Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. Samuel said, nor has the Lord chosen him. Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, The Lord has not chosen any of these. Then [he] said to Jesse, are all your sons here? [Jesse] said, there is yet the youngest; he is tending the sheep. Samuel said to Jesse, send for him; for we will not sit down to eat until he is here. Jesse sent and brought him. David had a healthy reddish complexion and beautiful eyes, and was fine-looking. The Lord said [to Samuel], Arise, anoint him; this is he. Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed David in

14 12 the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah (1 Sam 16:4-13). Therefore, whether at Shiloh, or at Mizpath, or at Ramah, or Gilgal, or Bethlehem, Christ, the Word of God, spoke to Samuel, provided that Samuel s body was present there at that physical place. When Samuel s body was there present, the place called THERE in the spiritual realm was also present, because it was situated inside of Samuel s body, inside of his spirit. ELIJAH S EXPERIENCE OF THERE BEEN ANYWHERE Elijah operated in the Spirit about 100 years after Samuel. Samuel anointed David with oil, after which a period of prosperity awaited the Israelites, with the reign of 40 years of David, as it is stated: David reigned over Israel forty years (1 Kings 2:11), followed by the reign of 40 years of Solomon, as it is stated: The time Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years (1 Kings 11:42). However, the enemies of God, namely Satan s kingdom and man s flesh, have removed a lot of the truths conveyed by David and Solomon within a very short period of time, within a few decades, so that darkness descended onto the Israelites. At the time of Elijah, the Israelites had moved away from God, to such an extent that God started to speak through a Gentile, a non-israelite, a Tishbite (1 Kings 17:1), called Isaiah, to the Israelites. God was actually saying through this Gentile that He is able to make out of anything a child of Abraham, as John the Baptist later declared: "and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones (Matt 3:9). God was humiliating the Israelites through this Gentile who listened to the voice of Christ. And King Ahab did not like that at all. Elijah had the same experience as Moses and Samuel, that the place THERE is anywhere where man s body could be situated. Elijah said in the Spirit to the king that Elijah was also standing before God in the spirit realm (for God is spirit in nature). And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word." (1 Kings 17:1) When Elijah turned around to walk out, the Word of God came to him while still in the palace. Elijah was still standing before God while he had already turned around and was walking away. At the moment though physically still present in the palace, he was THERE, and God told him where to go. Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there" (1 Kings 17:2-4). Now, later, at the Brook Cherith, where Elijah was staying God spoke to him again. Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you." So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow was there gathering sticks (1 Kings 17:8-10).

15 13 Elijah was still standing before God all the time his soul was standing before God in the spiritual realm. It means Elijah s mind was fine-tuned to sense Christ s voice through his spirit. After 3,5 years of drought, Elijah said in the Spirit to the servant of the king that Elijah was standing before God in the spirit realm (for God is spirit in nature), and that Elijah would indeed present his physical body in front of the king that same day: Then Elijah said, "As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely present myself to him today" (1 Kings 18:15). Elijah was standing before God, even before Elijah was standing before king Ahab. Elijah was standing before God while speaking to the servant of king Ahab. Elijah constantly walked in the place called THERE. Elijah realised that any place where Elijah s body was, the place called THERE was as well. Elijah had first-hand experience of man s body been the temple of God, where God spoke through the spirit inside of him to his soul. Whether Elijah s body was turning around, and walked away from a physical place, the place called THERE was always inside of his body.

16 14 4. THERE IS A PLACE OF MERCY This chapter briefly focuses on the truth that the place called THERE, is a place filled with grace and mercy. THERE IS A PLACE OF MERCY THERE is a place of mercy, because THERE is situated at the mercy seat which is mounted on the Ark of the Covenant. "You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark. (Ex 25:21). "And THERE I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel (Ex 25:22). Here it is clear that the place called THERE is directly linked to the mercy seat. The mercy seat is an image of the spiritual throne of Christ, which is none other than the authority and power which resides in Christ. Speaking the words of Christ from heaven is filled with mercy. That is why it is able to heavenise the earth as well. DAVID S REVELATIONS OF CHRIST S MERCIES It has already been noted that Samuel anointed David with oil, after which a period of prosperity awaited the Israelites, with the reign of 40 years of David, as it is stated: David reigned over Israel forty years (1 Kings 2:11), followed by the reign of 40 years of Solomon, as it is stated: The time Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years (1 Kings 11:42). It was during David s life that the truths and revelations of Christ s mercies abounded, and flooded Israel. In most of David s psalms he spoke about the mercy of God: (Ps 4:1; 5:7; 6:2, 4; 9:10, 13; 13:5; 18:50; 21:7; 23:6; 25:6, 7, 10; 27:7; 30:10; 31:7, 9, 16; 32:10; 33:18, 22; 36:5; 40:11; 44:26; 51:1; 52:8; 57:3, 10; 59:10, 16, 17; 62:12; 66:20; 69:13, 16; 77:8; 79:8; 85:7, 10; 86:5, 13, 15, 16; 89:1, 2, 14, 24, 28; 90:14; 91:14, 18; 98:3; 100:5; 101:1; 102:13; 103:4, 8, 11, 17; 106:1, 45; 107:1, 43; 108:4; 109:12, 16, 21, 26; 115:1; 117:2; 118:1-4, 29, 41, 64, 77, 124, 156; 123:2, 3; 130:7; 135:14; 136:1-26; 138:8; 143:12; 145:8; 147:11). David had intimate knowledge of the mercy seat of Christ. David spoke of God s mercies during the period when the Israelites moved from Egypt to the Promised Land: Our fathers in Egypt understood not nor appreciated Your miracles; they did not [earnestly] remember the multitude of Your mercies nor imprint Your loving-kindness [on their hearts], but they were rebellious and provoked the Lord at the sea, even at the Red Sea (Ps 106:7). David saw the mercies of Christ in all of His works: The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works [the entirety of things created] (Ps 145:9). David saw the Messiah Christ for who He really is. David saw the true character of Christ.

17 15 EXAMPLES OF CHRIST AND THE MERCY THERE The Messiah, Christ, is closely associated as the descendant of David in spirit and in truth. It is stated: THE BOOK of the ancestry (genealogy) of Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed), the son (descendant) of David, the son (descendant) of Abraham (Matt 1:1). The angel who announced to Mary the coming of the Messiah, Christ, declared: He will be great (eminent) and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His forefather David (Luk 1:32). This implies that the authority which the Messiah would have, is the same as what David experienced of God the Father, namely grace and mercy. The Jews generally accepted that the Messiah, when He comes, will be considered the Son of David. Christ asked the people: What do you think of the Christ? Whose Son is He? They said to Him, The Son of David (Matt 22:42). Paul also declared that he has to Constantly keep in mind Jesus Christ (the Messiah) [as] risen from the dead, [as the prophesied King] descended from David, according to the good news (the Gospel) that I preach (2 Tim 2:8). John saw in the Book of Revelation on 3 occasions the link between Christ and David, and that link is that of grace and mercy as revealed through the life and psalms of David: "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, 'These things says He who is holy, He who is true, "He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens": (Rev 3:7). But one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals" (Rev 5:5). "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" (Rev 22:16). Thus, when Christ walked the earth in a physical body, Christ knew that He associated Himself as the descendant of King David in the area of grace and mercy. A few people who were healed by Christ, understood this revelation just before Christ healed them. One example is the following: And behold, a woman who was a Canaanite from that district came out and, with a [loud, troublesomely urgent] cry, begged, Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is miserably and distressingly and cruelly possessed by a demon! (Matt 15:22). Another example is of two blind men whom Christ healed: And behold, two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, Lord, have pity and mercy on us, [You] Son of David! The crowds reproved them and told them to keep still; but they cried out all the more, Lord, have pity and mercy on us, [You] Son of David! (Matt 20:30, 31). Christ presented to the people mercy from THERE concerning upholding the image of the Sabbath Day, where the Sabbath Day is merely an image, a shadow, of the eternal rest in which man s soul moves into and experiences continually, when man s soul enters and possesses Christ s spiritual kingdom of heaven all the deeper. At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat (Matt 12:1).

18 16 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, "Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!" (Matt 12:2). But He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? (Matt 12:3, 4). "Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless? (Matt 12:5) "Yet I say to you that in this place THERE is One greater than the temple (Matt 12:6) "But if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless (Matt 12:7) "For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath" (Matt 12:8). Christ was saying in this place THERE is One greater than the temple (Matt 12:6) that in the place called THERE inside of His own body is One, namely the Holy Spirit and God the Father and the spirit Word of God, who are all One, and they are greater than the physical temple of whom Christ had just now reminded the Pharisees of 2 examples in which the One, God, has granted mercy. A second example of Christ showing mercy happened when the religious leaders brought the woman who committed adultery to Christ with the view of stoning her. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst (John 8:3) they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?" (John 8:4, 5). This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear (John 8:6). Christ s mind was at the throne of grace in heaven, in the place called THERE in His body, while He was writing something in the sand. His mind was in the genuine original place called THERE, of which the image, the shadow, is the place THERE above the physical mercy seat in the temple made of stone. So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground (John 8:7, 8). Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst (John 8:9). When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?" (John 8:10) She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more." (John 8:11). This was Christ judgement in God, in mercy, given to a woman who outright committed adultery with her body. Compare this with Christ s statement that: "But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart (Matt 5:28).

19 17 THE REVELATION OF JOHN OF THE MERCY SEAT Where Moses saw the genuine original throne of Christ in the spirit on the mountain and had to make a replica of it in the physical realm to be placed on the physical ark of the covenant, John saw the genuine original as well not on a mountain, but on the island of Patmos. The place THERE is a place in the Holy Spirit which lives inside of man s spirit, inside of man s body. When John went up deeper in the Spirit, he immediately saw 2 images which are direct images of mercy, namely the throne of Christ in spiritual heaven, and a rainbow around the throne. After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, "Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this" (Rev 4:1). Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne (Rev 4:2) And He who sat THERE was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and THERE was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald (Rev 4:3). On 2 occasions it is stated in these above scriptures that it is the place called THERE. Christ is the place called THERE and a rainbow image is also in the place called THERE. The throne set in heaven is the genuine original of its shadow, the mercy seat mounted above the Ark of the Covenant. John is actually seeing in the Holy Spirit much more detail of the spiritual kingdom of God which is inside of his spirit, inside of his body, as Christ has declared to His disciples: the kingdom of God is within you (Luk 17:21), meaning within their bodies.

20 18 5. DESCRIBING THE SECRET PLACE, THERE This chapter briefly focuses on describing the secret place THERE of God. THE DESCRIPTION OF MOSES Moses saw God s heavenly dwelling place on the mountain. Moses lived roughly in the period BC Then Moses had to make a replica or a shadow of it to carry around with him. The secret place was mounted on the Ark of the Covenant which stood in the middle of the Holy of Holies of the physical tabernacles, and constituted a mercy seat and 2 cherubim on each side of the mercy seat with their wings overshadowing the mercy seat. Moses spoke of this been the place called THERE and that it is God s secret place where man could dwell continuously. Moses wrote: He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty (Ps 91:1). In the Holy of Holies of the tabernacle there were 4 cherubim; two were mounted on top of the Ark of the Covenant and 2 huge ones filled the whole Holy of Holies. Of these latter two of the 4 cherubim, it is stated: Then the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the temple, to the Most Holy Place, under the wings of the cherubim. For the cherubim spread their two wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim overshadowed the ark and its poles. (1 Kings 8:6, 7). THE DESCRIPTION OF ISAIAH The prophet Isaiah in the Old Testament times also saw in Isa 6:1-3 the real thing which Moses saw on the mountain. Isaiah lived in the period BC. Isaiah saw the Lord on His throne, the mercy seat, with the train that fills the temple. In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple (Isa 6:1). Isaiah saw the cherubim above the throne, calling holy, holy, holy. He saw the wings of the special angels under which there is protection, and he saw the glory under the wings. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!" (Isa 6:2, 3). THE DESCRIPTION OF EZEKIEL Ezekiel also saw the real thing, in much more detail. Ezekiel lived in the period BC. Ezekiel saw the cherubim, and described them as follows:

21 19 Also from within it came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man. Each one had four faces, and each one had four wings (Ezek 1:5, 6). Here, Ezekiel also saw 4 living creatures, where each living creature is one of the 4 cherubim. They all operated as one living creature which looked like a man. Ezekiel confirmed much later these 4 living creatures operating as one are indeed cherubim, when he declared: This is the living creature I saw under the God of Israel by the River Chebar, and I knew they were cherubim (Ezek 10:20). The detailed descriptions of the 4 cherubim are so strange that Ezekiel called each one of them a living creature. Here is part of his description: As for the likeness of their faces, each had the face of a man; each of the four had the face of a lion on the right side, each of the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and each of the four had the face of an eagle. Thus were their faces. Their wings stretched upward; two wings of each one touched one another, and two covered their bodies (Ezek 1:10, 11). Ezekiel also saw the throne of Christ, the mercy seat, between these 4 living creatures with a rainbow, representing mercy, as well: And above the firmament over their heads was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone; on the likeness of the throne was a likeness with the appearance of a man high above it..like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. So when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of One speaking (Ezek 1:26, 28). CHRIST SPEAKING OF THE SECRET PLACE Christ spoke of the secret place, confirming that the secret place is inside of the body of a person, where the body of a person has become the temple, or tabernacle of God, and that that place resides inside of his spirit, the Holy of Holies. Christ declared: "But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly (Matt 6:6). THE DESCRIPTION OF JOHN John saw the same in Rev 4. Isaiah lived in the period AD. John saw the throne of Christ in vision first, when John s soul went deeper in the Spirit, where the Spirit lived inside of John s body: Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. And He who sat THERE was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and THERE was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald (Rev 4:2, 3). John confirmed that it is the place called THERE. John also saw the rainbow, representing God operating in mercy, apart from seeing the mercy seat, the throne of Christ. John saw the cherubim, protecting the tree of life, Christ. Anyone who passes these cherubim have overcome and are protected. Christ, the Word of God, promised: To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God."'