There are many kinds of the word of God; some are not particularly the testimony of Jesus Christ. The word of God in the New Testament is peculiar. Jesus obeyed it fully and was rewarded because He had its testimony. Jesus made a testament out of the Word.
Balaam was a high priest, he was a king of righteousness, a king of Peace and priest of the Most High God, but he was not yet an abiding priest; he was still in the level of the living under the Old Testament (Numbers 24:15-16). Balaam was not a blind priest; his eyes were opened because he had a measure of access to the words of God and knew the knowledge of the Most High. He knew past the knowledge of the Lord; he knew the knowledge of the Most High. He almost attained the knowledge of Melchizedek. Balaam was a most high priest, who saw the vision of the Almighty. He understood the Almighty, he could discern the Almighty; understanding of the vision was also communicated to Him.
In the Old Testament, Daniel also had understanding. He had understanding of visions, even visions beyond his era. He saw the visions which pertained to the end and talks of the everlasting kingdom. Daniel was a man of prayer, who prayed for the understanding of visions. He received interpretation of the things that were shown to him in a vision; that understanding was a blessing. The whole vision of the book of Revelation is an understanding communicated to the Apostle John. Paul also had visions of a man who was caught up to the third heavens (2 Corinthians 12:2-3); Paul was most likely referring to John who would receive the conclusion of all the mysteries he had been teaching.
There are two classes of prophetic grace: foretelling and forth-telling. Second class prophets would have visions but not have understanding. There is the dimension of seeing into the spirit by the Holy Ghost. Jeremiah saw objects in the spirit, but he could not understand them, until an angel explained to him. But Balaam was peculiar because he would have vision and also the understanding; this is so because he had the words of God. The words of God is the knowledge of the Most High. The word of life referred to in 1 John:1, is the Word of God. This word of life is the knowledge of the Most High in the New Testament and it is contained in the testimony of Jesus. Thus, Jesus also had words of God and visions; recall He said, “that which I see My Father do, that I do” (John 5:19). Jesus is from heaven and so He is above all (John 3:31).
God gave Jesus the testimony of the word of God that pertains to the New Testament. He is a speaker from Heaven but there are also speakers from the earth, who are of the earth, earthy (1 Corinthians 15:47). To say they are of the earth earthy, means they are natural men. Adam was a natural man, he is the finest earthly breed. Adam was blessed with the word of God from conception, he had understanding he did not need to be enlightened. He had eyes, he had understanding of life, he had a measure of the words of the Almighty. Adam was earthly, but not carnal. Adam occupied the place of the things of God in the realm of earth. John the baptist was also earthly. Jesus was higher than all the prophets and all men. Men in this context refers to those who are children of the Most High, to whom the word of God came to; they are gods on earth. The allocation of the word that came to them was all of earth. They received the highest word of the Almighty of the earth. Adam had all of these allocation. The earth would not be brought under anyone's subjection who does not have the word of the Almighty.
The word of God is spirit, not letters. They are particles in the realm of the spirit that can leach unto a man and remain there forever. The word came to some men (John 10:35; Psalm 82:1, 5-8). Jesus gave the secret of how a man can be a god; the word of God must come to such. Such a one must hear the word and have the knowledge of the most high. The preparation of the hearing begins with the Lord, after then one is taken to God. The first allocation of the word of God (that is referring to words in the arena of the testament) that would come to the believer is the word of faith. Not all writing contained in the Bible constitute the Word of God. Not all words of the Scripture are dedicated to the testament. Every testament is dedicated with blood; it is the tool of entrance into the testament. In the Old Testament, Moses sprinkled the book of the testament and the people with the blood (Exodus 24:7-8). The blood stands between the testament and the people. Balaam was a carrier of the word of God; however, the entrance into the life of the word which he heard is through knowledge of the Most High God.
The word ‘Most High’ is Elyon. Balaam had heard the words of Elohim (God), he also had the knowledge of Elyon (the Most High )and saw the visions of El-shaddai (Almighty). Balaam saw the three compositions of 'El'. ‘El’ comprises 'Elyon', 'Elohim', and 'El-Shaddai'. Elohim typifies God in His raw power. El-shaddai is the least of the names of El. El-shaddai speaks of the manifestation of His fatherhood in the realm of His heights; moving from one level to another in the realm of the most High. God has all these characteristics in Himself.
In 2 Corinthians 6:17-18, we see a phrase used, ‘the Lord Almighty”. This shows us the functionality of His name, that is, what each strata of the name says. The saying of the Lord Almighty is not all there is to their sayings. The saying of the Lord Almighty is lower than the saying of God. The promise of God being our God and we His people is the highest promise, followed by Him being our Father and us being His sons. God promises to be our Lord when we are separate. There are different realms of separation as one progresses towards God. The first realm of the kingdom is the realm of the separated -the inner court of God. In that realm, anything common cannot operate there.
Anything that is common is not separated and so is not granted access to the inner courts. Aaron and his sons were separate, but the rest of the people of Israel are commoners. Even though they were all God’s people but some had not obeyed the Lord to the fullest. The outer court is a separated realm; the holy place is the first tabernacle - the sanctified realm; the holy of holies is the realm of consecration. The outer court, holy place and holy of holies are realms of holiness in varying degrees and everything in these realms are separate. The courts of God is the entrance into the kingdom. When we become a child we are called to enter life (Matthew 18:3); life is the kingdom. A man must be alive to enter into life fully. One has not entered into life until he has arrived in the outer court, which is characterized by righteousness and holiness. Righteousness that is holy is life. One must also progress in righteousness - from ‘holy’ to ‘more holy’ and then to ‘most holy’. At that point (Most Holy), is everlasting righteousness.
Everlasting righteousness is the joy of the Kingdom. Righteousness is life in the outer courts; righteousness is Peace in the holy place. One who has come to the holy place is a priest; such a one has more than life - he is a levite. A priest must have two covenants: the covenants of life and peace. Peace is more holy than righteousness. The most holy life is Joy. When a man initially enters the kingdom, he is a king, but not yet a king of righteousness. A man becomes the king of righteousness when he finishes the course of righteousness in the outer court and is breaking through the veil into the holy place. That is when he is crowned in righteousness. King means mastery; crown means mastery. Entrance into the court is not enough, we must finish the course of righteousness, we must continue in it till we master it; only then can the crown be given. The church of the Hebrews were called holy brethren because they had finished the course of righteousness and had begun learning the course of Peace (Hebrews 3:1). They were saints in the sanctuary.
The realm of the most holy is the realm of joy, the realm where we hear the words of God. The essence of the book of Hebrews to the Hebrew Church is to bring them to the Word of God. The realm of the Word is that which is “quick and powerful, sharper than any two edged sword…” (Hebrews 4:12).
We must be prayerful to receive everlasting life, we must also be careful to listen attentively. We must ensure that we follow indeed and are changing, conforming to its requirement; not just journeying along with the company. This realm is the realm of the pearl of great price. There are goodly pearls in the kingdom, but there is one pearl of great price. To get the pearl of great price, one must sell all he has to get it (Matthew 13:45-46). Irrespective of what one has attained, both natural and spiritual, one must count them dung in order to gain Christ (Phillipians 3:8). The merchant found one pearl and sold all he had to buy it. This is the pearl Christ wants to lead us to have. The major player is not he that was sent, but He who sent. Most times we do not see God, but we easily see Christ. Christ wants to make us see God. God is so evasive, anyone can miss him. God hides - He hides in His Son. He projects the Son more. Although He is great, He is so meek that He does not show Himself; He is invisible.
God is a rock. Satan changed his formation and dissolved himself into sand. Satan lost his own soul and lost God. it is not easy to find God, one has to sell all he has to find Him. All refers to the soul. The soul of a man is the legal tender God accepts; “what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26) God wants us to sell everything and give our soul to Him. The soul is the currency to get God. Satan wants the soul for the things of this world which would perish, but God wants our soul to enable us get Him and everlasting substances.
Satan captures many with earthly things to distract them from seeking God. Satan designed natural things to hold men bound to the earth. He exalts cars, intellect, mental prowess to keep man down. All the industries of the earth can be used by the devil, he uses their productions in fashion, automobile, aircraft, even oratory power to keep man perpetually in darkness. The men of Sodom desired to have sexual relations with the angels God sent to Lot, and fought their way to the extent of breaking the door (Genesis 19). Satan is ravaging the nation of America with the LGBT spirits, which he also wants to spread. Satan is seeking to raise perverted governments to weaken souls. Abraham discouraged Lot from going to Sodom and Gomorrah because the spirit over that nation weakened the souls of men.
Jesus wants to introduce us to the highest thing a man should have, which is the knowledge of the most High. Paul called it 'excellent knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ' (Phillipians 3:8). ‘Christ’ as referred to Paul in this Scripture is not Christ in a measure as in Christos but who Christ is in the spirit. Paul knew he had not won him, because he had not attained all the fullness Christ had to offer. We attain this fulness by the excellent knowledge. By knowledge we would own the Word. No one can possess the Word of God without knowledge. There can be no knowledge without the word of God. Balaam had knowledge of God because he heard the words of God. There is no knowledge without hearing. Without wisdom and revelation, one cannot gain knowledge. The word of God first intends to make us wise which leads to understanding and makes us have a perfect grasp of spiritual reality, then it is stored as knowing. Words that a man knows constitutes his own knowledge. The spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him (Ephesians 1:17) - this statement means that the essence of the spirit of wisdom and revelation causes one to know. To know is to own; what one knows, he owns. Knowledge makes one own. In the same light, when the Scriptures says, ‘Adam knew his wife’, it means Adam owned her. In intercourse, there is a meeting of soul and flesh that makes a man own his wife. When a man commits fornication with an harlot, he is joined with her. Sex is for knowing; it is for cutting covenants. It is established to make the couple know each other to really own each other.
Knowledge purges sins, the word must be heralded so that the Truth would be known. There is a lot of force involved in intercourse, that is why its misuse is setting the cause of earth on fire. The sexual spirit is ravaging the nations because it is being pervertedly used. The church must raise parameters around it, because it is a fire that must be edged. All the agents of socialization abroad prepares the young ones for sex by teaching them to use condoms; instead of that, abstinence should be taught. Sex can burn a man till he is reduced to a left-over dry morsel of bread.
Marriage is everlasting. God instituted marriage so that men would not engage in fornication. The Lord would restore power to marriages; and bring healing to many marriages by the word of God. Men and women must be grounded in the word not to break the tenets of the Word and also to reap the benefits that the Lord has blessed marriage with. Keeping the laws of marriage as taught by God's Word would yield profit of great price.
Ballam had the words of God, and this should have turned him away from iniquity. Ballam did iniquity because he loved the wages of unrighteousness. He did much evil to Israel. He transgressed. Balaam was a betrayer of secrets, because to get Israel, such must have the secrets of God. God trusted Balaam with His secrets and he used it against His people. He saw the arrangements of God in Israel and because of the reward of unrighteousness, he used it against them by giving Balak an evil counsel to do.
Thus, we see satan fighting against both Balaam and Israel. It was a season of reward for Balaam, but satan offered him a false reward, which he accepted, thereby hindering him from completing his priestly course. Balaam loved himself, not unto the death. He connived with Balak an evil king against Israel. At first, when presented the offer to curse Israel, Balaam refused, but he got tempted by the gifts Balak promised to give him. Balaam knew the secrets of God, but he transgressed by unveiling the secrets. 'The secrets of the Lord are with them that fear him' (Psalm 25:14). Balaam had wisdom on what to do so as to have Balak’s desire achieved, which is to curse Israel. Thus, he advised Balak to bring in Midianite women into the camp of Israel. These women brought in their idols and defiled the camp; this made God angry against him. Thus, Balaam scattered the flock of God and His dealings in the nation of Israel which He had been gently tendering. This was Balaam's iniquity - he taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel (Revelation 2:14). Balaam was not protective about God, His people and their secrets.
It is very important to God that Israel entered the promise land. But Balaam taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before them to prevent them from entering the promised land. This act of his was painful to God’s heart. It cut short a great expectation of God. The real personality behind the scene was satan. Satan was following the people of Israel and kept close watch on them. Satan brought in Balaam who was supposed to be one of them, and used him to accomplish his desire. Some men who were anointed of God may fall prey to being used by the devil to hinder the work of God in His people. Hence, ministers of God must be cautious and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, as regards which minister to involve in ministering to the saints in the local assembly the Lord has put him as overseer. To refrain from bringing some kind of ministers is not selfishness or otherwise, but wisdom, that the flock be preserved. The ministry of healing as good as it is, may not be necessary when it comes to raising sons.
John saw some things which he bore a record of (Revelation 1:2). No one has ever had the testimony of Jesus. This is because of the quality of the word of God that has been worked into such. There are different qualities of the word of God. The word of God to Moses for Israel was an everlasting word for them which Aaron keeps for a testimony in the most holy place. This is a peculiar word of God, contained in the old covenant. The word of God in Genesis is different from that used in Exodus. They all have peculiar testaments, and this is different from the testimony of Jesus Christ. Before the testimony of Jesus, the previous words of God that had been unveiled are but types and shadows. There is an everlasting word of God for different dispensations. There is also an everlasting word of God that belongs to the angels.
The Tabernacle of the testimony in the heavens, which is the holy of holies, was open (Revelation 15:5). Each of the seven angels have a testimony in heaven. Through the first angel who opened the book of Revelation, John was able to access the rest of the seven. The vision of Babylon, judgment of the beast and the vision of the new heaven and the new earth, were amongst the visions of the seven angels. One of the seven angels who had a golden girdle showed John the vision of the holy city, the New Jerusalem and the pure river of life (Revelation 21:9-10). The angel defined himself as one of John’s brethren and had the testimony of Jesus (Revelation 22:1-9). This does not mean that angels actually carry the testament of Jesus, but that what they have is a prototype for those of Jesus. Jesus said the Old Testament speak of Him (John 5:39). God used the angelic operations through Moses to describe the person of Jesus. Likewise, the Lord used the angelic dimension of angels to describe this new covenant, which the angel referred to in Revelation 22:9.
Another of such angels took John to heaven and showed him things (Revelation 4). This vision led him to the seven angels. From chapters 5 till 13 were the visions of the seven angels. Each of these angels spoke to and showed John things. One cannot have the Testimony of Jesus without the word of God. The Testimony of Jesus referred to in Revelation 1:2 is not the testimony of Christ, but the testimony of the Son of God - the New Testament. The New Testament is the everlasting word of God, the word of the most holy place, not the word of Christ. The word of Christ is the preparatory testimony for the word of God. The testimony of Christ is for the forgiveness of sins - the removal of sins.
Forgiveness of sins is redemption. Redemption is in two phases: redemption and eternal redemption. The testament has two sides also: the testimony in Christ Jesus, which is forgiveness of sins, and the testimony of the Son of God.
Jesus called this cup the New Testament in His blood (1 Corinthians 11:25-26). The Lord Jesus was initiating the church into the serving of the blood, which is the testimony for the remission of sins. Jesus said this particular testament was one that is in His blood (Matthew 26:28). He only took a measure of it - His blood shed for many for the remission of sins.
Remission of sins means removal of sins. The content of the cup is redemption i.e. forgiveness of sins. Redemption, sanctification, righteousness cannot take effect in the life of the saint unless he has been made wise (Ephesians 1:7-8). Thus, God was meticulous and wise about the salvation and redemption in the cup so that when partaken of in wisdom, such will be saved and redeemed. To drink of the cup without discernment will lead to damnation. Wisdom helps a man know the provisions contained in the cup, and this triggers redemption. The table of communion is a symbol of the true in the spirit; some drink the cup but are not yet partaking of the table. To come to the table one must be wise. The cup/blood is Christ, who has been made wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. This is the first cup, for redemption; but there is another cup (i.e. testament). The Cup contains a testimony; it testifies to something.
Therefore, to teach Christ, is to teach the remission of sins. There is a wisdom required to take out sin; sin is not dealt with by carnal approach. This wisdom is contained in grace. Grace was shared when the blood was shed. Grace is wisdom. The grace of God is redemption, sanctification and righteousness. Righteousness is grace; sanctification is a high grace of Christ. Sanctification culminates in redemption. Grace is not imparted by the saying of one’s sins are remitted. Remission does not just mean that one’s sins have been forgiven, but that God wants to remove those sins by a wisdom. This is the redemptive wisdom that must be communicated to the church.
The provisions of the blood - righteousness, sanctification, grace and redemption - will not take effect until one has been made wise. When imparted with wisdom unto salvation, one begins to measure out a step the natural man cannot tread. Wisdom halts a walk which was previously in the direction of sin, and turns it in the right direction; hence the Scriptures says, “wisdom is profitable to direct” (Ecclesiastes 10:10). Wisdom has to do with the entirety of one's life, and how ome takes steps for living. Taking such steps makes one wise; when one is wise, he becomes right. Righteousness of God is evident when a man takes steps in wisdom. Such a one is said to be taking the right step in the realm of the spirit and these steps works against the activity of sin in such a life. The strength of sin is a pathway. Thus, when a soul walks in wisdom, he takes on a different path - the path of faith.
Holiness has nothing to do with outward activities. Satan does not reckon with the externals. Sin, that is, the nature of sin is not external. Due to the extent of the work of sin, no one can set himself free from it unless he has been made wise. And wisdom is not attained by study but by the coming of the word of the Lord to you. The coming of the word of God to a man makes him wise; he begins to see things in a different light. When the soul sees in this light, he loses interest in natural things that made him a captive of sin - things that matter to men. At this point, the man also has victory over the expressions of sin (works of the flesh) because the root has been dealt with. The man at this state attains a level of holiness; and this kind of holiness does not make him proud. But a man who tries to work holiness by activities feels he is holy because of the things he does.
Recall the Jews who were circumcised in the flesh, their circumcised state made them feel high and lofty, when compared to others. A soul may have an outward form of holiness but may not be free from sin. Freedom from sin does not come by self denial, which comes by human strength, but by the energy released through the movement of the things of Christ into someone, which is the blood of Jesus. This blood is the antidote to sin; the blood tonic for sins. Jesus admonished us to drink of His cup often, drinking of it until we finish it; and then we can be granted access into the next allocation of the cup.
The first Testament is high, and one who has it can become Christ by it. It is the testimony God keeps as testament. Inside God is a book which has the ability to turn any from iniquity. The key to iniquity lies inside God. And God desires to teach us the same things, the things which made the Son of God hate iniquity. What is inside God is the ark of God; it is the Testament inside Him.
God never created sin; it was great disobedience that resulted in iniquity (Daniel 9:24). Transgression is the breaking of the law of sin, the law that has the ability to make reconciliation for iniquity. There is a law that handles sins and iniquity; the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus which takes away sin and death (Romans 8:2). Therefore, the gift of Jesus to the Body is the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, contained in the cup which He serves. Next, is the law for the reconciliation of sins; this is an everlasting law. The entirety of priesthood is contained in the list Daniel 9:24 captures. Transgression is the breaking of both laws; a transgressor is a destroyer of the law. This is what Satan did to himself - he destroyed the law of everlasting life in himself.
Psalm 103:20 shows the realm where satan operated. The term ‘word’ referred to in this Scripture is His commandment. The angels do the word/the voice of His commandment. This voice which is done by the angels is everlasting life. They do not have to learn it, because they know it. We have to learn everlasting life, so as to be able to do its requirements perpetually. It was this commandment that satan broke; the same commandment that makes the angels excel in strength.
There was no definition of sin until the law came; a transgressor is one who has the law. Transgression arrives with the arrival of the law. One who has received the law could still be a sinner; the difference lies in one’s eligibility for the word that can take away sins and iniquity, which is meekness. Meekness makes one eligible to receive remission of sins (Psalm 25:8-9). The testament and its teaching is the antidote to sin. The Testament is the voice of the way; it is a spirit of prophecy, of which the highest is the testimony of Jesus. All testimony is a teacher and a communicator of the way. Sinners here refers to those who are the Lord’s, yet have sins resident in them. Thus, the Lord seeks to remove sin and iniquity from them by teaching them out of that which makes them sin. The meek man referred to in verse 9 of Psalm 25 is the same one referred to as sinner in verse 8, but has been taught. Therefore, one who is ready to be taught as a sinner is one that is meek. It is not easy to be meek when a man has sins present in him. A man of meek spirit is one who is readily able to be untaught out of his sins. The way of sin is what makes sin powerful. This way of sin is the problem of the church; it is not easy to leave it. This way seems right to a man, it takes grace to refuse it. It is a way of ungodliness. A meek man will not argue with the word of God though it may be against his parameters for living.
Sin is powerful because it is attached to life. Sin is a source of livelihood. To convince a man to live without the way/life of sin is difficult; a way of life which is an entanglement to the soul. Yet, there exists another highway which is against the highway of holiness - the highway of iniquity. It is a terrible way coming to the earth now. It is pathetic that many saints are unaware of this and have not yet known Christ.
To make reconciliation for iniquity is to offer eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:12). The holy place spoken of in this Scripture is not the sanctuary, but the most holy. Eternal redemption referred to here is different from the redemption spoken of in Ephesians 1:7. The Hebrew church had already experienced the first redemption; what is left is the eternal redemption.
The blood of the everlasting covenant speaks of another cup different from that which is for the remission of sins (Hebrews 13:20). The day the church received the law and the day they were enjoined to the law by the blood, they did not perfect the law; they were only joined to do it because the entrance to the book is by blood (Hebrews 7:15-21: 11-12). The law was higher than the people, they advanced towards the law, with Aaron as the closest to the law. If a man can be the law, there would be no need for the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle is the pattern they must conform into, to reach the testimony.
The Israelites lived in suburbs around Jerusalem; their law was resident in Jerusalem since that was where the Tabernacle was. They visited the Tabernacle thrice every year. They had to go and return again because there was always a remembrance of sin. Thus, the priesthood continued, not having effect on the people; they could not come and remain. The Tabernacle and the priesthood of Levi was not God's intention. God related with Moses without the Tabernacle; the Tabernacle was necessary for the sake of the people. God raised Moses for the sake of Israel. And when Moses died, Aaron was raised because there always had to be someone who could keep the holiest alive.
Likewise, in the New Testament, when the Testament was enacted, the Head of the Church went up to heaven to stay there. He was staying at the highest point of expression of that law, which is the right hand of the majesty on high. Jesus sits under that law, i.e. the mercy seat. Hence, Paul admonishes the saints to seek the things that are above where Christ is seated; that is the place of the testament (Colossians 3:1). One must sit on the testimony, that is, to sit on the ark. The perfection of the testament is to make one seat; the seat is the throne. All the speaking of the testimony is to enthrone one.
Isreal never kept the law, they only kept ordinances. That testament could not make them perfect, hence God had to take it away (Hebrews 10:1). They never experienced any change in their years of keeping of the law. When God inaugurated the law, His intention was that all Israel would become holiest. But He could not achieve it in that order. In fact, it was not easy to get a high priest from amongst the chief priests. To raise one into the status-quo of a high priest was not easy. As at the time of Jesus, there were two high priests. - high priests who offered him up to be crucified. Thus, to raise an high priest who can stand in the holiest amongst a generation is not easy. Therefore, Jesus also having attained that highest position, intercedes for men who would also pierce through the veil. He intends that some men on earth will learn the ordinance of the law and have understanding of the covenant.
Priests are known by their understanding. Thus, Jesus prays for light; priest are lights. A light is a governor; a priest is an incomprehensible dimension manifested on the earth. He is a representation of that which is oblivious to men. To find such a one comes by mercy. Therefore, since the priesthood needed to be changed, being deficient, its law had to be changed also. The law is kept in the ark, and it is what makes one a high priest. A high priest constitutes a law.
The law of the priesthood is the law in the holiest. Thus, the book of Hebrews shows us the Testimony of Jesus. It is the Testimony responsible for the reconciliation of iniquity, that is, what will reconcile priests to God. Reconciliation has to do with things that will make people come to God. Even when a man has not done iniquity, he still does not have the stature to undo iniquity. That means that when such a one is left alone, without the ability to undo iniquity, he will commit iniquity.
A man may be free from some things and may have overcome certain sins; but before God, He knows that such a one when he is further tried would fail. Therefore to God, such a one still has iniquity. God sees our imperfect frame, and so He cannot thrust us into the realm of the holiest because iniquity will show up. Whenever one is approaching the holiest, something more than the unclean - iniquity - shows up. Therefore, the conscience is purged in order to serve the living God (Hebrews 9:14).
Dead works are still present even after sins have been removed, recall the churches in Revelations 2 and 3. They had done faith and charity well, but in terms of everlasting works, they had dead works. Of some churches, it was said that they ate things offered to idols. This is iniquity. Idols goes beyond false gods; it is the temple of satan. Paul asked, “what agreement has the temple of God with an idol?” (2 Corinthians 6:16). Idol is the image of the dragon - it is its son. Idol is the beast that all men wondered after (Revelation 13:3). The things men sacrifice unto idols refer to the service men render unto it. When such sacrifice is eaten, it weakens one from serving the living God. These churches could engage in such activity because their conscience was not yet purged from dead works.
There is yet tendency to perform dead works unless the conscience is purged. This is different from repentance from dead works (Hebrews 6:1). As men, we like to do work, but that which God demands in the spirit as work may not be interesting to us. As one ascends into the holy of holies, the formula for work becomes light; and it is difficult to see such as work. The work that God demands is the work that spirit does. Anyone who still has any inclination to dead works can be tempted by satan to eat things sacrificed to idols instead of serving the living God. Thus, the conscience must be purged, by the blood of the everlasting covenant to make one perfect unto every good work - everlasting work. Everlasting work is simple, but demanding. God's everlasting work expressed in one word is ‘image’ - to look like the Son of God (Hebrews 1:2). This Scriptures shows us the progression. Therefore, anyone who is not the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person will not be given the name of God. The work is the image of God - the express image of His Person. This was Christ's ordeal for 3 years, conforming to the image of God. Jesus said, “Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.” (John 14:10).
The Father is the image of God, embedded in Jesus. The Father took time to build His image in Jesus with Jesus' cooperation. When one ought to submit himself to the building of the image of God in him, and goes about doing other things, such a one is a babe, and still has need of milk (the elementary principles). Such a one has a dead work mentality and requires purging of his conscience.
To God, some works are dead works though they seem big in the eyes of men. A dead work is one that can be carried out by a dead man. The difference between a dead work and the work of God is the intention and attitude with which such work is done. Is that work carried out with an attitude that departs from the living God to obey something else? A work is characterized as dead by the modalities with which it is done; the when, how and motive behind doing it.
When God gives you an assignment and you refuse to do it, and instead you do something else, that is service unto death. Imagine if Christ when He should have gone up to heaven to purge our sins, decides to return to the cross, and begins glorying in it; He has done nothing because that is not the terrain He should stay. Refusal to do things according to God’s will will not translate into the order God desires. If Jesus’ heart had not been trained, even with His resurrected body, He may leave the throne and go to do something else. If Jesus had not received rest in His soul, He would refuse the Father’s command to Him to sit down until His enemies are made His footstool. Jesus must have been a work to have accepted God’s verdict. Having all the powers in heavens and earth, He would have been tempted to confront the Antichrist before time. Jesus had stature, His mind had been structured to agree with everlasting thoughts. He understands the Father and He is at rest with His position on any matter.
Many believers are very zealous for God and yet do things wrongly in the spirit. The coming of the Lord Jesus is dependent on men doing His will. A conscience that is void of wisdom will call the period of waiting and learning of Christ a waste of time. True activity is measured by response to God. A lot of work is being done in the invisible.
It takes stature and growth in God to wait, and not be pushy about manifestations. Perfecting obedience should be your major concern now, and even after achieving that, you will still have to wait for your brethren.
In summary, iniquity is to see the high standard of God and not carry it out; to see the vision of the Almighty, which is His image. The image of satan is iniquity; that is the idol in the holiest of all. Satan can make iniquity; it is his offer, his gift of life (Revelation 13:4). Everyman has an innate desire to be the best in the things he does, including ministry, that is an idol, an image. Real image does not denote gender for boast, the man cannot lay claim on it; it is to the glory of God the Father. When the work is not of God, man would boast and that is the seat of Satan, the foundation of hell.