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April 2007
Greetings in the love of Jesus.
Already 2007 is proving to be a busy year for the Lord. So many of our Bible Colleges are expanding and this creates much developmental administrative work. We are grateful that now we have over 2400 students enrolled across 18 nations. Praise God for what He has done.
In June I will be ministering citywide outreaches and Leadership Training in Antigua. Then in August I will be ministering in conferences in Germany and Dubai. Please keep us in prayer for these opportunities.
This month it is on my heart to share a devotion from the Book of Ezra concerning purposes in the heart of God for these last day. May the Lord use this to strengthen your faith and your walk with Him.
BUILD HIM A HOUSE
(A devotion from the Book of Ezra)
The Book of Ezra records the fulfillment of God's promise to restore Israel back to her land after 70 years of captivity in Babylon. The book covers the life of Zerubbabel, the rebuilding of the temple, the life of Ezra and the inauguration of social and religious reforms. It is a book of RESTORATION with prophetic significance for the end time church.
The Firstfruits remnant coming out of Babylon with Ezra to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem picture a people today that are leaving the husks of human tradition and systematic religion, and they are believing God for restitution, they are believing God for reconciliation, they are believing God that He will restore to them the years that the canker worm has eaten.
The Decree of Cyrus had gone forth and these people were pioneers. There were about 50,000 of them. The earliest company of home comers from Babylon picture the Firstfruits. They attempted to carry out the commission to build a New Temple, met opposition and gave up the effort for nearly 20 years. Then Haggai and Zechariah prophesied to help this company fulfill their call. They rallied and four years later completed the task against threats and political maneuvers.
The Temple is the central theme of the book and reveals truths of the Most Holy Place of the Tabernacle of Moses.
The primary word for TEMPLE in the Old Testament is HEYKAL, and comes from a root word meaning PREVAIL, OVERCOME, have power, might, endure, to be able.
The primary Greek word for TEMPLE is NAOS used to describe JESUS, God's dwelling place. It speaks of the spiritual temple, the real house of God that we are. This reveals a company of people seen in the scriptures as the Overcomer, and the manchild of Revelation 12. These are the abode and mansion of John 14, filled with His FULLNESS.
This is in contrast to another Greek word for temple, HIERON, which is used in the Gospels consistently to refer to the LITERAL, NATURAL, MAN-MADE building built by Herod the Great.
Everything that happened in the Old Testament happened within the context of the LAND, the CITY, or the TEMPLE. The CITY was within the LAND, and the TEMPLE was within the city within the land. Israel, Jerusalem, Zion - Body, Soul, Spirit.
The last day move in the Feast of Tabernacles is the Day of the Spirit. Real faith is in the realm of Spirit. The purpose of the prophetic to is bring the invisible into the visible - "Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, in earth as it is in Heaven."
Anything in the Old Testament that deals with the Temple or Zion is going to speak of the realm of Spirit and the Most Holy Place.
God want us to become that place where He lives. God is a Spirit, but lives in a body. He is after a habitation of God through the Spirit.
There were four distinct decrees given by heathen kings in the restoration. The first one was given by Cyrus that released Israel and gave them opportunity to go back to the land. But only a remnant responded.
They eagerly began the task of building the temple, and when they met opposition they searched the archives and found the key to finish the Temple was that IT WAS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK. This was in reference to Cyrus' decrees authorizing them to build the temple. This speaks of the decrees of God that are written and that will not be moved.
Secondly there was a decree by Darius to finish the Temple, and finally a decree by Artaxerxes to beautify the Temple.
So it is in the heavens. God has declared some things concerning our spirit, soul, and body.
God stirs up heathen nations for His sovereign purposes. God had in sovereignty rejected His people, and now in HIS sovereignty is restoring His people. His sovereignty is revealed as He presses both believers and unbelievers into service for Him. Their task would have been impossible without Divine Intervention.
This whole scenario reveals the present return of God's people from the confusion of human tradition and systematic religion as God is building His Temple (the Most Holy Place) for His habitation. Truths related to our becoming His abode in the Feast of Tabernacles are revealed. The Lord is building His House, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it. All is underwritten by His government and Kingdom.
THE ESSENCE OF THE FIRST SIX CHAPTERS OF EZRA (REVEALS STEPS TO BUILIDNG HIM A HABITATION):
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GET OUT OF CONFUSION - Left homes, businesses, went to new place.
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KNOW WHO YOU ARE - A register was necessary to prove your genealogy. If you could not prove the seed of Levi was in you, you would be put out of the priesthood. You must know who you are in Christ and who He is in you.
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GET THE ALTAR REBUILT IN YOUR HEART, AND LAY THE FOUNDATION.
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THE MINUTE YOU GET OUT OF CONFUSION, KNOW WHO YOU ARE, REBUILD THE ALTAR AND LAY THE FOUNDATION, YOU WILL BE ASKED THE SAME THING THEY WERE ASKED IN ACTS - BY WHAT POWER, OR NAME, OR AUTHORITY DO YOU DO THESE THINGS; I.E. WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?
When the inhabitants of the land raised all opposition, Ezra searched the Book and found written in the Book what Cyrus had decreed. The King then told the opposers to be still and help them too. Don't worry when opposition comes because you will find something fresh in the BOOK that God has ALREADY DECREED, THAT THE KING OF KINGS HAS ALREADY SAID ABOUT YOU, YOUR FAMILY, YOUR MINISTRY AND TURN IT AROUND!
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BELIEVE THE WORD OF THE PROPHET - IN CHAPTER 4 YOU FIND OUT WHAT IS WRITTEN, THEN THE PROPHET COMES AND CONFIRMS WHAT GOD FIRST SPOKE TO YOU.
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FINISH THE TEMPLE.
Ezra 1:1
1 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,
Cyrus speaks of Jesus Christ, and his proclamation is like the Great Commission - All authority has been given to me in heaven and earth, therefore, GO. Jesus proclaimed something; He put it in writing, and He has proclaimed something about your life.
The first five verses of Ezra are a seasonal long sound of the ram's horns in a jubilee call to rise and rebuild the temple. Those that respond with Ezra typify the FORERUNNERS of the Most Holy Place, the FIRSTFRUITS unto God and the Lamb. The phrase "mouth of Jeremiah" corresponds to the Mouth of all of God's prophets in respect to THIS DAY. History shows that this message was also SHOUTED by HERALDS in the principal towns of the Empire. This pictures the ministry of the Prophets and the FEAST OF TRUMPETS hearing a CLEAR fresh WORD from the Lord.
God stirred up the spirit of Cyrus. He was awakened.
This proclamation was made by a heathen king who recognized the sovereignty of God, claimed Divine commission, and who recognized a single supreme God. This work of the Spirit of God reveals the GOVERNMENT of God over the affairs of the nations.
This proclamation was made shortly after Daniel read the HANDWRITING on the wall, in which it was declared that Babylon would fall to Persia (Daniel 5:25-31). Perhaps Daniel showed to Cyrus the prophecies that were thus fulfilled (Jeremiah 25:11-12; 29:10), and of Isaiah 200 years before who called Cyrus by name and predicted that under him the Jews would return and rebuild the city of Jerusalem (Isaiah 44:26-45:1, 13).
Jeremiah predicted that 70 years would be accomplished. This word means to make full. Then God promised THREE acts of His sovereign grace:
Jeremiah 29:10
10 For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.
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I will VISIT you.
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And PERFORM my good WORD to you.
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In CAUSING you to RETURN to this PLACE.
Josephus, the Jewish historian, says that Cyrus discovered Isaiah's scroll, and "When Cyrus read this, and admired the Divine power, an earnest desire and ambition seized upon him to fulfill what was so written."
The purpose of the Great Commission is to Build Him a House. 50,000 returned under Zerubbabel, appointed Governor of Judah by Cyrus.
Getting out of Babylon was getting out of the confusion of human tradition and systematic religion as God is building His Temple (the Most Holy Place) for His habitation.
During the 70 years of captivity, the generation that had originally come in had died away, and thus we have a new generation living in Babylon. This was a generation that did not sense the pull of their homeland because they grew up amidst their foreign environment and thus did not sense the humiliation. Nebuchadnezzar was not king now, it was the Persian rule they were under which was much nicer for them. Thus, when called to leave their homes of years where they seemed to be making it rather well to return to the land of their fathers, most preferred to remain in their lucrative captivity in Persia.
Many do not defect totally from walking with the Lord, but keep one foot in the world and one foot with God. When called upon to act in faith and walk by faith, the request is too much. Why? Because they have found an illusive comfort in the midst of captivity and compromise. They have seemingly lost their spiritual ears for the conviction, and their homeland is slowly but surely changing from the kingdom of heaven to the kingdom of this world.
Ezra 1:2-4
2 Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah (praise).
3 Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem.
4 And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.
This pictures Jesus as Head over the House of God, giving the call to rise and build. This call is going forth today to the Body of Christ to rise and Build the House of God made of living stones.
Who is among you that wants to
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lay down his selfishness
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lay down his theology and traditions
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lay down his life that others may life
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forsake all that he has to become a disciple of Jesus
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grow up instead of go up, that wants to get into a local church under seasoned ministry and grow and change?
GO UP - the word for burnt offering.
Verse 4 - If a Jew did not go back to Jerusalem, he was commanded to help with the restoration expenses and the refurbishing of the Temple. There were also to be payments and releases from the ROYAL TREASURY, specified in a separate written document to be placed in the royal archives. This record was to play a vital part in the later crisis of chapter 6. Jesus, the King, has released the provisions needed for us to return and partake of the MOST HOLY PLACE as we now PASS OVER into a NEW age. The wealth of the Nations are to be loosed.
God is going to release major resources in these last days. There is a promise to those who leave Babylon to build the Temple. This sounds like Israel leaving Egypt when a nation was born in a day. THERE ARE SPECIAL PROMISES FOR YOU RELEASED BY THE KING'S DECREE - HEALING, RESTORATION, RECOVERY, PROVISION.
Ezra 1:5
5 Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, with all them whose spirit God had raised, to go up to build the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem.
God stirred them up by the opening of the eyes. The Hebrew word used here for those whose spirit God had raised comes from a root that means the opening of the eyes. They are AWAKENED, STIRRED UP, AROUSED BY THE OPENING OF THE EYES OF UNDERSTANDING.
Here we see only two of twelve tribes mentioned. (Levites not counted as Joseph's sons Ephraim and Manasseh). TWO OUT OF TWELVE - CALEB AND JOSHUA were 2 out of 12. Numbers said they were of ANOTHER SPIRIT.
These believe for the fulfillment of the promises. Are you willing to face the opposition of all because you say we are well able, because there is faith and hope and joy and strength and peace in your heart?
You are not reacting in the soul, but responding in the Spirit, you are not moved by what you see and what you hear, and you are not moved by anything but what God has said, because you know that the only thing that can live in the presence of God is God.
We are able to go up at once! Two out of twelve - Judah and Benjamin; Praise and Sonship.
These ROSE UP according to the enabling of the Lord. The principle of the THIRD DAY is seen here, as we are being raised up into the Most Holy Place and the THRONE of God. We are being "caught up."
In His Love,
Roger Houtsma
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