Let's Enter God's Rest
Shabbat Shalom
Part Two
By Jacquelyn Fedor
2018 - 02 - 05
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| Let's Enter God's Rest: Shabbat Shalom | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 |
In part one of “Let's Enter God's Rest” we discussed our spirit man, talked about God's knowledge, His law and of course entering the rest of God itself. What I would like to do in the next few blasts is take a little better look at each of these four subjects. In this blast let us try to get a deeper understanding of the rest of God by starting with the scripture in Genesis 2:1-3.
Genesis 2:1-3
1 Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished.
2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.
3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
1 Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished.
2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.
3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
Everything that has ever been created, animate or inanimate, lies within God's rest. The whole universe can be found there! The sun, the moon, the stars, and earth along with all on it, man, beast, fowl, every creepy crawly thing. God did it all and all that He did lies within His rest, not forgotten, but ready to be made manifest when He is ready.
Ecclesiastes 1:10 says,
10 Is there anything of which it may be said, “See, this is new”? It has already been in ancient times before us (anything perfect we may want is there in God's rest, anything we may want to do with perfection has already been accomplished and is there in God's rest).
10 Is there anything of which it may be said, “See, this is new”? It has already been in ancient times before us (anything perfect we may want is there in God's rest, anything we may want to do with perfection has already been accomplished and is there in God's rest).
Ecclesiastes 3:14-15 furthers the thought.
14 I know that whatever God does, it shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, and nothing taken from it. (That is why the works of man that are his own and not God's are referred to as dead works. They are meaningless.) God does it, that men should fear before Him. (Who could ever be like Him!)
15 That which is has already been (the now, today), and what is to be (the future) has already been (past); and God requires an account of what is past (how each of us carried out His intention for us).
14 I know that whatever God does, it shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, and nothing taken from it. (That is why the works of man that are his own and not God's are referred to as dead works. They are meaningless.) God does it, that men should fear before Him. (Who could ever be like Him!)
15 That which is has already been (the now, today), and what is to be (the future) has already been (past); and God requires an account of what is past (how each of us carried out His intention for us).
So we can see all the promises of God made to the heirs of the kingdom are within His rest like everything that is of God and every good and wonderful thing is securely waiting for those that enter. In today's world of imperfection and inadequacy the excellence, the flawlessness of God's works would be so refreshing!
James 1:17
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning (all the works of God within His rest will be brought to light or made visible as those who were assigned to that work find His rest and relinquish their works to do His).
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning (all the works of God within His rest will be brought to light or made visible as those who were assigned to that work find His rest and relinquish their works to do His).
Wouldn't it be wonderful to know everything we put our hand to would succeed! Our works would enhance the whole of not only mankind, but all creation as well. This is why Romans 8:19 makes so much more sense now.
Romans 8:19
19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.
19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.
Those chosen before the foundation of the earth to reveal end time truth from within God's rest and those predestined to carry it to others so they can also enter the rest of God and fulfill their part in manifesting God's works are God's gifts to creation. The greatest gift of all however was and is Christ and what He was preordained to do.
I Peter 1:20
20 He (Jesus) indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest (brought to light) in these last times for you
20 He (Jesus) indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest (brought to light) in these last times for you
To fully understand why Christ was even needed in the rest of God and made a part of His plan for the redemption of creation, let us go back into eternity before God rested to see why, what ruined everything?
To better understand let us lay some groundwork so to speak. The angels were created before the earth. In fact, it is thought, since Jesus The Word of God, is referred to as the bright and morning star and Lucifer or Satan is named the Day Star, that they originally sang together (God and Satan) to bring creation into being before he fell from grace!
Job 38:4-7 alludes to this.
4 “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding.
5 Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it?
6 To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone,
7 When the morning stars sang together (the Lord and Satan), and all the sons of God (the angels) shouted for joy?
4 “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding.
5 Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it?
6 To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone,
7 When the morning stars sang together (the Lord and Satan), and all the sons of God (the angels) shouted for joy?
So what happened? All certainly sounded fantastic at that time! All was good!
Genesis 1:31
31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
As we read from Isaiah we will begin to see why the world today is in so much chaos, and how it has become a state of complete disorder and confusion.
Isaiah 14:12-14 gives us a clue.
12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning (was not content with his place and rank)! How you are cut down to the ground (expelled to earth), you who weakened the nations! (He challenged God for supremacy and set out to take over God's creation! Each generation of man becomes worse than the previous.)
13 For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne (he sees himself as an exalted one) above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation (Sion, Mount Hermon) on the farthest sides of the north; (to rule and influence God's people)
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ (Wow, he is the epitome of conceit and pride!)
12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning (was not content with his place and rank)! How you are cut down to the ground (expelled to earth), you who weakened the nations! (He challenged God for supremacy and set out to take over God's creation! Each generation of man becomes worse than the previous.)
13 For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne (he sees himself as an exalted one) above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation (Sion, Mount Hermon) on the farthest sides of the north; (to rule and influence God's people)
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ (Wow, he is the epitome of conceit and pride!)
How could he possibly think like this? Here is the answer. Although God created everything perfect He gave His creatures a free will.
Side Note: Anything that can act on a specific situation, make a personal decision that affects others as well as itself to do right or wrong, can act freely to make that choice or you could say “it has a free will”.
Ezekiel 28:11-15 gives us further insight to earth's problems.
11 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
12 “Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him (but God was actually speaking to Satan much as when Jesus said to Peter, “get behind me Satan”, Matthew 16:23), ‘Thus says the Lord God: “You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty (next we will see he was the highest in rank among the angels, created to protect mankind).
13 You (Satan) were in Eden (we know the King of Tyre was not in the garden of Eden), the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering: the sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created (he led the praise in heaven).
14 “You were the anointed cherub who covers (he was meant to cover the garden and protect humanity); I established you; you were on the holy mountain of God (Sion, Mount Hermon); you walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.
15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you. (His great wisdom, his anointing, his works would now be tainted by his evil thinking and perverse desires.)
11 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
12 “Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him (but God was actually speaking to Satan much as when Jesus said to Peter, “get behind me Satan”, Matthew 16:23), ‘Thus says the Lord God: “You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty (next we will see he was the highest in rank among the angels, created to protect mankind).
13 You (Satan) were in Eden (we know the King of Tyre was not in the garden of Eden), the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering: the sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created (he led the praise in heaven).
14 “You were the anointed cherub who covers (he was meant to cover the garden and protect humanity); I established you; you were on the holy mountain of God (Sion, Mount Hermon); you walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.
15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you. (His great wisdom, his anointing, his works would now be tainted by his evil thinking and perverse desires.)
Satan was no longer a part of God's rest. Pride and selfish ambition entered in as sin was birthed. He stood alone, rebellious and out of order with the rest of creation. His choice! Adam and Eve were however safely within God's rest at that time and living the wonderful life God made possible for them. All things were in order, they were a loving people in the image of their Father so were given dominion over the rest of His earthly creation to oversee and care for. The whole universe, with the exception of Satan, acted on information based on the laws of God and His perfect knowledge, therefore, all was in perfect harmony and securely living in the rest of God. Satan of course understood there was absolutely no way to reach anything or touch anyone harbored within God's rest. He would have to devise a way, form a plan to make mankind leave God's rest on their own before he could influence them in any way. Satan's challenge was, how to make man break God's law, turn their back on God's knowledge and wisdom and accept his. He knew rebellion to the law of God would drive them out of God's rest placing them within reach. He would not only have Adam and Eve under his control if he succeeded, but all that belonged to them as well! All their descendants, all inhabitants of the earth, the whole planet itself would in fact be within his grasp! The stakes were high, much to be gained, Satan won!
Let us read from Genesis 3:1-6 to see just how all this was accomplished.
1 Now the serpent (Revelation 12:9) was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. (Remember his great wisdom?) And he said to the woman (he needed to get her attention and then disobediently answer him), “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” (made it seem like an innocent enough question, would she answer?)
2 And the woman said to the serpent (the first mistake! She spoke to him, made contact!), “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden;
3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’” (Proof she fully understood she was breaking God's commandment and the consequence of her rebellion. We can also see from this portion of scripture God never intended for death to be a part of our existence, it was the result of sin.)
4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die (liar).
5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened (to this realm, no longer able to see into the realm of the spirit), and you will be like God (the exact thing Satan wanted so badly he offered Eve), knowing good and evil.” (What lies he told her! If she was thinking properly she would have realized God is a spirit and man's spirit was already in His image! Her connection to Satan removed her from the previous protection of God's laws, her thinking became clouded. She was no longer connected to God through her spirit, now she would forever function through her soul and be guided by the senses of her body and influenced by the enemy. Where once a perfect creature she became inferior.)
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food (she took in what he said and hungered for more of his wisdom), that it was pleasant to the eyes (he was an angel of light, beautiful), and a tree desirable to make one wise (different than God's wisdom), she took of its fruit and ate (Touch not, taste not, she swallowed his lies, was in touch with him through conversations. She was tricked! Satan won!). She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. (He was not fooled. He actually chose Satan's way over God's!)
1 Now the serpent (Revelation 12:9) was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. (Remember his great wisdom?) And he said to the woman (he needed to get her attention and then disobediently answer him), “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” (made it seem like an innocent enough question, would she answer?)
2 And the woman said to the serpent (the first mistake! She spoke to him, made contact!), “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden;
3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’” (Proof she fully understood she was breaking God's commandment and the consequence of her rebellion. We can also see from this portion of scripture God never intended for death to be a part of our existence, it was the result of sin.)
4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die (liar).
5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened (to this realm, no longer able to see into the realm of the spirit), and you will be like God (the exact thing Satan wanted so badly he offered Eve), knowing good and evil.” (What lies he told her! If she was thinking properly she would have realized God is a spirit and man's spirit was already in His image! Her connection to Satan removed her from the previous protection of God's laws, her thinking became clouded. She was no longer connected to God through her spirit, now she would forever function through her soul and be guided by the senses of her body and influenced by the enemy. Where once a perfect creature she became inferior.)
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food (she took in what he said and hungered for more of his wisdom), that it was pleasant to the eyes (he was an angel of light, beautiful), and a tree desirable to make one wise (different than God's wisdom), she took of its fruit and ate (Touch not, taste not, she swallowed his lies, was in touch with him through conversations. She was tricked! Satan won!). She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. (He was not fooled. He actually chose Satan's way over God's!)
As stated above, since she ignored the urging of her spirit, ignored its fruit, God's law and wisdom, her food for thought or mental food would now be supplied by Satan. She would forever look at life through her soul as prompted by her flesh. Adam went along with it so there also went the whole Adamic race. All they were and all they had was removed from God's rest through disobedience and they were now on their own, out of order and harmony with the rest of the universe! The result of man's disobedience is the real reason behind the destruction we see today. Not one thing that happens in this world Satan has engineered through fallen mankind is God's fault nor of His doing! Hear what I am saying. Too long God has been blamed for wars, sickness, destructive weather, whatever else evil befalls man when all along it is the anointed cherub! He has even misled the creatures God created for life in the heavenlies! He has messed up both heaven and earth! Genesis 6 tells us how he managed to taint God's angels.
Genesis 6:1-2
1 Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them,
2 that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful (they were persuaded to lust after them); and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose. (Mankind was now crossed with angels!)
1 Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them,
2 that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful (they were persuaded to lust after them); and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose. (Mankind was now crossed with angels!)
Guess who was behind their lust and perversion? Still today, in the descendants of Adam, lies the genetics of these angels and their traits are clearly seen through the works of man's flesh.
Galatians 5:19-21
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,
20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,
21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,
20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,
21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Lust of the eye, lust of the flesh, pride of life has become the force behind the majority of mankind's actions. Can we now understand why? Can we see why there is so much cruelty, causing suffering both physically and mentally? Can we more clearly see Satan living his dream fulfilling his plans through the power hungry, competitive leadership in his world today? Do we see how the hordes of evil beings that follow him are causing mankind to live enslaved to addictions, adulterous relationships, committing murders etc.? All because we left the rest of God!
Mankind is a long way from God's rest! For the most part humanity looks like Satan dressed them, sound like Satan coached their speech, live like he would choose to live and are very well tutored and versed in his knowledge with which to base their daily lives on and solve their everyday problems. What a mess mankind is in! The last time we saw harmony and perfection was when Adam and Eve were newly created and a part of God's works! When they fell and became Satan's altered race it botched everything! The whole earth is out of order! So how do we enter into God's rest again? What do we have to do?
To begin with we need to be born over again, become a new creature, obey His laws and walk according to His wisdom and knowledge. We can only achieve this through a resurrected spirit and a submissive soul man. We need to lay down our works, our personal agendas and do what lies within the rest of God for us to do.
Hebrews 4:6,9-10 explains,
6 Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience,
9 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.
10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.
6 Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience,
9 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.
10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.
This is not as easy as it may sound. We have been taught over the years through Satan's thinking to be prideful over the things we accomplish. We are encouraged from an early age to be the best, see our self worth, taught to be competitive. We get the gold star, we get the trophy and the acclamation of our peers. When we succeed from within God's rest the success is His and we are chosen to manifest it!! Don't misunderstand, it is a great honor to make the works of the Almighty visible to both man and the enemy, to be living evidence that God's plan for restoration is still on track and unfolding. But, to God be the glory!
Isaiah 42:8
8 I am the Lord, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to carved images (We profane His great name when we take the glory.)
8 I am the Lord, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to carved images (We profane His great name when we take the glory.)
Today it is hard to even visualize or imagine a perfect life, a perfect anything for that matter! No more sickness, pain, sorrow or death, no decay, contamination or degeneration, all was eternal. We are headed in the right direction though, we at least see where we want to be, snuggled securely in the big middle of God's rest, that is our goal.
In closing, God offered this very thing to old Israel, but they refused. They saw their help as being from the world much like today.
Isaiah 30:15
15 For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” But you would not,
15 For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” But you would not,
Old Israel would not enter in, but we should want to enter boldly. Not of Adam's race, those that are born again and walking in God's end time knowledge are a completely different kind. As they walk deeper and deeper in truth they are actually shaped and molded into a new species in the image of the Word. They want to return and rest from all the struggle and strife of the world. Satan's world has nothing to offer. They so look forward to God's perfect peace and rest, and having the Lord say, “Enter My Rest, Shabbat Shalom!”
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