Come Out of Her, My People

This book was just recently found of my father's, never printed, and last edited in 2020. I hope this will be a blessing to you. All that is written below are the words of my father. 

In loving memory of my father
Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett
July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023

Come Out of Her, My People 
Chapter 1: Background

4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
Revelation 18:4-5

Come out of her. Who is “her?” Revelation 18:9-10 says “her” speaks of that great city, Babylon, but Babylon is a city which is not a city. Babylon represents a kingdom of people, wherever they may be in the world, which are subject to the economic, political, and religious systems of the world, under the dominion of our adversary, the devil. Babylon (confusion) is first mentioned in Genesis 10:8-10 as being founded by Nimrod, grandson of Ham, after the flood. Nimrod was the king of Shinar. He was rebellious against God and is described as a mighty hunter before [in the face of] God. James 3:14-16 says that worldly wisdom is gendered by envy and strife in our hearts and causes confusion and every evil work. Such wisdom is earthly, sensual, and devilish. Revelation 17:5 speaks of “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” Note that verse speaks of “harlots,” plural, so there is more than one harlot, but Babylon is the mother of all harlots. Note also that verse speaks of “THE” mother of harlots, making Babylon unique by the use of “the.” A harlot is the Church united in any spiritual fashion with any part of the world.

No professing Christian would ever consider himself/herself to be in captivity in Babylon, the mother of harlots. That is the nature of deception. But let us take a closer look at Babylon from a scriptural perspective. The reason that both Israel, the northern kingdom, and later Judah, the southern kingdom, went into captivity was because of their apostasy, idolatry, etc. Therefore our Sovereign God decreed that they both must go into captivity. It is the same today. The Lord never changes. He says to all generations, including the modern-day church, which have united with Babylon in any way, 

“I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek My face: in their affliction they will seek Me early” (Hosea 5:15).

Next, to whom are the verses in Revelation 18, above, written? To whom does the Lord exhort to come out of Babylon? certainly not heathens, not atheists, not agnostics. The answer is in Revelation 18:4 … to the Lord’s people … come out of her, My people. Second, the Book of Revelation was written in 96 A.D. and therefore cannot possibly refer to the natural, historical time when Israel, the Northern Kingdom, went into captivity in Assyria starting about 740 B.C. The prophet, Hosea (all of Hosea, Chapter 11), and the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 8:1-10) both warned Israel of their coming captivity unless they repented quickly, but to no avail. Likewise, the above verses cannot refer to the later captivity of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar into Babylon starting from 605 B.C. to 586 B.C., when Jerusalem was destroyed and the temple burned. Shortly before the captivity of Judah, the prophet, Jeremiah, had warned God’s people of their soon coming captivity unless they repented, but no one listened to Jeremiah. By the year 536 B.C. (about 200 years from the first captivity) somewhere between 300,000 and 500,000 Jews (and perhaps even more after three or four generations) from both Israel and Judah were in captivity in Babylon during the reign of Cyrus, king of Persia. That number may not even include women and children. Further, tens of thousands (or more) of Jews were born and grew up in Babylon, so they never knew another way of life. We can find no record that those Jews were mistreated as were the Jews who were in bondage in Egypt for 400 years. Rather, the Jews in Babylon led fairly normal lives, in rather comfortable conditions. That included many Levitical priests and their typical Jewish services and feasts. Some of the Jews in Babylon perhaps even became wealthy. Babylon always entices with wealth, natural prosperity, and even health for a season.

Many years ago a neighbor of ours invited me to join him and four other men in a weekly Christian fellowship at his house. All of the other men, including our neighbor, were “good” men in the sense that they all went to a denominational church (mostly Methodist) and apparently led morally good lives. During one of his meetings our neighbor said, “Boy! It can’t get any better than this!” by which he meant his life was all peaches and cream. He had a nice wife, two nice children, a very good job, a nice house, and faithfully attended a nice Methodist church. Not long afterwards, lightning struck a lovely Bradford pear tree in his front yard on two separate occasions and he broke his leg. I do not know if he ever got the message because he and his family moved away.

Human nature has never changed. The exhortation is still the same today. Of course the captivity of many of God’s people since 60 A.D. is not to a natural, physical captor called Babylon but to spiritual Babylon, replete with the ecumenical movement, false religions, denominations, false “leaders” of supposedly Spirit-filled churches, traditions of Christian man, off-center doctrines of every kind, idolatry (we might be surprised), immorality, entertainment of all kinds, material possessions (money), divisions within the Church, mega-churches, filthy politics in the governmental sector, mixture of every kind, carnality, a form of godliness, and more. Babylon represents business, commerce, money, mixture. Those who make money in the name of religion are robbers; there are many robbers in the church today who have become multi-millionaires, selling their wares and seducing the Lord’s people to give to “their” great ministry. Sadly, they have their reward. The New Jerusalem speaks of sacrifice, righteousness, holiness, and purity.

1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

2 Timothy 3:1-5

Neither atheists, agnostics, nor heathens of any kind have a form of godliness, but Scripture was not written for those people. Can professing Christians have a form of godliness? Oh my, yes! Many, many churches have their own forms, routines, traditions, rituals, either written or unwritten programs, etc., which get repeated every Sunday. Man, even Christian man, is a creature of habit. We do not like change.

When Paul wrote the above verses, in 66 A.D., we were even then living in the last days (Hebrews 1:2; 1 Peter 1:20; 1 John 2:18). Scripture apparently defines the “last days” to be the time between the ascension of the resurrected Christ until His second coming. Most professing Christians believe His second coming is very near. As soon as spiritual Zion travails, she will bring forth her children (Isaiah 66:8). Unfortunately, Zion has not yet travailed because not even Zion currently sees the need to travail. We live now in perilous times. Do we even care?

Although we could look at a variety of scriptures, we primarily will look at the Book of Ezra to give us more insight into why the Lord warns us to come out of her and what is required of us to come out of Babylon. A personal reason for exploring the Book of Ezra is because the most powerful word I have ever heard from the Lord came to me on June 13, 1976 as I read Ezra 6:14. There was no noise, no emotion, no audible voice, and no other person around … just the powerful word of the Lord but through a small, quiet voice. The Book of Ezra, among other books, speaks both naturally and prophetically (spiritually) of the restoration of God’s people to His original intention; i.e., before Adam (and Eve) ever sinned. God’s original intention for man has not yet been fulfilled. We must always remember that these things (in what we call the Old Testament) were written for our admonition and for examples, hopefully learning examples, so that we do not have to repeat the process of bondage and captivity (1 Corinthians 10:6). Now let us consider what is recorded in the Book of Ezra.

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,

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.

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.

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.

6 And all they that were about them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with beasts, and with precious things, beside all that was willingly offered. Ezra 1:1-6

In Verse 1, “might be fulfilled”: this is the only occurrence of this phrase in the Old Testament; it occurs 18 more times in the New Testament. Note that the LORD, not any man, stirred up the spirit of Cyrus. Note that Cyrus acknowledged the LORD God of Israel as being “the” God. Note also that God, not man, stirred up the spirit of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, and all those who volunteered to go to Jerusalem to build a house unto the LORD. We know, from Ezra 2:64, that the total number of those who voluntarily left Babylon to go to Jerusalem to rebuild the house of God was 42,360. That was, at most, one-tenth of the Jews who were in captivity in Babylon. What happened to the nine-tenths who stayed in Babylon? They continued to live nice, comfortable lives, had their usual nice services, and never knew what they had missed by not going back to Jerusalem. It is the same today.

Let us think about those 42,360 who voluntarily set out from Babylon. What a sacrifice they must have made! They had to uproot themselves from their comfortable homes, their comfortable jobs, their comfortable friends, their comfortable synagogues, and even from some members of their own families. They could not take all of their worldly possessions with them. The journey was not easy and there were hardships of weather and potential perils from robbers and wild animals along the way. They made the journey in the heat of the summer. We must remember that the journey from Babylon to Jerusalem took much more than one day. The distance was about 500 miles as the crow flies, but by caravans the distance would be about 2000 miles because the route meandered northwest along the Euphrates River unto Aleppo (in modern-day Syria) and then south, parallel to the Mediterranean Sea. Most of them had to walk. It was tiresome. It must have taken them four months to make the trip (Ezra 7:8-9). But they had a vision and a determination in their spirits to rebuild the house of God, and so they persevered.

Gather My saints together unto Me; those that have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice. Psalm 50:5

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:1-2

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. Psalm 51:17

Another principle found in the Book of Ezra is, for those who voluntarily returned to rebuild the temple, “the hand of our God was upon us.” That phrase occurs six times (Ezra 7:6, 9, 28 and Ezra 8:18, 22, and 31). We should have no fear of man, beast, or the devil if we are walking in the will of God for then the hand of our God is upon us. We can and must then fear only the Lord God Himself.

And when the seventh month was come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem. Ezra 3:1

The Verse above speaks of the children of Israel. We must remember that the Jews in captivity in Babylon came from both the Northern and the Southern kingdoms. So they went into captivity as two tribes, divided, but those who returned came back as one man … one kingdom … those who were in one accord … in one accord to glorify the Lord.

One of the many principles taught through the Book of Ezra is the need for unity in the body of Christ. That does not equate to an “ecumenical” movement, which is man’s way of trying to build the Lord’s church. That unity is clearly seen in the early church as recorded in the Book of Acts. Seven times in the Book of Acts we see the phrase “with one accord” to describe the oneness of the early church. Today there is very little evidence of Spirit-filled believers being in one accord; rather we see more backbiting, finger-pointing, and divisions ... the Church at Corinth all over again.

Ezra 2:1-67 lists the names of those who came out of Babylon and journeyed back to Jerusalem. The Lord always knows the names of those who come out of Babylon. No list of names is recorded of the hundreds of thousands of Jews who stayed in Babylon.

When the 42,360 Jews arrived in Jerusalem, what was the first thing they did?

68 And some of the chief of the fathers, when they came to the house of the LORD which is at Jerusalem, offered freely for the house of God to set it up in his place:

69 They gave after their ability unto the treasure of the work threescore and one thousand drams of gold, and five thousand pound of silver, and one hundred priests' garments.

70 So the priests, and the Levites, and some of the people, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinims, dwelt in their cities, and all Israel in their cities. 

Ezra 2:68-70

From Verse 68, “some (but not all) of the chief of the fathers, when they came to the house of the LORD which is at Jerusalem, offered freely for the house of God to set it up in his place.” But there was NO natural house of the LORD at Jerusalem at that time … only ruins. What the Lord is building today is not made with the hands of men. They gave after their ability, freely and voluntarily. No one had to beg for money; no one had to ask for money. Any time anyone is walking in the will of the Lord, the Lord will provide for that ministry to be fulfilled. Is there a lesson in that for us? What about all of the TV “evangelists” who beg for money so they can continue “their” great ministry? Most of them are multi-millionaires, but from their own doing and not because the good hand of the Lord is upon them. Many years ago some good friends of ours stopped going to an Assembly of God church after the pastor passed the collection plate four times in one “service.” Further, we see no place for any collection of money by any means which will psychologically persuade or force everyone to give money. It must always be on a free-will basis, voluntarily, without any form of arm-twisting by man. The Old Testament requirement to tithe as well as the “sow your seed” ploy, both of which are designed by man to extract a church income tax from believers, have no place under the New Covenant. I have been hoping for almost 50 years that the federal government would eliminate the 501C provision and impose a tax on all named churches, synagogues, and religious institutions. They are all part of Babylon and are big businesses just like the secular companies. At best they are the church united with the ways of the world. How many churches would then survive? Our God will supply all our need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Shortly after the Lord sovereignly apprehended me (in 1967) He emphasized two spiritual principles to me ... the sovereignty of God and the proper relationship of the mammon of unrighteousness (money) in the life of the believer. It would be easy to write a book about those two principles, but that is not our purpose here. Both of those two principles are clearly evident in the Book of Ezra. Unless we are thoroughly grounded in the truth of those two principles of the oracles of God we can never progress in our Christian walk. As one of many amazing examples of the sovereignty of God, consider …

28 That saith of Cyrus, He is My shepherd, and shall perform all My pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.

1 Thus saith the LORD to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;

2 I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron:

3 And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.

4 For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known Me. Isaiah 44:28-45:1-4

What makes the above Verses so amazing is that Isaiah prophesied of the coming to power of Cyrus and his (Cyrus’) sending forth of a remnant to rebuild the temple at Jerusalem, 125 years before Cyrus was even born. Ezra 1:1 says that Cyrus decreed the return of the remnant to Jerusalem “that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled.” The references to Jeremiah’s prophecy are in Jeremiah 25:12 and 29:10, although Cyrus is not there mentioned by name. God lives in eternity; we live in time. God knew everything He would do before He ever created man. Because God knew what He would do with Cyrus, even before he was born, why should we think it strange that He could choose to make that fact known to one or more of His servants?

Come Out of Her, My People
Chapter 2: Building the Altar and Laying the Foundation

4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

Revelation 18:4-5

In Part 1, we described the nature of the captivity of the Jews in Babylon and some of the same basic principles or oracles of God that pertain to us believers today. We stated that the number of the remnant who voluntarily returned to Jerusalem was, at most, 10% of the total of the Jews who were in captivity in Babylon.

Now, what was the next event on the part of those who returned to Jerusalem? They did not first start to lay the foundation.

1 And when the seventh month was come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem.

2 Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and builded the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God.

3 And they set the altar upon his bases; for fear was upon them because of the people of those countries: and they offered burnt offerings thereon unto the LORD, even burnt offerings morning and evening. Ezra 3:1-3

Again, we see in Verse 1 that the people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem. Of all of the many “errors” and sins that the Apostle Paul addresses to the Church at Corinth, the very first one is their carnality, because of their envying, strife, and divisions. If God’s people are not one in spirit, that opens the door to every other problem. From Verse 2, after receiving the necessary funds to build the temple, they did not immediately begin to lay the foundation. Instead, they built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is written in the law of Moses.

Also from Verse 2, the phrase, “as it is written” occurs three times in the Book of Ezra (45 times in all of Scripture), with 15 of those occasions in the Book of Romans, the primary or initial book of the Bible which speaks of basic Christian doctrine. Unfortunately, many in the Spirit-filled/charismatic community have sacrificed truth and the strictness to principles of the word of God and substituted logical, natural thinking to come up with man’s version of the word of God. For example, particularly after the women’s “liberation movement,” which began in the early 1960’s, there has been a tendency to incorporate liberal thinking of the ministry of women in the church. A few years ago I read a good message from some teacher on the internet. Someone asked him if a woman could be an elder in the church. He responded, “Certainly, as long as she is the husband of one wife (1 Timothy 3:2 and Titus 1:6). We will not here go into the place or function of women in the church (a very “hot” topic) except to say that we believe women have a vital function in the church, but not according to the more liberal thinking of many today.

And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. The LORD make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem: Ruth 4:11

How did Rachel and Leah build the house of Israel? not with hammer and nails, and not by their teaching or prophesying, but by bearing children and by being faithful to and supporting their husbands through intercession. Actually “did build” in the verse above can be translated as “obtained children.”

Now it is never “legalism” when we, by the power of the Holy Spirit, do that which is written. The New Testament is full of “commandments” just as is the Old Testament. Jesus said, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” That is a commandment. Obviously we must rightly divide the word of truth as enlightened by the Holy Spirit. The problem is that each individual and group has their own interpretation of Scripture.

The first few Chapters of Leviticus describe in detail all of the offerings that the Lord required of His people under the Mosaic law. The sin offering, which was mandatory, is listed as the fourth of all the five offerings. Leviticus, Chapter 1 speaks of the burnt offering, which was voluntary, and was the only one of the five major offerings in which the sacrifice was completely consumed by fire (Leviticus 1:9 and 13). Because the burnt offering is listed first, it was and is the most important of all of the offerings. The burnt offering speaks prophetically of giving ourselves totally, completely, and voluntarily to the Lord. That attitude must come first in our lives after we are born from above and before the foundation can be laid. It is into that same attitude that the early believers, as recorded in the Book of Acts, immersed themselves, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Everyone knows what happened at Calvary, when Jesus died for our sins … when He who knew no sin became sin on the cross and was crucified, dead, and buried for our sins. But of course He arose from the grave, victorious over sin, death, and the devil. However we must remember that from the time that Jesus came to earth as a man, Jesus offered His body all through His life on earth as a living sacrifice … as a burnt offering to the Father. He willingly and voluntarily offered Himself as a burnt offering for His entire life on earth. The Jews who returned to Jerusalem did the same. We believers must likewise do the same. We Christian believers can never be in one accord unless we have first become a burnt offering to God on the altar.

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:

5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Romans 12:1-5

We believers can never attain to being one body in Christ, Romans 12:5, unless we have first walked through Romans 12:1. Note that fulfilling Romans 12:1 is an individual matter. The fact that the modern-day visible church is far from being in one accord is primarily because individuals have not voluntarily become burnt offerings. But the foundation of the temple of the Lord was not yet laid (Ezra 3:6). Seven months later, we read:

10 And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the LORD, after the ordinance of David king of Israel.

11 And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the LORD; because He is good, for His mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.

12 But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy:

[The younger men shouted aloud for joy because they had never seen or experienced anything else; the older men wept because they had seen Solomon’s temple in all of its glory. In the house that the Lord builds, there must be weeping as well as shouts of joy. “Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4).]

13 So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off. Ezra 3:10-13

Now what constitutes our spiritual counterpart of laying the foundation of the temple of the LORD? We all know that our foundation is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. But let us be more specific than that.

6 As He saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

7 Who in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto Him that was able to save Him from death, and was heard in that He feared;

[“From” death is an unfortunate translation; it means “out from” death. Jesus never feared death. He had the holy fear that all of us should have … fear that we might not please God completely in all things.]

8 Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered;

9 And being made perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him;

10 Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.

11 Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.

12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

[The first principles of the oracles of God are listed in Hebrews 6:1-2.]

13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.

14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Hebrews 5:6-14

Note that we must have our senses exercised to discern both good and evil, not between good and evil. Anyone can discern evil. But we need discernment to know the difference between what is good (as man calls good) and the will of the Lord.

16 Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon His name.

17 And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

18 Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. Malachi 3:16-18

There is a promise of blessing to them that fear God. Further, discernment can come only to those who fear God.

1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,

2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

3 And this will we do, if God permit. Hebrews 6:1-3

The first principles of the oracles of God (Hebrews 5:12) are the same as the principles of the doctrine of Christ. From Verses 1 and 2, above, the proper foundation for the people of God consists in being born from above, repentance from works of the flesh, being baptized in water, being baptized in the Holy Spirit, receiving and exercising gifts of the Spirit (which includes healings, deliverances, and miracles), and a clear understanding of and looking for the second coming of the Lord. Note that those basic principles characterize almost every Spirit-filled/charismatic church. But laying the proper foundation is just the beginning of our walk. The author of the Book of Hebrews then exhorts us to go on unto perfection. Jesus said, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).

Come Out of Her, My People
Chapter 3: The Beginning of Building the Temple

4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

Revelation 18:4-5

In Part 1 we saw that the first thing the remnant did when they returned to Jerusalem was to voluntarily give material offerings toward the building. In Part 2 we saw that the next thing the remnant did when they returned to Jerusalem was to build an altar and sacrifice burn offerings … prophetic of giving ourselves completely, voluntarily, and willingly to the Lord and His will. Until that happens, no church can prosper, although we can have the appearance of spiritual prosperity for a short season.

Now we come to Ezra, Chapter 4.

1 Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded [began to build] the temple unto the LORD God of Israel;

2 Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither.

3 But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us.

4 Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building,

5 And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

6 And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they unto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. Ezra 4:1-6

Who were the “adversaries of Judah and Benjamin”? The answer is found in 2 Kings 17:24-41. The adversaries were natives of Babylon and four other heathen families who had been transplanted by the king of Assyria into Samaria. Those nations feared the LORD but served their own gods.

32 So they [the adversaries] feared the LORD, and made unto themselves of the lowest of them priests of the high places, which sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places.

33 They feared the LORD, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations whom they carried away from thence.

34 Unto this day they do after the former manners: they fear not the LORD, neither do they after their statutes, or after their ordinances, or after the law and commandment which the LORD commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel;

35 With whom the LORD had made a covenant, and charged them, saying, Ye shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them:

36 But the LORD, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and a stretched out arm, Him shall ye fear, and Him shall ye worship, and to Him shall ye do sacrifice.

37 And the statutes, and the ordinances, and the law, and the commandment, which He wrote for you, ye shall observe to do for evermore; and ye shall not fear other gods.

38 And the covenant that I have made with you ye shall not forget; neither shall ye fear other gods.

39 But the LORD your God ye shall fear; and He shall deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.

40 Howbeit they did not hearken, but they did after their former manner.

41 So these nations feared the LORD, and served their graven images, both their children, and their children's children: as did their fathers, so do they unto this day. 

2 Kings 17:32-41

We read in Ezra 4:1-6 of five major ploys of the adversaries to thwart the completion of building the temple: (1) an ecumenical attempt of cooperation (let us build with you); (2) discouragement; (3) an attempt to frighten the remnant and instill fear within them; (4) an attempt to turn people against the building; and (5) governmental pressure and obstruction. All five of those ploys were lies of the adversaries. Note that no opposition arose until after the foundation was laid and the Jews began to build the temple. So we Christians are no threat to the adversary as long as we are content to be born from above, baptized in water, baptized in the Holy Spirit, receive and make use of gifts of the Spirit, and have an understanding of the second coming of Christ our Lord. We can have many good meetings, with singing of praises, good teaching, prophesying, healing, miracles, clapping of hands, shouts of Hallelujah and praise the Lord, flag waving, dancing, etc. and still be of no real threat to our adversary. The Church at Corinth exercised all of that. It is only when a remnant begins to move on to perfection and allows the Holy Spirit to develop the fruit of the Spirit within us that opposition begins. The Lord is not looking for gifts of the Spirit; He is looking for fruit … Christ in you, the hope of glory. Gifts of the Spirit are just that … gifts, which are a means toward an end. Of course God permits this opposition to test His people.

11 This is the copy of the letter that they [the adversaries] sent unto him, even unto Artaxerxes the king; Thy servants the men on this side the river, and at such a time.

12 Be it known unto the king, that the Jews which came up from thee to us are come unto Jerusalem, building the rebellious and the bad city, and have set up the walls thereof, and joined the foundations.

13 Be it known now unto the king, that, if this city be builded, and the walls set up again, then will they not pay toll, tribute, and custom, and so thou shalt endamage the revenue of the kings.

14 Now because we have maintenance from the king's palace, and it was not meet for us to see the king's dishonour, therefore have we sent and certified the king;

15 That search may be made in the book of the records of thy fathers: so shalt thou find in the book of the records, and know that this city is a rebellious city, and hurtful unto kings and provinces, and that they have moved sedition within the same of old time: for which cause was this city destroyed.

16 We certify the king that, if this city be builded again, and the walls thereof set up, by this means thou shalt have no portion on this side the river.

17 Then sent the king an answer unto Rehum the chancellor, and to Shimshai the scribe, and to the rest of their companions that dwell in Samaria, and unto the rest beyond the river, Peace, and at such a time.

18 The letter which ye sent unto us hath been plainly read before me.

19 And I commanded, and search hath been made, and it is found that this city of old time hath made insurrection against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made therein.

20 There have been mighty kings also over Jerusalem, which have ruled over all countries beyond the river; and toll, tribute, and custom, was paid unto them.

21 Give ye now commandment to cause these men to cease, and that this city be not builded, until another commandment shall be given from me.

22 Take heed now that ye fail not to do this: why should damage grow to the hurt of the kings?

23 Now when the copy of king Artaxerxes' letter was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went up in haste to Jerusalem unto the Jews, and made them to cease by force and power.

24 Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem. So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia. Ezra 4:11-24

“Artaxerxes,” like “Pharaoh,” is a title, not the name of the king. The letter sent by the adversaries to Artaxerxes was, of course, full of lies and misrepresentations. Note that the major lie in the letter was that the king of Babylon would lose money if the remnant continued their work. Further, the Jews at that time were not building a city (Verses 12, 13, 16) and they had not set up the walls (Verse 12). But the remnant of Jews buckled under the opposition.

[Jesus spoke only two times about such opposition. The first time, in Matthew 16:18, the opposition spoken of concerned the Church that the Lord is building. The second, and last, time, in Matthew 18:15-17, concerns a local church if a brother trespasses against another brother.]

But for 16 years, work on building the temple ceased.

Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem. So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia. Ezra 4:24

Why did the work cease? because of two reasons. First, the remnant had no will to overcome the lies and misrepresentations of the adversaries. Moreover, they had no discernment to see the lies of the enemy and no wisdom to know what to do about it. So they were content just to build their own nice houses. They said that it must not be time to build the temple because God has allowed all this opposition. They became lukewarm and full of apathy, just like the Church at Laodicea ... just like the modern-day church at all levels.

11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. Matthew 11:11-12

Most believers are not spiritually violent. We are content to have our nice meetings, nice houses, nice jobs, and enjoy all of the worldly traps, knowing that we will one day go to heaven. All is well … I am OK, you are OK, don’t rock the boat. Where are those who, like Jacob, say, “I will not let you go until you bless me!” Where are those who are jealous for the Lord of hosts? Where are those who can identify with the Lord who said, “The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.” (John 2:17).

The second reason why the work ceased was because no prophetic ministry had arisen. If there is no prophetic ministry (which does not equate to the gift of prophecy), then the level of the church can only sit at the foundations (born again, baptized in water, baptized in the Holy Spirit, gifts of the Spirit, and a focus on the second coming of the Lord). Some pastors and teachers apparently believe that all they need to do is to teach the truth and the body of Christ will mature. My Bible says something different (e.g., Colossians 1:28, where warning every man comes before teaching every man in all wisdom; and in Ephesians 2:20. “And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone”). But then the Lord stirred up Haggai the prophet.

1 In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying,

2 Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD'S house should be built.

3 Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying,

4 Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste?

5 Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.

6 Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.

7 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.

8 Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD. Haggai 1:1-8

Very few churches today have prophetic ministry in their midst. With some of those who do have prophetic ministry, the pastor does not allow that ministry to function. A few groups have a lot of prophecy but no real prophetic ministry. The major function of a prophet is to elevate the vision of the church.

One of the most amazing Verses in all of the Bible concerns the prophecy of Haggai to the remnant.

7 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.

8 Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD.

12 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the LORD their God had sent him, and the people did fear before the LORD. Haggai 1:7-8, 12

Verse 12 is among the most amazing verses in the Bible. All the remnant obeyed the voice of the LORD and the words of Haggai the prophet! I see no possibility of that being repeated today through a man. The church is much too divided and in much too much apostasy for that to occur in our day. There is currently no one true prophet who would be recognized by the remnant. But God!

Forty-some years ago a prophecy came forth in a Spirit-filled gathering, as follows:

The kingdom of heaven is like a concrete mixer truck and the people of God are like the concrete inside. They must be continually stirred up or they get hard and set in their ways. But that concrete was never designed to stay in the truck. It must be poured out into the mold that the Master has designed.

6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.

7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:6-7

1 This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance:

2 That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour: 

2 Peter 3:1-2

Is there a stirring in the mulberry bushes? If so, where?

Come Out of Her, My People
Chapter 4: Work on the Temple Restored and Completed

4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

Revelation 18:4-5

In Part 3 we saw how and why the work of building the temple stopped for 16 years. Now let us look at Ezra, Chapters 5 and 6.

1 Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, even unto them.

2 Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem: and with them were the prophets of God helping them.

3 At the same time came to them Tatnai, governor on this side the river, and Shetharboznai, and their companions, and said thus unto them, Who hath commanded you to build this house, and to make up this wall?

4 Then said we unto them after this manner, What are the names of the men that make this building?

5 But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, that they could not cause them to cease, till the matter came to Darius: and then they returned answer by letter concerning this matter. Ezra 5:1-5

In almost all of the preceding times of the Old Testament, the Lord worked with one man at a time … Noah, Abraham, Moses, Samuel, David, Elijah, etc. It was very rare to find two prophets working together. Now, in Ezra 5:1, we see two prophets, the prophet Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, working together as one. In Ezra 5:2, we see the same principle with Zerubbabel and Jeshua, who represent administrations (1 Corinthians 12:5). Zechariah, of course, was also a prophet and was much younger in age than Haggai. This was a preview of New Testament times when the Lord sent His disciples forth two at a time.

Then said He unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old. Matthew 13:52

A scribe, like Ezra, was not simply a writer but also a teacher. The “householder” is the Lord Himself. His treasure is the Bride of Christ. The new and old are typified by Haggai and Zechariah. The new and old are also typified by the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Lord has never changed.

Haggai’s prophecies were primarily in the form of exhortation, even bordering on rebuke, followed by promises of God’s blessings if the remnant would be faithful to their God. He spoke primarily about the then and now. Haggai spoke very little about future events. He was an older man, probably at least 70 when he prophesied to the remnant. Looking back on the glories of his nation, he was a prophet imbued with a passionate desire to see his people rise up from the ashes of exile and reclaim their rightful place as God’s light to the nations. Haggai continued to encourage the remnant with the hope of future glory in the temple and a victory over the enemies of God’s people (Haggai 2:7-9, 21-22). According to Haggai’s message, if the people would place God at the center of their lives, they would realize the future blessings that God had in store for His people.

Zechariah's prophecies came from visions that showed God's power, God's judgment of sin, the importance of spiritual strength, and the promise of things to come, including the promise of the Messiah. Zechariah's prophecies often looked far into the future, a future in which the Jews would again be exiled from their homeland and scattered throughout the world. Jesus said,

34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:

35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias [Zechariah] son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.

36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.

37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see Me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Matthew 23:34-39

In Ezra 5:3, the enemies were stirred up again. The adversaries then asked for the names of those who commanded the remnant to build the house and make up the wall. In Verse 5, the eye of their God was upon the elders of the remnant. “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).

18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear Him, upon them that hope in His mercy;

19 To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. 

Psalm 33:18-19

For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him. 

2 Chronicles 16:9a

Then the adversaries wrote another letter, this time to Darius, the new king. They included in their letter the response to their question concerning who authorized the re-building of the temple. They also included in the letter that the remnant said that Cyrus the king of Babylon was the one who decreed that the Jews should rebuild the temple.

And thus they [the remnant] returned us answer, saying, We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and build the house that was builded these many years ago, which a great king of Israel builded and set up. Ezra 5:11

Now therefore, if it seem good to the king, let there be search made in the king's treasure house, which is there at Babylon, whether it be so, that a decree was made of Cyrus the king to build this house of God at Jerusalem, and let the king send his pleasure to us concerning this matter. Ezra 5:17

Note that the opposition this time was not as severe as it was after the foundation was completed. That likewise was the sovereignty of God in that a new governor named Tatnai had been appointed by the new king Darius.

In Ezra, Chapter 6, Verses 1-12, Darius made a decree to search for the roll which Tatnai had written about. It was again the sovereignty of God that he found the roll written by Cyrus in the palace that was in the province of the Medes. Then Darius made a new decree for advancement of building the temple and commanded that no one hinder the work and that expenses be given to the Jews for the building. The sovereignty of God was still at work.

13 Then Tatnai, governor on this side the river, Shetharboznai, and their companions, according to that which Darius the king had sent, so they did speedily.

14 And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.

15 And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.

16 And the children of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity, kept the dedication of this house of God with joy,

17 And offered at the dedication of this house of God an hundred bullocks, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs; and for a sin offering for all Israel, twelve he goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.

18 And they set the priests in their divisions, and the Levites in their courses, for the service of God, which is at Jerusalem; as it is written in the book of Moses.

19 And the children of the captivity kept the passover upon the fourteenth day of the first month. Ezra 6:13-19

Thus the temple was completed in four more years, after which the remnant kept the Feast of Dedication and then the Passover. The Feast of Dedication, of course, should be a time when we dedicate ourselves completely to the Lord. It is not a “one and done” event. Paul said, “I die daily.” The following is an extract from an article written in September 1999 by Don Murphy, a true prophet of the Lord. I encourage everyone to read his full article, titled “Feast of Dedication,” on his website at www.tareburner.com. Don told me recently that he stayed up all night writing that word. I cannot “improve” on what he wrote. Don’s starting point is,

22 And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter.

23 And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch. John 10:22-23

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In all the events before the Day of Pentecost, Jesus was in the process of closing down the symbolic by fulfillment. His mission was according to schedule and His work was flawless. Today, He is seated upon His Throne at the Right Hand of the Father.

Jesus was present at the Feasts not as a participant, but as a fulfiller of what He originally designed to be fulfilled. He was not present as a Priest, His Priesthood is not earthly - it is eternal. He attended The Feast of Tabernacles to make a Prophetic statement.

On the 8th day (number of new beginnings), the last day of the feast, where precise rituals had taken place while libations of water were poured out, Jesus announces the end of symbolic rituals in words never uttered by a Man. He cried out, shattering the activity with the Word of God - His Word: "If ANYONE thirst, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow Rivers of Living Waters." This He spoke concerning the Spirit whom those believing in Him would receive.

On this day Jesus is in the midst of another Feast - "The Feast of Dedication."

Dedication (declaration) is the act of devoting a person, place or thing to holy use. Dedication (or Lights) was a time of rejoicing, celebrating the historical purging of the Temple defiled by Antiochus Ephiphanes, who offered swine upon its altar.

While Jesus walked in Solomon's Porch, priests, functionaries and people celebrated the historical cleansing of the temple while rejoicing in a current defiled temple. It is significant that present-day Jews celebrate Hanukkah or Lights: the dedication of a Temple no longer in existence. Likewise, Christendom celebrates an annual, highly - commercialized, feast day called Christmas; celebrating the birth of Jesus in the year, in a month and on a day in which He was not born.

Solomon's Porch was the only Remnant left of the original temple built by Solomon. It was the Remnant of a temple designed by Jehovah. The Lord, being a Master Symbol maker, was precise in His blue-printed dimensions to be fulfilled in the future Spiritual House.

Now, this was Herod's Temple, called "the temple beautiful." In front of the Holy Place hung an exquisite Babylonian curtain. This temple was a re-designed version, with altered dimensions. The Ark of the Covenant and the Glory had long ago since departed.

Jesus deliberately chose the Porch for His walk because Solomon's Porch was an extension of the original, embracing and symbolizing everything it represented.

Our Father has a unique method of perpetuating and extending His Covenants in a Remnant.

In the very environs of Herod's altered version of the temple, the Remnant Porch and its silent stones were a vivid reminder of, and loudly proclaimed, the authentic original pattern that would be fulfilled on this very site during the Feast of Pentecost.

This Remnant of the original temple symbolizes the manner in which the Lord extends and perpetuates His Covenant in a Remnant people. Because of the unbelief of an entire generation, the Abrahamic Covenant was perpetuated and became resident in Two Witnesses: Joshua and Caleb, the Children of Faith. Galatians 3:7

"only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham."

Likewise, Solomon's Porch was an extension of the original temple. This Remnant Porch represented everything the original symbolized. 

Solomon's porch was preserved to be the site where the Tabernacle of David would be raised up. The site where the temporal symbolic temple would be, forever declared obsolete. The shadow would make way for the substance, the Spiritual House built up of lively stones. 1 Peter 2:5

In the temptation Jesus was carried to the pinnacle of the temple above Solomon's porch, and enticed to test the Father and commit suicide on dead, static stones.

Many today are preoccupied with, and are committing spiritual suicide on, dead artifacts. Shadows have no substance and symbols were created to self-destruct in fulfillment. You will never find fulfillment in shrines or dead symbols. You will never experience holiness by walking on so-called holy real estate.

However, "When He, the Spirit of Truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth."

Colossians 3:1 "If you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the Right Hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth." Jesus is the Substance! Your Citizenship is in Heaven.

Like a preserved Remnant, Solomon's Porch made a prophetic statement.

It was the Feast of Dedication and Jesus, the Author and Finisher of Faith, walked in the Porch. This was no casual walk, nor was Jesus walking to keep warm; He had higher things in mind.

While the temple functionaries celebrated cleansing and purging in a defiled temple, Jesus was dedicating the Remnant Porch for the Promise of the Father: the mighty Baptism of the Holy Spirit and Fire. Here the Remnant, according to the election of grace, would obtain what Israel sought and did not obtain. Romans 11:4-7

And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch. John 10:23

Jesus is deliberately treading back and forth on the Remnant Solomon's Porch. Jesus is fulfilling every nuance of meaning in the Hebrew word, "treading or walking." This word means, "to string a bow by treading on it in bending." It means "to guide, to lead and to thresh."

Here, on this site, when The Day of Pentecost would fully come, He will thoroughly purge His floor with the chaff-consuming Baptism of Fire.

Here, He will begin threshing a Remnant out of Israel.

Here, He will guide through the Holy Spirit,

Here, He will string His bow.

Here, He will begin the New Creation Temple - the New Jerusalem, His Bride.

Here, on this Remnant extension of the original temple on the Rock of Temple Mount, He will begin to build His Redeemed Church on the Eternal Rock, His own Person.

Here, the Master Teacher, the Holy Spirit will come to teach and guide His Elect.

His walk in the Porch was pointing to the teaching He gave in conjunction with the Porch. The essence of that teaching is: "I am the good shepherd and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice: and there will be one flock and one shepherd." ('they will hear My voice'.)

The Gentiles at the House of Cornelius, Acts 10. Peter the messenger said in Acts 11:17, "If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?" Thus fulfilling the purpose of God, in the two elements needed (Jew and Gentile) to create the new compound, the one New Man from the two (Ephesians 2:15): The New Creation Spiritual Temple, not a perpetuation of the earthly temporal. The fulfillment of the symbol does not extend the symbol, it abolishes it. The Church, the Remnant in any generation, is not a re-manufactured Judeo-Christianity. It is Jew and Gentile, re-born into the New Creation Christ Jesus by resurrection. Everything else died at the Cross.

New as to time and quality. "If any man be in Christ He is a New Creation."

Standard of qualification. "New Creation; New wine; New Bottle."

Method of Creation: Order out of Chaos through "the Promise of the Father."

Foundation of the Promise: Jesus and His blood of the New Covenant, wherein all covenants and promises consummate.

Earthly Zion, earthly temple, earthly priesthood, earthly nation, earthly people; "All finished."

Symbols, shadows, fossils, museum pieces to be displayed, in the timeless, infinite Kingdom of Heaven as artifacts of finite antiquity.

Once a slave-master convinces you that your bondage is Divine order, you will never hear the unwavering blast of the Jubilee Trumpet. It has been sounding since the Day of Pentecost.

*        *        * 

Come Out of Her, My People
Chapter 5: The End of the Matter

4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

Revelation 18:4-5

The careful reader of the Book of Ezra may have noticed that Ezra is not mentioned one time in the first six Chapters. His name occurs thirteen times in Ezra, Chapters 7 and 10. Ezra is known as a scribe, but as we stated earlier, a scribe was not simply a writer but also a teacher. A scribe teaches through that which he writes. Notice also, from the Book of Ezra, there is no need for a teacher until prophetic ministry has done its work. From 1 Corinthians 12:29-30, the ministry of prophets comes before that of teachers. From Ephesians 4:11, teachers are listed last in what men call the five-fold ministries. Likewise, Colossians 1:28 lists “warning every man” before “teaching every man in all wisdom.” This does not minimize the need for teaching, but that is not priority one in the plan the Lord has decreed for man toward the maturity of His Body. The Holy Spirit is our Teacher and He works in many different ways to teach us. God’s original intention was that each man was to gather manna daily for himself and for his family (except for the Sabbath). God’s original intention was also that each man hear His voice for himself (and then pass the word of God on to his family).

In this Part of our word, we conclude that which the Holy Spirit has prompted us to write on “Come Out of Her, My People.” (Although there are nuggets of gold in Ezra, Chapters 7-10.) We have seen thus far how the Lord stirred up a remnant of His people who were in captivity in Babylon and caused them to voluntarily return to rebuild the temple at Jerusalem. Of course that is prophetic of the spiritual counterpart, which has always been in the heart of God from before the foundation of the world … namely to cooperate with the Lord Jesus Christ as He builds His church, the New Jerusalem.

Then we saw that the Lord sovereignly provided all of the material (money) assets required to build the temple. The next step was the building of the altar and the sacrifice of burnt offerings, which speaks of His remnant giving and sacrificing themselves completely to the Lord. Then the remnant built the foundation and started to build the temple. The foundation for us is listed in Hebrews 6:1 and 2 … being born from above (Ephesians 2:8-9), baptism in water, baptism in the Holy Spirit, gifts of the Spirit, and a focus on the second coming of the Lord (resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment). Scripture notes that no real opposition from the adversaries arose until after the foundation was laid. But the lies and misrepresentations of the adversaries effectively halted the building of the temple for sixteen years. That is where the Church finds itself today, where 90% of professing Christians have never come out of Babylon (and don’t know it) and even the remnant is lukewarm and has buckled under the lies of the adversaries. So 90% of professing Christians are still spending their time in laying the foundation … going around the same mountain year after year. Note that some of the adversaries, then and now, are themselves professing Christians (“for we seek your God as ye do, and we sacrifice unto him …” (Ezra 4:2). The Lord through Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo then stirred up the people and the elders of the Jews builded and prospered through that prophetic ministry of those two … the first recorded time in the Bible when the Lord used two men together, other than, perhaps, Joshua and Caleb. (“In the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established” Matthew 18:16 and 2 Corinthians 13:1). But when the remnant completed building the temple, that was not the end of the matter. It is one thing to come out of Babylon; it is yet another thing for Babylon to come out of the hearts of the remnant. That is why the author of the Book of Hebrews says, “But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:13). Who did you exhort today? and who exhorted you today?

We will not here go into detail, but we read in Ezra, Chapter 9,

1 Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.

2 For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass.

[Note that the leaders were among those most guilty.]

3 And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonied.

4 Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the transgression of those that had been carried away; and I sat astonied until the evening sacrifice.

[Those that trembled at the words of God were by no means the great majority (Ezra 10:13). Here we see another paring down, similar to the formation of Gideon’s army.]

5 And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the LORD my God,

6 And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to Thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens.

Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very sore. Ezra 10:1

Please read all of Ezra, Chapter 9 and Ezra 10:1-8. Note the many times that Ezra identified with the remnant by saying we have sinned … our sins, etc., even though there is no record that Ezra had ever done or said anything “wrong.” Then all those men and leaders repented and put away both the strange wives they had married and their children. What we see here is an operation or fulfillment of Joel 2:17 … “Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar.” That is the level of intercession that the Lord is waiting for. When a sufficient number of present-day Ezras walk in that same attitude, then we will see the fulfillment of Joel 2:18 through the end of the Book of Joel … namely that the Lord will then sovereignly intervene and bring forth the Kingdom of God in the hearts of His Bride. Note well that Joel 2:18 begins with “then.” There is nothing after Joel 2:17 which indicates what God’s people will “do.” It is all His work.

In the meantime, despise not the day of small beginnings.

For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth. Zechariah 10:4

Who are “those seven?” The answer is below.

And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof: Zechariah 4:2

The Candlestick is typical and prophetic of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Light of the world and of the New Testament Church … Christ in you, the hope of glory. The Candlestick is all of pure gold (Divinity). No measurements are given for the Candlestick because there are no limitations in our resurrected Lord. The bowl on top of the Candlestick was/is an almond bowl, a type of the Holy Spirit, Who proceeds from the Father and produces fruitfulness in the people of God. The almond tree is the first of all trees to bud in Israel (Jeremiah 1:11-12) and carries the message of resurrection life. The seven lamps are the seven Spirits upon Messiah (Revelation 1:4, 3:1, 4:5, and 5:6). These are also to be revealed in the Church, His Body. The seven pipes to the seven lamps also represent the Lord Himself, with the Branch distributed by the power of the Holy Ghost to each of the lamps. Jesus said “I am the Vine and ye are the Branches” (John 15:5). Just as the Branches abide in the pipe and the Branches abide in the Vine, so the church in unity is to abide in Christ, the Head of all things.

How is the Lord going to bring his purpose for His Bride about? Only the Lord knows, but part of it has to be great tribulation, for “we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22).

Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Ecclesiastes 7:8

17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. 

Revelation 22:17, 20-21

21 Come Out of Her, My People
Chapter 6: A Message From A.W. Tozer

A.W. Tozer is one of the three or four “best” Christian authors I have ever read. He was buried with a simple epitaph marking his grave: "A. W. Tozer - A Man of God." His last message, “The Waning Authority of Christ in the Churches,” was published 3 days after his death in 1963. In that message Tozer says: "Among the gospel churches, Christ is in fact little more than a beloved symbol ... The Lordship of Jesus is not quite forgotten, but it has been mostly relegated to the hymnal where all responsibility toward it may be discharged in a glow of pleasant religious emotion.”

The following is an extract from “We Travel An Appointed Way”, Chapter 8, by A.W. Tozer.

That so-called Bible religion in our times is suffering rapid decline is so evident as to need no proof. How there can be so much Bible knowledge and so little insight is one of the enigmas of the religious world today. Never before has there been a time in the history of the church when so many people were engaged in Bible study as are so engaged today. If the knowledge of Bible doctrine were any guarantee of godliness, this would without doubt be known in history as the age of sanctity. Instead, it may well be known as the age of the church's Babylonish captivity, or the age of worldliness, when the professed Bride of Christ allowed herself to be successfully courted by the fallen sons of men in unbelievable numbers. The body of evangelical believers has during the last twenty five years gone over to the world in complete and abject surrender, avoiding only a few of the grosser sins.

That this disgraceful betrayal has taken place in broad daylight with full consent of our Bible teachers and evangelists is one of the most terrible affairs in the spiritual history of the world. Many good and clean-living people have collaborated with the quislings who betrayed us. Why? The answer can only be from lack of spiritual vision. Something like a mist has settled over the church as "the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations" (Isaiah 25:7). Such a veil once descended upon Israel: "For their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts" (2 Corinthians 3:14-15). That was Israel's tragic hour. God raised up the church and temporarily disfranchised His ancient people. He could not trust His work to blind men.

Surely we need a baptism of clear seeing if we are to escape the fate of Israel (and of every other religious body in history that forsook God). If not the greatest need, then surely one of the greatest is for the appearance of Christian leaders with prophetic vision. We desperately need seers who can see through the mist. Unless they come soon, it will be too late for this generation. And if they do come, we will no doubt crucify a few of them in the name of our worldly orthodoxy. But the cross is always the harbinger of the resurrection.

Mere evangelism is not our present need. Evangelism does no more than extend religion, of whatever kind it may be. It gains acceptance for religion among larger numbers of people without giving much thought to the quality of that religion. The tragedy is that present-day evangelism accepts the degenerate form of Christianity now current as the very religion of the apostles and busies itself with making converts to it with no questions asked. And all the time we are moving farther and farther from the New Testament pattern.

We must have a new reformation. There must come a violent break with that irresponsible, amusement-mad, paganized pseudo-religion which passes today for the faith of Christ and which is being spread all over the world by unspiritual men employing unscriptural methods to achieve their ends. Now that these have almost without exception sold out to the world - what next?

*        *        *

Tozer wrote the above about 70 years ago. Based on my experience, observation, and discernment after visiting perhaps 100 or more different churches, the condition of the visible church that Tozer described has declined even more in the past 50 years. Is our 70 years of captivity in Babylon almost over? If so, what are you and I going to do about it? Continue to have our nice meetings with our nice teachings? Have more conferences? From various reports that we receive from time to time, there are enough apostles, prophets, and intercessors in the United States to make up a huge army. Everybody and his brother teach on what is “wrong” with the visible church and what “we” must do about it. The Spirit-filled/charismatic community has become fat with words. Why, then, do we still see such a weak, apathetic, visible Church? Help, Lord! Undoubtedly, many “apostles,” “prophets,” and “teachers” have taught about end-time events, perhaps using what Jesus said in Matthew, Chapter 24. Everyone knows about those end-time events. But have you ever considered the possibility of the major end-time event recorded in Matthew 24? Jesus called it “deception.” He explicitly used that word four times in Matthew 24, but the essence of that word occurs even more often by implication.

Everyone knows that Jesus said that the end-time deception will be so great that, if it were possible, even the very elect would be deceived. The “very elect” does not equate with the “Church.” Help, Lord! Come quickly, Lord Jesus!