In the Word of God we are told that the High Priest in the Old Testament had the names of the twelve sons or tribes of Israel engraved on twelve precious stones on a golden square breast plate, the Choshen. The gemstones were set in gold (see Exodus 28:15-21).

 

15 “Fashion a breastpiece for making decisions – the work of skilled hands. Make it like the ephod: of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen.

16 It is to be square – a span long and a span wide – and folded double.

17 Then mount four rows of precious stones on it. The first row shall be carnelian, chrysolite and beryl; 18 the second row shall be turquoise, lapis lazuli and emerald; 19 the third row shall be jacinth, agate and amethyst; 20 the fourth row shall be topaz, onyx and jasper. Mount them in gold filigree settings.

21 There are to be twelve stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.

 

 

In this context, the Holy Spirit emphasized the amethyst, which is also mentioned in the foundation of the Messianic (note: anointed) Jerusalem, which is also square in shape and is in twelfth position (see Revelation 21:10.16.19-20).

 

10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. …

16 The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia3 in length, and as wide and high as it is long. …

17 The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits thick.

18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass.

19 The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.

 

In Hebrew, the word "amethyst" is “'aḥlāmāh” and is derived from the root word “ḥālam“, which means “to become strong, to heal, to dream”. (excerpt of the Elberfelder Study Bible on the words “'aḥlāmāh” and “ḥālam“ with the word key numbers 312*, 2552 and Strong's concordance with the word key numbers 306,2492)

 

 

The color of the gemstone is violet and it is the color of the apostle and the bishop. Interestingly, throughout the Old Testament the stones were carried by the priests on the breastplate. The amethyst was placed in the third row as a ninth stone in the breastplate at that time. After the service of Jesus, the amethyst was raised to the position of the twelfth stone which is the highest level of God's new seat of creation. This divine repositioning is also an indication of God's grace and love for us human beings (see Colossians 3:1.4).

 

1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. …

4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

 

 

According to the biblical Jewish tradition, the amethyst is assigned to the tribe of Naphtali. It is the tribe that understands the power of the end of a time and the power of the beginning of a new time in Jesus Christ by moving at these fixed points that function as a mountain peak (see Revelation 22:13).

 

13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

 

Naphtali speaks or prophesies from this place the plans of God. In this way, he releases confidence into the new time.

The reason for this is because Naphtali has the qualities of a gazelle and speaks beautiful words, among other things, and because he is the last-mentioned tribe of Israel which moves under the leadership of the tribe of Dan (see Genesis 49:21 i.c.w. Habakkuk 3:19; Numbers 10:25.27-28).

 

21 “Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns (note: words).

 

19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.

 

25 Finally, as the rear guard for all the units, the divisions of the camp of Dan set out under their standard. Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai was in command. …

27 and Ahira son of Enan was over the division of the tribe of Naphtali.

28 This was the order of march for the Israelite divisions as they set out.

 

 

If we look at the position of the amethyst which was in ninth position on the golden breastplate of the high priest in the Old Testament and Jesus Christ, according to the letter of Hebrews is the eternal high priest according to the Order of Melchizedek, which means the eternal kingship and priesthood, it becomes clear that it is about our personal positioning in the abundance of His faith.

 

Through His faith we are fixed in His order (note: symbolic of the square) and thus able to have a proper relationship in the Holy Spirit with God the Father, so that the fruits of the Spirit (note: nine fruits) become apparent (see John 17:22-23 i.c.w. Galatians 5:22-23).

 

22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one – 23 I in them and you in me – so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

 

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

 

If we have recognized and cultivate our personal relationship with the Lord, it is important that we give Him permission to shift us as living stones in order to place us in His government realm (note: messianic Jerusalem that descends from Heaven) where His common order reigns, which knows no competition (note: the length, breadth and height of the city are equal; see Revelation 21:16).

 

16 The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long.

 

This also means that we must be fully aware of the fact that we are washed completely clean by the blood of the Lamb and therefore move in holy transparency (note: transparent gold; see Revelation 21:18b) before him and with one another (see Romans 8:1; Ephesians 1:7 i.c.w. 1 Peter 2:5).

 

… 18b and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass.

 

1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, …

 

7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace …

 

… 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house (note: temple) to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

 

 

This holy golden transparency means the wrapping with His glory without any cause for shame. That is the way Adam and his wife lived before the sin fall. They were clothed in the glory of God (see Genesis 2:25)!

 

25 Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

 

This nakedness doesn't mean a fleshly nakedness but a life in a surrendered and incorruptible sincerity before God and men.

If we live as saints in the united formation of the seat of God's government, this results in His glory penetrating from the heavenly realm into the earthly realm so that the creation is released from its groaning because of the manifestation of the sons of God (see Romans 8:19).

 

19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children (note: sons) of God to be revealed.

 

 

The coming down of the messianic Jerusalem from heaven is nothing more than the manifestation of God's government authority by the Bride of Christ who carries in her the mature sonship in Jesus Christ (see Revelation 21:2.9-11).

 

2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. …

9 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”

10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.

11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.

 

The manifestation of the mature sonship is similar to the structure of the morning star which is accompanied by the prophetic anointing (see Job 38:7 i.c.w. 2 Peter 1:19).

 

… 7 while the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

 

19 We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

 

 

In connection with the shift of the amethyst from the ninth position of the high priest's chest to the twelfth position of the wall of the messianic city of Jerusalem, the Lord revealed to me that it is connected with the resurrection power of Jesus because the difference between the numbers 9 and 12 is the number 3 (see Mark 8:31).

 

31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.

 

In order to be able to live in the resurrection power of Jesus, it is necessary to lay down our own life, which means that we no longer live according to our own will but according to the will of God (see Galatians 2:20).

 

20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

 

As already mentioned, the amethyst is associated with “healing and dreaming”.

 

 

Concerning “dreaming”, the Word of God mentions it the first time in Genesis 20:3 where the king Abimelech (note: means “My father is king.”) received a dream from God in the night.

If one studies the word “night” in Hebrew, it becomes clear that it is related to “something to fold” and a “winding stair” (note: hebr. “night” => “lajĕlāh/lajil”; hebr. root word of “night” is “lûl”; excerpt of the Elberfelder Study Bible with the word key number 3997, 3966* and the Strong's concordance with the word key number 3915, 3883).

 

This explanation makes it clear that if we acknowledge through Jesus Christ the rulership of the Heavenly Father and His order, we haven't to fear the increasing darkness on earth. Rather, we allow Him to live in close relationship with us to be positioned in the governmental alliance of His presence through our obedience and thus to unite His glory on earth.

 

Let us therefore allow the Holy Spirit to change the character of our dreams by bringing them to a higher spiritual level in order to experience a great change in our personal life. At the point where we need health and strength in our life, we should receive it from Him in faith. All for the glory of the Lamb of God whose wife we are!

 

Amen and Amen.

 

In His Wisdom,

 

Daniel Glimm

During His time on earth Jesus Christ said that His sheep hear His voice and follow (see John 10:27).

 

27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

 

The voice of Jesus can manifest in different ways in our lives, such as in dreams and visions (see Joel 2:28).

 

28 “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.

 

 

If we want to understand the essence of God's utterances fully we need to know His character and time schedule, which He connected to the people of Israel.

 

According to Zechariah 2:8b, Israel holds the place of God's eyeball with Jerusalem functioning as His pupil; therefore, we as gentiles benefit from surveying our life and environment through Israel. This way we are able to see God's direction rightly and assess it with enlightened eyes.

 

... 8b – for whoever touches you (note: Israel) touches the apple of his eye –

 

The revelation we receive by this approach, contains prophetic direction which helps us position our life in the centre of the will of God and in His peace, just like Epaphras prayed for the saints in Colossae (see Colossians 4:12).

 

12 Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.

 

To hear the voice of God, it is equally important that we:

 

When we become aware of God's voice, it is important that we submit to the training of the Holy Spirit in order to be able to interpret the prophetic revelation we receive correctly.

Books about prophecy may be helpful here.

When we, the people of God, receive prophetic revelation from God, it is needed that we understand the meaning of this revelation in order to produce fruit.

At this juncture it is advisable to be connected to a prophet/prophetess or to a mature prophetic person, who will help reveal the prophetic meaning.

Understanding revelation is the core of interpretation of the things God wants to express.

 

 

To be able to hear the voice of God rightly we need to come closer to God (note: to seek God), where we sense His presence, even if we don't fully understand the directive of God at this point.

The closer we come to the revealing character of God, the more His presence intensifies: this is connected to better comprehension and also warmth/heat (note.: the character of God is fire; see Hebrews 12:29).

 

… 29 for our “God is a consuming fire.”

 

The process of coming closer is mostly connected to a change in focus, as we get distracted from our every-day-life, when such an incidence occurs, we get to the bottom of this unusual appearance of the LORD (see Exodus 3:1-4 i.c.w. Matthew 7:7).

 

1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.

2 There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up.

3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight – why the bush does not burn up.”

4 When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.”

 

7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

 

 

Knowing and understanding the word of God form the base for an exact interpretation of prophetic revelation.

A pure heart as well as walking in the spirit of wisdom and revelation are important, if we want to be able to interpret the prophetic revelation of the LORD correctly (see Matthew 5:8 i.c.w. Ephesians 1:17-18).

 

8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

 

17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, …

 

 

We, the people of God, cannot understand His prophetic directive properly, if our hearts are not in unison with God, as is the case, when we are proud or unteachable, for instance.

Our heart attitude can be a further hindrance to rightly interpret revelation, when we do not have the right attitude towards the people we are serving.

 

 

Humility and faith are fundamental components to transmit the guidance of God to the people in a respectable manner.

 

 

To be able to discern the signs of the time rightly, we need to be born again and spirit-led and need to give faith priority over acquired knowledge (see John 3:3 i.c.w. Matthew 16:1-3).

 

3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

 

1 The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven.

2 He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ 3 and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.

 

 

If we place our acquired knowledge over faith, then we move in a knowledge about God, but not in really knowing Him.

To truly know God means, in this context, to have a living relationship with the Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ, the Son of God. This “Knowing-Him” carries eternal life (see John 17:3 i.c.w. John 3:16; John 14:6).

 

3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

 

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

 

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

 

 

To go further into the subject of discerning the signs of the time, we also need to have a good knowledge of the word of God and a well grounded character.

 

Take Simon Peter's trance in Acts 10:6.9-23 for instance: it contains things, which encourage our spirit in our walk of faith, if we know God's word well enough.

In the above mentioned scripture the Holy Spirit called Simon Peter's attention to preaching to the heathens three times, while he stayed in someone’s house, who had the same name as he.

 

6 He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.” …

16 This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven. …

19 While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon, three men are looking for you. …

 

The name „Simon“ means„answer or God answers“, and in this context the number „3“ stands for the new way in Jesus Christ, who died and rose again, as He was resurrected after three days to sit at the right hand of God.

In Peter's case God answered the prayers of the centurion Cornelius and paid attention on the gifts which he had given freely to the poor (see Acts 10:4).

 

4 Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked. The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.

 

The following 10 questions can help us to become aware of the signs of God as Simon Peter did:

Amen and Amen.

 

In His Wisdom,

 

Daniel Glimm

 

Übersetzung: Margit Kelly