Based on Mark 2:22, I would like to address the importance of the structure of the new wineskin. This new wineskin is the prerequisite for us as God’s people to be empowered in order to receive and carry the dynamics of the Holy Spirit in the form of the new wine.

 

Mark 2:22:
‘… 22 And no-one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.’

 

 

In order to walk in the structure of a new wineskin, self-sacrifice in the form of self-denial is required first and foremost, just as a wineskin also consists of the animal skin of an ox, which had to die beforehand for this purpose. This structure carries sacrifice, in order to give a capacity (cf. Matthew 16:24 i.c.w. Galatians 2:20).

 

Matthew 16:24:
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. …’

 

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.

 

Based on Jesus’ statement according to John 7:37-38, it reveals that we may expect an inner as well as greater ‘pressure’ of the Holy Spirit, who is the first love. This is destined to make the potential of the Spirit, which has already been placed in us by God, to flow from us in the form of the ‘four rivers’ as streams of living water.

 

John 7:37-38:
37 On the last and greatest day of the festival (Note: Sukkot/Feast of Tabernacles), Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.
38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.’

 

These streams are formed or embedded in the identity of the Heavenly Father (Note: YAHWEH – יְהֹוָה => Yod, He, Waw, He) whose waters flow to people so that they hear His voice (cf. Genesis 2:10 i.c.w.. John 7:38; Ezekiel 1:24a; Revelation 1:15b).

 

Genesis 2:10:
10 A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters.

 

John 7:38:
‘… 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.’

 

Ezekiel 1:24a:
24a When the creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings, like the roar of rushing waters, like the voice of the Almighty, …

Revelation 1:15b:
… 15b and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters.

 

Because of this inner expanding pressure (Note: of the Spirit), it is necessary that we move in the structure of the new wineskin, which must first be moistened and secondly anointed. Thus, it corresponds to the words of Jesus in Mark 2:22, in order to be able to carry the potential of God’s first love and transfer His words to the people.

 

 

At the times when the LORD has decided to establish a ‘new wineskin’ in His people, it is not left out that those who have decided to go forward in the new structure of the LORD face the resistance of the enemy in the form of the communication of an ancestral spirit.

 

This spirit tries to stop it with the power from the past, whose communication refers to the earthly perspective, similar to many Jewish listeners in the synagogue of Nazareth. They recognized and entitled Jesus only as a carpenter and the son of Mary, without recognizing the anointing on Him (cf. Mark 6:3).

 

Mark 6:3:
3 Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?’ And they took offence at him.

 

This is clear from the Hebrew word ‘’ôb’, used for ‘wineskin’, which means, among other things, ‘a wineskin made of animal skin that holds water and wine’.

 

In addition, it also means ‘fortunetelling ancestral spirit as well as necromancy’. (Note: part excerpt on the words ‘’ôb – hose’ and ‘’ôb – ancestral spirit’ from the Elberfelder Study Bible with the word explanation number: 181*,182)

 

The influence of an ancestral spirit works from the realm of crude (Note: or all too great, inappropriate) familiarity, which – consciously or unconsciously – is accompanied by contempt for spiritual authority and produces subtle as well as obvious forms of disrespect and rebellion.

 

=> (Crude) familiarity is the perverted extreme of friendship and relationship that seeks to promote the unworthy and diminish authority. Familiarity works itself out in this through accompanying forces such as slander, gossip, abuse, slight, neglect, criticism, or judging. <= (Note: The text set in ‘=>’ is a part excerpt from the ‘Prophet’s Dictionary’ by Paula A. Price, Ph. D.; page 212).

 

These Hebrew words are meant to clearly show a spiritual principle. This principle calls us to test the spirits in order to see if they are of God from the presence of the Heavenly Father in the Holy Spirit within the revelatory truth that we receive through the Word of God (cf. 1 John 4:1a).

 

1 John 4:1a:
1a Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, …

 

 

For this, it is necessary that we are in the structure of the new wineskin in the center of the Heavenly Father, just as Jesus was brought as a newborn into the temple by Joseph and Mary (cf. Luke 2:22-23 i.c.w. Revelation 21:22-23).

 

Luke 2:22-23:
22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, ‘Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord’; cf. Exodus 13:2.15).

 

Revelation 21:22-23:
22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.

 

The bringing of Jesus in the form of the newborn into the temple of Jerusalem carries hidden within it for us today the revelatory knowledge that the shift in the structure of the new wineskin is accompanied by greater governmental authority in Christ. This is because of the capital city of Jerusalem encompasses the seat of government of the king.

 

Furthermore, the Holy Spirit leads us to enter into a deeper realm of communication of the Spirit of wisdom and revelation that is accompanied by the illumination of our inner being (cf. Ephesians 1:17-20).

 

Ephesians 1:17-20:
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, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, …

 

This is revealed by the sojourn of Simeon (Note: wisdom) and the prophetess Hannah (Note: revelation) in the temple. Here Simeon praised God and prophesied personally to Mary, where Hannah praised the LORD and prophesied to the people about Jesus (cf. Luke 2:25-38).

 

Luke 2:25-38:
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him.
26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.
27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: 29 ‘Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.’
33 The child’s father and mother marvelled at what was said about him.
34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: ‘This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.’
36 There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying.
38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
It is necessary that where ever we realize that we are in an outdated spiritual environment, we leave it and go to the center of the Heavenly Father for that time. As a result, we enter into a higher level of revelatory knowledge in order to recognize Him and the abundant inheritance of glory allotted to us by Him.

 

Furthermore, we enter into a higher spiritual level of worship, which includes worship of the Heavenly Father in spirit and in truth (cf. John 4:23-24 i.c.w. Ephesians 1:11-12).

 

John 4:23-24:
‘… 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks.
24 God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.’

 

Ephesians 1:11-12:
11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.

 

We are called as believers in Christ Jesus to stand in the center of the Spirit, that is, the presence of the Heavenly Father, and to reign in the form of the royal priesthood (Note: capital Jerusalem and temple). This makes it apparent that we are God’s treasured possession (cf. Exodus 19:5-6a).

 

Exodus 19:5-6a:
5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” …

 

It is the Spirit of wisdom that carries us as on wings into a higher presence of the LORD, and it is the Spirit of prophecy or revelation that confirms the coming deliverance for those who long for it.

 

The Holy Spirit is presently among His people fulfilling promises and instructing the church – the Ekklēsia in the power of the revelatory truth of His Word.

 

His Word is a living, powerful and sharp double-edged sword that cuts off everything contrary to this standard and its thinking from the inner man of the Ekklēsia to free her from unnecessary or false substance (cf. Hebrews 4:12).

 

Hebrews 4:12:
12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

 

It is the fulfillment of God and His grace that proceeds from His face. It is these that fuel us as we continue on our journey with Christ Jesus, so that we reign with Christ from the heavenly places and establish God’s plan on earth (cf. Ephesians 2:6 i.c.w. Jeremiah 29:11).

 

Ephesians 2:6:
6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, …

 

Jeremiah 29:11:
11 For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Amen and Amen.

 

In His Wisdom,

 

Daniel Glimm

It is God’s will for us that we as His people increase in the strength of the LORD as we are centered and bonded in His joy (cf. Nehemiah 8:10c).

 

Nehemiah 8:10c:
‘… 10c Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’

 

In connection with the joy of the LORD and His strength, I was led to the Bible passage from 2 Chronicles 26:9-10, where it tells of king Uzziah who built towers in Jerusalem in special places. These were the Corner Gate, the Valley Gate, the place at an angle, as well as towers in the wilderness, and in addition, he dug many wells.

 

2 Chronicles 26:9-10:
9 Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate and at the angle of the wall, and he fortified them.
10 He also built towers in the wilderness and dug many cisterns, because he had much livestock in the foothills and in the plain. He had people working his fields and vineyards in the hills and in the fertile lands, for he loved the soil.

 

The name of the king ‘Uzziah’ translated means ‘My strength is YAHWEH.’ which is an indication that the LORD wants us to increase in spiritual strength and kingship in Christ Jesus.

 

The establishment of the towers by Uzziah in the four places mentioned can be described in a prophetic context as the following events:

 

 

 

Here it is important to the LORD that we have a spiritual overview enriched with revelation in the form of wisdom and knowledge in order to make the right decisions according to the will of God and to go forward in it with a humble and repentant heart. This is indicated by the wells that Uzziah dug. One of the Hebrew words used for ‘well’ in the Word of God is ‘Ayin’, which also means ‘eye’.

 

Especially in times of spiritual testing, it is required to have a prophetic overview and not only walk through the wilderness, but also survey the area of testing from an elevated position in order to move forward with confidence toward the Lord and His Word.

 

It says in 2 Chronicles 26:1 that Uzziah became king after the death of his father Amaziah.

 

2 Chronicles 26:1:
1 Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah.

 

Here the whole people of Judah had an important role, which is an indication of the merging of strength within praise, which has as its basis the walk in the joy of the LORD.
The first names of both kings (Note: Amaziah, Uzziah) translated means ‘My strength is YAHWEH!’, where the name ‘Uzziah’ starts with the Hebrew letter ‘Ayin’ and ‘Amaziah’ with an ‘Aleph’. In this context, the LORD reveals that it is about a greater weightiness or quality in terms of developing strength in the sonship of Christ.

 

 

In connection with this, I was led to the Bible passage from Judges 9:51-53, which is about a strong tower in the midst of the city of ‘Tebez – white brightness’, as a reference to the center of the righteous. It is about those who have intensified their quality in the strength of the LORD, which includes walking in the center of God’s joy.

 

Judges 9:51-53:
51 Inside the city, however, was a strong tower, to which all the men and women – all the people of the city – had fled. They had locked themselves in and climbed up on the tower roof.
52 Abimelek went to the tower and attacked it. But as he approached the entrance to the tower to set it on fire, 53 a woman dropped an upper millstone on his head and cracked his skull.

 

It is the LORD’s concern that we run into the increase of His strength in order to stand in a greater quality of strength, that is, on the roof of the strong tower. From there, as the bride of Christ, we respond with the works of righteousness toward the adversary who is targeting the church – Ekklēsia, which is young in spirit. We are supposed to reign in order to stop the enemy in his plans (cf. Psalm 61:3; Proverbs 18:10 i.c.w. Matthew 18:6-7).

 

Psalm 61:3:
3 For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.

 

Proverbs 18:10:
10 The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.

 

Matthew 18:6-7:
6 ‘If anyone causes one of these little ones – those who believe in me – to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung round their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.
7 Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come!

 

Where the enemy has planned a time of destruction of righteousness, represented by the head of Abimelek, it is our task as the church – the Ekklēsia from a higher place of God’s strength, represented by the roof on the strong tower, to destroy the enemy’s planning center by the decrees of righteousness.

 

Amen and Amen.

 

In His Wisdom,

 

Daniel Glimm