In Matthew 7:7-8, Jesus spoke, among other things, about the commission to search and of the result in finding things we are looking for.

 

Matthew 7:7-8:
7 ‘Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

 

 

The biblical passage from 1 Samuel 9-10 illustrates the principle of seeking on behalf of the Heavenly Father. It says that Saul’s father, named Kish – ‘bow’ (Note: governmental presence of the Father; cf. Ezekiel 1:28 i.c.w. Revelation 4:3), who was a man from the tribe of Benjamin – ‘Son of the right hand of God’ (Note: the love and grace of God through Jesus Christ; cf. Luke 22:69) and a son of Abiel – ‘My Father is God.’ (Note: The knowledge of life in the relationship with God the Father; cf. Galatians 4:6-7) to seek his donkeys who were lost in the land.

 

Saul was accompanied by the servant of his father who accompanied him on the mission to go and find the donkeys (cf. 1 Samuel 9:1-3).

 

1 Samuel 9:1-3:
1 There was a Benjamite, a man of standing, whose name was Kish son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bekorath, the son of Aphiah of Benjamin.
2 Kish had a son named Saul, as handsome a young man as could be found anywhere in Israel, and he was a head taller than anyone else.
3 Now the donkeys belonging to Saul’s father Kish were lost, and Kish said to his son Saul, “Take one of the servants with you and go and look for the donkeys.”

 

This shows us the meaning of fatherhood and sonship in Christ Jesus. It says that the father of Saul is a son of Abiel – ‘My father is God’, of the son of Zeror – ‘packed parcel’, of the son of Bekorath – ‘birthright of the first born, first born’, of the son of Aphiah – ‘to speak, cool, gentle whisper/light wind in the form of blowing upon’, of the son of a Benjamite – ‘son of the right hand of God or of good fortune’, a respected man.

 

This clearly reveals that our God is a God of generations and expresses His authority and dominion in them. Prophecy also works through the generations.

 

Since it is in God’s interest that we also find based on the principle of searching according to Matthew 7:7-8, it happens in our life in Christ that the Holy Spirit accompanies us on the search, just as Saul’s father provided his son with a servant for the search. It is the Holy Spirit who leads us into all truth (cf. John 16:13a).

 

John 16:13a:
13a But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. …

 

Based on Kisch’s generational line, a spiritual approach to the promise of God becomes clear, which extended into the life of Saul, his son, whereby it is about the following steps of knowledge:

 

 

Since the name ‘Kish’ means ‘bow’, as already mentioned, and arrows are shot from a bow, a spiritual principle in spiritual warfare can be recognized in the commissioning of Saul by his father Kish. According to Psalm 127:3-5, arrows are associated with the sons of the youth, who represent powerful spiritual communication in the spiritual battle against the adversary.

 

Psalm 127:3-5:
3 Children [Note: sons] are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.
4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth.
5 Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in court.

 

Furthermore, the fatherly commissioning of the search for the donkeys shows that the Heavenly Father is sovereign and knows from the ‘dimension of the bow (cf. Revelation 4:3)’ where He shoots His arrow, which means that He already knows the target in the future. This in turn encompasses the higher thoughts and plans of God, which do not always mean the goal we have in mind or expect, but rather the impossible for man (cf. Isaiah 55:8-9 i.c.w. Matthew 19:26).

 

Isaiah 55:8-9:
8 ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord.
9 ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

 

Matthew 19:26:
26 ‘So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.

 

 

Saul was on his way with the servant provided by his father to look for the donkeys, but he was brought into contact with the ‘kingdom plan of God’ by the seer or prophet Samuel, which implied that Saul, standing in sonship, was to become king of Israel (cf. 1 Samuel 9:15-17).

 

1 Samuel 9:15-17:
15 Now the day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed this to Samuel: 16 ‘About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him ruler over my people Israel; he will deliver them from the hand of the Philistines. I have looked on my people, for their cry has reached me.’
17 When Samuel caught sight of Saul, the Lord said to him, ‘This is the man I spoke to you about; he will govern my people.’

 

It is said that Saul did not have to look any further for his father’s donkeys, as they had been found according to the prophet Samuel (cf. 1 Samuel 9:20a).

 

1 Samuel 9:20a:
20a As for the donkeys you lost three days ago, do not worry about them; they have been found. …

 

Thus, it was by order of the Heavenly Father that Saul was to enter the kingdom dimension, even though his earthly father was not a king. Saul finally entered a greater level than his father himself. This principle of realizing the greater is made clear by Jesus’ statement that we will do greater things than He Himself, since He has gone to the Father (cf. John 14:12).

 

John 14:12:
12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

 

In all of this, it is important that we make a spiritual effort to recognize and understand the biblical times of God, just as the tribe of Issachar did, which carries a donkey as a tribal symbol in accordance with the blessing of Jacob (cf. 1 Chronicles 12:32 i.c.w. Genesis 49:14).

 

1 Chronicles 12:32:
32 from Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do – 200 chiefs, with all their relatives under their command; …

 

Genesis 49:14:
14 ‘Issachar is a scrawny donkey lying down among the sheepfolds. …’

 

In all this it is the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of the Father, who leads us into all truth necessary for us to enter into God’s eternal plan and His high thoughts for us, even when we are on the verge of wanting to give up.

 

 

During the search for the donkeys, Saul and his servant wandered through various regions and came to the area of Zuph – ‘honeycomb, overflow’, where Saul wanted to abandon the search for the donkeys and return to his father.

 

However, his servant did not abandon his plan to continue searching for the donkeys, which led to them approaching a man of God of whom they knew nothing other than that he was acting in the prophetic anointing.

 

Because of the prophetic anointing under which the prophet Samuel moved, Saul and his servant were willing to invest in his anointing because they knew they would receive direction through Samuel’s revelatory counsel (cf. 1 Samuel 9:4-10a).

 

1 Samuel 9:4-10a:
4 So he passed through the hill country of Ephraim and through the area around Shalisha, but they did not find them. They went on into the district of Shaalim, but the donkeys were not there. Then he passed through the territory of Benjamin, but they did not find them.
5 When they reached the district of Zuph, Saul said to the servant who was with him, ‘Come, let’s go back, or my father will stop thinking about the donkeys and start worrying about us.’
6 But the servant replied, ‘Look, in this town there is a man of God; he is highly respected, and everything he says comes true. Let’s go there now. Perhaps he will tell us what way to take.’
7 Saul said to his servant, ‘If we go, what can we give the man? The food in our sacks is gone. We have no gift to take to the man of God. What do we have?’
8 The servant answered him again. ‘Look,’ he said, ‘I have a quarter of a shekel of silver. I will give it to the man of God so that he will tell us what way to take.’
9 (Formerly in Israel, if someone went to enquire of God, they would say, ‘Come, let us go to the seer,’ because the prophet of today used to be called a seer.)
10a ‘Good,’ Saul said to his servant. ‘Come, let’s go.’ …

 

It was in the area of Zuph – ‘honeycomb’ where Saul wanted to abandon the search; but thanks to his servant’s counsel and willingness to invest, Saul did not abandon the search for his father’s donkeys.

 

Amid the area of the ‘honeycomb – Zuph’, Saul was in danger of no longer wanting to follow his father’s commission but was ready to turn back to him because he allowed wrong conclusions to be drawn in his soul (Note: seat of will, feeling and understanding).

 

According to the Word of God, honey is the attribute that leads to enlightenment of the eyes to gain strength and achieve a great victory (cf. 1 Samuel 14:29-30).

 

1 Samuel 14:29-30:
29 Jonathan said, ‘My father has made trouble for the country. See how my eyes brightened when I tasted a little of this honey.
30 How much better it would have been if the men had eaten today some of the plunder they took from their enemies. Would not the slaughter of the Philistines have been even greater?’

 

And it is, as already mentioned, the leading of the Holy Spirit represented by Saul’s father’s servant, who leads with revelation into all truth to bring us as God’s people to our destination (cf. John 16:13-15).

 

John 16:13-15:
13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.
15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.’

 

 

In our lives it also happens that we occasionally find ourselves in situations like Saul, who was a beautiful man. In this case, Saul’s beauty represents walking in the glory of God, as he reflected the image of his Father, just as Jesus said that whoever sees him sees the Father (cf. John 14:9b).

 

John 14:9b:
… 9b Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. …

 

As believers in Jesus Christ, we have the privilege of knowing God as Father to reflect Him as His love like Jesus Christ to those around us (cf. John 3:16 i.c.w. John 14:6.9b).

 

John 3:16:
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.

 

John 14:6.9b:
6 Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me. …
… 9b Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. …

 

 

Occasionally, God allows us to experience similar situations or circumstances of seeming ‘loss’ so that we may seek to go deeper into the prophetic promise He has prepared for us.

 

Briefly explained, the prophetic promise involves looking into the supernatural realm by faith through the moving of the Holy Spirit to see what God has currently revealed or planned.

 

When God, the Heavenly Father, gives us an assignment, it is connected to His desire to lead us deeper into His nature. The divine - paternal - commission has the consequence that we feel a desire within us to seek what we are missing. This is a normal spiritual process that can be equated with a thirst and hunger for more of God and His presence (cf. John 7:37 i.c.w. Matthew 7:9-11).

 

John 7:37:
37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. …’

 

Matthew 7:9-11:
9 ‘Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone?
10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?
11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

 

The result of this kind of search is that we receive from God what we are looking for (cf. Matthew 7:7).

 

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

 

While Saul and his servant did not let go of their father’s commission to continue searching for the female donkeys, little by little they drew closer to the prophetic presence of God represented by the prophet Samuel.

 

 

The young women who were on their way to draw water played an important role in their search for prophetic guidance (cf. 1 Samuel 9:11-14).

 

1 Samuel 9:11-14:
11 As they were going up the hill to the town, they met some young women coming out to draw water, and they asked them, ‘Is the seer here?’
12 ‘He is,’ they answered. ‘He’s ahead of you. Hurry now; he has just come to our town today, for the people have a sacrifice at the high place.
13 As soon as you enter the town, you will find him before he goes up to the high place to eat. The people will not begin eating until he comes, because he must bless the sacrifice; afterwards, those who are invited will eat. Go up now; you should find him about this time.’
14 They went up to the town, and as they were entering it, there was Samuel, coming towards them on his way up to the high place.

 

It is very important that we as men in the body of Christ do not underestimate the importance of Spirit-filled (Note: born from above) women because they are instrumental in leading into fullness! It was not for nothing that Adam needed a female helper for his task (cf. Genesis 2:18)!

 

Genesis 2:18:
18 The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.’

 

True spiritual life can only be produced and maintained by men and women in cooperation!

 

The direction of the young women in Saul’s time, who honoured the movement of the Holy Spirit and the revelatory truth of God (Note: they were on their way to draw water), led to Saul meeting Samuel with his servant and being anointed by him into a higher authority, namely that of king.

 

Saul entered deeper into the prophetic anointing through the commission to seek the donkeys of his father Kish, which brought him into a higher realm of authority. It was the prophetic anointing that transformed Saul into a new man (cf. 1 Samuel 10:5-6).

 

1 Samuel 10:5-6:
5 ‘After that you will go to Gibeah of God, where there is a Philistine outpost. As you approach the town, you will meet a procession of prophets coming down from the high place with lyres, tambourines, pipes and harps being played before them, and they will be prophesying.
6 The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person.

 

Saul’s search reveals to us that God, the Heavenly Father, has a greater plan for us than we think in the first instance.

 

His commission to us to go on a quest involves not only finding what we are looking for but entering an even higher realm of His presence and authority to administer His plans and high thoughts on earth (cf. Isaiah 55:8-9).

 

Isaiah 55:8-9:
8 ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord.
9 ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

 

In the right understanding of time and our responsible use of God’s times, we increasingly recognize what the Father wants for us, and to what extent we may set aside our own ideas in order to recognize the bigger picture of God’s plans in our assignment to search.

 

Amen and Amen.

 

In His Wisdom,

 

Daniel Glimm

As the people of God, we are approaching Shavuot also known as Pentecost according to the biblical calendar, in which connecting with the right saints in the right place at the right time plays an important role. Only from this does strategy emerge and guarantee the coming success that God has in store for His people.

 

 

The focus here is on the upper room.
The Hebrew word for ‘upper room’ is ‘’ălîjāh’ and is derived from the root word ‘’ālāh’, which means ‘to go up, to ascend’ (Note: word explanation taken from the Elberfelder Study Bible for the Hebrew words ‘’ălîjāh’ and ‘’ālāh’ with the word key number: 6062, 6045). The root word just mentioned is used for God’s sovereign and liberating guidance of the people of Israel out of Egypt (cf. Exodus 3:8).

 

Exodus 3:8:
8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey – the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.

 

Thus, the upper room shows that it is God’s plan to allow us as His people to enter from a limited spiritual level into a higher spiritual level.

 

An upper room is a higher place in a building, which in a biblical context is associated with a greater spiritual quality in the interpersonal relationship and the intensification of the Holy Spirit.

 

The increase of the Holy Spirit presupposes the time in the upper room of Passover at the time of Christ and includes an atmosphere in the form of coolness and heat, similar to what the people of Israel experienced in the wilderness through the pillar of cloud and fire (cf. Luke 22:7-15 i.c.w. Acts 1:13a; Acts 2:1-3; Revelation 3:15; Exodus 13:21-22).

 

Luke 22:7-15:
7 Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed.
8 Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, ‘Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.’
9 ‘Where do you want us to prepare for it?’ they asked.
10 He replied, ‘As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters, 11 and say to the owner of the house, “The Teacher asks: where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?”
12 He will show you a large room upstairs, all furnished. Make preparations there.’
13 They left and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.
14 When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table.
15 And he said to them, ‘I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.

 

Acts 1:13a:
13a When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. …

 

Acts 2:1-3:
1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.
2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.
3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.

 

Revelation 3:15:
15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!

 

Exodus 13:21-22:
21 By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.
22 Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.

 

This time of spiritual increase can also be described as a period of ‘extreme differences’ in which the Holy Spirit reveals Himself, encompassing our spiritual hunger for more of Him. The Lord wants to meet us with His spiritual fullness to fill the ‘emptiness’ in the form of spiritual hunger. Spiritual fullness includes, among other things, a measure of new communication that brings greater spiritual maturity through revelatory knowledge.

 

 

The situation is like that of the eunuch of the Queen of Ethiopia, who was on his way back to Ethiopia from Jerusalem in his chariot drawn by horses. While he was studying the scroll of the prophet Isaiah, which in chapter 53 reveals the mystery of Jesus Christ, the Passover Lamb, he was sitting in an elevated place, namely on his chariot (cf. Acts 8:26-28).

 

Acts 8:26-28:
26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Go south to the road – the desert road – that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’
27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet.

 

Meanwhile, the apostle Philip was already filled with revelatory knowledge, so the Spirit of God instructed him to bring his spiritual maturity to the eunuch, who was on his chariot in an elevated place to receive from God, not knowing that Philip, Spirit-led, would suddenly appear at his chariot.

 

At this point, there is an emphasis on the starting point of both people, who had the city of Jerusalem as their place of origin but went to different destinations after their encounter (cf. Acts 8:39-40).

 

Acts 8:39-40:
39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.
40 Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and travelled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.

 

Through the encounter between Philip and the eunuch, it reveals that the geographical location of the temporary residence contributed to the circumcision of the eunuch’s heart and the increase of the knowledge of the truth in him for the glory of God (cf. Romans 2:29 i.c.w. Acts 8:36-38; 1 Timothy 2:4-6).

 

Romans 2:29:
29 No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.

 

Acts 8:36-38:
36-37 As they travelled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, ‘Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptised?’
38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptised him.

 

1 Timothy 2:4-6:
4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time.

 

The baptism of the eunuch took place because he was hungry for the revelatory truth of Isaiah 53:7-8, which was presented to him through Philip in his spiritual maturity, both being together in the same elevated place - seated on the chariot (cf. Acts 8:28-38).

 

Acts 8:28-38:
28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet.
29 The Spirit told Philip, ‘Go to that chariot and stay near it.’
30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ Philip asked.
31 ‘How can I,’ he said, ‘unless someone explains it to me?’ So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
32 This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading: ‘He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
33 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.’
34 The eunuch asked Philip, ‘Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?’
35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
36-37 As they travelled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, ‘Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptised?’
38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptised him.

 

 

Jesus also instructed His disciples to go to Jerusalem to receive power from on high, which shows that Jerusalem was an important spiritual anchor point that led deeper into the dimension of the Spirit to walk further the path of calling (cf. Luke 24:49 i.c.w. Acts 1:8-12).

 

Luke 24:49:
49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.’

 

Acts 1:8-12:
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’
9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.
11 ‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.’  12 Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city.

 

Jerusalem is the navel of the earth and Israel is the apple of God’s eye (cf. Ezekiel 38:12; Zechariah 2:8).

Ezekiel 38:12:
12 I will plunder and loot and turn my hand against the resettled ruins and the people gathered from the nations, rich in livestock and goods, living at the centre [Note: navel] of the land.

Zechariah 2:8:
8 For this is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘After the Glorious One has sent me against the nations that have plundered you – for whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye – …

 

Speaking in a spiritual context, the character of the capital city of Jerusalem is akin to an open door in heaven. This is based on the intimacy with Jesus Christ as the bridegroom in the form of the walk in first love and the continuous true relationship with Him, since the city is described as the bride and also wife of the Lamb (cf. Revelation 21:2.9-10).

Revelation 21:2.9-10:
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.

 

 

This city corresponds to a new dimension of the knowledge of Christ as the eternal King. This dimension is a higher spiritual level, which is emphasized for us by the biblical passage from Revelation 19:11-16. There John sees heaven opened to a new level and recognizes Christ as the eternal King, who reveals Himself in various facets as a warrior riding on a white horse with His royal army.

 

He is the Faithful and True One, the Concealed One - by name known to only Himself; as the Word of God, King of kings and Lord of lords, He moves forward.

Revelation 19:11-16:
11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war.
12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no-one knows but he himself.
13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.
14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.
15 Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. ‘He will rule them with an iron sceptre.’ He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.
16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: King of kings and lord of lords.

 

The heavenly or messianic Jerusalem can grant access through Christ in twelve different characters, which result from the assigned angels of the 12 tribes of Israel, each of which is assigned to the four winds in an alliance of three units (cf. John 10:9 i.c.w. Revelation 21:10-13.21a).

 

John 10:9:
9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.

 

Revelation 21:10-13.21a:
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.
12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. …
21a The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. …

 

This area of entrance through the pearly gates of the city includes access into the kingdom of heaven since this itself is like a pearl (cf. Matthew 13:44-46).

Matthew 13:44-46:
44 ‘The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
45 ‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.
46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

 

 

The spiritual focus on Jerusalem therefore means an increase in the apostolic understanding of government as well as the close love relationship with Christ Jesus as bridegroom and
husband (cf. Revelation 21:2.9-10).

 

Revelation 21:2.9-10:
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.

 

Furthermore, the Heavenly Father in the form of the Almighty and the Lamb of God as temple dwell in the city (cf. Revelation 21:22).

 

Revelation 21:22:
22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.

 

This means for us having the right spiritual focus creates an uplifting to a higher spiritual level. This so-called taking away involves being in another higher place, as described in Luke 9:51.

 

Luke 9:51:
51 As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.

 

This means that no matter where we are literally geographically, we should be aware of the dimension of Jerusalem – ‘foundation of peace’ in our hearts.

 

Jeremiah 1:18a reveals to us that it is possible to be a city. This means carrying the culture of the city that comes with the highest level of spiritual relationship with the Lamb of God who is Christ. Carrying this culture of the city within you in your spiritual life also means that it goes hand in hand with peace, which secures you. There is no room for any form of contempt, hatred, fear or worry.

 

Jeremiah 1:18a:
18a Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land – …

 

It was Jeremiah who, when the people of Israel were led into captivity to Babylon, served from Jerusalem and was allowed to dwell in Israel or Mizpah – ‘mountain watch, watchtower’ (cf. Jeremiah 38:28; Jeremiah 40:6).

 

Jeremiah 38:28:
28 And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard until the day Jerusalem was captured. This is how Jerusalem was taken: …

 

Jeremiah 40:6:
6 So Jeremiah went to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah and stayed with him among the people who were left behind in the land.

 

In this time before and during Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks, the Heavenly Father wants to meet us as His people in Christ and fill us even more with His glorious Spirit, who works great things in us so that we can fulfill our calling.

 

Amen and Amen.

 

In His Wisdom,

 

Daniel Glimm