In Nehemiah 3:15 we can read about the restoration of the sixth gate of the city of Jerusalem, which was established by Shallun the son of Kol-Hozeh, who was the ruler of the district of Mizpah.

 

Nehemiah 3:15:
15 The Fountain Gate was repaired by Shallun son of Kol-Hozeh, ruler of the district of Mizpah. He rebuilt it, roofing it over and putting its doors and bolts and bars in place. He also repaired the wall of the Pool of Siloam, by the King’s Garden, as far as the steps going down from the City of David.

 

It is the gate within the twelve gates of the earthly Jerusalem, which was provided with a covering, as will be explained later.

 

We know that Jesus Christ, who came to us on earth as the Son of Man on behalf of the Heavenly Father, is the door for those who obediently follow His voice (cf. John 10:9).

 

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.

 

 

Since the restoration of the fountain gate is the sixth gate and the number ‘6’ represents the human realm, we can use it to recognize God’s plan of redemption, which leads us into His revelatory provision. We connect this with the truth that at the time of the multiplication of the five barley loaves and two fish of a child, Jesus had the people camp in a place where there was plenty of grass (cf. John 6:9-11).

 

John 6:9-11:
9 ‘Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?’
10 Jesus said, ‘Make the people sit down.’ There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there).
11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

 

Since grass is green and the throne of God is also surrounded by a greenish (Note: like an emerald) rainbow, we can recognize the reference to revelatory provision (cf. Revelation 4:3b).

 

Revelation 4:3b:
… 3b A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne.

 

In Hebrew, the ‘fountain gate’ is associated with the letter ‘Ayin’, which carries the numerical value ‘70’. The number ‘70’ is, among other things, a reference to ‘the end of oppression’, because the people of Israel returned to Israel from captivity in Babylon after 70 years (cf. Jeremiah 29:10-11).

 

Jeremiah 29:10-11:
10 This is what the Lord says: ‘When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfil my good promise to bring you back to this place.
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.

 

‘Ayin’ means ‘spring, well, fountain’ or ‘eye’ and is pictographically represented as such. Since spring water can also be described as living water, this is a reference to the Holy Spirit who, through the power of the testimony of Jesus, as the Spirit of prophecy, leads us as believers in Christ into the predestined truth of the Father (cf. Revelation 19:10e i.c.w. John 7:38-39a; John 16:13).

 

Revelation 19:10e:
‘… 10e For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.’

 

John 7:38-39a:
‘… 38 Whoever believes in me [Note: Jesus Christ], as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.’
39a By this he meant the Spirit, …

 

John 16:13:
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.

 

 

To better understand the dynamic of the prophetic spirit and the divine order associated with it, which goes hand in hand with peace, it is beneficial to take a closer look at the establishment of the fountain gate through ‘Shallun’ (cf. 1 Corinthians 14:32-33a).

 

1 Corinthians 14:32-33a:
32 The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets.
33a For God is not a God of disorder but of peace – …

 

The name ‘Shallun’ in this context can be described as ‘a person who is rewarded by God or who is recompensed by God.’ (Note: The explanation of the name ‘Shallun’ is based on an explanation from the biblical dictionary of names by Dr. Abraham Meister with the word key number: 3091, 3093).

 

‘Shallun’ was the son of ‘Kol-Hozeh’, which can be translated as ‘all-seeing’ and his administrative district ‘Mizpah’ can be explained as ‘mountain height, rampart, watchtower’.

 

Thus through Shallun, the head of the district of Mizpah, the sonship in Christ and through his father Kol-Hozeh the eternal fatherhood of God becomes recognizable, which originates from God, who sees everything and keeps having an overview of everything.

 

If we allow the prophetic presence of God to work in our gatherings, that should be accompanied by experienced prophets and prophetesses, which is equivalent to the covering of the ‘fountain gate’ or also the ‘gate of the eye’, protection is guaranteed (cf. 1 Corinthians 14:29).

 

1 Corinthians 14:29:
29 Two or three prophets should speak, and the others [Note: prophets] should weigh carefully what is said.

 

It is especially advisable in times like these to practice spiritual hospitality toward those in the ecclesia who are ministering in the office of the prophet. This results in spiritual overview, fruit and freshness, which leads to spiritual revival and contributes to protection due to new orientation (cf. Matthew 10:41).

 

Matthew 10:41:
41 Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward.

 

 

Since God has assigned boundaries to everyone among His people that must be respected, a revelatory reference is hidden in the construction section of the ‘fountain gate’ with its boundaries, which is described as ‘as far as the steps going down from the City of David.’
This boundary was connected to ‘the wall of the pool of Siloam/Siloah, by the King’s Garden.’
The name of the pool ‘Siloam/Siloah’ means ‘sending out, sending of water, messenger.’

 

Siloah was the pool where Jesus spat on the ground towards the man who was blind from birth and made a paste with His saliva, which He put on the blind man’s eyes and then told him to wash in the pool. After the blind man followed Jesus’ instructions, he was healed and was able to see (cf. John 9:6-7).

 

John 9:6-7:
6 After saying this, he spat on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes.
7 ‘Go,’ he told him, ‘wash in the Pool of Siloam’ (this word means ‘Sent’). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

 

In addition, the pond ‘Siloam/Siloah’ is associated with ‘Sukkot/Feast of Tabernacles.’ This biblical feast celebrates the glory of God and its increase.

 

=> Every year at Sukkot/the Feast of Tabernacles, the high priest performed a prophetic act.
He took water from the pool ‘Siloam/Siloah’ and brought it up to the temple to pour it out next to the altar.

 

This symbolized the call to God for the latter and former rain to fall on the land. The latter rain implies rainfall at the end of the rainy season, around March/April and is important for the development of the grains of the winter cereals. The former rain is usually in late October or early November, at the beginning of the rainy season, which lasts about six months, necessary for new sowing after the dry season of summer.

 

In this context, this act reveals to us the call to God to send His ‘spiritual rain’ in the present time, which is the outpouring of His Spirit that the prophet Joel prophesied about (cf. Joel 2:28-29).

 

Joel 2:28-29:
28 ‘And afterwards, 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.
29 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. …’

 

The outpouring by the priest was carried out every day during the days of the Feast of Tabernacles.

 

On the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, which was the great feast day, a large crowd accompanied the high priest during the prophetic act when he brought the water from the pool ‘Siloam/Siloah’ to the temple. The large crowd thus became a witness to the great outpouring.

 

And it was precisely at this point that Jesus stood in the place and spoke of the living water:

 

‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.
Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.’ John 7:37-38 <= (Note: The text set in ‘=>’ is based on a teaching from Robert Heidler – GZI to the feast of Sukkot.)

 

Based on this and the previous boundary within the construction phase of the fountain gate as mentioned, it reveals that it is God’s desire to touch us with His prophetic spirit. The result of this touch with revelation is that we go on our way with Christ Jesus with enlightened eyes of the heart, while the Lord releases a spiritual freshness (cf. Ephesians 1:17-18).

 

Ephesians 1:17-18:
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, …

 

 

This spiritual freshness is brought to us by angels (Note: winds) who descend upon Jesus Christ as the Son of Man (cf. John 1:51 i.c.w. Psalm 104:4; Hebrews 1:7).

 

John 1:51:
51 He then added, ‘Very truly I tell you [Note: Nathanael with the respective people], you will see “heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on” the Son of Man.’

 

Psalm 104:4:
4 He makes winds his messengers [Note: angels], flames of fire his servants.

 

Hebrews 1:7:
7 In speaking of the angels he says, ‘He makes his angels spirits, and his servants flames of fire.’

 

The descending angels carry dynamic revelations from the LORD, which are delivered to us through mature prophets/prophetesses, among others, who have a spiritual understanding about ‘Israel’. For it was the disciple Nathanael who was under ‘the shadow’ of the fig tree.

 

John 1:48:
48 ‘How do you know me?’ Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, ‘I saw you while you were still under the fig-tree before Philip called you.’

 

The fig tree is a representation of the people of Israel and is one of the most important fruit trees in Israel. It is no coincidence that the fig tree is indirectly mentioned by name in the creation account (cf. Genesis 3:7-8).

 

Genesis 3:7-8:
7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realised that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

 

From the location of Nathanael under the fig tree, it is shown that he functioned in a position of spiritual authority and had a spiritual understanding of the position of Israel as well as its capital, Jerusalem similar like the judge and prophetess Deborah (cf. Judges 4:4-5).

 

Judges 4:4-5:
4 Now Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading [Note: judging] Israel at that time.
5 She held court under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went up to her to have their disputes decided.

 

Nathanael also had a territorial understanding of the position of regions or cities in the spiritual realm of Israel. This is very clear by his statement to Philip, who let him know that nothing good could normally be expected from Nazareth because the inhabitants of the city had little faith in the Messiah, which was later confirmed (cf. John 1:45-46 i.c.w. Matthew 13:58).

John 1:45-46:
45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, ‘We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote – Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.’
46 ‘Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?’ Nathanael asked. ‘Come and see,’ said Philip.

 

Matthew 13:58:
58 And he [Note: Jesus] did not do many miracles there [Note: in Nazareth] because of their lack of faith.

 

Nathanael had a humble, sincere heart and, despite his knowledge of Nazareth, was willing to submit to the instruction of the revelatory truth that Philip brought him, so that Nathanael left his place under the fig tree and entered into the presence of the Son of God (cf. John 1:47-48).

John 1:47-48:
47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, ‘Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.’
48 ‘How do you know me?’ Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, ‘I saw you while you were still under the fig-tree before Philip called you.’

 

It was therefore no coincidence that Jesus mentioned the fig tree to Nathanael in the context of calling him a true Israelite because, as already described, the fig tree is a symbol of the people of Israel.

Because of the spoken word of knowledge through Jesus, Nathanael perceived the authority of Jesus Christ in the spirit realm. It indicates to us how crucial his understanding was in recognizing Jesus as Rabbi as perfect authority in the Word of God, Son of God as perfect authority in true relationship with God the Father and King of Israel as perfect governing authority (cf. John 1:49).

John 1:49:
49 Then Nathanael declared, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.’

 

The heart attitude of the disciple Nathanael and the descent of the angels lead us as the people of God deeper into the knowledge of God’s dominion, which is based on His love, i.e. the first love, and is accompanied by the presence of His glory (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:1-2 i.c.w. 1 Corinthians 2:7; 2 Corinthians 3:18).

 

1 Corinthians 13:1-2:
1 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

 

1 Corinthians 2:7:
7 No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.

 

2 Corinthians 3:18:
18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

 

=> It is the mouth of the prophets that serves as an opening for the word sent forth by God to prophesy His plan to men.

 

All of this is initiated and created through prophecy. This process is undergirded by the truth that Jesus Christ is the Word of God and His testimony is the Spirit of prophecy (cf. John 1:14; Revelation 19:10e). <= (Note: The text set in ‘=>’ is based on an explanation from the ‘Prophet’s Dictionary’ by Paula A. Price, Ph. D.; page 386, 387).

 

In this context, the significance of the covering of the fountain gate is revealed to us. Namely, that prophecy works on the basis of the truth of the Word of God and is released through the guidance of the Holy Spirit (cf. 2 Peter 1:19-21).

 

2 Peter 1:19-21:
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.
20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things.
21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

 

When we live in the mutual dynamic of the Word of God and prophecy, it leads us to grow together as the people of God in spiritual unity resulting from the understanding of the tribes of Israel, in mutual respect in Christ, who is the door, and thereby being aware of our positions within the ecclesia.

 

For it is the tribes of Israel who will become pearl gates in the bride or wife of the Lamb [Note: structure of first love], which is a glorious city. Over each pearl gate is placed an assigned angel to the tribe (cf. Revelation 21:9-12).

 

Revelation 21:9-12:
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.
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.

 

It is the spiritual walk of the ecclesia in this biblical order that helps to activate the prophetic power of God and correct the false prophetic influence in our day (cf. Numbers 24:1-2).

 

Numbers 24:1-2:
1 Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not resort to divination as at other times, but turned his face towards the wilderness.
2 When Balaam looked out and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came on him …

 

We as ecclesi might continue to reach out for this true and biblical understanding, which confronts Greek thinking and influences of religious legalism and leads to a right orientation in these days.

 

Amen and Amen.

 

In His Wisdom,

 

Daniel Glimm

While we are being led by the Holy Spirit into God’s predestined truth, spiritually challenging circumstances for us as God’s people are bound to arise. These circumstances can come with a certain kind of absence of authority in the form of leadership that means that it requires us as an ecclesia to exercise patience and wait for the return of authority.

 

Especially in times when the LORD has planned the increase of His presence and power, it is crucial that we remember the statements made by the LORD and wait patiently for the time of His visitation.

 

From Exodus 24:12-18 we can see that Moses went to Mount Horeb on God’s behalf over a period of forty days to receive from God His value system for the people of Israel in the form of the two tablets of stone.

 

Exodus 24:12-18:
12 The Lord said to Moses, ‘Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction.’
13 Then Moses set out with Joshua his assistant, and Moses went up on the mountain of God.
14 He said to the elders, ‘Wait here for us until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur are with you, and anyone involved in a dispute can go to them.’
15 When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, 16 and the glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from within the cloud.
17 To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain.
18 Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

 

 

The ascent of Moses and Joshua can be seen as an ascent of ‘salvation/redemption’, because the name ‘Moses’ means ‘The one drawn out of the water’ and the meaning of the name ‘Joshua’ is ‘YAHWEH is help’. When we speak of a spiritual ascent, this includes a greater dynamic of God’s presence in the respective area.

 

The ascension of salvation/redemption was supported by the ‘thermic’ of the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, because the seventy elders were on a certain height of the mountain on a hammered sapphire pavement in the presence of God (cf. Exodus 24:9-10).

 

Exodus 24:9-10:
9 Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up 10 and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli [Note: Sapphire], as bright blue as the sky.

 

The number ‘70’ as the named number of elders on the mountain, is to be equated with the sixteenth Hebrew letter ‘Ayin’, which means, among other things, ‘eye, well’.
This prophetic gathering in the form of wisdom (Note: elders) and revelation (Note: 70 => ayin/eye) can be equated with the use of prophetic intercession for leadership, so that there is an increase in quality within the ecclesia (cf Ephesians 6:18-19).

 

Ephesians 6:18-19:
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, …

 

=> Prophetic intercession includes the word breathed by God into the spirit of the prophet or prophetess. It is the Word of God that is life (cf. John 6:63).
Prophetic intercession is a certain kind of spiritual pregnancy in which the prophet or prophetic vessel becomes pregnant in the spirit with the Word of God and can have his or her experience much like a pregnant woman.
When the Word of God, which has come to maturity as seed in the prophetic vessel over a period of time, is brought to birth in the Spirit. This can make itself felt through spiritual birth pangs.
The prophet Jeremiah spoke of such an event during a time of prophesying (cf. 1. Kings 18:42; Isaiah 21:3; Isaiah 26:17-18; Isaiah 37:3; Isaiah 66:7-8; Hosea 13:12-13; Romans 8:26-27; Hebrews 5:7; John 11:33 = The Greek word for ‘groaning’ means ‘embrimaomai/ enebrimésato, from enebrimaomai’, which is explained as follows: ‘to snort with anger, like horses; harsh, loud noise caused by violent inhalation through the nostrils’). <= (The text set in ‘=>’ is a part excerpt from the ‘Prophet’s Dictionary’ by Paula A. Price, Ph. D.; page 95.)

 

It is the spirit of prophecy, which can also be described as ‘the wings of the great eagle’, which gave Moses and Joshua spiritual wings and enabled them in firm confidence to soar higher into the presence of God (cf. Exodus 24:13 i.c.w. Revelation 19:10e; Revelation 12:14a).

 

Exodus 24:13:
13 Then Moses set out with Joshua his assistant, and Moses went up on the mountain of God.

 

Revelation 19:10e:
‘… 10e For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.’

 

Revelation 12:14a:
14a The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, …

 

In addition, we can speak of a prophetic thermic or prophetic updraft that took Moses and Joshua to a higher level of the mountain, with Moses entering deeper into the veiling presence of God in the form of the dark cloud.

 

Exodus 24:18:
18 Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

 

 

During this time, the people of Israel waited down at the mountain and became impatient. As a result, they called on Aaron to make and get them a god who would accompany them on their journey (cf. Exodus 32:1).

 

Exodus 32:1:
1 When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered round Aaron and said, ‘Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.’

 

Herein lies a warning for all times.
We should ask ourselves with what attitude of heart we dwell in the Levitical structure that includes the royal priesthood in Christ.

 

Is it the heart attitude of Moses and the Levitical structure on the spiritual level of Moses or are we dwelling with a wrong heart attitude in the Levitical structure of Aaron which includes a soulish level to live according to the desires of men or to be influenced by them?

 

Because of the desire of the people of Israel, Aaron commanded the people to give them gold for the coming deity of their flesh, which he brought into existence for them along with an altar, resulting in false worship of devastating dimensions (cf. Exodus 32:2-6).

 

Exodus 32:2-6:
2 Aaron answered them, ‘Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.’
3 So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron.
4 He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’
5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, ‘Tomorrow there will be a festival to the Lord.’
6 So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterwards they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.

 

This shows that fear and impatience lead to premature action outside of God’s will, which has disastrous consequences for us and others.

 

 

Even at the time of Saul, who was instructed by the prophet Samuel to wait for him for a full seven days, he allowed himself to be driven by the fear of the people, so that he acted prematurely by offering sacrifices to the LORD too early or without justification, instead of waiting for the prophetic presence of God in the form of the prophet Samuel (cf. 1 Samuel 13:6-13).

 

1 Samuel 13:6-13:
6 When the Israelites saw that their situation was critical and that their army was hard pressed, they hid in caves and thickets, among the rocks, and in pits and cisterns.
7 Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear.
8 He waited for seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul’s men began to scatter.
9 So he said, ‘Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.’ And Saul offered up the burnt offering.
10 Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him.
11 ‘What have you done?’ asked Samuel. Saul replied, ‘When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Michmash, 12 I thought, “Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord’s favour.” So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.’
13 ‘You have done a foolish thing,’ Samuel said. ‘You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time.

 

We can clearly see in the Word of God in 1 Samuel 13 that Saul did not truly trust in Samuel and was a man, who was in himself not honest and reliable and who looked more to earthly circumstances than listening to and obeying spiritual instructions.

 

Saul was not looking at the situation with spiritual eyes. Because of this fact, he began to produce offerings from his flesh. It was an offering of impatience and not trusting God.
It is impatience that causes us to enter spiritual realms prematurely.

 

Such steps can lead to the destruction of a ministry or to great difficulties. Even if our intention may look good and spiritual before people, but if it is realized out of impatience, it will not result in blessing. For example, they are ‘premature births’ that carry a great risk of dying or not reaching the required maturity and end up living in a limited life.

 

It is therefore crucial that we allow ourselves to be led by the Holy Spirit in the truth of God’s Word and pay attention to His instruction and put it into practice in our lives. Jesus did not act according to what men demanded of him but did what He saw the Father do (cf. John 5:19).

 

John 5:19:
19 Jesus gave them this answer: ‘Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. …’

 

This is revealed by the sickness of His friend Lazarus, who was dying and Jesus stayed where He was for another two days despite the request of men, without going to Lazarus’ house immediately (cf. John 11:1-4.6-7).

 

John 11:1-4.6-7:
1 Now a man named Lazarus was ill. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
2 (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay ill, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.)
3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, ‘Lord, the one you love is ill.’
4 When he heard this, Jesus said, ‘This illness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.’ …
6 So when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed where he was two more days, 7 and then he said to his disciples, ‘Let us go back to Judea.’

 

Meanwhile Lazarus was dying but Jesus knew that the Heavenly Father would show His glory in the life of Lazarus and glorify Him (Note: Jesus) as His Son (cf. John 11:11-14.17.39-45).

 

John 11:11-14.17.39-45:
11 After he had said this, he went on to tell them, ‘Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.’
12 His disciples replied, ‘Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.’
13 Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.
14 So then he told them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead, …
17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. …
39 ‘Take away the stone,’ he said. ‘But, Lord,’ said Martha, the sister of the dead man, ‘by this time there is a bad odour, for he has been there four days.’
40 Then Jesus said, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?’
41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, ‘Father, I thank you that you have heard me.
42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.’
43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’
44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth round his face. Jesus said to them, ‘Take off the grave clothes and let him go.’ 45 Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.

 

Because Jesus waited for the Father’s timing, it followed that Lazarus became the sign of Jesus’ resurrection power, causing many Jews to recognize Jesus as their Messiah, with the religious leaders wanting to kill Jesus and Lazarus (cf. John 12:9-11).

 

9 Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.
10 So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, 11 for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him.

 

These biblical passages reveal to us that it is necessary to wait patiently for the time predetermined by God. It is about being in the right place with the right saints in order to experience the visitation of God and His intervention in abundance and to be led (cf. Luke 24:49 i.c.w. Acts 2:1-4).

 

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

 

Acts 2:1-4:
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.
4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

 

 

The Holy Spirit also waited with His manifestation at Shavuot until the apostolic order among the disciples of Jesus was restored, since Judas left the place of apostleship due to betrayal. This betrayal resulted in a so-called apostolic void or gap, which had to be filled by a new apostle (cf. Acts 1:15-17.26).

 

Acts 1:15-17.26:
15 In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) 16 and said, ‘Brothers and sisters, the Scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus.
17 He was one of our number and shared in our ministry.’ …
26 Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.

 

It was only after this apostolic ‘filling of space’ that the power of God fell at Shavuot in the upper room in a similar way as the LORD came down with His presence on the high place, Mount Horeb/Sinai, and covered Moses.

 

Peter, the rock, brought the revelatory truth for the moment of the imminent outpouring of the Holy Spirit through the order written down by God and put it into practice by the cause for the election of a new apostle. In the same way, he also applied the Word of God when the Holy Spirit descended on the 120 saints in Jerusalem to bring peace to the confused hearts of the God-fearing Jews with the written order of the Word of God (cf. Acts 2:12-16).

 

Acts 2:12-16:
12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, ‘What does this mean?’
13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, ‘They have had too much wine.’  14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: ‘Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.
15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning!
16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel (cf. Joel 2:28-29): …

 

The apostolic order previously arranged by Peter (Note: election of Matthias according to Psalm 69:25 i.c.w. Psalm 109:8) helped to bring about an important spiritual government after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to bring peace in the hearts of the Jews present in Jerusalem who were witnesses to the outpouring of the power of the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 2:14).

 

Here we can see the confirmation of 1 Corinthians 14:33.

 

1 Corinthians 14:33:
33 For God is not a God of disorder but of peace – as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people.

 

It is the order of the Word of God, communicated through revelation, that establishes peace in the hearts of men and secures the future of the movement of the Holy Spirit, while we do not act hastily and out of lack of patience. God tests us in this!

 

Amen and Amen.

 

In His Wisdom,

 

Daniel Glimm