Since Jesus Christ bought us with His blood as kings and priests, it is essential to reach the level of maturity of a king and a priest, which is connected with responsibility (cf. Revelation 1:5-6).

Revelation 1:5-6:
… 5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father – to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.

I personally feel that we, as people of God, find ourselves in a time which is equivalent to the movement of Jesus Christ as the high priest according to the order of Melchizedek, who moves in power in the spiritual realm in royal priesthood and takes those saints with Him into the depths of God who live in holiness (cf. Matthew 24:27 i.c.w. Hebrews 12:14)

Matthew 24:27:
27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

Hebrews 12:14:
14 Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.

The statement of Jesus that His coming is like a lightning, which flashes from east to west, reflects the way of ministry of the high priest when he did his service in the temple or in the tabernacle. He went from east to west, where the Holy of Holies was located.

The Scripture from Matthew 24:27 not only contains the revelation of the return of Jesus, but is at the same time a revelatory call to us as saints to walk in the spiritual dimension of the body of Christ in the structure of the royal priesthood (note: apostolic authority assigned by God) as well as in the spiritual realm (note: heavenly realms). It is this realm we are enabled to reveal the manifold wisdom of God in the revelatory power to the rulers and authorities (cf. Ephesians 3:8-12).

Ephesians 3:8-12:
8 Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

 

Since lightning usually discharges in the atmosphere and Jesus' statement speaks of the horizontal flash of lightning, this clearly indicates God's call to us, namely to walk in Christ on a higher level of relationship in the spiritual realm, in order to be sent forth from His throne in power, similar to the lightning emanating from the throne of God (cf. Ephesians 2:6 i.c.w. Revelation 4:5a)

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

Revelation 4:5a:
5a From the throne came flashes of lightning, …

 

 

Since the lightnings emanate from the throne of God, an apostolic power can be recognized in them, which is sent out from there, because the ‘apostolic’ is connected with the ‘being sent out’. The Greek word is the process of being sent out, ‘apọstolos’ or ‘apostẹllō’. (note: taken from the Elberfelder Study Bible with the word key numbers: 641 and 644)

Jesus Christ always moves in accordance with the will of the Heavenly Father, which is why the ‘lightning movement’ of the Son of Man conceals the sending of God (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.

God desires to see His people align with the advancement of the ‘body of Christ’ in the spiritual realm in order to be a part of the lightning-like royal-priestly movement. This movement carries supernatural acceleration and power, whose end is the depths of God, which can be equated with the place of the Holy of Holies (note: located in the west).

Every saint who moves in surrender and in unrestricted walk in life in holiness, as well as being authorized by Christ Jesus to live in this supernatural manifestation, announces something. This implies to announce a new day of God's economy on earth, since the movement of the Son of Man extends from east to west, which is the direction that carries the light of the day. It is the day when man normally goes about his business and work.

God's ‘business’ in the form of His purpose is that believers in Christ who are in the awakened ‘body of Christ’ help to awaken other human beings who are living an earthly life and call them to enter into the realm of the Spirit with the aim of enacting God's plans for this time so that they may manifest themselves on earth (cf. Matthew 6:10).

Matthew 6:10:
… 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

 

As believers in Christ, it should not be enough for us to remain only in the ‘place’ from where Jesus Christ was raised or also lifted up into heaven. It is necessary that we remain in the heavenly city of Jerusalem, which is a governing principality in the atmosphere above the earth and transfers the measure of heaven to the earth (cf. Luke 24:4-6a; Acts 1:10-11; Luke 24:49b i.c.w. Revelation 21,2.10)

 

4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6a He is not here; he has risen! …

 

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.”

 

“… 49b but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

 

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. …

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.

 

The Saints who proceed, move forward in the power of God, who ‘energizes’ the atmosphere above the earth through the presence of the Holy Spirit, in order to touch the inner being of human beings (note: spirit and soul) and to help them enter into a relationship with God the Father (cf. John 14:6).

 

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

 

If you, as a mature saint, passed during your spiritual process of maturity the place of the cross of Jesus (note: His victory over sin in eternity), His grave (note: the eternal triumph of Jesus Christ over death) and His stay on the Mount of Olives after the resurrection (note: resurrection power, calling to reign for eternity in the presence of the Heavenly Father) as well as living according to what Jesus Christ has fulfilled, you are called to only walk on this unshakable foundation in the spiritual realm of the authority of Jesus Christ and to act in it (see 1 Corinthians 3:11).

 

11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.

 

This walk and lifestyle includes having a correct understanding of the power of God's saving grace combined with a correct understanding of sin (cf. Titus 2:11-14; James 1:14-15).

 

11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope – the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

 

… 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

 

With this appropriate understanding about grace and sin, it is indispensable to walk in the structure of the ‘raised body of Christ’ according to Matthew 24:27.

 

As a result, believers are made aware of the truth of the Word of God and its principles in love by leading believers who live in sinful patterns into freedom. In this, the progress of the High Priest from the court to the Holy of Holies can serve us as a help.

 

 

Since sin separates from God, which means that one is removed from the realm of God's presence, it is necessary to get close to God again in order to be where He is. This is evident in the statement of James, who spoke of the need to draw near to God and to cleanse the hands and purify the heart (cf. James 4:8).

 

8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

 

We cannot remain nonchalantly in the presence of God by not dealing honorably with the saving grace of God that Jesus Christ has given us. It is therefore better to know the way of the High Priest up to the Holy of Holies in order to appreciate and preserve the meaning of staying in the presence of God.

 

In order to enter into the presence of God, the fire of God has an important meaning, because God's being is a consuming fire (cf. Deuteronomy 4:24 i.c.w. Hebrews 12:28-29).

 

24 For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

 

28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29 for our “God is a consuming fire.”

 

The closer we come to the Lord, the more we come into contact with different qualities of God's fire. It is no coincidence that Abraham, for example, as God made a covenant with him, did not come before him empty-handed, resulting in God appearing to him in the presence of the fiery furnace and the burning torch. This apparition reveals, among other things, the fatherhood and sonship of God as consuming fire (cf. Genesis 15:12.17-21).

 

12 As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. …

17 When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, “To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates – 19 the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites.”

 

If one studies the consuming fire of God in the apparition as a fiery oven/altar of burnt offering, as described in Ezekiel 43:15-16, one comes to the conclusion that it is closely connected with the presence of the Lion of God (note: Lion of Judah). The reason for this is that the Hebrew word for ‘altar hearth – 'ărî’ēl' also means ‘war hero’ or ‘lion of God’. The word is still used as a poetic name for Jerusalem (cf. Isaiah 29:1.7). (note: The explanation of the Hebrew word ‘altar hearth – `ărî’ēl’ with the word key number 759*, 760*, 761* is taken from the Elberfelder Study Bible.)

 

This makes it clear that when one approaches the fire of God as a believer in Christ, one comes into contact with His royal standard of government.

 

Also Jesus Christ, who was on the cross in the ‘furnace of God's fire’, carried as an indication the sign of His governing mandate on the cross in three linguistic versions above His head, namely King of the Jews (cf. John 19:19-20).

 

19 Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the jews. 20 Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek.

 

James wrote to the messianic church in the nations and the scattered tribes of Israel (cf. James 1:1), when he describes in his letter in James 4:8 that believers, who consciously moves in a sinful pattern, are considered sinners in the eyes of God, because in a spiritual context it is a lukewarm state (note: contradictory, living in compromise, inconsistent), which results in being outside of Jesus Christ (cf. Revelation 3:16).

 

16 So, because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

 

Only a repentant heart enables getting close to God again with the content of standing in His presence of government and acting honorably in it. By this I do not mean the realm of the throne of grace, to which we can confidently approach (cf. Hebrews 4:16), but the realm of God's governmental presence, which consists of 26 thrones (note: throne of God, throne of the Lamb, thrones of the 24 elders; cf. Revelation 4:2; Revelation 7:17 i.c.w. Mark 16:19; Revelation 4:4).

 

2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.

 

17 For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”

 

19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God.

 

4 Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads.

 

The 26 thrones together bear the numerical value of the God of Israel (note: יְהֹוָה – ‘JHWH’, YAHWEH => Jod (10), He (5), Waw (6), He (5) which is ‘26’ in total).

 

As God, the Heavenly Father, identifies Himself fully with His Son and His people, it is also our job, through Jesus Christ in His royal priesthood, to reflect the Heavenly Father. This is the reason why Jesus said to Philip that he who sees Him sees the Father (cf. John 14:9).

 

9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

 

 

Mature saints who are moving forward in the awakened structure of the body of Christ (note: like a lightning bolt extending from east to west) are called to introduce believers who have distanced themselves from God through a sinful lifestyle to the fire of God in the various spiritual realms.

 

This involves:

The fire of the altar of burnt offering requires us to confess sin before God, which means that we have become guilty before God. This area is the area of the cross and ‘birth’ because it is related to the elements of blood and water (cf. John 19:34). It is the place where the animals were sacrificed as sin offerings by the priests.

 

34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.

 

Having passed through this area in the courtyard, it is important to reflect our acts in faith in the revelatory truth of the Word of God and to purify ourselves in our inner being from unrighteous acts, which is represented by the water of the bronze basin or the ‘brazen sea’ (cf. James 4:8 i.c.w. Exodus 30:17-21; Exodus 38:8).

 

8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

 

17 Then the Lord said to Moses, 18 “Make a bronze basin, with its bronze stand, for washing. Place it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. 19 Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and feet with water from it. 20 Whenever they enter the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water so that they will not die. Also, when they approach the altar to minister by presenting a food offering to the Lord, 21 they shall wash their hands and feet so that they will not die. This is to be a lasting ordinance for Aaron and his descendants for the generations to come.”

 

8 They made the bronze basin and its bronze stand from the mirrors of the women (note: mirror => faith; cf. 1 Corinthians 13:12) who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

 

This cleansing only makes us reflect ourselves in the truth of the Word of God, which results in a spiritual movement that brings change.

 

We should be aware that every ‘heaven’ is associated with a body of water, since there is also a crystal sea before the throne of God (cf. Revelation 4:6a).

 

6a Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. …

 

When we sincerely approach the consuming fire of God, it is necessary not to appear before God empty-handed. Every ‘type’ of God's consuming fire is associated with His royal dominion (note: altar hearth/the lion of God – 'ărî'ēl), therefore we should stand in awe of God (cf. Hebrews 12:28-29).

 

28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29 for our “God is a consuming fire.”

Having passed through the spirit realm of the altar of the burnt offering and the brazen ‘sea’, we enter from an open heaven (note: courtyard) into a narrower realm of the presence of the fire of God, which is in secret (note: in the sanctuary – Holy Place).

 

This fire of the Menorah, is the fire of the seven fold Spirit of God, shining forward and shining upon the bread of His presence, the twelve shew breads (cf. Exodus 25:31-33; Exodus 26:35; Numbers 8:2-3 i.c.w. Isaiah 11:2).

 

31 “Make a lampstand of pure gold. Hammer out its base and shaft, and make its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms of one piece with them.

32 Six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand – three on one side and three on the other.

33 Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are to be on one branch, three on the next branch, and the same for all six branches extending from the lampstand.

 

35 Place the table (note: shew bread table) outside the curtain on the north side of the tabernacle and put the lampstand opposite it on the south side.

 

2 “Speak to Aaron and say to him, ‘When you set up the lamps, see that all seven light up the area in front of the lampstand.’”(note: in this case the light was shining towards the north)

3 Aaron did so; he set up the lamps so that they faced forward on the lampstand, just as the Lord commanded Moses.

 

2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him – the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord – …

 

The Menorah – the lampstand with the seven lamps – is about the guidance of the Holy Spirit as counselor and comforter, who guides us in order to internalize the Word of God and its standard/order, which implies leading us into all truth and revealing the future (cf. John 16:8-11.13).

 

8 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because people do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. …

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.

 

Having passed through the spirit realm of the Menorah, we arrive at the presence of the consuming fire of God on the altar of incense, which requires to give incense to the Lord, corresponding to true worship in spirit and truth towards the Heavenly Father (cf. Exodus 30:1-8 i.c.w. John 4:23-24).

 

1 “Make an altar of acacia wood for burning incense. 2 It is to be square, a cubit long and a cubit wide, and two cubits high – its horns of one piece with it. 3 Overlay the top and all the sides and the horns with pure gold, and make a gold molding around it. 4 Make two gold rings for the altar below the molding – two on each of the opposite sides – to hold the poles used to carry it. 5 Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 6 Put the altar in front of the curtain that shields the ark of the covenant law – before the atonement cover that is over the tablets of the covenant law – where I will meet with you. 7 “Aaron must burn fragrant incense on the altar every morning when he tends the lamps. 8 He must burn incense again when he lights the lamps at twilight so incense will burn regularly before the Lord for the generations to come.

 

23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.

24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

 

The consuming fire of true worship is closely related to the consuming fire of the Menorah, but also to the cherubic presence associated with lightning (note: ‘Cherubim’ means ‘glancing appearance, flashes of lightning’).

 

True worship results in the formation of white smoke in the covering atmosphere of the Spirit, which is flooded by the forward shining light of the Menorah and energized by the cherubic presence of God associated with the Spirit of the Fear of the Lord (cf. Exodus 26:31.33).

 

31 “Make a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen, with cherubim woven into it by a skilled worker. …

33 Hang the curtain from the clasps and place the ark of the covenant law behind the curtain. The curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.

 

This means that worship is mixed with the presence of the Spirit of Truth, so that the white smoke turns into a golden presence infused with the power of God.

 

While in this realm of the Spirit, it is essential to interact with God's most important ‘moment’, who is Jesus Christ as the Alpha and Omega, who is our ‘Yom Kippur – the Great Day of Atonement’. This means being completely one with Jesus Christ in order to stand in the ‘dark chamber’ of the Holy of Holies, where God the Heavenly Father shines (cf. John 17:20-26).

 

20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 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. 24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. 25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

 

 

Now, if you stand as a believer in Christ in this place and consciously enter and live a sinful lifestyle, you are ejected from this intimate spiritual realm by the power of God, so that you find yourself outside the presence of God (cf. Revelation 3:16).

 

16 So, because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold (note: uncompromising) – I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

 

Being aware of this value of God's intimacy, it is important to preserve this precious treasure of relationship and not to be seduced by the adversary of entering into any sinful pattern in life.

 

According to James 4:8, every believer who has realized that he lives far from the presence of God is called to draw near to God again and to purify himself in the truth of the Word of God, in order to be again in the place of intimate fellowship with God the Father (cf. Ephesians 5:26b-27).

 

… cleansing her (note: the church) by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

 

Acknowledging and not doubting the fact that God, as YAHWEH, lets Himself be approached in His holy nature and never mixes with sin, death and lies, but is consistently faithful to Himself, is in accordance with the walking in the fear of the Lord.

Only living in the constant recognition of oneself, in the fear of the Lord, which is connected with the reverence of these three areas of the fire of God, finally brings about maturity in the priesthood and the kingship of God and reaches far beyond personal life and circumstances.

Experiencing and acknowledging the different characteristics of the fire of God leads to a higher realm of responsibility, which, with the favor of God, leads to an increase in knowledge, divine revelation and fulfillment of our destiny as God's people in these end times.

 

Amen and Amen.

 

In His Wisdom,

 

Daniel Glimm