Revelation 4:11
The foundation of the Glorious praise given unto the Father upon His Throne is that He created all things, and for His Pleasure they are and were created. I am puzzled by the present tense, “are”. I wonder if the “are” refers to His present work (in our history) of His New Creation in Christ Jesus. This is as stated in His Will and Purpose in Ephesians 1:1-10. His Eternal Will and Purpose is, in our history of time, “to gather together IN ONE all things IN Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth, even IN Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 “If any man be IN Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away, behold all things are become new.” And then there is His Purpose for the Church, (Eph. 3:21), Unto Him (the Father of Vs 14) be Glory IN the Church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
This IN denotes a family unity of which Eph.1:14-15 speaks, “I bow my knees before the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of Whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.” John speaks of this closeness, this unity, this being IN the family of the Father under the term “fellowship”. In 1 John 1-3, after his gloriously “touchy, feely” description of the Apostles witness to God made flesh, Eternity made manifest in the God/Man, Christ Jesus, he gives us his reason. “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son, Jesus Christ.” Such an incredible invitation!! Not just to visit this Fellowship of the Father and His Son on occasion, but to live in it as sons and daughters.
But as the saying goes, “Houston, we have a problem.” I am not going to enter into a dissertation on the fall of man, but rather I want to pick up from an incident in the life of Moses and it’s prophetic importance in man’s redemption unto this eternal Fellowship with the Father and His Son.
Exodus 33:7-23: Moses had been called of God to lead the liberated Israel into the land of God’s promise and their mediator, their go-between, the one who stood between God and the people in all matters of life in their journey. Moses quickly discovered that God was right when He Said, “Ye are a stiff-necked people.” (Vs 5) Soon, Moses is needing assurance that he is not in this adventure alone. As an assurance that He was blessed of the Lord in this endeavor, he says, “I beseech thee, show me Thy Glory”.
God answers with a blessed promise, “I will make all My Goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the Name of the Lord before thee; etc.” But then the problem!!!
Vs 20 And God said, “You can not see My Face; for there shall no man see me and live.” “We can talk as friends, I will meet you in the tent of meeting (Vs 7) under the cloudy pillar, but not face to Face. Vs 11 speaks of Moses and God speaking face to face, but it was more like a “zoom meeting”, just not the same as true “face to Face”.
This incident prophetically illustrates through Moses, the mediator of the Law, the fatal limitations of the old covenant. At it’s best, because of the weakness of the flesh, both Israel’s and ours’, the Law/Old Covenant, can only reveal our distance from the Perfect and Holy God! The Apostle Paul speaks of it in 2 Cor. 3:7 as “the ministration of death”, its letter–it’s words of God’s perfections, kills. As with it’s requirement for lepers, it leaves us crying, “unclean, unclean”.
So what’s the FATHER to do? The stated purpose in His Will is to “gather together IN ONE all things both in heaven and earth." But from our text, that appears to be fatal!! We will next look at the “prophetic irony” introduced in Numbers 6:25 and thereafter the glimmer of hope throughout the old testament. Until next time, be in fellowship with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ!!!
The foundation of the Glorious praise given unto the Father upon His Throne is that He created all things, and for His Pleasure they are and were created. I am puzzled by the present tense, “are”. I wonder if the “are” refers to His present work (in our history) of His New Creation in Christ Jesus. This is as stated in His Will and Purpose in Ephesians 1:1-10. His Eternal Will and Purpose is, in our history of time, “to gather together IN ONE all things IN Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth, even IN Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 “If any man be IN Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away, behold all things are become new.” And then there is His Purpose for the Church, (Eph. 3:21), Unto Him (the Father of Vs 14) be Glory IN the Church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
This IN denotes a family unity of which Eph.1:14-15 speaks, “I bow my knees before the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of Whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.” John speaks of this closeness, this unity, this being IN the family of the Father under the term “fellowship”. In 1 John 1-3, after his gloriously “touchy, feely” description of the Apostles witness to God made flesh, Eternity made manifest in the God/Man, Christ Jesus, he gives us his reason. “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son, Jesus Christ.” Such an incredible invitation!! Not just to visit this Fellowship of the Father and His Son on occasion, but to live in it as sons and daughters.
But as the saying goes, “Houston, we have a problem.” I am not going to enter into a dissertation on the fall of man, but rather I want to pick up from an incident in the life of Moses and it’s prophetic importance in man’s redemption unto this eternal Fellowship with the Father and His Son.
Exodus 33:7-23: Moses had been called of God to lead the liberated Israel into the land of God’s promise and their mediator, their go-between, the one who stood between God and the people in all matters of life in their journey. Moses quickly discovered that God was right when He Said, “Ye are a stiff-necked people.” (Vs 5) Soon, Moses is needing assurance that he is not in this adventure alone. As an assurance that He was blessed of the Lord in this endeavor, he says, “I beseech thee, show me Thy Glory”.
God answers with a blessed promise, “I will make all My Goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the Name of the Lord before thee; etc.” But then the problem!!!
Vs 20 And God said, “You can not see My Face; for there shall no man see me and live.” “We can talk as friends, I will meet you in the tent of meeting (Vs 7) under the cloudy pillar, but not face to Face. Vs 11 speaks of Moses and God speaking face to face, but it was more like a “zoom meeting”, just not the same as true “face to Face”.
This incident prophetically illustrates through Moses, the mediator of the Law, the fatal limitations of the old covenant. At it’s best, because of the weakness of the flesh, both Israel’s and ours’, the Law/Old Covenant, can only reveal our distance from the Perfect and Holy God! The Apostle Paul speaks of it in 2 Cor. 3:7 as “the ministration of death”, its letter–it’s words of God’s perfections, kills. As with it’s requirement for lepers, it leaves us crying, “unclean, unclean”.
So what’s the FATHER to do? The stated purpose in His Will is to “gather together IN ONE all things both in heaven and earth." But from our text, that appears to be fatal!! We will next look at the “prophetic irony” introduced in Numbers 6:25 and thereafter the glimmer of hope throughout the old testament. Until next time, be in fellowship with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ!!!
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