“A Voice for the Gathering Saints”
Duane Stewart
www.avoiceforthegatheringsaints.org
“Full Redemption – Is It Now Among Us?”
In Considering the importance of the hour in which we live, thoughts about God and His present-tense purpose should and can be considered. Events of an accelerated pace seem to consume man’s thoughts daily and just what are we to make of such events? Could it not be said that God’s Word, the only source of truth, needs to be examined for understanding as to this now-time season? The Word of God clearly declares that He has purposed to bless a people, even before the foundation of the world. These blessings are to be counted with assurance because God has always had a purpose to fulfill in and through a people.
1 Peter 1:3 states concerning a certain people and God’s purpose, “Elect [chosen and purposed], according to the foreknowledge [to know beforehand] of God the Father through [being or remaining within] sanctification [set apart for holiness] of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling [washing and purifying unto redemption] of the blood of Jesus Christ; Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied”.
God’s elect is those chosen ones who choose to come out from the corrupt world through yielding to God and His purpose. They are to know a rebirth from the old fallen sin nature to achieve a place of adoption in becoming co-heir sons with Jesus. These are those who become God’s new creation, His new natured sons also called the man-child. These are the caught-up ones into God’s throne-room order as they rule and reign with Him. These are blessed with a relationship in Christ as activated by the person of the Holy Spirit.
Eph. 1:3-6, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places [heavenly spheres, the spiritual realm] in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before [a position, before one in place] the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved”.
Herein a people purposed by God, to ascend into a royal place in Him, which was typed by the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle of God as revealed to Moses. “Accepted in the Beloved” as written above fulfills the prayer Jesus prayed to the Father before His death. John 17:5 & 22, “And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was. …. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as we are one”. This points man to the necessary sanctification process which brings the receiving man into having the right of receiving this glory. This process requires a life that yields to love, obedience and unity. Pointing to a time called the “Day of Atonement”, which is the fullness of redemption, a being redeemed back into our original purpose and place in God.
Eph. 1:7-9, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure which he purposed in Himself”. Redemption is the great plan of God that is working to restore man into a Christ-like life-style. This is a mind-set that removes men from the realm of the curse. Removing the curse allows the way-of-life purposed by God to return to man.
Eph. 1:10-11, “That in the dispensation [stewardship or administration] of the fullness of the times [a delegated time for the completion of His created man maturing into His likeness] He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven [heavens – plural] and which are on earth, in Him. In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all according to the counsel [resolve or determination] of His will”.
In this, God is willing to intervene in the process of man’s natural maturing as He provides for him the availability of becoming that which God has purposed. How could this be possible except there be a transformation of man’s mental makeup? In this, God desires to write upon man’s heart, the center of man’s make-up, the nature of His spiritual government. This writing has its beginning unto the willing vessel by a complete and total submission unto God. Rom. 12:1-2 states, “I beseech [to call aside, appeal to by way of exhortation, entreaty, comfort or instruction] you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present [yield] your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed [to change the form, change to a new condition]by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God”.
Conformation of this truth is assured when God’s Word declares of such a time of change in 1 Cor. 13:9-10, “For we know in part and we prophecy in part. But when that which is perfect [that which has reached its end – “perfect” a Greek word from “TELOS” meaning “end” and from “FINIS” meaning “nothing beyond; hence perfect”] has come, then that which is in part will be done away [fail]”. Herein, God’s perfected vessels receive the mind of Christ, the law of the new covenant. These new covenant people are those who are released into a life-style of the heavenlies (knowing and living according to the invisible realms of God).
Heb. 8:10. “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel [before a name, a nature change, Jacob was a type of the fleshly house while Israel, his new name, is a type of the spiritual house] after those days [the days of natural Israel], says the Lord: I will put My laws [nature] into their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people”. A nature being restored into the minds and hearts of believers by the power of the Holy Spirit. In this, a new personal covenant in man whose lives are based, not on a compelling force from without, but on an impelling power from within.
Herein, a redeemed people, a resurrected company who know and experience the “Day of Atonement” which brings restoration as they now stand in God’s Holy of Holies which is His throne-room order. These are God’s people who have become the fullness of God in the earth, that is in man’s spirit, soul and body. 2 Cor. 3:4-6, “And we have such trust [confidence] through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God; Who also made us sufficient as ministries [enabling us, or made us efficient] of the new covenant, not of the letter [ministration of death] but of the Spirit [life giving covenant], for the letter kills but the Spirit gives life”. This is the key that accomplishes a changing of the heart, the soul of man (his mind, will, emotions and desires). Changed from a heart of death (fallen man) to a heart filled with and manifesting Christ-life through-out the whole (spirit, soul and body) man.
2 Cor. 3:3 states, “Clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart”. Thus, a new covenant people who have been resurrected from the carnal flesh man’s mentality to a covenant with life, a new nature, a Christ-life. That is to say, a people becoming a manifestation of the “logos of God”. This speaks of moving beyond just the spoken word of logos (word), which only reveals the invisible thoughts of God. This speaks of a people who become the living word which reveals and manifests the invisible God. This is declaring that God is raising up a people from being just a human (hewed-down vessel) to becoming the logos (word) of God. Note that “logos” is the thought and expression of God. “Logos” is the perfect will and intent of God.
Remember, Christ, the God nature seed, is placed into receiving men for the purpose of them becoming the visible expression of God to the world. This Jesus, the head of Christ and His many member body fulfills the purpose of God for having Himself a family, a house to dwell in. John 1:1-5, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word [logos] was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life [the fountain of life – remember, out of our inner-most being shall flow rivers of living waters]; and the life was the light [not a light, but the light, is underived and absolute]. And the light shines [to shine forth as to be seen]in the darkness; and the darkness did not comprehend it [did not overcome or overpower it]”.
The above scriptures point man to the fact that God has a purpose and is fulfilling His purpose in a people. These people are the manifestation of the Word, the Logos. These are appearing as a spiritual matured people who, because of a nature change, now manifest the will, the mind, the emotions and the desires of God. These are a people moving from the mortal to the immortal, a people becoming the priest and kings of God within His kingdom. Therefore, know that God’s kingdom is being birthed from within this people who have yielded and obeyed unto the maturing of the Christ seed. These are a people who become the everlasting kingdom of God which always was and always shall be. This kingdom of redemption is the unsealing of the Christ-seed planted within man’s spirit. This seed has come to its time of maturity and is being birthed into the throne-room of God. Herein, these see Him face to face because they have become co-heirs with Jesus Christ.
God’s “day of redemption” is now. It is a realm where God births a people from the realm of humanity (hewed-down man) into the realm of the spirit, the heavens. 2 Peter 1:3-4, states loudly, “As His divine power [the power to reproduce itself, inherent power] has given to us all things that pertain to [for] life [involves resurrection life and eternal life] and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceeding great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature [the received Christ seed birthed from within], having escaped the corruption [sin-nature] that is in the world through lust”. This phrase “through the knowledge of Him” speaks to us of a receiving people who come, by way of knowing Him, to their destined place of perfection. This also speaks of receiving the nature of Christ as it becomes our nature.
Is this not that which God has purposed from the beginning. To redeem a people through God calling, choosing, justifying and glorifying them. (Read Rom. 8:30). Ask yourself this question. What day and season of God are we now living in? Has God followed through, according to the progressive pathway He purposed? A purpose that He has revealed from His scriptures. This day could very well be God’s day for the perfected redemption of His created man. If this be so, is God’s day of redemption among us?
Here let us note and consider Acts 17:29-31, “Therefore, as we are the offspring of God [when begotten of God a vessel is set in opposition to the rest of mankind who are only begotten of the flesh and will of man], we ought not to think that the Divine nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped [results of man’s carnal religious efforts] by art and man’s desiring. Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent [not merely forsake sin, but change one’s apprehension regarding it – this can only be fulfilled through a nature change], because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man [both Christ head and His many member body] whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead [the resurrected head and body of Christ].” In this God’s people have the assurance that redemption is among us to manifest the kingdom of God.
This day is our day when God has brought a people into the fullness of this day. This day of Redemption has come as this people have left behind Egypt through the sacrifice of the Lamb, Jesus Christ, representing the outer court realm of the tabernacle. These have traveled through the wilderness of trials as they experienced the sanctifying work of the Holy place. Herein, the Holy Spirit has prepared a people for a birthing. This birthing takes us into the full measure of the Canaan land experience. A land of God’s fullness where God’s sons dwell in God’s Holy of Holies. That is, a perfected company who know the reality of dwelling with God in His throne-room. A people knowing the fullness of redemption as it is now upon us. Stop, look and see, for He has surely come.