“A Voice for the Gathering Saints”
Duane Stewart
www.avoiceforthegatheringsaints.org

“God’s Way – His Kingdom”

God’s desire, as revealed through the pattern prayer that Jesus spoke to the disciples, establishes for us His will and purpose in setting up a kingdom. This kingdom, originating in heaven (the invisible spiritual realm) shall likewise have a fulfillment in the earth (the visible realm). Matt. 6:10, “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. This is revealing and speaking of the consummation of a kingdom rulership that does affect humanity’s lives in the now. This is a time wherein the earth becomes so at one with the God of the heavens that the heavens manifest themselves in the earth realm. This is a kingdom government, which becomes the nature of a people, who become the visible manifestation of that kingdom and its life. Who qualifies and where does this qualifying begin when scriptures declare that all have sinned and come short of God’s glory?

With a coming up short being the position of each person, it is God then who can and does bring forth the qualifier. 1 Cor. 6:9-11, “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdomof God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revelers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God”.

Where will such a people come from? God, through His Son and the indwelling sent Holy Spirit has been increasingly preparing a people, making up a pure church. A people who not only receive the seed of the Son, but birth from that seed the Christ life, a many member offspring that shall establish His kingdom. These many member vessels are that which Jeremiah speaks of when speaking of a woman birthing such a man. Jeremiah 31:22, “How long will you gad about, O you backsliding daughter? For the Lord has created a new thing in the earth. A woman shall encompass a man”. Note that the condition of the daughter is one of a backslidden condition, but one that is subject to change. This change results in changes of one growing up to become a woman that again desires to become the spouse of her one true husband. This change will instill within her a desire to bring forth the birthing of a child. The “man” spoken of in this scripture is not just any man but “man” as used in this scripture is a word meaning “a champion, hero, warrior, mighty man; a man in all his strength; a man of strength or bravery”.

This speaks of a union between a woman and a man of strength, of purity, holiness and righteousness (Christ Jesus) and a birthing of a like kind man-child, a many member body called the true body of Christ. In the New Testament, this same backsliding daughter is the church. A church that for the most part, was and is backslidden from the powerhouse church that came out of the upper-room on the day of Pentecost. However, a church with promise that reveals a time in God when true repentance shall again ascend before the Lord and reconciliation shall produce the birthing of a man-child born out of the women (church). These people will establish God’s kingdom in the earth. Hosea 6:1-2, “Come, and let us return to the Lord; for He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days [2000 years] He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight”.

In God’s calendar, He speaks often of the seventh month. The seventh month is also a time for one of the required feast called the Feast of Tabernacles. This feast is a time of harvesting, fulfilling and restoration. In a prophecy of Haggai God speaks of a restored glory that would surpass any glory of a former time. (Read Haggai 2:1-9) with Haggai 2:9 declaring, “The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of Hosts. And in this place I will give peace, says the Lord of Host”. In this context (verse 8) God declares that the silver and gold are His. Here the attention given to silver speaks of God’s redemption from the sin nature while gold is speaking of God’s divine nature resurrecting in redeemed man. Therefore, we behold a God who, from Himself, He shall bring forth such a redeemed people that they become the manifesting divine nature of God as a “man” moving in God’s glorious presence.

The prophet Samuel was one that was born during a time when the glory of God was departing from the children of Israel because of sin which dwelt in the camp. The temple at Shiloh was desecrated and the priesthood was corrupt and immoral. During this time a certain man named Elkanah, whose name means, “God has possessed”, had two wives. One wife had birthed children while the other wife was barren. From this setting, we can receive understanding of two distinct orders that were at work between the two women. One woman produced children that speak of sons, which did not seek after the things of God. Her children seemed to be content in living after the norm of the rebellious lifestyles of much of the Israelites. She was a wife, while representing her husband; she was one that caused turmoil and pain. This wife was willing to produce offspring, which were not offspring of completeness and fullness, but rather sons of complacency and carnal mindedness.

Is this not the same condition of much of the church today? Meanwhile, the barren wife was one that longed to bring forth, but not just to have offspring, but offspring of a double portion. This speaks of offspring who return to God for His use. In this she travailed and groaned before God in that she might be found worthy to bare such a son, a son that God would raise up to restore Israel to a glory greater than its former glory. Likewise, we have among us today a portion of the church that also seeks God for offspring that will usher in a glory, the glory of God’s promised greater glory, which shall establish God’s kingdom on the earth.

The systematic church of today, likened unto Eli who had lost the vision and was without the revelation of God’s word, are a people becoming the blind leading the blind. 1 Sam. 3:1, “Now the boy Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli, and the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation”. There was no widespread revelation because sin was blocking the revealing of God and His word. The people were rebelling against God and His commandments. This is a picture of much of the church today, a church that has allowed carnality to permeate the functions and purpose of the church’s existence. Nevertheless, even as God rose up in Samuel who became a prophet and judge to Israel, likewise God is raising up through the birthing of another son, a many member son, a man-child. These many member sons shall and are in the process of restoring the glory of God to the church order that the true church might appear. 1 Sam. 3:21, “Then the Lord appeared again in Shiloh. For the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel by the word of the Lord”.

With God’s number twelve speaking to us of His divine government, this number, as used in scripture, reveals for us the purpose of God’s kingdom. A kingdom that shall be established according to His divine governmental laws, His nature. This birthed man-child is a many member son of a like kind nature, a people who shall stand in God’s presence to establish such an order. In the book of Revelation God reveals the end-time events that take place in the establishing of His kingdom. (Read Rev. 12:1-17). Points of interest for this writing are that the book of Revelation was written some seventy years after the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Rev. 1:19, we see that the events revealed in the book were to take place after its writing. “Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this”.

Now as we look at Rev. 12:1-2, our attention is to consider a woman, a birthing and the number twelve. “Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth”. This picture speaks to us of these days of fulfillment in which the church of today finds itself. Like Hannah, a portion of the church is in travail, groaning in labor pains to bring forth that son, that man-child which shall take God’s people beyond the in-part mixture of half-truths that exist among the carnality of much of today’s church systems. In her travail, a child is being birthed which shall begin to rule, a rulership that shall establish an order of victory. Rev. 12:5, “She bore a male child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her child was caught up to God and His throne”.

This child, a male that speaks of being spiritual in nature, is a people who shall ascend into spiritual truths and realities while becoming the visible manifestation of the body of Christ upon the earth. A company of deliverers, which feed truth to the world as judgment prevails to establish God’s kingdom. Note with interest that the woman has upon her head a garland of twelve stars. This speaks to us of the place that the woman, the true church, has matured unto in her desire to see God’s word fulfilled. This is a place of worship and praise, through travail, that establishes a new mind-set. This mind-set reacts only to the divine government of God, a coming into the place of complete obedience. Is not this woman, which is the true church, purified and becoming ever watchful as God reveals Himself to her today?

Notice also that this woman is clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet. This speaks to us of a positioning of herself through spiritual maturity. This puts her in the place where she is removed from all carnal coverings and through spiritual maturity submits herself unto the Holy Spirit alone. This speaks of a cleansing, which is the results of complete obedience to God’s revealed word. In this place of obedience, she ascends to a place where the moon is under her feet. Now the moon is a type of the soulish woman church. A church that receives all of its light from the sun (Christ) while having no light within self. With the moon typing the soulish carnal church she becomes subject to the same deceptions that Eve yielded herself to, high ideals and intellectual knowledge that promotes self above God. Also, note that this woman has put the moon under her feet, meaning that she has gained victory over and conquered all that is at fault in the moon church. In this victory, she has become worthy to become pregnant with the child of God’s choosing, a many member son who is destined to establish the kingdom of God in the earth.

(Please read Luke 8:40-56). Jesus, the first born of many sons is the seed planted that shall bring forth a first-fruits people, which become the remnant that shall fulfill God’s word in manifesting and establishing His kingdom. In recognizing that the life in the seed planted shall again appear in the life of the harvest, in the context of Luke 8:40-56 we see the manner of life imparted unto and manifested through the true church. First, the number twelve appears again. The daughter of Jairus, being about twelve years of age was dying. In addition, we see a woman being sick with a flow of blood for twelve years and then along came Jesus, that expression of God’s divine government. Why the number twelve repeated, except to point us to the fact that God’s divine government was making an appearance. A government purposed by God to heal the nations as His kingdom appears and is manifest. Note the woman, a type of a church system, which has had a sickness, a sickness that causes life to flow from her.

In this, we see a sickness of death that the carnal man and his ministries cannot heal, but one which the divine government of God stops immediately as she touches His glory. This is an order, which not only heals the flow of death but also restores that which had been lost. Does not the word declare, “The glory of the latter house shall be greater than the former”? Today there exist a church system which has not lived up to its potential. Meanwhile there is a people who are even now pushing their way through the crowd of complacency, doctrines of devils, carnal minded traditions, and intellectual philosophies. These are that which subtracts from the truth of God’s word, Thus, the need to touch Him who is the way and truth. These are not any longer allowing the old orders of religion to separate them from God’s presence, but in their groaning they desire to touch Him.

Now let us note the twelve-year-old daughter of Jairus who received the testimony that his daughter is now dead. This speaks of a people of carnal religious knowledge only, who walk in step with the world. These declare that the church system of today is gone, is dead without any hope. However, along came the divine government of God. A government free from the thoughts and intents of earthly-minded men. This daughter also speaks of another part of the church systems of today. While having all the appearances of being dead, she is not dead, but only sleeping. A sleeping condition, which envelopes the church, but to be visited by God’s divine government wherein she shall be awakened. This we are beginning to see and hear as a word of restoration is returning the spirit of life into a sleeping church. A sleeping church that shall arise to shine forth with the life and light of God’s glory throughout the earth. Isa. 60:1,” Arise, shine, for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is raised upon you”.

Thus, God’s kingdom, an order of government that fulfills all He has purposed from before the foundation of the world. As this government appears through a people, a first-fruits company, the true church shall arise until seen in all her destined glory. What is it that this awaken church has need of as God’s government begins to manifest? Luke 8:55, “Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately. And He commanded that she be given something to eat”. The invitation given, his people are to eat His flesh and drink His blood that speaks of His life. Therefore, the only food that is profitable is His body and a people who eat and do manifest His life with this same life promised unto all who will come. It is being in Him that we might have life and His life more abundantly. John 10:10b, “I [Jesus] have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly”. His kingdom is come.