“A Voice for the Gathering Saints”
Duane Stewart
www.avoiceforthegatheringsaints.org
“Who Are We?”
The importance of knowing who we are in God reveals itself as we, the people of God, begin to take our place as to our destiny, which is God\’s will and purpose for each vessel. We know that God created the first man Adam to have dominion within His creation. God’s purposes, that man might subdue, have dominion over and replenish creation. That he might fill it with God\’s presence in every dimension and throughout each order. Adam, while in total dependency upon God had that dominion, which was recognized and realized as Adam and Eve related to God in the cool, the spirit of the day. Thus, Adam and Eve had a relationship with God that was one of constant communications according to God\’s purpose for that day of beginnings. Gen. 3:8a, \”And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool [spirit] of the day…” However, their removal from this place of dominion within the realm of the garden was the results of disobedience, but God, in mercy, left them a continual promise. This promise declares that the way to the tree of life, protected by God until man could through Christ, re-enter and again abide in the realm called the Garden of Eden, the place wherein man might partake of the tree of life, therein to know and receive eternal life.
What a glorious promise. Nevertheless, God in helping man to reclaim His purpose, it is important for man to know the place from which he fell and understand the why or reason for that fall. In the garden when approached by the serpent, the received communications between him and Eve produced a mind-set that removed Adam and Eve from that lofty realm of dominion. In accepting the serpent’s lies, that which the serpent is and represents now becomes the mind-set of the generations of Adam and Eve. Isa. 14:12-14 reveals that mind-set, \”How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken [subdued] the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven [the heavens], I will exalt my throne above the stars of GOD: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the MOST HIGH\”.
God\’s people, purposed in Him before the foundations of the world and created from the dust of the earth had now fallen. They could in their fallen condition, begin to recognize the lofty place from which they had fallen. This fall was from a lofty realm of light into a realm of darkness. However, God\’s promise of restoration enables man to find his way back to that realm of light from which he fell. The promise from God of a Son birthed to become a sacrifice to make available the work of progressive salvation, which is bringing any repentant man back to that spiritual place the man once possessed. Back from darkness, line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little, to that realm of light which abides in Christ. The completion of our salvation through Jesus Christ results in the true meaning of the \”word\” and \”work\” of resurrection. This work of resurrection begins for repentant man at the cross with the completed work of resurrection meaning \”a reversal\”. Along with Paul, we can express our desire, \”that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection\”.
God\’s intention has never changed. From before the foundation of the world He has purposed to make man in the likeness of His image. As written in Gen. 1:26, \”And God said, Let Us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over …” This word \”man\” as used here is the Hebrew word \”AW-DAM\’ meaning \”one showing blood (life) in the face\”. This is speaking of man, whose countenance reflects the quality of his inner nature, a nature that is the results of the breath, the life of God breathed into the formed dust of the earth created man. God’s breath, His Spirit caused man to become a living soul, a living soul reflecting the nature of God. \”Made in God\’s image\” speaks of the man being in the same \”shade\” as God. \”Shade\” denotes that man vibrated or existed in the same realm as God. These vibrations speak of the different realms or expressions that extend from God in all His purposes.
Psalms 89:15 reveals, \”Blessed is the People that know the joyful sound: They shall walk, O Lord, in the light of Thy countenance [face, life]\”. Remember that the scripture does declare that when we see Him as He is, we shall be like Him. In the above scripture, take note of the words \”sound\” and \”light\”. With each, sound or light becoming a manifestation, these are the results that come from a certain vibration. \”Sound\” has a certain vibration and \”light\” is the result of a higher vibration. Before man\’s fall in Eden, he existed in pure spirit form and his body was a covering purposed to expressed God’s light. However, according to God\’s wisdom, He allows man to fall from that higher vibration to a lesser vibration with a purposed hope. Note Rom. 8:20, \”For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of Him who hath subjected the same in hope\”. Hope, having it’s fulfillment through salvation means for man that deliverance from the bondage of corruption is available. Salvation is the process, made available by the cross, by which we are returning to God. This reversal will once again give expression to the life and light that we are as being in Him.
This speaks that unto those who continue to reject the work of salvation God has made available; there is a continuation of life in that realm of darkness. Their countenance, their nature expresses a realm of evil that maintains its manifestation of darkness. Matt. 6:23 states, \”But if thine eye be evil, the whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness\”. With darkness, having many forms of expressions, sometimes it even seems to have the appearance of light; its source continues to be of the realm of darkness. Can we understand that darkness is part of light? It is simply light whose vibration has slowed down. Thus, man, in his fall, fell from a realm of pure light to a realm of light slowed down to become darkness. Remember, God is \”pure light\” and in man’s present fallen slowed down form of light, he cannot behold God and live. For this cause, God the Word became flesh. Meaning that God emptied Himself to become much less than what He really is. He lowered His vibration of light to become a man. For what reason did God lower Himself? To deal with humanity on man’s level, a realm of darkness, a lower vibration.
This means that God took on the form of slowed down light to appear in the realm of fallen man. Gaining victory over the realm of darkness that through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, man through that available salvation could once again approach the realm of light, a quickening of vibration to relate again with God in the realm of pure light. Therefore, we are encouraged to let the revelation of God run its course in us, that we might again become that pure light in spirit, soul and body. Proverbs 4:18, \”But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day\”. With revelation of God coming in a progressive manner, man has the tendency to build temples around those certain revealed truths. When this transpires, it takes those certain truths of light and boxes in the light to slow down again and finally become darkness. Remember, darkness is light which has slowed down. Man made temples become walls that stop the progressive flow of Gods light, thus becoming darkness. Therefore, revelation must remain free to move us more and more into God’s perfect day, that is a day wherein the light shines brighter than the noonday sun, a perfect day of restoration, and a reversal into the power of His resurrection, which glorifies the Father in all things. John 8:12, \”Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life\”. Therefore, let us arise and shine for God’s glory is available for all who are willing to see Him as He is. In seeing Him as He is, man can become His image and likeness to manifest Christ unto the entire world. Thus, a called responding people becoming the light of God, as they began to know who they really are in Christ.