THE FOUNDATION OF GOSPEL REVELATION

Genesis 22:2  And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

Genesis 22:13-14  And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.  (14)  And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.

Something would be seen THERE.

2 Chronicles 3:1  Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the LORD appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.

Mat 16:15-18  He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?  (16)  And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.  (17)  And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.  (18)  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

A very special mountain stood in Jerusalem that first comes into significance in Abraham’s day.

• Mount Moriah.
• The name MORIAH actually means SEEN OF THE LORD.

There was Abraham told to take his only son, Isaac, and sacrifice him to the Lord.

• We simply read of a few statements made by Abraham.
• But the mind of that man and his faith accomplished some great feats, in order for him to be able to say what he did.

Genesis 22:1-5  And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.  (2)  And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.  (3)  And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and cleaved the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.  (4)  Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.  (5)  And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.

In order to respond to the servants, telling them that he and the lad would return to them after worshipping, a lot had to go through the mind of Abraham.

• You need to appreciate it.
• God previously told him that all nations of the world would be blessed through this son.
• From that boy would come descendants as innumerable in number as the sand on the sea or the stars in the sky.
• And God commands him to sacrifice that same son.

Genesis 22:9  And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.

He built an altar there.

On that MOUNTAIN, he built.

Hebrews 11:17-19  By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,  (18)  Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:  (19)  Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.

For Abraham to hear God say that he must sacrifice Isaac, and then tell the servants he would leave and return with the boy, he caught a revelation that God’s promises are true, no matter what things look like.

• The revelation was that God would have to resurrect Isaac from the dead in order to have made two statements, neither of which can be wrong.
• When He said Isaac would be the start of uncountable souls, that could not be violated by His words to sacrifice Isaac.
• So Abraham realized God would have to resurrect the boy.
• He saw the TRUTH of resurrection.

Abraham faced a situation of DEATH.

We know that Satan had the power of DEATH (Hebrews 2:14).

• Death is an enemy.
• The greatest enemy.
• And Abraham faced the prospects of having his son die, to be taken away from him.
• God even stressed the picture by calling Isaac his only son whom Abraham loved.
• But Abraham SAW SOMETHING.
• It caused him to obtain victory over the devil's greatest weapon, death!
• HE SAW A REVELATION!
• IN THE MOUNTAIN OF THE LORD IT SHALL BE SEEN!
  

And when we read…

Genesis 22:13-14  And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.  (14)  And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.

…Abraham in fact did receive Isaac back again from the dead, because that ram’s death counted in God’s eyes as Isaac’s death.

He received Isaac back in a FIGURE.

• That ram’s death counted for Isaac’s death.
• So Isaac’s return from the mountain, since the ram died in his place, was like Isaac resurrected from death.

Abraham said IN THE MOUNT OF THE LORD IT SHALL BE SEEN.

That is what "MORIAH" means in English.

• SEEN OF GOD.
• Abraham SAW a truth and revelation that GOD COUNTS THE SACRIFICE AS OUR DEATHS.

He and Isaac did indeed return.

(4)  Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.  (5)  And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.

HE LIFTED UP HIS EYES.

EYES OF UNDERSTANDING receive REVELATION.

ON A THIRD DAY!

On a third day Jesus Christ resurrected from the dead.

• The only Begotten Son of God!
• Without that resurrection, many nations would never be blessed as they are today!
• We would not know His Spirit today had it not been for that resurrection!

Paul said we need our eyes of understanding enlightened to see CHRIST IS RESURRECTED AND WE ARE SEATED TOGETHER WITH HIM IN HEAVENLY PLACES.

LIFT UP your eyes.

Up high enough to where Christ is seated in heaven, and see that you are seated with Him! 

When Abraham LIFTED UP his eyes, he saw a ram to die in Isaac’s place.

Like a ram’s head caught in the thickets, Christ had a crown of thorns placed on his head as he died AS US.

This is the whole foundation of the entire concept of the Church of Jesus Christ!

And we read…

Gene 22:17  That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which [is] upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

THERE ON THE FOUNDATION WHERE HE SAW A REVELATION of resurrection from the dead by a special sacrifice.

Jesus would possess the keys to the gates of hell.

• He possessed the gates of his enemy!
• The gates of hell were the property of the devil!
• But Jesus conquered death, hell and the grave.
• He possessed the gates of hell.
• Where God showed this revelation to Abraham, and Abraham saw the truth of death for another, that the other might live, and in effect be resurrected from death, THE TEMPLE WOULD ONE DAY BE BUILT.
• UPON THAT ROCK, the Mount Moriah, the temple would be built.
• And Jesus spoke of building his church on the rock, and said the gates of hell would not prevail against it, because Jesus would possess and take control those gates!!
  

DAVID

Centuries later, David is coming down to the close of life, and is tempted by Satan to number his military might.

• What was so insulting to God about this is that God was with him no matter how many men he had.
• Not only that, but his men were totally for him, and counting them would not lessen or add to his military might.
• But David began slipping away from his confidence in God, and worried, so sought to check how much fleshly power he had.
• It took 9 months and 3 weeks to make the count from Dan to Beersheba.

As soon as David was told that he had 1,100,000 men from Israel and 470,000 men from Judah, he cried out to God in repentance.

• He admitted he sinned.
• Not only that, but law said that if you count Israel then you must pay the tribute money for each and every soul.

Exodus 30:12  When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the LORD, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them.

So a plague would come.

And God sent the prophet named Gad the seer, to David and gave David one of three choices of punishments.

1) 7 months of famine.
2) 3 months of fleeing from enemies.
3) 3 days of pestilence.

3 Days will always speak of the cross in some manner.

David chose to fall into God’s merciful hand and accept the third choice of direct punishment from God of THREE DAYS OF plague and pestilence.

• And from Dan to Beersheba, the very places where the count  was made, 70, 000 souls died.

Then we read ON THE THIRD DAY of that plague…

1 Chronicles 21:15-18  And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he was destroying, the LORD beheld, and he repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed, It is enough, stay now thine hand. And the angel of the LORD stood by the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.  (16)  And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of the LORD stand between the earth and the heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders of Israel, who were clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces.  (17)  And David said unto God, Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbered? even I it is that have sinned and done evil indeed; but as for these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, O LORD my God, be on me, and on my father's house; but not on thy people, that they should be plagued.  (18)  Then the angel of the LORD commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and set up an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.

David saw that Jerusalem was about to be destroyed.

He faced an enemy called DEATH as Abraham faced the proposition of a DEATH.

But David got a revelation!

• Suddenly he spoke with prophetic spirit and said things that would be true of Jesus Christ.
• As a shepherd, David said, “as for these sheep, what have they done? Let thine hand be on me… but not on my people.”

Jesus said,

John 10:11  I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

David realized in revelation that he could die instead of Jerusalem.

• This was revelatory!
• Very significant!
• Another would die for others.
• The spirit of sacrifice hit him!
• THAT IS WHAT GOD ALWAYS LOOKED FOR.
• It struck God's heart, for He would manifest in flesh and that humanity would die for others, as well!
  

1 Chronicles 21:26-28  And David built there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called upon the LORD; and he answered him from heaven by fire upon the altar of burnt offering.  (27)  And the LORD commanded the angel; and he put up his sword again into the sheath thereof.  (28)  At that time when David saw that the LORD had answered him in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there.

As soon as David mentioned dying for the people instead, THAT instigated God to send the prophet telling David to build an altar.

DAVID GOT A REVELATION!

Just like Abraham’s altar meant to offer Isaac upon, and a substitution death took place, David’s words of substitution were associated with an altar.

• When God heard David say TAKE ME, He sent word for an altar.
• That altar stood for David’s death.
• David acted so self-centredly when he numbered Israel.
• But here God saw him act selflessly.
  

God saw David say that, get that revelation, and gave instructions to BUILD AN ALTAR.

When David made that statement, God saw that he caught hold of something divine.

• He caught hold of the heartbeat of God and the essence of the entire Gospel.
• He caught hold of that which would be the foundation for the church, itself!
• The entire basis for the whole concept of salvation by Jesus Christ was this truth!

This was the same location where Abraham saw something, caught a truth and such a powerful revelation.

• Abraham saw that sacrifice was substitution for his posterity.
• He saw that through a sort of resurrection from death in Isaac, many nations would be blessed.
• Since that ram’s death stood as Isaac’s death, then, right there….

1 Chronicles 22:1  Then David said, This is the house of the LORD God, and this is the altar of the burnt offering for Israel.

Its as though David said, UPON THIS ROCK I WILL BUILD THE TEMPLE.

He saw that God accepted and approved of that sacrifice.

• He would not go to Gibeon any more and offer.
• God approved of THAT place.

Deuteronomy 12:5  But unto the place which the LORD your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come:

God indicated to David where that place was!

Up went the temple.

On the mountain, or rock as it were, where Abraham arrived after a three day journey and saw Isaac resurrected from death through the death of the ram…

• Where David offered himself in death and representatively did die through the sacrifice there…
• The entire temple was built.

Ornan owned a threshing floor there.

• A place high up on the mountain where the wind would blow away the chaff from the wheat he threshed.
• Where elements not desired in the wheat were removed and taken to be burned were separated.

John the Baptist described Jesus, saying:

Mat 3:11-12  I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:  (12)  Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

Jesus saw that Peter received a revelation that He was CHRIST, the son of the living God!

• Peter caught hold of the revelation of the LIVING GOD.
• He understood somewhat of God’s LIFE.
• He received a revelation!
• A revelation associated with Abraham and David’s revelations
• LIFE OF GOD.
• And Jesus said He’d build His church on THAT ROCK.
• Gates of the grave could not prevail against that kind of Church.

Mat 16:15-18  He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?  (16)  And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.  (17)  And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.  (18)  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

He gives Peter keys of power because a revelation of Jesus, upon which the Church is built, awards power to the church.

And then he actually set out to prepare the building right away.

As though he waited for David to get the revelation of substitution sacrifice, and then proceeded to tell David to make an altar, and indicate THAT is where the temple would be built…

• Jesus sees that Peter received a revelation, and starts SPEAKING SOME TRUTHS He never spoke before.

Mat 16:21  From that time forth began Jesus to show unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.

He laid the foundation.

• The foundation TRUTHS of His death and resurrection.
• He immediately proceeded to speak of his death and resurrection.
• He started laying the foundation.
  
• The death that would be the substitute for our deaths.
• The grave’s gates cannot  prevail against this building and church because it’s foundation is His  death made in substitution for our deaths!
• How can DEATH harm a church that is based upon dying with Jesus and resurrecting from the dead with Him?

The entire foundation of the church is the TRUTH WE RECEIVE IN POWERFUL REVELATION that death was overcome through Jesus’ sacrifice.

• Like the ram dying for Isaac.
• Like David willing to die for Jerusalem.

It is appointed to man ONCE to die.

Hebrews 9:27-28  And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:  (28)  So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

Christ dies ONCE because we are supposed to die ONCE.

• He takes care of that single death debt we owe.
• He paid a debt that WE OWED.
• There goes my DEATH and my JUDGMENT.
• We had (a) one death and (b) judgment afterwards.
• Jesus died (a) ONCE to (b) bear our sins.

And the devil has the power of death (Hebrews 2:14).

• Anything the devil does is in the category of his power of death.
• So anything the devil does, we need to stand up on the FOUNDATION of the death of Jesus Christ for us, and let him know he has no jurisdiction over someone who paid the debt of death through Christ.
• Gates of grave and death cannot prevail against us!

They built the temple there on Moriah -- SEEN OF GOD.

• SEEN OF GOD indicates a REVELATION.
• This revelation involves YOU.
• You SEE this truth of HIS LIFE, resurrection LIFE, as your foundation, and you experience His resurrection.
• And you thereby are on a Rock of safety that keeps you safe from any storm.
• Any attack from the power of death.

Matthew 26:63-64  But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

The High Priest sentenced him to death for making this statement.
 
Matthew 26:65-67  Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death. Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote [him] with the palms of their hands,
 
This statement condemned Him to death.

• The statement Peter made caused DEATH to strike back!
• They said they should KILL HIM if He thinks He is son of the Living God.
• "A son of the Living God would RISE FROM DEATH if we killed Him!"
• "Let's retaliate with that claim of His!"

1 John 5:5  Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

1 John 5:20  And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

In the same chapter where we read of Abraham’s revelation of resurrection life…
 
Gene 22:17  That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which [is] upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

The seed of Abraham would possess the gates of the enemy.

• Jesus has the KEYS OF DEATH AND HELL.

Revelation 1:18   I [am] he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

Abraham was told on the MOUNTAIN WHERE THE HOUSE WOULD BE BUILT, at the foundation of LIFE FROM DEATH, the words of the gates of the enemy possessed by the seed, that were fulfilled when Jesus said He’d build His church on the rock, and the gates of hell would not prevail against it!

He would have the KEYS TO THE GATES!

POWER OVER DEATH.

And He gives YOU THE KEYS!

We were indeed founded on this truth.

• But some believers have slipped off from the mountain!
• They are fearful.
• David brought the plague upon himself.
• He acted in the flesh.
• Sometimes we slip away by acting in flesh and becoming fearful.
• We bring problems on ourselves.
  
• If we have been serving God for any amount of time at all, we should be able to shake ourselves and neglect appearances, as ABRAHAM CARED LESS ABOUT WHAT THE PROSPECTS OF DEATH LOOKED LIKE, and trust in God for victory over all opposition to our faith and well being.
• We should look at our battles, as they are all forms of the enemy's kingdom of death, and overcome them knowing our foundation is power over death by resurrection.
• So any lesser enemy aside from death is easy fodder, since we already overcame death through Christ!
• And we should not fear nor worry.
• OVERCOME

This foundation is so secure that if we've been backslidden for years and years, if we repent and get back on that mountain, and inside that house, the devil can rage all he wants, but you have power over him!

• If you claim you cannot for people do not know what you've done, let me say you do not know what Jesus did!
• You need the get back that revelation of the Rock!
• Get the GOSPEL REVELATION which is the foundation of the Church!
  
• He did such a work in overcoming the enemy that you are still his child, if you'll come back to Father's HOUSE ON THE ROCK, and serve God again, you are instantly back in power on the rock!