"EYES BEFORE AND BEHIND"

MF Blume
APRIL 2, 2000 am

Revelation 4:2-6  And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. And round about the throne [were] four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.

Revelation 5:1  And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.

Ezekiel 10:8-12  And there appeared in the cherubims the form of a man's hand under their wings. And when I looked, behold the four wheels by the cherubims, one wheel by one cherub, and another wheel by another cherub: and the appearance of the wheels was as the colour of a beryl stone. And as for their appearances, they four had one likeness, as if a wheel had been in the midst of a wheel. When they went, they went upon their four sides; they turned not as they went, but to the place whither the head looked they followed it; they turned not as they went. And their whole body, and their backs, and their hands, and their wings, and the wheels, were full of eyes round about, even the wheels that they four had.

Ezekiel 2:9-10  And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein; And he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: ...


A few weeks ago I preached a message entitled EYES THAT CAN SEE GLORY .

God gives understanding "here a little and there a little.
Isaiah 28:10  For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
So we do not understand everything right away. I am going to speak the MYSTERY of God to you today.

The Beasts are the Cherubims. Cherubims represent the Church. There is one thing that every member of the Body of Christ needs to have is UNDERSTANDING. Ephesians 1:17-21 speaks of Paul's prayer that all believers SEE the great power of God that was exerted for us, when He raised Christ from the gave and set him at HIs right hand over all evil powers that exist! Read that carefully. That means that there is RESURRECTION POWER of God working in our lives. That is the reason we read in Chapter 2
Ephesians 2:1  And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
WE NEED TO SEE THIS!!!!

Notice that the beasts of Revelation had eyes BEFORE AND BEHIND THEM.

John saw a book sealed up in the hand of God on the throne in Revelation 5:1. Now, the Book was sealed and kept in God's hand. Who would have thought that man would be freed from the sin of the Garden of Eden by being co-crucified with a sinless man who would die on a cross as us, and INDWELL US as the Holy Ghost, causing us, BY THAT INDWELLING to have hope of glory???? So this mystery is simply the great truths of the CROSS of Jesus UNLOCKED. Thank God for the Holy Ghost!
1Corinthians 2:9-12  But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
Stress the word THINGS as you read this again. What were the things that eye and ear could not see nor hear? Nobody could know these things until the Spirit came. Unless Jesus left, the COMFORTER WOULD NOT COME.
John 16:12-14  I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
The Spirit would come if the Son would go. Jesus said that He had many things ot say, but they could not bear them. What did Jesus refer to when He said that the Spirit would come and show them things to come? Everytime Jesus tried to tell the disciples about that, they misunderstood it.
Luke 9:44-45  Let these sayings sink down into your ears: for the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men. But they understood not this saying, and it was hid from them, that they perceived it not: and they feared to ask him of that saying.

Luke 18:31-34  Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.

Matthew 16:21-22  From that time forth began Jesus to shew 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. Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.

Mark 9:9-10  And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead. And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean.

They could not GRASP it. People who are still BLINDED cannot see the revelation. Why do people say that we have no need to obey Peter in Acts 2:38 when he said Repent, Be baptized in Jesus' name for remission of sins, and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost? It was sealed from the disciples also, until Jesus opened it up to them. There it is in JESUS' OWN WORDS. Jesus personally opened their understanding, and when they received the Holy Ghost, Jesus in Spirit form, that REVEALER was inside them. The eyes of our understanding must be OPENED.. enlightened. The reason the eyes were before and behind is because there are two aspects of the MYSTERY that need to be understood. The revelation that the SPIRIT would reveal to us when He came was THE THINGS FREELY GIVEN TO US OF GOD. He would show them things TO COME. Ezekiel said the book was written this way:
 
Ezekiel 2:9-10  And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein; And he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.
WITHIN AND WITHOUT. - Ezekiel
WITHIN AND ON THE BACKSIDE - John.

THE WITHOUT things, or the BACKSIDE things are the things about the cross that speak of what we can see from the perspective of EYES BEHIND.

The things that are behind me are the things of my life in sin. The WITHIN things are the things that are now part of you. Notice after Paul speaks of the EYES being opened, we read about the BEHIND things and the BEFORE things.
Ephesians 2:1-5  And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, ...


Someone said we ARE sinners saved by grace.

We WERE sinners.
We WERE enemies of God.

Adam made us sinners.

Romans 5:19  For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
And JESUS MADE US sinners, too????? We need to get the BEHIND things straight in our hearts. I want to say that something is a BEHIND issue that many think is a PRESENT or FUTURE ISSUE. There is a change that needs to occur. Becoming aware of a PAST change will actually help you MANIFEST that change in your behaviour. Notice this. How can that be? You need your MIND RENEWED.
You need your UNDERSTANDING ENLIGHTENED. Until you get a revelation, have your BEHIND eyes opened, you will not enjoy the freedom God gave to you. Paul said in EPHESIANS 2:1-5 -- WE WERE SINNERS. But Paul also speaks about our BEFORE eyes.
Ephesians 2:5-14  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
The things BEFORE us are: We.... When you have your BEHIND eyes and your BEFORE eyes opened, you will see BOTH these aspects. Well, they are one thing... spiritually dull of SEEING.

Revelation shows believers who can SEE what the Bible is trying to say.

Condemning preachers are blind themselves! Paul said he wanted to KNOW HIM.
Philippians 3:8-10  Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
How many want to KNOW HIM? The things that are BEHIND you need ot be revealed to you. You need to see the things BEFORE you.



SERMONS