REST IS A REVELATION AWAY
-or-
SEEING DOUBLE

Mike Blume
January 9, 2005 pm
  Scripture Text:
 
Joshua 3:11-14 KJV  Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan.  (12)  Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man.  (13)  And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap.  (14)  And it came to pass, ...

2 Kings 2:6-14 KJV  And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the LORD hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on.  (7)  And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan.  (8)  And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground.  (9)  And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.  (10)  And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.  (11)  And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.  (12)  And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.  (13) He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;  (14)  And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.



  Message:


If you have been following our messages in the last few weeks, you know we have been speaking about ELISHA.
  • Last week I indicated that ELISHA's ministry foreshadowed Paul's ministry in the New Testament.
  • A ministry to SEE MORE.
I researched the name of ELISHA, and discovered his name means GOD OF RICHES.
  • This perfectly speaks of Paul's ministry!
  • Paul prayed the eyes of the Ephesian believers would be opened to see THE RICHES OF THE INHERITANCE IN THE SAINTS.
  • His ministry revealed that God is the GOD OF RICHES to the church!
  • There are so many riches believers do not realize are their's!
  • Paul's ministry sought to OPEN THE EYES of the believer, just as Elisha prayed the eyes of his servant be opened to see the riches of the power of God upon the church that was the same power that raised Christ into heavenly places.

I cannot get away from that thought today.

Let's dig DEEPER!

We need to describe the ark of the covenant tonight so we can catch a similarity between Joshua's crossing of Jordan and Elisha's crossing.

Exodus 25:17-22 KJV  And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof.  (18)  And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.  (19)  And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof.  (20)  And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be.  (21)  And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.  (22)  And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.

ELISHA AND JOSHUA COMPARED

Elisha and Joshua both accomplished something their predecessors accomplished.
  • They divided the waters of the Jordan.
  • Moses divided the waters of the Red Sea, and when the "mantle" was passed onto Joshua, he divided waters also... those of the Jordan.
  • The last miracle Elijah ever did was the first one Elisha did, also being the first one Joshua did.
  • Dividing the Jordan.

Both Elisha and Joshua divided the Jordan AFTER THEIR PREDECESSORS WERE TAKEN INTO GLORY BY GOD.
  • Moses was taken by God at the time immediately before Joshua led Israel across Jordan.

And both pictures of crossing Jordan involve GAZING or SEEING something.

When Joshua divided Jordan, the ark of the covenant was carried into the waters.
  • Atop that ark, were the figures of cherubims WHOSE EYES LOOKED AT THE MERCY SEAT.

ELISHA would receive a double portion of Elijah's ministry if he would SEE Elijah ascend into heaven.
  • Immediately after that, he smote the Jordan with the mantle and it divided.

MERCYSEAT GAZINGS

The eyes of the cherubim looking at he mercyseat and the sight of Elijah being carried into heaven both are related, when you think of Jesus Christ in both instances.
  • The mercy seat sprinkled with blood represented the TRUE THRONE OF HEAVEN where Jesus Christ came to make atonement for mankind.
  • The High Priest of old entered the most holy place and sprinkled the mercyseat with the blood of the sacrifice once every year in the feast of atonement.
  • That blood was representative of the payment for the sins of the entire nation of Israel.

Leviticus 1:4 KJV  And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.

The animal was accepted FOR THE OFFERER, to make atonement for him.
  • It counted as the offerer's death!

Numbers 8:10-12 KJV  And thou shalt bring the Levites before the LORD: and the children of Israel shall put their hands upon the Levites:  (11)  And Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD for an offering of the children of Israel, that they may execute the service of the LORD.  (12)  And the Levites shall lay their hands upon the heads of the bullocks: and thou shalt offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, unto the LORD, to make an atonement for the Levites.

Laying hands on the head of another represented transferring sins.
  • So the people transferred to the priests and the priests transferred to the sacrifice.

JESUS OUR ATONEMENT

Jesus Christ is our atonement!
  • And Hebrews 9 says He did not go into the holiest place made with hands, but INTO HEAVEN ITSELF.

Hebrews 9:11-12 KJV  But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;  (12)  Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

Hebrews 9:24 KJV  For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:

And he went to the THRONE with that atonement, and there is where he sat down.

Hebrews 10:12 KJV  But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

The eyes of the cherubims were gazing at that very place where the High Priest would sprinkle the blood.
  • Paul spoke of EYES OF UNDERSTANDING.
  • This picture represents UNDERSTANDING SOMETHING ABOUT THE BLOOD ON THE MERCYSEAT.
  • If all this ritual in the holiest of holies represents Jesus Christ and the TRUE ATONEMENT, then the eyes of the cherubims seeing the blood on that seat represents A REVELATION or UNDERSTANDING of Christ's atonement for us.

AND ALL OF THAT SYMBOLISM WAS WHAT THE ARK OF THE COVENANT REPRESENTED, WHICH WAS PUT INTO JORDAN AND OPENED UP THE JORDAN SO ISRAEL COULD ENTER THE PROMISED LAND.

We mentioned in the last few weeks that Elijah told Elisha he could have a double portion of his ministry, if HE COULD SEE ELIJAH ASCEND INTO HEAVEN.
  • And this also foreshadows Jesus Christ, who ascended into glory.
  • Paul said our eyes need to see the power that raised him up there is towards the people in the church in this world.

Elisha entered into this double portion of power and it was then that he crossed Jordan, like Joshua did.

BOTH PICTURES STRESS EYES SEEING SOMETHING, AND CROSSING JORDAN, AND BECOMING A POWERFUL MINISTER.

SEEING SOMETHING WAS INTEGRAL TO DIVIDING THE JORDAN.
  • Without the ark, upon which ark the eyes of the cherubims saw the mercyseat, the Jordan would not have opened.
  • Without seeing Elijah ascend, Elisha would not have a double portion of his ministry and do what Elijah did in dividing the Jordan.

JUST AS MUCH AS WITH THEM, SEEING SOMETHING IS SO VITAL FOR OUR ENTRANCE.
  • THE REST is what the land of Canaan represented according to Hebrews 3 through 4.

Hebrews 3:8-11 KJV  Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:  (9)  When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.  (10)  Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.  (11)  So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)

Entering into Canaan for Israel when the spies doubted God was entering into GOD'S REST, according to Psalm 95:11 as quoted by Hebrews 3:11.

Faith comes by HEARING... and that word HEARING derives from the term TO UNDERSTAND.
  • You cannot have faith UNTIL YOU UNDERSTAND something.
  • And SEEING represents understanding.
  • Israel's spies doubted God and spread their doubt so they could not BELIEVE.

Hebrews 3:18-19 KJV  And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?  (19)  So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

WE NEED TO SEE SO THAT WE CAN BELIEVE!
  • We need to understand!

Understand that God does not bring us this far to leave us!
  • He does not teach us to swim to let us drown.
  • He does not build his home in us to move away.

God wants you to ENJOY a DOUBLE PORTION.

The idea of Christ also comes into the thought of a double portion.

This verse shows the FIRSTBORN received a double portion.

Deuteronomy 21:17 KJV  But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his.

Christ is the FIRSTBORN.
  • Hebrews calls him our brother.

Romans 8:29 KJV  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

So how can WE get a double portion if HE is the firstborn and we are not?
  • THE KEY IS THE REVELATION WE ARE PREACHING ABOUT TONIGHT.

In order for the ATONEMENT BLOOD of Christ to be counted as OUR BLOOD, indicating OUR DEATHS, not only did Christ die on the cross, BUT WE MUST UNDERSTAND WE DIED WITH HIM, In God's eyes.
  • WE must see it the way God sees it!
  • I want my Father's eyes!
  • I want to see things the way He sees things!

If we died with Him, then we came into a UNION WITH HIM when He died.
  • So since He died, was buried and resurrected, then we died, were buried and are resurrected.
  • SO HIS INHERITANCE IS OUR INHERITANCE.
  • His double portion is our double portion!
  • And it is also DOUBLE PORTION in another sense... we are considered a single portion and He is another single portion, and when you unite us together there is a double portion!

When it comes to seeing truth, WE HAVE TO SEE DOUBLE!
  • Every Christian knows the single portion.
  • A single man died name Jesus and was buried and resurrected.
  • But who sees DOUBLE when they see the cross?
  • Who sees themselves AND Jesus who died on the cross?

The reason the doubters of Israel spied the land and spread doubt is because they COULD NOT SEE DOUBLE!
  • They saw the giants and saw themselves ALL ALONE and THEIR WEAK POWER.
  • They should have seen HIS POWER WITH THEM!
  • They forgot the TOGETHER truth!

God was TOGETHER WITH THEM!
  • God would not abandon them.
  • THEY WERE GRASSHOPPERS, BUT THEY WERE TOGETHER WITH A GOD WHO FILLED THE UNIVERSE!

Ephesians 2:5-6 KJV  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)  (6)  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

Romans 6:5 KJV  For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

Romans 8:17 KJV  And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

1 Corinthians 3:9 KJV  For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.

TOGETHER!
SEE DOUBLE!

When the eyes of the cherubims looked at the blood on the mercyseat where the death's blood was sprinkled, this speaks of OUR NEED TO SEE DOUBLE.
  • We must not only see Christ's death as His death, but each of our deaths as well.

Rahab was to survive the destruction of Jericho by SEEING DOUBLE!
  • The spies told her to put a scarlet thread in her window, and that would signal her location for her rescue from destruction by Israel.
  • The WINDOWS are like your EYES.
  • You SEE all around you through your eyes.
  • And with the scarlet cord in the window, EVERYTHING YOU SEE IS SEEN THROUGH THE BLOOD.
  • YOU SEE DOUBLE in all you see.
  • Seeing through the blood means YOU UNDERSTAND YOU DIED WITH CHRIST AND ARE TOGETHER WITH HIM AND THAT TAKES YOU INTO A REST!

Rahab entered a REST while others were destroyed!

Exodus 16:4-5 KJV  Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.  (5)  And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.

Manna was bread from Heaven.
  • How many know that Jesus said HE IS THE TRUE MANNA FROM HEAVEN (John 6)?

And a DOUBLE PORTION of manna was given on the SIXTH DAY.
  • This was because WORK was required to gather the manna, and God did not want them working on the sabbath.
  • He wanted them to have enough manna on the sixth day to cover both the 6th and 7th DAYS.
  • A double portion.

When you receive a double portion you will enter the REST.

When you SEE DOUBLE, you see Jesus and the image of JESUS, yourself.
  • Seeing Him dying on the cross is seeing you die.
  • You are HIS IMAGE.

On the sixth day look what we read:

Genesis 1:26 KJV  And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

GOD MAKES US INTO HIS IMAGE.

The sixth day was when man was in God's image.
  • The double portion day.
  • God and man in His image.
  • Just like the double portion of manna was given on the sixth day, man was said to be in God's image on the sixth day.

VIRGINS

Matthew 25:1-4 KJV  Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.  (2)  And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  (3)  They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:  (4)  But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

The WISE virgins had a DOUBLE PORTION.
  • Oil in VESSELS as well as lamps!
  • That took them into the wedding.
  • The Wedding speaks of UNION as well.
  • A man and woman unite.

1 Corinthians 6:16-17 KJV  What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.  (17)  But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.

REST is a revelation away!
  • If you can SEE this revelation of UNION TO CHRIST...
  • If you can SEE DOUBLE...
  • Then you will enter into the rest that CANAAN represented... that the SEVENTH DAY represented.

Oh what REST you will experience in storms if you can KNOW you are united to Christ and He will never forsake you, and HIS POWER IS UPON YOU!