A Remnant - Genesis 45:4-7

Genesis 45:4-7 ESV 

So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they came near. And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors.

Joseph perceived that God had used him to preserve a remnant of His people on earth. This foreshadows Christ Jesus doing the same by sealing the twelve tribes during the great tribulation. A remnant shall be saved. 

I wonder if there is a connection between the five months in Revelation and the five years of famine in Egypt?  

Revelation 9:5-6

They were allowed to torment them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone. And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.

Listen

Jesus offered his life to any one who would listen. 

Listen to what the Spirit says. 

Came To Buy - Genesis 42:1-5

Genesis 42:1-5 ESV 

When Jacob learned that there was grain for sale in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?” And he said, “Behold, I have heard that there is grain for sale in Egypt. Go down and buy grain for us there, that we may live and not die.” So ten of Joseph's brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph's brother, with his brothers, for he feared that harm might happen to him. Thus the sons of Israel came to buy among the others who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.

Joseph had grain for sale “that we may live and not die.” The sons of Israel went down to Egypt to buy some. 

Jesus has the bread of life He offers for free “that we may live and not die.” He came to earth to purchase our freedom that He might redeem some. 

There is a great famine in the land. 

For The Salvation Of Many - Genesis 37:23-24

Genesis 37:23-24 ESV 

So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore. And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.

Joseph is stripped of his robe and thrown into a pit by his brothers. God would use their evil deed for the salvation of many. 

The brothers of Jesus, the Jews, would turn Him over to the Romans who would strip Him of His robe and crucify Him. He would be placed in an empty tomb. There was no water of life in it. Jesus entered the stronghold of death and would accomplish its final defeat for the salvation of many. He would leave the tomb behind. 

Your Offspring - Genesis 26:3-5

Genesis 26:3-5 ESV 

Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”

There will be two offsprings of Isaac. One will inherit the promised land and serve as twelve leaves of the tree of life that will be for the healing of the nations. The other will inherit the light of Christ as the stars of heaven. This is the body of Christ, those who have become one with the Lord.

Heaven and earth will meet in the New Jerusalem. 

Your Offspring - Genesis 13:14-16

Genesis 13:14-16 ESV  

The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted.

Genesis 15:5-6

And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

One might interpret these passages as two types of descendants. One that will be of the dust of the earth and the other in heaven as stars in the night sky. 

This would align with the distinction between the inheritance by Israel of the promised land and the inheritance of the body of Christ which will be the Lord. Our hope is kept in heaven. 

1 Peter 1:3-5

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

He Will Surely Do It - 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 ESV 

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

He will do it if this is the desire of our heart. He is faithful if we have faith. 

Psalms 145:16

You open your hand;

you satisfy the desire of every living thing.

Whosoever

Every life can be redeemed by the word of God. 

To My Father’s House - Genesis 28:18-22

Genesis 28:18-22 ESV 

So early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city was Luz at the first. Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.”

Jacob wakes from a dream in which God speaks with him confirming the covenant of his fathers. Jacob then takes the stone used under his head and uses it as a pillar in God’s house. It serves as a kind of cornerstone of his relationship with God. 

Jacob arrives in this place of revelation and resolve as he travels. He finds the house of God as he makes his way through the landscape. This is the case today for those in relationship with Christ. We learn and grow on our way home into the image of God. We are becoming who we are as the body of Christ. 

He is with us even as He awaits at the end. 

Has Passed Through - Hebrews 4:14-15

Hebrews 4:14-15 ESV 

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Jesus passed through the heavens in His coming and going for us. He came by the Spirit, took on the form of man to bring us into the heavenly realms. He entered our death so that we might enter His life. He laid down His life willingly for us and looks for us to do the same for Him. The transaction for salvation requires a sacrifice on both sides and uses the currency of love in the exchange. 

God so loved the world that He gave Himself to save whoever believes in Him. He seeks those who so love Him they will do the same. Love crosses the great chasm between God and man. We are joined with God and man in the power of that love. 

Dwelling In Tents - Genesis 25:27-28

Genesis 25:27-28 ESV 

When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents. Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

Cain found his pleasure in the fruit of the earth, while Abel did what was pleasing to the Lord. 

Esau found his pleasure in the field, while Jacob dwelled in tents. 

These foreshadow the separation between what came to be referred to as earth dwellers and the ones just passing through, pitching their temporary tents on earth as they journey to their heavenly dwelling. The light of heaven has come to these tents on the earth which will guide the way to another place. 

There will come a day when, like Jacob, we will return to the place of our birth as a different person. We will come with Jesus in His glory bringing that heavenly dwelling to the earth. That is the new temple where the Lord will be found in the New Jerusalem, in the body of the Bride of Christ. 

Perfect And Complete - James 1:2-4

James 1:2-4 ESV 

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Faith is fashioned and strengthened as we experience life. It is by our faith in Christ that we will come into new life. It is new life that enables this faith. It is endurance in faith that brings us into completion and perfection. 

Jesus has given us new life. Now we must live it. 

The Way

The Way is a journey, not a destination. Jesus is the way to the Father.

We can get there from here. We can be made into the image of God. 

Been Filled - Colossians 2:9-11

Colossians 2:9-11 ESV 

For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,

In Him dwells the whole fullness of deity. We have been filled in Him. 

You and I also dwell bodily in Him through the body of Christ. This is where and how we become one with God, when heaven and earth are joined. 

He came and we follow. 

The Glory - 2 Corinthians 3:18

2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV 

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

Our flesh receives the breath of life on earth by the will of man. We experience the glory of man. 

Our spirit receives the breath of life in heaven by the will of God the Father. We will experience the glory of the Lord. 

We go from one glory to another, and it will be very good. 

Lift Up Your Eyes - Genesis 13:14-16

Genesis 13:14-16 ESV 

The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted.

Genesis 15:5-6

And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

One might interpret these passages as two types of descendants. One that will be of the dust of the earth and the other in heaven as stars in the night sky. 

This would align with the distinction between the inheritance by Israel of the promised land and the inheritance of the body of Christ which will be the Lord. Our hope is kept in heaven. 

1 Peter 1:3-5

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

The Way - Acts 24:20-22

Acts 24:20-22 ESV 

Or else let these men themselves say what wrongdoing they found when I stood before the council, other than this one thing that I cried out while standing among them: ‘It is with respect to the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you this day.’”

Paul Kept in Custody

But Felix, having a rather accurate knowledge of the Way, put them off, saying, “When Lysias the tribune comes down, I will decide your case.”

God has revealed the way to eternal life. It is the resurrection of the dead made possible by the resurrection of Jesus. All flesh will wither and die, but Christ provides the way beyond death and to eternal life. Those who choose this way will put on a new flesh untainted by death and destruction. We who are in the body of Christ will receive a new body like His. 

Being familiar or having knowledge of the way will provide no benefit, unless one takes the way for their own. 

Has Given Us - 1 John 4:13

1 John 4:13 ESV 

By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

To be a child of God means that we live in a life that is beyond that which we had. The finite life of man is infused with the infinite life of God through the Holy Spirit. We are a unique person who has become one with God. We do not give up what we are, but become who we are. 

My Lord And My God - John 20:28-29

John 20:28-29 ESV 

Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

There is a difference expressed by Thomas when he calls Jesus Lord and God. “Lord” implies a more personal relationship and interaction than the term “God.”

Israel worshiped the one and true God. We now worship our Lord and Father. Israel would be the people of God. We are the family of God. 

Thomas exclaims they are one and the same. 

The Life - John 1:4-5

John 1:4-5 ESV 

In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

If you believe in life, then you believe in God, though you may not realize it. 

He is life. 

The Boundary - Job 26:10

Job 26:10 ESV 

He has inscribed a circle on the face of the waters

at the boundary between light and darkness.

The light of God is shining on the face of the waters of mankind. It has entered the darkness and is drawing a people into that light. It has done so through the man named Jesus who is the Son of God. 

The light has crossed the great expanse between heaven and earth, drawing near to each man and woman. It is the word of God. The finger of God has written in the dust of man and the light of Christ is only a word away. We take but a step to complete the journey into His presence.  

Be Holy - 1 Peter 1:16

1 Peter 1:16 ESV 

since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

We have become the the temple of the Living God. We are made holy in His Holy Presence which makes it possible for us to become the Holy ground out of the dust of the earth. Because of Him, this is so. 

He is with us. 

The Word Of Creation

God spoke the word of creation in the beginning. Those who hear the word and confess it become the new creation sought by God. 

When we both speak the same word,  it is then we both agree and become one.

Do You Understand - John 13:12

John 13:12 ESV 

When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you?

Jesus shed His heavenly garments to put on the garments of mankind. He did this to cleanse us from our sins. He bows down before us to wash our feet, as a servant to all. It signifies what He has and is doing for all His disciples. This was done by the one to whom every knee shall bow. The King of Kings and the Lord Of Lords. 

How can we understand? How might we comprehend this thing He has done?

The Spirit will bring us into all truth. 

The Reality

The reality of the kingdom of heaven is the presence of the Holy Spirit. We witness the beginning of the union of heaven and earth. 

The Last State - Luke 11:24-26

Luke 11:24-26 ESV 

“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.”

What if the prodigal son who turned back to his father returned to the life in the far country? The father would no longer be watching for the son to come back. 

This one is beyond redemption and is worse off than they were. Salt that lost its saltiness cannot be made salty again. 

The sevenfold Spirit of God is replaced by demons when that person is given over to a sinful nature by the Father who honors the wishes of man. 

Walked - Genesis 5:24

Genesis 5:24 ESV 

Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.

Genesis 6:9

These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.

We are commanded to walk with God. Enoch did so and God took him. Noah did so and God delivered him from the flood. He came to rest on an earth made clean. 

God calls all of us to walk with Him. If we do so, He will lead us to where heaven and earth are one in His presence. We will be cleansed by the light of the Lord and take part in the New Jerusalem. 

Come Now - Isaiah 1:18-20

Isaiah 1:18-20 ESV 

“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord:

though your sins are like scarlet,

they shall be as white as snow;

though they are red like crimson,

they shall become like wool.

If you are willing and obedient,

you shall eat the good of the land;

but if you refuse and rebel,

you shall be eaten by the sword;

for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

If we had no choice, there would be no “if” in these verses. There would be no reason to reason together. 

Some will be saved and some will not. He has left it up to us. His hope is that we will. Our hope is in Him. 

To Be Moved

To be moved by the Spirit means being led by the Spirit. In Him we move and have our being. This is our walk from here to there. 

You Remain - Hebrews 1:10-12

Hebrews 1:10-12 ESV 

 

And,

“You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning,

and the heavens are the work of your hands;

they will perish, but you remain;

they will all wear out like a garment,

like a robe you will roll them up,

like a garment they will be changed.

But you are the same,

and your years will have no end.”

Heaven and earth will be changed. The expanse between the waters will disappear as heaven and earth become one. They will be joined together in the garment of light. 

The Father and Son will be the light that shines from the New Jerusalem. The word of the Lord will endure forever. 

Christ Will Shine - Ephesians 5:13-14

Ephesians 5:13-14 ESV

But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,

“Awake, O sleeper,

and arise from the dead,

and Christ will shine on you.”

The children of light appear out of the darkness when they open their eyes from the sleep of the dead. The radiance of God shines upon them. They are given form and filled with the life of God. Thus they are made in the image of God. 

In the beginning we were without form and empty. God is doing a marvelous work and His love endures forever. 

A Heart Witness - Luke 1:1-4

Luke 1:1-4 ESV 

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.

Being an eyewitness to the miracle and wonder of Jesus the man was a privilege only a few would share. 

Being a heartwitness to the presence of God within is the greater privilege that is available to every person on the earth, to you and me. This we are given when we receive the Holy Spirit. Our Savior is reborn in us through His Spirit. When we behold our brothers and sisters, we behold the body of Christ.

Psalms 118:23-24

This is the Lord's doing;

it is marvelous in our eyes.

This is the day that the Lord has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Through His Spirit - Romans 8:10-11

Romans 8:10-11 ESV 

But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

The resurrection of Christ will be replicated in each believer. Christ has entered the earth of everyone who believes through the giving of the Holy Spirit. Our resurrection has begun because our spirits are awakened by the life of God. 

These mortal bodies are filled with the light of life and our spirits have been resurrected into the life of Christ. The resurrection of our bodies will follow. 

When Christ returns, our life will be clothed in immortal bodies like His. We will rise from this earth to join the full radiance of His life. We will then return with Him as the New Jerusalem to be the city on the hill that gives light to the world. 

A Heart Witness - Luke 1:1-4

Luke 1:1-4 ESV 

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.

Being an eyewitness to the miracle and wonder of Jesus the man was a privilege only a few would share. 

Being a heartwitness to the presence of God within is the greater privilege that is available to every person on the earth, to you and me. This we are given when we receive the Holy Spirit. Our Savior is reborn in us through His Spirit. When we behold our brothers and sisters, we behold the body of Christ.

Psalms 118:23-24

This is the Lord's doing;

it is marvelous in our eyes.

This is the day that the Lord has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it.