The first five days of creation set the stage for the sixth day. On the third day, God established a group of people under a strict set of guidelines. These people were given the opportunity to become students in a place of learning that was established on the second day. The students who entered the school were to receive the knowledge and understanding that was provided on the first day. After placing authority and teachers over the school on the fourth day, God created a background (fifth day) that enabled Him to test His students.
God's Handiwork
Beginning with the first five steps of creation, God set out to mold man out of the clay of the earth and refine him like silver.
"Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness;...So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." (Gen. 1:26,27)
To test man, God introduced fish and birds on the fifth day of creation. This represented the influence of spirits and worldly men on the disciples' walk with God. Before molding man into His image, God placed other ingredients in man's environment in order to prepare him to function properly in the Kingdom of God. These ingredients became the stirring rod that mixed the first five days of creation together in order to achieve God's will for man.
"Then God said, 'Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind'; and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good." (Gen. 1:24,25)
Wealth
One of the ingredients is cattle. Cattle was a form of wealth. When Jacob departed from Laban, he took his acquired wealth with him. This wealth consisted of livestock.
"Thus the man (Jacob) became exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks, female and male servants, and camels and donkeys." (Gen. 30:43)
In the area of testing (fifth day), the disciple is not allowed to live with a mixture of truth and error. A person must not share a house with evil spirits, nor share in the evil practices of the
world. However, on the sixth day, a person is allowed to possess such things as wealth.
However, we must rule over the wealth and not let wealth rule over us.
"...let them have dominion over the cattle,..." (Gen. 1:26)
It is said that money is the root of all evil.
"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith
in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." (1 Tim. 6:10)
Notice, it says, "the love of money is...evil", and does not say that money is evil.
"But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition." (1 Tim. 6:9)
Solomon acquired great wealth only to realize that all that he had was vanity. He concluded that the most valuable essence of life consisted of preaching and following the commandments of God.
"'Vanity of vanities', says the preacher, 'All is vanity.' And moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yes, he pondered and sought out and set in order many proverbs. The Preacher sought to find acceptable words; and what was written was upright...words of truth....Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man." (Eccl. 12:8-10,13)
If wealth is misused, it will be taken away. When wealth becomes an idol, the idol will be
destroyed.
One of the curses that is bestowed upon ungodly men is that of borrowing money.
"He shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him; he shall be the head, you shall be the tail." (Deut. 28:44)
Money should be man's servant, not his master. When one uses the "Master Card" and pays interest, the card becomes the user's master. Members of the body of Christ must have dominion
over their wealth and use it wisely.
Power And Authority
Christians are to have power and authority over the men of the world.
"...God said to them,...have dominion over the fish of the sea,..." (Gen. 1:28)
This power is a gift from the Holy Spirit,, and was promised to the brethren before Jesus
ascended.
"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." (Acts 1:8)
"Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven." (Luke 10:20)
When about one hundred and twenty disciples assembled on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit
came to them.
"Now when the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting." (Acts 2:1:2)
When the Spirit fell, they received power. With this power, came authority. As they went out to minister, they used this authority to cast out demons and used power to heal the sick.
"And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed." (Acts 8:6,7)
The authority of the saints was similar to that given to the "seventy" who were sent out.
"Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you." (Luke 10:20)
The extent of this power is demonstrated by the last two witnesses mentioned in Revelation.
"And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner. These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire." (Rev. 11:3-6)
The United States of America with its predominant Christian population has demonstrated its strength both in military power and economics. As Christianity fades in America, this strength
will likewise fade. The power of entities such as elicit drugs, sexual immorality, atheists and
special interest groups not aligned with God's principles will strip America's ability to dominate
the fish of the sea.
As previously pointed out, birds are a type of spirits. Demons are evil spirits. The anointed minister shall have power and authority over evil spirits.
"...let them have dominion over the birds of the air..." (Gen. 1:26)
When the seventy went out, they returned with news of their authority over demons.
"Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, 'Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name." (Luke 10:17)
When the twelve were sent out, they were told to cast out demons.
"And as you go,...cast out demons...." (Mt. 9:36)
Today's Christians who receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit have access to this same power. However, the gifts associated with this power are meted out as determined by the Lord. There are diversities of gifts, ministries and activities.
"Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: ...wisdom...knowledge... faith...healings...miracles...prophecy...discerning of spirits... tongues... interpretation of tongues... But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills." (1 Cor. 12:4-11)
This power and dominion extends over the beasts of the earth as well.
"...Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind:...and beast of the earth...have dominion...over every living thing that moves on the earth." (Gen. 1:24,28)
These living creatures and beasts are types of the antichrists. Those who deny the Father and reject the Word of God are called antichrists. John warns us of the antichrists which are here
and are to come.
"Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour....Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son." (1 John 2:18)
The antichrists are deceivers.
"For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist." (2 John 7)
The deceiving antichrists are like devouring beasts. This deception is pronounced in the prophecy concerning the beasts in Revelation 13. The great deception involves the creation of a
counterfeit christ (Antichrist). In order to deceive Christians who are well educated in Scripture
and well established within the body of Christ, this deception has to be near perfect.
"For false christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect." (Mt. 24:24)
The antichrist will come as a wolf in sheeps clothing. Hidden within the sea of nations, he will be working his great deception. Sethur, one of the twelve spies of Moses, means "the hidden one". The numeric value of his name is 666.
Sethur ____ = 200+6+400+60=666
The following is a comparison of the Revelation 13 christ (the beast who rises from the
sea) and our Lord Jesus Christ:
Christ..................Antichrist
7-fold Spirit...........7 heads (7 mountains or gov'ts)
10 commandments.........10 horns with crowns
Father is God............father is a god (Satan)
Came in the flesh...........Comes from the sea (humanity)
Died on the cross...........Suffered mortal head wound
Resurrected..............Resurrected
Lion of Judah...........Beast has a mouth of a lion
Authority from Father..........Authority from dragon (Satan)
Shall judge the wicked.............Kills the saints
Ministered 3 1/2 years.............Will minister 3 1/2 years
Revelation 1:4 refers to Christ as He who is, was and is to come. In Revelation 17:8, the beast is
referred to as he who was, is not and will come. It is interesting to note, that in reference to the
beast, the number 8 is associated with destruction, whereas with Christ, the number 8 is salvation.
"And the beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth and is of the seven, and is going to perdition (destruction)." (Rev. 17:11)
"And it was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. And all who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." (Rev. 13:7:8)
As previously stated, the land from which the second beast rises up from, consists of those who are under the law of God; Israel. For it is Israel who will allow the antichrist to stand in the
holy place. It was Israel who persecuted Christ and His followers. Israel is still awaiting the
arrival of the Messiah. In their failure to recognize the Messiah, Israel will succomb to the
deception of the false christ.
"Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains." (Mt. 24:15)
Righteousness
God provided nourishment to sustain the natural animal life cycle that is used to fashion man into His image.
"And God said, 'See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be food. Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food'; and it was so." (Gen. 1:29,30)
As pointed out in Chapter 3, the color green is symbolic of righteousness. This righteousness is
the hand on the stirring rod of wealth, power and authority that sets the first five days in motion.
This righteousness obtains its fulness as a person is resurrected to a spiritual life form.
The Great Harvest
In the beginning there was one man. Was it God's intent to stop here? How about when there were two people on the earth? Should God have stopped there? Would all the energy put into creation be worthy of only two people? Perhaps the twelve tribes of Israel were a more
worthwhile goal. Now, that's a lot of people! However, the time for fulfilling Gods's will
concerning mankind did not occur during Genesis or Exodus. The harvest will not occur until the
end times.
"...the harvest is the end of the age,..." (Mt. 13:39)
So, why is the Lord waiting so long? It appears that the Lord is looking for a great harvest. The
intent for the harvest to be great was established from the beginning.
"...and in multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore;..." (Gen. 22:17)
This was reiterated in the New Testament.
"Then He said to them, 'The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest." (Luke 10:2)
Jesus spoke of this harvest in the parable of the tares.
"...the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom,..."(Mt. 13:38)
The harvest consists of the sons of the Kingdom.
At the time of the harvest, the Lord of the harvest wants to reap a holy and righteous crop. Time is that fourth dimension which allows the sons of God to grow towards righteousness and multiply as the sand of the seashore. History was designed to accomplish these two goals.
When the harvest is ready, the Lord wants laborers, who have been fashioned in His image, to go out and reap the harvest. This is the second and great commandment; "love your neighbor as yourself". The Lord took the ingredients of the first five days of creation, stirred them up and fashioned laborers in His image. It was here that the Lord supplied the lion with courage, the strawman with intelligence and the tinman with a compassionate heart, so to speak. These laborers were to put on the cloak of instruction and find the lost sheep of Israel and make
disciples of them.
The Commission
Being a good student is not enough. We must go beyond the first and great commandment of loving the Lord our God with all our heart and soul. We must fulfill the second and great commandment of loving our neighbor as ourselves by obeying the great commission.
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you;..." (Mt. 28:19,20)
To assist in this endeavor, God provided instructors.
"And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men,..." (Eph. 4:11-14)
The Greek Lexicon1 provides the following definition for each of these ministries:
____________________________
1 The Analytical Greek Lexicon Revised, Harold K. Moulton, The Zondervan Corporation, 1978.
Apostle -- One sent as a messenger or agent, the bearer of a commission, messenger;
Prophet -- A spokesman for another, interpreter for a deity, a person gifted for the exposition of divine truth;
Evangelist - One who announces glad tidings, preacher of the gospel, teacher of the Christian religion;
Pastor -- One who tends flocks or herds, a shepherd, herdsman, superintendent, guardian and
Teacher -- Master, one who teaches, rabbi.
One may wonder why God needed people to teach the things of the Kingdom of Heaven when He had all the ingredients of instruction at His right hand. Why not make full use of angels or the Holy Spirit to teach us? The answer goes back to Romans 1:20 where God created things to demonstrate His attributes. The best way to acquire the attributes of God while in a natural state is to see them in the natural state.
Resurrection involves the transformation from a natural body to a spiritual body. Remember, first the natural, and then the spiritual.
"So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body..." (1 Cor. 15:42-44)
As the natural body transforms into a spiritual body, the need to show God's attributes in the
natural gradually transcends to the spiritual. A person must see God's attributes in the natural
first. Otherwise, that person will not see (understand) His attributes when they are presented in
the spiritual.
"If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?" (John 3:12)
The best way to demonstrate the attributes of God is to walk in these attributes. The ministry has the high calling and responsibility to walk in this manner. Jesus fulfilled this role when He walked with His disciples. However, He recognized that He, as man, was limited as far as being able to reach all mankind. By way of the Kingdom of Heaven, He could fulfill two roles. One role was to provide a way to the Kingdom of God; this being Christ's body, the Kingdom of Heaven. The second role was to provide knowledge of the attributes of God, not to a few, but to all who enter and believe. The ministry was small in numbers, and the field numbered as the sand of the seashore. Therefore, He trained ministers who would eventually grow as mustard seeds, both in stature and numbers. These ministers were to proclaim the news of the Kingdom of Heaven throughout all the earth. This process began with the "seventy."
"After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. Then He said to them, 'The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few'; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest." (Luke 10:1,2)
For this same purpose, Jesus sent out His twelve disciples.
"Then He said to His disciples, 'The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.'" These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying:...and as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'" (Mt. 9:37,38; 10:5,7)
Not all ministries are the same. God provides gifts to fulfill the function of ministry. The sum of all the various ministries will accomplish the complete will of God.
"For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them:..."(Rom. 12:4-6)
In order to fulfill the commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves, each of us has a ministry to perform, and a duty to perform the ministry in a proper fashion.
"for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;....that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height...to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." (Eph. 3:12,13,17-19)
The five ministers called out in Ephesians 4 are commonly referred to as the five-fold ministry. One must be careful not to infer that there are only five kinds of ministers. In general, the number "five" is associated with ministry. For instance, the first five days of creation are five elements that are designed to prepare the disciples for ministry. These five elements equip the members of the body of Christ for the purpose of bringing them into the fullness of Christ.
Qualification Of A Minister
In order to become an apostle, prophet, teacher, evangelist or pastor, one must take advantage of the first five elements of creation. This requires attending a Christian school; a school that coexists within the body of Christ, the Kingdom of Heaven. This means that the disciple must accept the light, separate it from the darkness in his life and become a holy, righteous individual.
This qualification of the minister is described further on in Ephesians 4.
"if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in righteousness and true holiness." (Eph. 4:21-24)
Titus provides a good summary and doctrine on the qualifications of being a minister of God's
word.
"...a husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination....
blameless, not self willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled, holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict." (Titus 1:6-9)
The Law Of The Servants
One must put Logos and Rhema at work in the Kingdom of Heaven. Logos ministers knowledge. Rhema ministers understanding. With these two swords, one can minister with great wisdom. A person cannot minister in the image of God unless both Logos and Rhema are at work in his/her life. There must be a proper balance between these two swords in order to be an effective minister.
Those who remain under the law do not operate with Rhema. The only way to become free from the law is to operate with Rhema. We are given a choice to operate under the law or to be free from the law.
In Exodus 21:6, concerning the law of the servants, if one purchased a Hebrew servant, the servant was to serve six years and in the seventh year he was to go free and pay nothing. If the servant loves his master and says I will not go out free, the master will bring him to the judges
and pierce his ear with an awl. Then the servant shall serve his master forever.
Those who are under the bondage of the world (men of the sea) and those who are under the bondage of the law (men of the land) are given the option to be free through Christ. The cost
is covered by the price that Christ paid on the cross. People were redeemed by the blood of Christ. So that those who choose to remain a bond servant have no excuse, they are taken before
the judges as witnesses. 1 John 5:6 mentions that there are three who bear witness in heaven: the
Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one. Verse 8 says, "and there are three
that bear witness on earth; the Spirit, the water and the blood, and these three agree as one."
These witnesses are the judges to whom the servant is taken when he decides to remain with his
master and not go free.
The emphasis of the letters to the churches in Revelation 2&3 is on the word "overcome". The passage leading up to 1 John 5:6 uses the word overcome;
"For whoever is born of God overcomes the world and who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" (1 John 5:4,5)
Those who accept Christ have been set free from their former master. If a person decides to remain with his/her former master, he/she is given a mark, and he shall remain with that master
forever according to Exodus 21:6.
We cannot serve two masters, for we will love one and hate the other. Christ is one master. The Antichrist is the other master.
God's Blessings
For those who so choose to enter into God's will, God is good to pour out His blessings on them. The blessings come in the form of protection, instruction, comfort, provision and restoration. A minister welcomes this rain when he walks in the desolate valleys in the shadow of death.
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for you are with me (protection)...The Lord is my shepherd...He leads me in the path of righteousness (instruction)
...I shall not want...you prepare a table before me (provision)...He restores my soul (restoration)...
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me...You anoint my head with oil...Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me (comfort)" (Ps. 23)
At Day's End
The sixth day is a day of gathering God's chosen people from Abraham's descendants and causing them to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven where they will be instructed in knowledge and understanding of God's ways. One must not construe Abraham's descendants as being of the tribes of Israel. For Abraham's descendants are those in Christ from all creeds, nations, and races of the world.
"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."(Ga. 3:28,29)
On the sixth day, the disciple is fashioned into the image of God; to become a humble servant and laborer for the eternal call through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. This was the purpose of Christ coming in the flesh. He came to redeem Israel and change them into His image. However, He was not received by Israel as their Messiah.
"He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."(John 1:11-13)
After his conversion, Paul felt bad that Israel rejected the opportunity to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Paul wished he could spend more time with Israel on this matter. However, he was assigned as an apostle to the gentiles.
"For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen." (Rom. 9:3-5)
And so, this is the sixth event dealing with good and evil; the stirring together of the first
five events to fulfill God's will for man.
"...So the evening and the morning were the sixth day." (Gen. 1:31)
Copyright 1998 by Dana George Cottrell