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Though, most do not realize it, the Book of Nehemiah
prophesies about the church of the last days--more
specifically--of the church's race to the finishing
line. When reading Nehemiah, we picture a
church that does not function in the natural. For,
Nehemiah represents what we can become if we
function in the spirit, even, in a higher wisdom.
The course that lies ahead of us is full of pitfalls
and traps, and it takes functioning in the wisdom of
God to see and avoid these traps. “Why can’t God
just totally reveal to me the ENTIRE COURSE in an
instant?” The reason is threefold; God desires to
“cause to see” only those that are truly seeking Him
in all the wonders of His Person. Secondly, God
knows that the outcome of complete and instant
revelation would produce a spiritual pride that
causes us to act as the enemy, where we would become
spiritually proud. In addition, we must have the
character of Love and Humility in our “seeing” so
our ministry to others will be edifying in that same
Love and Humility. Lastly, if God were totally to
reveal the race that lies ahead of you – it would
cause you to be overwhelmed and faint. Imagine
seeing the length of the course, the many
afflictions, and all those traps and pitfalls. Add
to that all the discipline, ministry, and labors,
you are destined to perform – It would be too much
for us. Therefore, God’s WAY is to REVEAL AS WE
WALK! This is a “way” that causes us to cling to
Jesus, to cling to “His feet,” as “our feet,” are
walking ahead. There will always be enough light on
our path for the NEXT STEP. As you read this book
there will be truths from heaven that you will not
see because your walk has not taken you to that
place yet. As you walk, then you will see more
clearly unto the day of Jesus.
God called Nehemiah to leave his service in the
Persian king’s courts - to go to Jerusalem. He was
sent to rebuild its walls, which had been destroyed
when Babylon attacked Judah, and led them into
captivity. Nehemiah became the governor of a very
important building project that revealed God’s plan
in Christ, and in His body. Nehemiah is seen, as a
“type” of Jesus, Who is the Governor that controls
our helm. Nehemiah was a governor, just like
Zerubbabel, who ruled before him. Nehemiah came to
Jerusalem with the “King’s letters,” even as Jesus
declared, that He came on the authority of Him Who
sent Him – His Father. Nehemiah was equipped with
all the materials to complete the job, just like
Jesus, and anointed and equipped by the Spirit, to
complete the job before Him. Observe very carefully
the responses and activities of Nehemiah. God wants
us to see a MODEL of how He wants to respond -
through us. Nehemiah is a “type” representing
Jesus, and we must see that Jesus, the Hope of
glory, in us, wants to manifest in these
adversities.
Neh 2:10
When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant,
the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them
exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the
welfare of the children of Israel.
When one comes with the intention of building the
walls, he will immediately acquire enemies. Let us
observe Nehemiah’s enemies for a moment. Nehemiah’s
enemies are represented throughout the entire book
under the names of two leaders, Sanballat and Tobiah.
History records Sanballat as the governor of
Samaria. Samaria in the time of Nehemiah was a
mixed race of Israelites and Assyrian, they were
mixed in their religion as well. Their religious
beliefs in Nehemiah’s day taught that only the first
five books of the scriptures were from God, and they
REJECTED the rest of God’s word. There are
Samaritans to this day in Israel, and they still
believe the same thing. There will always be the
“religious,” like the Samaritans, that receive only
part of God’s Word, and they will OPPOSE anyone that
builds with the rest of the scriptures. Spiritual
Samaritans today are those who are MIXED – they are
a well of fresh and salt water – this ought to not
be says James. Surely we are mixed as well as these
Samaritans, but the difference is - we are in the
process of becoming UNMIXED!
Tobiah was the governor of Ammon – an enemy outside
of Israel. Tobiah represents an enemy that comes
from the world system. The world will also oppose
your building of the walls. Now what we see here is
a collaboration of “the religious” and “the world”
to oppose God’s builders. This is a demonic union
that we see in its maturity in the book of
Revelation concerning the people of the earth, and
the great harlot. Even today, we can observe
Christians that use the secular media to oppose
other Christians – this is the same exact spirit
that is seen in Sanballat and Tobiah. Count on
this, when you seek the welfare of others in Christ,
you will have these evil governors opposing you.
Neh 2:18
Then I told them of the hand of my God which was
good upon me; as also the king's words that he had
spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and
build. So they strengthened their hands for this
good work.
The first activity of Nehemiah upon his arrival was
to assess the damage to the present walls. This is
what the overall purpose of this book is all about –
to see God’s plan concerning your present walls, and
the walls of others in Christ. You see the CURRENT
condition of the walls, and you devise a BUILDING
PLAN, but more accurately, you obtain what God has
already devised for you.
God created order in the rebuilding of the walls.
Nehemiah allotted to every man a portion of the wall
to build upon. “Arise and let us build,” is the cry
of Nehemiah, and it is we, who must heed this sound
today. I am responsible for my portion of the wall
that God allotted me, and you are responsible for
your portion of the wall. One plants, and one
waters, is what we are taught in 1Corinthians
chapter 3; one man is responsible to lay a
foundation in the lives of others, and another is
called to build upon that foundation. Desire not
another man’s portion; desire not any building
activity that has not been allotted to you. Hear
God’s voice in this matter, we MUST LABOR TOGETHER
in UNITY. God will not use exclusively, any one
person, or ministry; God will not use just part of
the five-fold ministry – He uses apostles, prophets,
evangelists, pastors, and teachers. These five
gifts are each finger in the hand of our God.
However, God does not use JUST the five-fold
ministry, but includes all of us, for we all are
assigned a part, and all of us DEMONSTRATE THE HAND
OF GOD! Five is the number of grace, but more
specifically, five represents THE ABILITY OF GOD.
In the New Testament, we have five words that all
represent God’s hand; these (fingers) are: (1)
GRACE, (2) ANOINTING, (3) POWER, (4) GIFTS, (5)
AUTHORITY. Each of these is the picture of the same
hand, God’s hand. These are the five fingers that
God uses to build His house, and His walls. Each
has a different quality, yet all of these have the
meaning of “God’s ability in us to build the house
of God.” “Grace” shows us the mercy attached to His
ability (In other words God gives us His ability
even though we do not deserve it). “Anointing”
shows us the sweet and soothing quality attached to
His ability. “Power” shows us the strength and
force behind His ability. “Gifts” show us the
“freely given nature” of His ability. Finally,
“Authority” shows us the jurisdiction behind His
ability. If we have a covenantal promise that falls
under God’s jurisdiction, then we see God’s hand AT
WORK. These definitions are simplistic, but they
should give you an idea of what differentiates these
abilities. All five of the attributes of God’s
ability possess a teaching in themselves, but the
bottom line is - they are all the hand of God –
building His temple through us.
The walls of our city need rebuilding. Walls
represent that which keeps the enemy out of the
city. A defenseless wall, a broken down wall
represents an area of our life where we are
vulnerable to the enemy. This is a place where we
have yet to fortify; it is a place of sin, a place
of immaturity, a place we have not overcome, and a
place of self-will. For example, if you can become
depressed, your walls are not fortified yet, if you
can lose your joy, then the walls surrounding your
inner man are too weak.
Neh 2:17
Then I said to them, "You see the bad situation we
are in, that Jerusalem is desolate and its gates
burned by fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of
Jerusalem that we may no longer be a reproach."
(NAS)
The church of the Lord Jesus Christ, as a whole, has
been a reproach with her walls in a shambles. God's
voice from His prophets says, “Let us arise and
build,” for God shall rebuild His city, in the last
days, and they will no longer be a reproach, they
shall be a true reflection of the One Whom they
serve.
We talked earlier about the forerunners being the
gift of apostles and prophets. This is an example
of what they do when they run ahead. They simply
see the present walls, and gain a vision of the
walls God wants to build, then they proclaim to
others – ARISE AND LET US BUILD. They do not stop
there, they teach you how to build, and they
encourage you as you build, and they will correct
your improper building.
Neh 2:18-20
And I told them how the hand of my God had been
favorable to me, and also about the king's words
which he had spoken to me. Then they said, "Let us
arise and build." So they put their hands to the
good {work.} But when Sanballat the Horonite, and
Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab
heard {it,} they mocked us and despised us and said,
"What is this thing you are doing? Are you
rebelling against the king?" So I answered them and
said to them, "The God of heaven will give us
success; therefore we His servants will arise and
build, but you have no portion, right, or memorial
in Jerusalem." (NAS)
The enemy says, “How dare you build,” “Do you really
think you can minister to others.” We are a mocked
people as soon as we make the decision to build.
“How dare you rebel against the world system!” the
enemy constantly shouts to us. What is the response
that pleases God? “Our God in heaven will, “GIVE US
SUCCESS,” in our labor.” Nehemiah and all of
Jerusalem just continued to start this monumental
project.
As much building had been accomplished, the attack
of the enemy grew more intense.
Neh 4:1-2
When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the
wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He
ridiculed the Jews, and in the presence of his
associates and the army of Samaria, he said, "What
are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore
their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they
finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to
life from those heaps of rubble-- burned as they
are?" (NIV)
Sanballat who represented “a form of godliness but
denying the power thereof,” heard of Israel’s
rebuilding labors, he became angry. No doubt, we
can see this very easily today in some theological
circles. When one starts building with gold,
silver, and precious stone, then you can EXPECT an
attack from “scriptural learned” men who have no
learning about God’s plans about building. This is
NORMAL and is the rule, not the exception.
Sanballat continues his blasphemies; he starts by
calling us weak. Satan will quickly resort to name
calling, for the purpose of getting you to believe
it; he also uses name-calling to gather together a
following against you. Satan will tell you that
your condition is hopeless, how could you possibly
restore these walls as damaged as they are? Satan
will magnify the damage and diminish the work that
has already been performed. “How can you ever
become a worshipper?,” “you cannot enter into God’s
chambers.” Satan will spin off lie after lie, such
as these, until he can wear you down to accept one
of them. Satan says, “You cannot make it to the
finishing line,” “maturity is for another,” and
finally, “your burnt up stone is BEYOND GOD’S
ABILITY TO RESTORE.” Satan attacks through others
and he attacks in your thought processes; it is life
and death – resist these attacks because their end
is death. Satan’s ONLY power against you is – you
believing him.
Neh 4:3
Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said,
"What they are building-- if even a fox climbed up
on it, he would break down their wall of stones!" (NIV)
To make matters worse, the world jumps in and
attacks with words as well. “Surely whatever you do
build will not matter, it will never be fruit that
remains.” “I see you are delivered, but it will
never last.” The enemy knows that it will last, but
he also knows that if he can get you to accept the
lie, then by your doubt, the walls will fall.
Neh 4:4-5
Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn their
reproach upon their own head, and give them for a
prey in the land of captivity: And cover not their
iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from
before thee: for they have provoked thee to anger
before the builders.
Nehemiah’s response to the words was prayer. It is
possible that this prayer does not need to be prayed
by us, for in the “Day of the Lord,” at the “battle
of Armageddon,” in Megiddo Valley, “in Samaria”; the
enemy will become a prey. On that day, God’s anger
shall be revealed in its fullness. Jesus calls this
location, a place where “the vultures gather at the
dead body.”
Neh 4:6-8
So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half
its height, for the people worked with all their
heart. But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the
Ammonites and the men of Ashdod heard that the
repairs to Jerusalem's walls had gone ahead and that
the gaps were being closed, they were very angry.
They all plotted together to come and fight against
Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. (NIV)
Praise God, they did not stop, they were half way
there, and they worked with all their heart. Now
the gaps were being closed - and that brought the
anger of the enemy. Satan will attack you to a
degree, but it is when he sees unity, he goes
ballistic. When you come into unity with your
brethren, the plots of Satan come forth in full
force. Satan will use doctrinal differences to
separate, he will use personality differences to
separate, he will put a wedge between you and your
fellow believer, and anyway he can. Unity causes a
walking in agreement, and it is to those that walk
in agreement, that we hear Jesus say “your request
is granted,” it is those walking in love, forbearing
one another and esteeming the other as more
important then himself – “I am in their midst!” The
gaps are closing as we build together. As we said
before, unity does not come because we all get
along; it comes as we grow up in Christ, and labor
together to build according to the blueprint. If
you come into just one relationship in your church
where you forbear their faults, where you edify, and
admonish, with compassion, where you are loyal to
them no matter what the cost, and where you lay down
your very life for them - that is where Satan will
attempt to "Arise and tear down.”
Neh 4:9
But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and
night to meet this threat. NIV
Nehemiah responds to the threat with prayer and
warfare. We will not endeavor into all the weapons
of our warfare because there are many edifying
teachings, concerning our part in standing in
warfare. What we should observe is this – Nehemiah
again responds towards God, and in His Wisdom.
Neh 4:10
Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, "The strength
of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much
rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall." (NIV)
There are attacks from outside the walls and there
are problems that occur within the walls as well.
As you will see it appears that the “building of
walls” is problem after problem, you put out one
fire and another one pops up. I feel like this
often, if you can also identify then we can
assuredly learn from Nehemiah’s responses.
Neh 4:11-12
Also our enemies said, "Before they know it or see
us, we will be right there among them and will kill
them and put an end to the work." Then the Jews who
lived near them came and told us ten times over,
"Wherever you turn, they will attack us." (NIV)
Satan roams as a roaring lion seeking to devour,
seeking to kill. The people of God get weak and you
can see the lion crouch down to spring upon his
prey. Nehemiah now faces an internal problem and
now a very dangerous attack from the enemy. The
word of God is meant to sober you as to the
seriousness of this project we have undertaken. It
is not a project that you can say, “well I will try
to build,” or “I will see if it works out.” IT IS
LIFE AND DEATH! This is certainly one of the most
important elements of this book. Many Christians
are playing games with God. They are distracted by
the news of the world system, the entertainment of
the world system, and the luxuries of the world
system, and God’s people are dying. People all over
are being destroyed; they are dying of disease, of
crime-related tragedy, of broken hearts. Children
are being abused by the very ones that were sent to
protect them. As Christians, we argue about the
meaning of scriptures – endlessly, and the folks
next to us die and spend eternity in hell. We must
break out of this rut; we must see the attacks of
the enemy and respond like Nehemiah. We must get
serious; we must receive Jesus’ compassionate heart,
yet, we must possess His wisdom in equal measure.
Wisdom is what Nehemiah is about, even, an example
of Jesus our Wisdom.
Neh 4:13-17
Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the
lowest points of the wall at the exposed places,
posting them by families, with their swords, spears
and bows. After I looked things over, I stood up
and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest
of the people, "Don't be afraid of them. Remember
the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for
your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your
wives and your homes." When our enemies heard that
we were aware of their plot and that God had
frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to
his own work. From that day on, half of my men did
the work, while the other half were equipped with
spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers
posted themselves behind all the people of Judah who
were building the wall. Those who carried materials
did their work with one hand and held a weapon in
the other, (NIV)
There is a Wisdom that comes from heaven that
frustrates the plans of the enemy - every time.
God’s message to us is to obtain His Wisdom, hear
God’s instructions in these situations, then DO NOT
FEAR. We must be a people that can “work with one
hand,” and “hold a weapon with the other hand” –
both hands demonstrating the HAND OF GOD. Some of
us have no problem encouraging a brother but
sometimes you have to war for your brother,
sometimes you have to admonish in love. Some of us
have no problem with simply praying for someone, but
sometimes you have to war against all the demonic
principalities that they have invited into their
life. Finally, we learn that the “lowest points” of
the wall are those in the faith that have yet to
strengthen their walls. Many times in the church,
we criticize them saying “look at my walls, what is
your problem, why do you have such shabby walls?”
What God requires, is for us to defend their walls,
even as we help them build up their section. In
ministry, you sometimes can observe a competition
where everyone builds their ministry, but God is
causing His mature ministers to defend the walls of
other ministries. Therefore, observe God’s response
to the attack – UNITY.
Neh 5:1-3
Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry
against their Jewish brothers. Some were saying,
"We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in
order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get
grain." Others were saying, "We are mortgaging our
fields, our vineyards and our homes to get grain
during the famine." (NIV)
We will continue point by point through the book of
Nehemiah to show you the relentlessness of how Satan
devises to thwart the purposes of God. Nehemiah now
faces another internal problem that caused him to
turn his attention away from the walls of Jerusalem
and to the burdens of the poor. Nehemiah was angry
because the leaders were fleecing the sheep of
Israel. Nehemiah reversed the poverty of the poor
and restored their finances. What God did for the
poor in Nehemiah’s day, He will do for us today.
Nehemiah had the rich give from their abundance and
the result is much like what we saw in Acts with the
Jerusalem church – “ALL THINGS WERE COMMON.” God is
doing a shaking in these last days where we shall
see those with wealth shall lose it if they do not
give out of their abundance to their fellow
laborers.
Neh 5:13
I also shook out the folds of my robe and said, "In
this way may God shake out of his house and
possessions every man who does not keep this
promise. (The promise to make sure the poor would
no longer be poor) So may such a man be shaken out
and emptied!" At this the whole assembly said,
"Amen," and praised the LORD. And the people did as
they had promised. (NIV)
Why would God redirect Nehemiah’s attention away
from the walls and to such a natural problem as
providing for the poor? Because greed and a lack of
providing for the poor in the church, will cause
separation in God’s plan of unity. If those who
adhered to the prosperity message, and received
financial blessing, had provided for the poor in the
Church, so they no longer stayed poor, then their
message could have bore fruit. Instead, Nehemiah’s
promise was not kept by most of the rich in the
Church. Blessed are those that did heed Nehemiah’s
promise.
Neh 5:15-16
But the earlier governors-- those preceding me--
placed a heavy burden on the people and took forty
shekels of silver from them in addition to food and
wine. Their assistants also lorded it over the
people. But out of reverence for God I did not act
like that. Instead, I devoted myself to the work on
this wall. All my men were assembled there for the
work; we did not acquire any land. (NIV)
Leaders should always observe Nehemiah’s example.
If a leader is called to oversee a work then they
must refrain from lording it over the people, they
must not place heavy burdens of any kind upon God’s
people; instead they should be DEVOTED to do the
work of the ministry.
Neh 6:1-2
When word came to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab
and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the
wall and not a gap was left in it-- though up to
that time I had not set the doors in the gates--
Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: "Come,
let us meet together in one of the villages on the
plain of Ono." But they were scheming to harm me; (NIV)
The enemy plots again to thwart God’s plan. The
walls are finished, the gaps are closed, and all we
have left is to set the doors. If the enemy cannot
get into your camp, he will try to get you into his
camp. GIVE NO PLACE TO THE DEVIL. Invitations will
go out to meet with the enemy but the motives are a
scheme to harm you. Do not enter into the camp of
the enemy, do not be a friend of the world. The
word “Ono” means “vigorous.” The enemy’s meeting
place is a place where the enemy is strong and a
place where you are weak.
Neh 6:3
so I sent messengers to them with this reply: "I am
carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why
should the work stop while I leave it and go down to
you?" (NIV)
As a mature people, we must PERCEIVE what the enemy
is doing. If you get busy with the labors of God -
you will be too busy to accept the devil’s
invitations. Sometimes the church comes to a place
where they want to be entertained instead of
laboring for God. Entertainment can be a place of
the strength of the enemy and can cause your
weakness; instead, we should become involved in
God’s GREAT PROJECT!
Neh 6:4-7
Four times they sent me the same message, and each
time I gave them the same answer. Then, the fifth
time, Sanballat sent his aide to me with the same
message, and in his hand was an unsealed letter in
which was written: "It is reported among the
nations-- and Geshem says it is true-- that you and
the Jews are plotting to revolt, and therefore you
are building the wall. Moreover, according to these
reports you are about to become their king and have
even appointed prophets to make this proclamation
about you in Jerusalem: 'There is a king in Judah!'
Now this report will get back to the king; so come,
let us confer together." (NIV)
FIVE TIMES the enemy sends the same message to wear
Nehemiah down. Wearing us down, is a device of
Satan to stop completion. Just reading these
accounts can cause us to be weary, we say, “here we
go again.” Nevertheless, do not drop; God will
prove repeatedly that He is faithful to uncover the
schemes of the enemy. Nehemiah receives a letter
and in the letter comes another attack – FALSE
ACCUSATION. False accusation is the newest attack
on Nehemiah, via this letter. False accusations can
come from any source, sometimes from the ones
closest to you. It is painful to be falsely accused
of something and in Nehemiah’s case; it was an
accusation that hit him where it hurt the most. The
very king that Nehemiah sought to serve will now
think him to be a rebel. It was a lie but if the
king believes the lie then it will become
devastating for Nehemiah. This accusation is
designed to produce one thing – FEAR!
Neh 6:9
They were all trying to frighten us, thinking,
"Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it
will not be completed." [But I prayed,] "Now
strengthen my hands." (NIV)
The enemy figured it would weaken their hands so
they could not complete the walls. Symbolically
speaking, the enemy uses fear to cause God’s grace,
anointing, power, gifts, and authority – to be
rendered impotent, in your life. Nehemiah again
responded in prayer – “God strengthen my hand.” The
response again confounded the enemy. The hand of
God must remain strong – in us – towards others!
God’s grace causes you to stand in spite of every
attack, and that same grace cause you to lower your
hand towards those “in the pit,” to rescue. God
strengthen our hand today, that we may build Your
walls that keep Your people secure. We must not
allow false accusations to slow down God’s project;
we must not allow the evil reports about our
“building endeavors” – cause fear.
Ezra 6:21-22
Then the children of Israel who had returned from
the captivity ate together with all who had
separated themselves from the filth of the nations
of the land in order to seek the LORD God of
Israel. And they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread
seven days with joy; for the LORD made them joyful,
and turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward
them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the
house of God, the God of Israel. (NKJ)
In the book of Ezra we see the temple of God being
rebuilt by the governor Zerubbabel, the high priest
Jeshua, and the two prophets Hagai and Zechariah.
The enemy sent false accusations against them to the
king in the same manner as we witnessed in
Nehemiah’s story, but it backfired on the enemy.
Not only did Zerubbabel not have to stop building
the temple, but the king gave out of the treasury
and PAID IN FULL the cost of the temple building
project. God can turn around that false accusation
for you as you build His temple. In both wall
building and temple building we see the same
scriptural terminology – “God strengthened their
hands.” In the last generation, we will witness
great building accompanied with great strengthening
of our hands. God will give grace sufficient,
anointing oil flowing abundantly, power in awesome
glory, gifts bestowed in great measures, and
authority being exercised in God’s Jerusalem – for
all to see “the great project of God.”
Neh 6:10-13
One day I went to the house of Shemaiah son of
Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was shut in at
his home. He said, "Let us meet in the house of
God, inside the temple, and let us close the temple
doors, because men are coming to kill you-- by night
they are coming to kill you." But I said, "Should a
man like me run away? Or should one like me go into
the temple to save his life? I will not go!" I
realized that God had not sent him, but that he had
prophesied against me because Tobiah and Sanballat
had hired him. He had been hired to intimidate me
so that I would commit a sin by doing this, and then
they would give me a bad name to discredit me. (NIV)
It is not over yet! This attack was meant to get
Nehemiah to RUN! We have to rise up and tell the
enemy “I WILL NOT GO!” I will not be in fear, I
will not quit the activity you have called me to,
and I will not give in to the sin of running from
God’s building project. We must perceive the enemy
as Nehemiah did - stand up, do not be reactionary to
his devices. If you give in to the persuading of
the enemy then he will discredit you.
Neh 6:15-16
So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of
Elul, in fifty-two days. When all our enemies heard
about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid
and lost their self-confidence, because they
realized that this work had been done with the help
of our God. (NIV)
There will be a day my friend when the wall that
surrounds the present day Jerusalem (the church)
will be completed and the entire world shall lose
their self-confidence, they shall fear and see God’s
hand in us. Does that mean that these relentless
attacks are finally over? No, they still sent
letters of intimidation, but the response was always
the response of Jesus Christ the Anointed One. The
“intended destruction” of the enemy never
accomplished anything for the Jerusalem that was
governed by Nehemiah; likewise, we shall avoid every
pitfall that Satan devises against us if we allow
Jesus to govern our lives. There are those in the
church that will refuse to be like Nehemiah’s
Jerusalem, they will instead become a Jerusalem that
is “trample upon.”
Rev 11:2
But exclude the Outer Court; do not measure it,
because it has been given to the Gentiles. They
will trample on the holy city for 42 months. (NIV)
Perhaps this end time scripture relates to a people
who are to trample God’s holy city, but those who
get trampled are believers that are not yielded to
Jesus as the Governor of their entire life. No
doubt, you will be trampled if you are attacked like
Nehemiah was attacked and respond in the natural
instead of the spiritual.
Neh 7:5
Then my God put it into my heart to gather the
nobles, the rulers, and the people, that they might
be registered by genealogy. NKJV
Neh 8:1-3
And all the people gathered as one man at the square
which was in front of the Water Gate, and they asked
Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of
Moses which the LORD had given to Israel.
Then Ezra the priest brought the law before the
assembly of men, women and all who could listen with
understanding, on the first day of the seventh
month.
He read from it before the square which was in front
of the Water Gate from early morning until midday,
in the presence of men and women, those who could
understand; and all the people were attentive to the
book of the law. NASU
Ezra 3:1
Now when the seventh month came, and the sons of
Israel were in the cities, the people gathered
together as one man to Jerusalem. NASU
The book of Nehemiah ends with a great gathering
together in unity at which time they are numbered.
At the end of our age, there shall also be a great
gathering together and we shall be numbered in the
Lamb’s book of Life. Praise God! The people of
Nehemiah’s Jerusalem gathered together as ONE MAN in
the 7th month, on the first day, the day called the
Feast of Trumpets, in the FINAL FEAST OF THE YEAR –
the Feast of Tabernacles. Moreover, they gathered
to hear and perform the Word of the Lord. There was
great rejoicing, and Jerusalem was no longer a
reproach.
Pay close attention to God’s sequence of events in
the building projects. The end result, the
finishing line, perfection, and spirituality, is
seen in this one thing – a gathering together as one
man. When does this occur? Some think it already
has. Some think it could be any minute. Both have
not read the scriptures right. These things will
take place when the temple building project is
complete, and as Ezra’s Jerusalem, God’s called and
chosen people are gathered together in
Jesus-Love-Filled-Unity. These things will take
place when the wall and building project is
finished, with the gaps closed and the doors in
place, as in Nehemiah’s Jerusalem. Paul and Apollos
called it laboring together as “ones that plant” and
“ones that water,” as foundation layers, and as -
temple wall-builders.
Then we will have a church without spot or wrinkle
that is filled with glory and walking in Love to a
measure that has not been seen since the days of the
early church apostles. It is that day that the
scriptures shall be fulfilled concerning us.
Hab 2:20
But the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the
earth keep silence before him.
Rev 16:17
And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the
air; and there came a great voice out of the temple
of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.
It shall be done. The culmination of all things
shall be done. Jesus said on the cross "It is
finished" and in Revelation He will say, "It is
done.” On the cross, it was done in the spirit.
From the Temple in Heaven, it is accomplished in His
body - His Temple! In addition, the parts of the
body shall be gathered together into the head; the
living stones shall be gathered together into the
headstone; the fruit shall be gathered together, the
wheat shall be gathered together, for the Bride is
ready and is joined to her bridegroom forevermore.
Num 10:7
To gather the assembly, blow the trumpets, but not
with the same signal. (NIV)
It will be a trumpet with a different yet certain
sound.
Hosea 1:11
Then shall the children of Judah and the children of
Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves
one head, and they shall come up out of the land:
for great shall be the day of Jezreel.
It will be a gathering of saved natural Israel and
saved natural Gentiles; both of which comprises what
God is setting forth - SPIRITUAL ISRAEL! A
Jerusalem that cannot be naturally observed.
1 Cor 15:52-54
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last
trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead
shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be
changed.
Eph 1:10
That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he
might gather together in one all things in Christ,
both which are in heaven, and which are on earth;
even in him
Matt 24:31
And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a
trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect
from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the
other.
There will be two gatherings; one of the wicked and
at the last trump there will be a gathering of the
righteous; those of us in Christ shall forever be
with the Lord.
Ezra 3:1
And when the seventh month was come, and the
children of Israel were in the cities, the people
gathered themselves together as one man to
Jerusalem.
At the beginning of the 7th month is the start of
the feast of Tabernacles. It was a three-week
special event. The first week is the week of
trumpets, the second week, on the 10th day; we call
the Day of Atonement. The third week we call the
week of tabernacles or booths. How this feast ends
is important. It ends with the solemn assembly – a
day of perfect unity. It is symbolic of the
culmination of God’s plan for His church – It is the
day of the appearing of Jesus to gather us together
unto Him. Our walls shall be fully built
individually and corporately. Our temple shall be
built, and our maturity shall be complete in all
things. We have run the race faithfully and made it
to the finishing line, we have made it to point “B,”
and we have walked a life that Jesus prayed.
The church has experienced the Feast of Passover and
the Feast of Pentecost in their daily lives and to
some degree, the feast we speak of here – the Feast
of Tabernacles. A book that is written by Kevin J.
Conner, “The Feasts of Israel,” is probably the
best-detailed teaching on the subject, and therefore
we will not try to duplicate his effort. What we
wish to point out is that the month of Tabernacles
starts with a gathering together and ends with a
gathering together. It starts with Ezra’s gathering
together at the start of the temple building project
and ends with Nehemiah’s gathering together at the
end of the “wall completion.” Ezra assembled on the
first day of the month called “trumpets” and
Nehemiah ended with the Solemn Assembly. In the
church, we assemble together, to build the temple
and the walls, and we end with an assembly together
to rest.
Ezra 4:1-2
Now when the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard
that the people of the exile were building a temple
to the LORD God of Israel, they approached
Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers' {households,}
and said to them, "Let us build with you, for we,
like you, seek your God; (NAS)
This is a familiar story, as we saw in Nehemiah’s
building project, as soon as you start building -
then comes the enemy. Here we see a different
strategy of the enemy; the enemy actually desires to
labor WITH US. Why would the enemy want to build
with us? To sow discord internally! The enemy
knows that a little leaven will spoil the whole lump
of dough, therefore God will now have to purge out
the leaven. We have allowed those who said they
sought God, to build with us. God must purge them
out of our fellowships, and God will have to purge
out the heresy they taught. I have seen it myself
where those that have posed as believers had entered
into our love feasts (as Jude calls it).
Jude 1:12
These men are those who are hidden reefs in your
love feasts when they feast with you without fear,
caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried
along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly
dead, uprooted; (NAS)
I have seen among Spirit-filled, full gospel
churches - those that were child molesters, habitual
homosexuals, and pornographers, etc., etc. These
are ones with UNCLEAN spirits that are there for one
purpose - to defile the bride. They are hidden
reefs; they are there to cause us to run aground. I
counseled one pastor who deceived himself into
thinking that a homosexual in his church was a
“bruised reed” instead of a “hidden reef.” The
pastor felt as if his attitude was compassionate and
he found scripture that would agree with him (Matt
12:20 – about Jesus not breaking the bruised reed).
Because the pastor never learned to perceive by the
Spirit, he subjected his congregation to be led by a
praise & worship leader that was unbeknownst to them
– a practicing homosexual (that believed that God
approved of homosexuality). After I pressed them
about Jude 1:12 they removed him, though the people
in the congregation were never told. Simply put,
hidden reefs will shipwreck our faith. I am not
saying that we are not to invite the homosexual to
our love feast, but that means they are not hidden
and you are trying to get the Gospel of salvation to
them. If we do not have discernment in these last
days, people in our midst shall be victims as a
result. Moreover, do not be deceived in the matter
of salvation, one cannot be born-again and be
practicing that which is an abomination to God as
the Apostle John wrote in his letter 1John. This
should have been clearly taught to us.
Ezra 4:3
But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads
of fathers' {households} of Israel said to them,
"You have nothing in common with us in building a
house to our God; but we ourselves will together
build to the LORD God of Israel. (NAS)
God’s forerunners, God’s foundation will DISCERN
those who have nothing “in common.” Zerubbabel is
the governor of this Jerusalem and we see his
response is much like Nehemiah’s response – one that
reflects God’s way instead of the way of man. We
must discern those who have "nothing in common" from
those who are "in common" and build together - His
House. These ways of God are a great contrast from
typical ministry that we frequently observe. There
is a missing wisdom in even the best of today’s
ministry. Scripture has the answer; scripture has
the key ingredient needed that enables us to be
successful builders as measured by God’s standard.
One ingredient is discernment in those we labor. On
one hand, we must be as Paul and Apollos, and on the
other hand, we must exclude those who “having
nothing in common.” This includes praise and
worship laborers, as well as any other kind of
building that you are doing.
Ezra 4:4
Then the people of the land discouraged the people
of Judah, and frightened them from building, (NAS)
Temporarily we see defeat. In ministering to others
there will be temporary setbacks. The enemy will
try to discourage and cause fear. And, at times we
may see success on the devil’s side instead of on
our side. If you see a setback, know that it shall
be temporary, God will give us courage out of this
discouragement.
To make matters worse for Zerubbabel, a letter was
sent to the king containing false accusations; it
resulted in the God’s project coming to a complete
halt.
Ezra 5:1-2
When the prophets, Haggai the prophet and Zechariah
the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in
Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of
Israel, who was over them, then Zerubbabel the son
of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak arose and
began to rebuild the house of God which is in
Jerusalem; and the prophets of God were with them
supporting them. (NAS)
God’s prophets will cause the building project that
has stopped, to continue again. Of course the enemy
sent accusation, again, to the king to have the work
cease, but the response of the king was “"Leave this
work on the house of God alone; let the governor of
the Jews and the elders of the Jews rebuild this
house of God on its site.” God gives us favor with
the kings of the land when what we are building is
truly of the Lord. After the work of the temple was
finished, we see Ezra coming to the scene; he
represents to us what is the result of a completed
temple.
Ezra 7:10
For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the
LORD, and to practice {it,} and to teach {His}
statutes and ordinances in Israel. (NAS)
When we become a mature nation of priests, we will
follow the example of Ezra. Ezra was a priest and a
scribe; he represents God’s desire to have an
undefiled temple. Ezra became a law to the people
of Israel and he ridded the land from abominations
that were occurring. This is a type of the “Day of
Atonement!”
Ezra 9:2-4
"For they have taken some of their daughters {as
wives} for themselves and for their sons, so that
the holy race has intermingled with the peoples of
the lands; indeed, the hands of the princes and the
rulers have been foremost in this unfaithfulness."
And when I heard about this matter, I tore my
garment and my robe, and pulled some of the hair
from my head and my beard, and sat down appalled.
Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God
of Israel on account of the unfaithfulness of the
exiles gathered to me, and I sat appalled until the
evening offering. (NAS)
Temple defiling must cease in our midst. We must
become a people that have an extreme hatred for sin;
we must be appalled at its appearance. We must not
be intermingled with the peoples of this land; we
are a people with a different citizenship. We must
not think as the world does, we must not take in the
views of this world. For instance, the world views
politics a certain way and when we have saturated
ourselves with their views, we resemble the world
instead of the Government of God. We join with an
idea here and an idea there that represents the
world system instead of God’s system.
Because we are influenced by the world’s media and
entertainment, we have considered that which is
important, that which God considers unimportant.
Because we fellowship with that which does not serve
Jesus Christ in total abandonment, we consider
certain things as unimportant that God says is the
most important. WE HAVE BECOME INTERMINGLED! In
seeing this intermingling in our own life, does it
bring a trembling? Proverbs teaches that the
beginning of knowledge and wisdom - “fears God.”
Hate that which is evil those who love God.
Ps 97:10
Let those who love the LORD hate evil, for he guards
the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them
from the hand of the wicked. (NIV)
The book of Ezra ends with the people of God having
put away their foreign wives and their children.
Surely, it hurt, it was pain for them, but they
chose to love and stay pure before their God. Make
the tough choices in your life. Surely, it will
hurt but afterwards comes God’s good pleasure.
Today is your valley of decision; today is the day
of choices – WE MUST CHOOSE LIFE TODAY!
Deut 30:19-20
19 "I call heaven and earth as witnesses today
against you, that I have set before you life and
death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life,
that both you and your descendants may live;
"that you may love the LORD your God, that you
may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him,
for He is your life and the length of your days; and
that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore
to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to
give them." (NKJ)
—John
Robert Lucas
"Temple
Builders: The High Calling" Prophetic Book
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