MELCHISEDEC PRIESTHOOD BY: ELAINE COOK
PARTS 1-2 TITLE
SUBTITLES
1
THERE ARISETH ANOTHER PRIEST
The Function Of A Priest
1
2
ESTHER AND THE LION KING
Scene One – The Palace Scene Two – Vashti, The Queen
5
PARTS
PAGE
PART ONE THERE ARISETH ANOTHER PRIEST AFTER THE ORDER OF MELCHIZADEK The calling of the order of Melchizedek has always seemed to me to be so high and holy as to be almost unattainable. Yet, I knew in my spirit that His remnant people were called unto this order. Recently, the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart: "I want you to prepare to teach on the Melchizedek Priesthood." I readily admitted, "Lord, this is too high for me. I know very little about this priesthood. Please teach me in a way that I can make it very real unto Your people." He replied, "Prepare thy heart to search this out and to know it, for My people are ready to hear it, for the decree has gone forth for them to arise into their order and to leave behind the old." The first thing I noticed was that Paul had something of great importance to tell the early Christians and they were not able to hear it because they were yet carnal. He chided the Corinthian Church and also the Hebrew Christians, telling them they were "dull of hearing and had need of milk, rather than strong meat." (I Cor. 3:1-3; Heb. 5:10,1l). Because they had not come to "full age" — unto maturity — he was not able to share this strong meat with them. What was this meat that Paul wanted them to receive? It was the truth of the Melchizedek Order! All they knew was the priesthood of Levi who ministered the Law. They were not aware that a new priesthood had been ushered in through Christ who ministered "after the power of an endless life." Paul told them that Jesus was "Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchizedek. Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing . . . ye are become such as have need of milk and not of strong meat. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil" Heb. 5:10, 11. This exhortation is followed by Hebrews, Chapter Six, which speaks of leaving the elementary principles and going on unto perfection. THE FUNCTION OF A PRIEST Whenever we think of a priest, we immediately think of someone who can remit sins. In the placing of the priests in the encampments of Israel, we can learn their function before God and man. The tent, which housed the Ark in the Holiest of All in the wilderness, was considered to be God’s Throne, for His presence was there. The priests were divided into four groups that were placed on each side of the Throne. They stood between the "Throne" and the people. God placed a priesthood between Himself and mankind. The priest reaches forth with one hand and takes hold of God. With the other hand he takes hold of humanity and brings the two together. MELCHISADEC PRIESTHOOD, Parts 1-2 [Elaine Cook] ~ BIBLE STUDY
1
The church of Jesus Christ has lost much because it has not taught that when one receives the Lord as Saviour, he is at the same time called to be a priest. John 20:21-23 describes the first time that anyone was born again. It was the spiritual fulfillment of the Feast of Passover. Not only did Jesus breathe on them and say, "Receive ye the Holy Ghost," but He also said: "Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained." As soon as the risen Lord breathed His lifegiving Spirit into His followers, he told them that they were to function as priests by forgiving sins. The church system has not told us that! Rather, they have taught us to be judges and to condemn the sinner. When I was on the mission field in Northern Canada, I met Mary, who had been healed of T.B., saved and baptized in the Spirit. She and her husband rejoiced greatly at what the Lord had wrought in both of their lives, but they still didn’t take their children ot of the Catholic School and send them to public school. The children were still being indoctrinated with teachings that their parents no longer believed were true. One day, one of the missionaries felt to talk to Mary about the Melchizedek priesthood. When she told Mary that Jesus was of an order that was above every priestly order that came before, she looked so relieved. With a smile she said, "Now I can take my children out of the Catholic School. I was afraid to go against the Pope who is the highest priest on earth. But, since Jesus is a higher Priest than he, I am not afraid to remove my children." Her last tie to Catholicism was broken as she acknowledged Jesus Christ to be "the Apostle and High Priest of her profession" Heb. 3:1. At another time, a former Catholic priest visited us for a few days. His life-story was very interesting. He told us, "My mother was an Irish Catholic girl and she fell in love with a Protestant Englishman. They married, but my mother always felt guilty about marrying someone out of her faith. To lighten her guilt, she vowed to give her first child to the Church. I was that child, and at a very early age I was committed to its care and instruction." "After functioning as a priest for some time, I was assigned to Quebec, Canada. Certain things that I saw in the lives of my fellow-priests distressed me and I felt I could not be absolved from sin by those who were, themselves, sinners. I knew these thoughts were rebellious, so I would whip myself with a small whip designed for that purpose. But self-chastisement did not remove the thoughts from my heart and after some time I lost all faith in my fellowman and in God. There was nothing for me to do but to run away from it all." "I hopped on a freight train like a common vagrant, desiring to get as far away from priests and God as I possibly could! After some days, I found myself in the farming province of Saskatchewan. It seemed like a good place to stop. No one would ever find me here and perhaps I could find work." "I walked to the nearest farmhouse and the farmer took me in, fed me, and promised me work. They were a Christian family and treated me in a loving manner. After supper each night the father would read from the Bible and pray. I excused myself and went out to the barn. I was running from God." "I had labored happily with this Christian family for several years when a dreadful accident happened. One of the father’s sons was killed while driving the tractor. Out of respect to the family, I attended his funeral, which was held at the rural schoolhouse. When I walked in and sat down in a child’s desk, I was struck with the bareness of the room. The preacher stood behind the teacher’s desk. He had on no robes; there were no candles, no incense, no crosses, nothing that could indicate the presence of the Lord. Inside me, panic began to arise: Why, they couldn’t bury that young man without some form of sacrament or sacred icon. There would surely be no mercy for his soul if such were the case!" "Yet, when the young minister began to speak, the presence of God was there. Mercy was there. Love was there. Grace and peace were there. My heart was in awe — out of such bareness came the life of Christ!" "That night, at the table, the father asked me to say grace. I answered him, ‘I know many prayers — which one would you like me to say? Do you want one in Latin or in English? A long one or a short one?’" "The farmer answered, "I want one from your heart." His words smote me, for I knew not how to pray from my heart. He asked me then if I would join them for worship after the meal. The manner of their life and the peace MELCHISADEC PRIESTHOOD, Parts 1-2 [Elaine Cook] ~ BIBLE STUDY
2
in which they walked in the midst of this tragedy, mixed with the word of faith that he ministered to me, brought this prodigal home to his Father’s house. What great rejoicing there was around that kitchen table!" The former priest concluded: "Later on, I received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and felt the Lord calling me to minister to my Catholic brethren in South America who do not know the reality of the risen Christ. That is now my ministry." (Unquote) I began to understand that there are two orders of priesthood: that of Levi and of Melchizedek. "Levi," the Lord said, "went astray from Me after their idols; they shall... have charge of the gates of the house and minister to the house" Ez. 44:10. They are the priests who minister in the outer court realm — in the beginnings of our Christian walk. Because of the idols in their hearts they can’t take us any further than the gate. They minister to the people (the house) rather than to the Lord. You may object, saying that the Levitical priesthood is over because we are no longer under the Law. As long as the Law is being preached (mixed with a small part of grace), the ministers are still of the Levitical order. If they still need robes, vestments, crosses, entertainment — you name it — to feel spiritual, or to remind them of the Lord, they are still functioning in the order of Levi. The order that was ushered in by Jesus was patterned after the priests of Zadok. "But Zadok... kept the charge of My sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from Me. They shall come near to Me to minister unto Me" Ez. 44:15. This new order of priests has no need for outer trappings, for they have the Spirit of the Lord who completely satisfies every longing of the human heart! They abide in the realm of the Holiest of All and minister unto the Lord. From that place, they have an abundance to meet the needs of the people. The ministry of the priests of Zadok is a type and shadow of the priesthood of Melchizedek. "Zadok" means "just." Notice how closely it resembles the name "Melchi-zedek." "Melchizedek" comes from a root: "to be right (i.e. correct); to argue: causing to decide, justify, or convict — appoint, argue, chasten, convince, correct (-ion), daysman, dispute, judge, maintain, plead, reason (together), rebuke, reprove, surely." These words help us to see what is involved in the function of a priest of this order. He may have to do any or all of these things. Simply put, Strong’s Dictionary of Bible Words says Melchizedek means: "king of right." That would mean that one of this order must stand for what is right according to God’s Heart — not according to his own heart, or man’s standards. He stands before God in the Holiest of All within his temple until he knows the will of God in any matter. He refuses to judge any matter after his own mind. This is not a popular course, for men want only love and acceptance from a priest. They don’t understand that "to chasten, correct, judge, rebuke, reprove" are all operations of God’s love. Understanding this, we can know how it was that the Corinthians and the Hebrews could not "hear" about this new order of priesthood. They had not come to sufficient maturity and death-to-self where they wanted only the Lord’s will in a matter and desired only to know His mind, rather than their own. The love that they knew was the condemnation of the Law and it was not easy to put that away. Some, who have done so now, have gone too far the other way. They think that, in this New Day, the Lord wants only Love and no chastening, correcting, or reproving! That is not true. Correction brings about change and growth, but now we know that it is done in love and a right spirit so that restoration will be the result. To be of this order is to be balanced and settled so that you will let the Spirit of Melchizedek within you minister His will in every instance. Then you will be truly functioning in the new order! What many call LOVE and consider to be the ways of love, are, in fact, images of their own making. True love requires that hard-to-hear things be spoken which go against our images of love. The Lord spoke the words "spiritual Spock" to me recently. We all know how Dr. Spock’s book on child-rearing became the authority for raising the present generation. The children were never to be crossed —it might damage their psyche — so just let them have their own way and love them no matter what. The children MELCHISADEC PRIESTHOOD, Parts 1-2 [Elaine Cook] ~ BIBLE STUDY
3
became selfish and unlovable. The Lord was saying that this same philosophy has been carried over into spiritual things because of the teaching: "Love never chastens, reproves, corrects. It just loves." I say, with all holy boldness, that that is not love. Love means the same as what Melchizedek means! It is the kind of love that cares enough about you to do the hard thing for the higher purpose. The Lord gave us two "test cases" to teach us lessons of how He would have us minister in this new realm of spirit. In each of them, he had us to love and counsel, to pray with patience for a period of two years, showing nothing but grace. At the end of that time, when there had been no change whatever in their behavior. He told us that He was going to bring the law to bear upon them because they had refused His grace. He did just that, and they both shaped up in a hurry when faced with the officers of the law! I observed a priest of this new order in operation recently, and it was beautiful to behold. My spirit said "Amen!" to what he did. He had been made "a watchman on the wall" in a certain situation, and had to deal with a very serious matter that came forth in the midst. First, he went to the guilty one, giving him a chance to repent and receive prayer and deliverance from his uncleanness. Love, grace and mercy were all held out to him, but he would not repent or acknowledge any wrongdoing. Was that the end of the matter? No. The guilty one chose to have the Lord bring the law down upon him, which in this case would be quite far-reaching. Love had been proffered but had been refused, so law was the inevitable consequence. I believe we need to understand these principles. I am going to quote from a letter from Gwen Laurens who is a kindred spirit I met this year. She has been greatly processed by the Lord and I value her words of wisdom. She shared, "This 'Idol of Love' and the 'Idols' connected with our definition of 'LOVE' must come down. It is not love, and it is no kindness to leave people in their condition of lack without offering some aid. Only those who have submitted to the tearing-down of their own idols (or images) of love, can administer God’s perfect love." All we have to do is to look honestly at the dealings of God in our own lives to see that God’s Love has been at work chastening, reproving, and correcting. He loves us so much that He has purposed to continue to deal with us until our nature is changed and is just like His! That is true Love! There is no "permissiveness" there, for True Love corrects (without condemnation) to bring about a change in our hearts. This prophetic word given to Gwen should speak to our hearts: "I say, cry aloud, spare not, lift up your voice, even as a trumpet. Tell My People their transgression. Say unto them, examine yourselves. Say unto them, ask of Me the true riches. Say unto them, ask for the truth and for the grace to even hear the truth. "This is the cry of My Spirit in this hour. This is My instruction to My people. I say, cry unto Me for wisdom and instruction. Ask Me to expose the darkness. Stand in the gap for one another till Christ Jesus be formed in you all." "There are two camps in the land of My People. In one camp there are the faithful. In the other camp there are the unfaithful. Understand and know that the faithful are not those who would necessarily appear to be perfect. The faithful are those who continue in my Word, even to repent. For My People must continue in the process of their sanctification. They must continue to have their minds renewed and their very nature transformed. The faithful know that it is a daily process. The faithful are treading out the corn. They are walking step by step. They are marching forward." "The unfaithful are offended when faced with their need to repent. It is an insult to them to be put in the same category as the publican or the sinner for they have been schooled in making great boasts and in declaring mighty things; but, not by My Spirit. There is much boasting in the flesh which must be repented of." The first inkling I had about this change of priesthood had to do with the taking of tithes. One day, I read Hebrews 7:5,6 with new understanding. "...they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law... But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham..." MELCHISADEC PRIESTHOOD, Parts 1-2 [Elaine Cook] ~ BIBLE STUDY
4
This explained something that I had noticed for years. Those being led of the Lord and taught by Him never put a price on what they had received from Him — they always offered it freely, trusting the Lord to meet their needs. When they gathered together, they didn’t make long, ardent appeals for money. They were more interested in ministering the living Bread. I didn’t understand that I was seeing the Levitical priesthood taking tithes and the Melchizedek priesthood receiving tithes. It seems that the Levitical priesthood has majored in ways to part a man from his money. They use begging techniques, eloquent persuasion, gimmicks and such. One pastor, in the "renewal", told me unabashedly that the revival meetings every night at his church started at six o’clock and they praised for several hours and then took the offering for several hours and about midnight they had the Word and closed about one a.m. I could clearly see where his priorities were — the Word definitely took last place. I thought, "This sounds to me like Levi. If the Lord were really moving, they wouldn’t have to work so hard at taking money from the people." The Melchizedek Priests receive tithes only at the Spirit’s behest — only as the Lord speaks to His people’s hearts — without any carnal persuasion or coercion. That is part of the new order of God. On my recent ministry trip to North Carolina, I asked John Gibson not to ask for an offering for me. I said, "I was so embarrassed last year when you did that." He protested, "Elaine, the people are expecting me to give them an opportunity to help with your expenses in coming here." When he saw the look on my face, he decided to grant my request. John did ask me to let him know if my airline ticket was paid for before I went home. I said, "John, I’ll never tell you.
PART TWO THE STORY OF ESTHER AND THE LION-KING I stand for the Kingdom of God. Some may say, "We are not yet in the land." I don’t want to take issue with anyone about this matter, but it’s like a person telling you: "There is no baptism of the Holy Spirit. They needed that in the early church, but it’s not for today. "They can say, "I’m standing on the shore." Yet, here I am standing in the water. "Are you going to tell me that I’m not in the water? If you’re still in the wilderness of testing and proving, and I’m in the Promised Land — walking up and down in it, learning the new ways of this new realm, possessing every inch that my foot treads upon — are you going to tell me there is no new land to possess?" Recently, the Lord spoke to me: "It’s time to teach My children about the Melchizedek Priesthood." I protested, "Oh, Lord, you’ll have to teach me about it, for I know very little about it." I know only this about the Melchizadek Priesthood: I know that it is for us. When we walk in this new land, we are not to walk in the Levitical Order, after a carnal commandment, not by the mind of man, nor by carnal ordinances or the traditions of the fathers. We are to walk after the Spirit. Although I know it is for us, yet it seems so high and holy that I neither know how to talk about it nor how to enter into it. So I prayed: "Lord, please make it so simple that everyone who is called unto it shall understand it!" I believe I have seen that prayer answered as I have ministered. Teenagers have come to me and said they understood every word that I spoke. That was thrilling! I am going to share about Melchizedek from the Book of Esther, for it is full of it. Before I do, I want to bring your attention to the movie ‘LION-KING." It won six awards this year and was at the top of the charts for being a quality movie. I thought it was just a child’s film, but some have told me that it has a powerful message. I would never have taken note of these awards except that they have something to do with our story. You’ll see it when we get into Esther. SCENE ONE: THE PALACE MELCHISADEC PRIESTHOOD, Parts 1-2 [Elaine Cook] ~ BIBLE STUDY
5
The name of the king in the Book of Esther is Ahasuerus and he reigned from India even unto Ethiopia, even over 127 provinces. Would you believe that "Ahasuerus" means "Lion-King"! Guess who is winning all the awards this year? The Lion-King is! This "Lion-King" in our story, who rules over 127 provinces, is a type and a shadow of the Lord Jesus Christ — the King Who is over ALL! The "Lion-King" is ruling in the palace at Shushan. We need to know where this palace is because we are required to be there with Him. "Shushan" means "purity of word and thought; a lily, for its whiteness." This is where the Lion-King lives and we need to be living in that pure realm with Him! The scriptures tell us three times that the Lion-King ruled over 127 provinces, so it must be very important. To understand this number, we see that: 100 = completeness, a complete harvest 27 = perfection; divine completeness always associated with 3 (3x3x3 = 27) Thus, 127 provinces speak of the complete world and all its inhabitants. This King — "Lion-King — represents the King of all the earth Who gives life and restoration to all. We need also to know the time-frame of what is to happen in the palace. It is the third year of the king’s reign. Could we say that these events take place on the third day — the day in which we now live? In this third day, the King made a feast unto all His princes and servants. I like that. No one was excluded because of being in a lower station in life. The only thing required was that they had to be "present in Shushan the palace." Lion-King didn’t call them in off the streets. Only a desire to live in the "purity of word and thought" qualified them to come into this place from which the King ruled. For 180 days, Lion-King showed them: 1. The riches of His glorious kingdom 2. The honor of His excellent majesty Has He been showing you those things, My brethren? Has He been teaching you of His glorious kingdom and of His excellent majesty? If He hasn’t, ask Him to show them to you! It blows my mind — but most of all, it blows my heart. My heart can hardly stand the wonder of knowing of the things that the Lord has prepared for us and to understand that He has come within to reign and to bring us into that kingdom. After the 180 days, Lion-King made another great feast, which lasted for seven days. This is of great significance when we understand what it means in the spirit! We have 180 + 7 days = 187 days. From the beginning of the Hebrew year, day one of the month Abib, to the Day of Atonement, was exactly 187 days! This great feast was The Feast of Tabernacles — the feast of fullness! All, great and small, who were in the palace, (the place of ruling and reigning), came. (These had been prepared for the palace by learning to give up self-rule in their wilderness processings). The feast was held in the garden of the king’s palace. We are the garden in whom He lives and dwells and has His being. This great Feast will not be held in "the holy land" of Jerusalem, but in "the holy land" of the New Jerusalem that you are — in your garden! In our garden, there are "white, green, and blue hangings fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rings and pillars of marble: the beds were of gold and silver, upon a pavement of red, and blue, and white, and black marble" Esther 1:6. What does all of this mean as to being inside of us? The hangings were "white, green, and blue." "White" speaks of "the righteousness of Christ" that is being inworked into us. The "blue" speaks of a "heavenly realm." "Green" is "new life!" I want you to know that there was no green in the Levitical Order; there was no green in the Aaronic Priesthood! Why was this? "By reason MELCHISADEC PRIESTHOOD, Parts 1-2 [Elaine Cook] ~ BIBLE STUDY
6
of death" still being in effect in that priesthood. Green speaks of "new life"and only the Melchizedek Order priests shall know the power of that new life. In Levi, one priest died and was replaced by another, but not so with Melchizedek, for He has "the power of an endless life!" There is arising another priest after the order of Melchizedek, and green — new life, shall be a part of the hangings in his garden. These hangings "surrounded" or "clothed" the garden. They clothe us with "His righteousness", with that "heavenly realm of His Spirit", and with His "new life." There is a witness to this in the Song of Solomon where the Bride says, "Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant: also our bed is green" Song of Solomon 1:16. Have you ever seen a green bed? A bed speaks of "rest, completeness, perfection, our marriage union; a couch with a canopy." A canopy is a covering of green — being clothed upon with His life. Besides a bed of new life, there were also beds of gold and silver. Gold speaks of His divine nature. We are beginning to rest in His nature. Personally, I’m learning to judge all things by the nature of Christ. If one comes to me to share some new doctrine, or revelation, I line it up with what I know of the nature of Christ. Usually I will agree with him, but sometimes I have to say, "I’m sorry, but that doesn’t sound like my Father. It doesn’t look like Him, so I can’t embrace that." I’m lying in the bed of gold — learning what His nature is, and having it inworked in me. The bed of silver is symbolic of our redemption. We’re resting in the finished work of Christ, in the full redemption that He purchased for us. Now, we will leave the hangings of our garden to go to the banqueting house where the wine of gladness is being served. "They gave them to drink in vessels of gold . .. " Imagine drinking wine out of vessels of gold! We are all vessels of gold in whom the Lord is inworking His divine nature! He is going to pour from us the wine of the Spirit. The vessels were "diverse one from another." When I look upon the countenances of Christ’s Body, I see them as different as they can be, but the wine is going to come forth from each golden vessel with its own distinct flavor mingled with the flavor of the Lord. The wine will be full of new life unto all who can receive it. There was wine in abundance. There was no lack at this Feast. Yet, "the drinking was according to the law — none did compel." You could have as much as you liked, but no one was compelled to have more than they wanted. Don’t choke anyone by pouring too much down his throat, but, on the other hand, don’t be stingy. Many have stumbled because we poured a whole bottle of wine down their throats! These are instructions for Melchizedek Priests: We are to pour out our wine "according to the hand of the king." He knows how much each person can accept and He, within us, knows when to stop pouring. We need to know how to pour the wine in this new priesthood order! SCENE TWO — VASHTI, THE QUEEN Queen Vashti made a feast for the women in that royal palace that belonged to Lion-King. A feast for the women? What does this mean? The King is celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles and is pouring forth the wine of the kingdom and bedecking His garden with beauty. Why isn’t the queen at His Feast? Why is she having a feast for the women? In the scriptures, "woman" represents "the soul." We see that Queen Vashti is walking in the soulish realm — doing her own thing and paying no attention to the Feast of Tabernacles that the Lion-King is keeping. She is in the palace, but not in the Holiest of All, at the side of her Husband. She is yet in the Holy Place (the place of the gifts of Pentecost). On the seventh day of the Feast, the King commanded His seven counselors (the seven-fold spirit of God) to bring Vashti, crowned, to show the people her beauty. She refused to comply with His request. The Feast of Tabernacles held no interest for her — she was having a great time at her own feast, thank you! Things were really happening, and it was exciting to all the soulish ones. Her heart had not been prepared, so she had no desire to attend the King’s Feast. MELCHISADEC PRIESTHOOD, Parts 1-2 [Elaine Cook] ~ BIBLE STUDY
7
When the first reports of the Toronto Blessing and the Pensacola move of God came to my ears, with reports of people falling under the power and having various physical manifestations, I said, "Lord, am I missing something? I want to be open to whatever You are doing." He caused me to understand that He was pouring out the harvest rain to ripen the corn, the mature ones. In the temple, there is the Outer Court, the Holy Place, and the Holiest of All. The rain that is pouring down now is the harvest rain, sent to bring the corn to its fullness. That’s what this rain is all about — but when the Lord sends rain, He doesn’t just sprinkle it on one segment. He sends it on the just and the unjust, even upon every level of spiritual understanding of His people. Each one receives his portion and it manifests in a different manner in different realms — and that’s all right. The Lord cautioned me: "I don’t want you to even look at what is going on in the Outer Court. It has nothing to do with you! Don’t look at what is going on in the Holy Place (the soulish realm). I want you to keep your eyes steadfast upon the place of the Mercy Seat! Keep your eyes on that veil, for it is opening up for you, and you’re going to stand face-to-face before that Mercy Seat. You’re not only going to behold it — you are going to become it — you are going to become that which you see!" On this 187th day, the Day of Atonement of the great Feast of Tabernacles, the queen — the church system — has refused to come into Tabernacles! This is the feast that our Lion-King has prepared, but they have chosen to have their own feast! The seven chamberlains, counselors of the King, advise him to judge this matter. These seven chamberlains, I believe, represent the seven-fold spirit of God, His manifestation in fullness. (Jesus didn’t manifest the gifts of the Spirit. He walked in the fullness of the seven spirits of God as spoken of in Isaiah, chapter 11). The counsel they gave was that this church system that refused to leave off doing their own thing in the soulish realm, believing they had God’s highest and best, would be brought to judgment. Their advice was for LionKing to divorce her. Then, a search should be made throughout the land for pure virgins who had not been defiled by man (the system), who would put the desires of Lion-King before their own desires; they would love Him above all else. Vashti was refused and put away. Lion-King acknowledged that she was a bad example. She had wronged the king, and this affected all the people. Only contempt and wrath could result from her refusal to obey Him. (And, we can see that has happened. Since the church system has its own program, the world is not interested in it. It tries to attract worldly ones by holding out worldliness to attract them, but the world knows there is no life there, and has only contempt for their efforts). The King’s decree was made: Vashti’s estate — the church system — should be given to another! To clarify this, I quote from Stephen Jones’ writings: "God married Israel at Mount Sinai under what we call the Old Covenant. It was a marriage covenant, but God was marrying a bond woman because salvation under this covenant was conditional upon her obedience and cooperation. This put her in bondage, because she was incapable of fulfilling her vow of obedience in Ex. 19:8. Hence, it was a Hagar-marriage relationship. Most of the people in Jesus’ time still maintained great confidence in their ability to attain salvation through perfect obedience to the law, so they were unable to break away and come under a new covenant. Paul appealed to the Church to "cast out the bond woman and her son " and leave the old-order temple with its Levitical priesthood and sacrifices that meant nothing to God, now that the true Lamb had come. The Church under Pentecost ended up being the son of Hagar, rather than of Sarah. "In this past century it has put its full trust in Hagar once again. Many denominations have financed the establishment of the old Jerusalem (Hagar) and the rebuilding of an old physical temple that would be run by an old Levitical priesthood sacrificing animals once again. It is the prime evidence that the Church is under the Old Covenant, not the new. It shows that they have a Hagar relationship with God, not a Sarah relationship. MELCHISADEC PRIESTHOOD, Parts 1-2 [Elaine Cook] ~ BIBLE STUDY
8
"To solve the problem, God is going to do the same thing He did in 70 A.D. He is about to destroy old Jerusalem in order to break the Church loose from its Hagar-marriage covenant. He must divorce the church (cast out the bond woman), nullify the Old Covenant marriage, and bring His people into a new relationship under a New Covenant. God is sending Hagar back to Egypt."
A GIFT FROM: LIGHTHOUSE LIBRARY, INTERNATIONAL; P. O. BOX 571225, DALLAS, TX 75357-1225; ROGER and SUNNY COFFMAN; [972] 270-4232; E-MAIL:
[email protected]; WEB PAGE: www.LighthouseLibrary.com NEWEST WEB PAGE: www.LighthouseLibrary.org MELCHISADEC PRIESTHOOD, Parts 1-2 [Elaine Cook] ~ BIBLE STUDY
9
