Attempting to walk like Jesus using only mankinds poor imitations of Gods REAL THINGS, such as LOVE, FAITH, and HOPE, is a certain guarantee of failure. Believing, receiving, and walking in THE REAL THING, has the power to make failure an impossibility. On to the next of GODS SEVEN SPIRITS... Click Here For Audio RIGHTEOUSNESS THE FOURTH GODS SPIRIT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS The MOST simple definition of WHAT RIGHTEOUSNESS is, can be found in Isaiah 45:19 - “I the Lord speak RIGHTEOUSNESS, I DECLARE things that are RIGHT” If you read ONLY what God says here, you will have no problem understanding exactly what Gods RIGHTEOUSNESS is. Gods RIGHTEOUSNESS is what God says it is, NOT what some man tells you it is or thinks it is. Who does this verse tell us that this right belongs to? It very plainly says, that this right belongs to God and God alone. Keeping this TRUTH firmly in your mind, it should be a simple thing to compare Gods RIGHTEOUSNESS to what THE CHURCH, by and in large, teaches righteousness to mean. The most commonly taught and preached meaning for this word is, “to be in RIGHT-STANDING with God.” That is true, KIND OF, but not quite right either. The simple truth is, this puts the CART before the HORSE. The CART here representing our RIGHT-STANDING with God, but the HORSE is the power of Gods SPIRIT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS which can bring us to that place of being in right-standing with God. Since God alone is the creator of all things, He alone gets to make the rules. What He says is right, is RIGHT. As is the case with all of Gods 7 Spirits, mankind has its own version of each. Lets learn what God thinks about “mans righteousness”. We can find this answer in Isaiah 64: 6 - “But we are all as an unclean thing, and ALL OUR RIGHTEOUSNESSES are, as filthy rags.” Now you have two kinds of RIGHTEOUSNESS, Gods and mans. The RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD is what GOD has declared to be RIGHT, and the righteousness of men amounts only to what they WANT it to be. There are more opinions than there are people and surprise, surprise, God has an opinion also. Take for example Mark 11: 15-17 and Matt. 21: 12-13 – Read and study these verses for yourself. In short, the MONEYCHANGERS had worked themselves into Gods House under the guise of offering a service unto Gods people. Keep in mind, that ALL things God has declared to be RIGHT is RIGHTEOUSNESS, and ALL else is UN-RIGHTEOUSNESS. There is nothing else in-between. Basing your opinion only on Jesus re-action and subsequent ACTIONS, would you think that this practice of “turning Gods House into a HOUSE OF MERCHANDISE” would be in Gods eyes RIGHTEOUSNESS OR UN-RIGHTEOUSNESS? This should take but a moment. Anyone who might be reading this must, of necessity, be doing so on the Internet. See for yourself. Visit as many Christian (so-called at least) web-sites as it might take to convince yourself there are still moneychangers in our day. The vast majority, and I do mean VAST majority, are nothing less than a place for the selling of products. Books, tapes, music, etc.. Most web-sites are labeled with the tag FREE. One would suppose in this case FREE must refer to “Click, its FREE to get here.” If you do click you will more than likely find something that looks akin to a Middle Eastern Bazaar. Keep in mind that all this is done under the guise of helping you to learn of and about God, or to worship God, or to grow in God. The TRUTH is, you will never find this practice in Gods Word. Except of course, when Gods RIGHTEOUSNESS was turned into UN-RIGHTEOUSNESS as we just read about in Matthew and Mark. Do your best to remember the following simple phrase. “If its FROM GOD, it aint for sale and if its FOR SALE, it aint from God.” Many will be offended by those words, but unless and until someone can show me chapter and verse where Jesus or any other man of God committed this act of UN-RIGHTEOUSNESS, I will never believe this to be anything other than UN-RIGHTEOUSNESS, an abomination unto God. Unfortunately, all who refuse to agree with Gods opinion about this will one day learn, and perhaps too late, that Gods opinion is the ONLY one that matters. Is it possible that there is more to this thing called RIGHTEOUSNESS than just saying, “I have received Gods righteousness by FAITH?” Once again, the TRUTH, but not the WHOLE TRUTH. Should we consider the possibility, that after we receive it by faith, there might be something more required of us? 1st John 2:29 - “If you know that he (speaking of Jesus) IS RIGHTEOUS, then ye know (should also know) that everyone that DOETH RIGHTEOUSNESS(what God says or declares) is born of him.” What does this tell us about this thing called RIGHTEOUSNESS? Exactly as it is true of Gods LOVE, FAITH, and HOPE, righteousness which is not being walked in is nothing more than just another word. All who claim to be in right standing with God while walking continually in UN-RIGHTEOUSNESS (well, the only word which comes to mind) are LIARS. We received Gods SPIRIT OF LOVE by hearing his words which contained His LOVE, but then unless we walk in Gods LOVE, that LOVE is in vain and without profit. By in large, the CHURCH today are doers of “mans righteousness” and not Gods SPIRIT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. Weve already seen Gods opinion of what mans righteousness is worth. Jesus was a doer of Gods RIGHTEOUSNESS, not mans. Lets remember one more time, that God has commanded His church to walk EVEN AS Jesus walked (1st.John 2: 6). All should be willing to agree that this would be impossible, if we are only walking in mans righteousness, rather than Gods. There should then, remain no question as to which RIGHTEOUSNESS God has commanded us to walk in. Always remember that God never ask anyone to do something that was impossible for them to do. Every commandment of God comes with ALL things necessary to enable you, to keep that commandment. He has commanded us to be doers of His RIGHTEOUSNESS, not mans. He has provided us with his SPIRIT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. This 4th Of Gods 7 SPIRITS can only be received, as all the other 6 must be received. This SPIRIT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS is contained in Gods Word which tells us what righteousness is. It can only be received by FAITH, but unless you THEN walk in and become a doer of HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, you will end up being only a doer of UN-righteousness. Mankind needed no help in becoming a doer of unrighteousness. Being a doer of unrighteousness is not second nature to mankind, it is our FIRST NATURE. There is no in-between, there is no neutral ground here. All will walk in either one or the other. God has made ALL seven of HIS SPIRITS available to all men. Jesus gave his life to make this possible. Shortly before Calvary, Jesus said that his life was “his (own) to pick up or to lay down, and that no man could take it from him” (paraphrase). And so it is for us today. God has provided His seven SPIRITS and commanded us to walk in THEM. Not some worthless mans imitation. No man or devil can stop you from doing so. Believing that someone else stopped you from doing so, well, that excuse will not wash with God, because it will not WASH with His WORD. The final decision rest with you, and you alone. Many long years ago, God said to the the nation of Israel, Deut. 30: 19 - “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore CHOOSE LIFE that both thou and thy seed may live.” God never changes. Included in everything God has provided for us, he always reveals to us the only WISE choice, but when all is said and done, the final decision rest with us. And so it is with GODS SEVEN SPIRITS. All seven can be received and walked in by ANYONE who will choose to do so. No one can stop you from doing so, except Y-O-U. Click Here For Audio JUDGMENT THE FIFTH GODS SPIRIT OF JUDGMENT The first and perhaps the most important thing to know about Gods JUDGMENT, is that it is a TWO-EDGED SWORD. When most people hear this word, especially when following the word GODS, their first reaction is to shudder in fear and trembling. Most Christians picture an angry God and a burning Hell. That is, of course, unless you realize that Gods JUDGMENT works two ways, not just ONE. Even in mans “sorry by comparison version(of judgment)”, this is true. Judgment can just as easily go in your FAVOR as it can against you. A large majority of church-going Christians are quick to quote the words of Jesus when he said, “Judge NOT, and you shall not be judged, (partial).” This word as used here, means Judgment unto condemnation. Were it true that this is the only way this word is ever used, that would be all well and good. This is not, however, all there is to it. In St.John 7:24 we find Jesus saying, “Judge not according to appearance, but judge RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT” . The next question then becomes, are we to judge, or are we NOT to judge? For Gods answer to this question, we need first acknowledge that if this answer does exist, it will be found only in Gods Word. In St. John 5: 22 Jesus says, “For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed ALL Judgment unto the Son.” In John 12: 47 Jesus said, “If any man hears my words, and believe not, I judge(condemn) him not: for I came NOT to judge the world, but to save the world.” Thus far, weve seen the Father (God) will judge (condemn) no man, and that Jesus will judge (condemn) no man. Understand that the word judge as used here only means to condemn. Who then will judge (condemn) the world? In the very next verse we will find that answer is not WHO, but WHAT. Verse 48 - “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth NOT my words, hath (already) one that judgeth him: THE WORD THAT I HAVE SPOKEN, the same (words) shall judge (condemn) him in the last day.” In Psalms 149:9 we find the scripture , “To execute (speak) upon them(the world) the Judgment WRITTEN: this honor have ALL his saints.” Between the last two verses you should begin to understand why neither God himself, or Jesus will have to judge anyone. All of mankind has ALREADY BEEN JUDGED. If you are a Christian and you say to someone who isnt, “No man can come to God but (except) by Jesus,” you have just executed Gods RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT. This word executed as used here simply means to speak. Should that person reject Gods Word that you have just spoken (executed), and if they continue to reject those same words until their death, they have in fact, judged themselves. Gods Judgment (condemnation) for all who reject Jesus is already WRITTEN. It can NOT be changed. The Judgment for all who make this wrong decision, is forever settled in Heaven and God will NEVER change it. As previously mentioned, all of Gods 7 SPIRITS are tied and related one to another. A wonderful example of how Gods SPIRIT of JUDGEMENT is related to Gods SPIRIT of RIGHTEOUSNESS can be found in Isaiah 26: 9 - “for when (and only when) thy (Gods) judgments are in the earth, then (and only then) the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness (partial)”. How could there be a reward for being a DOER OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, without and unless there were also a JUDGMENT against those who chose rather to be doers of UN-RIGHTEOUSNESS? To understand how Gods JUDGMENT cuts both ways, lets say you speak the words found in John 3:16. In this single verse, you will see Gods JUDGMENT for those who do not reject Jesus, but receive Jesus. Gods JUDGMENT written here promises ETERNAL LIFE. The following statement may require a few moments of thought on your part. God has many commandments where as Satan has only ONE. God has already written the rewards for those who keep His commandments, and the PENALTY for those who dont. Satan needs only ONE because his only commandment is, “DONT KEEP GODS COMMANDMENTS.” As has been the case with everything that is OF GOD, men have substituted their own versions of Gods REAL thing. Not only is mans judgment subject to failure, it will likely be wrong more times than right. Gods JUDGMENT on the other hand is always fair and just. Gods JUDGMENT tells every man beforehand the reward for rejection of his Words, as well as the reward for believing, receiving and becoming a doer of his Words. Every person will be judged by their OWN words. How much MORE FAIR could God be? Remember also, Jesus did tell us to “JUDGE RIGHTEOUS judgment”, but how many will you find who even know what that means? When you hear Jesus saying “JUDGE RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT”, do you hear that as a suggestion or as a commandment? Lets say, for an examples sake, you have a brother or sister in Christ, someone who at some point in their life became a BELIEVER. Now lets say that same person has been deceived into believing they can live their life loving and wallowing in sin and are now doing so without shame, guilt or remorse. This fallen brothers or sisters conscience has been seared by sin, as with a hot iron. Would God have you to do something? Anything? Might God send you to that person to condemn them? Hello!! He didnt even send Jesus to do that. Might He though, send you to that person, walking in Gods SPIRIT OF LOVE, to remind them of Gods Judgment? Before you go, remember Gods JUDGMENT has already been written and can NOT be changed and God is sending you, not to condemn or accuse them, but to speak His Words in the hope this person might perhaps repent and receive Gods forgiveness. The spirit of CONDEMNATION is OF Satan, and not of God. I believe you already know the answer to the following question. What if God directs you to do this very thing and you refuse to go? Will this be okay with God? Will your Heavenly Father hold you blameless? (If by chance you have any trouble answering this last question, allow me to suggest your reading Ezekiel 3: 20-21 .) Now back to the subject at hand. As is true of all seven of Gods SPIRITS, Gods Judgment is a SPIRIT. It came out of God and it came out contained IN GODS WORDS. They are mighty, they are powerful, they are ALIVE. His Words are all these things because they are SPIRIT and they are LIFE. Going on a mission like the one just discussed, but going only in your OWN power, you WILL fail. Go walking in Gods SPIRITS of LOVE, FAITH, HOPE, RIGHTEOUSNESS, and JUDGMENT, and you will have every reason to believe your mission will SUCCEED. God has often sent His prophets to warn men and even entire nations. Some heeded Gods warnings and repented, some did not. I have no doubt God knew beforehand what the outcome would be in each and every case. He warned them anyway. We are to do likewise. Doing this Gods Way leaves their decision entirely up to them. Not to God, and certainly not to you. Which judgment they will receive, will be by their decision, their choice. Thank God that He does not hold us responsible for whatever that decision might be. He will however, hold each and every one of us responsible for doing “whatsoever he commands us do”. God is FAIR, He is JUST, and last but not least, he has provided us with EVERYTHING necessary to be DOERS OF whatsoever he commands us to do. He has made it possible for us (the church) to walk EVEN AS Jesus walked. He did this by making available the EXACT same SEVEN SPIRITS of GOD, that Jesus walked in. If Gods CHURCH is to ever have any hope of being without spot or blemish and of ever being pleasing unto God, like Jesus was, this is the ONLY way. You have two choices. Believe it, receive it and do it, or continue to believe your FAIRY TALE about the BIG HYPO in the sky, in the great by and by. I feel led to warn you, that if you choose the latter, you best be prepared for the greatest disappointment of your entire life. Click Here For Audio KNOWLEDGE THE SIXTH GODS SPIRIT OF KNOWLEDGE There are few words in the English language which encompass so broad a spectrum of meanings as this word KNOWLEDGE does. The shortest and most simple meaning would be, TO KNOW. As has proven to be the case with every one of Gods Spirits so far, this time will prove to be no different. There is mans version of knowledge and Gods. Lets touch very lightly on what the knowledge of men might include. There is head knowledge, book knowledge, as well as knowledge which comes only from experience. The one common weakness of all these, is they are all subject to change. Once upon a time, men thought this earth to be flat. They believed it to be square and with corners. They believed that the SUN revolved around the earth rather than the other way around. They considered this to be 100% true, they considered this to be knowledge. Guess what? They were wrong. One would think they might have looked up one day and noticed that the Moon and the Sun were round. Why they chose to think the Earth was somehow different I would not venture to guess. The only purpose in my using this illustration is this. These things which men considered to be KNOWLEDGE proved to be wrong. That knowledge ceased, as anything that is subject to change or might later be proven to be wrong. Does this sound like something you might want to hang your eternity on? To me it does not. But then, thats just me. Remember that the shortest and most simple definition we started out with, was TO KNOW. Using the above examples, men did NOT KNOW, they only thought they knew. To summarize mans knowledge let me just say, it is subject to change, it is subject to be proven wrong, it is therefore, subject to become only yesterdays foolishness. Having said all that, we can now move on ahead to GODS SPIRIT OF KNOWLEDGE. As has already proven to be the case with the first 5 SPIRITS OF GOD, so it is also with Gods SPIRIT OF KNOWLEDGE. Because GODS KNOWLEDGE is SPIRIT and came OUT OF GOD, it is eternal; it will NEVER change, pass away or cease. God will NOT learn something new tomorrow that he does NOT KNOW today. He was ALL KNOWLEDGE from the beginning. God has made HIS KNOWLEDGE available to all of mankind. The first step necessary was to receive Jesus. Using YOU as our example, lets say you KNOW (I mean in the Gods Real Knowledge kind of way) that Jesus lives inside of you. Now ask yourself the following question. “How hard should it be from there to believing that ALL things are now possible for me?” After all, you is NOT just you anymore. Jesus said He was in the Father and the Father was in Him. Then if Jesus is in you, then the Father is also. Its no longer just you trying to do the impossible. Its youuns. (Hows that for a made up word?) Im not speaking theoretically, or hypothetically. The CHURCH in the earth today has had about all the theories and mans knowledge that it can stand. By now, Ive lost count of how many times Gods Word found in 1st. John 2:6 has been quoted. I suppose I could just go back and do a count. I could, but I wont. Ill just quote it again. “He that saith (says) he abideth in HIM (Jesus) ought (should) himself walk, EVEN AS, He (Jesus) walked.” Have you decided yet to agree with God that this must be possible? Or, are you still in the but I cant stage? I can say this with absolutely certainty. It IS NOT A GOOD IDEA to refuse to believe anything God says. That, too, is a spirit. It is called the spirit of unbelief, it is one of Satans spirits, and it is nothing less, than REBELLION AGAINST GOD. I had thought previously to include the following segment in the 7th and final chapter of this article BUT, as I keep hearing the words, “there is no time like the present”, I will do so NOW. These words are found in St. John chapter 17, and as it turns out, this entire chapter is a prayer that Jesus prayed. This complete chapter is well worth many hours of prayer and meditation. From verse 6 thru 19 Jesus is praying for his disciples and in verse 20, He includes US, (Thank you Jesus) the entire Body of Christ, in his prayer. “Neither pray I for these alone (His disciples), but for THEM also ( I believe Hes talking about us) which shall believe on me through their(His disciples) word(s).” What did Jesus pray for us? “That they ALL may be one; as thou Father art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be ONE in us.” Why? “(so) that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” Think about this for a minute. I just mentioned this but anything this good is worth repeating. Jesus just said that He was IN GOD and God was IN HIM. Now in verse 23 – Jesus goes on to say, “ I (Jesus) in them and thou in me, (partial).” Jesus was in God ( He just said that He was) and the Father (God) was in Jesus, (which He was) and then lastly but not least, Jesus said that He was in us. Well now! Tell me one more time that you cant walk EVEN AS Jesus walked. If God himself is inside of YOU, then His Word is inside of YOU. If His Word is inside of YOU, then His nature (meaning that ALL 7 of His SPIRITS) are inside of YOU. If you continue to insist you CANT, then of course you CANT. You CANT here really can only mean you wont. There is a very great likelihood that this is because youve been taught your whole Christian life that you CANT “walk even as he walked.” How about you start believing what God said instead of what some PHD or Dr. of theology straight out of some cemetery (I mean seminary) said? God has commanded us to believe His Words, to be doers of His Words and not the words of some mental midget because he has some Capitol letters behind his name. Any man (or woman) who comes saying God cant and you cant, was not sent by God. One would think that the CHURCH would have figured out by now that mans way is NOT working. It will never work. Had that been possible, God would not have had to send Jesus. How sad this is to say, but by in large, The CHURCH that Jesus built has insisted on doing it mans way. Rather than marching to the tune of Power In the Blood, they have tried to walk like Jesus while singing, “I did it my way.” That song may have served Frank Sinatra well, but as a battle song, its spiritual suicide. Why anyone would choose to walk in mans knowledge when God has made available to the entire Body of Christ, His KNOWLEDGE, I do not know. I can not fathom, but I do KNOW that we have all been guilty of it. The TRUTH is, if you have received Jesus, and he abides in YOU, then so also is Gods Word inside of you and me, and IF Gods Words abide (lives) in you, then you CAN walk EVEN AS Jesus walked. You need to understand that Gods Word abiding in you does not speak of abiding in your mind, but in your HEART(Spirit). They can only abide in the hearts of those who are DOERS OF THAT WORD. I have not one single doubt that Satan can quote the entire Bible from Genesis 1:1 to the last verse of chapter 22 of Revelations, every jot and every tittle. The problem for him is that he refuses to be a DOER of THE WORD. God has revealed to us the difference between mans sorry substitute and Gods SPIRIT OF KNOWLEDGE. This is not something He just put there yesterday or today. These things have been there for almost 2000 years. In 2nd Peter 3: 9 we can read “God is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is LONGSUFFERING towards us,” (partial) . As for myself, I think God has waited long enough. There will be some who will receive the words written here as TRUTH and there will be MANY, who will not. All who choose to believe these words, will do their very best to become doers of walking like Jesus walked. In Jesus, God has given us everything that God is and ALL that He has. He has once again, however, left the final decision up to each and every person. God will never make that decision for you and neither can I, or anyone else. Click Here For Audio WISDOM THE SEVENTH (and final) GODS SPIRIT OF WISDOM Before we turn into the home stretch and on to the seventh of Gods 7 SPIRITS, I believe it will prove well worth our time for a quick summary of things covered so far. As mentioned at the beginning, when studying GODS SEVEN SPIRITS each and every one could fill an entire book. That is most likely an understatement. We started this entire article with a scripture found in Revelations 4: 5. In this scene set in Heaven, John saw “seven lamps OF FIRE BURNING” before the throne, which are THE SEVEN SPIRITS OF GOD.” One might easily assume that these SEVEN LAMPS are THE SEVEN SPIRITS OF GOD. Upon closer examination of Gods Word this will prove to be an incorrect assumption. Anytime you can NOT find Gods answer in His WORD, you might settle for an assumption and from there jump to a conclusion. Every conclusion reached in this manner will be wrong 100% of the time. The only safe course of action in this situation, is to allow Gods Holy Spirit to lead and guide your search. God has included in His Word HIS WAY of our gaining understanding of His Word. This TRUTH is spelled out very clearly in Isaiah 28: 10 - “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little.” This word precept as used here, means the understanding of a thought or idea. The word line as used here means scripture upon scripture. I had no plans of including the following in this article, but what I had thought to be the plan, as it turns out, was not Gods plan. Since I have long ago determined that God is God and Im not, His plan is the ONLY RIGHT PLAN. Only one scripture will be necessary to bring us back to Isaiah 28: 10. It is found in 2nd Peter 1: 20 - “Knowing this first, that NO prophecy (of the scripture) is of any (PRIVATE) INTERPRETATION.” Notice that I have enclosed the word (private) in parenthesis. Should you care to study out this word private, you will find it to mean INDIVIDUAL. This word private (individual) has almost always been taught to mean an individual person. This is of course true, because its not okay with God that each and every person take any of His Words to mean only what they want them to mean. There is more here than meets the eye. Now look at this word individual not as meaning a person, but as INDIVIDUALLY; the meaning of which is no INDIVIDUAL scripture can be interpreted (understood) unless it is studied in the light of other scriptures. Now you should begin to understand the meaning of the words, “line upon line, and also, here a little, and there a little.” The here a little and there a little scriptures are often found far, far apart. For a quick example, let us say you find one or even several verses in the Old Testament on a given subject and they make little or no sense whatsoever, regardless of how long you look and ponder. But if you allow Gods Spirit to lead and guide you, He WILL lead you to the right THERE A LITTLE and Wham! Now the verse or verses you could not understand before, make perfect sense. That word WILL is in capitol letters because Jesus promised that He(the Holy Spirit) WILL lead and guide you into ALL the truth. If you allow some man who is NOT led by Gods Spirit to direct you to the wrong THERE A LITTLE, you will still not understand. This was NOT a mistake on Gods part. He does NOT make mistakes. God has HIS WORD written this way on purpose. You might wonder why. God doesnt mind you asking. Had He minded, He would not have put the answer in His WORD. God has promised “Seek and you WILL find (partial)”. God is seeking those who hunger and thirst after Him enough to be willing to seek His answers. He is separating those who are willing to seek from those who arent. A great many Christians are much too busy with life to have time to seek Gods answer to anything. A football game tonight, a must see movie another day, and perhaps even a night out on the town for Mom and Dad so they can get away from the kids for a while. The solution for far too many is to pay some man to seek God FOR them. Now that weve taken that little detour, we can get back to where we were. We were discussing how easy it would be to assume that the phrase “seven lamps of fire burning before the throne” is saying the 7 lamps are the 7 SPIRITS OF GOD. An easy assumption to make but not a correct one. Its not the 7 lamps which are the 7 SPIRITS OF GOD, but the fire burning in the 7 lamps. (Assumptions can only lead you to some mans opinion, NEVER Gods. Only Gods Holy Spirit can and will lead you to the correct THERE A LITTLE.) In Revelations 1: 20 we read the following words, (I believe this is Jesus speaking to John) “The SEVEN candlesticks which thou saw are the SEVEN churches(partial) .” It will also prove helpful to backup to verse 13 where you will find that the first thing John saw was Jesus standing in the midst of 7 golden candlesticks. In Revelations 11: 4 we find that same word candlesticks. As you will soon see, this word chosen by the translators as candlestick(s), would lead one to believe that this speaks of some type of candle holder. If you will follow along a couple of minutes longer, this mystery can and will be solved. Not by me, because Im not that smart. God alone is, and if you will take with me one more little trip to another THERE A LITTLE, this will all come to make perfect sense. Turn now to Zechariah 4:2 – This verse tells us exactly what Zechariah, a prophet of God, saw in his vision. The angel who appeared to Zachariah ask him what he saw. Zechariah answered, “I have looked, behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his 7 lamps thereon,” (partial). Even in this one verse alone, the use of this word candlestick might well seem confusing. We should now begin to come up with some very interesting questions. Why would a golden candlestick have upon it, 7 oil lamps rather than 7 candles?? Great questions deserve great answers. First, a flat out statement. What Zechariah saw and what John saw were both, the exact same thing. Zechariah saw a golden candlestick with 7 oil lamps on it. It did not have on it candles, but oil lamps. John saw 7 lamps of fire burning before Gods throne. (In the other references to what John saw, it describes in one verse a golden candlestick, in another two candlesticks, and in the other 7 golden candlesticks.) The first thing you need to understand is this word translated as candlestick(s), turns out not to be the best choice of words. Literally what John saw was a golden lamp stand, and it did not have on it candles, but 7 oil lamps, exactly what Zechariah saw. Many words used in Gods Word are chosen from several possible choices (in some cases many choices). Why the translators chose the word candlestick rather than the much better choice, LAMPSTAND, I do not know. Perhaps because the words golden candlestick sounds more beautiful. This word candlestick conjures up an image of something which has on it candles. Please note that in NOT one of our four scriptures containing the word candlestick(s) do you find the mention of candles. The answer to this mystery is simple. In all four verses the much better choice would have been to use the word, LAMPSTAND. A lampstand does not have on it candles but oil LAMPS. Hopefully, you will recall the words of Jesus when he prayed what we now call The Lords Prayer. In that prayer He included the words, “thy will be done on earth as it IS in Heaven.” If the 7 lamps John saw before Gods throne in Heaven represent the 7 churches (and they do) and they are burning with the 7 SPIRITS OF GOD (which they are), could one, or should one, be led to believe that this is how God sees His CHURCH? Were this not so, it would NEVER be possible that this could EVER come to pass. The TRUTH is, God allowed John to see the picture (painted by Gods SPIRIT of HOPE) exactly as God sees HIS CHURCH on the inside of Himself. God sees His CHURCH, the CHURCH that Jesus built, as being filled with believers who are walking in the SEVEN SPIRITS of God. He has laid hold on that picture and will NEVER let it go. Should it not also then be possible to believe this IS Gods WILL for HIS CHURCH? Is it so hard to believe that God would desire that the Body of Christ in the Earth be full of His LOVE, and be walking in HIS LOVE? Jesus did pray for Gods will to be done IN EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN. How about Gods RIGHTEOUSNESS? Do you believe that Gods will for His CHURCH is that it be filled with His RIGHTEOUSNESS, and not mans sorry imitation? We could continue right down the list of all six of GODS SEVEN SPIRITS that weve covered so far and I for one have no problem believing it is His will. Do you? All seven of Gods Spirits were and still are IN Jesus, and now Jesus is IN you. If Jesus is in you, then so also, are ALL seven of Gods Spirits. As mentioned previously, Gods Seven Spirits can NEVER fail because they are Spirit. SPIRITS are eternal. At the beginning of this article I stated that the SEVEN SPIRITS OF GOD reveal to us Gods NATURE. His complete NATURE. In 2nd Peter 1: 3-4 we find the following words. “According as His (Gods) DIVINE power has given unto us ALL THINGS that pertain to LIFE and GODLINESS, thru the knowledge of Him that (who) hath called US(THE CHURCH) to glory and virtue.” , verse 4 - “Whereby are given unto US(THE CHURCH), exceeding great and precious promises(these promises are found only in Gods Word), that BY THESE Ye(YOU) might be(become) PARTAKERS OF THE (this) DIVINE NATURE(the NATURE of God Himself), having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” Gal. 5: 16- “Walk in the Spirit and you will NOT fulfill the lust of the flesh.” Most who have read this far will probably know this speaks of Gods Holy Spirit. One might assume that this has nothing to do with walking in the 7 SPIRITS OF GOD. As mentioned previously, to assume anything is a very dangerous practice. Just answer for yourself the following question and then we can go on. Wouldnt the HOLY SPIRIT have the exact same NATURE as God has? We could camp right here in these two previous verses, but we wont. I do want to point out several key points however. Please take careful notice of the two words, “DIVINE NATURE”. This word DIVINE means Godlike. Put this together with the word NATURE and you can see these two verses are telling us that God has provided US, HIS CHURCH, with everything necessary not only to have, but to walk in, His NATURE. Hopefully, we have already learned that walking in mans nature just wont get er done. Our Heavenly Father has gone to great lengths that we might know and understand exactly what He is like. Lets quickly re-visit Acts 2:28. Once again, these are words that David (speaking as a prophet) spoke long before Jesus was born. Jesus spoke these same words before going to Calvary. “Thou hast made KNOWN to me the ways of life,” (partial). The ways of life to which Jesus refers , are nothing less than what this entire article is about. Jesus walked continually in ALL 7 of Gods SPIRITS. These are the ways of LIFE. He watched His Father and did ONLY what He saw His Father do. In John 5: 19 Jesus said, “The Son can do nothing of himself, but(except) what He see(s) the Father do: for whatsoever He (God) doeth, these things doeth the Son likewise.” What might you suppose Jesus observed His Heavenly Father doing? Did Jesus ever see His Father doing unrighteousness? I wouldnt think so. Did Jesus ever observe God being anything but LOVE? Again I dont think so. Is it even possible that Jesus EVER watched as His Father staggered in unbelief, or scratched His head saying “I dont know the answer to that question”? We could go thru all 6 of Gods SPIRITS weve covered so far, and the answers would all be the same. No, No, No , No, No, and NO. Did Jesus ever see the LOVE that God IS and then decide He could not be LOVE like The Father IS LOVE? Did Jesus ever say to His Father, “I CANT?” Jesus lived by and walked in the DIVINE NATURE of God. Why was He able to? Because He was the Son of God? By now, you should know beforehand that once again, the answer is NO. Jesus lived like He did because he believed, received and walked in these very same great and precious promises which God, by His GRACE, has provided for you and I. The SEVEN SPIRITS OF GOD are included in those promises. Not only are they included but are essential and necessary. God promised Jesus that He would raise Jesus from death to ETERNAL LIFE. Dont we have that very same promise? Anything you can see with your physical eyes is subject to error. Would you like to see God like Jesus saw God? Then look in THE WORD at how Jesus walked and then walk EVEN AS He(Jesus) walked. Thats why Jesus said, “if youve seen me youve seen the Father,” (partial). Anything and everything you can see Jesus doing in the Word will be exactly the same as what God himself would do in the same situation. Now, at long last, we can proceed onward to the seventh and final of GODS SEVEN SPIRITS. THE SPIRIT OF WISDOM The shortest and most simple definition of this word WISDOM is --- TO BE WISE. As you might have guessed by now, there are two kinds of wisdom. As with all of Gods Seven Spirits, mankind has its own version. We can learn very quickly just how much value there is in the wisdom of men. In James 3: 15 we learn Gods opinion of mans wisdom. “This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.” If you look carefully at this verse you might also find another truth. This verse leads one to believe that there also must be wisdom which comes from above. Would you care to venture a guess as to whos WISDOM might come from above? If you guessed THE WISDOM OF GOD you would be right. If you didnt, the answer is still THE WISDOM OF GOD. There are fine distinctions between KNOWLEDGE and WISDOM. The greatest difference between the two is WISDOM will show you when to apply what KNOWLEDGE and how. We can find some great examples of this in ECCLESIASTES 3: 1-8. We will include only enough to give understanding. Verse 7, “there is a time to keep silent and a time to speak” (partial); verse 2 - “a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which was planted;(partial) ; verse 4 – “a time to weep and a time to laugh ”(partial). Using verse 7 as our example , it is the spirit of WISDOM which reveals to you the time to keep silent or to speak. Lets learn more about the seven spirits of GOD by a careful examination of the illustration below. Early on in this study I ask the question, “How would one go about measuring God?” The question was answered that God was far too BIG to measure by any means other than looking at His NATURE and KNOWING and UNDERSTANDING WHAT His SEVEN SPIRITS ARE. We count each of the 7 things God IS as SEVEN equal parts, but also take into consideration that it takes ALL seven to make the WHOLE. Leave out any one of the seven and He would no longer be the God that He IS. Look back now at the above illustration. Our first consideration is the largest circle represents how big God is. Note that circle number 1, is labeled LOVE. The next (2) is labeled FAITH, and so on and so on, until we reach circle number 7 where you will find the word WISDOM. The first and most important thing to see about this illustration is as follows. It is impossible to gain entrance into circle number 2 (FAITH) except you come from circle number 1 (LOVE). Unless you are walking in and a doer of Gods LOVE, it is impossible to walk in Gods FAITH, because Faith wont work without Love. Before it is possible for anyone to walk in Gods SPIRIT OF HOPE, you must first be a doer of BOTH Gods LOVE and FAITH. Our main point to learn here is that to walk in any of Gods 7 SPIRITS, you must be walking in each and every one of those which have come before. For the sake of time and space lets just move on ahead to the 6th of Gods Seven Spirits, KNOWLEDGE. Unless and until you are walking in and a doer of ALL of the first 5, it would be impossible to come to the Knowledge of God and even more impossible to become a doer of same. How could anyone be a doer of something they neither understand or have what it takes to understand? (As if trying to write when you have never heard of or learned the alphabet.) The most simple thing I can say about Gods Seventh and final Spirit, THE SPIRIT OF WISDOM, is that it is the sum total of ALL OF THE FIRST SIX. I feel it very necessary at this time to remind you that the largest circle, pictures God in His entirety. I ask at this time that you scroll back to the illustration and see if you see one key ingredient missing. Go ahead, Ill wait. Are you back? Did you find what was missing? Just in case you didnt see it, Ill just show you the correct answer by adding to the previous one. The part missing in the first illustration is: THERE was NO DOOR. JESUS is that DOOR. He is the ONLY DOOR. Our ONLY way of entering into that biggest circle is to be IN JESUS and HIM to be IN YOU. Multitudes in the church will tell you that Jesus lives inside them. The life they live tells a different story. A lost and dying world looks on and can see NO DIFFERENCE between them and the church. God has commanded ALL believers to walk EVEN AS JESUS WALKED. MANY claim to be believers but refuse to believe what God said. Whether or not one person will ever believe and receive the words of this article, I do NOT know. That is neither my responsibility or decision to make. You may decide to believe some, none, or ALL of the words written here. Gods judgment for whatever decision you do make, well, thats already WRITTEN and can NEVER be changed. Which JUDGMENT you receive will be based on Your own Words. That decision rests entirely upon YOU. Click To Download PDF of This Teaching Quick Link: LOVE FAITH HOPE RIGHTEOUSNESS JUDGMENT KNOWLEDGE WISDOM CLICK FOR HOME Click The Envelope Below to Recommend This Site to A Friend or Loved One... To All Our Friends If you find anything not in working order please let us know through our CONTACT US page and we will get right to it! Thank You. DISCLAIMER: Many graphics and images are our own creations, or were taken from public domain.(These we offer free to all.) However, we are not knowledgable about the original source of some images, and do not claim ownership. Enter supporting content here
Posted on: Mon, 04 Aug 2014 03:55:19 +0000
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