Is it not becoming more and more evident that God is moving among His people in a way that establishes a new precedent? In this era of rapid modern-day communications that reaches out to all the earth, man is becoming more and more aware of movements that are taking place in the supernatural realm of God. In this, God is manifesting Himself in a far-reaching effect, more so than ever before. Thus, man is having the opportunity to see the results of God’s supernatural arm, an arm extended toward His creation. Could it be that God has ever and always desired to relate to man? But man, for the most part, has rejected God’s desire with men building for themselves a great edifice to glory in? These giant places and institutions, for the most part, have separated themselves from God in that He is no longer in the place of leadership over them. These edifices, in scripture are called “high places”, becoming a people who have rejected God while instituting for themselves other gods in which to do homage.
In this position of man’s idol worship concerning other gods, the whole world now sets in a place of judgment. (Read Ezekiel the 7th chapter), with Ezek. 7:1-4 declaring, “Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, and you, son of man, thus says the Lord God to the land of Israel: An end! The end has come upon the four corners of the land. Now the end has come upon you, and I will send my anger against you; I will judge you according to your ways and I will repay you for all your abominations. My eye will not spare you, nor will I have pity; but I will repay your ways, and your abominations will be in your midst; then you shall know that I am the Lord”. Note that God’s judgment, with purpose, is to bring a people to the place of repentance. A repentance with man being humbled and then spiritually maturing into a place of truly knowing Him.
How is it that these institutions of men, that which they still call God’s church, can come to such a place as the above scripture in Ezekiel? A place wherein God’s glory has departed from because man-made institutions have ceased in allowing God His rightful place of headship. Rev. 3:14b-16, “These things say the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth”. This scripture is describing a state of Godly rejection, because humanity, for the most part, has not allowed God His desired place of habitation. God’s purpose has always been, to make from out of humankind a people coming into oneness with Him, wherein He could dwell in them and they in Him.
In this, let us take note and learn from the mistakes and victories made by the children of Israel as their kings followed or rejected God’s leadership. God’s covenant, in place, left instructions through Moses for their conquest of Canaan, the Promised Land, and therein these promises also apply to the church of the living God. Num. 33:50-52 and 55-56, “Now the Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho, saying, speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: When you have crossed the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, destroy all their engraved stones, destroy all their molded images, and demolish all their high places. …But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall be that those whom you let remain shall be irritants in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall harass you in the land where you dwell. Moreover, it shall be that I will do to you as I thought to do to them”.
Victory was promised and assured to these children of Israel as they remained in obedience to purify the land from all abominations. Why, so God could prove Himself to these Israelites in supplying all their needs in abundance. Likewise, the body of Christ, His true church, also has an inheritance reserved for them with a like-kind requirement. 1 Peter 1:13-16, “Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, be holy, for I am holy”.
With our bodies becoming the “temple” of God, it then becomes a requirement that we likewise cleanse ourselves, declaring a need to slay all the old inhabitants of our carnal mind, our fleshly lusts and selfish pride that God might dwell freely within our temple. These old inhabitants consist of all things used by the world to make up our carnal character and nature. These manifest the product of all that comes from the natural environment and the influences generated from the fallen man (our genealogy, our education, our economical standing, our political influences, social order and our religious standings). In this, God has provided a place of victory over these carnal characteristics which were molded by the world at large.
1 Peter 1:3-5, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time”. The word “time” used here speaks of “opportune time, set time, appointed time, due time, definitive time, seasonable time, proper time for action”, all that God wants us to redeem. Knowing that God made us stewards over our irreplaceable possession called time; we are to be good stewards of our time, using it wisely, constructively, and in the worship and service of our Lord.
Has it not been God’s desire and purpose from the beginning for His people to dwell upon His high mountain wherein His glory might be manifest for all humanity to behold? Isa. 40:9-11 is an invitation extended for those called ones to ascend unto this mountain of glory, “O Zion, you who bring good tidings, get up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, you who bring good tidings, lift up your voice with strength, lift it up, be not afraid; say to the cities of Judah, Behold your God! Behold, the Lord God shall come with a strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him, and His work before Him. He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young”. Herein, God has purposed to meet in man, His purposed dwelling place called a high mountain. It is upon this mountain that God extends His perpetual care to its inhabitants in all nourishing and protection, always caring for the new coming offspring.
In feeding His flock as spoken in the above verse, the word “feed” speaks of “to shepherd, feed, and tend; to pasture; to cause one’s herd or flock to graze. Thus, tending and caring for the flock”. Could this not be the reasoning behind the enemy of God always desiring to establish his own places of worship in the “high places”? Take note of the Apostle Paul’s declaration to the church while remembering that the church is to operate in the mind of Christ, God’s high place. Rom. 8:5-8, “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God”. Therefore, the carnally minded who follow the impulses of their own will, the lust and desires of their own mind and emotions of the flesh has no real place in God’s true church.
Returning to the ensamples of the children of Israel, we should take note that the enemies of the Israelites always established their places of idol worship in those high places. “High places” has the meaning of “a height; high place, mountain, hilltop, crest, ridge, summit, a shrine upon a lofty site”. These high places were often those hilltops upon which idolaters offered sacrifices to their pagan gods. These places became a snare for the Israelites, who mixed the worship of Yahweh with the worship of idols. God is not a God who endorses mixture. As we recall the kings of Israel, it was said of many of them, “but, the high places were not removed from Israel”. Even some kings like Asa, who ruled as a king and who did “what was right in the eyes of the Lord”, yet he did not remove the high places. Because of this failure, the enemies of Israel had the freedom to play havoc among the Israelites who were having no lasting victory.
What about the church of our day, are there high places left standing which rob the church, individually and collectively, of a victorious life-style? Does the carnal mind have freedom to instruct, teach and to impart a fleshly environment and life-style of a self-purpose driven people? Does this not speak of idol worship in the form of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life?
In the book of Revelation, it reveals for us that the carnal conditions that would exist throughout the church age caused them to be a loveless church, a compromising church, a corrupt church, a dead church and a lukewarm church. These all remain today, manifesting a defeated mental attitude church and except they humble themselves, repent and overcome, they will remain defeated. For this cause God, as He did in rising in the prophets among the children of Israel, He is likewise raising up an anointed ministry today. This anointed ministry is those who have come unto Mt. Zion, the city of the living God. (Read Heb. 12:18-24). These stand before God and His throne as He sends them forth in the spirit without measure. All the high places of man’s idolatry shall be destroyed, and all the mixture shall be removed as the spirit of “Babylon the Great” shall fall.
God is even now bringing forth an anointing ministry of purity, holiness and righteousness, which is flowing forth from the top of God’s mountain vs man’s own religious orders. Thus, God’s kingdom becomes an established entity in the earth. (Read Rev. 14:1-5). Know that God’s high mountain is the eternal dwelling place of the saints in glorifying God while the old things of religious corruption are passing away and all things are becoming new.
Rev. 21:5-8, “Then He who sat on the throne said, behold, I make all things new. And He said to me, write for these words are true and faithful. And He said to me, it is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be my son. But the cowardly, unbelievers, abominable, murders, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake, which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death”.
Therefore, all the high places of Babylon shall know destruction, all that continues to exist among and within the people of carnality. The high mountain of God shall flow forth with the water of life as God’s Christ appears through His people to manifest the glory of God in all the earth. Come; let us ascend to the top of God’s holy mountain as the time for God’s end-time generation of overcomers has come.
Duane Stewart
www.avoiceforthegatheringsaints.org