NATURE OF THE SEVEN SPIRITS OF GOD

Part 7

 

 

December 16, 2022

 

The whole concept of Glory is one pretty much lost on the world of today.  People have become so rational, so academically-minded, so concerned with human logic that the thought of some tangible – and yet inexplicable – visible presence manifesting on a person gets lost in the translation.

 

Peter describes the manifestation of the Spirit of Glory as being the product of the onoma– the character, the makeup, the personality, the very essence of – the Lord Jesus Christ evidenced in us.

 

More than that, the Spirit of Glory comes with the anointing.  Peter specifically uses the expression, “If you are reproached for the onoma -of the Anointed One and His anointing…..”

 

That anointing is somewhat akin to a mantle.  You’ll recall our discussion some weeks back concerning Elijah and Elisha, and the mantle of Elijah that he threw over Elisha.

 

Here is an instance of the use of the word “mantle” in Scripture which is separate and distinct from every other use.

 

The Hebrew word which occurs ONLY in I Kings 19 and II Kings 2 where it is translated “mantle” is the word, ‘addereth.

 

Although this word could be translated out as “splendid robe” or “goodly garment” its proper rendering is “glorious splendor.”

 

It IS a covering garment of a type, but the word ‘adderethdenotes the addition of special recognition, someone of renown, someone set apart for some kingly duty or commission.

 

In fact, it designated the unique anointing that was upon Elijah.  He – among all of the Old Testament prophets – became the prototype of the miracle-working prophet.

 

When that anointing and mantle was passed to Elisha and he received the “double-anointing,” the Glory of God was so marked upon him that not one single person ever questioned his commissioning from God.

 

The Spirit of Glory rested upon Elijah and doubly manifested on Elisha.  There was a presence on them that was so strong it brought fear to the enemies of Israel.

 

We have previously noted that the Seven Spirits of God occupy the Throne of God – that they are in fact the essence of Who He is.

 

When God fulfilled His promise to Hannah and Samuel was born, she lifted up her voice in praise and worship.  As she worshiped the Lord, she prophesied.  Here is a portion of her prophecy:

 

I Samuel 2:7-10:  The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up.

 

He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the Throne of Glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD’S, and he hath set the world upon them.

 

He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.

 

The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.

 

Everything that Hannah prophesies is a small picture of how the Spirit of Glory operates and manifests.

 

Samuel’s mentor was the High Priest Eli.  Without getting into the whole story, the Philistines raided Shiloh, in the process taking the Ark of the Covenant.  During the battle that ensued, Hophni and Phinehas, Eli’s two sons, were killed.  When Eli received the news that his sons had been killed, it provoked a reaction in him, but when he heard that the Ark of the Covenant had been stolen, he fell backward breaking his neck on the gate.  Phinehas’ wife was just giving birth to their son when the news of Phinehas’ death was brought to her.  She named their son, Ichabod.

 

I Samuel 4:21-22:  And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband.

 

And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken.

 

It was a striking event.  Because of the sins of Israel, and because of the sins of Eli’s two sons which he had done nothing to stop, God permitted the Ark of His presence to be removed from the nation of Israel.

 

Hannah had prophesied that the Spirit of Glory was the defense of God’s people.  When the Ark was taken, the Spirit of Glory departed from Israel and they were left defenseless.

 

Not until David retrieved the Ark of the Covenant and established it in a simple tabernacle atop Mount Zion in the midst of Jerusalem did the Spirit of Glory return to Israel.

 

David’s 33 years of nonstop praise and worship in Israel set the stage for the Temple to be built by Solomon.  At the dedication of the Temple almost 40 years to the day from the ushering in of David’s Tabernacle, the Spirit of Glory manifested Himself in a way Israel had never seen.

 

II Chronicles 5:11-14:  And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place: (for all the priests that were present were sanctified, and did not then wait by course:

 

Also the Levites which were the singers, all of them of Asaph, of Heman, of Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, being arrayed in white linen, having cymbals and psalteries and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them an hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets:)

 

It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted uptheir voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the LORD, saying,

 

For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD; ¹⁴So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God.

 

In every instance where we see “Glory” represented throughout the Word, we see a weighty presence.

 

Most of us have seen folks get “slain in the Spirit.”  This is a rather trite expression, but what happens is that when the Spirit of Glory manifests Himself, there is a weight that comes with it which prevents people from standing.

 

For at least the last 60 years, I’ve seen more folks than I can count go down under the power of God.  Because I’ve also seen the phony acts of people who were putting on a show for their own reasons, I’ve resisted this with every ounce of my being.

 

At the last conference Della and I attended in Red Deer with Steven Shelley, Paul Keith Davis, Bobby Connor and Charlie Robinson, there was no amount of resistance that could keep me standing.  I was down and couldn’t get up.  The weight of the presence of the Spirit of Glory was such that I simply had no power to get up; and I stayed there on the floor until He lifted that weight from me.

 

When the Lord took me to Heaven and I was ushered into the Throne Room, the Spirit of Glory was so powerful that I fell flat on my face.  I was unable to get up or stand to my feet for some unknown period of time.  Two very large angels picked me up, carried me out and stood me on my feet.  Until they did so, I had no strength in myself whatever.

 

 There is another picture of this in II Chronicles.

 

II Chronicles 7:1-3: Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the house.

 

And the priests could not enter into the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD’S house.

 

And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the LORD, saying, Forhe is good; for his mercy endureth forever.

 

Here is an instance where we see the Spirit of Judgment and Burning manifest Himself with the Spirit of Glory.  Notice that the fire came first; and then the Glory followed.

 

It is a picture of what is happening in us and in the Body of Christ today.

 

As we’ve already noted, the Spirit of Glory is the last to appear in the list of the Seven Spirits of God.  The Spirit of Judgment and Burning is the first named in Scripture.

 

Consider the sequence.

 

The Spirit of Judgment and Burning begins the work of cleanup and restoration on those who will respond to the total and complete rulership of the Lord in their lives.

 

The Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding (Revelation) come next to bring us needed revelation of the character, the nature, the makeup and the personality of the Lord Jesus Christ as the standard by which we are to be measured.

 

The Spirit of Counsel and Might enters the ongoing processes in our lives to bring counsel, guidance and direction, and establish the boundaries of safety for our walk with the Lord.

 

The Spirit of Knowledge and the Fear of the Lord commences to create within us that necessary awe and reverence of the Lord, and make us Holy and without blemish before God.

 

Now the Spirit of Grace and Supplications goes to work in earnest.  He’s already been at work in our lives, but our focus now is the Covenant-relationship with have with the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ.   Access to our Covenant-privileges, rights and responsibilities comes into focus.

 

Because of our contamination by the world around us, the contamination that comes through religion, through the influence of the myriad of voices about us, and through a host of other sources, the Spirit of Truth must establish the baseline in our beings of all that Jesus is.  As Jesus noted, He is “The Way, The Truth, and the Life.”  “No man cometh unto the Father but by me.”  Without the Spirit of Truth making this a certainty in every cell of our existence, we can be led astray and miss the goal – the mark that has been set before us.

 

All this processing must take place in us before the Spirit of Glory can be manifested and demonstrated in such a way that the world will sit up and take notice that we not only have been with Jesus – we ARE in Him, and He IS in us!

 

In Matthew 22, Jesus is giving the parable of the Wedding Feast and speaking of those who try to come uninvited, or unprepared.  He makes the following statement – and this is perhaps the central purpose for the Spirit of Glory:

 

Matthew 22:14:  For many are called, but few are chosen.

 

The Spirit of Glory manifests Himself upon us, in us, and through us to demonstrate that we have not only been called, we’ve been chosen.

 

And we’ve been commissioned and given a mantle of the Spirit’s anointing!

 

Let’s wrap up this series of studies on the Seven Spirits of God by considering some of the visible events that take place when Glory is on display for the whole world to see.  Don’t forget:  Isaiah prophesied,

 

Isaiah 40:5:  And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

 

The Glory of God was on display from the beginning.  The Glory of God was on display in the Garden of Eden.  The Glory of God was on display when Adam and Eve tended the Garden.  The Glory of God was on display when Adam gave character, nature, personality and makeup to each genus and specie of animal.  The Glory of God was on display during the two thousand or so years that Adam and Eve lived in the Garden and caused it to grow, to multiply and to begin to spread beyond its original boundaries.  The Glory of God is creative!

 

Consider for a few minutes some of the things that occur when the Glory is on display.

 

1. Creative miracles (we call them miracles, when in fact they are nothing but the norm of the Word and the norm of Jesus Christ) take place regularly and consistently.

 

2. Authority over the weather is commonplace -- the ability to divert storms and eliminate, or at least seriously mitigate, the damage of loss of life.

 

3. The need to be in more than one place at a time is easily solved by translation in the realm of the Spirit -- we call it "Phillip Transportation."  (Bruce Allen likes to call it "Phillip Airlines." :-))

 

4. More and more individuals are experiencing what it means to step out of time and into eternity and to see -- from God's perspective -- His unfolding Plan and Purpose for His people.

 

5. The return of "transgender" individuals (who've come to realize that their change of identity solved nothing of the huge void in their spirits) instantly to their former selves.

 

6. Literally altering the landscape (e.g., moving mountains) by speaking the Word as Jesus illustrated in Mark 11:23.

 

7. Simply speaking the word over a large group of people who need healing and watching every single individual receive their healing is really a part of what Jesus promised when He said, "The works that I do shall you do also, and greater works than these shall you do because I go to my Father."

 

8. Regular appearances of the Hosts of Heaven -- particularly in crisis situations, or when those ministering the Word are threatened by the Enemy -- are rapidly becoming more and more the "norm."

 

9. Even more prevalent as the Glory of the Lord is becoming manifested among the Bride of Christ is the appearance of Jesus, Himself.  More and more we are seeing and hearing of the visible appearances of Jesus as a testimony to the Word being ministered.

 

10. There are several recorded instances in the Word when Jesus simply shifted dimensions and passed through the crowds without their being able to touch him, even if He was visible.  That kind of shifting is becoming more and more manifested, and is a natural display of the Glory.

 

11. When we read of the Glory of the Lord being on display with Israel, or -- for example -- the way that the Glory of God was so strong that the priests and the praise and worshipers were unable to minister at the dedication of Solomon's temple, we are talking about an event which is becoming, and will become, more and more the norm as people focus on what the Glory is really all about.

 

Think about it!  The Glory of God is simply the evidence of His manifested presence among His people.  How it manifests can, does, and will take more forms than any of us can imagine.  When God's people focus on Jesus, when they focus on His heart's desires, when they focus on what He is looking for in us, perspective changes.

 

When Jesus was teaching the multitudes in what we commonly refer to as "The Sermon on the Mount," He made the statement:

 

Matthew 6:33: But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

 

Now that may seem a bit out of context, but consider: when our focus is the Lord Jesus Christ, we lack for nothing.  When Jesus was preaching here, He, of course, was referring in a general sense to one's physical needs -- where they lived, what they wore, what they had for food, etc., but it takes no stretch to realize that He was referring to everything we have need of in our growth spiritually.

 

The Greek word, zeteo, translated "seek" in our English translations, is an adaptation of a Hebraism meaning "to worship."  Thus when you worship the Lord, seeking His presence, His character, His nature and His rulership in every part of your life, you have absolutely nothing to concern yourself with as far as the things of this life are concerned, and as far as His development in you and restoration to that image in which we were first created.

 

The Message Bible sometimes misses the essence of both Greek and Hebrew metaphors, but it really captures it in this case.

 

Matthew 6:33, Message Bible:  Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

 

Two other illustrations from the Word capture the essence of what I want to share with you.  David really understood the significance of living in the presence of the Lord, and he wrote the following:

 

Psalm 16:11:  Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

 

I Chronicles 16:27:  Glory and honourare in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place.

 

Are you seeing the significance?  When your desire is to minister to the Lord, and it becomes the focus of your day, your life, your very breath, He begins to reveal His Glory.

 

We are talking about the transformation taking place in all of us as we are put in the crucible of experiences that we must respond to as God develops His nature, His character, His personality and the very essence of Who He is.

 

I will engrave within and upon him ..... the very nature, the character, the authority, the makeup and the very essence of the city of Yod Hey Vav Hey (Elohim), which is the new Jerusalem, which descends [to the earth] out of Heaven from my Yod Hey Vav Hey (Elohim).  (Revelation 3:12, RAC Translation and Amplification)

 

His purpose from day One is that we become that Bride He created us to be for Himself!  His objective is that we become His counterpart, His other self, His Beloved!  His Plan is that we become His Glory manifested in the earth.  Ever stop to wonder just what that is?  It isn't complicated, really!  His Glory is the manifestation of His presence -- as it is in Heaven -- here on earth.  His Glory is all that He is!  He IS the Spirit of Glory (see I Peter 4:14).

 

In case you are missing out on real fellowship in an environment of Ekklesia, ourSunday worship gatherings are available by conference call – usually at about 10:30AM Pacific.  That conference number is (712) 770-4160, and the access code is 308640#.  We are now making these gatherings available on video usingZOOM.  If you wish to participate by video on ZOOM, our login ID is 835-926-513.  If you miss the live voice-onlycall, you can dial (712) 770-4169, enter the same access code and listen in later.  The video call, of course, is not recorded – not yet, anyway.

 

Blessings on you!

 

 

Regner

 

     

Regner A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES

RIVER WORSHIP CENTER
Temple, Texas 76502

Email Contact: CapenerMinistries@protonmail.com

 

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