2 Peter 3:8 NKJV
But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
From the time of Adam to Abraham was 2000 years.
From Abraham to David was also 2000 years.
And from David to the time of our Lord Jesus was another 2000 years.
So from Adam until the turn of the century, we have now completed 6000 years or six days, we are now in the early morning of the 7th day.
Seven (7) is the number for rest, and according to God’s timetable, this is the time when we all should be experiencing rest – our Shabbath.
But the question we ask is, why are we not experiencing it, instead, there is so much chaos and turmoil all around the world today?
Luke 21:26 Men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
I can understand this for people who don’t know the Lord, but this is true even for those who are believers and followers of Christ. As the people of God, we must be able to walk in absolute peace and rest that God has prepared for us in these last days.
There are two things that hinder the people of God for experiencing His rest and His peace: 1st is Fear and 2nd is Unbelief.
Here we see where the Church is today from an Old Testament reference of Paul in Corinthians.
1 Cor 10:1-4
For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. (born again)
They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. (Pentecostals)
They all ate the same spiritual food
and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. (church people)
1 Cor 10:5-10
Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert. (it is still happening today, Christ is not pleased)
Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in pagan (Babylonic as Christmas and Easter) revelry.”
1 Cor 10:8-10
We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did-and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. We should not test the Lord, as some of them did – and were killed by snakes. And do not grumble, as some of them did – and were killed by the destroying angel.
Are not so many Christians doing this today as Prophet Sadhu said?
1 Cor 10:11-12
These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!
This is where the church is today, this is her condition now!
Heb 3:18-19 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
Fear and unbelief destroys the covering of God over us – unbelief is always rooted in fear…how is that?
They know that God is all powerful and that He can save them. But the question is would He? This is unbelief rooted in fear!
I know God can heal, but will He?
I know God can spare us, but will He?
I know God can bless me, give me a job, promotion, a girlfriend…
Many would say “I could rest with God if He will change my circumstances” – that is wrong math. God cannot change your circumstances outside until He can change you inside. Rest for the people of Israel was for them to enter their promised land in God, it’s the same for us.
Josh 1:13
“Remember the word which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, ‘The Lord your God is giving you rest and is giving you this land.‘
Today, that land is inside of us, it’s not some geographical place – but you need to understand, that’s where the giants are. To enter into rest, one must die – we are at rest when we are dead right? But it’s not only by means of a physical death but by a higher consecration of our lives – we see these in the feasts.
Being born-again and living holy lives requires a certain level of consecration – that’s the feast of Passover and Unleavened Bread. To receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit requires another level of consecration – that’s Pentecost. But to enter into the Feast of Tabernacles, the second coming and the millennium, a new and higher level of consecration is needed.
We must be able to live a life of rest and peace that no matter what happens, no matter what we might go through, we know that we know, God is able to keep His promises to us on that day. Even if it means dying – this means we don’t have to fear, even death!
What would the end times be like for those who don’t know Christ and are not able to enter His rest?
But for the children of God who so choose to enter His rest and peace, it will be like the reign of Solomon. The reign of Solomon was characterized by wisdom, revelation and knowledge.
1 Chron 22:9
But you will have a son who will be a man of peace and rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon,
When a person is at peace, he is able to rest and wisdom comes to you to do what the Lord will reveal. But they will never come when one is stressed and in turmoil or in panic. What makes it so difficult for many to enter into Gods peace and rest? It’s the inner battles that are raging in the hearts and in the minds of people.
Why did this happen, what is going on?
Num 13:27-29
They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan.”
Num 13:31b and 33
We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”
They were seeing with their physical eyes and not with the eyes of faith. They saw only the giants and they felt so small – they see their God as a very small God and are unable to help them. That’s the problem with the Christians today – there are giants that have to be overcome for they are keeping you out of the promised land.
You have to kill them!
HOW?
You kill them by trusting and obeying God with your life, family, ministry, business, career – every giant has to die. You need to fight them until all of them are destroyed. Only then can your mind come to rest and your spirit come into peace in God.
Lucifer was given much wisdom, yet he failed. He failed because of his ambition, pride, and fear.
Ezek 28:3 and 8
Behold, you are wiser than Daniel! There is no secret that can be hidden from you! They shall throw you down into the Pit, And you shall die the death of the slain In the midst of the seas.
He was cut off – but to us God says…
John 15:5-7
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man abides in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.
Do you know how hard it is to remain or abide in the vine?
Do you have any idea of how we struggle just to hold on even by the tips of our fingers?
It is easy when times are good, but when something bad happens and challenges arise, we are so quick to detach from the vine!
The word abide is the Gr word meno which means to stay in your given place, to wait, to remain in at rest.
We can be at rest if we know what the Father is doing, if we can see what He is doing.
Like in a muddied aquarium, you have to wait for the mud to settle down before you can really see what is in the water…fish and all!
That would take a lot of waiting, staying in your given place, abiding, till you can fully understand…
That would take belief and trust – and that is what you call faith!
So, how do we learn to walk into Gods rest and peace?
God will allow certain tests to come to your life that will teach you to overcome fear!
You may even need to go through several tests until you can pass and master what the Lord is teaching you!
Until you can say “I trust you Lord, I don’t care what happens, I put my life in your hands”…
When you can say that with all truth and conviction in your heart, can you really say you have learned…
Only then can you come into REST!
Its when the battle inside of you stops and there is no more fear – then you can have rest and peace!
When you walk in peace, the devil cannot do anything to you anymore because the devil doesn’t know what to do with peace, it confuses him!
James 1:2-4
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
1 Peter 1:6-8
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
If you are going to become an overcomer, you will need something to overcome…
So be prepared for trials!
The only way we can be prepared is to become more and more intimate with the Holy Spirit.