Pastor Luis Del Cid. January 9, 2012. Year of Freedom
Introduction Much
has been said about the secret coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and we hope to
be partakers of this, however it is not enough to want him, we need to do what
the Bible tells us to so we can be part of it.
1
John 3:2- Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not
yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like
him, for we shall see him as he is.
1
John 3:3- Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is
pure.
Whoever
will participate in the rapture, it will be because he will not longer look for
himself and came to resemble the Lord. That is like the pass to see Him face to
face in the coming secret. The one, who does not resemble his look, will still
see him in the public coming to condemnation.
Let’s
see how to make it to be like him:
Eze
1:28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so
was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the
glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of
one speaking.
The
glory of the Lord is the visible manifestation of the divine presence and we
know that visible manifestation is called Jesus Christ:
2
Cor 4:6 For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made
his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the
glory of God in the face of Christ.
Jesus
Christ is the visible manifestation of the glory of God, so we need to be like
Him, so that others believe in him more that this so that we may be partakers
of the rapture of the church.
According
to the book of Ezekiel, to be like Him, we need to have a glory that is like a
rainbow.
The
word rainbow is translated from the Hebrew QUESHET also interpreted as folding,
strength.
Whoever
becomes like Him is because they have learned it to prevail in the midst of the
storm, like the rainbow that appears in the clouds on a rainy day without
arrogance, but has its strength in humility. In humility there is a
supernatural force to overcome in the midst of trial, so the Lord said:
Matthew 11:29 Take my yoke upon you
and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will
find rest for your souls.
Clearly
tells us that if we want to look like him, we need to go through the school of
meekness and humility. Remember: in humility there is a hidden power. Let us
consider some consequences of the power of humility.
Prov 22:4 Humility and the fear of
the LORD bring wealth and honor and life.
Prov
18: 12 Before his downfall a man's heart is proud, but humility comes
before honor.
Let us
see what the rainbow reveals us to learn how to be like the Son of God:
Rev 4:2- At once I was in the Spirit,
and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.
Rev 4:3- And the one who sat there
had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an
emerald, encircled the throne.
The one
in the Spirit, sees that there is throne in heaven, that is able to understand
that there is a realm that there is government and therefore to be similar to
the one sitting you need to be around Him (like the rainbow), in other words we
must recognize the government of the kingdom of God.
The
color of the government of the kingdom is Emerald. This stone appears
throughout the Bible and reveals teachings from God.
Exo 28:15 "Fashion a breastpiece
for making decisions--the work of a skilled craftsman. Make it like the ephod:
of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen.
Exo 25:17 Then mount four rows of precious stones on
it. In the first row there shall be a ruby, a topaz and a beryl
Exo 25: 18 in the second row a
turquoise, a sapphire and an emerald
Exo 25: 21 There are to be twelve
stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like
a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.
Exo 25: 29 Whenever Aaron enters the
Holy Place, he will bear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the
breastpiece of decision as a continuing memorial before the LORD.
The
emerald represents: Intercession.
Rev 5:8 and when he had taken it, the
four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb.
Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which
are the prayers of the saints
When
there is resemblance to the Son of God, there is an action in intercession
asking so others can also understand how important and basic it is to receive
truly God’s throne in the heart, so when they told Lord to teach them to pray , He said:
Matthew 6:9- "This, then, is how
you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
Matthew 6:10- your kingdom come, your
will be done on earth as it is in heaven
Emerald
is a gemstone that serves as an ornament but not many people can see it:
Rev 21:9- One of the seven angels who
had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me,
"Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb."
Rev 21:10- And he carried me away in
the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City,
Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.
Rev 21:11- It shone with the glory
of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like
jasper, clear as crystal.
Rev 21: 19 The foundations of the
city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first
foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth
emerald,
Precious
stones signify several things but one in particular:
1 Tim 2:9- I also want women to dress
modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls
or expensive clothes,
1 Tim 2:10- but with good deeds,
appropriate for women who profess to worship God.
1Tim 5:10 and is well known for her
good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet
of the saints, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good
deeds.
The
church, woman, that looks like a rainbow of emerald appearance, is the church
who is always doing good works, in helping the growth of other new converts,
being kind and good hostess with strangers, being diligent to minister, not to mumbling,
helping the needy and consecrated by doing all of this.
If so,
we act, then we can say as the apostle Paul said:
2 Tim 4:8 Now there is in store for
me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award
to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his
appearing.
The
rainbow represents something else:
Gen 9:12-13 And God said, "This
is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living
creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: 13- I have set my
rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and
the earth.
Gen 9: 15-16 I will remember my
covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again
will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. 16- Whenever the rainbow
appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant
between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth."
When we
see ourselves as the rainbow, as the brightness of his glory, so it is when God
looks at us that it is Christ in us, God remembers that has a pact with us, and
even if destructions comes to the earth, we will have a Hope and a New Mercy.