1

HEAVEN'S DESCENDERS
(Part 1)
#136.01

"And no one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven, even the Son of Man" (John 3:13 NASB). We hear much today about ascending into heaven, going to heaven, caught up to heaven, raptured into the clouds of heaven, and living forever in heaven. Not much is said, however, about descending from the Elysian fields of heaven, and we can see why. With the final goal being the everlasting paradise of heaven for practically every believer, most would not embrace the idea of ever leaving it, regardless of what their belief might be about that longsought-after place. It would be a disturbing thought, to say the least; for the only one they can recall who ever "descended" from heaven was the infamous Satan and his marauding angels. This idea is so riveted to their minds that anyone or anything that leaves heaven will be forever lost and doomed to eternal damnation. Such a mind-set of the devil descending headlong from heaven, of course, is the result of traditional doctrines which were extrapolated from Isaiah 14:11-16, Ezekiel 28:12-19, Luke 10:18, and Revelation 12:7-9. We could spend untold hours and print countless volumes exposing the error of those ageold myths; but suffice it to say: Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 speak of two men, the king of Babylon and the king of Tyrus. These two areas of scripture are not referring to Satan at all - but to specific men. In the spiritual sense, each king could be typified as Adam. He fits all the criteria listed; particularly, he was in the Heaven of Eden's Garden and was cast out when he said in his heart, "I will...." The context of Luke 10 shows clearly that Satan's fall from heaven as lightning did not occur during some distance eon of the past; but it was at the very time when He saw by the Spirit the 70 casting out demons in His name. Satan lost his hold, he lost his footing, he lost his power, he lost his kingdom in those people's lives -- and he fell from heaven as quickly as a flash of lightning. That is how quick any spiritual battle is won in the name of Jesus Christ. If they are not won with such speed, then we have to wonder if they are truly being fought in the name of Jesus. Revelation 12, of course, speaks not of the past, but just the opposite. The whole course of the book is set to what would transpire AFTER John received the Revelation. None of these passages refer to a pre-adamic war between God and Satan. Moreover, enough has already been said and printed by me, as well as many others, that it should no longer be necessary to expound upon the obvious. Therefore, dispensing with those spurious thoughts of Satan

having been cast out of heaven many thousands of years ago, we will see if we can ascend to the heights of the heavens and then descend from the same. DESCEND FROM HEAVEN The first time the Hebrew word, yarad, is used, from which comes to descend or to come down, is in Genesis 11:5. This was after men were building the tower to heaven, and the Lord came down (descended) to see the city and tower the children of men were building. He then descended, confused their tongues, and scattered them upon the face of the earth (Gen 11:6-9). Yarad is used throughout the scriptures, and generally speaks of moving from a higher position to a lower one, such as when water descends in a river, a person descends a stairway or makes his descent from a mountain. There is no great significance in most of the verses where the word is used in a generalized manner. It merely indicates a move from a higher place to a lower one. However, when it is used in reference to God, His messengers, or other things from heaven, the descent always affects the earth in some way or another. The affects can be profoundly severe, leaving individuals and nations shaken to the core, or they can come as unbridled blessings, ushering them into wonders unknown. God's descent can come as a voice. Very often it will announce marvelous promises which affect the hearer by building faith that will stand against all odds. For instance, a promise was given to Jacob when "...he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the (1)angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And the LORD stood beside him and said, I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring" (Gen 28:12-13). Joseph, a type of Jesus, descended into Egypt, and his going down blessed the whole world. "And Joseph was brought down (yarad) to Egypt..." (Gen 39:1). We need not recount his many trying years as a slave and a prisoner; we know the story well. Due to his descent -- the whole world was saved, even those who crucified him, as it were. Jesus, likewise, descended from His Father's house and into a hostile environment, as our text verse relates. And the whole world was, is, an shall be saved because of Him losing his freedom and descending into death. Joseph and Jesus are only two examples of how the descent of the Holy affects the world. And it is in this that we will see the importance of holy things leaving that realm. Frankly, if those things relative to the holy heavens of God never descend, there will never be a change in the world. It will only get worse due to the law of sin and death, but it will never get better. Therefore, our thoughts should not be so much on going to heaven, but leaving it. There is no great evil, of course, to desire heaven and all it has to offer. That has been every man's quest since the days of Adam's fall; but once the Kingdom of heaven is embraced, we

may have to leave the comfort of that blissful place. Yet, when we do leave, we take it with us. That is what Adam failed to do. Rather than taking the Kingdom of the Garden with him into the world, and subduing it thereby, he was subdued by the world. Nevertheless, once we know where we sit, and the time of thunder comes, it is then that we will bring heaven to earth and make a difference. When our work comes to an end, when we have finished our course, regardless of how obscure and meaningless it may appear, our hearts will echo as a single voice -- "And now, O Father, glorify thou me with Thine own self with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was. I have manifested Thy name unto the men which Thou gavest me out of the world: Thine they were, and Thou gavest them me; and they have kept Thy word." (John 17:5-6). When heaven's hosts descend to the earth, it can be traumatic to those upon whom it descends as well as the descenders. Joseph descended into Egypt and suffered greatly, and during the time Jesus graced this earth and shook the world, He suffered greatly (Heb 2:18, Heb 5:8, Heb 13:12). Yes, indeed, the sons of God shall know what it is to descend and to suffer; for the world, especially the religious world, does not want them coming down. They have trees cut, crosses hewn, spikes forged, and all are made ready for any New Man from heaven who wishes to invade their dark kingdoms. I can tell you with all assurance, my friends, the more you descend into the earth, the more you will suffer reproach and bleed. Even right now there are some who would kill you if they could. And that should be no great surprise; for you have threatened their welfare by descending into their world. You have shaken and set on fire their little mountains, and they don't like it. Moreover, once you descend into the depth of their very being, into to the core and caverns of their base minds and dark souls -- they will rise with all the fury of hell against you. There will be no just cause for their waves of hatred, threats, and lies. Your presence alone will be enough, and the more you love them, the more they will hate and try to kill you. Some of you already know this, and you are left bewildered at the madness of it all. Your every attempt to reason with them has failed, and nothing you can say or do will calm the storm. Where a soft word once turned away wrath, it only enrages it. It must be clear by now that this is a spiritual war, one on one, and such an enemy will not relent. But the day will come when there will be a mass assault upon the sons of God, and please be assured -- if we cannot run today with the footmen, how then can we contend with the horses? (Jer 12:5). If, however, we are not wearied with the individual footmen in our lives, and we rise to the occasion and cast the serpent out of those little hills and rout out the demons of their heavens, we shall do well in that great day when the dragon and all his angels are cast out. Yet, we must know that the greatest victory comes in casting them out of our own heavens, especially the dragon of religion and the demons of dogma. It is then that

salvation, and power, and the authority of Christ in His Kingdom will forever be known. It is then that we can descend into the earth and move mountains. Once our heavens are made secure, once the dragon and his hoards have no longer a seat of authority, we who ascended to the throne can then descend and shake the earth. Our presence will ignite everything that can be kindled. The mountains of men -- flesh, carnality, humanism, legalism, and all the rest -- shall burn and tremble in the presence of Heaven's Descenders, God's Holy Angels. We can see it as being akin to mount Sinai when the LORD descended upon it: "And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly....and the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness" (Exo 19:18, Deut 4:11). When our God in any form or fashion descends upon the mountain of man -- there is a great change! It disrupts foundations and kingdoms fall. It ignites the weeds, the grass, the straw, as well as wood, hay, and stubble, not to mention all the trees of the field. Every phase and facet of man burns. The whole lump goes up in smoke, leaving nothing but charred mountains of ashes and valleys laden over with rubble. The kingdoms of men become extinct when heaven's holy host descends. None can stand in their presence! "Wait ye upon Me, saith the Lord, until the day that I rise up to the prey; for My decision is to gather the nations, to draw together the kingdoms, TO POUR upon them My indignation, even all My fierce anger. For all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of My zeal. Yea, then will I turn unto the people a pure language (a living word of ever increasing revelation and uncontaminated by human touch or tradition) , that they may call upon the Lord, to serve Him with one consent" (Zeph. 3:8-9). The descending (pouring forth) of indignation and fierce anger is far from passive. It is not as the sons have been in the past, as a gentle rain, a chiding spark, or flickering flame -- no -not by any means! It is a raging inferno of force, of intense judgments, as one of our dear friends so masterfully related: "This 'fire of God's zeal' is...a forcible one -- representing the intensity of the judgmental dealings of God which shall involve the whole world system. It is not a literal fire, as some suppose. It is evident from the fact that the people remain after it, and are blessed! 'For all the earth shall be devoured by the fire of My zeal. Then will I turn unto the people a pure language, that they may call upon the name of the Lord, to serve Him with one consent.' That the people who remain after this devouring fire are not the saints or the elect is evident from the fact that they are then turned to serve the Lord, whereas the saints are turned (converted) already. This time of burning was foreseen by the prophets as the great and terrible day of

the Lord when the earth would quake, the heavens tremble, the sun become dark, and the stars withdraw their shining. It would be a day, said the prophet, when 'a fire devoureth,' and 'a flame burneth.' Over and over again the prophets used the word fire. "Many times in the Bible the word 'fire' is not the fire of combustion as we commonly know it. The scripture teaches that God uses fire as a cleansing and purifying agent. When we read that the Holy Spirit came as tongues of fire, we do not suppose these were literal fires singeing the hair of those upon whom they sat, but rather, a representation of the character of the Holy Spirit coming in power to cleanse, purify and transform. Certainly it will be a fire of judgment upon the world. However, it will be not only a fire of judgment but a fire of cleansing and purification. The process of change that will produce the new heavens and the new earth is seen in these words: 'Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness....' "It is remarkable that two thousand years ago a divinely inspired writer should have used the term dissolve, which has become suddenly laden with modern meaning through contemporary science. Dissolved was the same word Jesus used when Lazarus stood before Him in front of his burial tomb, bound in grave clothes. Jesus said, 'Loose him, and let him go' (Jn. 11:34). Dissolved and loose are both translated from the same Greek word, luo, and when this world 'shall be dissolved' it shall be loosed from its grave clothes of fear, ignorance, disease, poverty, sorrow, bondage and death. The whole creation shall be let go into a new and glorious state of existence. "Every one of us has dissolved a tablet in a glass of water. What took place? The tablet disappeared, loosed from its solid form, but it was not destroyed. Instead of a solid, it became a liquid. It changed its appearance but not its substance. It assumed another form of existence. Some such dissolving as this will take place in both the heavens and the earth -the spiritual and the natural realms -- not destruction or extinction, but a change into new forms, conditions, and occurrences. The Lord declares, 'Behold, I make all things new' (Rev 21:5). God will do this by means of fire. This leads us to ask these questions: Why a new heavens and a new earth? Why fire? Why judgment? Why cataclysmic change? Why not instead of these things the continuation of human progress producing a golden age? "The answer lies in the fact that sin and death cannot be destroyed by any scientific process. Just as God sent Jesus to redeem His body and prepare the vast family of the sons of God, so there must be another divine event to end evil in the world. Jesus came with His gospel of grace to build His church, but the sons of God will come with their rule of authority and power to conquer the nations of the earth. The new heavens and earth will emerge from a world on fire. Every vestige of sin, rebellion and corruption must be destroyed. All of society with its various institutions must be purified. Every aspect of the primeval curse must be obliterated. The world must be let loose and freed from the restrictions and limitations imposed upon it by the curse of sin and death. There must be a universal riddance of the rule

of the carnal mind and nature, so that no handicaps are carried over into the structure and composition of the new world. Praise God! 'The world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever'" (1 John 2:17). -- J. Preston Eby, The Heavens Declare, Part 27) After being caught up to God, even His throne, and the dragon and his host see that they are cast out, the ascended sons of the Kingdom will then descend upon the earth. With this the world will quake and burn with fire. After a time the remainder of the saints, those who fled into the wilderness, will know great conflict from the dragon and the nations, whether outwardly or inwardly. Try as they may, however, there will be no victory for those enemies of God's Kingdom; for once more the Lord shall descend from heaven in the form of fire. "And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire (2)came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them" (Rev 20:9). Dear brethren of the heavenly calling, we have all our lives been trying to ascend to heaven, not knowing we are already seated there in Christ Jesus (Eph 2:6, Col 3:1). The time is ripe to descend, and we shall do exactly that when our thinking shifts from carnal to spiritual, from expectation to reality. There is one thing for sure; until we know where we sit, until we know that we have already ascended -- it will be impossible to descend. For how can one descend from something they have no idea that they are in. They cannot descend from a place they are doing everything in their might to get into. With all honesty, our mind-set must change; however, it is not likely to happen until we awake in that glorious day which was finished from the foundation of the world. Once the shift in thinking does come, war will surely break out; for the rulers of darkness in the heavens will be alerted to the immediate danger. But let the war come, for that is one of the purposes of our being in that high place, and it will be won, hands down. The dragon and his angels will be cast out. And sometime following that momentous victory, that age-old enemy, along with all who are aligned with him, will go up against the camp of God. But when that surge is initiated, we shall descend upon them in flaming fire (Rev 20:7-9). There is another place where it is written that speaks of ascending and descending. It is when Israel's rebellious king Azaziah sent one of his captains with fifty men to go up to a man of God and compel him to come down. The king's men went up; but what came down was not God's man -- it was His FIRE! "Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him: and, behold, he sat on the top of an hill. And he spake unto him, Thou man of God, the king hath said, Come down. And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty" (2 Kings 1:9-12).

This happened twice, and only the third time, when the captain humbled himself before Elijah, confessed him to be a man of God, and begged for mercy, was his life and the lives of the fifty spared. It was then that the angel of the Lord spoke and told the man of God to go down with the captain to the king (verse 15). And by the word of the Lord which Elijah spoke, king Azaziah who had first inquired of Baalzebub, died of his injuries. God's descending fire and prophet consumed men and disposed of a king. It is a fearful thing for anyone, other than the saints, to go up to God without going the right Way (in Jesus). If they do, violently or otherwise, it will not be without meeting something coming down; namely -- Godfire! "And I saw an angel come down (katabaino, descend) from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him , that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season" (Rev 20:1-3). An angel, of course, speaks of one with a message, but more than that, it speaks of a ministry, especially the ministry of a corporate body of people. Both, the ministry of people and the message they carry, are angels. Their presence and their message will strengthen the saints while weakening the adversary. That is the nature of their word. If, however, the angel should abide always in heaven, never descending, the people would not profit and the dragon would always have a firm foundation. He would never be chained and cast into the bottomless pit with a seal set upon him. And we should know, of course, that this pit is not a deep hole in the ground, as some believe; for regardless of a natural hole's depth in the earth, there will always be a bottom. This pit speaks of that which is spiritual, not natural. It signifies a condition where there is no bottom; namely, NO GROUND TO STAND ON. It matters not of how deep into the soul the adversary plumbs, his search will be fruitless, he will find no footing. Satan was given ground in man when God said to him, "Upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life" (Gen 3:14). But now, at the dawning of this Day, the days of his life are numbered, as he is cast out of the heavens of every son. That which he was given to eat and to move upon with his appetite -- dust -- will be history and so will be his power of influence. Without dust, you see, he has nothing whatsoever to feed upon, crawl over, or tempt. With this victory made sure, every son will say, as their Lord before them, "The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in Me!" The dragon will have no place to set his foot. While he is weak and infirm, the victors have a sure foundation. The Sons of God will stand strong, never wavering. His living within our tabernacles is what gives us our firm place to stand. Otherwise, we, like the dragon, would also be in a pit with no bottom. Where satan, the serpent, the dragon, the devil has nothing but dust as a foundation -- we

have JESUS CHRIST, THE ROCK, THE CHIEF CORNERSTONE, THE SURE FOUNDATION! Paul wrote something of this when he penned: "...That thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth' (I Tim 3:15). We see here that His house, the church, who are His people, is where we are grounded in truth. In this truth is where we stand firm like a pillar in the Temple of God. I am reminded again of what Brother Eby wrote quite some time ago. He conveyed the thought that THE HOUSE OF GOD IS WHERE GOD LIVES, WHERE HE RESTS, WHERE HE IS AT HOME, which is in HIS PEOPLE! It is in you and me, brothers and sisters. Our Lord is comfortable living in His home, and we are comfortable living with Him in the same place. It is being one with Him in this house that God built which enables us to, likewise, be FAR ABOVE ALL HEAVENS. With all power and authority, He rules OVER everything in each of them. And with us being one with Him, we cast out the dragon from our home, the house of God, His church. Some, of course, still view Babylon as the church. However, with only a fragment of understanding, it is easily seen that the church is not the religious systems of the world. The true church is a body of living people. The true church is not only the house of God; but it is also the pillar and ground of the truth. And we should know by now that truth does not mean doctrine. Truth is not what we believe about a thing. The truth is the very fact of the thing itself. Truth is the substance of God. It simply means reality. Truth is eternal. Truth will never fade or pass away. The fact is, there is nothing real in the entire universe. Nothing tangible is truth. Everything is but a shadow. Nothing is what it seems to be. Everything that can be seen, everything that can be touched, everything that can be possessed, is not real. For everything in creation is but the shadow of God in one way or the other. Only the Son and that which is in Him is real -- His out-raying, His manifestation -- all else is but His shadow and will pass away. He continued by saying that whatever exists in this universe is temporal. It is all but a shadow, not the real thing! The only thing real is CHRIST -- HE is the reality of everything! The food we eat may seem real; but it is not the real food. It is only the shadow of the real food. The real food is Christ! And neither is the physical life we live real. It is merely a shadow of the real life, which is Christ! He said, "I am THE WAY, THE TRUTH and THE LIFE....He that hath the Son hath life; he that hath not the Son of God hath not life" (John 14:6, 1 John 5:12). People will gaze upon Leonardo Da Vinci's painting of Mona Lisa, and they will say, "That is Mona Lisa," but that is not true. The painting is only an image of the "real" Mona Lisa. However, the Mona Lisa who once breathed air and lived among men was not real; for even then she was but a temporal creation. That creation passed away, and the real person today

is who she is in CHRIST. It is in Him that makes her real, not her tangible body, or image of her likeness on canvas. You see, all images that are not the manifestation of life itself are not real. Living realities are never found in images. What we call images are but shadows, and shadows are images of the real. A man's shadow -- regardless of how long it is cast upon the earth -- is not the man. All the types, all the figures, in the Old Testament, as well as creation itself are but shadows of the reality, which is Christ Himself. It is the same today as it has always been -- Christ is the only truth there is. He is the reality of the universe. And we thank our brother for this truth. Most people in Christendom embrace certain doctrines, and the large majority of these sincere people will tell you that what they believe is the truth, else they would not embrace it. It is impossible, however, for their doctrines to be the truth unless they are truly manifesting Christ in their lives. If they only have a doctrine about Him, they do not have the truth, they do not have the reality of Christ; for reality, which is truth, is not contained in doctrines. The reality is, when the living God lives and moves in us, we have truth. We have standing ground, but not our adversary. When we know God has moved into our house, and we know we live together with Him there -- Satan finds himself in exile with nothing to stand on. He no longer has a foundation from which to rule. He finds himself in a bottomless pit. With all the hullabaloo about the great dragon mustering his mighty army and devising plans to overthrow Christ and His kingdom, it is evident that the angel has yet to descend into those people's lives. With the devil around every corner, and with him being hellbent on making life utterly miserable for them, not to mention snatching the weak from the clutches of Jesus' tiring grasp, it is clear that the dragon remains firmly grounded in the minds of many. Whether a small serpent or a flying dragon of the air, his meat is still the same -- dust! Anywhere there is a carnal mind, the traducer, whether real or imagined, will have a place to stand. From that foundation, he will eventually lift himself into the heavens by the religious wings and the air of people's traduced minds. We can see the folly of people embracing so many myths, but we do not stand guiltless. We have also given the dragon a place of power. For have we not had our focus on ascending, while it should have been on descending? Indeed, we have; for we have on occasion had our fixation so much on elevating our natural shells, these carcasses, our natural bodies, into heaven that we became overburdened with those misdirected ambitions. Such religious notions will most assuredly cloud our vision and hinder us greatly.

10

When God's fire descends into our minds and consumes those imaginations, however, we can then rid ourselves of those shackles and likewise be made ready to descend. The crux of the matter is in how we perceive things, whether it is the real or imagined. If it is not reality, there will never be a descent, not as long as we don't know we have already ascended and presently sit with Christ Jesus in the heavens. Once this reality hits home, once it has been firmed up in us, it will make all the difference in the world. There will be war, of course; but it should not be a grave issue; for in Christ Jesus we are Far Above All Heavens, and from that victory we will descend and turn the world upside down! To be continued... Elwin R. Roach Heavens' Descenders Directory

Part 1 Part 6

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Home | Elwin's Directory | Margit's Directory | Other Links

To be placed on our mailing list to receive our studies in booklet form, write to: The Pathfinder Elwin & Margit Roach PO Box 4004 Alamogordo, NM 88311-4004

Margit and I have been so blessed for several years by an instrumental music tape composed and recorded by John Carlton. It is most calming and brings unmeasured peace to the soul, so much so, that we wanted others to be blessed as we have been. Although there is no price set for the tapes, a generous offering would help him tremendously; for John has no source of income at this time, which is due to circumstances beyond his control. You can order his tape, CAUGHT UP, by writing to Alyce McPherson, RT 1 Box 130-B, Tuskahoma OK 74574.

11

1. angels: 4397. mal'ak, mal-awk'; from an unused root mean. to despatch as a deputy; a messenger; spec. of God, i.e. an angel (also a prophet, priest or teacher) (Strong's Exhaustive Concordance).

2. came down: katabaino, to descend (Strong's)

HEAVEN'S DESCENDERS
(Part 2)
#137.01

Our previous issue brought out the importance of knowing where we presently abide; namely, in the heavens with Christ Jesus. If we happen to view things from beneath as natural men, we will forever be earthbound and struggling to make our way to heaven. All our thoughts and efforts will be spent on trying to ascend. We will forever be climbing hither and yon with hopes of eventually going up to heaven. The point made was that we have already ascended, and now the need is to descend. Yet this descent is not made by presumption or trying with all our carnal might and mental will power to believe it. It must be by revelation or experience, and as long as we fail to know where we abide, there will never be a descent, and if there is no descent, there will be no manifestation of God's glory in the earth. Once the reality hits home, and it sets firm in us, things will change. For one, there will be war; however, due to where we stand, which is in Christ Jesus, the Rock, the Chief Cornerstone, the Sure Foundation, He who is far above all heavens, the war will easily be won. And from that vanguard of victory we will descend and sweep over the earth and finish that which was finished from the foundation of the world. Our presence will be as a rolling tidal wave of fire, bring total destruction of kingdoms in some lives, while to others, we will be as a gentle rain in due season, bringing seed to the sower and bread to the eater. Everybody wants to go to heaven, and this is fine. It is great! Such a quest is an honorable venture; but please keep in mind, we are not meant to remain there forever. To stay in such a place would be like clouds without rain that never had a thing to offer the earth, just sailing along with no substance of worth. Yes indeed, heaven is a thing to be desired; but for anyone to go up some other way than Jesus, the ascent is dangerous. If the thought of grandeur captures our minds, self-esteem and pride will set in. The next phase of our perilous ascent would be to strap on ethereal wings of

12

loftiness; but it would only be a question of time before we would be met by Heaven's fire coming down. With such wayward thinking, it may seem to some that they are not doing anything different than those who know the pathway of Life, and who are in union with our Lord Jesus. If they see a difference in what they are declaring, the difference will most likely be from a self-centered perspective. They may view themselves as being head and shoulders over those who won't fly with them into their heavens of delusion. They have kindled fire to offer before the Lord which appears to them like Holy Fire; for in their eyes, fire is fire. But there is a vast difference, and there are dire consequences to be paid when it is not the right fire. The Old Testament says something of this when two sons of Aaron tried to go up some other way. They had used fire of their own making which led to their destruction: "...Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD" (Lev 10:1-2). We may not see people today dying physical death when they make their own legalistic, emotional, and/or religious fire; but they die spiritually. Any life they once had will vanish with either the absence of life or in the face of God's fiery oracles. Korah is another example, along with 250 of his followers. They offered incense and rose up against Moses and Aaron. Their presumption cost them dearly, for they were all consumed by fire that came out from the Lord (Num 16:1-35). Fire in the scriptures is rarely used other than in reference to God and His Hallowed Glory. When this holy flame was abused or counterfeited, the people usually suffered the judgment of death. It was not a thing to be taken lightly, and it is this fire, the fire of His word, His messengers, His very presence that will descend and mete out justice in the earth with life unto life or death unto death, whichever is the need to be met. King Uzziah was another who attempted to ascend into heaven the wrong way. He did this by taking upon himself the position of the priest and burning incense. "...When he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the L ORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense" (2 Chr 26:16). Azariah the chief priest and all the other priests withstood him for his transgression; but it did not sway him. It only made him more determined. "Then Uzziah was wroth, and had a censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even

13

rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the LORD, from beside the incense altar" (2 Chr 26:19). The king was cast from the holy place, separated from the people, and he died a humiliating death in a leper colony. Please, dear friends, let not our kingship be a factor for pride to take root in our minds. Of a truth, it is not difficult for one to be lifted up in pride. And the religious things done in such a spirit will often be the cause for destruction. It is easy to put on a show that appears to be unto the Lord; but with pride, it will be unto one's own glory. It is a hard thing to go up into the heavens, the holy places of God, by way of strange fire. Any other means than Christ will not do; for most assuredly, anyone who attempts it, will be met with a power to be reckoned with; namely, fire from heaven. This descending fire comes in varied manifestations; but one of the most notable ways is as the word of God in the mouths of His fiery ministers of His flaming corporate body. Jeremiah wrote: "Is not My word like as a fire? saith the LORD" (Jer 23:29), and God "...maketh His angels spirits, and His ministers a flame of fire" (Heb 1:7). The Hebrew word for descend in the Old Testament is yarad, which indicates a move from a higher place to a lower one. However, as we noticed last time, when it is used in reference to God, His messengers, or other things from heaven, the descent always affects the earth in some way or another. The affects can be profoundly severe, leaving individuals and nations shaken to the core, or the desenders can come as unbridled blessings, forever changing people's lives and ushering them into wonders unknown. God's descent can pass through the earth like a hurricane, terrifying and wrecking everything in His path. His presence makes many changes in people's lives. Notwithstanding, He often comes as a cool breeze, a calm voice, one of love, and this too will change one's life. Each of us was certainly changed when we first heard His call. I know I was changed, and every instance of hearing His voice since that time has made changes. If light shines at the whisper of one word, and worlds are formed, or mountains rise at His command, and then tremble as He walks by, and the fruitful place becomes a wilderness, and all the cities thereof are broken down at the presence of the Lord -- what feeble man or woman can stand unshaken or unchanged when He speaks? Brethren, there is none -- no, not one! If there was such a man, he would be mightier than God, stronger than the wind, more fierce than tidal waves; but we have no need to trouble ourselves, for there are none. Ah, the power of God's word, His presence, the manifestation of His person of any sort, is awesome to be heard. If we should take a moment or two to reflect, we would know that the transforming voice of God came down to us on many occasions, and at times it was His consuming fire. It was not always pleasant, especially when those holy, unblemished things in our lives were

14

consumed. It was difficult to relinquish that which He had so freely given to us -- certain gifts, talents, ministries, works, helps, etc. -- but some to them were consumed with God's descending fire just the same. At such times, not only did we suffer loss, but the order was changed. We see the shadow of this throughout the old testament. One such place is in Second Chronicles: "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" (2 Chr 7:1). Indeed, it is painful to have our offerings and sacrifices consumed by fire. There are some who resent having their religious programs superceded by God's program. For when that happens, they loose control, a fretful thing for earth-dwellers. Ah, but this is what the Sons of God earnestly desire, the glory of the LORD filling the house! And we should not have to be told that the house is God's house, it is where He lives. It is the place where He is at home, and it is likewise with us. Wherever He lives is where we live. It matters not the location, we are right at home with Him. And I can tell you this, if we are not at home where God lives, then we are servants and not sons. We would be earthy, still savoring man's kingdom and not God's Kingdom. Our living quarters would be that of the servants and not the Master's. Notwithstanding, as we consider who we are, let us know there is something greater than our gifts and ministries. As glorious as some church orders are, and some are glorious, they cannot compare to the glory which fills our house when He descends into it as fire. WHEN THAT WHICH IS PERFECT IS COME You see, we all have a gift, a parcel of faith, a ministry of some sort; however, when that which is perfect descends -- all those parcels will be overcome by the fullness. Prophecies speak of things to come; but after the perfection of that which it speaks arrives, there is no need to prophesy. The prophecies cease after the perfection of reality is held. For example, it would be like the child whose father had gone away on a long trip, and the child was continually foretelling (prophesying) of his father's return. However, after the arrival, the little boy would no longer be compelled to prophesy that which was fulfilled, or made perfect. When that which is perfect is come, prophesying fails. It will not satisfy in the presence of realty. There is a day when faith will cease. When the things hoped for finally come, the substance of faith will not be needed. After God's full, abiding presence is known, we won't have to have faith for it. We will not have to hope for it. "For...hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for it?" (Rom 8:24). As long as we have faith for something, it is an open declaration that we do not have the fullness of that faith. Some, of

15

course, get impatient and say they already possess the fullness; but their lives manifest that they don't. Declaring something as having been finished does not make it so, even though it was finished in the unseen heavens and earth at the foundation of the world. Naming and claiming that I am in New York City, while I sit in my office in Alamogordo, does not make it so. It makes no difference how much I desire it, the reality is Alamogordo. I can confess it all day long, I can shout it from the roof tops that I am in New York City; but the reality speaks otherwise. I can have the faith, however, that I will someday make it to that noted city, and when I arrive, the fulness of that faith will be mine. And once that fulness is mine, it is then that I will no longer have faith for it, nor will I prophesy it. Both faith and prophesy will be consumed by the reality. My presence alone in that place will testify the perfection of my faith. It is the same with tongues. The gift of tongues is wonderful; but when perfection, the pure language of the Spirit, comes to all men everywhere, the gift will cease. They will all speak with clarity. Their words will shine with the brightness of God's glory. The gift will have been swallowed up by the whole: "For then will I turn to the people a (1)pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent" (Zeph 3:9), and that is after God descends as fire and pours out His fury upon the earth. Knowledge will cease. The light of a candle shines brightly in a dark place; but it is consumed by the glory of the noonday sun! We shine bright with the knowledge of the Lord in a world of darkness, a world of gross ignorance and rampant sin. But once our sacrifice is consumed and the glory of the Lord fills His many-membered, corporate house, our light diminishes as individuals in the brightness of the whole. Our prophecies, tongues, and knowledge will vanish away as they are consumed by perfection -- the glory of God in His many membered body. All knowledge will not vanish away, of course, for without knowledge ignorance is all that is left. That is what would happen if there was no knowledge at all; but the in-part knowledge will vanish as the greater consumes it. "For the earth shall be filled with THE KNOWLEDGE of THE GLORY OF THE LORD, as the waters cover the sea" (Hab 2:14). Although knowledge will still be present -- the parcel, the fragment, the drop shall vanish in the vast sea of THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE GLORY OF THE LORD! And to think we are something great as individuals in God's vast Kingdom is so self-serving. We were certainly worth enough for Jesus to die for us, this is sure; but when it comes to our individual glory, we can dispense with that notion. Any individual glory there is shall be consumed by the Great Light as it shines in darkness. "The people who sat in darkness have seen A GREAT LIGHT, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death LIGHT HAS DAWNED" (Mat 4:16 NRSV). Jesus was the

16

dawning of that GREAT LIGHT. Like a beacon on a dark coast he shined His Great Light of Life. But as long as He remained in one body He was localized and that light could not cover the circumference of the earth. He, therefore, had to go away and prepare a place that would be greater -- not different, but GREATER. He said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and GREATER WORKS than these shall he do; because I go unto My Father" (John 14:12). Jesus was taken up into heaven; but He did not remain there. He had to descend again before we could do those greater works; for without Him we can do nothing. With Him being taken up into heaven involves an end of seeing the one man, Jesus. His descent, however, marks the beginning of an intimate and powerful relationship with Him. As long as we see Jesus as that one man of Galilee, He is outside of us, and other outside things can cause us to waver in our faith and relationship. Paul said that we were to know no man after the flesh, not even Jesus. And with that I am reminded of something the late Douglas Wilson related in one of his articles. He said something to the effect that as long as the devotion of the disciples to Christ depended upon and was governed by his visible presence in the flesh, it was unstable and wavering. His presence did not stop the disciples from quarreling among themselves as to who would be first among them. His presence while in the flesh did not prevent Peter from denying him, nor did His presence stop the disciples from fearing storms and waves. So long as they depended upon a fleshly body, their devotion was very unstable, their faith in Him was limited and could fail. While they depended upon the visible or fleshly body of Jesus, some other visible body could cause them to waver. You see, when our Lord put off His mortality, He delocalized His presence. As long as He was in a fleshly body of His own, He was a local figure. That is, He could only be in one place at any given time. If He was in the city of Jerusalem, He could not be in Bethlehem. If a person desired to see Him or speak with Him, they had to either go to Him or ask Him to come to them. He was as all of us in that respect, and He remained so until He had divested Himself of His physical body. Therefore, when the Bible speaks of Him as departing, it is not necessarily saying that He went somewhere. But it does mean that He separated Himself from His fleshly body and natural life. This was so He could intensify His presence in another and much GREATER way. And, be reminded, dear readers of The Pathfinder, He had to DESCENDED from heaven into His many-membered body before that GREATER way and GREATER works could ever be known. If He had never descended, the kingdoms would have never been shaken, and we would not be where we are today -- which is the same place where He abides in our Father. As it was when Solomon offered up the burnt offering, and the house was filled with the Glory of God, so it was with Jesus. After He was offered and went up, "...suddenly there

17

came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting" (Acts 2:2). Prior to His descent from heaven and filling His house, the disciples wavered in their faith and allegiance. Ah, but afterwards -- they moved mountains and turned the world upside down. If He had gone away and remained in heaven, in a far off place, in a region where His household of people had never been, nothing would have changed. But He did not go and leave his house comfortless. He ascended and then descended into every room of it, and He has been there ever since. He has a home, He has a place to lay His head. He has a place He likes, and He will not be moving out. A mere doctrine and fading memory of a man called Jesus could not have accomplished what has transpired since the day of Pentecost. No, not by any means or stretch of the imagination! Even while He was physically present, His followers had little authority, and enacted nothing to speak of in the world. Only once, when Jesus sent the seventy in His name was there anything done to merit much recognition. That was when they healed the sick and cast out demons, and although not physically present, Jesus saw it; for He said, "...I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven" (Luke 10:18). Therefore, without His indwelling Spirit, without Him filling His house -- there is no power to do anything at all. If He really went off to some distant galaxy where God is supposed to live, and if He is waiting for the right time to make His "second advent" -- I am here to tell you -- we are in serious trouble! All we would be able to do would be to put our hand to a carnal plow and try to build another church, a fortress against the devil. But praise God, He is not sitting idly on a natural throne of ivory in the natural heavens, waiting to come back to earth. For He came back nearly 2000 years ago! He came back and filled His house where no man of flesh can stand and minister! He has already descended from heaven! And He has lifted us back to that wonderworking place from where He descended! From that day forth, those of His house have been ascending and descending, as Jacob saw in the vision. My God! The magnitude of His GREATER WORKS is incomprehensible! Who can know them but the ones in whom He has descended, and those He has made known that they now sit Far Above All Heavens and are ruling over them all. Moreover, the hour to descend from them in open manifestation is rushing upon us. And please know, this descent is not for the purpose of making religious announcements to the world or to declare new doctrines to the church. This descent is as the very oracles of God! And not only that, as the oracles of God, we shall speak the oracles of God! We shall not

18

foretell what shall be; but in perfection, we will speak the words of LIFE! Hallelujah! THE ORACLES OF GOD(2)Oracles of God are those who express the effulgence of God from the midst of the Holy of holies. Their substance is God's substance, and it is this substance which flows from the midst of them. And this is what creation is groaning and waiting for -the manifestation of the Sons of God. This manifestation is not a religious order, or carnal creed. It is the brilliance of God Himself, and no man outside will be able to be a part of it; but those who see the descending glory will surely be changed. "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 worshiped, and praised the LORD, saying, For He is good; for His mercy endureth for ever" (2 Chr 7:2-3). A friend of ours called the other day and said he woke up from a night's sleep with this question resounding from the heavens: "Can't anybody speak the oracles of God?" By and large, we must say that they have not been speaking them; for how can anyone speak God's oracles if they are not oracles themselves? It is impossible! They may be able to repeat what they hear from an oracle, they can plagiarize oracles; but they are not oracles, and there will be no life in their words. By the anointing they may be able to speak as the prophets; but when they are not the oracles, their words can only be about Christ. They are not speaking Christ. They are not expressing His substance. Foretelling what will be is not the same as being that which is foretold. Prophets, scribes, and teachers can announce wonderful stories about God, and what He is going to do; but those stories can never compare to the reality of which they speak. Again, when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part will be done away. The writer of Hebrews must have known something of this when he wrote: "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory, and the (3)express image of His (4) person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high" (Heb 1:3). You see, by being in the express image of God's person, His substance, there will be power in the word; for our word will then be His descending word. It can be nothing else. Whatever is the substance of a thing, that will be what is manifested. In this case it is the substance of God, His word, which, of course, contains great power. There is another place hupostasis is found, which is in the book of Hebrews: "For we are made (5)partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence (hupostasis) stedfast unto the end" (Heb 3:14). The use of the word, confidence, here, causes us to assume it was

19

difficult for the translators to believe we could be of the same substance of Christ, especially since they pictured Him away from us -- "far above all heavens." Nevertheless, the first part of the verse makes it clear that we are of His substance by saying -- we are made PARTAKERS of Christ. Therefore, since we are PARTAKERS of Christ, the heavenly calling, and His glory (Heb 3:1, 14 & 1 Peter 5:1), and He is the beginning and ending of our SUBSTANCE, we should remain stedfast in knowing WHO WE ARE. Otherwise, we will never descend and manifest that substance in the earth. If we do not know that we are one with Him, that we are seated with Him in the heavens -- we will forever be trying to ascend and all the while hoping to become that which we already are. However, once we know our Father, we will know who we are; and once we know who we are, we will know our purpose; and once we know our purpose we will know our destiny; and once we know our destiny, we will descend and fulfill it in the earth. And the world will then be able to say in one accord -- "My cup runneth over." To be continued... Elwin R. Roach Heavens' Descenders Directory

Part 1 Part 6

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Home | Elwin's Directory | Margit's Directory | Other Links

To be placed on our mailing list to receive our studies in booklet form, write to: The Pathfinder Elwin & Margit Roach PO Box 4004 Alamogordo, NM 88311-4004

1. pure: barar, to clarify, i.e. brighten. (Strong's Exhaustive Concordance) 2. oracle: debiyr...the shrine or innermost part of the sanctuary (Strong's Exhaustive Concordance).

20

3. express image: charakter charakter, a graver (the tool or the person), i.e. (by impl.) engraving (["character"], the figure stamped, i.e. an exact copy or [fig.] representation) (Strong's) 4. Same word for substance (hypostasis) in Heb. 11:1, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." 5. partakers: metochos, participant, i.e. (as noun) a sharer (Strong's)

HEAVEN'S DESCENDERS
(Part 3)
#138.01

Heaven -- the height of man's fondest dreams and toiling aspirations. From his very beginning he has struggled greatly with hopes of making his way to that high and lofty place. Since his goal has always been upward, very few have entertained the idea of descending, and it is not hard to see why this is so. Due to the hell endured in the world, most would not harbor the thought of ever leaving this hard-earned bliss, yet the pattern shows that some will. The majority of believers know that Jesus descended from heaven and in the descent He carried with Him a special commission. There was another also, as they have been told, who descended. Lucifer was his supposed name. In their minds, he became the devil, and the angels who joined his ranks became demons. Therefore, since most Christians cannot see themselves being sent on a special mission, they can't imagine having to leave heaven's celestial gardens and fall like Lucifer. This picture is so riveted to their minds that anyone other than Jesus who leaves heaven will be forever lost and doomed to eternal damnation. Such a mind-set of the devil descending in defeat from heaven, we must say, is the result of traditional doctrines which were fabricated from Isaiah 14:11-16, Ezekiel 28:12-19, Luke 10:18, and Revelation 12:7-9. WAR IN HEAVEN The popular idea about the origin of Satan has been quite a story to say the least, even though Jesus said "he was a murderer from the beginning" (John 8:44). It is said that he was the most majestic of all angelic beings. In all the universe there was not another like him in beauty. He also, as it is taught, had the honored position of being the great choir director of heaven's host. Everything went well in heaven until one fateful day back in eternity past, and all "hell" broke loose.

21

We have had this very graphic image painted for us which shows a terribly concerned and troubled God calling His archangel before Him and saying, "Michael, we've got a problem on our hands. Lucifer, My old confidant, has let his beauty go to his head. Your friend believes he should be the god of the universe, and He has plans of taking My throne. While in this tragic delusion of grandeur, he has persuaded about one-third of all My other angels to swear allegiance to him and to go to war against Me. Therefore, before he is able to deceive the rest of My trusted servants, and this whole mess gets totally out of hand, I want you to put a stop to this insurrection. Take the remaining two-thirds and cast him and his rebels out of heaven. Send them to planet Earth. This will be their prison until I decide what to do with the rebellious lot." At the end of this war in heaven, as it is commonly taught, Lucifer is defeated. Artists have depicted this arch-enemy of God descending headlong out of heaven with an angry scowl of bitter defeat emblazoned upon his beaten countenance. The stark reality soon overtakes him. Unless he finds a way of escape, he is doomed to eternal exile on the desolate rock called Earth. He, therefore, waits, perhaps for thousands of years, for the opportunity to strike back; which finally comes when Adam is created. And to top it off -- the man of God's creation is placed right inside the confines of the devil's prison. "Ah, think of that! How convenient," muses the tail swishing gargoyle, and the plot thickens. This once beautiful and highly esteemed angel of God, with his appearance drastically changed, and now called Satan, quickly goes to work on his dastardly plan, as the story is told. His chance finally comes when Eve drops her guard and eats the tempting fruit from the forbidden tree of knowledge. The serpent's revenge is finally initiated. The trap is sprung. It is a cold slap to God's face, a terrible blow to His plans, and this second insurrection is worse than the first. This one brings death to God's pride and joy. Adam, the beauty of holiness that was created in His own image, is hoodwinked. He is cunningly subdued, and he loses not only his home but also his life. The defeat has ever since frustrated everything God has put His hand to do. It has been an iffy situation at best. From day one, it has been questionable who is really winning the war, and if the wily devil was able to circumvent God's plans twice, what will keep him from doing it again, and who knows, the third time might be his lucky charm. If these suppositions were true, we would have to consider such an idea. Satan just might win. The fact is, the way it has been calculated, the devil will have won roughly ninety-nine percent of humanity when it is all over. Such a tally as this would unquestionably make him the winner. Such a scenario would be like a city sending all its young men off to war. One thousand of their finest goes forth to put their great enemy under foot. After many days it is announced that their army has won the war and is coming home. Everyone lines the streets. Victory

22

Banners are hung, flags are waving, bands are playing, everyone is shouting hurrahs. And out of the army of a thousand comes less than a dozen. They are tattered, half-starved, badly beaten, bruised, crippled, and horribly exhausted. The soldiers plod and drag themselves down the long street to the welcoming arms of the anxious crowd. People are bewildered, however, and confused, as they gather around their "conquering" heros. The mighty warriors are questioned by this one and that one, and then every soul gathered that day resounds with one voice -- "Where are the others? What happened to the rest? We received word that you had won the war. Where are the nine hundred and ninetynine who went with you? We were told that the war had been won!" After a long pause, and with a hush falling over the city, the reply finally comes. One of the war-worn soldiers replies, hoping at least to convince himself: "We did win! Yes, that's right, we won! Praise God, indeed, we really won! Look at us, we are standing here alive. It was touch and go most of the time; but we finally escaped by the skin of our teeth. We were saved in the nick of time. Out of nowhere came a trumpeting sound of victory, and a mighty wind carried us out of the clutches of the enemy. We were then able to make the rest of the way home. We alone escaped to tell the story. The others were either killed or led captive where, we suppose, they will forever be slaves to the barbaric hoards of hell. But we are here! Yes, indeed, we are here, and we won! Praise God! We won! We won the war!" Ha! What a ridiculous fairy tale! Yet the above merely paints the same picture that has been painted many hundreds of years. The accepted version of the devil, God, and humanity is very near the story above. Ninety-nine percent of humanity is lost to God's evil enemy who was cast out of heaven, with only one percent barely escaping by being whisked off to heaven just before all is lost. Those lucky enough to be saved then proudly proclaim -- "We won! Praise God, we won!" Brethren, that is not a win. Such would be the most humiliating defeat of all time. Even so, the above is generally what has been taught about the war in heaven and the final outcome of the last great battle. However, if we take note, I believe we will find this is not quite the way it was or shall be. One thing we will know for sure, Lucifer and the devil are not synonymous terms. LUCIFER -- SON OF THE MORNING Lucifer is a name that is known all over the world. With it being so common, especially with Christians, it may be surprising to find that the word LUCIFER is used only ONCE in the entirety of the Bible. Other than the King James Version of the Bible, I have only found two others, the Living Bible, and the Goodspeed Bible which use the word "Lucifer." The King James reads, "How art thou fallen from heaven, O LUCIFER, son of the morning!" (Isa 14:12). This misused word comes from the Hebrew word (1)heylel which simply means SHINING ONE (Young's Concordance), MORNING STAR (Strong's Exhaustive Concordance), BRIGHT STAR or SPLENDID STAR (Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon). Lucifer is the Latin word which was translated from heylel. Heylel is not a proper

23

noun but is a descriptive word that tells us something about the one spoken of. The Hebrew word does not indicate this is a personal name, not in the remotest sense. It was the Latin speaking churches in the 2nd century in North Africa which first rendered the word as a personal name in their Latin version of the Bible. Since then, every Latin revision kept that one error intact. It was from the Latin that Martin Luther translated his German Bible, and from there the popularized name of Lucifer made its way into the minds and pens of the King James translators. The Amplified Bible has this informative note concerning Isaiah 14:12 and the word Lucifer: "Some students feel that the application of the name Lucifer to Satan is erroneous, even though it is commonly taught to that effect. Lucifer, the Light Bringer, is the Latin equivalent of the Greek word phosphoros, which is used as a title of Christ in II Peter 1:19 (...until the Day Star arise in your hearts.) and corresponds to the name `Bright Morning Star' in Revelation 22:16, which Jesus called Himself. The application of the name Lucifer has only existed since the third century A.D., and is based on the supposition that Luke 10:18 (I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven) is an explanation of Isaiah 14:12, which authorities feel is not true." If the one spoken of in Isaiah 14:12 is not Satan, as the authorities agree, then who is it? In the context of this verse we can see the king of Babylon is the primary subject matter; however, the description given here can also help us to see there is another man involved in this mystery. If we look at it in the spiritual sense, lucifer can be seen as Adam! "How hast thou fallen from the heavens, o shining one, son of the dawn." (Isa.14:12, Young's Literal Trans. Of The Bible). You see, before Jesus graced this planet, there was only one who could have been a SHINING ONE -- ADAM. Nowhere in the scriptures do we read that Satan was anything but a murderer and a liar from the very beginning; but Adam was most assuredly identified with light. We are told in Genesis 1:27 that he was created in the image of God and after His likeness, and let us bear in minded, one of those things God is like is Light, God is Light (1 John 1:5), and God is the Father of lights (James. 1:17). We have been taught, and had in the past taught it ourselves, that the one who had descended from the heavens was Satan, as mentioned earlier, and without question we assumed it was confirmed by Isaiah 14:12. However, we did not see that it could not have been Satan who descended from heaven; for Revelation 12:7-11 makes is clear that he was still there, at least he was when John wrote the book in the latter part of the first century. When Jesus said, "I beheld Satan as lightning falling from heaven," (Luke 10:18) it would seem to give credit to the traditional thought. However, if we note what had just happened, we will see something else. The falling had actually taken place at the time the seventy were sent by Jesus. It was when they had cast out demons and healed the sick. Satan at that point in time, in the lives of those particular people, lost his seat of power in their lives. It was at that time Jesus saw him falling from heaven rather than thousands of years in the past.

24

The only other verse we can recall which mentions anything about Satan in reference to light is 2nd Corinthians 11:14. It says Satan is able to transform himself into an angel of light, but according to the Greek, the word is not transform; but rather, it is masquerade (Strong's). This is as close as he has ever been to being light -- as a masquerading actor. SON OF THE MORNING gives additional evidence of who Lucifer truly is. In the Hebrew the word for son (ben) carries the thought of one who is BORN and is THE BUILDER OF A FAMILY NAME. Satan, in his greatest moment, was never born and had certainly not been given an honorable name from which to build. However, God did bring Adam forth for such a purpose, and for four thousand years he did build the name (nature) that was given to him, even though he had corrupted it. Jesus, then picked up the building tools of the Spirit and finished the work in the glorious realm the first Adam could never do. Yes, indeed, Adam was the SHINING SON OF THE MORNING who brought forth the first ray of light to the world. The Lord of Glory then came to finish the work and declared, "I AM THE BRIGHT AND MORNING STAR." (Rev. 22:16). SATAN'S ORIGIN and character of DARKNESS was spoken of by Jesus and should be enough to settle the querying minds of all; namely, that he was never a shining angel of light. He made it clear that Satan was A MURDERER FROM THE BEGINNING and concluded His statement by saying, "...And in the truth HE HAS NOT STOOD." (John 8:44; Diaglott, Westcott & Hort, and Marshall's Interlinear Grk/Eng N.T.). If he has NEVER STOOD IN THE LIGHT OF THE TRUTH, and also, if he "...has been SINning FROM THE BEGINNING," as John recorded (1 John 3:8, Diaglott), there is no honest way we can say Satan was ever a glorious, shining, angel of light with the name of Lucifer. FALLEN ANGELS is a common term used by almost everyone, and a verse in Jude seems to relate to this. "And the angels which KEPT not their first estate, but LEFT their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains of darkness unto the judgment of the great day." (Jude 6). The Concordant Literal translates these two verbs (kept & left) as KEEP and LEAVE, for they are in the aorist active form. They are not in the indicative past tense. This simply means that those who have and are PRESENTLY not remaining in the light of God's truth are held in the darkness they chose. Once they have willfully chosen darkness of their own way over the light of truth, those unbreakable chains of lies will hold them captive. These angels, that is, messengers (Greek), I believe to be none other than men who fall into and submit to the same temptations Sodom and Gomorrah had lusted after. Verse seven speaks of this, and think about it as you read it -- angels are not tempted with fleshy lusts, but men are. Therefore, we believe Jude is referring to men who are the messengers rather than spirit beings, and because of their inordinate desires they are held in darkness (strong delusion to believe a lie, 2 Thes. 2:11-12) until their day of judgment. Perhaps we can more clearly see why some ministries never leave the error of their teachings -- they are held there by their own deceptive chains of darkness until they are judged by fire.

25

"HOW THOU ART CUT DOWN TO THE GROUND" (Isa. 14:12b) also speaks of Adam descending rather than Satan. Genesis 3:19 reminds us, "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, until thou return to the ground, because therefrom wast thou taken, -- FOR DUST THOU ART (WAST, margin) and dust shalt thou return." (Rotherham). This dust, the ground, the lower carnal realm from where man was raised and placed in the heavens of Eden, is the very place he is cut down and descends back to. This dust is that which satisfies the appetite of the serpent, for we read that on his belly (region of appetite) he would go and dust would be his meat all the days of his life (Gen. 3:14). Man who is cut down from the light and glory of God becomes the bread basket for Satan. Man is the fallen one, not Satan. The serpent was created from its beginning a subtle beast of the field (earth), while Adam, until he sinned, was a creature of the garden (the heavens). However, after 6,000 or so years the serpent has grown the wings of a dragon and made his way to the lofty heights of the air of men's minds. And it is not until the manchild of Revelation 12 is caught up to God and His throne do we see Satan being cast out of heaven. "...I WILL ascend into heaven, I WILL exalt my throne above the stars of God: I WILL sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north." (Isa 14:13). This is another description of man, and the first recording of him exercising his will outside of God is found in the third chapter of Genesis: "And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God knoweth that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as God, (Heb. omits "as") knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat (and all the while thinking -- I WILL ascend, I WILL exalt myself, and I WILL be God)." (Parentheses supplied) (Gen. 3:4-6). In some areas of the body today we hear the same ill-fated trumpet blowing and declaring -"I will name it, I will claim it, I will bless it, I will confess it, I will have it; for I will ascend, I will be God -- I am God!" Ah, but that is the sound of Adam who descended, and by the might of his own mind he is now attempting to ascend. He may have the scriptures to back him up, and what he says may be true; but his spirit is not truth. It is Adam and not Christ. He is not in union with the One who is above all heavens. He is of the earth, earthy. He proudly declares not only I WILL -- but -- I AM! You see, brethren, it was man who desired to be God, not Satan, and it continues to this day. Although Adam had the authority of God, he was in His image (phantom, Heb.) and likeness (model, Heb.), yet he was not God. Man desires so intently to be God, he will formulate all sorts of ideas to convince himself that he is God. The primary machine for this is realization. This realization, or sometimes presumption, comes partly from understanding that the Spirit of Christ is within, and if a person is one with Christ who is one with God, then, by reason, he must be God. One

26

scripture even says to think it not robbery to be equal with God (Phil 2:6). Yet, only a small amount of unbiased research will reveal an equalizing factor. In effect, this is what it says of Jesus: Although He was already in the form of God -- He did not think a usurping thought to be equal with God. He did not grasp after it. He did not name it. He did not claim it. He did not try to prove or convince anyone who He was -- not even Himself. He knew what form He was and who He was, and in all His knowing, He never declared that He was God Himself. Let us note the natural and learn a valuable lesson, as pertaining to whether we are our God or not. I was discussing this point with a friend and he related the following thought, which says if very well. In the natural, a son and daughter are 100% of their parents. Being from their root and branch, they are everything their father and mother are. The son and daughter carry every gene and chromosome of their parents. In many cases, they will look like them, act like them, talk like them, and even think like them, and it is the same with each and every child of God. Their essence is their Father's essence. They are the very substance of God their Father and Heavenly Jerusalem their Mother. Let us assume that the son and daughter come to the revelation that they have within themselves both their mother and father. With this they begin to reason: "Since we have everything in us that is in our parents, then let us start recognizing our mother and father in ourselves. With this understanding, we will no longer need to honor Mom and Dad out there -- we will honor them in a much closer way, in ourselves. Therefore," the sister says to her brother, "when I see you, I see our father, and when you see me, you see our mother. When we are alone, we can look into ourselves and see both, and from within we can honor them by honoring ourselves. Since our substance is everything Mom and Dad are, we should no longer have the need to look to them for anything; for we are in fact our own father and our own mother. Our DNA will prove it!" Well, even if such would work in the natural, it would only last until the kids try to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads, and it is the same with us as being the sons of God. We are everything that God our Father is. We are of His substance. If we were anything else, we would be bastards. When I see you, I see our Father, and when you see me, you see our Father. Likewise, around the world, we see our Father in so many things and in so many people; but if we should turn to our brothers and sisters and worship our Father in one another -- we would turn our focus from Him to ourselves, and the true Bread from heaven would not be given. It would be our own carnal husks of self-aggrandizement with which we would be filled. A table spread with such pride might make us carnally fat; but we would starve in the Spirit and be of little use in the Kingdom of God.

27

Some today make claims of being the I AM, and very often it is out of a self-propelled spirit of grandeur. With such a spirit, they miss the mark by a wide margin and become clouds without rain. Others, I am sure, are merely being blown about by the wind of those empty clouds. The latter, no doubt, misunderstand spiritual truths. Whichever is the case, pride or ignorance, please let us be sure to know this: Although we may be One with our Father -- we are not our Father; despite the fact we find Him in each of us -- we are still not Him; and even though we may be in His very image -- it does not make us Him. We can be everything He is, do everything He does, manifest godliness at all times, and we can exercise all His authority as it is given to us -- but we will never be Him! We will forever have God as our Father, and we will always be His sons and daughters -- but we will not be HIM! You will not offend me by saying, "My Father and I are one. I AM in the Father, and the Father is in me." or "I AM who I am in my Father"; but I will be very concerned if I hear, "I AM GOD" or I AM My Father," and especially if you teach others the same. It has always been Adam's desire to ascend and be God apart from God. Satan's desire has been to do what he was created to do -- to be a liar and to murder, and he has very effectively exercised both. For the woman believed the lie that she would not die, and after she and her husband ate, they both died that day. They were murdered by the subtle hand of Satan who was a liar and murderer from his beginning. The day they ate the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, they lost their connection with life. As a corpse is disconnected from the world of life and cannot respond to anything in that world, so it was with Adam and Eve. They were disconnected from the world they once knew. They were cast out of the Garden of God. In their attempt to ascend, they fell. They could no longer respond to anything in that world to which they were dead. They were dead to it, and the cherubim of their minds made sure there would be no ascending back except on the ladder of Jesus Christ. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF "LUCIFER," as mentioned in Isaiah 14, are consistently identifying a man rather than the devil who is a spirit. One of the verses that makes this clear is this one: "They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the MAN that made the earth to tremble?" (Verse 16). We can traverse the world over, search to the highest heaven, and scan the bottom of the seven seas; but dear friends, we will never find one spirit between heaven and hell that fits the description of the lucifer spoken of in Isaiah other than man. He alone fits that description. Not only can we look at man and see this, but from one end of the written word of God to the other, we read in bold print of Adam's fall from his shining glory and into the depths of darkness and death. We see his descent into despair, the groaning pangs of grief, tears, and sorrow. They are like threads woven into a grave shroud, wrapping about his tired soul and worn body, and try as he may, it is impossible for him to escape that self-inflicted wound of death.

28

In the Bible we see the perpetual struggle of man trying to rebuild from the ruin of corruption with hopes of ascending back to where he was. Even though he was blinded by the sin-laden soul, he still seeks that which he. Man gropes in darkness, grasping at every straw -- sex, drugs, money, music, entertainment, power, and all manner of games and activities that satisfy only for a season -- hoping it will be that one thing which will relieve his pain. He tries religion as well, subjecting himself to its creeds only to find that they are not the lifting feathers of heaven's wings, but binding fetters of earth's toil. In impatient frustration he sometimes confesses the finished work of his godhood before it becomes apparent. In his presumption, he will even declare himself to be God. Such deception will not elevate him out of death. It merely buries him deeper into it. Rather than being able to respond to the life of God, he responds to the carnal precepts of his own creative mind. While mistaking them for divine revelations, he falls into trespasses and sins and dies. In this death, he is just as unresponsive to the world of Christ's Spirit as a dead corpse is unresponsive to the natural world. Man builds his kingdoms upon sandy foundations of the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life, only to find they all fail to fill his pit of darkness and despair. Every attempt to secure his self-made happiness eventually crumbles and falls into a heap of futile rubble. In humanity's quest of life, deep calls unto deep, but true life is nowhere to be found; that is, not until God says "LET THERE BE LIGHT." When they begin to see for the first time the reality of their Creator, He places His SUN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS within the womb of their hearts, and they finally begin to shine as the Son. They shine, not as the first Adam, the light bearer, but they shine as the SECOND ADAM -- AS LIFE GIVERS. They come forth as flaming fire (Psa 104:4), with words of fire proceeding from their purified lips (Jer 5:14), and their eyes in like fashion, as fire (Rev 1:14), radiate life, equity and judgment to the world (1 Cor 6:2-3), igniting and refining everyone to whom they speak or look upon. They shall walk upon the earth as the flaming Sons of the living God, manifesting the great splendor of His shining glory in a way the first Adam could never do! This, dear living ones, is what it is to be one of the members of THE SON OF THE MORNING! Therefore, let us not be so concerned about ascending into heaven as we are about descending from heaven. Let us know that Satan was never Lucifer, that there was not a war between him and Michael in the predawn ages past. The truth has never been in the devil, and it was Adam, not Satan, who said I WILL and was cut down to the ground from where he was taken. Let us always bear in mind that the first Adam descended and ministered death to all, while those of the Last Adam descend and minister life to all! To be continued... Elwin R. Roach

29

Heavens' Descenders Directory

Part 1 Part 6

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Home | Elwin's Directory | Margit's Directory | Other Links

To be placed on our mailing list to receive our studies in booklet form, write to: The Pathfinder Elwin & Margit Roach PO Box 4004 Alamogordo, NM 88311-4004

1. For an excellent article in relation to this subject, write to Mark Toohey, PO Box 4364, Alamogordo NM 88310-4364 and ask for WORSHIP OF THE HORNED GOD OF HELL.

HEAVEN'S DESCENDERS
(Part 4)
#139.01

I WILL CAST THEE TO THE GROUND "Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground..." (Ezek 28:17). Not only Isaiah 14, but also Ezekiel 28 (Verses 1-19) is another area of the scriptures people use to argue that Satan was once a beautiful angel. It is commonly said that his abode was in the vast heavens of God. Even though there is only one archangel (chief messenger), he supposedly held the exalted position of being one of three. He was a part of the hierarchy that generated eternal bliss in the expanse of heaven. He presumably led all the angels in perpetual praise and worship to God. For untold eons everything ran like a fine-tuned machine. Perfect harmony was known throughout the universe; that is, until one fateful day when he attempted to dethrone God. His quest failed, of course, and he was cast out of that lofty place. Ah, the story can be exciting, spell binding, to say the least. It affords many pulpits ample material for graphic sermons. And all would be well if it were true, but it is

30

NOT! If we will notice, as it is with Isaiah 14, these verses are descriptive of a man rather than a spirit: "Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord God; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I AM A GOD, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; YET THOU ART A MAN, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God." (Verse 2). Thou art A MAN is sufficient to determine that a MAN is the subject and not a spirit, yet we will also consider a couple of other thoughts. In the statement "I AM A GOD," the word for God is EL (singular) which is ascribed to the ONE supreme God. Also, in the Hebrew text the indefinite article "a" is not present. Hence, this individual is declaring, "I AM GOD." The word for God in "I sit in the seat of GOD," is "ELOHIM" (plural); which is saying, "I sit in THE THRONE of THE GODS." He sees himself as the one who sits in the chief throne among the lesser gods/elohim. Incidentally, men who judge are called elohim (Ps 82, Exo 21:6 the word for judges is often elohim). Men are referred to as "gods" (elohim) in the Bible, but never as "God" (El), while neither of the titles were ever used to identify Satan, and we can see why: The characteristics of El and elohim are that of strong ones who can create, can weigh a situation and make a judgment, and have authority, rule and dominion over others. Both God and men have all these qualities; but Satan has never been able to create, has never stood in a place to weigh a situation and determine whether it is good or evil and then pass judgment upon it. Satan has had a certain amount of dominion over carnal man. However, that was part of the curse. He was given the dust of the earth (man) to eat all the days of his life. The point that needs to be made is that in the above verse, the individual spoken to was not the devil. He was also told he was not the God of the gods but a mere MAN -- a man that could fill the shoes of one of the elohim but not those of the El. Due to his riches of silver and gold (which men lust after), he ascended by the winds of pride, and he set his heart as the heart of God. In his rising, he met God's fire coming down, which was in the form of the nations that defiled his brightness (Ezek 28:4-7). And the rebuke of judgment continues to the man: "Will you still say, 'I am God?' In the presence of your slayer, Although you are a MAN and not God..."(Ezek 28:9, KJV & NASB). "...THOU SEALEST UP THE SUM...." (KJV, Verse 12), doesn't really speak to us as having any particular substance of unusual worth. However, reading it from other sources certainly sheds some valuable light on the two words sealest and sum: Young's Analytical Concordance........ Sealest: sealed, finished. Young's Analytical Concordance........ Sum: measurement, standard.

31

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance... Sum: admeasurement, i.e. consummated. Amplified Bible..... Thou art the full measure and pattern of exactness. Companion Bible... Thou art the finished pattern (Margin). Please note -- the one who is the SUM is the exact, finished pattern. He is a standard of measurement from which those following him would become. In other words, he was the prototype. And everyone must know that the prototype, the model, was ADAM and NOT Satan. The devil was never created to be a model for anything; but according to Genesis Adam was brought forth for this very purpose. It says, "Let us make man in our image, and after our LIKENESS..." (Gen. 1:26). The word likeness in this verse is from the Hebrew word (demuwth) which means a MODEL. The first man, therefore, was the first blueprint for all humanity. Adam was the pattern son according to the natural dust of the flesh, and the whole of humanity was molded after him. All mankind came from the assembly line of his loins. Jesus, on the other hand (the last Adam), was and still is the last pattern (1 Tim 1:16) according to the spiritual realm of the heavens, after which all will be molded. He is the one "Who is the image of the invisible God, the first born of every creature (Col 1:15). All men followed Adam, the first, exact pattern, into death. Likewise, all men will follow the second, exact, express pattern, JESUS, into life. (ref. Heb 1:3, 1 Cor 15:45-49 & 22-28, Eph 1:9-11, and Rom 5:18). "...FULL OF WISDOM, AND PERFECT IN BEAUTY..." (Verse 12) also points to something in man that had reached its capacity -- his shining wisdom and beauty. If his wisdom had been the wisdom of God he would never have descended by sin into a fallen state; however, having the wisdom of natural man, even in all its glory, he failed. The corruptible, as great as it was or might be, must die and give place to the incorruptible. Man will then be able to say as God did, "I change not." Until that time comes, man will be only as good as Solomon when he penned these words, "...A man's wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed" (Eccl 8:1). Solomon sees man as a shining one, or as a "lucifer." He shines with wisdom, yet can fall back into the darkness of dust. "THOU HAST BEEN IN EDEN, THE GARDEN OF GOD..." (Verse 13a). Due to church dogma, it has been assumed this was speaking of Satan; but there is no reason to suppose such a thing. Again, it speaks of a man. Let us notice another place where it is recorded that a man, along with other men, was in the garden. Ezekiel 31 tells us of a man who is a glorious tree, one who is above all the other trees:

32

"...Whom art thou like in thy greatness...the water made him great, the Deep set him up on high...Therefore his height was exalted above all the trees of the field...All the fowls of heaven made their nests in his boughs, and under his branches did all the beasts of the field bring forth their young, and under his shadow dwelt all great nations...no tree in the garden of God was like unto him in his beauty. I have made him fair by the multitude of his branches: so that all the trees of Eden, that were in the garden of God, envied him. To whom art thou thus like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden: yet shalt thou be brought down with the trees of Eden unto the nether parts of the earth: thou shalt lie in the midst of the uncircumcised with them that be slain by the sword. This is PHARAOH and all his multitude (Or can we say, this is ADAM and all his multitude?), saith the Lord God." (Parentheses supplied) (Ezek 31:2,5,6,8,9,18). It is clear that this speaks of a man, Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he is compared to another man, his pattern, Adam. In like manner, Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 are admonitions and prophecies that are directed to kings, which can relate to Adam who was once in the garden of God (heaven), but fell from it when he attempted to ascend apart from God. This heavenly garden is akin to the heavens wherein we now sit in Christ Jesus, while our feet remain upon the ground. "...EVERY PRECIOUS STONE WAS THY COVERING..." (Verse 13b). Precious stones speak of certain characteristics of men as they are manifested when the light of God passes through them. There were precious stones in the breast plate of the high priest, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. The priests were the mediators between God and man. When the twelve tribes were in the breast of the high priest as stones, they were sanctified, and, therefore, radiated the particular beauty of God that they were. We, today, are living stones in the breast of Christ, our High Priest. The king of Tyrus, like Adam, possessed some of this grandeur in the day of his glory. The stones that covered the one of Ezekiel 28 could very well be typical of the people over whom Adam had dominion and was their mediator to God. If this was so, when he as their federal head fell, the whole world fell with him. We can speculate and presume a lot of things about Adam and his obscure past, who the other trees in the garden represent, when he actually went forth to subdue the world, and who was subdued. However, one point we want to make is that precious stones are for the purpose of adorning people and not a spirit. Satan has never had a body with which to radiate and manifest the glory. If Satan wants to reveal himself in any form, the only way he can do it is through a human body, something he has never had the privilege of having. He can take over a man's soul and body, or move through a many membered body of people; but he has never had a personal body of his own. Therefore, we maintain that the one who was covered by stones in Ezekiel 28 must be a man and not a spirit called Satan.

33

"...THE WORKMANSHIP OF THY TABRETS AND OF THY PIPES WAS PREPARED IN THEE IN THE DAY THAT THOU WAST CREATED." (Verse 13c). This is a very interesting portion of verse 13, especially when it is translated into modern English. Using the Strong's Exhaustive Concordance it would be read this way: "...The DEPUTYSHIP, i.e. the MINISTRY of thy tabrets and of thy BEZELS, were erected and established in thee in the day that you were created." PIPES, that is, BEZELS will be considered first. A bezel is the sloping sides of the faces of a CUT GEM, especially those of the upper half. It is also the grooved ring or rim that holds the gem in its setting. A jewel, no matter how rare or potentially beautiful it is, has virtually no value until the facets or bezels are cut into it. These bezels serve two primary purposes. They allow light to enter into the jewel's body and then reflect it outwardly after the light has gathered up its beautiful refracted colors and has joined itself and become one with them. The second function of the bezel is so the jewel can be secured into its proper place, that its beauty can be seen. Without the bezel, a stone cannot be set and will lose its usefulness for what it is intended. We as living stones are no different. We can only manifest God's glory after the bezel has been cut into our lives, and we are set as precious stones in His crown and lifted up as an ensign upon his land (Zech. 9:16). THE JEWEL RADIATES the glory of God. This is the result of being subjected to the tools of the Master's hand. The tabret/tambourine, on the other hand, is something the servants used as a result of their inexpressible love and gratitude for their great Master. In the Bible it is recorded that the tabrets were always used when there was an exceeding amount of overflowing joy for God. Sometimes words fail to express our thanksgiving and praise we have for Him. This is when the tambourines of the spirit break forth into rejoicing that satisfies our exulting souls. Israel would always beat their tambourines when they were overwhelmed with joy after gaining victory over the enemy by the sovereign power of God. It is the same with us. When He, in His mighty strength, brings our fierce adversary to naught, and the burdensome warfare is over, a joy of victory wells up inside to the point of bursting our hearts, and the only way to find relief is to release it with singing, dancing, and playing our heart's musical instruments to the high praises of God! Hallelujah! What a glorious ministry -- A MINISTRY UNTO GOD! TABRETS WERE PLACED IN MAN for the purpose of victorious praising after winning a battle. We can, therefore, conclude that if these tabrets had been placed in Satan it would have been for the same purpose. However, we are persuaded that he was never created to be winning any wars against anyone or anything, so there was no reason for him to be created with such an instrument of praise. MAN, however, does have an enemy to conquer; namely anything having to do with death. Every time a battle is won, the tabrets of our spirits sound the praise of victory.

34

Not everyone has the talent of playing musical instruments, or sounding a trumpet; but everyone can play the tabret. It is something they are born with. And at every battle-won victory, the tabret of every winner is sounded loud and clear! WHEN ALL THE WARS ARE WON that we wage or are waged against us, we will be able to identify with the following song, and I know there are some who are already singing it: "PRAISE YE THE LORD. Sing unto the Lord a new song, and His praise in the congregation of the saints. Let Israel rejoice in Him that made him: let the children of Zion be joyful in their king. Let them praise His name in dance: let them sing praises unto Him with the TIMBREL (same Heb. word as tabrets) and the harp. For the Lord taketh pleasure in His people: He will beautify the meek with salvation. Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth. And a two edged sword in their hand. To execute vengeance upon the people, to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; to execute upon them the judgment written: This honour have all His saints. Praise ye the Lord" (Psa 149). Now who do we suppose was created with the sounding tabrets that rang out the high praises of God when wars were won? Or who might it have been that had the bezel cut into his life by the Master craftsman? And again, who could have been the one that was covered with God's selected jewels of glory, bringing light as "lucifers" into the world as he radiated the beauty each stone possessed? Not Satan, dear ones, not in a million years. The answer is obvious -- it was the only one who could have had such a ministry and was the ambassador of shining glory -- ADAM! He failed, of course, to bring that light to all creation; but praise God, the last Adam, Jesus as the Word of God will never return unto Him void. He is the true LIGHT BRINGER of God, who coming into the world LIGHTS EVERY MAN (John 1:9), for He is THE FIRST BORN and MORNING STAR TO ALL CREATION. Indeed, He is the true SON OF THE MORNING who will never fail to accomplish what He was sent to do. If He does not achieve God's purpose to the full end, He is not much better than the first Adam. However, I am persuaded after the last enemy, death, is destroyed, He will return to His Father with that which He was sent to save and secure. "THOU ART THE ANOINTED CHERUB THAT COVERETH" (Verse 14a). This particular word has probably been the most influential statement of the entire Bible when it comes to the belief that Satan was once an angel in heaven. Perhaps, the reason is due to the wide spread teaching that a cherub is an angel, even though there is not one shred of evidence to support it. When viewed through dogma-colored glasses, it may appear that a few scriptures support the supposition; but they don't. When we remove our preconceived ideas and look at them objectively, everything takes on an entirely different shape. Cherubim are not angels -- they are the exact opposite. The purpose of cherubim have been to conceal those things which pertain to God, not to reveal them. Angels, you see, are

35

messengers, and messengers are sent from God to reveal things, while cherubim conceal and protect them. The word, cherub, speaks much more of a quality in man than a spirit entity outside of him. Although we know some things about the cherubim, I must confess, we do not have all the answers to the mysteries of the cherubim; but I am confident that Satan has never been one. Jesus made that clear when He said that he was "A MURDERER FROM THE BEGINNING" (John 8:44) -- not a cherub, but a MURDERER! CHERUB is used in the scriptures in reference to guarding the way of life. It was designed to keep the unregenerated man of corruption from approaching unto that BEAUTIFUL TREE OF GOD -- JESUS CHRIST. He could, however, come to and eat of that tree by the prescribed way, the prescribed way of Jesus Christ, which deals tremendously with the flesh. The first time cherubim are mentioned is in Genesis 3:24, in reference to guarding the way: "So He drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the garden of Eden cherubim to KEEP the way of the tree of life." East speaks of the soulish, natural, selfish part of man. The word KEEP is translated from the Hebrew word SHAMAR which means "TO HEDGE ABOUT, i.e. guard or PROTECT." (Strong's Exhaustive Concordance). In Ezekiel 28:14 the word covereth implies this also. It means "to entwine as a screen, to fence in, to cover over, TO PROTECT." (Strong's). We also see this illustrated in the tabernacle. The walls of the two inner sanctuaries (the holy place and the holy of holies) had cherubim sown into them, the veil over the door to the holy of holies had cherubim sown into it, and the mercy seat had two cherubim over it also. The way back to the heart center of the garden of God (the tree of life/the ark of the covenant) was very well protected from the first man who descended from, or rather, was cast out of heaven. The only way back into the paradise of God would be the prescribed way of God, which is through Jesus Christ. He is all the doors of the tabernacle, the sacrifice, the water of the laver for cleansing one's life, the anointing oil before entering the holy place, the oil of His Spirit in the lamp stand, the flame from the lamps, the showbread of His body, the transforming fire in the incense altar, the governing rod of Aaron that budded, the manna, and the holy laws of God. None of these, brethren, and we repeat, none of these, can be partaken of except through Jesus Christ who is the Captain of our Salvation. The Author and Finisher of our faith is the one, and only one, who can lead us each step of the way. The cherubim (imaginative figures) in the veil of the carnal mind, however, will keep men from the tree of life. Everything we read and know about the cherubim speaks of something in man himself which keeps him from the pleasures of God until his journey is found in and through Jesus Christ.

36

But nowhere, do we find that it even remotely hints Satan was ever a cherub. Therefore, we see Ezekiel 28:14 is speaking of a man rather than Satan. "...THOU WAST UPON THE HOLY MOUNTAIN OF GOD..." (Verse 14b). Mountains in scripture are symbolic of kingdoms upon the earth, whether that of God or man. In this case, we see the kingdom as being God's with Adam having dominion over it. However, when he was no longer worthy to rule, after he had placed himself under the ruling influence of the serpent of the field, he was removed from that holy Kingdom of God, the Garden of Eden. His dominion of life which would have brought the Garden to all creation was changed to death. Rather than the river of life flowing from its base came the river of death (Jordan) to all mankind (for more on this mountain of life and death see Pub.#58, free upon request). "...THOU HAST WALKED UP AND DOWN IN THE MIDST OF THE STONES OF FIRE." (Verse 14c). Walking UP and DOWN, especially in the Hebrew, speaks of two dimensions of life -- heavenly and earthly. Before one can walk circumspectly in the earth and make a godly impact therein, he must first walk up, and then he can walk down. We see this in Jacob's dream and the ladder reaching into heaven with God ruling over it. The first walk is high and elevated (up). The second is low, a position of humility. It is in the earth (down). Every Son of God must walk not only up, but also down before deliverance is seen in the world. There is no other way for humanity to be born into the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom must drop down with Heaven's Descenders. The City from above must descend into the earth before salvation for all begins to be seen on a wide scale. At one time the king/Adam had everything as he ruled among the stones of fire; but because of submitting to the temptation of I WILL BECOME, and this was independent from God, he was cast down and lost it all. He became a lowly creature of sweat and tears and death. He was cast down, and he remained down, never again to walk upward, as least, not until Jesus made the Way. "THOU WAST PERFECT IN THY WAYS FROM THE DAY THAT THOU WAST CREATED, TILL INIQUITY WAS FOUND IN THEE." (Verse 15). Yes, indeed, Adam was perfect in all facets of his life. This lasted until he was found to be cunningly subtle, crafty, like the serpent who had beguiled the woman. And I say this because of the single meaning of the two Hebrew words naked and subtle. The word naked in Genesis 2:25 -"And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed" -- is the same Hebrew word aruwm as Genesis 3:1 (E.W. Bullinger's notes in the Companion Bible). "Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field...." (aruwm). Of course, they had no idea such a crafty thing lay dormant within their own souls. Notwithstanding, it was there, and in the darkness of their cunning character, they both said, "I am God, I will ascend." Afterwards, of course, and in shame, they attempted to cover their naked subtlety by sowing fig leaves together, which is with us to this day. Man has covered his cunning carnality with

37

great church buildings, tall steeples, stained glass windows, creeds, doctrines, ordinances, ceremonies, rituals, robes, miters, programs, laws and bylaws, you name it and they have it and have done it. Man has sown religious facades together to cover their stark nakedness; but all these holy looking things are nothing but fig leaves that will eventually dry up, crumble to nothing, and be blown away by the holy wind and breath of God's fiery Spirit. "By THE MULTITUDE OF THY MERCHANDISE they have filled the midst of thee with violence (unjust gain, Heb.), and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire" (Verse 16). We can see this is typical of man. There are no other creatures who merchandise. The multitude of their unjust gain makes ruthless, selfish, demanding, proud, self-serving, arrogant men in sheep's clothing. They have erred greatly. These are the ones, we suppose, to whom God has sent strong delusion to believe a lie (2 Thes 2:11). They are much like the one of Isaiah 14:17 who "opened not the house of his prisoners." They seem to go out of their way to teach lies that will keep people from being free. Many are charlatans to say the least. I have tried to keep an open mind and look at them as rebellious brothers who will be corrected by our Father, but the more I meditate upon it the more I believe most of these men are of their father the devil, as Jesus so firmly identified the religious Pharisees of that day. And please know, brethren, I do not speak of those who have laid down their lives for those they minister to. "THOU HAST DEFILED THY SANCTUARIES by the multitude of thine iniquities... therefore will I bring fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee." (Verse 18). God has created in man three distinct sanctuaries for the purpose of cohabitation -- SPIRIT, SOUL, and BODY, and they are typified in the tabernacle. They are the holy of holies, the holy place and the outer court. Adam defiled these sanctuaries when he submitted to the temptations of the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. Satan, however, was never created with any sanctuaries; therefore, with him there were none to defile. Man alone has been set apart and blessed with such honors of being a holy sanctuary for God's habitation. Jesus said, "...He dwelleth with you, and shall be IN YOU." (John 14:17). When God's habitation was defiled, He promised a burning, cleansing, transforming fire for Adam, who was the house of God. He will not live in a defiled house full of dust and dirt. We see a beautiful type to this fire in the sacrificial altar of the outer court and the altar of incense. The latter was usually in the second sanctuary, but once a year it was taken into the holy of holies and burned before the ark of the covenant. Each realm of man has its season for purification. These same fires of Christ's presence within the heart of man's bosom will purge, destroy, and consume every faction of carnality that might be in him. John the Baptist said it very well when he said of Jesus -- "He shall baptize you with the holy ghost, and with FIRE: Whose fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor...He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable FIRE" (Mat 3:11-12). Also, Jesus said, "Everyone shall be

38

salted with FIRE" (Mark 9:49). After this fire of brimstone has left nothing but ashes, man will lament, but only for a season, for God will be faithful, as He promised to Israel, and "give unto them beauty for ashes" (Isa 61:3). "All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and NEVER SHALT THOU BE ANY MORE." (Verse 19). If the latter part of this verse, "...and never shalt thou be any more," is referring to Satan, then there must be something done about some traditional tenets. Namely, that Satan will either be the caretaker over hell throughout eternity, or he will be burning there throughout eternity. Either way, he would be eternally alive and very much in existence according to this unsupported, yet accepted belief. However, verse 19 informs the reader that something is to NEVER BE ANY MORE. That which we see as never being after the fire has been applied is the first Adam along with his flammable carnal, rebellious, I will nature. Even the desire, the avenue to sin, will have been removed and destroyed to never be traveled again. That crooked broadway will be no more. The Psalmist wrote, "...THE WAY of the ungodly WILL PERISH." (Psa 1:6). Our conclusion in the matter of the famed LUCIFER REBELLION is not of a war Satan waged against God eons ago. It speaks of MAN'S REBELLION! It stemmed from man being tempted by Satan; but it is not Satan who is Lucifer. Moreover, the only war in heaven Satan has ever known has been in the heavens of man. It is a war that is going on right now in the lives and minds of godly men and women everywhere. A good reference for this is found in Revelation 12. Yet, we must not assume the victories are for another day; for with many, it is finished, the dragon and his angels have been cast down, the battles are over, and the war has been won! With this understanding, let our pure minds be riveted with the bold truth that the Latin word, LUCIFER, meaning SHINING ONE, is not referring to Satan at all. Let us know that it is descriptive of ADAM. Therefore, knowing this, we should refrain from giving credit and glory to the very one who deserves it the least, which is the dust eating serpent. We should never honor him by saying he was ever a shining angel of light. For he has always been the waster, the destroyer, the prince of darkness, a liar and murderer from his beginning. MAN, however, is the one who has been all the things of which Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 speak. ADAM/LUCIFER, was the resident of Eden, the beautiful one, the prince of God, even the shining cherub among the stones of fire. He was in Eden, the Garden of God, in Paradise, in Heaven, ruling from the Mountain of God. He was among the Stones of fire -- shining with the glory of his Creator. Even so, it was in a pale light, for he was only a model of the finished product. But we, praise God, see Jesus the true SHINING ONE! He is coming forth with the awesome splendor of all those things and more, and of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end!

39

In conclusion, Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 speak of two men, the king of Babylon and the king of Tyrus. These two areas of scripture are not referring to Satan, but to specific men. In the spiritual sense, each king could be typified as Adam; for he fits all the criteria listed. He was in the height of glory until iniquity was found in him when he said in his heart, "I AM GOD, and I WILL ASCEND!" To be continued... Elwin R. Roach Heavens' Descenders Directory

Part 1 Part 6

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Home | Elwin's Directory | Margit's Directory | Links To be placed on our mailing list to receive our studies in booklet form, write to: The Pathfinder Elwin & Margit Roach PO Box 4004 Alamogordo, NM 88311-4004

HEAVEN'S DESCENDERS
(Part 5)
#140.01

WHO WANTS TO GO TO HELL WITH ME? In reply to the question our topic asks -- I don't see many with raised hands or hear the thundering sound of eager amens. I will ask again later. We saw in our previous issues the difference between descending from heaven and being cast out of heaven. Descending with life is an honor, while being cast down from life is a humiliating disgrace. Those who dwell in the secret place of the Most High are the ones who will descend, while those of vaunting pride will be cast down. If they persist in their own efforts of ascension, they will meet the fire of God, which can come in various forms; but

40

His Word, His Spirit, and His messengers are common flames of his presence. They shall be cast from the high places to which they had climbed; for they had "boldly" gone where so many men had gone before, and declared -- "I am God!" (See Heaven's Descenders, Parts 3 & 4). It is good that we know who our Father is, and being His offspring certainly gives us the same nature; but let us not be proud gods of our own making. Moreover, there is nothing wrong with desiring to go to heaven. It is an honorable goal. If our habitation is not already in that lofty place, then by all means, let us desire it with our every fiber. But remember -there is a proper way of ascending, and that proper way is in Jesus Christ. It is always in oneness and in union with Him. Ascending by any other means makes a person a thief and a robber (John 10:1). No one, no not one person, can ascend into heaven by his or her own efforts and merits of worth and expect to remain. If such were possible, we might expect dogs to ascend and become humans. One is just as likely, or impossible, as the other. A few are reluctant to accept the humble way and say that Psalm 82 tells us that we are gods, and children of the Most High. I am very aware of that passage of scripture; but those verses speak very ignobly of fallen men. They are called gods because they, like God, have a creative mind, they can weigh a situation and judge the matter, and they have power and rule over the nations. That is what the elohim are without Christ Jesus -- fallen gods. Those verses relate to how the whole world is out of course because of the ungodly rule of the gods. Those gods are those who were cast down to the ground, and it is from there that they rule. It is with that stricken rule of death that they weaken and bring the nations down with them. So go ahead, ye gods, and say in your hearts, "I will ascend above the stars of God," if you will, it does not make you God. You are still men, Adam, and you will meet Heaven's Humble Descenders, God's firebrands, coming down. The difference between the two is so unique. Those of Adam grapple in pride and do everything they can to ascend higher and higher, while those in Christ bow humbly as they descend into the earth. Although they love the peace of it all, they know they are not to remain in that place of bliss. From those high places they can see humanities need, and with love's command they descend. We see this ascending and descending portrayed in a dream long ago. Jacob saw the angels of God -- messengers, you and me -- ascending and descending upon the Ladder, and this was with God standing above it (Gen 28:12-13). "...Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man." (John 1:51). He is that Ladder Jacob saw in the dream, and the Lord God was over it. He was, and is, the ruling factor over our ascending and descending. The word, above, in "God stood above it" in Genesis 28:13 is the same Hebrew word, al, that is used in Gen 42:6 -- "And Joseph was the governor over (al) the land...." This signifies

41

more than a mere place one is standing. It indicates a position of authority, one of rule, of dominion. It is the same with Jesus when He "...ascended up (1)far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)" (Eph 4:10). Jesus ascended far above all heavens, which would be above all other ruling factions, and this would be above in the sense of rank (authority). It is not speaking of merely ascending higher than the rest. Not only that, His ascension was so that He could fill all things that he rules over . Do we by any stretch of the imagination know what that three-word statement, fill all things, means? Do we know what fill means? How about all, and also things? Do we fully comprehend the meaning of these small words? Of course, we do! Everyone knows the meaning of these little words! But when we put them together, with Jesus Christ being the filler, a few people quickly back up. They retreat to their age-old dogmas. In their deeply etched minds, they assume it is impossible for Jesus to really fill all things. If He should do such a thing, it would mean that everyone, everywhere would someday be filled to the brim by Jesus Christ, the Anointed Son of God. And that would play havoc on their doctrines of eternal hellfire and damnation to which they assign the majority of humanity. That just won't do for many. Even so, it is true! Jesus ascended far above all heavens, and He is destined to fill all things. He has already ascended far above our heavens, and He has filled all things in each of them. If you happen to feel that He hasn't, I can safely say that He will reign over them until He does. You can count on it. And so it will be with the rest of mankind, yet every man in his own order -- the anointed firstfruits, those who are His at His coming, and finally the end rank (1 Cor 15:22-27). It is then that "...ALL THINGS shall be subdued unto Him ...that God may be ALL in ALL" (1 Cor 15:28). Ah, there's that tiny word again -- ALL! But when we see the scope of it, the word is not so small. It's as large as life itself! Indeed, Jesus ascended far above all heavens that He might fill everything in each of them. But not only that, He was the same who first descended (Eph 4:10), not cast out as was the first Adam, but descended. In doing so, He took heaven with him into Adam's world of darkness, of toil, of tears, heartache, sorrow, and of death. It was there, in the heart of hell, in the lower parts of the earth, that He descended and led captivity captive. He conquered everything that held men captive and replaced them with gifts of love that would bring life and liberty. These gifts were apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. These priceless gifts were not given for the purpose of enslaving the saints by another religion, but to free them by making sure they were filled with the One who is free. That message, however, seems to have been missed; for the citizens of God's Kingdom are being made prisoners and held captive by the very ones who should be setting them free.

42

Therefore, it is imperative that someone goes to hell! And who might that someone be? It is you and me, brothers and sisters. We have been prepared and made ready to go to hell! Those held in the prisons of the lower parts of the earth are awaiting our advent. I am ready! I am anxious to depart! Are you ready? Who wants to go to hell with me? If we don't go, they will never be made free. Their captivity will never be led captive. We must be Heaven's Descenders; for until that momentous day comes, the sick and forlorn of the world will remain pandemic. The sin laden lepers despise their condition, yet they lack the power to deliver themselves. Their horrid plight will remain if there is no manifestation in the earth. Upon our descent from heaven as raining/reigning power, they, like the leper who cried out to Jesus, will plead for and receive their long awaited deliverance. Hallelujah! Until Jesus descended into the earth, the sick and destitute had no hope. They had no means to lift themselves from the dark pits of earth's entangling mire. If we stay in our high and lofty places, we can't help them. It does them no good for us to look down from our glorious heights, and with pity, whisper in muffled prayer, "Poor souls." If we do not go to them, they will be resigned to stay there. However, once we leave our comfortable abode and descend into hell, hope will rebound for all. Ah, but let us not get too hasty. We cannot descend until our Lord gives the command; for He rules over our ascending and descending. The ladder is in His charge. It is He who gives us the word to or not to do. I am reminded of what our dear friend, Daniel Sutton, shared recently. He said he saw a vision of the Body of Christ as an army. The men had been well trained and equipped with all the necessities of war, and they were standing in formation, waiting for the General to come and give them their orders. He soon came out to address His soldiers, and rather than hearing what they had expected, He said -- "Stand by, men. Stand by." (Do not click, but hold cursor over red letters for scripture reference.) Disappointment could be seen on their faces; for they were trained for war. Victory was coursing through their veins; but they could do nothing. They had to stand by. Some of the men became impatient and ventured forth alone. They found the enemies and battles that they had sought, however, they were enemies and battles of their own making. They were not the real ones. Even so, they continued on in their perpetual battles against enemies akin to Don Quixote's windmills. They were busy about much business; but it was not their Commander's business, (2for His word was to stand by. Others who could not wait went to town, and some headed back to the barracks to sleep. Many could be seen falling away, going A.W.O.L, and becoming entangled again with the cares of the world. The remaining ones, however, continued to stand by. They did not break ranks, and regardless of how long they had to stand by, they stood by. It was out of the

43

question to move until they heard the word from their General to do so. It mattered not if they understood the purpose of the delay, they knew enough to be still, and they knew He was God, their Commander, that He would be exalted among the heathen, and He would be exalted in the earth (Psa 46:10). They were as the priests of Israel when it was time to go into the Promised Land to conquer all the enemies -- rather than advancing, they were told to stand still in Jordan, meaning, the Descender (Joshua 3:8). And again, "...Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD..." (Exo 14:13). And now, with patience we stand still as we await the command for us to descend and free all those appointed to death (Psa 102:20). In bated breath we pray: "O Lord, descend in me that I may descend into the world, else the plague of sin will forever remain. Make my path straight and my hands able. Trust me with the keys of the Kingdom of heaven, and of death and hell. Help me to open the passage so that life and liberty may be made known." And although we must for a season stand by, those keys, my brethren, we shall duly have. In many ways we already possess those keys; yet I speak not for our sake; but for the sake of others. It is so they will live. I speak of those keys that fit the slot in the gates of other people's hells, and when we hold them firmly in all the power and authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, those gates shall not prevail. I can tell you today, and with all sincerity, the gates of hell -- pain, sorrow, suffering, sickness, anguish, worry, depression, sin, hatred, death, ad infinitum -- shall vanish in the presence of Heaven's Descenders. For they shall possess not only the keys of the Kingdom of heaven, of death and hell, but the keys to all the gates of all our enemies (Gen 22:17, Gen 24:60). It matters not what the enemy might be, each one will be vanquished and left with nothing to stand on. In the presence of the living ones, there will be no more tears; for God will have wiped them all away. There shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for all the former things related to death will have passed away, as we read in Revelation 21:4. Where there was only hope, reality will prevail. No longer will the gates of sorrow and suffering hold one prisoner, no not one; for those dark gates shall not prevail against the Church of Jesus Christ (Mat 16:18-19). Our God will not permit such an eternal pit of despair. His word commands otherwise: "As the dew of Hermon that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore" (Psa 133:3). God's descending dew is refreshing life to all the kingdoms of Zion. There is not a great deal said about Mount Hermon, from where Life is commanded to descend; but we understand that it is the place of our Lord's transfiguration. We also understand that in that momentary event Jesus prefigured what is in store for those who are lifted to that high place from the plains of Jordan.

44

Many mysteries are veiled in this mountain of northern Israel, the transfigurations being one of them. We can look by the Spirit into its mysteries and see what will transpire with every Son of God, yet it begins much earlier than this mountain. From the time of Jesus' birth we can trace our own life; or perhaps I should say, our death. He indeed was the Lord of Life; but we can't help from noticing He was always dying. For instance, He first died to Heaven's glory as He descended from the Father and was born of a woman in the form of the first Adam. Secondly, at the Jordan river, His baptism prefigured His next three and a half years. Upon rising from that watery grave He spent the next forty days in the wilderness without food or shelter. He then died to earth's glory by rejecting the temptation to rule every kingdom of the earth. As the Son of God He had everything the earth had to offer. At His word there would be an unlimited supply of the finest foods (Mat 4:3). He could rise to the highest pinnacle of the temple, never having to fear falling from that prestigious place of grandeur (Mat 4:5). And all the kingdoms of the world were His for the taking (Mat 4:8); but He died to those things. He refused them all. He died to the glory He had with the Father before the world was, along with everything the world had in store. And thirdly, He died to His own glory. His very Sonship as a walking, talking, breathing, living Son of God with flesh, blood, and bone had to be relinquished. He laid it down in order for creation to live. He had to die to everything. He could not remain in the glory and power of the heavens and do us any good. That realm was too far removed from carnal man to be apprehended by the first Adam. He descended and then turned from the wonder-filled life and glory the world had to offer. And finally, He laid down His own Sonship on Golgotha, the hill of the skull, the place humanity's mind and will forever die. Great as Jesus was, as long as He was a physical man, He could be along side of us, but not in us. He could change our thinking, but not our nature. He could change circumstances but not our lives. He could change our acts but not our hearts. Therefore, Jesus had to descend even farther to do us any good. It was imperative for Him to die and descend into the lowest parts of the earth. Then in His rising He was able to inhabit our very being; namely -- His many mansions! And please, don't expect this master carpenter to be preparing a mansion of natural gold and gems for you to live in some glad day; for you will never see such a carnal structure. You, my dear friends are the mansions, the many abodes, He is preparing for you to inhabit with Him. Jesus, being the Son of God, rose to the highest place of power and authority in the world, and His transfiguration on that high mountain was a testimony to this fact. Every aspect of supreme rule was His for the taking, but He refused to lay hold of it. Although in the form of God, He would not take it unto Himself. He humbly laid it down, and from that lofty place He descended, not to dethrone Caesar, Herod, or Pilate. Although He could have, He became obedient unto death. Rather than choosing to sit in their place of reign, He

45

descended from that mountain and came under their tyrannical authority, even unto the death of the cross. He died unjustly in the hands of their earthly rule which was rightly His. JORDAN -- THE DESCENDER There are many very unique and interesting things about Mount Hermon; among them is the Jordan river which springs from its base. This river is a type. It is the issue of death resulting from Adam's sin and being driven from Eden. It was this river that rolled back in a heap when Joshua and Caleb were ready to pass over. When the priests who bore the ark stepped into the muddy waters, they rolled all the way back to the city of Adam (Josh 3:16). When the time comes, at the end of this age for those bearing the ark to take the land, death will be no obstacle for them. Notice how far back death ceases to flow -- all the way back to Adam. In this foreshadowing demonstration alone, we can see how far reaching the Life of the Jesus Christ is. This grand display of Life over death is such a shock to that descending realm -- it is cut off all the way to Adam. What shaking! Something akin to the earthquake which rolled the stone from our Lord's tomb of death (Mt. 28:2) when He preached to and freed all those who had died from Noah back to Adam. And we are reminded of the one that immediately opened the prison doors, loosening everyone's bands and freeing them (Acts 16:26). It is like the one John saw darkening the sun of man's glory (Rev. 6:12). And it is not unlike the great earthquake which was not seen since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great (Rev. 16:18). Brethren, as the common expression has it, "We ain't seen nothin' yet" -- but we will! "For it is for an appointed time, and at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry" (Hab. 2:3). The Jordan river has varied aspects that lend itself to death, and its origin is one of them. At the very onset we see that two rivers merge to form the one. The first half of it is birthed north of Hermon in the eastern slopes of the Lebanon mountains of Syria. The other half comes from the southern side of Hermon in Israel. This world-renowned river is like the sons of Adam -- Cain and Abel, Ishmael and Isaac, Esau and Jacob -- which are tributaries to every citizen. They minister their own substance to everyone born in the world -- good and evil. Although bitter enemies, they are always mingled and flowing together in everyone born of Adam. Like the one tree in the garden which brought death, they are continually vying for dominion, and regardless of which fruit is eaten, the end is always the same -death. Both heads of this river are enormous and very promising -- gushing with cold, crystalclear springs -- but like the sons of Adam, the water does not remain so pure. The springs of Hermon (Jacob) mix with that which comes out of Syria (Esau), and flowing as a double minded man through the earth the river soon picks up silt and debris in its descending journey to the plains of Jordan. It temporarily fills the sea of Galilee, where life and

46

commerce abound in great abundance. From there it flows out and continues southward until it makes its way down to the plains of Moab, past Jericho, and finally to the Dead Sea where its end is found. Almost every aspect of the Jordan ministers greatly to mankind in that part of the world. It typifies man's natural life flowing into the world from the time of Adam's fall. It is a good thing for the man of the earth; but for the man from the heavens, the Spiritual man, like the letter of the word, there is no real life. And looking a little more closely at this river and the sea that it feeds, the Sea of Galilee, we can see why: The name Jordan comes from the Hebrew word, Yarden, which means, to flow down, a descender. It comes from the root yarad, meaning to descend (literally to go downwards; or conventionally to a lower region as to the enemy; figuratively, to fall) (Strong's Exhaustive Concordance). This river, like the death it represents, continually spirals downward, always picking up earthy minerals and waste, until reaching its lowest point in the earth. It is there that all the filth, carnality, and lifelessness of the world is deposited. In the lowest depression of the earths crust, 1,306 feet below sea level, the Descender ceases to flow as it spills into the Dead Sea where no motion of life remains. GALILEE -- THE CIRCUIT OF THE GENTILES Between the beginning and the end of that river is the Sea of Galilee. Naturally speaking, there has been a lot of activity in this sea. It has afforded livelihood for many over the ages. But let us not ignore the spiritual realm of humanity that it must represent. We especially notice this when the meaning of the name of the sea is brought to light. GALILEE means, "THE CIRCLE, or CIRCUIT OF THE GENTILES" (Strong's and other authorities). Isaiah 9:1 also speaks of Galilee pertaining to the world: "Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations." Like the Jordan river, Adam has flowed down from both sides of the high mountain of God, feeding every realm of humanity -- the mountains, valleys, plains, and the seas. There is a time when this river (of death) empties into a bed and temporarily swells, giving the appearance of a life-giving body in the form of THE SEA OF GALILEE; but as the name signifies, it is the Sea of the Gentile's Perpetual Circuit of Death. Until the Life of the Son of God pulls people from that sea, there is a futile circuit they travel, which always brings them back to the lifeless place they started, yet continuing ever downward to the lowest level on the face of the earth -- THE DEAD SEA. It was here, near the mouth of the Dead Sea, that Jesus was baptized. From there He began His ascent, and did not stop until he reached the very pinnacle of death -MOUNT HERMON.

47

Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee six times during His walk as a Son (Unger's Bible Dictionary, map). In the same manner He turned the water of the six waterpots of stone into wine, signifying His crossing of the wide gulf of the six dispensations of man. At the wedding each stone-hewn age of man was filled with the natural life-sustaining water, but when Jesus descended, He in type reached all the way back to Adam and turned all that water into the Life-Quickening wine of His Spirit. He showed us at that time, at the wedding feast, that there would be a day, when all those consumed in death, all the way back to its origin, would be quickened by the wine of His Life. Repeatedly, Jesus made an open show that death was coming to an end. He sailed back and forth across the sea of humanity performing miracles upon it and all along its coasts. In that region He healed the sick and lame, cast out demons, walked over boisterous waves, and raised the dead. It was during one of those trips with His disciples, "...there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm" (Mark 4:37,39). There are times of darkness when we also find ourselves crossing the foreboding sea of humanity's circuit, and it is common for troubling storms to blow without a moment's notice. There are other times that the wind which sweeps over our lives is much more extreme, even unto death. The billowing waves pound relentlessly upon our breaking vessels. In the midst of its fury, it looks as if all will be lost; and with Jesus asleep in the back of the ship, we may think that He isn't even concerned about it. But like those of little faith that frightful night, we forget that He always accomplishes what His Father sends Him to do. If He is sent to cross the circuit of death to the other side, He will cross over and will lose none who travel with Him. In the course, as it was that dark night of death's storm, Jesus arises, rebukes the wind, says to the sea, "Peace, be still," the wind ceases, and there is a great calm -- all is quieted (Mark 4:39). When The Voice of the Son of God is heard, it is always obeyed. When the Spirit moved and God said, "Let there be light," there was light. When the Spirit moved and God said, "Let the waters bring forth," the waters brought forth. And when the Spirit moved and God said, "Let the earth bring forth," the earth obeyed and brought forth. At any given time or situation, when Jesus spoke, death obeyed and ceased to be. After calming death's threat in the midst of the sea, and upon His arrival to the other side, we again see Jesus dealing with things that pertain to that realm in which He descended. GADARENES -- THE GARDEN OF MAN

48

This dark place was in the country of the Gadarenes where the man who had lived among the tombs, and was possessed by a legion of demons, recognized Him as the Son of the most high God. He ran to Jesus and worshiped Him, and begged for mercy. This man in all his ferocity could not be subdued, not even with shackles and chains. All human efforts of legalism failed to transform him. Even he would cut himself with stones (of the law), attempting to control his wanton nature; but the law could never change a man from what he is. There was no hope for this mad-man who lived on the banks of the Galilee -- Man's Circuit of Death. The tombs of the Gadarenes were his perpetual habitation. They were his prevailing gates of hell, his impassible gulf, his ever-abiding habitation; that is, until Jesus came with the keys of death & hell. Life released him from that horrible pit of everlasting torment (ref. Mark 5:1-16). We will take a moment to notice a couple of things about GADARA, the ruling city of the Gadarenes: First, it was the capital of Persia, which would apply to Adam as the head of humanity. Second, Gadara is another form of GENNESARET (Mat 14:34). This name comes from the Greek word GENNESIS, which means, "a begetting, engendering; nativity, birth. Some related words are: GENNEMA; that which has been begotten or born, the offspring, progeny. GENNETOS; begotten, born. GENOS; offspring, family, stock, race; the aggregate of many individuals of the same nature, kind, sort, species..." (Thayer's). Each of these speak of one thing: genes, genesis, generations, beginnings, humanity's origin, or simply -- ADAM, THE GARDEN OF MAN. In Eden, the Garden of God, the first Adam lifted himself in pride and said, "I am God" (Ezek 28:9). He exerted his deadly power of death, and that is the realm wherein he has reigned. In Gadara, the Garden of Man, the last Adam descended and said, I am meek and lowly" (Mat 11:29). In humility, He did not regard equality with God a thing to be exploited. But rather, He made Himself a servant of no reputation (Phil 2:6-8). In this descended form, He demonstrated His authority over the power of death in the first Adam, and it is in this power of Life wherein He reigns. There were other times when Jesus ruled over death in or around the Sea of Galilee, which gives us a glimpse of His authority as the Son of God. After being persuaded to leave the land of the Gadarenes by the disgruntled mob of swine herders and others of that region, He crossed back over to the other side and raised from death the twelve year old daughter of one of the synagogue's rulers (Mark 5:35-42). On His way to her deathbed, the woman who had an issue of blood for twelve years was also healed (Mark 5:25-29). The stroke of death coursed its way through the very veins of life in the woman's body, i.e. the blood; but after twelve years, death met its death. Likewise with the damsel of twelve years, although dead, she was raised to life. At the age of twelve, Jesus rose with authority and was about His Father, doing whatever it was that He heard Him say. Brethren, after twelve (figuratively) years of death, the time

49

comes to start hearing the Voice of our Father and Live. If you are not yet twelve years old (spiritually speaking), you will hear mostly the voice of your mother, whether she is Babylon the mother of harlots, or she is New Jerusalem the Heavenly City. When the Father does speak, and if you are not of age, His voice may be as the sound of thunder. You may not comprehend a word He says. The mysteries of His Kingdom will be as foreign to you as Christ is to the carnal mind. Death flows as a vein of stricken blood into the Sea of Galilee (the Circuit of the Gentiles), making its mortal rounds in the world of humanity, and death swarms its shores as a perpetual pestilence -- nevertheless, Jesus destroys every aspect of that noxious disease. Jesus was, and still is, the Death to death. When He walked the shores of death, death relinquished its grip. He calmed its fury when He said, "Peace, be still." He cast out the demons of death from the man in the tombs of Gadara, and the unclean swine were choked in the sea from whence death abounds. The issue of bad blood was healed; the dead girl was raised; He fed 5,000 the fishes and the loaves in the regions of death; He walked upon the boisterous waves of the circuit of the gentiles; He passed over the avenue of death, putting death under His feet. All this was easily done since the unstable, vacillating, watery world of mankind was not His foundation. His foundation was His Father, the anointed Spirit of the heavenly Dove. He didn't sink into the ever dispersing waters of death, for His abode was the heavens. His foundation was not earthly but heavenly. That unstable world which pertained to the earth could neither support nor threaten Him. From the first day in the Jordan river He began His triumphant journey and continuing victory over death. As surely as the first Adam overcame life by killing it with death (becoming the first death) -- Jesus overcame death. He swallowed it up with Life (making Him the Second Death). While pondering this thought, consider also the overcomers who stand upon the sea of glass mingled with fire, and bringing into manifestation Life's judgment upon the sea of death (Rev 15:2-4). In victory, every impure thing vanishes from the circuit of humanity, there is nothing left to hide. All that is seen in the transparent world is fire, the glory of God's Life mingled throughout. Jesus must have been speaking of this when He said, "For every one shall be salted with fire..." (Mark 9:49). What a glorious thing to behold -- the manifestation of the Descending Sons of Fire walking upon the Sea of Humanity and Christ liberating and transforming every inhabitant to the same glorious image as Himself (Rom 8:19-21,29). Since Jesus came to destroy all death, along with the one who had power of death, the devil, it was only fitting for Him to demonstrate His authority over it in the river and the sea which typifies the death-laced world of mankind. Before bringing the victory of Life to its fullness in humanity, He laid the foundation first in seed form. In type, He demonstrated in various ways His power over death, and with each case it was as a seed sown in the field of

50

the world for an example of what He would harvest at the end of the age. They are simple allegories; but many fail to see it, and they certainly can't imagine all these things being fulfilled by the Sons of promise. Nevertheless, the seed has been sown, and nothing can stop it from coming forth. It is like our dear friend Maxine Roby said, "All the unbelief in Israel could not stop Jesus from being born." And let us add, neither can all the unbelief in the Church of this day stop the descent and manifestation of the Sons of God in glory! Many believe they will be ascending; but not so, we will be descending. Though it may tarry, we shall write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that they may live who hear the Voice of the Son of God. In the day of its appointment it shall speak, and not lie. Wait for it, if need be, because it will come! (Hab 2:2-3). Can you hear His Voice? Do you believe it? Then say amen and be glad that it will be said: "The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined" (Isa 9:2). "And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it" (Mat 28:2). The stone of the door, the gates of hell, did not prevail. We read again -- "Now that He ascended, what is it but that He also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that He might fill all things." (Eph 4:9-10). Once more I ask -- who wants to go to hell with me? Hmm... Quite a number now. Praise God! To be continued... Elwin R. Roach Heavens' Descenders Directory

Part 1 Part 6

Part 2 Part 7

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Home | Elwin's Directory | Margit's Directory | Links

To be placed on our mailing list to receive our studies in booklet form, write to: The Pathfinder Elwin & Margit Roach PO Box 4004 Alamogordo, NM 88311-4004

51

(Feel free to submit the names of those who would like to receive these studies)

1. far above: huperano...above upward, i.e. greatly higher (in place or rank) 2. "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity" (Mat 7:21-23).

HEAVEN'S DESCENDERS
(Part 6)
#141.01

"And He shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you" (Acts 3:20). Scriptures such as this have caused some to assume that Jesus presently resides in the vast heavens of outer space where He awaits the command from God to return to Earth. It is pictured that when the order comes, He will saddle His handsome steed, muster His army, and make His grand appearance. This, of course, is the natural view point of our text verse and has nothing to do with spiritual realities. When people look only to the natural, such as with Jesus and His Kingdom, spiritual realities often come and go without the church system having so much as a clue that anything has taken place. It is easily seen that Horse and rider in scripture is associated with war. In the days of old, the strength of armies was measured by the number and greatness of their horses. Horses were never mentioned as being used for agricultural purposes, but for riding, drawing chariots, and for war. The four horsemen of the sixth chapter of Revelation portray the calamities, war, destruction, and death of man's ways. These four horses are war horses of God, and are sent into our personal earths to destroy every enemy of His Kingdom. They destroy the usurper; namely, the carnal mind, the will of the flesh, the lusts of the flesh, the emotions of the flesh, the works of the flesh, and the commerce of the flesh. Simply speaking, these riders and horses conquer and destroy everything that finds its strength and livelihood in the flesh.

52

The horse is a symbol of God's presence and power in warfare. Revelation 19:11 is a good example: "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war." The horse signifies strength and swiftness in battle, as in Isaiah 2:7, 30:16; Jeremiah. 12:5, 51:27; Ezekiel 38:4; Hosea 14:3 and Joel 2:4. If we are looking for Jesus to come galloping over hill and dale of billowy rain clouds in the sky, I am afraid we will be sorely disappointed; for spiritual realities do not afford Him to appear in such a manner. "Repent ye therefore," change your way of thinking, " and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the (1)times of (2)refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; Whom the heaven must receive until the times of (3)restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began" (Acts 3:19, 21). When, pray tell, is the proper time of His return? Yesterday? Today? Perhaps tomorrow? Yes! The answer is yes to all the above, depending on the purpose of each return. He returned yesterday to the handful in the upper room, He has been returning ever since, which includes today, and He will continue His returning tomorrow. Knowing also that the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, we expect a much greater manifestation than anything yet seen. Notwithstanding, Jesus ascended on high. He led captivity captive. He triumphantly conquered every foe and faction. In so doing, He led them captive. He has continually been descending and giving light, life, and liberty to men. After leading captivity captive, if He had remained forever in the unseen heavens of glory; it would have done us no good at all. He had to descend again for His presence to be made eternally internal rather temporarily external. His first advent was external in the form of the first Adam. His second advent was, is, and shall be internal as the Last Adam; for He is a life-giving SPIRIT. The victory He claimed by ascending He now gives to us by descending into the lowest parts of our earth, and lifting us out of that death. Has He descended from your heaven within and led captive that which had you captivated? And is He reconstituting all things in you with the essence of Himself? The answer is more simple than you might think. If you are continually battling in over the issue of sin, and you are never at peace with your spiritual walk, then it is likely that the only thing descending in you is the law. As long as this continues, you will never be seized, you will not lead captivity captive, and victory will be a far reach for you. Everyone who lives by the law will forever be struggling to keep the law. They will grasp at this doctrine or that one. They will follow after this teacher or that one. They will do

53

this and that with hopes of someday ascending; but as long as the externals are the focal points, they will never rise. It seems as if they hold close to preachers and teachers who will hopefully take them upon their weary wings and carry them to celestial heights of glory. But it is always the same. Temporary delight; but disappoint is their end portion, and they pursue hither and yon for another savior to lift them out of death and darkness. Brethren, I am encouraged when you read and are blessed by The Pathfinder; but please know, that I do not have all your answers, nor can I lift you into Kingdom's glory. Only Christ our Lord can do that. He alone is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Although I am one with Him, and have a fragment of truth, if you depend totally on the sound of this one trumpet, you will not hear the full sound. You will be lacking and are destined to fall short in your journey. If you listen to this trumpet alone, you will never go beyond its single sound. You will be looking to me as being your savior, and you will never shout the victor's cry -IT IS FINISHED! Please know that when people rely on another man or woman to hear God for them, they will be conformed into the image of that man or woman rather rather than Christ. When men say that you are incapable of hearing for yourselves, I would like to ask them, why is this so? When people tell you that you are outside of God's will and can never make it if you don't submit yourselves to him, or his church, or some other church -- run for your lives! For when they fall in the ditch, so will you. We understand, I am sure, the heaven wherein Jesus is retained is not up there somewhere in the sky blue yonder of outer space. It is in here, in you and in me, in the spiritual wonder of inner space. Paul told us in the tenth chapter of Romans something of Christ's whereabouts: "... Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above) (you won't find Him there). Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) (You won't find Him in the grave; for He is not there either.) But what saith it? The Word is nigh thee, even IN THY MOUTH, and IN THY HEART..." (Rom 10:6-8). And Jesus said, "And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but He that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven" (John 3:13). You see, He was in heaven before He was received by a cloud and taken from men's sight. IS CHRIST IN EVERY MAN? Again, it is in here, in inner space, where we find Him. And that is where He remains until it is time for the reconstitution of all things in every believer, and in the rest of the world. You see, Jesus as the first Adam did everything on the exterior, while as the Last Adam He does everything on the interior. Moreover, the first Adam was an outward expression everywhere that man trod upon the earth. Christ, on the other hand, is the inward expression in every man. Whether it is in the height of heaven or in the lowest hell -- He is there. It is inward and not outward where He abides. Some contend with this, and I can see why. When we look at the unspeakable evil in some lives, it is hard to imagine that there

54

could be any fragment of our loving Lord of peace and righteousness. Nevertheless, "That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world." (John 1:9). The Amplified reads: "There it was; the true Light [was then coming into the world -- the genuine, perfect, steadfast Light -- that illumines every person. [Isa 49:6.]" Had He been a seed in me all those years of sweat, toil, and sin, and then sprang from my bed of earth that wonderful day when I became alive in Him? Or did He at that point in time enter my dark house and light it with the presence of Himself? Truthfully, brethren, it makes little difference to me; for the end is the same -- being enlightened and made alive. Therefore, whether Christ is a resident seed in every person, or He comes into every person later on, tell me this: why would we spend a valuable lifetime proving or disproving either view while life passes us by? Oh, my, what a loss! Not only that, such a thing would be as Paul said -- we would be yet carnal. We have been quick to justify our ways of war by saying "I am of Christ, and it is in His name I slay heretics." But let us not be too aggressive in our bloodletting. Claiming to be of Christ can be as carnal as claiming to be of Paul: "For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?" (1 Cor 3:3). This is easy to see; but what follows becomes a little more difficult. Herein is the point I am making: "For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?" (1 Cor 3:4). Earlier in his letter, he wrote, "Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?" (1 Cor 1:12-13). Being proud to claim that we are of Christ can be just as carnal and sectarian as claiming to be of Paul, or of Elwin, or of Preston, or of Ray, or any other minister across the land. There is a vast difference between claiming to be of Christ than being of Christ. Most often, when one makes such a claim, he is usually not being of Christ at all, but is being of self while acting as Christ according to what he imagines Christ to be. However, those in Christ and who make no claims are merely Christ beings. There's no acting to it at all. It is a simple fact of being. It is the truth. For example, human beings do not have to act like humans; for they are human beings by birth. That is their nature, and whether they are being good or being evil, they are being that very thing from which they were birthed. And likewise with those birthed into the Kingdom of God. By nature they are God beings, and they do not have to act like God to be God beings. They do not become God beings by amassing a set of scriptural rules and laws and then go about doing what they feel they are told to do. When people do God-things, and it is out of duty and efforts of the religious determination, they become God doings rather

55

than God beings. Regardless of how Godly the acting may appear, they are still religious doings. Without the Spirit they are works, efforts, shows, performances. Sadly, I must say, there is an awful lot of acting like God these days, rather than simply BEING. But we praise God for those who simply BE who they BE! There are no pretenses with them -- no contentions, no envying nor pride, no false humility, no self-abasement, no will worship that has a show of wisdom, no legalistic prisons, no religious gymnastics, no anything that smells of sweat. They simply exude the plain and simple truth of who they are -- God BEINGS. And do you know what? Some of these God beings believe in things that I may not agree with doctrinally! Wow! Imagine that! Kingdom cops have a hard time accepting, agreeing with, and walking with someone they believe to have a splinter in their eye. It is unthinkable to speak good of those who say the Seed of Christ is in every man. Personally, I would much rather walk with those who are right in their spirit and wrong doctrinally, than with someone who is right doctrinally and wrong in their spirit. Brethren, it is time to get real. It is time to get off our high walls of "Kingdom" denominationalism and start walking in the Light of Truth. "Ah, but we have the truth, Brother Roach." This you say; but I say -- ha! Doctrines don't make truth regardless of how true they are. Truth is Christ! Truth is Spirit! Truth is God! Truth is you and me when we walk in that which we are, that which is in oneness and in union with He who is Truth! Don't tell me you have the truth when your spirit smacks with pride, when it revels in being right, when your facts slay your brothers and sisters who walk in Truth. Not in a million years will you convince me that you have the truth merely because your doctrines can be backed up by the scriptures. Mine can also. I can lay out scriptures that cannot be denied; but that is not what makes truth. Moreover, I too embrace some of your doctrines; but so what? Where have our doctrines gotten us when the Spirit of Truth is lacking? Nowhere, to be exact, except upon a high wall of condemnation, self-exaltation, and the pointing of the finger. Such a place deceives us into believing that the poor sheep out there can't hear, discern, and think for themselves, that we alone can hear God, judge a matter, and warn all the unsuspecting victims. Indeed, if someone is preaching any other doctrine that Paul preached concerning the atoning blood and saving life of Jesus Christ, then let them be accursed. But squabbling over hair-splitting issues is just plain childish carnality. Again -- it is time to get real. It is time to get off our high-horses and climb down from our highchairs. It is time to be spiritual and not carnal. It is time to descend and walk humbly in the earth as God beings and not God doings. It is time for the reconstitution of all things

56

in our earth. It is time for the walled cities of men's religious minds to fall, and fall they shall at the sound of Heaven's mighty descending trumpets. And it is certainly time to cease from being watchmen on the wall, and I will tell why this is a must. There is no need for watchmen on the wall during the day, only during the night, only when it is dark. If we are sentries on the wall, it is a testimony that we are still in darkness, and this should not be for the Sons of God who walk by the light of the Day (John 11:9)" Allow me to quote from another: "The Lord gave me a vision one time concerning the watchman on the wall. I saw myself as the watchman on the wall, and the wall I was on was as if it was the wall just before you entered into the Most Holy place, as if this place had no covering, and it looked like a city. I turned from the darkness I was looking at, looking for an "enemy" trying to enter the city, and looked at the city behind me. It was as if the sun was coming up in it, for all it's brilliance. Just then, the Lord spoke to me and said, There's no need for the watchman on the wall when the daystar arises. Think about it. I did." THE SOUND OF TRUMPETS Prior to Jericho's fall, the two spies "...descended from the mountain, and...they said unto Joshua, Truly the LORD hath delivered into our hands all the land; for even all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us" (Josh 2:23-24). We can see that they had entered God's assuring Rest, the Last Day, and they were able to call those things which are not as though they were. Although it was yet to be manifested, they declared -- IT IS FINISHED, the LORD HAS DELIVERED in our hands all the land. They certainly saw the finished work, that it was created in their hands from the foundation of the world. Even so, yet they had to walk a pace before it was brought into focus to others. After spying out the city, they had to hide. They first found refuge on the roof at the hands of Rahab. They were then let down by a cord, and from there they sought safety from their pursuers by ascending for three days to a mountain. They could have remained there in those hide-a-way heavens (the roof and the mountain); but their knowledge would have been of no value in those lofty places. They had to descend before victory could be held. Their ascending and descending can be seen as being similar to the angels ascending and descending on the ladder Jacob saw with God ruling over it. SEVEN TRUMPETS After their descent, and having reported what they saw to Joshua -- the fullness of victory was laid out before the eyes and ears of Jericho. Every day, for six days, seven priests sounded the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark. They did this while the men of war silently followed as they compassed the city (Josh 6:4).

57

Seven speaks of fulness, trumpets are messages from the throne, rams pertain to maturity of the slain Lamb, and their horns symbolize power. The sounding of the seven horns is a single message that makes a way for victory. The victory does not come by the message alone. There is more to conquering than preaching or teaching. At the end of the days, at the LAST DAY, the SEVENTH DAY, THE DAY OF REST -- there is a great SHOUT! It is the shout that brings down the wall; but first, there must be the trumpets. "And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall (4)shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him" (Josh 6:5). In the Last Days before that Great Day of conquering Jericho -except for the sound of marching feet and trumpeting rams' horns -- there was silence. "And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout" (Josh 6:10). "And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city" (Josh 6:16). "For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with A SHOUT, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first" (1 Thes 4:16). Do you see the victory here, or am I alone in this? Ah, I know you see it! For we stand together, as we peer into the Last Day, the Lord's Day, His Day of Rest wherein we can shout -- IT IS FINISHED! It is this shout of victory that causes all the walls to fall, the gates of all hells to swing wide, all the dead in Christ to rise first, and afterwards all the rest will come forth (1 Cor 15:21-28). Generally, the shout of joyous victory is made after the battle is won; but as we see the finished work in God's Day of Rest, we shout it first, and then afterwards the victory is seen by every eye. Oh my, what a wonderful sight -- silence, a still, calm, holy hush precedes the ear splitting shout! This has been a hard lesson to learn, probably the hardest that has ever been put before us. It is nigh to impossible to keep silent, especially when we are armed with insight of the day of victory. We really want to sound it abroad. We want everyone to know that the Day of victory is ready to dawn; but in these last days that serve to usher in the Last Day, we are to maintain a holy hush. And even though it is difficult, we are beginning to see that hush. Not all, but many are waiting for the Last Day when it is time to shout the victory. Some, of course, are still speaking their personal thoughts, doctrinal convictions, or yesterday's revelations. The sincere, however, the obedient, the Jordan crossers, the living ones, are mysteriously silent. They are not shouting with confusion while the trumpets are sounding. They wait in silence! And in this waiting, they hear the clear sound of the complete message that precedes them.

58

There is a trumpet sound of seven ram's horns though the land. Each one is sounding its voice, or else, the composition would be incomplete. And anyone that is not a part of that procession around the city will be so off key that a deaf man would know it. Therefore, let us hear the clear sound of this Day. While in the Spirit of the Lord's Day, John beheld something very much like the seven priests blowing the seven trumpets before the ark of the covenant. It says that he "...saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets" (Rev 8:2). My, what a coincidence! Ah, but we know there are no coincidences with God and His finished work. Here are seven priests/messengers standing before God with seven trumpets, as it was at Jericho, and victory over the enemy is seen again. We will not look at all the verses in this passage of scripture; but we can see that their sound prepares the host of heaven (you and me) for victory and the mystery of God to be finished. The book of Revelation speaks of seven trumpets, or a resounding word of spiritual perfection, which destroys everything contrary to Christ and His Kingdom. These seven trumpets, like the seven colors of the rainbow, or the seven notes of the musical scale (with the eight being a repeat of seven on a higher octave) to make songs, are the sound of one voice. Each one has a purpose, which shatters and consumes man's kingdom. Corporately they come as hail and fire mingled with blood, as they descend upon the earth and burn up men's ways as trees and green grass(Rev 8:7). One expression of their word, as hail, is a hard word of judgment that beats down all the proud fields of man. A single word of God's rebuke will reduce the strongest structure to splinters. The residue, along with all wood, hay, and stubble is then kindled by these flaming messengers. But we must not forget the blood. Each word of rebuke, each touch of tormenting fire is mingled with blood -- the blood of the Lamb. With God, mercy comes with judgment. Life comes with death. Laughter comes with sorrow. The carnal mind of man is tormented in the presence of these holy angels of God; but out of that torment rises life and joy forevermore. The peals of rolling thunder from the heavenly trumpets send a great mountain descending and burning with fire into the sea of humanity. Their worldly lives and livelihoods are overcome and destroyed by this Kingdom from heaven. The little stone of Daniel that smites the feet of the image of world kingdoms and grows into a great mountain (Dan 2:35), strikes into the heart of man and his commerce. It is this Mountain, the Kingdom of God, which eventually fills the whole earth with its glory.

59

Not only does a mountain descend from heaven at the sound of the seven trumpets, but also a great star called Wormwood, and it burns as a (5)lamp. This fire of God burns as poison to man's spirit. It descends upon his carnal rivers, upon his fountains from within, and without. In effect, it poisons his carnal mind with Life everlasting. To the man, it is terrible, but to the Spirit, it is wonderful. This star is a burning word. It descends as a beaming ray of brilliancy; but to the carnal mind, it is poison wormwood. The anointed word has a way of poisoning man's word, as far as the man is concerned. It sears and afflicts the fleshly soul, as Solomon so pointedly wrote: "Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me" (Lam 3:1920). You see, that which is life to the ministering flames of fires is wormwood to man and has a way of humbling him. Praise God! These heralds of God cause man's glory of dominion to be smitten, the sun, the moon, and the stars. The word of this corporate messenger dims man's shining brightness. His splendor by day pales in the true Light that shines in man's light of darkness. Individuals who twinkle against the backdrop of night also find their end when the Last Day, the Lord's Day rises upon the horizon of their souls. There is found no place for them in Christ's great Kingdom of heaven. In the presence of such beauty their faint shining vanishes. One of the seven trumpeting sounds bring about a descending star from heaven. It is not in dishonor, of course, but with honor and authority. He is given the key to the bottomless pit, and all the hoards of hell are released for five months. Such is the grace of God to those dwelling in the earth who have not the seal of God in their foreheads. Those carnal minds are certainly tormented; but it is to a good end. The sixth trumpet-note of the scale releases the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. The river which had given Babylon and the world its life and protection becomes its timely end. All their rituals, creeds, doctrines, and dogmas are brought to nought. Out of their own laws, where they thought they had sealed up their destroyer forever, is destruction released. Out of that flowing river comes a word of fire, smoke, and brimstone. The Greek word fire is pur. It is from this word that we get our English words: pure, purity and purify. Brimstone comes from the Greek word, Theion, which means, Flashing Sulfur, Godfire. By fire and brimstone, or the destroying, consuming, purifying Godfire, men of the earth are reduced to nothing and transformed. And at the sounding of the seventh messenger, or when the sounds come together as one -- the mystery of God is finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets (Rev 10:7). "And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever" (Rev 11:15). What a tremendous sound! Praise God!

60

SHOUT THE VICTORY! If there is a reason to split the ears -- this is it! For not only is the mystery of God finished at the sound of the seventh angle's trumpet; but "...the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was SEEN in His temple the ark of His testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail" (Rev 11:19). "And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband" (Rev 21:2). We see the city of God descending from Heaven the same way we see Jesus coming down from Heaven. It is not in a physical form; but is that which is presently held in the unseen heavens. It is that which cannot be seen by those whose hearts are fixed on the earth. However, when blind eyes and dark souls are opened and made whole by the indwelling Spirit of Christ -- they will see that grand city of God's elect. It will not set upon the earth like a knot on a little boy's head; but it will fill the earth with its many dwellings of peace and love. And such could not be if it remained in the lofty heavens of the unseen; but as it is with all good things of God, it descends from there and blesses the earth. There is no physical horse that Jesus comes riding upon from heaven at the times of reconstitution and repletion of all things. Before leading captivity captive and giving liberating gifts to man, he had to descend into the lower parts of the earth, as we likewise must do. Heaven is splendid; but we cannot remain there forever. In order for Him to be the Light coming into the world that illumines every person -- He must descend from the imperceptible heavens of every person and and awaken them to life. This illumination does not come by doctrinal wall-walkers sounding the alarm every time someone speaks a word contrary to theirs. No, not at all! This Light comes from the Descending one from within, who then ascends with them into the heights of the heavens. That resplendent light will never come by squabbling over legalistic issues or condemning those we fail to understand. Such childish carnality brings darkness rather than light. It makes us carnal human beings and not spiritual God beings. Let us, therefore, always keep ourselves from speaking ill of God's anointed, and even those who are not so anointed; for although fallen in the dust and dirt of the earth, they are in God's image. Let us never be the town criers and find ourselves cast out of heaven in humiliation. But rather let us sound the heavenly trumpets that cause God's holy things to descend in honor upon men's kingdoms. Therewith, they will be brought to naught, and all those kingdoms will become the Lord's and His anointed. Praise His holy name! To be continued...
Elwin R. Roach

61

Heavens' Descenders Directory

1. times: kairos...set or proper time. 2. refreshing: anapsuxis, a recovery of breath. 3. restitution: apokatastasis, reconstitution 4. shout: ruwa' to split the ears (with sound), i.e. shout (for alarm or joy) 5. lamp: from the root lampo...to beam, i.e. radiate brilliancy

Part 1 Part 6

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Home | Elwin's Directory | Margit's Directory | Other Links

To be placed on our mailing list to receive our studies in booklet form, write to: The Pathfinder Elwin & Margit Roach PO Box 4004 Alamogordo, NM 88311-4004
(Feel free to submit the names of those who would like to receive these studies)