AUDIO VERSION HERE

This article is a continuation of pt 3 of the Synchronized Dance of the Issachar Company. When I had the vision of the trail of manna leading into the temple, the Spirit connected it to Rev 11:1-3, which speaks of a measuring taking place; a measuring of those worshiping at the altar of incense.

 

Rev 11:1  A REED [as a measuring rod] was then given to me, [shaped] like a staff, and I was told: Rise up and measure the sanctuary of God and the altar [of incense], and [number] those who worship there. Rev 11:2  But leave out of your measuring the court outside the sanctuary of God; omit that, for it is given over to the Gentiles (the nations), and they will trample the holy city underfoot for 42 months (three and one-half years).

 

A dividing line was drawn at the outer edge of the Holy Place, where the doorway led to the outer court. The outer court and those associated with it would be going through a trampling for a measured period of time; 3&1/2 years - the time in which the man in Daniel 7 would be doing his level best to wear out the saints.

 

Joel 2:16,17 speaks of the Bride and Bridegroom coming out of their separate chambers and the priests weeping between the porch and the altar on the Day of the Lord. The journey from the porch to the altar is the same pathway as the trail of manna. The altar of incense is the place where the wedding ceremony is conducted, at the threshold of the Holy of Holies. The priestly Bride is weeping and praying as she makes the journey from the porch to the altar and her prayer is for those who call themselves by the Name of the Lord; His heritage:

 

Joe 2:17  Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar; and let them say, Have pity and spare Your people, O Lord, and give not Your heritage to reproach, that the [heathen] nations should rule over them or use a byword against them. Why should they say among the peoples, Where is their God?

 

The word translated 'nations' also means 'a troop of animals, a herd of locusts'. That sounds like a trampling and a devouring. Remember the locusts that come out of the pit in Rev 9. I believe this weeping journey from the porch to the altar takes place during a 3&1/2 year period, where the priestly Bride residing in the Holy Place intercedes as described in Rev 11:1&2 - even while trampling is occurring in the outer court.

 

Rev 11:2  But leave out of your measuring the court outside the sanctuary of God; omit that, for it is given over to the Gentiles (the nations), and they will trample the holy city underfoot for 42 months (three and one-half years).

 

Notice that this verse describes a place of protection and an area of trampling; both the outer court and the city. When I look at this picture I see a dual message; firstly a message to us both corporately and individually as His temple and then, secondly, a message to us as His city. The temple had 3 sections, just as we as His temple have 3 parts; spirit, soul and body, corresponding to the Holy of Holies, Holy Place and Outer Court. These three areas also correspond to different levels of surrender and holiness in our walk with the Lord. Depending on the state of a person's walk as part of the Body of Christ, we would be assigned a spot in one of the three sections. The outer court is also a type of the flesh and those in the Body who have pandered to the flesh, instead of choosing the ways of the Spirit and the narrow path that leads to life. They have scorned holiness and followed the ways of the world. Much time and grace has been given for a change of heart and return. And now a severe chastening comes in order to bring them to repentance. The trampling of the outer court of the temple also speaks of redemptive judgement or chastening in the physical body (Heb 12:6-13), in order to bring His people to repentance. David the psalmist says, "Before you afflicted me, I went astray, but now Your Word do I keep" (Psalm 119:67). Judgement must begin with the House of God. We are entering a time where strong discipline will be applied for those who would not yield to the conviction of the Spirit in the period of grace for voluntary repentance - this strong discipline is not through the hand of man, but by God Himself and finally, an Ananias and Sapphira era will unfold by end of year 5780 for those who will still not repent and turn from their sin after chastening, yet continue to call themselves His followers.

 

It is in the space between the porch and the bronze altar that God showed Ezekiel men with their backs to the temple, worshiping the sun. Judgement for idolatry in the Body of Christ is executed during these 3&1/2 years:

 

Eze 8:16  And He brought me to the inner court of the Lord's house; and behold, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the bronze altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs to the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east, and they were bowing themselves toward the east and worshiping the sun.

 

The outer court is also the place where the murder of Zechariah the priest took place (2 Chron 24:20-22). Jesus spoke a severe warning, using the example of Zechariah, to the Pharisees for their pride, jealousy and murderous hearts toward the true servants of God:

 

Mat 23:34  Because of this, take notice: I am sending you prophets and wise men (interpreters and teachers) and scribes (men learned in the Mosaic Law and the Prophets); some of them you will kill, even crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue and persecute from town to town, Mat 23:35  So that upon your heads may come all the blood of the righteous (those who correspond to the divine standard of right) shed on earth, from the blood of the righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar [of burnt offering].

 

Zechariah, the priest, had rebuked the people of God for their sin, telling them that because they had forsaken God, He had forsaken them. Their response was to conspire against him and stone him to death. Not so different to what goes on today in the Body of Christ... Judgement for the sin of prideful slander in the Body will be carried out in the season ahead. You cannot say you love God and harbor hatred and jealousy in your heart toward your brother or sister in Christ. Hatred stemming from jealousy hidden in the heart is the same as murder in God's eyes. Every saint who has conspired, gossiped and spoken words of death, slander and fleshly judgement against others in the Body has been given much time to repent of their ways. And now He is coming to deal strongly with those who haven't.

 

So the trampling of the outer court spoken of in Rev 11 is done after the measuring of the Body of Christ according to their positioning in the Holy Place of holy living, worshiping at the altar of incense by the light of the seven spirits of God, or in the outer court of the sins of the heart and the body. In other words, the dealings are according to the state of your heart and life before God. Say to the righteous, it will be well with them, but for the wicked....

 

Rev 11:2 also says the holy city will be appointed this trampling. God intended His Body to be a city set on a hill, giving light to the world. To a large measure, the Body has instead imported the artificial light the world walks by and adopted their ways. The Body of Christ is therefore appointed a set time of trampling, of great persecution, as shown in Daniel 7:25, 12:7-10, in order to purify and refine His saints.

 

Dan 12:10  Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be tried, smelted, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but the teachers and those who are wise shall understand.

 

These 3&1/2 years are a time for being purified, tried and refined for many. Multitudes are in the valley of decision; the valley of tribulation. The word for 'trampled' (Rev 11:2) in the Greek comes from a root word meaning 'to strike, to sting like a scorpion'. Remember the locusts in Rev 9 have tails which sting like scorpions. In their 5 month rampage, they are not permitted to touch the bondservants of God, who were sealed in Rev 7. I believe the dwelling place of the bondservants of God is the altar of incense, in worship and prayer day and night and this is why they are protected during the trampling.

 

In Isaiah 28, the prophet recounts different treatments  applied in the harvesting and processing of different crops:

 

Isa 28:27  For dill is not threshed with a sharp threshing instrument, nor is a cartwheel rolled over cumin; but dill is beaten off with a staff, and cumin with a rod [by hand]. Isa 28:28  Does one crush bread grain? No, he does not thresh it continuously. But when he has driven his cartwheel and his horses over it, he scatters it [tossing it up to the wind] without having crushed it.

 

Dill and cumin are herbs and I have shared before that the Hebrew word often translated as 'herbs' actually means 'sparkling light'. So herbs are synonymous with revelation light. The rod and the staff are used to separate herbs from their stalks. Both the rod and staff are used with the hand. So the sifting of the revelation light carriers is done by the hand of God, with just enough application of pressure to remove chaff without damaging what they carry. Bread grain is also not completely crushed by the horses' hooves trampling and the wagon wheels going over it. Chaff speaks of fleshly ways, that which obscures and prevents access to the nutrition in the grain underneath. The breaking is only done until the chaff is separated from the grain and then the wind is used to winnow it and separate the two. So only a measure of breaking is appointed the grain and then the wind of the Spirit does the final work. The Roman instrument used for threshing grain is called a tribulum. During the time of tribulation, the chaff is being removed from the wheat, so that the precious grain can be stored in the barn. As I said, chaff speaks of fleshly ways, soulish sin. Chaff and tares are cast into the consuming fire. So separation of grain from chaff is very important, hence what Daniel 7 describes as happening during these 3&1/2 years: 'many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be tried, smelted, and refined.' Those who have not actively thrust their soulish sin from their lives before will find the pressure and breaking of the time ahead strong inducement to let it go if they desire to remain as a member of the Body of Christ.

 

Having shared with me about the content of Rev 11:1&2, the Lord referred back to the trail of manna in the temple and reminded me of what had been shared in the 'word for 2020' in pt 1 of this series – that after the separating judgement had done its work in the House of God, the door to the Holy of Holies era would be opened. This is a time when the reserved manna; the hidden manna, would be dispensed by the golden vessels who had been dwelling within the ark of His presence continually. I will share what I have been shown concerning this in the next part of this series.

(To be continued)