The last message leads me directly to this one. We cannot stress enough the importance of having a individual and corporate vision of Jesus that corresponds with who He really is. The importance is based upon a simple principle: The clearest vision of Jesus will sustain us in the most difficult moments we face, and we shall overcome all the giants and obstacles that lie ahead.
Overcoming is the issue Jesus talks about in all letters of John to the churches he was apostle over. The spirit of overcoming is specifically the same spirit that the Messianic exercises throughout His earthly mission , the Cross, the resurrection, His ascension. They represent a model we are going to explore in this chapter of the series. This model is Messianic.
We traditionally attribute this model solely to Jesus. In times past I explored this whole theme, and there is a series called What connects Melchizedek, David and Jesus. All these flowed in the Messianic, which means “anointed”, but in what way? In the Kingly, priestly and prophetic. 3 streams of ministry, of standing in God. These 3 streams exist today. They are essential in connecting time with eternity, imperfection with perfection, human with the divine.
How does this connect with Anna in the Temple?
If Anna is led into a 84 year vocation she would need to know why she was called, hence the introduction of the Consolation of Israel, in that Israel had lost its pre-Captivity monarchy, pre-Captivity priesthood, pre-Captivity prophets. These all worked together in symphony in various reigns of various kings. Now the Kingly and prophetic seemed to been cut off. We know this from history, God was “silent” for 400 years, in that there was no official prophetic voice prophesied in those times. With Anna, known as a prophetess, was prepared and spoke through her intercessions, her adorations, her fastings. There were no kings in Judea, no Jewish. Israeli kings, ruling over a sovereign nation. We see from history that Rome was the end of a line of empires that had reigned over Israel, from 587BC, when Nebuchadnezzar invaded the land. So the “Consolation of Israel” is the restoration of the kingly and the prophetic.
We see before the birth of John the Baptist and Jesus, that there was upsurge in the appearance of false prophets and messiahs. We have explored this in this series. Its no accident, because there was a common witness that what was needed was a Messiah figure. The knowledge with many is that the Messiah was to be the Son of David, and it is this model that Anna was praying and waiting for. In contrast to any political aspiration, this preparation would see the Messiah in its pure spiritual purpose. That whoever who would come would accomplish in the spiritual first. Then from the spiritual would come a physical manifestation in the end days, of the full restoration of the Davidic Kingdom, Psalm 2 tells us this transition will come, which would dominate and break the false rulers and bring in true reign. David was a forerunner of this Messiah.
It is also Key, that this Son of David be manifest in the followers of Jesus. Until today as the Gentiles have come into the sphere of Jesus, the Saviour, Son of Man, there is a need that Jesus begins to manifest the Son of David in His People. Zechariah 12 tells us how this will take place, with the appearance of the Messiah king, but with wounds and a crown of thorns. The King and Suffering Servant will be manifest together. I believe we are moving into that era.
For the manifestation of the Messiah, king, priest and prophet to be fully manifest all believers must be activated in these 3 streams. It is certain as we read Acts that the Early Church had grasped this reality. They moved in this. Read Acts 4, the persecuted rising up in the Revelation of Psalm 110, and calling upon its manifestation in their day. God shook the place they prayed and via the Holy Spirit the kingly began to manifest in their midst and they were feared and respected. These are things the modern Church has lost, in that we are not feared and demographics known to us attack our Messiah, because our own perception of Him is weak. Once He manifests as the Son of David, the King, so every knee will be bent to Him, every tongue shall confess Him as He is.
The Messianic model activates the two pillars of His Throne; mishpawt (Justice) and tsedekar (Righteousness). The Messianic model ferments the Fear of the Lord. In Acts 5 we see the demonstration of this Fear, with the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira. Their deaths were a demonstration of God’s anger at Mammon that this couple began to allow to filter into their heart. Here is the rapid judgment upon spiritual corruption. Unfortunately as believers lose their “fear” and begin to compromise on established Word based norms, so the rot goes through the general universal church. When you consider nearly 50 thousand divisions in the Body of Christ is a case in question. It is the watering down of the Messianic model, the rejection of the activation of the Glorified King in our midst.
If we wish to recover and restore this vision of Anna, that caused her to see beyond the small babe, to see the King, we must spend the time that God allots to discover the fullness of the Davidic model to the Messiah. Unless we recover this, we might find ourselves involved in spiritual corruption like Ananias and Sapphira and be erased from history. Consigned to an eternity with a chasm between ourselves and the true Messiah.
We have to register the reaction of John the Apostle in chapter 1 of Revelation, when he sees the Glorified Messiah for the first time, he is as a man dead and faint, taking the angel to lift him up before His Beloved Lord.
It took Anna 84 years to fully understand and she is a prophetess not because she prophesied but because she lived in the vision realm, lived in perceiving the Consoler of all that is Israel. Making the fallen Israel the prince who overcomes again.
Isaiah 22:22 shows God give the Zadok (priestly) line particular attention, when He gives the keys of David, and places their weight upon the shoulders of Eliakim. These keys open what no man can shut, and close what no man can open. It is these keys given to people who perceive Him fully. It is these keys given to Anna in the Temple, she sees through the spiritual doors that God opened. Like Psalm 24 she lifts the everlasting doors in prayers, to welcome the King of Glory. She closes doors upon empty religiosity and emptiness.
For the Church to occupy her correct place in end times seasons she must see Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of David fully, to activate the justice and righteousness pillars of His Throne, and having His Throne in the midst of the Church, so the Kingly, priestly and prophetic will flow within her walls. That way this move of God in the Church will pave and prepare the way for His appearing. It is this reason that 84 years were spent for Anna to pray through a people so that they be ready for the call to repent through John the Baptist and the call to the Kingdom by Jesus.
May we be led along this Messianic model so that in His appearing, whatever form He appears we shall recognise, adore and lift up the Gates to let the King of Glory come in.
Maranatha!!!!!
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