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OF JOSEPH IN THE END-TIME DRAMA
"You are spies!!
A devotional essay exhorting us By Dr. Gavin Finley - endtimepilgrim.org |
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Of course we have a choice here. We can submit to God's higher discipline in Joseph and Benjamin. Or we can get angry, run away, and join the Edomites.
The short two minute YouTube video below might be entitled,"The End-Time Discipline of Joseph" .
THE HOUSE OF JOSEPH, ONE
As Christian believers we are a blessed and privileged people. We have come into union with a God who continues to express Himself in many wonderful ways. Many are the facets to His character. As we enter into our walk with God we get to know some of them.
OF THE 12 HOUSES OF ISRAEL,
WILL BE VERY IMPORTANT
IN THE END TIME DRAMA.There are 12 spiritual flows in the communion that we as God's people share with the God of Jacob. Even as Jacob had 12 sons we see each of these 12 character flows of God named and showcased in the early patriarchs. These were Joseph and his 11 brothers, the early patriarchs who headed up the covenant family of God back at the beginning. Is this "Old Covenant" stuff which has been "done away with". Not at all. John saw a city of 12 gates descending from the heavenly realms even as the Bride of the Lamb. These 12 gates still remain. They are our heritage in Christ today and in even greater ways in the future. We shall come to know them as we enter into the life of God as Christian believers. These 12 character traits and 12 spiritual flows are our spiritual inheritance in Christ. Because He, as the greater Joseph, is the "pearl of great price". In Him a rich treasure trove of 12 jewels is flung open. At the end of this age Messiah will come to "make up His jewels". - Mal.3:16 And then we see a Holy City of 12 gates, each one of them a pearl. - Rev.21:21 A Holy City is being built, even a city with eternal foundations whose builder and maker is God. - Heb.11:10 These are the portals into those "many mansions" or "dwelling places" God is preparing for those who love Him. - John 14:2
THE CHARACTER OF JOSEPH REFLECTS THE CHARACTER OF GOD. AND
So there are 12 flows and 12 expressions of the divine character of YHVH, the God of Israel. Our study will concentrate on that particular character flow of God we see expressed in the life of Joseph.
THE EVENTS OF HIS LIFE LAY OUT A PATTERN OF END-TIME EVENTS.The story of our patriarch Joseph takes up a large chunk of the Book of Genesis. So apparently God thinks this subject is very important. The life of Joseph was one of great personal sufferings which led into a great ministry reaching out in a saving way into the whole world. Joseph was a savior to the world of his day. He is a "type" of our Lord Jesus Christ. Joseph reflects the divine character of Messiah in His ministerial or priestly office, one of the two offices of Melchizedek. Joseph led the world in the day of his coming. And he fed them the bread of life even in the time of a great famine lasting seven years. This was the ministry of the House of Joseph back at the beginning as the family of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob went down into Egypt. After a period of approximately 400 years they would re-emerge as a company of a million people and be led out by Moses in a great exodus accompanied by many miracles.
Joseph in Egypt was prime minister under Pharaoh when his brothers turned up. They came looking for food. They did not realize who he was when he rode up in the chariot. Joseph was right there in front of them. But they just didn't recognize him. Of course Joseph knew his brothers. He knew them very well. He had a full appreciation of their wonderful character as given to them in the promise. And he knew how the God given character traits given to them by the God of Israel had been twisted by sin.
The brothers had come to Egypt seeking food. But it was not as easy as they had imagined it to be. They encountered the prime minister of Egypt who happened to be their long lost brother Joseph. And Joseph had a bone to pick with them.
Many years before this Joseph had been their younger and yet the most responsible brother, the second last of Jacob's twelve sons. Joseph had been watching his brothers and didn't like what he was seeing. He brought an evil or bad report on them to his father. Just what that "evil report" was we do not know. But he had apparently outlined their misdeeds in some detail to his father.
His brothers did not take too kindly to this. Instead of coming clean and owning up to their shortcomings his brothers had hated Joseph all the more. Joseph recounted his dream in which their 11 sheaves bowed down to his sheaf. At that point they had heard enough. That was "over the top". In their view this young upstart had become absolutely insufferable. They had had it with him. It was then that they turned against him with deadly anger.
Some of the brothers, Simeon for almost certainty, and perhaps Levi or Gad, wanted Joseph killed right then and there. A furious jealous and vindictive rage was ramping up and about to break forth into bloody murder. But two of the brothers stepped in. And in a certain sequence of events Joseph was delivered.
THE ROLE OF REUBEN AND JUDAH IN THE DELIVERANCE OF JOSEPH.
It was due to the interventions of first Reuben and then Judah, (the Jewish brother), that Joseph was saved from death. It was Reuben who convinced his brothers to stop their raging assault on Joseph and avoid bloodshed. Reuben convinced them to throw Joseph into a dry well without water, a pit nearby. Then in a more rational frame of mind they could deliberate further on how they might dispose of him. Secretly Reuben planned to come back later, deliver Joseph up out of the pit, and return him to Jacob, their father. Reuben left his brothers at some point, probably going off to find some means of getting Joseph up out of the pit.
IS THIS A PATTERN TO BE REPEATED IN THE LATTER DAYS?It seems clear that Reuben did not see Joseph pulled out of the pit by his brothers. Because when he returned to the pit he was surprised to find that Joseph was not there. Reuben's underlying love for Joseph and his intent to deliver him is very evident. Because thinking that his brothers had taken Joseph out and killed him Reuben tore his clothes and wept bitterly.
As the brothers talked and argued over the matter it was Judah who took the next step to save the life of Joseph. A caravan of Ishmaelites, Arabs, came by. They were headed towards Egypt with spices, myrrh, and balm from Gilead. This is the balm the hymn-writers tell about, the balm of Gilead. It is the balm that makes the wounded whole, the balm that heals the sin-sick soul. Here we find yet another clue to the ancient and modern spiritual identity of Joseph.
Judah convinced his brothers that they could quite fully and handily dispose of Joseph, and without bloodshed. They could sell him off into slavery. That way they would be relieved of his intolerable boasting. And never again would they have to suffer dishonor by his yacking of their misdeeds to their father. They would be rid of the little tattle tale nuisance once and for all. Joseph would not be killed. But he would be exiled, sequestered away, quarantined, and never be seen or heard from again. Why they could even make some money for themselves in the bargain.
So Joseph was sold for 20 pieces of silver.
Silver in scripture is the symbol of redemption or ransom.
JOSEPH IN THE HOUSE OF POTIPHAR.
Some years passed by. Now as we focus in on the scene above we see that Joseph's situation has changed, and quite dramatically for the better. He has come through many adventures and endured many sufferings. No longer is he a servant in the house of Potiphar. He has avoided the seductive enticements of a harlot woman, the wife of Potiphar, who was the chief executioner of the land. Her seductive enticements went on day after day. But he would not lie with her. And so on a certain day when she found that she could not corrupt him she turned against him with deadly rage. She flew at him with treacherous lying accusations.Joseph had then been thrown into Pharaoh's prison. Potiphar must have believed Joseph's account rather than his wife's concocted story of attempted rape. He was chief executioner. If Potiphar had believed his wife Joseph would not have ended up in prison. He would have been a dead man.
As we see him here in the image above Joseph is no longer in prison. He has now been promoted to the high authority of prime minister under Pharaoh. Joseph now wields enormous power over all of Egypt and over all of the peoples. Pharaoh has empowered Joseph to deal with the famine in the way that he sees fit.
Now here he is. After all these years Joseph stands before his brothers once again. They are now well into the seven year famine, a seven year tribulation of sorts. His brothers have come seeking food. Well, well, well....
Joseph controls all the storehouses of grain. A supply of food is right there at his hand. He oversees not only the purchase of grain for money but also the liquidation of cattle, houses, and land. Under his regime individuals smitten by the famine are stripped of all their assets. Under Joseph the people have become "sold out". They are brought into servitude to the king.
Joseph does not leave them desolate. He does not reduce them to slavery. They become servants of the king. Not all that terrible really. That is if the king is worthy. Joseph, in effect, imposes a "flat tax" of 20%. Individuals get to keep 80% of what they earn.
This is a very generous arrangement by today's standards. Under the hand of Joseph the house of Jacob becomes a "sold-out" congregation of people. They are given the land of Goshen. They become subjects of the king. Could this be a prophetic pattern of what is to happen in times to come, even at the end of our current monopoly game?
Joseph sees his brothers in the crowd. There they are before him, members of his own family. They too have come for grain. Joseph is now looking at them as the memories flood back. But then the anger stirring within him is mixed with the great compassion he has for his family. It is a difficult moment for Joseph. Some of these men, his own brothers, had tried to murder him. Joseph is especially angry with Simeon. Why should he give one scrap of food to these two-timers? Why should he enter into any dealings with these treacherous people who cast out members of their own family? They are double agents, crooks, every one of them! They are no better than pagans! They cannot be trusted!
Joseph has seen and heard enough from these double dealers.
So he cuts loose on them. He says,"You are spies!
You are not true men!"
And so you will be tested!"THE SPIRIT AND THE DISCIPLINE IN THE HOUSE OF JOSEPH
There is no question that the spirit and House of Joseph is a call to a higher level of devotion in God. It can appear stern, harsh, and uncompromising to the liberal soul. The spirit of Jezebel hates the spirit of Joseph. The harlot is forever trying to manipulate him. She is trying to get him to compromise with her. She knows that the spirit of Joseph, just like the spirit of Elijah, cannot be compromised. Joseph knows her. And he resists her, even as evangelicals have resisted compromised state religion down through the centuries.
DRAWS US INTO A HIGHER LEVEL OF DEVOTION IN THE NEW COVENANT.The image above is from the wonderful video "Jacob and Joseph". Many years have passed. Joseph has now run into his estranged brothers. They have come to Egypt to buy grain. It is a rather telling scene. The character and discipline of God suddenly comes to the fore in Joseph. It is a tense moment.
Let us put ourselves in the picture here. What if we were standing right there with Joseph's brothers. How would it be if we found ourselves staring into the fiery eyes of Joseph, a true and devoted man of the New Covenant. A seven year time of famine is upon us and we are starving for bread. But 'the man" is now standing there in authority over us? What if we heard his stern words of rebuke coming right at us?
"You are spies, two timers, double agents!These are stern words. These are words that would certainly get our attention would they not? They are not the words of the candy man ministries we have today. We are accustomed to hearing spiritual sop and sugar coated psycho-babble. But this word from Joseph is something different. His Presence and His Word in the authority of Christ makes us sit up and pay attention. God is speaking to us here in the spirit and in the ministry of the House of Joseph. He is calling us to blood covenant commitment. This is a higher calling in God than we have ever experienced before.
(Gen.42)I believe that this is precisely the message that we will be hearing in the end-time. And thank God! We need this return to reality before there can be any real revival! We can't go on and expect to see miracles and healings in our present sorry state. We in the western Church need a genuine revival. We must have a true Holy Spirit anointing if we are to move forward in God. Only then will we see the 'greater works' that have been prophesied to occur in times to come.
Dear saints. There is much that needs to be done. We cannot fulfill the Great Commission in our present state of lukewarm Laodicean partial commitment. Oh yes, the present western church has many elements of the Church of Laodicea. This is not just a story of one of the 7 Churches in Asia Minor 1900 years ago. T\God is showing us things about our churches today and in this present time.
The message to the Church of Laodicea contains some good news. The transition goes like this. A church is lukewarm. Since it is not up to the challenges that come it ends up being spewed out.
Is this all bad news? No not at all. God is drawing His people, calling out His people, wooing His people into a deeper blood covenant devotion. In this new relationship we shall enter into something more wonderful than we have ever experienced before. For the first time in history the church sits down and sups with the Beloved. This is a level of fellowship not seen before.
This is indeed good news. God will do much in us and through us if we will just surrender all of ourselves to Him. His ways are higher than our ways. And He knows what is best for us. At the Gate of Joseph and in the House of Joseph we shall encounter a higher price for entry. The cost will be high. Not every Christian will be prepared to pay. It will cost us the surrender of our own self life.
This will not be bad at all. Our esteem in Him will be far more wonderful than anything we could have realized in the "self esteem" psycho-babel movement of our times. God will actually rescue us from the failed, sinking and debauched ship of humanism.
We are not aware of this but we have been deceived. The psychobabble of selfism is the forbidden fruit first seen in the Garden of Eden. Even now it is being sold in the secular and religious bazaars of Mammon. This is the poisoned apple that keeps the church, as Sleeping Beauty, asleep. She is in a toxic swoon. Who will awaken her?
The discipline of Joseph will wake us up. The end time drama will take us beyond ourselves. We shall enter up into the higher places. Under Joseph there will be no cheap easy-believism. We shall hear the stern words of Joseph.
"Who are you?
Where did you come from?
And what are you doing here?
Two roads stretch out before us. There is a high way and a low way? The Highway of holiness lies before us. God is calling us up to the high places. He is inviting us to take stock of our present sorry situation. He is entreating us to enter onto His higher road. He is leading us to a far better place than we have ever known!
The table of Joseph is spread out before us. He is offering us portions from his table. There before us is the Bread of Life, feeding the world and bringing Life. And in the sons of Rachel, even Joseph and Benjamin, we shall discover the cup. We first see it in the hand of Joseph. Then, as the story unfolds, it is in the sack of Benjamin, Joseph's younger brother. What does 'the cup' really mean in all its implications? Is it a cup of suffering? Is it a cup of the prize, the triumph of the saints at the end of the age? Or is it both?
Great and awesome times lie ahead. God will bring us into His End-Time Revival. Shall we enter in?
Joseph wants us to know the deeper realities of the Covenant of Israel. He may appear stern and severe, even as the Man behind the legend in the man from Snowy River. Initially He may even appear to be against us. For a time we may even see Him as an enemy. But He is our "Beloved Enemy". And He may appear to be out to limit our 'freedom'. But again, this is not the case. He is for us. He wants us to find and experience true freedom. This can only come only as we learn to walk with God along the King's highway. He wants to lead us on into glories we have not yet seen. He is taking us home; even to the Father's house.
The stakes here are high. If we baulk at the Gate of Joseph we shall suffer loss. If we refuse to submit ourselves to his discipline in Messiah we shall be of all men most miserable. If we react in Edomite anger and turn away from the gates of pearl then we may think we have avoided suffering. But this will be a lie. If we desert then this will lead to great personal tragedy. We will have chosen the low road. And we shall have missed out on a great adventure. Pray God that never happens to us!
The house of Joseph is spreading out across the world. People are being fed the Bread of Life. And the Light of Israel is shining out to the ends of the earth. Joseph still wears his coat of many colors. His global ministry goes out under many flags to the gentile nations. The ministry and discipline of Joseph is a high calling. And we may be inclined to ignore the call. But we need to remember something. If we do not enter in to this higher Christian discipline then others will. God will raise up His remnant people from other people in other parts of the world. And they will lead the Church on into the grand adventure. Perhaps the Chinese Church will answer the call. While we in the west sleep the sleep of disobedience! God forbid! Pray that none of us "sleep through the revolution".
The Chinese church, for the most part
has already entered in. These dear saints
now number over one hundred million. And they mean business!
They are under continuous deadly persecution.
And yet they have doubled their numbers
every seven years since Mao Tse Tung made his 'long march' in 1949.
They worship God in their secret house meetings. They open up the Bibles
that we smuggle in to them.
While western Christians are in dialogue with politicians and
wasting our time making deals
around ecumenical roundtables of this world the true
and faithful Church is out there sharing the Gospel.
Christians in the suffering church meet secretly for worship and Bible study.
They celebrate their communion services not knowing if it will be their last.
They break forth the Bread of Life so others might live.
Each morning and go out into the day without
any political covering whatsoever.
They know that they will experience persecution. They expect it.
When they are baptized or witness to others they know they may
be turned in. They face death daily.
They know what the cup of Christ is all about.
How about us?
............ Do we?
This world is beginning to get hungry for more of God. The prophet Amos declared that the days would come when there would be a famine in the land. This will not be a famine of bread and food but a famine of the hearing of the Word of God? (Amos 8:11) Is this the final seven years of this age? And in those coming times will the house of Joseph be bringing the world the Bread of Life once again? Is the life and pattern of our patriarch Joseph a prophecy that will come into its ultimate fulfillment in times to come?
If it does then it will be in God's plan. Because He fully intends to draw all men to Himself. (John 12:32) He has called us as Christian/Messianic believers to operate in this Joseph anointing. God will bring us and the world to a hungry place. People will become ravenous for the Word of God in times to come. Joseph ministered the Bread of Life during a seven year famine. There is another seven year period coming. It will be a "famine of the hearing of the Word of God". Jesus told Peter, "Feed my sheep". This message is for us.
Joseph's dying mother, Rachel, had named Benjamin with the name "Ben-oni",
"son of my sorrow". But his father Jacob said,
"No, his name shall be Benjamin, son of my right hand!"
In Benjamin's sack was found the cup. This cup was an extremely important part of the covenant of Israel. The cup had not been seen at all among the other 10 brothers. The first time we see the cup in scripture it is in the House of Joseph. Joseph has it. He orders his servant to take that cup and to put it in Benjamin's sack.
We already know something about the cup of Christ. It represents the shed blood of our Savior. Will Benjamin reveal something more about this cup? Shall we learn something more about our communion with Christ? Something, perhaps, that we have not known before? Could it be that we shall come to know our side of the covenant in a way that we had never known it before? Shall we come to experience Christ in the fellowship of His sufferings? (Phil.3:10)
The character we see in the House of Benjamin ties in with this. The spirit of Benjamin is one that never ever surrenders. Even when the tribe of Benjamin was attacked repeatedly by overwhelming odds it fought on. The men of Benjamin were cut off. When they looked back the city of Gibeah was burning. The tribe of Benjamin was almost at the point of being wiped out. Yet they fought on faithfully until the tribe was almost wiped out. This is the level of commitment we see in Benjamin.
Joseph was deeply moved when he saw his brother Benjamin. The Holy Spirit within Joseph was bearing witness to something about the awesome destiny of his younger brother. Because when Joseph sees Benjamin for the first time he cannot restrain himself from weeping.
If Benjamin is the last son born of Jacob and Rachel and his name means "son of my right hand" he is obviously "the man" here, just as Joseph was "the man" before him. Joseph and Benjamin are the sons of Jacob's beloved wife Rachel. Both of them are Rachel's children. And as the last one is born Rachel is weeping for her children.
The spirit and the testimony of Benjamin is apparently very important in the end-time drama. In the last-born sons of Jacob, the Gate of Joseph and the Gate of Benjamin, we see the cup of Christ/Messiah.
The cup is an instrument of blood covenant and of betrothal. God is introducing a deeper level of covenant commitment than we have ever seen before. The Gate of Joseph and the Gate of Benjamin will probably lead us into a deeper discipline and a greater confidence in God than we know about or possess at present. This will come just in time. God will surely equip us to go on into our vital role of witness in the latter days of this age. The ministry we have at present under the current shepherds has been good in many ways. But it just will not "cut it" for equipping us for the the challenges up ahead. Corrie ten Boom has fore-warned us that this would be the case.
Benjamin has an important mission to accomplish as does his full brother Joseph. Both of them, as sons of Rachel, of Jacob in his love and his passion. When Joseph set the table for his brothers he made sure all of them were there, and especially Benjamin. Joseph set places at the table for each of his brothers according to their birth order.
Will the House and ministry of Joseph officiate over covenant family matters as they come up for judgment in the latter days? Will these two brothers bring in new leadership to the Congregation of God? Jacob, his father, seemed to know this. He spoke of Joseph in glowing terms. - Gen.49:22-26
Magnificent events are written into the script of God's people. Will the church and western Christendom repent of her backsliding? Will she find true love with her true Husband as Gomer did? And when the Jewish House of Judah repents and takes responsibility according to their royal character will there be weeping and contrition? (Zech.12:7-13:1)
This late event in holy history seems to be the key. It is only after Judah makes his wonderful confession and agrees to stand as guarantor for Benjamin that Joseph's anger is quenched. He breaks down into a flood of tears. But they are tears of joy. Only then does Joseph reveal his identity to his brothers. He calls each of them by the names God gave them.
Are we going to see this event again on an international scale? If this does indeed happen then it will be an epic event of stupendous, even biblical, proportions. This will be nothing less than the restoration and reconciliation in all of God's entire family in both houses of Israel. John saw that all twelve tribes will be there. - Rev.7 Even the lost ten tribes of Israel will be there. The breach of Jeroboam will be healed. And the two sticks of Judah and Joseph will be as one just as Ezekiel has prophesied. (Ezek.37:15-28)
These are awesome events. They will indeed unfold in times to come even in the midst of great apostasy and a great revival. BOTH will be happening right alongside each other. Isn't this how dramas are created?
We shall see this grand adventure and divine romance played out in the lives of millions on the big screen of world history. It will be acted out across the world even in a time of Great Tribulation. The overcomers will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them. They will walk with God in obedient and faithful witness. The final seven years of this age is not all doom and gloom as we have been told. The doom and gloom will be there of course. But it will be poured out on the heads of the wicked. (Mat.13:30) But for the called, the chosen, and the faithful it will be a different story. They will be experiencing the climactic outpouring of the Holy Spirit Joel prophesied would come. (Joel2:28-32) It will bring in the the glorious End-Time Revival.
What if these words of stern rebuke and correction
should come to us sometime?
Didn't Jesus give the same strong message
to the end-time luke-warm
Church of Laodicea?
What if we pass out from the present covering
of the Pax Americana, this great Christian superpower we now take for granted?
What if we find ourselves crossing a threshold and
entering into a different history?
Like the
New World Order for example?
What if we wake up one morning and find that things have changed.
What if we find ourselves in the midst of the
end-time drama?
What then?
How might we respond to that?
Would we allow God to search our hearts?
Would we bow down in repentance and surrender when
the God of Jacob and Joseph ministers to us?
If we do respond in this way then that will be all he asks of us. There will be no further punishment. He forgives us. In that restoration our partially blinded eyes will be opened. There will be some fascinating discoveries. We shall look around and "see" many things we had not seen before. Awesome, and mind-boggling things.
And so this is how we come into the priestly ministerial flows
in the House of Joseph.
We shall make it our own personal responsibility
to see that as many as possible are fed the Bread of Heaven, the Word of Life.
This is Bread of our communion.
...............................
We also discover that we now have His cup, the cup of His cheer
even in the midst of the fellowship of His sufferings.
This is the cup of our communion together.
And yes, it is a commitment unto death.
We are called to a
blood covenant relationship.
...............................
We also receive the burden of responsibility
for others out there in the world.
With that comes the covering of the greater Joseph
in our Lord Jesus Christ/Yeshua Hamashiach.
He is the One who
commissions us, equips us, and empowers us
in his authority
as we take our place of service with him.
Then as the last trumpet sounds we see the heavens opened.
The New Jerusalem descends from heaven as a Bride
adorned for her Husband. (Rev.21)
Many are the mansions prepared in the Father's house. (John 14:2)
All 12 gates are there, and every one of them is a pearl, even a white stone
formed in suffering and reflecting the Light of God's glory.
We look around.
We are at the Gate of Joseph!
A.
Hi Paul,
The main character flow from God that operates through saints in the
Joseph calling is responsibility for others of the family of faith.
Joseph's heart was for his brothers. That does not mean telling them
what they want to hear or coddling them. Nor does it mean patronizing
them as we see so much in the churches today. It means feeding the
world the Bread of Life. It means being a faithful custodian of the cup
of Christ and not being a whore and defiling the cup of Christ as the
end time harlot church is doing and will increasingly do in times to
come. The Joseph anointing is a genuine and faithful flow of good works
in the Kingdom because of the
Love of God.
This is where the devotion and
the obedience comes from.
Here is an article on Joseph from the website.
http://endtimepilgrim.org/josephspies.htm
Blessing to you on the journey,
Gavin
http://endtimepilgrim.org
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