THE GLORIOUS CHURCH
THE GLORIOUS CHURCH
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2022
PASTOR CAROLYN SISSOM
We have been chosen by God to live in these exciting and challenging times, but compared to the days that lie ahead of us, we have just not seen anything yet.
I charge the Church to rise above depression, negative speaking, agreeing with Satan concerning world events or even in your persona lives. A glorious church will arise out of the ashes of judgment. We are horrified by what Putin is doing in the Ukraine; but we are encouraged at the faith, patriotism and courage of the people. There is a strong, vibrant church in the Ukraine.
The book of Hebrews tells us that the coming age is the age of miracles. The bible tells us why those miracles will be needed. It tells us of the great Harvest of souls that takes place and the restoration of all creation. Creation groans for it, as do those who have received the first fruits of the Holy Spirit.
God is raising up a people for the task of restoration. You are well taught at Eastgate Church that in the Holy Writ, these are known as the Man-child company, the Church without spot or wrinkle, Sons of God, the Army of God, the Overcomer, the Elect, the 144,000, the Joshua Generation, the Joseph Company, the Esther Company, etc.
We are rapidly approaching the day when, as Ezekiel, chapter 43 tells us, “The earth shines with the glory.” Ezekiel was taken to the eastern gate, and saw the glory of God, and watched as His glory filled the house of God. Looking out the Eastern gate tells us that a new day is dawning.
Ez. 43: 1-2: Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looks toward the east; and behold the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east; and his voice was like a noise of many waters; and the earth shown with His Glory.
As this church knows, it was the LORD who gave us the name, The East Gate. The Temple of God is now within the Saints. We are to release the glory of God to a dying world. The glory of the East Gate should be in each one of us because we have the Christ, the Father, and the Holy Spirit living in us and we are in Christ.
Ezekiel sees the temple filled with the Glory of God. After he patiently surveyed the temple of God, he is honored with a sight of the glories of Heaven. When he saw this glory, he fell upon his face (V.3) in humble and reverent adoration. But the Spirit took him up, (V. 5) The spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and behold the glory of the Lord filled the house.
This is to have its accomplishment in that divine grace which shines so brightly in the gospel church, and fills it. Consider also the Lord Jesus (God’s Glory) being brought to the temple to be circumcised and dedicated (Luke 1-2); Jesus entered the Eastgate (Solomon’s Porch) of Herod’s Temple and declared His Deity (Jn. 10:22-31). Jesus Christ on earth was the temple of God.
God created man for one reason: God longs to have fellowship with man. God chose us to reveal and magnify His Glory.
God’s first dwelling place with man was in the garden. “And they heard the voice of the Lord walking in the garden in the cool of the day.” The God who made man and placed him in the Garden was the God who came down to that man, walked with him and talked to him. .
God again provides His own temple. Men could not keep the law and God’s covenants, so God had already made provision from the foundations of the earth for a “new and better way” to fellowship with man.
God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them… (2Cor.5:19). Jesus said, ‘destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up (Jn. 2:19).
Even more glorious, the glory of the New Testament Church was first revealed on Solomon’s porch (east side of temple) (Acts 3:11).
Acts 5:12: By the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people (and they were all with one accord in Solomon’s porch.
The glory of God has now moved into His Church. We are the temple of God. Until the stoning of Stephen, the infant Kingdom church was still worshipping at Herod’s temple.
“Know you not that you are the temple of God and the Spirit of God dwells in you.” (1 Cor. 3:16). “For you are the temple of the living God; as God said, I will dwell in them and walk in them; and I will be their God and they shall be my people.”
God has again come very near to man. Because this temple (our earthly bodies) is not eternal, God made a way through grace that the dominion of death was destroyed by the death conqueror for those who have been brought from death to life.
Eph. 3:19b: that you might be filled with all the fullness of God. Filled through all of our being that we may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself. Yes, it is this “earth” we live in, these earthly bodies, that God will fill with His Glory until we shine with His Presence. “This treasure we have in earthen vessels.”
We live now in a tent made of skin, just as Moses’ Tabernacle had to be covered with skins of animals. God spoke to Moses saying, “Let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them” (Exodus 24:8). There is no suggestion that Moses proposed to God. It was God’s idea, - His desire. This temple was a portable, temporary dwelling place covered with the skins of badgers and goats (died red). The Lord said “There I will meet with you and I will commune with you.”
Jesus lived in a tent. Inside the Son of man lived the glory of God. God’s Presence in its fullness of the Godhead bodily, the express image of His person, the brightness of His glory.
Jesus was the fulfillment of David’s tabernacle, but He laid that perfect life down. The tent was fallen, as the prophet Amos has said. But the promise is that the tabernacle of David will be raised up again in the last days. Some may boast they are already living in that tent, but their lives do not show it. When the glory of David’s tabernacle fills Christians, they will not boast. For it is God who shall be glorified, and creation shall be set free from the corruption of death and decay.
Church, don’t get the idea that you are going to overcome the world and rule the nations, until we have come to the place where we can rule our own spirit. Prov. 16:32: Better is he that rules his own spirit than he that takes a city. 2 Cor. 10:6 tells us that we will be qualified to revenge all disobedience when our obedience is fulfilled.
David desired to build God a temple, but he had to be satisfied with a tent. He was a man of war. His reign consisted of putting his enemies under his feet. Solomon spells it out in 1 Kings 5:3-4, until the Lord put all of my father’s enemies under the soles of his feet, he could not build a house unto the name of the Lord his God. But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side, so that there is neither adversary nor evil occurrence.
Then God to build a permanent temple. With great magnificence and with tremendous costliness Solomon built the temple. “Then on the great day of dedication the glory of the Lord filled the house of God” (1 Kings 8:11). Then man’s sin of idolatry angered God and God allowed the destroyer, manifested in Nebuchadnezzar to destroy the temple.
After seventy years, there was a return of the people to Jerusalem under the leadership and anointings of Ezra and Nehemiah. Zerubbabel’s temple was then built. This temple was modest compared to Solomon’s. but the people gave the best they had for the construction materials. God accepted it and dwelt in it. “and the children of Israel kept the dedication of this House of God with joy.”
Paul says, we would like to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven. (2 Cor. 5:2). Until we have that house, he says we will continue to praise God from our tent. Yes, a glorified body will be wonderful, an eternal home in the heavens. In David’s tent, the priests ministered before the Ark continually.
Heb. 2:12: I will declare your name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto you.
When Jesus was resurrected from the dead, He rent the veil of the temple which separated mortality from the Holy. We are now anchored behind that veil (Heb. 6:19). We are there because we are in Him. Our Spirit is already there. Our mortal bodies have been swallowed up by LIFE! We live in the realm of the Spirit past the golden altar with Him. When we are ushered into Heaven, we will be covered and carried in the Holy Spirit.
With the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the way has been cleared for the emergence of this new creation, ‘THE HOME OF RIGHTEOUSNESS”.
“But within keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.”
Woman, believe me, the hour comes when you shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem worship the Father. You worship you know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. The hour comes, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeks such to worship him. God is a Spirit and they had worship him must worship him in Spirit and in Truth.”
“God is building a different kind of temple. You are living stones, put together, fused together without the sound of a hammer, without man-made religious systems trying to organize you, brought together by the Spirit of God into a relationship and a unity which only God can do…this is the Temple that Ezekiel saw. This is the temple that has a river running out of it. A river of life, clear as crystal. John on the isle of Patmos saw it, Ezekiel saw it and I saw it. You also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ...
“To this point, we see the complete exclusion of man from the design of the Temple. Man is incapable of determining the standards of Divine holiness. Its entire design was a caricature of the holiness and the perfection of God.” (k.v.) (43:10-12):
Another copy of the heavenly tabernacle as seen by Ezekiel is described to us in Revelation 21 as “The New Jerusalem”.
‘CAROLYN TEACH NEW JERUSALEM AS PURITY.”
The Glory of the Lord returned by way of the East. His voice was like the voice of many waters and the earth shined (Matt. 17: Mk. 9; Acts 3, 5;) with HIS GLORY.
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.” (Rev. 21:1)
Isaiah also prophesied of this, “For behold I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.” (Isaiah 65:17)
But within keeping with his promise, we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. So then, dear friends since you are looking to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. (2 Peter 13-14)
There was no longer any sea, I saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem (the glorified community of the people of Christ) coming down out of heaven from God: It is thus emphasized that the church is the city…whose architect and builder is God, Not a voluntary association of men and women. “Our mother-city is the heavenly Jerusalem, and she is not a slave to Jewish laws.” (Gal. 4:26…acceptable to God because of our faith”. (Verse 31 L.B.) Hitherto, the glorified saints have been seen in heaven with Christ ‘prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.” The beloved community is both city and bride. “A loud voice from the throne” Now the voice proclaims the eternal consummation of the blessings of the gospel.
“THE DWELLING OF GOD IS WITH MEN, AND HE WILL LIVE WITH THEM.”
THE COVENANT BLESSINGS IN Jeremiah 31:33:
“I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts and I will be their God and they will be my people.”
So, it was when the Word became flesh and pitched his tabernacle among men, so it is in the renewed earth because of the presence of the redeemed community, reflecting the glory of God. (4) Paraphrased F.F. Bruce bible Commentary
“They will be his people and God himself will dwell with them. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death.” Because it has been destroyed in the lake of fire. The old order of things has passed away. I am making everything new” If anyone is in Christ, says Paul, “he is a new creation.” James wrote, “He chose to give us birth through the Word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created”.
“He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and He will be my Son. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars – their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulphur. This is the second death.” John’s catalogue of those who are excluded from the blessings of the new creation begins with those who through fear have denied the faith in the face of persecution.
The vision of holy Jerusalem was delivered by the angel who was the messenger of the gospel to the apostle. “The angel said, ‘come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb. And he carried me away in the spirit to a mountain great and high’”. This is the spiritual mountain of vision to which all prophets will be brought.
Ezekiel described it in Ez. 40:2: in visions of God, he took me to the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain, on whose south side were some buildings that looked like a city.” John describes it in Rev. 21. “And showed me the Holy city Jerusalem coming down out of Heaven from God. It shone with the Glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like jasper, clear as crystal.:
John ransacks the resources of language and metaphor – jewels, gold and pearls – to describe the indescribable glory which the Holy City reflects.
“No longer will violence be heard in your land or ruin or destruction within your borders, but you will call your walls salvation and your gates praise” (Isa. 60:18).
“Then the man brought me to the gate facing east, and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters, and the land was radiant with his glory” (Ez. 43:1).
“It had a great and high wall with twelve gates and twelve angels at the gates.” The wall is our security. The city has a wall that is impregnable as well as precious. The guards to the gates of the city are twelve angels to admit and receive the redeemed. “These gates will always stand open; they will never be shut day or night “ (Isaiah 60:11).
“On these gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.” The beloved city is thus marked out as the true Israel or people of God, thus is emphasized by the re-occurrence of the number twelve and it’s multiplies. Twelve is metaphorical of the number of the elect or chosen (Kingdom government).
As we continually watch God’s Hand of judgment on the nations of the earth, the glory of the gospel Church will glow brighter and brighter. We will say as John said, “darkness is passing away.” What a day to be living in. For some the old church order cannot fence them in. Their eyes are like the eagles—on heavenly things. Once they have tasted of the spiritual, the supernatural presence of God, the old order no longer fills the hunger within them. Oh, they may try it again and again because the way is filled with stretching and growing; but they find no joy in that order any longer. Their eyes are set on heavenly things. Their spirit wants to search out the things of God only to find His riches unsearchable.
We have set our affection on things above. We have a cry in our spirit, “Let us go on unto perfection.” For this elect, this chosen number, “it is Christ within the hope of Glory.” When we are “in Christ,” we are in glory. We will not have to run to and fro looking for a service to give us goose bumps. Hallelujah!!!!! The elect lives in goose bumps. The glory of the Lord is being revealed to the world through those who are elect ‘in Christ”. God has always communicated his blessings to the world through a holy remnant. However, the eyes of men have yet to behold the greater glory of the Father which shall be revealed through his church.
For the chosen, there is a call to come apart and be joined to this community, reflecting the Glory of God. It is going to be a body of believers who can flow together in the spirit, in unity and in the bond of peace. There will be body ministry and divine government, a divine order.
Carolyn Sissom, Pastor
Eastgate Ministries, Inc.
This is a teaching. It is a vision the Lord gave me. I entered into the labors of C.W. Slemming, Matthew Henry, quoted from F. F. Bruce Bible Commentary, Bill Britton and Kelly Varner. If there are others, I have long ago forgotten. There is no intention to plagiarize only to present a vision and teaching of that vision given to me from the Lord; July 1992 teaching by Carolyn Sissom and September 2006 (New Jerusalem).
Carolyn Sissom