Who is this Zerubbabel?
December 29, 2015
Zechariah 4:6-10
So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.
7 “What are you, O mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of ‘God bless it! God bless it!’ ”
8 Then the word of the LORD came to me: 9 “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands will also complete it. Then you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you.
10 “Who despises the day of small things? Men will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.
“(These seven are the eyes of the LORD, which range throughout the earth.)”
Who is this Zerubbabel?
Zerubbabel was the grandson of king Jehoiachin and leader of the first group of returning exiles from Babylon. His name means, “sown in Babylon”. He was a descendent of David. I believe he stands as a type and a shadow of a man today. He is the man that has laid the foundations of God’s true temple and his hands will complete it. This is one that was born into, but came out of the confusion of this world and its religions of many voices and messages. He came out for a purpose and a reason. It was to lead people out of the traditions and captivity of a religious system and to establish again the true temple of God. We might be quick to say, “Oh, this represents Jesus.” In one sense we might be right, but there is more here than Jesus. Zerubbabel is represented as a man of the earth, but with a royal seedline and a holy calling. He is a man not operating out of his own strength, vision or purpose and yet he is a man of strength, vision and purpose. What he is able to accomplish is ‘not by his might or his power, but by my Spirit,’ saith the Lord. He is a man of authority in God. A man before whom mountains become level ground. One other interesting point here is that he not only laid the foundation, but “he will bring out the capstone to the shouts of ‘God bless it, God bless it!’” So who is this man of which Zerubbabel is such an interesting type?
The Lord reminds me of a scripture in Hebrews 11. In Hebrews 11 we have the hall of faith where we read the tributes to many of the great men and women of faith, but in the last verses, verses 39-40 it says this, “These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.” Concerning the foundations of the temple which Zerubbabel laid we read this in Ephesians 2:19-22, “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens (Babylonians, born in Babylon), but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, 20built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” In Ephesians 4:13-19 (Amplified) it further expounds upon this concept, “He Who descended is the [very] same as He Who also has ascended high above all the heavens, that He [His presence] might fill all things (the whole universe, from the lowest to the highest). 11And His gifts were [varied; He Himself appointed and gave men to us] some to be apostles (special messengers), some prophets (inspired preachers and expounders), some evangelists (preachers of the Gospel, traveling missionaries), some pastors (shepherds of His flock) and teachers.
12His intention was the perfecting and the full equipping of the saints (His consecrated people), [that they should do] the work of ministering toward building up Christ’s body (the church),
13[That it might develop] until we all attain oneness in the faith and in the comprehension of the [full and accurate] knowledge of the Son of God, that [we might arrive] at really mature manhood (the completeness of personality which is nothing less than the standard height of Christ’s own perfection), the measure of the stature of the fullness of the Christ and the completeness found in Him.” It should be becoming apparent that this Zerrubabel is not just one man, but the enchristed one, Christ in man, the body of Christ, God’s holy temple not made with hands; from the foundations of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ the Corner stone to the head and Jesus Christ the Capstone. It is Christ in His people. It is the government and the kingdom of God in our midst. It is the Spirit of God operating in the people of God to bring us all into the unity, maturity and the full stature of Christ. The climax being when the Capstone is set and Christ returns in the fullness of His people, one new man from first to last, complete, resurrected and established in Him.
Zechariah 4:10 says, ““Who despises the day of small things? Men will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.” This is God’s kingdom come in the earth to bring judgement and justice, to set every crooked path straight and dispense righteousness in the earth. We are a part of this man. We are the Zerrubabel of this hour. God is awakening us and calling us to attention. He is calling us to throw off all of those old paradigms of who we think we are not and come into the full revelation of who we are in Christ. We are God’s people and His workmen to complete this task in these final hours. You are a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a peculiar people for God’s own possession. What He has called you too, He has empowered you to do. Take up the authority of who you are in Christ and begin to walk in that authority, vision and purpose. You are the Zerrubabel, sown in Babylon, but called out of Babylon for such a time as this. Rejoice and lay hold of your calling.
Blessings,
#kent
Spirit Prayer
September 8, 2014
John 17:20-26
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 24″Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. 25″Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”
Spirit Prayer
Sweet Spirit whisper into my heart,
Move through every part.
Dear voice of God, instruct me in my way,
Even help me as I pray.
Gentle Spirit Breeze,
Move me how You please.
Living in what is pure and true,
Moving and having my being in You.
Mighty Spirit of fire and power,
Transform me in this final hour,
Expression of God in me,
Instrument to set creation free.
Spirit manifest and Christ revealed,
Jesus break this final seal.
Bring forth your life from this broken earth,
Bring to maturity this second birth.
Spirit that raised Christ from the dead,
Join us now in the fullness of the Head.
Make our body of one mind,
That, which we travail for, let us find.
Spirit of God and power in me,
There is no longer me, but only Thee.
You are the righteousness, by which I stand,
I am the expression of Your hand.
Spirit full of love and grace,
Cause me now to see your face.
Beholding only You as I walk my course,
You are my everlasting power and source.
Amen
Kent Stuck
Blessings,
#kent
The Stone Cut out of the Mountain
October 10, 2013
The Stone Cut out of the Mountain
Daniel 2:45
Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream [is] certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.
In Daniel 2, the Lord reveals to Daniel a dream of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon. Basically the dream dealt with a mighty statue whose head was of gold representing his kingdom and then decreasing in the quality and value of material substance. The outstanding thing that the Lord revealed through this dream was that from a stone cut out of the mountain without hands, it would brake in pieces the kingdoms of the earth. It becomes quite evident through the scriptures that this stone is Christ and the Kingdom of God.
Matthew 21:22-24 Jesus reveals Himself as the cornerstone, “Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.” This scripture really affirms what Daniel wrote. Man can build his kingdoms and go his own way, but he will never prevail against the “Stone cut out of the mountain”. It may appear that way for a season and a time, but there will come a time when “For it is written, [As] I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. (Romans 14:11-12)” In that day nothing of the flesh, the goodness or the greatness of man will stand. Everything and everyone must give account to God. Whoever the stone falls upon in judgement will be ground to powder, there will no justification be found of the flesh. Those who have fallen upon Christ will be broken. When we came and put our faith and confidence in Christ, He began a process of breaking in our lives at that point in time that brought us to the realization that He is everything and we are nothing. Our lives are only complete in Him. Our reliance is no more on the flesh, our abilities, strengths or goodness. Our self-life was broken at the cross when we fell upon Jesus and He began the process of purging the old that He might reveal the new life.
This stone cut out of the mountain didn’t just represent Christ, although He is the head and the cornerstone of its foundation. It is comprised of many living stones that comprise the Kingdom of God and His Temple. 1 Peter 2:4-10 describes this Stone and our part in it, “To whom coming, [as unto] a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, [and] precious, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe [he is] precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, [even to them] which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past [were] not a people, but [are] now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.” You and I are a part of that kingdom which shall know no end and its glory no bounds, but it shall preside eternal, over the affairs and hearts of men. God is forming you to be His administrators of righteousness, justice and authority in the earth and throughout His Kingdom. We are a part and substance of that Stone cut out of the Mountain of God. Let us not fear what is coming upon the earth.
Blessings,
kent
How Serious are We?
September 23, 2013
Matthew 11:12 (Amplified)
And from the days of John the Baptist until the present time, the kingdom of heaven has endured violent assault, and violent men seize it by force [as a precious prize—a share in the heavenly kingdom is sought with most ardent zeal and intense exertion].
How Serious are We?
God is looking for violent men and women, not in the sense of destruction and hurt, but violent in the sense of zeal and determination. We live in the midst of a complacent church, fat, full of itself and, in its own eyes, having need of nothing. Because it has need of nothing, it has the power to do nothing. It is like a cow fattened in the pasture thinking it has it all and not realizing that it is ripe for the sacrifice.
In this hour God is sounding a trumpet and a call to arms. He is looking for violent men and women who are no longer content with mediocrity and religion. He is raising up a hungry people that are coming forth to seize the kingdom of God by force. They are serious about a relationship with their God and they will allow nothing to dissuade them from the blessing and the promise they have in Christ Jesus. They are God-chasers, kingdom warriors and believers of the highest order. They often don’t sit well with the religious system, because they have become radical in their pursuit of truth and power and love. They no longer are content to sit with the masses on Sunday morning, because they are intent upon breaking through to get their answer and see their miracle.
The Lord gave me this scripture as an example in Luke 5:17-26: “One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there. And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick. 18Some men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 19When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.
20When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”
21The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
22Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? 23Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins….” He said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 25Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. 26Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”” These friends of the paralytic are examples of the kind of violence that we are talking about. Even though everything in the natural told them that they couldn’t get through to Jesus; they just needed to be one of the crowd, they refused to be denied. They started thinking and acting out of the box. They had such faith and confidence in Jesus that they knew that if they could just reach Him they could have what they were petitioning Him for. It was no different with the woman with the issue of blood. She believed if she could just touch the hem of Jesus’ garment she would be healed. God is looking for a people with that kind of tenacity and faith. They refuse to be denied. They are violent kingdom people that will storm the gates of heaven with prayer, intercession and acts of faith until they have laid hold of the promises of God.
If God has given you a word or a promise you hold on to it and you fight for it. Don’t allow the enemy to rob it from you. Just because it has been a long time, it hasn’t come to pass and everything in the natural says that it can’t happen. God is a God that keeps His covenant and He is a promise keeper. That is not to say that you will not be tested and tried. Hebrew 10:23 says, “Let us hold fast the profession of [our] faith without wavering; (for he [is] faithful that promised;)” Stand in the battle and fight the good fight of faith and keep your confession. Take your promises before God often and speak to Him out loud that you are standing upon His promises and that you refuse to be denied. Fight the good fight of faith and don’t relinquish the promise. It is yours. He gave it to you and He gave it to us. Now let us become a violent body of Christ who are content with no less than all that God has promised to us. Let us take it with violence, zeal and uncompromising faith. He has created you to prevail and to have dominion. How serious are you?
Blessings,
kent