Part 3 of 3

Jesus was a light that was placed in the world of darkness, and His presence and His word lit up people’s lives round about Him. Some were not enlightened, but were exposed for who and what they were. When He spoke, the Pharisees, Scribes, and Sadducees hated Him for revealing what creatures of darkness they were, which was a generation of vipers. As long as He spoke, His life lit up the dark world, and those whose father was the devil could not touch Him; for light is greater than darkness and will always prevail. However, after the last supper with His disciples and sweating blood in the garden of Gethsemane, His light was turned off as the powers of darkness came upon Him. He had been a Lamp that shined in the darkness, but now was the Lamb being led to the slaughter. His light was not turned on again until He was seen in the garden—ALIVE!

He first creates the heavens and the earth and places it in darkness. After a time of brooding over it all, He says, "Let there be light," and there is an unveiling of light that he called day. Likewise with the sons of God. They were placed in darkness with His Spirit brooding over and preparing them for the time when He again says, "Let there be Light"! And that is what they will be—light—as they are revealed to the world. God’s glory in them will dispel the darkness of night as His Sons rise to bring the Day. Who they are in Him is no longer the mystery of iniquity and darkness, but the mystery of goodness and godliness, that is, God manifest in the flesh and reconciling the world to Himself. For a season, "He made darkness His secret place; His pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies" Psalm 18:11; but as it is sensed that this season is drawing to a close, with great expectation we await the manifestation of the sons of God!

We flee the darkness of the world from which we were delivered, and we should, for it works nothing but death. However, we at times also find ourselves fleeing from the abode of God. For who would venture willingly into such a secret place. It is not common for one to swim in a pavilion of dark waters, or to clothe himself in thick clouds. Nevertheless, we are driven to such dreadful places.

What a paradox—God is Light, yet the scriptures tell us that He makes darkness His secret place. Oh, the wonders of God! Who can know His mind? Let men pry, but His ways are past finding out, and one of those things men cannot find out is the treasures of light that shines in darkness. Again, I must insert, this is not the darkness of sin, rebellion, and self-willed lifestyles. This darkness is the darkness of pain, of sorrow, of rejections, of calamities, of suffering, and of many afflictions.

These are the mysteries of God that take us on a journey through dark waters, deep valleys, and thick clouds—for therein is where the Master of these Treasures of Darkness hides them along with Himself. Anyone searching for the Prince of Peace would not think of finding Him in the darkness of the lions den or fiery furnace; but that is where He was found by Daniel and his three companions. His pavilion is often the inner recesses of the dark valleys of rejection, loneliness, and debilitating infirmities. These are things we do not seek, and we don’t have to, for they come looking for us if our testimony is that of Jesus Christ.

Once we find ourselves in these dark places, we will also find Him in a way we have never known. It is then that the mysteries are secured as we are baptized, immersed, initiated, deeply into them. When the baptism has worked its purpose, our Lord of glory will be seen coming with power in these clouds of heaven. From where He was formerly hidden, He will be seen shining brightly in the treasures that were hidden in darkness.

This pavilion is different from the one wherein we walk with Him in the wonderful Light of His Spirit, wherein we enjoy the light of His day. It is not that part of God that bears us on eagles’ wings, and brings us into the safe haven of His arms while sheltering us from the storm. The treasures of darkness which we speak today abide in the habitation of adversities. They are the proving grounds for the sons of God.

We should know, however, that in the midst of the storm, when the waves roll fiercely over the bows of our ships, we are in no grave danger. Regardless of the trouble that blows through our lives, He is with us. He never fails, He never leaves, nor forsakes us. This is made clear not only in scripture (Deuteronomy 31:6 & Hebrews 13:5), but by that which we know by experience!

He may at times be found asleep in the back of our frail vessels as we are tossed about; but let us not fear; for we are on a mission with Him. We have been sent to the other side of life’s Galilee, and come rain or shine, wind or calm, hell or high water—we will arrive safely. We will disembark upon the coastline of death and finish what we were sent to do in the tombs of the Gadarenes.

Until the sons of God make their way across the troubled sea and into the portals of death and hell, not many will be made free. Those doors will remain bolted about with strong bars; but once ashore, the gates shall not prevail. The keys of death and hell are in our hands to free those appointed to death.

We at times wonder why we are set apart from the rest of the Body. Although we are joined to the Body of Christ by His Spirit, we can’t help asking why we must be physically separated from those of like mind and spirit. Sure, we may have one or two with which to fellowship, or a handful in our assemblies as we come together; but where is the manifestation of the Body as a whole?

It matters not what we do in attempts to bring people together and motivate the Body into action, every effort fails. There may be times when it looks as if the body is being assembled for action; but they are short-lived excursions. We may even see moves, or sparks of inspiration shooting into the heavens; but they are more like perspiration than inspiration, and after a time they are gone.

The Hebrew meaning for pavilion (sûkkâh) is a hut or lair, as of entwined boughs (rf. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance). Most often the word is translated booths or tabernacles. Thus, the tabernacles (huts/lairs) of the Feast of Tabernacles (huts/lairs) are neither the main building nor permanent dwellings. Like camping tents, they do not contain all the comforts of home. Tabernacles speak of a time when we dwell in temporary booths or huts, and this is while making burnt offerings.

Although Tabernacles is a time of rejoicing, it is also a time to be solemn: "Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein" (Lev 23:36). During the seven days of Tabernacles, burnt offerings are being made. When viewing things in the light of types and shadows, we can see that the burnt offerings signified the ones who made them. And I can tell you, when our lives are going up in smoke, dying daily as unblemished burnt offerings, we have good cause to be solemn.

Brethren, try as we may, we have not been able to inject power into the body of Christ, nor have we had much success in assembling it to any degree at all. Small gatherings may be seen at times, and in various places; but this is an exception to the rule. In a word, my friends, for most part—we are dwelling alone in booths, in our own huts. God said that He "... made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt..." Leviticus 23:43, and during the time of tabernacles, every male is commanded to dwell in booths Leviticus 23:17, 42. Are you a male in Israel, that is, are you one of God’s sons? If you are, I can safely tell you, your calling is to dwell for awhile in a hut. You are one of the treasures of darkness, one of those who are called a peculiar people, that has an appointed time to be put on display for all to see!

And where did we have to go to find them, or better, to find Him—"He made darkness His secret place; His pavilion round about Him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies." Psalm 18:11. It is in Him where these mysteries are found, in the pavilion (tabernacle, booth, hut) of each son of God.

Adversity is not a pleasant thing, and I know of no one who seeks it out. They who understand, however, know that the clouds of adversity unlock untold mysteries to the ones who endure. While dwelling in our temporary booths, they bring to light those hidden things of God. There may be fear at first, as we are swept over with darkness; but ultimately it causes our ears to be opened in ways we had never heard: "While He thus spake, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them: and They feared as they entered into the cloud. And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son: hear Him." Luke 9:34-35. This, my fellow hut-dwellers, is the voice we hear in darkness. It is the voice of our Father which directs us back to the voice of our Lord. You see, there is no reason to fear.

It will then be said of us: "The people that walked in darkness have seen a Great Light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the Light shined." Isaiah 9:2. I don’t know about you, brethren, but this gives me rise to shout! Upon hearing the voice of our Lord—regardless of the cloud that may shroud our lives—I rejoice and praise God with all my heart! Although Tabernacles is a time of loneliness, it is also a time of rejoicing, and only those initiated into true Tabernacles can rejoice in the face of such adversity.

Furthermore, if we had it to do all over again, what would we change? For if one tittle of darkness were taken out of our lives before the work was done, something of God would be lacking. We would be half-baked and fall short of His riches as we leave the shadow of death and rise from the ashes of sorrow. But we will not leave unfinished. It will not be allowed, "For Thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness." Psalm 18:28. And "Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous." Psalm 112:4. Although "...weeping may endure for a night...joy cometh in the morning" Psalm 30:5. You can count on it! Oswald Chambers called the Pavilion of Darkness the Place of Humiliation. In his book, My Utmost For His Highest, October 2 reading, he said:

"...It takes the valley of humiliation to remove the skepticism from us. Look back at your own experience and you will find that until you learned who Jesus really was, you were a skillful skeptic about His power. When you were on the mountaintop you could believe anything, but what about when you were faced with the facts of the valley? You may be able to give a testimony regarding your sanctification, but what about the thing that is a humiliation to you right now? The last time you were on the mountain with God, you saw that all the power in heaven and on earth belonged to Jesus—will you be skeptical now, simply because you are in the valley of humiliation?"

We have all known the dark valley of humiliation, and many are presently trudging through it, but take hope, brethren; for every son of God is destined to do exactly that, to pass through it. Not only that, let us remember that the LORD said to His anointed that He would "...give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places." Isaiah 45:3. We will not only possess our treasured souls, but our bodies as well. The Temple of God will then be built and set in the earth, not one made of mortar and stones, but made of His many-membered body!

The treasures of darkness—the gold, silver, and precious gem stones that have been reserved in all the Babylons of religion, economics, politics, and the world in general—will be displayed with great power and authority. There will be no more darkness, no more captivity, no more sorrow, no more tears, no more pain, no more suffering, and above all—no more death! When we hear, "Let there be light," we will rise and shine! We will emulate our Lord and lead captivity captive. All nations will be subdued. We will drop down as rain upon the barren land. Those who are called out of darkness are destined to reign with Him. It can be no other way; for such a word has proceeded from the mouth of God which cannot return unto Him void, Isaiah 55:11.

I pray that these words today will be as Jesus told His disciples: "Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old." Matthew 13:52.