Gathering And Assembling
(Continued)
The Cave of Adullam
Four Hundred
"Ye need not that any man teach you...." but "Forsake not the assembling of ourselves
together...." 1 John 2:27 & Hebrews 10:25.
Why would John say that we do not need anyone to teach us, and the writer of Hebrews tells us
to assemble ourselves together? If we assemble, wouldn't we be in a place where men and women
would be teaching us, or we would be teaching them? To answer, it matters not who is speaking, or
if no one is speaking, we can only be taught spiritual truth by the anointing. If the word is heard by
the natural mind, it is man teaching us, but if by the Spirit it is the anointing that teaches us. That is
one reason we take heed as to how we hear, and when we hear properly, our Father's voice will be
clearly heard, and we will know what it is for His members to assemble and form His cohesive body.
Such as that jet airliner of thousands of parts that are joined together in their proper places by those
on the assembly line, forming one body, as opposed to all the parts merely being gathered in a factory
and disconnected from one another. Sometimes church and home meetings, in-gatherings,
conferences, retreats, spiritual advances or assemblies, and sometimes they are gatherings of
discombobulated parts.
Once people come out from man's religious system, as well as the religious system within
themselves, and are joined to the Lord's body, whether they find themselves in a crowd or alone in
the desert, they are God's workmanship, and He will place them in the Body where they will be fitly
joined together. 1 Corinthians 12:18. They will be joined with those who will come forth as the
manifested Sons of God! They will no longer just be gathered as non-working parts of a machine,
but will be properly assembled with no man teaching them anything.
This is a tremendous day wherein we are being careful of how we hear, as the mysteries are
being made known by the anointing. Such marvels are impossible to describe in human terms; but
they will be gloriously displayed by the sons of God whereby the nations will be fed. It is then that
the whole world will see, hear, eat, and become joyful partakers of that glory! What a much greater
teacher and nourisher, that of the anointing, along with manifestation, than of the soul of our old man
whose days are numbered and swiftly coming to an end. When that happens, there will be no more
spiritual starvation found anywhere! There will be an abundance of the living word of God
worldwide.
Jesus said that "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of
God" Matthew 4:4. However, until the first Adam meets his demise, there will be starvation. Those
in the world today are hungry and searching hither and yon for a morsel that will fill the emptiness
of their souls. Most assuredly, there are many meats and drinks, yet completely void of nourishment.
Those who eat and drink from those tables are only satisfied for the moment. There is nothing in any
of it to sustain them for any time at all. The world is filled with pleasures, merriment, and
exhilaration; but there is not one ounce of substance to quell the craving of the spirit. The world has
more today than any time in history. Religion, entertainment, books, and knowledge, along with
lusts on every level flood the banks of the world more than it has ever known. And they all do
nothing more than temporarily intoxicate the flesh and soul. Such is the diet from the tree of
knowledge of good and evil from which they eat that flourishes in the midst of their
garden.
They may not knowingly be aware of it; but those throughout the world of every religion are
hungry. There seems to be plenty to eat; but they are still hungry. They are starving; for there is
nothing that adds to the Spirit. How can they be filled when there is nothing to feed upon but rituals,
programs, ceremonies, ordinances, pomp, vigor, regalia, flash and show, candles, and incense? There
are temples, cathedrals, regal appearing priests and preachers, fine-tuned organizations, and a
plethora of religious activities of which they partake--but hunger lingers.
The members of the world's church system get involved in working for the cause. They are very
committed, and we do not begrudge their honorable commitment to that which very often serves a
good. But they put so much effort into these things that it is often something other than the anointing
of Christ. Their central focus is often on the movement. They love being part of the latest movement,
or the message. Are you part of the movement or in the message, they ask? Or they focus on the
organization, and especially the ministry, or the method, or the personality. Some are caught up in
the experience, or some other religious thing. But all these religious things and never-ending
activities do nothing but to inebriate and excite the flesh and soul. Frankly, Christians all over the
place are drunk, not with our Lord's New Wine, but with the old! In this stupor, contrary to what
they think, they do not know the living Christ; for they have not consumed the nourishing substance
of Him! And we are saddened that they do not resound our Lord's words, "My meat is to do the
Father's will." If they could in truthfulness say this, then there would be no way for them to suffer
starvation or malnutrition to any degree. Sadly, so many do not take care of what they hear or how
they hear.
Regardless, there is still a cry in humanity that yearns for some real food. And it is not the
superficial, placated, letter of the scriptures that kill. For example, people's hunger cannot be
sated by a five star chef reading cook books to them. Neither will it work if they read the books
themselves. Hunger will remain. People might drool over Martha Stewart's or Betty Crocker's
pictures of succulent dishes in their recipe books; but they will not be satisfied until all the parts
of the recipes are gathered, assembled, and salted with fire.
The people want a taste of reality, not pseudo doctrines or even true teachings for the mere
sake of exciting their inquisitive souls. And like worthy ships traversing the seven seas, they
want vessels that can sail through every storm to God's celestial shores, not something like a
polished surfboard to merely ride the waves of the oceans' shoreline. There is a lot of religious
surfing today, and it may be a lot of fun; but it goes without saying, we won't get far with that
mode of shallow seafaring.
Again, the people of the world are hungry, they are starving, waiting to see all the attributes
of Jesus Christ. They may not be consciously aware of it; but their hearts yearn for the
incorporated body of the sons of God, the people who become the living manifestations of
Who He IS, as Paul wrote in Romans 8:19-21. The world waits for something far more than a
superficial church and their sermons about either going to heaven to play harps forever, or
sinners going to hell forever. They are weary of religious professions without possession. They
want nothing to do with such placated nonsense. But when they see His sons, the work of His
hands, they will be satisfied and will sanctify His name. They will glorify God, and in turn seek
Him for themselves.
Another way of looking at the difference of being assembled and gathered is a baseball
game. From what I remember Kelly Varner having said quite a number of years ago: After your
favorite team has won the game, have you ever jumped up and declared? "WE won! WE won!
Bless God, WE won!" Well, the fact is, 'WE' didn't win anything--THE TEAM WON! WE
WATCHED while THE TEAM WON.
In this picture, all the spectators were GATHERED in the stands watching the ASSEMBLED
team working together as ONE BODY. It is much the same with many Christians today. They
gather and assume they are assembled; but they are only a gathered group of spectators, not
assembled as a team.
Large crowds and the roar of cheers are not necessarily an assembly. It can be; but this is
not what constitutes an assembly, nor does believing in your religious team whether it is the
Baptists, Methodists, Assemblies of God, Sons of God, ad infinitum. Simply believing is not the
ticket to glory. Embracing their doctrines, as good as they may or may not be, will not give you
a home-run to paradise. Home-runs come when you are a player on the team. You are then an
assembled member of Christ's Body. You are not just showing up and feeling good, shouting
Hallelujah, praise God, and saying Amen to everything preached.
It is good to encourage those running the race, the ones fighting the good fight in this
harrowing journey; but we can see there is more to it than being cheering spectators. There is a
participation on our part if we expect to finish the race and claim the prize of the high calling.
We have heard the call to assemble, even trumpeted the call ourselves to the others to be made
ready for the great triumph over all darkness, evil, sin, death, and hell.
"And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall
*gather
together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." Matthew 24:31.
*gather together:
Grk. episunag; epi (over, upon) sunag (to lead together). Same epi as Epi Archiereus:
High Priest; that is, the Highest Priest Over all other priests, and the High Assembly Over all other assemblies.
What do you suppose this means? Do you think it is Gabriel or Michael the archangel
standing on the rim of a silver-lined cloud while trumpeting peals of thunder that are the clarion
call to arms for all able-bodied saints? Does our imagination see myriads of feather-winged
angels amassing with us for battle? No! Not by any means!
Please hear me fellow angels/ saints and sojourners in Christ. Angels in the scriptures speak
of a message or messenger sent from God. Regardless of whether the messengers are special
created spirit beings or human beings, and the latter could be on either side of the veil, they are
what the Bible refers to as angels. From what I have found, most of the angels we read about in
the scriptures are men who had not tasted death. Some could be those who have crossed over to
the other side and are among the innumerable company of angels and/or the spirits of just men
made perfect. (rf. Hebrews 12:22-23).
The emissary who sounds a trumpet is an angel, a messenger. The sound of the trumpet is
the angel, or message of a particular note that is heard and understood by those for which it is
intended. The angels/messengers of Christ sound the trumpet that will cause the body of His
elect to be called together in spirit. It is the superimposition, the high assembly (-
episunagg) of Hebrews 10:25. Although they may be scattered to the four winds, and from one
end of heaven to the other, when the call is heard, they will be gathered together in one accord
in one mind, in one voice, and in one Spirit!
After the high calling is sounded the elect will be led together unto the high assembly that
is over and above all assemblies, not in one physical location, of course, but as a united spiritual
body over the entire earth. There are times that the trumpeting of the high calling is local or for
special assemblies of the elect being led together for instructions, edification, blessings from on
high, and to carry out God's special purposes designated for that particular season. But we can
be assured that with the High Assembly we will not be sitting on fluffy clouds and strumming
harps, nor joining a heavenly choir while singing our favorite church songs to Jesus.
When we are called and led together in the Great Day of our Lord by His angels, and by the
word of power and authority, and by the command to assemble, we will do so in the Spirit of the
word we hear. It is in His Spirit that we will be in during the Lord's Day and with the keys of
the Kingdom in hand. His power and authority will not be lying dormant but will surely
become evident throughout His body. It is then that we will have overcome and been found
worthy to shake both heaven and earth by the command of His word! Praise God!
In this race let us never be intimidated by those who fail to realize what true assembling and
participation is. Let it also be far from our own minds to feel we need to make excuses for not
gathering ourselves inside the walled cities of Babylon or Assyria where the latter's diet
digressed to *asses heads, doves dung, and their babies. And please, we should never be
pressured into joining Saul's army who seek to destroy God's anointed. Rather than thinking that
we must be busy about religion's business, let us be about our Father's business. In this, the cave
of Adullam will serve us for the time, as it did for David and his men.
*Asses' heads
(Man's knowledge) doves dung (yesterday's doctrines which remain after the anointing has
flown away) babies (their new converts.) See http://www.godfire.net/diet.html (Pub. #52.93).
The Cave of Adullam
"David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave of Adullam: and when his
brethren and all his father's house heard it, they went down thither to him. And every one that
was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered
themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four
hundred men." 1 Samuel 22:1-2.
Have you ever felt that your flight from Saul's guardianship; that is, your church and
pastor's covering was a mistake, especially when you found that obscurity was your only place
of safety from ridicule, slander, being the object of gossip, and accused of being a heretic? This
is where many are today; but rest assured, it was not a mistake. Although you find yourselves
in a place like David's dark cave, you are in the heavens. Even though you are in obscurity and
detached from the crowds, you are ever assembled with our Lord in the cave of Adullam. You
may have made mistakes in the past; but leaving that religious hierarchy has not been one of
them! You are where you belong for the moment. We know that tough times endure through the
night; but tough people in Christ last forever.
Adullam
means justice of the people and comes from the Hebrew word, Adlay, meaning
justice of God. Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament. Therefore, let us all
be encouraged who are in the cave of Adullam, for we are being prepared to be God's justice in
the earth. Creation is anxiously waiting our exit from obscurity, and thereby delivered from the
bondage of corruption, and also made free in the same glorious liberty of the children of God as
Paul mentioned in Romans 8:19-21.
In the days of Jesus, before His crucifixion, He, like David, found Himself more in the
wilderness ministering to the people than in the synagogues and meeting halls of the cities.
Neither David nor He were welcome in the "honorable" places of Saul or that of the Jew, so the
seashores, hillsides, and caves had to suffice for the time.
It was therein, outside the camp, where the people in distress, (Grk. matsowq, a narrow
place, i.e. confinement or disability (Strong's Exhaustive Concordance); and every one that was
in debt, (nasha', through the idea of imposition; to lend on interest; by implication to dun for
debt; to lead astray, i.e. (mentally) to delude, or (morally) to seduce (Strong's); and every one
that was discontented (mar, bitter (lit. or fig.); also (as noun) bitterness, or (adv.) bitterly
(Strong's), sought out David. And so it is with us. Like those in distress, in debt, and
discontented--we seek after Jesus, even to the dark cave of Adullam.
While under the rule of Saul in the church system, we were in distress, narrowed down to
fit their church mold, confined to their dogmas and thereby Spiritually disabled. We were made
to believe we were indebted to them. We were led astray, deluded, and seduced by their religious
harlotry. In such servitude, the diet of vile doctrines and unending ceremonies became the norm.
The heavy burden of discontentment set bitterly upon our spirits. Oh, but praise God! When we
left and were gathered together, assembled with our Lord, it mattered not in what city,
wilderness, or cave our physical bodies abode--all was well!
Isn't it good to be free? Our lives are no longer squeezed from us. We are not seduced, and
the sweetness of our Lord has replaced the bitterness of Saul's reign. Secular Christianity may
see us as misfits; but we are God's justified misfits. Our friend, Ella, said that David raised up
an army with only four hundred men, rejects, those of no reputation nor comeliness about
them, and like David's army of discontents--we will also bring the same Adullam justice to
the world. Moreover, as 400 is 4 X 100, and 4 speaks of creation while 100 is a type of the Sons
of God, these typical 400 are the sons of God who will be instrumental in bringing justice to the
world as a new creation. But for now, we will remain gathered together in obscurity with our
Lord.
The Hebrew word for gather does not carry the thought of gathering in the sense we are
noticing in this study; such as, gathering parts into a pile, or people grouped in a congregation
to hear a message. The Hebrew word means to grasp, and it is often used to describe an
assembled army that is exercising great power as a working body of soldiers. For example: "That
they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord."
Joshua 9:2. You see, their purpose was not to merely come together to be encouraged for
another day by their drill sergeant. They came together IN ONE ACCORD as an
ASSEMBLED WAR-MACHINE! It was a mechanized, assembled army, which could
crush the enemy and bring victorious justice to the people.
Four Hundred Men
The four hundred who joined David in the cave has some significance for us today.
According to E.W. Bullinger in his book, Numbers in Scripture, four hundred (400) carries the
thought of a divinely perfect period. Regardless how many actual days they dwelled in the cave,
it was the perfect period appointed by God that would prepare them to reign with their future
king. What they endured is not unlike our own lives. We too have had a perfect season of long
days and dark nights.
There were times when we wondered if the call of being manifested in Christ's glory was
only a dream. Could we have only imagined we would someday rule and reign with the Captain
of our salvation? Will these hard and lonely times ever end? Oh, yes, dearly beloved brothers and
sisters in Christ, it will end! What we are enduring is working an eternal weight of glory that is
not comparable to the silence and inactivity we presently know. Like those in Adullam's cave,
we are being prepared to reign openly with Him in His Kingdom.
Hebrews 10:25 "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together...and so much the more,
as ye see the day approaching" has been misused and made to be a whip of condemnation to
compel people to gather into their churches. It is also used to condemn those who do not heed
their call. It is one of the most abused verses in the Bible. The horrible mind-set for so many is
that if a person is a Christian, they must attend a "church" of some sort. Any will do as long as
it carries corporate papers, is sanctioned by mainstream religion, they are a nonprofit, tax exempt
business, or it is at least a place where people gather on a weekly basis to listen to one person
tell his or her view of the Bible. It is in their misguided thinking that everyone has to have a
church or pastor to cover them.
Those who do not attend such organized gatherings are often suspected of not really being
Christians. We have heard it said,"How could anyone who is a Christian not go to church?" Of
course, there is no place in the Bible that says the only way a person can be a Christian is to
belong to, or go to, a certain church. Such thoughts are manmade.
The High Assembling is that to which we aspire; but let us not discount all gatherings. They
are necessary as well. We are not to only be thinking of high assembling of an army. There is
need to gather so those in need of correction can be ministered to. Some require counseling,
while everyone should be taught sound doctrine. The brethren who give way to the lusts of the
flesh are in dire need of a people who can, and will, exhort them in Godly love and wisdom that
will bring correction. If it is not done in love and understanding, it will not be the work of the
Spirit and will do much more harm than good.
There are a lot of overseers in churches that are more often scourgers than true exhorters.
It is customary to beat the wayfarers with the letter of the law. If this does not work, the
sinners may be excommunicated. Rather than administering godly counsel that will set the
hapless souls back on the narrow way of Christ, they often destroy them. Religion can be ever
so cruel. The face of religion may be beautifully painted, but her heart is pure evil.
Newborn Christians need nurturing. This is common sense. Young girls and boys with
driving passions can use good counsel at times from Godly role models. And there are others
who simply desire wholesome fellowship with the saints. Should we tell them all to stay home
and forsake the gathering of themselves together? Absolutely not! For such gatherings are
indispensable for some.
However, with the spirit of the world with which the church system has clothed herself, and
coupled with so many erroneous teachings, I am reluctant to encourage anyone to join
themselves to that which is engaging in such spiritual adultery. Therefore, rather than sending
innocent people into such misguided places, I would suggest the high calling for them. Let the
400 in the cave of Adullam prepare themselves to receive, nurture, encourage, and exhort those
in need.
It is time to question those in the religious system, "How can you remain in Babylon or
under the heavy hand and sword of churches where there is no justice for the people?" I believe
the question is just as legitimate as when it is asked of us by them, even more so. For so long,
those in organized religion have warned us about the dangers of separating ourselves from their
guardianship, yet it is time to turn it around.
The 400 who have assembled with Jesus, the unseen King, could easily warn those who are
at ease in Zion. They could be alerted to the impending fall of that religious system by saying:
"Come out of her My people, and be not partakers of her sins and plagues. Forsake not the
assembling of yourselves together with the anointed, and so much the more, as ye see the day
approaching."
You see, righteous gatherings lay in the eyes of the beholder. What is right for one is not for
the other. I will hasten to tell you, not everyone is called to the cave of Adullam, and neither is
everyone called to subject themselves to the rule of Saul. We all have our own unique calling in
this life, and each person should abide wherein they are called. If you make a good church
citizen, and you are excited about the word being preached, then stay where you are. The time
for you to leave will come when it is hit with God's judgment. It will then fall, and you will have
no choice in the matter. But please know, this is not for your hurt but for your good. Since God
loves you, everything that comes between Him and you will eventually be brought down.
However, if you are not one of those who are at peace in those places, you might examine
your calling. If you are in distress, feel indebted, and are discontented, it may be time to leave
and head for the cave of Adullam. If you are hearing the Father saying to come out, fear not and
be quick to move. You will not face starvation, and there is no need to be afraid of the devil. He
is not waiting behind every bush and corner for you, and the only shadows where you find him
lurking will be in the shadows of your own mind. When you leave the confines of your
home-church, you will be joined to the Lord and His 400. Whether you find yourselves in a
crowd of people or alone in a desert place, be sure to know--you are God's workmanship and
He will place you in the body where you fit. 1 Corinthians 12:18. Furthermore, you will remain
there for the appointed time, but not forgotten, and neither will you be guilty of forsaking the
assembling of yourselves together. You will be assembled with those who will come forth as the
manifested Sons of God!
"...Behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain Thee; how much less this house
that I have builded?" 1 Kings 8:27. Can we then build a church building in which He would like
to live? I think not! But in His assembled body, He is more than pleased to dwell through the
ages and beyond, in you and me and all the others! And during any age wherein the increase of
His government is a factor, and there is a need to delve deeper into His mysteries--The anointing
which we have received of Him abides in us, and we need not that any man teach us: for as
THE SAME ANOINTING THAT TEACHES US ALL THINGS, and is truth, and is no lie,
even as it has taught us all, we shall abide in Him." This is wonderful! Don't you believe it?
Elwin R. Roach
Elwin R.
Roach
