Printer & Smart Phone Versions
12.5pt.pdf (6 pages) | 18pt.pdf  (12 pages)

#325.21

HE CALLED US BY NAME

"Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him...I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb....Who saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure...." Isaiah 45:1, 4, 44:24, 28.

It is amazing that this word was not given to one of Israel's kings rather than to Cyrus, the king of Persia. Although an idol worshiping heathen who did not know the LORD, he was a chosen instrument and brought forth by the most High to overthrow the Chaldean empire and free Israel from their 70 years of Babylonian captivity.

It was almost three thousand years ago, and two centuries before Cyrus, which means sun, or "shines like the sun," was born, that the prophecy was recorded. After reading Jeremiah's scroll, Daniel saw that Israel’s 70-years of Babylonian captivity had been completed. He also saw that in Isaiah's account, he gave the name of the king that would liberate Israel.

Cyrus had diverted the Euphrates River, and he easily entered the city and conquered that kingdom. Afterwards, Daniel took Isaiah's scroll to Cyrus and showed him that God had recorded his name in the scriptures about two hundred years earlier. It is said that Cyrus was very shocked that his name was recorded in one of Israel's sacred texts, but it gave him the confidence to liberate Israel. He then announced that they would be returned to their homeland and would rebuild Solomon’s Temple.

Isaiah also wrote concerning God's anointed king:

"I will give you the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the LORD, which call you by your name, am the God of Israel." Isaiah 45:3.

History has it that on the very day Cyrus issued the decree to rebuild Solomon's Temple, his soldiers discovered vast amounts of silver and gold that the king of Babylon had hidden under the Euphrates River.

The treasures were like money in a bank vault which were locked in the darkness of that kingdom until broken into and taken by the new king. Some of that which was found were treasures from the depository and the house of Nebuchadnezzar's gods which had been taken from the Temple in Jerusalem when Israel was overthrown and led into captivity. Ezra 1:7 says that five thousand four hundred gold and silver vessels were returned.

There are also treasures of the LORD that are hidden away in dark places that are to be brought back to their rightful place in the Kingdom of God. These obscure places can be deep within individuals, hidden in the darkness of religious organizations, as well as the world. However, unless it is by the Spirit, nobody will peer into those dark places. If He does not open their eyes, it will be impossible for anyone to see God's treasures that lay in waiting for His anointed Cyruses to claim.

One might not suspect that the two Babylons, one of religion and the other of the world, would be holding many of God’s riches, but they do. Some are His people; for if we recall, Paul called us a peculiar people (peculiar: a preserved purchased acquisition.) "Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it." Matthew 13:46. We, of course, are a part of that treasured pearl of great price. We are His peculiar treasure who will be revealed in due season.

For the most part, not many know about this peculiar treasure, nor, like Cyrus, do they know God; but He knows them and the time will come when they will know Him. He will call them by name, and it is then that they will come to know Him as the Almighty God, rather than just knowing about Him. They will also know who they are. Whether these treasures are individuals in the darkness of Babylon, the treasures of His life that are hidden within the depths of their own souls, or the treasures hidden in the darkness of the world, when the anointed ones of the Lord invade man's kingdom, the Euphrates River in their lives, or otherwise, will be diverted by them, and the treasures will be discovered. Dear anointed brethren, this is for each of us: "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine." Isaiah 43:1

At the predestined time, these treasures from darkness are to be brought into the light, no longer hidden from us or the world. These treasures will not only be unveiled and made known; but as the hour of the unveiling comes, without delay, each of us will possess and present them to those in dire need of a long-awaited refreshing rain. Until that time it can be said, "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love him." 1 Corinthians 2:9. Ah! Yes! That would be the manifestation of the Sons of God! Who could remotely imagine the glory of it?

We have yearned to hold the keys to the treasures of darkness and to fully possess the rich mysteries of God’s Kingdom; but that will not be until its day dawns. Therefore, it would be futile to lay claim to it before its time; but when it does come, the increase of the Kingdom of God and peace there shall be no end as noted in Isaiah 9:7.

It is interesting that the plural word, treasures in the treasures of darkness, signifies not only something laid up and hidden from common view and possession, but suggests an infinite, incalculable supply. It is an amount which cannot be exhausted. It satisfies the soul and all spiritual needs and pleasures. It suffices and continually suffices, again and again, over and over all needs and joys of His wonderful life. Brethren of the Lord, although gross darkness has covered all the nations of the world this past year, it could very well be the stage has been set for the day of God's anointed shepherds, and if so, it will soon be the day of liberty and the wealth of the Kingdom to be known!

It is then that the ever-flowing fullness of His grace in, through, and out of us can be known and seen by the world. It will shine even to the darkest of places and super-abound over sin and fill souls with holy awe.

Of course, we will not discount a natural king, or president, to bring about treasures to a nation; but we are looking more for spiritual realities, and that is what creation is also groaning for and anxiously awaiting. The two could possibly dovetail and come together at the same time; but still, let our focus be more on that which is from above rather than below, as we pray that there will be priceless treasures in all realms.

When we truly see the virtue and power that we possess, it will produce the desired effect of manifesting those inconceivable treasures of darkness. Let the natural king Cyrus bring forth the hidden treasures from the darkness, but let the Sons of God bring forth the eternal treasures. It is then that the end purpose of the cross will be experientially known by all, while carnal man’s appetites are forever consumed by the glory of God’s majesty. The blood of our Lord that judiciously cleanses all from all sin will be a manifested reality. His resurrection that we already know in part will rise victoriously in us. His purity, His holiness, and His righteousness, which is unto all, will be joyfully embraced by all in the age and ages to come.

Praise God! The treasures of mercy, of grace, and of redemption that had been held in darkness will be living realities for all those who came out of Him, which, of course, is ALL! He so loves ALL of His creation that He will not rest or relent until ALL know Him as they are known. If it were any other way, He would not be the Savior of ALL that the Scriptures so clearly describes, and the firstfruits have come to know.

To see this by the Spirit is to enter into the beauty of His holiness. It is to be part of the length, the breadth, the depth, and the height of the love of Jesus that passes human knowledge and understanding. In the unfathomable ages to come, even if the sun ever wanes to a dying ember, or if the earth should fail to yield her precious increase — these treasures will ever remain; for they are in themselves infinite, inexhaustible, eternal!

The LORD said that He would give His anointed Cyrus the hidden riches of secret places. Those natural riches of gold, silver, and precious gems symbolized greater riches that have been hidden away and awaiting discovery by today’s anointed. They are primarily spiritual in nature, and each is worth more than a thousand worlds filled with treasures of natural gold, silver, and rare gems! There will surely be natural treasures; but to know with clarity the richest discoveries of the wisdom and goodness of God is what our hearts yearn after. Although some of the mysteries have been revealed to us, many more are still hidden. If they were not, there would be nothing lacking, and His Kingdom would be fully manifested, but out of season. So, they remain concealed even from the keen eye of those who soar like the eagles.

The secret places are just that — SECRET! But when it is the Lord’s time and pleasure to bring them forth to those whose eyes He has opened, each will see and know that it had truly never entered their hearts, nor crossed the horizons of their minds the treasures hidden in darkness that He had laid up in their own secret places.

The anointed word of truth surpasses every conceivable thought and every expectation of the heart. These riches of secret places transcend the wealth of the entire earth combined with everything in man’s religion and the world.

But it is only as these riches of secret places are opened to us that we see, feel, and know what the Lord Jesus Christ is to those who love Him. Joseph Philpot (1802-1869), who resisted the Church of England and was known as "The Seceder," said this in one of his sermons:

"It is this bringing forth of the hidden riches of secret places which stamps a divine reality upon God's Word, and makes it to be spirit and life to the soul. To feel the power and blessedness of these things is a part of that 'secret of the Lord which is with those who love Him;' and it is by getting into these blessed secrets, handling these treasures, and obtaining possession of these riches, that we come experientially to realize what a blessed power there is in a true, divine, heartfelt religion. We may see the doctrines plainly enough in the written word of God; but if that is all we know about them, it is like seeing money which is not our own. The grand point is not only to see the riches, but to be put in possession of them. A religion without power, without savor, without a felt blessedness in the truth of God by the application of the Spirit, is worthless both for time and eternity. Like a school-boy's sum, it is all upon paper — a vast amount in figures, without the possession of a penny.

"But observe how the promises are connected with 'crooked places,' 'bronze gates,' and 'iron bars,' and the going before of the Lord to remove them out of the way. Without this previous work we would be ignorant to our dying day of 'the treasures of darkness'; we would never see with our eyes, nor handle with our hands, 'the hidden riches of secret places.' There are but few, comparatively speaking, who know anything of the sweetness and reality of a God-taught religion; of the power of grace upon the soul, or of the riches which are stored up in the fullness of the Son of God. Most, even of those who profess the truth, are satisfied with a name to live, a sound creed, a consistent profession, and admission to church membership, without knowing or desiring to know anything of the blessed reality of communion with God. Neither do they desire a revelation of the Lord Jesus, of the manifestation of His love and mercy to the soul, and the sealings of the blessed Spirit on the heart.

"Is it not so in grace? The Lord may 'call His people by name,' when, by a special work of grace upon their heart, He calls them out of the world to a knowledge of Himself. He may not speak in an audible voice, but the effect is as distinct as if He should say, 'John,' or 'Mary, come, I want you.' We are not indeed to expect to see the same light, or hear the same voice which shone upon and called Saul of Tarsus; but we must experience a measure of the same power, and feel something of the same divine influence. When God thus calls a man, he will, he must come, for He puts forth a power which he cannot and will not resist — at least, not to any purpose. It is certainly grace invincible, if not grace irresistible. Now just see the process. God calls the sinner by name; and though He calls us not vocally as the Lord Jesus Christ called His disciples when He said, 'Follow Me,' the effect is still the same." —End quote.

In all this, we learn that the Lord has truly called us by name which is a genuine work of grace upon our hearts. We did not just happen by accident nor decided on our own to follow after the good life of Jesus Christ. We may have thought so at times, or had our doubts and fears about it, but this did not stop us from following hard after Him even though being thoroughly tried through the years. A few may have wavered with unbelief, and/or had many anxious misgivings; even so, the unseen work of God placed His treasures in our hearts for safe keeping, even when we felt that there may have been nothing but empty darkness therein.

There was a day that dawned on us that our hardened hearts had somehow softened, our unbelief was lifted, and some of those treasures of darkness were brought to light and began to shower us and others with spiritual blessings. We then came to know that God really did call us by name, that all His works were real, and looking back upon all the ways in which we had been led, sometimes driven or even dragged, we know that the Lord had gone before us in everything and made our crooked paths straight.

We can now declare with boldness that He called us by name, and this was because He had already written our names in His book of life. This has been the King’s seal upon our hearts even during the dark nights that were upon us at various times and seasons.

What a great light that shines upon God's own and makes them known for what and who they are! Here we have true religion before us, not man’s that is inspired by the lying tongue of the serpent, but the One of truth that is inspired by the voice of the Dove. In this religion there is heaven’s substance, His divine reality. It is this which descends from the throne into the soul of every son and daughter of God, as they are awakened to this reality. It is then that they know and can also say: "...All the kingdoms of the earth hath the LORD God of heaven given to me, that is, us, the sons of God who are waiting to be revealed..." Ezra 1:2. (Emphasis added).

It is not just changing our doctrines or an alteration of life styles, nor is it adopting certain tenets of faith, or embracing special men or women as the only ones from which to learn. Neither is it by being a member of a particular religious denomination regardless of its claims or how long it has existed. As beneficial as it might be, neither is it by attending certain advanced Bible study groups, and it is certainly not by going back to the Old Testament Law and living our lives in super legalistic, religious manners. If salvation and manifestation was any of the above, it would be by works, and in essence, we would be our own saviors and self-manifestations if such could remotely be possible.

Salvation and Manifestation are both by grace, and His grace brings forth revelation which is altogether something different from doing it ourselves via some religious belief or practice. It supersedes man’s ways as much as light supersedes darkness, joy surpasses sorrow, or the mount of transfiguration supersedes the hell in the belly of the great fish wherein Jonah was held forever – three days and three nights. There is that much difference between the reality of true religion, the treasures of darkness, and that of man’s religion which is darkness, and it is the treasures of darkness, not darkness, that was given to king Cyrus.

Some feel that the sitting president, Donald J. Trump, is another Cyrus, God's anointed who will do all these things, and has given him the wherewithal to divert the Euphrates river, and they say the river concerning him is the river of socialism. They go on to say that to a degree he has already done it, at least exposed it. One wrote and said: "If his name has a spiritual meaning, and is for our day, his seems to indicate something along the lines of Cyrus – 'Donald, World Ruler; John; beloved of the Lord, and Trump, a Trumpeter (one who sounds a clear message, a warning.'"

Please be reminded that which the Lord opens no man can close, and that which He closes, no man can open. And it appears that the door has been closed on him. Even so, we have heard quite a number of "prophetic" words proclaimed that Trump will serve a second term and be very effective in that to which he was called. We will see....

Many are praying that the election will be overturned. Others, however, are praying that it will remain as is. But, please, saints of the everlasting Kingdom, let us not be praying for the captain of our political "football team." But rather, let us seek the mind of our Father, and then we will know the inworkings of all things that will fulfill His purpose. We can then pray in the name of Jesus and decree His divine will, and it will be done which ever way we send the wind to blow. Without His mind in the matter, we have no way of knowing and will have nothing to declare.

However, there is one thing we do know, namely, that Trump was ordained to be the 45^th president of the United States of America as the apostle Paul admonished:

"Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance (Grk. diatag, arrangement, institution) of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation (Grk. krima, a decision for or against a crime).... Do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake." Romans 13:1-5.

Some might have a hard time with that verse, especially those of no spiritual understanding. But let us know, Trump was set in place by divine appointment as were all the presidents before him, and if that appointment was for two terms, he will serve two terms, if not, he will not. Period!

That which God is doing is not understood by a large number, not even those in the church. Until natural minds are renewed, many of that which our Father does will not be what most would choose or even think could be something He would be a part of. For instance, regardless of which man will ultimately be the president, half the population will disagree with God's ordained choice. In doing so, they will be, in effect saying, "I know better than God who should be sitting in the oval office"

Such, of course, is not uncommon; but we might ought to get used to these true Supreme, High Court orders from the Throne; for when they are given to the Watchers who will demand that they are fulfilled whether worldly or politically minded, carnal people like it or not.

It is still hard for some to accept, or at least understand, that many matters are by the decree of the Watchers, and those decrees are demands by God's holy ones. This is so the world may eventually know that the most High rules in man's kingdom. And also that God gives it to whomsoever He will and He sets the basest of men over nations. Daniel 4:17. (Paraphrased).

And each of these base men have played their part in the divine plan of God upon the nation whether for good or evil. Moreover, there have been a plethora of base governors, U.S. and State officials who can be identified as being self-serving, self-aggrandizing, self-indulging, narcissistic, egotistical, proud, deceitful, vindictive, murdering, heartless, unremorseful, immoral, lying hypocrites of the worst kind. Do we now understand what Daniel was saying? How much more base can they be? It is almost unimaginable; but it was God who set them all in those positions of power and by decree of His Watchers.

Therefore, using king Cyrus as an example for God anointing and sending His Sons to liberate His people, let us take the liberty of paraphrasing our initial verses by which this study was initiated:

"Thus saith the LORD to His anointed sons, to My Cyruses, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before them...I have called each of them by name: I have surnamed them, I am their Redeemer and I formed all of you from the womb....Who saith of My Cyruses, you are My shepherds, and through you I shall perform all My pleasure...." Isaiah 45:1, 4, 44:24, 28.

Isn't it humbling, yet so wonderful, that our LORD called us by name?

The Pathfinder • PO Box 4004 • Alamogordo NM 88311