THE HEAVENS DECLARE

Part 42

GEMINI —THE TWINS

(continued)

The twins of Gemini introduce us to the great law of duality that exists first of all in God Himself, as well as in all of His ways and dealings in creation. Both the Word of God and nature unmistakably reveal the awesome fact that there is polarity in God. What exactly, is polarity? Webster defines it as "the condition of having magnetic poles, one positive and attracting, the other negative and repelling; the having of two contrary qualities, powers, etc., as both wrath and mercy." Polarity is something much more than simple duality or opposition. For to say that opposites are "polar" is to say much more than that they are far apart: it is to say that they are RELATED AND JOINED — that they are the terms, ends or extremities of a SINGLE WHOLE. Polar opposites are therefore INSEPARABLE opposites, like the poles of the earth or of a magnet, or the ends of a stick or the face of a coin. Though what lies between the poles is more substantial than the poles themselves — nevertheless the three are undivided, constituting a single whole. A battery, in order to be effective, must have a negative and a positive pole. Both poles of the battery must be operative in order for the battery to function. The negative, in itself, can do nothing. The positive, in itself, can do nothing. Both must be interrelated in order for the power and purpose of that battery to come into fulfillment. Thus, the twins of Gemini speak to us of a duality in God that carries the sense of "fullness" and "unity" rather than that of "division." The unified accomplishment of both twins is needed to bring completion and perfection; they do not represent partition, incompletion, or opposition. There are manifold doubles throughout the scriptures which set forth this great principle of duality in unity. For example, there is Joshua and Caleb, two men strong in faith to inherit the promised land, two men representing the ONE MAN — the CORPORATE SON OF GOD.

Then there is the Decan called CANIS MINOR, meaning The Lesser Dog. But again, this is a modern picture. In the ancient Denderah Zodiac, it was depicted as a human figure with a hawk's head and was called Sebak. The brightest star is Procyon, meaning "the Redeemer." So here we have in these two hawk figures confirmation of the same thing which we had in the Sign of Gemini — pictures of the two aspects of the work of God's Christ: the Prince, the One who comes to destroy the serpent, and the One who comes bringing redemption.

One of the Decans, or minor constellations, in the house of Gemini is CANIS MAJOR and another is CANIS MINOR. CANIS MAJOR means The Greater Dog. This constellation tells of the glorious Prince who will subdue the serpent and reign. Dr. Kennedy tells us, "In the Denderah Zodiac, the oldest planisphere, which was found on the roof of a temple in Egypt, Canis Major is called Apes, which means the head. He is pictured as a hawk, the natural enemy of the serpent, coming down upon it. The name of the star is Naz, meaning caused to come forth, coming swiftly down. It has on its head a pestle or mortar, reminding us of the fact that Christ is going to thoroughly crush the head of the enemy, as the hawk comes down upon the serpent. The brightest star in all the heavens is Sirius, The Prince and it is found in this constellation of Canis Major. It is a magnificent star which can be seen at night if stars are visible at all. The word Sirius comes from the word Sar or Seir, from which root we get the words 'Sire,' or 'Sir.' It means Prince. Isaiah tells us about the gift of the Son of God. "His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace" (Isa. 9:6). Christ is frequently referred to as the Prince of princes, or the Prince of the kings of the earth. He is the Sar or Seir, the Prince of all the earth. It is very interesting that when the names of this constellation (Naz — hawk) and its major star (Seir) are combined we get the words Naz-Seir. Jesus Christ is called the Naz-Seir-ene. Naz means ‘sent or caused to come swiftly,’ and Seir means ‘Prince.’ Naz-Seir means ‘the sent Prince,’ the One who is sent forth quickly, a Prince of all the earth who is to come into the world. And in this Naz-Seir , or Naz-Sirius, we are to see Him of whom Matthew said, ‘He came and dwelled in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called NAZ-SEIR-ENE’ (Mat. 2:23). It is interesting that Biblical scholars were at a loss to explain by what prophet or in what sacred prophecy it was said that Christ should be called a Nazarene. They had looked in vain in the Old Testament for some reference which would indicate just what that was referring to without finding it. So, though they have said, referring to the fact that He came from Nazareth that He would be a Nazarene, there is no prophecy of that in the Old Testament or any other ancient writings. Yet the prophecy that He would be the ‘sent Prince’ come into the world for us HAS BEEN IN THE SKY FROM THE BEGINNING OF CREATION!" — end quote. So here we see a picture of the Christ of God who comes to bring destruction to the serpent in the world.

Then there is the Decan called CANIS MINOR, meaning The Lesser Dog. But again, this is a modern picture. In the ancient Denderah Zodiac, it was depicted as a human figure with a hawk’s head and was called Sebak. The brightest star is Procyon, meaning "The Redeemer." So here we have in these two hawk figures confirmation of the same thing which we had in the Sign of Gemini — pictures of the two aspects of the work of God’s Christ: the Prince, the One who comes to destroy the serpent, and the One who comes bringing redemption.

THE TWO HANDS OF GOD

This brings us to a most awesome and significant point. Ancient astronomical records also speak of the names of other stars in Canis Major which are no longer identifiable. One of these is an Arabic name, Alshira Alijemeniya, meaning PRINCE OF THE RIGHT HAND, and refers to its identity with the right-hand twin in Gemini, with which it is associated. There is a clear connection between the Sign of Gemini and these two attending constellations, CANIS MAJOR and CANIS MINOR. In Canis Minor there is also a star whose Arabic name is Ashira Alshemeliya and means THE PRINCE OF THE LEFT HAND, and refers to its identity with the left- hand twin in Gemini, with which it is associated. The right hand and the left hand are thus the two twins of Gemini. This, my beloved, can be nothing else but a picture of THE TWO HANDS OF GOD!

In the previous Study of this subject we have noted that in the scriptures we find the right hand of God mentioned a great many times, and the left hand of God is mentioned on a number of occasions. The word "right" as used with "hand" is generally the Hebrew word "yamiym" meaning STRONGER, MORE DEXTEROUS. The word for "left" is "smowl" meaning DARK. From the meaning of these two words it is very easy to understand that God's right hand is His strength and dexterity, or His wonderful ability to do all things. The implication is that the right hand of God is the GOOD HAND of God, doing GOOD things. But the left hand in the Old Testament means DARK and from this we can readily understand that it signifies the opposite — what we call bad or evil. The left hand represents the DARK SIDE OF GOD. This is the hand of God so little understood. That there is both the bright side of God and the dark side of God, manifested through the works of His two hands, in blessing on the one hand and in judgment on the other, is strikingly illustrated in the extraordinary story found in I Kings chapter twenty-two. The wicked king Ahab is persuading the good king, Jehoshaphat to go to battle with him, and all the false prophets of Ahab have prophesied that they should go to battle, that the Lord will give them victory. But Jehoshaphat asks for a prophet of the Lord and Micaiah is brought with instructions to prophesy like the rest, but he refuses. Micaiah at first mocks Ahab, by prophesying in just that way, but Ahab knows that it is not right, and commands him to prophesy in the Word of the Lord.

So in verse nineteen Micaiah begins thus: "Hear thou therefore the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him ON HIS RIGHT HAND AND ON HIS LEFT. And the Lord said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner. There came forth a spirit, and stood before the Lord, and said, I will persuade him. And the Lord said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth AND I WILL BE A LYING SPIRIT IN THE MOUTH OF ALL HIS PROPHETS. And He said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also; GO FORTH AND DO SO." Now this is God’s Word as He sought a way to cause Ahab to be defeated. Out of the heavenly realm came such a spirit, who made himself to be lying spirit in the mouth of all the prophets with the consent and authority of God! He caused the prophets to prophesy falsely and bring about the fall of Ahab, even as he was given commandment of God. We do not always understand some of God's workings, but they are in the scriptures, and we cannot build a pathway around them, for ALL scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine.

But does it not seem incredible that the Holy Spirit should take such care to record that all the spirits making up "the host of heaven" were standing at God's RIGHT HAND and His LEFT HAND, if this fact is not extremely pregnant with meaning? Beloved reader, ponder, if you will, this weighty consideration: From which of the two hands of God came the lying spirit which brought judgment to king Ahab? After years of reverent meditation upon this challenging question my heart is satisfied with this answer: The lying spirit came from the LEFT HAND of God — of course!

Many of the Lord's precious people have great difficulty in reconciling a God of LOVE with the atrocious accounts of His actions in the Old Testament which included various plagues, famines, earthquakes, floods, massacres of women and children, genocide and indeed all the sordid and bloody episodes of violence and destruction that He imposed. This may come as a shock to some who read these lines, but GOD DID NOT CHANGE AT CALVARY. God has always had two hands, and in the Old Testament times, especially under the law, He revealed more prominently His left hand of judgment, whereas in the New Testament times, under the covenant of grace, He has revealed more strikingly His right hand of goodness and mercy. In Jesus Himself, however, there was not always the sweet, gentle, kindly attitude that most of us have come to appreciate and expect; for in His confrontations with the Pharisees, the Chief Priests, Elders, and teachers of the law, and when in anger He made a whip of small cords and drove the money changers out of the temple, overturning their tables, and pouring out their money...the LEFT HAND OF GOD becomes manifest!

You might get the impression, upon reading the multiplied judgments of God sent upon Israel and the nations in the Old Testament, that God hates His people and His creation. You would think that He is vindictive in His judgment; that He is cruel, brutal, and unfeeling as He moves forward against mankind. Perhaps the liberal, who some years ago made the statement that the God of the Old Testament is a big bully, had read only the first half of the story. I wish he had read all of it. He would have found that the God of the Old Testament is not a big bully, but that we are shown the DARK SIDE OF HIS LOVE. We have also noted that with His left hand God moves and acts through NEGATIVE FORCES such as satan, wicked men, false prophets, calamities, etc. to accomplish His purposes. It comes as a startling revelation to some that God uses the wicked, even such as Nebuchadnezzar and the king of heathen Assyria, to discipline and correct His people. They are HIS instruments in HIS hand, and they serve His purpose. "Behold...I have created the waster to destroy" (Isa. 54:16). For "the Lord made all things for Himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil" (Prov. 16:4). "O Assyrian, the rod of MINE ANGER, and the staff in their hand is MINE INDIGNATION" (Isa. 10:5). The more we come to understand the SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD, the more we realize that HE ALONE controls the interplay of good and evil, and works all things after the counsel of His own will. We shall not rail against His instruments, but learn to submit to the disciplines until we are turned fully to Him, to cleave to Him with our whole heart and fulfill all His will.

There were times when Jesus seemed to be completely unyielding in His attitude toward men. Yet there are other times when we can hardly understand His willingness to show mercy. On the occasions when it would seem beyond our ability to forgive, Jesus shows a kindness that seems unlimited and beyond human comprehension. Perhaps the crowning example is His word from the cross, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." How could a man in the painful agony of death forgive the fickle crowd which one day had hailed Him as Messiah and then turned on Him like a beast? It is because Jesus knew how to keep the balance between judgment and mercy. We need to be taught by His spirit how to believe in judgment and at the same time practice mercy.

It is during the discipline process that we are so likely to forget the love of God and misunderstand His judgments toward us. We will be inclined to think that, because God allows many failures, pressures, and misfortunes to befall us, He has forgotten us or turned against us. Christian friends will be at pains to tell us that our suffering is a sure sign of God's displeasure with our life. Nothing could be further from the truth! He has forgotten nothing, but while we in our childishness want nothing but His blessings, at the same time trying to build up and establish our own desires, plans, and programs, which are fleshly, God's purpose is to LAY IT ALL WASTE, bring it to nought, and teach us HIS WAYS. The childish Christian wants to build up the natural, the visible, the audible, and just enjoy all the wonderful blessings of God forever. But God has purposed that we become PRINCES WITH GOD, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. This requires the development of divine wisdom, character, and power. Therefore in love He lays waste the immature and undisciplined ambitions within us.

The right kind of parents do not allow their children the privilege of doing whatever they want to do. They are not permitted to be "free moral agents", to make their own decisions and have their own way, until they have reached an age of maturity. Until they can make their own way, the parents must do it for them. The children may complain and cry and rebel a long time, but the proper parent holds them to their decision that is for their betterment. The parents know what is best for the children, although the children are unable to understand or appreciate it. Ah, we hear a lot about our being "free moral agents", but if you treasure the beautiful hope of sonship you will forget all about that for our heavenly Father makes the decisions for us, and although many of His children do a lot of fussing and crying, HE HOLDS US TO IT, and how thankful we should be that He does! WHEN WE HAVE BEEN TRIED WE SHALL COME FORTH AS GOLD.

"It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God," said the writer to the Hebrews. May I reverently add — Yea, but it is a more fearful thing not to fall into His hands! King David understood this quite well. At a time when David ruled in peace, when his kingdom stretched from the river Euphrates to the border of Egypt, and from the Great Sea on the west to the great desert of the east, David committed a grievous sin against the Lord. He gave orders to Joab, the commander of Israel's army, to send officers throughout all the tribes of Israel and count all the men who could go forth to battle. Now the Lord had expressly commanded that the soldiers in the army of Israel should not be numbered so that Israel might not trust in the arm of flesh, but in the power of God. Even Joab, the general, knew that it was not right to do this, and he said to David, "May the Lord God make His people an hundred times as great as they are; but are they not all the servants of my lord the king? Why does the king command this to be done? Surely it will bring sin upon the king and upon the people." But David was firm in his purpose, and Joab obeyed him, but not willingly. He sent men through all the twelve tribes to take the number of those in every city and town who were fit for war. They went throughout the land, until they had written down the number of eight hundred thousand men in ten of the tribes, and of nearly five hundred thousand men in the tribe of Judah, who could be called out for war.

But the numbering was never finished. It was left unfinished because God was angry with David and with the people on account of this sin. David saw that he had done wickedly, in ordering the count of the people. He prayed to the Lord, and said, "O Lord, I have sinned greatly in doing this. Now, O Lord, forgive this sin, for I have done foolishly." Then the Lord sent to David a prophet by the name of Gad. Gad came to David, and said to him, "Thus saith the Lord, You have sinned in this thing, and now you and your land must suffer for your sin. I will give you the choice of three troubles to come upon the land. Shall I send seven years of famine, in which there shall be no harvest? Or shall your enemies overcome you and win victories over you for three months? Or shall there be three days when pestilence shall fall upon the land, and the people shall die everywhere?" And David said to the prophet Gad, "This is a hard choice of judgments to come upon the land; but LET ME FALL INTO THE HAND OF THE LORD AND NOT INTO THE HANDS OF MEN; FOR GOD'S MERCIES ARE GREAT AND MANY." Then the Lord's angel of death passed through the land, and in three days seventy thousand men died. And when the angel of the Lord stretched out His hand over the city of Jerusalem, the Lord had pity upon the people, and said, "It is enough; now hold back your hand, and cause no more of the people to die." hen the Lord opened David's eyes and he saw the angel standing on Mount Moriah, with a drawn sword in his hand, held out toward the city. Then David prayed and the Lord heard David's prayer, and took away the plague from the land.

A mystic from another century penned these inspiring words: "O God, Thou living God, let me fall into Thy hands; it is only in Thy hands that I can be perfectly safe. I know that to fall into Thy hands is indeed a fearful thing; I know that is the beginning of all my fears, for it is the beginning of all my responsibilities. In Thy hands I shall learn the awfulness of my spiritual being, in Thy hands I shall learn how little it has fulfilled its destiny. Nevertheless, it is in Thy hands alone that I would be; the fear that comes from contact with Thee is indeed the beginning of wisdom. There would be no penalty to me so great as to fall out of Thy hands; to be out of Thy hands is to be dead. There is a pain with Thee, which is not found without Thee, but it is the pain of love which is the pain of the life Divine. Translate me into that life. Lift me into union with Thine own Divine being. Raise me into fellowship with that power of Thy love which is the power of Thy suffering. Take me into Thy hands and hold me in Thy fear. Let me learn in Thy life how solemn is my own, let me see in Thy glory how poor is my own."

It should not seem strange that God, who made man in His image, should have both a bright side and a dark side, manifested through the works of His two hands, in blessing and glory on the one hand, and in discipline and judgment on the other. The right hand of God, as we have seen, bespeaks of God moving and acting through POSITIVE FORCES, while the left hand of God signifies God moving and acting through NEGATIVE FORCES. This reveals the beautiful balance in God's nature, as in all His works, and the whole creation is a revelation of this balance that exists first in the Creator Himself. There must be a balance. There must be the negative as well as the positive. That is but a natural law and we see it all around us.

In Prov. 25:16 we read, "Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled therewith and vomit it." In other words, for us to eat nothing but honey will make us sick. Too much of anything can become a curse, like flood when the blessed rain keeps on falling. There must be balance in all things. And as in the natural, so in the spiritual. And so it is with the TWO HANDS of God! Have we found the pleasures at the RIGHT HAND of God? Have we received His blessings, so lavishly bestowed? If so, eat just enough and let it be balanced with something from the LEFT HAND of God. Even if you think it is not good for you, accept it as from God, for we must not become sick from too much goodness from God. How can too much goodness sicken us? If God gave us only good things, we would never become strong. If Job had never known anything but God's blessing unto him, he would have continued to be so weak that God would always have had to enclose him in a hedge. But after God's LEFT HAND was through dealing with Job he was an entirely different man, a man who not only was perfect, but tried, tested, and proven; a man who had been in a great deal of adversity, sorrow, and loss, but now he knew the strength that comes with overcoming as well as the satisfaction that comes from God's blessing. Now God could bless him with twice as much as before — and with NO HEDGE!

There is a wonderful lesson in nature observable by the biophysical scientist. When one adjusts the lenses of his microscope to watch the individual cells of an organism, he sees tremendous struggles going on within those cells with only particular successes and failures, victories and defeats, in what appears to be a ruthless "dog- eat- dog" battle. But when he changes the level of magnification to observe the organism as a whole, he sees that what was conflict at the lower level is harmony at the higher: that the very health and well being, the ongoing life of the organism is precisely the OUTCOME of this microscopic turmoil. Ah, my brother, my sister, when our consciousness is raised high enough in the spirit to see the WHOLE PICTURE, to SEE AS GOD SEES about all the circumstances and events that touch our lives, rather than dwelling upon the particular events themselves with their apparent negativeness, becoming irritated, worried, and upset by what is happening, we will see and know by the understanding HE GIVES that indeed, all these things ARE WORKING TOGETHER FOR OUR GOOD, and the ongoing development of our spiritual life is precisely the OUTCOME of all the conflict. Praise His name!

In the New Testament the Greek word for "right" as used with "hand" means THAT WHICH USUALLY TAKES. That is, it is the one that reaches out to take and we can also know that it is the one that usually reaches out to give. It is the far more active hand of the two in the vast majority of people. There is a wonderful and meaningful statement made by Jesus in Mat. 6:3, often passed over unnoticed. Jesus said, "But when thou doest alms, let not thy LEFT hand know what thy RIGHT hand doeth." In other words, keep your LEFT HAND in the dark as to what your RIGHT HAND is doing! And remember, the right hand is the one that reaches out either to take or to give. Jesus said that the Pharisees and hypocrites gave their alms openly to BE SEEN OF MEN, and the joy of being seen WAS THEIR REWARD. Such people had their reward already and no further reward would be given them. Their left hand, as it were, had full knowledge as to what their right hand had done and their ego and self-righteousness were fully rewarded in the praise of men received.

But Jesus cautioned His disciples to not let their left hand have knowledge of what the right hand was doing. Their reward would come from God and not from men. Therefore their left hand, or their ego, self- nature with all its self-interests and self-love, would be kept in the dark, left unsatisfied and unfulfilled in the good that was being done. Thus the left hand could in no way deprive them of the far greater reward THE FATHER HAD FOR THEM for their deeds of compassion and love. In applying this principle to the actions of God's two hands, we find that satan, wicked men, and all the forces of the negative realm have absolutely NO UNDERSTANDING of what the right hand of God is doing. Those of the left hand cannot perceive or know the purposes or intentions of the right hand in doing what it does. With this in mind, what a world of truth opens to our understanding from these inspired words of the apostle Paul, "Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: but we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: which NONE OF THE PRINCES OF THIS WORLD KNEW: FOR HAD THEY KNOWN IT, THEY WOULD NOT HAVE CRUCIFIED THE LORD OF GLORY" (I Cor. 2:6-8). None of the princes of this world knew! They were the negative force in God's left hand moving against the Christ, that the purpose of God in giving His beloved Son for the redemption of the world might be fulfilled.

"Him being delivered BY THE DETERMINATE COUNSEL AND FOREKNOWLEDGE OF GOD, YE have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain" (Acts 2:23). Pilate said to Jesus, "Speakest Thou not unto me? knowest Thou not that I have power to release Thee?" Hear the answer of Jesus! "Thou couldest have no power at all against Me except it were GIVEN THEE FROM ABOVE" (Jn. 19:10-11). For God to bring His redemptive and reconstructive plan into effect, there must be a balance, there must be a negative force opposing the positive power and force of God in Christ Jesus. There must be a Judas, chosen to bring all things to a head in the fullness of time when Jesus must be crucified. There must be a Pilate, given power from above, to take care of the legal side of all that happened on that dreadful night. There must be the soldiers selected to nail Jesus to the cross. There must be those who ridiculed Jesus, who scorned and mocked and cursed Him. Without a satan, without a Judas, without self- righteous and vindictive religious leaders, without a rebellious, hateful nation of Israel, there would never have been a blessed Redeemer DYING FOR US!

Yes, GOD was doing this thing, GOD was in control of each and every action, it was all the work of HIS HAND! But those He moved upon at His left hand moved in darkness and did not know anything of what the right hand was doing, they knew not who the Christ was, why He was here, or what He was doing or would do. Never did they dream, in their wildest imaginations, that He really was the Son of God, that He truly was the Lamb they were slaying for the sins of the world, that He actually would rise from the dead, that He would pour out the Holy Spirit in mighty wonder-working power and spread His Kingdom from pole to pole! They were doing what God had raised them up to do but they walked in darkness, they didn't KNOW! The left hand was at a great disadvantage. Today, as then, these evil forces do not even realize that it is the hand of God that is directing all of their actions. The forces of evil and the people under their control, have the false idea that they are directing their own steps and doing all things of themselves, and God allows them to think so! So we see them going their way boasting of all they are doing and believing themselves to be the masters of their own destiny, marking out their own pathway!

The right hand of God is the ANOINTED HAND of God, for Christ (The Anointed) sits AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD. It is this hand of God, the Christ, Head and body, that reaches forth to all mankind bringing redemption, restoration, and blessing. How we praise God for HIS RIGHT HAND, HIS POSITIVE FORCE, and that it is the more active and the stronger of the two! While the left hand is kept in ignorance of what the right hand is doing, the right hand is not always ignorant of what the left hand is doing "lest satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices" (II Cor. 2:11). "But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children (sons) of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness" (I Thes. 5:4-5). When we realize we are in the light of God and know at least a little something of what is going on, then it is amusing, at times, to be able to watch the foolish moves being made by those on the left hand of God. Foolish, perhaps, but so necessary to God's plan! How we rejoice to be able to stand by in assurance and confidence, watching GOD at work, knowing that God is the one who is the author and finisher of all that happens in between. It is wonderful to be able to walk in at least a measure of light during all those times of testing, trial, proving and judgment.

There is a further and enlightening application of this truth which we would share briefly. In the Song of Solomon 2:6 the Shulamite maiden says of her Beloved, "His LEFT HAND is under my head, and His RIGHT HAND doth embrace me." The meaning is clear — the left hand of God is under our head, it is hidden, unseen, the less visible working of God upon our lives, upholding and undertaking for us in all the ways and circumstances in which we do not see the hand of God. God has manifested Himself in history in the figure of the "left hand" — unseen and invisible, when men did not recognize Him. Elisha's servant (II Kings 6:13-17), as well as the prophet Habakkuh (Hab. 1:14), and many others, did not see the hidden hand of God, behind the head, away from the front of the eyes, working His plan and will. However, there are other times when the "right hand" of God works in an obvious fashion, before the eyes, in front of the face, performing the supernatural and the miracle right there for all to see. But keep in mind that if we had eyes in the back of our heads, so to speak, we could see both the right and left hand manifestations. We would see that God is there working all the time. And all those blessed ones who have the "eyes of their understanding enlightened "do see HIM IN ALL THINGS!

How often, in the midst of testing and trouble, we, like Peter, look at the billowing waves and behold not the Lord! When the blessings come pouring in and the glory waves sweep through our souls, we know it is the Lord and we acknowledge and bless Him. But when trouble surrounds us, when adversity comes, calamity strikes, and all hell breaks loose, we fail to see where God's hand can be in that! But, without that, we could not receive all He would give and do for us with His right hand. The right hand is the hand of His manifest grace and power, His inward love and joy, the smile of His approval with which He encourages and equips us. The left hand, under our head, holds us fast and secretly deals and works upon the clay of the earthen vessel in ways we understand not. The embracing of His right hand is so precious, as He lets His love fall upon us like dew, as He leads us into deeper revelations of Himself and of that which He has prepared for us. And we behold the King in His beauty as He perfects that which concerneth us and gets us ready to shine forth in His image.

While we rejoice in the embrace of God's right hand of love, let us not despise His left hand; let us yield to Him though He would use the knife upon us and pour the wine into the wound; for He will then pour in the oil and soothe us; He may wound, but He will heal us. Let us not forget, however, that He not only holds us fast and comforts us in trial, but He holds us fast in the fiery furnace, and on the swiftly moving wheel of His purifying and molding processes. How many times we would get out of His hands if He did not hold us fast when He puts us into the purifying furnace, out of which we would take ourselves if it were possible. It is His precious unseen left hand that holds us still as the dross is being consumed.

REIGNING AT THE RIGHT HAND

The scripture tells us that "there is one God and one mediator between God and man, the MAN Christ Jesus" (I Tim. 2:5). Seated at the right hand of God today is a MAN. God came down from heaven and invaded humanity, He took upon Himself the nature and the body of a man, so that when He went back to the throne, He would take humanity back to the throne. There is no mystery to it that God sits on the throne, He belongs there; but to think now that MAN is sitting on the throne of almighty and universal power! "Jesus of Nazareth, a MAN approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs...this Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore BEING BY THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD EXALTED..." (Acts 2:22, 32-33).

Some people have the impression that the New Testament Church was in a constant expectation to meet Jesus around every corner or to see Him appear during their gatherings, but that is not true. That happened only for forty days after His resurrection. Then one day He wanted them to know that they must not look for Him around corners or the next time they went fishing, so He took them up on a mountain, blessed them, and allowed them to see Him in that body one last time, not disappearing as He had done on many occasions, but ascending slowly up into heaven, surrounded by the Shekinah cloud of glory, caught up into life on a higher plane, raised up into transcendent glory, so that they knew, as Paul later wrote, that we have one mediator between God and man, the MAN Christ Jesus, yet a man ASCENDED and EXALTED, SITTING ON THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD. So we do not look for Him in any physical appearance for "henceforth (from now on) know we no man after the flesh; yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we Him no more "(II Cor. 5:16). But it is still a MAN at the right hand of God!

There is beautiful confirmation of this in Acts 7:55-56 where we read concerning Stephen, "But he being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God and JESUS STANDING ON THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD. And said, Behold I see the heavens opened and the SON OF MAN standing on the right hand of God." The right hand of God, as we have previously pointed out, is the realm of ALL AUTHORITY, POWER, DOMINION, WISDOM, AND KNOWLEDGE. It is the realm of God's OMNIPOTENCE. It was rankest blasphemy in the minds of Stephen's persecutors for him to say that he saw JESUS, the SON OF MAN, standing at the RIGHT HAND of God. Such words were for him to seal his doom at the hands of the high priest and all the council. If Stephen had said he saw the SON OF GOD there, it would not have been so grievous, perhaps, but when we realize that it is the SON OF MAN seated in such a place, then it assumes proportions beyond the comprehension of mortal mind.

The right hand of God is not a geographical or astral PLACE. The throne of the God who is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent Spirit is not a material one, but bespeaks of the REALM OF HIS SUPREME AND UNIVERSAL AUTHORITY AND RULERSHIP; and our Lord Jesus Christ has been exalted to the glory of that rulership. The RIGHT HAND of God is a realm of power and authority, a position of eminence, a condition and a state of being. It is the assumption of the almighty power and universal dominion of the Father. It is the dispensing of HIS POSITIVE ENERGY FORCE into His creation. Exalted to that high realm Jesus no longer walks in a limited physical body, for He now indwells the church, which is His body, the FULLNESS OF HIM THAT FILLETH ALL IN ALL (Eph. 1:22-23).

And, blessed be God! we now have a share in the REALM OF THE RIGHT HAND. "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, WHERE CHRIST SITTETH AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD. Set your affection on things above, and not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God" (Col. 3:13). Paul tells us in Eph. 2:5-6 that "when we were dead through our trespasses, God made us alive together with Christ...and raised us up with Him, and made us SIT TOGETHER WITH HIM IN THE HEAVENLY PLACES." This shows that as we come to know the resurrection life of Christ, we are also made to experience the ascension of Christ. We are chosen of God not only to be made alive from the dead and have God's life, but also to sit in the heavenlies as ascended men. He causes us to ascend with Him and sit with Him in the heavens — NOW! A truth so high and holy as this is absolutely meaningless to those who contend that we have no life except that which is in the body — that when a saint dies he is dead like a dog without either being or consciousness. Such know not that they were dead but are now alive, that they have been raised into the heavenlies and given joint seating with Christ. Such should sorrow as the world sorrows, for they have no hope beyond physical existence. But ascension truly is the position of those who live in Christ Jesus the Lord! The position of ascension rests not only on the fact of Christ's ascension, but on the LIFE OF ASCENSION WE HAVE OBTAINED WITHIN US. The Christ who dwells in our hearts, and who has quickened our spirit by His Spirit, is THE ASCENDED CHRIST, and His life is ascended and heavenly, and is given from heaven, and is now our life. It is a life which reaches heaven. Therefore, once we obtain this life, we have fellowship with heaven and are joined to heaven and dwell in heaven. Although according to the conditions of the outer man we still live on earth, yet according to the INNER MAN we are already living in heaven. The situation is just like our Lord's during His time on earth. He said then that though He "descended from heaven" He was still in heaven" (Jn. 3:13). This was due to the fact that His life was heavenly and one with heaven.

Man in God's image, man in Christ at the right hand of God, is God's government in the Kingdom of God. When God created man in the beginning, He gave man authority to have dominion over all the creatures in the sea, in the air, and upon earth, representing in figure all realms from the lowest of the bottomless, to the highest of the heavens. At that time, man was submitting to God's authority; hence, God's authority was in him, and all things were made to submit to man. But once man rebelled against God, unwilling as he was to submit to God's authority, he then lost the authority of God. As a result, all the creation under man was no longer in subjection to man's authority. Therefore, not only can sin, sickness, sorrow, pain, and death harm man today; even the snakes, wild beasts, mosquitoes, and fleas can bite and torment us! It was upon this very Edenic type, as reiterated by the prophet David in the eighth Psalm, that the writer of the book of Hebrews enlarged when by the Spirit he wrote, "For unto the angels hath He not put into subjection the world to come, whereof we speak. But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; Thou CROWNEST HIM WITH GLORY AND HONOUR, and didst set him OVER THE WORKS OF THY HANDS: Thou hast put A-L-L T-H-I-N-G-S in subjection under his feet. For in that He put ALL in subjection under him, He left N-O-T-H-I-N-G that is NOT put under him!" (Heb. 2:5-8).

You won't quite grasp that at first. It's too overwhelming! To be crowned means to be given KINGLY RULE. To be crowned with glory and honour is to be given such rule as Jesus Christ has NOW, and of that rule we read, "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus Christ every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:9-11). We have already shown that MAN in God's image, MAN IN CHRIST AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD is God's government in the Kingdom of God. Paul said it this way, "Who (Jesus) IS THE IMAGE of the invisible God...by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers...and ye are complete IN HIM WHICH IS THE HEAD OF A-L-L PRINCIPALITY AND POWER" (Col. 1:15-17; 2:9-10).

Our English Bible states that man was made "a little lower than the angels." The Greek and Hebrew texts, however, read a little differently — "Thou madest him for a little while lower than Elohim (God)." It denotes not our original state as being a little lower than Elohim, but a lowering into this gross and limited material realm, with the hope of return to that glory we had with the Father before the world was. This beautiful picture of an ancient departure from the Father's glory, followed ultimately by a blessed return, is nowhere set forth more graphically than in Jesus' beautiful Parable of the Prodigal Son. Norene Nicholls shared a precious word in this connection: "Now we come to Ps. 77:10, '...but I will remember the YEARS of the RIGHT HAND of the MOST HIGH.’ This statement was prefaced by the psalmist telling about the overwhelming experiences, troubles, afflictions and castings off, but always there is the thought that he recalls the Father’s mercies, and though the above statement is partly in italics showing it was supplied by the translators, the thought remains that he is remembering something from the past to encourage him in the present. In this case it is the YEARS OF THE RIGHT HAND OF THE MOST HIGH that is being recalled in the midst of the afflictions. The Hebrew word for ‘years’ literally means a FOLD, a DOUBLING, a CYCLE, a REVOLUTION. It does not necessarily mean a year of 365 days, but also it refers to greater periods of time, to cycles of His unfoldings, to revolutions of His power. This then could not simply mean the psalmist was recalling past days or years of his mere lifespan, but rather a calling to mind of something of greater proportion than that. This takes us back into the cycles of God's purposes prior to the earth or even prior to this little time we call the lifespan. This goes into antiquity when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy at the laying of the foundation of the earth. It is away back there when we consented to this lowering into a body of flesh, into this grueling experience under the powers of this present world system. Even then we said 'yes' to the Father's plan and came here with a volume inscribed within us telling us all that was past, present, and future. Back in the rolling cycles before the world was we foresaw all that was to be both in misery and then in consequential glory. Therefore, in the midst of our perplexities we remind ourselves of this and are encouraged. It is the YEARS (cycles) of the RIGHT HAND (the place of blessing and power of the MOST HIGH that we remember. You may state that you do not remember it yet, but we have the assurance that we shall know all things, and this includes all past, present, and future. Revelation is but a remembering. It has been well said that KNOWING IS REMEMBERING, and the fullness of knowledge is the fullness of remembrance. Take courage, for the sons and the priests of the MOST HIGH shall fully know and remember all things!" — end quote.

All who in Christ come to God's image are destined to share that awesome dominion, seated together with Him, far above all principality and power. The reason so many people fail to attain to great heights in the Spirit is because they are unable to see God's purposes, and therefore they have no particular incentive to seek the great heights that are IN HIM. So many Christians are far too taken up with carnal ideas and childish notions about mansions in the skies and harps and white nightgowns and sitting on clouds eating pork chaps with nothing to do and all eternity to do it in, to be able to see the true purposes of God at HIS RIGHT HAND. Simply speaking, the purpose of God is that we might reign with Him, and to reign is to exercise authority for God — to rule all things. Paul tells us that we are to seek those things which are ABOVE — WHERE CHRIST SITS AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD. This means that we are to SEEK THE THINGS OF THE RIGHT HAND! Reigning with Christ must become one of the great goals in the life of every man or woman who has received the call to sonship.

THE TRIUMPH OF THE RIGHT HAND

Thy right hand, O Lord, is become glorious in power" (Ps. 15:6). While it is difficult for us to conceive of God becoming something more than He already is, and as to His nature there can never be any change, yet the Spirit reveals that the RIGHT HAND of God had not previously been all that it was when the children of Israel triumphantly marched dryshod through the Red Sea, for the prophet speaks of a day wherein the right hand of the Lord "is become glorious in power", denoting a process in the UNFOLDING of the power of His right hand in the midst of men. And, while the right hand of God is first and foremost the realm of God's almighty power and authority, His right hand became glorious in power when it was revealed in mighty signs and wonders through the person of the man Moses. Now there has been a wonderful enlargement in the revelation of God's right hand, for Jesus Christ has been exalted to the realm of the right hand, and there shall be a further enlargement, for the promise is sure, "To him that overcometh will I grant to SIT WITH ME IN MY THRONE, as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne" (Rev. 3:21). Thus Jesus was able to say, "ALL POWER is given unto Me in heaven and in earth" (Mat. 28:18), and again, "But YE shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you" (Acts 1:8). God's right hand is BECOMING A PEOPLE, the Christ, Head and body, a many-membered SON OF THE RIGHT HAND, and the manifestation of God in this RIGHT HAND COMPANY shall BECOME even more glorious in power as the appointed hour for the unveiling of the sons of God arrives. These shall not only declare His Word, but have authority and ability to see it established in the earth and in all realms. When the power of God arises in all fullness in His body of sons, and He is exalted in the people He has prepared, how unspeakably glorious and honorable He will be in the eyes of His creation!

"O sing unto the Lord a new song; for He hath done marvelous things: His RIGHT HAND and His holy arm, hath gotten Him the victory. The Lord hath made known His salvation: His righteousness hath He openly showed in the sight of the heathen. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. Let the floods clap their hand: let the hills be joyful together before the Lord; for He cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall He judge the world, and the people with equity" (Ps. 98:1-3, 7-9). Think of it — His enemies submit, the nations are ready to worship Him, and sing to His name, the ends of the earth all shall turn to Him, because His right hand shall do marvelous things, and He shall make known His salvation to all!

Truly, beloved, this RIGHT HAND COMPANY will get Him the victory! There is no doubt about it — no devil, no wicked men, no hostile nations, no massive armies can stop this company from doing the things God has declared they will do, and because of their ministry, the nations will be joined to the Lord and sing His praise. As the work of restoration progresses, what harmony, what glorious unity shall fill the universe, as this order of KING-PRIESTS flows together, to gather together into Christ all things in one, till all has been set in array, and God is indeed ALL IN ALL.

How sweet shall be the influence of this RIGHT HAND COMPANY, the POSITIVE FORCE of God's energy, ministering His life, His love, His joy, His peace unto creation. How thankful we are not to be numbered among those called to the LEFT HAND, to walk in darkness, and be vessels of wrath. There is no harshness in the ministry of the right hand — oh yes, even the right hand "dashes the enemy in pieces" — but it is the destruction of the negative qualities that there might be LIFE. These bring correction MINISTERED IN LOVE leading all mankind to the Fountain of Living Water, feeding them in green pastures, causing them to lie down and rest, and not be afraid. Ah, we would SEEK THE THINGS OF THE RIGHT HAND!