The Third-Day Church
Psalm 90:4 For a thousand years in your sight Are like yesterday when it is past, And like a watch in the night.
2 Peter 3:8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
2000 yrs after Christ - As we enter into the third day, the greatest dimension, since Jesus it will be very interesting for us to explore the third day in scripture and extract some principles for us to understand this hour.
• A NEW REVELATION OF GOD – present day truth –comes from the Revelator
Exodus 19:16-18 Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly.
The Israelites had never experienced God in this way before!
Expect a new experience with God unlike anything we have experienced to this point.
• REPENTANCE AND RECONCILIATION
2 Kings 20:5 “Return and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the LORD.
There will be repentance and reconciliation – in leadership and the church – with other Christians
• REVIVAL AND RENEWAL
Hosea 6:1-3 Come, and let us return to the LORD; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight. Let us know, Let us pursue the knowledge of the LORD. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth.
– “A time when Holy Spirit comes to put new life in His People – a spiritual lift”
To prepare us for new dimensions in Himself – and new warfare – a confrontation “after two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up” raise = equip us with all we need – we become renewed – in purity, power and authority James 4:7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
– “that we may live in His sight” – before God’s Face – “He will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth” – to prepare for the harvest
Deuteronomy 11:13-15 ‘And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today, to love the LORD your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, ‘then I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil. ‘And I will send grass in your fields for your livestock, that you may eat and be filled.’
The autumn… rains (also called the early rains) come in September-October, and the spring rains are in March-April (cf. Joel 2:23). Those rains begin and end the rainy season. The rains are necessary to help crops and trees grow, including grain (wheat, flax, and barley), grapevines (wine), olive trees (oil)
*Geshem – Heavy winter rain.
*Yoreh – Early (former) rain.
*Malkosh – Latter rain.
Preparatory rain, former rain.
Prepares the Laborer.
Prepares the Land.
Prepares the Lost.
This rain prepares the ground (heart) for the plough and the planter.
Provisional rain, heavy.
These heavy rains are welcome they fill, cisterns, pools and replenish the springs.
Is 44:3 “for I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon your offspring”
These rains bring the promise of reviving, the product of reviving and the power of reviving.
Perfecting rain, latter rain.
Appears 8 times in the O.T. once in the N.T.- 8 = new beginnings - 9 = spiritual fruition.
Grain = Bread of Life - Wine = Holy Spirit Maturity (wine matures) –
Oil = Anointing or ability to do God things
• REFRESHING
John 2:1-11 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it. When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!” This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.
– launched into His ministry of miracles, water was turned into wine – the third day – what about the miracles etc –, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”
• REPRODUCE IN A GREATER MEASURE
Genesis 1:11-13 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the third day.
– Day of reproduction – good – the best word for good
• RELEASE OF RESOURCES
Genesis 22:2-4 Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off.
14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah - jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.
Moriah means the place to see – His Provision
• RESTORATION COMPLETE
Esther 5:1-2 Now it happened on the third day that Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king’s palace, across from the king’s house, while the king sat on his royal throne in the royal house, facing the entrance of the house.So it was, when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, that she found favor in his sight, and the king held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther went near and touched the top of the scepter.
Scepter – rod - ROD
Rod or scepter was the representation of authority of a ruler. The rod would have the name of the ruler inscribed upon it - With the rod Moses:
a. Defeated demon Power. The magicians of Egypt. Ex. 7:8-13.
b. Brought judgment. Plagues. Ex. 7:14-8:19.
c. Caused miracles. Red Sea. Ex. 14:16.
d. Released the Holy Spirit. Water from a rock. Ex. 17:6.
e. Overcame the flesh. Amalek. Ex. 17:9-11.
With the rod Moses exercised government over the Egyptian government
The ROD REPRESENTS THE NAME AND AUTHORITY OF JESUS.
Christ’s rule is made effective when we in the assembly TAKE OUR RIGHTFUL PLACE, RECOGNISE OUR RESPONSIBILITY AND AUTHORITY AND EXERCISE IT on behalf of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Most Christians acknowledge Christ is ruling but how and when is a cloudy issue.
Jesus is ruling NOW through His assembly.
From the ASSEMBLY should come the decrees that effect this world.
When the ROD OF GOD’S AUTHORITY GOES OUT OF THE ASSEMBLY, Kings are deposed, governments overturned, wars are won and lost, and economic pressures are increased or decreased.
FINAL DELIVERANCE OF GOD’S PEOPLE DID NOT TAKE PLACE UNTIL MOSES LEARNT TO USE THE ROD.
The church as the assembly needs to learn how to be the governing body.
