FIRE!

Huge wildfires are consuming large territories in California. These fires are so large, that the smoke from them has spread to Kansas. The heat of the fires is so intense, that the fires are creating their own weather systems of dark clouds, thunder, lightening, and even fire tornadoes*. Nothing like them has been seen for many years.
The Lord has fire also, and as frightful as the size of the California fires are, His fire is greater. God is even called "a consuming fire" (Deut. 4:24, 9:3, Heb. 12:29).
God called to a man, who had exiled himself in the desert, from out of a burning fire. He called Moses to return to Egypt and be His deliverer of His enslaved people.
The LORD led His people out of Egypt and into prophetic promise with a column of fire by night, and a column of smoke by day.
God appeared to His people on the top of Mt. Sinai, having set the top of that mountain on fire. In the midst of this terrifying fire, rumblings, dark clouds, thunders and lightenings were created. Out of this fire, the LORD spoke to Moses and His people, and entered into covenant with His people unlike any covenant that had gone before, and delivered His Word to them to keep for all generations, to keep for us (Deut. 5:2-5). He gave them this fiery image also as a prophetic promise that He would forge an even better covenant (Heb. 8:8-10) with us through blood and fire, which we will see later.
It is also by this fire that the LORD receives the offerings and prayers of His people (Lev. 9:23-24).
In another example, God turned a whole nation back to Him in a demonstration of His fire. The people had been worshipping a demonic god, who demanded that they sacrifice their living children to him in fire. The prophet Elijah called for God to receive the prophet's lawful offering by answering with fire from heaven. God's fire came down from heaven and not only consumed the prophet's offering, but also the water with which the offering had been doused. The demonic god, on the other hand, never answered the challenge, though his worshippers tried to draw him with their own blood (1 Ki. 18:21-39).
John the Baptist associated the Messiah with fire:
"I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire."  Lk. 3:16-17
A few weeks after the resurrection of Christ, and exactly 49 days, or 7 weeks, after Passover, when Jesus, the Lamb of God, was crucified, the disciples met together in an upper room, above the tomb of King David in Jerusalem.  Including Passover,the 50th day counted is the Feast of Weeks, also known as Pentecost (meaning "50"). An account is given of the fire of God that descended on that day from heaven:
"When the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."  Acts 2:1-4
Often we interpret the phrase "they were all with one accord" in "one place" as meaning that everyone there was in agreement with each other, and physically assembled together in the same place. We have often relied upon this interpretation in praying for revival, which is a move of the Holy Spirit, and even for group prayer of any kind. However, the Greek words used in these phrases also seem to have a deeper meaning. We have seen in the examples above from scripture that God does not need a group to be gathered together in a united mindset in order to pour out His fire from heaven. We also know from accounts of Holy Spirit revivals in our nation's history, that it did not require a group coming into agreement for it. Single individuals were often involved in the beginnings of great revivals (Jonathan Edwards, William J. Seymour**). So what does it seem to require? Let's look at the meaning of the Greek phrases used in the above scripture from Acts:
"one accord"- homo thymadon- with one passion, with one mind
                                 Root 1: thymos- passion, angry, heat, glow, ardor, wine of passion,
                                               inflaming wine, fierceness, indignation, wrath, rage,
                                               breathe violently
                                 Root 2: thyo- sacrifice, do sacrifice, to immolate, slay, kill (the paschal
                                              lamb), to sacrifice (by fire); blow, breathe hard, smoke
                                              (also used in Mt. 22:4, Lk. 22:7, Mk. 14:12)
                      homo- together, assembled together, the same
                      Root 1: hama- together with (used in 1 Thess. 4:17, 5:10)
                                  close association, at the "same" time
"one place"- autos-himself, herself, the same, together, very (with added force or       
                              emphasis); "again" as in applied to what has been previously mentioned
                    Root 1: aer- (lower) atmospheric region, to blow, breathe unconsciously;
                                        according to Jewish teaching, the lower level of atmosphere filled
                                        with the ruler of the powers, the devil, the prince of demons
                                        (as used in Eph. 2:2, but also used in 1 Thess. 4:17, Rev. 16:17)

Based upon the Greek meanings and root meanings above, I am seeing a different understanding within the words "one accord" and "one place". First of all, the timing of the event is on Pentecost. Pentecost, or Feast of Weeks, by their names, is directly tied into, and determined by Passover, the killing of the Passover lamb, and the crucifixion of our Paschal Lamb of God, Jesus. The root words involved with "one accord" also refer to the sacrifice of the Paschal Lamb, and the sacrifice by fire. The Lamb of God was sacrificed in the fire of the enraged fierceness of those who hated and rejected Him. He was slain and "immolated" in this fierceness of unreasoning hatred. Even Pontius Pilate, though he tried repeatedly, could not reason with, nor placate this unreasoning anger against this man whom Pilate proclaimed as innocent, Jesus. This unreasoning rage cried out, "Crucify Him!". The use of the Greek root "homo/hama" means to be in close association with, to be together with. Those disciples who met in the Upper Room on Pentecost may well have been in close association and agreement with each other, but I think the more important close spiritual association was their togetherness with the crucified and resurrected Christ. The scriptures referred to in other uses of the word "hama" also reflect this:
"Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them (the dead in Christ) in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord....our Lord Jesus Christ who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him."  1 Thess. 4:17, 5:9-10
We are together with each other only as we are together in Christ, in His crucifixion and resurrection.
The use of the phrase "one place" emphasizes the meaning of the previous phrase "one accord", but its root meaning is also pointing us to a level of atmosphere, which had been ruled by demonic powers. However, the Holy Spirit rushes right through that region to come to the disciples. The catching away of the believers in 1 Thess. 4:17 will also occur right in the midst of that region- "in the air (Grk. "aer")". The judgment of God is poured into that region of atmosphere ("aer") in Rev. 16:17, with the words, "It is done!". We can also understand then that Pentecost not only brought the Holy Spirit in fire onto the believers, but also pointed to the victory over powers and principalities that had ruled that level of atmosphere, according to the root meaning of the Greek. The victory occurred in that "one place" through the Holy Spirit.
As I pray for a Holy Spirit revival in myself and my country, I will do so now with these things in mind. Pentecost, as an example for me, was a direct, dependent consequence of the sacrifice of Christ, and I must join together with Him in this, being in one accord, and in one place with His sacrifice and His victory. We cannot separate Pentecost from Passover, the crucifixion of Christ. As Jesus told His disciples, the Holy Spirit is sent by the Father, "in My name." (Jn. 14:26).
Are we prepared to be in one accord and in one place with Christ in His crucifixion? If so, we too shall be baptized with FIRE!

Our Father sends His Holy Spirit and fire in His Son's name.

* https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/08/20/california-wildfires-what-fire-tornado-fire-whirl-fire-cloud/5614981002/

** William Seymour

MustardSeed

Jesus described the power of faith by saying that if we have faith the size of a mustard seed, we can speak to mountains and they will move. We can tell a tree to uproot itself, and it must obey, even to replant itself in the sea. Small mustard seed-sized faith grows into a mighty tree. It is so powerful, that nothing is impossible with faith, even if your faith is as tiny as the size of a mustard seed (Mt. 17:18-20, Lk. 17:6). There is faith in my life, but I know that what Jesus was talking about is on a whole different level. I wanted to look into it more closely.
Without faith, the scriptures say, it is impossible to please God. That pleasing faith is evidenced, according to the scripture, by our coming to Him, because we must believe He exists in order to do that. That faith is in seeking Him, because we believe He will reward us by allowing Himself to be found by us (Heb. 11:6). However, the Word also says that we cannot come to the Father except through the Son (Jn. 14:6), and we cannot come to the Son, except the Father draws us (Jn. 6:44-45, 65). So even this beginning faith spoken of in Hebrews 11, originates in the Father, and the Son, and not in ourselves. Every measure (fraction) of faith that man has, has been given to him by God (Rom. 12:3), so we do not generate any faith of ourselves for which we can feel pride.
The kind of faith I am looking for is found in the Father and Son.
There are two interesting examples in scripture where someone asked Jesus to "help my faith". One example was when Jesus taught His disciples about forgiveness without limits (Lk. 17:3-4). The disciples then said to the Lord, "Increase our faith." (v. 5). Even forgiveness requires faith it seems, and for the disciples, forgiveness in unlimited measure could not be accomplished by a natural kind of forgiveness found in the will of man. It would require something more. Therefore, they went to the Source of faith that they perceived, and asked the Lord to increase their faith.
In another example, a father came to Jesus because his son was being continually convulsed by a spirit which would throw the child into the water, or into the fire in order to destroy him. The disciples of Jesus were not able to cast out this spirit from the child (Mk. 9:17-27). The father asked Jesus, "...if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us. Jesus said to him, If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes. Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" This father perceived that Jesus was the Source of faith. Jesus was able to not only cast the evil spirit out of the boy, but to raise the child up from a death-like condition afterward.
The father of this child must have struggled to find faith to begin with, to hope that his child would someday be healed of this demonic affliction. How much more of a challenge it would have been to find that faith within himself after he had seen that the disciples had failed.
How often do we ask Jesus to "increase our faith", or to "help our unbelief"? I know that I have not often heard this requested, nor prayed this for myself. Faith has become entangled in our pride. We consider faith to be something that we are supposed to have, develop, and exercise of our own strength and understanding. "Don't you have faith??", we might ask someone judgmentally. However, faith is something that pleases God because we come to Him seeking. Jesus said,
"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."  Mt. 7:7-8
Jesus also emphatically told His listeners and disciples that the faith connected to this asking, must be attached to His name:
"And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it."  Jn. 14:13-14
Jesus' Hebrew listeners would have heard Him speak "Shem", referring to His name. This would have a powerful correlation with God for the Jews, to whom His Person is so holy, His name should not be uttered according to their tradition, but is referred to as "haShem", The Name. In Greek, "in - My - name" would be interpreted: (in) in the interior of some whole, within - (My) that which I possess, that which I have proceeding from me- (name) everything the thought or feeling of which is aroused in the mind by mentioning, hearing, remembering the name.
Sometimes, it seems that the phrase, "in Jesus' name", is tacked unto the end of our prayers almost by rote, but I think we end up cutting short the meaning and vital importance of Christ's instruction. The purpose of asking in His name, according to the verse from John 14, is so that the Father may glorified in His Son, not even by our prayers, but in the Person of His Son. The Person of Jesus, who IS our faith, who IS our hope, who is ever our intercessor before our Father, and is also the author and finisher of our faith, and prayer:
"...let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author (author, chief leader, pioneer, predecessor, example, beginning, origin, that by which anything begins, to be the first to do anything) and finisher (perfector, one who has in his own person raised faith to its perfection and so set before us the highest example of faith; to make perfect, complete, carry through completely, to accomplish, to add what is yet wanting in order to render a thing full, to be found perfect, consecrate, wanting nothing necessary to completeness, full grown, mature) of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."  Heb. 12:1-2
One of the words used to mean "faith" is the Hebrew word aman. Aman includes the meaning "to go to the right hand". Jesus is positioned in the place of faith.
I think that in teaching His disciples about faith the size of a mustard seed, He was telling them that something that powerful, even in that tiniest amount, is not something that comes from man, but to seek it from where it is generated- Himself. In Gal. 2:20 (KJV) Paul speaks about the life he lives now in the flesh as he is crucified with Christ, "I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." It is not his own faith that fills Paul's life, but the faith of Christ. This is the kind of faith that Jesus expected in His disciples - His own.
Romans 10:17 says, "So then faith comes by (ek-out of, from, proceeds, denotes origin, the point whence action or motion proceeds) hearing, and hearing by the word (rhema- uttered by a living voice, spoken word, speech) of God."
The end result, faith, in the above verse comes from the origin or source: God Himself, and His Son, Who is the Word of God.
Even the Holy Spirit is sent by the Father in His Son's name (Jn. 14:26). We are believing in a much needed reviving, restoring, renewing move of the Holy Spirit in these times. The faith for that revival is expressed through our prayers, but the source, or origins of both the faith, and the sending of the Holy Spirit, is in the Son's name.
From what I have found, the faith that I am seeking is not something I can will or decide or create into my life. It is not an act of man, but of the Father, and Son. Considering how powerful faith is, even in the tiniest amount, this shouldn't come as a surprise to me. Now, I can go directly to the Source, and start believing through HIS faith, which is perfect and complete. By this kind of faith, indeed all things are possible.

Our Father has revealed the Source of miraculous faith, even the size of a mustard seed.

Challenge

    image: hydrogen bomb detonation

In our arsenal of spiritual weaponry, there is powerful, ultimate weapon to which we have been given access. As we advance further into these troubled times before Christ's return, it becomes even more important for us to become familiar with this weapon. It is a weapon against which no enemy can succeed. It is a weapon that overcomes all circumstances. It is a weapon that is both offensive and defensive. One thing that makes it so effective, is that no one would suspect it to be a weapon.
However, let me warn you from the beginning - deploying this spiritual weapon is not easy, and requires a great deal of practice beforehand, or it will not be available to you when you most need it. The sooner we begin practicing, the better.
My friend sent an article about a fellow believer, actor Kirk Cameron*, entitled, "The Crucifixion of Kirk Cameron". The actor had been heavily criticized on social media because he had answered a question truthfully, and according to scripture, regarding a controversial subject that was posed to him while appearing on a TV program. He became vilified publicly because he answered the question according to his personal belief and understanding of scripture. Many others have had similar experiences because they have spoken scriptural, unchanging truth in an age when many do not accept it. The world prefers a relative kind of "truth" that changes with the whims and ages of man, but scriptural truth does not change, as God does not change. Jesus said to His Father in heaven, "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth." (Jn. 17:17, 1 Ki. 17:24). The truth of God's Word is so powerful, that it sanctifies us. It is able to change the profane, into the holy, and shame into glory.
We all can see that the days ahead for people of faith are going to be very difficult. Jesus warned that we will be hated by the world, because the world hated Him.
As I read the article about Kirk Cameron, it became a learning moment for me. I wondered how it would be possible to have peace in such a difficult moment, and I thought, that the world couldn't crucify someone, if he or she has already crucified themselves. I saw that this very thing is an ultimate weapon in our spiritual warfare: the crucifixion of self.
There are many verses that teach the necessity of crucifying ourselves, or dying to self. I am convinced that these verses are not referring to our suffering in this world, or some kind of monastic, religious self-flagellation. Like all of Christ's teaching, these verses are meant to free us, and empower us. "Crucifying self" is not about material things we might have lost, or even sacrificed. It's not about being betrayed, persecuted, hurt, wronged, or offended. That can certainly be very difficult, but the challenge is even greater than that. In the truth of these verses, we leave behind our own identity, and enter into His identity. However, leaving behind our own identity, who we are as an individual, which we tend to think is very important, is not easy to do. We hold on to self like we hold onto our physical lives. Who are we if we are not "self"? Scripture will give us that answer also. 
John the Baptist spoke about the process of self-diminishing when he said in regard to Jesus, "...this joy of mine is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease. He who comes from above (the Hebrew word is "al", meaning place of ascent, exaltation, ascend before God, to cause to ascend; to be offered) is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all." (Jn. 3:29-31). Some may think the Baptist was only speaking about his future death, or the receding of his own ministry before the ministry of Christ, but these words of his encompass a deep richness of spiritual truth, even beyond those things. We remember that baptism, itself, with John using it in the ministry of repentance, is a baptism into death as we are lowered into the water, with the subsequent rising from the water being a resurrection from death (Rom. 6:2-4). Repentance certainly fits the concept of diminishing one's self, dying to self, or humbling one's self, before God.
This spiritual death also overcomes the power of sin and physical death over us (Rom. 6:6). This is another reason that makes it an ultimate defensive weapon.
The following are just a few additional scriptures that deal with the idea of crucifying self. There are many more. The shear number of them witnesses to their importance in the Christian walk.
After Peter rebuked Jesus when He showed His disciples that He would have to go to Jerusalem to be killed and raised, Jesus in turn rebuked Satan as an offense to Him- Satan who is not mindful of the things of God, but of men. Jesus then said to His disciples:
"If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself (aparneomai- affirm no acquaintance or connection with, to forget one's self, to lose sight of one's self and one's own interests), and take up his cross (daily), and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find (save) it... And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple....is not worthy of Me."  Mt. 16:24-25, Lk. 14:27, Mt. 10:38-39 (Lk. 9:23-24)
I'm sure the meaning of the above verses also includes the idea of being willing to physically die for our faith in Christ, but the meaning of the words "deny himself" in the above verse goes beyond that. According to the Greek word used, this command means to turn away from our own identity, our own "selfness", which is a form of spiritual death.
More scriptures:
"And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." Gal. 5:24
"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in (of) the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."  Gal. 2:20
"I affirm...I die daily."  1 Cor. 15:31
"Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him....reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Rom. 6:11
"...that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness..."  1 Pet. 2:24
New Testament scriptures also teach about putting off (meaning "wholly put off from one's self: denoting separation from what is put off")  "the old man", as the only way to attain "the new man" (Eph. 4:22-24, Mt. 9:16-17). It is not possible to belong to Christ while clinging to the "old man". It is not possible to be both the "old man" and the "new man" at the same time.
These verses above, and the idea of dying, or crucifying ourselves, does not begin with trying to force our bodies into something. I think the beginning point must be what Christ said when He began His teaching: "deny yourself", and the Greek meaning of that phrase. Once "self" dies, the rest of the "death", will follow. I would like to look and learn from some examples of this in scripture.
Some time after his conversion experience, Paul changed the way he referred to himself . He called himself "Paul" instead of his name "Saul". "Saul" means desired, asked for, to demand. "Paul" means small or little. In 1 Cor. 15:9, the Greek word used as Paul describes himself means "least, less, smallest, very little. In Eph. 3:8, he puts additional emphasizes on this idea, and the different Greek word used means "less than the least, lower of the lowest, far less". How many of us would truly think of ourselves in this manner? In relating one of his greatest revelations, Paul's experience of being caught up (harpazo- seize, pluck, pull, take away (by force)) to the third heaven, or Paradise, he uses no name, but says "I know a man" (2 Cor. 12:2-4). He alludes to us that the experience belonged to him, but he does not want to attach even his "person" or self to it, because the very nature of "self" and identity would lessen its magnitude.
Another example of the power in the diminishing or denying of self, comes from the greatest king of Israel, David. David had much to identify him, and many accomplishments in the natural realm. He was not only a king prophetically chosen and anointed by God, but he was one of the mightiest warriors in the history of Israel. He received the promise from God, which was overwhelming to him, of an eternal kingdom, by the Messiah to come through his own line, or house. He received from God, the plans for the building of the house of God. He received revelation and prophetic knowledge, evidenced also in the psalms he wrote (example Ps. 22). Yet in one of the most well known and beloved of his psalms, Psalm 23, David the King becomes a spiritual sheep. Having been a shepherd himself in his youth, David is very familiar with sheep, and their lack of "esteem" in the chain of the animal kingdom. They have their uses, but they are neither powerful, majestic, nor regal in any way. They have no individual identity, because they are herd animals. They are not strong, nor equipped with natural weapons or defenses, and must rely totally upon their shepherd for protection. However, in becoming a spiritual sheep under his heavenly Shepherd, David realizes that he has entered into a different realm. It is a realm of rest, comfort, safety, lack of want and miraculous provision, restoration, paths of righteousness, no fear because even the power of death has been removed, the anointing of oil that makes him shine with glory, goodness and mercy that will follow him all of his days as a sheep, and his forever home in the house of God. What a powerful, freeing understanding for David! I want to reach for it, and attain it.
We can easily see how the denying of self is a valuable defensive weapon, but how is it the ultimate offensive weapon? The Book of Revelation shows us this "denying of self" as part of an all-overcoming weapon, even over the greatest demonic power:
"And they overcame him (the great dragon, serpent, Devil, Satan, accuser of the brethren) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death."  Rev. 12:11
The denying of self is our ultimate weapon, both offensively, and defensively. It is a weapon that we will need in the days to come. Though we may think we have the mastery of it, and that we are applying it in our lives, I think we may be falling far short. Speaking for myself, I know that I have not yet attained the glory and the freedom of the command of Christ, "...deny yourself". Time to start practicing with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Our Father calls us to deny ourselves; to decrease so that His Son may increase in us.

*Kirk Cameron

LockedHorns

A short lesson from nature:
We have an expression about "locking horns" with someone. It means that there is an argument going on between two people, with each individual doing his best to win the argument. The expression comes from an occurrence in nature involving two male animals with antlers or horns coming together to establish dominance for mating privileges.
I saw a nature show in which a farmer called the local game warden because he found two dead deer on his property. The farmer was concerned that hunters were trespassing on his land to shoot deer. The game warden arrived and the farmer took him to the location of the dead animals. The game warden saw the strange sight of two dead bucks lying side by side. When the warden examined the dead bucks, he found not a mark on them.
The puzzled farmer asked the warden, "What killed them? Why are they laying like that, side by side?"
The warden answered, "These two bucks had locked horns with each other fighting for dominance, but then they couldn't get their antlers apart. Deer are creatures that need frequent watering (see also Ps. 42:1), and these animals, locked together like this, were unable to get to their water source. They died of thirst, still locked together side by side."
Do you find yourself repeatedly locking horns with someone over the Gospel, over the Bible? Do you each struggle for dominance in the argument regarding belief, or unbelief?
Jesus called us to preach, teach, witness, and minister (Mt. 28:18-20, Mk. 16:15-18), but that doesn't require us to "lock horns" with anyone.
Scripture urges us not to engage in strife and debate, calling it unprofitable and useless:
"The beginning of strife is like releasing (slip away, remove oneself from, separate) of water; Therefore stop contention before a quarrel starts."  Prov. 17:14
"It is honorable for a man to stop striving, since any fool can start a quarrel."  Prov. 20:3
"...pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord with a pure heart. But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will."  2 Tim. 2:22-26
"...those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men. But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless."  Titus 3:8-9
This does not mean that we should cease to speak truth. These verses address the way not to go about it. There are those who seek to argue with us in order to justify themselves. We humbly offer the truth, and refuse the indulgence of argument and debate with them.
We who love the Lord and His Word long for all to know the wonders of salvation. However, we also understand that salvation, repentance, and belief are works of the Holy Spirit in a life, not the work of man, and certainly not a work of wrangling and domination. We are called to plant seed, but the battle for the soul belongs to the Lord.
Doctrinal disagreements between believers are also not usually successfully settled by argument, accusation, condemnation and debate. In fact, these very things often serve to harden the heart of the hearer, not to save, heal or deliver it. Those with whom we are arguing can become entrenched in their position, rather than willing to consider what we are saying. Paul said regarding the differences and strife over spiritual leadership that had developed between believers:"I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase."  1 Cor. 3:6-7

By "locking horns" repeatedly with loved ones, friends, neighbors, co-workers, we may not be easing them toward salvation and truth, but in many cases, we may be causing them to become hardened and resolute against the Gospel, and thereby setting them up for the judgment of God. Is this what we really wish to accomplish? We need wisdom, or we will do more harm than good.  We may leave the person in a worse spiritual condition than when we found them.
Sometimes we strive and lock horns not only with others, but with God. We often strive against what we view as obstacles and hindrances, but God is greater than any obstacle or hindrance:
"Be still (also interpreted as "cease striving"), and know that I am God;  I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!"  Ps. 46:10
It is a constant challenge in our walk of faith to trust the Lord with our whole heart in all things, and not to depend and trust in our own understanding (Prov. 3:5).
In these times in which we live, we are often surrounded by debates and contentions over many issues, including issues of belief. We will need wisdom to know how to bring God's truth with a humility and honesty that softens hearts. The strongest argument that we can put forth are the fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-26) that have been developed and are evidenced in our own lives.
We need to keep in mind the lesson of the locked horns.

Our Father has shown us the fruitlessness and destruction of locking horns.

ViewPoint

In the last entry, we looked at a special shelter that God had constructed is a haven for His people in the time of trouble (Psalm 91). I would like to study how our viewpoint affects this shelter.
Through all of the hatred, brutality, injustice, violence, disease, death, "natural disasters", economic upturns and downturns, racism, wars, strife, corruption, political haranguing, thievery, perversion, oppression and depression, whether found in the world or even in the Church, the Lord keeps my eyes fixed on a particular view, and doesn't let me turn my head to the right or the left to see anything else. I am very tempted to turn my head and gape, like a rubber-necker slowing down to look at a disaster scene, but so far, try as I might to look, my head is jerked forward again, and I am directed to "look this way instead". It's like being a race horse that has to wear blinkers to prevent it from getting distracted from the goal - to cross the finish line placed somewhere ahead of it, or a blinkered plow horse that is to keep to the row being worked. As it turns out, I don't think being blinkered is a bad thing.
The Word of God is full of examples regarding where I should be looking, where my viewpoint should be, especially in these times.
Jesus said that the conditions at the time of His return would be like those in the days of Noah: people going about their normal daily tasks, unaware, or disbelieving, that judgment is about to fall. The days of Noah were filled with men's violence against men. Men had become so depraved that only evil filled their hearts and minds continually (Gen. 6:5, 11-13). Where was Noah's viewpoint through this terrible time? His viewpoint was directed by God, not upon the wickedness of men, but upon the shelter from the calamity (v. 14-16). He had to have his eyes focused on God, ignoring all diversions, because he couldn't have built the massive ark any other way. We don't know that he was even a shipbuilder, but God had appointed a work for Noah to complete before the judgment was to begin. God's covenant was with Noah (v. 18), and this shelter would be for himself and family members. In setting his view and focus upon what the Father planned, was Noah neglecting his spiritual responsibilities to be salt and light, or as a prophet to his generation? Scripture says no (Heb. 11:7, 2 Pet. 2:5). The fruit of his singular focus, which was the gradual building of an ark, which consumed many years of Noah's life, was a witness in itself to those around him. Its purpose was not only to provide a shelter for the righteous, but to condemn the unrighteous world. The world asked, "Noah, why are you doing such a foolish thing when there is no water anywhere around here?" "Noah, don't you see the terrible things going on all around you?" "Didn't you hear that your neighbor was murdered last night by violent men?" "Where is your God now, Noah?" But Noah kept building. There was a terrible judgment coming, but Noah's job was to build an ark, plank by plank- a work that not only pointed to a judgment, but also to the refuge from it.
As Jesus' return nears, it is also accompanied by many horrors and terrors as prophesied, with worse yet to come. These calamities will be the worst the world has ever known (Mt. 24:21). His first coming was also accompanied by terrible conditions and events. The Roman occupiers were brutal. They took captives from the conquered lands like Israel, and brought them to Rome to be slaves. Thousands were crucified along the roadways as a warning and a tool of intimidation against any who might think to "cause trouble". Their rule was oppressive, and they sucked the economic blood out of the territories they conquered, removing riches and taxing the people into poverty. Their governing was corrupt, and "justice" was bought for money, or determined by political considerations. The puppets they put in charge betrayed their own people to serve the Roman interests. Demons had seeming free reign, causing people to lose their minds, even viciously attacking children. Sicknesses were chronic or incurable, so that even physicians and priests could no longer offer relief. Even religion had become monetized, oppressive and violent. One had to believe the Messiah secretly for fear of expulsion and persecution by religious leaders. Towers fell, and innocent people were killed. It was every man for himself as the sick and lame struggled to enter into the healing waters. Even among the disciples of Christ, the son of perdition was present, who stole and betrayed unto death. He was a "wolf in sheep's clothing".
So what did the Holy Spirit lead Jesus to do? Yes, Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit (Lk. 4:18-19/Isa. 61:1-2a; Lk. 4:1), and the Spirit was leading Him in a specific direction. The Spirit was leading Jesus to build an ark or a shelter, which was the kingdom of God, and Jesus did not remove His eyes from that goal. He was anointed to preach the good news to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, the opening of prisons to those who are bound, and to proclaim the acceptable (ratson- good will, favor, pleasing, delight, will, desire, satisfaction, acceptance; root meaning-affection, reconcile self, approve, accomplish, pleased, paid off) year of the LORD.
A multitude gathered to hear Him speak one day. Considering the events and turmoil swirling around the nation, what would Jesus, this rabbi and prophet say? Would He condemn the brutal Roman occupiers? Would He rebuke the corrupt puppet king, Herod, like John the Baptist did? Would He praise Israel for remaining faithful in their worship at the Temple, despite all of the challenges? Would He demand justice for all of those who had been abused and oppressed? Would He lead a revolution against the occupying power, as the Maccabees had done? The multitude waited to hear what He would say to them. They didn't expect Jesus, led by the Holy Spirit, to build an ark:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake."   Mt. 5:3-11
No doubt there were many perplexed and disappointed listeners that day. They didn't hear what they were hoping and expecting to hear. However, if they were listening carefully, they would have heard the building of an ark, a shelter, a haven of spiritual safety within the darkness of evil, and the storm of judgment that was to come against it.
Other listeners on another occasion might have been equally disappointed to hear Jesus say that the first and most important thing to seek, even in those times of brutality, was the kingdom of God, and His righteousness. He promised that everything else they needed would follow that ark (Mt. 6:33). This is where their eyes should be focused.
Jesus was creating an alternate reality through faith. It was not a false reality, but the true reality of the kingdom of God. This is the way we are to understand all things- by faith:
"By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible."  Heb. 11:3
The whole of Hebrews 11 is about men who were not ruled by the things which they could see, but they sought the things that were not yet seen, in spite of what was visible in the natural world. They, after the image of God, through faith, created a new or an alternative reality from things which could not be seen. Paul wrote, "For we walk by faith, not by sight." (2 Cor. 5:7). Faith is the whole basis of the belief that we have. It is impossible to please God without it (Heb. 11:6). Our faith is strengthened or weakened depending on our viewpoint.
Jesus said that when we see all of the calamity happening, and the evil growing worse and worse, even to the point where men's hearts are failing them in fear and expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, our viewpoint is to then change. When we become aware of the appearance of these signs, we are now directed to "look up" with heads lifted up, because our reality, Redemption, is drawing near (Lk. 21:26-28). What is seen when "looking up" differs greatly from what is seen when "looking around". We need that change in viewpoint. We can't build what needs to be built without that change. They see disasters and the fruitless countermeasures of men, but we see Redemption and the power of salvation and creation. This different viewpoint of events creates joy where there is reason for sorrow, and hope and confidence where there is encompassing fear and dread. We are not to be reactive to the world, but proactive in the kingdom of God.
In Psalm 73 King David, of the household of the Messiah, wrote an account of when his viewpoint was changed. His eyes had been on the prosperity of the wicked, and the seeming injustice of it (v. 1-3). He found himself becoming angry, bitter, resentful. He began to think that it was pointless to seek righteousness. His heart was grieved, and his mind was vexed by what he was focusing upon. In fact, he said that his feet almost stumbled, and his steps nearly slipped. However, when he entered the sanctuary (mikdash- holy place, hallowed part, chapel, asylum (which means an inviolable place of refuge and protection), consecrated place; root meaning: holy, prepare, appointed, set apart, be separate, to keep oneself apart or separate) of God, his viewpoint was changed. He began to set his mind upon the things above rather than things on the earth (Col. 3:2, Phil. 4:8). He became filled with the vision of God, rather than the vision of man. The warning to me in this account of David is that our spiritual walk is profoundly affected by our viewpoint.
On another occasion, Jesus spoke about a king planning a wedding banquet for his son's marriage, and how important it was that all invited should prepare to attend. Jesus' listeners could have wondered why attending a wedding was important at such a time as this. Like those who refused the wedding invitation in the parable, they  might think there are more important things with which to be concerned. How could focusing on preparing to attend a royal wedding solve their dire problems? Yet Jesus told them it would.
As those who were connected to Herod (allied with worldly powers) questioned Him about paying the controversial taxes to Caesar, Jesus was not going to be drawn from His viewpoint, which was His Father's kingdom. Instead He examined a coin, saw the image of Caesar upon it, and answered, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." (Mt. 22:16-21).
Jesus talked about the work and the profits the hard Master expected to receive from his servants when He returned. There was a spiritual job to accomplish regardless of worldly circumstances and "wisdom". I'm sure His listeners were hoping instead that He would tell them how to be freed from the hard task masters they already had here on earth, not told to serve another one. However, Jesus was telling them how to escape their earthly servitude. Messiah expects to see what we have accomplished and created through faith in Him, not from a viewpoint of the world. Yet by having our viewpoint on the shelter of the kingdom that Messiah expects us to focus upon, we are serving those on earth who labor, and are heavily burdened in these times.
Jesus talked about the field that was white for harvest, and the laborers that were few. Was Jesus now expecting them to add another task to their already burdened bodies and souls?
No, He was talking about the spiritual work that was to be accomplished during such a time as that... and this. From this viewpoint, we are not denying reality, but creating it, and not just for ourselves, but for many others as well.
Finally, Jesus completed the ark, the shelter of salvation, that He was anointed to build by offering Himself as the Haven in the storm of wickedness, turmoil, and death that swirled around them. This sacrifice was the final nail to be set in what Jesus was building by keeping His eyes on what His Father was doing, not upon what man was doing. From the viewpoint of men, this sacrifice looked like a humiliating death deserved by a sinner, but from the viewpoint looking towards heaven and the Father, it was an act of a righteous Man, creating everlasting life for many.
There is a judgment about to fall, and an ark or shelter for us to build, and like Noah and Jesus, our eyes should be set to the task. Do not be pulled to the right or to the left, but let your viewpoint be directed by Him (Prov. 4:25-27), the Master Ark Builder. There will be those in the world who will be looking for the place that is the haven and the shelter that the Father has built.
If we are following the leading of the Holy Spirit, our work in progress, and of course the completed work, will be a testimony and a prophetic warning to the perishing, but also a shelter, an encouragement, and an asylum to those appointed to everlasting life. It just depends on your viewpoint.

Our Father is showing us where our viewpoint is to be placed.

Shelter

Psalm 91 is a beautiful and powerful of the psalm. It is a psalm about the love and supernatural protection of God towards us through even the most trying circumstances. The writer of Psalm 91 is not named, which is unusual in itself. Jewish tradition says that the writer was Moses. Some Greek translations of the Old Testament attribute this Psalm to David, but we don't know for sure. One thing we can know from its depth and beauty, that as with all of scripture, this psalm's writer is God, Himself.
Another unusual feature of this psalm is that in just the first two verses, which set up the tone and powerful promises of the whole psalm, the LORD is mentioned four times, using four different names. It is an eye-catching detail for me that makes me want to find out why the writer, inspired by the Holy Spirit, was led to use four different names in such a short interval. I think the specific use of these four names also illustrates the emphasis and promises of this Psalm, as we will see. These are the meanings of the four names of God used in these first two verses:

"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High (Elyon- high, upper: of Davidic king exalted above monarchs; Highest; an elevation, lofty in comparison to another; Root meaning: to go up, ascend, come up, depart, rise, meet, visit, to be taken up, taken away, to cause to ascend, to be carried away, to be led up, to be offered, bring, come) 
shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty (Shadday/Shaddai- most powerful, strong, omnipotence; Root meaning: deal violently, despoil, devastate, ruin, destroy, utterly lay waste, thieves by night, to bind, to strengthen, to rush on an enemy).
I will say of the LORD (Yehovah- self-existent one, eternal, 4-letter holy name not to be pronounced; Root meaning: to come to pass, to be established, to exist, abide, continue, accomplished; shall be, to breathe; wait longingly, greatly desire, to bend, to inflect, to turn aside, to lodge, to dwell),
"He is my refuge and my fortress: my God (Elohim- plurality or emphasis upon: rulers, judges, divine ones, angels, the true God; Root meaning: plurality of majesty; goodly, great, Immanuel, strong, mighty, a hero);
in Him will I trust."

The purposeful usage of these four names of God in the opening of Psalm 91, not only brings to mind the four-lettered name of God, יְהֹוָה, but I also envision the names creating a four-sided structure or shelter. The psalmist even connects the names with a physical shelter- a refuge, a fortress. It is within this four-sided shelter of His names that we can abide safely.
In the meaning of the name Elyon, we can see the connection to the identity of the Messiah, the Davidic king exalted above all other kings. Since this Davidic king has been exalted above all other kings, we know that there is no spiritual or earthly authority or power that can exceed His. The shelter formed in part by this name, Elyon, is a shelter in which the greatest King of all also dwells. Can there be a safer place to dwell? We are told by the use of this name, that this shelter exists in the highest of the heavenly realms. We know from scripture that this exalted Davidic King, or Messiah, who is Jesus, also ascended to the highest place (Mk. 16:19-20, Phil. 2:5-11), in the same manner as is contained in the name Elyon. Not only has He ascended to this highest elevation, but He has caused us to ascend also, spiritually, even while we are yet here on earth (Eph. 2:6-7). We will also physically ascend to meet Him in the clouds (1 Thess. 4:17). We will be taken away to be in the place where He is. An offering given and received is also associated with the meaning of the name Elyon. Jesus embodied this meaning by His willing death on the cross as a sin offering on our behalf, which His Father was pleased to receive.
Another part of the shelter I am seeing created by these four names of God, is found in the meaning of the name Shaddai. Shaddai is the most powerful in all existence. He is willing and more than able to utterly destroy all enemies for our sake. He is like "a thief in the night", out-waiting, out-planning and out-ambushing His enemies. Jesus' return is also described as being like that of "a thief in the night" (1 Thess. 5:2-3, 2 Pet. 3:9-10), in order to deal with the ungodly, to establish His government, and to seek vindication and retribution on behalf of His Father, and for those who are called by His name. Shaddai calls us into His fortified shelter while He is more than able to confront and defeat all enemies:
"Your hand will find all Your enemies; Your right hand will find those who hate You. You shall make them as a fiery oven in the time of Your anger; The LORD shall swallow them up in His wrath, and the fire shall devour them...For they intended evil against You; They devised a plot which they are not able to perform. Therefore You will make them turn their back; You will make ready Your arrows on Your string towards their faces."  Ps. 21:8-12
His power, or omnipotence, is without limit and without parallel. Shaddai can bind up even the strongest adversary (Mt. 12:28-29). There is no enemy that would survive an attack against the shelter created by the name Shaddai.
The name Yehovah is also used to construct this shelter that I have envisioned. It is an appropriate name to use here because the name means that God is the dwelling place for His people. The name Yehovah tells us that God is self-existing. He doesn't rely on any person, time, place, or circumstance to exist. He is the breath of life Himself. The shelter built of this name is the same. It is an eternal dwelling place, as eternal as God Himself. It cannot be destroyed. It is a shelter built, like the meaning of His name, from God's longing and great desire for us as He waits for us to come into it. Yehovah also includes the meaning "to abide". Jesus told us repeatedly to abide in Him, and to abide in His Word (Jn. 15:4, 6-7, 10). The psalmist wrote, "I will say of the LORD...", and I believe that the LORD waits with longing for us to say His most holy name. He bends, inflects and turns aside at the sound of His sheltering name in our mouths. He encloses us in the shelter established in this holy name. It is a place wherein we are longingly awaited by the One who desires to dwell with us above all else (Ex. 25:8, 29:45, Rev. 21:2-3). You will not be rejected, or turned out (Jn. 6:37) of this shelter built from the name Yehovah, for "whosoever shall call upon the name of the LORD (Yehovah) shall be saved." (Joel 2:32, Acts 2:21, Rom. 10:13). Yehovah told us His holy name, which He commanded Moses to say to the children of Israel (Ex. 3:13-15), so we could know it, love it, believe it, and be delivered by it. In fact, this commandment to Moses concerning the name Yehovah was a divine restoration of that name to Israel. Men's calling of that great name occurs even earlier with the birth of Seth's son, Enosh (meaning "man, mankind") (Gen. 4:26). I will call upon this wonderful name, Yehovah, and its eternal self-existing power to deliver us, and to provide shelter for us.
The fourth name, Elohim, of which my envisioned shelter is also built, indicates plurality and emphasis in its meaning. It is the plurality of the greatness of the Godhead, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, which in an unbreakable unity (Deut. 6:4, Jn. 17:21-23), adds up to a glorified majesty beyond what we can think or imagine:
"...to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above (Grk: hyper perissos hyper- over, beyond, above/beyond measure, out of measure, superadded, extraordinarily, magnificently/over, beyond, above) all that we ask or think..."   Eph. 3:20
The name Elohim is also associated in meaning with the name of the Messiah, Immanuel (Isa. 7:14), which means "God with us", and also refers to the head, the top, the summit. If God be with you and for you, enclosing you in the shelter of His name, Elohem, who then can be against you (Rom. 8:31-33)? He rules and judges, and He is the mighty Hero within whose name we can shelter.
The plurality of the name Elohim also includes the innumerable angelic beings of heaven. A shelter composed of the name Elohim brings with it all of the heavenly host. An account in scripture tells of the enemy Syrian army searching for Elisha the prophet of Israel, who had prophetically seen and revealed the secret plans of the Syrian king against Israel. The prophet's servant was terrified when he saw the Syrian army approaching to capture himself and his master. Elisha said, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." The servant's eyes were opened, and he saw. "And behold the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha." (2 Kings 6:8-17). Elisha and his servant were in that spiritual shelter, a secret place, surrounded by the fiery heavenly host told of in Psalm 91 (v. 11-12), created in part by the name of God, Elohim.
We do not take these names of the LORD lightly, or tempt God with our misuse of His merciful protection and deliverance by having an attitude of foolishness, pride and arrogance. Jesus taught us that as He confronted the Devil's temptations with the Word of God (Mt. 4:5-7), but Jesus also assured us of this shelter of God, saying that He, Jesus, has prepared a place for us (Jn. 14:2-3), and that our place is with Him (Jn. 17:23). He encouraged us to enter into the secret chamber when we pray to our Father who is also in a secret place (Mt. 6:6 NKJV, Mt. 6:6 KJV). Could Jesus have been speaking of the same secret place as the writer of Psalm 91? I think so.
The LORD promises us in Psalm 91 that His shelter, even though it exists in the highest heaven, is a spiritual, eternal shelter which is also available for us while we are still on earth. This shelter is created within four names of God:

"He who dwells in the secret place of Elyon

Shall abide under the shadow of Shaddai.

I will say of Yehovah, "He is my refuge and my fortress;

My Elohim, in Him will I trust."

 

Our Father has created a shelter for us out of His own names.

Tribes

There is an unusual listing of the tribes of Israel in Revelation 7:3-8 . The scripture notes a special group of 144,000 out of  "of all the tribes of the children of Israel". This group of the tribes of the children of Israel were "sealed" (meaning to conceal, hide, keep secret; seal for security from Satan; to authenticate and place beyond doubt; confirm or attest a thing; to prove one's testimony that he is what he professes to be). There is another reference to 144,000 in Rev.14, but those are described as being "redeemed from the earth", having their Father's name written on their foreheads, and being "the first fruits to God and to the Lamb". These two groups of 144,000 may or may not be the same, but for the purpose of this entry, I will just be looking at the 144,000 from the tribes of the children of Israel mentioned in Chapter 7.
Paul wrote that according to the promise of God, "All Israel shall be saved" (Rom. 11:25-29). He also wrote that the Gospel is to the Jew FIRST, and also the Greek, or Gentile (Rom. 1:16). Jesus said, "Salvation is of the Jews" (Jn. 4:22). Therefore, this listing of the tribes of the children of Israel that John saw in heaven shouldn't surprise us, and we rejoice in the faithfulness of God' promise. We will see that the Jews have always, and will always play an essential part in the Body of Christ.
However, the listing of the tribes of the 144,000 in Rev. 7 is done in an odd manner. It is worded in a very repetitious way, as if the Lord wanted us to pay special attention to each individual tribe. I wondered why it was done this way. As I looked at these tribes in the Greek and the Hebrew, something unusual did indeed come to light. It should also be noted that there is a tribe missing in the listing in Chapter 7, which we will look at later. Let's look at the Greek meanings of the tribes (the Hebrew meanings appear in parentheses) in the order by which they are listed in Rev. 7:
Judah- "he shall be praised". See Rev. 5:12-13
Reuben- "behold a son". See Mt. 3:17
Gad- "a troop" (Hebrew meaning includes: to overcome, to penetrate, to cut
               into, to gash).  See Isa. 53:5, Jn. 16:33
Asher- "blessed"  (Hebrew meaning includes: to go straight, set right, upright). See
             1 Cor. 1:30-31, Phil. 3:9, Rom. 3:21-22
Nephthalim/Naphtali- "wrestling"  (Hebrew meaning includes: struggle, tortuous, my strife).
                                   See Isa. 53:10, Ps. 22, Eph. 6:12-13, Lk. 22:42-44
*Manasses- "forgetting" (Hebrew: to be forgotten, allow to be forgotten, remove). See
                     Mic. 7:19, Jer. 31:34, Phil. 3:12-14
Simeon- "harkening"; a rock or a stone (Hebrew: to hear, obey, yield to, publish). See
               Jn. 12:49-50, Mt. 16:13-19, Ps. 18:1-2
Levi- "joined"  (Hebrew: cleave to, garland, crown). See Jn. 19:2, Eph. 4:15-16, Jn. 10:30,
                        Jn. 17:21
Issachar- "reward" (Hebrew: he brings wages, recompense, he is wages). See
                 Isa. 40:10, Rev. 22:12
Zabulon- "a habitation" (Hebrew: exalted, dwell exaltedly, dwell with, to exalt/honor).
                 Eph. 2:19-22, Phil. 2:8-9, Rev. 21:3
*Joseph- "let him add/Jehovah has added" This tribe is really the half tribe of
             *Ephraim- "doubly fruitful", place of fruitfulness, cause to bear fruit. Another name
                               for Bethlehem. See Mic. 5:2, Jn. 15:5
Benjamin- "son of the right hand" (Hebrew: to choose the right, son of the right hand)
                   See Mk. 16:19, Lk. 22:69, Acts 2:32-33, Eph. 1:19-21, Eph. 2:6

*Two half-tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim, whose father was Jacob's son, Joseph. Their mother was Joseph's Egyptian or Gentile wife, Asenath (Gen. 46:20). However, in the above listing, these half/Gentile tribes are treated as full tribes.

As we can see, the Gospel is clearly represented in the meanings of the names of the tribes of the children of Israel. Not only are the Gentiles included in the half-tribes, but the Gospel would be very incomplete without the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Their presence is essential. 
As I mentioned earlier, however, although the verses in Rev. 7 say that all the tribes of the children of Israel are sealed, there is a tribe missing in the listing of the tribes. It is the tribe of Dan. This seemed to be very odd. Why leave out this tribe? We can guess at this mystery when we look at the meaning of the name "Dan":
Dan- "a judge" (Hebrew meaning: to judge, contend, plead, execute judgment, to govern, to subdue, to subjugate, to rule, to regulate. The Hebrew root word adon means: lord, master, king, owner, Lord of the whole earth, prince, Lord of lords, "thy husband YHWY", father, priest, captain, husband, ADONAI). See Phil. 3:21, 1 Pet. 3:22, Jn. 5:22, Rev. 19:16
Dan is not missing in Spirit, but is obviously represented by Christ. Although neither Christ, nor Dan, are specifically named in the list, all of the other tribes, joined together, manifest Christ. All of the other tribes in the list, both Jews and Gentiles, are "sealed"- hidden, concealed, kept secret, authenticated, placed beyond doubt, confirmed and attested to, proven, in that larger identity of Christ.
The tribes listed in Rev. 7 promise us that the Jews are, and must be, among the sealed, but the identities of these tribes when joined together also form a picture of Christ and the complete Body of Christ, manifesting the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Eph. 4:11-16), a mystery previously hidden (see "sealed" above):
"...the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints To them, God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."  Col. 1:24-27
"Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began but now made manifest..."  Rom. 16:25-26
These sealed tribes of the children of Israel preaches to us of the greatest mystery and miracle ever known.

Our Father has sealed all of the tribes of the children of Israel, both Jews and Gentiles, as the Body of His Son. Jesus, the Messiah.