The Feast of Tabernacles is a collection of teachings by Richard Mikelson.

 

These teachings explore spiritual depths of influential texts of scripture,  and of the human condition.

The Drawing of God

The Song of Solomon speaks of the love of the King which causes the Bride to cry out to her maidens:

"Let him kiss me with kisses of his mouth. Truly your affections are better than wine; As for scent, your attars (anointings) are well pleasing; Your name is like attar as it is being emptied out; Therefore, the damsels love you. Draw me after you; let us run; The king would bring me to his chambers. Let us exult and rejoice with you; Let us commemorate your affections as better than wine. The upright love you." Song of Solomon 1:2-4 concordant 

The irresistible power of love comes from our heavenly King's heart for those beloved and betrothed who are drawn into inner chambers of corresponding love. Our heart has been drawn to run after Him. The heavenly One initiated this love that brought us into inner chambers of understanding His Word. Intimate relationship developed, creating a common faith and sincere devotion. He appears as so desirable to us, and so trustworthy, we have been drawn by a deep inner hunger for uprightness. We love what is right. We love to hear the words of His mouth, tenderly communicating in prayer.

He is revealed as sweet odors of anointed oils. People become anointed by knowing Him, beholding Him upon a cross, but it is when we see Him as God’s enthroned King that we are raised to live forever. When we receive HIS SPIRIT, the GIFTS are poured out like rain. We have had the latter rain of the Pentecostal dispensation. This has but increased our desire to be drawn nearer with greater and stronger cords of love, into the great callings of separation from all else.

We are even being made thankful for sufferings that makes us perfect in what is necessary to be strengthened, to arise and run AFTER HIM. Oh, we are not boasting but realize the truth of how helpless we are to run after Him, helpless unless we see how He is drawing us. Little do natural minded men realize what mighty unseen spiritual power is continually drawing, drawing, drawing some people on to His chambers like an irresistible supernatural magnet.

Men comprehend but little of what godliness is all about until His doings are established in their minds. Our callings and election depend upon to what God elects to draw us graciously. God our Father will put a hunger in our hearts that is close to His dearest intent, so we will not be cold and barren. We would not be satisfied with but little of what God has offered.

He constrains us by His Word and Spirit, entering deep into our heart and ever abiding there in our mind, creating more heavenward impulse and upward desire. THE DRAWING OF GOD is already drawing us to what He wants. Not one of us could know God if He did not convict, quicken, deal with, and draw us to Himself. His people have not known enough, so they have been robbed by the well meaning ministers who yet are blind leaders in the faith of Christ.

“Blessed are those who hunger for righteousness.” God graciously puts within us a love for godliness, a love of right, yet His life also desires to have mercy, not sacrifice. When Christians feel the drawing of God within their inner man, in their quickened spirit, it should be counted as cherished fellowship with the Father, the greatest treasure that you could ever find. God desires us to know the deep things that form a closer relationship with Him. We do not look upon these drawings carelessly nor treat them lightly.

The word “draw” comes from Greek words HELKO and HELKUO, found eight times in the New Testament. Passages containing the word convey an idea of force like dragging connected with this word, such as in John 21:6, where we find that the load of fish was so huge that the disciples could not haul it aboard the boat. Even their seasoned muscles were not able to pull the nets up into the boat because of the great weight of fish in the net, for John wrote:

"‘Cast the net on the right parts of the ship and you will be finding’. They cast, then, and they no longer were strong enough to draw it for the multitude of fishes."   John 21:6 concordant

Yet, moments later, Simon Peter hauls the net up to the shore. This again is referring to HELKUO as dragging or "drawing" the net loaded with fish with a force. When the apostle James wishes to describe the manner in which rich men forcibly drag those who are indebted to them to prison, he uses the word HELKO:

"Do not rich men oppress you and draw you before the judgment seats?"   James 2:6

This "drawing," of course, was not with wooing or pleading. It was an act of force that absolutely took no care of the willingness of the person drawn! The poor man might resist ever so much, and he might cry and plead, but he was drawn irresistibly to the place of judgment. It is with precisely this kind of forceful drawing that God draws us into His judgments. Our Lord Jesus talked of drawing everyone to a place when He says:

"And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me!"   John 12:32

And, thank God, people are not just drawn "toward" Him, but UNTO HIM, all the way INTO His enthronement. Jesus Christ was "lifted up" after dying on the cross of Calvary, dying on behalf of a promise of God for all men everywhere. To men of all races, all nations, every creed or color, this promise of God is sure. He will inexorably DRAW ALL MEN, all of us, unto Himself.

This divine plan was called for in the beginnings of the true Church, the body of Christ. Those in the body of Christ have been drawn to Him during the last two thousand year church age. Now, all the existing nations of the earth and vast parts of the unseen places have yet to be drawn to Him as His heavenly host unfold His coming kingdom. Our Lord will keep coming until the remainder of men, all who have ever lived and died upon this planet, will be drawn unto Him.

No one is ever drawn closer to Jesus without God having planned the time and the manner. No one ever really "decides" to accept the precepts of Jesus of his own "free will." Jesus said it is the volition of the Father that moves powerfully and irresistibly upon men and women to trust the Saviour:

"No one can come to Me if ever the Father Who sends Me should not be drawing him."   John 6:44 concordant

"And I, if I should be exalted out of the earth, shall be drawing all to Myself."   John 12:32 concordant

Jesus says that NO ONE comes unto Him apart from the irresistible force of God's drawing. Because of that, the Lord Jesus uses the FORCIBILITY of His Word to IRRESISTIBLY DRAW ALL MEN unto Himself.

"For God has concluded them all in unbelief, that He might have mercy upon all."   Romans 11:32

"Therefore as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience (the) many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall (the) many be made righteous."   Romans 5:18-19

"For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order."   I Corinthians 15:21-23

It is a most beautiful thing when saints of God are united to an open vision that enables them to understand simple and obvious truths about Christ as compared to the makeup of fallen Adamic man. Christ is the last of Adam. Christ can do something for us which Adam could not do. Christ has more power to release us from man’s hellish torments, taking us into the inner desires of the very nature of God. Christ is working within us, causing great and lasting release. His Word has been proven true, whether we believe it or not. The truth we love is that “ALL POWER HAS BEEN GIVEN UNTO THE LORD JESUS CHRIST”.

In view of this marvelous fact, an all-inclusive state of power, Christ within us is enabled to draw an end to the nature of our outer Adamic man. God has overruled from within us to establish His will. God rules heaven and earth, anyway, so no man has power to be a free moral agent. JESUS CHRIST AND THE PEOPLE IN HIS BODY ARE THE ONLY FREE MORAL AGENTS who make right choices and are led to the right conclusions in any matter.

God has made Jesus to be THE RIGHT STANDARD FOR ALL OF US. Praise be to God! The people who are FIRSTFRUITS of His redemptive power are God’s proof of guarantees in a people that are promised to us all. He has promised to save ALL by bringing them to where He is. Thank God! God’s Son is the only free moral agent! Here is another fact the scripture states:

"The wages of sin is death…"   Romans 6:23

Whenever one goes among the churches in the candlestick heavens, one finds someone quoting that scripture and declaring everlasting hell with fire-and-brimstone enthusiasm. Elementary heavens loudly proclaim that verse of scripture to be true, then abruptly twist the meaning of it to maintain that the wages of sin leads to ETERNAL TORMENT.

ETERNAL TORMENT CANNOT BE ANYONE’S PENALTY FOR SIN IF THE BLOOD OF JESUS DOES ACTUALLY ATONE FOR ALL SIN. No man’s punishment in facing God’s judgment is eternal torment because Jesus has conquered Adam’s death. He has made a place where we receive full judgment and conquer all penalties for sin. It should become clear that God is drawing us to look closely at what Jesus has done. He has power to draw us from suffering the torments of death, to forgive us, and to lead us where our debt to the wages of sin is paid. Clearly, the blood of Christ is being applied to the doorposts of our inner spiritual man while here on our earthly journey.

Yahweh became a man, lived as a man, was tempted as a man, suffered as a man, died on a wooden cross, was buried, descended into Hades, and on the third day arose by the power of God. He was raised to now sit on the right hand of the Majesty on high.

We are accepting Jesus's promised Spirit of truth, while most of the sons of Adam are lost paying attention to themselves and reaping the full penalty of obvious sins unto themselves. The work of Calvary is called by them a farce, a travesty, and a sham, yet Jesus is drawing all men unto Himself. Jesus has not failed to redeem those called of Him. He has chosen some to be conformed and found faithful now: 

"Jesus answered and said, ‘Not because of Me has come this voice, but because of you. Now is the judging of this world. Now shall the Chief of this world be cast out. And I, if I should be exalted out of the earth, shall be drawing all to Myself.’"   John 12:30-32 concordant

Jesus is in agreement with God while DRAWING US ALL to a prepared place. He draws all to a city of peace wherein He shines as the King, a Saviour, and yet judge of all of a man’s issues. Only He can make us kind, loving and patient on the inside. He takes us beyond mere mental methods of escaping the tormenting experiences of trauma that people experience.

The Lord is drawing His beloved ones who willingly trust in His provision of insight and understanding. They trust in a relationship that works a deliverance to see what lasting joy and real truth is in oneness with God. Some Christians are growing up in the Godhead, growing to a fuller potential in Christ. Those unwilling to accept the drawing of God now will have to wait for a time, a due time, until He will come in even more convincing drawing power to shine brightly as the SAVIOUR OF ALL.

Judgment

Keys