Heavenly Counsels
GOD’s Gathering
For who hath stood in the Counsel of the LORD, and hath
perceived and heard His Word? who hath marked His Word, and heard it?
Jeremiah 23:18
In the Scriptures
we see series of heavenly counsels both in the Old Testament and in the New
Testament.
Hebrews 12:1 mentions “a cloud of
witnesses”. Verse 22 says: “But ye are come
unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the Living God, the heavenly Jerusalem,
and to an innumerable company of angels.”
Verse 23 talks of “the general
assembly,” “Church of the First Born,” God the Judge of all, “the spirits of
just men made perfect” (glorified-saints).
Verse 24: Jesus the Mediator of the New
Covenant and also refers to ‘the Blood of the Lamb’ (Blood of the Covenant).
Waiting on God, knowing His plans, participating in
heavenly counsels and revealing God's plans and will, are privileges for the
sons of GOD.
Early in the morning, the prophet Habakkuk goes right up to
the tower and he stands there, and he looks up to the heaven, waiting for
God—to hear what God would speak to him.
I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will
watch to see what He will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am
reproved (Hab.2:1).
When you wait on God, you will participate in "one"
of 'three gatherings.'
This is one of the privileges of walking with GOD.
Basically, there are ‘three kinds of heavenly counsels,’
but we will be taking a look at only ‘two’.
Two
Kinds of Heavenly Counsels:
1.)
GOD's
Gathering (the Gathering of GOD)
Job 1:6
Job 2:1
Isaiah 6:1-8
Isaiah 42:9
I Kings 22:19-23
This is a gathering of saints in Heaven
(glorified-saints), and saints on earth, caught up in Heaven—and they
participate in this gathering before GOD.
Where proclamations are made.
Where the Will of GOD is made known.
Some of the saints on the earth who wait on GOD, have this
experience.
In this gathering, announcements are made.
In this kind; you participate in “the gathering of GOD”.
2.)
The
Prophets’ Counsel
This is the second kind of heavenly gathering.
Amos 3:7
Jer.23:18
Some of 'the choice prophets of God'
are in the counsel.
True prophets of GOD in the earth are
privileged by the many grace of God to participate in this counsel.
As a member of the counsel, you hear
decisions they make.
And they discuss about issues of
nations.
Elders in Heaven like Abraham, are
usually chosen to chair this counsel.
In this counsel, they discuss matters
already decided in the heavenly courts; from the throne of GOD.
Now,
let’s take a look at the first kind of heavenly counsel: GOD's Gathering (the
Gathering of GOD)
Prophet Isaiah, in his life-time on earth—amidst the days of
his prophetic ministry, took part in some of ‘the heavenly counsels’.
Isaiah 6:1 states, “In the year that king Uzziah died, Prophet Isaiah saw
the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the
temple”
Verse 2 says, Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings;
with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with
twain he did fly.
Verse 3: And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy,
is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.
Verses 4 to 7:
And the posts of the door moved at the Voice of Him that cried,
and the house was filled with smoke.
Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of
unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine
eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in
his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched
thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
In the following verses, Prophet Isaiah records:
Also I heard the Voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send,
and who will go for Us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
And He said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but
understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.
Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy,
and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears,
and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.
Then said I, Lord, how long? And He answered, Until the cities
be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be
utterly desolate,
And the LORD have removed men far away, and there be a great
forsaking in the midst of the land (v.v.8-12).
Verse 13 says, But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it
shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose
substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the Holy Seed shall be
the substance thereof.
Jesus Christ is “the Holy Seed.” For John 1:1 declares: In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He is ‘the express image of the Father’ (Heb.1:3);"the Seed
of Abraham".
The whole Bible is about the revelation of Him.
Jesus Christ Was the Holy
Seed in the Stump of Ancient Israel. In Isaiah 6:13 the prophet paints a picture of the
context in which the Messiah would come.
That is, the Israelite
nation would be felled as a great tree (and indeed it fell to Nebuchadnezzar in
587 B.C.). Only the stump would
remain. Yet from the stump would come
“the Holy Seed”: the Messiah. This “Seed” was first promised in Genesis
3:15, and this promise was renewed in the promises to Abraham (a fact noted by
the apostle Paul in Galatians 3:16).
Indeed by New Testament
times, Israel was a stump, ruled by the great Roman Empire. And just as Isaiah had prophesied, “the Holy
Seed” came from that stump – as the New Testament testifies.
In “GOD’s Gathering”, the Voice of GOD is heard.
“Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I
declare…” (Isaiah 42:9)
GOD’s Counsel stands forever.
The Counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of His
heart to all generations (Psalm 33:11).
In Job 1, we read that 'there was a day when the angels of
GOD came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.
Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present
themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them (Job 1:6).
Let’s see what happened in the following verses:
And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan
answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from
walking up and down in it.
And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant
Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man,
one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?
Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for
nought?
Hast not Thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and
about all that he hath on every side? Thou hast blessed the work of his hands,
and his substance is increased in the land.
But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he
will curse Thee to thy face.
And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy
power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the
presence of the LORD (verses 7-12).
Job enjoyed a five-fold divine protection—an hedge about:
Job
his household
his possessions
the work of his
hands
and, his substance
After this discourse, the divine protection over Job’s
resources, possessions, household, livelihood and influence were removed.
Job in his day, was the greatest of all the men of the east
(read verse 3).
The LORD said unto satan, “Behold, all that he hath is in thy power…
(v.12)”
In verse 13 through 19, we read of the troubles of Job.
In verse 20, Job worshipped GOD.
In Verse 21, he declared: “Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and
naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away;
blessed be the Name of the LORD.”
And, verse 22 says: In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.
Again, on a different day, an angelic host came to present themselves
before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.
Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present
themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself
before the LORD (Job 2:1).
See what followed:
And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan
answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from
walking up and down in it.
And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant
Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man,
one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his
integrity, although thou movedst Me against him, to destroy him without cause.
And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all
that a man hath will he give for his life.
But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh,
and he will curse Thee to thy face.
And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but
save his life.
So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job
with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown (verses 2-7).
GOD commended Job twice before satan (first in chapter 1
and secondly in chapter 2). Notice that in this second time, the LORD went
further to say of Job:
“…and still he holdeth
fast his integrity, although thou movedst Me against him, to destroy him
without cause” (v.3)
In verse 6, the LORD said unto satan, “Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his
life.”
In chapter 1, Job’s wealth, his possessions, his 7 sons and
3 daughters, and his servants were lost.
In chapter 2, satan afflicted Job’s health.
Job’s grief was very great. In chapter 3, he caused the day
he was born.
Remember that Isaiah saw the King, the LORD of hosts on His
throne. He saw the seraphims who cried: "Holy, holy, holy..."
Note also that, in First Kings 22, Micaiah saw the LORD
sitting on His heavenly throne, and all the host of Heaven standing by Him on
His right hand and on His left.
And he said, 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 Ramothgilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that
manner.
And 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 (verses 19-22).
This passage is yet another record of a ‘heavenly
gathering’.
It’s sufficing to note that in some of the gatherings that
take place in Heaven, some fallen-angels are permitted to present
themselves before the LORD; as we read in this passage. And there came forth a spirit, and stood
before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him (v.21)
‘The spirit that came forth’ became ‘a lying spirit in the
mouth of Ahab’s prophets’ (v.22).
This plot succeeded because the LORD said, “thou shalt
persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so” (v.22).
The death of Ahab in Ramoth-gilead was recorded in verses
29 to 35.
Micaiah prophesied against the false prophets saying that a
lying spirit has spoken through them to persuade the king to go up to his
death, which is certain anyway.
Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the
mouth of all these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil concerning thee
(verse 23)
The prophets don’t take kindly to the indictment and one of
them in verse 24 actually strikes Micaiah with his hand.
GOD’s Counsel prevails over the will of men; His
proclamations brings the counsel of the heathen to nought. Psalm 33:13 says: The LORD
looketh from Heaven; He beholdeth all the sons of men.
From the place of His habitation He looketh upon all the
inhabitants of the earth.
Psalm 33:14
The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he
maketh the devices of the people of none effect.
Psalm 33:10
There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man
is not delivered by much strength.
An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver
any by his great strength (Psalm 33:16-17).