Four Square
The term, "four square," implies precision. For
something to be four
square the four sides must all be the exact same
length and the four
corners must be exactly 90 degrees. The works and
buildings of man are
almost never that precise. The most precise
instruments and machine
measurements have some tolerances.
Seven times in the
scriptures we read of things that were to be four
square. The first time is in Ex. 27:1, "And thou
shalt make an altar of
shittim wood, five cubits long and five cubits
broad; the altar shall be
four square: and the height thereof shall be three
cubits. This brazen
altar was where the burnt offering was made. There
was to be a
continual fire burning in the brazen altar and the
lamb or other
sacrifice was to be burnt on this brazen altar. Of
course this ceremony
typifies the sufferings of Jesus on the cross for
his elect people.
The second time four
square appears is in Ex. 28:15, 16, "And thou
shalt make the breastplate of judgment with cunning
work Foursquare it
shall be being doubled" This breastplate of judgment
was worn next to
the heart of the high priest when he went into the
holy place. The
names of the twelve tribes of Israel were inscribed
on twelve stones
that were arranged in rows on the breastplate of
judgment. Thus the high priest bore the names of the children of Israel
upon his heart in
the breastplate of judgment when he went into the
holy place for a
memorial before the Lord continually. This typifies
the Lord Jesus
Christ bearing the elect family of God in his heart
when he entered
heaven itself offering his own blood for their sins
and this offering
being accepted of the Father.
The third time four
square is mentioned is in Ex. 30:1, 2, "And thou
shalt make an altar to burn incense upon of shittim
wood shalt thou make
it. A cubit shall be the length thereof and a cubit
the breath thereof;
four square shall it be: and two cubits shall be the
height thereof: the
horns thereof shall be the same." It was upon this
golden incense altar
that the high priest burned incense when he went
into the holy place.
According to Rev. 8:3, 4 this ceremony pointed to
the intercessory work
of Jesus Christ interceding on behalf of the elect
family of God; "And
another angel came and stood at the altar, having a
golden censer; and
there was given him much incense, that he should
offer it with the
prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which
was before the
throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came
with the prayers of
the saints, ascended up before God out of the
angel's hand." This
harmonizes with Rom. 8:34, 35 where we are assured
that Jesus Christ is
at the right hand of God making intercessions for
all the elect.
The fourth time
foursquare is mentioned is in 1 Kings 7:31. We are
told that in the buildings of the temple there were
ten bases. Also
upon the bases there were borders and engraved upon
the borders were
cherubims, lions, and palm trees. The borders were
foursquare. The
cherubims speak of heavenly messengers; the lions
speak of kings; and
the palm trees speak of victory and rest. Thus the
scriptures given to
us by God thru the heavenly messengers tell us of
our King Jesus, who
thru his redemptive work has gotten the victory over
sin, death, hell and the grave for his elect and
thus they have peace with God thru our Lord Jesus
Christ and furthermore they are made kings and
priests to God.
The fifth time
foursquare is mentioned is in Ezek. 40:47: "So he
measured the court, an hundred cubits long, and an
hundred cubits broad,
four square; and the altar that was before the
house." While various
chambers and buildings and the inner court was
restricted to the
priests, high priest, and prince, the outer court
was open to all the
people. This outer court was foursquare. The
scripture tells us God's
elect are a great multitude that no man can number,
yet the kingdom of
God is said to be a little flock. Today, carrying
out the true worship
of God is a little flock, yet God's elect are an
innumerable host which
no man can number and will ultimately have a home in
the glory world.
The sixth time
foursquare is mentioned is in Ezek. 48:20, "All the
oblation shall be five and twenty thousand by five
and twenty thousand;
ye shall offer the holy oblation foursquare, with
the possession of the
city." This holy oblation of land that was offered
was for all Israel.
Of course Jesus offered himself as a lamb without
spot or blemish that
all the elect family of God will have an holy
possession as heirs of God
and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. Thus we live in
hope of an
inheritance that is incorruptible, and undefiled,
and that fadeth not
away, but is reserved in heaven for you.
The seventh time
foursquare is mentioned is in Rev. 21:16, "And the
city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as
the breadth" The
city consists of God's elect family. Rom. 8:29, 30
describes this
foursquare city: "For whom he did foreknow, he also
did predestinate to
be conformed to the image of his Son that he might
be the firstborn
among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did
predestinate, them he also
called: and whom he called, them he also justified:
and whom he
justified, them he also glorified." Thus God's elect
people lie in the
midst of God's predestination, calling
justification, and glorification.
Notice the precision
of this covenant. All that God chose without the
gain or loss of one are predestinated, called,
justified, and glorified. Truly only God could be
this precise so that none are lost, but all he chose
in Christ before the foundation of the world are
justified by the blood of Christ, called into
spiritual life and glorified in the resurrection of
the body at the last trump. May God be glorified for
his wonderful works toward the elect of God.
God's Name Spirit; Holy Spirit; Holy Ghost
The words, spirit and ghost, are derived from the
Greek word pneuma.
The word, pneuma, denotes wind, breath, air, and
spirit, all of which
are invisible and immaterial. The words, Holy Ghost
and Holy Spirit are
both translated from the Greek, hagion pneuma and
the word, Spirit, is
translated from pneuma in the new testament.
The first mention of
the word, Spirit, in reference to God is found in
Gen. 1:2: "And the spirit of God moved upon the face
of the waters."
In John 4:24 we read, "God is a Spirit: and they
that worship him must
worship him in spirit and in truth." While the
scriptures teach us
there are many spirits in the world, we find that
God is "the Holy
Spirit." The word holy means separate, unique, one
of a kind.
There are several
works of God which He does primarily under the name
"Spirit:"
1. The inspiration of the scriptures.
a. II Tim. 3:16 "All scripture is given by
inspiration of God..."
b. II Pet. 1:21 "For the prophesy came not in old
time by the will
of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved
by the Holy Ghost."
2. Moved the prophets
to prophecy.
a. I Sam. 10:10, 11 "And when they came thither to
the hill,
behold, a company of prophets met him; and the
spirit of God came upon
him, and he prophesied among them. And it came to
pass, when all that
knew him beforetime saw him, behold, he prophesied
among the
prophets..."
b. II Sam. 23:2 "The Spirit of the Lord spake by me,
and his word
was in my tongue."
3. Empowers the gospel
ministry to preach.
a. 1 Cor. 2:4 "And my speech and my preaching was
not with
enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration
of the Spirit and
of power."
b. Rom. 15:19 "Through mighty signs and wonders, by
the power of
the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round
about unto
Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of
Christ."
4. Causes the elect to
be born again.
a. John 3:5, 6 "Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I
say unto thee,
Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he
cannot enter into
the kingdom of God." That which is born of the flesh
is flesh: and that
which is born of the Spirit is spirit."
b. John 6:63 "It is the spirit that quickeneth, the
flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto
you, they are spirit, and they are life."
c. Tit. 3:4, 5 "But after that the kindness and love
of God our
Savior toward man appeared, not by works of
righteousness which we have
done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the
washing of
regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost."
5. Writes God's laws
in the hearts of the elect.
a. II Cor. 3:3 "Forasmuch as ye are manifestly
declared to be the
epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with
ink, but with the
Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone,
but in fleshy tables
of the heart."
b. Rom. 2:15 "Which shew the work of the law written
in their
hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and
their thoughts the
mean while accusing or else excusing one another."
6. Imparts spiritual
gifts to the child of God.
a. I Cor. 12:4 11 "Now there are diversities of
gifts, but the
same Spirit...But the manifestation of the Spirit is
given to every man
to profit withal. For to one is given by the
Spirit...But all these worketh that one and the
selfsame Spirit dividing to every man severally as
he will."
b. I Cor. 14:1 "Follow after charity, and desire
spiritual gifts..."
7. Delivers us from
the law of sin and death:
Rom. 8:2, "For the law
of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me
free from the law of
sin and death."
8. Indwells the heart
of the child of God: Rom. 8:9, "But ye are not
in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the
Spirit of God dwells
in you."
9. Resurrects our
mortal bodies: Rom. 8:11, "But if the Spirit of him
that raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he
that raised up
Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal
bodies by his Spirit
that dwelleth in you."
10. Leads the children
of God: Rom. 8:14, "For as many as are led by
the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God."
11. Bears witness with
our spirit: Rom. 8:16, "The Spirit itself
bears witness with our spirit that we are the
children of God."
12. Helps our
infirmities: Rom. 8:26, 27, "Likewise the Spirit
also
helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we
should pray for as we
ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for
us with groanings
which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the
hearts knoweth what
is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh
intercession for the saints
according to the will of God."
13. Reveals the things
of God to the children of God:
1 Cor. 2:9 13,
"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear
heard, neither have
entered into the heart of man, the things which God
hath prepared for
them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto
us by his Spirit:
for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep
things of God. For
what man knoweth the things of man, save the spirit
of man which is in
him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but
the Spirit of God.
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world,
but the spirit which
is of God; that we might know the things that are
freely given to us of
God. Which things also we speak, not in words which
man's wisdom
teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth;
comparing spiritual things
with spiritual."
Sun of Righteousness
Throughout the pages of the scriptures we find that
God has illustrated
to us great spiritual principles and truths by using
the characteristics
and qualities of things in nature. Accordingly, God
has used the
characteristics and qualities of the sun to
illustrate great spiritual
principles of Jesus Christ.
In this essay we will
compare ten characteristics of the sun to the
person and work of Jesus Christ. First, the sun
arises to drive away
the darkness of the night. Several verses of
scripture compare Jesus to
the rising of the sun:
1. Mal. 4:2, "But unto you that fear my name shall
the Sun of
righteousness arise with healing in his wings..."
2. II Sam. 23:4, "And he shall be as the light of
the morning, when
the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds..."
3. Lk. 1:78, 79, "Through the tender mercy of our
God; whereby the
dayspring from on high hath visited us, to give
light to them that sit
in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our
feet into the way
of peace."
4. II Cor. 4:6, "For God who commanded the light to
shine out of
darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the
light of the knowledge
of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."
5. II Pet. 1:19, "We have also a more sure word of
prophecy;
whereunto you do well that you take heed, as unto a
light that shineth
in a dark place, until the day dawn and the day star
arise in your
hearts."
6. Rev. 22:16, "I Jesus have sent mine angel to
testify unto you
these things in the churches. I am the root and the
offspring of David,
and the bright and morning star."
A few points about
Jesus compared to the rising sun are:
1. Jesus first coming into the world was at a time
of great spiritual
darkness upon the nation of Israel. For hundreds of
years they had been
in captivity (Babylonian, Medo Persian, Greece,
Rome) and for nearly
four hundred years they had no prophet. Their own
religious exercises
had been greatly corrupted both from without and
from within. No wonder
it was said at the coming of Jesus, "They that sat
in darkness have seen
a great light."
2. When a child of God begins to see his own
depravity and
corruptness he cries out in the darkness of his own
heart and soul. It
is into the darkness of this poor sinner's heart
that Jesus shines as
the rising sun driving away the darkness of the
night.
Second, the sun shines
in great strength. Ps. 19:4, 5 compares Jesus
to the strength of the sun: "In them hath he set a
tabernacle for the
sun, which is as a bridegroom coming out of his
chamber, and rejoiceth
as a strong man to run a race." Jesus, as a strong
man, ran the race
set before him. He came to save his people from
their sins. He kept
the law to a jot and a tittle. He fulfilled all
prophecies. He defeated all of our enemies sin,
death, hell, grave, devil. He arose victorious over
the grave. He is the strength of God's everlasting
covenant. He has never failed and never will.
Third, the sun is
consistent in its course. Jesus is compared to the
consistency of the sun in Ps. 19:6: "His going forth
is from the end of
heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it. From
the perspective of
the inhabitants of the earth, the sun rises every
morning and sets every
evening. The sun has a set course and stays on that
course. Our
natural lives depend on the consistency of the sun.
Similarly, Jesus,
as the Son of God changes not. He cannot lie, he
cannot fail or be
discouraged and whatsoever he says is yea and amen.
Because of this
characteristic of Jesus our eternal salvation is
sure.
Fourth, the sun has a
set course or race as previously set forth in Ps.
19:5, 6. So did Jesus Christ, as his course is
outlined in the covenant
of redemption in Rom. 8:28 30. While we are to run
with patience the
race set before us, we have our example Jesus, "who
for the joy that was
set before him endured the cross, despising the
shame, and is set down
at the right hand of the throne of God."
Fifth, the sun is the
brightest natural object from the perspective of
an observer on earth. Jesus Christ has a brightness
that is even
brighter than the sun:
1. Matt. 17:2, "And was transfigured before them:
and his face did
shine as the sun..."
2. Acts 26:13, "At midday, O King, I saw in the way
a light from
heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining
round about me and them
which journeyed with me."
3. Rev. 22:16, "I am the root and the offspring of
David, the bright
and morning star."
Sixth, the sun endures
throughout this timely age. In comparison we
read concerning Jesus Christ:
1. Ps. 72:17, "His name shall endure for ever: his
name shall be
continued as long as the sun..."
2. Ps. 89:36, "His seed shall endure for ever, and
his throne as the
sun before me."
Seventh, the sun gives
off heat to warm the earth. As Ps. 19:4 6 is a
comparison of the sun to Christ, so Christ warms the
heart of his
children with his felt presence from time to time.
Eighth, the sun has
healing qualities. Similarly we read in Mal. 4:2
that the "Sun of righteousness will arise with
healing in his wings."
Jesus has healed the broken hearted, he causes the
spiritually blind to
see, he causes the spiritually deaf to hear, he
heals and cleanses us
from the leprosy of sin, etc.
Ninth, the sun gives
us natural light. In comparison Jesus Christ is
our spiritual light:
1. Lk. 1:79, "To give light to them that sit in
darkness..."
2. Eph. 5:14, "Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that
sleepest, and
arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee
light.
3. II Cor. 4:6, "For God, who commanded the light to
shine out of
darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the
light of the knowledge
of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."
4. Rev. 21:23, "And the city had no need of the sun,
neither of the
moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did
lighten it, and the Lamb
is the light thereof."
5. Rev. 22:5, "And there shall be no night there;
and they need no
candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God
giveth them light:
and they shall reign for ever and ever."
Tenth, the sun has a
brilliance or glory: I Cor. 15:41, "There is one
glory of the sun..." Accordingly, "The God of
Abraham, and of Isaac,
and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified
his Son Jesus..."
(Acts 3:13). Also, Jesus is "the brightness of his
(God's) glory and
the express image of his person (Heb. 1:3). Thus,
"to him be glory and
dominion for ever and ever. Amen."
