The Messenger

CONT., page 4

THE MESSENGER

This now brings us to what was in fact the original realization and purpose in this writing: seeing and demonstrating once again the path of the office of the messenger.

We have noted the important coverings pattern of:

Yahshua —> Satan —> Immanuel

But, there is more involved in this transfer process than the covering we see here and have been addressing. Let us now examine the same period of time, only relevant to the Elijah ministry. It is the same pattern, but is:

Judas —> Satan —> Elijah

There are numerous places in the writings at Remnant Bride that address this path of what is actually the transfer of the office of the Elijah. At When Elijah Comes, page 2, you can read one helpful account of this truth.

But in what you are reading now, let us return to the verse we began with, 2 Corinthians 12:7:

Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, the angel Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself!

We have seen that Satan was in fact the angel that was sent to Paul to humble him; and thereby knowing its value, he thus turned three men over to Satan. But knowing this, we also find that the Greek word for “angel” is equally translated “messenger.” In fact, essentially all translate this, “a messenger of Satan.”

So, where else do we find in the New Testament this same Greek word translated in the singular form “messenger”? The answer: in the following three verses.

“This is the one about whom it is written, ‘Behold, I send My messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you’ “ (Matt 11:10).

As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “Behold, I send My messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘make ready the way of the Lord, make His paths straight’ ” (Mark 1:2 & 3).

And may we point out here that Christianity Mark, which is the wilderness period of the church, is the only one of the three that speaks of the wilderness.

“This is the one about whom it is written, ‘Behold, I send My messenger ahead of you, who will prepare Your way before you’ “ (Luke 7:27).

All three of these verses speak in regard to John the Baptist, who came in “the spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17), but was not the fulfilling Elijah (John 1:21). For more about this testimony of John as a type of Elijah, read this first section of When Elijah Comes. But most importantly here, we see that that which is written in 2 Corinthians 12:7—“there was given me a thorn in the flesh, the angel Satan”—could equally be translated “the messenger Satan.”

Of course in Job, Satan served as a messenger to him, just as he served as a messenger to Paul, to the other three men, and even to the Body of Christ. But, his message is as an afflicter and deceiving angel of light. And as that messenger, he has indeed deceived the masses of the Body of Christ. “And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world” (Revelation 12:9). “The whole world” obviously includes the church that is in it. History undeniably proves this. One cannot dispute that when there are 35,000 denominations and sects, there is great disharmonious error in the church, which is most evident today. One thing for certain, Satan has been very effective in corrupting and deceiving the church.

So, let us now in brief manner state more clearly what this transition of the messenger has been. First we will consider the initiator here, Judas. How was he a messenger? To begin with, what were the words of Yahshua to Judas on the night that He was betrayed? In John 13:21, He had just declared, “Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me.” The disciples wondered who it would be, and His answer was demonstrated by dipping a morsel of bread and giving it to Judas. Satan entered into him, and Yahshua then instructed him, “What you do, do quickly.” Judas immediately left to carry out his prescribed mission.

Thus we see that when Yahshua gave Judas this instruction, in truth He sent Him as a messenger. What in effect was Judas about to do? His act would in fact result in the burial of Yahshua into the baptismal waters of death. Just as He had told a reluctant John to baptize Him into a literal water baptism (Matthew 3:14-15), so He likewise told Judas to effect the true baptism that He had to pass through as well. But in truth, Judas was as much a messenger sent by God (with Satan now in him), as Satan was a messenger sent by God to afflict Job. And as addressed in a select Addendum, it was in fact with Judas that the Elijah ministry began. John the Baptist was a type of the Elijah work that is fulfilled by Judas, followed by Satan (again, Satan had entered into Judas), and will culminate with the fulfilling Elijah who prepares the way for Immanuel’s coming. In truth, Judas was the “death,” Satan was the “burial,” and the Elijah is the “resurrection.” Furthermore, even as Judas buried Christ into death, so Satan has buried the Body of Christ into death. And one last point, it is most affirming that Judas had the money box, a fitting preluding responsibility for an office that would go to the one who possessed all the kingdoms of this world.

Thus we see that the duty of “the messenger” thus far has been for the purpose of corrupting and afflicting death. But, this has to change. In Malachi 3:1-3 we read of this fulfilling final messenger:

“Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me; and the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple. And the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, he is coming,” says Yahweh of hosts.

“But who can endure the day of his coming? And who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap. He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to Yahweh offerings in righteousness.”

This is the fulfilling Elijah. As addressed in When Elijah Comes, this passage is often wrongly translated so that verses 2 and 3 make this purification process refer to “the Lord.” But that is not what this speaks of at all. The one being spoken of here is clearly the coming messenger, who is equally sent and is coming so as to prepare the way for Immanuel.

So in summary regarding this office of the Elijah, the messenger, first there was the messenger, Judas, who was sent by Yahshua to those who would afflict and crucify Him, thus by Judas’s actions baptizing Him into the waters of death. That office then went to Satan, who is specifically identified as the “the messenger Satan.” And while Judas baptized Christ into death, so Satan has fulfilled his role in baptizing the Body of Christ into death—the 2,000 swine all being taken into the sea of death!

But, now is the time for the third and final fulfilling messenger to be sent, the Elijah. He is the one who takes man, and in a sense Immanuel, out of death, the latter only in that He comes back to this earth. This is the culminating resurrection, following the death and burial of the former two works. This is the Elijah who fulfills the promise of Malachi 3:1-3 and prepares a people for Immanuel. This is the Elijah who Yahshua spoke of when He declared after John’s death: “Elijah is coming and will restore all things” (Matthew 17:11). And in like message, this is the Elijah of whom Moses and Peter declared, “heaven must receive/take [Yahshua] until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time. Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren; to him you shall give heed to everything he says to you. And it will be that every soul that does not heed that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people’ “ (Acts 3:21-23).

Elijah alone is the one who is always associated with Moses. As noted in The Promise, page 3, he is the one who fulfilled the promise given to Moses when he went up on Mount Sinai that ninth time. And when Elijah was about to ascend into heaven, he traveled to the same place where Moses died, at Nebo opposite Jericho (Deuteronomy 34:1 and 2 Kings 2:4-8). And as well, when Yahshua stood on the mount of transfiguration, the two who appeared together with Him in His transfigured state were none other than Moses and Elijah (Matthew 17:2-3). There is no question that Elijah is the prophet like Moses, and he will restore all things so as to prepare the way for Immanuel. And because of him, Yahweh will not smite the land with a curse (Malachi 4:5-6). Finally, the Elijah work that began with Judas, and has endured for 2,000 years under Satan, will bring the much needed and promised good!

May this work find its fulfillment today!

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