They Shall Come Near to Me

[man: (Revelation 21:1-2) And John opened his eyes as he looked up and he saw the new city coming down prepared—what a day that must have been! When he opened… when the eyes of his spirit were opened: “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.” There is more sea than anything else on the globe, but “there’s no more sea.” “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” New Jerusalem, the holy city. Glory to God.] [others: Praise the Lord.]

There is something to look into in Ezekiel, all of this impressed me now. Many years ago I read that I think… No, I knew that and then Watchman Nee brought that out in a book. And I was so happy about it. I don’t know, I sent… I got some copies or something and sent them to I don’t know how many people. It’s this in Ezekiel 44, it starts in verse 9. Andrew mentioned that—the sons of Zadok. Let’s read it together.

“Thus saith the Lord God; No stranger, uncircumcised in heart, nor uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary, of any stranger that is among the children of Israel. 10 And the Levites that are gone away far from me, when Israel went astray, which went astray away from me after their idols; they shall even bear their iniquity. 11 Yet they shall be ministers in my sanctuary, having charge at the gates of the house, and ministering to the house: they shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister unto them. 12 Because they ministered unto them before their idols, and caused the house of Israel to fall into iniquity; therefore have I lifted up mine hand against them, saith the Lord God, and they shall bear their iniquity. 13 And they shall not come near unto me, to do the office of a priest unto me, nor to come near to any of my holy things, in the most holy place: but they shall bear their shame, and their abominations which they have committed. 14 But I will make them keepers of the charge of the house, for all the service thereof, and for all that shall be done therein. 15 But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of my sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from me, they shall come near to me to minister unto me, and they shall stand before me to offer unto me the fat and the blood, saith the Lord God: 16 They shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall come near to my table, to minister unto me, and they shall keep my charge. 17 And it shall come to pass, that when they enter in at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments; and no wool shall come upon them, whiles they minister in the gates of the inner court, and within. 18 They shall have linen bonnets upon their heads, and shall have linen breeches upon their loins; they shall not gird themselves with any thing that causeth sweat. 19 And when they go forth into the utter court, even into the utter court to the people, they shall put off their garments wherein they ministered, and lay them in the holy chambers, and they shall put on other garments; and they shall not sanctify the people with their garments.”

(I think to here is enough.) I trust we can see the clear, terrific impression on me, because… did you ever read that, Watchman Nee? It’s terrific what he wrote about that, enlightening. I just can’t remember…

[man: That isn’t the one about service to the house or service to the Lord?] Yes. [man: Oh, years ago I did read it.] That’s it. Service to the house. [man: Or ministry to the house or ministry to the Lord.] [man: Exactly, that’s it.]

And those people have to be satisfied, while the others can go in. He said, “Never again can they get near, because…” What was the occasion—do you remember, Andrew—when…? Do you remember that, Mark…? Any of you? When they did split and some of them left?

[man: This was the rebellion against David, when there were two sets of priests, two families, Zadok and Abiathar. And the two were with David, I believe in the wilderness, both were with David. But in the time of the rebellion against David, Abiathar and his house went with the rebels, Zadok and his house stayed with David, the anointed. So, when David was restored, he and Solomon put Abiathar away from being priests but kept Zadok. This is in 1 Kings 2:35, it speaks of David replacing Abiathar with Zadok.]

(inaudible) [Ezekiel 44:10], “And the Levites that are gone away far from me, when Israel went astray, which went astray away from me after their idols; they shall even bear their iniquity. Yet they shall be ministers.”

We know that there’s a Bride, I think it’s in Psalm 45 that says—what does it say there? [man: “All glorious within?”] Why don’t you read it? Because there will be the different… [man: I think it’s Psalm 45.] Go ahead and read it. [man: Verse 9: “9 Kings’ daughters were among thy honourable women: upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir. 10 Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father’s house; 11 So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: for he is thy Lord; and worship thou him. 12 And the daughter of Tyre shall be there with a gift; even the rich among the people shall intreat thy favour. 13 The king’s daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold. 14 She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework: the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee. 15 With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought: they shall enter into the king’s palace. 16 Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth. 17 I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever.”]

And then, “she is one of her mother.” [man: That is Song of Songs.] Why don’t we just linger on that a minute? It tells you how many classes are there. Somebody came with a gift. And then, who else was there?

[man: “Even the rich among the people shall intreat thy favor,” it’s in verse 12.] That’s it, exactly.

[man: “The virgins or companions…”] The virgins come in, but there’s only one king’s daughter, there’s only one bride. You can see here these people were allowed to minister but never to get near, that near. Because the bride will be, if we wanted to look into it—there are many Scriptures to that effect.

Because when you have the seven—wasn’t it seven that slept and seven that… they were all sleeping? [man: Foolish virgins.] Foolish, they all slept. But they did have some oil with them; they had the supply and the others didn’t; they just slept in dead sleep. But the others had enough to have their vessels there to supply.

But then at midnight, the cry went forth. [man: “Behold, the bridegroom cometh.”] And that’s the question, who gave the cry? That’s the big question. Who gave the cry? The first ones went into something, but there was somebody that gave the cry. [man: They went into the wedding feast.] Yeah, they went to the feast. [man: They were at the feast but not the bride.] But not the bride.

And so there are the differences. Because there are some people that believe that everybody that is born again is the bride. If you would tell them that there’s anything that those that have the Holy Spirit… Of course, some of them never go on to anything—they’re satisfied or they don’t know or whatever—but they say that everybody that is born again is in the bride. It’s the biggest shock and many people just mock you.

But there is the Bride and she’s the only daughter of her mother. Then there are those in waiting. How many classes are there just in that 45?

Another place it tells about the concubine. [man: Yes, I have that. Let’s do the 45 first and then go to this one.]

Can we name those different classes?

[man: Well, you have the daughter of Tyre, that’s one.] That brought the present. [man: You have the virgins attending.] Virgins attending. [man: Two.] Two. [man: And then you have the rich among the people.] Rich among the people. [man: Three.] [man: Her companions who follow her?] [others: They say the virgins are companions. Same thing.] Um-hmm, it’s the same. [man: Perhaps the King’s daughters, I don’t know if they’re the same as the virgins or not. In verse 9, King’s daughters, thy honourable women?] Um-hmm. [man: Yes, four.]

So there are… that’s the breaking of it down. It’s very real. Just look in Revelation when the Lord… the angel of the Lord speaks to the churches and it… and that overcoming is… to overcome “for they shall receive” this, that and the other. Not just anybody, but as the overcomers, he that hears the Spirit, he that has an ear, let him hear with the Spirit. So you just could not believe that people just… their born-again life and never overcome or the people that just don’t overcome their sins or overcome their temptations or whatever.

It’s to the overcomer—that’s the bride, the overcomer. So there’s more than just living a mediocre or halfway a life. You have here this tenth [verse]: the Levites that are gone away from me.

[man: Do you want to do the Solomon Song of Solomon verse very quickly?] Yes, we can do that. [man: And that’s Song of Solomon 6:8-9. “8 There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number. 9 My dove, my undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.”] [JP: And read the next verse please.] [man: “10 Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?”]

Victorious. [man: That’s right. But there you have the numbers of people: queens, and you have the queen in Psalm 45; you have the virgins, the other attendants; and you have here, interestingly, a woman bearing the bride, having also others seen, very interesting.] [man: I thought of that woman in Revelation 12.] The sun, the crown of the sun, the moon under feet, victorious.

Because they, the house of Israel, fell into iniquity, “therefore have I lifted up mine hand against them, saith the Lord, and they shall bear their iniquity. And they shall not come near unto me.” There are the differences, but yet they’re there. They’re at the… in the temple, and they’re given charge of the gates, and they get the sacrifices ready, all of those kinds of things, and they’re there. But they cannot come near to the holy things “to do the office of a priest, nor to come near to my holy things, in the most holy place: but they shall bear their shame, and their abominations which they have committed. But I will make them keepers of the charge of the house, the service, for all that shall be done therein.”

But there is that something of a letting down and not but thinking or believing that there is the highest place which she has to be as near as possible to the bridegroom. She cannot be a defeated person. She cannot, as a company we could say, be a defeated people. They know what it is to suffer, as her Lord, and they know what it is to go through. The whole thing is entirely different than being into it, which that will be. There will be people that will attend the wedding, but only one is the bride.

So in case we are tempted to “Well, I’ll let it go this way, I’ll take the lower way.” Many times it’s offered to you the other way—it’s a little bit easier or just a little bit further down. Well, it doesn’t say you’re lost, but it does say that you will never be the bride.

I don’t know what each one is aiming for. You just have to ask yourself that question, especially when you’re tempted that “This is a good way and I can get away with that. And the Bible says that you can do this and it’s an easier way and you can take it. You can take it, you can absolutely…”

As my husband used to say, “There’s so many Jesus or way to take Jesus.” For instance, say, in the Catholic Church, there are layers. You can go in, you can go once a year and keep in it: confess your sins once a year. Some other people bring it down: “Well, I will go once a month.” Or you can go deeper, you can go as deep as you want in the Catholic Church too, you can go in and never see the light of day; you’re shut in.

I happened to go to one of those places in… where was that up at? Did you go there that time? [man: Villa de Leyva.] Yeah, Villa de Leyva. And I went to the bottom, they let down a rope and a bucket or something. The boy goes in with the milk or they… And you can hear them speaking, but they never… they’re shut in to never see the light of day. It’s there now and I don’t know how many other places, and they cannot ever see a human being. In the Catholic Church, you can go as deeply as you want, nobody says a thing.

You start to go deeper in the Lord, and “Well, that’s just fanatical” or “That’s just beyond the point.” Of course, if you’re following the Lord, you’re going into not fanaticism or just going in for deep’s sake to see how deep you can get for the sake of denying yourself to ever see the sun. There’s some that do have communion, but they never can see the sun, the light of day.

Or as we talked to Professor Wayland, he said that could be possible: the people, the Trappists, that go every day and dig something on their grave. And they know the day will come when they’ll be shoved in. He explained that a little, but he said that could be possible; he didn’t know too much about it. [man: He said not now.] Not now, one time.

So they can go as deeply as they want and so can we. But we can refuse, too. We can go on with just the kind of life that we think is right for us and not the discipline; [you] don’t discipline yourself. Or if you don’t have to do with what the Lord did or what the disciples did. But these, they couldn’t… That’s the part that’s so terrible: “and they shall not come near unto me… nor to come near to my”—what was it—“near to any of my holy things in the most holy place.” It’s the Holy of Holies.

We know there’s a Holy of Holies—or there was—in the tabernacle and only those that were supposed to go in. No stranger could go in. And they went in once a year. And if they went in with sin, they would be struck dead immediately, it was that holy, and anybody that went in to get them. So I don’t know whether I figured or heard somebody say they must have had something tied around the leg, so they could pull him through. You know, because nobody could go in there but he that was purified and meant to go in—that’s how fine it was then.

So with this, we have come to something even greater—what does it say to the Hebrews? “We have not come to a mountain but to mount Sion to the assembly” of what? [man: “Of the firstborn… the spirits of just men made perfect.”] “The spirits of just men made perfect.” That fits there, exactly. “But I will make them keepers” and so on.

And then those that can go in, they can’t have any sweat. They have to wear linen, linen bonnets. They have to change their clothes before they go in and they cannot have the sweat of flesh. You know, sweat, it smells. And that goes too to me with Romans where the person is saying, “Why hast Thou made me thus?” And then in with that—I prayed that this morning—that in with that is that you cannot say, “Why hast Thou made me thus?” Because “it’s not to him that willeth”—because I’m going to will it myself, I’m going to do it and I’m going to get it, I’m going to do it. It will never work.

And you would long, say, for the same thing that someone else has or the same gifts—this awful wish list. You can never fit in that place that somebody else fits in, you can’t get it. You can ask for something; well, of course, the gifts are the gifts and people can have them. But if you don’t have the ministry; it’s terrible to try to get the ministry or do some like… The best thing to do is get off that as quickly as you start to get on it.

That’s what… I remember Aimee Semple McPherson, when she started out, she was in a very wonderful place, the power of God, and she was very plain and very truthful; I heard her. And then I saw her come into the same church in Baltimore years later and she had her leading man there to say, “Well, now she’ll ask the people if they want to hear about the power of the Holy Spirit,” I think it was, “or my life and the people.”

 … and how she had changed. Where was I bringing it? Oh, oh… Part of it was that all her… she had many and still today, the whole thing goes on, I mean, her work—it’s called Four Square. But all of those women preachers—she had women preachers—they dressed exactly like her. Their hair was arranged like hers. She wore a white dress and a blue cape, and they wore… and white shoes, so they all went into that. And then they got their voice as near as hers.

I went in years later—the missionaries that are in Colombia (they’re not there now)—and I went over, because they were in Barrancabermeja, a city, and they moved to Medellín. And I took a priest, Stephen, there and met a big work there and we were there and he said… And she came out. Of course, now that… all that blue cape business, well, she left that herself and they all [put it away].

When she came out… and the voice was this high-pitched, excitable, with “la la la la la la la la la.” You don’t act like or talk just normal. Those people get on another voice, high-pitched—you heard that—“Yeee, glory to God, yeee,” and all of that.

So he said to me, “Hannah, would you tell me why she carries on like this? She wouldn’t have to do that.” He said, “You never do that and be like that.” But they had her voice there, you pitch it way above normal and just keep it up on a screech. He said, “You never do that, nothing.”

And I said, “Well, that’s how she was taught.” And I suppose to this day, I know they’re on furlough, or I think they’re not going back to Colombia, but I suppose to this day where she goes to do the debutation, I guess something has to be, you just come up about three voices and you start screaming. Well, that’s that.

And the people that went to work with them said, “Hannah, you would be surprised that you would never… your husband…,” because they knew my husband would never approve of it. Because to get the people through to the baptism, it was a massaging business. And they would, “Now, now say, say…” And as Donald Gee said, the people tell him, “Did you just take the word Philadelphia and tell somebody to say that real fast 20 times? What will they do at the end? And you wouldn’t know what you’re saying.”

But all these things I saw myself, I was way ahead of you in all of this. So I saw all of this myself and know this. “It’s not to him…” Does it say that, can you read that? [JP: “That willeth.”] “…That willeth.” [JP: “Or runneth.”] “…Or runneth.” You can’t run it out, you can’t holler it out, you can’t scream it out, you can’t make yourself get into the place, because it says here, “He can’t come near.” They can’t come near. And you can’t do it that way.

It has to be the Holy Spirit of the Lord meeting you, sovereignty meeting yieldedness. Sovereignty and it has to meet with yieldedness, and yieldedness has to meet with sovereignty—it has to be both. You can’t get anywhere without the sovereignty, because He has to.

Like I was praying out there, that was sovereign that we got to Syracuse that day. And never were those things the same. [It was] little in the eyes of man, but we’re not talking about men, we’re talking about spiritually never the same; it was never the same.

And he said, “I will make them keepers… but the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of my sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from me.” It’s always impressed me so much, all of this. And I’d like to refer back to it, because it keeps one to know that you can get a… stir up a fast now, “I’m going to do this and I’m going to twist God’s arm with this.” You can’t do it. You can’t do it. But when it’s fasting in the Lord, nothing like it. You can never get to the place that you could get to you by the Lord helping you to fast and you moving into a fast—it’s just marvelous. But if you just think, well, I’m going to do this now, set out, it won’t work, you can’t do it.

“They shall enter into my sanctuary and they shall come near to my table.” My, is this something? No wonder we have in the communion to examine yourselves and see. I remember when I was asked just my first time to speak to the young people (I was young myself once). And I didn’t know and I thought, oh, and I walked the floors of my bedroom and cried unto the Lord that I would say the right thing. And every time I would pick up my Bible or use it going into town (because I used to witness so much on streetcars), and I would turn to “If your brother has ought against you, you have to make it right; then you come to the table and the Lord.”

Oh, that is so foolish, I want to speak on something that I heard a preacher, I don’t know who it was, and he said, “Go”—and that impressed me so, that sermon—“go tell my disciples and Peter.” (That was giving Peter the encouragement he needed, that He had resurrected.)

But Peter would say, “Well, I just can’t go near now. No, how am I going to get that near?” But “tell Peter”—that’s what I’m going to talk about.
But no, here it was, and all of that’s what I’ve got to do. To my aunt that had taken everything I had, just but one suitcase I could get. And I’d have to go and ask her to forgive me. Not to tell her that she’s lost, going to hell and damned or whatever. And I knew—nobody told me—I knew when you went and you were really repentant of something, then you wouldn’t say, “You’re bad,” you don’t mention them. And I said to my best friend, “Would you go with me?”

And she said, “Hannah, I think you’re crazy.”

I said, “But don’t talk now, just go with me. Don’t say a word, just go with me, would you?”

She said, “Yeah.” So I went, praise God, I went for it. That was so wonderful that that was done. And, well, the aftermath of that was my cousin, Gordon, was healed and different things happened. And today I’m, well, with them, in a sense, and they’re as kind to me as possible. They think… of course, I never… they never offered anything back, which I don’t care. The Lord has helped me, so I wouldn’t want anything they have. They have everything that I once enjoyed—the beautiful paintings or cut glass or china or, well, I see it there around. It used to bother me terribly. It doesn’t today.

But I went back and asked. And then I came and that night I got up there and started to speak and that’s what… And the Lord then and the sovereignty came upon me, and the people—because we had more than young people, we had the older people—there were so many that came to the altar that they couldn’t get to the altar, they just stood up against the wall, right around the altar. And just there and the power of God broke. And the Lord came in with His sovereignty, because I couldn’t have brought them there. I couldn’t have brought them up front. I couldn’t make them respond to Him because I did something.

You could tell something all along, but God saw fit. And I didn’t do it to just say to Him, “Well, You….” I only wanted not to preach something that I wasn’t doing myself. And that’s my main point. I thought, well, if I’m going to get up there and tell them, I have to do that myself. And my aunt is against me, has something against me, and I’m going to tell her that whatever I caused her to be that, to be against me. So it was all fixed up, praise God.

That’s why we have to be careful. As we can read there, “before you take that, that you don’t take the communion, or the blood or the bread, in vain, or forgetting, or not taking the word, or not examining yourself, or having to yourself, ‘Well, I’m just as good as I can be.’” Well, it says examine and then come with faith and do that, but after you have obeyed or done what he’s dealing with you about.

So these got to the edges again. Those have linen bonnets upon their heads, linen britches upon their loins and they shall not burden themselves with anything that causes sweat. [man: Verse 18.] With sweat, you can’t have the sweat of your flesh, it really stinks. You can’t have your sweat in there, because God won’t honor it.

So all of these things, we must be fine and in detail with them, because we’re aiming for a bride, to be the bride of the King of kings and Lord of lords. And the price, yes, of the garment, it is something that’s great, but we’re going to, by His grace, pay it. Hallelujah. [Others: Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. Praise God. Hallelujah. Thank you. Yes, it is worth it Lord. Oh my Lord.] He will be worth it. [Others: He distinguishes. Thank you, Lord Jesus.]

To be near Him. “And you shall not come near Me.” O Lord, what terrible…. “You can be around the edges there, but don’t come near Me.” There it is: “And they shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall come near to my table, to minister unto me, and they shall keep my charge.” They shall be clothed when they come with the linen. The linen—we know what the linen is. Come to the marriage supper. Let us rejoice and be glad, for the bridegroom come and the wife hath made herself ready. And she shall be given white linen, which is the righteousnesses of the saints. Righteousnesses, it’s the warp and the woof of the material, linen, woven, warped, woofed; and they are the righteousnesses of the saints. Hallelujah. Beautiful, beautiful, my Lord.

And that means the foundation, as we know, is built on the same as the prophets and the apostles, their righteousnesses, their whiteness. Read Paul, anything you can read, Peter, anything you can read, righteousnesses. And they were on a solid, solid right, built on the rock, solid rock, Jesus Christ himself, so He is proud to be at the head of that. Then He can be proud of His bride. [man: Not ashamed.] He’s not ashamed. We can be righteous in Him because we’re built on the same foundation that the Ezekiel we just read. He was in it.

I just really can hear something of a murmur of a dove in the land. And it will break just like that. [others: Praise the Lord.] It’s going to break… Where would you be moaning or grinding or seeing how you can get a cheaper price off? No bargain, nothing’s marked down. Not that 29 and a half cents, so you won’t put 30, you know, and a half. Oh, it would be wonderful, it’s $99.99. You think, “What?” But the 99 is psychological. You just think about the $1 you’re saving. but you’re really not. Is there a bargain—I think I can do it like this? Well, you just think. That Song of Solomon was just…

[man: The portion Hannah was referring to is in chapter 2 verse 10: “10 My beloved speaks, and says to me, Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away. 11 For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; 12 The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.”]