The Threshing Floor

The Threshing Floor

This study considers the role of the threshing floor in God's plan of Salvation for mankind. Beginning with the sacrifice of Isaac and ending with the believer's new creation spirit and the true Church of the Living God, the threshing floor is where God meets and deals with His people.

Abraham's Sacrifice

Gen 22:1, 2 -- And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

Gen 22:9 -- And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.

The mountain in Moriah is where Abraham offered his only son Isaac. This son was the 'son of promise' born of Sarah after she was far beyond childbearing age. He was truly a miracle from God. This honored the covenant which God made with Abraham. Abraham gave his only son just as God would one day give His only begotten Son for the sins of mankind near this very place.

David's Altar

2 Sam 24:16 -- And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, It is enough: stay now thine hand. And the angel of the LORD was by the threshing place of Araunah the Jebusite.

2 Sam 24:18, 19 -- And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear an altar unto the LORD in the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. And David, according to the saying of Gad, went up as the LORD commanded.

2 Sam 24:25 -- And David built there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD was entreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.

1 Chr 21:26 -- And David built there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called upon the LORD; and he answered him from heaven by fire upon the altar of burnt offering.

1 Chr 22:1 -- Then David said, This is the house of the LORD God, and this is the altar of the burnt offering for Israel.

After David sinned against the Lord he chose the judgment of God through an angel rather than trust men to mete out God's justice. The Lord ended the judgment and told David to build an altar on the threshing floor located on mount Moriah. David built the altar and God honored his sacrifice with fire from Heaven upon the sacrifice.

David prophesied the building of the Temple on this site, the threshing floor of Araunah or Ornan the Jebusite on the top of mount Moriah. This is the place where God chose to meet with Israel.

The Temple Site

2 Chr 3:1 -- Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the Lord appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

The location where Solomon built the first permanent Temple for God to meet with His people Israel was here on the top of mount Moriah on the site of the threshing floor. The Temple encloses the outer court, the Holy Place and the Holiest of All where the Presence or Glory of God abides with His people. God still abides with His people on the threshing floor in the Temple of the Holy Spirit. [1 Cor 6:17]

The Temple of the Holy Spirit

1 Cor 6:19 KJV -- What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

When a person believes the Gospel message and is born again of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, a new temple is dedicated to be the dwelling place of God with His people. In this case, it is the body of the new believer whose body has now become the temple of the Holy Spirit. The body is the outer court, the soul is the Holy Place and the spirit is the Holiest of All where the glory of the Presence of God indwells that believer.

We have not realized the awesome reality of this truth! The Church has allowed the blemishes of the flesh to pollute the outer court and prostitute the soul. The Glory of the Holiest Place has been allowed to abide in a grotesque parody of God's most precious creation. The time has come -- the Lord is cleansing His threshing floor!

Mat 3:11, 12 -- I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

Luke 3:16, 17 -- John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.

In this last of the last days of man's dominion of Earth, God is once again bringing restoration to His people, the body of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is even now cleansing and restoring His church to proper relationship within its ranks on the Earth. He is bringing back into order the Gifts [Eph 4:8] Jesus gave His Church, the Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers.

Eph 4:11-16 -- And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting (completing, maturing) of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect (completing, maturing) man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

This is not some pathetic political arrangement as man would like where men decide who will have position and authority. The Lord Jesus Christ is the ONLY head of the Church and ONLY He decides who receives each assignment!

1 John 2:18-20 -- Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.

Mat 7:15-17 -- Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

Acts 20:29, 30 -- For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.

As we are warned by the original Apostles of our Lord, there is a spirit of anti-Christ influencing broad segments of the 'church'. There are many false, self-appointed 'apostles', 'prophets', 'evangelists', 'pastors' and 'teachers' who are scrambling for influence and position in the world wide 'church'. These dispense 'authority' and 'commission' those who will learn to become something in the body. We have too often allowed the sense ruled soul and the sin adulterated mind of the flesh to dictate our 'relationship' with the Living God!

Developing the sensitivity of the soul to the realm of the spirit hardly suffices for the true spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him!

The person born into the body of Christ is one spirit with Him. Only the Lord Jesus Christ appoints His disciples to the function each will hold in His body. Whatever a person is born is what a person will be in the body of Christ. There is NO militaristic hierarchy and NO promotion within the ranks! While there is certainly development into the place of final operation for each cell within the body, there is never a changing from the original intent of the call of the Spirit.

Rom 11:29 -- For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.

Eph 2:10 -- For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Those who are truly walking in the works the Father prepared for them will display the fruits of the spirit and the manner of true cells in the body of Christ displaying His nature and glorifying His Name. [See Romans chapter 12]

Eph 4:16-20 -- From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But ye have not so learned Christ;

Eph 5:25-27 -- Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

When He has finished His work we will see the Bride ready for her Husband, without spot or blemish or any such thing. The body will be fully matured and functioning as He intended from the beginning. Then we will see the Lord as He is, then He will come and catch us away to be with Him forever!

2 Pet 3:14, 15 -- Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. And account that the long suffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;

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