The Corn, The Wine, And The
Oil
By George Kirkpatrick
Vital Words to the Body of Christ
Proclaiming the Everlasting Gospel of the Kingdom
Vital Words to the Body of Christ
Freely We Have Received, Freely We Give
E-mail:
Vitalwords@aol.com
Come visit our online catalog at:
http://www.newfoundationspubl.org/catalog.htm
Moses informs us:
". . . I will give you the rain of your land in due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil." Deuteronomy 11:14
For those who are looking at the days ahead, their eyes should not be on this present time, but on the coming Kingdom. As we look at the corn, the wine, and the oil we find they represent three things in God's coming Kingdom age:
Corn harvest increase and blessing
Wine the effervescent Spirit filled Word
Oil the anointing of the Holy Spirit
Our coming into the Kingdom is the same as Israel coming into their promise land:
"And they did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the passover, unleavened cakes, and parched corn in the selfsame day. And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year." Joshua 5:11-12
Joshua informs us when Israel came into their promise land, they began to eat of the old corn of the land. The old corn represents that which has matured in the harvest. As we walk into the Kingdom age, we too, are going to begin to eat of the old corn - - - the mature nourishment God has planned for His people.
When God brings us into a mature walk with Him, the wilderness manna will no longer suffice, and our present understanding will no longer satisfy. As we begin our walk into the Kingdom, we will no longer seek a modern God, peddled by today's apostate church system. Instead we will return to the God of our antiquity, the God of the Old Testament:
"Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein." Jeremiah 6:16
We need to know Jesus, not only as Saviour, but as the Creating God of the Old Testament. Jesus tells us:
"If ye had known Me, ye should have known My Father also: and from henceforth ye know Him, and have seen Him." John 14:7
Those who only know Jesus as the Son have not seen the Father. The Father is Christ Jesus, and we can only see Him through Spiritual eyes. Those who only see Jesus as the Son are subsisting on the manna in their wilderness experience. But when we begin to see Jesus, as Christ Jesus the Father, we will begin to eat of the old corn, the mature corn of the Kingdom. Jeremiah warns:
"Because My people hath forgotten Me, they have burned incense to vanity, and they have caused them to stumble in their ways from the ancient paths, to walk in paths in a way not cast up;" Jeremiah 18:15
Those partaking of the watered down Word of God in this present hour are refusing to eat of the old, mature corn of the land. This is why they stumble in their way. They continue to walk in paths God has not ordained.
God has an highway for His people to walk in. He does not desire His people to continually gravel around in the dust of the earth of their fleshly existence:
"And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein." Isaiah 35:8
In Matthew Jesus speaks of the coming Kingdom:
"Then said He unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the Kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of His treasure things new and old." Matthew 13:52
As we look at this Scripture, there are many aspects to consider. First, Jesus speaks about the scribe. A scibe is one who is learned in God's law, or His Bible. The scribe learned in God's law is a householder, or one who is master of his own house. Those who are masters of their own house have treasures laid up they can draw on. Where are our treasures laid up?
"But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:" Matthew 6:20
What treasure does God have that we can draw from? It is the treasure of being learned in His Word. We need to become adults, partaking of the old, mature corn - - - the corn that is ready for harvest. Jesus tells us those who are masters of their own house can bring forth treasure out of the new and the old. There are treasures hidden in what God did to ancient Israel in the Old Testament that explain what God is going to do with Spiritual Israel today. It is time to go beyond the milk of the Word. Paul wrote to the Hebrews:
"For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the Word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." Hebrews 5:13-14
Can those who are unskilled babes in the Word partake of the old corn, or the strong meat? No, too eat of the old, mature corn, we must go beyond the milk of the word.
As we look for further truths about the new and the old, we see the early and the latter rain. The early rain refers to the old - - - the latter rain refers to the new. Moses informed us:
"That I will give you the rain of your land in due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil." Deuteronomy 11:14
Moses is referring to the harvest. When is the harvest? Jesus informs us the harvest is at the end of the age. It is in the harvest that we will gather in the corn, the wine, and the oil. This is when we will partake of the old, mature corn, the new wine, and the double portion anointing of the oil of the Holy Spirit. This is reserved for those who have come into maturity. God gave Moses the conditions the people must meet to receive this blessing:
"And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto My commandments which I command you this day, to love the Lord your God, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul," Deuteronomy 11:13
We must live and serve God with our whole being to receive the early and latter rain and gather in the corn, the wine, and the oil. Another condition is that we must obey God's commandments. The first miracle Jesus did was turning the water into wine. In order for God to do this in our lives, we must remember the words of Jesus' mother to the servants:
"And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto Him, They have no wine. His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it." John 2:3-5
We all want the new wine, but are we willing to obey Jesus' every command to obtain it? Or, do we murmur and complain and say it is too hard and too inconvenient? Jesus told His servants:
". . . Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: but the servants which drew the water knew; the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, and saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but Thou hast kept the good wine unto now." John 2:8-10
The governor of the feast is God the Father. He called the Bridegroom (Jesus). After He had tasted the New Wine, the Father wondered why Jesus had kept the good wine until the Marriage Supper.
The good wine or the new wine is the effervescent, life-giving, Spirit anointed Word that is going to come to those who, by reason of use, have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Verse 7 tells us these are going to be filled to the brim with the water of the Word of God. But Jesus also warns us:
"Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved." Matthew 9:17
The old bottles are those who through their tradition and doctrines will not change. They are set in their ways and have become set, unable to receive the new wine. There is no resilience in their walk. They have become hard and unuseable like an old wine skin.
If you were to put new wine into these old wineskins, then the wineskin would burst, and the new wine would be wasted. The new wine would simply run out, giving no refreshment because it was rejected in the old wineskin. This is a picture of the old church system who desire no Kingdom teaching. They only desire the milk of the Word which are their precepts and doctrines. Timothy relates these:
"For the time shall come when they will not endure sound doctrine: but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears." II Timothy 4:3
New wine must be put in new wineskins - - - the new creation man who is created in righteousness and true holiness. This new man is the one who has allowed the Kingdom to come within, without observation. Jesus also tells us:
"No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse." Matthew 9:16
This Scripture has the same meaning. If we try to patch up our old beliefs with a new belief, then the tear becomes worse. We need to throw away the old garment of flesh and put on the new robe of righteousness. We cannot patch up the old. It must become a new creation, clothed in righteousness and true holiness.
This change does not happen overnight. It is very hard to reteach many in the church system, because it is hard for them to change what they think and believe. Jesus knew this. He dealt much with the old, religious system. When Luke recorded about putting new wine in old wineskins, he added Jesus' words:
"No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, the old is better." Luke 5:39
Most have some kind of ingrained teaching from the old system, which includes false man made teachings such as the rapture, once-saved - always saved, eternal security, ultimate reconciliation, and a multitude of other false doctrines. These are all easy beliefs which lull a Laodicean church to sleep teaching no change and no overcoming is needed. It is easy to say the old wine is better. All this about overcoming the old man and putting on the new man doesn't fit their taste. They say, "Give me the old wine, it is better."
But if you truly want to walk into the Kingdom you must begin to desire the new wine. It may indeed be bitter, but it is necessary. Judgment must begin at the house of God. We must become as Paul who cries out:
"That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death." Philippians 3:10
God has made many promises to those who will partake of His New Day in the coming Kingdom age:
"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and the hills shall melt." Amos 9:13
There is a new day coming when the mountains shall drop down new wine. This new wine is coming. No one can stop it. It is coming down the mountain side with force, with power, and with authority and will be placed in new wine skins, those who are ready in the harvest. Praise the Lord! Then God makes us a wonderful promise:
"And I will bring again the captivity of My people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them." Amos 9:14
When God says He will bring again the captivity of His people Israel, it does not mean He will bring them into captivity. What He means is He is about to free them from the captivity they are now in - - - whether it is religion, government, or whatever - - - just as He freed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. But it took fire. Fire denotes judgment. God's judgment is about to poured out on all unrighteousness, and this must first being with His house.
You may ask, "Why are we not seeing the power of God manifest in the church?" Haggai tells us:
"And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands." Haggai 1:11
Haggai says God has brought a drought upon the land, a drought upon the corn, a drought upon the wine, a drought upon the oil, and a drought upon the ground and all the labor of the hands. Do you feel as if you have been in a draught? Are you thirsty for the life-giving, effervescent water of God's Word? The prophet Joel also spoke of our day:
"The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth." Joel 1:10
The harvest of the mature corn is devastated. There is no maturity in God's people. The new wine is dried up. There is no refreshing in the Word. It has become a dry morsel in many lives. The oil languisheth. To languish means to be weak or feeble, to droop. The anointing of the Holy Spirit has lost its overcoming power in many lives. But God gives us hope in Joel:
"And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the Lord, and shall water the valley of Shittim." Joel 3:18
Shittim was Israel's last camp site before entering their promised land. We are camped at Shittim, waiting to enter into our promised land, the Kingdom of God. What a promise! There is a day of refreshing coming when the new wine, the mature corn, and the double portion anointing of the Holy Spirit will be restored in God's people. Isaiah promised:
"Thus saith the Lord, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for My servants' sakes, that I may not destroy them all." Isaiah 65:8
Isaiah tells us the new wine will be found in the clusters. What are the clusters?
"And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to Him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in Thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe." Revelation 14:8
Praise the Lord! The clusters are the full ripe grapes, fit for the Master's table. But what will happen to those who have not come to maturity?
"And the angel thrust in His sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God." Revelation 14:19
The vine of the earth will be cast into the wrath of God. Everything that offends will be burned off those who only desire the old wine in the fire of God's wrath.
We are about to witness God's wrath on the multitudes in the valley of decision. Where will you be - - - the vine in the wrath - - - or the full ripe fruit gathered at the Master's table, the Great Supper of the Lamb. Luke relates:
"And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on His own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care or him." Luke 10:34
God is about to pour the double portion anointing and the new wine into His wounded ones. They will be taken to His inn and totally cared for. The inn is His true church, the God Samaritans in Christ Jesus.
"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; to him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it." Revelation 2:17
What is God going to do for His overcomers? He is going to give them the hidden manna of His Word. The hidden manna is the anointed Word, the mature corn. God is going to reveal His Word as never before. The vail will be removed from our minds, and we will see clearly the coming Kingdom.
Return to New
Foundations Ministries Home Page
Email: Vitalwords@aol.com