Divine Order

By Roger Dixon

Before we can understand the divine order that God is bringing now, we must first understand His divine order in us.

Many chapters in this book do not deal directly with the concept of divine order. Yet, they are integral in moving into the order that God is presently establishing. We must have a thorough understanding that God is not building on past foundations. The one foundation, Jesus Christ, is being laid afresh in a higher realm. While we have just begun to explore this new realm of the kingdom of God, we can be confident that greater and greater light will shine upon us as we move forward.

This book is filled with references to the old and new natures. The theme of the Adamic and divine natures is interwoven throughout this book. While the phrase, divine order, has not been used in some chapters, it is only through the new nature in Christ that we can see and understand the new order that God is opening. It is the same with the teaching on soul and spirit. Understanding the distinction between soul and spirit effectively moves us into a practical application of the divine nature in our lives. The divine order that God is revealing now is contingent upon abiding in the realm where it can be seen and experienced. Divine order begins first in us. This is why many chapters in this book emphasize the distinction between soul and spirit. We cannot hear this message of divine order from where we have walked in the past. We must move into new levels in God in order for His divine order to become practical. Our greatest joy awaits us in Zion, which is the realm in which His order frees us, not suppresses us.

The church age manifestation of divine order has not required much from believers. It has only required a passive acknowledgment of perceived authority. The divine order of the kingdom as it's being revealed now is much more challenging. This is because it takes an inner work within each believer to walk in it. It's not enough to say, "I submit." There must be a transformation in us that enables us to see Christ's body and actively participate. This gives us a deeper understanding of "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." The day of spirit that is opening is one of aggressive faith, not passive acceptance. Passivity belongs to the realm of religion. Aggressiveness belongs to the kingdom of God. "From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force." It is an entirely new paradigm unfolding. We are leaving behind the church age and moving into a new day of the kingdom of God.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jan 15, 2020
• ISBN: 9780989989862

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day. 

A Basic Understanding

Before we can understand the divine order that God is bringing now, we must first understand His divine order in us.

Many chapters in this book do not deal directly with the concept of divine order. Yet, they are integral in moving into the order that God is presently establishing. We must have a thorough understanding that God is not building on past foundations. The one foundation, Jesus Christ, is being laid afresh in a higher realm. While we have just begun to explore this new realm of the kingdom of God, we can be confident that greater and greater light will shine upon us as we move forward.

This book is filled with references to the old and new natures. The theme of the Adamic and divine natures is interwoven throughout this book. While the phrase, divine order, has not been used in some chapters, it is only through the new nature in Christ that we can see and understand the new order that God is opening. It is the same with the teaching on soul and spirit. Understanding the distinction between soul and spirit effectively moves us into a practical application of the divine nature in our lives. The divine order that God is revealing now is contingent upon abiding in the realm where it can be seen and experienced. Divine order begins first in us. This is why many chapters in this book emphasize the distinction between soul and spirit. We cannot hear this message of divine order from where we have walked in the past. We must move into new levels in God in order for His divine order to become practical. Our greatest joy awaits us in Zion, which is the realm in which His order frees us, not suppresses us.

The church age manifestation of divine order has not required much from believers. It has only required a passive acknowledgment of perceived authority. The divine order of the kingdom as it’s being revealed now is much more challenging. This is because it takes an inner work within each believer to walk in it. It’s not enough to say, I submit. There must be a transformation in us that enables us to see Christ’s body and actively participate. This gives us a deeper understanding of "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. The day of spirit that is opening is one of aggressive faith, not passive acceptance. Passivity belongs to the realm of religion. Aggressiveness belongs to the kingdom of God. From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force." It is an entirely new paradigm unfolding. We are leaving behind the church age and moving into a new day of the kingdom of God. 

The Divine Order of the Kingdom

The divine order of the kingdom has yet to be established in God’s people as a whole. We have seen shadows of it in the predominately soul realm as God has restored gifts and gift ministries over the years. The emphasis of Eph. 4 on apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers has brought much teaching on so-called divine order. The shepherding movement of some years past attempted to impose a divine order upon people. Some of these movements were well meaning while others were blatant attempts at controlling others. But they all collapsed or are tottering under the weight of soul realm hierarchy.

The divine order of the kingdom will not be ministered through church age ministries, whether it be apostles, prophets, or any other office as we have known them. The divine order of the kingdom of God will be established through sons functioning in Christ’s priesthood.

Let’s examine several passages of Scripture.

Ps. 2

1 ¶ Why are the nations in an uproar And the peoples devising a vain thing?

2 The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,

3 Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!

4 He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them.

5 Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury, saying,

6 But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.

7 ¶ "I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.

8 ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession.

9 ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.’"

This psalm is the source from which Christ Himself quotes in the book of Revelation after His glorification.

Rev. 2

26 ‘He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, TO HIM I WILL GIVE AUTHORITY OVER THE NATIONS;

27 AND HE SHALL RULE THEM WITH A ROD OF IRON, AS THE VESSELS OF THE POTTER ARE BROKEN TO PIECES, as I also have received authority from My Father;

28 and I will give him the morning star.

Rev. 12

1 ¶ A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars;

2 and she was with child; and she *cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.

3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems.

4 And his tail *swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child.

5 And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne.

Rev. 19

11 ¶ And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.

12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself.

13 He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.

14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.

15 From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.

16 And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."

From these passages we see that Christ’s authority is shared with those who overcome.

Isa. 2

1 ¶ The word which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

2 Now it will come about that In the last days The mountain of the house of the LORD Will be established as the chief of the mountains, And will be raised above the hills; And all the nations will stream to it.

3 And many peoples will come and say, Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; That He may teach us concerning His ways And that we may walk in His paths. For the law will go forth from Zion And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

4 And He will judge between the nations, And will render decisions for many peoples; And they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, And never again will they learn war.

It is out of the realm of Zion that sons shall rule and reign. "The law will go forth from Zion…" While all this may seem theoretical at this time, it is already formed in the realm of spirit. There must be sons who continually reach into this realm and manifest it first in their own spirits. While the divine order of the kingdom will ultimately bring all the world under its dominion, it begins first among God’s people. This means everything that has existed in Christianity will come down as true order is established. Christianity has existed much like the days of the Judges with everyone doing what is right in his own sight (Judges 17). Various movements have attempted to establish what they see as divine order, succeeding only in suppressing people. Many have come out of church systems to be free, yet they too live as a law unto themselves, claiming allegiance only to the Lord Himself. This has been a necessity for many Christians who have yearned to be free from the stifling atmosphere of churchanity.  Nevertheless, God’s order must prevail. At some point the self-life of even sincere Christians will be confronted. The Lord Himself will accomplish this as His kingdom unfolds. In the meantime, there must be those who see beyond the present state of Christianity and begin to reach into greater spiritual realities.

According to the True Pattern

The body of Christ is a creation of God, not man. The body of Christ is not comprised of various churches, fellowships, groups, or movements. The body of Christ does not exist at all on the earthly plane. It exists solely in the realm of spirit. It remains for the Lord to raise each one of us up individually to participate in His body. Individuals lose their lives to find them again in the oneness of the body of Christ. The concept of earthly groups and institutions comprising the body of Christ is false. It’s quite the paradox how we must first walk in an individual relationship with God before we can walk as part of the greater whole. Our individual relationships with the Lord must be laid down to enter into the collective Christ, yet, we must first have an individual relationship to lay down! This is why every Christian is not part of the body of Christ. Not every Christian is walking in an individual relationship with the Lord. They may go to church each week, but that is no substitute for knowing the Lord and functioning in Him. This concept of not every Christian is part of Christ’s body is a delicate subject. Feathers get ruffled easily. The proof is in the functioning. This is the revelation Paul brought forth in 1st Cor. 12. This is why Paul compared the body of Christ to our natural body’s functioning. Arms, legs, eyes, ears, etc., all function in a healthy, natural body. And so it is on a spiritual level. Paul also said that God sets each member into Christ’s body as it pleases Him. It is a heavenly appointment, not one assumed on an earthly level.

Heb. 8

1 ¶  Now the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a high priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens,

2  a minister in the sanctuary and in the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man.

3  For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices; so it is necessary that this high priest also have something to offer.

4  Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to the Law;

5  who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to erect the tabernacle; for, SEE, He says, "THAT YOU MAKE all things ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN WHICH WAS SHOWN YOU ON THE MOUNTAIN."

Moses was told to build the earthly tabernacle according to the pattern he was shown on the mountain. These verses in Hebrews reveal to us that everything in the earthly realm as pertaining to God has a spirit realm reality. What was built on earth in the way of the tabernacle was only a copy, or shadow, of the true tabernacle in the heavens. We may have trouble visualizing what the true tabernacle looks like. This is because it is a spirit realm reality, not an earthly image that our natural minds can perceive.  The Hebrew word for tabernacle is skene. In the Old Testament it is translated habitation more times than tabernacle. The true tabernacle is the habitation of God, and all things in the earthly tabernacle are symbols of Christ. The sanctuary of the earthly temple was comprised of the holy place and the holy of holies. The holy of holies contained the ark of the covenant which carried the presence of the Lord. The ministry of Christ only functions in the sanctuary.

Verses 1-2 speak of how Jesus ministers in the sanctuary and in the TRUE tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man. What we call church and the body of Christ in the earthly realm is but a shadow of the true body of Christ. How futile it is attempting to perfect unity in a realm which is only a shadow! We should consider that everything in the Christian realm of churches, groups, etc., is but a shadow in the earthly realm. A true minister should always be laboring to bring people into the body of Christ, which exceeds all human institutions, groups, and movements, regardless of what spiritual tags are given to them. "After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands" (Rev. 7:9).

Paul stated, "We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me. How easily so-called ministers lose track of this truth, or have never understood it at all, and minister as if their" church or group is something in itself.

In the spiritual realm of the body of Christ we will find we not only are interrelated, but a great submission is required of us. It is a submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in His body. The kingdom of God is not a realm of everyone doing what is right in his own sight. The religious aspect of Adam kicks against such restraint. But in the true body of Christ we find the words of Jesus in Luke 22 made real and practical.

24  And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest.

25  And He said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who have authority over them are called ‘Benefactors.’

26  "But it is not this way with you, but the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant.

27  "For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves.

Divine Order

Divine order is a living organism. Divine order has been viewed as the fivefold ministry mentioned in Eph.4:1: "And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers. It has been viewed as a lifeless structure, a hierarchy, so to speak. Submission to divine order has been pretty much a passive acknowledgement: I submit to you brother; I submit to your ministry and authority." This is not the submission of the kingdom. This is not what God is looking for, or creating.

The divine order of the kingdom is an aggressive functioning. It most emphatically is not just a passive yielding to someone who has perceived authority or a title. A person is not moving in divine order until he or she themselves becomes a functioning member of Christ’s body. When we rise up and aggressively function in who we are in God, then we’re moving in divine order. This is the tricky part. There’s a whole church world out there clamoring to be heard, men and women who believe they have a calling from God. There are many men and women who want to exercise their ministry. This too is a false thing, and not the true divine order of the kingdom.

Paul lays it out clearly in 1st Cor. 12:

12 ¶  For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

13  For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

14  For the body is not one member, but many.

15  If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

16  And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

17  If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?

18  But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.

19  And if they were all one member, where were the body?

20  But now are they many members, yet but one body.

21  And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.

22  Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:

23  And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.

24  For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:

25  That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.

26  And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

27 ¶  Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

28  And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.

29  Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?

30  Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?

31  But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.

After the above verses, Paul then launches into the great chapter on love.