TAKING THE STRONGHOLD OF ZION
(week 42/15)
OLUBI JOHNSON
2Samuel 5:6-9 NKJV: And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who spoke to David, saying, “You shall not come in here; but the blind and the lame will repel you,” thinking, “David cannot come in here.” (7) Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion (that is, the City of David). (8) Now David said on that day, “Whoever climbs up by way of the water shaft and defeats the Jebusites (the lame and the blind, who are hated by David’s soul), he shall be chief and captain.” Therefore they say, “The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.” (9) Then David dwelt in the stronghold, and called it the City of David. And David built all around from the Millo and inward.
Here, we have the account of how David captured the stronghold of Zion.
Zion is symbolic of the perfection and fulness of Christ in the Church; so just as Zion was not captured or occupied by Israel after hundreds of years in the promised land UNTIL the reign of David, even so NOW the EXPERIENCE OF THE PERFECTION AND FULNESS CHRIST has not been ‘captured’ or ‘occupied’ by the church for over 2000 years. The early church Apostles like John, Peter, James and Paul (symbolic of 4 priests) got the revelation of this perfection and recorded it in their epistles; they were like the 12 spies who went to spy (Num.13.16-27) the promised land, ‘tasted’ a sample of this experience, but did not occupy it.
This truth is symbolized by the 2000 cubits, between the people and the 4 priests who carried the Ark (representing the glory of God) as Israel crossed the river Jordan to enter the Promised Land:
Joshua 3:3-4 AMP: Commanding the people: When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God being borne by the Levitical priests, set out from where you are and follow it. (4) Yet a space must be kept between you and it, about 2,000 cubits by measure; come not near it, that you may [be able to see the ark and] know the way you must go, for you have not passed this way before.
Exodus 25:11-14 AMP: You shall overlay the ark with pure gold, inside and out, and make a gold crown, a rim or border, around its top. (12) You shall cast FOUR gold rings and attach them to the four lower corners of it, two rings on either side. (13) You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, (14) and put the poles through the rings on the ark’s sides, by which to carry it.
The 2000 years have given us enough time to learn from the 4 early apostles (John, Paul, Peter and James) who carried the glory in their generation, so we can ACCURATELY follow their example. Fulfilling the prophetic Word of the Lord Jesus that the church will be perfected in the 3rd. day (the 3rd 1000 year period from the birth of Christ (2 Pet.3.8):
Luke 13:32 KJV: And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.
So, it is NOW as God raises a ‘Davidic dynasty’, at the ONSET OF THE TRIBULATION OF THE CHURCH, that will lead the church that the church will ‘take the stronghold of Zion’. This will enable a significant number of Christians, spread across the globe, typified as the ‘Man-child company‘ to EXPERIENCE and MANIFEST the perfection and fulness of Christ: hence this prophetic present truth message.
Why did previous generations fail to take the stronghold of Zion?
First the natural: Zion was on a hill with a wall, a castle and towers and so all OBVIOUS FRONTAL attacks could easily be seen and shot down (by arrows, catapult stones and boulders in the OT) by the enemy.
Then the Spiritual: Zion: the experience of the perfection and fulness of Christ CANNOT be obtained only praying in the understanding: it requires REVELATION KNOWLEDGE of the perfection and fulness of Christ (Eph. 4.13-15), of the life and power of God (Jn. 5.26, 2 Peter 1.4) and praying with ALL kinds of prayer in spirit (Eph.6.18) and GROANINGS (TRAVAIL) (Rom.8.26-29; Gal.4.19) and the PRACTICE of revelation knowledge in ALL these areas applied to the principles of perfection.
Consequently, efforts to experience the perfection and fulness Christ hitherto have led to the premature physical death of many prophets and saints fulfilling
Hebrews 11:13 NKJV: These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
Hebrews 11:39-40 NKJV: And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, (40) God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.
However, their works and efforts were not in vain; so they TOGETHER with us, the generation on the earth that take the ‘stronghold of Zion’ will be rewarded with a glorious resurrection.
Hebrews 11:35 NKJV: Women received their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection.
How then did Joab and his men take the stronghold of Zion?
2Samuel 5:8 CJB: What David said on that day was, “In order to attack the Y’vusi, you have to climb up [from the spring outside the city] through the water tunnel. Then you can do away with those [so-called] ‘lame and blind’ ” (whom David despises — hence the expression, “The ‘blind and lame’ keep him from entering the house”).
By crawling on their knees up the water tunnels or underground aqueducts and so were hidden from the enemy and so entered in BY SURPRISE and so were able to defeat the enemy.
This action symbolizes praying in the Spirit with an ABUNDANCE of life of God: living water (the water in water shafts), which can ONLY be obtained WITH AN ATTITUDE OF HUMILITY (the crawling). The power of God so released COVERS US from the eyes (praying in tongues utters mysteries hidden to Satan (1 Cor.14.2, 2.7-16)) and power of Satan (Lk.10.19):
Psalms 42:7 NKJV: Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; All Your waves and billows have gone over me.
John 7:37-39 KJV: In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. (38) He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (39) (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
The spiritual equivalent of the FRONTAL attacks, which failed, would be ordinary praying in the understanding and with tongues WITHOUT AN ABUNDANCE OF THE LIFE OF GOD. This is also will darken the understanding (Eph.4.17) obscuring revelation knowledge so causing the saints to operate MOSTLY WITH NATURAL KNOWLEDGE, thus making them easily defeated by the enemy since revelation knowledge is the rock on which we build that the gates of hell CANNOT prevail against (Mt. 16.18).
So, to take the stronghold of Zion in this hour ‘crawl up the water tunnels’! Selah!
