In the history of mankind, we see three accounts which clearly pattern the benefit of the Presence of God being with man. And we see this by what transpires by its polar opposite, which is when His Presence is absent. We see this firstly with Adam. From time to time, God visited and walked with Adam, and they spoke and had wonderful communion. But it was upon the very moment when God was “absent” from Adam, that Adam fell. It was at a time when God wasn’t visiting with Adam that Adam entered into the apostasy of forgetting all that the Lord had counselled Him in whilst visiting with him. And as soon as the Lord then returned to visit with Adam, it was in the unoccupied space of the absence since His last visitation that the shame of what Adam had done then transpired and became openly known. 

We see this same pattern again at a later time of mankind with the account of Moses and Aaron. The anointing of God sat upon Moses. Which is a type of habitation. And by day and by night the Presence of the LORD was with them, as a cloud by day, and a fire by night. And it was when Moses departed from the people to go up the mountain to be with the Presence of God, which was when God was then “absent” from His people below, for He was in His place of habitation at the top of the mountain, that in that moment of absence, that Aaron, who himself walked with Moses and heard from God, then led all of Israel to enter into the great apostasy of building the idol of the fattened golden calf. Which tells us all that even those who from time to time walk in the Presence of God can all fall away into deception. For not only did Adam do it, but so too did Aaron and all of Israel, as well as the early church. For even so the pattern of falling into deception likewise portrays the time when Jesus was taken into the heavenly mountain to remain with the Father. For it was during His “absence” that the forces of evil took over. It was after His ascension that, as with Israel before, the people of the early church also lapsed into idolatry. 

An idol is any person or thing in which man places his trust and meaning and identity. And since an idol of the kind of the fattened golden calf is built to dwell amongst men and to, therefore, visit with man, being therefore constantly in their presence, then just like with the fattened golden calf, an idol is at the same time a surrogate and a substitute for the Presence of God. For it is something to which man constantly turns their eyes. And yet, is it not written, “I will lift up my eyes TO THE HILLS — From whence comes my help? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.” ‭‭(Psalms‬ ‭121:1-2‬). For in that moment when Aaron and Israel fell, where did they turn to for their help? Where were their eyes? For they were not turned to the hills. And where else other than ON THE HILL were Moses and the LORD?

Just as a privileged people, who had walked in the presence of God by walking with the living Son of God, then immediately fell into the apostasy of returning to their idols the very minute Jesus left them to return to His Father in heaven, how is it that a nation who had the privilege of the very Presence of God as a constant visitation, both by day as a great cloud, and by night as a pillar of fire, together with Aaron, who like Adam, surely knew better, and did know better, how is it that in the twinkling of an eye they could all also fall so quickly away? And all it took was the opposite of visitation - a moment of absence? Like Adam, and all of us since then, they all fell because in the absence from visitation, their eyes were no longer on the hill from which their help is to come. Instead, their eyes where at the bottom of the mountain, upon the fattened golden calf, which was to turn to look to all the things of the hands of man and the world as to the place from whence their help is to come. And as such, what then makes the pattern of the times of today any different from this in any way?

Yet down from the mount came His servant Moses. And just as Moses found mankind falling at the feet of the fattened golden calf, in the same way then, when Jesus next comes down from His mountain, how many men will Jesus find on that day having all fallen into like deception? Which once again proves the value and the benefit of the Presence of Yahweh being with man at all times. For as a proxy for God, it was Moses’ very absence that accounted for the lapse of the people. For they said, "We know not what has become of him." (Exodus 32:1). As such, as soon as the one amongst them all who heard from God retreated to be absent with the Lord, the extent of the absence of the Presence of the Lord was immediately felt. So if the fall of man into deception coincides throughout history with “an absence” of the Presence of God, surely there had to be a better way? 

And there is. The three accounts of man’s fall during a moment when the Presence of God was personally absent for them speaks to the lessor dispensation of the covenant of visitation. As soon as He was absent, or was not amongst them, they fell. Which is why out of the goodness of the Father’s heart, out of the goodwill that, as Father, He has for all His children, that out of the abundance of His immense grace, God decided He had to provide a better way, and a more sure way, of ensuring that, firstly, He shall never be absent from His children again, and that secondly, because He shall never be absent again, so too shall it provide a way that they need never fall into deception again. Which is by the better wine of the covenant (with a covenant being the pledge of heart and of honour and of word) of the greater glory of the dispensation of permanent habitation through the indwelling (or habitation) of the Holy Spirit, being the pledge of the coming of the Helper.

Which is precisely why Jesus said that it is to “your advantage” that I leave. Which is so that the Helper, who is the Holy Spirit, may come. Which, instead of being the old wine of the dispensation of visitation, as was the pattern when God walked with Adam, and the pattern with the first coming, where Jesus visited with one people on one given day and then walked with another people on the next day, the coming of the Helper promises to be the advantage of the better covenant of the dispensation of permanent habitation. For when God was not visiting with Adam, and when God was not visiting with Israel by having retreated to the top of His mountain to be with Moses, and when Jesus was not visiting upon earth any more and had gone back to be with His Father in heaven, during those lulls between each visitation, who could they turn to for help in His absence to prevent them from falling into deception? Is it not for this reason that it is written that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is IN you? (1 Corinthians 6:19). Is it not also said, “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you?” (John 14:26). Is it not written that the Holy Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit? (Romans 8:16). If we have the advantage of the Holy Spirit being IN us all the time, and to whom we can then turn to at all times, and who will not only teach us all things, but will also testify with our spirit, surely this is truly “a great advantage” over the pattern of “only moments of all that” through visitation? Surely this also tells us that we likewise no longer need to turn to men as the proxy of God and run the risk of falling into deception, just like Israel did when they turned to Aaron? 

Yet even though the offer of the permanent Presence of the Lord is extended to all, for just as many have been called, only a few choose to take advantage of it. And yet, even though Jesus said it is to your advantage that I go away, because then the Helper can come, those who camp at the base of the mountain today, just like all those of Israel who camped at the base of the mountain when Moses went up to visit with His Father, being the greater community of the body today, instead of men taking advantage of climbing up the mountain, like Moses, into the Presence of God to hear directly from the mouth of God Himself, and to eat from His table a meal prepared by His own hand, and instead of ascending like Jesus to be with Father, which is to ascend to the top of the mountain of the temple of the Lord to hear directly from the Father themselves, man chooses to remain at the base of the mountain instead, and eat the crumbs from the table of man. For even today man is repeating the error of the Pharisees and the Sadduccees. They choose to live in the shadow of the meal He has prepared for all of us by merely eating the crumbs that fall from man’s table. And by doing so, by finding their fill and their sanctuary at the base of the mountain instead of in the secret place of the temple of the high mountain of the LORD, do they not likewise expose themselves to the risk of those who, like Aaron and Adam before, can lead them to fall into apostasy and into deception?

For has the Lord not warned of a time to come in these end times when many shall fall into deception? It is those who do not risk picking up their cross and following Jesus up the mountain to where they may enter through the door of the tabernacle of meeting into the sanctuary of the very Presence of God who are at the greatest risk of falling into deception. Those who run the risk of not hearing from God themselves are they, who like Adam and Aaron, because they did not dwell in the presence of the Lord, but were instead covered only by the lessor dispensation of the base camp of visitation, shall run the risk of likewise falling into apostasy. For rather than hearing from God themselves, they choose to rather recycle the opinions of men, both the second-hand teachings of men through other men’s books and the doctrines of men behind the pulpit, as a preferable substitute or a proxy for hearing from God directly themselves. And the big question is why would anyone choose to camp at the base of the mountain when you could soar like an eagle at the top of the highest of mountains buoyed on the thermals of His own counsel, leading and witness?

In these end times, if people don't hear God for themselves, man's religious ideas and opinions shall cause multitudes to fall into perdition. For such a fall of many into deception has been written. And not only is the hour already late and upon us, but deception and confusion are already running riot and leading many astray, all because of the idolatry and laziness of man to take advantage of “the advantage” that Jesus, upon His ascension, promised to make available to each and every one of us. 

What’s more, in much the same way that Israel turned to idols, and that the early church also subsequently turned to idols, those behind the pulpits today have become an idol for many. For it is in the man behind the pulpit that those who camp at the base of the mountain have come to trust. Not in the greater leading and the choicer conviction of the Holy Spirit. For many today, the man behind the pulpit has become the fattened golden calf. And, likewise, some behind the pulpit even like it so. Just as with the Pharisees and the Saduccees of old. And as such, today, many a man has fallen at their feet in the worship of men. But just as it written in Revelation 19:10, these men behind the pulpit should be those who say to them, see that you do not do that, for I am your fellow servant. “And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” The encouragement and exhortation of those behind the pulpit should be to follow Jesus only, and to pick up their cross and follow Him up the mountain to enter by the door of the tabernacle of meeting. That they may seek for themselves the gold of the counsel of God through the Presence of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit rather than the gold of the fattened calf. For through the counsel and revelation from the throne of God, the Holy Spirit always points people to Christ (as opposed to being pointed to deception and idolatry). Which means the Holy Spirit will never let us fall.

Our greatest strength and richest sanctuary is abiding in the secret place of the Most High. “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.” (Psalm 91:1-2). The Presence of God is like a child being in the womb. It is not only in the place of habitation, but by virtue of its proximity, it is in the place of constant intimacy (being a type of constant fellowship and communion). And even though the child be wholly naked, as are all of mankind in the sin of our own shame and apostasy, being in the womb of habitation is being in a place of constant covering where the shame of our nakedness can never be exposed.

“And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people.“ (Matthew 24:11).

“Now the Spirit expressly states that in later times some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons” (1 Timothy 4:1).

For there will be a great falling away into perdition. “Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come UNLESS A FALLING AWAY COMES FIRST, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition” (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3).

Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be all the honour and all the glory for ever and ever. Amen. (1 Timothy 1:17).

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