Heb 10:5-9

5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:

6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.

7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.

8 Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;

9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.

             Life, as we know it, may be described as a compilation of interactions between ourselves and the processes, events, actions and reactions that happen around us and have been happening to former generations and have helped to form our present world. My world is a result of countless activities that have formed and molded my surroundings and my relationship with those surroundings. Given these facts, one may say that the whole history of the world is a volume of which I have been written upon as a participant in those events. As a result, I am intrinsically connected to the past history of that volume and will be intrinsically connected to any future history, by reason of my present life, which has been entwined into a myriad of lives both past and future.

            I know that I am a part of the plan of God concerning the ages, because I am here, now, and my life will be counted in the final makeup of this plan when it is finally done. Not only my life, but all lives, no matter how lengthy that life was or how short, famous or unknown, good or bad, rich or poor, significant or insignificant, all lives in this vast volume of life will count, for they are written therein. I have heard it said, that we all reach a certain point in our lives when we choose to take an accounting of our worth and our impact on the world, and we look back at what we have or have not accomplished. I believe that it would be termed, “middle age crisis”. It seems very important to mankind to leave a mark in the world that states, “I have been here!” Some come away from this self examination with a feeling that the mark they have left is faint and inconsequential. This is followed by feelings of frustration and regret about lost opportunities and wrong turns in the road of life. Such evaluation can make the journey seem senseless and can produce feelings of panic about the future and can make life seem unworthy of living. This is why it is so important for us to have a sense of who we are in God and what our relationship is to the history of the world.

            We, who count ourselves as the children of God and joint-heirs with Christ, have the knowledge and belief that God is in control of our destinies. We do not believe in fate, luck, good fortune, stars shining down on us, fairy godmothers, magic wands, and such. We believe that our steps are ordered by the Lord and the events of our lives do not arrive by the luck of the draw, but are divinely ordered by appointment from our Heavenly Father. We do not believe in hexes and voodoo, spells or incantations, we believe in the Word of God, in His will in heaven and on earth. We don’t see ourselves as corks floating helplessly upon the ocean of life. We are not castaways, hoping that we will eventually, by some huge stroke of good fortune, find ourselves washed up on some beach of life, again beating the odds of death. We believe that our existence here is purposed, foreknown and predestinated to be conformed into an image and likeness. It is vital that we know these things, for if we do not, then we will forever be blaming the events of our life upon some vaporous, non-existent, god of fortunes. It is extremely important for us to know where we came from, why we are here and where we are going from here. We come to this knowledge by walking with Christ, knowing Him, personally and intimately, by studying His word and the history of His dealings with mankind.

            In the above scriptures in Hebrews 10, we read in the seventh verse, “Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.” This is an exact quotation from the Old Testament, Psalms 40:7. Obviously, David was not writing about himself, but this is a first person quotation from the Messiah, Jesus Christ. The volume mentioned here is most likely the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament, supposedly written by Moses. It is true that the Pentateuch is filled with references to the physical appearance of a coming “seed” that would bring salvation and the Kingdom of God to the earth. However, this reference could be toward any of the inspired physical writings and in a mystical sense, it could be a reference to the “books of life” that are mentioned in Rev. 20:12. We will be looking at the present truth of the word, “volume”, as it relates to our present study on The House That God Built later in this chapter.

In David’s time, the holy writings were written in volumes, or scrolls, wrapped around 2 cylinders, most likely wooden rods. The phrase, “in the volume of the book” is “bim gilat ceeper” in the Hebrew text and means, “in the roll of the book.” A typical scroll, or volume, of the Pentateuch is described as being two feet and two inches wide and one hundred and two feet long. The text was read by “scrolling” the paper off of one roll onto the other roll and reading the text as it appeared between the two rolls. I find this to be particularly interesting to us, in light of our need to find ourselves in the plan of God.

If we were to view the history of mankind as a volume that has been written on a long piece of parchment and then rolled onto 2 wooden rods, we would then have a model whereby we can begin to find ourselves on this volume of life. If we were to view today as being the open part of the scroll lying flat on the table and on each side of the open part there was parchment rolled up on one wooden rod and on the other side was another roll, then we would be in position to see our connection with the whole volume of mankind. Our past would be on one rod and our future upon the other. The past is that which has brought us to our present time and the future is that which awaits us. But, we must live in the present, the point between the two rods, and we must learn from the past and apply it to the present and approach the future with much faith and expectation, knowing that the past proves that the future is ordered for us and we will meet its challenges and rejoice in it’s victories. We, however, do not live in either the past or the future, but we live in the open parchment, the present.

So it is, that the Messiah speaks out of David’s pen and declares that He has come by reason of the fact that in the volume of the book it has been written of Him. It is impossible to put too much emphasis on this statement. It is one thing to just show up unexpectedly on the landscape of life, but to be able to announce your arrival as being a fulfillment of that which has been previously written upon the scroll of life, that gives meaning to your existence and takes away the hit and miss aspect of your existence and your destination. To be named in the Book of Life, to have your existence pre-known, validates you in a way that cannot be shaken by anything that comes your way. If God truly foreknew us, then what can separate us out of His hand? If we were with Him in the beginning, if we came out from Him and were birthed by Him, what, pray tell, can keep us from our preordained transmutation? No wonder the apostle could declare the following statements with such conviction and steadfastness. Only a man that found himself on the scroll of life could make such proclamations, and the proof for him was, “for it is written!”

Rom 8:35-9:1

35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

36As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

37Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

38For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

39Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

            O, how I wish that all the afflicted would read these words, each one that has faced the chilling word, “cancer”, each one that has been faced with insurmountable odds, each one that has faced obstacles so great that they threatened to destroy our faith, our homes, our lives. Help us Lord to see ourselves in the Volume, and to know like Paul, that none of these things can obliterate us from the Book of Life, but we have been born from above, birthed from His loins and we will stand still, even when all of our human form cries out for us to run, we will stand still, in the place of the open scroll, for it is here, between the past and the future that we will take our stand and see the salvation of our God!

We will live the moment, whether in pain or peace, whether strong or weak, we will live in the open parchment and will lift our voices in song and praise until once again we see the light of day and our night is swallowed up in victory. IT IS WRITTEN! We have come to this life by reason of a greater life and we will bring this limited life over into that greater life by the power of the resurrected Son of God. IT IS WRITTEN! We are lively stones, chosen of the Lord, priests and kings, conquerors, overcomers, mighty warriors, oracles of God, ambassadors of His kingdom, members of the household of faith, citizens of a heavenly kingdom, walls of salvation, gates of praise, everlasting doors, ark bearers, covenant keepers, dispensers of truth, proclaimers of the mystery, keepers of the faith. IT IS WRITTEN! At the presence of the Lord within us, the heavens shake and the earth quakes, the dead come back to life again, night turns into day, weeping turns into joy, the sick recover, the blind see and the deaf hear, devils cry out, kingdoms pass away, thrones fall, dominions fail, curses are lifted, veils are rent, hearts are freed, prison doors open, hell gives up its dead, Jerusalem becomes a praise, fear gives way to hope, and love consumes all with it’s jealous rage. All of this, not because we drew the right card, or made the right turn, but because IT IS WRITTEN.

So, we live in the moment, in the open part of the scroll, and we live a life of peace no matter what state we find ourselves in, because we have come to this life by a decree from the Life Giver. In this light, we are perfect in our generation, for we are here at the perfect time. We are not preemies, out of season, late or early, but we are here by appointment, not a day too early or a moment too late. By this statement, we declare that we are perfect, even as He was perfect. He  was born to a virgin in a set generation and lived in the open part of the volume. In so doing, He delivered the past and set the future in motion, bringing an end to fallen man and becoming the perfect pattern for arisen man. He abolished death and him that had the power of death and nailed to the cross all opposing statements written against our perfection, making an open display of His power and authority over them. Hence, we are not living the life of a fallen man, but we are living the life of an overcomer, and our life is hid in Him.

We do not confuse our perfection with the imperfections of the world. If we continue to walk in God, looking for a perfect world to live in, we will be disappointed. Too many kingdom believers are living their lives out in search of all things perfect, a perfect world, a perfect job, a perfect mate, a perfect house, a perfect ministry, a perfect body, a perfect family, etc, etc. They want to preach a perfect word to a perfect people in a perfect church, and it is a perfect mistake. Search all you want, you will not find perfect people or a perfect part of the world. Go ahead and move to another city, go to another church, make friends with new ministry, you will not find any of them perfect, but the same imperfections that you find in one, you will find them everywhere you go. If you have found this to be a description of where you have been in your life, searching for perfection, but always being disappointed by imperfections around you, then you need to know this one thing. The imperfections of life are what God uses to make us perfect.

Heb 2:10

10For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

2 Cor 12:9

9And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

1 Peter 5:10

10But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

            Can I have a perfect life? If I can see that I am living a life that is in perfect harmony with the will of God, then the answer would have to be a resounding, YES!! Can I find perfection even in the midst of my testings and trials, even when I am facing the imperfections of my body and the world around me? If I can see myself as a perfect part of the scroll of life, then I must believe that my perfection can make everything else around me perfect. It is important to know what we mean by perfection. It is not used in the scriptures as a term meaning without flaw or shortcomings. It is a term that denotes wholeness, continuity, divine order. It means simply that all of our parts are working together for us. Perfection in life is, simply, making everything work for our good, bringing into captivity every part and turning its negative action into a positive reaction.

Matt 5:48

48 Be ye therefore perfect , even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect .  KJV

Strong’s Concordance for “perfect” Matt. 5:48

NT:5046

teleios (tel'-i-os); from NT:5056; complete (in various applications of labor, growth, mental and moral character, etc.); neuter (as noun, with NT:3588) completeness:

KJV - of full age, man, perfect.

Perfection has nothing to do with whether you get sick anymore, or whether you have all the money in the world, or any of the self-ingratiating things that comes with the typical “perfection” message we hear coming from some. The perfection that is portrayed in the scriptures is one of complete satisfaction with your life, perfectly at ease with the life that God has given you. If there is one outstanding characteristic about the world we live in that would mark its shortcomings, it would be dissatisfaction with life. We are never satisfied, it seems. Our job isn’t paying us enough, our wife or husband doesn’t love us enough, our children don’t mind us enough, our home isn’t big enough, our car isn’t exciting enough, and on and on. Because of this unrest, marriages are ending at record amounts, families are torn apart, churches are split, all because we think we have this imperfect life that is somehow short of what we expected. We need to get a new vision of what perfection is all about.

            It goes without saying, all of this that I have written is easier said than done. But, that is what the journey is for, and that is what life is all about. Learning. Each day we live through, it has taught us something that we did not know before. Isn’t God good? What a grand life He has given to us! What makes me even more thrilled is that the journey will not stop when our physical bodies quit, but the journey goes on into the ages to come and we travel the way of the scroll until we have come to the end of the volume. Just as the scroll did not end when past lives on earth ended, neither will the scroll end if our physical life ends here on earth. Our history goes beyond the earth and so will the scroll go beyond our earthly existence, for we are first and foremost creatures of the invisible realm and our journey will carry us through the visible into the invisible and back into the visible again. The key of this lesson is: “I have come: in the volume of the book it is written of me.” If we learn that, then we will have been made perfect in our generation.

            Some say that there is no further work to be done in us, that all is in the past and there is no future development to be experienced. It is obvious to me that any that hold to this point of view have cut the scroll in half and only live by reason of what has been scrolled upon the rod of the past. But, I would have to say that, in my point of view, there is at least as much remaining on the scroll that has not been lived out as that which has been lived out.

To be sure, we must proclaim that we are perfect in our generation and in our appointment with life, but that is not the whole plan of God. We must not sit down and gaze into the heavens at what has been, but as the angel of God declared to the apostles of Jesus, we must go on and experience the promise to us and to our children. There is still work to be done. The word “work” has become an evil word for some kingdom believers, simply because we have not differentiated it from the other English word, “labor”. We are not to labor in the works of the flesh, but we are commissioned to do the works of the Father, which are without labor or strength of the flesh, but are accomplished through the wisdom and authority of the spirit. For this reason, I am looking for even greater works than those we have seen thus far to be done in our lives, because the fruit comes from the seed. If you have seed, then you should see the fruit of that seed.

            In the Pentateuch, Christ is the “seed of the woman” that will bruise the head of the serpent. IT IS WRITTEN. So it was that the seed came forth from Mary and has borne fruit, granting eternal life to all men, leaving death without victory. Fruit bears more seed and those seeds produce more fruit which produces more seeds, and on and on. In the context of this study on the cell, the basic doctrine of cellular biology is that all cells come from other cells. There is continuity expressed in this fact, generational progression that speaks of greater things than what is presently seen. The ability to produce, kind after kind, is the basic definition of biological life and it is the definition of God-life. The Father produced us out of Himself and we bear His likeness, if not yet in action, certainly we bear His likeness in the inner parts of our heart. He has written of us in a “volume” of our heart and it is being unscrolled day by day. The scripture says that we are an “epistle”, or we may use the word, “volume”.

2 Cor 3:3

3Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.

Our witness of our participation with the history of the plan of God comes from many sources. One, as we have mentioned, is the written word. Another, is the volume that is not written on parchment, but is written upon the tables of the heart. It is my belief, that even as within the human cell there is a book of life contained in the DNA molecule and positioned on 23 pairs of chromosomes, we also have within our heart of hearts a book, or volume, of spiritual DNA, an entire history of mankind, past, present and future, and we are living out our destiny in this great account of the plan and purpose of God. Even as we are unique in our physical makeup from all other kinsmen, having a unique combination of both our father’s lineage and our mother’s lineage, even so are we uniquely identifiable in our spiritual identity, one of a kind in God, having an expression and a voice in God that is distinct from all others. Have you ever seen identical twins? I have always wondered how their parents ever tell them apart, and know which name to call them. But, they always do, because no matter how identical they are, their parents can pick up on little unique differences that give them away, although to the casual observer these differences are so slight that they are indiscernible. Even so, in God, you are so uniquely YOU, that He never loses sight of you in the sea of humanity, but can pick your voice out of a million cries.

Concerning the order of things, Solomon made this statement,

Eccl 1:9

9The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

Solomon was known for his wisdom and his vast knowledge of the natural world, and in his studies he found this to be true. Nothing is new under the sun. It is all a product of something that is past and a preview of things to come. We are not the beginning of the volume, nor are we the end of the volume. The plan of God did not begin with us, and contrary to some of the more exalted statements that we hear coming from some today, we are not the end of the plan of God, we are, simply but gratefully, a part of the plan of God. We are pebbles on the beach of God, if you want a more humbling statement. If this bothers you, then you have no idea of the magnitude of the kingdom of God and you are but a child who thinks the universe revolves around you. I tell you of a truth, the breadth and the length of this plan of salvation is far greater and entails more lives and events than the world could hold if it were all written on paper. I think Jesus said something along the same line also. Ha. But, it is true. I don’t mean to downgrade our importance to the plan of God, for we are indeed living out a crucial point of the volume, one in which many events will be triggered and exciting changes wrought, but it is not the end of all things, neither is it the final trump, as some would think, but we have much more to experience and accomplish in the eonian journey before us. Let us not think that in this life only we have hope, but ours is an eternal existence and this is but a part of the trip. In my comparably short life on earth, I have had times of extreme joy and extreme heart ache, times of darkness and fear and times of illumination and courage. I have been brought down and I have been raised up, I have known despair and I have known exaltations of such glory that I cannot put it into words. I have seen the birth of babies and have experienced the death of loved ones. I have seen the best and the worst of people and have decided that we all have our good days and bad days. In all of this, I realize that this is not uniquely my experience, but we all have similar life experiences, of which some deal with those experiences better or worse than others. However, I choose to view my life and it’s consequences from a vantage point that connects me with the entire volume of life, and when I do that, I find that I am not the worse of the lot and not the best of the lot, but simply a part of the lot, and like so many of my predecessors, I am a link in the chain of creation, forming a bridge between past and future.

            It is a safe statement to make, that all that is in the future must pass through us first. Without us, there would be no future. But, because of us, we know there will be a future. In response to the prophets of doom that inundate us with their dire warnings that man will destroy himself and the world will come to a nuclear end soon, I would like to say that my faith is not in the hands of carnal men, but in the plan of an all knowing Heavenly Father, and I cannot bring myself to believe that He has brought this all to this point to turn it over to death and destruction. I see a new era rising for mankind, and it may be brought forth with birth pains and rumblings and such, but I see nothing but the blessings of God for the people of earth. I don’t see this as a disposable generation, one that the Lord will just roll up and discard as useless and unsaveable, but I see this generation as an appointed generation, perfect in its timing and ripe for the harvest. Regardless of all the propaganda from the religious institutions and the sensationalism of the media, I believe the world is on the verge of discovering the hidden Christ that dwells in every man, and we will see more compassion in the coming years worldwide than at any point in the history of mankind. The bad and the wicked always receive more attention, but I believe that things are getting better, not worse. I have no hard facts for these statements, just faith in the plan of God and what I perceive its purpose to be.

In light of this, I find it impossible to be depressed about the state of things at this present time. I know what has been written of me and of you. Great and momentous things have been written on the parchment of life, tremendous promises to you from your Father. I want you well, in mind and in spirit, confident in the plans the Lord has laid up for you. I want you to look at your life and see the good, not the bad. Things are not as hopeless as they seem to you right now, but I see a new Day dawning for you, not as in a fairy tale where someone waves a wand and, bang, all is well, but I want you to see the change at hand for you to become all that the Father has planned for you to become. I want you to start to rise up and rejoice, no matter the situation, no matter how things look right now, raise your voice up in praise to the Lord. There is more for you than against you. You have not come this way to die, but to live! Gather yourself, breathe in Him, gain strength and get your house in order.

There is a statement that I have heard from the younger generation of today, and it has a certain truth to it that can minister to us in this walk of God. I have heard them say, “you are either a player, or you are being played”. I am sure this may have a more carnal definition to those that came up with this statement, but for us that are in the walk of the kingdom, I gather this to mean, that in life, you are either in control of how things work in your life or you are at the mercy of those things. People can either play you, and make you react how they want you to react, or you can use their misuse of you and turn it for your good. First, you must quit being a victim and become an overcomer. I am not being victimized, I am being exercised. See the difference? Turn things around.

Recently, we received news from a couple of our friends in Minnesota that their granddaughter, Emily, was to undergo an operation to remove 2 tumors from her brain, one that would require the auditory nerve to be removed and a second that was attached to the facial nerves. The removal of the first tumor would leave Emily deaf. She is 18 years old, beautiful and loves the Lord. She has known of this reality for quite some time and instead of being paralyzed by such crushing news, she started to take steps to cope with her deafness. She learned to lip read and to sign in her spare time. She believed that if this was the plan for her life, then she would use it for a blessing for others, turning this tragedy into an opportunity. But, what is so amazing and overwhelming about this young girl was the fact that there was one thing she was really dreading. If the second tumor was not removed perfectly, she would lose her ability to smile! This was something she could not bear to think about, as she wanted her smile to express her love and peace in the Lord. Tears well up in my eyes each time I think of such a witness of true character coming forth from such a young lady. We passed this need on to the Body of Christ and people all over the world began praying for Emily. Today, as I write, Emily came through the operation and is recovering from the surgery. Emily is completely deaf. She is communicating through signing and lip reading. But, in praise to the Father, I can say with a heart full of joy, that she is smiling! Through 10 grueling hours of surgery, the doctors were able to cut away the tumor and save her facial nerves. I have no doubt that her smile will change untold lives in the days ahead.

What lies ahead for us? For those of us that are living between the scrolls, in the present moment, there is no trepidation. Our prayer list is full of lovely saints of the Lord facing cancer, heart problems, strokes, diabetes, and much more. They are all precious in the eyes of the Lord and they are all living witnesses to the keeping power of Christ. We have seen many healings take place, but we have also seen many have to finish their course in this life. Thank God, we see a life beyond this earthly existence. Whether in the body or out of the body, we are the Lord’s! Full or empty, rich or poor, healthy or sick, we are the Lord’s! We stand fast in God, holding the line, staying the course, our eyes on the prize, our heart fixed upon Him. Nothing can take our song away from our heart, though age and genetic weakness can take our youth away, our spirit stays intact, whole and complete, perfect in all its ways. I serve a perfect God, and I live a perfect life, because I am living out from the Volume of the Book that my perfect Father has written for me. The sum of all of this is that Jesus is my perfection and I am hid in the Life of that Perfect One. His hand will guide us through the veil of this human existence, until we are swallowed up into His resurrection and life. He is at our helm, guiding our ship through the night and the storms of life. I can hear Him even now, shouting above the noise of the winds and waves, “PEACE, BE STILL!!” That is why I can trust Him for my life and for all other lives, for He will bring us all into safe harbor.

I was driving my car earlier today and the Lord told me that He wants His people to start to walk through life like a lion walks through the jungle. I started to visualize the difference between how an antelope might walk through a field in Africa and how a lion would walk through that same field. The antelope was very nervous, jerking its head up constantly, shaking in fear, darting forward and then stopping, getting ready to run at the slightest sign of danger. In contrast, I saw the lion, king of his domain, walking with a calm assurance, head up and sauntering along. The difference between the two is that the lion saw himself as the strongest creature of his domain and had no fear of meeting something he could not handle, and the antelope saw himself as, well, lunch. Aren’t you tired of being lunch for the devourers of your life? Let the Lion of Judah roar out of you today! We are not here by mistake, but “IT IS WRITTEN OF ME!!”

 By Robert D Torango