The Dove And The Olive Branch: Flood Series Part 4 of 8

Genesis 8:6-12
"6 So it came to pass, at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made.

7 Then he sent out a raven, which kept going to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth. 

8 He also sent out from himself a dove, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the ground. 

9 But THE DOVE FOUND NO RESTING PLACE FOR THE SOLE OF HER FOOT, and she returned into the ark to him, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her, and drew her into the ark to himself.
10 And he waited yet another seven days, and again he sent the dove out from the ark. 

11 Then the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, A FRESHLY PLUCKED OLIVE LEAF WAS IN HER MOUTH; and Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth. 

12 So he waited yet another seven days and sent out the dove, which did not return again to him anymore."

In part 1 we talked about what the world was like at the time the flood came and why it was unavoidable.  In part two, we discovered something amazing about who was in the Ark.  In part 3, we even saw how and why the Jewish calendar changed.  In this portion, we're going to study about the dove and learn some fascinating things!

Most people recognize the dove as a symbol of peace.  To the Church it is also a symbol of someOne: The Holy Spirit.  Both are apt descriptions.  Contained within this age-old story are some very interesting things about doves which demonstrate once again that there are NO insignificant details in the Bible. 

Let's review.

#1.  God told Noah to build an ark.  

#2.  It rained for forty days and nights.

#3.  All life was destroyed on the earth except for Noah and his family; eight people total.

#4.  The flood waters remained on the earth for 150 days. That's five months, folks!

#5.  The ark rested on the mountains of Ararat on the 17th day of the 7th month, indicative of Jesus' resurrection.

In verse 7 it says that Noah sent out a raven which kept going to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth.  It never returned to him.  Why?  Because ravens are carrion birds.  As such, they are counted by God as unclean.  There would never be any need for it to return to the ark for lack of food because all around, floating in the flood waters, were plenty of dead bodies, carcasses on which to feed. {Ewww, yuk!}  The raven simply went from one to the next and the next. There was PLENTY to eat.

Reminds me of the verse in Luke 12:24 where it says "Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!"

This particular dove, on the other hand, was a bit unusual.  Unlike the raven, they are counted as clean animals.  They are not carrion birds per sé but are not necessarily averse to feeding on carrion.  For some reason, however, this dove did not want to land or feed on these floating carcasses nor feed on them.  Why?  

The Author, The Holy Spirit, is painting pictures for us again.  This dove is a picture of Him.  Noah, whose name means "rest," sent the dove out but she found no place to "REST" the sole of her foot.  Since she could not find anywhere outside of the ark to REST, she returned to Noah.  In other words, she returned to REST.

Since the garden, The "Dove" has been looking for a place to REST but found none.  It wasn't until Jesus rose up out of the waters after being baptized by John that, for the first time ever, the "DOVE" finally found SomeOne on Whom He could "REST" in full measure:  Upon Jesus, the perfect Man Who is full of REST!  

Matthew 3:16-17
"16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. 17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.'"

The flood waters all around the ark were waters of judgment, of condemnation if you will, that fell on the wicked people outside the ark that were destroyed by the flood.  The vessel that saved all mankind is a picture of Jesus.  Outside of Him are unsaved people under condemnation because they have not asked Jesus into their hearts.  They, like the floating dead carcasses, are outside Jesus.  

Unfortunately, as you saw in part 3, the unsaved aren't the only ones who are under condemnation.  Believers can be, too. How?  Just as Noah's dove would not rest on the condemned outside the ark, so too, The Holy Spirit also will not rest ON believers who are under the condemnation of the law, meaning they believe they must obey the law in order to be accepted by God.

Notice it doesn't say "those who OBEY the law" but those who are of the "WORKS" of the law.  These folk believe they must work to obey the Law, they fall under condemnation.  The Holy Spirit WILL NOT REST ON THEM, which is where the real power lies!

There is a BIG difference between the Holy Spirit residing "IN" a person and resting "ON" someone.  He comes and resides "IN" everyone you the instant you are born again, to teach, direct and to guide into all truth.  But if you are under the condemnatory preaching of the law and buy into legalistic, law-centric doctrine, known as "Galatianism," you can only have the Spirit IN you.  He will not rest "ON" those who feel condemned.  Church, that's where THE REAL POWER IS:  The Spirit resting ON.

In the Old Testament the prophets, judges, kings and others God raised up had the mantle of the Holy Spirit "ON" them in some measure and were thus were able to manifest His POWER.  They could not have had the Holy Spirit "IN" them like us because the blood of bulls and goats could not cleanse their sins. Jesus' blood cleanses our sins!

 

Now you understand why the church at large seems to lack any real POWER or effectiveness.  The POWER of God through the Holy Spirit will not rest ON those under condemnation.  

This condemnation DOES NOT touch your righteousness in Christ, of course.  Thank God!  But it does make life more difficult.  It doesn't matter what status you have, what level of education you've attained, your position in the Church, how many degrees you have, how many mission trips you've been on or whether or not your Dad is the senior pastor.  Real, lasting breakthroughs, miracles, healings, divine health and all God's greatest gifts remain elusive if you think you must somehow be good enough to receive them from God.  You are, in effect, trying to earn God's free "gifts" by your good works.  If you can merit it, then it's not a gift; it's a reward.

The Holy Spirit always appears like a dove.  Did you ever wonder why?  Me, too.  Well, there's a very good reason for it, no surprise, another story in and of itself.  For more on that topic, follow this link:  http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2014/12/gifts-and-fruits-of-spirit.html

But fear not, Church!  I have good news! The scripture says that the Dove returned to Noah "in the evening" with a FRESHLY-PLUCKED OLIVE BRANCH in her mouth.  What does that mean?  It's a timeline of sorts.  The Dove--the Spirit of Grace and truth--came in the evening on God's prophetic time clock.  

Well, Church, have just moved past midnight on that "kairós" time clock and crossed over into the wee dawn hours of the third day, counting time the way God does.  To Him, one day is "as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day."  (See 2 Peter ). By that reckoning, Jesus has only been gone only two days.  

Remember what the scriptures said?  He rose from the dead "very early" in the morning on the third day!  That means the Lord will return in our lifetime!

(For more information on the exciting things in store for the Church on the third day follow this link:  

http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-third-day.html)

The olive leaf in the dove's mouth was a "freshly plucked" leaf which means she didn't find it floating in the water.  Green color means "New Covenant."  She had it in her mouth meaning she "speaks words of grace; New Covenant = NO LAW!"  It also meant that the flood waters--all the condemnation--had almost completely abated and soon they would be able to step out onto dry, NO JUDGMENT GROUND with a rainbow over their heads.  It was a brand new world, one where there are NO signs of the curse anywhere!

The worldwide flood waters of condemnation via condemnatory preaching in our day are beginning to recede.  HALLELUJAH!  There are pockets of Grace everywhere you look, peaks of mountain tops showing through the waters.  Some of you reading this are standing on those mountain peaks wondering if you're the only ones who get it; who know the truth because, as you look around, there are signs of the curse everywhere:  Believers sick, suffering lack, not having victory in their lives.

But the sound of The Dove is once again being heard in our world in these last days!  Seven days after she brought that olive branch to Noah, The Dove went out and never returned to him.  That same Dove TODAY is proclaiming to us that the world wide floodwaters of this "gospel of condemnation" are almost abated and soon we, like Noah, will step out into a brand new world where there is no more mixture, no more legalism, no more Galatianism, NO MORE SIGNS OF THE CURSE--sickness, disease, dying before your time--NO MORE CONDEMNATION from Levitical priests in our churches.

The Melchizedek priesthood that preaches from the pure gold of the mercy seat, Divine Righteousness, are taking over.  THE GREATEST REVIVAL OF ALL TIME, one not based on law like all those of the past, but based on PURE, RADICAL GRACE is happening NOW. It is already so much greater!  It is GLOBAL and bigger than ALL OTHER REVIVALS COMBINED!

That, Church, is the message of the Dove and the Olive Branch.