Anointed with the Oil of Gladness
Peter and Rohnel, called to be the ministers of Christ through the will of God, to all the scattered saints who call upon Jesus Christ; grace and peace unto you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
This letter is written to the saints to remind us to rejoice in the Lord always and to seek the fullness of His joy in our lives. Embracing the Gospel, pressing into the Kingdom of God with all our heart, mind, and soul, brings greater joy as the Lord rewards those who seek Him. May we be filled with the joy of the Lord as we strive to stay in the faith by obedience. The joy of the Lord is planted and kept in us by the preaching and obeying of the Gospel of the Living Commandments.
Joh 15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
Joh 15:11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
By the mercy of God, the hidden mystery of His Gospel has been revealed. This Gospel is the knowledge of God that brings us many blessings, including the grace that manifests peace, obedience, and the fruits of the Spirit. We are being saved from our sins, and the Lord’s joy has now become our joy.
Mat 12:18 Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit [His Joy] upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.
God is love, and the love of God is that we obey His Commandments. The joy of the Lord is the love that is the Father dwelling in Him. The Father did not send Christ alone; the Father, who is the Holy Commandments, is alive with Christ as they are one Spirit. The Father is the joy of the Lord, and Christ always seeks to obey the Father so that He may please God.
Joh 8:29 And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.
As the Father sent Christ, so He sends us as His Christ. Thus, the joy of the Lord, the Commandments that are the Spirit of God, the wisdom of Christ, and the understanding of the Father become our strength when the Promise comes in the appointed day.
Joh 14:20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
Our joy is not our own, nor is it joy in the Lord. The joy we receive as a gift is the Lord’s joy of the Holy Commandments that are the Father. Sons of God always do what the Father does, which is to do the Commandments. We follow Christ’s example.
Joh 5:19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.
Joh 5:20 For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.
The love of God is His Spirit that brings the desire to obey God’s Commandments. The Lord had a full measure of this Spirit and thus, to bring joy to the Father, Christ endured the cross and despised the shame that comes from the carnal world.
Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Christ came into this world to save the world, and that is accomplished through the preaching of the Gospel to those given to receive it. The joy of the Lord is thus fulfilled in due time in those who hear Christ and His Christ.
Joh 17:13 And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
Christ’s prayer above is answered, and thus we follow the Lord’s example and, for the joy of the Lord set before us, pay the costs to become His disciples. Our hope, that is also our faith of Christ, is rewarded in due time, and the joy of the Lord, that is the love of God, is poured into our hearts by the Spirit.
Rom 5:5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Having the Lord’s joy abiding in us is having the love of God in our hearts that witnesses that we are the children of God.
1Jn 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.
1Jn 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.
Before Christ comes with His joy to dwell in us, a time of preparation is needed to build the walls and the temple in the Holy City. We are the Temple of God, and this is our day of preparation and the baptism of John. As the chosen of God, we begin singing a new song, the song of salvation.
Exo 15:2 The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation
Psa 132:13 For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation.
Psa 132:14 This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it
The walls that guard the Temple are the Commandments, and when they are being raised, our day of the Lord has come, meaning we have heard and received the Gospel. This is a holy day, as we are being made holy and perfected, and now have the same joy our Lord has living in us. The joy of the Lord that has been given to us is our strength.
Neh 8:9 And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law.
Neh 8:10 Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.
The shadows of the OT confirm our understanding of the Lord’s ways. While Nehemiah built the walls, Ezra built the new Temple itself, and its construction and dedication brought great joy to the children of Israel.
Ezr 6:16 And the children of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity, kept the dedication of this house of God with joy
The joy of the Lord is another symbol of the hidden mystery of the Gospel, the Promise of God now being revealed unto the saints. The Living Commandments of the Father is our strength, the power that saves us and builds and protects the Temple in which we rejoice and are exceedingly glad. Through this joy, we are triumphing over our sins. Judgment has come upon the house of God, and a new creature is being made.
Isa 33:5 The LORD is exalted; for he dwelleth on high: he hath filled Zion with judgment and righteousness.
Psa 97:8 Zion heard, and was glad; and the daughters of Judah rejoiced because of thy judgments, O LORD.
As we mature in the faith, we rejoice more and more at the trials and afflictions that come in the Lord’s day as we enter into the King’s palace.
Psa 118:24 This is the day which the LORD hath made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psa 45:15 With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought: they shall enter into the king’s palace.
We are comforted in our mourning and loss of many things. Singing, shouting and making noise for the Lord is our obedience to the Commandments in which we rejoice. We are comforted, and all the waste places within us are being transformed. Joy, gladness, and thanksgiving are in our hearts as we sing to the Lord in obedience.
Isa 51:3 For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.
Act 2:46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
The Lord is well pleased in us, and we are glad when we come before Him singing praises by our obedience and trust in His ways.
Psa 100:1 A Psalm of praise. Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
Psa 100:2 Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence [the Commandments] with singing.
Psa 149:1 Praise ye the LORD. Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints.
Psa 149:2 Let Israel rejoice in him that made him: let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.
Only the redeemed of the Lord, to whom His joy has come, can learn and sing the new song of salvation.
Rev 14:3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.
The Joy of the Lord is mighty in bringing the overcoming of our sins that we have strived to attain all of our lives. Those to whom the joy of the Lord has come are the blessed sons of God, His kings and priests on the earth.
Psa 21:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The king shall joy in thy strength, O LORD; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!
Psa 21:6 For thou hast made him most blessed for ever: thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance.
Zep 3:17 The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.
Becoming one with Christ is marrying Christ, and in this, we rejoice, having been made ready by the works of God to wash us with the Commandments and clothe us in His righteousness.
Rev 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
Psa 132:16 I will also clothe her priests with salvation: and her saints shall shout aloud for joy.
When we have joy in the Father’s Commandments, we cannot help but produce the fruits of His Spirit. Pursuing more knowledge outside of the Commandments is no longer a strong desire as we seek first the kingdom of God and obedience to the Commandments, in which we now rest in joy.
Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith …
Rom 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit
In time, our sorrow over the many trials and afflictions turns to unspeakable joy. It is through these trials of our obedience to the faith that we overcome and begin to be filled with the Lord’s glory as salvation begins to manifest.
1Pe 1:8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
1Pe 1:9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
All that the Lord is doing is for the greater good of our salvation. Nothing is wasted, and we learn to rejoice in trials and the Commandments as we see Christ appearing more in our lives.
Hab 3:18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
Jas 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations
The words for joy and gladness in the Scriptures are interchangeable, as various translations and Bible concordances confirm. The Lord raises us and brings us forth with both joy and gladness and gives us the Promised Land to inherit as we learn to obey the Lord.
Psa 105:43 And he brought forth his people with joy, and his chosen with gladness:
Psa 105:44 And gave them the lands of the heathen: and they inherited the labour of the people;
Psa 105:45 That they might observe his statutes, and keep his laws. Praise ye the LORD.
The anointing of the Holy Spirit, known as the Promise, is the joy of the Lord and is also called the oil of gladness. The elect chosen of God who become His angels and ministers of flame are given the anointing which causes us to become trees of righteousness and manifest the glory of the Lord, that is, our obedience to the Commandments.
Heb 1:9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness [joy] above thy fellows.
Isa 61:3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy [gladness] for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
Where the King’s Commandments are sent, there arises light, gladness, joy, and honour.
Est 8:16 The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honour.
Our joy is said to be an everlasting joy as it is the Commandments, the Living Word that abides forever and never passes away.
Isa 51:11 Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy
When the joy comes inside, we are now being taught by God. The Spirit of the Commandments, the anointing of the joy of the Lord, teaches all men and makes known God’s ways.
Act 2:28 Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.
Jer 15:16 Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.
The day we hear the Gospel preached with God-given ears begins the blessing of God, bringing us the joy of the Holy Ghost into our hearts. Many lies are cast out, and we begin to be healed of our lameness and many other spiritual diseases. Great joy comes into us, the city of God.
Act 8:7 For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed.
Act 8:8 And there was great joy in that city.
It is an unparalleled honour and blessing to have the opportunity to make a stand for Christ, the Commandments, and be persecuted for His name’s sake. Those precious few given to repent and believe the Gospel in every age are the Lord’s redeemed who will be full of joy and exceedingly glad for all the things the Lord is working.
Mat 5:11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Mat 5:12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Our sorrows, afflictions, and doubts vanish as the Lord grants us understanding and gives us the overcoming. We are thus filled not only with His joy but also with His glory.
1Pe 4:12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
1Pe 4:13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
When the Gospel is preached, and we begin to be washed by the Commandments, we tarry for the Lord to come with the living joy of the Promise. We advance in our preparations the more we are caused to forsake all our worldly thoughts and interests and for the joy of the Lord buy the hidden treasure being now being revealed.
Mat 13:44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
Waiting for the Lord is a test of our faith. Will we be found faithful when the Lord returns in our day of visitation? When we prove faithful in a few things, He promotes us into greater things and gives salvation, and we enter further into His Joy as shown in the Parable of the Talents.
Mat 25:21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
We earnestly seek and tarry for the blessing of God and this joy to come through the gift of His Faith that is also the Holy Spirit.
Rom 15:13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Spirit
The joy we receive when we hear the Gospel and begin to cast our devils is far surpassed when the Lord returns the second time as the Promise and brings His Joy into our hearts to dwell.
Luk 10:17 And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.
Luk 10:20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.
The spiritual body of Christ is connected being of one mind and one Spirit. Thus, there is great joy in our heavens and all those seated with Christ when even one person is granted repentance and turns their heart to the Gospel.
Luk 15:7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
Luk 15:10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
To declare the whole counsel of God regarding His Joy, we also need to speak of the negative, which is losing the joy and the voice of gladness. When there is no joy in our hearts, we examine ourselves and see how we are doing versus the Commandments. If we continue to wilfully sin after coming to knowledge of the truth [the Gospel], the Lord forsakes us for a little season to turn our hearts back to the Commandments in repentance. Like David, we seek the Lord, repent, and seek the restoration of the joy of our salvation.
Psa 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
Psa 51:11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
Psa 51:12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
As our Lord experienced for our sakes on the cross, we likewise endure a little season in which we feel forsaken and thus have no joy. We await the death of our flesh so we can be freed from our sins. If we call upon the Lord, He hears us and restores the joy of our salvation.
Knowing the truth that is the Commandments and not doing them when Christ goes away for a little while brings much sorrow, and we can feel unworthy, and our faith is shaken. There is no joy to be found when we are being disobedient to the Truth we have walked with for many years. Giving birth is painful, and for the Sons of God to come forth, travail and sorrow are promised before it is all turned into joy. The Lord speaks of our journey of sorrow before He returns, when the new man is born in us, when the Promise comes.
Joh 16:20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.
Joh 16:21 A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.
We await the Promise and the power to pull us out of the miry clay that is the pit flesh and stands us on the Commandments. He will come; He will not tarry. Be patient.
Psa 40:1 I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
Psa 40:2 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.
Psa 40:3 And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.
When the Lord returns to us the second time, we have received the blessing of God and the Power to overcome sin and endure to the end. The joy of the Lord now lives in our hearts; it is our strength, and we can ask Him anything according to His will, and it shall be done. No man can take away our joy, the Spirit of God, the Promise now living inside of us.
Joh 16:22 And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.
Joh 16:23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.
Joh 16:24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
The joy of the Lord is not the same as the joy of our flesh. The flesh profits itself nothing from Christ’s Commandments, only destruction. The Lord takes away the joy and gladness we had in satisfying our lusts, as we now belong to Him, and all things are being made new. The meat and joy we once had is cut off from our hearts and minds, and it is a blessing of God.
Joe 1:15 Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.
Joe 1:16 Is not the meat cut off before our eyes, yea, joy and gladness from the house of our God?
Jas 4:9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
When the joy comes, our day of the Lord is now at hand, and we are blessed in the Lord as we are being drawn to the Commandments. The joy we had in our rebellion to the Commandments turns to gloom as the Gospel brings mourning, lamentation, and woe into our lives. What is sweet to our hearing becomes bitter to our flesh and the old way of life.
Rev 10:9 And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.
Rev 10:10 And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.
Our complaining and moaning about the costs of losing our lives gives way to great joy when the Comforter comes to us, and the joy of the Lord remains with us. We no longer weep over our trials and rejoice in the Lord always.
Isa 65:17 For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.
Isa 65:18 But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.
Isa 65:19 And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.
The saints are the blessed of God, given to receive and be filled with the joy of the Lord. Receive the blessing of the Gospel and rejoice in the Lord always. We say it again, rejoice because the Lord of all joy is at hand. Receive ye the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
