Kenneth Copeland - God's Divine Healing and Longevity Plan
Thank You, Lord. There are some things that the Lord has laid on my heart last night and this morning. One thing in particular, in line with healing, divine healing, there is also divine longevity, living a long time. So, let's open our Bibles to the 90th Psalm. A prayer of Moses, the man of God. Lord thou has been our dwelling place in all generations, before the mountains were brought forth and so forth. You've turned man to destruction. Return, ye children of men, for a thousand years in thy sight are but yesterday, when it is passing as a watch in the night. I will carry them away with a flood. They are as asleep in the morning. They are like grass which grows up in the morning. It flourishes and grows up in the evening. It's cut down and withers. This is a mournful, he's interceding for these people. For we are consumed by that anger, and by thy wrath or we troubled. Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of the countenance, for all our days are passed away. In thy wrath we spend our years as a tale that is told. The days of our years are three score and 10, and if, by reason of strength, there are four score years, yet is their strength labor and sorrow, for it as soon cut off and we fly away. Who knows the power of that anger? Even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath.
People have taken one verse out of context, 70 or 80. Now, I brought, instead of going to my iPad, my iPad does not have this footnote. This Psalm is credited to Moses, who is interceding with God to remove the curse which made it necessary for every Israelite over the 20 years of age, when they rebelled against God at Kadesh Barnea, to die before reaching the Promised Land. That's in Numbers 14:26 to 35. Moses said, "Most of them are dying at 70 years of age". The number has often been mistaken as a set span of life for all mankind. It was not intended to refer to anyone except those Israelites under the curse during that particular 40 years. And once people picked up on that, then it just became life.
Now, I was born 1936, December the sixth, in '36. And it was very interesting. I read a piece that was given to me on my birthday this year of what the average lifespan was at that time. The average lifespan at that time was 65 to 69 years. Now, there were people that lived longer, but more of them were living less. So I looked up what the average lifespan is now. Give a guess at what it is. 74 to 76, 79. There it is. It's the same curse, and people don't know any better and expect to die about that time. But in all biblical studies, all biblical scholars that I know anything about, and it really only makes sense, that first words in the Bible carry throughout the rest of the Bible. Now, also this law, if it's not recorded who wrote a Psalm, look at the one who wrote the one before it.
So, Moses wrote the 91st Psalm, and in that one, he said, "With long life I will satisfy you and show you my salvation". So, he sang the problem and he sang the answer. Isn't that amazing? But in Genesis 6:3, when men began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born unto them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were fair and they took wives of all they desired and chose. Then the Lord said, "My spirit shall not forever dwell and strive with man, for he also is flesh, but his days shall yet be 120 years". God did not say 70 or 80. Moses did. God said 120. So now, when you flow that, particularly in the healing ministry, for instance, the first time the word glory was used, it was wealth. Whoa.
So, when you follow along that, now, then you go to the book of Leviticus and you begin to find the dietary rules. Well, this is a sensible way to eat. It was a law back there then because you had, particularly in the beginning now, because you had a people that came out of Egypt that had to eat anything they could get their hands on to survive. They had no idea about these things. So, God told them this is good to eat. Don't eat that. Don't eat this. This is right because of your body. Well, he commanded it. But it just makes good sense. All of this follows the healing and longevity plan of God. He planned on you living 120 years. Amen. So, remember now, we're talking about Jesus in his life and ministry. Thank You, Lord. We talked about Jesus went about the cities and villages, teaching, preaching, and healing.
Now, I mentioned this yesterday evening, but let's go over there and put our eyes on it in the book of John, and we'll look in the fifth chapter, the 30th verse. Well, let's don't start there. We'll read down into it. Let's look at, well, I just keep looking at this. Verse 22. For the father judges no man, but has committed all judgment unto the son. Now, that's powerful. Why is that so powerful? God has never been on this earth. Jesus has. He's experienced it. He knows what human beings are faced with. Now, in the first covenant, God was hard on those people. Now here's a moment that I must take. I must take this. How many of you are pastoring or in the ministry? May I see it again? All right. This is exceptionally strong for you. And then all of you that people talk to, you need to know this. Open your Bibles to the 54th chapter of Isaiah. Chapter 52, 53, and 54. This all has to do with the crucifixion of Jesus.
Now give me time to get there. Thank You, Lord Jesus. In the 52nd, 13th verse, behold, my servant shall deal prudently. He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high. As many were astonished at his visage or his form was so marred, more than any man, and his form more than the sons of man. Then you come into the 53rd chapter. Who has believed our report? To whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? For he shall grow up and so forth. He is despised and rejected a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Now, that word sorrows is pain. The word translated grief is disease. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, our griefs and our diseases. Surely he has borne our griefs, sicknesses, weaknesses, distresses, carried our sorrows and pains of punishment. Praise God. I said, praise God.
Now, the reason I bring all these things up, teach this. Talk about it a lot. Oh, but now wait a minute. The 53rd chapter, he's on the cross. The 54th chapter saying, "Oh, barren thou that didst not bear, break forth into singing. Cry aloud that didst not travail with child for more of the children of the desolate and the children of the married wife". This is the resurrected Lord of Lords. This Psalm is to the church, or this chapter, excuse me, is to the church. And verse four, fear not, for thou shalt not be ashamed, neither shalt thou be of confounded, for thou shalt not be put to shame, for thou shalt forget the shame of your youth and not remember the reproach of thy widowhood anymore, for thy maker is thine husband. The Lord of Hosts is his name. Pastor, the Lord of Hosts is Pastor Jerry Moore's husband now.
There was a quite elderly woman came up to me. She said, "Now, Brother Copeland," she said, "My husband, when he was alive, fixed everything in the house". And she said, "Now that Jesus is my husband," she said, "There was something wrong with the toilet". And I said, "Jesus," now I don't remember her husband's name, but said, "If he was here, he'd fix it. Now you fix it". She said, "Brother Copeland, that thing said", and said, "It's been working fine ever since". Now, something else. Now, this all has to do with it, now. Look in that 53rd chapter. And he made his grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death. My King James has a mark right there.
Number one, his deaths. He not only died physically, he had to die spiritually. If you don't let him die, you'll never allow yourself to live. What is spiritual death? Separation from God. The 22nd Psalm is record, when they heard him shout, "Why hast thou forsaken me? It is finished". Read the 22nd Psalm, particularly in the Amplified translation. That Psalm is what Jesus... how can I say this Lord? He said it himself when he was on the earth, that the Psalms were written about him, did he not? I believe he was specifically referring to the 22nd Psalm. It's all there, and it starts off, why hast thou forsaken me, and it ends, in the Amplified translation, it ends with, it is finished.
Well, redemption wasn't finished because he said that he would be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. That doesn't work. If it was on Friday. It was on Wednesday. The Gospel of John will tell you that it was a high Sabbath. So, it began on Wednesday instead of Friday. Well, I mean, we celebrate it and so forth, but you need to know what's right, because where faith comes from. Amen. So it started on Wednesday and ended on Sunday. Glory. Forget about it. Praise God. Thank You, Jesus. All right. Now then, in the 54th chapter, thy maker is thine husband, the Lord of Hosts, Lord of the angelic armies of God. He is, and you'll see this in the book of James, he is the Lord of Sabaoth. Not Sabbath. Sabaoth, the Lord of Hosts. The angels are involved in so much more than most Christian people have any idea. Do a study of it.
Go to the book of Malachi. The Lord of Hosts, that phrase is used in the book of Malachi something like 24 times, invoking the angels in that little book, and that's where the tithing scriptures are. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sake, sayeth the Lord of Hosts. Glory to God, the angels are involved in the return of your tithe. I'll just quote this. I don't want to take time to turn there. Exodus 23:25. Don't just jump into that because it doesn't make sense. Well, I am going to turn to it, too. This has been basically true. Thank You, Lord. Now, 25th verse. You shall serve the Lord your God, and he shall bless thy bread and water. That's not talking about God. You have to go back to verse 20.
Behold, I send an angel before you to keep you in the way, to bring you into the place where I have prepared. Beware of him and obey his voice. Provoke him not, for he will not pardon your transgressions, for my name is in him. But if you shall indeed obey his voice and do what I speak, then I'll be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. My angels shall go before thee and bring into the Amorites and the Hittites, the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I'll cut them all. Thou shalt not bow down to their gods nor serve them nor do after their works, but thou shalt utterly overthrow them and quite break down their images. You shall serve the Lord your God, and he, your angel, shall bless your bread and water, and I will take sickness from the midst of you. There shall nothing cast their young or have miscarriages in your land, and the number of your days I will fulfill.
Glory to God. Be very cautious of taking one little verse out and making it say something. Well, it does eventually turn out to be that way. But faith comes when you put your eyes on it. Don't let them depart from your eyes. Keep them in the midst of your heart, for their health, what? My son, attend to my words. Attend to my words. Put the Word first place in your life. Final authority. Amen. Thank You, Lord Jesus. They are health to all that find them. The Hebrew word there is medicine. Praise God.
Now, all right, what I wanted you to see in the 54th chapter of Isaiah, let me get back over there, please. This is something, oh, my. The Lord of Hosts is his name, and thy redeemer, the holy one of Israel, the God of the whole earth shall he be called. For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth when thou was refused, sayeth thy God. For a small moment have I forsaken thee, three days and nights. But with great mercies will I gather thee. That word mercy there is compassion. Great compassion will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment, but with everlasting kindness, now that Hebrew word is Hesed. It's difficult to explain in English, but it's a covenant word, and it means the lesser is blessed of the greater. The lesser is blessed of the greater. Hallelujah.
It's like seeing one of those great big horses, one of those big, big, healthy horses that just pull the load, and a Shetland pony in yoke with that other horse, and his feet are just dangling up on the ground. Amen. You and I are the little horse. One man that explained that to me like this, he said, "Hesed is when you see," and he was missionary to Africa. He said, "When you see a mama elephant and she has a baby elephant, and you begin to get too close to that baby and her big ears go about like this, you're about to experience hesed, brother. You'd better back off". And when are we going to become so covenant-minded that we begin to receive and realize that our covenant is with the Almighty God? Hallelujah.