Last Days of the Church

An Introduction

As a minister of Christ, I feel that the Lord has giving me an insight into what the church will be going thru in the last few years of the church. Many have taken their hand to give an explanation of how this is to be played out in our lives. It has been probably 20 years since I have read or listened to any interpretation of the last days. I do not read religious books and very seldom use the Greek or Hebrew dictionary to better understand a passage except, with names of people or places.

I did not study this out, but rather it came to me around 1997 when seeking the Lord. But at that time was unable to put it all together. And then again when seeking the Lord in 2011, he brought it back to me and added some further understanding. My understanding is not from any denomination or any preacher that I might have heard expound on the subject in my days of serving the Lord. But it would not surprise me if what I understand agrees in part with another preacher’s or denomination’s theology. Anyone that preaches Jesus Christ has a part of his light and his light will illuminate some part of the scriptures to that individual, even though they may not be able to put it together correctly with other scriptures.

In this article there are five messages, they are

• The Last Week of Daniel

• Change In The Ministry

• Three Parts of The Church

• Four Principle Areas

• The Last Half of The Week of Daniel

There could be other scriptures, explanations and even a better structure to this message, but as I am writing this, the Lord has directed me in what order to present this. I have tried to add scriptures to save time in searching out the scriptures as you read.

Because of the way or sequence in which the Lord gave this to me and the order he had me to write it in, you will need to read all Five Parts of it to get the full understanding of what is being said. It would be expected that one might need to reread parts or all of this, to get the understanding of it. Thank you for taking the time to read this and may God bless you through the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

This article was written by Gary Hyde, any questions please contact me at garyhyde@tds.net.

---

Last Days of the Church

Chapter One

LAST WEEK OF DANIEL - NOW!

The Passage in Daniel

Let us start with reading this passage: Daniel 9:25-27 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

There may be many ways that one may try to understand the beginning and the timing of the 70 weeks, where each day represents a year, for a total of 490 years. But there should not be any doubt in our mind, that God established who this commandment to restore would come through.

Isa 44:28 That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.

We see the fulfilling of this prophecy in 536BC, …Ezr 1:2 Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

The problem with the mind here is that it is more than 566 years between the commandment by Cyrus and the beginning of the ministry of Jesus Christ.

The answer is this, when God spoke and said it would be a 7 week period, a 62 week period and a final 1 week period. He never said that these three periods would be consecutive nor was it ever his desire to let us know the time of Christ’s first coming or his second coming. God only gave enough information so we could know the seasons and be watchful in prayer, that he would not catch us unaware.

For that reason, he sent John the Baptist to prepare the way before him, and stir and awaken the saints of that time to look for the kingdom of God. John preached that the kingdom was at hand, and if the people did not believe John’s message, then they probably were going to miss Jesus’ message, …since they were not of his fold or the seed of God.

It says in Daniel that after threescore and two weeks that the Messiah would be cut off. Later in the passage he says he will confirm the covenant for many for one week. You should see that it makes no difference if you think this passage applies to natural Israel or to spiritual Israel, or both. I would like to take the remainder of this message to explain as the Lord has let me see the last week.

The Church : Spiritual Israel has Mirrored Natural Israel

As we are approaching the last days of the Church age, we see that the church has followed in the footsteps of natural Israel in all its abomination, idolatry, rebellion and disobedient to God. Just as in Jeremiah’s time and in Jesus’ time, the actions of the people of Israel brought about a natural punishment and destruction of the nation of Israel. There was a ceasing of the daily sacrifice because of these abominations and even the vengeance of God on the disobedient and rebellious nation of Israel. At each of those times he forewarned his people before it happened, so those who where following his voice or light in that day, would not have to suffer the blunt of the Israel’s punishment. Although they were a part of the nation, they were not a part of its evil ways.

We are now praying and longing for Jesus to return. But, if he were to return to today’s Church, which is now the Israel of God according to Jesus and Paul, he would find it in torn and tattered garments which have been defiled by worldly lust, false doctrine, false spirits, corrupt ministries, etc. For that reason he would end up having to destroy his people because of his holiness and the church’s uncleanness and unrighteousness. That does not mean that there are not clean, true to the word saints in the church, the Israel of God. I am speaking of the church as a whole, which was also the case with Israel as a whole, which is our example, in both O.T. and N.T. times.

An Overview of the Last Week of the Endtime

For a general overview, the last week or 7 years is broke up into two parts according to… Daniel 9:27…and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation…

The 1st 3 ½ years is a ministry of Christ, that will be like Moses, Elijah and Jesus combined. It is 3 ½ years of warning or wake up call for God’s people who have turned from the gospel of Jesus Christ. Pressure will be put on the church to repent and turn to God from the error of their ways. This is a true revival we have longed for in the church.

The 2nd half of this week is to stop the true daily sacrifices of worship toward God through Christ, and allow the spirit of Satan to come in to his temples, which were once God’s temples. This will allow the son or sons of perdition to be revealed, bringing life to the beast image.

In this final week, the Messiah, confirms the covenant...

Daniel 9:26 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week…

This is not a new covenant like in Jesus’ time, but rather Christ is confirming or bearing a second witness of the prior covenant that Jesus gave to Israel at his first coming. This Israel is now made up of Jews and Gentiles as was revealed by Jesus and preached by the Apostles. That the people of God from both Jews and Gentiles, are the seed of Abraham thru faith in Jesus Christ, to make up the church, the Israel of God.

A Call to Awaken the Church

To get a foundation of the better part of what is being done during this 3 ½ years, read also Revelation chapters 8-11.

There are more passages that apply to this period but the objective is not to tie down every passage that relates with the period, but rather to speak in a broad sweep of what will happen. Then, ministers and saints will be watchful in prayer as we see the day approaching.

The purpose of the first 3 ½ years of this time period is for the ministry to stir the hearts of the people and awaken them from their sleep, slumber and drunkenness. This will allow them to hear the word of the Lord for their life and make themselves ready for the coming of the Lord. The Lord will bring sorrows and plagues upon the church to get them to repent at his word. During this time, it is not to destroy the church or to bring the wrath of God on it or the world; but rather to preserve, clean up, make ready and bring repentance in the church.

The church has three parts:

• Those that have made themselves ready,

• Those that are defiled in some manner,

• Those that have tasted the heavenly gift and have become disobedient or rebellious bringing forth corruption.

These three groups of people have always been in the church. But in the last days, how you heed and obey the word of God will separate you into these parts, which will determine your blessing or suffering during the last 3 ½ years.

This can be seen in the scriptures in…

Zech 13:8-9 And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.

Christ Confirming His Covenant

Let’s take a look at different passages which show us how Jesus is going to confirm his covenant during this period.

1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God.

Again in..

Lu 21:27-28 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

It is seen in..

Re 10:1-3 And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire: And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth, And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.

This can also be seen in the two witnesses of..

Re 11:1-3 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

At first reading of all these passages you may be thinking of multiple ministries of people bringing about the work in this time period. I would like to explain that there will be many ministers during this time, just as there were in Moses’ and Jesus’ time. But there was only one ministry that was a full representation of Christ in that testimony.

Let me better explain. There are three ministrations from the Ark of the Testimony or Covenant;.. that which was, that which is and that which is to come. We see the first ministry of Christ in the time of Moses bringing his people out of Egypt and giving them a word or law of God so they could have a relationship with God going forward. We see the second perfect ministry of Christ in Jesus the Son of God when he brought deliverance from sin and redemption to mankind thru his blood that was shed. We see the third ministry of Christ that is to come, described in the above passages as a vessel or body that he has prepared to speak thru to prepare his people for the last exodus, the redemption of the body. The vessel is not Jesus Christ, no more than Moses was Christ, but the message is Christ speaking with the same power and authority as he spoke thru Moses.

The Ministry of the Two Witnesses

This can be found in Revelation 11 and Zechariah 4 when he talks about the two olive trees which he also refers to as anointed ones or sons of oil. It is seen again when he put the cherubim’s at the gate of the Garden of Eden to keep the way. We even see a natural example of the two cherubim’s facing each other, with God speaking from between the cherubim’s on the Ark of the Covenant. One cherubim represents Moses and the other represents the Son of man to come, which is the third ministration from the Ark of the Testimony referred to in the prior paragraph. Jesus is the one that speaks from between the two cherubim’s on the Ark of the Covenant and gives life to these ministries. Now just as Moses’ testimony pointed to Jesus Christ and redemption thru him, so will the testimony of the Son of man, point to Jesus Christ.

Now let’s go back to the two witnesses in Revelation 11, some may have concluded that this is two separate people, or ministries, but Jesus said in..

John 8:17-18 It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true. I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.

This same reference to him and the Father is seen over and over in the gospels as Jesus being a witness and the Father in him being a witness and doing the works. In the same similitude we should see a vessel like unto the Son of man that has been prepared by the Holy Ghost for Christ to speak thru, just like Moses was prepared from the tribe of Levi.

Thereby having two witnesses or prophets, just like Jesus and the Father where two witnesses and here in this Son of man, we have a brother in the Lord and Spirit of Christ as the two witnesses.

The aspect of the ministry that is seen here is similar to that of Elijah and Moses. It is not the person of Elijah or Moses to be manifested, but rather the nature, character and anointing of that particular ministry. This is according to the power of God which was given to them as seen in..

Rev 11:6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.

The ministry of Elijah and Moses was never to hurt the church or Israel, but was to free them, and turn them from ungodliness so they could worship God.

As mentioned earlier, this ministry of the two witnesses is not to destroy the church or to bring the wrath of God on the church. There ministry is not as the 7 vials of the wrath of God which fall on the disobedient. The ministry of these two witnesses is to preserve, clean up, make ready and bring repentance to the body of Christ.

The Church Divided in Three Parts

The church has always had these three parts, but the division of these parts is done, for the judgment that effects each part differently during these last days. I will refer these parts as:

• Firstfruits - those that have made themselves ready,

• Defiled - those that have defiled themselves in some manner, and

• Rebellious - those who have tasted the heavenly gift and have become disobedient.

• Firstfruits : Gold

Are clean living saints, holding firmly to the Word of God and have been watchful in prayer and keeping that which they have received in God, …that no man takes their crown.

Re 14:4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.

God has sealed these from the wind and tribulation which are to come in the last 3 ½ years.

Re 7:3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

Re 9:4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.

Yet, I do not want to imply that the Firstfruits group do not feel the effects or suffer to some extent during this time. We saw that all of Israel in Goshen felt the effects of suffering during the first three plagues on Egypt. It is the same as the Hebrew children who were carried into Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar. Those young men suffered some pain and trial of faith, before God began to preserve them in Babylon. And those that heard the words of Jesus Christ and obeyed him also escaped or at least lived to became slaves at the time of Titus, when God destroyed Jerusalem.

• Defiled : Silver

This group is in the most critical shape at this time, for they are the ones who have defiled their garments. These were not watchful and committed idolatry and abominations with the world or its religious system. Nevertheless God’s mercy desires to bring them unto himself thru much tribulation and trials. God does not want to cut them off or separate them from himself forever. God is sending them this ministry during the first 3 ½ years to purge and refine them as silver and gold so that they might be able to escape the wrath to come.

Mal 3:2-3 But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap. And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.

Yes, we have seen this in part but it will increase during this first 3 ½ years. We see another illustration in Zechariah where one part is cut off from God; another part dies just as we are to die or to be crucified with him; and another part God takes thru the fire.

Zech 13:8-9 And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.

• Rebellious : Brass

The Rebellious is like the..

Rev 3:17-18 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

They are not only defiled, but have allowed corruption to consume or control the vessel to a much greater level. These do not repent when God reproves or corrects them now nor during this time of trouble. A good example of this is Judas, who at one time was part of the ministry, but in time turns back unto perdition.

The Purpose of the Two Witnesses

The purpose of the two witnesses is to…

• Measure the temple, the altar and they that worship in it. Rev 11:1

• Bring about a demonstration of God’s power, to excite the saints and the ministry to get serious about God again.

• Bring natural and spiritual afflictions in the church so it will turn back to God.

• To fight against those people, who say they are Christ like, but are not. Re 2:9 …I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.

• To forewarn of the great tribulation ahead, to those who have not repented and are not making themselves ready.

The Word of God has always been our measure of the temple and altar in our life. But this ministry of the anointing is measuring us to the Word that was giving to us by Jesus and the Apostles. This is not the work of man but of the Spirit of Christ comparing us to the stature of Jesus Christ.

The 1st Four Trumpets : Touching Four Principle Areas

During these years of awakening in the church, there will be pressure upon the church, which can be seen in the first four trumpets in…

Rev 8:7-12 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up. And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood. And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed. And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters. And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter. And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.

These trumpets come upon the church in the form of plagues, afflictions, tribulations and troubles. The trumpets apply pressure from both God and from the world upon the church; both spiritually and naturally.

The first 4 Trumpets each target one of the four areas of the core principles or doctrines of Jesus Christ that we are to follow and adhere to. The Lord is going to judge, correct or punishes us in some manner if we have not fulfilled his purpose or if we have become defiled in these four areas. We see the two witnesses are to bring plagues, sufferings, trials and inconveniences so that the church might cry out to God for help and change. This is God’s attempt to save and preserve as many that have come into the church, before he has to purge out all the unclean people in it.

Let me explain briefly. All of the doctrine that we are to live and obey that pertains to our hope of eternal life and receive our reward in heaven, can be found in these four areas.

• The Word of God - to know, live and obey it.

• The Outer Man - to crucify it, bury it, keep it under subjection, to live in honor and sanctification and put off the works of the flesh.

• The Inner Man - to be born again, put on the new man and its fruit, let it rule the outer man, come unto the fullness of the stature of Christ and putting on the whole armor of God.

• Follow the Spirit - the spirit of the Lord to lead and guide us into all truth and from the false.

Each of the trumpets in the same order speaks either spiritually or naturally of judgments, pressures, afflictions and chastening corresponding to the four areas identified above. The purpose is that the saints might repent, be washed and put on clean garments.

A biblical pattern of the relationship of these four areas may be easily seen in the four rivers that flowed from the one river in the Garden of Eden. This pattern is seen by also looking at the message and spirit of,…the first 4 books of the OT,…the first 4 books of the NT,…the first 4 books of the Prophets,…the 4 faces of the cherubim’s,…and the 4 beast before the throne in heaven. For example: the 4^th face of a cherubim is an eagle which is also the fourth beast in heaven. This Eagle represents the revelation, light or leadership of the spirit in our life as we journey with God. This same spirit flows out of the books of Numbers, Daniel and John. The Lord has me explain this better, a little later in the message.

The Voice of the Seventh Angel Sounding

In the following passage we see a representation of Christ,

Rev 10:1-2 clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire: And he had in his hand a little book open.

Remember it says in…

Re 5:4-5 And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

I believe we could conclude that the seals have been loosed from the book, for revelation could not be brought forth until they were removed. The angel told Daniel in..

Dan 12:4 …, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end….

We could also say that there is still a mystery of our full redemption that has not yet been revealed or else we would be walking in that state of immortality and the church would know the meaning of the 7 thunders. But the time is not yet. The angel said in..

Re 10:7 In the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.

This voice was never given to the angel of the 7^th church. Nor was this voice given to the angel of the 7^th seal, and neither was this voice given to the angel of the 7^th vial. But there is a voice given to the 7^th trumpet…

Rev 8:13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!

This voice of the seventh angel is: the same voice that proclaims the revelation of the seven thunders, the same voice of the two witnesses, the same voice of the Son of Man that is to come and the same voice of Christ confirming his covenant.

In Revelation 10 we have a message of the seven thunders which is to be revealed to the church from the little book which was opened and given to John to eat. The parallel here is this book and message was given to one of the brethren, and secondly, the book is the same book that only Jesus can open.

Peter said in …

2Pe 1:20-21 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith is the only one that can open any of the scriptures from Genesis to Revelation and the full meaning of them. The voice of a thunder in the Old Testament scriptures is often accompanied with a battle to discomfort the enemy, or cause a trembling amongst God’s people.

Here we have a message that has not been heard yet by the church. It is not a new message, but simply the revelation of the scriptures which we already have, but do not understand. Remember when Jesus came, the majority of his doctrine came from the law and the prophets. And when the true light in Christ shined upon those scriptures, they took on a whole new meaning without destroying the old.

In like manner the revelation of the seven thunders is hidden in the Bible we now have. We just need the light of God to shine upon it as the noon day to reveal it to us. That is the purpose of this ministry found in Revelation chapters 10 & 11, during the 1^st part of the last week of Daniel.

Summary

We have the fulfilling of the Lord bringing forth a shout, with the voice of a mighty one, and with the trumpets sounding. The covenant that was once delivered by Jesus Christ is confirmed again unto the saints by the Spirit of Christ thru this last messenger referred to as the Son of man, which is the ministry of the two witnesses.

This message and ministry should bring about a purifying of God’s elect who have a heart to do so. This gives those that have defiled their garments a second chance, a space of time to clean their life up and prepare their garments for the Lord. Also, the Lord reaches out one last time to the rebellious, giving them an opportunity to forsake their corrupt ways. Another purpose is to prepare a people for the coming of the Lord. This preparing is to warn God’s people of the coming tribulation that will shortly come upon the whole world. The followers of Jesus Christ will also be shown that they can be protected and preserved during the times ahead, just as written in the scriptures.

Isa 26:20 Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.

Rev 7:14 … These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Mat 24:21-22 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

During this time of preparation, ministers that have an ear to hear the message of that hour, and will preach what they should have been preaching all along. They will now concern themselves with preaching the whole counsel of God.

Before this time, they concerned themselves with building their ministries and their churches, making their ministries attractive to all the people in their churches who really didn’t have a heart to change from their ungodly ways, but who did have money to put in the offerings to help further their ministry.

Blessed is he that has an ear to hear what the spirit has to say to the church.

LAST DAYS OF THE CHURCH

Chapter 2

Things Change in the Ministry

It should be understood that we are never able to get a perfect understanding of the future aspects of the Word of God until that part is fulfilled. At that time it becomes history and we can then plainly see. The understanding may not always come out perfect, but the spirit of revelation is always true. How to explain or express what we feel or see in the Spirit is sometimes difficult.

Two Witness Ministry

First 3 (1/2) Period

As we finished up part one of this message we tried to explain, who the two witnesses were, the purpose of their ministry, and the purpose of other ministers in the first 3 1/2 years of the last week of Daniel.

Let us look at the closing days of the ministry of the two witnesses, as can be seen in the scriptures.

Rev 11:7-14 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven. The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.

Let us also go back to Daniel to see what is to happen,…

Daniel 9:27 … and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

As the church approaches this time, some in the body of Christ who have heard and received the message of the Lord, will have made themselves ready.

Rev 19:7 … and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

At the same time, others in the body of Christ will continue to reject the Word of God and continue to live as they did before. This was forewarned in the Thyatira church age.

Rev 2:21 And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.

It has always been that a part of the church, which includes both saints and ministers, will not take it seriously. These will not make the effort to wake up and prepare their garments to be without spot or wrinkle. It seems that these cannot ever get free from the drunkenness of the world, the cares of life and leaning on the world for their needs. During this time, some of the church and the world will be glad to see the two witnesses killed, because their message and accompanying plagues will have taken away their peace and prosperity.

A Sealing in the Foreheads

Rev 9:2-6 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.

This manifestation of what is coming out of the pit is happening in two separate stages. The first stage is the pit was opened and out came smoke to darken the sun and air. This began to happen in the mid 1900’s when iniquity began increasing and is now choking the life from the saints and is keeping us from seeing the full light of God in this present day. This smoke is and will affect all believers of every persuasion and all levels of dedication to the Lord. The smoke has no real power to overcome, but it can deceive, mislead and entice one to go down a wrong path that leads to destruction.

The second stage is the locust comes out of the smoke and is now giving power to hurt those without the seal of God. This power has not yet been given to the adversary but it will soon. It is at this time, these spirits being turned loose will be given power to ravage or spiritually assault God’s people who were not sealed in their foreheads. Those who were not sealed will not have any power to stop or resist this assault, until it has finished its course and God’s purpose is accomplished. The best example of this is when the people of Israel lusted after meat in the wilderness. They could not stop their lustful desires so God sent them meat which they consumed in their lust, until it came out of their nostrils.

This seal of God in their foreheads in this passage, is the same seal on the 144,000, as is seen Rev 7:3. The 144,000 is referred to again in Rev 14:4 as the undefiled and firstfruits unto God. This group of saints I have referred to as the firstfruits, are the only ones kept from this time of torment. One can also see this in Ezek 9:4 when a mark was put upon the forehead of those who were crying out to God because of the abominations in Jerusalem, and this seal or mark protected that individual from the wrath of God. This should not be confused with the purpose of the seal of the Holy Ghost, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession Eph 1:14.

Rev 7:3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

Rev 14:4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.

Ezekiel 9:4 And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.

Effects Upon Natural Israel

We see the ministry of the two witnesses ending up in natural Israel. The scripture tells us that the beast that comes up will kill the two witnesses in Jerusalem.

Re 11:8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

As Jesus is reaching out during this first 3 ½ years to all who are in the world, He will also be reaching out to the nation of Israel. Paul said in…

Ro 11:23, 25, 26 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again. For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

So all Israel thru Jesus Christ (both Jew and Gentile) will be saved. But the nation of Israel will reject Jesus Christ again, just like they did 2000 years ago. God does have a remnant in natural Israel today and he will bring his remnant out of the religious system of Babylon that rules natural Israel. This is the same Beast system which ruled Israel in Jesus’ time. At this time God will have finished his purpose for the natural Israel. Just as it is said in…

Ge 28:15 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.

For God’s kingdom is not after a natural seed, but is after the seed of Abraham through faith in Jesus Christ. This body of believers known as the Church makes up the Israel of God where King Jesus is sitting upon the throne of David. This Israel of God consist of those who have followed his voice and obeyed his word as it was spoken thru Moses, the Prophets, Jesus and the Apostles.

Any rising up of worship that takes place in natural Israel in the last 3 ½ years, will not be of God, but the Beast system. Just as in Jesus’ time when the Beast system built Herod’s temple and controlled the priesthood for political purposes.

But if during this time of the two witnesses, the natural people of Israel will turn to God thru the Lord Jesus Christ, they shall be saved. Not only natural Israel, but all shall be delivered who will turn to the kingdom of his dear son and turn from their wicked ways and the influence of Satan in their life.

Changes in Christ's Ministry

Somewhere around the time of the closing of the first 3 ½ years and the start of the second 3 ½ years, there will be a change in the ministry of Christ. Suddenly, at about the same time, several things will be done at or near the midst of the week. This was prophesied in several scriptures both in the Old and New Testament.

Time would fail to try to give an in depth explanation of how these passages are specifically fulfilled during this time period. But the objective is rather to give an overview of what the Lord is doing at this particular time as the Church is moving from a time of plenty to a time of famine, …from a day of light to the day of darkness, … from the day of salvation to the day of vengeance. As seen in…

Amo 8:11-12 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.

Isa 54:7-9 For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer. For this is as the waters of Noah unto me:

What we are seeing is an end of the church ages as we know it and the beginning of a period in which the light of God is removed from the world and the church. Satan will now come and set up his worship to its fullest. God does not intend for the true light to resist or fight against the darkness. He intends rather that his people step back or flee away, which will allow the darkness to come in like a flood. However, during this flood, the Lord will raise up a standard to protect his people from being destroyed.

Re 18:23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in the…

That is not to say that during this time, Satan will not be able to overcome and persecute the church. But Satan knows he has a short time, even less than 3 ½ years. As Jesus has said, that he would cut it short for the very elect’s sake.

Mt 24:22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

Let me see if I can explain what is happening and then give all the scriptures at the end of the explanation.

The ministration of Christ as a high priest, the time of the daily sacrifices, salvation, repentance, etc., has stopped. Satan has stood up and is now revealed in the sons of perdition, …sitting in their temple (their bodies), where Jesus is supposed to sit and rule their vessel.

The glory of the Lord at this time fills the temple in heaven, stopping all daily sacrifices in the heavens until the 7 plagues are poured out. Jesus is no longer able to receive our offerings, as he does now. I hope that no one is thinking of a natural temple or that we are talking about, natural lambs or bullocks. He is speaking of our bodies, and the daily sacrifices which we bring to God in our worship and life through the spirit of Jesus Christ. Paul preached about this in his epistles.

At this time, the door of the ark or the ark of salvation has been shut. It is fixing to rain and the wind is fixing to blow. At this point in time, for those who are alive, our relationship of purifying ourselves before God will determine how we will be tried or tested in the days to come.

Daniel 9:27 … and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease...

2 Thes 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

Dan 12:11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.

Rev 15:8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

Luk 17:27 … until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.

Re 7:2-3 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea. Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their forehead.

Ge 7:11 … the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.

Rev 22:11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

Some Will Experience Great Tribulation

Those in the body of Christ who did not listen to the Holy Ghost leadership and had: their vessel, their garments, their spirit or their doctrine defiled, will be cast into great tribulation. These will be persecuted and some killed as they flee for their lives from the flood of evil.

Yet, if they yield and obey God, they shall be purified, made white and clothed in white robes.

This is what is happening at the beginning of the 5^th trumpet sounded in Rev. 9. The pit is opened and the adversary is turned loose on these people of God, as seen in the following passages.

Zec 13:9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.

Re 7:14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Satan Sitting In the Temples of God

For the devil and his angels were cast out of heaven, as seen in…

Rev 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

At which time they will come and take their abode in the bodies or temples of the rebellious church.

Mark 13:14 But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains.

Luk 17:36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

2Th 2:3-4 … and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition. Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

2Th 2:7-8 only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed…

We also see a type of this in the son of perdition, when Satan entered Judas at the last days of Jesus. This does not mean that he will not fill the wicked. Satan is looking for a vessel or temple that has had the life of God in it, but that life has been corrupted or perverted, and God has rejected it. The same as it happened to Satan. Satan took the life of God in him and corrupted it, and God cast Satan out of his kingdom. Now Satan takes this corrupted life of the rebellious church and gives it to the beast.

We are already seeing the image of the beast today in the religious charismatic image of Christianity. Now, the beast will be giving this corrupted life and will set up his worship of the image, which God’s people are warned to stay away from.

Rev 13:11-15 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon…… so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

Some Will Be Sealed and Protected

The firstfruits believers, as mentioned earlier in this message, will be given a place of spiritual or natural refuge, being sealed from the flood of evil. This sealing does mean to imply that they are in heaven watching all this and feeling no affects of this suffering unto death. Their protection is to abide in that place of refuge where God has instructed them to go during this time.

Re 12:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

Isa 26:20-21 Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.

The Sun and Moon Darkened - The Lights Go Out

We have seen in the scriptures how the sun was darkened by the smoke that ascended out of the bottomless pit, bringing iniquity and a false spirit filled movement. We that are spiritual see this smoke today and its effect on the saints and ministers. We see how that Christianity as a whole has backslidden in the last several decades; ministries have turned aside for gain and honor. This time of darkness is to allow the saints to make a choice of their dedication and obedience to God in the face of gross iniquity, temptations and religious perversion.

Now at this time it goes further or to a different level of darkness. Here the Lord will also pull back his presence or Spirit, dry up or withhold the river of the Lord, and stop his light from shining in the world and through his church. We see this in the following scriptures.

Joh 9:4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.

Rev 16:12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.

Re 18:23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in the…

Isa 13:7-10 Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt: And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames. Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.

The pulling away of God’s light during this time, is what gives way for the Beast to bring forth his last great deception upon the world as spoken of in Rev 13:11-18. This deception of false anointing and gospel, will try to deceiving the church also.

For Jesus is not showing his light or manifesting his glory during this time to the church or the world. There is no preaching of the Gospel from the Lord. At this time the Devil and Beast are performing great signs and wonders that would deceive the very elect of God, if it were possible. But there will be a false gospel that will be preached by the False Prophet, which is the corrupt ministry that exists today, but their rebellion toward God has now caused them to turn themselves over to the Beast for a season. It will be just like it was in Jesus time and during the Catholic Church. Both had a religious system, traditions and ministers, but the light of God was not in them, and it was full of deception and false hope.

Jesus warned us that during this time, we are not to believe the message, the signs, the wonders and the miracles that are being done, because God is not in it. It is a perverted doctrine, and it is a strange fire that did not come from God’s altar.

We can even see a type of the first 3 ½ years and the last 3 ½ years of our suffering, in Jesus’ cross. During the time of his suffering on the cross, so that he might enter into his glory. There was light for the first half and darkness during the last half. During the time of darkness, the Father left him alone that he might finish his sufferings.

Blessed is he that has an ear to hear what the spirit has to say to the church.

LAST DAYS OF THE CHURCH

Chapter 3

THREE PARTS OF THE CHURCH

As explained briefly in a previous message, the church made a transition from it being the light of the world, to not shining any light into the world. A separation of the clean and unclean was being made by God and not man.

The beast system, which has always been with us, has now been giving a life, like never before, trying to deceive the saints of God during this time of great darkness.

OVERVIEW OF THE CHURCH

We mentioned early in the message of the three parts of the church. These parts can be seen in:
· Noah's ark with 3 stories, and Noah's three son's
· The construction of the tabernacle(3): holy of holies, inner court and outer court
· The materials(3) in the tabernacle and temple of: gold, silver and brass
· The three different kinds of meat offerings and burnt offerings
· The nation of Israel: priesthood, Levites and congregation
· The 5th - 7th days (3) of creation, the 5th - 7th church ages, the 5th - 7th seals, the 5th - 7th trumpets and the 5th - 7th vials

The types in these passages will not speak perfectly to an area, because God is often speaking to: the true church, the false church, what the adversary is doing, how we are to combat the adversary and then sometimes it is what he is not saying. All this is sometimes in the very same passage. It is these 3 areas of the church that he is speaking to.

You might still be wondering why it is important to understand this. We have all seen how God has tried, tested or rejected his people in our lifetime. Often times we question why he allows things to come into our life if he loves us. The process in our lifetime has been gentler and more patient with us. But in these last days, that is not the case anymore. There is a quick process that must be done as he judges the saints during this time, which will then place them in his kingdom that is to come, according as they have made themselves ready.

I referred to these three parts in this message as:
· Firstfruits - those that have made themselves ready,
· Defiled - those that have defiled themselves in some manner, and
· Rebellious - those who have tasted the heavenly gift and have become disobedient.

SHADOWS and TYPES OF A THREE PART CHURCH

Remember that God has split the church into three parts and has dealt with each part differently depending on: its obedience to the Word of God, its resistance to defile itself with the world and its refusal to bow down to a perverted image of Christianity, that was not portrayed by Jesus Christ or was preached by the Apostles.

Re 16:19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

This scripture has a duel meaning because the Church and Babylon both are called that great city in the book of Revelation. But we are only interested in the Church here.

One Type from : THE MEAT OFFERINGS IN LEVITICUS

The example of the firstfruits of the meat offering shows, we must all go thru the refining fire and the purifying process of carrying the cross, or dying with the Lord Jesus in our life.

Lev 2:14-16 And if thou offer a meat offering of thy firstfruits unto the LORD, thou shalt offer for the meat offering of thy firstfruits green ears of corn dried by the fire, even corn beaten out of full ears. And thou shalt put oil upon it, and lay frankincense thereon: it is a meat offering. And the priest shall burn the memorial of it, part of the beaten corn thereof, and part of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof: it is an offering made by fire.

A second part of the offering was brought, for some reason, to the priest differently. It also was not dried out by the fire, as the manner of the firstfruits was dried by fire. This part had to go into the oven, or furnace of afflictions to be accepted. This is what happens when we do not allow God's fire to cause us to die out to; sin, our lust and our will that is contrary to God's, so that he may preserve us. Therefore we must be afflicted and tried in a different manner, to bring about the perfection and acceptance of our offering unto the Lord.

Lev 2:4 And if thou bring an oblation of a meat offering baken in the oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed with oil.

That brings us to the last or third part, which for some reason was cooked in a pan or open flame and which then was broken into pieces. God's doesn't want us to be like Ephraim; a cake not turned, where strangers devoured them and yet they would not return to the LORD, nor seek him during the time of their afflictions from God.

Lev 2:5, 6 And if thy oblation be a meat offering baken in a pan, it shall be of fine flour unleavened, mingled with oil. Thou shalt part it in pieces, and pour oil thereon: it is a meat offering.

2nd Type from: THE BURNT OFFERINGS IN LEVITICUS

First, if it was a sheep or goat from the flock that was offered, then it was killed at the altar. This is the nature and manner of the firstfruits group, they allow God through his Word and the ministry to bring us to the place, where we are crucified with Christ, but yet we live. When we stay close to the Altar of God we take on; his nature, his vision, we are washed, we are purified and giving garments of white.

Le 1:10-13 And if his offering be of the flocks, namely, of the sheep, or of the goats, for a burnt sacrifice; he shall bring it a male without blemish. And he shall kill it on the side of the altar northward before the LORD: and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall sprinkle his blood round about upon the altar.

Secondly, is the offering of a bullock of the herd, which is similar to the defiled group. This offering was willingly offered at the door of the congregation and was necessary for an atonement to be made for him. There are people and even times in our life, when we are willing to serve the Lord, but we will only go so far in our dedication. This offering was at the door still looking into the things of God, but could not make it or stay at the altar to allow God's finished work in their life.

Le 1:3-4 If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD. And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.

That brings us to the last or rebellious part which is spoken rather clearly about it in...

Le 1:14-17 And if the burnt sacrifice for his offering to the LORD be of fowls, then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves, or of young pigeons. And the priest shall bring it unto the altar, and wring off his head, and burn it on the altar; and the blood thereof shall be wrung out at the side of the altar. And he shall pluck away his crop with his feathers, and cast it beside the altar on the east part, by the place of the ashes. And he shall cleave it with the wings thereof, but shall not divide it asunder: and the priest shall burn it upon the altar, upon the wood that is upon the fire: it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.

We see God burn its head on the altar and wring the blood or life out of it at the side of the altar. The crop or the Word of God is plucked away, with its feathers or glory and are put on the east side of the brazen alter. There they will be cast out of the camp with the ashes. The wings or light and revelation are taken from it as the fowl is then put on the altar.

THE "REBELLIOUS" WHO COME INTO THE CHURCH

As mentioned earlier, the rebellious or unclean who came into the church was spoken of by Peter in..

2Pe 2:12-21 But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you; Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousnes..

These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.

Then Jesus said also,

Mt 13:41-42 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity. And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Mt 13:47-50 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind. Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just. And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

The people represented here have been turned over to hell and may not find place of repentance; but only the judgment of God coming to them as Judas had. This group of ungodly people in the church is being taken by the wicked one. They will give themselves to worship the Beast and his image, even as God begins to pour out his 7 vials of wrath upon the Beast system and they that worship it.

Let's not forget there is a difference between the ungodly and struggling fleshy saints. The ungodly which come into the church, will not and do not change. The struggling saints, struggle to overcome their fleshly desires, fall many times in there walk with God and sometimes commit the same acts or actions that the seed of the wicked one does.

THE "FIRSTFRUITS" IN THE CHURCH

Another part of the church is those referred to as the firstfruits in Revelation.

Re 14:1-5 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: 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. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.

Do not think that he is referring to a literal 144,000. This number is only used to reference those who were redeemed and have come to the fullness of Christ. Nor should one think that he is referring to the natural Israel, which at one time had twelve tribes that camped around the tabernacle of Moses. The natural Israel has no part of the kingdom of God unless they come thru Jesus Christ, then they become a part of the body which is neither Jew nor Gentile.

You should rather think of the church as the Israel of God, put together to make the whole body of Christ with each tribe or part differing from the other in position, character or anointing. Yet they all have the same Lord Jesus Christ as the center and focus of their life. As God dwelt in the earthly tabernacle built by Moses, He now dwells in the midst of earthly tabernacles, his people. This makes up his kingdom or nation today, which is referred to as the church or body of Christ.

This does not take away from the natural promises of the land of Israel. As the natural seed has no right to the promise of the spiritual kingdom, neither does the spiritual seed have a right to the promise of the natural kingdom; it comes by being born in that kingdom. We can see how God made up the natural kingdom in the Old Testament for our example of the church which is now the spiritual kingdom of God. But now we are complete in him, even in Jesus Christ who is the fire, the tabernacle and the vessels of God which he ministers continually, until the daily sacrifices are taken away. This people are not taken from the earth into the heavens with the Lord during this time, but rather they are given power and revelation to come into a place upon this earth, where they are kept from the flood and the persecution of the wicked one, the serpent.

Re 12:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

This was illustrated in the times of Noah and his obedience to God. He built an ark or place of refuge according to God's dimensions and not man's. That he might not be swept away and destroyed by the flood that was to come upon all the earth.

The Lord told us that he is going to destroy the wicked in the last days with fire. Not a literal fire that we can cook or heat with, but with the fire of a flood of uncleanness and wickedness coming from Satan. It shall burn and consume all people that are not in the Ark of Safety; the gospel of Jesus Christ. Today it only comes up from the earth of our life as a midst, but in that day he shall cause the flood to break forth from the spiritual powers of Satan and the depths of the earth

Gen 7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
Gen 7:12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.

But let there be a warning here, that does not mean that believers cannot be killed or persecuted. The safety is found not in a natural location but the hiding place in Spirit of God.

For Jesus said in..
Re 12:11 and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Re 12:13 he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.
Re 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

THE "DEFILED" IN THE CHURCH

That brings us to the last part of the church, that during this time who will suffer and feel the blunt of the persecution upon the church during this time of great tribulation.

Zec 13:9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried.

I referred to these earlier as defiled, a group of saints or believers who did not make themself ready, nor did they purify themselves while they had an opportunity. They defiled themselves in some way that displeases the Lord. It could be that they built their ark, ..but not according to God's plan. It may be that they built their house, ..but not on the rock or according to God's plan.
This is what has happened to this group of people, which defiled themselves in some way. They allowed the world, the flesh, false doctrines, false spirits, etc to lead them astray. Yet they are God's people and his desire is not to cut them off, but rather to purify them through the fire so they can enter into eternal life.

We see this in the scriptures in…
Re 6:9-11 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

This is a reference to the first great persecution to the church by Roman Catholic Church. It is compared to those who will at the end-time be persecuted by the 8th Beast. We can see a type of this in the Old Testament when God sent Babylon to persecute and scatter Jerusalem the first time and then sent Rome to persecute and scatter Jerusalem the second time, known as the days of vengeance.

This time of great tribulation, becomes the wrath of God on the rebellious group, will indirectly try the firstfruits group and become a time of great affliction on the defiled group.

Re 6: 12, 13 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.

Dan 12:10 Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.

Re 7:13-17 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

Summary

In this message, the objective was to show the purpose of God with each type of believer that has come into the church. The level to which each believer obeys the Lord, determines how they will be protected, refined or cut off for rebellion against God's leadership in their life in the last days of the church.

These are the three parts that make up the church:
· Firstfruits - those that have made themselves ready,
· Defiled - those that have defiled themselves in some manner, and
· Rebellious - those who have tasted the heavenly gift and have become disobedient.

We see Jesus speaking of judgment toward the rebellious of the church in…

Mt 7:19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Mt 13:49-50 So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Mat 22:3-13, The King sent forth his armies to destroy and burn up the city of those who made light of his invitation to the wedding. And then commanding his servants to go into the highway and gather whatever was needed to fill the house.

LAST DAYS OF THE CHURCH

Chapter Four

FOUR AREAS OF THE CHURCH

First Four Trumpets : TOUCH FOUR AREAS IN MAN

Overview of the Four Areas

Remember when I spoke earlier of the four areas. These areas can be seen in:
· Four rivers from the one river from Garden of Eden:
· Four directions for the camps on each side of the tabernacle:
· Four pillars into the holy of holies:
· The nature and message of the first four books of Moses:
· The nature and message of the first four books of Jesus:
· The nature and message of the first four books of the Prophets:
· The four faces of the cherubim's:
· The four beast in heaven before the throne of God:
· The Holy City, New Jerusalem is four square and has a great and high wall on each of the four sides:
· The voice that speaks from the: 1st - 4th days of creation, the 1st - 4th church ages, the 1st - 4th seals, the 1st - 4th trumpet, and the 1st - 4th vials:<

The types in these passages will not speak perfectly to an area because there is often an overlapping into the other areas. It is in these 4 areas that God is speaking to our life that will strengthen us and it is the same areas that Satan will attack, to defile us. There is no new doctrine here, but what the Lord is saying in this message is: that the ministry has not been teaching the whole counsel of God as was given to them and secondly, the knowledge of this whole counsel and obedience of his Word, will determine how God will judge you in the last days and how you will be going through the great tribulation.

I have referred to these four areas in this message as:
· The Word of God - to know it, live it and obey it.
· The Outer Man - to crucify it, bury it, keep it under subjection, to live in honor and sanctification and put off the works of the flesh.
· The Inner Man - be born again, put on the new man and its fruit, let it rule the outer man, come unto the fullness of the stature of Christ and putting on the whole armor of God.
· Following the Spirit - the spirit of the Lord to lead and guide us into all truth and from the false.

God's purpose in each of these 4 areas is an anointing that will flow into our life with a message. If we obey that message, it will build a wall of defense against the adversary's attack in that area. If we fail to listen and obey, it will leave us defenseless in that area, which in turn can bring destruction upon the whole body and punishment for disobedience. Imagine a city with four sides, but the people within the city only build walls on few of the sides, but not all four. This will leave that city vulnerable to Satan's attack, though they may be strong in some areas. That is why the obedience in each area, is so important to understand and obey, so we can come to the stature of Jesus Christ and be preserved in these last days of the church.

First we need to realize that it is the desire of God that we become a whole man in Christ and not partial or crippled spiritually in our maturity to the full stature of Jesus Christ. Thus, one cannot build his walk with God concentrating only in one of the four areas: the Word, or the Outer Man, or the Inner Man, or Spirit Leadership and leave the others undone, …and still hope that he will be complete or mature in Christ. It is God's will for us to become a perfect man, in and through him, which we do see happening in the firstfruits saints of God. It is not possible to be complete in Christ, if you have not heard and obeyed the Spirit of God in each of the four areas.

Let's take an overview of what the Lord has said in these four areas so that we might better understand his meaning when he says the church is defiled. That way we will understand what He is saying and to which area is he speaking. We understand that a believer could be strong in one area and weak in another area and could still be overcome.

We could say it another way. We have seen saints strong in the Word, follow after false spirits. We have seen saints strong in the outer man standards and yet inside still have an evil heart that can't forgive others. We have even seen those who are strong in the Spirit and spiritual gifts, but cannot keep the body under subjection.

God's intentions have never been for you to be strong in only one area which means that we only drink from just one of the 4 rivers of his anointing. Remember there is only one river; yet it flows in to four heads or powers according to...

Genesis 2:10 And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.

We see this same river in Ezek 47:8-12 and Ps 46:4. From the sanctuary or presence of God, flows a river into; the east country, into the desert, into the sea and into the city of God. These waters bring forth; healing, life, fruit for meat and leaves for medicine. When his life flows in all four of these areas in our life, we will take on the character and nature of Jesus Christ fully. We will spiritually begin to look like Jesus Christ when he walked in the flesh. Let's now take a closer look at what the Lord says of these four battleground areas in our lives.

The Trumpets Touch : The WORD of GOD in our Life

It is God's purpose that we become a habitation for the Word of God. We are to bear it and carry this standard of God as a banner in our life for others to see. No matter what the state or level of growth that we are at. From the Word of God in our life, flows a true worship, true praise and true adoration of God out of our heart, that is not like the music that is coming out of our churches today. This Word of God has been given to us so that we will be able to discern light from darkness, true from false, good from evil and clean from unclean. And this Word will give us the boldness, when the Spirit of the Lord rises up, to be like a lion against the adversary that comes into our life.

He gives us His Word in what we call the Bible. It is our responsibility to know it, incorporate it and live it in our daily life. Only then does the truth of it shine unto others so they might have light. This one commission takes a life time of reading, praying, going to church and obeying the Word as it is revealed to us. As we see in the O.T. God often would bless or afflict his people simply because they did or did not obey His Word, which had been given to them through Moses.

The WORD : Satan Wants to Pervert the Word

The purpose of the adversary in this world is to stop, pervert or hinder this working of the Word of God in our life. So like Balaam did in his time, he knew he couldn't corrupt the Word of God, but if he could cause the people to pervert its meaning or not obey it. Then God according to his own Word would have to deal with their disobedience. This is where he warns us that..

Rev 2:4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
Rev 2:6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans,

He then says that if you don't get this straightened out in our life, he will take his light away.

Look at what happens when we lose our love for God and the truth. When we lose our power and authority that comes from obeying the Word of God, the adversary offers us a replacement. Satan's replacement is offered because we either did not obey that which we knew to do or we refused to be a partaker of a specific part of his Word.

Satan then gives us his power which causes us to still roar like a lion, … but now we no longer look like the Lion of God in our life. We handled the Word of God with the carnal mind and with Satan's spirit of revelation thus becoming like the first beast from the sea in Daniel.

Dan 7:4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.

That is what the wicked one wants a saint, a ministry or an organization to do. He wants you to quit looking like what God intended you to look like according to His Word and Christ's leadership in your life. Thus we look like a lion without our eagle's wings, and stands up like a man, rather than like Christ and his anointing standing up in our life and in our pulpits.

This becomes an abomination because we are still able to keep going as saints or as ministers without God's anointing. What keeps us going? It is our programs, our knowledge, our fine speeches and our own ability to know how to speak and move a crowd. Many times saints and ministers do not even know the difference anymore because our churches have become so controlled by man. That God is not able to move like he use to in our services.

The WORD : The Meat Offering (the Word's Effect) is Cut Off

Then our lives become just like it said in Joel about the meat offering is cut off. This is not the Word of God that is cut off because we are still preaching the Word. The meat offering is the effect of the Word of God in the saints life, which keeps them hungry and thirsty for righteousness. The ministry is what has brought this about, because they were more concerned in pleasing the people, than they were in pleasing Jesus. They have not kept the church seeking after God nor kept the world out of their churches and filled our churches with a people having a harlot or concubine relationship.

Joe 1:9-12 The meat offering and the drink offering is cut off from the house of the LORD; the priests, the LORD'S ministers, mourn. The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth. Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished. The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered...

They are vexed as Lot was because of Sodom, but they do not have enough power or enough love for righteousness to leave this place in their life or this church of ungodliness. And that always bring us to the place that we have a…

Re 3:1 … a name that thou livest, and art dead.

A few verses later, he refers to others that are filthy and defiled as compared to those who are clean and white.

Re 3:4 .. which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.

The WORD : A Perverting of the Word by Ministers

We see this same spirit working in the church, which God calls the deeds of the Nicolaitanes. Who are they? They are the ministers and organizations who have pushed Christ out of his position of leadership in the body of Christ, having stepped in with their carnal minded leadership. Ministers and organizations have a tendency to dominate the saints' life through preaching, influencing saints because of the anointing and their position. Preaching the Word of God does not put the preacher in this position. It happens when a minister begins to apply his pressure upon the believers. Pressing what he wants to see done, or preaching messages to bring about his desires in the body of believers, the church. What once started out as the preacher trying to help protect the saints from the wiles of the devil, later becomes a doctrine which was never preached nor even insinuated by Jesus or the Apostles. When this happens, that minister has quit being a minister of Christ and has become the minister of the flesh to that congregation.

Paul spoke of this in..
2Co 11:13-15 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

This type of ministry leads to the very fulfilling of the work of Satan thru which the ministry has ridden their white horse conquering God's people.

Re 6:2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

This is what the 1st Trumpet is fighting against as God sends fire and hails stones, burning up the grass and a 1/3 of the trees. All of these having spiritual and natural applications and afflictions as God battles to try bringing the saints and ministers to repentance. God requires repentance for allowing this working of Satan in their lives and ministries, which has defiled them in this area of the Word of God and continually hinders them from coming into perfection.

The Trumpets Touch : THE OUTER MAN'S FLESH

Jesus said in..

Mat 15:18-19 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies...

It is God's desire that we keep our fleshly body sanctified from allowing such evil to come out of our hearts. These works of the flesh defile us, causing us to lose our inheritance that is rightfully ours. Paul wrote that we should present our bodies as a living sacrifice unto God, holy and acceptable to him. In Christ it is our natural body which carries the holy vessels of God just like the Kohathites of the priesthood of the O.T. carried the natural vessels. Now when we fulfill this part in our life, it gives us an ear to hear the Lord and the power to war a good warfare so that in the end we will become the sons of God, which is not yet fully manifested.

The Outer Man : Believers are to Put-Off the Works of the Flesh

We are instructed that the true child of God who is following after God's will and His Spirit will put off the works of the flesh.

Ga 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness. Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies. Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

We know these fleshly defilements can keep us from inheriting eternal life; therefore we crucify or mortify the deeds of the body, as we grow in the grace and knowledge of God thru Jesus Christ.

Col 3:6-10 For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience. In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds. And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.

Though it is probably the simplest of all the doctrines to understand, it seems to be the hardest for us to fulfill.

Outer Man: False Christians Following the Flesh

We find the Adversary wants to get in the mix, as is said in,

Rev 2:9 … and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.

One cannot say that they are a Jew or true Christian when their body portrays and resembles the very works of Satan. This includes such works as following after: …the carnal mind, …the lust of the flesh, …the lust of the eyes and …the pride of life. We will all make mistakes and blunders as a Christian, but a true Christian will repent and does not continue in the ungodly lifestyle of the mistake or blunder. While a non-Christian, a false seed or synagogue of Satan may repent and keep going to church, but still continue in their ungodly lifestyle.

Power has been given to our Adversary to afflict, tempt, try and persecute each of us through the flesh or soul of man. This Adversarial attack is an attempt to take our peace away so that the saints might quit walking in a crucified state in Christ. This temptation is to have us walk again as we did in times past: …in the lust of the flesh, …the lust of the eyes, …the pride of life, …the carnal mind and the ways of the world.

Satan's objective is not always to get us out of church; but rather to simply get us out of fellowship with Jesus Christ. If he can get the saints to flirt with the world, Satan knows that God will punish those that defile the temple of God. It is the adversary's mission to war against the flesh, in whatever manner he chooses. His purpose is to pressure that saint or ministry to give up following Christ's leadership, by giving in to the flesh or letting the flesh rule rather than Christ.

This is what the 2nd trumpet is fighting against. A great mountain burning (troubles, affliction, fire, trials, etc) cast in to the sea and it becomes as blood and 1/3 of the living creatures (saints) that had life, died and 1/3 of ships (ministries) destroyed. God is trying to get the saints and ministers to repent and turn from there wicked and fleshly ways. If they do not repent they will be killed with death and separation from God's presence.

The Trumpets Touch: THE INNER MAN (NEW MAN)

Psa 22:30 A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.
Isa 9:7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom.

INNER MAN : We are in a Spiritual Kingdom

Now we that are of this seed understand that when he started a new order of priesthood after the order of Melchisedec, that he changed the high priest and the other ministers of the priesthood. God also started a new kingdom or nation, in a heavenly city called New Jerusalem, with Jesus sitting on the heavenly throne of David. From this throne Christ is now ruling his people. This nation of people is not in one earthly location anymore or one nation of people. This people cover the whole earth and are of every physical nation.

So that all could see this change in God's order of law, worship and sacrifices. He stopped their Levitical priesthood services, …destroyed their temple, …their vessels and scattered natural Israel.

Now thru faith in Christ, the believers have become the seed of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The church (of both Jews and Gentiles) make up, in a spiritual sense, the 12 tribes of Israel as a body of believers, with a new high priest and priests, offering up spiritual sacrifices, fighting spiritual powers and dominions and taking a spiritual land. We of the New Testament church look into the Old Testament for examples, so we can understand the spiritual Israel (the church) by observing the natural Israel, which was displayed in the Bible.

Some might say that we have spiritualized everything, well yes, we serve a spiritual God, in a spiritual covenant, with spiritual blessings of eternal life and we fight spiritual powers and principalities. We have forsaken the natural order leaving it to Satan; the God of this world, that darkness may use the old natural elements in his kingdom and his worship. We are those who are born again into this heavenly kingdom, and obeying God and following his Spirit that we might remain in this heavenly kingdom.

That does not mean that a child of God cannot also see the natural fulfilling of scriptures as they affect a natural people. But we don't get involved with what; Egypt, Iran, Israel, Russia, China, Gog & Magog are doing, since they do not change what is going on in the kingdom of God. The only one that really needs to be concerned about this entire natural fulfilling of prophecy is those who can only see the natural and are blind to the spiritual things, for this is their world and they have no hope of eternal life in the kingdom of God.

INNER MAN : Strangers Among Us - Law of the Stranger

There are those that feel left out from the ministration of spiritual things, since they have not obtained unto the first resurrection power of Jesus Christ, the baptism of the Holy Ghost in their life. They have not received the spiritual birth into the Israel of God, the heavenly kingdom. Because of this they do not truly participate in all of the spiritual blessings of God, like those that have been baptized into the Body of Christ.

A figure of this relationship is seen in the law of the strangers in the Old Testament. The stranger (one that is not born an Israelite) could submit to God's laws and ordinance and enjoy his benefits. While they could participate in the Feast of Passover, make offerings and sacrifices unto God, they could not eat of holy things of the tabernacle, nor could they come nigh to the sanctuary, nor minister in the sanctuary, nor inherit the land.

There are believers among congregations today, who are not Israelite born or Holy Ghost filled. Yet they have become partakers of God's blessing. They believe and obey the commandments and teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ in their life and participate in the Passover (the death of Jesus on the cross). This has given them a place in God's heavenly economy, just like the stranger found its place in the natural Israel. Though they don't participate in the spiritual things of the sanctuary, they still do not resist or fight against of truth of his Spirit.

These blessings upon the "strangers", makes it very uncomfortable for most spirit filled ministers to accept the thought that God has a place for someone in his nation who does not demonstrate a witness of the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Because these have not received the witness of the spirit like others expected of them, some do not want to recognize them as part of the body of believers of the Lord Jesus Christ. These believers who have not obtained the baptism of the Holy Ghost, may never have what we have in our fellowship with Christ, but it is not for us to judge where God places one in the church or that he may even later fill that individual with his Spirit. Being a "stranger", they are not held to the same standard as those that minister in the sanctuary or in the priesthood. Thus we should not count them as abiding in unbelief or doubt; for it is God that gives his Spirit to whom he will. These have a love for God; they do not resist the truth and are willing to fight against God's enemies, just like the Holy Ghost filled person does. Nevertheless, we are all required to obey the same Word of God and follow the rules of cleanliness in our bodies.

Some ministers and saints, because of a lack of understanding, label them as false or walking in unbelief, and try to fight against them. This should not be the case. God has had strangers or non-Israelite born people amongst Israel since they came out of Egypt. By faith some of these strangers have found their way into the lineage of Jesus, into the courts of kings, into the army of David and in like manner many are found working for God today within the church.

In the body of believers there should not be an attitude to try to separate or determine another person place in God's plan. The same gospel should be preached to all, for we do not fully understand the grace of God that has brought us into the body of believers or when he may baptize one with his Spirit.

Some say these "strangers" or non-spirit filled can't see the kingdom of God unless they demonstrate the receiving of the Spirit by speaking in tongues. This should not be said. This is not correct. Do you believe the disciples and 12 apostles that walked with Jesus were blind and could not see the kingdom of God until after the day of Pentecost? Do you believe the disciples comprehended nothing of the kingdom of God until after the day of Pentecost? Do you believe that as Jesus sent them preaching the kingdom of God and healing the sick, that they were ignorant of what they were doing till after the day of Pentecost?

Jesus said you can't see the kingdom unless you are born again, and then he said you cannot enter unless you are born of the water and the Spirit. He made this distinction between the born again experience of the Word and the born again experience of the Spirit. John clarifies this for us a little better by showing that each believer comes by water (which is the word) and the blood, and the Spirit bearing witness. When a person hears and receives the Word of God, applies the blood of Jesus to their life and obeys the gospel of salvation, they are able to see the kingdom of God and are no longer bound by the darkness of sin.

1Jo 5:5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.

This in no ways changes the doctrine of being born again, of being filled with the Holy Ghost and speaking with tongues. Truly we know that we are baptized by one Spirit into the Body of Christ, the Israel of God. But let's not forget the law that says to not oppress the stranger, nor should we oppress believers in Jesus, who love him and who love his Word, though they have not received the Spirit. Nevertheless, they do not fight against the Truth which they don't have or even understand. But today we have ministers like those in Paul's time, who were more concerned about justifying themselves after the flesh, through circumcision, than they were about allowing the Word of God to bring forth the maturity in their life of the Son of God.

INNER MAN : We Must be Born Again

The scripture says that,
· We are born again of the incorruptible Word of God, 1 Pet 1:23. ,
· It is this new birth from the Word of God that gives us the ability to see the Kingdom of God that is not made with hands, Jh 3:3-8. ,
· And we know that we have the witness that we are born again because: we walk in righteousness, 1 Jh 2:29,
· We sinneth not, 1 Jh 3:9,
· We overcome the world thru faith, 1 Jh 5:4,
· We love Jesus and one another, 1 Jh 5:1 ,
· We keep ourselves, 1 Jh 5:18,
· We keep his commandments, Jh 14:21-23,

We also look for the witness and confirmation of the appearing of the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, which Jesus said he would send. It is through this new birth experience of the Baptism of the Holy Ghost that lets us enter into the Kingdom of God. We should understand that one cannot be complete in Christ without both witnesses in their life, that of the Word and that of the Spirit. Even as Jesus said in…

Jh 3:5 … Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

Look at the best example we have. The Lord Jesus was born of the incorruptible Word of God, but it was not until the Father's witness from heaven at Jordon that the Spirit came upon him. All the time he was a child, could he not see the kingdom of God? He was truly a child of God from the day the Word of God conceived Him in the womb.

The scripture says that we are the tabernacle of God which in Old Testament had the Ark of the Covenant within it. God placed over it the pillar of fire by night and the cloud by day for all the world and camp to see. We should be seeking after God's presence and His voice, the Word of God behind the veil, which comes from the Ark of the Covenant. But some are seeking after the sign and witness of his power that is abiding on the outside of the tabernacle which all the world can see. Christ should be our focus and he will demonstrate or witness in our life, as it pleases him to place us in his kingdom.

This new birth or life is like a new born baby or fruit tree, which has just come to birth and begin to grow, being nurtured by God unto maturity. This new child or seedling is nurtured, instructed and shaped by the Holy Ghost husbandman according to the purpose that God has placed in each individual. If this new birth is not hindered it will come into full maturity. It will put on the whole armor of God, acting and bearing completely the fruit and nature of its parent.

Today we see this law in our members of the DNA from our parent's determines who and what we look and act like. But, this is true only if it is not perverted by the world or Satan's devises. Because we come from the root, we are by nature fruitful in God, walking as the sons of God at his right hand in this world. As we manifest his light and life in this world of darkness, the world is condemned because they see his light in us. This life of God in us brings to light, who is the seed of the wicked and who is the seed of the righteous.

The Adversary wants to get in and modify, change, corrupt and pervert the fruit of the son of God in us, changing our spiritual DNA code (the Word of God) in some way so that we do not bear the resemblance of the root (Jesus Christ the firstborn of God), but some other fruit. He uses the life that comes from the root, to bring forth an off-spring of evil or corrupt fruit.

Rev 2:23 And I will kill her children with death;

We also see from the scripture, that the Devil has no power against the Holy Ghost in our life, but he can change our diet and even starve that new inner man. Thus, the inner man, our spiritual life can never come to its fullest potential, being defrauded of its life

Rev 6:6 A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

INNER MAN : Effect of Corrupt Ministries

Now there is two major ways in which Satan brings about this perverted, hybrid vine in the earth. The first is in..

Rev 2:14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.

We see this in Peter where he speaks of preachers, because of their coveting after money and possessions have perverted the doctrine and pleased the people rather than God. This brings into the saints' life a worldly, ungodly standard of Christianity. Creating a life which is less then what the scripture teaches us about being clean and holy in body and spirit.

2Pe 2:1-3 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

2Pe 2:14-15 Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;

2Ti 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

INNER MAN : The Danger of Corrupt Organizations

The second way Satan works in this area is in the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes.

Rev 2:15 So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.

Previously I addressed about the deeds of Nicolaitanes spirit. But let's add a little more here.

Organizations are started because a group of ministers, of a like kind faith or understanding, wants to fellowship with family members they feel comfortable around, based on their doctrinal belief. God did this when he told each tribe to camp and to live together. He instructed them to marry together in order to keep the inheritance in the tribe and not be scattered about.

But God never intended for the tribes or organizations to fight against one another to the point of saying our tribe is of God and your tribe is not because of our standard or doctrine. No, in God's economy, all of the different tribes and the strangers amongst them are to live together with their focus all toward the center of the camp. Their focus was the tabernacle, where God was their head and their leadership. The differences in our character, standard and understanding are part of what God has placed in our life's, so that we are each different in the body. He doesn't have a problem with these differences, ..but man does.

Because of our problem with our differences, ministers unite and take their interpretations of the scriptures: of what is saved or lost, of what is being born again or not, of what is baptized correctly or not, of what is holiness on the outside and what is not. Yes, the root of all this organizational unity may come from the Word of God, but it has been so twisted and perverted that it has become like instruments of cruelty in the hands of Simeon and Levi. The fruit of this is a people who do not live by the Word of God that was preached by Jesus Christ and the Apostles as their standard, but who rather live by the traditions and interpretations of the scriptures of ministers and board members.

God does not build walls between his people, but organizations do. It is at this point when it quits being a good thing and becomes the work of Satan. It is at this point when Jesus Christ quits being the head of that body of believers and man's creed and doctrine takes his place. When Christ quits being the head, that body of believers within the walls of their own sect, no longer measures themselves by the doctrines of Jesus and the Apostles, but rather to the doctrines of the organization.

The best example we will see of this in the Bible is of the Pharisees and Sadducees, which both said they loved God and kept his commandments. But Jesus said they worshipped, but not God. They kept the letter, but not the heart of God's law. They loved the praises of men, but didn't love God. They saw their traditions and interpretations but did not see Jesus fulfill the law in front of them. They were more concerned with the self-righteousness through their laws, then God's righteousness.

Likewise when Jesus sends his two witnesses to the church, these organizations and ministers will reject Jesus again, just like their fathers did 2000 years ago. It makes no difference if there spirit filled or non-spirit filled, because both groups already have their interpretation of how Jesus is to come again and they will fight against anything that doesn't agree with their interpretation; bringing trouble on them and the saints under their leadership.

INNER MAN : Other Dangers to Our Inner Man

A true child of God can put themselves into several dangerous areas. One way is listening to ministers and attending churches that do not believe in receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost and fight against the manifestation of the Spirit. This kind of people wants his name and word, but doesn't want the Holy Ghost in their life to teach them. A second dangerous area is listening to ministers and attending churches that have gone astray in the scriptures, and are covetous for your money to help build their programs or ministry.

Ministers who:
· Fail to teach saints to use the teachings of Jesus and Apostles as their measure, or
· Fail to teach believers to keep themselves pure and unspotted in body and spirit, or
· Fail to teach following the leadership of Jesus Christ in their life and not mans leadership.
· Then these ministers are either ignorant of God's purposes of the ministry or are false teachers and preachers.

Because of these failures, God will in the last days send an axe to those ministries they have built up, so it will be evident who has been their master. Just as in John the Baptist time, ministries were not seen failing for all to see, but we see God withdrew his life and light from them and left them in darkness, whose end was later to be cast out of the kingdom into darkness away from God's fellowship.

INNER MAN : Satan's Offspring

The effect of this corrupt ministry and doctrines is to take the life of God within us, which at one time was clean and had the wings of an eagle. It had the potential of life, power, revelation and knowledge to overcome the adversary by the Word and Spirit. Although these retain the life of God that was given them, they have become unclean and perverted through this corrupt doctrine, and have become the offspring of Satan and no longer the seed of Christ.

Again Jesus is taken out of his place to sit in the temple of their life and places Satan in that seat or throne. As said the scriptures in…

2Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

1Co 6:15 Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.

Rev 2:13 I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.

This is the area and purpose of the 3rd trumpet. Our husband Jesus Christ gives these people the test of the Law of Jealousy as it is written in Num 5:12-31. So that they will know if they have been unfaithful to His Word or leadership and have committed spiritual fornication, with another man's ministry or another gospel that was not from Christ. It is God's desire that they repent and cleanse themselves of this corruption before it is too late and must be cast out of the kingdom as God cleanses the kingdom of all the unclean.

Trumpets Touch : THE LEADERSHIP OF THE SPIRIT

The Lord prophesied in…

Eze 36:27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them,

Showing that he was going to put his Spirit within us enabling us to keep and walk in his statutes. Jesus also told them in several passages that he was going to send the Holy Ghost to them after his departure.

Joh 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Joh 16:13-14 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

Joh 15:26 … he shall testify of me.

We then find him later telling them in…
Lu 24:49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

We see this being fulfilled in the first group of believers in…
Ac 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

God has given us his Spirit for several purposes in our walk here on this earth: …to lead and guide us in the Word or truth, …to glorify and testify of Jesus the Word, …to give us now the earnest of His Spirit.

SPIRIT FOLLOWING : Spirit is to Lead and Guide Us

It is God's purpose to give us what we need to navigate through this life as individuals, rather than as an entire nation at once, like he did in the wilderness. And he shows this in…

Ge 1:14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years.

Originally, all men navigated in ancient times, on the seas and dry land, by the light of God which was provided by the sun, moon and stars. During all the centuries these heavenly lights gave their testimony and direction without ever changing.

They are still declaring direction after all these years if one desires to use them. This is what the Holy Ghost is given for. The Spirit of God shows us the truth and reveals the Word of God to us. That truth or revelation never changes; just like the pattern of the constellations in the sky never change. As one gets a better vision or a natural telescope, he can see deeper into the things of God. Although man can see deeper, it never changes the heavenly truths that were first delivered or revealed to you when your eyes were first opened to the kingdom of God.

We see this example in the wilderness, when the Holy Ghost as a pillar of fire and cloud by day lead them and protected them during their journeys. We saw the Holy Ghost operating in the early church as it led them and enable them to testify of Jesus, though he physically was no longer with them. We see this in operation today within those who have received his Spirit in their life. The same Spirit of life is testifying of Jesus that we are born of the incorruptible Word of God and gives us leadership and guidance into the truth. This Spirit brings us comfort or protection in the natural things we face.

FOLLOWING THE SPIRIT : Satan's Leadership and Guidance

Satan, through the carnal mind and religious systems wants to offer us a strange fire to follow and a voice to misdirect us in our walk with God. When we allow this to happen, he replaces God's leadership with his leadership through the flesh. Let's go back to ancient times. Remember, they navigated by the stars of heaven which is God's lights created to give direction for our life naturally; just as the Holy Ghost is there to give us direction spiritually.

We now get our direction by modern ways using man-made devices. The very thing is also happening spiritually. Satan's desire is to have his ministers show us an easier way, one less stressful, a way or device that works the same in all weather conditions. This is completely un-like the Lord's navigation, for when clouds, storms and cares of life hinder our view of seeing Christ clearly or hearing his voice. Then those that want Christ's leadership in their life will stop, pray and wait until the hindrance is removed and his light is again manifested to you.

We don't have this in operation in saints or the church today as it should be, because of our impatience and the price that is required to pray and seek God until we hear his voice for our life again. So the church depends on the man-made ministries to be God's voice, and light in their life. But God's true voice in your life is the Holy Ghost and the ministry is just to confirm and make sure that you are staying on track and not listening to a wrong voice.

FOLLOWING the SPIRIT : Losing Leadership of Spirit

How do we lose our ability to hear and follow the Holy Ghost leadership in our life? Satan does not have the ability to change the laws and principles of the stars of heaven, nor the light and revelation of the Holy Ghost which God has placed in our life. Therefore, Satan must bring something between me and God's light to take away my vision in God or hinder my ability to hear God's voice. As the scriptures said,

Dan 8:25 … and by peace shall destroy many….

Lu 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.

Lu 8:14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.

FOLLOWING THE SPIRIT: Weakened By Cares of Life

Life in this age that we live in is full of cares, possessions, prosperity, electronic gadgets and media to occupy our minds. So that we as individuals are sometimes more concerned with our: bank account, retirement account, better houses, more lands, better car, better clothing, better furniture or better life. Than we are about, seeking first the kingdom of God, remembering the poor or giving to God's work.

Whereas churches are sometimes more concerned with: ..a bigger building, ..more land, ..more programs, ..raising more money to do a greater work for God, ..better electronics, ..better sound or media devices. Than they are about, hearing from God in the services, helping the poor or mission work.

All this brings clouds of darkness over our lives, like the thorns covering the seed of the Word of God in the parable of the sower. These thorns of darkness choke out our ability to see and hear God's voice. So the carnal mind must find man-made ways to navigate or guide us in our Christian life and understanding the scriptures. Because we don't have time to pray anymore, until the things that hinders our vision is removed and we hear God's voice in our life again.

FOLLOWING THE SPIRIT: Reduced By Pressures and Afflictions

Another way we might lose our ability to hear and follow the Holy Ghost leadership in our life can be seen in the following passages.

Dan 7:25 … and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws…

Joel 1:4-7 That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpiller eaten. Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth. For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion. He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white.

Satan will make life hard on you, so that troubles, trials, sickness, heartache, fearfulness, oppression and such like, gets you so deep in the miry clay of your situation, that doubt, discouragement and unbelief gets a stronghold on your life. So you can't feel the Spirit in your personal prayer life at home or at church. The preaching of the Word of God doesn't excite you anymore or maybe you go to church, but no help is found and you are not willing to seek God yourself. Maybe the ministry is not willing to do what it should be doing to bring deliverance in your life. All this brings you into the place where you are more inclined to entertain another voice in your life, because you are not hearing the voice of God through the Holy Ghost for your life.

Thus when we are weak and unable to hear what the Lord has to say in our life, that is when Satan's voice begins talking to us. He gives us spiritual advice and perverted interpretation of the Word of God. As it was at Eve's time…

Ge 3:4 And the serpent said unto the woman,

The issue is not just that Satan was perverting the Word God spoken to her, but she entertained the voice and did not resist it with the Word of God. As a consequence, she committed spiritual adultery by accepting Satan's word over God's word. This brought death upon them, so that neither Adam nor Eve ever heard God's voice again after God punished them and put them out of the Garden. This can be done by false teachers that are already following Satan's leadership, or can happen as saints and ministers become so hungry for the Spirit of God, that we fail to try the spirits by the Word. Again we fail to see the truth, whether that voice is leading us to the Word or away from it.

FOLLOWING THE SPIRIT: Clouded By False Spirits or Voices

Another example of how the light or voice of God's leadership in our life can be taken from us is found in

Re 2:20-24 Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death...

This Jezebel represents a church or ministry that is offering to the people an anointing or spirit that is not clean, and with this voice, it offers a perverted doctrine to the people just like the serpent did to Eve. God has warned us of the danger of seeking after direction and guidance from a false anointing that does not agree with the Word of God. There are a lot of ministries out there that have all different levels of skills in presenting the gospel of Jesus Christ. Each voice or ministry must abide in the calling where God has called it.

But if that voice:
·Does not hold to and stand with the doctrine that has been given to us by Jesus and the Apostles, or
·Wants to leave out parts of the scripture because it will offend or hurt some ones feelings, or
·Changes the meaning of the scripture to represent something different and easier to live then how the earlier church lived it, or
·Fights and denies that Jesus Christ is still the same today as he was in time past, or
·Denies that Jesus still heals and fills his people with the Holy Ghost just like in the New Testament.

Then that voice is not a true voice of God, but rather has become a voice of the Serpent.

The effects of all this is that saints have become defiled by following a wrong spirit or voice as it brings false doctrine and teachings into their life. The rain is withheld from their life, causing famine in their soul. Death or separation from God happens and they don't know it. They have become a part of the assembly of Satan and his worshippers and don't know it.

For this is the purpose of the 4th trumpet. It is to cause the people to realize that except they repent and change, then that which has been placed in their life to teach and guide them into the truth, and to help them to navigate on the earth or sea in their life, will be darkened or taken from them. This in turn will let the wicked one come into their life in a greater way, and possibly causing them to lose the promise of eternal life.

Summary

We tried to explain that our victory in the four areas which God flows in our life will determine: the basis of where we are in our maturity in Christ, how each of us is placed in the body and the way we are kept or tried during the coming great tribulation. This is based on if we have allowed the adversary to defile or corrupt the river of life that flows into our life in the following four areas.

1-The Word of God
2-The Outer man
3-The Inner man
4-Following the leadership of God's Spirit in our life.

The objective in this message was not to categorize into these four areas, every thought or scripture in the Bible. The purpose was rather that we might see that God, who has seven spirits and seven eyes, sends to us one river of life that splits into 4 rivers or areas that waters the 3 parts of the church and the strangers. Within the scriptures, the Lord weaves an understanding of how God flows in these areas, how Satan is attacking these areas in our life, and how we can overcome the wicked one.

Blessed is he that has an ear to hear what the spirit has to say to the church.

LAST DAYS OF THE CHURCH

Chapter 5

Last Half Week of Daniel

Just as the natural Israel in the Bible gives us examples to teach us and gives us understanding about the spiritual Israel of God; God also gave us the natural kingdoms of the Beast, and other nations in the Bible, as examples to give us understanding of the spiritual powers and principalities of Satan that is to be destroyed and cast into the lake of fire. So in times past a natural Israel fought natural enemies, today the spiritual Israel fights the spiritual powers of Satan.

The scripture also reveals that Satan’s beast system of seven heads, ten crowns, false prophet and his people are allowed to swim in God’s river. As Satan tries to defile or corrupt our life through his devices of the: Carnal mind, Lust of the flesh, Lust of the eyes and Pride of Life.

Seven Kingdoms of the Beast

Let’s take a short overview of the Beast as seen in Revelation.

Rev 13:1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

God’s whole objective in showing us this natural picture of the Beast, is to help us better understand what is going on in the spiritual aspect of Satan’s dominion. This revealing of the Beast is shown to us in the 7 different heads. Each head represents a power of Satan and the manner of how he will work both naturally and spiritually. We see this demonstrated in each head representing a great power or dominion that has ruled the earth and during that time come against God’s people in some way.

Rev 17:15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

Seven natural kingdoms have occurred in this order: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medes-Persia, Greece, Rome and Catholicism. Each one of these can be seen in the scriptures except for the final part of Rome and the works of Catholicism which is available in history to us today. Each one of these natural kingdoms is for the purpose of: revealing the works of Satan, revealing its dominion over mankind, revealing its attack or corruption toward God’s people and revealing how God delivered his people from each one of these spiritual dominions. How this happened can be seen in the scriptures of the first six dominions while the 7^th dominion has to be seen from history.

The Beast Mixed with Israel and the Church

The church is a spiritual kingdom and we are both spiritual and a natural people within this kingdom. We still fight against each one of these seven powers of the Beast in our life today. This Beast wants to corrupt, defile, devour, oppress and pervert the kingdom of God in our life. In summary, God has revealed to us the fullness of the workings of Satan affecting the world and most importantly God’s people.

We see the Beast’s mixture of influence in Israel’s worship, beginning when the Medes-Persia financed the rebuilding of the temple in the days of Nehemiah. Then under the Roman Empire, in order to please the people of Israel, Rome built them another temple of worship. Rome appointed or demoted the high priest in that time, so that this position was not one of God’s service anymore; but of a political purpose for both Rome and Israel. One can even see the natural illustration that once the Beast and Israel begin to be joined one to another, the Ark of the Covenant no longer appears in the Temples that were built. Later in the Catholic Church, we see it grow even stronger, as it now incorporates the gospel of Jesus Christ with the idolatry of paganism. This time the False Prophet and Satan are among God’s people. There is no way to destroy or completely stop it until the end of time. Jesus told us this when he said, let the tares grow with the wheat till the time of harvest.

This mixture of religion and worldly system in the beast has laid the ground work for what we refer to in our days as Jewish and Christian denominations and religious organizations. It is these very same religious powers that we have today, that are referred to in the scriptures as the ten horns or harlots of the great whore. These are referred to by some as the daughters

Rev 17:16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast…

Rev 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

We see an example of this in the 6^th & 7^th dominion, in which Rome had ten distinct powers from which it ruled as the Catholic Church was coming to power.

Dan 7:24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.

These horns or harlots became more evident in our religious society after the Great Awakening revivals. We see all the trees and vines putting forth there leaves during this period, starting in the 1500’s, when the revivals broke out in every persuasion of doctrine within almost every nation. And today we have these major denominations and organizations that are; influencing our society and political arena, along with the Catholic Church.

Mixture of Babylon and the Church

For it is in this Babylon system that the True church has had to live and work until the time that Babylon is destroyed. And even the wealth of Babylon has been used to make the name of the Lord great throughout all nations. See, the true child of God does not seek after money and this hinders its ability to do as much. The false seed goes after the money, so they can spread their gospel, which in turn provides a benefit to the true.

This network of religion that is full of abominations has been the same network that God has had to use to build his kingdom in the earth, while Babylon was continuing its mixture of religion and idolatry. However, the true seed of God is like the four Hebrew children, which were able to live in this mess and yet determine that they will not partake of its idolatry. They would not let it defile them. They held true to what God had taught them in his Word and determined to not eat the king’s meat or worship his image. This is what is supposed to be happening in the true church, which is in the midst of Babylon today.

The voice of Christ and of the bride has always been in the midst of Babylon as can be seen in this scripture.

Rev 18:23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee…

And it will be this way until he fully calls his people out and then removes his voice or light from Babylon, no longer sharing his light with the unclean.

This is what I was explaining was happening at the end of the first 3 ½ years as it moved into the last 3 ½ years. That is the reason the church has not been able to stop the dominion of the influence of Babylon on a world-wide scale, but we are able to stop its influence in an individual’s life or a body of believers.

The Beast and False Prophet in the Last 3 1/2 Years

All this overview has brought us to the subject at hand. It is important to know how the Beast and False Prophet are affecting the church during the last 3 ½ years.

As stated earlier, at about the time the two witnesses are killed, there is a shifting or closing out of the church ages. The Lord has been calling for his people to come out of this mixture in the church.

Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

At the same time the spirit of the Lord also has been pulled back from the rebellious saints.

Rev 18:23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee...

Jesus warned of those who where once in him, but left that place and must be cut off.

Joh 15:6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

At this time also, Satan enters into his sons of perdition, the rebellious of the Lord, just as he did with Judas.

Joh 13:2 And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him.

Joh 13:27 And after the sop Satan entered into him…

This pulling back of the Lord and revealing of Satan, causes the true light of the gospel to stop shining, as is said in…

Mat 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.

At this time the church will enter into great tribulation, a persecution arises which will be similar to what happened by the hand of the Catholic Church, in the dark ages.

Rev 6:12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;

Seeing the Eighth Beast Rise Up

Rev 13:11-17 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads. And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

And again in..

Rev 17:11-14 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

This is when we see the spirit of the False Prophet rise like never before. It will not be just one individual, but the religious powers and ministries that are in existence today, who are not true to God’s Word. These are not following God’s Spirit, and have already become the synagogue of Satan, which at this time will now become the habitation of Satan.

Rev 18:2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.

This great ministry of the false prophet brings forth a doctrine, or gospel during this time is also seen in…

Rev 9:13-19 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.

We can see this spirit of the False Prophet already working today. John said in 90AD, that the antichrist is already working in the world and we see its: corruption, perversion and false doctrine issuing out the mouths of ministers all across the world. It is because they have sold out to Satan and the fruit of it is bringing death to their followers. Yet, during these last days, we see a life and power is given to this false ministry in a greater way.

Some have thought this great army to be China or Communism, but it is not. It is both Gentile and Jewish religious denominations and religious organizations of all faiths that we have in the world today. All Gentile and Jewish faiths which have rejected the Word of God, and replaced Christ’s leadership with the leadership of man’s traditions, false doctrine and false spirits. These people during this time have given themselves over to do the work of Satan just as was said of Judas in…

Psa 41:9 Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.

This people made this choice, previously when they knew the power and knowledge of Jesus Christ, rather than at this last time, when Satan is cast down. The choice was made earlier by not obeying Jesus Christ and this allowed the evil to enter in their heart and remain. Now they have no power to resist Satan’s working in their life, just like it happened to Judas after the last supper.

God Pulling Back His Spirit

At this time the Lord warns us when he pulls back his Spirit (the river Euphrates) from the Church, that he will allow a flood of uncleanness, false doctrine and false spirits to rise up and try to drown the church. Again, there is no doubt, that we have seen this spirit working already today. But, today we are able to keep it pushed back by the power of the Holy Ghost in our life and faith in the Word of God. During this time God pulls back his Spirit and seals his elect from the flood from Satan. That does not change or affect the life of Christ that is in us, it always remains with us.

Rev 16:12 -14 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

As we have said earlier, this False Prophet is not one individual, but rather the ministers that are in our pulpits today in spirit filled and non spirit filled churches that are pushing Christ leadership out, and let Satan’s leadership in their life and pulpits. Because, of the abominations and the flood being issued from the dragon, the beast and the false prophet during this time. God has prepared a place for his people to abide and to be nourished from this flood. But he does give a warning to all his saints.

Rev 16:15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.

He is saying we can lose our crown of righteousness, if we do not heed to God’s warnings and spiritually prepare for this time to come. While God is gathering the false and wicked unto the great battle referred to as Armageddon.

He instructs his people during this time to not trust in anyone’s anointing, spirits, dreams, or other manifestations, which have been used in time past for direction and leadership of the Lord. But at this time he is making a strong warning of following false preachers and false anointing, bringing forth manifestations that are to lead you from the Word of God.

Mat 24:21-26 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.

Mat 24:28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

Saw This Pattern During Elijah's Time

Let’s look at the example of Elijah. He prophesied and there was no rain for 3 ½ years. During this time it brought pressure upon the church, causing Jezebel to slay the prophets of the Lord. However, God had reserved 7,000 that did not bow to Baal, even as this false worship grew stronger in Israel. At the end of this period God sent his fire to consume the sacrifice, and Elijah was given power over the false prophets. Then the anointing lifted off of Elijah and he ran from Jezebel, which was the power behind the false prophets. Baal worship continued to get stronger in Israel and Judah, after Elijah fled into the wilderness from Jezebel. God provided food for him and told him to go 40 days into the wilderness to the Mount of God, the place where God had spoken to Moses and delivered his laws to his people. God provided a cave as a place of refuge, when he flees into the wilderness. It was then that God showed Elijah that He was no longer in the wind, no longer in the earthquake, no longer in the fire but that he was in the still small voice.

Now all this is a shadow and a type of the two witnesses, who go forth in power and demonstration while false worship continues getting stronger. When the anointing has finished the work through the two witnesses, the beast is able to kill them. Just as when Elijah had finished his purpose, the anointing left him and he no longer had power against the Beast. We see this same example when Jesus had finished his ministry, the religious and political system of the 6^th beast killed him. Similarly, the religious and political system of the 8^th beast will kill the two witnesses in Jerusalem.

We also see in Elijah a type of the church that flees for their life after the anointing has been taken from them and the Beast rises up. God provides for them a place of refuge, telling them to go back to the place, were the Word of God was delivered to them and listen to that still small voice. That we should not be looking for God anymore in the signs, wonders or fire that is falling. I believe we as ministers should be able to see how far the ministry has drifted from the Word of God that was delivered to us by Jesus Christ and confirmed by the Apostles. Ministers have now added their interpretations; of the scriptures, of what is outside holiness and what is inside holiness. But the basic doctrine that pertains to how we are to live and serve the Lord Jesus in this body is so plain and simple a child could understand it, until ministers complicate it by adding their ideals and traditions to it.

Overcoming

During this time, the saints that listen and obey the Lord and are watchful of the things to come; they will overcome. But their overcoming may be thru death as is said in...

Rev 12:10-11 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Again, during this last 3 ½ years, it is not the saint’s place to fight against the false anointing, false gospel, false spirits or perverted doctrine flowing from the false preachers. No more than it was for Elijah to stand against Jezebel, after the Spirit had been taken from him. Though the saints have not been given authority during this time to stop the False Prophet and the Beast, the overcoming saints do have power to keep themselves from being defiled. It is the Lord that shall overcome False Prophet and the Beast, as is said in…

Rev 17:14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

SUMMARY

The summary of the message can be seen in the Song of Solomon.

Now Solomon is not a type of Christ like David, but rather a type of the operation of Christ thru the Holy Ghost; …who being full of wisdom, takes the riches of David, builds the temple, brings peace to Israel and makes silver as stones in Jerusalem.

Now as the Spirit is speaking here in the scriptures, as both the bridegroom and the bride. He says the church is his sister, which is true for we are all born of the same father, the Word of God. He speaks of the church as a garden that is closed up and not able to let its fruit, spices, fountains and life to flow out of it.

Song 4:12-15 A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed. Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard. Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices. A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon.

He calls for the winds (tribulation) to blow on the garden of the Lord, his beloved, his sister, so that the riches and beauty that has been placed in her may flow out. That he, the bridegroom, Jesus Christ may come in to the garden and eat or dine.

Song 4:16 Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits.

He now shows that he comes to his beloved, his sister, the church, which was once clean and undefiled, but finds that she is in drunkenness, slumbering and slothfulness. She makes excuses of why she can’t let him into her life, into her bed chamber.

Song 5:1-3 I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved. I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night. I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?

So the Lord leaves her, withdrawing himself from her, so that when she seeks him, she cannot find him, and when she calls for him, he will not answer. She is then given over to the watchmen of the city and the keeper of the wall, (the False Prophet and the Beast) to wound her, smite her and take her veil away (that place in the Body of Christ she once had) and she has now become that defiled group in the church.

Song 5:6, 7 I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer. The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me.

While this is going on, God lets us know that he has a people the he loves, that are beautiful and fruitful (the firstfruits part of the church). He refers to her as…

Song 6:9 My dove, my undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.

But wait! He does not forsake his sister, the church, even though she failed to heed to his call, and was given to the men of the city to chasten her. But look! This people, his sister have changed and falling in love with him again (through much tribulation). And now the floods from the Adversary cannot drown her love, nor can the temptations of men cause her to lose her love again. Though she lost her beauty and fruitfulness during this process, the beloved heals and restores her. Yes, Jesus Christ still has a place for her in his kingdom.

Song 8:5-10 Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved? I raised thee up under the apple tree: there thy mother brought thee forth: there she brought thee forth that bare thee. Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned. We have a little sister, and she hath no breasts: what shall we do for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken for? If she be a wall, we will build upon her a palace of silver: and if she be a door, we will inclose her with boards of cedar. I am a wall, and my breasts like towers: then was I in his eyes as one that found favour.

Blessed is he that has an ear to hear what the spirit has to say to the church.