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 5th
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.