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CALL TO DISCIPLESHIP - PART 4 ? - by Leland Earls

2009-06-03T16:49:00.000-07:00

CALL TO DISCIPLESHIP - Part 4 - by Leland Earls

[posted by Joel Jones with permission from Word of Life Fellowship (see www.wordoflifefellowship.com for contact info. with Kevin Earls who has stewardship of the late Leland Earls' writings.
See also www.firstloveministry.com for more online publishings of Leland Earls writings.]

This is the second part in a study on "Discipleship". The term "disciple" appears in the New Testament about 250 times, the term "believer" about 12 times, and the term "Christian" only 3 times. So we can see the importance that Jesus and the early church placed on discipleship.

In part one, we saw that a "disciple" is a pupil or learner -- one who has placed himself under the tutelage of another, to be disciplined in a way of life. It was understood by those who had accepted Jesus as their Messiah and Savior in the life of the early church that they were the followers of THE WAY, and the followers of Christ were frequently referred to as a part of this "way" (Acts 9:2, 19:9, 23, 22:4, 24:14, 22). We saw in our last study that accepting Jesus as our Savior is only the "entrance gate" into Kingdom citizenship. But to ENTER INTO and BENEFIT from the greater blessings and rewards of that Kingdom, discipleship is a necessity. "Eternal life" is a free gift (Rom. 6:23), received by faith (Ephes. 2:8), and implies nothing more than the restoration of that which Adam lost on this earth. Beyond that, the Lord has great "vistas" of "sonship" responsibility, blessings, authority, and glory that are so vast in scope that the average Christian has but faint conception, or even a gross misconception. As I continue this study on "Discipleship", I think you will realize that this teaching complements and "fits" right into the lessons I have been giving on the "overcoming life" called "Names of Tribes on Gates of Pearl." It will be incorporated into those lessons when finished and put together into booklet form.

In the last study, I presented first (1) The Perspective of Discipleship; then (2) The Position of Discipleship; and then I was in the midst of presenting (3) The Purposes of Discipleship, of which there are several. I had presented the following purposes of Discipleship based on Jesus' words in Mt. 11:29 (1) To get "yoked up" to Jesus Christ, even as He was "yoked" to the Father, that we might become "meek" even as He was "meek"; (2) To "learn of Christ" by diligently studying His Word -- the Scriptures. We saw that such "learning" necessitated the quality of "humility", even as Jesus was "humble" (lowly in heart). We also saw that that the New Testament links humility with the "grace" of God (James 4:6, I Pet. 5:5). It is only through God's supernatural grace (favor) that we are given the "spirit of wisdom and revelation in the (full) knowledge of Christ" (Ephes. 1:17) that we might understand the Scriptures (Luke 24:45).

There are many aspects of humility, but there were three that I said I wanted to emphasize: (1) Our willingness to be "teachable"; (2) Our desperate need; and (3) Honesty. Last time I partially covered the first: "a teachable spirit". I said that there were three hindrances to most people, even Christians, to being truly teachable. I commented on the first: (1) Too much secular (humanistic) education; and I will now proceed to the second: (2) Too much religious tradition. Someone has said that "tradition sticks worse than sin". Jesus found it impossible to "get truth" into the heads of the vast majority of the religious leaders of His day because they were "bound" by their false religious traditions. Perceiving their total unwillingness to abandon their traditions, and "hear" the Word of God, He castigated them severely as we read in Mark 7:7-8, 13: "Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrine the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the traditions of men. . . making the Word of God of none effect through your traditions." Even Jesus' own disciples, who were committed to Him, were so tradition-bound, that Jesus had extreme difficulty in getting them to understand that HIS Kingdom was NOT to be after the carnal, materialistic, even militaristic-conquering Kingdom, with a "swashbuckler" kind of Messiah, after the fashion of their great "hero-king" David, who was a great military leader, conquering all their enemies and establishing an outward kingdom of great "pomp and splendor". The disciples were sure, after seeing the demonstrations of His mighty miracle-working power, that Jesus would, in time, take up the sword, rally the multitudes, drive out the Romans, and restore the Davidic throne, taking the "scepter" of rulership, and sitting down on an earthly throne in Jerusalem,. This is why Peter had the audacity to rebuke Jesus for saying that He was going to Jerusalem to DIE (Mt. 16:21-23), for Peter's traditional concept of the Kingdom had no place for a dead Messiah.

It is beyond the scope of this study to deal at length with the intriguing issue of Jesus' teaching anew of His disciples through much patience, repetition, even sharp rebuke at times, etc., but simply to make the point that their traditional religious concepts had to be changed, and that was no easy task, even for the very Son of God, As a matter of fact, it was not until after Jesus was raised from the dead, that the disciples began to recall many of the truths that He taught, enabling them to understand that He came to establish a spiritual Kingdom, which first had to take "root" in the human heart (through the power of divine regeneration --being "born anew" from above by the Spirit -- John 3: 3-6) before it could be manifested outwardly in ever widening circles of influence.

If you are perceptive, you no doubt already know the point I now want to make. Is human nature any different today than it was in Jesus' day? Are people any less "bound" by religious traditions today than in the day that Jesus almost vainly sought to penetrate the "tradition-clogged" minds of those to whom He was sent? I doubt that we need to argue that our multitudinous denominations, sects, and religious organizations of various kinds, with many divergent beliefs, attest to the fact that we are as "tradition-bound" as the generation to which Jesus came.

Yes, religious tradition, which can vary from outright falsehood and error to a mixture of truth and error, can definitely be a hindrance to having a "teachable spirit". It has been my experience that those who make the most rapid advance in truth and vital, spirit-quickened, realities are those who have had no church background or religious training of any "kind. This is because their minds were not "cluttered" with a lot of things to unlearn. It is a fact, that the hardest part of learning is the task of unlearning that which has become so entrenched in the human mind. I speak from personal experience! I won't belabor the details, but how I praise the Lord that because of a hunger for truth from my youth, and because of the willingness (by God's grace) to make the sacrifices necessary to "loose" myself from the necessity of having to "conform" to the indoctrination received through 7 years of schooling to be accepted for pastoral ministry within a certain religious group, I am now (and have been for a number of years) FREE to sit at the "feet of Jesus" and learn from Him, as He "quickens" His Word by the Holy Spirit. What a JOY to seek and "fall in LOVE" with TRUTH -- to become literally "ecstatic" with God's wondrous plan for man and this earth -- to literally BEHOLD how ALL "facets" of His planning and working FIT TOGETHER in a SYMPHONY of "beauty" that both staggers and elates the mind, and causes one's heart to bow in humble awe and adoration before our indescribably wonderful heavenly Father, and His glorious Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Finally, I want to mention a third factor that hinders a "teachable spirit". It is simply "carnality" within the human heart, which is, again, directly related to pride. People just hate to admit that they have been wrong. I can't give all the possible reasons for this, but I'm sure you are well acquainted with the innate stubbornness of human nature which automatically tends to resist change in traditional habit-patterns of thinking and acting. Some may not want to "lose face" with friends, relatives, or those with whom they are associated. Some may love the praise of men more than the praise of God (John 12:43). Among pastors and other church officials, peer pressure is a powerful force, as the tendency is to "thrive" on the honor given and received from one another. In the light of this, Jesus profound statements in John 5:41 & 44: "I do not receive honor from men. . . How can you believe, when you receive honor from one another, and do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God?”, become a serious warning. Another factor among church leaders is security of position. Jewish religious leaders rejected Jesus, not so much for what He taught (although that was a significant consideration) but because of their fear of losing their coveted positions which gave them their security. Listen to their fears: "If we let Him (Jesus) go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation" (John 11:48)

Another factor relating to carnality that hinders "teachableness" is the fact that most people believe what they want to, based upon the kind of life they want to live. Someone has said that "a person's morality dictates their theology." God help such! They are deceived and blinded by their own selfish pride! Whether "high society" or "low society", people tend to "gravitate" to that which "suits their style". Man are church members, but not even saved. Some are saved, but in the "baby", "carnal" state described by Paul in I Cor. 3:1-3. And there they "stagnate" -- pretty much left to "do their own thing". Fed a little "milk" once a week (or less, if their attendance is not regular), they become a spectacle of "anemia" and much of the time a disgrace to the cause of Christ. As a whole, the church has committed "high treason" against the HEAD (Jesus Christ) in not carrying out His commission to "MAKE DISCIPLES". When we come to the parts in this study where I deal with the "priorities of discipleship" and the "proofs of discipleship", the GRAVITY of this situation will become more apparent. Christians have not been challenged! They have been pampered! Generally (this is not a wholesale indictment -- there are notable exceptions) "men of the cloth" have been more interested in promoting their reputation, building their churches (in size and numbers), pleasing their denominational superiors, climbing the "ladder" of success to larger and better paid pulpits, and seeking to please men (Gal. 1:1), than in PROMOTING THE INTERESTS OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD. In the pulpits there are too many "PARROTS" and not enough "PROPHETS”!

But thank God there is a "stir" in the land. Increasing numbers of people are becoming dissatisfied with the fact that they are not being FED; nor taught how to get into the Word and "feed themselves." There is a tremendous HUNGER for LIVING TRUTH -- "fresh bread from the ovens of God". God is shedding forth His light as never before, and those who want reality, and their lives to be changed, are coming to that light (see John 3:19-21). More "seekers" are discovering that ONLY Christ and His "living Word" can satisfy the desires of the heart. You can find a measure of fulfillment in personal relationships and mater¬ial things, but truly satisfying and ULTIMATE fulfillment can ONLY come through finding your "delight" in a personal, living relationship to Jesus Christ. He will give you every desire of your heart when you start "delighting" yourself in Him (Ps. 37:4), for He will even change some of your desires. If you are unhappy, I can guarantee that you are trying to find fulfillment in someone or something other than the Lord Himself. And that fulfillment cannot be complete without coming to know Him more intimately through His 3 and His Spirit. Jesus said, "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profits nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit (quickened) and they are LIFE" (John 6:63). Studying the Word of God is like a treasure-hunt. Col. 2:3 declares that in Christ "are HID ALL THE TREASURES OF WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE." "Hid" -- yes, but READY TO BE REVEALED to YOU when you take your discipleship seriously enough to search and "dig" into the Word. Ah, beloved, the "gems" that you will "uncover" will delight your heart as they "sparkle" in the "sunlight" of GOD' S LOVE FOR YOU. You will also rejoice in articles and studies written and sent out by "scribes" instructed in the things of the Kingdom of God who are able to bring out of God's "storehouse" TREASURES NEW and OLD (Mt. 13:52). Do I hear any JOY-SHOUTS? When they come you might have to explain to your neighbor; wouldn't that be great!

Now back to "humility" -- the KEY to "learning of (from) Jesus". I said I wanted to impress upon you three important aspects of humility. I just finished the first: a teachable spirit, and also commented on three hindrances to having a teachable spirit: too much secular (humanistic) education, too much religious tradition, and too much carnality within the heart. The second important aspect of "humility" that I want to emphasize is: "our desperate need". Before focusing in on our desperate need to "learn of Jesus", I will make a few general remarks. A "proud" person usually feels self-sufficient -- he is so often "blind" to desperate needs in his spiritual life. And who among us can say that we have no pride? I remember the story of some Christians who were kneeling in prayer at the altar preceding a church service. A young man was praying over and over again, "Lord, keep me humble". His words were over-heard by an older and much wiser sister in the Lord who was kneeling next to him. She leaned over and whispered in his ear: "Young men, you should be praying, 'Lord, make me humble'; for when you pray, 'Lord, keep me humble', you are assuming that you are already fully humble." You and I know that no matter how much we seek to humble ourselves before the Lord, there are still areas of pride that we are not aware of. Therefore God has to take us through experiences that humble us. Every one of you can remember experiences that caused you to think to yourself, even to confess to someone: "what an humbling experience that was"!

As we said before, pride "blinds"; but humility causes us to "see" our desperate need. I am deliberately using the word "desperate" because I believe our need is that serious. We have a desperate need to "learn of" (and "from") Jesus, if we are not to remain "stagnant" or even "regress" in our Christian life. Only as we continue to learn, grow, overcome, incorporate and apply the principles of the Kingdom of Christ can we reap the blessings and benefits that God has for us, as well as preparing ourselves for "usefulness" in the Kingdom, both now and in the age to come. We are now determining our FUTURE DESTINY AND GLORY (beyond just "salvation") by what we do with the time and opportunities we have. We need to get our minds and hearts "saturated" with the Spirit-quickened -- "living" WORD OF GOD. How else can God "write" His spiritual LAWS upon our minds and hearts, which is the essence and purpose of the "New Covenant" -- see Heb. 8:10, 10:16.

All through the Bible there is a parallel between the natural and the spiritual. As a matter of fact, all natural things are TYPES of spiritual truths and realities. God made them that way to help get simple truths through our stupid heads. So I will take some very simple natural illustrations to help us to see our desperate need to "get INTO the Word of God", and "get the Word of God INTO us." I know this will seem elementary to some of you, but bear with me while I get this point across for those who NEED it. It doesn't take long for you to go without food to realize that you are hungry, and if are without food for many days, you are very much aware of your desperate need to feed your body in order to live. When you receive Christ and are "born anew" within, NEW LIFE, and a "new creation" has begun WITHIN you by the power of the Divine Life-seed of Christ. That new life needs to grow and develop -- changing you from within into the very likeness of Jesus Christ -- from glory to glory (II Cor. 5:17, 3:18). That new life needs to be FED with the WORD OF GOD. There is the "milk" of the Word for new "babes" in Christ to grow by; there is the "bread" of the Word to BUILD spiritual strength and character; there is the "meat" of the Word in order to MATURE and progress DEEPER into Christ and develop that WISDOM which will enhance your usefulness in His service (see I Pet. 2:2, John 6:32-35, 48. I Cor. 3:2, Heb. 5:13-14). The WORD is also said to be "sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb (Ps. 19:10), because it truly delights the heart. Jeremiah said, "Thy words were found, and I did EAT them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart '" (Jer. 15:16).

There are so many symbols of the Word of God taken from nature and from the types of the Old Testament, that it would take pages to deal with them all, so I am going to limit myself to just a couple more illustrations to get my point across -- the importance of "learning from Jesus" through HIS WORD, besides food, as illustrated above, the Word of God is likened to WATER (John 15:3, Ephes. 5:26). Now, beloved, if you are in your right faculties, no one has to tell you when your body has collected enough dirt and un-cleanness that you need to take a bath or shower. And how good it feels afterwards to feel clean and refreshed. Spiritually, as we read and meditate in the Word of God, it WASHES us WITHIN from the "filth" and "uncleanness" of this world. In the New Testament, the word "walk" is used to symbolize, the manner or way in which we LIVE our Christian life -- in thought, motive and conduct. We are instructed to "walk by faith, not by sight" (II Cor. 5:7), "walk in newness of life" (Rom. 6:4), "walk honestly, as in the day" (Rom. 13:13), "walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh" (Gal. 5:16, see also Rom. 8: 1,4), "walk in good works. . . for we are God's workmanship" (Ephes. 2:10), "walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called" (Ephes. 4:1, see I Thess. 2:12, 4:7, II Thess. 2:14), "walk in love, as Christ loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice" (Ephes. 5:2), "walk circumspectly (carefully), not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil" (Ephes. 5:15-16), "walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God" (Col. 1:10) but continue to read vs. 11 on), "as therefore ye have received Christ Jesus as Lord, so walk ye in him: rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving" (Col. 2:6-7), "walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how to answer every man" (Col. 4:5-6). "If we say that we have fellowship with him (Christ), and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Christ cleanseth us from all sin" (I John 1:6-7). "He that abideth in him (Christ) ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked" (I John 2:6). "And this is love, that we walk after his commandments" (III John 6) "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth;" III John 4).

I usually do not quote so many scriptures, but felt to set these before you, so that as you read and meditate on them you might grasp more clearly just how we are to "walk" (conduct our lives in thought, motive, word and deed) in this world. This may not be the study in "deeper truth" that you like to read, but I want to say emphatically that God is requiring us to get our lives in order In a practical way, and all the "deeper truths" that we study will avail nothing unless we learn to "walk" (LIVE and conduct our lives in a way that is pleasing to the Lord.
Getting back to the symbolism of the "washing" of the Word. In Bible days, people walked a lot, and their "footwear" usually consisted of open sandals which exposed their feet to a lot of dirt. It was customary when arriving home after considerable "walking", to wash ones feet upon entering the house. Or, if a person was invited to another's house for some occasion, it was customary to provide a basin of water and a towel so that the guest could wash his feet upon entering the house of the host. Or, if one was rich enough, he would provide a servant to wash the guest's feet. (Notice how inconsiderate Simon the Pharisee was to Jesus who was a guest in his house -- Luke 7:44). Now the spiritual truth that I want to emphasize is this: as we go about our daily activities, or engage in the business or job whereby we make a living, we inevitably have a certain amount of contact with this world and worldly people; and in doing so, a certain amount of the "dirt" (ungodly words and actions -- unkindness, lies, deceit, compromise, and 'rust plain carnal "filth") is "picked up" or "rubbed off" on you, affecting your mind and emotions, and thus "contaminating" your "daily WALK" with the Lord. Thus you desperately need to get by yourself to read and meditate in the WORD OF GOD (along with prayer) to let THE LORD "WASH YOUR FEET"!

The above is graphically symbolized by Jesus' action as recorded in John, chap. 13. I cannot here explain the symbolism of the whole story, which is so beautiful, but point out some important highlights. The scene was at the Passover supper which Jesus partook with his disciples before His death. In John 13:4-5, we read that Jesus "rose from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, girded himself about. Then he poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which he was girded." Jesus "laying aside" His garments, is a symbolic picture of His voluntary sacrificial DEATH for us. When His Spirit "withdrew" on the cross, His "outer" or physical body was laid aside in the tomb, and His "inner" soul body was, according to Isa. 53:12: "poured out unto death" and went into "hades" (the unseen realm, for a soul-body cannot be seen by physical eyes). But Ps. 16:10 assures us that His soul was not to be left in "hades" ("sheol" is the O.T. word)--see also Acts 2:31. In John 13:1 we see that He "took up" His garments, symbolically portraying His Resurrection. Thus the symbolic picture shows us that His death and resurrection has made possible our cleansing. His blood cleanses our conscience from the guilt of sin, and His WORD ("quickened by the Sprit" -- even as His resurrection body was "quickened" or "made alive" by the Spirit) WASHES us from the contamination ("dirt") that gathers in our mental-emotional being through contact with this sinful world as we seek to live the Christian life in our "daily walk".

When Jesus came to Peter, his response was: "Thou shalt never wash my feet". But Jesus reply was: "If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me" (John 13:8). Now in verse 10, a beautiful truth is brought out that is not conveyed in the English translation because of a lack of distinction in two Greek words. I will quote the verse, inserting the Greek words according to their meaning: "Jesus saith to him, He that is washed (Gr. louo: meaning to bathe the whole person) needeth not save to wash (Gr. nipto: meaning to cleanse a part of the body -- the hands, face, or feet) his feet, but is clean every whit." When Jesus uses the first word "washed" (Gr. louo) it symbolizes our initial "regeneration" or "new birth" by the incorruptible seed of the Word of God (John 3:3, I Pet. 1:23). An apt description of this is given in Titus 3:5: "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost." The word for "washing" in this verse is loutron -- meaning "a bath", and comes from louo, which is the same word that Jesus used in John 3:10 when He said, "he that is washed (louo) needeth not save to wash (nipto) his feet." In other words, our initial "washing of regeneration", or "new birth", when "eternal life" is engrafted into our soul through the glorified life-seed of Jesus (see James 1:21, I Pet. 1:23), does not need to be repeated.

However, the symbolic drama which Jesus portrayed in John 13, was to demonstrate the absolute necessity of letting the Lord cleanse the "feet"(Christian "walk") of every one who has received the initial "bath of the new birth" (which is the way the Amplified Version renders Titus 3:5). The cleansing of our "walk" must be a continuous experience, for daily we "pick up" the "dirt" (mental -- emotional impressions) from the world which need to be "washed away" by meditation in the Word of God.

The distinguishing of the two different Greek words used in the John 13 "drama" helps us to understand an important truth with reference to our relationship to Jesus and our future destiny. When Jesus responded to Peter's refusal to let Him wash his feet, Jesus did NOT use the word louo which we have seen refers to our initial "regeneration" and GIFT of "eternal LIFE". But He used the Greek word nip to, when He said to Peter: "If I wash (nipto) thee not, thou hast no part with me" (John 13:8). Now listen carefully, for this is simply something most Christians do not understand. It is possible to have received Jesus as our SAVIOR, and have been "born anew"; yet that, in itself, DOES NOT QUALIFY us to be a part of that "elect" BODY, "called, chosen, and faithful" (Rev. 17:14) who will be intimately associated WITH HIM in His heavenly Kingdom GLORY to REIGN with Him.

Salvation is just the FIRST STEP. Beyond that there must be a DEEP CLEANSING of the heart of the bondage of all carnality. Only the pure(ified) in heart shall see God (Mt. 5:8). Without holiness (separation from sin and uncleanness) no man shall see the Lord" (Heb. 12:14). So when Jesus said to Peter, "If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me", He was NOT dealing with the matter of salvation. In the symbolic drama of John i3, Peter represents a ''saved person", but who must sub¬mit to the continual "washing" by Jesus (THE WORD) of his "feet" (Christian walk) if he aspires to have a part WITH JESUS in His "ruling retinue" of "overcoming" sons and daughters.
After washing the disciples’ feet, Jesus said: "Ye call me Master (Teacher) and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, the servant is not greater than his Lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him" (John 13:13-16), I personally do not believe that Jesus, by these words, was establishing an ordinance for the church of literal foot washing. I have no objection to literal foot-washing for those who believe that they should practice it. However, I believe the KEY to the John 13 passage is that Jesus was portraying by symbolic (or "parabolic") drama the basic truth of "inner cleansing" which I have been seeking to convey. Now, in the passage just quoted, Jesus says that WE should follow His example. Perhaps generally speaking, we could say that He was admonishing us to see our need to humble ourselves to serve one another in ANY menial task or way. If our Lord was so willing to humble Himself, we are certainly not greater than our Lord. But more specifically, I believe He was saying that we should have enough concern for one another's spiritual welfare that we are willing to "humble" ourselves, and take the time and effort to HELP one another with the spiritual problems, temptations, concerns, and perplexities involved in our "daily walk" for the Lord. And especially ministering relevant and meaningful SCRIPTURE verses that will help to bring "release" and "cleaning" to heart and mind. This, I believe, is the true "washing of one another's "feet".

But HOW can we do this unless we KNOW THE WORD OF GOD! This is why I have been seeking to impress upon you that aspect of "humility" which enables us to see our desperate need to "learn of Jesus" and get HIS WORD into our minds and hearts."If ye continue (abide, remain, live) in my word: then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:31-32).

(to be continued)

CALL TO DISCIPLESHIP – Part 6 - by Leland Earls

2009-06-03T16:38:00.000-07:00

CALL TO DISCIPLESHIP – Part 6 - by Leland Earls

[This article is posted by Joel Jones with permission from Word of Life Fellowship, Shelton, WA.

To contact the owners of the copyright to the writings of the late Leland Earls, please visit www.wordoflifefellowship.com where several writings are available online.

More online articles by Leland Earls are availbable at www.firstloveministry.com ]

In the last part of our study, I was dealing with the "proofs" of Discipleship. I will quote one scripture I was dealing with again, because there are some further thoughts I want to share in its application. In John 13:34-35, we read: "A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."

I pointed out that the word for "love" here is the Greek word agape, which always indicates the Divine kind of love which is unconditional. It is based primarily on an act of the will, not on "feelings". It is a word of action -- the willingness to do good (even to sacrifice) for the well-being of another, regardless of how one may "feel "towards that person. It is a self less, sacrificial act of giving simply because of the value of the object loved, with no motive of receiving in return.
Jesus based this love on His own example, for He commanded them to love (proving their discipleship) "as I have loved you." I pointed out last time that this expression of love was based on what Jesus did before His supreme act of love in dying for them on the cross, so just how did He show this agape love towards His disciples while He was living with them?

I answered this in part in the last issue by saying that I believed it was expressed, by His unconditional commitment to His disciples. Refer back to what I wrote in "Part 5" of this series of studies. Essentially, my point was that in spite of all that Jesus had to "put up" with in the problems, inconsistencies, unbelief, hardness of heart, etc., of these men, (which would "try" the patience and commitment of even the Son of God). He never wavered in His loyalty to them or ever used any occasion to "cut off or "break fellowship" with them. Even Peter's betrayal was used by Jesus as a "living lesson" in agape love as He restored Peter to fellowship; and even cemented a stronger relationship between them than ever before (read John, chap. 21).

The thing that disturbs me is that Jesus said that the proof of our discipleship is that we would love one another AS (with the same kind of unconditional commitment) He loved them. Yet I find that most Christians do not have that kind of love commitment, that refuses to let any misunderstanding, offense, difference of opinion or doctrine, personal irritation or rivalry, etc., break the bond of agape love and fellowship between them. On the contrary, it seems that most Christians tend to "break fellowship" as a regular practice over offenses or differences which are far less drastic than anything experienced between Jesus and His "erratic", hard-headed disciples. Yet Jesus' unconditional love surmounted all personal difficulties and "cemented together" a relationship between Himself and His disciples that made it possible for these men, even after Jesus had finished His work and ascended to the Father, to confront the world with a unity of love that demonstrated a gospel witness with power and world-shaking results.

When Christians, for various reasons already mentioned, are tempted to "break fellowship" -- or even worse, as often happens, end up in quarrels, debates, strife, anger and enmities, a choice has to be made: go "the way of the flesh" and divide, with no further fellowship possible; or take seriously discipleship to Jesus Christ and obey His Word in Mt. 5:23-24, 18:15-17, with a view to understanding, forgiveness and reconciliation. When offences arise, as they surely will (Mt. 18:7), one can choose to ignore Jesus' agape love of unconditional commitment and "break fellowship!' or we can choose to follow the path that Jesus gave us by His example and "build a bridge" to a stronger relationship than ever existed before.
Pondering the matter of proving our discipleship by loving one another as He loved His disciples, besides the demonstration of His unconditional commitment to them, I believe a further demonstration of this love was his willingness to serve His disciples. On one occasion He said to them: "I am among you as he that serveth.” (Lk. 22:27). Then in Mt. 20:25-28, He exhorted His disciples regarding serving one another as the only path to greatness, and then declared, "just as the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."
Since the gospel accounts are very brief and give only "sketchy" details of Jesus' day to day relationship with His disciples, we don't know all of the ways Jesus may have served His disciples. But if we are to take His words seriously, then He must have ever been seeking ways in which to be a servant to them. We certainly can't limit such "service" to just the one classic example of His washing the disciples feet as recorded in John, chap. 13. I'm sure His service to them was a daily matter throughout their sojourn together.

If we are truly Jesus' disciples, then the proof will be a "servant's spirit" to all of our brethren in Christ. Any spirit of self-promotion, self-ambition: wanting to draw others to ourselves to get whatever recognition, praise, support, etc., that we desire; or "using" others for our benefit in any way, is certainly contrary to the spirit of "service", and seriously lacking in understanding of what it means to be a Disciple of Jesus Christ Beloved, I have only "scratched the surface" in this presentation, but I hope you can begin to perceive that Discipleship to Jesus Christ is not an option for those who would be changed from self-centered, immature, offense-prone, irresponsible spiritual babes and children, to a complete re-orientation of one's inner and outer life around a Christ-centered "passionate" pursuit of following Him all the way (regardless of the cost) as Teacher and Lord, seeking to please the Father in all things and growing into maturing SONS: who seek first the Kingdom, live for others, and become responsible, trustworthy, loyal and faithful "candidates" for the "elect" company who shall be "called higher" to RULE WITH Christ in His Kingdom GLORY.

One more thought on the perspective of our love to others -- as Jesus loved. Only two places in the Sermon on the Mount is the word "son" used. One of the fundamental attitudes given inn Mt. 5:1-11, which must BEcome an integrated part of the character of those being "disciplined by Jesus Christ is declared as follows: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God." Here the Lord indicates that those who are maturing into "sonship" have grown out of the spiritually infantile state of fighting, quarrelling, taking offense, getting mad, separating, etc., and have become active peace-makers: forgiving, apologizing, making amends, fostering harmony, seeking solutions, obeying Mt. 5:23-24, 18:15, 21-22, Gal. 6:1-2, "building bridges", and acting as a reconciling force wherever necessary, that harmony, peace and unity may prevail among brethren at all times wherever possible„ And the place where such peacemaking must begin and be practiced at all times is the home. Then extending out to others. How about you? Are you actively putting into practice this "mark" of growing sonship?

The other place in the Sermon on the Mount where the Greek huios ("son") is used is found in Mt. 5:44-45. I commented on this passage in Part 5 of this study so will not repeat here. It is quite obvious, however, as we ponder the emphasis that Jesus' makes in these passages, is that the goal of Discipleship --"sonship" (spiritual maturity) is irrevocable connected to how we relate to others with agape love; learning to fulfill Jesus' commandment that "ye love another as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." Both in Mt. 5:9 and 45, the King James version has wrongly translated the Greek huios as "children". The Greek word for "children" is teknon and is correctly translated as such in the King James version in Mt. 7:11. Remember, as you meditate on these passages, that the focus of Jesus' teachings, as well as that of the whole New Testament, is that it is SONS who shall be "brought to glory" (Heb. 2:10), not spiritual babes and children.

THE PRIZE OF DISCIPLESHIP

This brings us to the next point of our study: the ultimate "prize" which awaits those who have "given their all" to Jesus Christ, to be disciplined by Him as their absolute Teacher and Lord. I had previously indicated that Peter had raised the question: "Lo, we have left all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?" (Mt. 19:28). Jesus answer to them, as recorded in Lk. 22:28-30 assured them that they would be WITH Him in HIS KINGDOM, sharing His intimate fellowship and rulership: "Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones -judging the twelve tribes of Israel." I had commented previously on Jesus' similar words as recorded in Mt. 19:27-29, and His "veiled reference to the 100 fold catagory of "overcoming" Christians. Certainly the "twelve apostles of the Lamb" (Rev. 21:14) will have a special place of authority and relationship to Jesus, "judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (Mt. 19:28), but ALL of the 100 fold catagory of Christians will also be "called up higher" to "rule with Christ" in His Kingdom Glory.

Jesus made it clear in Mt. 4:1-20 that His Word-seed produces three categories of Christians (4:20); the 30 fold, 60 fold and 100 fold. The same three groupings are given in a different parable form in Mark 4:26-29 as "first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear." Now stop to think You do not go out to your garden and pull up new "blades", freshly sprung up, or even green or half-filled "ears", but only that which is ripe (the "full grain in the ear"). Do you think that God acts any less intelligently than man!

Only the 100-fold (full -- mature -- grain in the ear) Christians will ever go UP to be lift-up out of that which is earth-bound, and to function in the "freedom" of glorified bodies. The 30-fold ("blade") and 60-fold ("ear") Christians will be "left in the earth" (or brought back through resurrection) in order to continue to "ripen" (mature) during or after the millennium. These will have immortal physical bodies: living in perpetual youth and health, but still earth-bound. Sometime after the millennium or beyond, they will have the opportunity to have their physical bodies changed to glorified bodies.

Jesus called disciples because He had a "calling" (vocation) for them to be prepared for (to be WITH Him as co-rulers over this earth and its inhabitants in the coming Kingdom age.) Likewise, Jesus apprehended the apostle Paul, not only to preach salvation to the gentiles, but also to explain to these saved gentiles this "calling" (which he termed a "mystery", "which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men" (Eph0 3:1-11), that the Gentiles, along with the Jews are to be formulated by God's grace into a "new organism" (body), to be "raised up" to "sit" (and "rule") with Christ "in the heavenlies" (in the atmospheric envelope surrounding our earth -- with headquarters in the New Jerusalem which will be lowered into our upper atmosphere). Thus in the "ages to come" (Ephes. 2:7, 3:10) the Lord will be demonstrating His wisdom, and the riches of his grace through these "elect" ones who will be helping Him to "shepherd" the nations.

It is God's desire and challenge for all saved to heed this "calling". Unfortunately, however, even as Jesus declared, "many (saved) are called, but few are chosen ("elect"). Why? Because it requires "diligence", as emphasized by Peter's epistle: "Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election (choice) sure; for if ye do these things (read all of II Pet., chap. 1), ye shall never fall ("stumble" or "fall short" of the "calling") -- II Pet. 1:10.
A careful study of Paul's writings makes it clear that he clearly understood the difference between salvation and "the calling". In II Tim. he tells us that God "hath saved us, AND called us with an holy calling" (II Tim. 1:9). He tells us clearly to what we are called in I Thess. 2:12: "That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory." Inheritance in that Kingdom of GLORY (functioning: in "glorified bodies" like unto Jesus -- Phil. 3:21), cannot be ours just because we are saved, but because we are willing to submit to the "call" and requirements of Discipleship to Jesus Christ. Paul uses the term "the PRIZE of the high calling" (Phil. 3:14), for which he said that he had "suffered the loss of all things" that he might WIN Christ and His kingdom GLORY (Phil. 3:8) founded on Jesus' words. Jesus did not use the word "prize", but he implied the same thing by the use of such expressions as "reward in heaven" and "treasures in heaven. For example, in one of the beatitudes, Jesus said: "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad; for great is your reward in heaven. "It seems reasonable to assume that only those living a life of dedicated discipleship would run the risk of being so persecuted. A "reward" is not a gift (as salvation is), but definitely points to the "heavenly prize" for those who put forth a conscientious and zealous effort to fulfill the commands of Jesus and to conform their inner life to the principles of kingdom truth and righteousness.

Another expression Jesus used is "treasure in heaven". In Mt. 6:19-21, Jesus admonishes: "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Did you ever consider the question: "how does a person who has been saved lay up treasure in heaven? I want to show this by a passage referred to before in a previous study, but I think it best answers this question. In Mt. 19:16-22, Jesus dealt with a young man concerning the question of how to obtain eternal life. Having settled that issue according to the requirements of the Law covenant, which was still in force at that time, the young man then indicated his desire to do more in His relation to God, and asked, "what lack I yet"? Jesus answered him in terms of the goal of discipleship (SONSHIP) and said: "If you wish to be perfect (complete, spiritually mature), go sell your possessions, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven, and come follow me."

First, we need to note that "treasures in heaven" is something beyond "eternal life" -- that "life", whether received through the old Law covenant (provisionally), or through the new covenant of grace (in positive possession), "Eternal life" ("age-less", or "age-resistant life") is a life that can be lived right here on earth (when the full kingdom is ready to be manifested) in a resurrected or changed immortal body -- and will be by all saved under the old covenant, and by most saved under the new covenant -- simply because most Christians have not been taught what is required to gain that "higher calling" of "treasure in heaven" (the heavenly, glorified, kingdom realm where Jesus and His "elect" will rule over this earth.)

Jesus' answer to the young man was essentially the same as we shared under the section on the "Priorities of Discipleship" -- that the "heavenly treasure" ("prize", "reward") can only be attained by "forsaking all (undue attachment to anything) for Jesus", by investing the priorities of our lives in totally giving ("title to") ALL that we have and are to Jesus, and centering all the focus of our lives on loving and pleasing Him above everyone and everything else.

After pondering this matter, in this section on the "Prize of Discipleship", I think I can do no better than to reprint an article I called "The Gift and the Prize" which was first printed in the "Manifested Sons" booklet #1, although it was first written over twenty five years ago Those of you who have read this article will benefit by re-reading it, and I know there are many on the mailing list who have never read it. May God bless and add to your understanding.

[Note: Leland Earls’ original mailing of this “Part 6” of “Call to Discipleship” was indeed followed, at this point in the document, by “The Gift and the Prize.”]

Call To Discipleship - Parts 1, 2, and 3 - by Leland Earls

2009-06-02T02:51:00.000-07:00

[This article is posted with permission from Word of Life Fellowship, Shelton, WA.
To contact the owners of the copyright, who also have more writings of J. Leland Earls, please visit www.wordoflifefellowship.com.
More online articles by Leland Earls are availbable at www.firstloveministry.com ]

CALL TO DISCIPLESHIP - BY LELAND EARLS

This may be one of the most important articles you will ever read. Most of the material is not new. Most Christians have been exposed to such teaching. However, I want to present what I believe to be a "fresh perspective", which I hope will be helpful to you.
As we take a Scriptural look at this subject, the following outline will be followed:
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1. The Perspective of Discipleship.
2. The Position of Discipleship.
3. The Purposes of Discipleship.
4. The Priorities of Discipleship.
5. The Proofs of Discipleship
6. The Prize of Discipleship
7. The Placement of Discipleship
8. The Posture of Discipleship

THE PERSPECTIVE OF DISCIPLESHIP

First, we want to view discipleship from the perspective of the importance that Jesus placed upon it, in relation to other truths that He taught. Jesus began his ministry in the flesh by calling disciples (Mt. 4: 17-24), and ended His ministry by commanding these disciples to "go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age." (Mt. 28:19-20.) Notice, that He did not tell them to just make converts - to get people saved, but rather to "make disciples", and to teach them all He had commanded. The Greek word for disciple means a "learner" or "pupil"; one who has placed himself under another to be taught and disciplined by him in a WAY OF LIFE. I will say more about this later, but let me make it clear right now, that there is no Scriptural grounds for being a disciple of anyone except Jesus Christ. We are not to be disciples of men.

In Mark’s account of the great commission, Jesus is simply quoted as saying, “go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” (Mark 15). Tragically, this "gospel" word, which in the original Greek means "good news" or "glad tidings", has been limited by the traditions of the churches to just the message of initial salvation. But what "gospel" did Jesus preach? It is repeatedly stated that He preached the "good news" of the KINGDOM of God (and / or "heaven"). (Mt. 4:17, 23, Mark 1:14, Luke 4:43). Surely, the "good news" of the Kingdom of God is more than that there is an "entrance gate" (initial salvation! Oh the MAGNITUDE of the TRUTH which Jesus taught concerning the KINGDOM-RULE of God for this earth, for the here and now, and for the future. Beloved, can we begin to comprehend the magnitude and greatness of the Kingdom Jesus came to present and to demonstrate, and all of the "good news" that characterizes ALL of it, not just the "gospel" of an entrance gate (initial salvation). I cannot go into detail here or document with Scripture, because the subject is too vast. But to summarize briefly: what about the ineffable beauty and glory of, the KING of this Kingdom, whom to know is to LOVE, and which, in time, begins to so captivate the "lover" so that only infinite wisdom could possibly comprehend the extent to which that love would SACRIFICE for the King, the interests of the Kingdom, and the ultimate welfare of ALL (or every last one) of its citizens.

But lest we get things out of their proper order, what about the LOVE of the KING (who "begat" His love IN us), and His ULTIMATE; and ABSOLUTE sacrifice on the cross, whereby He bore the full weight of man's sin with incredible suffering, but also sealed an everlasting covenant (Heb. 13:20-21) which ESTABLISHED His KINGDOM of LOVE (He has no other kingdom, for He accepts only those who are willingly obedient out of love), and also made available to every citizen all the INCREDIBLE BENEFITS OF THAT KINGDOM. And, beloved, ALL of the blessings, rights, privileges, authority, power, purposes, responsibilities, sonship, future destinies, as well as present day provisions - yes, even miracles, whenever necessary. What a glorious "gospel" (good news) of the KINGDOM we have to declare and to be a part of. Let's take a look at what Paul says.

After rebuking the Corinthians for their sectarian preferences for certain preachers, and likely different aspects of truth they were emphasizing, Paul shows the foolishness of such "picking" and "choosing"; for, he declares: "Therefore let no man glory (boast) in men. For ALL THINGS are yours; whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; ALL are yours; and ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's" (I Cor. 3:2l-23).
A very important distinction needs to be made here, however. As citizens of God's Kingdom, what is ours legally or positionally, must become our experientially (actually become a part of our experience, incorporated into our lives as a "living reality", so that we can say that we "possess" it). This takes time, and also depends upon the degree of our diligence, and the eagerness of our response to God and the truth of His Word. This is where Discipleship comes in. But before I further develop that theme, I want to illustrate from two other perspectives the difference between positional truth and experiential truth.

Suppose that a young man came from another country to the United States as a legal immigrant with a view to becoming a citizen. He rents an apartment in New York and in due time, after completing the requirements, he becomes a citizen of this great country. But because of language barrier (he doesn't put forth the effort to learn English very well), as well as fear of venturing out and a desire to be left alone, other than frequenting the stores to secure the necessities of life, he never goes beyond two or three blocks of his apartment, having secured employment in a store within that area. He spends the rest of his life never experiencing the wonders of the great city of New York, let alone "taking in" the vast "richness" of the beauty and glory of all 50 states of the country that he is now a citizen of, even though he has the "right" and "privilege" to travel where he pleases. Contrast this man with another immigrant becoming a citizen of this country in his youth. But his desire and "drive" is entirely different. He diligently studies the English language, goes to school and gets a good education, which lead to a well paying job. On his week-ends and vacations, he travels as much as possible and "takes in" much of his new country. He diligently seeks to please his employer and rapidly advances in his company, making more money, having more time off and traveling to more parts of the country. After accumulating considerable wealth, he is able to retire early and spend many years traveling to virtually every state to enjoy the beauties, wonders and blessings of this great country. Now consider: legally, both of these citizens live exactly the same" "positional rights" or "standing" in this country. But how vastly different is their experience. Potentially, of both it could be said of the vast expanse and "treasures beautiful" of this country: ALL THINGS ARE YOURS. But one is just content to be a citizen and incorporate very little into his experience. But the other, through a life-time of diligent effort and application takes the potential and turns it into actual experience, vastly "enriching" himself with what this country has to offer.

Now keep in mind the above is only meant to be an illustration. I'm not trying to get you interested in the natural things of this life or nation. But spiritually there is a parallel. Few Christians have grasped the great spiritual potential that is theirs to claim, "press into" and incorporate into their experience as they grow in their knowledge of Christ and "go deeper" INTO Him in a personal and intimate love relationship. But it will never happen without a commitment to DISCIPLESHIP, which will become clear as we progress in this study. But let me illustrate further the difference between what is ours positionally (and potentially), be cause of our citizenship in God's Kingdom, and what can become ours personally (in experience).

After God had brought Abraham into the land of Canaan, He said to him: "Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever" (Gen. 13:14-15). But then God gave Abraham a command as follows: "Arise, walk through the land in the length of it, and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee" (Gen. 13:17)"It was one thing for Abraham to view from a distance the land that God promised as a part of the covenant position which was his. It was quite another thing for him to put forth the effort to walk throughout that land and make it a part of his personal experience. After the commandment to "walk through it", we read in Gen. 13:18: "then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord." As Abram continued to move through the land, every place he went, he built an altar unto the Lord, which speaks to us of a fresh dedication to the will of God. And we need to realize that our personal possession of our FULL "inheritance in Christ" can only become a reality through a daily "ALTAR experience" (see Rom. 12:1).

Later, when Abraham's seed was ready to actually take possession of the promised land, God re-emphasized the same truth as portrayed through Abraham. Speaking to Joshua, who was to lead the people in, He said: "go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses" (Josh. 1:2-3; see also Deut. 11:24). Although the land was theirs by covenant right, only that portion which they were willing to go in and take and put their foot upon would become their personal possession. This not only requires time and effort, it required WARFARE against the inhabitants of the land. Although God promised to fight for them and drive out the inhabitants of the land before them, they still had to be willing to "take up the sword" and do battle, so that God could defeat the enemy THROUGH them. He also said that he would not drive out the enemy all at once, but rather He declared: "By little and little, I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land" (Ex. 23:30). The lesson for us is that we do not possess our inheritance in Christ all at once, but gradually, as we are1 willing to take our commitment to Christ seriously and become His disciples, as we shall see later.

This very matter of "inheritance" illustrates further positional and experiential truth as we apply it to the Christian who has been born into the family or Kingdom of God. Consider a natural family. Any child born into that family immediately has certain legal or positional rights (inheritance) just by being in the family. As he grows, he is able to begin to actually experience increased measures of that "inheritance" as he is able to enjoy and benefit from the things his parents provide for him, know and experience their love and care, and as he gradually broadens his scope and number of activities which "enrich" his life. In addition through growth and knowledge, he is required to assume greater responsibilities as a part of enjoying his inheritance. Eventually, along with any other children in the family, he is destined to be a joint-heir of all that his parents have to offer. Actually, from the point of "positional truth", he is a "joint-heir" the moment he is born into the family; but he will not actually experience the FULLness of it until time, growth, experience and responsibility have come to pass in his life.
Since the Jewish customs of inheritance in Bible days differed somewhat from ours, let me briefly outline the process required of a Jewish boy. When a Jewish boy reached the age of 12 (some say 13), a special religious ceremony was held for him. Through this ceremony, the boy is recognized as beginning his adult life, has reached the age of accountability whereby he becomes accountable for his own actions. At this time he entered the business of his father as an apprentice so that he might learn his life's occupation. At the age of 20, he entered the military service of his country and was subject to call to battle whenever necessary. At the age of 30, having been released from active military duty, the Jewish man reaches the age of full maturity. It is usually in his 30th year that he goes into business for himself, no longer working with his father. And at the age of 40, he should be able to enjoy the fruits of his labors. It was at the age of 30, when it was time for him to launch out on his own, that the father gave him his portion of the family inheritance. It was not at the time of the death of the parents that the inheritance was divided up, as is our custom. We can see this Jewish custom in the story of the "prodigal son" as given in Luke 15:11-32. In vs. 12, one of the sons says: "Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me." And the Father divided his wealth between them. (NAS Bible). At that time the Father obviously did not know what the son was going to do with his portion. He probably thought the son was eager to get started "on his own" to make his living.

It is interested to note that this practice was followed by the Heavenly Father's dealing with His own Son, Jesus. Jesus did not leave his natural family to "launch out on His own" until He was 30 years old. It was at that time (with the Heavenly Father's approval - "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (Mt. 3:17). The portion of the "inheritance" given to him to accomplish the "work" he was to do on the earth "was the "Spirit without measure" (John 3:34), leading to the "Spirit-powered ministry" (Luke 4:14), which enabled Him to "finish the work" which the Father had given Him to do (John 17:4). When He performed His first miracle at Cana of Galilee, we read that He "manifested forth his glory" (John 2:11). He was not only the Divine Son of the Heavenly Father, but He was also humanities FIRST "manifested (unveiled) son", walking in the pristine glory of restored immortality which was lost by the first man, Adam, This "manifest sonship" was later raised to a higher level when His physical body was GLORIFIED (after His death for our sins, and AT the time of His resurrection).

When a Jewish man, at the age of 30, was given his portion of the family inheritance, he became a "joint-heir" with His father, being officially PLACED by the father in his FULL inheritance. What had been his legally and positionally even at his birth, was now his experientially. But between the two were years of learning, discipline, growing experiences, and incorporating truth into his life. With this natural illustration in mind, I want to comment on a portion of Paul's writings in Romans, chap. 8, as we consider our spiritual inheritance "in Christ", (Be patient, for all of this preparatory "perspective" will eventually lead us to understand the importance of DISCIPLESHIP). The following is taken from Rom. 8:16-19: "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God; and if children, then heirs: heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; IF so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature (all creation) waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God."

First, notice that we are "children", which is translated from the Greek word teknon (which means "a child" - as produced). This would indicate one spiritually immature - yet, as Paul says, "an heir" (positionally and potentially). But then in the last verse, Paul speaks of the expectation (future) manifestation of the "sons" of God. The Greek word translated "sons" is huios, which is usually used to denote a matured son. And such, Paul says, are to be "manifested" (unveiled or revealed). This "manifestation" would correspond in our illustration of the Jewish custom when the age of 30 had been reached and the Father was ready to "reveal" to his friends and neighbors, and other family members, that a certain son was ready to assume the status of full manhood, receive his portion of the family inheritance, and be officially "placed" in the presence of those called to witness the occasion in the position of full "joint-heir" in the family.

But take note that Paul places a qualification between being "children" and "manifested sons": he says, "IF so be that we SUFFER WITH HIM (Christ)". The word "suffer" is a translation of the Greek word sumpascho. The "sum" part is a preposition which denotes "union" - "together with" (in association or companionship), and can also connote the idea of "completeness". The rest of the word means to "experience a sensation or impression" (sometimes painful). It is the same word that is used of Jesus in Heb. 5:9, where it says the He "learned obedience by the things which he suffered." The English word "suffer", as we use it today conveys a too "narrow" and "specific" meaning to give us the full, meaning of the Greek word, which simply indicates any or all of the impressions or sensations (mental, emotional or physical) which make up an experience or all the experiences of life. This is one of the drawbacks of using the King James Version, which was translated in 1611 A.D. In any "living language", over a period of time, words tend to change their meaning. However, the Greek word does convey the idea that these experiences can be painful; thus implying "suffering" (either to the "inner man" of the heart or to the physical body). It's like a child growing up who must go through many experiences to come to maturity. For various reasons (which you can obviously figure out), some of those experiences are going to be painful and involve some suffering.

With the above explanation, go back and read again the passage from Rom. 8:16-19, and I believe you will better understand the qualification stated by Paul for those who aspire to be among the "manifested sons" who will be "glorified together" with Christ to "reign" with Him, namely: "IF SO BE THAT WE SUFFER WITH HIM" (8:17). Just as Jesus placed Himself under the instruction and discipline of the Father, that He might learn to be obedient in every situation and experience to the Father's will, so must we place ourselves under the instruction and discipline of Christ for the same reason. This is the essence of DISCIPLESHIP as we shall see. Another pertinent scripture is found in Heb. 2:10 where we read: "For it became him (Jesus), for whom are all things, and by whom are all things in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings." The Greek word translated "sufferings" here is pathema; it is slightly different than the other word we ware discussing, but is similar and can be traced back to the same root: it means "something undergone (possibly a hardship or pain; or an emotion or influence.). But again, we are dealing with the varied experiences of life. The Greek word translated "perfect" in this passage is telos, and indicates the reaching of a set goal, and can thus be variously Translated "complete", "finish", "conclusion", "mature", "perfect" -- as indicating the "ultimate" arrived at. If you will read the rest of Heb., chap. 2, you will see that Jesus was, through the experiences of his life, being prepared for that ultimate "role" He was to fulfill as a "merciful and faithful HIGH PRIEST". . . for in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted" (Heb.2:17-18). But, remember, that as a KING-PRIEST ("High Priest"), He is not to fulfill this "role" or "function" ALONE in the coming Kingdom, there are those who are going to rule as "kings" and "priests" WITH Him (Rev. 1:6, 5:10). That is why Heb. 2:10 says that He must "bring many sons to glory" (the same glory that He has). Notice that it is sons (huios), that He will bring to glory; not "children" (teknon).

There is one other word that I must bring to your attention before going to Jesus specific teaching on Discipleship. It is the Greek word huiothesia, translated several times in the King James Version as "adoption". The Greek work means "the placing as a son". It has nothing to do with "adoption" as we use that English word in our day. According to the Scriptures, we are "born" into the family and kingdom of God; not "adopted". John 3:3-7 & I Pet. 1:23. The problem comes from not understanding Jewish customs. The "thesia" part of that Greek word comes from another Greek derivation which can mean to "appoint", "commit" or "ordain", "give", or "set forth". We are dealing here again with that specific time when the son of a Jewish father reaches the point in his life (around the age of 30), when the Father, usually in a special ceremony, "apoints" to that son his portion of the family estate or inheritance, and "places" him in the position of a FULL joint-heir in the family. With this understanding, then Rom. 8:23 makes sense: "And not only they, but ourselves also, which 'have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body." Notice that this "placing as a son" is something that we are "waiting" for; and it comes only when it is time for the "redemption" (and glorification) of the physical body. Then the "joint-heirship" with Christ will become a reality in the experience of those who qualify. I will not take time to deal with the other passages where this Greek word huiothesia appears. Just one more remark. I am sure that when Paul uses the expression "we", he was not thinking of anyone less than a born-again, spirit-baptized, sanctified, cleansed, maturing and "overcoming" Christian -- namely the 100-fold category. I believe I can prove this by other references in Paul's writings, but that is beyond our scope in this particular study. Great confusion comes from not recognizing the different categories of Christians, and our foundation for this is provided in the teachings of Jesus, although I believe such are alluded to in Paul's writings IF we first get the right understanding from Jesus' teachings. Great confusion has also come from trying to build foundational doctrine from the writings of Paul. The foundation must come from the very words of Jesus. Writings beyond that provide amplification and additional insight.

THE POSITION OF DISCIPLESHIP

We do not become a disciple of Christ in order to become a Christian, or in order to "get saved". Salvation precedes Discipleship. Neither do we take Scriptures that are dealing with Discipleship and try to make them applicable to salvation as many do. For the sake of this study, I am using the word "salvation" in the sense of our initial receiving of Christ as our Savior with the resultant gift of eternal life for the soul. That which Jesus referred to as being "born from above" (John 3:3), and expressed in his words in John 5:24: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death to life." In John 4:10, Jesus calls it the GIFT of God, and makes clear that this gift IS "everlasting life". I need not go into the many scriptures which show that this "eternal life" for the soul is the present possession of all who have truly repented and sincerely believed with their heart in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and their Savior.

I point out the foregoing only because some teach "salvation" as on on-going process; such as, we have been saved from the guilt and penalty of sin, we are being saved from the power and defilement of sin (as well as being saved or delivered from many problems, both inner and outer, that hinder the progress of our "Christian walk", and we shall eventually be saved from the very presence of sin. I believe there is merit in this approach, but for my purposes in this article, I am seeking to emphasize Christ's call to DISCIPLE-SHIP as context in which to portray our need to progress and grow in our Christian commitment and experience IF we are to receive the greater benefits of Christ's Kingdom; even as I pointed out earlier, the "gospel" (good news) of the Kingdom involves far more than just the message of the GIFT of eternal life for the soul, which is just the "entrance gate".

I want now to focus your attention on a KEY scripture which, I believe, presents Christ's two-fold call or invitation: first to SALVATION, and then, secondly to DISCIPLESHIP. The scripture is found in Mt. 11: 28-30. For the sake of illustration I will divide the Scripture as follows:

SALVATION
“Come unto me, all that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Mt. 11:28)

DISCIPLESHIP
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Mt. 11:29-30)

Notice that there are two distinct invitations and two promises of "rest". The first "rest" Jesus promises to ''give" would certainly relate to those who come to Him laden with their great burden of sin and guilt, receiving from Him that which He is willing to give: forgiveness of all their sins and the gift of eternal life. Thus the first invitation is to come to Him for salvation. The second "rest" is that which He will enable those who respond to "find", providing they fulfill the conditions. The first condition is to "take my yoke upon you", and the second is "learn of me". Now, immediately following, Jesus states two things about Himself which are parallel to the two requirements He gives. Let me "pair" them as follows to show what I mean.

“Take my yoke upon you” … “I am meek.”

“Learn of me”… “I am lowly in heart.”

There is no way we can understand these statements of Jesus about Himself unless we see them in terms of His relationship to His Heavenly Father. Thus, Jesus is asking us to relate ourselves to Him, in the same way that He is related to the Heavenly Father. I will explain what I mean by this, but I want to unfold it under the next section as we discuss the purposes of Discipleship.

THE PURPOSES OF DISCIPLESHIP

(1) The first purpose of Discipleship is to "get yoked up" to Jesus Christ, even as He is "yoked" to the Father. This will enable Him to work the quality of "meekness" in us, even as He is "meek". What is "meek”? Some translations use the words "mild" or "gentle"; but I believe it means far more than that. I think most of you are aware that a "yoke" is the "brace" that "ties" two animals together in such a way that makes it imperative for them to move and work AS ONE; making a "team"; as a "yoke of oxen". To "take Jesus' yoke" means that you give up your "right" to any independent action on your own -- you are committed to the will of Jesus Christ and His will alone. It means also that you "yield" to the Lord all other so-called "self rights" which the carnal nature in each of us instinctively wants to "exercise" the "rights" to be self-assertive, to be selfishly ambitious, to take offense, to "get even", to retaliate, to take things into our own hands, to get carnally angry and "lash out" at someone (in word or deed), to always justify ourselves and blame someone else, to "put someone else down", to try to promote ourselves, to get resentful or bitter, to try to promote ourselves in the eyes of others, etc. etc. (you can add to the list). The reason for this is that our "yoking up" with Christ is NOT a "yoking of equals". Jesus did NOT say "let's get yoked together." He said, "you TAKE MY YOKE upon you". He Is the Lord (master -- boss), and we are His servant, or more accurately, His "love-slaves". Although we are "workers together with Him" (II Cor. 6:1), Only He initiates the work or "spiritual activity". We cease from our "labours" (Heb. 4:10) and enter into HIS. We desire and seek to function ONLY in those ministries and / or gifts He has ordained for us. He is our KING and He takes good care of us as citizens of His Kingdom. He is our leader, provider, advocate, lawyer, manager, judge, rewarder, promoter, and/or anything else that we need. That is why we come out of the kingdom of darkness (and Satan) and surrender our stupid, carnal "rights", and receive from Jesus, our King, whatever "rights" (and privileges), coupled with the necessary authority and power, to enable us to truly blessed and productive citizens of His kingdom. Hallelujah! This is a part of the "gospel" (good news) of the Kingdom that I mentioned earlier in this article.

The truly "meek" person has learned the secret of total YIELDING and TRUSTING. "Meekness' is NOT "weakness"; it is rather "STRENGTH UNDER CONTROL". Like the animal whose self-will has been "broken" (not the "spirit" -- inner "drive" or "vital force"), and yields to the "yoke" (as the oxen) or to the "bit and bridle; saddle or harness" depending on use (as the horse), and then waits for and responds to the command of the owner (master). What a beautiful sight is a horse hitched to a carriage, standing at attention, waiting for his master; head erect, neck arched, nostrils expanded -- with maybe a "snort" or two, as the head shakes the mien a little; muscles "rippling" with strength; yet, not a movement forward until the master arrives, takes his place in the seat, picks up the reins, and gives the command. That is a picture "strength under control."

Jesus was the perfect pattern of meekness throughout His life. However, from the time that He allowed Himself to be taken "captive" in the garden until He "dismissed" His Spirit on the cross, His "meekness" was severely put to the test. For at any time He had the power to instantly vanquish His "captors" and set Himself free. Even on the cross, He could have exercised the power to dislodge Himself from the spices which held Him, instantly heal His body and go free. But Jesus was unequivocally "yoked" to the Father's will, even .obedient unto the death of the cross (Phil. 2:8), that He refused to exercise His "right" NOT to die. Since He had never sinned He was not subject to death and did not have to die -- no fault was found in Him (Luke 23:4, 14). He refused to exercise that which we carnal humans think is a "right" -- to retaliate again His tormentors and crucifiers. A scripture which so beautifully expresses this is found in I Pet. 2:23. Quoting from the Amplified version: "When He was reviled and Insulted, He did not revile or offer insult in return; when He was abused and suffered, He made no threats [of vengeance]; but He trusted [Himself and everything] to Him Who judges fairly." Dozens of examples and scriptures could be given to illustrate throughout His life and ministry that Jesus was truly speaking the truth when He said "I am meek" (Mt. 11:29), but I will quote just one scripture: "Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, the Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise" (John 5:19). He "couldn’t" do anything independent of the Father because of His COMMITMENT to be "yoked" to the Father's will. His total yielding of any "rights" of His own, and His total TRUST that the Father would "espouse His cause" in everything -- that was His "meekness" -- STRENGTH UNDER CONTROL.

It was said of Moses that He was "very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth" (Num. 12:3). This is why God could use him so greatly, and trust him to follow His directions in leading over two million people out of Egypt and through a forty year wilderness journey. But on one occasion, Moses lost his meekness. The people of Israel arrived at a certain place near the end of their wilderness journey and there was no water for them. They gathered against Moses and contended with him severely. Moses fell on his face before the Lord as he had done many times before to get the Lord's direction, and the Lord told him what to do. He was to gather the congregation together, and along with Aaron his brother, he was to hake the rod in his hand and speak to a certain rock and it would give forth water. The details are give in Numbers 20:l-l2, On a previous occasion, toward the beginning of their wilderness journey, when the congregation was in need of water, and they strove with Moses because of it, Moses was instructed by God to take the rod and strike a certain rock, causing waters to come forth (Exodus 17:1-6). On the second occasion, however, Moses evidently became more irritated by the people's "attack" on him (he had been the object of their "wrath" on many and varied occasions and circumstances throughout almost forty years), and for some reason he evidently felt he had a "right" to vent his uncontrolled anger on them. Gathering them before the rock, he "lashed out" at them with these words: "hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? Not only in anger did he imply that he and Aaron ("we") were going to produce the water (not giving glory to God), but his infuriated mind failed to recall God's specific instructions. Instead of "speaking" to the rock, Moses "lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice" (Num. 20:11).

Although God responded to Moses’ action by providing water for the people, He rebuked Moses with these words: "Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them" (Num. 20:12). It cost Moses dearly when he lost his meekness, failed to yield totally to the Lord's control, took things into his own hands, and acted "on his own" in disobedience to the command of the Lord, and by doing so "exalted" himself in the eyes of the people by implying that he (and Aaron) were going to produce the water.

To be a "Disciple" is to take Jesus' "yoke" upon us; to be so yielded, surrendered, committed and "united" with Him that we become "meek" -- totally under His control and will, as He was "meek" when upon this earth -- totally under the control and will of the Father. "Meekness" is listed as one of the "fruits" of the Spirit in Gal. 5:23. We don't become meek overnight. But by consistent submission to His "yoke" -- giving Him total "right of way" in our lives, this beautiful character quality will be developed in our lives. The Greek words translated "meek" and "meekness" are usually translated "gentle" and "gentleness" in the New American Standard, and some other modern English translations. Although this is an essential ingredient in meekness, I believe that if you will re-study this section on "taking Christ's yoke", and deeply ponder all of the ramifications, your understanding will be greatly deepened, and the impact on your life (if taken seriously) will be significant. Other New Testament Scriptures that you can study where "meekness" is mentioned are as follows: I Cor. 4:21, II Cor. 10:1, Gal. 5:23, 6:1, Eph. 4:2, Col. 3:42, I Tim. 6:11, II Tim. 2:25, Titus 3:2, Mt. 5:5, 21:5, I Pet. 3:4, James 1:21, 3:13, and II Pet. 3:15.

(2) The second purpose of Discipleship is given in Mt. 11:29 in the second statement Jesus made following the one we have been dealing with: "Take my yoke upon you, and LEARN of me." The parallel to this, as we have already noted is "for I am lowly of heart". The Greek word translated "lowly of heart" -- tapeinos, indicates one who is "abased or lowly (in circumstances or disposition)". Although variously translated in the New Testament, it is most often translated (taking the noun and verb forms together) by the English word "humble", or "to be humble" or "to humble oneself". The same Greek word, but combined with another word -- tapeinophrosune, is translated "humbleness of mind" or simply "humility". For the purpose of emphasizing Jesus' command to "learn of Him", I want to impress upon you three important aspects of humility: (1) our willingness to be teachable; (2) our desperate need; and (3) honesty -- the willingness to admit when we are in error in our thinking and beliefs and the willingness to change and adjust in our understanding.

Before elaborating on these, let me say that the only way we can LEARN of Christ Is by diligently studying His WORD -- the Scriptures. Jesus clearly distinguished between those who believed on Him and those who were His disciples. Quoting from John 8:31-32: "Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.", I will come back to this scripture later, but right now I want to emphasize the importance, as we approach the climactic events of this age, and as the Lord is getting ready to manifest Himself through His people as never before, as a necessary part of our preparation, of setting aside things that are not important, and GETTING INTO THE WORD OF GOD (in study, meditation and prayer) CONSISTENTLY (daily, unless hindered by unusual circumstances). Probably the greatest contributing factor to most Christians spiritual "anemia" is the failure to consistently and prayerfully read and meditate on the WORD of God. You may have sincerely believed on Jesus for salvation; you may be "born again"; but according to the Scripture just quoted from John 8:31, if you are not "continuing" In Jesus' Word, you are NOT His disciple; neither will you reap the blessings and rewards of discipleship, one of the most important of which is given in John 8:32: "and ye shall know (by personal experience) the truth, and the truth shall make you free (from the "disease" of sin: its bondage and inevitable consequences; as well as the debilitating effects of an unrenewed mind -- fear, worry, depression, etc.). More on this later! The word "continue" which Jesus used in John 8:31 is a translation of the Greek word meno. It is used well over 100 times in the New Testament and is variously translated by the English words: "abide", "continue", "remain", "dwell" (for more information on this word and its implications in our spiritual life, order my booklet titled "Daily Abiding in Christ"; it has helped to uplift and liberate many lives, as indicated by many testimonies received). This word is used by Jesus in John 15:7 where He declares: "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." It should be obvious to us that if His words are going to "abide" (dwell, remain, continue) IN us, that we must spend considerable time consistently "continuing" (abiding, dwelling, remaining) IN the Word.

The Old Testament makes it clear that not only does God determine who rules nations, but that He uses those rulers to implement His will for the nations. When God uses the "head" of our nation to encourage the passage of legislation proclaiming 1983 as "The Year of the Bible", and then enthusiastically signs that proclamation into law before several thousand witnesses, using the occasion to give a stirring message calling the nation back to the Bible and the God of the Bible, I believe that God is using that as a prophetic voice to the people of this nation. God may be saying: "I am giving you an opportunity, before the greater judgments begin to fall upon the world, to see what you will do with MY WORD, and to what degree you will hear MY VOICE -- you who profess to be Christians. I have 'raised up a Standard' through the leader of your nation. Are you going to respond with a diligence in seeking ME and MY WAYS for yourself, your family, and everything you are involved in, with a fresh commitment and zeal --while there is yet time -- before forces of darkness and disruption begin to arise in greater intensity throughout the land, as they surely will? Or will you just 'sleep on', in careless indifference, until you are awakened by the spreading CRY of turmoil, riot, and strife in the streets, extreme economic crises, and the 'thunder' of WAR from external enemies, which will eventually spread destruction across the land? The degree in scope and intensity of such judgments will depend upon how the 'church in America' responds to hold high MY BANNER (the Bible -- My Word) NOW and in the months ahead. "

Now back to LEARNING from Jesus. The key is humility, even as Jesus said He was humble (lowly in heart). Jesus had to "humble" Himself in order to take on human flesh. Phil. 2:7-8 says that He "took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." While in the flesh, it says in Heb. 5:8 that He LEARNED obedience by the things which He "suffered" (experienced). I have already dealt with that Scripture, but I want to point out now that the Greek word translated "Learned" in the verse just quoted is exactly the same Greek word which is used when Jesus said "LEARN of me" (Mt. 11:29). Although the mighty Spirit (being) who indwelt the body of the one known as Jesus of Nazareth was the very Divine SON of the HIGHEST, yet in "lowering" Himself to take upon human flesh and LIVE as a human, He had to be "humble" enough to LEARN how the Father wanted Him to conduct Himself in every situation He faced: what He was to say, to do, and how He was to respond to every person (or persons) that crossed His path, that He called to follow Him, or that confronted Him in any way. Without such "humility" to LEARN OBEDIENCE in every situation, He could not have fulfilled the Father's will or finished HIS work (John 17:4).

How much more do we need the quality of humility to LEARN of (from) Jesus. The Scriptures promise that with humility comes the GRACE of God. "But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble" (James 4:6; see also I Pet. 5:5). Whatever we receive, from the Lord is a manifestation of His loving GRACE ("unmerited favor"). "Grace" not only indicates the "unmerited favor" of God extended to us because of what Jesus did for us, it also implies the Divine influence upon (and within) the human mind and heart to do supernaturally what we are incapable of because of our human limitations, doing for ourselves. With reference to our immediate subject -- learning from Jesus, it is impossible to rightly understand the teachings of Jesus (or any other Scripture) so that they become LIVING REALITY within us, unless our minds are supernaturally illuminated. After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to the twelve who were gathered together, and at that time Luke 24:45 says: "then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures." It is now the function of the Holy Spirit to "take the things of Christ and reveal them to us" (John 16:14). In writing to the Ephesian Christians, Paul prays that "the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the (Holy) spirit of wisdom and revelation in the (full) knowledge of him (Christ)." Eph. 1:17 -- see also John 6:63 & I Cor. 2:9-14. "It is the Spirit that quickeneth" (makes "alive" and "real") said Jesus, but even the Holy Spirit cannot reveal anything to us unless we have the quality of HUMILITY.
There are many aspects of that which we call "humility", but earlier I said I wanted to emphasize three; if we are to "learn of Jesus". First, a teachable spirit. Jesus links humility with the nature of a child (Mt. 18:4). We must become truly child-like in our approach to the Scriptures. There are three things that keep most people, even most Christians, from being truly teachable: (1) to much secular (humanistic) education; (2) too much religious tradition; and (3) too much carnality remaining in the heart -- most Christians believe what they want to, and I'll tell you why later.

First, with regard to "secular education", most people in this nation have gone through high school, and a great many have had some or much college education. Having been exposed to so much foolish "worldly wisdom" (see I Cor. 1:18-29), most heads are so filled with faulty concepts that it takes much time and "humility" to get the mind "open" to Scriptural concepts (which are usually so completely opposite to that which is learned from the world society. To help us understand, let me give you a factual illustration. During the 1960 presidential campaign, before the political parties had selected the respective candidates, there were three men running for the office who claimed to be "born again" Christians; John Anderson, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan. (The following is in no way a "judgment" on the claim to be "born again" -- only God knows; I personally hope that each one is a "born again" Christian). Because of the claim of each to be "born again", a group of concerned Christian citizens made a study of position or "stand" of each of these candidates on a number of important moral issues that are "festering" in the nation. The results of the study were published in a small brochure which I read. I don't have one at hand right now so I don't remember the exact number of issues the candidates were polled on, but it seems there were eight or more. The result, however, was rather dramatic. On every one of the moral issues, the "stand" of John Anderson and Jimmy Carter was exactly the same. On the other hand, the "stand" taken by Ronald Reagan was exactly the opposite of the other two candidates on every moral issue. Furthermore, the study showed that the positions taken by John Anderson and Jimmy Carter were identical to that advocated by the secular humanists. Whereas the position taken by Ronald Reagan was Biblically oriented on each moral issue. Just what influences shaped the thinking of these men, I cannot say. I do know that Ronald Reagan went to a Christian College, which might help to explain his Biblical perspective.

The above simply illustrates the fact that one can be a professing Christian and either not understand, or not be "open" to Biblical truths because of the mind has been so conditioned by the knowledge accumulated by secular education. Knowledge tends to inflate the ego (I Cor. 8:1). Strongly held opinions are not easily relinquished. Not many are willing to admit that they "know nothing yet as they ought to know" (I Cor. 8: 2). But DISCIPLESHIP demands a child-like spirit of humility which is teachable, so that the mind can be completely "renewed" or renovated (Rom. 12:2, Eph. 4:23, Col. 3:10).

[To be continued].

Call to Discipleship - Part 3 - by Leland Earls

2009-05-30T06:51:00.000-07:00

CALL TO DISCIPLESHIP — Part 3 - by Leland Earls

[Reprinted by permission from Word of Life Fellowship, Shelton, Washington USA.
Visit www.wordoflifefelloship.com for more info about writings of the late Leland Earls. Also available are online copies of some of brother Earls' writings at www.firstloveministry.com ]

In the last article I was dealing with the quality of "humility" as the KEY to learning of (from) Jesus, as His disciple." God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace (to open our understanding) unto the humble." (James 4:6, I Pet. 5:5).

I indicated that I could not take the time to deal with all of the various aspects of humility, but that there were three that I wanted to emphasize with reference to our subject of "discipleship" - placing ourselves under the unconditional discipline of Jesus Christ in order to be taught of Him. The first was our willingness to be teachable. The second was the absolute necessity for us to recognize our desperate need to consistently study and meditate in the Word of God. The third, which I had not yet touched upon, is honesty The Word of God is like a like a sharp two-edged sword (Heb. 4:12). It "cuts", exposes, rebukes - revealing the very depths of the thoughts and motives of our hearts. If we are going to be faithful to our Master (Teacher) then we must honestly "face" the convicting and often embarrassing truth as it penetrates our inner being. This is not always easy. The evasive, deceitfulness of the human heart is declared to us in Jer. 17:9, It takes the grace of God to enable us to fully repent, change our attitudes, ask forgiveness of those we have wronged, make restitution, change our minds about errors and wrong concepts that we have held to, and constantly make the adjustments necessary if we are honestly willing to be taught of the Lord. According to Luke 8:15, the "seed" (Word of God) which fell on the "good ground", "are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit to perfection. "

In this section, I have been dealing with the purposes of discipleship. I have written on Nos. 1 & 2, which you can refer back to in the two preceding articles on this subject. I will now proceed to No. 3: "To be made WORTHY” of Jesus, that we may be prepared to dwell with Him in His Heavenly Kingdom." In Mark 8:34, we read these words of Jesus: "Whosoever will come AFTER me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." (See also Mt. 10:38, where Jesus says: "And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not WORTHY of me."). In these scriptures, Jesus is NOT dealing with the matter of initial salvation which is a free GIFT upon faith in Jesus Christ (John 5:24, 6:40. Rom. 6: 23: Eph. 2:8-9). Those acquainted with my writings know that "eternal life" is nothing more than the restoration of what Adam lost when he sinned - deathless life on this earth. Beyond that, there are specific requirements for those who aspire to be intimately associated WITH Jesus IN His Heavenly Kingdom IN the New Jerusalem to be a part of His RULING Bride and Household. I will limit my remarks here since you can read what I have written in other writings ("The Three Comings of Jesus", "The Gift and the Prize" in Manifested Sons No. I, and "Preparation for the Lord's Coming" - all available upon request).

Concerning the requirements that Jesus enunciates: “denying” oneself, taking up ones' cross, and following Him, I will deal with later in the section on "The Requirements of Discipleship". But I will remark briefly on Jesus' statement that those who fail to fulfill these requirements are not "worthy" of HIM. If preachers and Bible students had not been so "brainwashed" by Satanic traditions, they would know how to "rightly divide" (II Tim. 2:15) the Word of truth, and they would know when Jesus was speaking of salvation (based solely on faith in Him and "His merits" alone) and discipleship, the requirements of which are necessary to make us "worthy" to dwell in His immediate presence. The Greek word translated "worthy" in Mt. 10:38, means "deserving, comparable, or suitable", which indicates that there must be a sufficient purifying of our inner being from innate carnality, as well as partaking of and growing-into the nature and character of Jesus Christ that there will be a sufficient "comparableness" or "suitableness" of our natures that we will experience a complete harmony, unity, and totality of love. This comes through His work IN us.
At times, I have been in meetings of Christians where the Spirit of God has moved in such a profound way and the presence of the Lord was so real that it was awesome. It was a thrill to me. Yet through experience, I discovered that many Christians do not like such meetings; the presence of the Lord makes them feel very uneasy and uncomfortable, because their spiritual attunement, hunger and love for the Lord was so limited, they simply were not ready to get that close to the Lord's manifest presence. How then can we say that such Christians are ready to dwell with Christ in the New Jerusalem where the awesome holiness of His presence will be at least one thousand times as great as anyone has experienced on this earth?

One of the most abused scriptures in the New Testament is I John 3:2 "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." Most fundamentalist Christians teach that when we are translated (or "raptured" as they call it), that by some "magic button", not only will our bodies be changed to be like Jesus glorious body, but that at the same time our "inner being" will suddenly be changed into the "likeness" of Jesus in all of the perfection of His character qualities. All one has to do is to read the verse immediately following the one quoted above and such stupid fantasies can be dispatched to the pit where they belong, for I John 3:3 says: "and every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." What need is there for us to submit ourselves to getting purified here and now, in this life, if this will at once suddenly in the instant that we are translated to be with Jesus? The expression that we at once shall be "like Him" when we shall see Him, refers to the change that will take in our physical body, for we shall have a body like unto His, even as Paul says in Phil. 3:21.

Both Peter and Paul liken the physical body to a "tabernacle", "building", or "house" in which our spirit and soul lives. Now tell me, if you move from one house into another one, does that act in itself suddenly change YOU (morally or spiritually)? NO, beloved, if we have the HOPE of having our bodies changed into the likeness of Christ's glorious body, then the cleansing and purging, the growing and changing into the image of Christ and the testings and provings that are so necessary to prepare us, must take place here and now - in this life. We read in James 1:12: "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation (trials - testings); for when he is tried (successfully), he shall receive the CROWN of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that LOVE Him." This scripture obviously has both a special qualification and a special promise. The "crown of life" is certainly something more than just the "gift of eternal life" (Rom. 6:23). A "crown" is associated with a "prize" (I Cor. 9:24-27, Phil. 3:l4) - that of "winning" Christ, to become a part of His "elect" Bride or Household. The "crown of life" or "life CROWNED", could refer to the GLORIFIED BODY which all who "rule" with Christ shall receive (Phil. 3:21).

Jesus solemn admonition that "he that taketh not his cross, and followeth not after me, is not worthy of me" (Mt. 10:38) is in perfect harmony with His revelation to the churches as given to John the apostle in the last book of the New Testament. In Rev. 3:4-5, He makes mention of certain ones in the church of Sardis: "Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white; for they are worthy. He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment." Surely there were many saved (born again) Christians in the church at Sardis, but Jesus makes it clear that only a few out of that church would "walk with Him in white; for they are worthy." And to add emphasis to this fact, He immediately follows with the added truth that such are those who "overcome". He explains that these are "worthy" because they have not "defiled" their "garments". To "defile" means to soil.

This brings up a whole new subject which is too vast to cover in this discipleship study. “Their garments” refers to the inner soul garment which each person has. Paul makes it clear in I Thess. 5:23, that we humans are composed of spirit, soul and body. Your "spirit" is the real "you", which has been "formed" or "fathered" by God out of His own "substance", for God is SPIRIT (see Zech. 12:1, Heb. 12: 9, John 4:25). But God has provided "clothes" for us, just as you provide clothes for your children. Your physical body is your "outer" garment, and your soul is your "inner" garment. Just as when you put on your clothes, I can see your outer garments, but I cannot see your under-garments or under-wear, it is a "picture" of the way that God has made us. I can see your physical body (or garment), but I cannot see your soul body (or garment). This is because the "atomic structure" of the soul is much more "highly attenuated" in its composition - its vibrational "pitch" is on a much higher level of existence, and the "visual waves" it emanates are not within the range of the physical eyes. Because of its "highly diffused" substance, the soul occupies the same space as the physical body, and is an exact replica of the physical body.

The soul is under the same sentence of death as the physical body. God declared through the prophet Ezekiel that "the soul that sinneth, it shall die" (Ezek. 18:4). The people had evidence for hundreds of years that the physical body was subject to death because of sin, but they needed to know that they had a "soul" which also was subject to death because of sin. Jesus confirmed this perspective in His teaching by stating in Mt. 16:26, "what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul." And also His warning in Mt. 10:28: "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." And other scriptures are clear that the soul must be saved (from death) - see James 5:20, Heb. 10:39. To "save" means to "preserve".

There is so much more that needs to be said on this subject, and I hate to leave you "dangling" - so to speak, but I don't want to get too far off of our immediate subject of "discipleship". I must, however go back to Rev. 3:4-5, and clarify further the matter of our "worthiness" to be a part of the "elect" company who will "walk with Jesus in white". We have already noted that such are "worthy" because they have not "defiled their garments" (their inner "soul garments"). To grasp the significance of Jesus' words, we must understand that the Scriptures teach that the "desire nature" (with its emotions and feelings) functions through the soul. Because of the inherited fallen Adamic nature, the corrupted soul-desires become a "driving force" which dominate and "usurp" the authority and ruling power (will) of the human spirit, and use the physical body as the "instrument" to carry out and "fulfill" sinful propensities. Such soul-desires which lead to sin, rebellion, lust, covetousness, etc., then "defile" it - cause it to become "dirty" and unclean. Christ's redemptive sacrifice for us has not only made provision for the soul to be saved (preserved from death), but also for the soul to be purified (I Pet. 1:22), or cleansed. This not only means forgiveness of sins (the "fruit" of our sin nature), but also the cleansing or purging of the soul of that sin nature's dominance or "drive" towards sin. James says that God not only forgives our sins, but also cleanses us from ALL unrighteousness (James 1:9); that is, IF we are aware of God’s provision (and submit ourselves to it) for such "freedom" through cleansing by the truth of God's Word (John 8:31-32, 36) and the fire of God's Spirit (Mt. 3:11). This does not mean "sinless perfection" in the sense that one so "cleansed" cannot sin, for God never nullifies our power of free will to choose as we please.
Jesus' words in Rev. 3:4 indicate that there were those in Sardis who had received a deep cleansing unto purity of heart and holiness of life, but afterwards "defiled their garments". "Cleansing" by the power of God's truth and His baptismal fire*

[*Note: I have dealt with the Baptism of the Holy Spirit in a booklet titled "A New and Living Way" (available on request), so I will not go into further detail here. But it is very important to note that the first words ever spoken about Jesus by John the Baptist, who was to prepare "the WAY" of the Lord, were: "he that cometh after me is mightier than I ... he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire (Mt. 3:11). And the last words that Jesus Himself spoke to His disciples were: "tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high" (Lk. 24:49, Acts 1:8). So to be His disciples requires that we ask, seek, even "knock" if necessary until we experience this "immersion" in the "fire" of His Spirit, to purge the inner "dross" and empower for victory (Lk. 11:9-13).]

from the innate "bondage" to sin does not make one suddenly a mature Christian. Much progress and growth towards maturity and perfection must still take place. Neither does it automatically remove all "faults" and "weaknesses" which are common to our strictly human nature. We must still diligently seek to "overcome" all that the Lord exposes and shows us that is not pleasing to Him. Thus it is possible for a "cleansed" one to "fall short" or fail the Lord in various ways; even to momentarily sin in thought, word, attitude or deed. But such inadvertent (not willful) failings are quickly taken to the Lord and confessed, and His forgiveness restores precious fellowship. I John 1:8-10.

Jesus words in Rev. 3:4-5, however, indicate that "inner garments" which have been made "white" can once again be "defiled". Last time, in part 2 of this study, I commented on our Christian "walk" and the need to have Jesus "wash our feet" every day from the "surface" contaminations which we pickup from the inevitable "rubbing shoulders" with the people of the world in our daily activities. Thus we must continually exercise our will in seeking the Lord, abiding in His Word, and letting Him cleanse us from "surface" contaminations, for Satan has many devices and "wiles" (Ephes. 6:11) to try to entice us to once again "awaken" mental-emotional desires and attitudes which can lead to sinful actions - in word and/or deed. If we are again so "enticed" and begin to "take pleasure" in that which is displeasing to the Lord, then the "dirt" of this world (the "lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes (covetousness), and the pride of life (self-importance and self-exaltation)" - I John 2:16, can begin to pollute and "defile" our inner soul garment - and such can disqualify us from being among those who will "walk with Jesus in white". Even though saved, we would fall again into the category of a carnal Christian, and become subject to the chastening dealings of God.

Aside from avoiding unnecessary contact with the world and worldly people, the most important thing for the "purged" Christian, who wants to remain "sanctified" (wholly separated unto the Lord) unto holiness (purity), is to avoid about 90% of all TELEVISION - for the majority of the programs bring the pollution and filth of the world right into your living room. You cannot "feed" your mental-emotional being on such "garbage" and not run the risk of getting seriously defiled within.
I want to focus your attention again on the words of Jesus in Mt. 10:38: "and he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me." One thing to "follow after" means is to pursue. According to Webster's dictionary the definition of "pursue" is "to follow with a view to overtake; to chase; to seek; to use measures to obtain; to go in pursuit; to proceed along, with a view to some end or object." Think of this definition in terms of a young man (or woman) who has become acquainted with the one they believe is the one they want to "win" as a life companion. And with eventual marriage in mind, they go about to "pursue" that person in line with the definition of that word that I have quoted above. Read it again, and try to grasp the parallel between a young persons' pursuit of the object of their affection for a life partner, and our need to pursue Christ to "win" Him if we hope to be a part of His heavenly Bride or Household to be His partner in companionship and love. We must pursue Him with all or our hearts. Does not a young person who is ' pursuing ' the one they desire spend as much time as they can with them, find out all they can about them, seek to pi ease them in every way they can, express their love to them, be willing to forsake all fanner family ties to be joined to them? Does Christ require any less of us if we want to be joined to Him in intimate bliss?

Even though we can receive the free gift of eternal life from Him, 'Christ Himself must be "won" as illustrated above, and this perspective is confirmed by Paul in Phil. 3:7-8: "But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things loss for the excellency of the knowledge (full or intimate knowledge) of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suf¬fered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may WIN Christ." In vs. 14, Paul relates this "winning" of Christ with the "prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Salvation is a gift - not a prize; but certainly Christ Himself is the greatest "prize" one could give his or her ALL to WIN.

Look with me again at Mt. 16:24: "If any man will come AFTER me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." To "come after" Jesus can mean to "come" (or arrive) at a later time. Notice Jesus' words in John 13:36: "Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Wither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards. Here Jesus is using the "follow me" to indicate the actual, and eventual, personal arrival of Jesus' disciples to be where He was going. Jesus had told his disciples that He was leaving them to return to the Father, but they could not "follow Him" in that journey at that time, but they would AFTERwards (at a later time). Just a few statements later, in John 14:2-3, Jesus said: "I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I AM, there ye may be also." Ordinarily this promise is automatically applied to all Christians. But a careful examination of this and other scriptures that we have been considering, makes it clear that Jesus promise is applicable only to disciples; those who deny self, take up their cross, and follow Him - those who truly desire and commit themselves to "go after Him" - not only to "pursue" Him with all their hearts, but to go (or "be taken") to where Jesus is AFTER Him (at a later time). Later, when I deal with the requirements of discipleship more specifically, these truths will come into clearer focus.

Continuing this section on the purposes of discipleship, No. 4 is indicated by Jesus in Lk. 6:40: "The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master." The Amplified version reads: "A pupil is not superior to his teacher, but every one [when he is] completely trained - readjusted, restored, set to rights and perfected - will be like his teacher. Discipleship is for the purpose of "perfecting" us AS our Teacher - becoming LIKE Him. There are two Greek works translated "perfect" in the New Testament. One is teleios, which implies a goal reached, that which is complete or finished, and relating to God's goal for his children, the word can be translated "mature" or "perfect" (in the sense of the finished work God has purposed to accomplish in our lives in terms of a certain measure of growth which He had previously determined - see Phil. 1:6). This word is used by Jesus in Mt. 5:48: "You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect [that is, grow into complete maturity of godliness in mind and character, having reached the proper height of virtue and integrity], (Amplified version).
The Greek word which is used in Lk. 6:40, however, is katartizo, and although it is translated "perfect" several times in the New Testament in the King James version, its meaning is more accurately definition is, "to thoroughly furnish, to equip, to adjust, to repair, to restore, to mend (it is used in medical language of setting a bone or joint); also used in classical Greek for refitting a ship." Teleios is the Greek word which points towards the ultimate goal to which God is bringing us - full maturity in Christ; whereas katartizo characterizes the means to that end or goal - that is, the day by day adjustments, changes, repairs (from the damages of sin), mendings (from hurts and offenses), restoring (in broken relationships), furnishing and equipping for battles against Satan and for service for the Lord - that we might learn by experience and thus progress in growing spiritually, etc. Praise the Lord! Only discipleship to Jesus Christ can "equip" us with the spiritual "tools" to bring about the necessary changes and adjustments in our lives that will enable Him to bring us to the ultimate goal of spiritual maturity.

A passage which relates to this matter, and which I believe has been greatly misunderstood, is Mt. 19:16-22. A young man asked Jesus: "what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?” Jesus answered him in accordance with that which was necessary for salvation at that time - the keeping of the Iaw. This was before Jesus had provided a "more perfect way" by His death and resurrection. Those who lived under the law were saved by acceptably (in the sight of God) keeping the law. Study Ezek., chap. 18. Any sins which were done in ignorance or inadvertently, were atoned for (covered) by the blood of the sacrificial animals (see Lev. 17:11, Lev., chaps. 4-6).

When Jesus quoted the commandments of the law as the requirement for eternal life, the young man said, "All these things have I kept from my youth up" (Mt. 19:20). He had met the requirements that Jesus enunciated (according to the law) and thus could be assured he was saved (provided he continued to keep the commandments of the law and did not turn to wickedness, as clearly explained in Ezek. chap. 18). But there was something in the young man's heart which yearned for something more. So he said to Jesus, “What lack I yet?" Jesus said unto him, "IF thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me." However, Mt. 19:22 says that "when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions." When Jesus spoke these words to the young man, contrary to what some teach, He was NOT giving him further requirements for salvation. He would have been dishonest to do so. Jesus was born under the law covenant, lived un¬der the law, and that law covenant was not terminated until the cross (Col. 2:14), Heb. 7:19 says that the law could make nothing (no person) perfect. God is not just interested in the salvation (preservation of our souls). He has purposed our growth unto perfection (maturity). Salvation is just the beginning - as a new born babe in God's sight. When we are saved we still LACK MUCH (to put it mildly!) So when the young man said, "What lack I yet?” Jesus answered him in terms of DISCIPLESHIP - one of the purposes of which, as I have been setting before you - is to bring us to perfection (full maturity in Christ). I will develop this more fully when I discuss the requirements of discipleship.

The final purpose of discipleship that I will deal with (No. 5) is that we might come to know intimately the person of Christ, and the principles of His Kingdom. I am dealing with these together, because it is impossible to separate the person of Christ from what He taught (Kingdom principles for living - here and now). And to really know Christ and to love Him is to want to please Him and keep His commandments.

As I have repeatedly taught, just being saved is not enough to be prepared to be intimately associated with Jesus in His Heavenly Kingdom in the New Jerusalem. When Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you and learn of me", He first meant to come to know Him personally in an intimate, loving way. The word "know" was used by the Hebrews as an "idiom" to express the most intimate relationship that a man and woman could have in the marriage union (see Gen. 4:1, 17, Lk. 1:34, Mt. 1:25). So when Jesus uses such expressions as, "I know you not" (Mt. 25:12), or "I never knew you" (Mt. 7:23), I do not believe He was saying that they were not "saved". But He was indicating that either through carelessness or indifference, or through being so busy working for Him, they had neglected to take the time to develop an intimate relationship and fellowship with Him, to where loving Him and pleasing Him becomes the paramount issue of one's life.

We come into a personal knowledge of Jesus Christ when we are truly "born again". But this initial "knowing" of Him is immature and must be cultivated and developed. An increased "intimate "knowing" of Jesus come through consistent study and meditation in His Word - until it becomes Spirit (quickened) and LIFE to us (see John 6:63) - that our minds might be "renewed" and our lives "transformed" (Rom. 12:2), and we become more "attuned" to His nature. Knowing Him also involves cultivating a "prayer life" whereby we commune and fellowship with Him; experiencing His "working" in our lives by His Spirit, increasingly drawing us to Himself as He "proves" His love to us over and over again.

There is just one more thing that I want to mention in these brief comments on "knowing" Him. Satan tempts us to draw us away from the Lord, but God tests or proves us in order to draw us closer to Him. So our reaction in times of trial is so important - that we might learn to TRUST Him implicitly, knowing that everything that He allows to happen to us is only for our good. And IF our heart is truly SET on increasingly knowing Him, as was the apostle Paul's (Phil. 3:8, 10), then that trial (of whatever nature it may be) can SOLIDFY our relationship with the Lord and INCREASE our "knowing" of Him.

It is clear from the Word that it is only mature grain (from which the "chaff" has been removed) is to be gathered into the "barn" of Jesus' Heavenly Kingdom (Mt. 13:30). Jesus made it clear that there are three categories of Christians - 30, 60 and 100 fold (Mt. 13:8). The same three groups are indicated in a different parabolic illustration in Mark 4:26-29 by three stages of growth - the blade, the ear, and the full grain in the ear. A wheat farmer does not go out and harvest and gather into his barn green blades, or unripe, partially filled ears, but only the full ripe grain - and that only after the "chaff" has been removed by threshing.

Among all the other things that our precious Lord Jesus is to us, we must realize that He is also the "Thresher". In Mt. 3:12, John the Baptist characterizes Him in the following words: "His winnowing fan (shovel, fork) is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear out and clean His threshing floor, and gather and store His wheat in His bam; but the chaff will He burn up with fire that cannot be put out" (Amplified version). The "chaff" is not a part of the wheat, but that which surrounds. Chaff is a type of the world; symbolizing the fact that the world surrounds us, but is not to be a part of us. However, for our spiritual development unto maturity, it takes the temptations and tests from the world around us; that's why the Lord leaves us in the world after we are saved - it is the "crucible" in which the Lord allows the "fiery trials" to prove and strengthen our faith, and to help "purify" us as gold (see I Pet. 1:7, 4:12). Jesus prayed of His disciples, "I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil." (John 17:15; see also John I5:I9). In John 16:33, Jesus gives us the assurance that we can have victory over all of the evil influences of the world: "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." His victory is OUR victory - if we will just believe and receive it by faith - and completely submit our will to His (see I John 5:4), for "greater is he (Christ) that is in you, that he (Satan) that is in the world" (I John 4:4).

When those who are represented by the "full grain in the ear" (Mark 4:28-29) are ready to be translated into the heavenly realm, then they shall be completely removed from the "chaff" of this world. However, even now the Lord is "working" on us on His "threshing floor" - for He wants every evil influence of the world to be nulli¬fied in our lives. He wants us to be totally separated ("in spirit") from the present world-system ruled by Satan (see II Cor. 6:14-7:1). Therefore, even now, He is putting us through "threshing floor" experiences of testings and provings to separate us UNTO HIMSELF, and AWAY from all "chaff" of this world.

Mt. 3:12 says that the Lord will "burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." I believe this takes place during the tribulation period - especially the final "vials of wrath". For at that time this world's system ruled by Satan will be completely destroyed. Also at that time, He will "thoroughly purge His floor" (that is, take His church through the tribulation period - all except the “firstfruits" - in order to cleanse and purify it, that it might be ready to be presented to Him "a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish" (Ephes. 5:27). Ordinarily, Christians think only negatively about the tribulation. But let me SHOCK you! The tribulation period will be God's great act of mercy to the church, when multitudes who have been blinded by the traditions of men will "awaken to the truth", and have the opportunity to GET READY to meet their Lord and be a part of that "elect company" who will be translated to the glorified estate at the tribulation's close.

Now for a few final comments on this fifth purpose of discipleship: to increasingly know the person of Christ, and to understand (in order to implement in our lives - both within and without (in action), the principles of His Kingdom. Jesus came as a KING, proclaiming (preaching) the "good news” of that Kingdom. He manifested the nature of that Kingdom by spending untold hours virtually every day in ministering to the needs of the people - in healings, deliverances, miracles - that He might lay a foundation for FAITH in Himself. But also, almost daily, He spend untold hours TEACHING the PRINCIPLES of His Kingdom - which cannot be separated from His PERSON - for they reflect the LIFE-STYLE that He Himself LIVED. These "principles" (of life) are the spiritual and moral TRUTH-laws that are in constant operation for our benefit and blessing IF we align our lives with them in thought, motive, word and deed. They may be expressed as immutable "cause and effect" truth as "blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy" (Mt. 5:7) and "give, and it shall be given unto you.” (Lk. 6:38), or given as a commandment such as "a new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you" (John 13:34), or "as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise" (Lk. 6:31); but regardless of the form of expression, that are ABSOLUTES for living - eternal "verities'' - as unchangeable as God Himself. If we are true disciples, we will study and meditate on every axiom for living that Jesus taught, diligently seeking to apply its every facet - that "joy-bells" may ring, as we actually experience these Truth-laws working for our blessing and ultimate good.

Before I comment further on the above, I want to include in this section a quotation that I believe helps to confirm my perspective, explained earlier, that the "soul" is actually an "inner body-covering" for the human spirit. The same life forces that develop the fetus within the mother's womb also generate within that fetus this fine spun, highly attenuated duplicate of the physical body. For the person whose soul has been saved (preserved from death), that soul serve as a functioning vehicle for the spirit in the heavenly realms after the death of the physical body, and also maintains the personal identity of that person who has lived on this earth. For the unsaved, the soul (after the death of the physical body) gradually loses its cohesiveness, causing its disintegrating (death). This process is pictured by type in the Bible by the disease of leprosy. We read in I Pet. 3:19 of "spirits in prison", because they were "denuded" - having lost both their physical and soul garments. But in Rev. 6:9 we read of "souls under the altar" in heaven - saved persons clothed in their soul garments, or bodies.

The following is taken from "Caught Up Into Paradise" by Richard E. Eby, D.O., physician and surgeon, published by Fleming H. Revell Co., Old Tappan, N.J. Dr. Eby had an accident and was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. I don't remember how long he was dead, but God miraculously restored him to life. While his body was dead, he was taken to paradise and describes a portion of his experience as follows:
''Aside from the complete absence of pain and the total presence of peace (neither of which I had ever known on earth), I looked like me, felt like me, reacted like me. I was me. I simply suddenly had shed the old body and was now living in this fantastic cloud-like body! Being a physician, first instinct was to inspect my new body, and I instantly admired it. It was mine alright. After 60 years in the old one, it was easy to see that the new body was me. I was the same size, the same shape, as the person I had seen in the mirror for years. I was clothed in a translucent flowing gown, pure white, but transparent to my gaze. In amazement, I could see through my body and noted the gorgeously white flowers behind and beneath me. This seemed perfectly normal, yet thrillingly novel. My feet were easy to see. No bifocals needed. There were no bones or vessels or organs. No blood. I noticed the absence of genitals. The abdomen and chest were organless and transparent to my gaze, though translucent to my peripheral vision. There was no air to breath, no blood to pump, no food to digest or eliminate. This was not a carnal body of organs, mortal and temporary."

Note that he observed that the body he had in paradise was exactly like the physical body he had on earth, but without the organs necessary for a purely physical existence. Although "cloud-like" in substance, it was a real, identifiable body. Note also that this body he describes was not the glorified physical body which Christians will eventually receive - either through translation or resurrection. The glorified physical body will be a much more powerful and versatile body or "vehicle" than the soul body. A glorified body can function both in the heavenly realms and on the earth. This was demonstrated by Jesus after His resurrection, for in His glorified body He was able to remain invisible in the vicinity of the earth for 40 days (Acts 1:3); yet also "manifest" (appear) many times to individuals and groups (I Cor. I5:5-7). When causing His body to manifest in the physical realm, He could be seen, touched, and even eat food (Lk. 24:36-43). He emphasized that His manifest physical body had flesh and bones (Lk. 24:39), whereas the body that Dr. Eby had in paradise did not have any bones. A soul-body cannot manifest in the physical realm. It is only for the use and functioning (unto progress in God's plan) in the realms of paradise, until the "outer garment" (the physical body) is restored in the resurrection as the primary "functioning vehicle" for the human spirit.

I'm going to conclude for this time with this page, so have to leave this subject for now. But I will continue it in some future study for Jesus had other things to say about the distinction between spirit, soul and body, even what happens finally in the "lake of fire" (Gr. - "gehenna"), for those who are unsaved. You might read Mt. 10:28 and Mark 9:43-38 and meditate on them. In the latter scripture, what is the "worm" (figuratively speaking) that "dies not" in "hell fire"? Jesus was primarily a teacher, and He wants dedicated disciples (pupils). Are you one?

CALL TO DISCIPLESHIP - Part 7 - by Leland Earls

2009-05-27T16:44:00.000-07:00

[Reprinted with permission from Word of Life Fellowship, Shelton, Washington; please see www.wordoflifefellowship.com for contact information for the ministry carried on by Leland's son Kevin Earls.; Also, for more of Leland Earl's writings, visit www.firstloveministry.com which is the website of brother Chris Anderson.]

CALL TO DISCIPLESHIP - Part 7 - by Leland Earls (1980's)

"Posture of Discipleship"

What must be our "posture" in relationship to Discipleship? According to Webster’s dictionary, one of the meanings of "posture" is, "a state or frame of mind: attitude." Probably the "frame" of our mind or our mental posture which must ever be present as we progress on the path of Discipleship can be summed up in the statement by Jesus in Lk. 12:48: "Unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required." In other words, with knowledge comes responsibility. There can be no escaping that responsibility. We cannot turn back except to our own grief. We must ever be ready to incorporate into our lives and put into action the increased understanding that is bound to come as we progress with the Master and "learn of Him".

Jesus said, "No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”If you will examine the context in which Jesus said this (Lk. 9:57-62), you will find that this scripture has nothing to do with salvation. He is talking about "following Him" and being made FIT to share with Him in HIS (heavenly) Kingdom. This is the essence of Discipleship - the determination ("putting the hand to the plough") to "follow Jesus" all the way INTO His Kingdom GLORY - and not looking back to earthly things, having to settle for just salvation and life in the earthly kingdom. Regarding the same matter, Jesus warned: "Remember Lot's wife"! Read the context: Lk. 17:26-37. Those who have read my "Three Comings" booklet know that Lot and his family - in contrast to Noah, who represents the "firsrfruits" - represent the "harvest company" who will be "taken" (translated) at the close of the tribulation. Lots' wife "looked back" (see Gen. 19:21-25) and became a "pillar of salt". Salt is for the earth, and earthlings (see Mt. 5:13). Lot's wife represents those "missing" the "heavenly calling" and Kingdom-GLORY to "rule" with Jesus, but the are destined to become "pillars" in the earthly kingdom, to exert a positive, salutary, preserving influence among those who will be living in the earthly kingdom.

So few understand much of the life and teachings of Jesus because they have been "brainwashed" by the church traditions that all Jesus came to provide for (by His perfect life, death and resurrection) is generally called "salvation", which provides "eternal life" in some place called heaven" for all who exercise faith in Jesus and His sacrifice. What those do in that "heaven" most have not the slightest idea, except to sort of enjoy a perpetual "vacation" of rather aimless bliss with other saved loved ones. The shocking truth which I have tried to "hammer away" at, is that what is called "salvation" is noth¬ing more than the lifting of the death penalty that came on all mankind through what is called "sin", and that such salvation is only the first step in entering into ALL that Jesus came to provide for those who will take seriously His CALL to Discipleship and FOLLOW Him all the way without "looking back".

Jesus Himself is the pattern for those who aspire to share HIS Kingdom-glory, joint heirship, and rulership dominion over all those who will have their lot on earth because all they knew about or settled for was "salvation". That's why His challenge was always to those who believed in Him: "FOLLOW ME" - let me show you the way, let me discipline you in it, until you overcome all hindrances and obstacles, begin to take on my nature, be tested and proven, and learn responsibility, trustworthiness and faithfulness, making ME the ONE and only supreme object of your love and total submission. For "to him that overcometh will I grant to sit with ME in MY throne, even as I also overcame and am set down with my Father in His throne" (Rev. 3:21). The pattern is the same. The only difference is that Jesus overcame by His own inner virtue and unwavering determination, whereas we overcome only by means of His matchless grace - His Divine LIFE and SPIRIT working IN us all that is necessary to make us "fit" for His Kingdom and Glory (see Phil. 2:13). Keep in mind that as you learn these truths, great is your responsibility. But if you take them seriously, and act accordingly, then GREAT shall be your reward!

I want now to take you back to Luke, chap. 9, covering much more of the context, that we might get an even clearer picture of the meaning of Lk. 9:62. We will begin with verse 51: "And it came to pass, when the time was come that He should be received up (His ascension to glory), He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem. And sent messengers before His face: and they went and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready (make arrangements) for Him. And they did not receive Him, because His face was as though He would go to Jerusalem." (Lk. 9:51-53. The Samaritans realized there was something different about Jesus on this journey through their land. They evidently perceived in His face that there was first one thing on His mind, which apparently conveyed to them something they had not seen before: a complete indifference to their wishes or needs. They, of course, could not understand that at this point Jesus' ministry to people's immediate needs was over. The time had come for Him to not be deterred in any way, for He must be on time for His destiny at Jerusalem.

Verses 54-56 relate the reaction of Jesus' disciples to the Samaritans and Jesus' rebuke to them. Since this is not pertinent to our purpose I will not comment on it. I want to focus in on Jesus attitude and determination expressed in the words that "He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem". Since Jesus is our pattern (on the path of discipleship), there is a spiritual application to us in that which is expressed in these words. Jesus realized that His life was to terminate in a definite GOAL, and that He must exert His upmost determination to reach that goal, not letting the attitudes or actions of any person or persons to deter Him.

Our goal (if we have determined to follow Jesus all the way) is not an earthly Jerusalem, but rather the New Jerusalem above, that celestial city which is to be lowered into our earth's atmosphere during the coming millennium to become the home and headquarters of Christ and His "overcoming saints" from which they shall descend and ascend to rule over this earth. The traditional teaching that all "born-again" Christians will share Christ's glorious Kingdom centered in the New Jerusalem is totally false. An abundance of Scripture could be brought to bear on this subject, but I will use just one verse to dispel this myth. Rev. 3:12 designates one group to be "imprinted with" (meaning "to inherit") the "name" of the celestial city - the "overcomers": "Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the Temple of My God, and he shall go out no more: and I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, which is the new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from My God: and write upon him My new name."

I hope by now that you will begin to understand that Jesus came to provide, not only salvation as a free gift, to be received by "whosoever" exercise faith in Him, but also to extend an invitation and challenge to a "higher calling" - and this is what "discipleship" is all about. If you do not understand this, you will not be able to comprehend much of what Jesus taught. Going back to Lk. 9:62, we can understand that when Jesus talked about "putting one's hand to the plough and not "looking back", He was using an "idiom" or "figure of speech" to emphasize the importance of a vision of the GOAL of being made "FIT" for joint-heirship with Him in His glorified Kingdom realm centered in the New Jerusalem. The warning about not "looking back" has nothing to do with denying Christ, losing one's salvation, etc., but indicates a failure to "follow through" in ones' determination to "forsake all" (Lk. 14:33) in the "pursuit" of Jesus to be discipled by Him. It is the failure to spiritually "set ones' face steadfastly to go to (the New) Jerusalem." The Greek word translated "looking" in the expression, "looking back" in Lk. 9:62 is blepo, and it not only indicates the act of looking with the eyes, but to observe accurately and with desire and contemplation. Thus we are to understand that those who "look back" are not Christians who whose total commitment to follow Christ "all the way" is sometimes "clouded" by momentary temptations, indecisions and longings for materialistic attachments and compromised relationships which "invade" their thinking from time to time, but rather those who by deliberate contemplation give in to selfish desires which begin to take precedence over their first (chief) love (Rev. 2:4) for Jesus Christ, and the willingness to "suffer the loss of all things (if necessary) for the sake of WINNING Christ and qualifying for the 'high calling", as the apostle Paul expresses it (Phil. 3:8, 13-14).

The context of Lk. 9:51-62 also seems to indicate that "looking back" not only refers to those who truly seek to begin to follow Jesus all the way, but are deterred into some kind of compromise; but also those who "feign" their intention to follow Jesus all the way, but are really insincere or self-deceived. As Jesus was traveling on this last journey, having set His face steadfastly to go to Jerusalem, there were three men who came to Him and offered themselves to follow Him. What their motives were, we do not know. Maybe they were just trying to impress Him, but Jesus perceived their lack of full commitment. The first one came and said, "Lord, I will follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest." By His words, at least, this man "put his hand to the plough". But Jesus discerned something deeper in his heart, (see John 2:23-24). His response indicated that He knew the man would not be able to make the sacrifices and fulfill the conditions in order to follow Him. The spiritual implications for us I will comment on by means of a reprinted article, which appeared in one of my early publications that I will add at the close of this study.

In Lk. 9:59, we read that Jesus said to another, "Follow Me." But he said, "Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my Father." His response was a euphemism for declining the invitation, as the Jews buried within twenty-four hours and did not leave the house for ten days. Jesus then answered, "Let the dead bury their dead: but go then and preach the kingdom of God." Jesus uses a figure of speech by which one word is used twice in the same sentence with two meanings: "leave the dead to bury their own corpses". Finally, another said to Jesus, "Lord I will follow Thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house." Jesus perceived this excuse as an inner vacillation which would eventually manifest in an unwillingness to ' follow through". (Lk. 9:61-62).

This brings us back to that which was introduced at the beginning of this part of our Discipleship study: that of responsibility. Is not responsibility the ability to take whatever action is necessary and follow through with it? - thus manifesting the qualities of reliability, trustworthiness and faithfulness. Those who are going to be chosen (the "elect") to participate with Jesus in His "ruling" Kingdom, must let the Spirit of God develop these qualities in their inner being. In Rev. 17:14, we read that those who are WITH the Lord of lords, and King of kings are the "called, and chosen (elect) and faithful." We will come across this word "faithfulness" again as we develop these theme of responsibility.

As Jesus discipled His followers, He sought by many means to teach and impress in a forceful manner the importance of responsibility. His KEY way of doing this was by means of par¬ables on "stewardship". Remember that Jesus told parables for those who had "ears to hear" (Mark 4:9, 23, etc.); those who are interested in more than just "salvation" and what they can receive from the Lord, those who have heard the call to discipleship and are willing to be prepared for Kingdom responsibility.

In the culture of Jesus' day, "stewards" were very common. A steward was one who had oversight and management of another persons property, finances, or other affairs. Those rich enough might hire a person or persons to manage their affairs, or more often, they would own slaves who would be given various responsibilities in the Master's estate, from little to great. As a slave proved responsible and trustworthy, he would be given greater responsibilities. Often a well-proven and trusted slave would be made "governor" of his Master's children, to teach them proper conduct and manners, and provide whatever discipline was necessary.

Probably the prime example of a faithful steward in the Bible (besides Jesus, who was a steward of His "Father's business" and our example) was that of Joseph. Joseph was sold by His brothers as a slave and taken info Egypt. Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, bought Joseph. Joseph conducted himself in such a proper manner, that Potiphar made him overseer (steward) over all his household affairs. He so trusted Joseph that Gen. 39:6 says, "And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat." Then came a supreme test. Potiphar's wife desired Joseph to "lie with her". But Joseph, determined to act responsibly and be faithful to his Master, refused. (Read his words in Gen. 39:8-10). As a result, he was betrayed and had to spend a number of years in prison. You know the story. Ps. 105:18-19 says, of Joseph: "whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron: until the time his word came: the word of the LORD tried him." But while in prison Joseph chose to trust the Lord and His Word; he chose to learn rather than "burn"(with anger); he became better rather than bitter. He acted so responsibly and proved to be so trustworthy, that he was promoted to 'chief steward" over all the other prisoners (Gen. 39:21-23). This kind of responsible behavior prepared him to be elevated to the oversight of all Egypt under Pharaoh (Gen. 41: 39-40).

Beloved, this is a TYPE for us. One of the purposes of discipleship is to prepare us for positions of responsibility in Christ's coming Kingdom. Jesus makes this very clear in two of His "stewardship parables". In what we call the "parable of the talents" (Mt. 25:14-30), Based on the principle that "to whom much is given, much is required", the servants (stewards) who acted responsibly were commended with the words: "Well done, thou good and faithful servant (steward): thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things." Contrast Mt. 25:20 & 22 and notice that to whom more was given, more was required. In the "parable of the pounds" found in Lk. 19:12-27, Jesus gives even more specific indication of future posts of rulership in His Kingdom by His words to certain servants (stewards): "Then came the first, saying, 'Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds.' And He said unto him, 'Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.' And the second came, saying, 'Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds.' And He said likewise to him, 'Be thou also over five cities.'"

Notice that the commendation and "assignment" in the Kingdom-rule of Christ is to those who have been faithful. Paul says in I Cor. 4:2 that "it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful." Faithfulness implies the willingness to accept the increasing responsibilities of discipleship, uncompromising devotion to the Master (Jesus) above every other person or thing, trusting the Lord and staying true to our unconditional commitment to Him through ALL the testing experiences that He brings to each one of us as a part of “refining" and preparation for future Kingdom "roles", as well as providing opportunities to affirm our loyalty to our Lord under various pressures and difficult circumstances.

In the context of "stewardship", faithfulness means that we are responsible and trustworthy "managers' of ALL that God has given us - our lives and all that, we are blessed with, both spiritual and material. Paul tells us in I Cor. 6:19-30, ‘‘…ye are not your own. For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." The body (and material wealth) and the spirit (and spiritual wealth) cannot be separated: they are inter-related when considering our stewardship responsibility before God. Jesus put it this way: "If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteousness mammon (material wealth), who will commit to your trust the true riches? (spiritual wealth) - Lk. 16:11.

There ore two ways of applying this principle of stewardship: (1) As it applies to our present progress and growth in the Lord, (2) As it applies to our preparation for the future Kingdom. First, the "true riches" in terms of our present experience comprises all of the blessings and benefits that we receive as a result of our personal relationship with Jesus Christ, which enrich and develop the "inner man" of the "heart" (our TRUE self - the human spirit and soul, with all their faculties and infinite potential) because of the infusion of Christ's LIFE and SPIRIT working within to bring forth "fruit" unto God (John 15:8) and transform us into the likeness and image of THE Son of God (Rom. 8:29). Too vast to deal with here, this subject of the "true riches" for the "inner man" which brings "LIFE abundant" and "joy unspeakable and full of glory" (John 10:10, I Pet. 1:8), can possibly be best summarized in a prayer by the apostle Paul for the Ephesian Christians as recorded in Eph. 3:14-21: "For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father … that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man; so that Christ may dwell (increasingly) in your hearts through faith, and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend (lay hold of and make your own) with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen." (NAS version). Reading the above passage out of the Amplified version is very helpful.

Now the point I want to make, based on Jesus' words in Lk. 16:11, is that the degree we are able to understand and experience the "true (spiritual) riches" in the present life, is to a great extent dependent upon how faithful we are in our stewardship of the money and material things that God entrusts to us. It has been my experience through many years of pastoring, that those Christians who do not joyfully (II Cor. 9:7) and faithfully GIVE of their material substance (tithes and offerings) to God, have a difficult time understanding Scriptural truths beyond that which is elemental, and usually do not have the heart interest or receptivity that makes it possible for the lord to lead them into the deeper realms of His Word and Spirit which might be characterized as the "true riches". (See Mt. 6:21 for material treasure and the heart).

Second, we need to see this scripture (Lk. 16:11) as it relates to our preparation for Christ's Kingdom of Glory, It is quite obvious that the "true riches" are something other than anything material, as they are contrasted with the "unrighteous mammon ', which is obviously money and material things. Therefore the "true riches" would indicate our inheritance in the "higher realm" of that which is eternal and permanent, in contrast to the temporal, transitory and changing realm of the earthly and material. Paul says in II Cor. 4:17-18 that "our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” Furthermore, the Greek word translated "true" in the expression "true riches", is alethinos, which means veritable: i.e. genuine, real, substantial, unchanging - thus as "eternal" as God Himself. Contrast this with II Cor. 4:17-13 which is quoted above, where Paul declares that only that which is not seen is "eternal"; whereas that which is seen (physical and material things) are "temporal. The Greek word is proskairos, which means "for the occasion only, i.e. temporary, endure for a time, for a season, temporal." Thus in my thinking, at least from the point of view of God's cosmology, and in terms of His coming Kingdom, the "true riches" refers to the glorified (heavenly) realm, in contrast to the earthly Kingdom realm.

The verse I have been dealing with (Lk. 16:11) is part of a stewardship parable whereby Jesus teaches by contrast. He sets forth first Israel's failure as His steward nation under the Old Covenant, and then contrasts that with what He requires of those who would be "faithful stewards". Under the Old Covenant, Israel was God's steward nation, entrusted with the manifestation of His Kingdom on the earth. To Israel much was given; therefore much required (see Rom. 9:4-5). But Israel failed miserably in her stewardship responsibilities. This is portrayed to us in the parable in Lk. 16:1-2: "And He said unto His disciples, There was a certain rich man which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. And he called him, and said unto him, 'How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no Ionger steward'." Instead of confessing their wrong and repenting, enabling the Master to reinstate him in his service, and after a time of proving that he was trustworthy, being restored to his stewardship, the man in the parable resorted to an entirely different course. I will not quote it, but you can read about it in Lk. 16:3-7).

The unfaithful steward in the parable represents the Jewish nation at the time that Jesus came to "call them to give an account of their stewardship". Jesus excoriated them for their failure. But they refused His call to repentance. They said: "We will not have this man (their very GOD in human flesh) to reign over us" (Lk. 19:14). Jesus pronounced judgment on them (Mt. 23:37-39), and we know the historical record of how they were cast out of their stewardship and out of their land (Lk. 21:22-24). As illustrated by the man in the parable (Lk. 16:3-8), the Jews resorted to living by their own shrewdness, that they might be received into the "houses" (lands) of the Gentiles.

I can't take time to go into all of the significance of tactics employed by the man in the parable and its fulfillment in the history of the Jews. But in order to show the truth by contrast, we find that the man in the parable is commended by his Master because "wisely" (better translated "shrewdly" - for he was employing the "wisdom" that James calls 'earthly, sensual, devilish", not the "wisdom that is from above" - see James 3:13-18). Now the reason for that commendation is to lead up to basic teaching of this parable; that "the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light" (16:8). The "unjust steward" (in this parable picturing the Jews), in order to assure his future, began to adopt the principles of this world: questionable practices in the manipulation of finance and business in order to advance his own interests; seeking to "buy" friends by ingratiating himself with others, but for selfish purposes only.

Now comes the "problem" verse (16:9). As it is translated in most versions of the Bible, it appears that the Master is telling the "children of light" to "ape" the same tactics as the "unjust steward". This is the way it is usually preached: "use your money to make friends". But, beloved, this is a parable by contrast. In telling the parable, Jesus first illustrates how a "steward" is not to act: first by acting irresponsibly by wasting his master's goods, and then by further compounding his irresponsible conduct by hardening his heart and adopting the principles of this world to assure his future.

In contrast, Jesus then enunciates the principles by which the children of light are to live in order to be responsible stewards, please our Master (Jesus) and assure our future in HIS kingdom. To rightly understand this parable, I believe that verse 9 should be put in the form of a question, with a negative answer implied. I will quote this verse from the "Living Bible" which conveys the right thought, at least as far as punctuation is concerned. "But shall I tell you to act that way, to buy friendship through cheating? Will this ensure your entry into an everlasting home in heaven? No!' This makes a sensible transition to vs. 10, where Jesus gives the requirements of a true steward in contrast to the one who failed his Master. I will quote verses 10-12: "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much; and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?"

Beloved, this brief series on Discipleship has meant to be only a general survey of the subject, covering what I considered to be the basics. And one of the most important basics is that which I been seeking to set before you in this final study: that we are responsible, in direct proportion to what we have received (entrusted to us) from the Lord - whether that be spiritual light and understanding, gifts and ministries; or whether that be material possessions. The same principle applies: "to whom much is given, much is required (Lk. 12:48). We must respond with responsibility (reliability, trustworthiness, faithfulness).

I remember reading a great insight in the Reader's Digest at one time in a quotation by the President of General Motors. He said: "If you see a man reaching for authority, watch him, he will hurt you. If you see a man reaching for responsibility, bless him, promote him, he will bless you." After years of pastoring, how true I have found this to be. Those who reach out for authority usually want to exalt themselves, instead of letting God exalt in His time. They only bring grief to themselves and hurt to others. Those who reach out for responsibility have a servant's heart, wanting to be faithful stewards of whatever is committed to them.

To conclude this study, I want to emphasize briefly on the three marks of responsible stewardship in the passage that I quoted earlier from Lk. 16:10-13. The apostle Paul admonished Timothy to entrust to "faithful men" that which he had taught him. There are no better "ear-marks" of faithful men (and women) than the following given by Jesus Himself. (1) "He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous in much"(NAS version). Oh the sad stories I could tell of those who wanted to have some great ministry, gift or position in order to serve God. Yet they would totally fail to be responsible and faithful in "small" tasks that were entrusted to them. But God knows that He cannot commit greater things to those who have not learned to be faithful in those things that seem so "little" and insignificant. (2) "If therefore you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteousness mammon, who will entrust the true riches to you?" I have already dealt with this point so will not write further. (3) "And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own?" "That which is another's" is first of all that which is God's. If we are faithful "stewards" (trustees) of all that God has given us: whether material or spiritual, then in His coming Kingdom, God will grant us that which is "our own". But there is another application that I want to make for those aspiring to be used in some kind of ministry or service for the Lord. I believe it is important for each one to place himself or herself under another's ministry (one proven and mature) to learn by helping and serving him in any way you can, doing all you can to promote the success of and enhance his ministry (as Joshua did for Moses, and Elisha did for Elijah). Then, as you prove yourself faithful in that which is another's ministry, in time God will bless you with your own ministry. We must prove ourselves trustworthy and faithful to others as well as to our Lord.

There is an important point that needs to be emphasized before closing out this part of our study. In Lk. 16:1-2 we saw that Israel was discharged as God's national steward because of irresponsibility and unfaithfulness. In another stewardship parable Jesus announces the transfer of that corporate stewardship in these words: "The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation (people) bringing forth the fruits thereof." We have already seen that one of the marks of discipleship is the bringing forth of much fruit from the heart, and that only those "abiding in the vine" (Jesus) can produce that fruit. Therefore the "nation" or people to whom the Kingdom stewardship is given can only be those who are placed "in Christ" by personal faith in Him, and then daily "abide" (remain, continue, and "live" in a vital relationship with Him).

Faithfulness is a manifestation of FRUIT of the heart. It is not a "work". It is the heart's response to the responsibilities of discipleship because the Word-seed of Christ (sown in the heart - Mt. 13:18-23), and nourished and developed by the Holy Spirit - Gal. 5:22-24). Now works are important and are expected of us (Mt. 5:16, Ephes. 2:10, Titus 2:14), and the more fruit that is developed in our inner lives, the more good works we will be engaged in, for good works are the RESULT of the FRUIT that irradiates from the heart.

However, it is possible (for various reasons and motives), for Christians to be preoccupied in various works ("busy-ness" for the Lord"), with little or "puny" fruit in the heart. A very vivid example of this is the church of the Laodiceans. Jesus words to this church indicate that it was virtually devoid of any real spiritual fruit. Yet, notice His first words to this church: "I know thy works", indicating a church full of activities and no doubt well-meaning "left-liberal" social action programs, but not springing from a "hot" committed personal relationship with Jesus Christ as LORD and a heart-desire to be faithful to Him. I will not quote all that Jesus said about this smug, self-satisfied, "blind" church (Rev. 3:14-22), but I am personally convinced that this 7th and last of the 7 churches addressed by Jesus in the book of Revelation represents the majority of churches and church systems of Christendom in these last days.

But, beloved, I want you to notice that Jesus loves this "lukewarm" church. In Rev. 3:19 He says, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore and repent." The "rebuke" will come when Jesus "spues" this church out into the great tribulation. There the "chastening" will come through the difficult trials and "buffeting" conditions of the tribulation (referred to symbolically in Lk. 12:47-48 as "stripes"). Multitudes of formerly "lukewarm" Christians will then learn quickly what true discipleship to Jesus Christ means and go "all out" to secure what Jesus proffers in Rev. 3:18. But NOW is the time to take our discipleship seriously, and not be "caught short" at that time.

Finally, I want to link faith and faithfulness. There is a close relationship. Faithfulness is actually faith's ultimate expression. The Greek words are very similar. The Greek word for faith is pistis, which comes from a primitive verb - peitho, which means "to convince, to assent to evidence or authority, to rely by inward certainty". Thus faith is an inward belief and conviction of the truth of God and His Word, but also an inner reliance because one is convinced of the trustworthiness of God and what He has spoken. The Greek word for faithful is pistos, which comes from the same root verb as pistis (faith). Subjectively, faithful means trustful; objectively it means trustworthy.

This helps us to understand faith, for we are trustful (subjectively) of God and His Word, bringing that inner conviction and certainty which provides an "open channel" for God: to reward and bless us with the reality of Himself and His promises. So faith is a means of receiving from God (and this is the aspect that most emphasize). But there is another aspect of faith: objectively it means to be trustworthy (or faithful). In this respect faith is not only subjective inner conviction, but also an objective, active, commitment of our lives to God, providing another kind of "open channel" for God to enable us to "LIVE (in active obedience) by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Mt. 4:4); for faith, if it hath not works (of obedience), is dead" (James 2:17).

Both the subjective (receiving) and objective (active giving of ourselves in obedience) are seen in the great "faith chapter - Heb. 11. In Heb. 11:11 we read, "Through (as a channel) faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, for she judged Him faithful Who had promised." In Heb. 11:8 we read, “By (as a motivating force) faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he would after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing wither he went." Faith and faithfulness - like two sides of the same coin! Both receiving and giving!

NO PLACE TO LAY HIS HEAD

In Matt. 8:19-20 we read these words: "A certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. Jesus saith unto him, “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head." How ridiculous to think that the very incarnate Lord of Glory was talking only about not having a place to live or sleep while walking this earth. This was certainly true, He had no place He could call His own, but we must constantly keep in mind that "The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." (Rev. 19:10). Therefore every word which He spoke can be distilled into prophetic patterns to show truths for future ages and generations. Think not that Jesus wasted His time just talking about the physical conditions in which He found Himself. He was using these incidents and circumstances to portray something far more vast and important than that which first meets the eye. Let us look and BEHOLD the footprints of the majestic Son of God.

In Matt. 8:16 we notice that it says when even was come "They brought unto him many that were possessed with devils; and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick." WHY does it mention that this occurred in the evening? Just to fill in space? It is not to show that Jesus was picturing things that would happen at the close (evening) of this age when His Body would be ministering in power and doing the works that He did? In verse 18, we read that Jesus gave commandment to the disciples to "depart unto the other side." Even so is the Body of Christ to depart unto the other side (heaven) after finishing the work that has been given to it for this end time. It is in THIS SETTING that we have the words of the scripture with which we begin. It was a certain scribe who said to Jesus, "I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest." The scribes were the scholars and teachers of that day, comparable to the theologians and ministers of our day. Thus we see portrayed in this end time those who are asking what is required to follow the Lord all the way. In Jesus' cryptic answer is couched the enigma that He saw would prevail in this end time. WHAT did He see? "The foxes have holes," said He. In Ezekiel 13:4 we read: "O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts." Also in Luke 13:32 Jesus refers to Herod as "that fox." Thus we see that Jesus was referring to certain kinds of humans when He used the term "fox." If you will read Ezekiel 13 you will see that the Lord was rebuking the prophets of Israel because they were speaking out of their own hearts and following their own foolish spirits. Of them He says, "Ye have not gone up into the gaps (breaches), neither made up the hedge (wall) for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord." (Ezek. 13:5). Thus he is describing a type of religious leader or preacher that is interested only in his own ways and seeking to promote that which serves his own interests. "The foxes have holes (lairs)" said He. The LAIRS are the modern denominational systems which have become the holds and strongholds of those who, like foxes, have made a place for themselves to "lie down" in to promote their own welfare and security. And with them they hold captive the people of God to the traditions and cus-tome of their particular approach to God. These, in turn, are not willing to follow the Lord to the point where their primary concern is not where THEY are going to find a "lair for security," but rather in finding a place for the LORD to lay His head. The above is not meant to be an indictment against the many sincere and conscientious ministers who are doing the best they know how with the understanding they have. But it is an apt description of the religious systems and the many who know what the score is, but who refuse to "forsake all" to follow Him.
Jesus could have used some other term of expression to denote His lack of an abiding place on the earth. But again, every word was designed to portray truth. He does not in these days have a place to LAY HIS HEAD. The Bible teaches that the church is the BODY of Christ, and that He is the HEAD of the Body (Ephes. 1:22-23, 4:15). "Laying down His head" denotes a place (or people) where His HEADship is the primary concern. In other words the Lord portrays that time when many scribes, teachers, etc. would come with feigned words about following Him all the way, and yet refuse to recognize HIS HEADSHIP OVER HIS CHURCH. The Lord has no people in this day who are willing to let Him "lay His Head" down to where He is in complete charge of everything that is done in His Body, and where everything is directed by Him through the Holy Spirit. But NOW has the day dawned for this peo¬ple to come into being. The beginning stages are evident in many places.

Jesus also said "the birds of the air have nests." He was picturing those conditions which would prevail in the endtime when the religious systems would become like that described in Rev. 18:2, "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is becoming the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird." Thus every kind of religious "bird" can find a roost somewhere in the religious systems of today, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head; for His Headship is not welcomed or sought for by the religious leaders of today.

Immediately following the words we have just been dealing with, we find in Matt. 8:21 that another disciple said to Jesus, "Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead." The Berkeley version renders this passage, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead." Again Jesus was using a contemporary situation to portray a prophetic truth. When the disciple said that he wanted to go and bury his father, he did not mean that his father had already died. This was merely a way of saying, let me stay with my father and take care of him until he dies, and then I will follow you. Jesus said in effect, "Let the spiritually dead take care of their own, you follow me NOW." Letting His words be the spirit of prophecy for our day we can see that there are those who say they want to follow the Lord, but first they want to remain with the spiritually dying denominations which have fathered them until they feel their usefulness there has been completed. But Jesus is saying, let the spiritually dead take care of the spiritually dying denominations, YOU FOLLOW ME. He wants us to leave that which is dying and forsake all to follow Him.

Epilogue

I hope that you will study this series on "Discipleship" a number of times. Too long the churches have lulled the people to sleep with the fake assumption that "salvation" is all that is required to guarantee one all the glories of Christ's Kingdom, and all the fullness of the incredible joint-heirship with Christ in "His coming rulership of all the kingdoms of this world. Thank God that in His unfathomable love He has provided a simple way of deliverance from death and the provision of eternal life through Christ's substitutional sacrifice on our behalf. But that is just the first step to the ultimate that God has for us. Otherwise WHY Jesus' CALL to Discipleship?

All of us begin our Christian experience as "newborn babes" in Christ (I Pet. 2:2). But like any normal natural father, our Heavenly Father expects us to grow up. Only as we heed the call to be FULLY DISCIPLINED by Jesus, through His Word and Spirit, can we grow to become LIKE our Lord. "A pupil (disciple) is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher" (Lk. 6:40, NAS version).

Although works are involved, discipleship is not a "system of works", It is a commitment to cultivating a personal relationship with Jesus until we "know" Him in such intimacy that His love captivates and motivates us to make Him our ALL in ALL; thus increasingly releasing His Spirit to work within.

Call To Discipleship - Part 4 - by Leland Earls

2009-05-26T14:00:00.000-07:00

[Note from Joel Jones: Yes, we have not posted parts 1 through 3, but we are prioritizing this one.]

(CALL TO DISCIPLESHIP—Part 4)

In the last article on this study in "Discipleship", I was dealing with the Purposes of Discipleship, having concluded with No. 5, which I thought was to be the last. However, the Lord has made it clear to me that there is a sixth that I should briefly deal with. There are no doubt more, but some tend to "overlap", so I believe that this No.6 will conclude this section. In "discipleship", Jesus is seeking to develop in us an unshakable and uncompromising FAITH in HIM and His WORD, that through that "channel" of faith, we might not only enjoy and profit from the blessings and benefits of His Kingdom Rule, but that He might cause to grow (through His Divine importation) the FRUITS that reflect "Kingdom living".

First, it must be clearly understood that there is a difference between "head" (intellectual) belief or assent to truth, and "heart" faith. Jesus made it clear that the "seed" of His Word must "take root" in the heart in order to produce that which He desires: "but that (seed) on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience" (Lk. 8:15). The "heart" stands for the entire "inner man" (Ephes. 3:16, I Pet. 3:4), which involves thoughts, motives, emotions, conscience and will. ALL of these are involved in true heart faith.

In light of the above, we might say that "heart faith" involves a number of "ingredients". Without seeking to go into all of the scriptures to confirm this perspective, just let me mention some of the ingredients that are inseparably connected with (and make possible) heart faith, such as repentance, confession, obedience, patience, steadfastness, commitment, confidence (or assurance), hope, a clear conscience, rest, trust, and love. I simply cannot elaborate on all these in this present study. I have written an article on the "Three Elements of Divine Faith" which gives the basic essentials of faith and is available upon request.
I do believe I should make a few comments on repentance. For, repentance is that which prepares the "soil" of one's heart to receive the "seed" of the Word which causes faith to "take root" and grow into "fruitfulness." Without repentance there can be a head (intellectual) belief in facts or truths of the Word of God, but certainly no heart faith which makes possible the "new birth" experience and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The importance of repentance in connection with true heart faith is a study in itself and will not be dealt with in detail here, but we need to go no further than to note that Jesus began His preaching ministry with the words, "the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:15).

In the Greek, “to repent" means "to think differently after" — after one has heard the truth of God's Word and realizes he must change his thinking to agree with what God says. The Greek word is metanoeo (verb form). The "meta" is a prefix meaning "after", and the rest of the word comes from the Greek nous, which means "mind". In the Greek, however, "mind" has a somewhat broader meaning that in the English. Quoting Strong’s concordance on the Greek word nous: "the intellect, i.e. mind (divine or human; in thought, feeling, or will)." Thus "repentance" means more than just an intellectual change of thinking: it also involves the feelings and the will (implying conviction and action). Thus it indicates a total "about face" in one's life — a complete "turning away" from one's former "way of life" (thinking, feeling, acting) to GOD'S WAY. We might say that repentance is the "breaking up of the fallow (undisturbed, unattended) ground" (Jer. 4:3) of our hearts, that the "seed" of the WORD (which produces heart faith — see Rom. 10:17) might "take root" and bring forth FRUIT!

I believe I have alluded to "fruit" before so will not elaborate now, but Jesus makes it clear in John 15:8 that "bearing fruit" is one of the primary evidences of discipleship: "Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples." "Fruit" is a figure of speech indicating the attributes and charac¬ter qualities that the Lord purposes to develop in our lives. Just as fruit grows and matures slowly over a period of time, so does it require the continual submission of our lives to the Lord's working IN our lives to enable Him to produce the fruits of righteous, goodness, love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, faith, meekness, temperance, mercy (John 15:8-17, Ephes. 5:9, James 3:17). You will notice that the New Testament mentions twelve fruits. Just as the tree of life in the New Jerusalem bears twelve kinds of fruit, so are we (as trees planted by the Lord — PS. 92: 12-13, 52:8, 1:3) are to also "bear" (by the Lord's working IN our lives) twelve kinds of spiritual "fruit".

But back to faith and repentance. The two cannot be separated. Jesus said, "Repent ye and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:15). Peter, on the day of Pentecost declared, "Repent, and be baptized (an act of faith), Paul testified to both Jews and Greeks, "repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 2:38, 20:21). Rom. 10:10 says that "with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Now hearken to my words: It is impossible to believe with the heart unless one has first repented. The reason is explained in the second paragraph on page 2, and need not be repeated here. I quoted Rom. 10:10 that "confession" is to be made with the mouth; vs. 9 tells us what we are to confess; "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord". Now if you will just think for a moment, you will realize that if one truly confesses Jesus as LORD, it is an important indication that one has truly repented.

My reasoning for the above is as follows. The Greek word for Lord — kurios — means "to have dominion over", "to rule", to be supreme in authority", and "belonging to". It was used in Bible times to indicate one as a "Master" who owned slaves, and thus had supreme authority over them. Now, when a person comes to the place where he is willing to truly confess Jesus as LORD, it indicates that he realizes that he is "not his own", but that he has been "bought with a price" (I Cor. 6:19-20), for when Jesus died on the cross He “purchased" the fallen human race, and that we are His "slaves". The Greek word doulos is used many times in the New Testament to indicate one who is a slave, although the King James Version invariably translates the word "servant". The New American Standard vacillates between "bond-servant" and "slave". A scripture correctly translated by the NAS, and although I have quoted it before, I will use it again to vividly illustrate the point I am seeking to make: "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become as his teacher, and a slave as his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household (Mt. 10:24-25). Jesus also declares in John 13:13: "You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right; for so I am." (NAS version)
Now back to my main point. Jesus as LORD means that He is supreme in authority. For one to "confess Jesus as Lord" (see Rom. 10:9), and really mean it, indicates that he has come to realize that he is "not his own" — that he no longer has any right to govern or rule his own life and "do his own thing" — for he must submit his life to the authority and supreme rulership of Jesus Christ. And this is the evidence of true repentance. This also confirms the Biblical perspective which I have been seeking to convey, that "salvation" (the "new birth" — imparting the GIFT of eternal LIFE), comes only through true repentance and heart faith. We must realize, however, that when a newly repentant, heart believer, confesses Jesus as Lord, this does not mean that such a one fully realizes ALL the implications and ramifications of surrendering his life to Jesus' LORDSHIP. It becomes a learning and growing experience — even a life-time of ever-increasing understanding of just what Jesus' Lordship over every aspect of one's life (in word, thought, attitude, motive, and action) really means, and all the "ways" in which it is implemented. And this is where discipleship comes in, because a true disciple of Jesus Christ never quits learning and changing.

My "burden" in sharing the foregoing is based upon my conviction that the vast majority of professing Christians have never been "born anew". They are simply "head believers", assenting to certain knowledge of facts about Jesus Christ and His redemptive work, but only intellectually. They have never come to a personal (experiential) knowledge of Jesus Christ, to where He is a "living reality" in their hearts and lives. This is because they have never truly repented, with "godly sorrow" (II Cor. 7: 11), renouncing the sin and selfishness which caused them to "run" their own lives the way they wanted to — doing "their own thing", and with humbleness of heart acknowledging the claims of Jesus Christ upon their lives as their Lord (redeemer — owner and master) and turning their lives over to Him as their supreme authority to seek to do His will. Christianity is not a "religion" but a "relationship" — a personal "knowing" of Jesus Christ, and then a con¬tinual "building" of that relationship through daily communion, prayer, praise and worship, meditation in the Word, fellowship and interaction with other "born again" Christians in love, etc.

Before leaving this phase of our study, I want to give a warning to what I believe is a serious error. Although conditioned on our heart response to Jesus as our Savior and Lord, salvation is clearly indicated by God's Word to be a GIFT (as a "seed" is a gift to the soil that has been prepared — even so we receive the gift of "eternal life" within when we are "born again of the incorruptible seed of the Word of God" (I Pet. 1:23), pass from death to life at that instant (John 5:24), and can know that we have eternal life (I John 5:10-13). Some are teaching, however, that only after we have become disciples and have learned to follow, Jesus can we receive eternal life. This is like putting the proverbial cart before the horse. Discipleship is to train us in the ways of the Lord AFTER we have been "born" into the Kingdom-family of God. I sought to make this clear in the first article in the section on "The Position of Discipleship", but felt to re-emphasize it here.

The Priorities of Discipleship

A "priority" is that which takes precedence over everything else—that which must come first. Jesus made it very clear that there are certain requirements for those who would be His disci¬ples. In general, the substance of what Jesus declared as neces¬sary to discipleship is stated in Mt. 16:24: "If any man will come after me (read the last article—Part 3 to understand the ultimate implication of going "after Him"), let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." But Jesus gave detailed specific requirements which we need to examine carefully. The passage which gives the greatest detail is found in Luke 14:26-33. Three specific requirements are given that we need to consider. First, in Lk. 14:26 Jesus deals with that which is probably the closest and dearest to all of us — our relation to our immediate family members, and makes it very clear that if we are to be His disciples, our relationship to Him must take precedence over every human tie. Quoting Jesus' words: "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple."

According to Strong's concordance of Greek words, the Greek word for "hate" can mean, not only what we usually associate with that word, but also by extension can mean "to love less". Jesus never taught us to carnally hate anyone. But just as there is a godly jealousy" (II Cor. 11:2; see also Ex. 20:5, 34:14) in contrast to carnal jealousy, and a "godly sorrow" in contrast to the sorrow that works death (II Cor. 7:10), so there is what we can call "godly hatred". This is a divinely inspired "resistance" to anything or anyone that would try to keep us from making our love and obedience to Jesus the supreme priority of our lives.

Jesus gave this requirement because He knew that inevitable conflicts would arise in households over priorities. In Matthew's account we can get a more complete picture of this priority conflict by words of Jesus not given by Luke. Quoting Mt. 10:34-37: "Think not that I am come to send peace on the earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. "

Certainly Jesus is not deliberately trying to divide families, but He is simply "telling it like it is". He is "jealous" of the LOVE of those who aspire to be "worthy" (fit) to be chosen to be among the "elect" company who will be with Him in His heavenly glory as His Bride and Household. At all costs, our love and allegiance to Him must take precedence over every other relationship.

In order to give Jesus such absolute love and allegiance, it is necessary to fulfill another requirement, which actually has two phases to it. Both phases are given in Matthew's account in chap. 16:24: "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." The essence of these two requirements is SACRIFICE — which is actually LOVE IN ACTION. When I commented on Lk. 14:26 where Jesus indicated that we must "hate" all other relationships in comparison to Him, I did not emphasis the fact that Jesus said that such "hate" must include "yea, and his own life also."

The Greek word translated "life" in that passage is psuche, and is translated many places in the New Testament as "soul". The soul is the focal point of our selfish desire nature. If we are to be Jesus' disciples, we must leam to "hate" our selfishness — our self-centered desires to "govern" our own lives, direct our own affairs of life, do what we want to do, etc. To "deny self" means to absolutely refuse to let "self" reign in our lives, but to turn our lives over to the Lord Jesus so completely that He alone rules our lives and His will in all that we do is our consuming passion. Ones supreme lesson that every disciple must learn is that we can never hope to be prepared to rule WITH Christ until we are willing to be ruled BY Christ.
The correlative phase of "self-denial" is the requirement to "take up our cross and follow Jesus". In Luke 9:23 there is an added word which is important to note. Jesus said: "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." Taking up our cross to follow Jesus is a DAILY commitment. Now WHAT does this mean? What did the cross mean to Jesus? If we know what the cross meant to Jesus, then we can understand what it means to "take up OUR cross" and follow Him.

In Philippians 2:8 we read that Jesus "being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."

To Jesus, the cross meant OBEDIENCE to the Father's will, not out of compulsion, but out of LOVE. He willingly and gladly gave His life, not only because it was the Father's will, to make possi¬ble the salvation of mankind, but because it was a joy for Him to give His life in sacrifice FOR OTHERS. So often we think of Jesus only laying down His life by His death on the cross, but actually, His entire life was "laid down" as a "living sacrifice" for others. "Taking up OUR cross daily, to follow Jesus, means that we are committed to following His example in these two basic areas: (1) above everything else, we desire to know and DO only the WILL of our Heavenly Father, as it was revealed in word and deed by Jesus in His life upon this earth; (2) as a necessary correlation to the first, and as an "outgrowth" of it, is that we are motivated by Jesus love in us to GIVE ourselves in service to OTHERS—that we might be in¬struments in the hands of the Lord to meet their needs.
To help "impact" this truth upon our hearts, I will quote some scriptures to show that Jesus "bore His cross" during the entirety of His life — joyfully, not grudgingly. The Hebrew writer tells us that because Jesus "loved righteousness, and hated iniquity", that God the Father "anointed Him with the oil of gladness above His fellows" (Heb. 1:9). This tells us that Jesus was the most joy-filled, happiest, man that ever lived on the face of this earth. But let me quote some of Jesus' own words from the NAS version. "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does these things the Son also does in like manner. . . I can do nothing on my own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me" (John 5:19, 30). "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but 1 speak these things as the Father taught Me" (John 8:28). "For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me commandment, what to say, and what to speak. . . Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Fa¬ther is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works" (John 12:49, 14:10).

According to the pattern which Jesus manifested in His life, the things that God desires from us more than anything else is OBEDIENCE from the heart — joyfully, out of LOVE; and the willingness to give our lives in sacrifice to others. This is the essence of "taking up our cross daily and following Him (His example). John in his first epistle ad¬monishes us: "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down His life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." But I think we all realize that this is easier to give mental assent — than to put into daily practice. There is a two-fold reason for this. First, even though we may be "born-again" Christians, we have the carnal propensity to the self-centered and too often the selfish desire to put ourselves, and what we conceive as our own inter¬ests first, instead of the Lord and others. But as we have seen, discipleship requires that we deny self. What we fail to realize is that the greatest joy and fulfillment comes to us when we live first to seek to please the Lord and do only His will, and also "lay down" our lives in service to others (beginning with those of our own household). But because of that innate selfish propensity, we have to DAILY lay down the self-life and take up our cross. This means that daily we must let the Lord "dig" into the inner motives our hearts, and yield to the inner cleansings of His Word and His Spirit, giving ourselves to "watching and praying". I will amplify on this shortly.

But secondly we must realize that we have an adversary. In I Peter we read: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." The devil will lie to us, deceive, misrepresent to us circumstances and people, and use every other "trick" possible to get us off the "path of the cross" back into the path of self-indulgent, "me-first" syndrome. This is why in Luke 14, where Jesus enunciates the priority of “cross-bearing” in order to follow Him, He amplifies with a parable to “drive home” the point. I will quote the whole context so that you can see the connection. “And whoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. FOR which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, saying, this man began to build, and was not able to finish (Luke 14:27-30). The key point of this parabolic illustration is that we must COUNT THE COST of discipleship to Jesus Christ – which means total commitment to Him¬ and His will above every other interest and relationship of our lives. And we have already seen that this involves sacrifice – even separation between family members at times. But there is ANOTHER COST that is the main teaching of this man in the parable who would build the tower. We need to understand the purpose of a “Tower”, as it was used in Bible times. A tower was a fortified structure rising to a considerable height on walls of a city to enable a watchman to see in every direction to detect any approaching enemy. Towers were also built in vineyards as an almost necessary appendage to them (Isa. 5:2, Mt. 21:33, Mk. 12:1). They were used to watch for thieves or marauders who would come to raid, plunder or destroy, or for small animals who could “squeeze” through the outer hedge and spoil the vines. Song of Solomon 2:15 says that it is the "little foxes (sins) that spoil the vines." Such towers in vineyards served as lodges for the keepers of the vineyards.

"Building a tower" refers symbolically to our spiritually orien¬ted devotional and prayer life in communion with Christ our Lord, that we might "watch" (be alert) against our adversary, the devil, and all of his evil devices. After "laying the foundation" (see I Cor. 3:10-11), we begin to "build" on the foundation the "tower" of our spiritual relationship to Christ Jesus. In the context of our study, we must "count the cost" of the time and effort that MUST be given to prayer and communion with the Lord. Jesus said to His disciples, "tarry ye here, and watch with me" (Mt. 26:38), and again, "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation, the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Mt. 26:41). The Greek word translated "watch" means literally to "keep awake". In the New Testament, "sleeping" is symbolically associated with spiritual lethargy and indifference — a state of careless apathy. (See Rom. 13:11, I Thess. 5:5-6, Ephes. 5:14). To "watch" means to be spiritually alert, vigilant, actively praying and seeking the Lord that Satan not ensnare us in His wiles and temptations. Some New Testament admonitions along this line are: I Pet. 4:7, "But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer"; I Cor. 16:13, “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith. . .be strong"; Col. 4:2, "Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving"; I Thess. 5:6, "Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober". Are you daily "building your tower" UPWARDS in your spiritual communion, prayer, and love-relationship with Jesus Christ?

Another implication of the "tower" is the symbolic representation of the Heavenly Kingdom in contrast to the Earthly. I mentioned that a tower in a vineyard served also as a lodging place for the keepers of the vineyard. God's Kingdom people (both under the Old and New Covenants) are likened to a vineyard, husbandry (field or cultivated land — NAS version of I Cor. 3:9); see Mt. 21:33-43, Lk. 13:6-9). All "born again" Christians who have received the gift of eternal life are a part of God's Kingdom people. But this "gift" only restores to us what Adam lost when he sinned — "life" for the soul now, and resurrection to an immortal body on this earth in the coming millennium. However, a part of the gospel—"good news" — is that for those who are wil¬ling to fulfill the conditions of discipleship, and thus "press on toward the mark for the prize of the high ("heavenly"—see Heb. 3:1) calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:14), God is prepar¬ing a "lodging place" in the "tower" of the Heavenly Kingdom and glory, who will be the "keepers" (rulers with Christ) OVER those in the earthly Kingdom. The reason that the man in the parable of Lk. 14:28 is pictured as "counting the cost", "whether he have sufficient to finish it", is because Jesus Himself said that with reference to the Heavenly Bride and Household (atten¬dants), "many are called, but few (relatively speaking) are chosen" (Mt. 22:14). See also Rev. 19:7-9.

The third priority of discipleship as given in Luke, chap. 14, starts with Jesus giving a parable and then following it with the requirement. I will first quote the whole passage. "Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an embassage, and desireth conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple (Lk. 14:31-33). Jesus was speaking of spiritual things. But first we must understand the purely material as¬pect of this parable. Remember that a parable contains "veiled" truth, and it can be understood by revelation of the Spirit. To reduce the 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers of the two kings down to the material realm, we divide by 10 and get 1,000 and 2,000. In dealing with material time factors, we know that a day is with the Lord as a thousand years. The Jews of Jesus day were looking for the restoration of the earthly kingdom of David. From the time that David began his reign over Israel until the time of Christ was almost exactly 1000 years, and from the time of Jesus' first coming until His second coming is to be approximately 2000 years. We know from Scripture that David is to be raised up to rule over the earthly kingdom (Jer. 30:9, Ezek. 34:23, 37:24). Although about 2,000 years in material time separates Jesus' first and sec¬ond coming, we know that His Kingdom is a spiritual kingdom (John 18:36), and is to be set up in the "heavenlies" above the earth when He returns, but to supervise the earthly kingdom.

The king with the 10,000 has a decision of make—therefore he sits down and consults with himself. He knows that the king with 20,000 (Christ) is coming to establish His Kingdom over the earth and nothing can stop Him — He has superior strength to do it. The true disciple, regardless of when he has lived down through this age, has recognized the claims of Christ on His life, lets His life to be totally "conquered" by the coming King, that the glorious purpose might by fulfilled to have his life "raised" to the "higher realms" of the coming Heavenly Kingdom. He con¬siders the "cost" of resisting full and unconditional surrender (and be "disqualified" for the prize of the high calling" —see I Cor. 9:27 — NAS version), having to settle for the "lower" or earthly kingdom, and he "sends an embassage" while the king is yet at a distance (with reference to His second coming) and expresses a desire (joyfully and willingly) for conditions of peace (through total submission and obedience). THAT is the spiritual essence of the parable; the "price for inheriting the heavenly Kingdom.

Jesus then gives the "bottom line" in plain terms: "So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple" (Lk. 14:33). The Greek word trans¬lated "forsaketh" means literally "to say adieu (by departing or dismissing); or figuratively "to renounce, to arrange in an orderly manner, i.e. assign or dispose (to a certain position or lot)”. To those of us who really mean business about our discipleship, I believe that this requirement means that we "release ownership" of EVERYTHING that we have and "assign" it over to Jesus. We merely become stewards (trustees) of that which belongs to God, and is at His disposal to use, or to assign for His ministry and glory in any way that will forward His purpose—not only for my life, but for the lives of all who belong to Him. My possessions and my relationships are unconditionally turned over to Him, so that my primary task is only to seek to know HIS WILL and DO it, for only He knows what is best for me and all others that my life is related to or "touches" in some way.

In terms of the parable we have just considered of the two armies, we can say, "I have considered the consequences of want¬ing my own way and trying to direct my own affairs, and in terms of the on-going, "flowing tide" and inevitable conquest of the KING of kings and LORD of lords, I have made a quality decision to give up my way, my plans, my life, my possessions, my relations and submit totally to His love plan to discipline my life according to the precepts and instructions of His Word. I will not compromise or turn back. I will rather "suffer loss" in terms of what man thinks rather than "hang on" to anything that would hinder my "following after" Him until I reach that "prize" of be¬longing to HIM in the totality of my being, and a part of that company of saints who will ultimately "lodge" in that "tower" of His Heavenly Kingdom and Glory."

By His grace, I can say with Bob Moorhead: "I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have Holy Spirit power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of His. I won't look back; I won't slow down, back away or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, taint vision, mundane talking, chincy giving and dwarfed goals. I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotion, plaudits or popularity. I don't have to be right, I don't have to be first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded or rewarded. I now live by presence, lean by faith, walk by patience, lift by prayer, labor by power. My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my God reliable, my mission clear. I can't be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won't give up, shut up, let up, until I'm stayed up, stirred up, prayed up, paid up, fused up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus!"

To "forsake all that we have" in order to be Jesus' disciples, means the same in principle as it did when Jesus walked this earth. However, our perspective is somewhat different. When Jesus was on this earth as a man, those who chose to follow Him and be discipled by Him, had to literally leave behind home, family, etc. This was especially true of the "twelve", whom Jesus chose out of all His disciples to be apostles, and also to be WITH HIM all the time (see Mark 3:13-19). There were other disciples who followed Him and were taught of Him at various times, but were not with Him all the time. Among these were the "seventy", whom He appointed to go out "two by two" to go before Him into every city where He would enter into. There were others who followed Him at times, among whom were women, who ministered to Him out of their material substance (see Lk. 8:1-3). Yet all were disciples.
We no longer have a literal Jesus to follow after, even as the apostle Paul says, "though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more" (II Cor. 5:16). Our "following Him" now is a spiritual pursuit. But the principle of "forsaking ALL" to follow Him remains the same, even though its practical outworking may be somewhat different. IS IT WORTH IT? Peter had the same question in mind, when, as recorded in Mt. 19:27, he asked Jesus: "Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee, what shall we have therefore?" In the verses following (28-30): "And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, that ye which have followed me in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first." Jesus deals first with the twelve, assuring them that they would be a part of His ruling Kingdom be¬cause they had been willing to follow Him for the purpose of having their lives "regenerated" (the Greek word not only means that rebirth which infuses the soul with Jesus' own life and nature, but also that spiritual renovation of the inner being which continues throughout one's life IF one "follows after" (pursues) Jesus with all of his heart). He then gives assurance that anyone who would have to forfeit possessions or relationships for their wholehearted devotion to Him would receive "an hundredfold" — besides being assured of "eternal life".

Although we do not have a right to try to "read into" the words of Jesus something He did not say or mean, we must also realize that He did not speak as an ordinary man; therefore we must not treat His words as those of an ordinary man. He spoke from God's perspective of His plan for man. Therefore many times in what we might consider ordinary conversational teaching, are "veiled" truth ("hidden nuggets") that can only be revealed by the Spirit. I believe that when Jesus promises that those who are willing to "suffer loss" for His name's sake shall receive an "hundredfold", this is a reference to the 100-fold category of Christians—harking back to the basic parable of the Word-seed yielding three categories--the 30 fold, 60 fold, and 100 fold. I have clearly demonstrated in my other writings that only the 100 fold Christ¬ians are candidates for the Heavenly Kingdom and Glory. The 30 and 60 fold groups will have their lot on this earth.

Some might question this, since in Mark's account of these words of Jesus, there is given an added thought. Quoting from Mark 10:29-30: "There is no man that hath left house, or breth¬ren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, but he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life."

Those who have gotten into the extreme prosperity teaching, have used this scripture to try to prove that for every one dollar we give to the Lord, He is bound by His Word to give us a hundredfold, or one hundred dollars back. I do believe there is a spiritual law that what we give to God or others (with the right motive) will eventually return to us many-fold (in one way or another). However, that is another subject and I will not deal with it here. The Scripture I am now dealing with, as quoted above, has nothing to do with our giving to God, although the "prosperity" teachers mis-use it that way. It has to do with those who are wil¬ling to "suffer loss" rather than compromise their commitment to Jesus Christ. In some way they have been rejected, cast out, disinherited, and thus have had to "forsake" possessions or relation¬ships. And Jesus is assuring them that their loss will be made up to them in the context of the larger family of God, wherein they shall receive (in care, love and fellowship) "an hundred-fold" more in houses (that they would find "refuge" in), as well as brethren in Christ; and also Christian sisters, mothers, children, etc., in the Christian community. Seeing this application, however, does not negate what I previously suggested concerning the fact that Jesus was giving a "veiled" reference to the 100-fold category of Christians. Jesus spoke from the perspective of infinite wisdom, even the "manifold" (many-sided) wisdom of God (see Ephes. 3:10), and we are therefore justified in seeing more than one application to many of His words.

Beloved, we have seen that discipleship requires "priorities". Our commitment to Christ must come first IF we want God's highest and best. We must seek the wisdom of God as to jut how to implement such priorities with reference to all our relationships and possessions, and also the will (determination) to carry them out. This does not mean that we neglect our natural responsibilities in daily routine of life. Much could be said about this but my space has run out. Next issue will deal with the "proofs" of discipleship.

2009-05-25T17:34:00.000-07:00

Here is an excerpt from "The Voice of the Bridegroom" by Leland Earls.
Full article is available at www.firstloveministry.com at this url:
http://www.firstloveministry.com/Earls/wlfot_2/vob/vob-entire.htm

Most Christians of the fundamentalist churches believe that all those who are born again will be in the so called "rapture" when Christ comes for His church. Scarcely a worse delusion could be entertained. Christ's Kingdom is to be a ruling kingdom (Rev. 5:10, 20:6). Even in the kingdoms (or nations) of men, think of the chaos that would result if immature, unproven babes and children were put in positions of responsibility to run the "affairs of state." Horrors! If man would not do such a foolish thing, what makes anyone think that God would? Even Jesus' parables of the "talents" and "pounds" show that those to be received into His heavenly kingdom are to be given posts of rulership: "Well done, good and faithful servant: you hast been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things" (Matt, 25:21). . . "Well, [ ] good servant: because you have been faithful in a very little, have [ ] authority over ten cities" (Luke 19:17). The majority of Christians in the world are yet babes and children, spiritual progress and growth considered. Many have begun to enter into the "adolescent" stage, which is good and needful, but this is a "problem time" in spiritual growth, even as it is in the natural. The chief difficulty seems to be spiritual pride (see I Cor. 8:1-2), which can manifest in many ways.

"It is beyond the scope of this short introduction to elaborate, but we can see a type of spiritual pride and consequences in the story of Noah after the flood. Noah planted a vineyard (a type of the Kingdom); but when he drank the fruits thereof, it went to his head, exposing his nakedness and gendering a curse to some (see Gen. 9:20-25). How often is this true when Christians begin to grow and partake of the greater fruits and blessings of the Kingdom. They get "heady" on the "wine", and havoc is often the result. And how hard it is to teach and correct those who are exhilarated in the "fling" of adolescent pride. But thank God there are Christians who have begun to enter into a measure of maturity: who are becoming "pillars" in the temple (church) of God through overcoming (Rev. 3:12). Only such "overcomers" are to sit with Christ on His throne and be given power over the nations (Rev. 2:26-27, 3:21, 12:5).

Many Leland Earls writings NOW AVAILABLE at www.firstloveministry.com

2009-05-17T03:06:00.000-07:00

Go to this link for many of Leland Earls books freely available online.
http://www.firstloveministry.com/Earls/intro.htm

God bless you in Christ!

The Gift and the Prize

2009-04-25T05:59:00.001-07:00

THE GIFT AND THE PRIZE
by J. Leland Earls, Word of Life Fellowship, Shelton, WA
www.wordoflifefellowship.com

posted with permission by Joel Jones, bible-based-studies.blogspot.com

One time I asked a Bible study group in the church where I ministered if they knew the difference between a "gift" and a "prize." The majority were immediately certain that they knew. I had them turn in their Bibles to Romans 6:23 where it speaks of the "gift" of God which is eternal life, and then Philippians 3:14 where we read of the "prize" of the high calling. Then I asked if they thought the two passages were referring to the same thing. They looked a little puzzled. Evidently such a thought had never occurred to most of them. Why should it? Most Christians have read the Bible so long through rose-colored glasses of traditional theology, that it is difficult for them to take the simple meaning of words and apply them correctly.

In Timothy 2:15, Paul admonishes us to "study [endeavor] to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." But how does one "rightly divide" the Word of Truth? The Greek word orthotomeo means 'to cut straight' (divide), and as Paul is speaking of a good workman, he must be thinking of some work in which the workman's skill consists in cutting straight; perhaps his own trade, in which it was all important to cut the pieces straight that were afterwards to be joined together to make a tent. To "rightly divide the word of Truth" means, at least in part, to properly "cut straight," divide or distinguish between the various portions of Divine Truth that they might be fit together into one harmonious whole.

Does it make sense to call salvation, or eternal life, both a gift and a prize? Does it not make better sense to "rightly divide" the two, and by diligent study, show by many Scriptures that there is a "prize" to be won as well as a "gift" to be received? And thus instead of making God's Word contradict itself, fit each portion of truth into its proper place in the Divine scheme of things and produce one harmonious whole.

If we are to "rightly divide" the word of Truth, we must distinguish between salvation, as such, which is the gift of God, and the "high calling" which is something to be attained to. This is brought out by Paul in I Corinthians 9:24, where he uses the same Greek word translated "prize" as we find in Philippians 3:14. He shows it to be like the prize won in the games or athletic contests of the time. "Know ye not that they which run a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain." In the same chapter, Paul indicates his own apprehension of failure to obtain this prize:

"I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one beating the air: but I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection, lest that by any means when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway."
I Corinthians 9:26-27

How different are these words than those of the Apostle which we read in II Timothy 1:12:
"For I know Whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day."

In one instance we have apprehension and in the other certitude. Should we not "rightly divide" these Scriptures and realize that in the latter words Paul was speaking of his certainty of salvation (eternal life), whereas in the former he realizes there is something else which he had not yet attained, and which would require all the energies and devotion of his life. Hear his words:

"...if by any means I may attain unto the resurrection “
Not that I have already obtained, or am already made perfect: but I press on, if so be that I may lay hold on that for which also I was laid hold on by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself yet to have laid hold: but one thing I do, forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before, I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 3:11-14

The prize which Paul is so eager to attain is referred to in the above passage as the "high calling." The Greek word translated "high" may also be translated "above" or "upwards." Thus the "high calling" is a summons or invitation to come up higher. This is in harmony with the statement in Hebrews 3:1: "Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling." It is a call or summons to attain to the glories of heaven itself. All of us who have been saved are partakers of (associates in) this heavenly calling. But - we must "give diligence to make our calling and election sure" (II Pet. 1:10). Certainly this is not the same as the GIFT of eternal life which is now the present possession of every born again Christian. The distinction is made clear in II Timothy 1:9 where Paul speaks of God Who "saved us, and called us with a holy calling." The two ideas would not be separated by the conjunction "and" if they were one and the same. Paul, in Romans 11:29, speaks of the gifts and the callings of God, indicating that they are not the same.

NOW the picture comes into focus. Obviously, if "heaven" is a PRIZE to be won, then the GIFT of eternal life must provide only for restored life on the same plane on which it was lost - the EARTHLY! Adam was on earth, not in heaven, when he forfeited deathless life. The PRIZE involves being "joint heirs" with Christ and His own (heavenly) realm, to rule and reign with Him over the earth (Rom. 8:17; Rev. 5:10, 20:6). Those who fail to make this "calling" must come back to earth in the coming Kingdom age to live in deathless physical bodies. The fact that many saved ones are now in that realm called "paradise" in no way indicates that they will be a part of that coming "Heavenly Kingdom" as "co-heirs and co-rulers" with Christ. Paradise is an intermediate state of bliss for departed souls who have been saved, but it is in no way synonymous with the glories of the coming Kingdom of Christ where those who have overcome will rule and reign with Him. Resurrected life back to this earth is to be the lot of many saved ones until they have fully entered into all that has been ordained for them. Then at some future date they shall be translated into the Heavenly realms, and they will operate no longer in a physical but in a glorified body.

We have seen from three different Scriptures that the PRIZE is a high calling, a holy calling and a heavenly calling. Let us examine these thoughts a little further. We know that the word "high" indicates that which is lofty or elevated. Thus, in type, the high calling would be symbolized by the top or summit of a mountain which rises above the ground level. Moses, on the top of Mount Sinai, would typify the high calling. The word "high" also means 'difficult to comprehend', 'of a great price', or 'greater price than usual'. Thus the "high calling" is not for easy going, indulgent Christians. A price must be paid! Paul knew well the price: a total renunciation of the things of the world. Hear his words:

"Howbeit, what things were gain to me, these have I counted loss for Christ. Yea verify, and I count all things loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for Whom I suffered the loss of all things and do count them but refuse, that I may gain Christ. . .that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His suffering, becoming conformed unto His death; if by any means I may attain unto the resurrection from (out from
among) the dead."
Philippians 3:7-11

Paul is referring to the "first resurrection" of those who will "reign with Him" (Rev. 20:6). The word "high" also means 'elevated in rank, condition or office'. Those who attain unto the high calling are to receive positions of authority and rank far above those who enter the earthly kingdom. As a matter of fact they are to rule over the earthly kingdom.

"Blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection: on such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of christ, and shall REIGN with Him a thousand years."
Revelation 20:6

Of the Apostles, Jesus said, "Ye shall sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (Matt. 19:28). According to Revelation 5:10, those to be made priests and kings shall reign on (over) the earth. Paul says in I Corinthians 6:2-3, "Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? Know ye not that we shall judge angels?" Thus those of the "high calling" are elevated even above angels!

The calling is not only high, it is also holy (II Tim. 1:9). "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord" (Heb. 12:14). Holiness means separation in spirit from the things of the world. The Israelites, delivered from Egypt and on their way to Canaan, typify the Christians of this age who have been delivered from the pollutions of this world and are on their way to the Heavenly Kingdom. Numerous and detailed laws did God give the Israelites to teach them holiness (separation) from that which defiles and makes "unclean." Most of these laws are found in Leviticus, where repeatedly did God say, "Ye shall be holy, for I am holy" (Lev. 11:44, and etc.). "I am the Lord your God, which have separated you from other people" (Lev. 20:24). All these things happened unto them for examples (types); and they are written for our admonition (I Cor. 10:11). "Wherefore, come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I WILL RECEIVE YOU" (II Cor. 6:17). "But as He which has called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy" (I Pet. 1:15). The church, which is to become the bride of Christ is to be presented to Him a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; "but that it should be holy and without blemish" (Eph. 5:27). Certainly most Christians have not yet attained to this kind of holiness!

The calling is also a "heavenly" calling. "Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling" (Heb. 3:1). The PRIZE of the high calling is Heaven itself; or we might say the "Heavenly Kingdom" or realm which is being prepared for those who lave Him with all of their hearts and souls, and who are being perfected into His likeness. Since "flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God" (I Cor. 15:20), it becomes evident that those who enter therein are to be clothed with bodies commensurate with the Heavenly realm. Paul says,

"For our citizenship is in heaven; whence also we wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall fashion anew the body of our humiliation, that it may be conformed to the
body of His Glory."
Philippians 3:20-21

We read in I Corinthians 15:40 that there are celestial (heavenly) bodies, and bodies terrestrial (earthly), and that the two differ in glory. Paul also uses the terms "natural" bodies and "spiritual" bodies (I Cor. 15:44-48). "Natural" bodies are for the earth, and "spiritual" bodies are for the heavens. The New Testament repeatedly speaks of this entrance into the Heavenly realm as being "glorified," or entering into "glory." "If so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be glorified with Him" (Rom. 8:17). This, of course, indicates an adornment and beautification far surpassing that of the earthly glory. It is that "glory" with which Christ Himself was adorned after the resurrection and transformation of His earthly body. "Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory?" (Lk. 24:26). Those who are to be glorified with Him are to become like Him.

"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it is not yet manifest what we shall be. We know that, when He shall be manifested, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." I John 3:2
Surely, it staggers our imagination to realize just how high, holy and heavenly this calling is!

Though this prize is something to be attained to, we must not harbor the idea that it is something achieved through our own effort or merit alone. It is "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Col. 1:27). It is the power of His Spirit dwelling within that enables one to overcome the world, even as He overcame the world and entered into glory. HE now lives to make intercession for us (Rom. 8:26-27). Only those who have allowed the Lord, by His Spirit, to do a perfect (complete) work in them (Phil. 1:6) can hope to be "joint heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:17) in His own (heavenly) realm. How many have been lulled into the lethargy and slumber of the "foolish virgins" because the Word was not "rightly divided" to them; and they thought all there was to do was to believe, be baptized, and live a fairly respectable life, and a mansion in Heaven was awaiting them.

"For many are called but few are chosen" (Matt. 22:14). I used to think that this meant only a few would be saved and the rest eternally lost. I now realize that many saved ones are called to "His kingdom and glory," (I Thess. 2:12) but few give diligence to "….make their calling and election sure. .."(II Pet. 1:10). Shall we not "rightly divide" the Word of truth? We need to live in the joy and assurance of our salvation, but we also need to press on toward the "prize of the high calling." "Wherefore He saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light" (Eph. 5:14).

Letters to the Seven Churches (Revelation 2-3)

2009-04-25T05:43:00.000-07:00

LETTERS TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES
PART 1…THE LETTER TO EPHESUS.

Written by J. Leland Earls, Word of Life Fellowship (of Shelton, Washington) in about 1977.

The Lord has spoken to us by means of the seven letters to the seven churches of Asia (Rev. 2-3). Seven is the number of the church, and the seven letters portray a prophetic picture of the course of the church throughout the dispensation which is now drawing to a close. This is the day that all things pertaining to the church are coming to a consummation, and before long the final trumpet shall sound the call to battle. During the days of the voice of the seventh angel the mystery of God will be finished, and only those prepared shall be able to stand victoriously and help bind the power of Satan's fury (Rev. 10:7).

EPHESUS

The Lord's first message was to the church at Ephesus (Rev. 2:1). Of the seven churches mentioned, only to the church of the Ephesians did the Apostle Paul also write an epistle. This is significant for it shows that the letter which the Lord sent to Ephesus portrays the condition in the early church during the days of the Apostle Paul and those associated with him. Even though it was conveyed through John to that church a number of years after Paul's ministry was sealed by death, it portrays by symbolic representation, the church of the Apostolic period. This is why the Lord is represented as the one "that holdeth the seven stars in His right hand, Who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks" (Rev. 2:1). In those days the Lord was still in control of the ministries of the church, and He was still walking in power in the midst of His people. He is still walking in the midst of His people, but He is not manifesting the living Word and power through them as His heart desires, because they are as yet unwilling to give Him all the glory, and He will share His glory with no man. He is still holding in His right hand certain special ministries of His choosing, and they are being prepared in this hour for a mighty work; but so many of those ministries are as yet unwilling to let Him hold them completely, having so many desires and ambitions of their own. So, by His Spirit He broods over His people and ministries, longingly waiting for the time that He can once again assume full control and Headship over all that is His. This He will do, and very shortly, for none shall be able to thwart His purpose, and those who have been prepared shall rise up in power as ONE MAN, fitly joined together as His Body, ready to fulfill their destined calling in this end-time.

Now the glory of the Apostolic church is seen in the words of commendation which the Lord spoke unto it.

"I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil; and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for My Name's sake hast labored, and hast not fainted. " Revelation 2:2-3

The early church was vigilant against evil which corrupts and against false apostles sowing seeds of error. But they were lax in guarding against the intrusion of interests which began to capture their attention and affection to the extent that their love for the Lord was no longer the primary, all-consuming focus of their lives. Therefore the Lord said, "I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love” (Rev. 2:4). Here is the key to maintaining freshness and vigor in your Christian life as well as power and vitality in the church. Ever make the Lord the object of your love and adoration. Let no person or thing become more important in your life than Him. Let not your primary concern be the doing of things for Him, but let it be the outpouring of your love to Him as you spend much time in the secret place of meditation on His Word and the uplifting of praises unto Him. When you become primarily occupied with the doing of things FOR Him, in works and labors, you are focusing your attention on that which is secondary, and like those in the early church you are in danger of leaving your first love. Live in His love; let it consume your very being; then your labors will indeed be great. But they will be a demonstration of LOVE WROUGHT OUT, and not merely the attempt to gain something: whether that be in the sight of men, for praise and recognition, or in the Lord's sight, to gain His favor and reward. The Lord does not care for your works, as such, but He prizes highly that which represents love poured out, in obedience and faithfulness.

His admonition to the church at Ephesus, as representative of the Apostolic period, was to "Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works, or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent" (Rev. 2:5). The "first works" which the Lord wanted them to return to were the works of obedience, demonstrating love. For those who love Him keep His commandments. He is not interested in His people doing works for works sake. He is interested in His people loving Him and obeying Him. When the early church began to get its eyes on labors and works, no matter how well intentioned, forgetting to look unto Him in obedient love, to do His will, then were they commanded to repent. But having failed to heed that warning, their lamp was removed, and the glory and power of the Apostolic period began to wane until it was as a lamp which had ceased to shine.

But there were those who rose above the wayward tendencies of their brethren. They were sensitive to the Spirit’s wooing and leading. To them did the Lord speak:

"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God." Revelation 2:7

The "overcomers" were given special promises because of their fidelity to the Lord and obedience to His Word, overcoming the tendency to laxness in seeking Him and His will first. They were privileged to eat of the "tree of life." This tree is none other than the Lord's own life and righteousness imparted to those who receive Him by faith. But the eating of the fruit thereof speaks of the joys and blessedness of those who have so yielded unto Him in love and obedience, that the fruits of righteousness, the fruits of the Spirit's working in their inner being, have been brought forth in profusion. This is the tree of life bearing its fruit in the midst of the paradise of God. That paradise, in one application, represents the 'garden' of the human body, in the midst of which divine life is at work, watered by the Word and the Spirit, and quickened by the warmth of reciprocating love.

The Lord commended the church of Ephesus for one other attribute. "But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate" (Rev. 2:6). The Nicolaitans were those who slyly sought to elevate certain leaders above the people in such a way that they gradually assumed sacerdotal importance, even as the priests of the pagan religions. But such deeds were clearly evident in those who were followers and promoters of false apostles, and the true saints refused to be misled by those who sought to substitute spiritual authority for authority appointed and enforced by men. If God's people in this day are to enter into His purposes, and receive the glory awaiting, they must have the spiritual perception to discern between the false and the true, and "hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans" even as the early Christians did. The Lord's true ministries do not need the carnal ways of man to fulfill their calling, and He will hold His people exalt and promote the flesh of men as a substitute for true spiritual authority and power. That which is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in God's sight (Lk. 16:15).

Letters to the Seven Churches,
Part 2,
SMYRNA
Written by Leland Earls in about 1977. Word of Life Fellowship. Shelton, WA.
www.wordoflifefellowship.com

The Lord's second message was unto the church of Smyrna. Since this letter followed the one to Ephesus, it portrays, by symbolic representation, the period in the history of the church following the Apostolic age. It was the period of the great persecutions under the Roman emperors. That is why the Lord's salutation at the beginning has to do with life forevermore; for many saints were martyred during this period of history. So it is written: "These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive" (Rev. 2:8). It was the Lord's assurance that as He was the first to die by the hands of the persecutors, so would He be with all who had to lay down their lives for His Name's sake, even unto the last one. And even as He was made alive after death, so would He quicken to life all who laid down their lives in death: first in the eternal realms of the soul, and finally in the resurrection of the physical body.

During the time of these intense persecutions by the Roman beast, it was a common practice to confiscate the property and belongings of the Christians who would not deny their faith. Therefore did the Lord speak unto them:

"I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan." Revelation 2:9

Many found themselves in great poverty as far as material things were concerned, but they were rich in faith and in spiritual verities. Although the persecutions were carried out by the Roman powers, in many instances, behind the scenes, the instigators were the Jews scattered throughout the Roman Empire. These Jews, though claiming to be descendants of Abraham according to the flesh, were not 'true Jews', or Israelites indeed, according to the spirit of faith (Rom. 2:28-29). Having rejected the Messiah, and having sinned against great light, they became blinded captives of the enemy, even Satan, and thus the very manifest enemies of all Christians. Their 'blasphemy' consisted of their laying claim to the Name of the Almighty as His chosen, but not in truth and righ¬teousness. Yet they have been preserved according to the flesh, for a purpose yet to be fulfilled at the close of the age.

So great was the persecution of these saints that untold thousands were imprisoned. Therefore the Lord spoke,

"Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days; be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." Revelation 2:10

For many, the imprisonment was unto death; oft times by means of savage torture at the hands of men or by the mouths of lions. The ten days mentioned is symbolic of the ten great persecutions which rose and receded during a period of over two centuries. The ten also portrays the completion of a soul cycle, whereby that life which had been received into the souls of those persecuted was tested and proven through the 'fires' of opposition, engendering completion unto 'life crowned'. This 'crown of life' promised to those who would be faithful unto death is life on a higher plane of being. It will be received when the Lord returns to gather His full overcoming saints unto Himself. This life will be manifested in a glorified physical body, like unto the Lord's own glorious body (Phil. 3:21). It goes beyond eternal life in the soul realm, or resurrected physical life on the earth plane. It is the ultimate of that which the Lord has planned for those who love Him and keep His commandments.

A promise of assurance is given in this letter unto those who overcome, even in a measure. The Lord states that, "He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death" (Rev. 2:11). There are degrees of overcoming, as seen in the fact that in all there are seven special promises to the overcomers in the seven letters. The assurance given here is for those who go beyond the initial believing in the Lord's vicarious atonement for their sins. The escaping of the second death is possible only through being 'born anew' of the incorruptible seed (Jn. 3:3-5, I Pet. 1:23). When His very own LIFE is imparted to the soul, it is forever free from death, and the eventual restoration of the physical body is also assured, if that body has been laid aside in death. The second death has to do with a future judgment day, and those who have "passed from death to life" (Jn. 5:24) need have no fear, for they remain secure, and when the “lake of fire:” is activated, netting the second death for both body and soul (Matt. 10:28), they shall have no part therein (see Rev. 20:9-15). "He that has an ear, lei him hear what the Spirit is saying unto the churches."
Written by J. Leland Earls, Word of Life Fellowship (of Shelton, Washington) in about 1977. www.wordoflifefellowship.com. They hold the copyright.

Letters to the Seven Churches,
Part 4, Thyatira

THYATIRA

The fourth church to which the Lord delivered a message was Thyatira. During this era, the apostasy culminated with the complete centralization of power in the bishop of Rome who was given the title of Pope' (or papa) of bishops, The Eastern section of the organized church resisted this centralization of power in the West, and gradually a schism developed to such proportions that an open split resulted After commending the faithful of the church of Thyatira for their works and charity and service and faith and patience, the Lord expressed His displeasure at the increased apostasy:

"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." Revelation 2:20

That which was the "doctrine of Balaam" during the Pergamos era, became, in the Thyatira period of the church, the seducing tactics of "that woman Jezebel." Jezebel was the wife of the wicked king Ahab during the days that Israel had almost completely abandoned the faith of their fathers. She was the daughter of a foreign king who brought her alien religion into Israel, and because of the weakness of Ahab, she dominated the religious life of the nation, destroying the true Prophets of God and establishing the prophets of Baal and Asherah (see 1 Kings 16:30-32; 18:4,13,19). This is the typical picture the Lord chooses in order to portray the religious condition of the Thyatira period, commonly referred to as the Middle Ages: the inception of which was in the years of growing Papal power.

The Lord declares that Jezebel seduced His servants to commit fornication. Symbolically, this Jezebel is one and the same as the great whore described in Revelation 17,

"With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication."
Revelation 17:2

This "fornication" has to do with the illicit relationship of church and state, primarily; however, it relates also to the unholy union of church and manmade organizations which purport to speak for the Lord. It is the church turning to the "arm of flesh" for its sustenance and propagating power (Jer. 17:5). This "mother of harlots" is symbolic of false religion -that which is alien to the true spirit of Christ. She has filled the earth with her abominations, and the inhabitants of the earth are drunk with the wine of her fornication.

This woman has plied her trade for many centuries, even before the Christian era began. She is pictured as sitting upon many waters, or peoples, and also upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns (Rev. 17:1-3). From the over-all historical perspective, the seven heads are seven major nations or empires which have been, or will be, influenced by this woman. They are: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome (both pagan and Christian, including those nations which have apostatized into Communism, taking upon their heads the name of blasphemy - (Rev. 13:1), and the coming world government of the False Prophet which must continue for a short time (Rev. 13:11-18, 17:10, 19:20). The woman, or false religion, will continue to hold sway in the coming era of the seventh head, for the corrupt religious systems, both Catholic and Protestant, will enter into league with it. The sixth head, which ruled in the Apostle John's day (Rev. 17:10), has continued until this day, as its hereditary power has continued through Christendom, even though apostate and blasphemous.

Historically, the woman, which is the priestcraft of false religion, has affected the affairs of the nations directly through the close relationship of government and an officially sup ported priesthood. The priesthood has helped the ruling forces to maintain their power and control by keeping the masses of people in subjection through fear and supposed paternalistic favor. Thus the woman is supported or carried by the Beast through an official working relationship between religion and state. In those former Christian nations which have taken upon their heads the name of blasphemy, however, there is a different relationship between the woman and the Beast. The woman is responsible for the coming into being of such Marxist dictatorships by fostering conditions leading to severe reaction against the corrupt system which prevailed through her fornication. Thus false religion actually is responsible for spawning the likes of Communism; it is her offspring. And because she has spawned it, she shall be judged by it.

This is portrayed in the prophetic picture by the following:

"And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.” Revelation 17:16

The ten horns are ten nations which will be completely taken over by Beastial elements and become an integral part of the "sea beast" (Rev. 13:1). They shall then turn against the religious systems and decimate them, both Catholic and Protestant. This will include the very stronghold of the Roman church system in Italy - the Vatican. Think not that only the Catholic branches of apostate Christianity will feel the wrath of the Beast. The harlot daughters of the Protestant fold will also be greatly affected.

In the letter to Thyatira, the Lord gave this warning concerning Jezebel:

"Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds." Revelation 2:22

It will be during the Great Tribulation that the great whore will be decimated by the Beastial powers, which correspond to the dogs that ate Jezebel after she was cast down and trodden under foot (II Ki. 9:30-37). The Lord has given her much opportunity to repent of her fornication but she has refused, therefore He will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that it is He which searches the reins and hearts: and He will give unto everyone according to their works (Rev. 2:21, 23). The time is drawing near when all of these things will take place. Therefore consider, for even now we are being tried; and the Lord is searching our hearts,

"As many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. But that which ye have already hold fast till I come." Revelation 2:24

As in the other letters, there is a promise given to the overcomers in the message to Thyatira.

“And he that overcometh, and keepeth My works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of My Father. And I will give him the morning star.” Revelation 2:26-28

In the letter to Thyatira, the first mention is made of the Great Tribulation which comes at the close of the church age. This is because the apostate religious system which became entrenched during the Thyatira period continues until the Tribulation and will be judged at that time. The initial fulfillment of the promise to the overcomers will come at the beginning of the Tribulation period. The Lord will translate and take unto Himself 144,000 of the choicest of saints, and they will be given power over the nations during the Tribulation. They will be functioning in their glorified bodies and will have the power to appear and disappear on the earth. This ability will constitute the "rod of iron" which will be used as the means to speak God's word and enforce His judgments. Jesus received of His Father authority, and He will give to His servants authority to implement His will among the nations, and those nations which do not that which they make known will be broken in pieces as a potter's vessel. These Firstfruits saints are also given the pledge of the "morning star," which is the Lord's betrothal to them as the Bridegroom. They are the wise virgins, received into the marriage at the midnight hour (Matt. 25:10). They make up "the queen in gold of Ophir” to be "brought unto the king in raiment of needlework" (Ps. 45:9-14). "The virgins her companions that follow her" will be brought unto Him at the close of the Tribulation (Ps. 45:14 15). They are the foolish virgins who are not completely read) at the beginning of the Tribulation, when He comes as a thief in the night (Matt. 25:11-13). He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.

Part 5, Sardis

SARDIS

Following the Thyatira era was the period of church history represented by the church in Sardis. To this church the Lord spoke saying,

"These things saith He that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead."
Revelation 3:1

After many centuries of entrenched apostasy, the Sardis era dawned with the raising up of the great Reformers who protested the abuses and falsehoods of the Roman system. The Scriptures began to be opened to them and they began to speak the truth with power. The discovery of printing and the invention of the printing press also enabled them to print and distribute portions of the Scriptures to multitudes of people. In time a mighty movement was sweeping across the formerly Catholic dominated countries of Europe, and that which was later known as Protestantism was born. That is why He spoke as the One Who "has the seven spirits of God, and the seven stars." For the first time in hundreds of years there was a large scale spiritual awakening: a coming forth from slumber and darkness. The "seven stars" indicate the coming forth during that time of a true spiritual ministry, and the "seven spirits" portray the working of the spirit of revelation and power. Thus it was fulfilled that the church of the Reformation had a name that lived; but, immediately following, the Lord said: "and art dead" (Rev. 3:1). Why? Although the Reformers broke away from the dead forms of the Roman church, they very soon began to establish church systems patterned after their Catholic mother. Although avoiding the complete centralization of power, they began to erect hierarchies of authority by means of man-made denominational councils and clerical bodies of various kinds. There was also a further turning to the 'arm of flesh' by entering into the church-state relationship in various countries A further deadening influence came from the creedal battles which ensued for many years. Thus that which had sprung forth as a living movement gradually became crystallized into well-established and organized denominations with rigid lines of demarcation, and fixed creeds and forms. Therefore did God speak:

"Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and holdfast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee." Revelation 3:2-3

The fact that He spoke of His coming "as a thief indicates that the Protestant denominations, along with their Catholic mother, will not be expecting His return, but will be taken completely by surprise. There are a few, however, who will be ready. Of them did He speak:

"Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white: for they are worthy." Revelation 3:4

Their garments, which they have kept undefiled, are their inner soul garments. Originally washed in the blood of the Lamb (Rev. 1:5, 7:14), they have been kept continually white and pure through obedience to the Truth, and the washing of the water of the Word (I Pet. 1:22, Eph. 5:26-27). They will "walk with Him in white" by being received of Him when He comes as a thief at the beginning of the Tribulation period, and by being clothed with their glorified bodies.
As in the other letters, a further promise was given to the overcomers.

"He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels." Revelation 3:5

The white raiment mentioned here symbolizes the glori¬fied bodies with which the translated saints will be clothed. On its own plane of existence such a body glows with the soft white light of the glory of God. When manifesting on the earth plane and appearing to those yet in the flesh, the glori¬fied body vibrates to the pitch of flesh and bone (Lk. 24:39) and is as tangible as any flesh and blood body; but its sustaining principle is no longer the life in the blood, which links the body with the earth and its elements, for the very life-substance of God sustains it and relates it to the plane of divine life and light. It is because the overcomer is so clothed that the Lord is able to confess his name before His Father and before His angels. None except those so clothed will ever be ushered into the Presence of the Most High God. And to them is the added assurance given that under no circumstances will their name ever be removed from the "Book of Life." They will be sons of glory, manifesting the life and light of God on their own plane of existence, but also ministering to and watching over those who are yet on the earth plane. They shall be joined by a great host at the close of the Tribulation as many more overcomers put on their garments of light and glory, to be united with Him in joint-heirship and joint-rulership of all that is His (Rev. 7:9-17).
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Labels: Revelation Prophecy Sardis Tribulation Overcomer

LETTERS TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES, PART 6, CHURCH AT PHILADELPHIA

PHILADELPHIA

The sixth message was given to the Philadelphia Church. This church represents that era out of which arose the great evangelical and missionary witness which has caused the Gospel to be sent to many lands. It had its inception during the time that the Protestant churches had become virtually dead and ineffectual in their witness. Especially in the English speaking countries there was a turning to the Lord by individuals and small groups of Christians seeking revival because of the desperately wicked conditions prevalent. The Lord heard their cry, even as His words indicate:

"These things saith He that is holy, He that is true, He that hath the key of David, He that openeth and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept My word, and hast not denied My Name." Revelation 3:7-8

He is presented as the One Who is holy and true, because the emphasis was placed on holiness of life, and the present¬ing of the Gospel of truth to the ends of the earth. Flaming evangelists arose calling sinners to repentance. Missionary societies of various kinds began to mushroom, and over a period of a number of years, thousands of missionaries went to heathen lands. Many movements arose placing the emphasis on the simple life of the New Testament in faith and order. Other movements arose placing the emphasis on holiness, sanctification and separateness from the world.

Hand in hand with this spiritual resurgence, primarily in the English speaking world, went the advent of Britain and the United States to positions of world leadership. Thus tru¬ly an open door was set before the church of the 19th century to present the Gospel witness throughout the world. The two greatest Christian nations had both the opportunity and the means presented to them; for as the sovereign King, having the key of David, the Lord pledged that no man would shut that door.

During the era of the sixth church the Lord gave the Christian peoples an unprecedented opportunity, an open door, to come into the fullness of that number, for on the sixth day He created man, and said "let him have dominion” (Gen. 1:26). If God's people had been willing to pay the price, spiritual dominion could have arisen throughout the earth and the way prepared for a 20th century of righteousness and peace. But instead, the 20th century has seen two World Wars, many smaller ones, and a third World War is now on the horizon. It saw the beast of Communism arise and enslave multitudes of people. It saw the rapid decline of Britain in world leadership. It is now seeing the power of entrenched evil fasten itself upon the nations as never before; and the breakdown of law and order is a growing menace. It is seeing the rapid loss of individual liberties and the increasing control by expanding governments. It is seeing unprecedented moral breakdown on all levels of society, and the increasing deterioration of the organized churches into the practical infidelity of liberalism and modernism. All of this BECAUSE the Lord's people failed to avail themselves of the open door which He set before them to vigorously carry forth the commission to evangelize the nations.

Because of the faithfulness of a small remnant which has kept the Lord's Word, and has not denied His Name, He will continue to keep this door open even unto the end of the age, and the Gospel of the Kingdom will yet be preached in all nations for a witness before the end comes (Matt. 24:14). But because of the failure to carry forth the Word during the years when the way would have been relatively easy, the battle will now be hard fought, with much opposition. Only at a great cost will the message now be carried to the ends of the earth, for the martyrs will be many, as Satanic power in full fury arises to encompass the earth. And those who truly love Him will have to give up most of their earthly wealth and possessions in order to remain true to the Lord and keep from receiving the mark of the Beast in their foreheads and in their hands (Rev. 13:16).

How can we fulfill the Lord's Word? Our strength is small (Rev. 3:8). It will be because of the Lord's secret strategy! Spiritual power unprecedented will be available when He suddenly translates the 144,000 Firstfruits and commissions them to uphold and guide His end-time Body on the earth, and when He pours out His Spirit in profusion in fulfillment of the end-time Pentecost. And through the supernatural guidance of His glorified ones, and the anointed ministry of His chosen saints on earth, His Word shall go forth in power, accompanied by signs, wonders and miracles. So will the true spirit of the Philadelphia church continue until the end, that a mighty harvest might be brought forth unto the Lord.

Even as the apostate Roman church of the Thyatira period continues to the end to be cast into a bed of Tribulation (Rev. 2:22-23), and the dying Protestant churches, which had their inception in the Sardis era, continue to be taken by surprise when He comes as a thief (Rev. 3:3), so will the faithful remnant represented by the Philadelphia church continue as a witness of the Lord's faithfulness until through them He has accomplished the fulfillment of the open door that no man can shut. Those nations which seem to be shut to a vital Gospel witness shall yet be penetrated with mighty revival.

After the Lord has poured out His Spirit on the prepared and waiting remnant, and a mighty revival begins to sweep across the earth, then will the words be fulfilled:
"Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee." Revelation 3:9

One of the great phenomena of the end-time revival will be the turning of many Jews to the Lord as their Messiah. This will be brought about by the unusual witness of those who have been especially prepared and commissioned for a Spirit-powered ministry that will convince and convict. Many who have been the Satan-impelled enemies of the Cross and the Christian Gospel will suddenly make an about face and become outspoken witnesses for the Truth. They will come in humility and repentance, and in great contrition, and sit at the feet of those who are gathered together in the spirit of the Philadelphia church, where the love of God is manifested in reality and power. Then they will be 'true Jews' indeed, in the spirit of the New Covenant of faith, and the circumcision of the heart (Rom. 2:28-29). And they shall worship the Lord in oneness of heart with those they had formerly despised.

The Lord spoke a further word to the Philadelphia church,
"Because thou hast kept the word of My patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown." Revelation 3:10-11

This has a two-fold application. First, the 144,000 wise virgin Firstfruits will be taken and translated into the Heavenly realm just before the great hour of trial begins. They shall be redeemed from the earth to stand before the Son of man, that they might be commissioned for duty among the saints yet on earth during the Tribulation (Lk. 21:36, Rev. 14:4).

Secondly, all those who faithfully keep the Lord's Word and put their complete trust in Him, will receive His protection and guidance, that they be not confused, confounded or harmed by the trying events and circumstances of the Tribulation period. There will be those who will die for His Name's sake that they might receive the martyr's reward, but only because they have willingly agreed to make such a sacrifice. But until their time comes, they will be kept from all harm. The "crown" mentioned is that which He has spoken of elsewhere. It corresponds to the prize of the high calling: those who will be received into the Heavenly Kingdom to rule and reign with Him. Give diligence, therefore, to make your calling and election sure (II Pet. 1:10).

Finally, in the Philadelphia letter, there is the sixth promise to the overcomers.
"Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the Name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, which is New Jerusalem, which cometh down out
of heaven from My God: and I will write upon him My new Name." Revelation 3:12The temple which the Lord is building is a spiritual one made of living stones (I Pet. 2:5, Eph. 2:20-22). The stones are now being hewn and prepared, as each overcomer yields to the working of the Lord's Spirit in his or her life. He is the chief corner stone of this temple which is to be filled with the fullness of the glory of God. This temple will be fitly joined together, first on earth, and then in the heavenlies. He is now moving by His Spirit to bring about the fulfillment of that which we read about in the Scriptures.

The type of that which the Lord is doing is portrayed in the events which led up to the construction of the physical Temple under Solomon. You will notice that David prepared in abundance for the temple before his death, and he set masons to work to hew wrought stones for the building thereof (see I Chron. 22:1-5). David's reign is a type of the Christian dispensation, even as the preceding reign of Saul is a type of the era of the Law. Solomon's reign is a type of the Kingdom era which is now at hand. The Temple was not actually joined together until Solomon began his reign, but the preparation was made in the reign of David by the gathering of the material and the hewing of the stones. The stones were prepared in the quarries before they were brought together at the building site. So perfect was the preparation that each stone fit in its proper place so that "there was neither hammer nor axe not any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building" (I Kings. 6:7).

This is why the Lord must do a perfecting work in our lives now, for as living stones in His Temple you must be prepared to take your place in that which He has chosen for you. For before long He will begin to move mightily to join together the living stones as a mighty witness to His power and glory. Even as Solomon was anointed king before David'; death, so does this portray the fact that there is an overlap ping of dispensations. The Day of the Lord, or Solomon's reign, has its inception before the Christian dispensation, or David's reign, is completely over. The overlapping period is signaled by the beginning of the blowing of the seven trumpets recorded in the Book of Revelation (Rev. 8:2). Historically this period had its inception during the years that the secret of the atom was being unlocked and, more specifically, when the first atomic bomb was exploded. But the actual joining together in power of the Lord's glorious Temple does not take place until the blowing of the seventh trumpet when His secret strategy takes place and He pours out His Spirit in a second Pentecost.

What He joins together on earth as a witness to His Glory, and to bring forth a mighty harvest as one age is closing and another is beginning, He will also join together in the heavenlies. For immediately following the Great Tribulation, a great host of overcomers will be joined to Him in the Heavenly Kingdom, being united with one another and with the Firstfruits who preceded them (Rev. 14:2-4). This glorified body of saints will then be the means whereby the Lord will dwell in the midst of the people who are on the earth within the confines of the earthly kingdom. For those in the earthly kingdom will receive constant teaching, guidance and counsel from the glorified saints.

Because of the destiny of the overcoming saints, and their coming inheritance as joint heirs in the Heavenly Kingdom, being associated with all the Heavenly retinue, He will write upon them the name of His God, the name of the New Jerusalem, and His new Name (Rev. 3:12). The writing of these names has nothing to do with an outward inscription of any kind. They are expressive of Spirit impartations, making the recipients equal to that which is required for participation in and fulfillment of their assigned positions. The "name of My God" must be written upon the foreheads of all overcomers while yet in the flesh. It is their 'sealing' for the Spirit-powered ministry that is to come forth in His spiritual temple, or Body in this end time (Rev. 7:3, 14:1). After the overcoming saints have been glorified they shall receive the name, or power- potential, necessary for them to dwell within the New Jerusalem, which will come down out of the upper heavens and be stationed in the stratosphere above the earth. This will then be the home and headquarters for the glorified saints, who will descend and ascend to and from the earth to carry out their duties. They will also receive the power-potential of the Lord's new Name, in order that they may be fully equipped for the task of ruling and reigning with Him. He that has an ear let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.

Posted by Joel Jones at 4:38 AM 0 comments Links to this post

THE LETTERS TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES, Part 7
LAODICEA
Written by J. Leland Earls, Word of Life Fellowship (of Shelton, Washington) in about 1977. See www.wordoflifefellowship.com

The final message in the Book of Revelation that was given to John was to the church of the Laodiceans. To this church is written:

"These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of My mouth." Revelation 3:14-15

The church of the Laodiceans portrays the final era of the Christian dispensation. It represents the prevailing conditions extant in the organized church world as this age draws to a close. Insipid lukewarmness is the chief characteristic. Because of this He has spewed the entire organized church out of His mouth, both Catholic and Protestant. This does not mean He has repudiated those individuals who truly believe in Him and are yet in the organized systems. But before the end comes, they must hear His call:

"come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues." (Rev. 18:4)

The Lord is presented in this letter as the "faithful and true witness" in contrast to the unfaithfulness and distorted witness of the Laodicean church. He is also presented as "the beginning of the creation of God" because of the inception of the new thing that He will do as the Laodicean era comes to a close. He will raise up a mighty witness in the remnant that is being called out of the Babylonish church systems, and they shall manifest the power and glory of that new creation which is coming forth through His resurrection life. Since the Lord is the firstborn among many brethren, there will be many who will come to that measure of maturity which will enable Him to unveil them as the sons of God, giving them immortality for their physical bodies (Rom. 8:19, 29). Some will put on the glory of the celestial as their bodies are changed into the likeness of His glorious body (Phil. 3:21); and others will manifest sonship on the terrestrial plane, having their bodies changed from corruptible to incorruptible (I Cor. 15:40-41, 53-54).

Now notice a further characteristic of the Laodicean period.

"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 eye-salve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent."
Revelation 3:17-19

A contributing factor to the spiritual lukewarmness of the present day church-world is the prosperity which abounds in most Western nations. A feeling of smug complacency has blinded the churches to their spiritual poverty and their desperate need. Clothed with their own self-righteousness, they know not their nakedness in His sight. Therefore He has raised up messengers to expose and rebuke the carnality, apostasy and ineptness of the spiritually destitute churches. This calls for repentance! The Lord is moving in His providence to bring chastening through adverse conditions in civil life and international affairs. Conditions will become so severe that the people of the predominantly Christian nations will either repent or perish. It is because of His great love for those who know not their folly and the consequences thereof that He rebukes and chastens. The Lord must awaken those who are asleep and destined for destruction. Otherwise there would be no hope.
There is a great need now for the three things which the Lord offers. The first is gold tried in the fire. Gold is a symbol of true spiritual character, brought about by the working of His Spirit and forged in the crucible of testing experiences. He must have a people who are completely receptive to His workings in their inner being and thoroughly purged from the dross of their own ways. The second is white raiment. This is symbolic of that righteousness and purity which only He can impart. Only those who are fully clothed with this raiment can enter into the end-time ministry of that spiritual Body which He is raising up. The third is eye-salve to anoint the eyes. Only the revelation of the Lord's Spirit can cause us to see the mighty truths which He wants us to know in this hour. Since He counsels to "buy" of Him, there is a price which must be paid. The price is simply the willingness to let Him have your life to do with it as He pleases. Only as there is complete yielding and obedience, can He be the means of bringing forth in your life pure gold, impart unto you white raiment, and anoint your eyes to see His truth.

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me." Revelation 3:20

He longs to have that intimate communion with us which is described in these words. But so few want to invite Him in to take complete control of their lives. This is the day that He is offering to make Himself real unto a people as never before in history. Open your heart and let Him have His way in you. He is then ready to show Himself strong on your behalf. No other generation has had as great an opportunity as He is offering unto you in this hour. He stands at the door and knocks; the choice is yours.

Now, look at the final promise to the overcomers in these seven letters.

"To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne." Revelation 3:21
Even though He was the very Son of the Highest, functioning on the plane of Deity, He emptied Himself and took on the form of man, that He might overcome as a man. Then was He highly exalted and given a place of rulership on the Throne of His Father. This is the pattern for those who love Him and let Him bring them into an overcoming experience, rising above the spiritual level of most Christians. To "overcome" means to 'rise above', to 'come up over to a higher spiritual plane'. It comes only through greater yielding and submission to the Lord's will. The time is coming soon when He will sit upon the Throne of His glory in the Heavenly) Kingdom which will be set up in the realms surrounding the earth. Then shall the overcomers of all the church eras be exalted to sit on that throne with Him. They will then be kings and priests to rule with Him over the earth (Rev. 1:6, 5:10, 20:4). Truly this is the PRIZE of the high calling; it is both joint heirship on the plane of glorified life, and joint rulership with Him in His Kingdom. He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.

Again notice that in each of the seven letters to the seven churches of Asia, it is unto the angel of the church that He addresses His words. What does this mean? In the vision which John saw, the Lord was standing in the midst of the seven lamps and in His right hand He held seven stars (Rev. 1:13, 16). Then He spoke concerning this mystery:

"The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in My right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches." Revelation 1:20

We have already viewed the mystery of the seven churches; as portraying the seven epochs, or eras, of time from the Apostolic church unto the end of the age.
Now let us look at the mystery of the seven angels. In its first application, the seven angels are seven heavenly beings who have been given charge over the church during this age one over each of the seven epochs. In its second application the seven angels or messengers are seven men who have been raised up: one within each of the seven church periods with a special commission and message for that time. Each of these men has fulfilled his commission; the seventh and last has finished his work. This means that a new day is breaking and a new era is at hand. And the Lord is now raising up messengers to bring His people into the truths and powers of that new day. Do not look back to the past; neither to any of the messengers of the past. But receive that which the Lord is making known through messengers of the new day. He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.

posted by Joel Jones at bible-based-studies.blogspot.com , copyright Word of Life Fellowship, Shelton, Washington USA .... www.wordoflifefellowship.com

Elijah Comes First - by J. Leland Earls

2009-04-19T17:21:00.000-07:00

INTRODUCTION

It was prophesied of John the Baptist before his birth that he would go before the Lord "in the spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1:17). Yet, when John began his ministry of preaching, he was asked point-blank by priests, "Art thou Elijah?" John answered just as pointedly, "I am NOT" (see John 1:21). The fact that John refused to claim that he was some great one out of the past, a prophet who had lived before, should be an example and warning to us. Any individual person who claims he is ELIJAH, or someone else out of the past, is surely FALSE! Those who are truly called of God do not make presumptuous claims. However, we will see in this study that John the Baptist did fulfill the "Elijah" prophecies for his day, and that there is to be a fulfillment of those same "Elijah" prophecies for our day, not by some man who claims he is Elijah come back, but by a preparatory move of the Spirit of God.

John the Baptist was to PREPARE THE WAY of the Lord as follows: "And many of the children of Israel shall he TURN to the Lord their God… to TURN the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the WISDOM of the just; to MAKE READY a PEOPLE prepared for the Lord' (Luke 1:16-16), To prepare THE WAY is to prepare a PEOPLE who will TURN from their ways to GOD'S WAY. This calls for a REPENTANCE (a TURNing) and a RESTORATION (of the WAY). This people (a "firstfruits remnant") who will turn wholeheartedly to be established in HIS WAY, shall then become THE WAY unto multitudes during the time of great harvest that is coming.
In order to understand more aspects of these truths not covered in this study, check back here at this blog for when we will have posted, "The Voice of the Bridegroom" by the same author . A study of that booklet will be helpful in getting the completed picture of an Elijah-John the Baptist ministry preparing the way of the Lord in these days and in the days that are ahead. John's ministry as the "friend of the Bridegroom" to prepare the Bride is presented in detail.

ELIJAH IS HERE

God's prophet. "Behold, Elijah is here!" These are the starting words that were to be conveyed to Ahab the King of Israel by Obadiah, the governor of his house (1 Kings 18:7-8). Elijah had been hiding away at the command of God during the time of drought which had come as a judgment on the nation, because of the wickedness of the king and his foreign wife, Jezebel. But the time had come for the drought to end, and God was once again going to send rain upon the land. Elijah therefore had to emerge to get the people ready for what was coming.

A living drama. What takes place in the story of Elijah as recorded in the 17th 18th chapters of 1 Kings is extremely significant for the day in which we are living. God has wrought a "living drama" for us that we might learn by the things that are written aforehand for our admonition (1 Cor. 10:11). This story takes on special significance in light of that which is spoken by Malachi the prophet: "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse" (4:5-6). Signs indicate that the great "day" of the Lord's judgments upon this earth and His return in power and great glory (Mt. 24:30) are near at hand. Therefore the prophecy of Malachi must be fulfilled before He comes.

Preliminary fulfillment. Many prophecies in the Bible have both a preliminary and a final fulfillment. Sometimes there is even more than one preliminary fulfillment before the prophecy finds its final and complete fulfillment, God's Word is rich and many-sided, having many facets of application, like the many sides of a beautiful jewel, each reflecting the light in its own way, and adding to the symmetry of the whole. Paul speaks of the "manifold (many-sided) wisdom of God" (Eph. 3:10), and certainly this is incorporated into His Word, as history (His story) unfolds in harmony with the predictive words of the prophets, pulsating in rhythmic fulfillments, both preliminary and final but conforming to the basic pattern of each prophetic declaration.

John the Baptist. The disciples asked Jesus a question. "Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?" Jesus replied "Elijah does come and will get everything restored and ready, but I tell you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know or recognize him, but did to him as they Iiked. Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them about John the Baptist" (Mt. 17:10-13), Amplified Trans. The scribes knew the law, and were familiar with the prophecy of Malachi that Elijah was to be sent before the day of the Lord's appearing, but because they were blinded by their own traditions, these religious leaders did not recognize the fulfillment of the prophecy before their very eyes. But Jesus said John the Baptist was the fulfillment of the Elijah prophecy for His day.

Warning. The above should be a warning to us. Unless we have "eyes to see and ears to hear" (Mt. 13:16), it is possible for important prophetic events to be taking place around us and not even be aware of it. Jesus said "The kingdom of God cometh not with observation (with outward show and display so that everyone is aware of it): neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you (or, in your midst)" (Luke 17:20-21). God's kingdom workings and progressive fulfillment can be taking place right in the midst of even religious people, and yet they may not be aware of it, or its spiritual significance in relation to God's unfolding purposes. Concerning John the Baptist, Jesus spoke on another occasion, "All the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if ye will receive it, this is Elijah who was to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear" (Mt. 11:14-15). Ah, dear friend, pray for spiritual perception and attunement to the divine Word and its fulfillment even in this day, that ye may have grace to receive what shall be unfolded herein.

Preliminary and partial. To show how a prophetic scripture may be fulfilled in part but not fully in a particular historical setting, let us take a look at Isa. 40:3-5: "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it, " This passage is quoted in Mt. 3:3 & Luke 3:4-6 as being fulfilled in the ministry of John the Baptist, as he prepared the way for the coming of Jesus and pointed the people to Him. At though many did see the "glory" of the Lord in the person of Jesus (John 1: 14), it can hardly be said that "ALL FLESH shall see it together" has been fulfilled. Also, the scriptures are clear that the full GLORY of the Lord is not to manifest until He appears a second time (Luke. 21:27).

Patterns by the prophets. Before we look further at the Elijah ministry for our day, let us examine the story of Elijah in the 17th & 18th chapters of I Kings and behold the prophetic drama. God makes clear His manner of speaking through the prophets in Hos. 12:10: "I have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and have used similitudes (patterns) by the ministry of the prophets." The last statement means that God had the prophets act out "symbolic dramas" by things which He required them to DO. And through such "living parables" God SPEAKS to His people. Let's use this KEY then in unlocking the meaning of that which God told Elijah to do.

By the brook. Elijah suddenly bursts on the scene in the days of Ahab the king and says, "As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word." Immediately following God told him to "turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan" (1 Kings 17:1-3). Why was Elijah to hide himself? We might surmise just from a practical standpoint that it was to escape the wrath of Jezebel who was destroying the true prophets of the Lord (1 Kings 18:4). But if this is all we see, we are "limiting the Holy One of Israel" (Ps. 78:41), and deliberately ignoring His word of truth that He SPEAKS to us in PATTERNS by the ministry of the prophets. To understand the prophetic drama we must understand the meaning of the names involved. "Elijah" means the might or strength of Jehovah. "Cherith" means a gorge or trench. It was during the time of no rain and consequent drought, that Elijah (the strength or might of Jehovah) was hid from the people in the gorge.

Seeing the picture. Natural Israel is a type of spiritual Israel or the church„ What happened in the history of natural Israel has been repeated in the history of the church (as far as the basic pattern of fulfillment is concerned). God promised Israel that if they obeyed Him, He would always give them rain at the proper season so that they would never know drought (Deut. 11:14, Lev. 26:4), In God's symbolic language, rain is a type of the refreshing or outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Joel 2:28-29), Spiritual "rain", or the effusion of God's Spirit is absolutely necessary for the church to fulfill its divine commission and for fruit acceptable to God to be brought forth (Luke. 24:49, Acts I: 8, Eph. 3:16, Gal. 5:22-25, James 5:7). If the church had been faithful and obedient to the Lord, there would have been no lack of the power of God's Spirit, and God's perpetual blessing from on high would have continued upon it. But because the church "fell away" from its first love (Rev. 2:4) and from obedience to the truth (II Thess. 2:3), God withheld the "rain" of spiritual enduement, and the result was spiritual drought and barrenness of fruit. Except for occasional "seasons of refreshing from the presence of the Lord" (Acts 3:19), bringing revival, renewal to the church, such "drought" conditions have more or less prevailed throughout church history.

The gorge. As Elijah was to hide himself in the gorge during the time of drought, so has this symbolic picture been fulfilled in the church, as the might and strength of the Lord through the Holy Spirit's power has been "hid away" from the people of God because of the unbelief and apostasy of the church's clergy and priesthood. Such apostasy is portrayed by Ahab, king of Israel, taking into his bosom through marriage the daughter of a foreign king by the name of Jezebel (I Kings 16:31). This was contrary to God's law, for the people of God were not to intermarry with the heathen nations, lest they be drawn into their idolatry (Deut. 7:3-4). Since Ahab was king, he symbolizes the "ruling" spirit which has largely dominated the church down through this age; the spirit of compromise with that which is "foreign" to the Spirit of Christ. Because of this, "Elijah" (the might of God's power through the Holy Spirit) has been hid away in the "gorge" of ceremonialism, life-less and powerless forms, sectarianism, lust for power, political expediency, unbelief and modernistic denial of scriptural truth, fundamentalist self righteousness, and many stupefying "fleshly" vanities; so that much of the church world has been guilty of "having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof" (II Tim. 3:5). This is the negative side of the picture, of course, and shortly we shall take a look at the positive side, as we see Elijah's ministry to the widow woman; a type of the spiritual remnant.

Eastward. In order to hide himself in the brook Cherith, Elijah went eastward (I Kings 17:3). In God's symbolic language, east portrays going away from God into the false light of man's reasoning and ways. Much scriptural evidence could be given to illustrate this truth, but we will mention only the following: Adam and Eve were cast out of the garden toward the east (Gen. 3:24). After Cain had sinned, he was sent out from the presence of the Lord toward the east (Gen. 4:16). When Jacob fled from his brother Esau, and left the promised land behind, he went to the "land of the people of the east" (Gen. 29:1), there to be dealt with by the Lord through many trials. When Jacob returned to the promised land in response to the revealed will of the Lord, and found a new place of submission and obedience to Him, he turned his back on the east and traveled west. Later, when the children of Jacob-Israel crossed the Jordan and entered the promised land, it was from the east in the land of Moab towards the west. Entrance into the sacred tabernacle which God commanded the Israelites to build was through the eastern gate with progression towards the west where the Lord dwelt in the Holy of Holies. Thus, west speaks of going toward God.

Cherith and Jordan. We have already seen that Elijah hid himself in the gorge of the brook Cherith, but the record says that this was "before Jordan" (I Kings 17:3). The brook flowed into the Jordan river. Jordan means "descender", and symbolizes death. Thus Elijah's place of hiding also pictures the spiritual deadness which comes upon the people of God when they turn from the light and truth of God's ways unto the ways of man. And how often in the history of the church has Paul's admonition been needed: "Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light" (Eph. 5:14). Elijah was also fed in the gorge by ravens (I Kings 17:4). The raven was an unclean bird according to God's law, therefore it speaks of the uncleanness that has come into sacred things as a result of the church's apostasy. Ravens are black, and they pick out the eyes of their victims, speaking further of the darkness; or the lack of spiritual understanding (blindness) which has pervaded the church through much of its history.

The widow woman. After hiding in the brook Cherith, God ordained that Elijah should continue to portray by the living drama of his ministry a further aspect of God's plan. God told him to "Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and there dwell: behold, I have commanded a widow woman to sustain thee.” (I Kings 17:9). This widow woman was a gentile, and the part she played in God's prophetic drama was so important that Jesus made personal reference to her in Luke 4:24-26, in His first message in His home town of Nazareth. It was in connection with His divinely revealed awareness that His own people and nation would reject Him, with the resultant casting off of natural Israel and the opening of the door to the Gentiles to become a part of God's covenant people (Rom. 11: 7-11, 25, I Pet. 2:9-10). This widow woman, then, is a type of the Gentile church of this age; that is, the spiritual and faithful remnant which has always existed in the midst of nominal "churchianity" down through this age. As the widow woman sustained and kept alive Elijah, so has this faithful remnant "kept alive" the true, vital, living evidence and witness of Christ, and the might and power of His Spirit, in the lands of Christendom. God has moved many times through such faithful remnants to bring revival and restoration, with mighty movings of His Spirit, both within and outside of organized churches.

Why a widow? In the scriptures, the church is pictured as be¬ing united to Christ in a marriage covenant relationship (Eph. 5:25-32). But since the Bridegroom (Christ) has been taken a-way (Mt. 9:15) and the church, which is the Bride, is not now personally living with her Husband, the church is symbolically pictured as a "widow", waiting for her Bridegroom to return and take her to dwell with Him in His own house or Kingdom (John 14:1-3). In the meantime, the Bride (covenant wife) is making herself ready (Rev. 19:7-8), that she might be presented unto Him as a "chaste" and faithful "virgin" (II Cor. 11:1-3, Rev. 17: 14). What a glorious destiny is hers!

Jezebel. In contrast to the widow woman who was sustaining Elijah, another woman, Jezebel, was on the throne, seeking to destroy Elijah (I Kings 16:31, 18:4, 19:1-2). Jezebel symbolically represents the seducing, compromising, "flesh spirit" that comes into the church and always "wars" against the Spirit (Elijah). The unfaithful "Jezebel spirit" began to grow in the history of the church after the church had "lost its first love" (Rev. 2:4). By the time the historical period was reached which is represented by Thyatira (the 4th of the 7 churches of Asia—600 A.D. and after), the spirit was so strong that Christ commanded the church to repent, saying, "I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce my servants to commit fornication (unfaithfulness to Christ—see Rev. 17:1-2), and to eat things sacrificed unto idols (partake of that which is unholy—see I Cor. 10:20-21, II Cor. 6:14-18). Since the church failed to repent (Rev. 2:21), the Jezebel spirit continued to grow until there came into being the mother harlot and her daughters of compromising, unfaithful "churchianity" (Rev. 17:5). In contrast to the "widow" of the faithful remnant, the Jezebel harlot spirit boasts, "I sit a queen, and am no widow” (Rev. 18: 7), because she is "kept" by many worldly "lovers" (Rev. 17:2).

Meal and oil. Not only did the widow sustain Elijah, but Elijah ministered to the widow and provided the means for her to continue to live. But only because she PUT HIM FIRST. This is a type of how the Spirit of Christ has ministered to and kept alive the witness of His faithful ones down through this age, and especially how He is ministering to those who are diligently seeking to do His will in this end time. Because the widow was willing to obey Elijah's command to "make me thereof a little cake first", Elijah promised her that "the barrel of meal shall not waste, neither the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth" (l Kings 17:13-14). The meal speaks to us of the WORD of God, and the oil of His SPIRIT, Truly the Lord is being faithful in this day to visit His hungry saints with "living bread" (see Ruth 1:6), and the oil of His Spirit is flowing freely to those whose hearts are set upon Him. This is in anticipation of and preparation for the "latter rain" which the Lord is going to send upon the earth.

After many days. I Kings 17:15 tells us that the widow was sustained "many days" by the meal and oil. Then in I Kings 18:1, we read that "after many days, the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go show thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth." In the account following, we see pictured in symbolic drama another phase of God's plan to prepare for the coming of the "latter rain". Elijah was not only used to minister to and sustain the widow woman, but he also came out of hiding and began to be used of God to manifest His might and power unto the people. In the midst of the religious apostacy of his day, he gave a demonstration of the reality of his God. Surely this is also a pattern for our day, as an Elijah ministry comes forth in the power of the Spirit to make known the coming of the Lord and prepare a people with a manifestation of that which is vital, real and mighty through God.

On mount Carmel. Elijah called for all the people to gather on mount Carmel, along with the false prophets of Baal and of Asherah who ate at Jezebel's table. There he challenged them with these words: "How long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him." But though I'm sure Elijah put all of the sincerity of his heart, and the "unction" of the Spirit which was upon him, into this message, the record says that "the people answered him not a word" (I Kings 18:19-21). How characteristic this is of people; and how prophetic of the day in which we live. The masses of people have heard so many sermons, and have been preached to so much, and yet by and large they remain unmoved to action. It was only after God sent fire from heaven in answer to the prayer of Elijah, that the people fell on their faces and said, "The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God" (I Kings 18: 38-39). FIRE is a type of the Holy Spirit moving with supernatural-power to baptize, deliver, and empower the people of God for a witness to the reality of a living Christ. Beloved, it is going to take more than just preaching in this day to a "gospel hardened" generation; it is going to take the FIRE of God's Holy Spirit moving with "signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will"(Heb. 2:4), in order to move vast numbers out of indifference into the "valley of decision" (Joel 3:14).

The altar. Before the fire fell, Elijah had to do a preparatory work. We read in I Kings 18:30 that "he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down.” An altar was not only God's appointed place for blood to be shed as an atonement for sins, but the altar also symbolized the consecration and dedication of the one offering the sacrifice. As Christians, our bodies are a "living sacrifice" which we offer to God on His "altar" (Rom. 12:1). The fact that the altar was broken down in Elijah's day speaks symbolically of the lack of the heart-consecration of God's people to do His will. Where there is no altar, there is no power of God's Spirit (fire). Fire can only fall upon that which is on the altar; where nothing is on the altar, there will be no fire. What a lesson this is for us today. Before God can move in a greater way in our midst, the "altar" of consecration must be repaired (restored) among the saints. For this very reason an "Elijah" ministry is going forth in this day to "stir up" the hearts of those who are willing to make the necessary sacrifice for God to fulfill that which is pictured in the story of Elijah for our day, for IT MUST COME TO PASS!

For all Israel. In repairing the altar, we read in I Kings 18:31, that Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob. This has to be very significant, when we realize that at the time of Elijah's ministry, Israel was divided into two factions or nations, and there was much strife and warfare between them. Elijah was ministering in the northern kingdom, which consisted of the ten tribes which had revolted and broken off from the ruling house of David in Jerusalem, under the leadership of Jereboam (see I Kings 11:26-37, 12: 19-20). But Elijah was not willing to "write off" the southern kingdom and the tribes of Judah, Benjamin and Levi. In other words, he was not "sectarian" in his thinking. His altar and sacrifice was for ALL the house of Israel. Is there not a lesson in this for us? Are not Christians divided as the people of Israel were? What is our vision, and what is the purpose of our sacrifice and consecration? Is it just for "our group", "our denomination", "our church", or is it FOR THE WHOLE BODY OF CHRIST. In our tendency to judge and condemn, we may think of certain Christians as being so blind or "unworthy" that we are sure they will never come into what the Lord is doing. But instead of thinking "we are it", and proudly "writing off" all the rest of God's children, we need to pray and consecrate ourselves to the end that many will yet awaken and arise to the challenge of this hour, and let the "fire" of God's Spirit fall upon them, that they might also help "prepare THE WAY of the Lord."

Water. After Elijah had put the sacrifice on the altar, he saturated it with water, so that the water ran down around the al¬tar and into the trench he had dug about it (I Kings 18:32-35). There were four barrels filled and poured on three times. Three is the number of the WORD of God, and four is the number of FRUITFULNESS. In the natural, water cleanses as we use it for washing, and it refreshes as we drink it (also cleansing the inner body as it flushes out wastes). It is the WORD of God that cleanses (John 15:3, Eph. 5:26). It is the SPIRIT that refreshes the "inner man" of the heart as we "drink in" of God's provision (John 7:34-38, I Cor. 12:13), so that there is not only a deeper cleansing and purging within, but there is also an importation and empowering, that through such "watering", FRUIT might be brought forth unto the praise of God (Eph. 3:16-20, Gal. 5:22-23). Thus Elijah set the pattern for us, as this type is fulfilled in our day. As an "acceptable sacrifice" unto the Lord, we must be thoroughly saturated by the Word and the Spirit.

Evening Sacrifice. When Elijah finished preparing His burnt offering, it was the time of the evening sacrifice (I Kings 18:36). When God gave His law to Israel, He required that the priests offer two burnt sacrifices every day, one in the morning and one in the evening on behalf of all the people (Ex. 29:38-39). Must not this type also be fulfilled in this "day" (or age) of grace? The 120 who gathered in the upper room on the day of Pentecost constituted the "morning sacrifice" of this "day". They placed themselves on God's "altar" of consecration, wholly and completely, and the FIRE of God's Spirit came upon them (Acts 2: 1-4). As we approach the close of this age, It is now time for a people of God to offer themselves to God as the "evening sacrifice” that the FIRE of God's Spirit might come upon us in a greater way than we have ever known. This MUST be, or the pattern God has given us is not true. Beloved in Christ, are YOU willing to be a part of this "evening sacrifice", that the world may know that God is real, alive and powerful? Even now, God is "answering by fire" as more and more hungry and dedicated ones place themselves on the altar and receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. But this is only the preparatory stages of a greater operation and manifestation of the "fire" of God's Spirit in and through those He is making ready through an "Elijah" ministry.

Abundance of rain. After God had answered Elijah by fire, the prophet went to the top of mount Carmel, where the great sea to the west could be seen in the distance. There he cast himself to the earth and began to pray. He told his servant to go up higher and look toward the sea. This he did in response to the command of the prophet of God for six times; each time returning with the report that he saw nothing. But the seventh time he went and looked, he brought back the message, "Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand" (I Kings 18:42-44), In God's symbolic language, waters in the sea portray "peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues" (Rev. 17:15). Clouds can symbolize people (Heb. 12:1). A little cloud such as Elijah's servant saw would symbolize a small remnant ARISING UNTO GOD out of the nations in the present preparatory move of the Spirit. This is another way of portraying those who have placed themselves on God's altar as the "evening sacrifice". God is drawing them unto Himself, even as clouds represent waters drawn from the sea; and He is preparing them for a mighty visitation. Elijah sent a message to Ahab and said, "There is a sound of abundance of rain" (I Kings 18:41). What a "remnant" of God's people are now experiencing, as God moves by His Spirit, is only a foretaste and first-fruit of that which is coming, when the Lord shall "pour out of His Spirit upon all flesh" (Joel 2:28), and there shall be an abundance of rain.

Restoration first. In the passage from Joel just quoted, when read in the context in which it was given, the inspired prophet said, "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh." After what? Read the verses preceding in the 2nd chapter of Joel and you will discover that God promised a restoration. In Joel's day the people of Israel, because of their unfaithfulness to the Lord, were suffering from drought, famine and a locust plague. The land was languishing, and being stripped (see Joel, chapter 1). But Joel was to lift up his voice like a trumpet and call the people to return unto the Lord with fasting and prayer (Joel 2:1, 12-18). Then the Lord promised to RESTORE what had been lost (Joel 2:25), by sending rain and blessing them again with "grain and wine and oil", as well as driving off the "locust army" (see Joel 2:19-30). In God's symbolic language, "grain" stands for the WORD (the living Bread), wine pictures JOY and BLESSINGS, and oil represents the SPIRIT. The natural nation of Israel lost natural resources through natural disasters. This is a type of how spiritual Israel has lost spiritual resources through spiritual disasters. But as God restored to natural Israel what was lost, so will He restore to the church what has been lost. Let us look further. . .

Locusts. The locust plague which had devastated the land of Israel is a type of the demonic hosts of Satan coming against the church. Through the "wiles" of Satan (Eph. 6:11), the church was gradually deceived and "seduced” into leaving her first love and falling away from the truth (Rev. 2:4, II Thess.2:3). Then followed in time conditions of drought (lack of the "rain "of the Spirit), and famine (lack of hearing the Word of God — see Amos 8:11). In the land of Palestine, locusts always come in times of drought, stripping the land of its remaining vegetation. True to this type, when the church began to experience spiritual drought and famine, the Satanic inspired doctrines of Balaam (compromise with the pagan world — Rev. 2:14), the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes (political power of the clergy and subjection of the people in ignorance and superstition — Rev. 2:16), and the seducing tactics of Jezebel (mixing pagan religious ideas and practices with Christianity — Rev. 2-20), began to STRIP THE CHURCH of its remaining spiritual life and power. Giving in to "seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils" became common; two of which Paul mentions as "forbidding (the clergy) to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats (on certain days, etc.)”—I Tim. 4:1-3).

Opening of the pit. Rev. 9:1-4 definitely shows that locusts are a type of Satanic spirits. The symbolic picture shows the pit being opened and the demonic spirits of Satan in the form of locusts, going forth to "torment" mankind. In 9:2, we read that the sun was darkened by their activity. The sun is a type of Christianity and the church, which has been "darkened" (robbed of its light and power in relation to the people) because of the corrupting tactics of Satanic spirits. But though the "sun" of traditional "churchianity" is being darkened, there is another side of the picture, and it fits the pattern of God's promise to deliver Israel from the locusts and their devastation, and restore what had been lost, when they would heed His call to "return ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning (repentance)"—Joel 2:12.

Sevenfold brighter. Isaiah speaks of a day when "the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the Lord bindeth up the breach of his people and healeth the stroke of their wound" (Isa. 30:26). The number seven symbolizes the church and also speaks of the completed cycle or consummation of this age. Therefore as we reach the climax of God's plan for this age, a segment of God's people are going to shine forth in the glory and power of Christ SEVEN TIMES BRIGHTER than ever before. This will take place when the Lord "binds up the breach" (restores UNITY) among His people, and "heals the stroke of their wound (restores SPIRITUAL HEALTH)" and VITALITY through the cleansing and refreshing of His Word and Spirit. The beginning of this work is already evident in what the Lord is now doing among many spirit-filled Christians of all backgrounds, Surely we are beginning to see Hosea's prophecy fulfilled in our day: "Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days (2,000 years--ll Pet. 3:8) will he revive us: in the third day (the "day of the Lord"—now dawning) he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord; his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth." Hos. 6:1-3).

Recovery. "Restoration" means the recovery of that which has been lost; to bring back, or put back into the former or original state. God moves by His Spirit, not just so that we might be blessed, but that His Church (His spiritual "house" or "temple") might once again be BUILT UP and RESTORED out of the "ruin" into which it has fallen. The recovery of the spiritual truths and practices of the New Testament church results in spiritual renewal and power. God's order as given in Acts 3:17-21 is REVELATION, REPENTANCE, REFRESHING, RESTITUTION (restoration), and RETURN of Christ. Christ must remain in the heavens until the "times of restitution of all things "which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began" (Acts 3:21). This does not mean that Christ remains in heaven until all things spoken by the prophets are restored, for the great millennium coming is itself a time of restoration when many things, including paradise conditions on this earth, will be restored. But restoration begins with the church, the house of God, through the judgments of God (I Pet. 4:17). We are now in the beginnings of the times of restitution or restoration, and since the church is God's instrument during this age of grace, then the church must be restored to its pristine glory and power before this age ends.

Prophet of restoration. The spirit and ministry of Elijah is especially associated with restoration, in his prayer in I Kings 18:37, he uses an expression meaning restoration: "turned their heart back again". John the Baptist was to go forth in the "spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1:17). When the disciples asked Jesus concerning Elijah, He said, "Elijah is coming and will restore all things; but I say to you, that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished. Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist" (Mt. 17:10-13). But we have already seen that John the Baptist's ministry was only a partial and preliminary fulfillment of the Elijah prophecy. OUR DAY must see the final and complete fulfillment of the restoration ministry of Elijah. John the Baptist was "filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb" (Luke 1:15). John brought a preliminary and preparatory move of the Spirit before Jesus came to His people. Even so in this end time; God is moving now by His Spirit, in what we might call the "restoration rain", which shall culminate in the "double portion" rain spoken by Joel the prophet: "Be glad then, ye children of Zion (we are children of the heavenly Zion)— Gal. 4:26, Heb. 12:22-23), and rejoice in the Lord your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately (this is the restoration of the "early" or Pentecostal rain which came on the church in its beginning), and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month (the 'double portion')." Joel 2:23.

Prophet of revelation. Restoration can come only through revelation of the truth. Jesus said, "Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32). Free from the corruptions of Satan which bring bondage. When John came upon the scene, he found a nation that was in bondage because the Divine Revelation God had given them was "encrusted" and overlaid by the "traditions of the elders" (Mark 7:3-11), and as a result the Word of God was made of "none effect "(without life and power). Thus "THE WAY" of truth and righteousness which God had given Israel, was no longer a straight, level "path" for the nation to travel on toward its appointed destiny. John's task was to renew and restore the Divine path by turning the people back to the truth of God's ways. His message, as foretold by Isaiah was: "Prepare ye THE WAY of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight and the rough places plain" (Isa. 40:3-4). He could only straighten out the "crooked" ways they were walking in by calling them from their ways back to God's ways.

Prophet of repentance. In calling the people back to God's ways, he commanded them to REPENT; and the people went to be baptized of him, "confessing their sins" (Mt. 3:6). Repentance means a change of mind and heart, leading to a change of action. John spoke to the people thus: "Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, we have Abraham for our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire "(Luke 3:8-9). This message is applicable to our day, for the church has followed in the "way" of Israel: substituting man's ways for God's ways, "encrusting" the Word of God by religious traditions, and failing to enter the "covenant land" of spiritual blessing and power through unbelief. The "axe" of divine truth and judgment is now laid at the root of all man-made ways and religious systems. All are going to be "hewn down" and cast into the "fiery" tribulation which is coming on the earth (see Rev. 2:22, 3:16). The "fire" (of tribulation) is going to TRY every man's WORK of what sort it is (see I Cor. 3:12-15). The question is not so much with whom we are working in our affiliation (in or out of a denomination), but rather HOW FREE are we to BUILD with the "gold, silver, and precious stones" of God's truth and ways, rather than the "wood, hay, and stubble" of man's traditions and ways.

God's call. God's call to those who have ears to hear is REPENT and COME OUT of her (religious Babylon—the confusion and bondage of man's ways) MY PEOPLE, "that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues" (Rev. 18:4). Boast not in either your physical OR religious pedigree. Say not within yourselves, "We have Abraham (or some religious group or denomination) as our father (putting your TRUST in such a relationship): for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children to Abraham.” And THAT is just what He is doing! He is "raising up" and "shaping" LIVING STONES (I Pet. 2:5) which are "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone, In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord" (Eph. 2:20-21). And in doing so, He is breaking through all religious barriers that man has erected, and Christians of all backgrounds are begin¬ning to "flow together" as never before, regardless of what their "affiliation" might be as far as fellowship and worship.

No one man. Elijah and John the Baptist were both called to minister to a small nation within a very small geographical location on the earth. For how long a period John the Baptist's ministry continued, we do not know. But that one lone man could cover the land through itinerant preaching and prepare the people for the coming of the Messiah. However, when Christ comes again, He will return to the whole world, not to just one small nation, so that it will take a world-wide preparatory ministry through many chosen vessels. Thus the "Elijah" for our day is not one man, but rather a movement involving many servants of the Lord. No person or group can say "I" or "we" are "it". "It" is a move of the Spirit encompassing many. When John the Baptist was asked who he was, he replied, "I am the VOICE of one crying in the wilderness" (John 1:23). He indicated by such an answer that who he was (personally) was unimportant. He had not the slightest desire to exalt himself as an individual, or to build something around himself. He felt no jealousy or rivalry toward anyone. His answer to those who came to him with information that Jesus was baptizing and all men were coming to Him was this: "A man can receive nothing except it be given him from heaven. . . He (Christ) must increase, but I must decrease." The same spirit of self-effacement must be manifest today among those who are CRYING out this last day message of preparation. Individual personalities are of little importance, but the VOICE (of prophetic authority) must be heard in the land. Any ministry that we may have has been given to us from heaven and there is no occasion for boasting or self-exaltation. We must not call attention to ourselves, but MAGNIFY CHRIST.

Unity. John the Baptist set the PATTERN of oneness or UNITY when he said, "I am the voice of ONE crying." Not many voices, but ONE. If we are to "Make ready a people prepared for the Lord" (Luke 1:17), we must realize that this people are ONE BODY IN THE LORD, and that we must be "endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, (For) there is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling: One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all" (Eph. 4:3-6), There should be no rivalries, no jealousies or sectarian spirit among those who are seeking to move out in this last day message and ministry; but ONE BODY beginning to function in God's divine order with each ministry and each member of the Body functioning as the Spirit equips and directs, and in subjection to one another in love (Eph. 5:21, I Pet, 5:5).

Let Christ Increase. Our personal ambitions must be replaced by the desire to see the Lord INCREASE in the "church which is His Body (Eph. 2:22-23), as EACH MEMBER develops in his or her ministry. The five gift-ministries of Eph. 4:11 are "for the equipping of the saints for the work of service (ministry), to the building up of the body of Christ" (New American Standard). Each ministry must fulfill his function, and yet be willing to decrease that the Lord might increase IN THE WHOLE BODY. "But speaking truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: from whom the whole body, fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of-every part, maketh the increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love" (Eph. 4:15-16).

Turning the hearts. Let's look again at the Elijah prophecy of Malachi 4:5-6. "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse." God places great importance on His divine order, whether in the home or in the church. We cannot ignore the importance of the headship and responsibility of fathers, and proper submission to authority in the divine arrangement of the family and the church. It is the BREAKDOWN of the home (and the consequent effect in all society) that is causing the "curse" of divine judgment to fall on the earth. "Lawlessness" is rampant in every segment of society, even as Jesus said it would be (Mt. 24:12). It is not just the increase of crime and violence that reflects this spirit of lawlessness, but the "militancy" that is evident in the "demanding spirit" of "I am going to get what is coming to me OR ELSE", with strikes, marches, demonstrations, disruptions, destruction of the rights and property of others, defying and disobeying the law in various non-violent or semi-violent ways; and much of this even aided and abetted by some Churches and Ministers. Then there is the moral breakdown, also aided and abetted by many Churches and Ministers who reject the divine authority of the Word of God, teach the "new morality", "situation ethics", etc., all fulfilling Jesus' prophetic words in Mt. 7:21, concerning those who would SAY "Lord, Lord", but would not do the will of His heavenly Father. Such, said He, are those who “work iniquity" (the Gr. word means "lawlessness"). It is the "fathers", who have the authority and responsibility under God, whose hearts need to be TURNED BACK to their children, to TEACH, LEAD, and SET the right EXAMPLE, In order to stem the tide of lawlessness.

Spiritual fathers. The "fathers" spoken of in the prophetic utterance, whose hearts are to be "turned back" by an Elijah ministry, can be both natural fathers, and the spiritual fathers (pastors) of the church. The hearts of the pastors must be turned back to their spiritual children (their flock). God is very severe in His Word in His denunciation of the pastors or shepherds who have not properly taken care of their flocks (read Ezek. 34 and Jer. 23). This is too large a subject to go into here; but there are far too many "hirelings" in the pulpits of the churches (John 10:12-13). They don't feed the people with the "meat" of the Word of God, and they do not have a heart unto the people as they should, but unto their own career, success, popularity in the eyes of people, etc. Isaiah states it in this way: "they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter" (Isa. 56:11). But God made a promise, and I believe He is fulfilling it in this day: "And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the Lord" (Jer. 23:3-4).We can praise God that He is turning the hearts of the fathers (pastors) back to their flocks. And this is bringing to pass the other half of the promise, "and the heart of the children to their fathers (pastors)", as hungry hearts seek out those true shepherds who will feed and care for them, and then render unto these shepherds the true submission and support which God desires.

Another phase of truth. The "turning of the hearts of the children to their fathers" has another phase of truth. We sometimes refer to those men whom Christ chose and appointed as apostles as "church fathers". Paul indicates that he was a spiritual father to the Corinthian church (I Cor. 4:15). The early Christians "continued steadfastly" in the APOSTLES' doctrine (Acts 2: 42). In other words, their hearts were unto their spiritual fathers in the Lord. In this day, I believe an "Elijah ministry" is turning the hearts of God's people back to the NEW TESTAMENT and the TEACHING of the APOSTLES. The desire is to see apostolic truth, order and power return to the church, and this requires by-passing all the accumulated traditions and man-made ways of the last 1900 years and returning to the "fountain" of truth which Christ committed to His apostles.

The home. We can see yet another phase of the truth that the hearts of the fathers would be turned back to the children and the hearts of the children to the fathers. Among those who are seeking to move in what the Lord is doing today, there is a fresh emphasis on the place of the home in God's plan, and a renewed desire to see God's divine order for husbands, wives and children implemented in the home. We cannot enlarge on the subject here, as it is beyond our scope for this booklet. But we are beginning to see as never before that the church will only be as strong as the individual family units which make up the church. Many have had the strange notion that they can be "spiritual" and yet not fulfill their proper "role" in the home as a husband and father, or wife and mother. We MUST get back to the basic truth that if a person is married, their FIRST and most IMPORTANT ministry under God is to their family. HOW WE TREAT THOSE NEAREST TO US IN OUR IMMEDIATE FAMILY CIRCLE determines to a great extent how "spiritual" we are in the sight of God. There are too many, both men and women, who are out trying to minister to others when they have failed to fulfill their responsibilities and ministry to their own mates and children in their own family. God help us to get our priorities right and put first things first. This is part of the ministry of "restoration" taking place in our day.

Elijah on the mount. There is another evidence that an "Elijah ministry" must come forth and "prepare the way" of the Lord in these last days. It is presented to us by symbolic drama. The story is given in all three synoptic gospels, so we know it is of great importance. I refer to Jesus taking three of His disciples up into a high mountain and being transfigured before them. In Mt. 17:3, we read, "And behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elijah talking with him." Moses was refused entry into the promised land by the Lord because of his smiting of the rock in anger (Num. 20:11-12), but there on the Mt. of Transfiguration we see him IN the promised land, talking with Jesus This speaks of the end-time of this age, when God is going to lead His people into the FULNESS of their spiritual inheritance Though the church has failed many times through "striking the rock" (Jesus) in its unbelief, waywardness and apostacy, we are yet to see the church in the "spiritual mount" of the promised blessing and power and victory. Since Elijah was there with Moses and Jesus, he pictures the end-time ministry and move of the Spirit of God which is PREPARING the church for her destined hour of full glory. The three disciples (only one fourth of the chosen twelve) who went up into the mount with Jesus, portray the fact that only a PORTION of the church will be willing to "ascend" into that higher spiritual realm which the Lord has prepared for His people in this end time.

Time element. I want to present two evidences from the Mount of Transfiguration story to show that it portrays events which are to take place in this very end time in which we are living. First, in Mt. 17:1, we read that it was "after six days" that Jesus took Peter, James and John up into the high mountain. Six days after what? Reading the 16th chapter of Matthew, we see that the event from which the transfiguration is dated, is the Lord's first mention of His sufferings. In other words, six days after He tells them that He is going to be killed at Jerusalem, He takes them up into the mount. In II Pet. 3:8, we read that according to God's reckoning of time, one day is a thousand years; thus the six days represent six thousand years. However, we are not to reckon the six thousand years from the time that Jesus was historically crucified, but from the time that He was crucified in the foreordained plan and purpose of God, for that was when God reckoned it to be done. We need, then, to ask the question, WHEN was Jesus thus crucified? According to Rev. 13:8, Jesus was "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." The Greek word translated "foundation" here Is katabole, which means "casting down". It is NOT the word usually used to denote the foundation of a house or building: that word is themelios, as used in Luke 6:48-49, 14:29, I Cor. 3:10-11, etc. I point this out because I believe katabole (used in Rev. 13:8) should not be translated "foundation", but rather "casting down" or "fall". WHEN was the sacrifice for sin NEEDED? When Adam FELL, and was "cast down" from his pristine perfection and unity with God, and all creation fell with him. Thus Rev. 13:8 should read that Jesus was the "lamb of God slain FROM the CASTING DOWN or FALL of the world. Katabole (and the verb form kataballo) is incorrectly translated "foundation" in a number of New Testament passages, such as Mt. 13:35, Luke 11: 50, Eph. 1:4, etc., but in II Cor. 4:9, and Rev. 12:10, we have the correct rendering, "cast down".

Foreordained before. In I Pet. 1:20, we read that Jesus was "foreordained BEFORE the foundation of the world.” The word "foundation" here is again from the Greek word katabole (casting down). In the foreordained plan and purpose of God, Jesus was chosen to become the sacrificial lamb slain for sin BEFORE Adam and Eve fell and the "casting down "of the world because of sin occurred; but He was actually "slain" in the purpose of God FROM the time of that fall, for that was when the sacrifice was needed. God Himself symbolically dramatized this truth by killing some animals and clothing Adam and Eve with the skins (Gen. 3:21). These animals slain at the time of the fall were the first to shed their blood for man's atonement, beginning the long succession of animal sacrifices to typify the eventual sacrifice of Jesus Christ Himself as the "lamb of God.”

Passover pattern. The pattern for the slaying of the Lamb of God was set in the rites that were given to Moses when the Passover was first instituted in the land of Egypt. God told the people to "take" a lamb for each family on the 10th day of the first month, and then "keep" it until the 14th day of the month, when it was to be killed in the evening. Thus the Lamb was "marked out" for death ("slain" in the purpose of God) on the 10th day, but not actually killed until the 14thday, being kept for 4 days. As a day is with the Lord as a thousand years, we see how this portrays the fact that Jesus (although "slain" in the purpose of God from the time of Adam's fall), was kept in the heavenlies for 4,000 years before coming to the earth to actually die.

Knowing the time. Based on the above pattern, we know that the time previous to the cross of Christ was 4,000 years, and that leaves just 2,000 years on this side of the cross in order to "fill out" man's "work week" of 6 days (6,000 years) before the "day of the Lord", the 7th day begins. Time can be figured by either lunar (354+ days per year), or prophetic (360 days per year) or solar (365+ days per year): 2,000 years of lunar time ran out in the year 1941; 2,000 years of prophetic time ran out in 1972; and 2,000 years of solar time runs out at the end of this century. Since the days are to be "cut short" (Mt, 24:22), we will not likely reach the end of the solar time reckoning, Which makes us realize that NOW we are in the closing yean of the 6th 1,000 year "day", and in the DAWNing of the 7th; which will be the "Sabbath" of God's REST: the one thousand year millennium.

Another evidence. The above shows that now is the time for that which is portrayed by the Mount of Transfiguration drama to take place. But we want to take a look at a second evidence. The 6 days of Mt. 17:1 equate to exactly 144 hours. Does not that number speak to us? Multiply 144 by 1000 (the number of Christ in His High Priestly ministry: being the number of the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle--10 x 10 x 10 = 1000) and we get 144,000—-the number of the Firstfruits of Rev, 14:1, These "firstfruits" are seen standing WITH the Lord on mount Zion, BEFORE the main harvest of Rev. 14:15. Thus after 6 days, or 6,000 years from Adam's fall, shall 144,000 be READY to be taken by Jesus into the "high mountain" of His Kingdom, and enter into the powers of the "glorified life". Whether 144,000 is to be taken as an exact number, or merely symbolic of a larger firstfruits company, makes little difference. The truth is the same: that a "remnant" of God's people are now being prepared to "come up HIGHER" - as did Moses (Ex. 24:18), while the people stayed at the foot of the mountain. Ascending the mount with Jesus, as did Peter, James and John, symbolizes both that "higher" spiritual place or realm which the Lord is NOW leading us into: to walk in His ways and be conformed to His image, and also the coming literal entering into His heavenly Kingdom through the translation of the physical body into a glorified body like unto His (Phil. 3:21). Halleluiah" Elijah is here!—"talking with Jesus" in the spiritual mount, and cal¬ling a people to ascend into their spiritual inheritance.

A voice in the wilderness. We will now take a final look at the preparatory ministry of John the Baptist, who went forth in "the spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1:17). When asked by the priests and Levites, who came out to where he was baptizing, "Who art thou?” John said, "I am the voice of one crying in THE WILDERNESS, make straight THE WAY of the Lord, as said the prophet Esais (Isaiah)." (John 1:21, 23). We have already seen that God speaks in "similitudes" (patterns) by the ministry of the prophets, John was preaching in the wilderness of Judea (Mt. 3:1-3), in order to portray the truth that in his day, the Jews were in a spiritual "wilderness" OUTSIDE the "promised land " of Kingdom blessing and fullness. Following John's ministry, Jesus came preaching "The TIME IS FULFILLED, and the Kingdom of God is AT HAND: repent ye and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:15). Thus He gave them a chance to ENTER IN and see the promises to Abraham fulfilled and the kingdom fully established. But they refused to accept Him: "He came unto His own, and his own received him not" (John 1:11), Paul says in Rom. 11:7, "Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded." "Even so then at this present time also there is a 'remnant' according to the election of grace" (Rom. 11:5). This remnant obtained the promise on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was outpoured to establish them in a position of spiritual blessing and power. Later the Gentiles were added to this elect company when the house of Cornelius received the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:44-48).

Not maintained. History shows, however, that the early church failed to maintain the spiritual estate in which they were established; neither did they press in to "fully possess" the ground given to them "in Christ.” On the contrary, even before the death of the apostles, a general declension had set in which eventually led the church into a "wilderness" of spiritual impoverishment. As we have already seen, though there have been times of "spiritual refreshing" and revival, the church has been, and still is to a great degree, in a spiritual "wilderness" OUTSIDE the FULNESS of spiritual blessing and power manifest at the beginning. But God is now moving by His Spirit, and giving His people an opportunity to once again ENTER IN and fully POSSESS their spiritual inheritance. As John the Baptist raised his voice in the "wilderness" of his day, so NOW there are those that God has raised up to be a VOICE in the "wilderness" of religious confusion, sectarianism, and apostacy. WHY? Because "the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” The "crossing over" of God's saints into the promised land, first in spiritual power, and then in translation glory, IS NIGH.

Back to God rule. We have seen that John the Baptist preached a message of repentance unto restoration. The Greek word translated "restore" in Mt. 17:11 is apokatastasis. The first three letters are a prefix. The Greek apo means "from" or "away from". The rest of the word is defined as follows: "setting, appointing, institution and introduction; a state or condition; to bring ambassadors before the assembly." The prefix and the word together thus indicate a GOING AWAY (apo) from MAN APPOINTED conditions of government. The "restoration" of John was that of GOD-RULE. He was a preacher of RIGHTEOUSNESS. He preached RULE BY GOD within the human heart and in all the affairs of life and the nation, He was a spiritual REVOLUTIONIST. Most of the people of his day were IN the world, OF the world and FOR the world. While he was OUT of this world, IN the Spirit of God and FOR the God of his fathers. All the deliberations of man were but an abomination to him. He corrected the heart of countless multitudes, and IN their hearts he "straightened the way" of his Lord, that a PATH in human hearts might be prepared for Jesus Christ. Thus must be our message: RESTORE RIGHTEOUSNESS within the human heart and GOD RULE in all things. We must be so on FIRE in the zeal of HIS SPIRIT that all the traditions and practices of man get booted, that CHRIST ALONE shall REIGN supreme in the heart of the individual, and in the affairs of His church.

Preparing the Way. "Go through, go through the gates: prepare ye THE WAY of the people: cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people. Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. And they shall call them, The HOLY PEOPLE, The redeemed of the Lord; and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken," (Isa, 62:10-12), The picture in this passage is that of the exiles RETURNING to the promised land from captivity. The speaker exhorts the people to pass forth from Babylon, and speed on their homewards. They are clearing away obstacles, bringing materials to construct a HIGHWAY along which a stream of emigrants may march, removing stones that might cause stumbling, and lifting up a STANDARD to direct the march. Even so, would the Lord have us prepare a WAY in the desert (of spiritual desolation), that others might follow after and enter into the "promised land" of blessing and power which God has for His church. Not many like to be pioneers, preparing the way for others, but some must hear His voice and obey, saying to the "daughter of Zion", "Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him." If we will be FAITHFUL to seek Him and obey Him in all that He has shown us, then HE WILL DO THE WORK, and the time will come when God's people will be called "The Holy People, The redeemed of the Lord. . „ SOUGHT OUT, A city (people) not forsaken."

Are you willing? Dear reader, are you willing to let the Lord PREPARE A HIGHWAY in your heart? Are you willing to let him "straighten" all your ways and gather out the stones of stumbling? Are you willing to LIFT UP A STANDARD unto others, that a WAY might be prepared and a PEOPLE readied for His coming? In Isa. 40:4 we read: "Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight and the rough places plain!!" The poor and lowly in spirit are to be raised up; the proud and self-righteous depressed; the "crooked" ways of religious vanity and deceit are to be changed to those of simplicity and integrity; the "rough" (rude) places caused by the "hindering tactics" (Luke 11:52) of self-seeking leaders are to be smoothed out, THEN shall the GLORY of the Lord be revealed. Praise His Name! So may He hasten the day!

Postscript. Finally, in presenting the evidence of an "Elijah" ministry for this end time, we must include John's vision of the two witnesses of Rev. 11:1-12. In verse 6, we read that these witnesses 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 miracles mentioned here were performed by Elijah and Moses in the Old Testament, and this has led many to believe that Elijah and Moses will literally return to this earth to be the two witnesses in this end time. I faiI to see that this is necessary. We have already seen that Elijah and Moses were TYPES of that which God would do through other special messengers and through His church by the power of His Spirit. My personal conviction is that the "two witnesses" represent the "faithful remnant" which has witnessed unto the truth of God down through this age during the two-church system. The two-church system was represented first by the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic branches, and then re-fulfilled by the split between the Roman Catholic and Protestant groups. God has always had a spiritual remnant as faithful witnesses within and in the midst of the organized church systems, and this witness will be intensified in the end time as God anoints those whose hearts are wholly unto Him to "prepare the way" for His coming. Out of their mouths will go forth the "fire" of His Word (see Jer. 5: 14, 20:9) to "devour their enemies" as we read in Rev. 11:5. I believe also that the two-witness prophecy will find special ful¬fillment in this end time in the two-fold ministry of the apostles and prophets that God is restoring to the church (Eph. 2:20, Rev 18:20, Luke 11:49).

Two men. But because of the special witness needed (particularly to the Jews) the two witnesses will also most surely be two individual men, prophets of God, brought forth at the strategic time, to do the works of Rev. 11:6, and to be martyred in the streets of Jerusalem (Rev. 11:7-8). If God is going to bring back two men, rather than Moses and Elijah, it would be prophets of the New Testament era. Jesus said unto His disciples, "Ye shall be witnesses unto me" (Acts 1:8). This was true then and has been true of all His disciples down through this age even unto the end. But there is a special way in which the two witnesses of Rev. 11 could be witnesses unto Jesus, They could be men who actually saw Jesus, heard Him teach and perform miracles, and also witnessed His death and resurrection. It would be impossible for Moses and Elijah to be witnesses unto Him in this sense. Since the New Covenant is a better covenant with better promises (Heb.7:22, 8:6), why should the Lord have to bring back two men who lived under an inferior covenant to be His witnesses? The Greek word "better" in these passages actually means "stronger" or "more powerful". These specially chosen witnesses, who shall minister under the New and more powerful covenant than the old, will certainly have no trouble doing similar or even more powerful works than did Moses and Elijah, when the Lord gets ready to use them. Jesus spoke to John, just before the vision of the two witnesses, and said, "Thou must prophesy AGAIN before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings," Will John, then, be one of the two witnesses? Only time will tell, Maranatha! Even so, come Lord Jesus! (see Rev. 10:11, 22:20).

"Preparation for the Lord's Coming" - by J. Leland Earls, about 1980

2009-04-07T05:53:00.000-07:00

PREPARATION FOR THE LORD'S COMING - by J. Leland Earls, about 1980.

PART 1

LIFT UP THE TRUMPET

Prepare by lifting up the Trumpet (voice) of warning. We need to warn concerning:

THE SINS WHICH ARE DESTROYING OUR NATION

God's word to Isaiah was,

"Cry aloud, spare not; lift up your voice like a trumpet; tell My people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins." Isaiah 58:1

The Psalmist asks the question, "If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?" (Ps. 11:3). We are living in a day when the foundations of our society are being eroded away. When the foundations begin to crumble, then the walls (of God's protection) also begin to fall, and people become "open game" to the hordes of marauding spirits unleashed in our day. In the days before the flood when similar conditions prevailed, (Gen. 6:11-13), Noah was a preacher of righteousness, II Pet. 2:5) and this is what the righteous must do, preach and hold uncompromisingly to God's standards. Jesus warned that because unrighteousness and iniquity would abound, the love of many (Christians) would grow cold (Matt. 24:12). Also with major church groups deviating further from God's standards, many Christians are going to have to hear God's call as given in Revelation 18:4, "Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues."(Rev. 18:4) The clergy of modern day "Babylonish" churchianity are much like the compromising prophets of ancient Israel, of whom God said, "You have not gone up into the gaps to build a wall for the house of Israel to stand in battle on the day of the LORD" (Ezek. 13:5). WHY? Because they were preaching "smooth things" (Isa. 30:10) and holding out false hopes of peace (Ezek. 13:10), instead of warning, declaring God's righteousness, and calling the people to repentance. We need men like John the Baptist who came on the scene proclaiming "Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight" (Matt. 3:3). His "paths" are His ways of righteousness for His people. They had been made so "crooked" by an apostate priesthood that it took a preacher of righteousness to "straighten them up." Jesus warned that only the house built upon the sure foundation of His teachings (His righteousness) will be able to stand in the coming "storm" of tribulation (Matt. 7:24-27).

THE SWORD WHICH IS COMING ON OUR LAND

The "sword" speaks of God's judgment coming through WAR. God tells Ezekiel in Ezekiel 33:1-9 that he is a "watchman" to warn of the "sword" coming, and tells him the consequence of the failure to warn. In Revelation 6:4 John sees a RED horse and rider, "it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, . . . and there was given to him a great sword." This red horse is RUSSIA. In World War II, after the successful defense of Leningrad, Great Britain decreed that a sword should be presented to Russia for her heroic stand. Thus "A GREAT SWORD" ranking among the costliest and most magnificent ever made, was furbished and ceremoniously presented to Stalin by Winston Churchill at the Teheran Conference in November of 1943; all that we might KNOW positively who the red horse and rider is. Russia is becoming more truculent and bold in her subversion of nations, for she knows our society is termited with moral decay and lack of will, and that our peoples (especially the younger generation) have been led astray by pro-leftist propaganda. She now believes she has the military power to enforce her will on the nations. This will be greatly enhanced when she has completed the space station now orbiting the earth. (Reading the following booklet will help you understand further: CHRIST vs. ANTICHRIST by Leland Earls; this book may still be available from www.wordoflifefellowship.com .)

THE ECONOMIC CRISIS THAT IS COMING

[Editor's Note: this book was published about 1980, and republished in 1999.] The Scriptures are clear that our "Babylonish" financial system is going to fall (collapse). (See Rev. 14:8, 18:2, 10, 21.) We cannot take the time and space here to explain the "whys" that make this certain. The piling up of astronomical debt through our unscriptural debt and interest money system cannot continue indefinitely. Inflationary pressures and rising prices, plus other economic uncertainties, will create increased climate for unrest, strikes, business failures, uprisings, riots, etc. Anarchy on a limited scale is certain, but how bad it becomes will be determined by what the federal government does. Anarchy is merely the prelude to some kind of dictatorship. Sooner or later strong leadership will take over to put an end to the anarchy. No doubt the debt will be repudiated and new currency put into use; or the old redenominated. Remember that money is simply what the government says it is. Those in power will also likely use this time of calamity to try to impose an international money system on the so called "free world" as a prelude to world government. Many economists, who are not on the government payroll, and are thus free to tell the truth, predict an economic crisis in the not too distant future. One such writes: "According to our calculations -the United States dollar is ready to collapse not with a whimper but with a bang, . . . and that there is nothing that can be done about it because we are locked into fundamental policies which will not be changed. Our society is analogous to a huge locomotive rushing downhill with the brakes gone and with a six-year old mongolian idiot at the controls. The end is certain. Your bank deposits will be worthless so you should convert them into things of real value before then. The price of all commodities will be astronomical even though dollars will be scarce. Buy dehydrated survival food, not only to eat but for future barter material." -E.L. Anderson, Ph.D. I am quoting this only by way of illustration, and am NOT saying that his timing is right or that his advice should be followed exactly. However, buying some dehydrated foodstuff at today's prices, which have a shelf life of several years, and having it available when food prices go sky-high, seems to make sense, and should result in great savings.

THE "STRIPES" THAT ARE COMING THROUGH TRIBULATION CONDITIONS

At the beginning of the article we quoted Luke 12:27 where Jesus warns of stripes coming for those who know the Lord's will yet fail to prepare. I am personally convinced that these "stripes" are the buffeting conditions of coming tribulation. The idea that all Christians are going to be taken out through rapture before any tribulation comes is pure myth. The truth is that multitudes of Christians throughout the world are already IN great tribulation. All we have to do is to go back to the great ante-type of the church, the nation of Israel, to see that God does not save His people from all tribulation. Israel suffered the first three plagues in Egypt before God protected them from the balance of the plagues. Again, in the wilderness, Israel suffered many plagues before entrance was effected into the promised land. Besides this, there is a purpose for His church on the earth during the coming tribulation: to raise up a witness to the truth in power of the Spirit such as the world has never seen, that multitudes worldwide might find their way into the kingdom in a final great harvest of this age. Yes, a firstfruits (Rev. 14:1-4) will be translated before the last three and one half years of great tribulation, but that is only a small portion of the whole church. We need to warn that there shall not only be "stripes" for unprepared Christians through tribulation buffetings, but also for some more careless and disobedient servants of the Lord there shall be conditions which will lead to "weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matt. 24:51). However, we need to realize that these dealings of the Lord are redemptive in nature; designed to do a quick work of preparation, that those prepared might be ready to be presented to the Lord at His coming.

PART 2

GlVE YOURSELF TO GET PERSONALLY READY

Prepare by giving ourselves to those spiritual revelations and disciplines necessary to get us personally ready to meet the Master. We need to:

ARISE AND RESPOND TO THE LIGHT GOD IS GIVING TO THE CHURCH IN THIS DAY

In Isaiah 60:1-2 we read:
"Arise, shine; For your light has come! and the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the LORD will arise over you, and His glory shall be seen upon you."

"Arise" in this passage means to "stir up," "rouse up," as if one was asleep or indifferent, or in a measure of bondage. Read Isaiah 52:1-2 where God's people are told to "awake," "put on strength," and "shake themselves loose" from captivity. Even so today, God's people are captive to so many things, especially traditions, which stupefy and blind them to what God plans for His church in the end time. God has been pouring out of His Spirit, and will do so in even greater measure, not just that we might get a blessing, but that the church might be disciplined into truth, holiness, and victory; for the Lord is going to present to Himself "a glorious church (sanctified by the glory of His presence), not having spot (defilements of the world), or wrinkle (no signs of aging-youthfulness and spiritual vigor restored), or any such thing; but that it should be holy (totally separated and dedicated) and without blemish (defects which would hinder its effective functioning to the glory of the Lord)" (Eph. 5:27). The Scripture is clear that those who know their God "shall be strong, and do exploits" (Dan. 11:32), and do even greater works than Jesus did (Jn. 14:12). A double portion and more will come upon the church through the early and latter rain together The fulfillment of this vision will not be dependent upon great(Joel 2:23, Hos. 6:3, James 5:7). numbers, but upon a wholly dedicated group of Christians willing to "arise" and give themselves to the Lord in this time of preparation, letting the Lord "build" them together in unity and love. (Read the article "The Three 'I Wills' of Jesus" by Leland Earls, hopefully still available from www.wordoflifefellowship.com ) Let us take heed to Paul's admonition in Ephesians 5:14, "awake you that sleep, and arise... and Christ shall give you light." "It is high time to awake out of sleep" (Rom. 13:11).

GET EXTRA OIL

In Matthew 25:1-13 we read the story of the wise and foolish virgins. The wise were made ready through the extra oil they had in their vessels (25:4). Oil is symbolic of the Holy Spirit. The "oil" which we received when we were saved, symbolized by the oil sprinkled on all the garments, etc. of the priests when they were consecrated (Lev. 8:30) is not sufficient. We also need the oil poured on the head, as in the case of the High priest (Lev. 8:12; see also Lev. 14:15-18 for the use of the oil in the cleansing of the leper). This is symbolic of the Baptism or outpouring of the Holy Spirit which is to come upon us after we are saved to "anoint and sanctify" for the priestly service "beyond the veil" in the Holy of Holies of His Presence. We must not think of the extra oil as confined to one experience, however, for Paul admonished us in Ephesians 5:18 to "keep on being filled with the Spirit." That is, keep ourselves continually available for the Spirit's continuing sanctifying work in us, as well as the Spirit's enablement in us to meet every circumstance and need. God is "purifying unto Himself a people for His own possession. zealous of good works" (Titus 2:14). In the Old Testament pattern, God said: 'the tabernacle shall be sanctified by My glory" (Ex. 29:43). Likewise, our own individual tabernacle must be sanctified by the glory of His Presence. That glory cloud which filled the Old Testament Tabernacle was actually a pillar of fire. So are we to be baptized with the Holy Spirit and FIRE (Matt. 3:11). We have been "called unto His Kingdom and GLORY” (I Thess. 2:12), but we must give diligence to make our calling and election sure" (II Pet. 1:10), if we want to be associated with Christ in His GLORY and Heavenly Kingdom; otherwise our lot will be upon this earth in deathless physical bodies, at least for the millennium.

SEEK HOLINESS

This is a continuation of the preceding. The writer of the Hebrew letter admonished: "Pursue peace with all men, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord" (Heb. 12:14). This Scripture alone should make us realize that it takes more than just being saved to be made ready for the Lord's immediate presence. Jesus said essentially the same in Matthew 5:8, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." John reminds us that the hope of being with the Lord is a purifying hope. "And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure" (I Jn. 3:3). Paul prays in I Thessalonians 5:23,

"Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Listen carefully to the words of Jesus given to the church of Sardis in Revelation 3:4,

"You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy."

Notice, to be worthy of walking with Him in His glorified realm, we must keep our garments undefiled. These are the inner soul garments which we have "purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit" (I Pet. 1:22). Such will walk with Lord "in white" (inner purity). James reminds us that "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to keep oneself unspotted from the world." Jesus admonishes in Revelation 16:16:

"Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.""Naked" would simply symbolize lack of preparation and readiness. Lord, help us to seek holiness and pursue it.

PUT ON RIGHTEOUSNESS

Paul admonished us in Ephesians 4:23-24, "and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in righteousness and true holiness." Notice that both righteousness and holiness are necessary for the "new creation" within us. As we have seen, holiness (or sanctification) is the negative (purging, purifying) work of God's Spirit within us; whereas righteousness is the positive (imparting, vivifying, fruit-producing) work of God's Spirit in us. But we must cooperate with the work of the Spirit by "putting off' (the old ways) and "putting on" (the new ways). (Read Eph. 4:22-32, Col. 3:8-17 and Rom. 13:12-14, for "putting off' and "putting on.") Righteousness is called a fruit of the Spirit in Ephesians 5:9. It is likened to a robe of fine linen in Revelation 19:8. Linen is made from flax, and thus a "fruit" or product of the growth process of the earth. Even so, righteousness as a "fruit" must grow and develop within us, or like the strands of "fine linen" be "woven" gradually within the fabric of our soul until we become more Christlike in nature, conformed to His image (Rom. 8:29). We begin our Christian life with a divine deposit of imputed righteousness; that is, Christ's righteousness "put down to our account" so that we may be accepted (Eph. 1:6). This is a legal transaction, and is what might be termed "positional righteousness." This takes place the moment we truly believe in Christ, and might be likened to the coats of skin with which Adam and Eve were clothed when God killed the sacrificial animals in the garden of Eden (Gen. 3:21), which typified the sacrifice Christ made for us that your nakedness might be clothed with His imputed righteousness. However, such "sheep-skins" of imputed and positional righteousness which make it possible for us to be accepted and saved, are not sufficient for us to be made ready to dwell in the immediate presence of Christ as part of His "ruling" Body. His righteousness must also become personal within us, imparted and woven within us as the garment of fine linen. For it is not just the "sheep-skin" which makes the Bride ready, but the fine linen of His righteousness WITHIN.

FOLLOW THE LAMB

In Revelation 14:4 we read of those who "follow the Lamb wherever He goes." In Matthew 16:24, Jesus said to His disciples, "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." Here the question is not salvation, which is a free gift (Rom. 6:23), but of the desire to follow Jesus into the Heavenly Kingdom, receiving a glorified body like unto His (Phil. 3:21), whereby those who so rule with Him will be able to help subdue all things to Him in the ages to come. Those who inherit the Heavenly Kingdom, instead of the earthly, must be prepared through discipleship, and Jesus gave three requirements:

1. Self-denial (loving Him more than self and others),

2. Taking up our cross (willing submission to the path
He has set before us), and

3. Following Him (in close fellowship and obedience).
Those who are not willing to do this, Jesus said, are NOT WORTHY of Him. He is not referring to salvation, for salvation is not a matter of worthiness, but rather of fitness to live in close proximity to Him in His glorious Kingdom (see Matt. 10:34-38, Lk. 14:25-33). Discipleship (being taught and disciplined by Him) is necessary, and Jesus reminds us in Matthew 14:33 that "whoever he be of you that forsakes not all that he has, he cannot be My disciple," and again in John 8:31, "If you continue in My Word, then you are My disciples indeed."

PUT ON THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD

In Ephesians 6:10-18, Paul gives instructions concerning the armor which God has made available to Christians for their battle against the forces of darkness and demonic hosts of Satan. We cannot take time here to discuss and evaluate this armor, but especially in these days, when the pit has been opened (Rev. 9:2), and demons in ever increasing numbers are being allowed to prey on human beings, it is extremely) important for Christians to make sure they are heeding Paul's admonition to "take unto you (put on) the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil," and "that you may be able to withstand in THE EVIL DAY, and having done all (the crisis demands) to stand (resist and stand your ground, firmly in your place). We don't want to yield to the enemy in these critical days, but rather to vigorously seek to conquer and overcome the enemy in every area of our lives. Paul says in Romans 8:37 that we are "more than conquerors through Him that loved us." The Greek word translated "conqueror" here is nikao. This word, in its verb or noun form, is used over 30 times in the New Testament, and means to "gain the victory," "conquer," "prevail," or "overcome." It is the word used repeatedly in Revelation 2-3 where special promises are made to the "Overcomers." The Word is clear that only the overcomers will rule and reign with Christ (Rev. 3:21). Therefore let us heed the admonition of the apostle Paul in Romans 31:12:

"The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light."

WALK CIRCUMSPECTLY

"Walking" is symbolic of the way we live; our daily life and conduct in the sight of God and before the world. In Ephesians 5:16-17, Paul admonished his readers to "walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is." The Greek word translated "circumspectly" means accurately, precisely, exactly, and assiduously (diligently, with unremitting attention and devotion). Paul further underscores this in 5:17 by indicating that this would be according to the "Will of God." He also points out that by this kind of careful and accurate and purposeful living, we can REDEEM the time; that is, buying up each opportunity and making the very most of the time we have in preparation for the momentous days ahead. For, says Paul, "the days are evil" (5:16). Evil has ever been in the world since the fall of man, but I believe Paul's statement here is a prophetic implication of the last days when evil's "cup of iniquity" is coming to the full. (Read I Tim. 3:.2-7) where Paul gives a graphic description of the conditions in the world in these last days.) Therefore let us "watch our step" and "walk honestly" (Rom. 13:13), "walk worthy of our calling" (Eph. 4:1), "walk in love" (Eph. 5:2), "walk as children of the light" (Eph. 5:8), living purposely and carefully in this evil world.

REJOICE IN THE TESTS AND PROVINGS OF LIFE

A prepared people must be a tested and proven people. James tells us to "count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect (mature) and complete, lacking nothing" (Jms. 1:2-4). "Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been proved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him" (Jms. 1:12). There are numerous Scriptures which declare that God tries, tests, and proves His people. Proverbs 17:3 says, "The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, but the LORD tests the hearts. Psalm 66:10-12 gives a graphic description of such provings of the Lord and their purpose:

"For You, O God, have proved us; You have refined us as silver is refined. You brought us into the net; You laid affliction on our backs. You have caused men to ride over our heads; We went through fire and through water; But You brought us out to rich fulfillment (place of freedom)."

Testing is necessary to prove the genuineness of anything, to reveal strengths and weaknesses, to show what needs to be corrected, and to "refine" or purge out impurities, that those proved might be prepared for something greater in inheritance and responsibility. Job said, "when he has tried me, I shall come forth as gold" (Job 23:10, 1 Pet. 1:7). Deuteronomy 8:1-3 gives a vivid account and enumeration of the reasons why God tested Israel in the wilderness: "to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. . .that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD." Israel had to go through the wilderness before they could possess the promised land. Even so are "wilderness" testings necessary for us to prepare us to possess the fullness of the inheritance that God has prepared for us. "For the righteous God tries the hearts and the reins" (Ps. 7:9).

BE FAITHFUL

In Revelation 17:14 we read of certain ones who are with the Lamb - sharing His power and victory, and they are said to be "called, and chosen, and faithful." In the parable of the talents (Matt. 25:14-30), those who are commended and invited to enter the greater inheritance are greeted with the words, "Well done, you good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things." Notice the emphasis on faithfulness. God does not ask us to do great and mighty things for Him, but He does require that we be faithful in the small things committed to us, for "it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful" (I Cor. 4:2). Also, the Lord requires faithfulness in the sense of "fidelity" in our covenant-commitment and love relationship to Him. James tells us that the "friendship (intimacy) of the world is enmity with God" (Jms. 4:4). In II Corinthians 11:1-3, Paul says to the Corinthian Christians: "I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ" (11:2). But then he expresses concern lest the serpent (Satan) who beguiled Eve would succeed in corrupting them from the "simplicity" (single-hearted and pure devotion) towards the Christ (11:3). In other words, concern lest they be unfaithful, and not totally committed to their first love" (see Rev. 2:4). Lord, help us to be among the called, chosen and faithful.

WATCH AND PRAY

Jesus connected the words, "watch" and "pray" on more than one occasion. To "watch" means to be awake and alert, and "on guard" against the tactics and encroachments of the enemy. Jesus said, "Watch and pray, that you enter not into temptation; the spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak" (Matt. 26:41). Thus prayer is coupled with "watching," for we need to "reach out" for the Lord's strength and enablement. Prayer is the soul's awareness of its complete dependence upon God. We dare not trust the "arm of the flesh" (see Jer. 17:5-8). Prayer is a part of our weaponry against the "wiles" of the devil (Eph. 6:18). Jesus also admonished to "watch and pray" with reference to the approaching end of the age and His coming again.

"You take heed, watch and pray; for you don't know when the time is. . .You watch therefore: for you don't know when the master of the house comes. . .lest he come suddenly and find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch."
Mark 13:33, 35-37 (See Lk. 17:36.)

LOVE HlS APPEARING

Paul speaks of the "crown" laid up for him, which he will receive at the day of the Lord's coming, and also for all who "love His appearing" (II Tim. 4:8). This "crown" is NOT salvation, but rather the privilege of "ruling" with Christ in His own glorious realm. Are you ready for the "crown"? Then ask yourself this question: "Am I longing for His return?' "Does it thrill my soul to think of the lover of my soul coming soon?" "Do I love His appearing?" The Hebrew writer reminds us that "unto them that LOOK FOR HIM shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation" (Heb. 9:28). Jesus, referring to the world-wide distress of nations and other signs, said, "When these things begin to come to pass, then look up (expectantly), and lift up your heads; for your re¬demption draws nigh" (Luke 21:28). What a glorious thought: He is coming soon!

PRESS ON TOWARDS THE GOAL

In Philippians 3:13, Paul says of himself: "forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." First, Paul admonishes, forget the past! We can get so hung up on past failures, disap¬pointments, sins, etc. that it hinders our "going on" with the Lord. We need to put the past in the same place God has: in the "sea" of His forgetfulness. Benefiting from past experi¬ences in terms of learning important lessons is good; but other than that, all time and attention given to "brooding" over the past is folly. Forget it! Then Paul says, "press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call." Notice, he uses the word "call." Salvation is a gift, not a calling (Rom. 6:23). The "call¬ing" is to win the PRIZE, for which one is crowned (1 Cor. 9:24-27). Salvation is not a prize. Without taking time here to go into detail, let me say that the "prize" which Paul wanted to win, and which he knew the possibility of falling short of (1 Cor. 9:27), was that of being in the "out resurrection," "out from" the earth (Phil. 3:11) into the glorified estate to be a co-ruler and co-heir with Christ in His Heavenly Kingdom realm. This can be ours only if we "press on" and not give up. One of the most important principles the Lord wants to teach us is that of persistence or steadfastness (Heb. 6:12, 15, 10:32, 34-36).

CULTIVATE A GROWING, PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD

Paul wanted so much to be related to the Lord in an intimate way that he declared, "I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord . . .that I may KNOW Him. . .and be found (in experience) IN HIM" (Read Phil. 3:7-10}. To the foolish virgins Jesus said, "I know you not" (Matt. 25:12). "Knowing" in this sense means a personal intimate relationship with the Lord. The foolish virgins were saved people who were not walking close to the Lord. Enoch is a type of those to be translated, and "Enoch walked WITH God" (Gen. 5:22), and God translated him without the experi¬ence of death (Heb. 11:5). Jesus said to Philip: "Have I been so long time with you, and yet you have not know Me, Philip?" (Jn. 14:9). What pathos! How the Lord must feel grieved when He has been with most Christians so long, and yet they do not know Him in a living, personal, intimate way. Peter admon¬ishes us to "grow in grace (favor), and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Pet. 3:18). Not just a head knowledge, but a growing inner experience of "knowing" Him through His grace working in our lives by the Holy Spirit.

BUILD UPON THE ROCK

(Read Matt. 7:24-27.) These words (and parable) conclude Jesus' teaching in what we call the Sermon on the Mount. If we hear His sayings and DO them, we are like the wise man who built his house (life) on THE rock. The King James Version says "a rock," but the original Greek text has THE rock, for Jesus Christ Himself (and all He taught) is that specific ROCK upon which we must build (see 1 Cor. 3:11). Such a "house," Jesus, said, would STAND in the storms, whereas the house built upon sand would FALL in the time of testing. There are many "storms" of life that TEST how well we are building, but there is also one great world-wide storm that is coming which is to be a time of testing such as the world has never seen (see Luke 21:25-26, Rev. 3:10). And we need to BUILD well now, that when the "floods" of Satanic oppression and persecution come in fullness, we will be able to with stand all that shall come upon us and to remain unshakable on that solid rock.

ABIDE IN HIS PRESENCE

Psalm 91 has ever been a source of great comfort to Christians, but the Divine protection and provision promised there is conditioned; it is for those who "dwell" or "abide" in a certain "place."

"He that dwells in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my REFUGE, and my fortress; my God; in him will I trust."
Psalm 91:1-2

I believe verse 2 is particularly significant, for the ministry of ANGELS is going to increase dramatically in the closing years of this dispensation. "For he shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways." Help us, Lord, to abide in You finding that perfect "resting" place of security, for "I will trust in the covert of your wings" Ps. 61:4, see also Isa. 32:2). Amen!

This article is written with the hope that it will "stir you up" to the realization that NOW is our time of preparation for the momentous days ahead, and for the personal return of Jesus Christ to this earth. I hope that it will make you realize that just "run of the mill," lukewarm Christianity will not meet the test of what is coming. Neither will you be prepared for the Lord's coming by just resting in your "salvation," even though that is an important first step.

I also hope that you will find in this article a "tool" you can use to help alert others; to help fulfill your responsibility of warning, as well as to help prepare others for tribulation and persecution coming upon the church. Did you know that over half of the world's Christians are already in great tribulation? Others need to know what the Lord requires to be ready to enter by translation the Lord's glorious Kingdom; and this article will give information not preached in many churches.

[End. This blog post has been done by Joel Jones. For further information,
email us at joel.jones1990@gmail.com or we recommend the site of Kevin Earls which is www.wordoflifefellowship.com or write to Word of Life Fellowship PO Box 190. Shelton, WA 98584. email: kevin@wordoflifefellowship.com ]

The Three Comings of Jesus - by J. Leland Earls

2009-04-02T08:50:00.000-07:00

Three Comings of Jesus - by J. Leland Earls, 1981

Concerning the return of Jesus, the Bible has much to say. Here is a study of this important subject. The following book was written in 1981 by J. Leland Earls and is available in a booklet from http://www.wordoflifefellowship.com/
which is

Word of Life Fellowship
PO Box 190
Shelton, WA 98584

email: kevin@wordoflifefellowship.com

THREE COMINGS of JESUS

Come, Lord Jesus! Probably no man on earth, other than the Lord Jesus Himself, has ever had such an awe-inspiring, dramatic and revealing experience, than the one granted to the apostle John on the isle of Patmos as he had unveiled to him in symbolic and prophetic vision what he chose to call “The Revelation of Jesus Christ” (Rev. 1:1). After recording faithfully what he had seen and heard with a hearty “Amen”, he no doubt began to contemplate what he had written. The joy and anticipation of his heart was beyond description. How he longed to see this wondrous vision fulfilled to himself and to all of the church. Perhaps he quickly picked up his pen again and appended that which was not only the cry of his own heart, but also the longing in the heart of every true Christian from that day to this: “EVEN SO, COME, LORD JESUS” (Rev. 22:20).

Different Phases. However, we need to see that there are different phases to the coming of the Lord. Whenever I long for the Lord to move by His Spirit and make Himself real by His spiritual presence, I say in my heart “Come, Lord Jesus!” And this is scriptural, for Jesus Himself said, when promising another Comforter in the person of the Holy Spirit, “I will not leave you comfortless: I WILL COME TO YOU” (John 14:18). But the Lord’s coming TO the church through the ministry of the Holy Spirit is NOT His only coming, as some are erroneously teaching. Jesus also promised to come FOR His church when He said: “I will come again, and RECEIVE you unto myself; that where I AM, there ye may be also (John 14:3). Please note: He was not speaking in this verse of His coming in the ministry of the Holy Spirit; for had He been, He would have said, “that where YOU ARE, there I will be also. For that is the purpose of His sending the Holy Spirit that we might experience His spiritual presence where WE ARE (here and now). But He said He would come to RECEIVE us that we might be where HE IS. Since He is no longer an earthly being walking this earth, that means being translated into His own heavenly kingdom realm, with a body like unto His (Phil. 3:21).

Final. But there is a final coming of the Lord Jesus expressed in the words of Jude in the 14th verse of his book: “And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord cometh WITH ten thousands of his saints’.” Some say this refers to angels only, but though there will be myriads of angels returning with Him (Mt. 25:31), I believe it is quite clear that the glorified saints also return with Him in His final descent, as in Rev. 19:14 the “armies” of heaven follow Him to earth. And also in Luke 19:12 we read where Jesus told of a certain nobleman (representing Jesus Himself) who went into a far country to RECEIVE for himself a kingdom, and to RETURN. Notice that He receives the kingdom (His people) unto Himself first; then returns with it. Since His people return WITH Him, it is quite obvious that previous to that they have BEEN somewhere. But that is just one of the “mysteries “which I will seek to unveil in this study. Are you ready? Then come and let us LOOK!

Taken and Left? Before dealing with the various phases of the Lord’s coming in detail, I want to jump right into what seems to be a difficult scripture passage, and which has been frequently misinterpreted. I refer to Mt. 24:37-41, where it speaks of some being taken and others left. After dealing with this passage, a certain writer that I read recently, said: “Lord, we want to be left!” I hope that, by the time you have finished reading this booklet, you will say with me, “Lord, we want to be taken!” Another end-time writer that I read not too long ago, also ridicules the idea that anyone would want to be taken; for, he says, according to this passage only the wicked are to be taken. But does it? NOT if we examine carefully and understand the TWO kinds of “taking” the Lord was talking about.

The Key. So often the truth is missed because our English translations do not give the distinction between different Greek words that are used. Let me quote the passage under consideration and then I will show you what I mean. “For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. WATCH THEREFORE: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come (Mt. 24:38-42). The Greek word translated “took” in the first instance, where it speaks of the fact that he “took them all away” (in judgment), is an entirely different Greek word that that used in the verses following where He says that “one shall be taken, and the other left. “ Let me illustrate this by using the numbers and definitions in Strong’s concordance as follows:

Strong’s: #142, Greek, AIRO; “to lift; by implication, to take up or away; away with, put away, remove, take.” This is the Greek word that is used in Mt. 24:39 where it says that God “took them (the wicked) all away.” It is the same word used in Lk. 19:26 where of the “wicked servant “it is said that “even that which he hath shall be taken away from him.”

Strong’s: #3880, Greek, PARALAMBANO: “to receive near, i.e. associate with oneself (in any familiar or intimate act or relation); by analogy, to assume an office; receive, take (unto, with).” WOW! Does not this word literally SHOUT at us? And this is the word used in Mt. 24:40-41 where it says that “one shall be taken, and the other left.” Here it is not the wicked being taken away in judgment, but rather Christians who are READY (this will be discussed later)being taken to be near Jesus in intimate relationship, to be associated with Him in a particular work or ministry, where they will “assume an office” or function in His consummating plan for this age. Note the following other scriptures where this Greek word is used. Mt. 1:20 “… fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife.” Mt. 2:24: “… and (Joseph) took unto himself his wife.” Lk. 9:28: “He (Jesus) took Peter, John, James, and went. . .” Mt. 26:37: “. . . and He (Jesus) took with him Peter.” All indicate a taking or receiving unto a person for an intimate relation and purpose. Hallelujah! Lord, we want to be taken!

Watch. Immediately following His statement that some would be taken and others left, Jesus gives the admonition, “Watch therefore for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.” Mt. 24:42. Now WHY the admonition to “watch” if the Lord is only talking about the wicked being taken away? But if, as we have pointed out, the Lord is warning Christians lest they be left behind when He comes to take some to Himself, THEN the admonition to watch makes sense. All we have to do is to continue to read the verses following the admonition (24:43-51), and the misty fogs of man’s confusion will disappear. “But know this that if the goodman (head) of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore BE YE ALSO READY: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” (Mt. 24:43-44). Thus Jesus is coming to break into the household of the church to TAKE those who are READY, and leave others behind. The same thought is presented under a different analogy in 24:45-51 as the faithful and wise servant who is ready when the Lord comes, is contrasted with the unfaithful and careless servant who is to be “cut asunder” (separated from those who are ready by being left behind), so that his portion (during the tribulation) will be appointed with the hypocrites. These thoughts will be developed more fully a little later. I have been seeking to show now that the whole context of the passage has to be studied to grasp the significance of some being taken and others being left because of READINESS, as well as STRATEGY in dealing with the household of the church.

COMING TO HIS SAINTS

By the Spirit. Having jumped right into the middle of the subject, I am now going to “back up” and deal with each phase of the Lord’s coming. First, we need to see that there is a spiritual coming of the Lord TO His church through the personal ministry of the Holy Spirit. Our authority for this is found in John 14:15-18, where Jesus promises another Comforter, and then He says: “I WILL COME TO YOU.” Jesus was very clear in His teaching on the Holy Spirit in John, chapters 14-16, that this one who was to be sent was HIS personal representative, acting on HIS behalf, and communicating HIS life, truth, presence, etc. to HIS disciples (see particularly John 16:13-15). By means of the personal ministry of the Holy Spirit, HE would always be with them, to the end of the age (Mt. 28:20, Heb. 13:5).

Suddenly Coming. God had spoken through the prophet Malachi concerning HIS COMING to His people in these words: “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me; and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple” (Mal. 3:1). This was first fulfilled when God in human flesh came to the Jews in the person of Jesus. The messenger who prepared the way was John the Baptist. In the early part of His ministry, Jesus came suddenly to the temple at Jerusalem and cleansed it of the money changers (John 2:13-17). However, I want to point out a second application which was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost after Jesus had been raised from the dead and had ascended back to the Father. The disciples who had gathered in the upper room to wait for the “promise of the Father” (Acts 1:4) had become, through the previous importation of the Holy Spirit (John 20:22), His spiritual TEMPLE. But Jesus was yet to COME to that temple in order to endue and fill it with power and glory. This was to be accomplished through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Note the words in Acts 2:1-2: “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And SUDDENLY there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting." Thus in fulfillment of Mal. 3:1, Jesus suddenly came to His spiritual temple when the Holy Spirit was outpoured upon the waiting disciples.

Second Pentecost. There must, however, be a second Pentecost in order to bring forth an end-time harvest. The outpouring of God’s Spirit in the Scriptures is likened to the falling of rain (Isa. 44:3, 32:15). The Lord had promised the Israelites that if they would obey His commandments, He would give them rain for their land in its season, “the first rain and the latter rain” (Deut. 11:14). The first, or early, rain came in the fall of the year, after the long hot summer, in order to soften the ground that they might plow the soil and plant the grains before the winter came. The latter rain came in the spring in order to swell the grain and bring the crops to maturity for harvest. That which God established in the natural is designed by Him to pattern His workings in the spiritual realm. First the natural and then the spiritual (I Cor. 15:46), with the natural becoming a type of the spiritual. Thus we know that for God to be true to His word there MUST be a latter rain outpouring of the Holy Spirit for the HARVEST of this age to be brought forth. That which came on the disciples in the upper room as recorded in Acts 2 was only the first, or early, rain, in order that the gospel seed might be sown. We are now coming to the end of this age which is the time of the latter rain and harvest. Mt. 13:39 makes it clear that the harvest is the end of the age.

The Husbandman. In James 5:7-8, God is likened to a husbandman who “waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receives the early and latter rain.” Then follows the admonition, “Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.” This scripture indicates that the Lord cannot receive the full fruit of the earth (the final harvest) apart from the “latter rain”, and with patience does He wait for the time of that fruit to come. There are two other scriptures which I will quote from the Old Testament to indicate the Lord’s coming TO His people in a latter rain outpouring. The first is Joel 2:23: “Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and He WILL CAUSE TO COME down for you the rain, the former rain, AND the latter rain in the first month.” Then in Hos. 6:1-3 we have the following admonition and promise: “Come, and let us return unto the Lord; for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live is his sight. Then shall we know - if we follow on to know the Lord: His going forth is prepared as the morning; and HE SHALL COME UNTO US as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth." We are now in the dawning period of this third day, and the Lord is beginning to come to His church as the rain. But first it is a restoration of the former rain, coming down now moderately, according to Joel 2:23. But the full intensity of the former rain is to be restored, as well as the latter rain being added to it. This will take place only after the firstfruits company has been translated, as I will show later.

THE COMING OF JESUS TO HIS SAINTS

Receive. We have already quoted Jesus’ promise in John 14:3 that He would come again and RECEIVE His own unto Himself, and also alluded to Jesus’ statement in the parable of the pounds recorded in Lk. 19:1-27. Verse 12 tells of a certain nobleman (symbolizing Himself) who “went into a far country to RECEIVE FOR HIMSELF a kingdom, and to RETURN.” Notice, the kingdom (people) is received FOR Him first, and then He returns WITH it. This is in harmony with the Greek word paralambano which we examined earlier as used in Mt. 24:40, which means “to RECEIVE NEAR.” As we examine the scriptures, however, the evidence points to the fact that Christ will receive His saints to Himself in TWO groups, separated by a period of time. Remember that the word church means the “called out ones”. Just as we have been spiritually called out of the “Egypt” of this world, so will the saints of the true church be literally “called out” of the present earthly conditions, putting on immortal, incorruptible and glorified bodies, which will no longer be subject to the limitations of the physical realm. Christ cannot “receive” them unto Himself unless their bodies are changed into the likeness of His glorious body, so that they can function in the heavenly realm where He is, and also manifest or appear in the physical realm as He did after His resurrection to glorified life.

Illustrate. There are a number of scriptural illustrations which can clarify this truth of the two-fold church, or the church being received in two groups. I will list them first, and then deal with each illustration separately.

1. Wise and Foolish virgins (Mt. 25:1-13).
2. Children and Friend (Luke 11:5-8).
3. Feeding of 5,000 and 4,000 (Mt. 14:15-21, 1529-39).
4. Firstfruits and Harvest (Rev. 14:1-5, 14-16).
5. Woman and Manchild (Rev. 12:1-17).
6. Martha and Mary (John 11:1-32).
7. Enoch and Elijah (Gen. 5:22-24, II Kings 2:11-12).
8. Noah and Lot (Luke 1726-37).
9. Daniel and Three Companions (Dan. 2:48-49, 3:10-27).
10.Queen and Virgins (Psalm 45:9-16).
11.Bride and Those Called (Rev. 19:7-9).
12. “Ye” and “They” (Luke 12-35-36).
13. Second and Third watches (Luke 12:37-40).
14. Jesus’ First and Second Ascensions (John 20:17, Acts 1:9),
15. Faithful and Unfaithful Servants (Luke 12:41-48).
16. Peter, James, John and Rest of Disciples (Mt. 17:1-18).
17. Overcomers and Churches (Rev., chaps. 2 & 3).

As you can see, there are two contrasting groups in each Biblical illustration, and/or there are two distinct events or episodes which demonstrate the same pattern. Christians have so often fought over pre-tribulation and post-tribulation rapture theories, each finding scriptural support for their beliefs, with most polarizing to one point of view or the other. But very few ever seem to realize that there is some truth to both positions. I hope that after you have read this study, it will help you to “unify” all scriptures in a beautiful picture of God’s end-time plan, which clearly shows that some (a small number) will be translated before the tribulation for the purpose of strategy, as well as to fulfill a certain “role”; and that a much greater number will be translated at the close of the tribulation, for they will have a purpose to fulfill on earth during the tribulation, For contrary to traditional teaching, the tribulation period will see the greatest revival in human history. Even those translated first will minister on the earth at that time.
Wise and Foolish. Let us take a look first at a parable which vividly portrays the truth of some being taken and others left behind. In Mt. 25:1-13 we have the story of the TEN VIRGINS, of whom five were wise, and five foolish. All went out to meet the Bridegroom, but the wise took extra oil with them, so that when the Bridegroom tarried they did not run out. The foolish did not take extra oil and were found wanting at the midnight hour when the Bridegroom finally came. The wise were taken into the marriage, but the foolish were left behind, as expressed in Mt. 25:10: “they that were READY went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.” Those who want to wrest the scripture to fit their traditions try to make this parable a picture of the separation of Christians from non-Christians, saying that the foolish virgins are wicked people who are left behind when Christ comes to take the believers. This will simply not “hold water” for ALL ten were VIRGINS. Thus they all portray born again Christians who have been “ESPOUSED to Christ” (II Cor. 11:2). This is further shown by the fact that all ten had lamps (a type of the Word of God) and oil in their lamps (a type of the Holy Spirit). The wise simply had EXTRA oil with them (a type of the FURTHER WORK of the Holy Spirit in the BAPTISM of the Holy Spirit and subsequent purifyings and preparations by that same Spirit).

Ready. Most Christians, brainwashed by the traditions of man, simply do not want to accept the fact that MORE is required to be READY to be taken by the Lord than simply being a born-again believer. This is too vast a subject to go into here, but there is an abundance of scripture to show that salvation is simply the lifting of the death penalty, giving the recipient of Christ’s gift of grace LIFE (eternal) for the soul now, and resurrection or a change for the physical body at Christ’s return. But just WHERE that life will be lived, and in what realm of glory is another question. Paul says that there is the glory of the earthly (terrestrial), and there is the glory of the heavenly (celestial); so also is the resurrection (I Cor. 15:40). The glory of the heavenly, where those who are changed into the likeness of Christ’s glory (Phil. 3:21), to rule in His kingdom, in intimate association with Him, is reserved only for the overcomers (Rev. 2:26-28, 3:21). All Christians are now espoused to Christ in new covenant relationship through the new birth, but only a select group out of the espoused ones will be TAKEN (even as the wise virgins) to become the heavenly BRIDE of the Christ, for the bride is one who makes herself READY (Rev. 19: 7). For a further discussion of these truths, ask for the booklets “The Voice of the Bridegroom” and “A New and Living Way.” [Hopefully, those books are still available from Word of Life Fellowship in Shelton, Washington, USA; see www.wordoflifefellowship.com ] I will simply add here, that though the foolish virgins in the parable were left behind when the Lord came as the Bridegroom, it is quite evident that they did secure that extra oil they so sorely needed (even though too late to be taken at the midnight hour). And this is what vast numbers of Christians left behind will be doing during the tribulation period: getting that extra oil and getting READY for the Lord’s return to take them at the close of the tribulation, to be a part of His heavenly household.

Children and Friend. Another parable which is closely related to that of the wise and foolish virgins is the “friend at midnight” as recorded in Lk. 11:5-8. Both parables deal with a crisis at the midnight hour. The foolish virgins were without oil at the midnight hour, and a certain man was without bread. In both parables we find that “a door was shut” (Indicating a lost opportunity because of lack of preparedness). In both parables there were some on the inside of the shut door, indicating that they were taken in before the door was shut. The wise virgins were taken in, and in the parable of Lk. 11:7 we read of the Friend (Jesus) saying to the one on the outside: “Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed.” “In bed” with Jesus would indicate that place of REST and INTIMACY which will be experienced after translation and glorification into His realm to be with Him. This parable illustrates again that some will be taken first to be with the Lord and other left behind. But this parable adds a clarifying and hopeful detail with reference to those left behind. Although the man without bread found the door shut when He went to his friend (Jesus) to get the bread he so desperately needed, he continued in importunity asking, seeking, knocking (see Lk. 11:9-10 which immediately follows the parable), until he got what he sought so intently for.

Three loaves. Because of his importunity (persistence) the man in the parable receives the assurance that his friend (Jesus) will “rise and give him as many as he needeth” (Lk. 11:8); but since in vs. 5, he specifically asks for three loaves, we can assume that is what he received. The “three loaves” are a veiled reference to the three categories of Christians as given in Mk. 4:40: the 30 fold, 60 fold and 100 fold. Since the man in the parable who needed bread asked for three loaves, it portrays to us that he was not going to be satisfied with the 30 or 60 fold stages of Christian experience, but wanted that “third loaf” — the 100 fold estate. Only the 100 fold will be translated into the heavenly realm to be with Christ, so this parable vividly portrays the intensity with which all Christians who are left behind when some are taken at the midnight hour, will seek the Lord Jesus (their Friend) and with importunity cry out for Him to meet them with the fiery Spirit baptism and other dealings and preparations that will be necessary to be taken at the close of the tribulation.

Feeding of 5,000 and 4,000. One of the most interesting pictures of two gatherings is in two similar miracles which Jesus performed. In Mt. 14:15 we read of the miraculous feeding of the 5,000. Jesus fed this multitude with 5 loaves and 2 fishes. The miracle took place near the Sea of Galilee. Galilee means “a circle”, and is a picture of the circuitous area of the whole earth. To us it speaks of Jesus’ ministry throughout this age as the bread of life has been broken to multitudes throughout the whole earth, and as they have partaken of the benefits of His plan of salvation (symbolized by the fish—which speaks of the mystery of regeneration). But notice, after the multitudes were fed, there was a gathering up of the fragments that remained. This speaks of those who remain (are still alive) at the coming of the Lord. They shall be “gathered” unto the Lord through translation, even as we read in II Thess. 2:1 of “the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him.”

This will be the first gathering, for we read of another gathering in the feeding of the 4,000, which we will look at shortly. In Mt. 1:20 we read that the fragments taken up filled twelve baskets. Notice that number 12, for it is the key number in speaking to us of the Firstfruits who will be gathered first. We have already seen that in Rev. 14:1 that the first-fruits are symbolized by 144,000. But please note that this number is the multiple of 12 x 12,000; confirming that 12 is the firstfruits number. Also the Greek word for “basket” in Mt. 14:20 means a small wicker hand basket. This is tremendously important as see when we examine the next miracle.

Contrast. I will now show some contrasts between the feeding of the 5,000 and the feeding of the 4,000. The latter miracle is recorded in Mt. 15:32-39. It also took place near the Sea of Galilee in a “wilderness” place. It is important to notice that this miracle took place some time after the other one, so that the “gathering” of the fragments pictured here would speak to us of a gathering of saints which takes place later than the first gathering. The “wilderness” place (15:33) could speak to us of the great tribulation period, which great numbers of Christians will find themselves going through after the firstfruits have been taken, for in Rev. 12:6 we see the remaining church going into the wilderness. Now note carefully! In the feeding of the 4,000 there are seven baskets of fragments taken up. The number 7 is symbolic of completeness of fullness. Thus this miracle speaks to us of the close of the tribulation when the FULL and complete gathering of the church takes place (in contrast to a small part only—the firstfruits—being taken earlier). Also, the Greek word for “basket” in Mt. 15:37 means a large bushel-like basket. See the Amplified Bible and contrast Mt. 15:37 with Mt. 14:20. Thus the 7 baskets taken up after the feeding of the 4,000 would be a much larger amount of fragments than the 12 baskets taken up after the feeding of the 5,000. Again, confirming the fact that the great host to be taken after the tribulation is a much larger group than the firstfruits taken earlier.

Numbers. The numbers also speak further to us when we see the feeding of the 4,000. Five is the number of freedom through the grace of God. Four is the earth number, and also speaks of the fullness of fruit. Thus the fragments taken after the feeding of the 5,000 speak to us of the firstfruits who shall enter into a full freedom FIRST, being released from the earthly into the heavenly through translation into a glorified body—FREE from all limitations and corruption of the flesh. The fragments taken after the feeding of the 4,000 speak to us of those who must remain on EARTH during the tribulation, that the fullness of fruit might be developed in them during that time. Then they shall be ready to be gathered after the tribulation. Hallelujah for the beauty and simplicity of God’s plan when our eyes are opened to the truth.

In John’s account of the feeding of the five thousand, we read in chap. 6:9, that the loaves used to feed the multitudes and gathered in fragments at the close were “barley loaves”. This is a further confirmation that these fragments symbolize the firstfruits, for barley ripens and is ready for harvest before the wheat. In the feeding of the four thousand, no mention is made that the loaves were of barley, so we might assume they were likely of wheat. Also, barley was particularly used to make bread for the poor, and this speaks of that which we read in Isa. 66:2, “but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.” Jesus’ first blessing was upon the “poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 5:3).

Firstfruits and harvest. Having mentioned the “firstfruits” in the preceding section on the miraculous feeding of the 5,000, I will now elaborate a little more on the scriptural background for the offering of firstfruits preceding the main harvest. For the law of the firstfruits was clearly set forth to the Israelites in the Old Testament; namely, that the first ripe of their harvest was to be dedicated to the Lord in a special way. Deut. 26:1-12 gives the instructions of how each family was to bring a basket of their firstfruits and give it to the priest as the Lord’s representative. Also Lev. 23:10-14 gives the instructions for a special “firstfruits sheaf” of the barley harvest which was to be offered to the Lord at the time of the Passover festival in the spring of the year. They could not begin their harvest of the barley and other crops until the high priest had offered this firstfruits sheaf to the Lord in a special ceremony. As the Lord of the harvest, God had to receive His special portion before the rest of the harvest could be reaped. This is a TYPE of God’s ways in His spiritual harvest of human beings. Jesus clearly states in Mt. 13:39 that His harvest comes at the close of this age. But before He can gather a great host into His “heavenly barn” (kingdom)—Mt. 13:30, He must receive to Himself a first-fruits. And this “firstfruits” must be gathered out of the end-time harvest, to be translated without experiencing death.

Mystery revealed. The preceding “mystery” is revealed to us in that added portion of Divine revelation given by Jesus to the apostle John on the island of Patmos. We must keep in mind that when Jesus was on the earth, He either did not know, or was not permitted to reveal all the details of the Father’s plan. This is why the book of Revelation is an absolute MUST to get the whole picture. In Rev. 1:1, it is called “the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him (in addition to that which He spoke when on earth) to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass.” In the 14th chap, of Rev., we see both the firstfruits and the rest of the harvest. In Rev. 14:1-5, are the 144,000 firstfruits standing with the Lamb on Mount Zion, “having been redeemed from (out from) the earth.” This can only mean that they are no longer on earth, but translated into the heavenly realm through having their bodies glorified. Then follows in the rest of chap. 14: the preaching of the gospel to all the earth, the judgment on Babylon, the warning about the mark of the beast, the wrath of God, the commendation of the martyrs who die at the hands of the Beast powers— all of which take place during the tribulation period. AFTER these things, we see the Lord Himself in 14:14-16 with a sickle REAPING the REST of the harvest, gathering the remainder of the saints at the close of the tribulation.

Woman and Manchild. The truth of a two-fold church is also clearly given to us in the 12th chap, of the book of Revelation. In 12:1-2 is recorded the vision of the woman “clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.” This heavenly archetypal pattern which John describes portrays the glorious church as it is to manifest on the earth, symbolically pictured as a woman. He then notices that this woman is “with child”; and then sees her give birth to a male child which is caught up to the throne of God (12:2-5). A comparison of the language of 12:5 with Rev. 2:26-27 shows that this “manchild” portrays the “overcomers” within the woman or church. Their “birth” out of the church, being caught up to the throne of God, pictures their translation without the experience of death to the glorified estate AHEAD of the rest of the church. That this takes place at the beginning of the tribulation is clear from 12:6 where we read that after the woman gives birth she goes into the “wilderness “for 1260 days. This “wilderness “is none other than the great tribulation which Jesus describes in Mt, 24:21-22. Rev. 12:7-17 describes the wrath of Satan at that time against the “woman”, and her divine protection by God. Surely this makes plain the truth, and confirms the many other patterns, that a small group will be translated at the beginning of the tribulation, while the remainder and much larger body of Christians goes through the tribulation; emphasizing the truth of some being taken and others left.

Martha and Mary. Another symbolic picture of the two-fold church given to us in the New Testament is that of the sisters: Martha and Mary. I mention Martha first since she evidently was older, and more mature. This is portrayed by the fact that in Lk. 10:38 we read of Jesus and His disciples coming to the village of Bethany and “Martha received him into her house.” Likewise she was taking charge of making preparations for the several tired and hungry travelers, while Mary, her sister, sat at Jesus’ feet. Some have tried to deduce from this that Mary was the more spiritual one. However, close examination of the symbology does not bear this out. Mary represents the newer, more immature Christian, who is not ready to be “up and serving” the Master. Martha was rebuked by Jesus, not because she was serving—that was her responsibility as head of the house— but because she was burdened with having no help and critical of Mary for not giving her a hand. Martha’s approach to the Master and her words indicate that she was on intimate terms with Him, and evidently had herself sat at His feet much previous to Mary’s coming to that point. Mary, on the other hand, was no doubt a more recent “convert”, perhaps coming out of a life of deep sin. Therefore she needed to be at the Master’s feet at that time. Jesus said that she had chosen “that good part, which shall not be taken away from her “(Lk. 10:42). This portrays the “gift of eternal life” (Rom. 6:23) which shall not be taken away once it is given (Rom. 11:29). Like Mary, we too who have received His gift of life, must always find time to “sit at His feet” and learn of Him; but we must also grow and mature to where we can also be “up and serving” like Martha. Both are necessary in our Christian experience.

Meeting Jesus. Having clarified the above picture, we now proceed to the 11th chapter of John where again we see Jesus visiting the household of Bethany. This time it was a crises situation. Martha and Mary had sent word for Jesus to come from some distance and four days had passed before He arrived. In the mean time Lazarus had died. Jesus had allowed this to happen because He purposed to glorify God by raising him from the dead. Our purpose at this time is not to go into all of the details of this story, but to point out the prophetic pattern portrayed by Martha, Mary and Lazarus, The name “Lazarus” means “whom God helps” and he is symbolic of the Jewish nation whom God has sworn to help, and which He is going to “raise up” to spiritual life (through their accepting of the Messiah) at the time of Jesus’ return to this earth. Martha and Mary represent the two-fold church, one portion of which goes out to meet the Lord before the other. John 11:20 says that “Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him; but Mary sat still in the house.” Martha going out to meet the Master “outside the city” is a type of the first group of Christians being translated to meet the Lord before the tribulation begins; whereas Mary represents those left behind to go through the tribulation.

Martha calls Mary. After Martha had met Jesus outside the village, and had conversed with Him for a time, John 1128 says that “she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee.” This portrays the fact that the Martha group will have a ministry in helping to prepare the Mary group for their translation. Notice that Martha talked to Mary secretly. After the Martha group has been translated, during the tribulation they will be engaged in appearing to Christians yet on the earth, to help them. These appearings will be “secret”—that is, not known by the world. Such appearings will be similar to the appearings of Jesus to His disciples after His resurrection and glorification. Acts 1:3 says that Jesus was “seen of them forty days,” and He was “speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.” So will the glorified saints of the Martha group appear during the “40” of the great tribulation, for the number “40” is symbolic of testing through tribulation.

Mary meets Jesus. After being prepared by Martha, John 11:29 says that Mary “arose quickly, and came unto him.” And verse 30 tells us that “Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha met him.” Isn’t that amazing? Or is it? Mary met Jesus in the same place outside the town that Martha had met Him. WHY? We would ordinarily think that Jesus would have proceeded into the town with Martha after she had gone out to meet Him. But once we understand that every MOVE Jesus made portrays a part of His prophetic plan, then such details SPEAK to us. Both Martha and Mary meeting Jesus OUTSIDE the town, speaks to us of saints meeting Jesus “in the air” (atmospheric region above the earth) BEFORE He comes TO the earth with those saints to fully manifest Himself. But again, we notice two groups separated by time. Martha meeting Jesus first, and Mary later (but in the SAME place), so shall the two-fold church be. When Martha went out to meet Jesus there is no record that anyone saw her go (John 11:20), but when Mary left, John 11:31 says that the Jews saw her leave. This again fits the pattern that when Jesus takes the first group of saints it is a secret maneuver, but when the second group is taken, they are seen ascending, headed by the two witnesses (Rev. 11:12).

Enoch and Elijah. Facts and prophetic episodes relating to the New Testament church are TYPED in the Old Testament, as God previewed by living drama things to come in the Messianic age of covenant fullness. It is no accident that just TWO men were translated without experiencing death. They picture the two-fold church in this end time. Enoch is a type of those to be taken first, BEFORE the tribulation, because Enoch was translated before the FLOOD came upon the earth. Enoch pictures those who are now “walking with God”, as he did (see Gen. 5: 22-24). “And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.” Heb. 11:5 declares that “by faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.” In contrast to Enoch, Elijah pictures those who will be translated following the tribulation. Elijah was on the earth when FIRE fell from heaven, and a great RAIN came (I Kings 18:38, 45), which symbolize the “second Pentecost” of latter rain outpouring which is to come in fullness AFTER the Enoch group of Christians is translated. Following this, Elijah went into the “wilderness”, where he was sustained supernaturally (I Kings 19:4-8), for a period of 40 days and nights. “Forty” is the number of testing, and speaks to us of the great trial of the tribulation period (Rev. 3:10), while the church is in the wilderness (Rev. 12:14). Elijah was persecuted by King Ahab and his wicked wife Jezebel, who picture the end-time forces of the Beast and apostate religion coming against the true saints (Rev. 2:20, chap. 13 and chap. 17), especially during the tribulation period.

Noah and Lot. In Luke 17:26-32, Jesus connects the days of Noah and Lot together as picturing end-time conditions and the return of the Lord. Noah was taken into the ark BEFORE the floods of tribulation came, and was LIFTED UP above the waters, even as the firstfruits will be “lifted up” by translation before the tribulation. Mt. 24:39 says that the people in Noah’s day “knew not “that Noah had been taken into the ark until the floods came. In other words, it was a secret maneuver and secret departure. The name Noah means “rest” and speaks to us of the rest obtained or entered into by a small elect body by means of the mystic “marriage” to the Lamb of God. Like unto Enoch, Noah “walked with God” (Gen. 6:9), and was called “a just man and perfect in his generations.” Thus he types those who are now “following the Lamb” (Rev. 14:4), waiting and expecting to be secretly taken. On the other hand, Lot did not live a separated life like unto Noah, but in the midst of Sodom and its wickedness (and this was something that he decided).

Gen. 13:10-11. Sodom means “scorched”, whereas her sister city, Gomorrah, means “submerged”. Lot lived in Sodom, not Gomorrah. Thus he pictures those Christians who have lived free enough from the world so that they are not submerged in its sin and ways; but they have lived in close enough proximity to its ways that they have been scorched by it. Lot chose to live in Sodom even though his righteous soul was vexed by its wickedness (II Pet. 2:8).

Delivered from wrath. Compromising Lot thus represents that group of Christians who must go through the tribulation, and be received of the Lord at its close. Note that it is clear from Luke 17:29 that Lot and his family were delivered out of Sodom JUST BEFORE God rained fire on the city to destroy it. Then verse 30 says, “Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is REVEALED.” Jesus is not revealed “in flaming fire” to take vengeance (II Thess. 1:7) until the very close of the tribulation. When He comes at the beginning of the tribulation it is as a “thief”, unseen except by that small group that he takes. Some quote I Thess. 1:10 as evidence that Christians cannot go through the tribulation because they have been “delivered from wrath to come.” However, it must be seen that the tribulation is not God’s wrath, but rather Satan’s wrath (Rev. 12:12). Only at the very close of the tribulation, in the 7 Vials of Wrath of Rev. 16:1-21, is the “wrath of God” poured out on the earth. This corresponds to the “fire” that was rained on Sodom AFTER lot was delivered. Also in Rev. 15:2-4 we see saints who are obviously in a glorified estate in the heavenlies just BEFORE the vials of wrath are poured out. That they had gone through the tribulation is evident by the fact that they “had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name” (15:2). So shall the “Lot” group go through the tribulation, in victory over the beast and his system, and be translated to glory just BEFORE the vials of wrath are poured out.

Taken and Left. We have already examined the passage in the gospel of Matthew about those being taken and left. However, Luke’s account gives added insight which needs to be looked at. Matthew does not give a complete account; Luke is better. In Luke 17:32 we read: “I tell you, in that night there shall be two in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. “ Notice, the two are in ONE bed; they are resting in the same place, having one abode in common. Thus they are both Christian believers. Had the Lord wanted to portray the difference between believers and unbelievers, He would have said: “Those in one house shall be taken, whereas those in another house shall be left.” Whereas Jesus said “in that NIGHT there shall be two in one bed and one shall be taken”, etc., it first indicates that it shall be factual night over Jerusalem when the “taking” starts. Secondly, because the horror and darkness of the great tribulation then opens IN FORCE, the general situation in the world will be similar to that of a “night”. Recall that it was at midnight (Mt. 25:6), that the cry went forth which caused the wise virgins to bestir themselves that they might meet the approaching bridegroom. Also, it was at midnight (Ex. 12:29) that a cry went up out of the land of Egypt because the Lord had taken (by death) the firstborn of the land. As THAT “taking “was a judgment upon Egypt for their hardness, in heart, so in a like SIMILITUDE, shall a CRY go up from the church, as the Lord takes the “firstborn” (firstfruits) through translation as a judgment upon a lukewarm, careless, “sleeping church. It is the same as the Lord “breaking into” the household of the church as a thief (Mt. 24 A3 -44) to take His “jewels”, as in Mai. 3:17: “And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them (from the great tribulation), as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.” Such “thievery” is the PRICE He exacts upon the balance of the church for their lack of readiness.

Lot prepared. We read in Gen. 19:1 that God sent heavenly messengers to Sodom to prepare Lot for departure from Sodom. Even so, shortly after the “firstfruits” are translated, shall THEY be sent as “messengers” to the Lot group to help prepare them. They shall have their glorified bodies at that time, and will have the power to appear and disappear even as did Jesus when He was on earth for 40 days after His resurrection and glorification. This is pictured in Rev. 12:6 where we read that those of the “Manchild” group “FEED the church in the wilderness (of tribulation).” When Lot left Sodom, it was not secretly, and at night, but in broad daylight (Gen. 19:15), seen by others. Of that moment Jesus spoke in Luke 17:35, “Two shall be grinding together (at the mill); the one shall be taken, and the other left.” Ordinarily, grinding is done in the DAY. Thus over Jerusalem, broad daylight shall prevail when the Lot group is taken, and Rev. 11:12 informs us that those who ascend at THAT time will be SEEN going up, even as Jesus was seen when He ascended (Acts 1:9). In perfect harmony with this is the fact that when Martha went out to meet Jesus, no one saw her leave (John 11:20), but later, when Mary left to meet Jesus in the same place where Martha had met him, we read that “the Jews then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they SAW Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her.” Hallelujah! Beloved, when we see the dove-tailing of all these little details, all in perfect harmony with the numerous illustrations which God has given us in His Word, to show the two-fold church and His plan for each group, how can we help but SHOUT His praises.

Summarizing. Looking again at Luke 17:34-35, we see that there are two statements of being “taken”. Lk. 17:36 is NOT to be found in the older and authentic Greek manuscripts. It probably means that the statement contained in that verse was spoken by Jesus at ANOTHER TIME, when speaking of the same matter, but inadvertently inserted here by a copyist of later manuscripts. Thus we have TWO “takings”; the first of Lk. 17:34 at NIGHT; the second of Lk. 17:35 in the DAY. They are separated by three and one half years. The first “taking” is a secret maneuver; a sudden breaking into the house by the thief to take the “jewels”, who are the firstfruits Bride; symbolized by the Wise Virgins, the Manchild, Enoch, Noah, Martha, etc. These are taken before the great tribulation, and are thus “accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man” (Lk. 21:36; see also Rev. 3:10). This coming of Jesus is unexpected, except by those awake and watching; thus the admonition by Jesus: “Watch, therefore, for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. . . therefore be ye also ready; for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” (Mt. 24:42, 44). “For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth” (Lk. 21:35). The second taking is EXPECTED; there is nothing secret about it. Christians left to go through the great tribulation will KNOW that they have just three and one half years to get ready. It will correspond to Lot going out of Sodom in broad daylight. This group to be taken will make up the remainder of the “heavenly household” to be joined to the Bride. They are symbolized by the foolish virgins, the woman in the wilderness, Elijah, Mary, Lot, etc. They will be SEEN as they go up.

Revelation. Lest some of you think I am “reading” too much into some of Jesus’ statements in the gospels, I want to make it clear that it is impossible for anyone to construct a pattern of end-time events from the gospels alone. Only the book of Revelation can help clarify some of the details, and that is why Jesus gave to John that revelation on the isle of Patmos (Rev. 1:1, 19). Therefore I am scripturally interpreting some of Jesus’ statements in the gospels in light of the further revelation given to John on Patmos, especially time factors. Let me illustrate this principle by touching on another matter. Jesus speaks about the resurrection in John 5:29: “And they shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment.” If this brief statement was all the information we had concerning the subject, we might conclude that the resurrection of both the good and the evil would take place at approximately the same time. Yet, Jesus’ further revelation given to John on Patmos makes it clear that the two resurrections will be separated by a thousand years (Rev. 20:4-6). Thus the book of Revelation is very important in order to get the whole picture of end-time events. It is also impossible to try to build an end-time pattern on the writings of Paul alone. Paul said he “saw through a glass darkly” (I Cor. 13:12), so important details were not given to him. His writings can add some illumination, but the basics must come from Jesus’ words in the gospels and in the book of Revelation.

Where to, Lord? It is quite obvious from Lk. 17:37 that the disciples understood Jesus’ teaching concerning the “taking”, for they asked the question “Where, Lord?” That is, WHERE are those taken going? What’s their destination? Jesus answered “Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together. At the beginning of the tribulation, just before He takes the first group of Christians, Jesus will have personally descended to our earth’s atmosphere. HE, himself, will be the “Body” to which the saints will be gathered. Jesus used the figure of “eagles” or birds of prey which feed on a “body” or carcass. First, the figure is fulfilled in that we who belong to the Lord FEED on Him; we “eat His flesh and drink His blood” (John 6:56). Secondly, when Christians are translated from an earth-bound body to a glorified body, they are FREED (like the birds) to ascend and GO where Jesus IS (gathered together to Him). At the close of the tribulation, at the time of the second “taking”, both Jesus and the glorified firstfruits saints will constitute the “Body” that the rest of the saints will be gathered to. This will fulfill I Thess. 4:17 where Paul speaks of those to be “caught up” to “meet the Lord in the air.” Also, II Thess. 2:1 speaks of the “coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto HIM.”

Where JESUS is. The above is in harmony with Jesus’ statement in John 14:3 that he would come again and “receive you unto MYSELF; that where I AM, there you may be also.” Jesus remains in the atmosphere of our earth during the entire three and a half years tribulation, and so do the firstfruits who will have been translated (but ministering to those yet on earth by appearing to them and instructing them). When the second group is translated at the close of the tribulation, ALL of the glorified saints will be taken by Jesus into the highest heaven where the TEMPLE (and throne) of God is located. There, at the proper time they will enter that temple to be introduced to the Father. There the “marriage supper of the Lamb” will take place while the “vials of wrath” are being poured out on the earth. Jesus then RETURNS WITH His saints to the earth at the very climax of those vials, to personally consummate the “wrath of God” on this earth. Rev. 15:1-8, 19:7-21.

Those left. One other factor needs to be clarified here. If indeed there are two “takings”, as indicated by the many Scriptures we have been studying, then according to this pattern, even at the close of the tribulation, when a great host is taken, others will at that time be left behind. Why? And what is their destiny? It must be realized that during the tribulation, with the greatest “revival” in human history, multitudes will turn to the Lord. For many of these, there will simply not be enough time (or for some a lack of willingness) to be fully prepared and proven for entrance into the heavenly kingdom. The pattern which enables us to understand God’s plan for those left is found in II Kings 2:1-15, in the story of Elijah and his successor, Elisha. We have already seen that Elijah is a type of those to be translated at the close of the tribulation, in contrast to Enoch who pictures the firstfruits translation before the tribulation. Without taking time to go into great detail, we see in the story that immediately after Elijah is taken by God into the heavenlies, Elisha picks up Elijah’s mantle and smites the waters of Jordan and they part, enabling Elisha to go across. Crossing Jordan on “dry ground” is a type of entering into life without the experience of death. But Elisha remained on earth after Elijah was taken, showing us that those left on earth after the final “taking” at the close of the tribulation will have the opportunity to enter into deathless LIFE in physical bodies; immortality in human flesh; living in perpetual youth and health for the entire thousand year millennium or longer. Their opportunity to have their bodies glorified by translation will come at a time specified by God some time in the future.

Daniel and Three Friends. Let us now go back to the Old Testament for further illustrations of the two-fold church and God’s plan for each in this end time. One of the most interesting patterns is that of Daniel and his3 companions, Shadrack, Meshach and Abednego. In Daniel 3:1, we read of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, setting up a great image, and in 3:4, everyone was commanded to bow down and worship the image. This is a type of the end-time “image” which the nations of earth are commanded to “worship” according to Rev. 13:14-15. I will not take time here to detail just what that “image” will involve in this end-time, for I have dealt with the matter in other writings. Order the booklet “Christ Revealed verses The Man of Sin” for information on this. Because Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego would not bow down to the image they were cast into a fiery furnace, but were supernaturally protected (Dan. 3:19-27). The “fiery furnace “is a type of the great tribulation which most Christians will have to go through, but with the protection of Almighty God.

Why? I had often pondered over the question of why Daniel was not cast into the fiery furnace. Surely he did not compromise and bow down before the image„ The answer is found in Daniel, chap. 2. There we read of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and the inability of all the wise men of Babylon to tell the dream or its interpretation. However, God revealed the dream and its interpretation to Daniel, who then related it to the king. The king was so grateful that Dan. 2:48-49 tells us that “the king made Daniel a great man”…”and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors overall the wise men of Babylon.” This “elevation” of Daniel took place BEFORE the fiery furnace of chap. 3. Thus we see that those who accused Daniel’s friends in 3:8 could not touch Daniel. He was TOO HIGH. He could have had their heads lopped off. The picture here fits beautifully into the patterns that we have seen elsewhere. Daniel represents the “firstfruits” who are taken (and elevated through translation) before the peoples of the nations are required to submit to the “image” of the Beast, whereas Shadrack, Meshach and Abednego represent the Christians who go through the tribulation (the “fiery furnace”). Because of their faith and commitment, these men were protected by God and brought through the fire unharmed. Hallelujah! What a beautiful picture of what God will do for all who are committed to Him in the coming tribulation. But also, how blessed will be those in the “Daniel” group to be “elevated” before the fiery tribulation comes.

Queen and virgins. Psalm 45 is one of the most beautiful of all the Psalms. It speaks of the glory and majesty of Christ and His Kingdom. Besides the King in verses 1-8, we see the Queen in verse 9: “upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir” Verses 10-14 tell of her beauty and character, as well as her love and devotion to the King, Then verse 14 says: “She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework: the virgins her companions that FOLLOW her shall be brought unto thee (the King).” Notice, that there is another company mentioned besides the queen. They are “the virgins her companions who follow her” That they follow her indicates that they would arrive AFTER the queen. This again is in harmony with the other patterns we have seen. The first group of Christians (“firstfruits”) taken by Jesus will make up the BRIDE company, becoming the “Queen” of the heavenly realm. The others who follow (three and one half years later) will be “virgins her companions”; that is, maidens in waiting and servants of the King and Queen, but destined to fulfill important posts of responsibility in the Kingdom.

Sonship. The above designations refer to the “roles “or positions they will be filling, whether of the Bride company or the Servant company. But all together, they will make up the “heavenly household” of UNVEILED SONS OF GOD. This is why in Rev. 12:5, even the Bride company is pictured as a “man-child”. It is to emphasize the positive spirit-factors: overcoming and gaining dominion; of maturity and “SONSHIP”, When God seeks to emphasize the soul-qualities to be developed in His people such as love, devotion, gentleness, faithfulness, etc., the church (or any part thereof) is pictured as FEmale, as in II Cor. 11:2 where the church is espoused to the Lord as to a husband (see also Ephes. 5:22-33). But when God seeks to emphasize the spirit-attributes of positive overcoming, gaining dominion, coming to maturity, etc., the church (or any part thereof) is pictured as male, as in Ephes. 4:11-16 where Paul speaks of the church being edified and growing to maturity, “till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect (fullgrown) MAN, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Paul says in Rom. 8:19 that creation waits for the “manifestation (revealing) of the Sons of God.” Those in the “Bride” company will be the first to manifest such “Sonship” in deathless, glorified bodies, at the beginning of the tribulation,, Many others will be ready for “manifest Sonship” at the close of the tribulation, but they will be a part of the “household of servants “to fill many posts of responsibility in the Kingdom OTHER than the role of the Bride. Then there will also be “unveiled sons” on the earthly plane, in deathless physical bodies, even as we have seen in the type of Elisha. No doubt a “firstfruits” (first ones) will manifest such deathless life even during the tribulation, such as the two witnesses of Rev. 11:3. As the millennium begins, many others will have the opportunity to enter into this kind of deathless life here on earth.

The Bride and Those Called. We have seen how the 5 wise virgins (who represent the Bride) are pictured in Mt. 25:10 as going in with the Lord to the marriage. In Bible times, when a man was ready to marry, he simply took the woman who had been pledged (espoused) to him to live with him, making a public announcement of the fact that they were beginning married life, and then inviting his relatives and friends to a time of feasting and celebrating, called the marriage supper or wedding feast. When Jesus takes (through translation) His firstfruits Bride at the beginning of the tribulation, the fact that they are then joined to Him constitutes the “marriage”—they are united to live together. Those who are left behind are not a part of that marriage, but they ARE invited to the “marriage supper”, which will take place when the great host is translated at the close of the tribulation. Note two distinct episodes in Rev. 19: 7 and 9. First, the writer says, “Let us be glad and rejoice and give honour to him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready” (Rev. 19:7). But then in 19:9 we read, “And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.” A Bride is not invited to her own marriage celebration; SHE is the one who helps to extend the call, and invites others, as we read in Rev. 22:17, “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come.” The Bride company will be busy during the tribulation extending the call to many, and getting them ready for the marriage supper. This is in harmony with a previous pattern where we saw Martha returning to Mary and saying “The Master is come, and calleth for thee” (John 11:28). We have already seen that those in the Bride company will have the power to materialize their glorified bodies and speak to those yet on the earth.

“Ye” and “They”. Another passage which relates to this matter is Luke 12:35-36. Jesus again contrasts and shows the dif?ference between some who will be ready when He comes and others who will not. He distinguishes between two groups in verses 35-36 by using two personal pronouns: “Ye” and “They”. Based upon the understanding I have been presenting in this study, I will punctuate this passage differently than the Authorized Version. Remember, there is no punctuation in the original Greek text. Words and sentences simply run together. All punctuation is supplied by the translators based on how they believe it makes the best sense, according to their understanding. Let me now quote verse 35 and the first part of verse 36, inserting a period where I believe it makes better sense. “Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; and YE like unto men that wait for their lord.” The “YE” here would be those who are ready, looking for and expecting the return of the Lord. The very fact that He admonishes them to have their “lights burning”, indicates that His coming would be at NIGHT, and we have previously seen that this coming is for the FIRST group of Christians, and it also parallels the thought of the parable in Mt. 25:1-6 where the wise virgins were ready because they had extra oil, and thus their lights were burning when the Bridegroom came at the midnight hour. Now notice the next statement Jesus makes in the last half of Lk. 12:36, which I will punctuate by beginning a new sentence: “When he (the Lord) will return from the wedding, that when he cometh and knocketh, THEY may open unto him immediately. “ Notice the change in pronouns from “Ye” to “They”. And the “they” group are admonished to be ready to receive the Lord when He returns from the WEDDING. This in itself indicates that some had previously been taken by the Lord and joined to Him in “spiritual matrimony”, as we read in Mt. 25:10. The initial “union” of Jesus, the Bridegroom, and His Bride, continues during the tribulation period, at the close of which He returns from the wedding to receive those who are CALLED to the marriage supper. The marriage festivities will take place in the heavenlies while the vials of wrath are being poured out on the earth. Then, as we will see later, following the vials of wrath, they will all RETURN with the Lord to help inaugurate His Kingdom on this earth.

Second and Third Watches. Continuing in the passage inLk.12, we note that in vs. 37 the Lord admonishes watchfulness, I will now quote vs. 38 from Young’s Literal Translation, for most ver?sions do not translate this verse correctly; “and if he may come in the second watch, and in the third watch he may come, and may find it so, happy are those servants.” Notice carefully, that this verse says Jesus will come in the second watch AND in the third watch—that is, a TWO-fold coming for His people; in perfect harmony with the other patterns we have beheld. The second watch in Bible times was the watch from 9:00 p.m. to MIDNIGHT, and was called the “midnight” watch ;and thus speaks of Jesus coming for the firstfruits Bride company at the “midnight” hour (Mt. 25:6). The third watch came after midnight until 3:00 a.m. and was called the “cockcrowing watch”. It was during this watch that the disciples went through severe trial the night Jesus was betrayed and taken into custody, ending in Peter’s denial of the Lord, which came just before the cock crowed (Mt. 26:34, 74-75). So does the third watch portray the tribulation period, which is spoken of in Rev. 3:10 as “The hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world to TRY them that dwell upon the earth.” The “third watch” coming of the Lord is for those who go through the tribulation and are ready to be received at its close. For more information on the “watches”, order the booklet “The Voice of the Seventh Angel.”

Jesus’ First and Second Ascensions. Jesus was “taken” twice from this earth. WHY? Certainly the primary reason was related to His personal ministry and that which He was accomplishing for man’s redemption. However, we need to realize that He set the pattern for the church, portraying in His own life and actions God’s plan,, Did He not declare Himself to be THE TRUTH? (John 14:6), Will His church be involved in anything that He Himself has not already depicted and acted out? Beloved, ponder that deeply. First of all, Jesus’ resurrection and translation to glorified life took place secretly. No one saw it. His body was simply found missing. Then, on the very morning of His resurrection, He ascended to the Father. The only one to whom He appeared before that ascension was Mary Magdalene (see John 20:11-18). WHY? When we realize that Jesus by His actions was enacting a prophetic drama, then we understand that Mary is thus prophetic of the Bride who is to betaken first, secretly as it were, even as Jesus appeared secretly to Mary and then ascended without anyone else seeing Him. There are several women named “Mary” in the New Testament. Mary Magdalene is a different woman than Mary, the sister of Martha, whom we discussed earlier. Mary Magdalene is the one of whom it is spoken in Mark 16:9 that Jesus “appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.” Seven is the number of the Bride, and the “seven devils cast out” here speaks of the complete work of cleansing of the Bride company in preparation for their translation.

Jesus Appears to Others. As Jesus ascended following His secret meeting with Mary, so did He depict by His own action the coming translation and ascension of the firstfruits Bride. But later in the day, He returned and appeared to the other women and His disciples. He then remained on earth for 40 days during which time He appeared to many (Acts 1:3),, Even so shall the firstfruits Bride company (after their translation to ascend to Jesus somewhere in our atmosphere) RETURN to appear to and minister to the remaining church on earth. “40” is the number of tribulation through testing, and Jesus TYPED the coming tribulation period by that 40 days He ministered on earth after His glorification. After Jesus’40 days on earth He again ascended, but NOT secretly as previously. According to Acts 1:9-11, His disciples saw Him visibly ascending until He disappeared into a cloud. Thus the prophetic drama continues, as Jesus by His own action depicts the translation and ascension of the re?mainder of the saints at the close of the tribulation, who, as we have already shown, will go up visibly and openly. Hallelujah! How can we hold back our “shouts of praise “as we behold such “dove-tailing “of details in the prophetic pattern Jesus wrought for us in His own life and actions.

Faithful and Unfaithful Servants. I will now return to Luke 12, and comment on one more contrast which Jesus spoke of. In vs. 39 Jesus speaks of the thief breaking into the house. We know that Jesus comes first as a “thief” to break into the household of the church to take His “jewels” (the Bride company). Some quote I Thess. 5:1 and say that it is only the “day of the Lord” that comes as a thief and not Jesus personally. They use 1 Thess. 5:4 as evidence that it is only the world that is to be taken by surprise, for “ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.” But WHO are the “ye” of that verse. Certainly we cannot equate the common lot of careless, sleeping, Christians of today with the Spirit sanctified and consecrated Thessalonian Christians who had been under the personal teaching of the apostle Paul and were fully instructed in end-time matters. In addition, a careful reading of scripture shows that it is not only the day of the Lord that is to come as a thief, but also Jesus personally. Besides, how can we separate Jesus from His “day”? In Rev. 16:15, Jesus, speaking TO Christians, says: “Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.” Jesus also warns the church in Rev. 3:3: “If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.” The “day of the Lord” coming as a thief speaks primarily of sudden and unexpected judgments coming on the world, but Jesus personally coming as a thief refers directly to His sudden and unexpected (by most Christians) coming upon His church, to break through and “steal”. It is in this context that Jesus gives the contrast in Luke 12:37-48 of the two kinds of servants—the faithful and wise, and the unfaithful.

In contrast. In the passage just mentioned, the “faithful and wise” servant is the one who is “ready” (vs. 40), faithfully doing the Lord’s will (vs. 43), and receiving the promises of increased “meat” (understanding) and rulership (increased stewardship) responsibility (vs. 42, 44). The unfaithful and careless servant does not take seriously the warnings of the Lord’s coming and the need to be ready (vs. 45), but continues to engage in carnal type activities (vs. 45). The “beating” of others and getting “drunk” are not necessarily to be taken literally any more than the “stripes” of vs. 47-48. They are simply symbolic of wrong attitudes and actions towards others through unfaithfulness in stewardship responsibilities. Also Rev. 17:2 gives a symbolic picture of being “drunk” on the “wine” of the harlot’s “fornication”. This speaks of compromise and unfaithfulness to the Lord, consorting with the “woman” (soul desires) of the world’s Babylonish systems. James amplifies on this by saying in his epistle that “friendship (intimate contact, spiritual adultery) with the world is enmity with God” (James 4:4), In Luke 12:46 Jesus states the consequence of such careless, compromising living: “The Lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware (as a “thief”), and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unfaithful.”

Cut in sunder. Just what does the Lord mean by the expression “cut him in sunder”? The Greek word used here means literally to bisect or cut in two. Young’s Literal translation says “will cut him off”. The Rotherham version says “cut him asunder”. The Lord is not going to literally cut any person in two, but when He comes “unawares”, secretly, “as a thief”, and TAKES by translation the “faithful and wise servants”, then He divides or “cuts asunder” some from others; those left behind are then “cut off” from those taken. Those left behind then have their lot appointed with the “unfaithful”, that is, they will have to go through the tribulation. According to the concordance, the Greek word translated “cut asunder” can, by extension of thought, also be translated “to flog severely”. This is exactly in harmony with that which is stated in the passage in Luke 12: 47-48, that those servants who did not prepare themselves sufficiently and are left behind shall be “beaten with stripes.” These “stripes” are simply the buffeting conditions of the tribulation period, which the Lord says will be either few or many. Can we not see how important it is for the Lord to prepare us now, so that even if we are not chosen to be in the first group to be taken, we will not have to be buffeted greatly by the tribulation conditions, but will receive the completeness of the Lord’s protection. The parable we have just been considering, however, does indicate that many careless and unfaithful servants of the Lord will experience many buffeting “stripes” during the tribulation.

Peter, James, John and Rest of Disciples. Mt. 17 relates the story of Jesus’ transfiguration on a high mountain. When we understand that everything Jesus did was prophetic of His plan for His church then this episode takes on special importance. In God’s symbolic language, a mountain symbolizes a kingdom— and in this story we must see it as symbolic of the heavenly kingdom which Jesus will establish when He returns. His own glory which He chose to manifest at that time (Mt. 17:1) was a foretaste and preview of that which would take place when His physical body would be changed into a glorified body—after His resurrection. All who are translated into that realm will have glorified bodies like unto His (Phil. 3:21). Mt. 17:1 says that this took place six days following His declaration that He was to go to Jerusalem and die (Mt. 16:21). A day is with the Lord as a thousand years (II Pet. 3:8). From God’s perspective, in His preordained plan, the death of Jesus took place from the time of Adam’s fall (Rev. 13:8). The Greek word for “foundation” in this verse is katabole which comes from kataballo. The “kata” part means down, and “ballo” means to throw or cast. Thus the word means “to throw or cast down.” And the correct translation of Rev. 13:8 is “the Lamb slain from the disruption or overthrow of the world “(through Adam’s sin). There is another Greek word (“themelios”) which means foundation in the sense of the substructure of a building. We can now see that the six days of Mt. 17:1 refers to 6,000 years from Adam’s fall, when Jesus was crucified in God’s sight, to the end of the present age; at the end of which some are to be taken INTO the HEAVENLY KINGDOM (symbolized by the high mountain into which Jesus took Peter, James and John).

Not all of the Disciples. It is important to note that Jesus did NOT take all twelve of the disciples into the mount on this occasion. WHY? Can we not see that He was trying to convey a prophetic pattern? This is just another evidence that it is only a small portion of Christians that are FIRST to be translated when Jesus comes for His saints. Now I wish to call your attention to something remarkable. How many hours are there in six days? You will find there are exactly 144 hours. We have already seen previously that the first group to be translated is represented by the 144,000 of Rev. 14:1. To me this is absolutely staggering—that God would have that “144” number as an integral part of the time pattern showing us WHEN the first group is to be taken. I have shown in another writing (get the article on “The Third Day”), that it has now been approximately 6,000 years since Adam’s fall (4,000 years before Christ, and 2,000 years since Christ), and that if we figure the time according to either lunar or prophetic time—in contrast to solar time, that we are already closing out the 6th day and are in the dawning of the 7th day. So any year now Jesus may come and take some into that “mountain”. Notice that after the experience in the mountain, Jesus and the three disciples come down to find the rest of the disciples dealing with a “lunatic” who was vexed with a demon, and they could not cure him (Mt. 17: 14-16). Even so, when those who ore taken first RETURN to manifest to the remaining church, they will find the world vexed with demonic power, for Satan and his demons will I be cast down when the first group is taken (Rev. 12:5-9). And the church on earth will need the ministry of the glorified saints to help counteract the influence of such demonic power. This is the meaning of the statement in Rev. 12:16 that “the earth helped the woman.” The glorified saints will be able to appear .in their glorified physical bodies and open their mouths to speak comfort, deliverance, or whatever is needed. They will help the saints on earth bring deliverance to many, and this is pictured in the deliverance wrought in Mt. 17:18.

Overcomers and Churches. There is one final contrast I will present before I end this section on the Lord’s coming for His saints. In the book of Revelation, chapters 2 & 3, are recorded the seven letters to the seven churches of Asia. Each letter, with its commendations and rebukes, is sent to the whole church in the city to which it was designated. But within each letter is a special promise to the “overcomers”. The Greek word means “to subdue, conquer, prevail, or get the victory.” We cannot here go into all of these promises. But in the last three (Rev. 2:26, 3:12, & 3:21), we have the clear indication that it is the overcomers who are going to rule with Christ in the heavenly city, the new Jerusalem, which will come down and be stationed in our upper atmosphere (Rev. 21:10), and from which the glorified saints will descend and ascend to carry out their duties on this earth during the millennium and beyond. When we get a clear understanding of these promises to the overcomers, it will become apparent that more is required to be qualified for translation into the heavenly kingdom than just being saved. There must be victory over sin in one’s life, and a partaking of the holiness of Christ (Heb. 12:14). For more information along this line, order the article “Preparation for the Lord’s Coming.” Note the correlation between Rev. 2:26-27 and Rev. 12:5, showing that the FIRST ones to be translated will be a group of overcoming Christians. Then the rest of the Christians in the churches will have their opportunity to become “overcomers” during the tribulation period, being ready to be taken at its close.

Parousia. When speaking of His “coming”, Jesus used two Greek words: erchomai, and parousia. Why? The erchomai word is the one most commonly used in the New Testament for the arrival of someone. In the passage in Matthew’s gospel dealing with Jesus’ second coming, chap. 24, it is used in vs. 30, 42, 43, 44, 46, & 48. The parousia word is used relatively few times in the New Testament, but most particularly with reference to Christ’s coming again. It is used in Mt.24:3, 27, 37, & 39. Parousia means “a being near”, or “presence”. Ada R. Habershon, in the book “The Study of the Miracles” says of parousia: “This word which is so often translated “coming”, and is literally “presence,” does not refer merely to His coming for His saints, but to a series of events. The very usage of the Greek word in other writings bears out this important truth. In some newly discovered papyri it has been used to denote the coming of the court or of some high official, and mention is made of special taxes being levied, and large supplies of wheat being provided for the “parousia” — not for the moment when the king or his representative arrived, but for his stay in the locality, as when the flag on the palace proclaims the presence of the king in the metropolis, and tells us that the court is in London. We may, therefore, conclude that the “parousia” will extend from the coming of the Lord to the air for His people, to His coming with them to the earth.”

Sign. It was the parousia word that the disciples used when they asked the Lord, “What shall be the sign of thy parousia, and the end of the world?” Jesus then proceeded to give a series of prophetic indicators which would signal the “end “of the age. Note the use of the word “end” in Mt. 24:6, 13, 14. But with reference to THE sign of His parousia, Jesus uses that word specifically in Mt. 24:37 & 39 in the passage that deals with the pattern of Noah and the “taking” of some and leaving of others (Mt .24:37-44). Therefore, THE sign that His parousia (or presence) has begun, IS when some are taken by translation, and the remaining Christians realize that the “household” of the church has been “broken into” by the “thief in the night” and some of the saints are missing. STOP and think for a moment. No one shall require a “sign” after the Lord has come visibly and openly to the earth. But if, as we have pointed out, Jesus arrives secretly, in the earth’s atmosphere, to remain unseen there for a period of time (the tribulation period), .THEN a specific sign would be needed to indicate He had arrived, and had begun His end-time parousia; and that specific SIGN IS the “taking” of some saints and the leaving of others behind. This will begin the three and one half year parousia of our Lord, when He will be present in our atmosphere watching over the church on earth while the tribulation rages.

As lightning. Jesus made it abundantly clear, however, that His parousia INCLUDES His final visible descent to this earth WITH His saints. The parousia word is also used in Mt. 24:27 where Jesus says: “For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the parousia of the Son of man be.” The reason for this is clear. Jesus knew that false teachers would arise to use that “parousia” word to claim that his parousia is ONLY a spiritual presence with His people, and thus denying a literal, visible return of the Lord to the earth. But the word, as used by Jesus, indicates first a definite arrival in our atmospheric envelope, continuing throughout the tribulation period (present, but unseen), and then consummated by a glorious and brilliant (as lightning) VISIBLE and bodily return with His feet standing on the Mount of Olives. This will be discussed in our next section.

False Christs. Before leaving this section, there is one more aspect of His coming I wish to comment on. In Mt. 24:24 Jesus warns specifically of “false Christs” and “false prophets” arising. Read verses 21-23 and you will see that this is specially spoken with reference to the great tribulation period. Now again STOP to think! When the Lord pulls His secret strategy, and it becomes evident that His end-time parousia has begun, and that He is present, but unseen, in the atmosphere; this will provide a tremendous opportunity for shysters and deceivers to arise claiming that they ARE the returned Christ, or they know where He is hiding out, etc. With reference to the beginning of that time, Jesus warned, “THEN if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not,” 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.” (Mt. 24:23, 26). Although the tribulation period will be a time of unprecedented opportunity for the church, with the power and glory of the Lord manifest as never before, it will also be a time of great testing, with Satan furiously active. Specifically for that time are Jesus’ words applicable: “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” (Mt. 24:24). The implication of Jesus’ words is that it will NOT be possible, primarily because of the “overshadowing” ministry of the glorified firstfruits saints. The “elect” who will not be deceived at that time, will be those destined to be taken into the heavenly kingdom at the close of the tribulation.

The Coming of Jesus WITH His Saints

Jude. Jude, the brother of Jesus, who wrote the small book of Jude in the New Testament, quotes a prophecy from Enoch in vs. 14: “And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgment upon all. “ Thus the coming of the Lord WITH His saints is at the time that the Lord personally and openly manifests Himself in the final act (or acts) of judgment which terminate this age, and put an end to man’s misrule. This is in harmony with II Thess. 1:7-8 where Paul states that “the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Notice, this is the time that He shall be revealed. The Greek word for “reveal “is apokalupto, and it means to uncover and unveil something. Up until Jesus comes with His saints, at the very climax of the pouring out of the 7 vials of wrath, He will not be “revealed”. Previously, He comes as a “thief” at the beginning of the tribulation to call the firstfruits Bride. This begins His three and one half year “parousia” or presence. Present in the atmosphere but unseen by those on earth. Near the close of the tribulation He calls the rest of the saints TO the marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:9) but still He must remain “veiled” except to those who have entered into His realm, until the 7 vials of wrath are poured out on the earth. During the pouring out of these vials, the marriage supper proceeds in the heavenlies. These vials of wrath will likely cover a very short period of time—perhaps not more than a couple of weeks. THEN shall the entire company of glorified saints be ready to accompany the Lord in His visible decent to the earth, forming great “cloud banks” of glory around Him, and trailing off into the distance behind Him like a great “train” in resplendent procession.

Revelation. This final descent from the heavenlies is pictured in the book of Revelation, chap. 19:11-16. Notice that this follows the verses dealing with the “Marriage supper” in 19:7-9. John says, “And I saw heaven opened” (Jn. 19:11); that is, what had been previously unseen by the remaining survivors on the earth would now be OPENLY viewed. They would “see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Mt. 24:30). Then John proceeds: “and behold, a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True... and the armies (glorified saints) which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.” We then have a statement that confirms the other scriptures which indicate that as Jesus returns He is consummating the vials of wrath and climaxing the final judgments: “And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations…. and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” (Rev. 19:15-17). Remember that we had read previously in Luke 17:29-30, that the Lord, when speaking of the raining of fire and brimstone on Sodom, said: “Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is REVEALED. “ Thus all these scriptures agree that the Lord comes finally, and is revealed in consummating, cataclysmic judgments, when He returns WITH His saints.

Zechariah. Zechariah 14:4 indicates that when the Lord returns in His final descent out of the atmosphere that “his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives.” The following verses indicate that when this takes place there will be a great earthquake as the entire earth reels under the impact of the immense power of the glorified Christ, The mount of Olives will be split in two and a great valley created, with underground waters springing up to flow both east and west — to the Mediterranean and Dead Seas. Then 14:9 says, “And the Lord shall be king over all the earth.” Hallelujah! And the glorified saints will rule with Him over the earth (Rev, 15, 2:26, 3:21, 5:10, 20:4-6). For the last 2,000 years (approximately) the Lord has been sitting at the right hand of the Father on His throne (Heb. 1:3, 8:1), but in Rev. 3:21 Jesus says, “to him that overcometh will I grant to set with me in MY throne, even as I overcame, and am set down with my Father in H[S throne.” That throne of which Jesus spoke, which is to be shared by the overcoming saints, is in the New Jerusalem, for “the throne of God and the Lamb (Jesus) shall be IN it” (Rev. 22:3).

New Jerusalem descends. Closely associated with the events which take place in connection with the Lord’s return is the descent of the celestial city, the New Jerusalem, which Jesus has been preparing for those who are to be a part of His heavenly kingdom (John 14:2-3). John saw in vision the city descending out of heaven (Rev. 21:1-10). This city will be the home and headquarters for Christ and H’s glorified saints. It will be stationed in the upper atmosphere where it will likely be seen by those on earth as a soft glowing light. Although the glorified saints return with Christ when He touches down upon this earth, they will not be remaining on this earth all of the time. During the millennium they will be “ascending and descending (see John 1:51), or you might say, commuting between the New Jerusalem (in the upper atmosphere) and the earth, for they will be fulfilling their responsibilities of “ruling” the inhabitants of earth. For more information on the New Jerusalem, order the booklet, “The Voice of the Seventh Angel”.

Occupy. In the parable of the pounds as recorded in Lk. 19: 1-27, a certain “nobleman” (who pictures Christ Himself) was to go into a FAR country (which represents Heaven). So he gathered his servants together and delivered to each a certain amount of money, and said: “Occupy till I come.” Without going into the details of the parable, I will simply state that WE Christians are the servants who have been given the responsibility and stewardship to be faithful with what the Lord has committed to us (the “money” in the parable represents all the gifts and blessings that are ours through Christ); and we are charged to “occupy” until Jesus comes. The Greek word translated “occupy” means “to busy oneself”, “to trade”, to be occupied in business”. Our “business” is the gospel of Jesus Christ, and Mt. 24:14 says that “this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and THEN shall the end come.” As long as the Lord has not returned, there is WORK to be done; we must be faithful stewards of all that the Lord has committed to us. Only the Lord knows when all nations have had a sufficient witness. I point this out because some have argued that we shouldn’t put much emphasis on the second coming of Christ because it causes people to think only about His coming and NEGLECT the responsibilities that are ours now. Such should NOT be the case if a proper balance and perspective is presented. It should cause us to be MORE diligent than ever when we realize the shortness of the time. Besides this, John writes that every one who has this hope (of His coming) “purifieth himself, even as he is pure (I John 3:3). Thus we will be diligent about our own preparation as well as being faithful in the work that the Lord has for us to do.

Ask. We have already mentioned the importance of prayer (in connection with “watching”, or being spiritually awake and alert), but I want to call your attention to an O.T. scripture which is important for serious Christians at this time. In Zech. 10:1 we read this admonition, “Ask ye of the Lord rain in the time of the latter rain; so the Lord shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field.” So many tend to feel that what the Lord is going to do will come to pass anyway. But God has chosen to work through chosen ones here on earth. God found an instrument in the person of Elijah, and James tells us that “Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain; and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.” (James 5:17-18). Is not God seeking out human instruments now who will “pray earnestly” as did Elijah? Will He work apart from such instruments? The scripture quoted from Zechariah commands us to “Ask ye rain in the time of the latter rain.” This has two stages. One is now. “Rain” speaks of the outpouring of God’s Spirit. Even so are we to pray now for a greater move of God’s Spirit among God’s people, for among those who are hungering and seeking, The Spirit will be increasingly moving and working in preparation for the climax that is coming. The second stage will be after the firstfruits are translated. The remaining church will be shocked into day and night prayer, ASKING for “Rain”. After 50 days of intense seeking, God will hear from heaven and pour out the full effusion of the “latter rain”. It will be a “second Pentecost” plus. For a double portion and more will come upon the church for the glorious consummation during the tribulation period. . A further thought needs to be added here with regards to Jesus coming TO His church in the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The Lord has purposed to REVEAL Himself IN (and through) His people in a greater way before He comes for them. Paul expresses this twice in the book of Galatians. First, he says in Gal. 1:15-16: “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, to reveal his son IN me.” Then in Gal. 4:19 Paul declares: “My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed IN you.” If Christ is being formed (developed, matured) IN us, then it follows that this will result in a greater REVELATION of Christ IN and through us. This is God’s desire and purpose for His church before the curtain fully comes down upon this age: to REVEAL His Son IN His people. This must come through a greater work and moving of the Holy Spirit within us, that “the love of God might be shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us” (Rom. 5:5), and that the “fruit” or character of Christ might be developed more fully within, even the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23).

Snare. The importance of being spiritually alert and ready is emphasized by Jesus in Luke 21:34-36: “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. For as a SNARE shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye, therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” The Greek word translated “snare” in this passage, means a trap (as fastened by a noose or notch); used figuratively it can be a trick or stratagem. Repeatedly, in this study, I have been seeking to show you God’s strategy; and that is to suddenly and unexpectedly (by most) to break into the “household” of the church and “take” as a thief, the “jewels” (firstfruits saints) in order to bring the remaining church to its knees in brokenness and repentance. We have shown that these firstfruits saints are to fulfill the role of the Bride. In the 24th chap, of Gen., we read the story of Eliezer (a type of the Holy Spirit) being sent by Abraham (a type of God the Father) to get a bride for Isaac (a type of Jesus Christ). The bride was Rebekah. The Hebrew word for REBEKAH means “a rope or noose.” Thus we can see that the very name of the Bride (Rebekah) indicates that the “snare” which God is preparing to suddenly “spring” upon the world is the TAKING (by translation) of that group of saints who will make up the Bride company. This is a part of God’s stratagem.

Veiled. But notice, in Gen. 24:64-67 we read that Rebekah remained ‘veiled” until after she had met Isaac and he had taken her into his mother’s tent. This shows that up until the time that the Bride is taken, much of the truth of God and his end-time strategy remains “veiled”; and that is why there is so much confusion and lack of understanding even among God’s people. But when the Bride company is translated, the remaining “veils” will be taken away. This is shown to us in the book of Revelation in 10:5-7. Quoting from the Amplified version: “Then the (mighty) angel whom I had seen stationed on sea and land raised his right hand to the heaven (the sky), and swore in the name of Him who lives forever and ever. . . (He sware) that no more time should intervene and there should be no more waiting or delay. But that when the days come that the trumpet call of the seventh angel is about to be sounded, then God’s mystery— His secret design, His hidden purpose—as He had announced to His servants the prophets, should be fulfilled (accomplished, completed).” It is at the time that the 7th angel (trumpet) begins to sound that the Bride company is translated. Then the “mystery” (secret design or stratagem) will be “finished” in the sense that all remaining “veils” will then be taken away; and also, God will be able to complete His end-time purpose, for the church will quickly begin to understand and enter into the dynamic and glory which God has planned for His people during the tribulation period, and participate with fullness of power in the glorious consummation of this age.

Worthy. We had previously quoted Lk. 21:34-36 about the “snare”. But I want to emphasize the statement in vs. 36 concerning those “accounted worthy to escape all these things. . . and to stand before the Son of man.” What does it mean to be “worthy”? The Greek word translated “worthy” means to be entirely deserving or fit, comparable or suitable. And how do we become worthy? Jesus makes it very clear in Mt. 10:34-38: “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.” A very clear distinction needs to be made here, it is possible to receive a gift from the Lord (such as salvation), and yet not be worthy of HIM, as far as being ready to dwell in His immediate presence and qualifying to be a part of His ruling kingdom,, There must be sufficient change in our lives that there is a comparableness or suitableness of our natures with His, and there must be a proving to be trustworthy and faithful so that we are fit to dwell with Him. (For more information on this, order the article “Preparation for the Lord’s coming). Only the “firstfruits” will be worthy of this high calling at the beginning of the tribulation. The tribulation will provide the opportunity for a vast host of others to qualify and be ready by its close.

Finally. We see from Gen. 24:63 that Isaac went out into the field at eventide; and there He received His beloved Rebekah “Eventide” speaks to us of the approaching close of this age, and is not our “Isaac” (Jesus) coming to the “field”(this world) to receive His beloved? Even so, COME, Lord Jesus!