Acts 2:17

‘“‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.’”’ (NIV)

I am living my dream (you can say I am dreaming my dream).

I am living the dream I was taught was coming over 40 years ago.

The dream of the new work God was going to do in the last of the last days is here, now, Tabernacles.

Just as Jesus returned the New Testament fulfillment of Passover in the new-birth in the 1500s with the Reformation.

And just as he returned the fulfillment of Pentecost (the baptism of the Holy Spirit) at the turn of the 20^th century.

He is now beginning to return (to offer) to the body of Christ the long journey of being made one with him.

Peter was the first chosen by Christ for the deep work of the Spirit (John 21:18).

As we approach the end of the Gospel dispensation Christ’s offer will complete the Christian pilgrimage in those who desire intimacy and union with him.

The long two thousand years of Christian history will likely come to an end for some people living today, and a glorious end for those who seek intimacy with Christ.

We are witnessing the third and final paradigm shift in the pilgrimage God designed in the beginning for men and women to be made one with him through Christ.

You might be thinking, Drake, I can see the mention of the new-birth in the New Testament, and the baptism of the Spirit, but I do not see Tabernacles (the third feast of the three major feasts (Leviticus 23)).

Important

We do not see it because it is everywhere, it is the mystery of Christ Paul talks about!

In Acts 15:16 James recounts David’s Tabernacle, it will be rebuilt and restored, meaning first in Christ, and those in Christ!

The promise and purpose of the New Testament is for men and women to be rebuilt (healed) and restored (restoration) – body, soul, and spirit – from the fall, to the likeness of God through the sacrificial and atoning work of Christ.

The New Testament is about you and me:

• the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19; 2 Corinthians 5, etc.), God’s Tabernacle,
• healed and restored from transgressions and iniquities (Romans 6; 2 Corinthians 7:1, etc.),
• made into the likeness of Christ (Romans 6, 8:10-11, 8:29; 2 Corinthians 3:18, 4:10-12; Ephesians 4:20-24; Philippians 3:10-21, etc.).

 

The death of Philippians 3:10 is not pointing to Christ’s death at Calvary, to be killed, but, the death of dying to sin to walk in new life (NIV Romans 6:10). Christ, resurrection life, died to sin to walk in new life before his ministry, Hebrews 5:7-10, 7:16, etc.

We die to sin to walk in new life through the new-birth, baptism of the Spirit, and deep work of the Holy Spirit in healing and restoration (Ephesians 5:26-27; Philippians 3, Revelation 3:7-13), to be presented to Christ as his bride (Matthew 25:10; Revelation 19:7).

This is so important to Christ, he reserved a special season of time, an entire church age (Philadelphia), just for the purpose of giving those who desire him “‘…the key of David’” (NIV, Revelation 3:7, italicized mine), through the open door into intimacy and union with him.

David’s possession of the Ark of the Covenant is a type of what we are to apprehend in Christ, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (NIV, Colossians 1:27, italicized mine)

For those who desire intimacy and union with Christ, he will complete the types represented by the feasts (Passover, Pentecost, & Tabernacles), and Tabernacle/Temple (Outer Court, Holy Place, Holy of Holies), in their lives in like manner and journey as completed in his life with his Father (Ephesians 4:20-24).

These are truly exciting times – times of fulfillment Christ foretold in his letters to the churches and parables almost 2 millenniums ago.

Today, Christians are witnessing the formation of the bride, the last Antichrist kingdom, and the journey, events, and transitions that must take place to bring these events to fullness.

Many Christians and non-Christians alive today will witness the end times – the closing of the Gospel era and the transition to the new (the Millennium).

Just like the early apostles “living” in the Scriptures foretold centuries and millenniums earlier, Christians today are not only “living” in those Scriptures, but also those foretold of this present age.

It is staggering to think we are living and experiencing the beginning of a major historic event having great eternal consequences.

Those being formed into the bride today are experiencing what Jesus fought to bring the pass in the journey he pioneered two millenniums ago.

Those experiencing the beginnings of the bride, are experiencing what the Hebrews in the wilderness experienced under Joshua when they crossed the river Jordan into the land flowing with milk and honey.

Or, in a measure, what Christ experienced when he pioneered the journey of being made one with the Father.

Or, as another example, what Luther and the Protestant reformers experienced over four centuries and the pioneers of Azusa Street – the return of salvation and Pentecost.

They experienced the transition from one move of God to a new and better move of God; deeper, richer, and more intimate; leaving the old for the new.

Today, the rivers of the new-birth and Pentecost are giving way to the river of Tabernacles, the final and third feast of the Christian pilgrimage in being made one with Christ.

Christians are witnessing history today, whether they are experiencing it or not, or whether they know about it or not.

God is moving those who desire intimacy and union with him beyond the new-birth and Pentecost into Tabernacles.

In the 80s we were taught the Old Testament feasts and the Tabernacle (Temple), represented aspects of the Christian experience.

(I mention experience and not journey or story because those words were not commonly used back then like they are today.)

We could see the fulfillment of the new-birth, foretold by the feast of Passover, return in the centuries of the Reformation.

We could also see the fulfillment of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, foretold by the feast of Pentecost, return at Azusa Street and decades following.

We knew the third feast would be fulfilled in the last days, Tabernacles, but did not know the manner or particulars of how it would come to pass and or what it would look like.

And just a few decades ago, the manner and particulars of Christ’s pioneering journey was not known either; because the revelation of Christ’s pioneering journey comes with the return of Tabernacles.

You cannot truly understand one without the other.

We had the vision of being made one with Christ but not the understanding of how Christ pioneered the journey, nor how it would come to pass in our lives.

The Lord is using the inner healing and fathering movement to transition sons and daughters from Pentecost to the door of Tabernacles (Revelation 3:8).

Inner healing and fathering are precursors of the deep and intense work of the Lord in Tabernacles.

The Lord cannot bring the end-time global revival as the Scriptures foretell, until enough sons and daughters have traveled the Philadelphia – Philippian – Pearl – Tabernacle journey (all different perspectives of the same journey).

Many need to be deeply healed and restored to minister to the many who will come to the Lord in the years ahead bearing deep scarring, wounds, and brokenness.

What we were taught in the 80s about a future move of God bringing sons and daughters into intimate union with him is now coming to pass.

It is beyond amazing to see the transition and beginning fulfillment of Scripture in my lifetime.

I knew from Scripture it would happen, but to see and be a part of it is naturally unimaginable.

The Lord is preparing his bride to carry the weight of him into the coming global revival.

That out of intimacy and union with Christ will come kindness, tenderness, and care for the many stricken with deep wounds and brokenness.

Today, relatively few know the Scriptures pointing to the feast of Tabernacles fulfillment in the body of Christ; how Christ pioneered the journey, what it entails, and what it means for those being made one with Christ.

What we could not see or understand just a few decades ago has now become the great weight and body of New Testament writing.

Because, as I’ve shown, much of what has been ascribed to Calvary in the past, has now been revealed as Christ’s journey to completion, fathered by God (NIV, Romans 6:10; Hebrews 5:7 – 10).

And his journey is our journey in being made one with him.

What we used to think was the Pentecostal journey, trying to defeat sin in the flesh to be made one with Christ, we now find is the journey of Tabernacles – the deeply intense and gracious work of the Spirit.

I am beyond thrilled to be one who was taught about the coming fulfillment of the last feast, and alive to experience it.

Not many Christians have been taught about a coming move of God, and I might add, one of great significance – a paradigm shift in Christian history – and lived to see it begin to come to pass.

Hopefully, many in the years ahead will be ushered into the last opportunity for the deep work of the Spirit for the great transition that is up just ahead.

Again, it is truly amazing to be alive and experience the fulfillment of prophecy when little was known about it just a few decades ago, as well as Christ’s pioneering journey.

It is like finding a map to a wilderness only a few have explored; being graced to join an expedition led by the Lord into nearly virgin territory.

Or, like being Noah, having worked on the Ark for decades and then one day noticing a change in the sky, pointing to what looks like fulfillment of God’s promise.

Or, like witnessing the calling of John the Baptist as he begins his preparation to prepare others to receive Christ.

We truly live in epic times, the unfolding of the final chapter in the Christian pilgrimage, the bride, in the final season of the Gospel dispensation.

** Christ, Journey, and Discovery **

1 John 1:1 – 4

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched – this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.

The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.

We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.” (NIV)

John was invited into the story of Christ. This is his description of what it was like to journey in intimacy with Christ being made one with him and the Father.

How does one describe in the natural intimacy and union with Christ?

John’s testimony is as good as it can get!

It is commonly believed this passage is speaking about John’s reflection of his experience with Christ during Christ’s ministry.

But notice John intimates to being healed and restored from what was lost in the Garden so long ago in the assault of sin against the body (touched), soul (seen), and spirit (heard), to darkness, at the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

Also notice John makes no mention of the person of Christ in flesh and blood but the eternal life of the Father manifest in Christ intimating it was manifest in him, i.e., experiencing the eternal life of the Father in Christ in him.

This passage is more about Christ making his abode in the Apostle John in the journey of being made one with him, the purpose for which Christ came – to make a habitation for the Father in God’s sons and daughters (John 14:1-4, 4:18, 4:23; 1 Corinthians 6:19, 2 Corinthians 5:1-5 (speaking of this life), Colossians 1:27, etc.).

John is testifying of his experience of being made new from the inside out; Christ’s promise not to leave them as orphans, coming with the Father to heal and restore John, becoming one with Christ in intimate union.

He’s declaring Christ is living his life through him in fulfillment of the Scriptures “to make God’s sons and daughters into the likeness of Christ.”

Peter is the first recorded disciple invited into the journey of putting sin to death, to walk in newness of life, John 21:18. Jesus said John would follow.

Many confuse the new-birth and the baptism of the Spirit with the journey of being made one with Christ, but they point to “the journey to come in Christ.”

Many believe they have all they need in Christ in the new-birth and Holy Spirit baptism.

But they are missing the great mystery of the Gospel, to be made one with Christ; to become the bride, what the new-birth and Holy Spirit point to as signs.

Tabernacles (union with Christ Jesus), is the destination, not the new-birth and Pentecostal baptism.

It would be like emigrating to a new country, landing on shore, studying about the new country in your ocean estate, but never venturing into depths and mystery of the new land promised to you!

The promise of the Gospel is not just to be born-again, or baptized in the Holy Spirit, but to travel the full distance of the Tabernacle: from the Outer Court, through the Holy Place, into the Holy of Holies; changed from glory to glory even into his own likeness (NIV, 2 Corinthians 3:18).

To apprehend what we were apprehended for (NIV, Philippians 3:12), completed sons and daughters, healed, and restored in wholeness and holiness, through the atoning work of Christ in sacrificing our lives to him.

2 Corinthians 4:10 – 12

“We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body.

So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.” (NIV)

“I want to know Christ – yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,”. (NIV, Philippians 3:10)

The Bible invites you and me into Christ’s death, not to be killed, but to put sin to death by the power of the cross – the cross of grace through faith – just like Christ put sin to death in being made complete before his ministry (NIV, Romans 6:10; Hebrews 5:7-10).

To become living sacrifices by allowing God to ignite our hearts in pursuit of him; where we eagerly seek his offer of being made one with him before we leave this earth.

Where we experience the death Christ experienced in putting sin to death through healing and restoration to walk in new life (NIV, Romans 6:10), i.e., speaking of Christ’s pioneering journey putting generational transgressions and iniquities to death he inherited from his human ancestry (Ephesians 2:14-16, see an interlinear; Hebrews 5:7-10; Isaiah 53:4-6).

For our journey of putting sin to death, some of the best descriptions are found in Romans Chapter 6, Chapter 8 verses 10 and 11, 2 Corinthians 4:10-12, Ephesians 4:20-24, among a great host of others too many to name.

Christ’s journey began sinless and ended sinless: conceived in grace, he put transgressions and iniquities he inherited to death without sin.

In contrast, our journey begins in sin at conception.

But because of his atoning work through the journey he pioneered, becoming complete (NIV, Hebrews 5:7-10; Romans 6:10), i.e., (bringing to death the lusts of the flesh passed to him from his human ancestry), grace is made available to you and me in being made one with him through healing and restoration.

When we enter the journey of being made one with Christ, we enter the sufferings he pioneered in putting generational transgressions and iniquities to death, and the joy he pioneered in being raised to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:10).

“Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him”. (NIV, Hebrews 5:8 – 9, italicized mine)

We will suffer the loss of sins we grew to love, i.e., idols and other lovers in our life, and, also certain rights and privileges that kept us from enjoying a deeper relationship with Christ.

Important

The healed and restored “resurrected,” Christ, was the Christ presented to John at the river Jordan, having suffered victoriously and triumphantly the long journey of being made complete (NIV, Hebrews 5:7-10).

God having already presented Christ as the sacrifice for our sins in being made perfect, dying to sin (Romans 6:10), presenting the living sacrifice of his Son (Romans 5:10), to Israel for over three years.

The Father sacrificed his Son to kill sin before his ministry, in being perfected, not at Calvary.

Christ was a living blood sacrifice, dying to sin, resurrected to walk in newness of life “before” his presentation to John for water baptism (Romans 5:8 – 10, 6:10).

This is why Jesus said, “‘The words I have spoken to you – they are full of the Spirit and life.’” (NIV, John 6:63, italicized mine)

Jesus used the terms flesh and blood to talk about a living sacrifice unto God in utter dependence upon him by grace through faith – the promise the Old Testament pointed to: the promised grace to come (NIV, 1 Peter 1:10 – 12).

It was the resurrected Christ who faced Satan for 40 days of testing, and then to Israel for over three years, offering healing and salvation.

Jesus was the living, breathing, New Testament in flesh and blood at the beginning of his ministry.

Calvary was not the beginning of the New Testament, but the rejection of the New Testament.

Christ rejected Israel’s rejection of him; purchasing (NIV, Revelation 5:9) those who would come to him with the New Testament in his blood (NIV, Matthew 26:28).

He had already atoned for sins in his completion before ministry.

He went over and beyond in his pioneering work, and at Calvary, eventually choosing as a last resort to purchase mankind through the atoning work the Father had already accomplished in him “before” his ministry.

They rejected Christ’s living blood sacrifice, so Christ confirmed and testified of his living blood sacrifice by rejecting their rejection of him, offering them “‘the sign of the prophet Jonah’” in one last attempt to save some (NIV, Matthew 12:39, italicized mine).

The New Testament began at Christ’s perfection, his first glorification (John 12:28), before his ministry.

Jesus chose to die at Calvary, to finish his ministry of peace, healing, and restoration no matter what it cost; though, he could have chosen to take up arms and take the Kingdom by force.

Because he was already the New Testament in flesh and blood (Matthew 26:28).

Jesus did not need the help of Roman soldiers, a Roman governor, nor lawless men, to bring salvation to mankind.

Jesus was the lamb sacrifice before he entered ministry, having died to sin, to walk in newness of life (NIV, Romans 6:10).

And the many figurative expressions in the New Testament about Christ, “‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole’” or, “nailing it to the cross” or, “‘He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross’” are figurative expressions. (NIV, Galatians 3:13, Colossians 2:14, and 1 Peter 2:24, respectively, italicized mine)

They are figurative expressions of the “journey” Christ pioneered (before his ministry) on the cross of grace through faith in utter dependence upon God for healing and restoration: dying to sin, raised to walk in newness of life (NIV, Romans 6:10).

Jesus walked in newness of life after his completion journey before his ministry, not after Calvary.

Please remember, with the New Testament came a new language – a language of spiritual truths revealed by the Spirit of God (NIV, I Corinthians 2:13; John 6:63; 1 John 5:7-8, etc.).

I described extensively in a prior post (in this series) how Galatians 3:13 is figurative of the cross of grace through faith from the perspective of the flesh, and not a literal description of Calvary. The same with Colossians 2:14 and 1 Peter 2:24.

We are called to pick up and carry in our journey (spiritually speaking) the same cross carried in his journey of putting sin to death; not the cross he was forced to bear to be killed! Our calling is to put sin to death, not to be killed.

The Apostles never described Calvary that way, in or out of the Gospels.

They had more respect for Christ and what he went through at Calvary than to speak about his killing in such a disrespectful, callous, and demeaning manner; as if he was an animal raised to be slaughtered, as commonly and tragically intimated in teaching and preaching today.

The New Testament is not a new and better testament because Christ was raised to be slaughtered like an animal at Calvary!

It is a new and better testament because Jesus was conceived and fathered to put sin to death, raised to new life, in demonstration of God’s power, love, and grace to Israel and mankind.

God presented the sacrifice of his Son to Israel for over three years.

What Israel and mankind have done with God’s presentation of the sacrifice of his Son is another matter.

The greatest sacrifice to God is the sacrifice of the heart – one’s life, spiritually speaking, our blood – in being made complete. That is the sacrifice that pleases God.

I have written about these passages in prior posts; how they are spiritual truths of putting sin to death by the cross of repentance and forgiveness by grace through faith, the same cross Christ asks of you and me.

The are not describing Calvary but the heart of the Gospel for which Christ came, to destroy sin (Ephesians 2:14-16, see an interlinear), to fulfill the law in his flesh (NIV, Matthew 5:17), being made complete – the first to fulfill the promised grace to come (NIV, 1 Peter 1:10-12), doing it perfectly, becoming our Savior. (NIV, Hebrews 5:7-10)

Isaiah 53:5 is about Christ putting sin to death; a description of the journey, using the same words described of David in his journey, fathered by God, one of the greatest, if not the greatest type of Christ.

They (Isaiah 53:5), are not words about torture and death, but death to sin – the wounding of sin – generational transgressions and iniquities passed to Christ from his human ancestry – bringing it to death, to walk in new life.

The lusts of Christ’s human generations were passed to him (Romans 8:3), but he put them to death, before they could put him to death (James 1 says we can have lusts and not sin!).

Important

These expressions (Galatians 3:13, Colossians 2:14, 1 Peter 2:24), are spiritual pictures of the fleshly nature being put to death in Christ’s journey to completion before his presentation to Israel.

In you miss this understanding, Calvary becomes the centerpiece of salvation instead of Christ; and the many Scriptures about Christ’s journey before his ministry have no relevance because salvation becomes an event instead of a journey.

Creeds and traditions have nicely wrapped salvation into an event, a neat little package; instead of what the Scriptures teach, the hard-fought spiritual journey of dying to sin to walk in resurrection life.

If Christ’s completion and our salvation and all the “firsts” occurred at Calvary, then much of the New Testament writing about Christ is meaningless because everything about him is swallowed up in Calvary, burying his journey under creeds and traditions.

Jesus spent three plus years trying to convince the Jews salvation was in their grasp – him – he was the walking New Testament in flesh and blood, if they would only believe and receive – his death was their rejection of the New Testament, not the beginning, but the end for the nation.

Christ was born to save, becoming our Savior through journey, never sinning, tempted from within and without, just like you and me.

Finally, Christ destroyed every barrier of sin (Ephesians 2:14-16, see an interlinear; Romans 6:10), he received from his human generations, that, if left unhealed, would have prevented him from fulfilling the law in his flesh, perfectly, without sin.

That was the spiritual battle Christ faced for us: to destroy sin in his family line before it would destroy him and his calling; to become through his perfection our sacrificial lamb (Hebrews 5:7-10), a sacrifice so deep and complete, the only way to describe it was by using the word blood.

Just like we use the term blood to denote the symbolic giving of one’s life, so too the Scripture, because that’s where we got it from (John 6:63).

Even in the Old Testament blood is used as a symbol of life in Scripture.

Blood represents life: Christ gave the entirety of his life in becoming our Savior. It is that blood sacrifice (Matthew 26:28) the Jews rejected and much of mankind rejects today – the sacrifice of dying to sin to walk in new life.

We cannot deeply change and transform our nature by decisions, it takes the power of God.

Calvary did not nothing to change the atoning nature of Christ, becoming our Messiah, having already atoned for mankind’s sin in his completion before his ministry.

Christ’s 40-day test was the test of his completion, not of his coming perfection.

Of his atonement, not of his coming atonement.

Of his sacrifice, not of his coming sacrifice.

Christ’s nature (the nature he inherited from his human ancestry) was changed by the same cross he asks of us – the cross of grace through faith in repentance and forgiveness in utter dependence upon God.

This is the cross of Christ, not Calvary, we are to pick up and follow him for our healing and restoration.

Christ was transformed from glory to glory, made complete (NIV, Hebrews 5:7-10).

He became “the exact representation of his being” speaking of the Father. (NIV, Hebrews 1:3, italicized mine)

Christ suffered two deaths: the first, dying to sin before his ministry, becoming our Savior.

The second, at the hands of lawless men who rejected him; Jesus choosing of his own will to purchase men and women at Calvary for another chance at salvation (NIV, Revelation 5:9).

And Christ received two glorifications, the first, being raised to resurrection life at his perfection before he began his ministry; the second, after Calvary.

Creeds and traditions roll the two major streams of prophecy about Christ into one, burying his “personal journey to perfection” in Calvary.

Christ suffered two deaths (Isaiah 53:9, death is plural), and two glorifications (John 12:28).

It was the “resurrection” Christ (glorified) who offered his life at Calvary as a demonstration of who he was, not who he would become; it is that Christ, the resurrection in flesh and blood presented to Israel over three years, God “raised” from the dead. (NIV, Acts 2:31 and 32, italicized mine)

The first death, his death to sin (NIV, Romans 6:10; Hebrews 5:7-10), resulted in mortality transformed to immortality with his completion (Hebrews 7:16), the second death, his physical death, restored him to physical life and immortality.

Isaiah 53:1-6 captures Christ’s perfection journey and 53:7-9 Calvary.

And terms such as wounded, pierced, crushed, etc., apply to the journey of being perfected; David used those terms to describe his walk with God in many Psalms – the journey of dying to sin David typified in his wilderness journey Christ fulfilled perfectly.

If you want more on this, see my earlier posts in this series.

We ponder if only Adam and Eve had not sinned; but if Israel had received their Messiah, you and I would have been born in an earthly kingdom under the rule of Christ, and not under an earthly kingdom ruled by darkness.

Christ made provision for what Adam and Eve did and all the generations that followed.

Thankfully, he went to the “Roman cross,” having already been victorious over the “cross of grace through faith,” in putting sin to death; he gave mankind a second chance to receive him, though Israel’s reign would not begin for two millenniums.

Revelation 3:7 – 8, 10:

“‘These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut.

Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.’” (NIV)

Of all the church ages, from Ephesus to Laodicea, we, of all the people who have ever lived, have before us the greatest promises of intimacy and union with Christ unsurpassed by any previous generation.

While many in Christendom are deeply focused on the signs of the times, Jesus is discreetly doing a hidden work in those whose hearts thirst after him.

The opportunities and promises of the age of Philadelphia in the final season of the Gospel dispensation reveals in great clarity what God has desired for mankind from the beginning.

Because the time is late, he is making the Vision – Christ in you and me – clearer and more bold than ever before.

The promise of being made one with Christ was available throughout the Gospel dispensation, but it is in Philadelphia where the Lord specifically reserves a time and age to accomplish the mystery of Christ.

We live in the age of the deepest work of the Spirit of God unveiled and revealed like never before.

What some are experiencing now in the deep work of the Spirit of grace will one day come to all in the Millennium.

The last day bride is the forerunner to what relationship with Christ will look like in the Millennium.

Taking Our Eyes off Christ

The Jewish people at the time of Christ longed for the coming of the Messiah.

Many had knowledge of Daniel’s prophecy and the timing of the coming of the Messiah, hoping he would come and remove the yoke of Rome’s heavy burden, and exalt Israel as in the days of Solomon.

It is tragic how a people group could be so hopeful for their Messiah, and yet so blind to him in their midst, performing “miracles, wonders and signs” for over three years in the land of Israel (NIV, Acts 2:22).

He did not come in the way they were taught by their traditions; not realizing the Messiah was coming to heal and restore hearts and minds first and foremost – to have “joined to him” those of like mind and like heart.

And out of the formation of a bride for the Son of Man would come people of one heart and mind to throw off the yoke of Rome.

And not only Rome, but the yoke of the enemy over the earth in an early Millennium.

Israel wanted someone who would stand out among men, be head and shoulders above others, like Saul of old, who would embrace the leadership of Israel in fear of man.

Only a few knew the Messiah’s coming was to usher in healing and restoration through forgiveness and repentance by grace through faith.

Christ would first lead them by the Holy Spirit into healing and restoration before leading his bride Israel into battle.

They did not realize the enemy is first and foremost from within, and unless the enemy from within is bound and plundered victoriously and triumphantly, the enemy from without will be unconquerable.

Only when the bride comes to completion in the end-times (Revelation Chapter 12), is Satan and his horde of demons cast out of the heavenly realm knowing their time among men is very short.

Israel was looking for the Messiah to validate their way of life – a life far from the grace and mercy of God, deep into judgment and the traditions of men.

Christ came to give them the greatest possession of all, God; to create a habitation for God in his sons and daughters, to prepare and make Israel his bride.

But alas, Israel refused to be courted, demanding to be the groom, and not the bride, refusing to humble themselves before the mighty hand of God once again like in the days of old.

Israel was determined to make Christ after their likeness, instead of Christ’s offer of making them after his likeness in the manner of his Father in repentance and forgiveness by grace through faith.

Israel demanded Christ cease the works of the Spirit, to be conformed to the image of the works of the flesh like them – to be brought under the law, the power of the flesh, and the traditions of men.

But Christ had already freed himself by putting sin to death by the cross of grace through faith, raised to walk in new life.

He was not about to surrender his hard-fought gain of intimacy and union with the Father (NIV, Hebrews 5:7 – 10) as trade for the applause and fear of man.

Instead he set his face like flint toward the mark of offering healing and restoration to Israel no matter the cost – he would see his ministry to the end and fulfill the prophecies of him at all cost.

What Israel would do with the stream of prophecies about rejecting the Messiah was up to them; whether they would fulfill them, or come to repentance and forgiveness as God, and Christ, hoped and did everything possible to make happen (Matthew 21:37).

Tragically, many Christians are looking for the coming of the Lord like Israel of old – an escape from the bondage of this world through the rapture, not realizing healing is first and foremost on God’s heart for you and me.

The Scriptures teach of an out-translation in the end-times, but it is for those who have become intimate with Christ through his healing and care.

God labored for four millenniums to bring everything together for the coming of the Messiah to his beloved Israel.

He created the most favorable climate possible for Israel to receive their Messiah, short of violating their will, even sending John the Baptist in advance.

Just as famine preceded the ministry of Elijah, and spiritual famine preceded the coming of Moses, God allowed spiritual famine to precede the coming of Christ – 400 silent years; to clearly show the difference between the treasures of this life and the treasures of Heaven in Christ.

The body of Christ will be confronted or comforted by the same choice in the years ahead.

Over four millenniums God revealed “types” of Christ prefiguring and foretelling the Messiah to come.

He provided a time frame and revelation of successive world kingdoms through the prophet Daniel; descriptions of the Messiah’s journey through the likes of Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, and especially David, and too numerous to mention other prophecies in the Old Testament.

God made the distinction between Christ and mankind so profound, “otherworldly,” no comparison could rightly be made.

Men and women came face to face with the glory of God in the man Christ Jesus – having to face the hardest question of all: What do I do with this man they call the Christ?

And that question will be present again in the days ahead when revival breaks forth across this land.

God is not done with us.

God is doing a deep work today, and it will deepen and intensify until a bride for the Son is prepared.

Richer and Deeper in Christ

If the New Testament is truly new and better, then we should expect deeper, richer, and more abiding encounters with the Lord than under the Old Covenant.

Many hold the experiences of the prophets as the gold standard for encounters.

But what about Paul’s Heavenly experience, and John’s encounter with the ageless Christ and the things to come?

And what about the disciples’ experience on the Mount of Transfiguration, seeing not only the revelation of Christ, but Moses and Elijah, and hearing God’s voice?

The Old Testament experiences of the prophets were given in part to point to the greater experiences to come in the New Covenant.

But just like the encounters of old, encounters with Christ in the New Testament do not come without sacrificing the fleshly things (lower nature) we have grown to love.

Encountering the Lord in the New Covenant is first and foremost about healing and restoration, becoming a productive and effective member of the body of Christ through gentle and tender restoration by the Lord (NIV, 2 Peter 1:8).

Encountering the Lord is not about experiences but relationship; deepening and expanding one’s relationship with the Lord in being known and knowing.

Important

The heart of the Gospel, being made one with Christ through healing and restoration (moving beyond encounters to union), requires partaking of Christ’s suffering in submission to God (NIV, Hebrews 5:7-10; Romans 6:10) so we can be joined to him.

And suffering does not mean being killed, persecuted, etc., but putting sin to death by the power of the cross by grace through faith in repentance and forgiveness.

It is something that happens over a long journey by the power of the Holy Spirit.

“Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?” (NIV, Amos 3:3, italicized mine)

We cannot be made one with Christ if we are filled with all manner of unrighteousness, thus the need for healing and restoration.

His desire is to bring you and me into union with him over a long journey in tenderness and care, and not have to make sudden and quick changes in our life because time is running out.

The journey of suffering is the wounding and crushing of those things we embrace as lifegiving.

The undoing of the structures of sin causes suffering – the putting to death of sins we embraced as life – their undoing brings death to sin and life in the Spirit.

Our wounds must be wounded, structures of sin crushed, and lies pierced, with the truth of God’s Word by the power of the Holy Spirit to strike dead the power of sin.

It is only by wounding the “strength of the power of sin” we can experience the power of life in the Holy Spirit.

As Paul said, “For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (NIV, 2 Corinthians 12:10, italicized mine)

God promised in Genesis (3:15) the Messiah would put sin to death in our lives by destroying his headship (authority and seat of power), in your life and mine.

We cannot walk in newness of life in Christ without the power of sin being put to death. (Amos 3:3)

And death to sin can only come about through the cross of grace through faith in the atoning work of Christ.

Christ pioneered the journey for us.

He knows the journey perfectly; he is the only one who can lead you and me through it successfully; Peter being the first to partake of the journey of being made one with Christ. (John 21:18)

Christ was the first to put sin to death (Ephesians 2:14-16, see an interlinear, Colossians 2:15), raised to walk in resurrection life (immortality), never knowing sin like you and me, but “tempted in every way, just as we are – yet he did not sin.” (NIV, Hebrews 4:15, italicized mine, see also Romans 6:10, 8:3; Galatians 4:4, Hebrews 2:10, 2:17, 6:20, 7:16, etc.)

Fathered by God, he suffered the wounding and crushing of generational sins passed to him through his human ancestry (Isaiah 53:5, perfectly, without sin), so men and women born into sin can receive grace and life in their fight against sin.

Please remember James says we can have lusts without sin, and Christ faced the lusts of the flesh, yet never sinning, unlike everyone else born by mankind.

Though our fleshly natures go through the same wounding, crushing, and piercing of sin Christ pioneered for his life (Isaiah 53:5; Galatians 3:13; Colossians 2:14; 1 Peter 2:24), our journey could not have happened had Christ, conceived in grace, never knowing sin, had not completed his journey perfectly.

(See earlier posts discussing the symbolism Paul uses to describe Christ’s battle in putting sin to death by the cross of grace through faith, re: Galatians 3:13; Colossians 2:14; 1 Peter 2:24.)

Jesus walks us through what he pioneered having borne the brunt of the battle for us “having fought the fight of faith on our behalf,” he leads us into battle knowing the exact way and path for every battle we face.

He conquered death, hell, sin, and the world for himself and us, but we must walk with him in him to receive our victorious crown and triumphant.

Sin cannot be put to death by our own strength: Else why would we need Jesus?

Only Jesus has the power over sin, and only through his cross of grace through faith in repentance and forgiveness.

Godly glory can only come from Godly transformation.

And Godly transformation can only come through relationship with the living Christ.

And to put the old man to death by grace through faith the strongman must be bound, else his claim to you and me cannot be destroyed (NIV, Matthew 12:29).

And to bind him he must be wounded and crushed by the revelation of Christ (NIV, 1 Peter 1:13), through encounter.

The old man of generational transgressions and iniquities must be crucified just like Christ crucified his, the pioneer, firstborn, first fruit, and forerunner of grace through faith.

His cross is a terror to the “flesh man:” it brings death to the nature we have come to love.

We need intimacy and union with Christ more desperately than we know.

Isaiah, foreseeing by the Spirit the day grace births intimacy and union with the Messiah – those who come to “know” their God, and he them, says,

“‘These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word.’”

“‘Before she goes into labor, she gives birth; before the pains come upon her, she delivers a son. Who has ever heard of such things? Who has ever seen things like this? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment?

Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children.’” (NIV, Isaiah 66:2 and 66:7-8)

Favor is coming to those in the last days who earnestly seek the Lord; the reward will be more than they could ever imagine, union with Christ.

** Restoring Eden **

When Adam and Eve fell into sin (disobedience leading to shame and condemnation), from walking upright with God, they came into agreement with darkness, sin entering their body, soul, and spirit.

They felt the effects of sin immediately, sensing something had changed within them; feeling the weight and uncleanness of darkness now a part of them.

Eve was tempted body, soul, and spirit.

“When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food” (body), “and pleasing to the eye,” (soul), “and also desirable for gaining wisdom” (spirit), “she took some and ate it.” (NIV, Genesis 3:6)

Satan knew a threefold cord is hard to break,¹ ensnaring Eve in her time of questioning and searching for fulfillment.

¹ “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” (NIV, Ecclesiastes 4:12, italicized mine)

God designed the need for “fulfillment” to be fulfilled by him in journey, through obedience in trust.

Satan presented her with a quicker and easier plan, a shortcut, she thought.

Adam and Eve were on a journey to know each other, and to know their God in fullness.

Faith, trust, love, hope, obedience, etc., require journey even in the absence of sin.

Adam and Eve were ambushed in their journey of apprehending what God created them for – intimacy and union with him by grace through faith.

When they fell, they had not yet come into deep intimacy and union with God.

If they had come into deep intimacy and union with God, a oneness, they would have become like the fallen angels.

Though they were created in God’s image and likeness, they were created untested, untried, and immature, in need of teaching, learning, growing, and maturing into the fullness of God’s image and likeness, fathered by God.

Our children are born after our image and likeness, but they need a lifelong journey to come to fullness.

Adam and Eve were on the long journey of learning trust, being made complete; that God’s promises are greater and more certain than any “needs or lacks” he promises to fulfill.

We learn the truth of God’s Word when we face “needs or lack” he promises to meet.

And it is through that journey God brings us into intimacy and union with him.

Satan, like a bird of prey, snatched the seed of God’s faithfulness from Eve before it had a chance to be deeply rooted in her.

She was drawn to the tree and partook, and Adam was not about to leave the most beautiful and precious creation his eyes ever beheld.

She sacrificed the Vision of God for immediate fulfillment.

It is just like the Spirit of this age – making promises of joy, happiness, fulfillment, etc., if we would but give our hearts and lives to it.

Before sin entered, all three domains of Adam and Eve – body, soul, and spirit – were seamlessly connected, flowing freely in harmony with one another in growing wholeness and holiness.

When suddenly struck by sin, they became wounded and broken from their original design.

The assault and embracing of sin immediately began changing their nature toward the likeness of darkness.

They opened the doors of their heart and mind not only to agreements with darkness, but habitation by fallen spirits.

When Lucifer fell (choosing to sabotage God’s plan when he became aware men and women would be exalted above the angels), he chose to steal God’s creation for himself, to make men and women after his likeness.

But he was blind to God’s ability to heal and restore sinful mankind through intimacy and union with him.

Lucifer thought his strength, living in the Heavenly realm, a spirit being, was no match for man’s weakness, living in the temple of flesh, dependent on daily provisions to stay alive.

Because of his own darkness, he did not realize man and woman’s weakness, the robe of flesh, would be his undoing in intimacy and union with God.

Satan took advantage of Eve, and Adam, in a moment of weakness; but God had a plan in place to offer redemption, not only to them, but all those born of them.

God knows the end from the beginning; even foretelling in creation his redemptive plan of salvation (Matthew 13:35).

The creation of Adam and Eve was in a way Lucifer’s test, and at that he rebelled; repulsed at the thought vessels made of clay would be exalted above him (Isaiah 14:13).

What was that Jesus said, “‘So the last will be first, and the first will be last.’” (NIV, Matthew 20:16)

Jesus knew firsthand what it is like to give up rights and privileges, even to the extreme of dying an unjust death.

What was to be Lucifer’s defining moment, to walk arm in arm with God in ministering and protecting mankind, became his undoing; jealousy entering his heart against those he was called to serve.

His strength became his weakness, trapped in eternal darkness; mankind’s weakness, in the care and love of Christ, is their strength.

As Paul said, “I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (NIV, 2 Corinthians 12:10)

The damage to Adam and Eve was irreversible; a new nature was forming in their body, soul, and spirit, to be passed forward to their generations.

Only through the dynamic transforming power of the Holy Spirit under the New Covenant could there be hope for reverse and redemption.

Within one generation Satan’s assault bore the fruit of murder within their own children.

God restored the heart of “Eden,” intimacy and union with him, in Christ Jesus.

The purpose of the promised graced to come (NIV, 1 Peter 1:10-12), was to restore what the first Adam was tricked into losing (Romans 5:14, 1 Corinthians 15:45), through Christ’s journey to completion (Hebrews 5:7-10).

And in that perfect redemption, putting sin to death (NIV, Romans 6:10), Christ became our perfect lamb substitute “the living blood sacrifice.”

In the Old Testament God restored in a measure the likes of Enoch, Moses, Samuel, David, Elijah, etc., prefiguring and foretelling the story of the Messiah to come. Some were even restored so much they were raptured.

Christ was restored perfectly, without sin, putting to death generational transgressions and iniquities passed to him from his human ancestry (Isaiah 53:5; Romans 6:10; Hebrews 5:7-10).

Because Christ’s sacrifice in being made one with God was so complete, becoming “the exact representation of his being” (NIV, Hebrews 1:3), the only human expression rightly describing his sacrifice is the offering of his “blood.”

Even in the Old Testament the word blood is used to symbolize life.

How else could Jesus rightly claim the New Testament was in his blood before Calvary ? (NIV, Matthew 26:28)

That by killing him, they were rejecting the New Testament in him, not starting the New Testament, as many of us have been taught to believe.

It was that Jesus, the resurrected Jesus, the perfect one, having put sin to death, raised to walk in newness of life, who entered Judah to offer the Gospel of salvation to Israel; Eden (intimacy and union with God) having been restored in him, becoming the firstborn, first fruit, pioneer, and forerunner of faith by grace.

Jesus began the New Covenant by becoming the New Covenant – they are inseparable as inseparable as he is from his Father.

Jesus was the living, breathing, New Covenant in flesh and blood (John 6:63), before he began his ministry.

Else, why would he be tested by Satan for 40 days?

Calvary did not add anything to Christ’s atoning sacrifice in being made complete before his ministry (NIV, Hebrews 5:7-10).

It did put off the “Millennium” by two millenniums, and made our journey harder, more challenging, difficult, because in killing the Messiah we suffer the growth of sin over two millenniums which comes to fullness under the Antichrist system.

The last day Antichrist system would not be in the Scripture had Israel received their Messiah.

Before His Physical Return

Before Christ can physically return at the second coming the bride must come to completion. And her completion comes in the age of Philadelphia.

The bride from all dispensations, and those martyred in the Tribulation, come back with Christ at his physical second coming.

Thus, the intensity, urgency, and focus by Christ in preparing a bride today.

Christ’s millennial reign, the Tribulation, the end-time revival(s) and all the events of the end-times hinge on the completion of the bride.

This is one reason why the end-times will be so intense, spiritually, and otherwise, because the enemy knows once the bride comes to completion events will be set in motion for his destruction and Christ’s return.

The age of Philadelphia will be fulfilled in fullness – it is the last call, and highest call, for those who will rule and reign with him in the Millennium.

And he needs as many sons and daughters as possible because it will take a lot of labor in healing and fathering to restore those who come through the Tribulation.

There is an assumption when Jesus physically returns miraculous restoration begins, mankind suddenly loves God and eagerly pursues Christ.

Not true.

We are fragile; it will take a lot of time and effort for hearts and minds to receive and embrace the new reality of Christ as King and Lord; requiring much healing and restoration through Holy Spirit transformation.

The purpose of the “two millennium Gospel dispensation,” the seven church ages from the time of Christ to today, have a design; to bring God’s sons and daughters into intimacy with him through stages of revelation, experience, intimacy, and healing.

And the bride will complete the journey God designed for those who will be made one with Christ.

Once the bride comes to completion (some alive today will see that come to pass), “‘his bride has made herself ready.’” (NIV, Revelation 19:7), Christ will close the door to Philadelphia and open the door toward his return.

David’s 15-year journey in the wilderness with God, a vivid picture of the journey of the Christ and the bride, securing the Ark of the Covenant (intimacy with God), set in motion his Kingly reign, and Solomon’s, a type of Christ’s millennial reign.

God’s plan and promises will be fulfilled.

Let us make sure we are about our father’s business seeking fulfillment of his promises while the day is still light.

Important

It is not too late to seek the Lord for intimacy with him.

He is searching for those who desire to know him deeply (Psalm 42:7), as friends, companions, disciplined in service in the bond of love.

He has over-abundantly demonstrated to mankind his desire to be close.

He did it through his sacrificial death to sin (being made one with the Father), before his ministry, through three plus years of ministry, and, even after all that, forgiving mankind for Calvary, which robbed him, and all, of an early Millennium.

Through his bride, Jesus will bring Eden back to the hearts of men and women in the Millennium.

And before that, likely in our lifetime, through his bride, fulfill last day and end-time prophecies.

Because it is through her, by the Spirit of God, the end-times will be released in revival first (Matthew 13:47-48; 2 Thessalonians 2:6; Revelation 3:9, 12:5, 13:3 (the wound of the beast comes from revival)).

Together with Christ

God designed the Gospel with man and woman in mind, together.

Jesus is not going to bring about the end-times without his “Eve,” spiritually speaking, joined to him.

The age of Philadelphia is the making of “Eve,” the last day end-time bride. The second Adam will have his bride!

The appearance of Noah set in motion the destruction of the known world and a new beginning. The same with Abraham (Sodom), Moses (Egypt), and Joshua (Canaan).

The appearance of David began the deeper revelation of grace, the destruction of sin (Saul), setting in motion the coming of Christ and the destruction of sin once and for all in his death to sin (NIV, Romans 6:10).

Christ fulfilled the law perfectly in his flesh, setting in motion the opportunity and promise for those in him to be completed as his bride – to bring destruction to sin in their lives.

And the destruction of sin in their lives, will, like in the days of Noah, set in motion events that lead to the destruction by God of the last day Antichrist Kingdom.

The labor of the Lord today is not isolated, but the culmination of six millenniums of God working to restore and redeem men and women.

Satan is laboring in men and women to complete what he started six millenniums ago – a Kingdom of men and women having the fullness of his likeness, made one with him.

The Antichrist will have his bride – the influential of this world who are intimate with the ways of darkness.

If there was not an expressed purpose, vision, to the plan of God for the Gospel age, Christ could have physically returned at any time.

It is not just about the Gospel going to the ends of the earth, but the Gospel going to the ends of the heart of God’s sons and daughters.

That God’s sons and daughters would come to the fullness of Christ – the truest expression of the fullness of the Gospel going forth (John 17:21; Romans 8:29; Ephesians 4:13; Revelation 3:12).

When Jesus talks about “‘and to the ends of the earth.’” (NIV, Acts 1:8, italicized mine) there is a sense of geography of course, but just as much, to the geography of hearts; because it is the completion of the bride that sets in motion the events of the last days – not a literal taking of the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

Global revival will come when the bride in the making is made one with Christ.

The story we live in was written and foretold six millenniums ago.

We are in the final chapters of part two (the New Testament).

God’s plan today is focused on the making of the bride: the major seasons of the new-birth (1500s to late 1800s), and Pentecost (1900s), are in our rear view mirror.

The opportunities and promises of God today in the age of Philadelphia, though founded on past moves of God, are unprecedented in what they offer, union with Christ.

Important

The measure of the person we become in this life is the measure of the person we will be for all eternity.

The Scripture shows eternal differences of intimacy with the Lord depending on how far we allow him to take us in this life.

For instance, in the Song of Songs we read of the virgins, concubines, and queens, and then the one who is his intimate.

In Corinthians we read how stars differ in glory.

In Revelation we see the living creatures, the elders, and those with white robes.

We also see in Revelation after the Millennium differences such as the nations, kings, and trees (symbolic of Christ and the bride from all ages) and even servants.

In Ezekiel (prefiguring and foretelling of Christ) there is a distinction in the priesthood – those who minister to him and those who are not allowed to minister to him.

It goes without saying throughout Scripture there are distinctions between those who are close to God and those who are not – and those distinctions do not disappear in eternity but become ever more present.

It was Moses and Elijah who were chosen to speak to Christ on the Mount – no one else from the past was given that favor and honor.

God does favor some above others; not because of their works, talents, or other human differences, but because they sought him and allowed him to take them deeper in relationship with him than others.

God would have that for everyone, but many prefer not to venture into the wilderness with him, thus we have things like the Great Falling Away, the lukewarm, cold, hot, foolish, sleepy, and other descriptions of those who limit their journey with Christ.

The great weight and body of New Testament Scripture is the journey of being made into the likeness of Christ (John 17:21; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 4:13; Revelation 3:12; etc.), his bride.

And though those in the new-birth are Heaven bound, there will be an eternal difference between those who pursue Christ and those who do not.

Jesus calls everyone to be his bride, but we know from Scripture, many do not respond to the knock on the door of their heart for pursuit, and intimacy.

Here is a distinction in the Scriptures between those who serve God and those who do not:

“‘On the day when I act…they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.’” (NIV, Malachi 3:17-18, italicized mine)

And there is not only a distinction in the Scriptures between those who serve God and those who do not, but between those in the body who pursue Christ through the open door of Philadelphia, and those who do not (Laodicea).

Let us inquire, with wholeheartedness, of God, his will and leading for deeper relationship with him.

**Prophetic Fulfillment of Last Day Prophecies **

There are many terms used in Christendom to describe what we commonly associate as the last of the last days.

Terms such as “last days,” “last of the last days,” “latter days,” and even “end-times,” though the last one is usually associated with the special season of time right before, leading into, and the first part of the Tribulation.

In Scripture, last days is generally associated with the Gospel era, as “Christ” divided the former era from the latter; signaling Christ as the only path for redemption and limit to the longsuffering of God.

Last days denotes the finality of the New Covenant focused on the revelation of Christ as the only way of escape.

For purposes of my posts, generally last days refers to the age of Philadelphia/Laodicea through and including the first half of the Tribulation.

Considering all the preaching and teaching on the last days, many wonder, where are we in God’s calendar?

Here are some things to consider.

I believe many would agree:

We are somewhere sandwiched between the first physical coming of Christ and his promised second physical return.

We are about two millenniums from Christ’s first coming.

From what we know from history compared to Christ’s letters to the Churches in Revelation (provided Christ’s letters also represent ages, the evidence is overwhelming they do), we are clearly beyond the age of Thyatira (dark ages), and Sardis (Reformation including return of Pentecost in the 1900s), somewhere in the concurrent ages of Philadelphia and Laodicea.

It is more likely than not we are somewhere in the middle of the Philadelphia/Laodicea ages – beyond the beginning but not near the end.

This is important, there are no church ages beyond Philadelphia/Laodicea.

Philadelphia and Laodicea are the culmination of the Christian pilgrimage one way or the other, both coming to fullness when darkness is at its peak.

Here are some more.

1. The return of Israel after almost 2 millenniums set in motion the beginning transition from exile to the promises of a future millennial reign under Christ and the bride.

Their return began the “knowledge” of Hosea’s prophecy: “‘After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence.’” (NIV, 6:2)

In the Old and New Covenant, a “1000 years” is likened to a “day” to the Lord.

Revive may mean to begin when Christ physically returns, the death and destruction of the Tribulation has passed.

Restore may mean the long journey of bringing the people of Israel into the knowledge and fullness of Christ (intimacy with him through healing and restoration).

2. The Reformation and Pentecostal movements, (Sardis era), have come substantially to an end – they are not the primary focus of the Lord, setting in motion Tabernacles, (the age of Philadelphia), the making of the bride.

3. The lack of Christendom’s embrace of inner healing – the attempt to self-cleanse and be healed through “decisions,” rather than the transforming power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 6; 2 Corinthians 3:18, 7:1, 1 Peter 1:13, i.e., the revelation of Christ in Philadelphia), contributes to setting in motion the age of Laodicea “lukewarm Christianity,” because sin is increasing faster and more powerful than conventional Christianity can resist and fight.

It is ironic the same time God is doing a deep and profound work of healing and restoration in those seeking him through the open door of Philadelphia, many are falling behind, failing to keep pace with God.

Today is like the days of Elijah, a great division in God’s children between those kept alive in famine, and those near starvation, spiritually speaking.

God said through the prophet Jeremiah, “‘If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses?

If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?’” (NIV, Jeremiah 12:5, italicized mine)

And Jesus said to those who do not allow him access to their lives so they can be healed and restored, “‘I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire…so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.’” (NIV, Revelation 3:18, italicized mine)

Today, while Israel is being prepared by God for what is coming, and the bride (in the making), is being prepared for ministry in the end-times, and Laodicea is being prepared for the fires to come in the Tribulation, the King of darkness is preparing his followers for union with him.

Another fullness of time is coming, like in the days of Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David, Christ, and others who experienced sudden, intense, and dramatic transitions in history.

4. The greatest sign we are in the last days, the deep work of the Spirit of grace preparing the bride, is presently in different stages in people, coming to fullness at different times over the next decade or two. (Matthew 25:10; Ephesians 4:13 (“all” means those on the journey), 5:25-27; Philippians 3; Colossians 1:27; Revelation 3:7-13, 12:5, 19:7)

From what I understand, and from a few I know, the age of Philadelphia, being made one with Christ, does not span many generations like the Reformation (1500s to 1800s), or like Pentecost (1900s), but those seeking Christ (no matter their age or station), during a specific window of time.

It is likely the window of “parts of Revelation Chapter 12,” (another picture of the age of Philadelphia), spans about a century.

5. The formation of Revelation’s seventh headed beast, the end-time Antichrist system, is by all evidence occurring today – setting in motion a world view of growing oneness opposed to the knowledge of Christ.

6. The rise of the “influential;” those from all walks of life who use their position in commerce or society to promote a one world humanistic view is setting in motion a global system of beliefs and practices opposed to Christ.

We live in an unprecedented age with unimaginable resources in the hands of a few (individuals, institutions, and otherwise), who with global resources in transportation and communication can significantly influence the thoughts and practices of mankind toward their world view.

Evolution and humanism, mainstream thinking, has rejected the moving of God’s Spirit over the last six millenniums in signs, wonders, and miracles.

The darkness of this age is blinding not only the lost, but many in Christ from God’s handiwork over the last six millenniums scheming to keep God’s sons and daughters from what he is offering today.

7. Having roughly six millenniums in the rearview mirror (from the time of Adam and Eve to today according to Bible chronology), typologically places the 21^st century squarely in the last days; prefigured and foretold in:

• • the sixth day of creation and seventh day of rest;
  • six millenniums of history corresponding symbolically to the first six days of creation;
  • the seven parables of Christ (Matthew Chapter 13), and Christ’s and Paul’s letters to the Churches (provide unique pictures of the progressive stages of the body of Christ’s journey over the last two millenniums).

 

If millenniums are an indication of seasons of time (specific stages from the fall back to redemption),

and, if actual Bible history corresponds to the pattern God laid down in creation (the evidence is overwhelming it does), (i.e., creation was not only literal but a prophetic vision of the journey to come with key themes and timing in each day of creation corresponding to actual history),

and, if the creation of the sun, moon, and stars on the fourth day also symbolizes the coming of Christ four millenniums after Adam and Eve, separating the Testaments (the moon a type of the Old, the sun a type of the New and Christ, the stars a type of the saints released to Heaven at the time of Christ),

if that be true, which there is strong scriptural evidence they are, then that places you and me somewhere in transition into Christ’s “day” of rest.

We know from Revelation Christ will rule and reign for a thousand years; it is beyond coincidence Christ’s millennial reign is not prefigured by God’s seventh day of rest.

In the thousand-year period after the creation of Adam and Eve God rested from his labor, establishing no covenants other than the prophetic word over Adam, Eve, and Satan.

In the Millennium the New Covenant will be fulfilled completely by Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit over the whole earth.

Opposition from Satan and his followers will be a thing of the past.

8. I have written about this in other posts, but there is a clear and distinct pattern repeated in theme, succession, and progression of “seven church ages” pictured in Christ’s seven parables of Matthew 13, Paul’s nine letters to the Churches, and Christ’s seven letters to the Churches in Revelation.

It is beyond coincidence these, plus the account of creation and actual history over six millenniums parallel and mirror each other.

Where there is design there is a designer.

9. The rise of apostasy (lukewarm, Laodicea) within Christendom.

Apostasy – many choosing to ignore the signs of the times, staying anchored in the harbor once thought to be safe, when they should be gathering supplies and provisions, setting out to sea for the deep waters of the Holy Spirit.

As apostasy deepens (Laodicea), it will become a stronghold, imprisoning many in the cares of this life – the pursuit of all this life has to offer at the expense of intimacy and union with Christ in healing and restoration.

10. The increasing weight and intensity of sin is making society more fragile, fragmented, isolated, bitter, and a host of other ills; creating greater and greater unresolved wounds and brokenness.

11. Major streams of prophecy in Scripture “about the end-times” (creation, history, Old and New Testament prophecies, parables, church ages, Paul’s letters to the churches), speak of a specific “fullness of time,” when God prepares his people in the Philadelphia/Laodicea church ages for the Millennium one way or the other.

Important

Many interpret the absence of God moving in publicly acknowledged revivals as a sign of his absence, not discerning the moving of the Holy Spirit today in forming the bride.

Misinterpreting God’s hidden work in those seeking encounter with Christ will result in many missing the Lord’s intimate work in preparing a bride.

12. The seeds of coming revival are still being planted and watered in the hearts of men and women who desire deeper intimacy with the Lord.

The Lord is allowing spiritual hunger and thirst, almost bordering on famine in some instances, to draw those who desire him into deeper fellowship toward connection and union.

If he satisfies the hunger for him too early, the work will not be as deep and complete.

If he waits too long, men and women will become frustrated and lose hope.

The Lord knows just how long to linger to achieve the desired result in the hearts of those who desire the deep things of God.

Some today, like forerunners in past moves of God, are already being brought into deep intimacy with the Lord through journey.

They are experiencing deep healing and restoration in their lives.

And healing and restoration by its nature results in being prepared to help others advance the Kingdom of God in their lives.

Today, in certain circles, anticipation is building in the body of Christ for the coming of a new work of God.

Most are not sure what it will look like or when it will come, but know by the stirring of the Holy Spirit something is on the horizon many believe will eclipse past moves of God by order magnitude (if that can be applied to the Spirit).

The Word of God clearly shows a last day move of his Spirit that will paralyze the growth of the Antichrist Kingdom for a season – a wound to its head – drawing many into the salvation waters of the Kingdom of God.

13. The furtherance of humanism and evolution to new heights in contemporary thought is part of the fuel for increasing darkness and opposition to Christ.

Not realizing the spiritual realm, those who fail to be prepared and made ready in the days ahead will tragically find out how real the spiritual realm is, and the enemy who controls, like in the days of Noah, Lot, Moses, Joshua, the Kings, Christ, and others.

Important

Revelation Chapter 12 is a picture of the last of the last days (Philadelphia (the child)/Laodicea (the woman)), into the end-times and the first part of the Tribulation.

In verse one the crown of 12 stars represents, among others, the fullness of time for the Church. The Church has gone as far as it can in her own strength with the resources God provided through the new-birth and Pentecost.

It has now been 500 years since the return of the new-birth and over a 100 years since the return of Pentecost, both have come to maturity and nowhere else to go.

The woman represents the Church walking under the law – having the moon underneath her means she is walking in the ways of the law, i.e., the fleshly nature is still largely intact though hidden under the “Son’s” clothing, i.e., Christ’s righteousness (Romans 8:10-11).

If we were given a picture of a dead carcass and an eagle soaring, like Jesus describes in the Gospels, we would know she has moved beyond the new-birth and Pentecost into Tabernacles.

Verse one in Revelation Chapter 12 is essential to properly understanding the Book of Revelation and the end-times.

If the revelation of this verse (and following) is missed and attributed to Israel or Christ, then the most important piece of revelation is missing from the end-times.

Please remember, the sun, moon, stars represent the division of the Old and New Testaments; Revelation verse 1 shows the New Testament “in” place, Christ’s sacrificial atonement having been completed!

They cannot represent Israel or Christ because they represent the New Covenant.

Please notice during the sixth seal they signal the end of the New Covenant dispensation as the martyr of the remaining saints has concluded and the last part of the Tribulation is coming.

Verse one is a picture of the body of Christ at large, having gone as far as the new-birth and Pentecost provide.

It would be like only going as far as the Holy Place in the Tabernacle, or the wheat harvest, with no fruit harvest.

But within her God is forming a child; a child destined to rule with him in intimacy and union once it is birthed, fathered, and made one with him.

He will use his “Son” of “sons and daughters” to usher in the end-time revival(s), rescuing many for the Kingdom of God before the ax is laid to the root of the Antichrist system like past world kingdoms.

Technology

Unlike any time in history, technology provides the means for bringing godly resources together through Christ and the body of Christ for the preparation of the bride.

It also presents the greatest opportunity to be distracted from the call and vision God presents by his Spirit to the body of Christ to be made one with him.

And, unlike any time in history, technology provides the means for bringing ungodly resources together by the powers of spiritual darkness for the preparation of those who oppose Christ’s offering of salvation.

The ability to plant “tares” in the heart and mind of great groups of people through one event, movie, news, show, media, etc., is unprecedented.

Public opinion, thought, reasoning, etc., can be immediately promoted and embraced by great multitudes to the better, or to the detriment.

The cultivation of sin and establishment of spiritual strongholds are being aided today by technology unlike any time in history – the fruit is evident.

** Signs of Apostasy **

If you are not experiencing the deep work of the Spirit in the last days, it is not too late.

This is the season of encounter – being made one with Christ, the open door of Philadelphia.

God is doing a deep work of grace in sons and daughters across the globe in preparation for intimacy and union with him.

King David was in the wilderness for what some say was 15 years, being prepared by God for the throne of Israel and a line of succession to the Messiah.

David’s story was Christ’s story and ours today.

The days of David, and all those who have been chosen by God over the centuries to be his intimates are upon us once again in a deep and profound way.

Jesus even refers to David in his letter to the Church of Philadelphia.

We are facing the greatest transition in history – the Millennial rule of Christ.

We know from Scripture there will be a falling away in transition.

The temptation to turn a deaf ear to the Scriptures, be absorbed by the things of this life, can be overwhelming if it is not resisted and replaced by earnestly seeking safety through intimacy with Christ.

The power of darkness (the dark Spirit of this age) and the vast resources at its disposal through almost every avenue of life, from morning till evening, in rest and weariness, must not be underestimated.

The enemy has a strategic plan to take out everybody.

The only safe place now and in the days ahead is to be hidden in Christ.

And the safest place to be hidden is in the deep work of the Spirit of grace, being prepared to be made one with Christ.

When Jesus takes you by the hand to be made one with him, you know you are in good hands, in a safe place, though you wrestle with sin, Jesus has you, and will not let you go, for you now belong to him.

Until Christ takes his son or daughter into the deep place of the Spirit of grace, Tabernacles, through the open door into Philadelphia, their life is in great risk because the new-birth/Pentecost is not sufficient to defeat darkness in the days ahead.

The new-birth and Pentecost were sufficient for the battles of their day, but lack the power of encountering Christ which will be necessary in spiritual warfare to come.

These are days prophesied of old, serious, not to be taken lightly, but days to be lived soberly, concerning oneself with Christ first and foremost.

I would counsel anyone in their Christian pilgrimage who has not been ushered into the deep work of the Spirit to seek the Lord by pouring out their heart to him.

To let him know in no unequivocal terms, you want everything he has to offer – you do not want to leave this life without him knowing you intimately, and you him.

This is what I did over a decade ago when my heart was growing cold, losing touch with the vision of God, desperately needing Jesus to come and rescue me, and not only rescue me, but put me on a path of wholeness from the severe wounds and brokenness I suffered under.

We were created to be whole and holy and the enemy will do everything to stop this if entertained and allowed.

He almost took me out but Jesus rescued me, and he will rescue you.

I poured my heart out to the Lord and he heard my cry (see David’s Psalm about his cry to the Lord, Psalm 62).

It is time for many to pour their hearts out to the Lord in repentance for seeking other lovers – the cares and riches of this life and the temporal pleasures and treasures it brings – and lay their hearts down before him.

It is time to say, Jesus, I want you, and whatever it takes to have you.

It is time to ask the Lord to be taken on a journey with him – to be made one with him.

If we bare our hearts before the Lord, he will answer.

I am not talking about God healing our land, bringing justice, and all the other thousand things that can be prayed about this side of the Kingdom.

I am talking about telling Jesus you want to be his bride (Revelation 19:7), even though you do not know what that means, but, because, it is something he is offering in this wonderful hour of church history.

It is okay to let Jesus know you do not know what you are asking, he already knows; but ask, because he wants you to ask, he wants you to seek, he wants you to desire him.

It is okay to ask for God’s promise even if you do not know what it means – he does, and that’s all that matters.

He will reveal everything you need to know by and by.

He knows how to walk you and me through healing and restoration in growing intimacy with him.

He will bring to pass the unimaginable in your life and mine as we say yes to him.

The world, sin, temptation, the cares of this life, and spiritual battles, cannot be overcome and won in the flesh.

Our safety is in experiencing the Spirit of God, a growing, deepening relationship with Christ in the pursuit of being made one with him.

It includes the journey of putting sin to death by the cross of grace through faith in dependence upon God.

It will include receiving prayer ministry, inner healing, counseling, etc., through the body of Christ and the Lord.

Tabernacles is uniquely and distinctly different from the new-birth and Pentecost; it is a deep place of grace (1 Peter 1:13), – a tangible, deeper, ongoing experience far beyond the new-birth and Pentecost, being personally led by the Lord in healing and restoration.

***

Tragically, many in the body of Christ believe Pentecost is the completion of the journey having little or no knowledge there is more, much more, in Christ to be apprehended.

Many do not understand the connection between Tabernacles, Philadelphia, last days, bride, etc., and going beyond Pentecost – fathered by God in being made one with Christ.

Many believe being made one with Christ is part of the Pentecostal journey, not realizing Tabernacles is the third leg of our Christian pilgrimage, the culmination of the journey, just like the Holy of Holies was for the Tabernacle and the fruit harvest for Israel’s agricultural year.

That the new-birth and Pentecost point to yet something greater in Christ, Tabernacles, being made one with Christ, is our destination – to know him, and he us in intimacy and union.

Apostasy is not something that just happens one day, but a progressive moving away from life.

And that can happen when we settle in an old move of God when he is doing something new.

We all need a spark of desire, a catching of our heart toward the eternal.

Something to awaken the deep imprint of God within and arouse our curiosity about God, ourselves, and the mystery of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Something to awaken discovery beyond the temporal to the eternal and spiritual.

It is the Holy Spirit that draws our hearts toward him, and in this season, he is drawing deeply because the hour is late and there is much work to be done in the body of Christ and in the bride.

Both are being prepared for what is coming.

In 2 Thessalonians Paul talks about the falling away in the end-times, and John in Revelation Chapter 12, “Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth.” (NIV, Revelation 12:4)

The latter is not speaking of one-third of the angels falling away at the beginning of creation.

On the contrary, please remember we are in the Book of Revelation, not in the Gospels nor Genesis, but the last days, the end-times, the seventh Antichrist system, and the loss of faith by many in the body of Christ as Paul describes in detail in 2 Thessalonians 2.

It is not a coincidence Paul’s letters to the churches follow the church ages of Revelation and severe trials upon the Church and end-time events are depicted in 1 and 2 Thessalonians, the last letters to the Churches.

Daniel records how the enemy will labor to wear out the saints in the last days, some falling prey to his devices who fail to be hidden under the shadow of his wings (Daniel 7:25).

And Paul warns Timothy what the last days look like in the thought life, heart, and actions of men and women including those who once walked with the Lord (2 Timothy 3).

And throughout Paul’s letters and Christ’s parables are warnings to those who have experienced the goodness of God, and yet turn back, because the appetites for this world were not put to death under the loving discipline of the Father.

The New Testament cannot be read without frequently encountering Christ’s warnings.

Thankfully, Jesus does not give up on us like we give up on him.

No matter how hard and deep one has fallen, Christ’s hand is outstretched to lift and begin anew.

Jesus does not hold grudges, carry bitterness, remind you of your sins and failures, how you hurt him and others because you backslid, or make you pay for your sins.

The weight and reaping of sins are bad enough.

Christ desires to labor with us in repentance and forgiveness by grace through faith for our healing and the healing of others.

The cross of grace through faith in repentance and forgiveness is the greatest weapon we will ever have against sin and the nature of the flesh.

Very Important

Apostasy in the end-times is tempting because the long seasons of new-birth and Pentecost have not produced the promises Christians were led to believe; instead, sowing seeds of hopelessness, disenchantment, and disappointment.

We were taught the Holy of Holies would come if we stayed long enough in the Holy Place.

Or, that one day our wheat harvest would become a harvest of summer fruit.

But that is not how the Kingdom of God works – the law of in-kind is the law of the Kingdom, just like it is the law of the earth.

We are taught if we just pray harder, go to more conferences, service more, fast more, believe more, and walk with Jesus long enough in the new-birth and Pentecost, slowly, gradually, we will, through “our decisions,” form new natures, become stronger in Christ and defeat sin in victorious and overcoming power.

But this is not what the Scriptures teach.

There is a pilgrimage beyond Pentecost: “Tabernacles,” it is designed by God to do the deep work the others could not, to bring men and women into intimate union with Christ through healing and restoration.

And until the body of Christ comes to the revelation of the deeper work of the Spirit, that it is absolutely necessary for God’s sons and daughters to pursue, in this, the season of “pursuit,” many will continue to give up and fall away because no one has come to their aid and rescue.

Even Peter, who had just spent three years with Christ, was no match for what was coming up, needing Christ to tell him another would soon lead him where he had once led himself (John 21:18).

And Jesus was not talking about an upcoming martyrdom, but dying to sin to walk in resurrection power Peter would need to help establish the Church.

The heart of the Gospel is to prepare us “for” Heaven, not for Heaven to prepare us when we arrive.

That is why in Philippians the Scripture says, “…continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” (NIV, 2:12, italicized mine)

The labor of our salvation is here on earth, not in Heaven.

And Jesus talked, as well as Paul and John, about the labor that produces Sonship, intimacy and union with Christ (John 16, Romans 6 & 8, 1 Corinthians 15, 2 Corinthians 4, Galatians 4, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Revelation 3, 12, etc.).

It is referred to as the day of Christ, the day of redemption, being conformed to his death, baptized with his baptism, the mystery of Christ, etc.

Christ’s hand is outstretched all the day long, his mercy and grace unending, his love and kindness beyond measure, reaching out to anyone who longs for his kindness and goodness (2 Peter 3:9).

Now is not the time to lose sight of the glories of Christ, his wondrous love, but to seek pursuit of him (Philippians 3:12, 4:4-7, 4:13, 4:19).

In the last section of this post I give specific Scriptures directing you and me to seek encounter with Christ.

Just because Paul and Revelation describe a falling away in the last days does not mean it is promised to happen, just as Israel was not programmed to kill Jesus.

It is certainly not promised to happen to you and me if we seek Christ. And if the entire body of Christ sought Christ for Tabernacles it would not happen at all.

They are prophecies, and prophecies can change for the better just as they can change for the worse.

God told Ahab and Hezekiah they were going to die, and then because of their repentance, he changed his mind.

***

Seeds or Signs of Apostasy?

• Neglecting to participate in the body of Christ, particularly what God is doing in this present season of time, where once you were eager to pursue new things from God.
• Loss of appetite for the Scriptures.
• Shame, condemnation, or other sins blocking you from receiving Christ’s love, forgiveness, and mercy.
• The cares of this life sapping spiritual desire and strength.
• Darkness outpacing the labor of grace and mercy in your life.
• Little or no understanding of last day prophecies, coming revival, coming darkness, and pursuit of Christ.
• Self-content (complacent?) with your spiritual condition, neglecting to pursue journey in Christ (little or no vision for the deeper spiritual work God desires to accomplish in your life).
• Loss of appetite of discovery in Scriptures; believing Jesus has nothing new to reveal.
• A growing desire for God “to fit” in your worldview, instead of his.
• Activities centered in being “busy for Jesus,” instead of “becoming,” being made one with him.
• Personal discovery and revelation in his Word has been absent for quite some time now.
• You are growing more and more content with his absence and your self-sufficiency.
• You do not have an understanding of being fathered by God.
• Little or no understanding of the Christian pilgrimage symbolized in the three feasts; the deep work of the Spirit in Tabernacles.
• You are skeptical of healing and restoration through counseling and prayer ministry; fearful of how it may impact your family, etc.
• You are afraid to study the Bible on your own; don’t know how to do basic study of Scripture; afraid of learning something not in agreement with your church, traditions, beliefs, etc.
• You have little or no vision for the future; have not been taught how to seek Christ, have little identity of your Christianity outside of your existing local body.
• You are unprepared to lead somebody to Christ; unprepared to pray with someone for healing and restoration and little knowledge of the working of sin and the web it sows in agreements, vows, and lies, etc.
• Spiritual warfare, strongholds, the work of the enemy is a mystery. You would not be able to help someone if Jesus brought someone your way who needed some one-on-one personal ministry.
• You do not want to disturb the comfort of your present Christian experience.
• You like Jesus, the thought of Jesus, his presence, but the thought of him encountering you personally is fearful, filled with uncertainty and unpredictability.
• You do not know what it is like to be loved, valued, esteemed, etc., outside of performance.
• Your wounds are more familiar to you than Christ’s love and care.
• You believe you are too broken and wounded to go any deeper in Christ.

 

***

I know what many of these feel like.

Jesus knows the way of escape for everything we fall prey to.

No matter what situation or pit you may find yourself in, Jesus is able to set you back on a path for him (Isaiah 49:25-26).

There is a stream of teaching in Christendom centered around our decisions in becoming Christlike, placing the great weight of transformation on us, and not on the saving and transforming power of Christ.

Contrary to what is commonly taught, only Christ can produce Christ in you and me (Romans 8:10-11).

Only the revelation of Christ by grace can produce Christ in you and me (NIV, 1 Peter 1:13).

There is a stark difference between the pilgrimage in the new-birth and Pentecost, versus Tabernacles: the deep work of the Spirit of grace in the revelation of Christ (NIV, 1 Peter 1:13), i.e., the season of deep transformation and sanctification, being made one with Christ, fathered by God.

It is interesting Peter coined the phrase, because the knowledge of what it means came from his journey of being personally led by the Lord to put sin to death to walk in newness of life (John 21:18, the death of sin, not the death of Peter).

The age of God’s focus on the new-birth and Pentecost (Sardis) has come and gone.

God’s primary focus is now on being made one with Christ, the bride, Philadelphia.

It is the journey Christ pioneered for you and me offered now in fullness to those who desire him.

And it can only be done by the Spirit of God.

We need Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit to wound and pierce are secretly hidden transgressions and iniquities, so we can be washed by the water of the Word and Spirit (Ephesians 5:25-27).

We need the deeper areas of our fallen nature exposed, opened, and brought to death by the saving power of Christ.

Now is the time to seek God and respond to his call to go deep.

** Signs of the Times **

Some of the hot topics today, “signs of the times,” and “making decisions,” make Christianity about “events” on the one hand, and, on the other, saving ourselves by our decisions.

The first focuses attention on the world; trying to figure out the Bible by world events.

Scripture is written to be understood by the revelation of Christ through the body of Christ in journey with him. World events are a consequence of what the Lord is doing in the body of Christ, or the enemy is doing through his children, and not a path to interpreting Scripture.

The second focuses attention on “decisions,” a not-so-subtle shift of salvation away from the strength and sustaining power of God by grace through faith to men and women’s decisions, a sure path away from Christ to apostasy.

Our ability to make righteous decisions is but one part of the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.

Our ability to make wholesome and righteous decisions outside the leading of the Holy Spirit in relationship with Christ is just as riddled with the “fall” as the rest of us.

We cannot do Christianity without Jesus!

We need Jesus to lead us into decisions he is calling us to make, and the power of the Holy Spirit to make them effective and transforming.

Because of the work he is doing, we need guidance even in our decision making.

In other words, we need to be fathered from an orphan heart in making decisions just as much as the rest of us need to be fathered.

Very Important

Neither “signs of the times” nor “decisions” direct men and women toward intimacy and union with Christ.

Neither of them invites the body of Christ into story, the story of Christ, his journey, the path he pioneered for you and me.

Without Christ and his personal story, we are left wandering in the wilderness of this world, instead of being led by Christ through the wilderness he pioneered in Tabernacles, the journey of being made one with the Father through healing and restoration.

Until the Church recognizes Christ’s journey of healing and restoration, “once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him” (NIV, Hebrews 5:9, italicized mine), apart from his ministry and Calvary, the focus will be on something other than being joined in intimacy and union with him.

How often do you hear in teaching and preaching to seek pursuit of Christ, to be joined in journey with him?

To seek the journey he pioneered, in intimacy and union with him; to be made whole and holy.

We do not hear this because it is believed we are made one with Christ in the new-birth, and an even deeper oneness in Pentecost – but that is not what the Scriptures teach.

The destination is Christ likeness, not the new-birth or Pentecost.

Here is what I mean:

It is the story of Jesus, not his ministry, not Calvary, not all the wonderful works God did through him, but his personal story that unlocks Scripture and the deepest level of intimacy possible with him, because it is in journey with him, we are joined.

Salvation and intimacy with Christ are not an event, but a journey, “becoming,” in his story with him, fathered by God.

The connection of like journeys, like stories, is the greatest measure of sharing possible; where we are invited into his personal story, traveling the path he pioneered, transformed from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18), made one with him.

In Tabernacles, Christ becomes the center of our journey, not the signs of the times, or making decisions, or Christian service, but Jesus – and what he is laboring to bring about in our healing and restoration so we can have greater intimacy and relationship with him.

What has happened to Christianity that has brought us to the place where we believe it rests with us to transform and sanctify ourselves?

Is that not what the Galatians were about, starting out in the Spirit, but soon turning to the flesh?

Another Very Important

There is much teaching about Jesus, what we can do to be like Jesus, but little, if any, teaching of Jesus “coming” personally and uniquely to his sons and daughters to “make” them like him through transformation.

Only encounter with Christ can make us like him, it does not come through evolution of decision making!

Where Jesus takes you and me into his spiritual kingdom on a long journey of being made conformable to his death (NIV Romans 8:29), in growing intimacy and union with him.

The new-birth introduces you and me to the Kingdom, Pentecost gives us a taste of the Kingdom, but only Tabernacles takes us “into” the Kingdom – into the realm of the Spirit where we walk with Christ in heavenly places.

This is not being taught because the Church at large does not understand the revelation of Christ – the journey Christ pioneered in being made perfect by putting sin to death, raised to walk in new life (NIV, Romans 6:10) “resurrection life,” the life he freely shared with Israel over 3 years and with us today.

That it was a journey of wounding and piercing generational sins passed to him from his ancestors he was commissioned by God to put to death, becoming our substitute in dying to sin, raised to walk in new life (NIV, Romans 6:10).

And the journey cannot be done in the realm of the natural, only in the Spirit.

Tabernacles (Philadelphia), is the New Covenant fulfillment of the Holy of Holies; where God takes his sons and daughters into his realm for healing and restoration in growing intimacy and union.

Intimacy and union with Christ can only be done in the realm of grace – where exposed sin rooted in wounds is met face to face with grace and faith and put to death once and for all through Christ’s sacrificial intervention.

Until the body of Christ receives the revelation of Christ’s first glorification, the glorification journey of becoming complete, our Savior (NIV, Hebrews 5:7-10, 7:16), before he was presented to Israel, the Christian journey will be more about the “doing,” instead of the “becoming.”

And the body of Christ has gone as far as it can go in doing, and the Lord knows that, that is why he reserved the age of Philadelphia for the last days.

Important

The body of Christ needs Jesus, not the things of Jesus, not more conferences and books, but Jesus and testimonials from those who have been taken by the Lord into the deep work of the Spirit of grace, Tabernacles (Philadelphia), what Christ is doing to make them one with him.

I can personally testify once you enter the deep work of the Spirit, personally experiencing Christ’s individual care and gentleness in areas of deep wounding and brokenness, and the sins rooted in them (Matthew 15:3), you become more and more endeared to the Savior of your soul.

He knows how to endear us to him like no other; it is rich, pure, holy, and for our eternal benefit, self-interest, and preservation.

The journey is difficult (what wilderness journey is not?), challenging at times, and hard, but oh, the joy of personally experiencing the living Christ in intimacy.

To understand in our fallen state, we have access by grace to the eternal one, and not only access, but a journey to be made like him: How can it get any better than that?

No wonder Paul wrote, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” (NIV, Romans 8:18, italicized mine)

The Jesus of the Bible is more personable, real, tangible, present, than anyone or anything you can experience in the natural realm.

There is not enough gold in creation, or enough billions of dollars, to compare to knowing Christ, and him knowing you (Philippians 3:10).

We are talking about the King of creation, who holds our heart in his hands.

Whose decision, once final, can never be overturned.

Who holds the keys to eternity and the “future,” with just one nod of his Scepter.

And yet, one who offers such tenderness and gentleness our heart is compelled to want him, and only him.

It is impossible to convey in human words the love of God in Christ.

Twenty first century Christians have before them the greatest set of promises in the Bible (Revelation 3:7-13); the greatest opportunity ever presented to Christians, and tragically, many are not aware what Christ is offering today.

We stand on the threshold of one of the greatest moves of God, and yet, many are not being prepared by Christ in his “present work” for his “future work.”

There are a lot of reasons the revealing of Christ by grace in healing and restoration (1 Peter 1:13), in the last days is not understood, just like it was not understood in the days of Christ.

I have talked about some of them in this series.

Certainly, creeds and traditions rooted in insecurities and fears aided by the Spirit of this age (and I do not mean the Holy Spirit), along with the cares of this life, keep many from the deep waters of the Spirit of grace.

But thankfully, Jesus is working through every opening he can find; if the door is blocked, he will attempt to come through an open window, to make his children aware of his intimate desire for them.

There are pockets of the bride presently being formed across the globe.

When Christ begins the deep work of the Spirit the new-birth and Pentecost seem like a distant memory.

The transition is so stark, distinctly different, and deep, you know Jesus has brought into an intimate journey.

Tabernacles is a place in the Spirit of God as different (and much richer) from Pentecost as Pentecost is from the new-birth, and as different as the new-birth is from being lost, and so much more.

And if have not experienced Pentecost, it will not keep you from the deep work of the Spirit of grace.

Jesus is not limited to what has happened, on the contrary, his greatest struggle with us is to not limit him, with what we think will happen, or what we think he will do.

There is no other path to the Father except through Christ, and no other path to greater fullness in Christ than Tabernacles, the journey of being made one with Christ.

It is a long journey and the only one available with Christ as the destination.

Once in Tabernacles there is no returning, just like the Hebrews of Old with Moses, and Israel when they finally entered Canaan’s land under Joshua.

When he begins working with you, you know you have embarked on a journey few have dared to dream and fewer still have entered.

You will experience the Bible, revelation and discovery, the workings of his Spirit, and growing connection with him, like never before.

So how did Jesus get me to this point in my life?

As a young Christian we were taught God had a special move of his Spirit yet to come in the days ahead.

At that time, we knew the Reformation had largely run its course and Pentecost was in its mid-life.

It was clear from the Scriptures the Christian pilgrimage was more than the new-birth, and more than the Holy Spirit baptism, because the Scriptures speak of being made one with Christ, becoming his bride.

And we knew neither of the first two feasts would complete that process.

We knew David was one of the greatest types of Christ, and, a type for us, yet was unsure what his long wilderness journey fighting sin meant in terms of the Christian pilgrimage; was it a type of the new-birth, Pentecost, or something to come, like the third feast, Tabernacles?

We knew the New Testament was far more than the new-birth and baptism of the Spirit as they were events to usher the body of the Christ into the mystery of Christ, something yet to come and made known.

We knew the Tabernacle of David represented special intimacy with God, but were not sure how that would come to pass, even though it was mentioned by James (Acts 15:16), to be rebuilt and restored in the New Covenant.

We knew David’s Tabernacle referred to Christ, and if it refers to Christ, it refers to the body of Christ.

We knew from the Song of Songs there was a journey becoming his bride, that the new-birth and Holy Spirit baptism are more events than journey, designed to point to something greater just like the wheat harvest and the Holy Place.

We also knew from multiple types, the three feasts, the three main harvests, and the design and operation of the Tabernacle/Temple, the third feast was not yet fulfilled; yet, again, not sure what that would look like or entail.

All the signs pointed to yet something special to come, like the vision of the bride in both the Old and New Testaments, living creatures, Church of Philadelphia, Paul’s letter to the Philippians, etc.

But again, we were not sure what all that meant and how they related to the end-time move of God the Bible intimates in the last days in Revelation 3, 12, and 13, and even in 2 Thessalonians 2.

We knew Tabernacles, the third feast would be something special, bringing us into oneness with Christ because it is the “atoning” and “booth” feast – signaling intimacy and union with God.

Yet, what that looked like and how it would come to pass was a mystery.

In the 70s and 80s we could see in the Scriptures, through the church ages, roughly, where the body of Christ was in God’s calendar, and the vision of the bride in the last days, but still, how that would come to pass was a mystery.

Fast forward from the 70s and 80s having gone through a divorce, loss of home, remarriage, multiple job changes, and multiple other things, when I landed in the latter part of the first decade of this century, I was emotionally, physically, and spiritually near burn out.

I felt far from God even though I had been active in church for many years.

I carried a lot of judgments (agreements) about so many things, slowly eating away the little spiritual life I had.

I was becoming more and more exhausted under the weight of sin, long overdue for healing.

I entertained thoughts I would not entertain in a healthy and vibrant state with Christ.

Growing up essentially an orphan, I knew how to put a mask on and live life as if everything was okay.

I struggled with knowing normal emotions, life, expressions, growing up in an extremely dysfunctional setting.

Unknowingly, I became skilled at hiding my childhood experiences, feelings, emotions, and thoughts.

I was greatly disconnected from my wounds and brokenness and knew how to appear somewhat whole; all the time there was a little boy inside crying for comfort, security, care, and love.

A little boy full of anxiety, hurt, pain, violation, rejection, abandonment, anger, and more.

I was ripe for the picking by the enemy.

One time back in the early 90s with my world falling apart the Lord in gentleness brought to my awareness how I was like a white washed sepulcher full of dead men’s bones.

How I looked good on the outside, but inside, I was wounded, broken, hiding from the healing power of Christ.

His conviction came to make known, not to shame or condemn.

Fast forward again to 14 years ago (2009), on my way to church one Sunday, the Lord spoke directly to me and said, “Hypocrite.”

It was not a demon; I knew it was discipline from the Lord because I continued to look great on the outside, and yet, was dying on the inside, want for help.

I knew in my heart of hearts Jesus loved me, and was working to get me back into the favor and relationship I once had with him so long ago.

Oh, how forgiving, patient, Christ is with our wayward thoughts and ways! (Psalm 51:17)

He does not discard you and me in our woundedness and brokenness, but does everything possible to heal and repair so we can be restored to fellowship.

“One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

“Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.”

“Whoever rebukes a person will in the end gain favor rather than one who has a flattering tongue.”

(NIV, Proverbs 18:24; 27:6; 28:23, italicized mine) 

In Amos the Lord describes how he will rescue some just like a shepherd rescues pieces of an eaten lamb from the mouth of a lion – that is what I felt like. (Amos 3:12)

The season of the Lord’s discipline began my season of a “second chance,” seeking Christ for renewal and adventure with him once again.

I had adventures with the Lord in the 70s and 80s, and was finally ready and desirous for another chance at adventure with him – knowing something special was up ahead.

In 2009, under the weight of wounds and brokenness and the shame and condemnation they can breed, the Lord gently spoke to me to go to Elijah House; I promptly called and made an appointment for an intensive inner healing session.

That began the long journey of healing and restoration even to this day through (at different times), Elijah House, Ransomed Heart Ministries (now Wild at Heart), SOZO (at Bethel), Listening Prayer Ministries, counseling from an Allender Center counselor, and others.

The Lord graciously and providently brought resources my way just at the right time for healing and restoration.

Talk about the grace, love, and care of God for one of his lost sheep; it is amazing what God will do to rescue those who seek and desire him.

It cannot be put into human words the love of Christ and the extent he will go to rescue his lambs.

I cannot begin to tell you the experiences I have had with Jesus over the last 14 years, all because he noticed my deep wounds and brokenness giving me another chance at life in him.

Every son and daughter of God have deep wounds, some more than others.

This is the season of his visitation, to “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” (NIV, Psalm 34:8, italicized mine)

You do not need to be as wounded and broken as I was to need healing and restoration – it comes with the fall for every man and woman.

All of us, at some level, need inner healing prayer, ministry, deliverance, and Holy Spirit anointed counseling.

It comes with being born of Adam and Eve.

And it comes with being reborn in Christ, the opportunity to reverse the curse of our first birth.

My journey in these ministries, led by the Lord, dealt with so many areas of my childhood through adulthood it would take a book to give justice to what Christ has done and is doing in me.

Here are examples of some of the areas I have received ministry in healing and restoration through the body of Christ, and from Christ personally:

• Sexual sins; shame and condemnation; areas of performance, perfection, and compulsions,
• Foundational lie of being a bad boy spoken over me in my childhood,
• From an orphaned heart to one being fathered by Christ,
• Personal words from the Lord about my father, and many others words Jesus has spoken to me in my journey, giving me hope, comfort, and future in him, speaking “new words” over me with a new name,
• Rejection, abandonment, and anger, and the emotional trauma they bring to the mind,
• From dismissing myself, God, and others, disqualification,
• Restoration of confidence and trust in Christ in the face of insecurity, anxiety, and fear,
• Personally walking me through the treatment of prostate cancer,
• Healing from the discipline of “disciplining myself,” 
• From judgments, lies, and vows, against myself and others,
• Generational curses and traumas, like the ones I received in the womb and at birth,
• Generational sins,
• Multiple healings of interactions between me and loved ones,
• Blasphemy
• Many father and mother issues,
• Isolation and learning how to rest,
• Much in the way of giving myself grace, to be kind to myself in what I think and believe about me,
• And much more.

 

And in the “losing” of sin, I gained Christ, healing, and restoration in the unconverted areas of my heart formerly sold to sin.

And with healing and restoration comes prophetic revelation spoken over areas formerly sold to sin.

Have I arrived at the destination, no, but I am on the journey Christ pioneered.

So, back in the 70s and 80s we knew from the Scriptures and the leading of the Holy Spirit Christ was going to do a special and unique work in the body of Christ in the last days because we saw the promises of God that were yet unfulfilled.

We did not even know back then what the bridge would be between the new-birth/Pentecost and the work to come, which we knew had something to do with Tabernacles, the final feast in the Christian pilgrimage.

We do now!

To go from the new-birth to Tabernacles requires some inner healing, Fathering, possibly deliverance in some cases (some comes with inner healing), in preparation for the deep and intense work of the Holy Spirit in Tabernacles.

Jesus has taken some already across the bridge into Tabernacles, what about you?

Tabernacles is as real an experience, and more so, than the new-birth and Pentecost.

Here is a brief description of Tabernacles, the journey of being made one with Christ:

• You will physically and spiritually sense and notice a change in you when Jesus takes you through the open door of Philadelphia into Tabernacles; you will be in a new place; much deeper than the new-birth and Pentecost, a new thing as Isaiah says,
• You will sense the closing of one book, and opening of a new; knowing you can never to go back to the old just like Israel in the wilderness under Moses, only you will be in Canaan’s land, not with Joshua, but the one Joshua foretold, Jesus,
• You will have unprecedented contact from the Lord; where he will lead and guide you step by step through the journey and process; you will not be left alone; he begins healing the orphan heart through direct fathering, what Jesus invited Peter into in John 21:18, through building confidence and trust so we can begin operating out of faith in our healed areas (unhealed areas lack grace, faith, and truth),
• He will direct you to resources to receive the healing and restoration he desires for you; you do not have to figure this out; this is not like the new-birth and Pentecost, where we are going here and there for help; Jesus will direct you specifically to people or organizations for rest, for prayer ministry, for prophetic, whatever he has for you at that point in your journey,
• When he stirs up something for healing (Matthew 15:3), he will direct you to those who will minister to you,
• And by the way, when Jesus begins the journey of healing you, many times there will be prophetic words spoken regarding, among others, your calling, what he sees in you, what he’s planning to do, etc.,
• He begins the process of sharing his thoughts and heart with you, part of Fathering, comforting, and knowing; so you will begin to share deeper things with him and feel safe and secure,
• You will be amazed and surprised how areas the Lord reveals for healing and restoration connects with thoughts and actions that have troubled you for years,
• You will be amazed at the care and kindness of Christ and the Father in dealing with your stuff; how kind they are in matters where we have hurt them, ourselves, and others in the practice of sin,
• You will begin to learn and live a different story about father God and Christ than the image communicated by parents and others in authority relationships; you will the see the Scriptures about Christ and his Father from a different place than you were taught and shown in the body of Christ,
• When you receive enough healing, he will use you to help others and will see his handiwork firsthand,
• The strength to live life on your own will wane when you are brought into Tabernacles; you will learn Jesus will be your strength (Psalm 16), when he calls you to do something; you will not have the independent strength you used to have; it is part of the process of being made one with him, where he becomes your all sufficiency, your life,
• The Lord will establish boundaries (Psalm 16), of your comings and goings, rein you in from living life apart from him; to keep you in safety and security, close to him, as he heals your wounds and brokenness,
• Spiritual surgery requires a lot of energy and he will make sure you do not rush off here or there and undo the work he just did,
• The revelation of the Word, old truths revealed, will explode over time; you will see things in the Word like never before about Christ, the journey, history, revelation, etc.,
• There will be times Jesus will lead you to fast, depending on what he is doing,
• This is very important: you will need no explanation once you cross into Tabernacles, you will be in the promise of God looking out, instead of in the Word looking forward; it is truly a paradigm shift, from in the wilderness looking out, instead of looking toward the wilderness,
• You will learn deeper repentance and forgiveness, the sufferings of putting sin to death so you can be raised to walk in new life (Romans 6), the heart of the Gospel and intimacy with Christ,
• The prize is Jesus…and what a glorious prize he is,
• You will learn what transformation and sanctification truly means in journey with the one who pioneered it, and how salvation is a journey and not an event as taught in creeds and traditions,
• And you will learn the love and care of Christ and the Father like you never imagined, how wonderful it is to be in the safety of their care when things in the world are falling apart,
• And how much God desires to use you and me when we receive a measure of healing and restoration so we can help others.

 

You will be amazed how much you needed the journey, and how much you needed inner healing.

** A Life of Encountering the Lord in Tabernacles **

What does encountering the Lord look like, feel like, what is it, and how is it different from the new-birth and baptism of the Spirit?

What does it ask of me, or, maybe better phrased, what does the Lord desire of me before he encounters me, i.e., comes to me? (e.g., John 21:18; 1 Corinthians 4:5, 11:26, 15:23; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Colossians 3:4; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 9:28; 1 Peter 1:13, 4:17; 1 John 3:2; etc.)

As taught in this series, many Scriptures’ referring to Christ’s “coming,” i.e., “appearing, revealing, judging, taking,” speak of his coming to usher the “young,” (those who are not yet spiritual fathers), into the deep work of the Spirit.

And what is the purpose of him coming to me if I am already saved?

Contrary to what appears in the natural to be the Lord’s absence, he is not idle, but laboring to prepare something new, presenting something new, or bringing to completion something previously brought.

Christianity is a dynamic relationship with a real person, who has real feelings and desires to “know and be made known.”

After decades of teaching, attendance, obligation, and service, some eventually realize they need Jesus personally, deeply, uniquely – to be known.

To go from knowing about Jesus, or his presence, to knowing him.

If we leave this life without personally encountering the Lord, we will miss the greatest promise of the Bible.

Christianity is not about the next conference, seminar, teaching, anointing, outreach, mission, book, and all the other things we do, but connection and intimacy with the one who is life eternal.

We can read all the commentaries, all the teachings about the last days, the signs of the times, what we should believe, and every new Christian book, but if we do not have intimacy with Christ, what have we gained?

Important

There comes a time we must seek to silence every distraction, lay aside worldly pursuits, and seek his face for the drawing of his Spirit into intimacy and connection.

Only Christ can fulfill, and abundantly, our deep hunger and thirst for him.

We can be diligent about studying God’s Word, which is a good thing, praying, which is also good, inner healing, etc., but if we do not encounter Christ in growing union, what have we apprehended?

Paul sought to apprehend Christ, not the things of Christ.

There is a cry from the Spirit today to the hearts of men and women to seek him in wholeheartedness in preparation for his personal visitation.

***

In the Old Testament there was a progressive unfolding of the nature of God in growing relationship with men and women.

God began new works of his Spirit through those who set their passions on him, like Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David, Solomon, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, and the list goes on and on of those who pursued God.

Some had especially deep connections, like Abraham, Moses, Samuel, and particularly David, who, after his wilderness journey, took possession of the Ark, intimacy few have had, even to this present time.

Important

If David had intimacy with God in the Old Testament, how much more should we in the New, since David was a type foretelling relationship in Christ to come!

If Christ is the greater David, and we are in Christ, then we are the greater David too, and if that be the case, we should be experiencing greater intimacy with the Lord than David did with God.

Some had intimacy with God in the revelation of his Word; profound light of what God was doing and would do in the future, like Isaiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, and Zechariah, to name a few.

The New Testament is an acceleration and expansion of God in all areas of our lives; to experience what David experienced in intimacy, and more; what Daniel experienced in revelation, and more; and what Elijah and Ezekiel experienced in the Spirit, and more.

Jesus ushered Peter into the deeper work of the Spirit (John 21:18; described by Peter in 1 Peter 1:13), which Paul teaches in Romans 6, and personally describes about himself in 2 Corinthians 4:10 – 12:

“We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.” (NIV)

This is the deep work of the Spirit Paul writes about in Philippians 3:10 – the death of dying to sin by the power of the cross, not the death of being killed.

And both Paul and Peter are referring to Tabernacles, being led by the Lord in journey with him – a pilgrimage of ongoing encounter in being made one with Christ Jesus.

It is as unique and personal as we are; the Lord encountering each person according to their need for healing and restoration through growing intimacy and union with him (knowing and being known).

Important

Tabernacles is a special and purposeful one-on-one journey in Christ, by Christ, in the revelation of his nature.

Where, by grace through faith, deep inner healing is secured in being made one with him, fathered by God.

It is a paradigm shift from the new-birth and Pentecost.

Just as the Holy of Holies was distinctly different from the Holy Place and Outer Court, and the summer fruit harvest distinctly different from the barley and wheat harvest, so too Tabernacles.

Tabernacles to the new-birth and Pentecost is like comparing “truth” to “beliefs.”

Truth is something we become in journey (Psalm 51:6); beliefs are what we hold until we are taken into journey with Christ.

In journey, whatever beliefs remain will be those birthed by the Spirit, and not by the agreements of the flesh. 

** Supplement **

What follows is a rough handout I prepared for a small group to discuss journey beyond the new-birth and Pentecost: what some call “Encountering the Lord,” and others who grew up in Pentecost, “Tabernacles,” (because of its clear connection to the fulfillment of the third major feast in the New Testament).

Encountering the Lord is something the Lord brings to pass when we are ready to enter the journey of deep transformation in being made one with him.

Whereas the new-birth and Pentecost are more closely associated with an event, church settings, teaching and training, Tabernacles is more closely associated with journey, fathering, revelation, and uniquely personal inner healing in growing intimacy and bonding with the Lord.

This supplement is about the opportunity to receive the deeper promises of God beyond the new-birth and Pentecost.

Introduction

I hope in our time together I can pass on to you some of the beauty of Scripture others have passed to me, to inspire you with me to seek more of the Lord, and for all of us to have a clearer vision of what God is doing in the last days.

For what he is doing is deeper, more profound, and eternally rewarding, than what is generally accepted and believed.

Hopefully, over time, I will be able to share some personal things the Lord has specifically given me.

I also want to share parts of my journey and testimony; how the Lord intervened time and time again to rescue me from deep wounds and brokenness which would have destroyed me.

And yet there is much more healing and restoration to come.

It was not long after the early apostles Christianity became more about “doing,” instead of “becoming;” about what people should believe, instead of who they are to become in journey with Christ.

A paradigm shift started in Christendom (and continues) in the last half of the 20^th century with the birth of the inner healing movement, deliverance, prayer ministry, deepening revelation of the last days, greater revelation of Christ, and, in the last two decades, the deepening movement of being fathered by God, among others.

Jesus is restoring Christianity back to the journey and vision of pursuing intimacy and union with him.

The promised grace to come (NIV, 1 Peter 1:10-12) was never about events, but about relationship with Christ, and out of relationship with him, healing and restoration is received – knowing, and being known – advancing the Kingdom in you and me.

One of the many reasons for the falling away in the time of God’s great abundance is because the beauty of God’s Word has not been imparted to the depth it needs to be in God’s sons and daughters; missing the revelation of the bride, the need to prepare for encountering Christ (Luke 12:35-48).

Where most are taught heart transformation occurs through making decisions, instead of through encounter with Christ: transformed not only through slow changes, but by dynamic changes as well, in journey with him.

“Making decisions” so common in today’s teaching and preaching has largely usurped the need to be fathered, healed and restored, personally and uniquely, in intimate relationship with Christ (John 17:21).

Jesus is correcting this one by one; bringing those who desire him into greater understanding of his Word in personal journey and encounter.

Jesus longs to heal his sons and daughters; requiring some preparation on our part; where our understanding of his plan, plus seeking, hoping, and faith, allows him access to cleanse and heal our deep wounds and brokenness.

The Laodiceans, foolish virgins, and those who hide what is given to them, fail, for whatever reason(s), to grasp the gravity of their situation and God’s plan to make them into the likeness of Christ by grace through faith; failing to seek and hope for the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.

That God will do what he promises he will do.

The deepest move of God in the Gospel age is yet to come, and it is likely many of us will live to see it.

The Bible is a living, vibrant, and robust writing designed to draw our minds and our hearts into the wonder of God, into discovery and intimacy with Christ.

Intimacy and union with Christ are not some esoteric things, but, a real, tangible, relationship with Jesus just like the new-birth and Pentecostal experiences.

We were created to have deep fellowship with Christ, if we miss that, we may still make Heaven our home, but not have the intimacy and closeness with him we were designed to have for eternity.

The revelation of the Word of God has accelerated and deepened over the last number of generations and decades; the pace is picking up.

Some things we have embraced from the past do not hold true today, in fact, they may hinder deeper connection with the Lord.

Some beliefs taught in past generations will be stumbling blocks to the deeper things God is going to do in the days ahead.

Man’s traditions opposed to new moves of God has been the history of man for six millenniums, and it is not prophesied to change before the Millennium.

Demons plus traditions plus sin, a three-fold cord, are hard things to overcome; but with the grace of God, the power of the Holy Spirit, and encounter with Christ, victory can be won over the flesh as Jesus leads you and me in journey with him.

The Lord is unfolding more and more of himself in the last of the last days, doing everything possible to prepare his sons and daughters to transition to the Millennium one way or the other.

What the Pentecostals understood of God was exponentially more than the early Protestant reformers.

And what the Lord revealed later in the 20^th century through new moves of God were exponentially more than what the early Pentecostals received.

And what the Lord has been revealing over the last number of decades in inner healing, fathering, are exponentially beyond what was just experienced in the 20^th century.

The Lord is creating a bridge from Pentecostalism to the final feast of the Christian pilgrimage.

It took 400 years for the new-birth to get firmly established, and only a few decades for the return of Pentecost to be established in the early 1900s, and after that differing moves of God have even accelerated faster.

And with each new wave of God’s Spirit, new revelation comes, burying some old beliefs, raising some new.

The closer we get to the end times, the greater the light we will receive from the Lord, or, for those camped or going the other way, the farther removed they will become from the deep things of God, as we see in the warning to Laodicea and elsewhere in the Scripture.

Some things we have been taught will be insufficient in the days ahead because they were for a past season.

A new season has opened (Revelation 3:7-8) with greater resources, greater light, a greater move of God’s Spirit.

I hope our mutual love for the wonder of the Word in encounter with Christ will only increase in the days ahead.

The signs of the times are all around us, but let us not be those who focus on the “signs,” but instead, focus on Christ, the mystery of being found in him.

It is interesting how we look at the Hebrews in the wilderness under Moses, and the Jews at the time of Christ, and wonder how they let the day of their deliverance slip through their fingertips.

I believe those in the Millennium will look back and wonder how there could have been a falling away in the last of the last days when the Word of God and the moving of God’s Holy Spirit pointed to so much more in Christ.

A move of God of seismic proportions is prophesied in the Bible before the Tribulation; and like all moves of God, some move on to higher ground.

A significant part of the “signs of the times” is the work of the enemy laboring to build a world Kingdom after his image and likeness.

While Christian programming becomes more focused on the signs of the times, Jesus does a hidden work in his body preparing those who look for his appearing.

There is a spiritual famine in the land.

Christians need solid spiritual food and drink; immersing oneself in the signs of the times is not life, but energy better suited to pursuing Christ.

Scripture is clear, the depth and breadth of sin is only going in one direction in the last days, and that is up; the only way to be cleansed, healed, and restored is to keep our eyes focused on Christ in pursuit of what Peter calls the revelation of Christ by grace (NIV, 1 Peter 1:13).

From my 40 years of committed churchgoing under four different Pentecostal leaderships, the vision of what God was going to do in the last days was passionately taught in only one, and even in that, nothing was mentioned of encountering Christ, being intimately fathered by him, personally and uniquely.

Even today, most of the teaching I happen to see on television is solely about the Bible, about what God can do or did, about making decisions for personal growth, but little if anything on what Jesus is doing today to prepare a bride, and what the Scripture teaches about the bride in the last days.

Many believe everybody is the bride, everybody will be raptured, and there is no need to prepare for intimacy with Christ.

That is because salvation has become an event, and not a journey.

Where “all” in the New Testament in reference to the bride, rapture, and some others, is interpreted as literally all, ignoring context, the warnings in Scripture, the call of God to seek him, the different glories in Heaven, the lack of any supporting examples in the Old Testament, and the division of the body of Christ shown in Scripture in the end-times.

Plus the call of Scripture is to become his bride (Song of Songs, Matthew 24:36 – 25:30; Philippians 3; Revelation 3:7-13, 19:7), the plain text of many Scriptures about seeking, preparing, being made ready, and, the clear distinction between those who are ready, and those who are not.

***

The understanding of deep fathering, the journey of healing and restoration through prayer ministry encountering Christ, and through personal encounter, is not in the public domain, but reserved in the hidden work of Christ.

We have been taught Jesus comes to live in you and me at the new birth, that all the Scriptures about being one with Christ begins at the new birth.

But that is not true, evident by many Scriptures teaching it is later, a sought-after experience, the personal coming of Christ to you and me.

The Scripture clearly distinguishes between the new birth, Pentecost, and the deep journey of being made one in Christ by cleansing, healing, and restoration.

At the new-birth, no one is ready to encounter the Lord in the deep journey of healing and restoration, a new babe in Christ cannot handle the journey and all it entails at that early stage (Psalm 42:7, Malachi 3:1-5 & 3:17-18 – foretelling Christ cleansing his temple in you and me).

The new-birth is our passport to emigrate to the New Kingdom.

Pentecost is a long journey of teaching and learning some of the ways of the New Kingdom.

Tabernacles, the long journey of being made one with Christ, is transformation and growing into full Sonship; greater access to the King and his Kingdom, and favor to eat and drink with the King at his table.

What is this thing called Christianity, how is it set apart from every other belief, if it is not to know him personally who is life eternal?

Finally, because of creeds and traditions, there is a lack of understanding the pilgrimage beyond the new-birth and Pentecost.

They are largely experiences left under our auspice.

But our final pilgrimage, Tabernacles, encountering Christ, is where the reins of our life are turned over to him in his personal plan for our healing and restoration. (John 21:18; 2 Corinthians 4:10 – 12; Philippians 3:10; 1 Peter 1:13, etc.).

Our Christian pilgrimage was foretold in the Tabernacle in the wilderness.

Where the first 2 courts (Outer Court and Holy Place) are left under man’s responsibility, but the third court, the Holy of Holies, can only be entered by those prepared and chosen by God.

We Must Ask Ourselves

If we have apprehended all the Scripture says is available in Christ, i.e., Christianity is a process of making decisions into the likeness of Christ, then why the great falling away (NIV, 2 Thessalonians 2:3), in the last days?

If Christendom has brought us everything we need to be changed into the likeness of Christ (NIV, 2 Cor. 3:18), made one with Christ, then why a falling away of such significance and breath it is mentioned specifically in Scripture as a season of time in the last of the last days?

The answer is clear and spread throughout the Scriptures.

There is much yet to be apprehended in Christ; it is not just a process of making decisions, else the Church would have come to completion a long time ago.

Because the centerpiece of God’s plan in the last days in the age of Philadelphia is the making of the bride, going beyond the new-birth and Pentecost.

The bride will present a greater fullness of the Gospel to the lost in one of the darkest times of history, to say nothing of God’s promise of a bride for his Son (Matthew 25:1-13, John 17:21, Revelation 3:7-13, Revelation 19:7).

It is the coming of the Lord in personal encounter; the long wilderness journey of being made one, that “makes,” a bride for the Son, transforming children and young men into fathers.

It is as unique as we are unique because of our wounds, and, as common as we are common, because of our need for healing and restoration in intimate journey with Christ.

It is the transition from being mothered and fathered by the Church, to personal fathering by Christ, where connection with him is the centerpiece – what Peter calls the revelation of Christ by grace (NIV, 1 Peter 1:13, see also John 14:18, 21:18, Romans Chapter 6, 8:10-11, 1 John 2:27, etc.).

When Jesus promised to come to us, he was not referring to the new-birth, nor Pentecost, but to do what he said, to come and lead us into the journey of fathering, being made one with him.

Jesus said he would come to those who were believers, who had walked with him for years, and yet, still needed much in the way of fathering, no different than you and me. 

Where our ability to heal and restore ourselves through “making decisions” for Christ ends, and encountering begins healing and restoration by grace through faith in repentance and forgiveness.

The recent books by John Eldredge, Get Your Life Back and Resilient, are bridges to keep the body of Christ from falling away, helping to bridge the present gap between Pentecost and Tabernacles.

To receive all Christ offers in encounter we need to prepare; else the outpouring of the Spirit will fall on hardened soil, leaving it parched, unhealed, and unrestored.

A deeply intense and uniquely personal move of God is coming to heal and restore the wounds and brokenness of God’s sons and daughters likely greater than any move of God in the history of mankind to date.

But those who have not done some preparation, may miss the lifeboat sent to rescue them in one of the darkest times of history.

How do we know this?

Because God has promised in his Word to prepare a bride for his Son in the last days, in the age of Philadelphia, also pictured in Philippians and in the Pearl (Matthew 13).

This work has already begun in sons and daughters, here and there, pioneers, in preparation for what is to come in “many” in the days ahead.

Jesus had John the Baptist help pave the way for him.

Elijah had Elisha, Moses had Joshua, the Reformation had Luther, and Azusa Street had Parham, those who helped open up new frontiers of God’s Spirit.

From accounts I receive from a prominent person in the healing and restoration ministry, God has pockets of men and women he is deeply fathering now to advance the Kingdom of God in the days ahead.

No one will be able to lay claim to the coming move of God, because Christ will be the centerpiece of the final pilgrimage, not the new-birth, or Pentecost, but intimacy and union with Christ, one reason why Jesus refers to the new names given to those in the Church of Philadelphia.

The Reformation/Pentecostal stream is drying up to create hunger and thirst for more of Christ, Tabernacles.

The final leg of our journey, deep fathering by the Lord, is a paradigm shift; deeply and uniquely personal and tangible as the Lord goes to the core of our wounds and brokenness.

In the not-too-distant future the only safe place will be journey in Christ, encounter with him, as darkness deepens.

The only safe place will be to be found in Psalm 16, where Christ is the centerpiece; where Jesus is “my portion and my cup” where he establishes our “boundary lines” (NIV, verses 5 &6, italicized mine).

Where he fully takes the reins of our lives into his hands (John 21:18; 1 Peter 1:13, etc.), changed from sheep into warhorses (NIV, Zechariah 10:3).

It is not a coincidence Philippians is a picture of Philadelphia, the bride of Christ, the “love of the horses,” and I would add, the love of warhorses!

God delights in giving us little clues to be discovered here and there.

Now is the time to seek encounter with Christ.

Vision for Our Meetings

The heart of coming together is to cultivate desire; to be motivated to seek a deeper relationship with Christ; to be convinced by the Holy Spirit in the revelation of Scripture (1 Cor. 2:13) there is more yet to apprehend.

The hallmark of being made one with Christ is one-on-one encounter with him.

From my experience, the beginning focus is learning how to say “yes” to his initiations the first time, without having to repeat things.

It is important hearts be prepared to respond and say yes to the Lord to quicken the journey and to deepen relationship with him sooner rather than later.

Nonetheless, God’s unbelievable grace walks you through whatever you need to walk through time and time again, no matter what it takes once the Lord begins the deep work, he will finish what he starts! (NIV, Philippians 1:6)

Tabernacles moves you and me out of the long phase of teaching and learning into intimacy and relationship, to know and be known through healing and restoration through a variety of interactions.

***

The Scripture says many are called but few are chosen; let us be among those who are chosen, who pull up stakes and cross Jordan into Canaan’s land.

In your journey with Christ, the Scripture will come alive like never before, and the stories of others experiencing the deep things of God will now be yours.

Tabernacles comes only through Christ’s initiation and choosing, in surrender and obedience to him, to bring you and me into greater intimacy and relationship through healing and restoration.

Once Jesus brings someone through the open door of Philadelphia, there is no going back just as there was no going back for Noah when he began the ark, Israel in the wilderness, David in the wilderness, and Joshua when they crossed the Jordan.

The body of Christ likely faces the greatest transition of mankind in history – from the two millennium Gospel era, to the coming millennial reign of Christ.

It is time we begin to experience the person of Christ like never before.

Now is the time for you and me to say yes to Jesus for whatever he wants; today is the day of salvation; “The blessing of the LORD brings wealth, without painful toil for it.” (NIV, Proverbs 10:22, italicized mine)

And the wealth we want is him first and foremost above all others!

There are only so many opportunities we have in this life to partake of Christ richly and deeply, and Christ has prepared everything necessary to have a banquet with him (Luke 12:37), all he needs is our desire for him and our yes.

Let us not be like those in Laodicea (or those in Thessalonica, who did not search the Scriptures, Acts 17:11), who fail to answer the knock on the door of their heart when opportunity came their way (Revelation 3:14-22).

Here are some Scriptures for our Pilgrimage in the New

The promise of the Gospel:

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (NIV, 2 Corinthians 5:17, italicized mine)

“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (NIV, 2 Corinthians 3:18, italicized mine)

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (NIV, Romans 12:2, italicized mine)

For entering the new-birth born-again experience, salvation by grace through faith (dominant theme beginning with Luther, 1500s):

Luke 7:50; John 1:12, 3:3, 3:16; Acts 2:38, 10:43; Romans 3:24, 3:28, 4:25, 5:1, 10:9; Ephesians 2:8, etc.

For entering the baptism of the Holy Spirit (dominant theme beginning with the Azusa Street Revival, early 1900s):

Acts 2:38, 8:18, 10:44; Galatians 3:2; Ephesians 1:13 – 14, etc.

For seeking encounter with Christ, the journey of being made one with him; hoping, waiting, and looking with anticipation and expectancy for his appearing in our personal lives:

Hebrews 9:28, emphasis on waiting for him, Romans 8:19, 8:23, 8:25; 1 Corinthians 1:7, Galatians 5:5; Philippians 3:20; note, these are Scriptures written for Christians for the journey of this life, not the journey of the next life; the wise virgins; Luke 12:47, an example of not seeking, etc.

For entering Tabernacles, encountering Christ, i.e., the “coming, appearing, revealing, etc.,” of the Lord, ushering you and me into the journey of being made one with him (slowly becoming the dominant theme today):

Matthew 25:1-13; John 14:18, 21:18; Romans Chapter 6; 1 Corinthians 4:5, 11:26, 15:23; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Galatians 4:19; Ephesians 1:14; Philippians 1:10; Colossians 3:4; 1 Thessalonians 5:23 (see also Romans 8:10-11); 2 Thessalonians 1:10; 1 Timothy 6:14; 2 Timothy 4:1; Hebrews 9:28; 1 Peter 1:13; 1 John 3:2, etc.

Here are a few of the Old Testament Scripture’s pointing to the deep work of the Spirit of grace to come in the New:

Zechariah 10:3; Isaiah 57:1 – 2; Isaiah 43:18 – 19, 48:6, and of course, 53:5, where not only us, but the Messiah is healed.

Important

Isaiah 53:5 points to the journey of Romans 6:10, Galatians 3:13, Colossians 2:14, Hebrews 5:7-10, etc., for Christ.

It is not the event of Calvary, but the journey of putting sin to death in being made complete for Christ, fathered by God.

And in a way it is our journey as well, as we follow the pioneer of our faith and allow him to put sin to death in our lives; John 21:18, Romans 6, 8:10-11, 2 Corinthians 4:10-12, 7:1, Philippians 3:10, etc., for us.

It is the journey of “wounding and piercing” the wounds and brokenness passed down through the generations Christ faced as our pioneer, and we face as joint heirs.

David, a type of Christ, experienced wounding, etc., in wrestling with his fleshly nature, prefiguring and foretelling Christ’s future fulfillment.

Of David: wounding, Psalms 69:26, 109:22; pierced, Psalm 38:2; crushed, Psalm 38:8 and 51:8.

Please remember from earlier teaching Galatians 3:13, Colossians 2:14, and 1 Peter 2:24, are not pictures of Calvary (the context is about the death of sin in journey).

But what it looks like “figuratively and spiritually” from the standpoint of the flesh (Christ had a fleshly nature to put to death, Romans 8:3, Ephesians 2:14-16, see an interlinear, Hebrews 2:17, 4:15), to be hung on the cross of grace through faith in utter dependence upon God for healing and restoration (i.e., completion).

At the beginning of 1 John (verses 1:1 – 3), the Apostle John describes what it is like to walk in resurrection life in personal encounter with Christ long after Jesus ministered in Israel.

He describes intimacy and union with Christ in his Christian journey.

Many believe these passages refer to John’s time with Christ when Christ walked the earth.

But on the contrary, there is no greater intimacy and bonding with Christ then when Christ comes to live in you and me.

The greatest testimony is Christ living in you and me, making his home in us – his Father’s house, if you understand what I mean.

And when Christ makes his abode in us, we receive new names (Revelation 3:7-13) in growing union with him.

No other age has the promises of Philadelphia, because it is the age of the threshold of the Millennium, a time of great transition, one of the darkest times in history, a time when God separates those who desire him above all else.

“‘On the day when I act,’” “says the LORD Almighty,” “‘they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.’” (NIV, Malachi 3:17-18)

***

If you missed partaking of Pentecost, I do not believe it is a barrier to entering Tabernacles.

God can and does leapfrog those who desire him directly into Tabernacles – he always deals with us where we are, not where we should be!

The falling away, 2 Thess. 2:3 – 12:

We see this in the foolish virgins (Matt. 25:12); those who miss the mystery of the Gospel exhorted by Paul in Colossians (NIV, Col. 2:1-3); those in ministry who did many works in his name but were never known by him (Matt. 7:23); those in Christ’s letter to the Laodiceans (Rev. 3:14-22); and those the Antichrist Spirit of the Age deceives, Revelation 12:4.

It is not a coincidence the letters of the New Testament are organized the way they are, particularly the length of Paul’s letters to the Churches, and that 2 Thessalonians, the last letter to the Churches, contains much about the end-times.

Inner Healing (Briefly)

We, unlike many past generations, have the luxury of looking back and seeing the completion of the Reformation and Pentecostal eras; providing 21^st century Christians with spiritual GPS of where the Church has been, where it is, and what still lies on the horizon to be fulfilled in the Gospel era.

To think we can see by the light of the Holy Spirit actual church history fulfilled as foretold by Christ in his letters to the Churches (Revelation) is amazing.

Inner healing is a relatively new move of the Spirit in the body of Christ stretching back only a half-century or so.

The Lord began to birth the ministry of inner healing about the same time Pentecostalism began to wane in the last half of the 20^th century.

John Loren Sandford, one of the early pioneers in inner healing (his book, Transforming the Inner Man, among many others), if I remember the story correctly, said his mom, a Christian, had a “word” spoken over her while pregnant that her son would start a new work.

God used Luther to begin laying the foundations of the Reformation.

He used William Seymour, an African-American and blind in one eye, and Charles Parham, to usher in the long-awaited return of Pentecost at the beginning of the 20^th century, the Azusa Street Revival.

And it was not long after many evangelists were gifted with the “gift of healing,” and of course, the big tent revivalists followed in the first half of the 20^th century, followed by giant crusades in the last half as the means of transportation, communication, and stadiums made it possible.

The Psalmists repeatedly recount Israel’s history in their writings; the prophets recount history in their writings, Christ recounted history in his teachings, Stephen on the day of his stoning recounted Israel’s history, and Paul makes it clear Israel’s history is an example to the Christian pilgrimage.

History is one of the signs pointing us to understanding, just as Jesus used the history of Jonah to point to their rejection of him and his second glorification.

I mention history because we are partaking of the fruit of John Sandford and others the Lord used to pioneer inner healing, the breaking of agreements, etc., binding the strongman.

His ministry, and others who laid the foundation of the inner healing movement, had far-reaching impact which is still felt today.

Elijah House teachings has impacted hundreds of ministries, ministers, and organizations, birthing many offshoots, training many in parachurch ministries.

For example, my understanding is the early Wild at Heart leaders were mentored in inner healing – the breaking of agreements, etc., – by a team from Listening Prayer who had Elijah House training as well as other inner healing training.

Some of the fruit we eat today from Wild at Heart, which has had a profound ministry helping to position men to being fathered by God, had its roots in the inner healing movement founded a half century ago.

We are on a journey, and many of today’s parachurch ministries, like Elijah House, Wild at Heart, SOZO, Listening Prayer, Spirit led Christian counseling, etc., are transitional ministries, helping to transition those who desire Christ into a deeper walk with him.

Everybody needs some level of inner healing prayer so they can:

• begin their healing journey of receiving care and love by the body of Christ through prayer ministry in the cleansing and healing of wounds and brokenness,
  • “to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing of water through the word” (NIV, Ephesians 5:26),
  • to put sin to death so they can be raised to walk in new life as Paul describes in Romans 6 and 8, and elsewhere,
  • importantly, to receive more of Christ by responding with a “yes” when he knocks on the door of our heart for greater relationship, Revelation 3,
• learn how to bring healing and restoration to others so we can co-labor with Christ in gently restoring others,
  • to learn to war against spiritual darkness (Ephesians 6; 2 Corinthians 7:1, Chapter 10, etc.), teaching others how to begin the journey of overcoming the strongman through the breaking of agreements, lies, vows, bitterroot expectancies, etc.,
• begin the journey of being prepared to encounter Christ; to be found among the “wise,” and those who “multiply” what is given to them (Matthew 25), so they can go through the open door of Philadelphia and be prepared as a bride (Revelation 3:7-13, 19:7).

 

In the new-birth and Pentecostal experiences, we have been taught to make decisions in prayer to overcome sin, which has worked well sometimes.

This is the stream of teaching we know as “making decisions,” trusting and believing the Holy Spirit to change us by the decisions we make.

A particular minister held in high esteem remarked how literally, some days, in the battle with his flesh, will say hundreds of times, “I am not obligated to think, believe, or live that way anymore because Christ has justified me.”

God brought inner healing in the mid-20^th century to move us away from such practices; to receive “real and lasting” healing, rest, in a deeper relationship with him:

• to reveal a deeper level of spiritual darkness in our lives so we can receive greater healing and rest from sin,
• to begin preparing the body of Christ to weather the storms of the latter days as the end-times approach,
• and to cleanse you and me before deeply rooted sin comes to fruition and sabotages our lives, Deut. 1:30, 31:8, Psalm 139:5, Isaiah 45:2, 52:12.

 

God knows if we enter the end-times largely unhealed and unrestored, it is going to be an extremely tough time, – there is a lot at stake.

Inner healing takes us deeper than the stream of “making decisions,” which is inadequate when major battles come our way, or when secret and hidden generational transgressions and iniquities surface.

Inner healing is a deeper journey; asking the Lord in prayer ministry to remove the root system of bad fruit, cleansing, and healing the wound, raising us to walk in new life.

God desires to free us from agreements, lies, and sinful practices, so we can walk in resurrection life with him!

And he does that by pulling up everything he has not planted in the soil of the garden of our heart (NIV, Matt. 15:13).

The same grace and faith bringing the new-birth, justifying sinners, is the same grace and faith ordained and designed by God to destroy the work of sin, for we are not saved to continue to live in sin, but saved to put sin to death and walk in new life, Romans Chapter 6.

Some particulars about inner healing:

Inner healing recognizes the wound – how it came about, who was involved, etc., so human compassion for human sin can be given and hopefully, received.

We voice forgiveness and ask God to accomplish forgiveness in our heart, for, like everything else, we need Christ to help us truly forgive those who hurt us.

After the wound is brought to the light of God and forgiveness offered, the process of repentance begins (if necessary) for judgments made against those who hurt us; releasing judgment to Christ; ceding any claim of vengeance to him.

After the Holy Spirit leads us through the breaking of agreements, the renouncing of vows, and any lies we believe about ourselves, others, and God, (there may be opportunity for restitution and reconciliation), we pray for new life.

This is part of preparing for encounter with Christ.

There must be some level of cleansing before the Lord takes us into the Holy of Holies.

It is hard not to present this understanding in a mechanical way, but in practice, it is far from mechanical.

Holy Spirit led inner healing is far from mechanical!

Inner healing is much more than this, but this is a snapshot of the breaking, renouncing, and cleansing from authorities, rulers, and powers of darkness we and our generations have allowed to build habitations in our lives.

What I just shared is called traditional inner healing, which has been in practice for about half a century.

It is like Listening Prayer and SOZO, though those are more oriented toward “listening” rather than initially focusing on bad fruit – both have their place.

Important

As “traditional inner healing,” goes beyond “making decisions for Christ,” so too the “journey of Tabernacles,” is beyond traditional inner healing, because it is not a transition but a paradigm shift of encounter with the Lord.

Brief review:

You may want to refresh your understanding of the three feasts in Leviticus 23, Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles (the journey of Tabernacles is Trumpets, Atonement, and Booths).

The three major Old Testament feasts pointed to the Christian pilgrimage, just like Israel’s agricultural year, the Tabernacle in the wilderness, Temple, and the three courts.

In the new-birth (fulfillment of Passover), and Pentecost, we for the most part come and go as we please, not so in Tabernacles.

In Psalm 16, a picture of Tabernacles, the Lord takes the reins of our lives and leads us in a new direction, in a new way, directly toward him.

This is the coming of the Lord to you and me to take us into the deep work of the Spirit of grace.

This is not your mom’s, dad’s, pastor, or counselor’s Christianity; it is an entirely new and deeper place in Christ where Jesus truly begins to become Lord.

This is the new work God promised in the last in the age of Philadelphia.

Through encounter with Christ, we learn to receive care and love, gentleness and patience, grace, tenderness, unlike any we have ever known, while he deals with our deeply rooted “stuff,” in cleansing, healing, and restoration.

Important

Tabernacles is the deepest expression of Christ’s love and care he has for his sons and daughters this side of the great divide.

Encountering the Lord, being taken into a deep place in him, shifts the focus from “making decisions” and “traditional inner healing,” “to Christ,” leading and guiding you and me into the long journey of healing and restoration.

We will still need to make decisions, but our life now belongs to him as he leads and guides.

Said another way, Tabernacles is direct fathering by the Lord first and foremost, directing you and me to resources he prepares for our healing, whether it be through prayer ministry, fathering by others, or directly by him.

Right now, the Lord is preparing resources for you who choose him.

There is a depth, pervasiveness, and intensity in Tabernacles the other feasts were not designed to have because Tabernacle is personal journey with Christ.

The new-birth is Scripture focused living, what we can apprehend in making decisions by our leading, and, the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Inner healing is fruit and root focused, getting rid of the bad fruit by uprooting the root of sin and cleansing (Matthew 15:13).

In contrast, Tabernacles, encountering the Lord, the final season of our Christian pilgrimage, is more, much more, Christ focused through transformation, the new creation, the deep work of the Spirit of grace; Christ living his life through you and me uniquely, intimately, in growing union with him.

As I have noted, before Christ can encounter you and me in the deep places of our lives, there needs to be a measure of heart preparation in advance; many times, including some amount of inner healing.

Some final thoughts in this brief section:

Whereas making decisions for Christ is more pastoral led, the most common way of dealing with sin in a corporate body setting –

and whereas traditional inner healing is more bad fruit and root oriented, the most common way of dealing with sin and recovery from wounds through prayer ministry –

Christ encountering you and me, the final feast of our pilgrimage, the journey of being made one with him, is direct intervention by Christ, leading and guiding you and me according to his unique and specific plan for healing.

It includes making decisions, and traditional inner healing, but it is much deeper, more profound, life changing and transformative under his leading and direction.

It is the final shift from mom church, to being deeply fathered by God, a specific, tangible, spiritual event, place, and journey.

***

Does the Scripture give examples and teach different seasons of journey from the new-birth to intimacy and journey with the Lord, to encounter you and me?

Yes, it most certainly does.

But first, some reflection about our present season in history.

Twenty first century Christians are the most taught of any generation in terms of information.

We have access to resources past generations could only dream – Christian television, social media, conferences, church, libraries after libraries of books, writings, and commentaries, and yet, there is prophesied a falling away.

Why?

Because growing intimacy and union with Christ has not been taught other than through making decisions and some inner healing, missing the journey of encounter altogether.

Those who do not enter the training circle with Christ, the wilderness journey of being made one with him, will face challenges that could have been avoided had they been brought into the journey of being made one with Christ.

Important

There are Scriptures pointing to the new-birth and Pentecostal experience.

And there are Scriptures pointing to deeper encounter with Christ.

But why the in-between time between the new-birth and Pentecostal experiences, and, being brought into encounter with Christ in journey with him?

Because the new-birth and Pentecostal experiences are entrance experiences, to bring us into the kingdom of God, to be taught and prepared to seek encounter with Christ in intimate relationship, a Vision for Christ, not just a vision of Christ, but to be made one with him.

This is why there are several Scriptures pointing God’s sons and daughters to eagerly seek and wait for his appearance, not his second coming which happens at the end of the Tribulation, but his coming to take you and me into a deep place of journey with him.

Healed and restored as much as possible before we are cut from the loom of this life and cross into Heaven’s eternal shores.

One reason there is a falling away is because Christianity has become “event,” oriented, having lost the Vision of being made one with Christ in journey.

The rapture does not save us, it is not an event, but the result of intimacy between Jesus and his bride.

The “all,” in Scriptures have qualifications just like everything else; we have different positions of intimacy and connection with the Lord depending on a lot of factors, particularly how far and deep he is permitted to take us.

The rapture is the result of those who wholeheartedly give their life to him; allowing him to complete the work.

And it is not age dependent! If anything, the old have a better opportunity of being raptured than the young.

This is not a journey that can be done in the flesh, nor a journey where it is too late, nor a journey requiring us to prepare and equip ourselves, but a journey where we open the door when he knocks, saying yes to him.

Tragically, in many respects, the Church in 21^st century America has lost touch with why Jesus came, to heal and restore you and me from the inside out, new life deeply centered in the Spirit of Christ.

Growing and Deepening Transition

There are two streams flowing in Christendom today.

The visible, dominant stream in Christendom is focused primarily on making decisions; an over-emphasis at the expense of pursuing intimacy with Christ.

The dominant stream is conducive to church and other large gatherings.

Whereas pursuing intimacy with Christ in journey, the largely invisible work of the Spirit through parachurch ministries and Christ directly, is uniquely individual and personal.

The Church has spent the better part of 500 years trying to apprehend Christ through decisions, hindering the Holy Spirit’s desire to teach and prepare God’s sons and daughters for encounter with Christ.

Christ is our Savior, not our decisions, as important as they are.

The teaching we put sin to death primarily by our decisions is not in agreement with Scripture; it is at the cross of Christ, (NIV, 2 Corinthians 5:10, etc.,), in relationship with him, where transformation occurs, where our wounds and brokenness are opened to the light of God for cleansing, healing, and restoration.

It is only in a place of deep grace, Tabernacles, can he access the deeply rooted wounded and broken places in our lives, particularly generational transgressions and iniquities woven into the fabric of our body, soul, and spirit.

Because, outside of Tabernacles we would be swallowed up by shame and condemnation when Christ brings to light for healing the deep “stuff,” in us for cleansing and healing (Matthew 15:13).

The New Testament is about a person, our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, a real person with real feelings and desires to have relationship with you and me in a vibrant way; it cannot be done if we are full of all kinds of unhealed and wounded places.

Yes, we can be born-again and Spirit-filled, but intimacy and union with Christ comes at a higher cost, that’s why Paul spoke about the birthing process in bringing forth a deeper relationship with Christ (Galatians 4:19, see also day of Christ in Philippians, etc.).

Our ability to make decisions, needs as much healing as we do! if you understand what I mean.

If it is all about making decisions as commonly taught, then why do we need Jesus, and where is the teaching on cleansing and healing, and the breaking and the renouncing of agreements, etc.?

To be frank, I sense from those who consistently preach to the sheep their way to salvation is through the decisions they make a certain amount of harshness and detachment from people’s deep wounds and brokenness; not offering to “restore that person gently” (NIV, Galatians 6:1, bold and italicized mine).

In Scripture, the context of putting sin to death and spiritual warfare is always in the context of the grace and love of God in relationship with Christ to cleanse and heal, to lift burdens, not to add them.

The Bible is a love letter by God to receive the mediator he sent; to discipline you and me into righteousness through healing our wounds and brokenness by grace through faith in care and love.

We cannot truly love and care for others if we have not been loved and cared for by God.

Inner healing and restoration prepare you and me to receive and to give.

Christ said, “‘For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’” (NIV, Matthew 11:30, italicized mine)

He did not come to drive the sheep into submission through making decisions, but he came to bring grace to change our natures into his, decisions being only but a part of the process (1 Peter 1:13).

There are places of strongholds and darkness in our lives where we need Christ to come and right the wrong so we can even begin to move toward him.

If it is all about our decisions, then what about all the hundreds of Scriptures of God in the Old Testament and Christ in the New coming to our rescue?

The over-emphasis on making decisions at the expense of intimacy with Christ is fodder for the falling away, trying to get water out of an empty well.

And the heralding of making decisions is rooted in several things, one of which is our culture, and another is from creeds and traditions, which are event focused, in opposition to intimacy in journey with Christ, being fathered by God.

It takes Christ to put sin to death in our lives. If we could put sin to death through our decisions, then what was the purpose of Christ’s coming, bringing grace not only to save but keep you and me in the Kingdom?

Grace is not a one-time ticket into the Kingdom, but our daily food to keep us in the Kingdom in the long journey of putting to death the old man by the cross of Christ through the power of the Spirit.

Important

The journey of putting sin to death is not apprehended by decisions alone, but through a journey of suffering the loss of the sin we have come to love, as Christ cleanses and heals our wounds, writing the truth of his Word, the nature of his person, on our hearts and minds.

There is only one way to God, and that is through Christ, Paul says to Timothy (NIV, 1 Timothy 2:5), and it is not our decisions, our will, though they are involved, but the cross of Jesus Christ coming against the powers of darkness in our lives.

Deep transformation from sin begins with the deep work of the Spirit of grace; coming to our inner man, our heart, thoughts, and beliefs; the core of who we are, what we believe, and how we live life.

It can only happen deeply in encounter with Christ over a long season of journey.

The visible, dominant stream today, primarily through making decisions, is the hallmark of the Reformation spanning 400 years, and the Pentecostal movement of the 20^th century (many can testify of endless trips to the alter, me included!).

• The born-again, new-birth experience fulfills what the feast of Passover in the OT prefigured and foretold,
• the Pentecostal baptism of the Holy Spirit fulfills what the feast of Pentecost in the OT prefigured and foretold,
• and Tabernacles, the journey of being made one with Christ, fulfills what the feast of Tabernacles prefigured and foretold.

 

We were designed and ordained to apprehend Christ in the deep places of our wounds and brokenness (Romans 8:29).

If we do not, we will be left empty, unmatured, wounded, and broken.

It does not mean if you are born-again, you will not be saved.

But it does mean a loss of intimacy with Christ.

In a crude way, it is like a military in constant training never experiencing live fire and combat, never engaging the enemy.

The making of decisions so prominent in the new-birth and Pentecostal seasons is inadequate for what is coming from darkness.

God is preparing another stream, not so visible, the journey of encounter and intimacy with Christ for those who hunger and thirst after righteousness.

I suggest reading Leviticus Chapter 23 on the three agricultural feasts of the Old Testament and notice how they foretell in the natural the spiritual Christian pilgrimage pioneered by Christ (Hebrews 2:10, 6:20).

The second stream (Tabernacles), flowing in Christendom today, an invisible, much smaller stream, encountering Christ in intimacy, a hidden work of God, is slowly growing in depth and volume.

And one day, for a short season, it will replace the dominant stream through revival.

This is the stream of being known by Christ in our deep wounds and brokenness, the hallmark of the third feast, the feast of Tabernacles; the making of the bride in the last of the last days.

We see the bride prefigured in the life of Moses, David, Elijah, Samuel, Song of Songs, and the bride pictured in the pearl of Matthew 13, Philippians, Philadelphians, wise virgins, those who multiplied their talents, baby in the womb of the woman of Revelation 12, and for real in the life of Peter, Paul, John, and others.

The second stream, Tabernacles, covers the great body of New Testament Scripture.

God hides his jewels from open observation for protection.

There are indications of God’s work, but the scope, depth, and breath of it is hidden until it is completed and ready to be made known by him.

Peter calls it the revelation of Christ by grace (NIV, 1 Peter 1:13); Paul to the Romans called it being baptized with Christ’s baptism (where he was made one with the Father, Romans 6).

To the Corinthians Paul says he dies daily (NIV, 15:31, referring to his battle with the flesh, and 2 Corinthians 4:10-12) and to cleanse yourselves (NIV, 2 Corinthians 7:1).

To the Galatians Paul says he is in “pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you” (NIV, Galatians 4:19, the Galatians are Christians who need Christ to be formed in them).

To the Ephesians Paul says Christ will bathe his sons and daughters “by the washing with water through the word” (NIV, 5:26) – speaking to Christians.

To the Philippians (Christian’s), Paul says to seek to apprehend Christ, to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” (NIV, Philippians 2:12)

In Colossians Paul speaks about the mystery of Christ – to Christians.

And to Timothy Paul talks about “the deep truths of the faith” (NIV, 1 Timothy 3:9)

In Hebrews it says of Christ “he learned obedience from what he suffered” (NIV, 5:8); a journey of growing and maturing relationship with his Father before his ministry – what he pioneered for Christians.

Christ’s last two letters to the Churches, Philadelphia, and Laodicea, show Christendom’s two streams in the last seasons of the Gospel; the former, the making of the bride, the latter, those outside the bride.

The headwaters of the second stream have been steadily deepening and widening over the last half-century through a multitude of parachurch ministries like Elijah House, SOZO, Wild at Heart, Allender Center, Listening Prayer, and through many other healing and deliverance ministries.

The first stream, once the mighty Reformation and rebirth of Pentecost, the Sardis Church age, is slowly drying up and emptying into the dead sea lake of Laodicea, the lukewarm church, the rule of the laity.

The second stream, Philadelphia, will one day overflow its banks in the last of the last days from a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit, igniting revival; eventually (figuratively speaking) lifting those who come to maturity to the shores of Heaven (those who are rapturous for Christ).

Jesus does not marry someone he does not know (Matthew 25:12, Matthew 7:23).

In the time of the barley harvest in the Old Covenant, barley was served.

In the time of the wheat harvest in the Old Covenant, wheat was served.

And in the time of the summer fruit harvest in the Old Covenant, fruits, nuts, and olives were served.

In the time ordained by God (when mankind was ready) for the return of the born-again new-birth experience, what we call the Reformation (1500s to late 1800s), God served mankind the new-birth experience again.

In the time ordained by God (when some in the body of Christ were ready) for the return of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, Pentecost (early 1900s), God served the presence of his Spirit again, a yet deeper experience in God.

And in the time ordained by God for the return of being made one with Christ through journey in healing and restoration (when some in the body of Christ are ready) Christ began serving himself to his body again which many are experiencing today (Luke 12:37).

God takes you and me from knowing “about” him, the new-birth, to knowing his “presence,” Pentecost, to “knowing him,” personally, deeply, and intimately, Tabernacles.

This is the Christian journey foretold in the three feasts, Israel’s agricultural years, and the Tabernacle/Temple, i.e., Outer Court, Holy Place, Holy of Holies.

Why Are We Meeting Together

Here are a few thoughts:

• We are here for our well-being and self-interest; to not be among those counted as lukewarm, or end up apostate, but rather, grow deeper in relationship with the Lord in the season he reserved for that purpose (Psalm 44:21, Ecclesiastes 12:14, Daniel 2:22, Luke 8:17, Romans 2:16; 1 Corinthians 4:5, 14:25, Hebrews 4:13, etc.,).
• The Lord wants to go beyond congregational settings; to lead each one individually and personally to heal and Father as only he can (Psalm 42:7, 68:5, John 14:18, 21:18, 2 Corinthians 6:18, etc.,).
• The Lord desires we learn how – to co-labor with him – in bringing healing and restoration to one another in areas of deep pain and woundedness.
• The Lord does not want us to “hide” behind teaching, but to begin to connect spiritually with him in ministering to the needs of one another.
• The Lord desires not only to heal our heart and mind, but to heal the connection between them for greater wholeness and harmony within.
• Every Christian has been commissioned by Christ to receive his Spirit and teachings; to bring Christ to one another in our mutual journey of healing and restoration. This can only come about if we permit him access to our own deep wounds, Psalms 42:7, Revelation 3:20.

 

There needs to be a measure of preparation before the Lord can take a son or daughter on a journey of coming to know him intimately and deeply.

• Before he can meet us in our deep wounds and brokenness there needs to be a measure of preparation. This understanding is taught even in the natural realm in almost every aspect of life and relationship.
• It is hard to have faith in the saving love of Christ, his provision of grace, healing, and restoration, if we are deep in the pit of disqualification, dismissal, and diminishment, harboring negative of ourselves or others in shame and condemnation.

 

The mystery of iniquity, the antichrist spirit, is opposed to our healing and restoration because healed and restored Christians present the greatest threat to the enemy.

• The Lord desires to interrupt the status quo of spiritual complacency, for he knows even in the best of times we are walking on shaky ground, and with the worst of times to come, our present state will be insufficient.
• The Lord desires to till around the soil of our hearts, to loosen the roots of the weeds in our life, to bring in new soil and new seed, to plant the fruit we so desperately need for productive and wholesome lives.
• And for that to happen, the fleshly nature in you and me must begin to experience the death of the cross of Christ by the healing and saving power of the Holy Spirit.

 

This can only come about “deeply” through Christ’s personal intervention in encountering you and me in our personal stories, where we live, our wounds and brokenness and the sins that feed upon them, where sin is brought to death in cleansing (2 Corinthians 7:1), and new seeds of life planted (Romans 6, 2 Corinthians 3:18), where we receive “new wine into new wineskins.” (NIV, Mark 2:22, italicized mine, also Romans 8:10 – 11)

• When we are outside the training circle, Christianity becomes more of a practice, an obligation, a ritual, something we do, something we teach or are taught, instead of a living, growing, vibrant relationship of intimacy in journey of “becoming” one with Christ.
• The Lord is coming to you and me to name the names of the mystery of iniquity in our lives so he can heal you and me from our transgressions and iniquities.

 

To give you and me new names signifying our freedom from sin in intimacy with him.

(Wounds speak more about the assaults of the enemy and our embrace of them in agreements and lies; brokenness speaks more about how we go about living life out of our wounds).

A Few Final Perspectives: Creeds and Traditions and the Falling Away

Creeds and traditions are man’s attempt in the natural to help create relationship with Christ by instructing others what is held as truth.

The problem is no matter how hard we try, creeds, traditions, statements of faith and beliefs, doctrines and all the rest, can never replace intimacy with the Lord.

That is why in Hebrew 6:1-3 it says in essence to grow and mature seeking completion – because only in completion can we be known, and know.

If we have intimacy with the Lord, we can help lead others into intimacy through example, testimony, teaching, and through healing and restoration.

Creeds and traditions in many instances create barriers of agreements – extra-biblical teaching – another living document having a life of its own apart from Christ.

Creeds and traditions, statements of faith, etc., are birthed out of desperation to create validation, identity, and conformity, not realizing they fuel more harm than good.

They are also a desperate attempt to bridge the gap God purposely designed to be filled by intimacy and union with Christ (1 John 2:27).

Creeds and traditions are not a path to “the deep truths of the faith” (NIV, 1 Timothy 3:9), the revelation of truths in creation (Matthew 13:35), nor are they a path to understanding what Paul calls “Spirit – taught words” (NIV, 1 Corinthians 2:13).

Nor a path to understanding many other enigmas in Scripture, like what Peter calls the revelation of Christ by grace (NIV, 1 Peter 1:13), 1 John 5:7, and so many other “spiritual passages,” robbing God’s sons and daughters from discovering for themselves the revelation of Scripture in Christ.

Important

Because the third feast of the Christian pilgrimage is so uniquely different and distinct than the new-birth and Pentecost, a greater sacrifice than the first two feasts, creeds and traditions can become a stumbling block to going deeper in journey with Christ.

One evidence is the falling away in the last days, where people denied access to intimacy with Christ suffer spiritual starvation.

Creeds and traditions will sabotage many in the last days from feasting upon Christ, ill-equipped and unprepared to face what is coming because they did not pursue healing and intimacy with the Lord.

The 21^st century presents the greatest opportunity for Christians, and the greatest risk for those who do not pursue the sacrificial offering of Christ in the last days.

Let us not be counted among those who fall in the desert, but those by faith who apprehend what he apprehended us for (NIV, Philippians 3:12).

Blessings, Drake

(NIV) Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.Zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblical, Inc.™