Greetings. I hope this post finds you well.
There have been historic events of an unprecedented nature in the past similar to the “unprecedented nature” the Church will be facing in the future as “she” is transitioned to Christ’s Millennial rule. (Rev. Chapter 12 and Isaiah Chapter 66)
Jesus has been preparing his Church to rule and reign with him for almost 2,000 years. His day and our day (the Church) will come together at God’s appointed time.
It will be like the change as in the days of Noah and the change in Covenants – striking, dynamic, life altering.
Noah and the apostles did not know change was coming to them just around the next corner. And so, it will happen to many again. It will be just around the next corner, and then suddenly, a paradigm shift will start.
The birthing of the last day bride of Christ will set in motion the beginning closure of the Church era, one last global outreach to the lost, and, open the door to “transition” to the Millennium, what we commonly call the Tribulation period.
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For those wanting a relationship with the living God – the miracle God of their ancestors, who spoke to the prophets of old and once filled the Holy of Holies with his presence – the New Testament era began with the appearance of Christ after his 40 days of wilderness commissioning.
No sooner had his wilderness sojourn ended he was ushered into the hearts and arms of those desperate for a real and personal experience with God – to see and hear the Lord face to face – as John says, “…which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched…” (NIV, 1 John 1:1)
The Holy of Holies was in Israel’s midst once again, but this time, it was clothed and veiled in flesh, instead of hidden behind stones walls and curtains.
Though Christ’s ministry, the New Covenant’s proclamation and demonstration, began on a peaceful note, it was only a matter of a few years before it was marked by violence against the one who offered peace.
Note: The enemy’s slaughter of innocent children in his attempt to kill the Messiah (Matthew 2:16-18), may be a “type” of the trials and persecutions some Christians will face before the last great revival under the Antichrist system, and also, possibly, to certain aspects of the great apostasy preceding the revival. (Revelation 12:4; 2 Thessalonians 2:3)
We know from Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians, which (also) prophetically describe the atmosphere and environment of the last days, there will be some measure of trials and persecutions under the Antichrist system before the final outreach to the lost.
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Like the “end” of the “beginning,” mankind will mark the end of the Church era in violence against those who hold steady in their testimony, in the face of darkness of an “unprecedented nature.”
It is not the heart of God any should face the final outpouring of wickedness and evil under the last day (revived 8th head of the beast) Antichrist system on the heels of the bride’s narrow and last-minute escape from the face of certain death. (Revelation 12:5(b) – 13:18)
Jesus desires everybody to be prepared and found in him – in intimate union with him, “made ready” as a bride for her bridegroom. (Revelation 18:23; 19:7)
But even though many will find themselves unprepared to face an enemy in depth and scope beyond their imagination, God will not forsake them.
Those, who, for whatever reason, fail to heed the call of the bride and the bridegroom in the last days, will not be forsaken by him, but offered his hand as he walks them through the fire;
“…‘These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” (NIV, Revelation 7:14)
And, “I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.” (NIV, Revelation 3:18)
Transition
The transition of an era is inherently unprecedented by its nature, marked by new things in God – a God who is past finding out – revealing and unfolding more about his nature and being in successive moves of his Spirit.
The book of Revelation gives us just a glimpse, the “high and low points” of the events marking the transition from the New Testament to the Millennium.
There will be years of challenges and change, and, possibly, differing kinds and levels of persecutions before the transition begins; the severest of trials and persecutions during the transition (the Tribulation period); and a massive relearning and rebuilding program after the Tribulation (in the Millennium) for those who survive the transition following the return of the Lord.
Monumental and historic days are ahead for the Church and the world. It is written in the Scriptures, and the Scriptures cannot be broken.
We can be sure of this, God has surprises up ahead for the Church, his bride in the making, the world opposed to him, and, the spiritual forces of darkness gathering for one final and climactic assault on the Church and mankind.
Glorious and dreadful days are ahead.
Glorious, life-changing, an adventuresome, for those in Christ.
And, dreadful, for those who find themselves captured by the one who hates mankind.
The Lord is setting in motion his plans to win, at all cost, as many as possible while it is still day.
Though the enemy will appear to have the upper hand at times in the world at large, God is doing a deep and secret work within the womb of the Church, thwarting the enemy’s strategy to derail his plan to have a bride for his Son.
The prophetic words in Revelation are more certain than it is the sun will rise tomorrow.
It is more certain the Son’s kingdom will rise than the sun. In fact, under the 6th seal, the sun turns black like sackcloth, Rev. 6:12.
The Lord will offer himself once again in a global proclamation and demonstration of his nature and goodness.
The love of God is going to flood this world one more time before he ushers mankind into its final season.
Note:
The glorious, life-changing, adventure in Christ includes seasons of initiation, testing, and trials, common in the Christian pilgrimage.
Glory is not necessarily in reference to outward expressions of joy, but more to the well-being of the inner man, joy and peace, partaking of the new nature in Christ.
For example, putting new wine in new bottles, being made into a new creation, requires the exertion of the Spirit to create within us things we never received in the “making” of who we’ve come to be, and to cleanse, heal, and restore the things we did receive, that were not of God.
The New Testament is replete with the invitation and command to be made new in body, soul, and spirit. It will of necessity entail disruption and discomfort at times and in different measures.
This is not something we can just decide to do.
It takes the Spirit of God to birth divine change within us; to heal and restore the broken and wounded places in our life.
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Psalm 16
I love Psalm 16. It is special to me. It is a companion to Psalm 23, the Lord is my shepherd.
It is the Old Covenant’s foreshadow of the resurrection life available to the New Covenant believer.
What the psalmist foretold, Christ pioneered and fulfilled, proclaiming and demonstrating in the flesh “resurrection life” to you and me.
Peter referred to Christ’s life on the day of Pentecost.
I love verse six, “The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.” (NIV, Psalm 16:6)
When Jesus takes you deep and begins revealing his nature deep within you, this Psalm is his promise to you.
He will keep you in the boundaries he established.
He will take you to deep places in him, on a path known only to him, keeping you within the bounds of his love and care.
Let’s set our heart, desires and passions, on the glorious days ahead for the bride of Christ, and permit Jesus to prepare us to meet him face-to-face.
Noah
The calling of Noah, his commission and ministry, was unprecedented.
It was life-giving to him and his family, but, dreadful to those who failed to respond to the wooing of the Holy Spirit to prepare.
His ministry began in promise and hope, invitation and offer, saving him and his loved ones.
(He was like Lot escaping destruction, though tragically, Lot’s wife was not as ready as he to escape the city of darkness.)
Those outside the Ark, along with their hopes and dreams, and plans for the future, faced an early, untimely death.
Though, some were likely saved from eternal separation in the last hours of their life.
(Peter, greatly impacted by the story of Noah, refers a number of times to Noah in his writings, and refers to those who lost their life in the flood, but, were nonetheless saved, apparently repenting in their final hours, 1 Peter Chapter 3.)
Christ
The transition of the generations at the time of Christ, those born and reared in the teachings and practices of the Old Covenant, to the New, was riveting, momentous, and, to say the least, unprecedented and historic.
The entrance of Christ, the Spirit of the Holy One working in the midst of his people, was thrilling, exciting, adventuresome, on the one hand, and, a fight for life in the face of strong challenges and opposition, on the other hand.
Jesus opened the floodgates of spiritual warfare in the lives of God’s chosen people.
He stoked the fires of desire and passion for the things of God – the advancement of his kingdom in the hearts and lives of men and women just like you and me.
He revealed the righteous judge of heaven and earth, his holiness and power, and, in a measure, the face of spiritual wickedness in high places.
Like the days of Noah, it began in promise and hope, invitation and offer, ultimately ending in the untimely death of the Messiah.
Revivals here and there followed with persecution as well, and within a generation or two the destruction and scattering of what remained of the once apple of God’s eye, the nation of Israel.
Mankind is heading for another rendezvous with promise and hope, invitation and offer, coupled with the miraculous.
However, the ending will not turn out well for those who refuse the lavish offer of Christ and his bride in the closing days of this era.
The “seventh” and “eighth” world kingdoms on the horizon will be crushed and broken, receiving just recompense for their wickedness released upon mankind.
I am so glad God is in charge of all this, knowing the King of the universe will do right by you and me.
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You and I use a calendar in some form or another most days.
God has a calendar as well, for we received ours from his.
His spiritual calendar for man was foretold in creation, revealed in Old Covenant types and shadows, and in parables, letters, and church ages in the New Covenant.
It has proven itself to be correct and it will prove itself again and again.
We have roughly 6,000 years of church history (beginning with Adam and Eve) to see the unfolding story of God played out in kingdoms, and in men and women just like you and me.
If your wrestling with your place in the story of God, and uncertain about your hopes and dreams for the future, and what God has for you, if that is you, I urge you to inquire of the Lord the place he is readying for you at his banquet table.
God may be readying to leapfrog you into a new place in him. He is full of surprises. His grace and love are unmatched and un-measurable.
He will take note of the slightest movement of your heart and eyes toward him.
The Psalmist said, “My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.” (NIV, Psalm 51:17)
Whatever brokenness or sin has you awake at night, or has captured some area of your life, Jesus does not despise.
His heart for you and me is nothing less than compassion for our healing and restoration.
He has a banqueting table just for you and me. Let’s make sure we don’t miss our meal times with him.
His menu is far beyond what the world has to offer!
Justice
God is just.
He does not allow mankind to live year after year, decade after decade, generation after generation, century after century, and millennium after millennium, in decadence.
That would be horrible. To live forever in sin, in a fallen, wounded and broken state.
He cares too much about mankind to let that happen.
Instead of eternal sin, his plan is eternal righteousness in Christ.
His plan was set in motion at the foundation of the world for Adam and Eve to apprehend, and even though they took a different path (they were redeemed), the same plan is still set in motion for those in Christ.
Christ is the only one to complete and fulfill the plan of God perfectly.
And because we’re in Christ, wrapped in his arms of grace and love, he will complete the same plan in you and me, his delight and good news.
He is faithful when we’re unfaithful (2 Timothy 2:13).
Paul says, to the Philippians, (interestingly, the companion message to the Church of Philadelphia, the Church age from which the last day bride is birthed), “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (NIV, Philippians 1:6)
How deep, how far, how thorough God’s healing and restoration; it is not one of quantification, but, of a living, vibrant, connection, and union with Christ out of the new creation he is building in you and me.
His assessment of us, and how far he can take us in the journey of his likeness, lies predominantly in his hands, and is part of the mystery of the invisible bride within the visible church, the baby in the womb of the woman in the last days, Revelation Chapter 12.
His thoughts toward us are always measured in grace and mercy, in truth, the nature of love – how to bring you and me to a place of healing and restoration – to take us deeper in him, a truly new creation.
The writing of the Word of God on the tables of our heart comes through the process of healing and restoration in the revelation of Christ. (Hebrews 8:10 – 12; 10:15 – 18; 1 Peter 1:13)
He bears with mankind generation after generation, offering hope and promise, and revivals in an out of different seasons of our lives.
But, for some, maybe many, the gospel of Jesus Christ and the love of God, the hope of salvation, to be possessed and owned by the Lord and set apart unto him, is not appealing.
We do not have to figure out other people’s decisions nor judge ourselves as well.
We are commissioned to run the race he’s set before you and me wholeheartedly, out of the abundance of resources he’s placed within the body of Christ, his word, and his Spirit.
No matter what it looks like in the world and in the Church, the plan of God will come to fruition to have a bride prepared and ready to offer Christ, one last time, before the doors of this era are shuttered.
I have much to share with you in upcoming posts regarding how close we are to fulfilling the plan of God for the Church.
Passover and Pentecost have come and gone, and the final feast for the Church, Tabernacles, which some in the Church have pioneered in the past, is at the doorstep again for those seeking deeper intimacy with Jesus.
Actually, Tabernacles has never been far from the Church. Christ pioneered and ushered the early apostles into it.
Centuries of dark ages have hidden the truth of Tabernacles which Christ is bringing to the forefront once again.
I have much to share about Tabernacles – the final Old Covenant feast fulfilled in the New.
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I also have much to share about the closing generations of Judah in the days of the Babylonians, and how closely it foretells, resembles, the days ahead for the Church.
The last days of the Church is not about judgment, but first and foremost an outpouring of grace and love to those on the precipice of eternal separation from the Father of lights.
It’s about a massive outpouring and campaign by the Lord Jesus Christ to reach as many as will come in the final call of salvation in the era of the Church.
All the stops will be pulled, the revelation of Christ will go forth in an unprecedented way to reach hearts, urging many to run into the arms of Christ.
We only have so much time on this earth. And mankind only has so much time in the Church era.
When the bride is ready and anointed for ministry, she will know, the Church will know (in a veiled way), and the enemy will know.
It will come together at the time appointed by God just like past revivals and transitions.
God’s plan is in motion – the Church is undergoing intense preparation for what lies just beyond the horizon.
Only God can bring all the moving parts together at the appointed time.
Our actions can hinder or help the Lord, but, at the end of the day, it is his work in us that apprehends what he apprehended us for.
We above all people, in all of history, have greater evidence (witness) than Noah, and the Jews at the time of Christ.
For we have the completed book and 6,000 years of history behind us.
And we have the living Word of God today – the revealed Word and revelation of Christ to the Church.
We are far more enlightened in the Scriptures than any previous generation, prophet, or saint.
Let us not waste the light and time God has given us in discovering for ourselves the truths hidden from the natural mind, in Scripture.
For we are children of the light and not of the darkness.
The Scripture will be fulfilled.
I hope these posts ignite your heart for more of Jesus, and an earnest expectation for the promise of God to heal and restore the wounded and broken places of your life.
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.™
