PREPARE YE THE WAY OF THE LORD - VOL. III

 

 

 

 

 

EZEKIEL’S VISION AND THE BODY OF CHRIST

 

 

The Lord wants us, His people, to know what He desires for the Church in these last days. Jesus has a perfect plan which is according to His Word. But the Church has not always been willing to let Him teach us from His Word, and by His Spirit. He has not been able to reveal clearly to us what has been placed in it. We must hear His voice! We must conform to that which the Lord has de­creed or we will not be able to stand in the day that is com­ing. Everything that is built according to man's ways will cer­tainly fall. Therefore let us consider carefully what the Lord reveals regarding His Plan for His Church in this day.

 The Lord wants His people to let Him join them together into one body, but only He can do the joining together, and only He can set each one in the place that He chooses. We must not fry to fill a place that the Lord has not chosen for us, or we will create havoc in the body. We must let the Lord show us, as we wait on Him and as the Lord ministers to us, where our place is in the Body of Christ.

 

The body is one, even as there is one Lord and one faith (Eph. 4:4-6). But because of geographical considerations, and because of the numbers involved, all of the body cannot be in one place at one time, neither can each member function as the Lord desires. Therefore His Plan is to divide the mem­bers of the body into individual cell units or local assemblies. Each cell or local assembly may function as a complete unit in itself with no official relationship with any other cell unit.

 

The only relationship between the cell units may be the spiri­tual bond which ties them together, and the fellowship which they may have with one another from time to time. Each cell unit will be governed by its own elders whom the Lord will set in by the directive of the Holy Spirit through those apostles which are sent to establish and set in order all things.

 

Now, let's look at what the Lord shows us concerning this plan as it is revealed in His Word. Let's consider Ezekiel 1 and the plan contained in it.

 

The Prophet Ezekiel had a vision in which he saw the glory of the Lord. He saw the Lord sitting above the firmament on a throne (1:26-28). A throne symbolizes rulership, show­ing the authority which the Lord exercises in His body. Christ is the Head of the Body (Eph. 1:22-23), and the body must receive its direction from the head. All of the body is to be in absolute subjection to the Lord or what He plans to do will not be accomplished.

 

Secondly, Ezekiel saw an expanse under the throne and over the heads of the living creatures (1:22). This expanse is a type of the spiritual "atmosphere" which must pervade ev­erything that is done in the body. Without a spiritual "air" pervading all the functions of the body, there can be no spiri­tual operation of the Body. This is why it is so important for God's people to seek His face constantly, to be instant in prayer at all times, to let their praises ascend continually to Him, and to live daily in His Word. What the Lord is reveal­ing is a spiritual plan for a spiritual people. It cannot work among those who are not living on a high spiritual plane. It is not for those who are still walking as men and living on the level of the carnal.

 

Let us proceed further in analyzing Ezekiel's vision. Un­der the expanse, Ezekiel saw four living creatures. These crea­tures are a type of the Body of Christ as it functions at the direction of His Spirit. Ezekiel saw these living creatures move at the behest of His Spirit. The creatures moved only when the Spirit moved. Otherwise they did not move (1:12).

 

Next, he saw that each of these creatures had four faces. The first face was that of a lion. This is a type of the courage and boldness which the Lord will give to his people. The lion is the one who is recognized as king of the beasts. So will the Lord's people, who are functioning in His body ac­cording to His Divine plan, have a kingly bearing of power and authority in what they do. They will go forth with bold­ness and confidence and no one will be able to withstand that which the Lord will put within them.

 

Next, the second face was that of an ox. God's people are to consider themselves as servants one to another. Jesus said that the greatest shall be the servant of all (Matt. 23:11). This is to show how we should serve one another, each counting the other better than himself, and with humility and Godly fear in our hearts. We should not seek to exalt ourselves or take to ourselves that which does not belong to us. The Lord's Plan will not work unless each one is willing to be the servant of all.

 

The third face was that of a man. The end-time Body of Christ will come into the fullness of the stature of the man, Christ Jesus, growing up in all things into the Head of the Body, even the fullness of Him that fills all in all (Eph. 4:13-15, 1:23). This end-time Body shall be as one man function­ing in the fullness of what the Lord has planned for this age and time. As the man Adam was brought forth in the image and likeness of his God at the close of the sixth day of the Creative week, so will the Lord bring forth His Body in the fullness of His stature at the close of the sixth day of the re­demptive week or cycle. As Adam then entered God's rest prepared on the seventh day, so shall we enter that rest pre­pared for us on the seventh day of this redemptive cycle, the great one thousand year millennium which is at hand. But first, we must reach that standard of perfection which the Lord has set for us, and we must be brought into the image and likeness of Jesus Christ. The Body will come to maturity and be ready to show to the world that which the Lord has determined.

 

Finally, we find that the fourth face was that of an eagle. God's people will mount up with wings as an eagle (Isa. 40:31). An eagle is able to soar at heights where few creatures ever reach; the very heights of the heavens. His people, in these last days, functioning according to His Plan, will find them­selves soaring into the heavenly places in Christ (Eph. 2:6). We must prepare ourselves, for the Lord will have His people mount up, and we shall have the vision of an eagle to see that which has never been seen before, and we shall have the en­durance of an eagle to endure that which will come against us. Neither shall we be afraid of the storm which is coming, but we will set our "wings" and soar into the heavens on the very winds which carry the power and force of the storm. And we shall ascend to the heights in Christ where the storm will not affect us, and we shall overcome all things.

 

Next, Ezekiel saw that the living creatures each had four wings (1:6,11). Two wings of each were outstretched to touch the wings of the others and two wings covered the body of each. The Lord will stretch out His wings and cover us, and His wings will protect us (Ps. 91:4). Also the woman (the Church) was given the wings of an eagle to carry her into a place of safety (Rev. 12:14). The Lord will protect and over­shadow His people. The Lord will be to us a protecting shield to keep us from all harm in that day when the storm clouds will be heavy on the earth.

 

Then Ezekiel saw the hand of a man extending from un­der each wing on the living creatures. This is a type of those ministries which the Lord will set in our midst to minister to our needs and to guide us in the right path. There are five of these ministries as there are five fingers on the hand.

 

First is the apostle. The Lord has set in His Church first a revealer of His Will and secondarily an establisher of His people in His divine ways. He will raise up apostles in that day who shall declare His Will for His people. They will be used to set His house in divine order, and they will keep His people from going astray, for they will show His people what the Lord requires of them. They will go from place to place to establish that which needs to be established, and to set in order the things that need to be in order. They are first in the body because the body cannot function in His divine pattern until the apostles have made known His Will and re­vealed His truth to the people.

 

Second, the Lord has placed in His Body prophets (I Cor. 12:28). The prophets also have a foundational ministry (Eph. 2:20), usually in connection with the apostle. However, at times the prophet will function separately to reveal God's Will and to make known His Plan. The prophet is especially endowed with a ministry in the word of prophecy, for he will speak by direct inspiration of the Spirit of God, and the word will flow from his lips as the very word of God. I am speaking here of matured ministries who have been tried and tested and who have been called and sent forth into the field, and not of those who are yet novices and are only prophetic min­istries in the making. The prophet will also teach the deep things of His Word, especially as they relate to the events of the hour and the fulfillment of God's purposes in the earth. He will also have a keen insight into the needs for the people and be able to discern that which needs correcting or chang­ing. He will speak the word fearlessly, yet in love and com­passion as he seeks to minister to the needs of the Body of Christ.

 

Thirdly, the Lord has set in the Church those whom the Lord has generally termed teachers (I Cor. 12:28). First in this class is the evangelist (Eph. 4:11). The evangelist is a teacher of the redemptive truths of God's Word as they re­late to the needs of the Body of Christ and the outreach of that Body to encompass those who are unsaved. He will preach the Word with power to exhort, admonish and en­courage the people in their witness for Jesus Christ. He will also unfold to their understanding the ways and means of sharing their faith with those around them. The evangelist will also have a ministry of deliverance that the word which he preaches will be confirmed and established in power. He will have a great compassion for the Christian, and also for the unsaved that they might be brought into the fold.

 

Second in the general classification of teachers is that of the pastor. The pastor will be the closest to the people in ministering to their personal needs and in counseling with them concerning their spiritual problems. The pastor has the true shepherd's heart as he desires to wait on the people and patiently lead them into the green pastures and by the still waters. His ministry in the Word will primarily be one of taking the general principles of Truth and making them ap­plicable to the personal lives of the people so that they might enter into the reality of spiritual blessing and power. He will be constantly on the lookout for the little lambs who need attention, binding up their wounds and caring for them in their time of need.

The third in the general classification of teachers is the one who is specifically called a teacher (Eph. 4:11). As the name implies, he will be a teacher par excellence. He will be able to take the Word and make it real to people, breaking it down into its many parts and showing its application to all phases of life. He will be a master at clarifying the many little understood passages of Scripture and making them live for people. He will have a great concern for the growth and maturing of each member of the Body of Christ that each part might function in its proper place and come into its full ministry.

Now let's consider further what was seen by Ezekiel. He saw that each living creature moved straight without turning. Whatever direction they went, they went straight ahead with­out variation (1:9,12). This pictures what the Lord demands for those who would be in His end-time Body. They must go as the Spirit directs and they must not turn to the right or to the left. There must be no variableness or shadow cast by turning, even as the Lord Himself (Jms. 1:17). They will set their face, even as the face of the cherubim, in whatever di­rection the Spirit shows and then proceed without wavering and without turning.

 

And then we notice that Ezekiel saw fire in the midst of the living creatures. So will the Lord be in our midst con­stantly as a living, consuming fire, to continually purge and cleanse. As a refining fire will the Lord sit in this day that His people may be purified from all defilement and be prepared to offer to Him an offering in righteousness (Mal. 3:3). So will the fire of His Spirit burn in our midst, and no sin will be allowed to continue unnoticed and unchecked, for a little leaven leavens the whole, and the Lord will purge out from the midst of His people all the leaven of malice and wicked­ness (ICor. 5:8).

Consider further: the legs of the living creatures were as burnished brass and straight as pillars. Likewise, the Lord is building His Church in this end-time and He is placing in that Church those who are to be pillars, even those who have overcome all the defilements of the flesh. There will be those in our Churches who will be recognized as pillars. They will be strong ones in the Lord and those who can be depended on and whom the weak ones can lean on. Notice that the feet of the living creatures were like those of a calf (1:7). The calf is one who is created to serve others by providing milk and nourishment. Those who are pillars in the Church will provide sustenance and support to all who have need. They shall make the Body of Christ strong in the Lord. They shall not waver in times of testing, but they shall be steadfast and uphold all who are in need.

 

Now we come to what Ezekiel saw beside each of the liv­ing creatures. There was that which he described as a wheel within a wheel, and each wheel had a rim full of eyes (1:15-18). These wheels moved when the living creatures moved and stood still when the living creatures stood, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels (1:20-21). This tells us that they were one, picturing only a different phase of the same truth. The living creatures picture His plan for the Body of Christ as a whole, but the wheels represent the indi­vidual units or cells of the Body as they are gathered together in a particular geographical locality. They are one with the whole Body, and yet they are separate in location. The Lord will cause His Body to find its expression and function in individual cell units.

 

Each cell unit or local assembly of saints shall begin with what Ezekiel saw as a wheel within a wheel. The inner wheel comes first and corresponds to the nucleus of a cell in the human body. That nucleus is the heart and substance of the cell, around which the rest of the cell is formed. Each local cell unit will begin with a nucleus which the Lord will firmly establish and join together. This nucleus will begin meeting in a specified meeting place, often a home because of its con­venience and availability. This nucleus shall meet to minis­ter to the Lord in praise and in worship. The Lord will join together those He wants in each nucleus. Each person will seek His directive to determine where the Lord wants him to be. No one will seek his own will or desire but only God's Will. A nucleus can begin with two or three families meeting in a home on the Lord's day. Those meeting together will subject themselves together in love, none seeking to domi­nate or force his will on the others. Mutual fellowship in the Lord and study of the Word will constitute the basis for each meeting.

 

If not immediately available, in due time the Lord will send one of His ministries to teach each nucleus what the Lord would have them to know. In time also the Lord will send one of His apostles to set this nucleus in divine order and to appoint those who are to be the overseers or elders of that group. They will be willing to receive those the Lord sends to them and let Him establish them as the Lord purposes. They shall not try to do something in their own wisdom and strength, but they shall wait on His counsel and leading and let Him provide that which they need, and let Him minister to them as He directs by His Spirit.

 

In the process of time, and only at His direction, the Lord will have each nucleus that is firmly knit and joined together, and firmly established in His divine order with its local over­seers, to move out into a more public meeting place which will be accessible to all whom the Lord would draw by His Spirit. The Book of Acts shows that the early Church met in the Temple and broke bread from house to house (Acts 2:46, 5:42). Also, Paul states to the Ephesian elders that he taught them pub­licly and in homes (Acts 20:20). The Lord would have two kinds of meetings for His people. When they are ready, and at His direction, the Lord will have them occupy a public place of some kind where all will feel free to come and where sinners will come to know the Lord. The Lord would also have His people continue to meet in the homes of one or more, depending on the size and need, in order that they might break bread and let the whole Body minister, with each having his part, as it is written in the Word (I Cor. 14:26).

 

After the nucleus, or inner wheel, has moved out at the direction of the Spirit to quarters that are conducive to larger growth, and which is more accessible to all, then the Lord shall begin to add others to the nucleus to form a complete cell or unit. This corresponds to the other part of the wheel which Ezekiel saw, revolving around the inner wheel; one wheel but with inner and outer components. This plan will not work until the nucleus is firmly established and joined together, so that nothing will be able to destroy it. Then, and only then, is it ready to become the functioning center of a larger cell which the Lord shall build around it. No nucleus should move out to become the heart of a further work of God until it has received the directive of the Lord.

 

Now let's consider the eyes which Ezekiel saw on the rim which stood above and encircled the wheel (1:18). The eyes represent the local overseers or elders which will have the oversight of each cell unit. Do we not think that the Lord is capable of providing the leadership which we need? Do we question His judgment in raising up from our own number those who are to be set in as the "governments" of His body? The time has come for His house to be set in order accord­ing to His Plan, that it might function according to His direc­tion and not according to the direction of man. The time has come for His ministries to give up the little kingdoms which they have built for themselves and let Jesus use them to minister to His Body as He chooses. His ministries are not meant to work only in one place indefinitely and usurp the function given to the local overseers of each cell. The Lord wants His ministries to cease trying to build something for themselves and let Him use them wherever He chooses. How long a ministry shall serve in a particular place is entirely up to the Lord and not according to his own desires or wishes.

 

And now for a final factor in the vision which Ezekiel saw. It is the way that the wheels and the bodies of the living crea­tures functioned together as one unit, moving only at the be­hest of His Spirit. Let me repeat that this plan is for a people who are willing to be completely led by His Spirit. It will not work unless each ministry will go only where the Lord di­rects, and unless each member of the Body is willing to let the Lord set them in the place He has chosen for them, seek­ing always His mind in everything. So shall the whole body of Christ everywhere function as one, with the ministries fol­lowing through and working with the whole Body at what­ever place the Spirit directs, and with the mutual fellowship and participation of all the members in whatever place and whatever function the Lord will determine for them.

 

 

 

 

GATHERING OF THE SAINTS
 

The gathering of the Lord's saints is progressing. He will gather together into ONE BODY in this end-time those who have truly covenanted to­gether with Him to do His will, and to lay themselves completely on His altar of sacrifice. It will require a sacrifice to do that which He purposes in this last day. Those who are unwilling to make this sacrifice will find a place in His scheme of things for this day, but they will not be a part of that end-time Body that shall be filled with the fullness of the Lord's glory. For He will take one here and one there and bring them to Zion, the true spiritual city, and He will cause them to dwell in Jerusalem (peace) and they will build up the walls and set in order those things which are lacking. And they will see His workings in their midst to erect an end-time temple that will be glorious beyond all that has been before. The Lord will cause them to rejoice, and great will be the joy and the singing in their midst. Truly a sacrifice of joy will they make to their God. For He is gathering together those on whom He will pour out His Spirit, and the Lord will come to them as the latter rain, in showers of blessing as never before. They will be a people on whom the glory of their God is seen, and the joy and rejoicing in their midst will be something to behold.

Small groups will be gathered together to subject them­selves to the Lord's Will and seek His face. He will show them that which they must do. He will have a people who will let Him purge them completely from all that which hin­ders and defiles, and He will bring them forth in these last days as a purified people, ready to do that which He will com­mission them to do. They will go forth as a mighty army to conquer and to gain a great victory for the Lord. It will be a glorious church with all spots and blemishes removed and all wrinkles taken away.

Gather together and abandon your former associations. For how can the Lord draw you completely to Himself when your loyalties are divided? You must be willing to be gath­ered together with those whom He has given the same vision and same understanding. Can two walk together unless they be agreed (Amos 3:3)? Will you agree to walk in the fullness of the Lord's glory and perfection for this last day? Then withdraw from those who would hold you back. And let the Lord join you to those whom He has chosen. Seek not to join yourselves to anyone or anything. Let the Lord join you together and no man will be able to divide you asunder.

Those whom the Lord will join together will be joined according to His Plan and purpose for each one. You must let Him set you in the place He wants you. None must aspire to the place that belongs to another. Subject yourselves to Him and to one another so that He may make you one Body in the Lord. Join not yourselves but let the Lord join you to those whom He has chosen, and accept the place where He fits you.

 

 

MINISTERS AND ELDERS

 

The Lord will restore that which the devourer, even Satan, has taken away from God's people. For only as there is a restoration of that which has been lost, can there be a fulfillment of that which the Lord has purposed. Once again, the Lord will eat the good of the land and enjoy the fruit of that which He has given them. He will restore true shepherds to His people and He will cause to cease the false shepherds and remove them from being shepherds over His people. And He will raise up shepherds who will feed the flock and lead the sheep into that good land that has been prepared for them.

Who are those shepherds? They are the ministries who are called and ordained by the Lord, that they should feed His sheep and lead them by the still waters where they may drink and be refreshed, and into green pastures where they can lie down and find rest. The Lord's true ministries will be restored to His people, even apostles and prophets, evan­gelists, pastors and teachers. There are five in number just as the fingers on our hands. As a shepherd uses his hands to care for the sheep, so will the "hands" of the Lord's minis­tries care for those who have been committed to them. Those who have been ordained to care for the sheep when the min­istries have done that work committed to them are those lo­cal elders whom the Lord will raise up from the midst of His people. They will care for the flock and shepherd them. And from time to time, as the need arises, He will send one of His ministries to strengthen and help the people. But, when the ministry has gone, then the elders will shepherd the people.

These two groups will work together for the benefit of God's people. The ministries will lift up the elders and help them, and the elders will uphold those ministries that are sent to them. Thus the two work together for the upbuilding of God's people. The ministries will not usurp the place of the elders, neither will the elders try to fulfill the place of a ministry. For both are needed. And the Lord's people will not be torn between those who want to dominate on the one hand, and those who aspire to that which has not been given to them on the other. Again, there is need of both.

The ministries will have greater ability in the Word and in the gifts of the Lord's grace; and so they will have to be care­ful not to dominate the flock and fail to give them a chance to develop in that which He has given to each one. Likewise, when no ministry is present, the elders are also to help the members of the body to grow and develop in that which has been allotted to them.

Through the direction of the Spirit, the Lord will cause His ministries to flow throughout the whole Body, so that the benefit of that which He has given to them will be ministered to all and not just to a few. Therefore each ministry will be free to obey the Lord and go where He sends and to do that which is needed in a certain place among God's people. Then He may lead him on to another place where there is need. These ministries will be free to go where the Lord directs, that whatever He sees is needed may be met by those He sends. He also does not want the ministries hired out or under any obligation to any group whereby they will be unable to move at the behest of His Spirit. They are to be sup­ported by the free will offerings of the people so that their needs may be met and they may be free to minister where He places them.

When His ministries do minister to a certain local group, they will not seek to take all the prerogatives of shepherding to themselves, but they will work with the local shepherds to build up God's people. Neither will they seek to usurp the place given to the elders, but they will respect that position to which the elders have been called and not try to take away that which belongs to them. A ministry will only come to strengthen that which needs to be strengthened and not to tear down.

When a ministry has finished that which the Lord will have sent him to do in a certain place, then he must be sensitive to the Spirit to know when the Lord would have him leave and where He would have him go next. And the elders set over the local flocks must be sensitive to receive those ministries which the Lord will send to them, that they may recognize that spiritual authority and ministry given them by the Lord and not seek to keep that ministry from fulfilling their call­ing.

Where can you find a plan more perfect than this? Minis­tries can work for the good and the upbuilding of the local body, whether it be in the realm of establishing and setting aright those things which are not in order, or speaking forth the prophetic word in realms where there is ignorance of God's Plan and purpose, or ministering in the realm of deliverance and outreach for the cause of the Gospel, or binding up and helping in the realms where the local elders have not been adequate, or in breaking down God's Word so that it can be assimilated by all who hear. There is a ministry for every need. God is capable of sending in those ministries who will be able to meet that need.

This is a spiritual plan which can work only among a people who are willing to be led by the Lord's Spirit. But who is wise enough by carnal reasoning to determine who should be where and what ministry is needed? Only the Lord, Head of the Body, can direct all the members of that Body, including the ministries that He calls and sends forth. Only in a people who are completely willing to abandon their old ways and let the Lord teach them anew will this plan work. Only in a people who are willing to recognize Him as the sovereign head of His church and the director of all its ways will this work. Where can such a people be found? God's people have become perverted by the ways of man and what man can do by his wisdom and skill. This is an abomination to the Lord. He seeks for a people who will submit themselves to Him and learn His ways. (Until the Latter Day outpouring of the Holy Spirit, this probably will not be found, because it is to be in the pattern of that which followed the outpouring of the Spirit at the time of the first Pentecost described in the Acts of the Apostles.)

 

 

THE GLORY OF THE LORD

 

The glory of the Lord will be manifest in these last days. And what is that glory? It is the manifesta­tion of God's Presence in the midst of His people. It brings with it the fullness of His power to deliver, to cleanse, to redeem, to transform, to fulfill all His promises to His people. And, it makes them to be what the Lord has pur­posed, and it causes them to go forth in that which He has determined.

God's glory will return when a body has been prepared to receive it. At the beginning of this age, a physical body was prepared to receive the glory in the Person of the Lord of Glory, even the very Son of the Father (Heb. 10:5). And those who saw Him beheld the glory of their God (Jn. 1:14). So in this day, the Lord is preparing a spiritual body to receive the glory which He will bring to His people (Eph. 1:22-23). But First that Body must be set in divine order as He has or­dained, and that Body must be complete in all of its parts. It must function at the directive of His Spirit, and be completely subject to His headship. Then, and only then, will He fill that Body with the fullness of His glory.

We read of the glory of the Lord that was manifested with the living creatures in Ezekiel's vision (Ezek. 1:4,28). These living creatures are a picture of the reality and perfection of that end-time Body which the Lord will raise up to Him­self. If you will read the account of the departure of the Lord's glory from the sanctuary, as recorded in Ezekiel 8-11, you will notice that the glory cloud was moving with the living crea­tures as they were lifted up from that sanctuary which had become polluted by the ways and traditions of man. God's glory cannot be associated with anything that is not accord­ing to His divine will. For it is written that He was driven off from His sanctuary by the abominations that were committed there (Ezek. 8:6}. He has also been driven away from the churches of this day so that the fullness of His glory is not seen among them. Why? Because they have polluted His sanctuary by their traditions and their man-made ways.

Know assuredly that the Lord will not return until He finds a body of people who will be joined together according to His ways. Then He will cause that body to become a glorious temple to Him, and that temple will be filled with His glory. Consider the words spoken to Ezekiel the Prophet in the clos­ing chapters of Ezekiel (40-48), as a vision is given to him of the new Temple which will be built. That which was given to Ezekiel contains many truths which are not to be made known at this time, for it concerns that which will transpire in future ages. But one thing that. Temple, ordered and mea­sured according to God's directive, does represent and typify, is the end-time body or temple which the Lord will raise up to Himself and fill with His glory. Ezekiel saw the glory of God return to this new Temple (43:2-5, 44:4) even as he had seen it depart from the old polluted one (10:18-19). This is a picture of that which the Lord will do. The glory has de­parted from the polluted church systems of this day, but the glory will return to the end-time temple.

 

 

 

SPIRITUAL OPERATION OF THE BODY

 

Let us consider the way in which the Lord wants His Body to operate as it gathers together for worship and fellowship. First, they are to praise Him with their whole hearts, forgetting everything that occupies their minds and their attention and seeking to make Him the cen­ter of their worship and devotion. He is a jealous God, and He wants His people to be undivided in their thoughts as they come to worship Him. He wants them to draw near to Him as they praise Him from their hearts and as they sing and make melody from their hearts to Him. It is writ­ten that if His people will draw near to Him, He will draw near to them (Jms. 4:8). The Body cannot function and minister as the Lord chooses when He is not in the midst to direct and control all things, and to bless by His Presence. God's people must worship and praise Him from the depths of their hearts, entering into His courts and drawing near to Him. Then, and only then, can He make Himself avail­able to direct and bless in the midst of those who gather to­gether in His Name.

Then the Lord would have them pray to Him and make known the petitions of their hearts. Having drawn near to Him in praise and worship, His Spirit will draw near and move on the hearts of His people to utter to Him prayers that are born of the anointing of His Spirit. Even so will those He moves on open their mouths and intercede on behalf of the Body, and cause the whole Body to be lifted to the throne of Grace and receive the guidance that is needed for the meeting. Also, people should pour out their hearts to Him for those needs and burdens which He places on their hearts, and make known those petitions which are quickened to their understanding by the moving of the Spirit in their midst. As His people yield themselves to be instruments of heart-felt, Spirit-directed prayer, He is enabled to move by His Spirit to bring into their midst the directive and the min­istry that is needed. So are the people lifted and strength­ened and blessed as their prayers ascend to the Lord as sweet incense.

And then God's people should yield themselves to Him to be used in the ministry of the gifts of His Spirit to edify and strengthen the Body. The gifts are for the upbuilding of the saints and for the fitting of the Body for the service which He has ordained. These gifts minister the blessings of God's grace through the supernatural utterance, or supernatural operation, or supernatural deliverance of the gifts of His grace. God's people are also to search His Word and let Him speak through those whom He has set to be teachers in their midst. For His Word is that which will nourish and sustain them and make them fit vessels for His use. Spend much time seeking the Lord in His Word and let it dwell richly in your hearts as you share that which the Lord has shown you. All may participate in the ministry of the Word as prompted by the moving of the Lord's Spirit.

The Lord has those who are prepared and ready to minis­ter that which He has shown for each meeting. By being sensitive to His Spirit, He will direct you to that which He would have you consider for each meeting. Sometimes a directive will be given through prophetic utterance as to the nature and content of that which is to be brought forth. At other times He gives the key to someone ahead of time who will have done some preparation along a certain line of teach­ing which He will quicken to that person in the meeting. Sometimes ministries present will be shown ahead of time what the ministry of the Word is to be for the meeting. All are to be subject to one another and seek the mind of the Spirit, letting Him bring forth the ministry of the Word which is ordered for your edification each time you gather together.

As you gather together God's people are also to remem­ber to give of their material substance for the support of those who have been called and sent forth. They are to give to those who have been ordained to speak forth His message for this hour, and to those who have been sent forth to minister in His Name. For as you give so will He bless you. You are to share with those who are in need and give to those causes which are doing a worthy work to the praise of His glory.

You are also to minister to Him by breaking bread and participating in the communion. God's people are to regu­larly remember Him in the keeping of the Lord's Supper. This need not be made a part of every meeting but only when He gives direction by His Spirit. This should always be a time of special dedication and heart-searching; you should con­sider seriously the meaning of this observance. Much ben­efit to the whole Body can be gained if it is entered into with understanding, discernment and yielding to Him. But much judgment can come if you do not fully enter into the reality of the sacrifice which the emblems represent, and if you fail to appropriate the cleansing and healing which they depict. It should be a special time of heart-searching, confes­sion and petition.

When you come together, do not seek to minister except as the Lord enables you and directs you by His Spirit; and be careful not to interject that which is of your own flesh and your own desires. Those He has set in the Body to guide and shepherd will be quick to discern and quick to correct that which is not in harmony with the Spirit. All should be ready to minister as the Spirit directs, that each meeting may be a glorious experience in the Presence and fellowship of our Blessed Lord and Savior.

This picture of the ingathering of the saints is not meant to be some kind of schedule as if the things mentioned were always to follow a certain order or pattern. There are a variety of ways in which meetings may progress as directed by the Holy Spirit. I have just presented those elements which may be a part of the ministry of the Body of Christ as we gather in His Name.

 

 

WHAT DOES GOD WANT?

 

The preceding articles begin to throw some light on what God wants for His church in this end-time. Having begun to see the light by revelation of the Spirit, let us be very careful not to try to fulfill that which we have seen by the wisdom and energies of the flesh. These articles emphasize that this is a spiritual plan for a people who are willing to be completely led by the Spirit. What the Lord has revealed He will fulfill and accomplish if we will just make ourselves available and obey Him in every­thing He shows us to do.

What the Lord has been willing to put up with and even use in a measure in the past is different from what He wants today. God is a perfectionist and He will not settle for any­thing less than His perfect order for His church. This church age cannot end until that which is revealed in His Word is fulfilled. The times of our ignorance God has overlooked, but now He commands us to repent and change our ways in light of that which He is revealing. To say we were walking in God's revealed light last year does not mean we are walking in His full revealed light today. We must continue to walk in the light as the Lord gives us further understanding and illu­mination of that which He wants. If we feel we have arrived at the ultimate of what God wants then we will surely miss His perfect will for His people in the closing years of this church age. What we have known in the past is not sufficient for now, and what we know now will not be sufficient for the tomorrows. Only as we walk in the (full) light of that which He is revealing, and will continue to reveal, can we have (full) fellowship with one another and continue to progress in His plan for this end-time.

Of one thing we can be sure. God is not interested in try­ing to remake the old. The church systems of the past have served their purpose, and are still serving a certain purpose, but they are old garments on which God is not going to put a new patch, and old wineskins into which He is not go­ing to pour His new wine (Mk. 2:22}. The Lord wants local churches established according to His Divine Plan and or­der. He wants a people who are willing to come out of that which they have known before and begin to walk in the new light He is giving for His people in this hour.

As you consider these articles, you will see that they reveal that which the Lord wants when His Body begins to function in His divine order, with each local assembly or cell unit hav­ing come to the place where elders are set in by the Holy Spirit, and where the ministries are being led of the Spirit to minister wherever the Lord directs and for as long as He deems wise. We must remember that we are now in a period of transition and very few local churches or assemblies are functioning in God's divine order. Therefore we must be patient and let the Lord set His house in order as He reveals His Plan. We must not try to do or to build something on our own. Those who want to be a part of that which the Lord is doing should meet together with others of like mind and seek the Lord earnestly for His directive, waiting for Him to send the ministries they need. If the Lord directs them to call for a particular ministry to help them they may do so. In the Lord's time and providence that ministry will be sent.

Any ministry may be used to help begin a local assembly or church, but only an apostle can appoint those who are to be the elders, and this only by the revelation of the Spirit. Great havoc has been wrought by man-appointed elders as well as man-appointed ministries. There should be no at­tempt to ordain elders in a certain place until the Holy Spirit appoints them through apostolic calling. Any ministry who is used of the Lord to help establish a local church retains the official and spiritual authority over that group until the Holy Spirit sets in elders. The ministry then relinquishes his sole authority and works with the elders or shepherds to build up the Body of Christ in that place. He will continue to come forth with greater spiritual authority because of the ministry which the Lord has given to him, but his official authority will be limited to that of an elder among elders. After the Holy Spirit has set in elders, the ministry must be sensitive to the Spirit to know how long they are to continue their minis­try in a certain place, realizing that the Lord may want them to minister to other groups and to send other ministries where they have been.

 

THE HARVEST OF THE AGE

 

There is a time of sowing and there is a time of reaping (Rev. 14:15}. The Lord has prepared and waited patiently for this day as a farmer waits and works for the harvest of his crops. For the harvest of the earth is ripe, and the sickle will be put in to reap.

What is that sickle? It is the sickle of truth which will go forth in power in these last days. It is God's Word which will go forth and that Word shall not return to Him void (Isa. 55:11). He will send that Word forth with power and author­ity through vessels especially prepared for the hour—vessels that have been made ready by Him that He may use them as instruments of His purpose. Are you ready? The hour is at hand!

There is more than one harvest. There is a harvest that will result from the planting of the Lord's righteous seed of truth, and there is a harvest which will come from the seed which the enemy has planted—even the seed and harvest of iniquity. Iniquity will be harvested by iniquity; and truth will be harvested with truth. The Lord will raise up reapers from the iniquitous lands of godlessness into which He will give the sickle of destruction, and they will go forth to reap a great harvest in that day. The planting of the enemy is coming to its fullness and the harvest of iniquity is almost ripe; a great harvest of evil shall be reaped in that day as the Lord sends forth His mighty army of reapers to kill and destroy, even as they harvest the vine of the earth and cast it into the winepress of the wrath of Almighty God.

One of the reapers the Lord raised up in these times was the mighty reaper of Communism. We are all aware that the symbol of Communism was that of the hammer and sickle. This sickle will also be used to reap the harvest of iniquity throughout the world. The sickle itself will be destroyed in the very act of its use. The Lord will send it forth to be cast into the fiery furnace of His righteous indignation; for after it has been used, the Lord will turn and destroy that which He has used. Yet there will be other "sickles" raised up which the Lord will also use to reap in this end-time.

The sickle of truth will bring forth its harvest at the same time that the sickle of iniquity is doing its work—one a great harvest of righteousness unto life, and the other a great har­vest of evil unto death. But the harvest unto life will be great, as multitudes turn to the Lord this coming day. And He will cause them to know His ways, and they will seek Him with their whole heart, and a great harvest will be brought forth. It is the consummation and fulfillment of all that the Lord has worked and prepared for from the time that the good seed was sown by the Son of Man (Matt. 13:24). And now it will come to fruition. Many are the vessels that will be pre­pared for these days that the Lord might have instruments with which to reap the harvest of the earth.

The harvest will be twofold. First, the Firstfruits which have been especially prepared by the Lord will be "cut out" of the harvest field of the earth - even in this end-time—and will be taken into the heavenly realm, and then the main harvest will begin. Those who have been left to do the har­vesting work, as well as those who are harvested during the time of Great Tribulation, will be received by the Lord at the close of the age when the harvesting work is done. Those who have been received before the Tribulation, even as a Firstfruits to their God, will help the reapers as they are sent forth. For they shall encompass them and protect them and speak to them that they may be empowered and forti­fied against all the forces which would come against them in that day.

But what about those who will not be harvested to life and glory in the heavenly kingdom at the close of the Tribu­lation? There will be those in that day who shall not be ready and ripe to be "plucked out" of the earth and gathered into the heavenly barn. They will be protected in that day so that they may continue to ripen and grow into that maturity that the Lord has planned for them. They will enter into immor­tality on the earth where they will continue to progress in God's Plan. Not all who will turn to the Lord in that day will be ready to enter the heavenly kingdom. Many who will turn to Him will not be ready to be harvested into the heavenly realm and glory. They will be left in the field of the earth to continue to progress in that which the Lord has cho­sen for them. It is written that Elisha was left behind when Elijah was caught up into heaven (II Ki. 2:12). And, there are those like Elisha who see their companions going to be with the Lord and are left behind. As Elijah was taken up in the sight of Elisha, so will the Lord take up a host in that day who will be seen as they go. And those who are left behind will immediately pick up the mantle of those who are taken, and they will enter into the power of the glorified ones who were received out of their sight, and, crossing "Jordan" on dry ground they will enter into immortality on the earth, and they will wield the power granted to those who shall be without death in their physical bodies.

Thus, that which the Lord has planned for this earth will see its initial fulfillment. Those ready to enter into immor­tality in physical bodies as the host of saints are taken will be the forerunners and firstfruits of that which will become the common inheritance of those who walk uprightly before Him during the great "millennium of peace." Many will enter into deathless life on the earth in physical bodies as the Lord origi­nally intended them to be, and they will continue to live with­out death for hundreds of years, even indefinitely until that time comes for them to be translated from the earthly to the heavenly. And in that day, His truth will be made known concerning that which is required to enter into immortality in human flesh; for this is the "gospel," or good news, which will be preached in that day. And the earth will become popu­lated with those who know no death or disease or suffering of any kind.

But first the harvest of this age must be completed before the next age can begin. For the harvest of one age is the seedtime of the next, and that which the Lord sows at the beginning reaches its consummation at the end. So, at the very time that the saints are to be harvested into the heavenly kingdom, the immortal ones will be manifested on the earth to plant the seed for the age impending, when a great host will enter into immortality in human flesh. And that age will also see its harvest when those who have entered into immortality will be gathered into the heavenly kingdom as they are translated from the earthly to the heavenly realm. God's Plan is ever progressive, reaching ever higher planes of advancement toward the ultimate goal which He has de­termined when His plan was fully worked out before the foun­dation of the world. Many ages must yet come and go before the final work which is determined will come to pass.

 

The veil of darkness is lifting, and that which has been hid from previous ages and generations is now being made known. So prepare your hearts, for you have much to learn. I cannot give it to you all at once lest you stumble at the magnitude of revelation and not be able to understand or assimilate.

 

 

THE MANCHILD COMPANY

 

The Lord is moving by His Spirit to bring about the fulfillment of that which is recorded in His Word. A manchild shall be born and caught up to the throne of God {Rev. 12:5}. A woman is shown as clothed with the sun and the moon is under her feet, and a crown of stars is on her head. The Lord will bring to­gether into one, a glorious church which shall be clothed with spiritual power, and with all that is of the soul, or self-life, put in subjection under her feet. She will function in the fullness of His covenant which is shown by the crown of stars on her head. That has its archetype in heaven, even a glorious church. When this church begins to function in the fullness of Divine Power, having been conformed in all things to that Divine way and order set forth in God's Word, then out of the womb of that church will come forth that which is described as "a manchild." This manchild represents that mature and perfected group or company which shall come forth to minister in power in these last days.

The man is a type and picture of the spirit which indwells the physical body, and the woman is a type and picture of the soul which envelops the spirit and interpenetrates the physi­cal body. As Eve was to be in subjection to Adam, so is the soul which is the seat of desire and emotion to be subject to the indwelling spirit which is begotten of God. As the woman represents the glorious church, so does this portray that state or condition among God's people who have not yet come to maturity. Though the woman is shown to have the moon under her feet (the moon being also a symbol of the soul), she is still reflecting from that spiritual power in which she is clothed, the soulish or moon state of imperfection and immaturity. Glorious, yes, but not fully perfected. Thus we have the double witness of her still somewhat soulish condi­tion by the fact that the moon of the soul is still in the pic­ture, and by the fact that she is represented as a woman, which is also a type of the soul.

You can now understand why that which comes forth from the woman is pictured as a manchild. It shows that the group or company which comes forth has come into that minimum of perfection or fullness which the Lord requires. And as the man is a type of the indwelling spirit which is to rule the house or home of the physical body, so does the manchild represent that maturity and fullness which is necessary to come forth in power in that ministry ordained for these last days. We also read that the manchild is caught up to the throne of God (Rev. 12:5). A throne is symbolic of power and authority. Those in the manchild company will be vested with power to do a mighty work for the Lord in these last days.

Now I will show you a mystery not readily seen by those who would understand God's purposes for this company. The manchild company, being the firstborn of that which will come forth in power, is to be divided even as the "firstfruits" are divided into the sheaf which is cut and taken out of the harvest field, and the firstfruits which are left in the earth to act as a ferment of truth and righteousness until the work of the harvest time is complete. The manchild shall be caught up to power and authority in two distinct companies. First, there will be those of the Firstfruits who will be translated and caught up into the heavenlies to receive a commission to function in power in the realms beyond the veil. These shall be the 144,000 of Revelation 14:1. They will no longer be functioning in physical bodies, but in glorified bodies, and they will minister during the Tribulation from the vantage of the heavenly realm, Mount Zion, which is a type of the heav­enly and true spiritual Kingdom of Christ. They will be working with that other portion of the manchild which is left on earth and which will be caught up to a position of power and authority and commissioned to do a work on the earth while yet in their physical bodies. This is the second fulfillment of the manchild being caught up to the throne of God. For both groups it is a catching up, but one to the heavenly and the other to the earthly authority and power.

This is portrayed in the Scripture by the manchild being caught up to the throne of God. Then, the dragon makes war with the remnant or remainder of the seed or offspring of the woman (Rev. 12:17). This remnant is that portion of the manchild company which is left on the earth to go forth in power in the last days, and they will be helped by the other portion or group which has been caught up to the heavenlies. Those in the heavenlies will have the power to appear and to speak to those who are yet on the earth. And they will be able to give them that protection and guidance which they will need in that day.

This is portrayed by the fact that a double portion was given to the firstborn (Deut. 21:17). The Lord will also have a double portion company in these last days. This double por­tion is symbolized by the heavenly and the earthly. One portion of the firstborn manchild will be in the heavenlies oper­ating in power in that realm, and the other portion of the manchild will operate in the earthly realm in that ministry which will be committed to them.

 

 

 

THE PLAGUES AND THE TRUMPETS

 

That which is spoken of in the Scriptures as the "Day of the Lord" is now at hand. It has already begun to dawn. The Lord is coming to His people as the rising of the morning sun. Only those who are awake when the dawn begins to break are able to see the light. Oth­ers are still asleep, and though the light is dawning, they are still in darkness. It is written in God's Word that He calls for you to "Awake and arise, and Christ shall give you light" (Eph. 5:14). Awake, for even now the day dawns, and the daystar is arising in your hearts to give light and understanding for this time (II Pet. 1:19).

For those not awake to see the light, it will be a time of gross and intense darkness such as the world has never seen, even as the darkness which covered the land of Egypt, for three days did darkness cover the land. So will there be three years of intense darkness on the earth, for the Lord has decreed a day for a year (Ezek. 4:6). Men will grope as blind men and will not be able to find the way, for the Lord will send them a spirit of delusion because they are now refusing the light and truth. Therefore will judgment be on them in that hour. As the plagues were on the land of Egypt, so will the plagues be on this earth. But the Lord will sepa­rate a place for His people even as He separated the land of Goshen in the land of Egypt. There will be a place of safety and there shall be light (understanding) of all the Lord's ways in that day, so that His people shall not be left in dark­ness as to what to do and where to go.

As the Lord called for the Israelites through Moses to pre­pare for the darkness and to call on the Name of their God, even so does He call for us in this hour to prepare for the darkness which is coming; for this is the day of prepara­tion. "Prepare [ ] the way of the Lord and make His paths straight" that you may know and see the way in that day. Make no provision for fleshly ways, but make provision for the life of the Spirit, and give yourself wholly to Him, that you may be a trumpet in this hour. The trumpets of Revelation are now being unfolded, and a trumpet of warning is going forth to warn people of the coming day of battle. So lift up your voice like a trumpet and prepare His people.

It is written that there were ten plagues which fell on Egypt. So is the Lord bringing ten plagues on this world. Four of the plagues have come to pass (in a measure only—complete fulfillment awaits the Tribulation). Six are yet to come. The last plague will be the worst as the vials of wrath are poured out, and there shall be a great destruction in the land. A great cry and wail shall go up. As the Lord delivered His people when the death angel struck in the land of Egypt, so in the coming latter days, the Lord will deliver those who have the blood of their Savior sprinkled on their hearts, It is written that Moses led the people out of Egypt in that day. Even so will the Lord lead and take a great host out of the world that they may be joined to Him in the heavenly king­dom. Now is the day of preparation. Those taken to Him will be His inheritance, and they will rule and reign with Him over the earth as He brings all things into harmony with His Will.

Of the six remaining plagues that will come on the world, two are yet to come before the Great Tribulation, and the last four shall run simultaneously throughout the Tribula­tion, even the approximate three years of great terror and darkness. And there will be a great slaughter on the earth as multitudes are killed in the battle of the great Day of God. The battle will begin shortly after the half way mark in the three and one half years described in Revelation 11-13. It will continue throughout a period of almost 21 months even to the end of the age. After the three and one half years have run their course and God's people have been drawn and lifted out of the world, then will the seven vials consummate all things and bring great destruction so that there will be few men left (Isa. 13:12). For the earth shall be covered with her slain in that day (Ezek. 39:12-14).

Now let me explain to you the seven trumpets of Revela­tion. Although there will be plagues of destruction taking place during the blowing of the seven trumpets, yet the trum­pets themselves herald progressive stages of God's dealing with His people during that time. The ten plagues which come on the world are not mentioned as such in the Book of Revelation, but are continually taking place during the time of the seven trumpets. That which is described as taking place during the first six trumpets portrays God's dealing with His people to awaken them and to bring them to the place where He can use them during the Tribulation period.

The Tribulation period itself is synonymous with the blow­ing of the seventh trumpet, for this is the time that His people will go forth with power to reap a great harvest on the earth. This is also the time that the final four plagues will be falling on the inhabitants of the earth. By means of the events which unfold during the blowing of the seven trumpets, He is trumpeting a message of preparation to His people, for by means of a trumpet were His people of old called to battle. The trumpets are now sounding for the preparation of the battle of the great day of God Almighty. And as the trumpets are blowing and various events are taking place on the world scene, He is trying to awaken people with trumpet blasts. Even now the forces of the nether world are being unleashed to bring greater evil on the earth, so that God's people will see the signs of the time and awaken to their time of preparation.

God's Word is rich and many-sided. One application does not exhaust its fulfillment. Since God conforms everything to a basic pattern, there will be many phases of fulfillment to the types-in-truth which are portrayed in the Scriptures. From one point of application there is a continuous fulfillment of the plagues during the over-all end time period. From another shorter and more intensive application the plagues are yet future and will take place during the time of Great Tribulation yet to come. The fulfillment of the plagues can also be seen from yet other perspectives, but I will not try to explore this subject at the present time. Needless to say, God is now bringing, and will bring, judgment on this world, which is typified by Egypt of old, that the great Pharaoh (Satan) will be forced to let the people of God go free that they may serve Him.

 

 

THE FIFTH TRUMPET

 

"Where does the world stand now, says the Lord? Is there no one who can reveal that which the Lord would make known to His people concerning those events which are about to break upon the earth? Is there no one to proclaim that the time has come for the hosts of Satan to come swarming out of the pit where they have been confined? (Rev. 9:1-3). Do you not know that I have limited the activity of the nether world lest man would be corrupted beyond meas­ure? But do you not realize that I am now going to unleash the forces of the pit in order that man may be tested in a way that has never happened before? Even now the way is being prepared for the final stages of that which I have pur­posed to do. Even now I am making ready my heavenly armada to contend with the forces of Satan which are going to be allowed free access to mankind to bring about the final scenes of the age-long battle which has been raging since the time of the fall.

Where in my Word do you find a picture of this un­leashing of the Satanic hosts of wickedness which have been restrained heretofore? For I say, I have limited the number and activity of the evil spirits in times past lest my plan would be subverted. But I am now ready to allow the full number of Satan's legions to be given full reign on the earth to bring to pass the fullness of iniquity in this day. And much fear shall grip the inhabitants of the earth as they see the results of this unleashing. For out of the bottomless pit I will allow the hosts of the nether world to come and prey on the inhabitants of the earth. The wickedness of man shall become great as he succumbs to the subtleties of the enemy, and great shall be the perversions of truth and distortions of righteousness as the nether world makes its final impact on an unsuspecting and unreadied mankind.

Do you not read in my Word that when the fifth trumpet sounds the pit is opened and the invisible hosts of darkness are given freedom to attack the inhabitants of the earth? (Rev. 9:1-11). And do they not have a king over them who is called Abaddon? (Rev. 9:11), And is not this king a type of Satan who is leading the evil spirits in their warfare? And do you not read that the likeness of those creatures who were released was as the likeness of locusts? (Rev. 9:3). And do not locusts devastate everything in their path? And shall not the unleashing of these Satanic hosts bring a great scourge on mankind until there is nothing left of value? (from the strictly human perspective). I say to you, hear that which I speak to you, for even now is the fifth trumpet blowing, and even now the evil spirits are being released from the pit. They are being released gradually lest that which I purpose be precipitated too soon. And they shall continue to be released throughout the blowing of the fifth trumpet. For the number five is the number of liberty and freedom. Even so am I giving increased liberty to the forces of Satan to subvert the masses of the world that my plan shall reach its consummation in this time.

Now consider the effects of these tormenting spirits on the inhabitants of the earth. Does the scripture not say that they were tormented five months? (Rev. 9:5). And is this not again a picture of the liberty of access which the evil spirits shall have over a period of time? And does not the Word say that those tormented would seek death and not be able to find it? (Rev. 9:6). Is this not a picture of the great fear which shall grip the inhabitants of the earth, and is not their seeking death symbolic of their desiring to escape these thing but being unable to so? I say to you, death does not always mean a cessation of physical life, but rather an escape to a realm where the torments of life cannot reach. Even so shall many try to escape in this day from the tormenting effects of the activity of the evil spirits but shall not be able to find a place of hiding, for all the earth shall feel the impact of the unleashing of the Satanic hordes. 

Hear my voice, my people. Do you think that you will escape the onslaught of these evil spirits? Do you think that you will be able to stand without my help? Therefore you must look to me and trust in me. You must spend much time seeking my face and studying my Word. For I will up­hold you only insofar as you trust me to do so, and as you reach out to receive my strength. For these are fearful times my people, and only those who look to me will be able to keep themselves from falling into the morass of wickedness and ungodliness which will engulf all mankind.

And now what further would I have you know concern­ing this day? It is even that the evil hordes of the nether world will whip the masses of the pagan lands into an orgy of bloodshed unprecedented inhuman history. For great shall be the slaughter of human lives as the masses rise up to clam­or for their rights and seek to take things into their own hands. And frenzied mobs will rule many lands and cause all who oppose them to be killed. And many shall perish in riots and revolutions as men seek to demand that which has been withheld from them. None shall be able to stop the surge of the masses as they rise up in this day. And great shall be the fear that shall grip the hearts of the people as they see the chaos and ruin that shall sweep across many lands.

Hear my word my people. Shall not these evil spirits prey on every human weakness and bring out every base instinct in the human race. For the lust and greed of man shall reach a degree to which it has never been before. Per­version shall be great in the earth as the spirits of the nether world torment men with unholy desires and cravings, and as they prod them into avarice and grasping, and as they stir their emotions to fever pitch with envy, hatred, malice and every other sinister feeling.

And now consider the fifth trumpet as it relates to suc­ceeding events. That which is unleashed under the fifth trumpet brings such a spirit of unrest in the earth as multitudes are tormented by every unholy desire and craving, and the resultant chaos will drive men to seek alliances with some kind of all powerful government which will be able to keep order and peace in the earth. Thus will the groundwork be laid for an all powerful government to emerge which will promise peace and security to all nations coming under its domination. And thus shall the beast powers of Revelation 13 emerge to control the inhabitants of the earth and to make them give allegiance to the god of materialistic force. For there shall be two beasts arise. The first has already had its inception in the Communistic combine of nations. The sec­ond is to emerge as a coalition of Communist and non-Com­munist nations who will seek to force a world socialist rule upon the nations, enforced by a world police force. They will try to make all men worship and bow down to that image which they will create, which is in actuality the image of the first beast or world socialism. Taking advantage of the chaos of the times, the second beast arises to clamp a world socialist dictatorship upon the nations of the earth, holding out before them the image of a planned order and economy which will provide peace and plenty for all.

Because of the desperation of the times, the people will be ready to receive this promise of Utopia and will re­ceive the mark of the beast in their foreheads and in their hands. And thus will they give mental assent to its image or idealism, believing a lie instead of the truth, and they will be forced to work for its realization by giving the power of their hand to it. After it is too late the nations shall find that they have surrendered their rights and their freedom for something that is but an illusion. But they will be hopeless­ly trapped in a web of their own making, and they will be unable to extricate themselves. For the beast powers will have the means of enforcing their rule upon all.

Only when conditions reach the point that the land of Palestine is threatened in such a way that world Jewry is alarmed will the yoke begin to be broken. When those wes­tern nations which have become a part of the coalition of the second beast find that their interests in the Middle East are being threatened, then shall world Jewry, into whose power the western nations have largely been delivered, be­gin to resist the advances of the first beast into the Middle East and Palestine. Then shall the coalition begin to break up, and the second beast will lose his power to make all men worship the image of the first beast. The nations will be di­vided, and conflict shall begin to rage as the western nations, led by the financial powers of world Jewry, begin to fight the communist invasion of Palestine. Then shall a spark of renewed patriotism begin to be fanned in the western nations, and the Spirit of God shall begin to quicken within the hearts of those who have seen the folly of the image of world so­cialism based on monolithic rule. The fires of revival which will be burning within the western nations of Christendom will begin to influence those in high places, and the will to resist will rise quickly. The means of stemming the tide of Communist expansion into Palestine will be quickly mustered, and the hearts of the people will be stirred as never before. The battle of the ages will be on. For is it not written that all nations will be gathered to Jerusalem to battle? (Zechariah 14:2). Even so shall Palestine be the match which will ignite the flame of conflagration that will envelop the whole world, and there shall be no let up until the final climax when the Lord Himself will be revealed in flaming fire. (II Thess. 1:7-8). Then shall all that which has been unleashed in Satanic fury reach its consummation and the battle of the ages find its completion. Then shall those hosts which have come from the bottomless pit return to their own realm to tor­ment no more until a thousand years of righteousness has made its impress on the inhabitants of the earth.

So my people, even now are the agencies of the pit beginning to multiply on the earth, and the die is cast for the inhabitants of the earth. None shall be able to stay the hand of the Almighty until the foment of evil has run its course and the fester of iniquity has finished its work. Then shall come deliverance from on high as the hosts of the Al­mighty come to put down the forces of Satan and cast them into the bottomless pit from whence they came.

And now consider the final picture of that which you read about in my Word. It is even that many months trans­pire while the forces of the nether world are carrying out their tormenting activities. Even so shall I move by my Spir­it during those many months to bring a revival and deliver­ance in the earth for those who hunger for their God. And mighty shall be the spiritual power which will be in the earth as my specially prepared servants go forth to confront the enemy with the power of their God. While the world is see­thing with unrest under the tormenting influence of Satan's hordes, those who turn to me shall find a great deliverance and a mighty victory in that day. Therefore rejoice that you can know the truth which will set you free from all fear, and give you great confidence and assurance for the days that are ahead. And now fret not [ ] because of that which has been revealed, for I am with you to keep you and to protect you from all harm, says the Lord."

(end of prophecy.)

 

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