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REVISITING "THE FIRST AND THE LAST" BY LELAND EARLS
August
5,
2019 In this revisit, I just want to highlight a couple key points of the breathtaking Earls outline as a grid for understanding the spiritual mess just described. This outline has stood the test of time over two generations since Earls began offering these revelatory teachings in the 1960's. The reason they are so accurate and able to pass the test of time is because they capture the scriptural breadth of everything Jesus and the apostles had to say about these times, particularly based in the Jewish concept of harvest, the superior paradigm given us in the New Testament for this. I would encourage everyone as follows: if you are confused about what you are seeing in the culture and in the church, and perplexed by the huge disconnect between the two in regard to revival, then drop everything else you are reading and following, and just begin soaking in this writing by brother Earls. Forget all the "prophecies" out there about "revival" this and "movement" that. Forget all the movements and streams you see now. You don't have to engage all that as if to discern which is from God and how much. Just soak in this treatise, and pretty soon the cacophony will melt away as things become self-evident. That said, let me bring forth the salient points I want to note: The first point to grasp is what Earls says about the 3 phases of Christian spiritual belief and maturity development that occupy the harvest field. There are intellectual believers under provisional forgiveness, born-again believers, and mature fire-baptized believers (30, 60, 100 fold). All these phases of believership occupy the same field at the same time. Yet only the minority "100 fold" believer will be translatable prior to the great tribulation. For those of us who have dedicated ourselves to the rigors of discipleship in hopes of being fit for translation at the Lord's appearing, this means we have to get "OK" with the idea that we will not find an entire "church" or "movement" to run with that buys into our discipleship level and the fullness of perspective it brings. We have to stop looking for the "perfect church" or "perfect movement" that we will fit with and can run with. It is not out there nor going to appear, no matter how advanced the insight of its leader(s). We are all part of the same field, no matter our maturity or wisdom depth level. And it will be from that one field that the "ready" will be taken. The "ready" will not be taken unto the Lord from their own separated field somewhere. We cannot form our own separate "100-fold" field. The overcomers retain a heart of oneness with the church. Part of our test of readiness is how we handle the maturity and wisdom discrepancy around us. This means in the same church, and in the same movement. The other point to grasp is that everything that is being mis-prophesied now about revival will not happen until after the taking of the ready, and it will only happen under the fires of world tribulation. What I mean is this: It is not that prophecies of coming world revival and harvest are false. It is that they are all misapplied and misappropriated by the uncrucified, identity-confused, soulish believers in our field. They are misapplied to teach something that is false—which is that revival will bring the "turning around" of the surrounding culture, the "reformation" of cultural systems, and a "return" to the illusion of a past "Christian" society/culture of yesteryear. This is where seven mountains and similar teachings play a false role and from whence they gain their strength and false credibility. It is all "foolish virgins" teaching that is willingly ignorant of what all the societal signs are telling us. Instead, every time you hear another prophecy or prayer for "revival," you should automatically be thinking "tribulation." For it is only under the "summer heat" conditions that the final "latter rains" of outpouring are going to take place. And when they do, you will indeed see "revival," but what you will see is revival marked by absolute clash, division, chaos and discord in society. You will see "hatred by all men for My sake." You will see charges of "those who have turned the world upside down have come here too!" You will see martyrdoms on mass scale. You will not see kindly platitudes from "Christian" politicians and yearning invitations by the world to come take over their false degenerate systems for Christ (as all the foolish prophetic carnal ones now teach!). But that is the price we have to pay for being part of one and the same field. We must continue to grow and mature in the field as 100-fold believers, no matter how many 30- and 60-fold believers we are planted next to. We must get over it, and instead accept that we are going to have to co-exist with this Laodicean idiocy until that shocking moment comes when Christ translates the earnest waiting bride, and all the rest of the church finally realizes the folly of their beliefs. Again, in this is our own test of heart from the Lord. Our attitude toward the less mature will indicate our own maturity status. Let anyone who thinks he stands in Christ's more perfect wisdom and understanding take heed, lest he fall! The Earls prophetic grid of the harvest gives us the true, balanced understanding on all sides as to what is going to happen relative to revival and tribulation. It helps us identify what is wrong with what we are otherwise hearing out of the mainstream prophets and teachers. But it also helps us understand how vast the harvest field is, and how all the various maturity levels among us are going to be unavoidably mingled together. It is the Lord alone who takes the ready out from the rest of the church. But the "ready" may not take themselves out, however they may wish to extricate themselves into some different "field of the ready." We must learn to intercede for those around us, and fully cooperate with the Father's mission for us amidst the foolishness, whether in the given season we are called to an established local church "synagogue" or not. May this writing by brother Earls and these commentary thoughts on it help stabilize us in the big picture of what is happening around us.
With love to all the faithful,
Chris Anderson First
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