[Relating Matured Sonship to the Prophetic Harvest
Pattern]
I will deal
briefly with just one more statement by Paul. In I Cor. 16:50 he
declares that "flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God." Notice that word "inherit."
According to Jewish custom, inheritance was for a son who had "come
of age;" who was given his portion of the Father's inheritance and thus
became a joint-heir. When this time came, as appointed by the father
(Gal. 4:1-2), the son (sometimes in a special ceremony) was
officially acknowledged and given (or placed in) his inheritance.
There is a special Greek word which Paul uses as the spiritual counterpart for the sons of God. It
is huiothesia - a combination of huios (son)
and tithemi (to place, appoint, ordain, put,
or set forth). Unfortunately, the translators of the authorized (King
James) version used the English word "adoption" to translate the Greek
word. The concept, however, which Paul was seeking to convey when using
this word in his epistles has nothing to do with adoption as we use it
in our culture. Paul makes this clear in Rom. 8:23 where he states that
we "who have the first fruits of the Spirit (through the Holy Spirit
baptism), even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption (placing as a son), the redemption of
our body." Thus it is something yet in the future. When that redemption
(glorification) of the body takes place, then will fulfill Rom.
8:19.
Since "flesh and
blood" cannot enter into that inheritance, it becomes evident that for
those sons who become sufficiently purified, proven, and prepared, the
"redemption of the body" refers to the glorification of the body, so that it becomes
like to Christ's
glorified body, able to function at will either in the heavenly
realm or manifest as "flesh and bone" in the physical realm (Luke
24:39). So whether we see it in the metaphor of the harvest, where the
grain must reach a certain stage of ripeness before it can be reaped, or in that of a son, who must reach a
certain stage of maturity and responsibility before he can be placed in his inheritance, the truth is the
same; God must do a work within those He is preparing to gather into the
glory-realm.
What God is
primarily after is PURITY; for it is the "pure in heart" who will see
God (Mt. 5:3), and "without holiness no one will see the Lord" (He. 12:
14). The heart must be purged from the bondage to carnality. But there
must also be a proving, with sufficient overcoming and mastery over self
that equates to an "acceptable maturity." I
use that terminology to distinguish it from an absolute maturity or perfection, for we will be
growing towards the stature of the Father for many eons to come. But
during this age, only those who have "come of age" as God sees it, can be
"placed as sons" in the heavenly
inheritance. This is the meaning of the words spoken of the firstfruits
company in Rev. 14:5, that they are "without fault before the Throne
of God."
Have you ever
stopped to think that a glorified body is a powerful vessel or vehicle?
Supposing you had a child 3 or 4 years old still riding a tricycle.
Would you give that child the keys to your powerful automobile and tell
him to use it whenever he wanted to? Stupid, you say. Well, not as
stupid as claiming that all Christians, whether babes in Christ,
children, or just plain carnal ones, are going to receive glorified
bodies all at the same time. Absolute chaos would break out in the
heavenly realm in a hurry if God did that.
[The Pre-Tribulation First Fruits in the Prophetic
Harvest Pattern]
Let us now return
to the “harvest pattern” and I will conclude this article with some
final thoughts. In the pattern of Israel’s natural harvest it
took the “latter rains” to insure a bounteous increase for reaping.
However, for the barley crop, the
intermittent rains and increasing warmth of late winter (especially at
lower elevations) caused some barley heads to ripen before the heavy
spring rains came in their fullness. Thus there were sufficient ripened
barley heads to make up the first fruits wave sheaf to be offered at the
time of the Passover feast. Even so will it
be in the end time spiritual harvest. The first fruits will be
translated and glorified BEFORE the full “latter rain” outpouring takes
place. Hallelujah! All things will be conformed to the “harvest pattern”
given by the ONE who is the FIRST and the LAST.
In. Zech. 10:1,
the prophet admonishes: “ASK of the LORD rain in the time of the latter
rain.” We must understand God’s strategy!
Not until the Lord springs His SNARE or trap
and unexpectedly translated the first fruits (who are “counted worthy to
escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the
Son of Man,” Luke 21:34-36, Rev. 3:10), will the remaining church be
SHOCKED TO ITS KNEES, crying out to God and ASKING for RAIN; for it will
then be the TIME for the “latter rain.” And when it “falls” the real
power of God will be manifest as never before in church history! Lord,
hasten the day!
“And behold, I am
coming quickly (suddenly, unexpectedly) and my reward is with me, to
give to every one according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega,
the Beginning and the End, the FIRST and the LAST.” (Rev.
22:12-13).
“He who testifies
to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming quickly’ (suddenly
unexpectedly). Amen. Even so come Lord Jesus! The grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” Rev. 22:20-21.
Leland Earls
Concluded: 11/29/88
Note: All
scripture quotations in this article are taken from The New King James
Version, except where otherwise indicated.
[Ed. Post Script
– As affirmed before the article, the Lord provided me other
explanations capable of reconciling Paul’s statements on the rapture
(which appear to teach only one all-inclusive event) with brother
Leland’s teaching of a conditional two-phased rapture based in the
prophetic harvest paradigm. I later posited these explanations to him
and he found them agreeable in addition to what he had presented
here.
My first question
regarded Paul’s statement that “we shall all be changed” at the last
trumpet, “in the twinkling of an eye.” How can we all be changed at the
same time like this if, as brother Earl’s asserts, some will be changed
before the tribulation and others afterward? What the Lord showed me
however is that this question is based in a false assumption regarding
the term “twinkling of an eye.” The assumption is that the term
“twinkling of an eye” demands simultaneous
translation of all.
In truth, this
assumption is unwarranted. The fact that we all shall be changed “in the
twinkling of an eye” is not forced to mean that we are all changed “at
once together in the SAME moment.” Yes, we will all be changed “in a moment” of time. But it does not have to be
the same moment for everyone. Some can be
changed in an earlier moment, and others at a later moment. Everyone is
still changed “in a moment, in the twinkling
of an eye.” Paul is emphasizing the instantaneous suddenness of the translation, not its point in
time.
My second
question regarded Paul’s statement that the rapture does not occur until
after the dead are first raised. How could a first fruits “sheaf” be
translated before the dead are raised if this is to be
so?
However, the
Spirit drew my attention more carefully to Paul’s words. He says that
“we who are alive and remain shall not
precede those who are asleep.” I had always assumed that the phrase “and
remain” was simply a redundant way of saying “alive.” But actually, the
words “and remain” allow for the possibility that some do not remain
because they have already been translated!
Subtle? Yes. Impossible? Not at all. The Spirit is in fact known to be
very prophetically subtle. Now, brother Earl’s interpreted the phrase
“and remain” to refer to those who escape martyrdom during the
tribulation. Also quite valid. The truth is that the Spirit is not
limited to a single meaning in His words. Thus there is nothing in
Paul’s statement about the resurrection of the dead that precludes all
possibility of any prior partial translation! As brother Earls would
exclaim, “Hallelujah!”