RETURN TO INDEX  

 

GOD'S UNFOLDING PURPOSE   

[Ed. Note: This teaching is not to be confused with the commentary by the same name published in the third volume of The Manifested Sons of God almost 3 years later. There is no relationship between the two articles.]

 

It is very thrilling, but also very sobering to realize that God is moving by His Spirit in this very day in which we live to REVEAL to His servants that which is shortly to come to pass. Truly the Lord is FAITHFUL in that which He has promised. For we read in Amos 3:7, "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he reveals his secret to his servants the pro­phets," Dare we believe that this scripture is TRUE? Is God revealing Himself and His plan? Judge for yourself as you read the following prophecy which was given on the night of August 4, l964. Surely God's unfolding purpose for the consummation of this age is being made known to us more clearly as we are able to receive it. "The secret things belong to the Lord our God: but those things which are REVEALED belong to us and to our children forever… “(Deut. 29:29). Praise His Name!

 

 

[prophecy]

 

"Many things shall come on this land says the Lord. For I have decreed it and it shall come to pass. Do you think that man can thwart My Word which declares my plan that all na­tions shall engage in mortal combat in a day of judgment and retribution? Yes, and I say that much confusion shall come on my people in the days that are ahead. For three times will I bring terror on this nation.

 

"From the east will I cause consternation. For out of the east will arise a plague, a scourge, which will cause great lam­entation and woe, and it shall bring peril on the nation. But the end is not yet.

 

"After this, says the Lord, will come a peril from the south. For in mighty terror and anguish will nations rise up under the banner of the sickle to scourge this land with consternation and fear. For out of the south will come the terror of revolution, as nations rise up to overthrow the yokes that have bound them, But they know not the truth, neither do they know which way to go, but in ignorance will acclaim leadership which will lead them astray. And they will fashion weapons of destruction to gnash at those they believe to have been their tormentors, and great shall be the cry of anguish which shall come from the peo­ple of this land as they behold the consternation and fear that comes from the south.

 

"And then comes great hope from the west. For out of the westernmost part of this land will I begin a great movement to bring revival to my people. For I have chosen this place, even this city (Portland, Oregon) to be one of the key places for this revival to be given, Dare you to believe that this is true? I say, if you shall believe, you shall see, says the Lord, And from this west coast I shall spread this revival until it shall en­compass the land to bring rest and hope and comfort to my peo­ple, says the Lord.

 

"For this is a preparation, says the Lord; a preparation for the third and last time of great consternation which shall come on my people. For this shall be a time of great darkness and tearfulness; yes, and great destruction. For great destruction shall come from the north, says the Lord, as the enemy shall come in like a flood. For from the north will I bring great destruction on this land and on its people, says the Lord „ And many shall perish in that day. For it shall be a quick work and a time swiftly encompassed, for verily none would escape if my grace had not decreed a time of shortening, says the Lord Al­mighty who made heaven and earth and all that [is in it]. For I have decreed it and none can stay my hand. For my people have become lamentably wicked, says the Lord, and my sword of judgment shall come to purge and cleanse and sweep clean the land so that I may begin anew to build and to plant and to bring forth a people who shall honor me and who shall become the nucleus of a world confederacy of my people; which shall become peoples and nations of righteousness for all the world to see.  For truly righteousness shall spring forth as out of dry ground; as the budding and blossoming forth of that which com­es from a rod which I shall plant in truth and in holiness.

 

"Therefore shall you (vessels prepared by God) go forth in this day which I have appointed, says the Lord, to be a rod in my hand, a rod of truth and divine appointment to spring forth by my miraculous power and grace, to warn my people and to bring forth to fruition a remnant in righteousness and holiness; to take my truth across the breadth of this land, says the Lord, so that when the revival begins a people will be prepared to receive and to rise up as a mighty army to go forth in this last day to declare my soon coming; to ready a people for my ap­pearing.

 

"For truly I will have a people in the land, says the Lord. First, a remnant which shall do exploits in my Name and pre­pare in abundance for a great harvest in the land and for a time appointed.  For the sickle which I will put in their hand is the sickle of truth—truth for the present—for this time appointed; as faithful stewards to bring forth my wine of truth and right­eousness for this day.  For new wine indeed I have prepared, and vessels to receive the wine of preparation; a wine too po­tent to be received but by a remnant prepared, says the Lord. But you (the vessels prepared) shall be used to prepare a harvest in abundance, says the Lord; for in a time of travail I will bring forth (Isa. 66:7-9), and in a time of grief will I be sought, and then it shall spring forth, and from sea to sea it shall en­compass, says the Lord.  From the east to the west shall it spring forth in truth and holiness (all across the land).

 

"But the time is not yet, for a remnant must first be prepar­ed and this I am doing now, says the Lord. Be not affrighted at that which shall shortly come on you, for it is my prepara­tion, says the Lord.* And I will send you forth to trumpet this message of preparation; for a remnant must first be prepared, and then, and only then, shall a great harvest come.  For out of the north and east shall a scourge arise and many shall fall in that day, but out of the west shall hope arise, even as out of the south shall come bewilderment and fear, says the Lord.

*This refers to a personal trial I went through, but it also indi­cates that God will test all those He is preparing.

 

"Beginning in you (the vessels prepared) shall be a whirlwind and it shall encompass many, for I shall blow on you says the Lord, and mighty things shall be wrought m my name and for my sake. For those I have prepared shall go forth as a mighty whirlwind to shake and uproot and plant again, and many shall come and behold the mighty hand of my truth.   Be not afraid, therefore, for I shall encompass you by my Spirit, and make you a strong tower and as a fenced and walled city which shall be compassed by the enemy, but they shall not be able to penetrate, says the Lord.

 

"For some of my prepared ones shall remain through the trib­ulation plagues that shall come on the earth, and shall not be partakers of the first-fruits which shall be taken out.  Even so shall they be a partaker of the first ripe of my harvest which shall be left in the earth to act as a ferment of righteousness and truth till all lumps are fully prepared, says the Lord. For there shall be three lumps prepared (Mt. 13:33). A lump of prepared ones to fully partake of all that I have (100-fold); a lump of second ones (60-fold) who shall see my glory but shall not en­ter into the glories of the celestial Kingdom; and a lump of third ones (30-fold) who shall be cast out into tribulation conditions without the fulness of my protection (the "many stripes" of Lk. 12:45-47), for they will have to endure much hardship and suf­fering, and there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

 

"But those fully trusting in me, and prepared by me, need not be fearful in that day, says the Lord. For those I have tak­en out (the Firstfruits—Rev. 14:1-5) shall encompass my people and protect and speak to them in the day of trouble.  And they shall be to those who remain a protecting shield in the wilderness of testing, says the Lord. (Rev. 12:6).

 

"Shall not the leaven of truth be used to leaven these lumps, says the Lord. For as a woman (Rev. 12:1, Mt. 13:33) who de­sires to see come forth from the oven the fulness of that which she has kneaded and prepared, so shall I give my people the desire and the means to be a ferment in the earth in the last days. One lump shall be of the east, a lump of the south, and one of the west (symbolically speaking—the same as the 100, 60, & 30 fold). The eastern lump shall be cast out (into tribu­lation conditions—the "stripes" of Lk. 12:47), says the Lord, for they have sought their own desires first. Even so shall they partake of the scourge and not receive the completeness of pro­tection in that day. A lump shall be of the south. They shall speak forth my truth, but they will have come in too late to be partakers with the saints in light who shall know and be in the fulness in that day. Even so, they shall receive my complete protection, for they are sons of righteousness and sons of the kingdom, though it be but the earthly. For this shall be their lot: to enter that which is earthly in fulness of physical stature and perfection (immortality), being partakers in the first-fruits of the earthly inheritance (in preparation for the coming mil­lennial kingdom).

 

"But the western lump shall be greater than they, for they shall enter into that which is heavenly. For even as the first-fruits which are taken beforehand (at the beginning of the great tribulation), so shall they be taken in that day (at the close of the tribulation—the great multitude of Rev, 7:9-17) to be to me a helpmeet in the heavenlies as I seek to conform all things to my own realm.

 

"Shall I not rule, says the Lord? Shall I not seek to bring all things to myself? Indeed, I will! And many shall be used of me to carry out my purpose, says the Lord. For this is the westernmost lump which shall arise out of the Holy of Holies even to Me, says the Lord. (See Philippians 3:21).

 

"Partakers, partakers, partakers, says the Lord. All shall be partakers (the three "lumps"—30, 60, & 100 fold). The dif­ference is in time and in realm of glory. For the earthly glory is not the heavenly; neither is the heavenly the earthly (I Cor. l5:40-4l). But each in his own sphere shall show forth my glory.

 

"Are you willing to be a ferment, says the Lord? For a ferment will I require to bring this forth, says the Lord. For there is a ferment of truth as well as a ferment of evil. The ferment of truth works slowly, penetrating the fibers of the soul to bring forth that which I have prepared. Consider, consider, that which I say to you, my child, for my ways are not your ways, and I will cause you to seek the higher ways." 

 

 

[commentary]

 

The following comments were made at the time the prophetic word was first published. I reprint them here just as originally given. I will add some further comments later, emphasizing the prophetic aspects of the message.

 

In the prophecy God says, "Are you willing to be a ferment, . . for a ferment will I require to bring this forth." Accord­ing to the dictionary, a "ferment" is any substance whose pres­ence in another body produces the peculiar effervescence and decomposition called fermentation; commotion; heat; tumult; agitation. Fermentation is a chemical process which causes de­composition or conversion of an organic substance into new com­pounds in the presence of a ferment, generally indicated by a sensible internal motion, the development of heat, and the liberation of bubbles of gas; in common language, the process by which grape juice is converted into wine.

 

Jesus said, "No man puts new wine into old bottles (wineskins), " (Mark 2:22). This is because the "fermenting" action of the new wine is too much for the already stretched and "rigid" condition of the old wine skin. New wine is that which is still in the process of fermentation, not having yet become a "mature" wine. From one perspective new wine is a type of NEW TRUTH. In the prophecy God says: "For new wine indeed I have prepared and vessels to receive the wine of prep­aration, a wine too potent to be received but by a remnant pre­pared, says the Lord." This called-out remnant is being pre­pared as a NEW vessel or wineskin to receive the TRUTHS and WORKINGS OF THE SPIRIT too potent for the average Christ­ian and church group. Each one must become a NEW VESSEL to the Lord, completely flexible to what the Lord wants to reveal TO us or to do IN us.

 

What happens when the Lord begins to reveal new truth to you? It begins a process of "fermentation" within you. It causes a commotion, tumult and agitation, because it so often disrupts ideas or concepts that you had previously heId to. Like leaven it is a "substance" within which produces an efferves­cence and decomposition (of the old), breaking down, restruc­turing and elevating, readying for His Spirit-FIRE to do the fi­nal work. This "work" continues until that truth has become "mature" in us. Like "mature" wine it is then incorruptible, purifying and lasting.  New wine wilt either ferment property and become a mature wine, or it will sour and turn to vinegar, So with new truth in us; it will either do its proper fermentation in us and MATURE us or it will turn us SOUR, depending on our readiness or lack of it. The prophecy says: "The ferment of truth works slowly, penetrating the fibers of the soul to bring forth that which I have prepared." Most of us are SLOW to receive that which is new to us. It takes TIME for the new truth to do its "work" and to finally "mature" in us.   In the meantime we may experience a lot of "fermenting" action within.

 

And now for a few comments on the "firstfruits." Remember that according to the Bible PATTERN the firstfruits was that part of the harvest which ripened first and preceded the main har­vest. In the prophecy the "firstfruits "is divided into two group­ings: (1) the "firstfruits" which shall be taken out preceding the main harvest, and (2) "the first ripe of My harvest which shall be left in the earth to act as a ferment of righteousness and truth till all lumps are fully prepared" during the main harvest.

 

Again when we go to the Bible PATTERN we find that the "firstfruits " was especially dedicated to God and as it was faith­fully presented to Him, it was the guarantee of the rest of the harvest. In Lev, 23:10-12 we find instructions for a "sheaf" of the firstfruits to be presented to the Lord in a special ceremony at the Passover season at the beginning of the barley harvest. In this special presentation they did not pluck out all of the first ripe grain, but only a "sheaf" OF the firstfruits (Lev. 23:10) which was "cut OUT" of the harvest field and BROUGHT TO THE PRIEST to be "waved "before the Lord. Josephus, the great Jewish historian, says that this sheaf was of barley, and that until this ceremony had been performed, no harvest work was to be done.

 

I personally believe this "wave sheaf" is the "manchild" of Rev. 12:5 which is "caught up" to the throne of God preceding the 3 & 1/2 years of "wilderness" tribulation. It is also repre­sented by the 144,000 of Rev. 14:1-5 who are described as "the firstfruits to God and to the lamb." There is a very special reason why this "sheaf" of the firstfruits is taken out (translated and given glorified bodies) BEFORE the tribulation. In the pro­phecy the Lord says: "Those I have taken out shall encompass you and protect you and speak to you in the day of trouble. And they shall be to you and to My people a protecting shield in the wilderness of testing." Having received their glor­ified bodies, we can see how they could perform such "messen­ger service " just as our Lord did after He was raised from the dead as He continued to appear and speak to the disciples in His glorified body for a period of 40 days (Acts 1:3).  Rev. 12:6 says that this "firstfruits manchild" shall "feed" the church in the wilderness.

 

In contrast to the "firstfruits sheaf" to be taken out, note the prophecy speaks of the "first ripe" of My harvest which shall be left in the earth to act as a ferment of righteousness and truth till all lumps are fully prepared … for there shall be three lumps prepared." These three lumps are to be brought forth to final fruition during the 3 & 1/2 year tribulation period which is the time of the final great harvest of human souls on the earth. The "firstfruits remnant" which God is now calling and preparing (with the exception of the "sheaf" to be taken out) WILL BECOME the "ferment" left in the earth to do the work. Even now a measure of this work is being done, and we must be willing to become a "fermenting-effervescing" (bubbling, live­ly and sometimes even agitating) substance within the larger body of Christendom; not by some "fleshly "methods, but by the power of the Word of God and the working of His Spirit.

 

We are to be like the woman in the parable recorded in Mt. 13:33 who took and hid leaven (ferment) in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. In the prophecy God says: "Shall not the leaven be used to leaven these lumps, says the Lord? (the leaven in this instance represents the truth which becomes the "ferment" to do the work).   And as a woman who desires to see come forth from the oven the fulness of that which she has kneaded and prepared, so shall I give you the desire and the means to be a ferment among my people, to bring forth three lumps In these last days." The final and complete fulfillment will be by the "woman in the wilderness" of Rev. 12:6 AFTER the "manchild" is caught up to the throne of God." The woman is protected from the "face of the serpent" (Rev. 12:14) during the tribulation time, that she might accomplish  her work and be a "leavening" influence.

 

In the parable in Mt. 13:33 the woman "leavens" three measures, and in the prophecy there is mentioned three lumps, The "lumps" would represent the "measures" of meal AFTER the leaven of the Word of truth and the fire of God's Spirit had done the necessary work.  The three "lumps" to be brought forth in these last days represent the 30, 60, & 100 fold grouping of Christians. The 100-fold is spoken of in the prophecy as "the lump of prepared ones to fully partake of all that I have." They shall be "joint-heirs" with Christ to "rule and reign" within the glories of the celestial (heavenly) kingdom, and over the earth. OF them the prophecy also says: "For even as the firstfruits which were taken beforehand (the first of the 100-fold group), so shall you be taken in that day to be to me a helpmeet in the heavenlies as I seek to conform all things to my own realm… For this is the westernmost lump which shall arise out of the Holy of Holies even to me, says the Lord."

 

The 60-fold is the "lump of second ones, which shall see my glory but shall not enter into the glories of the celestial kingdom, " It will be their lot to enter that which is earthly in ful­ness of physical stature and perfection—deathless life or immor­tality in physlcal (terrestrial) bodies instead of glorified (celes­tial) bodies (I Cor. 15:40).  The 30-fold is the "lump of third class citizens who shall be cast out (into tribulation conditions) because of their folly and will have to endure much hardship and suffering, for there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." They shall "partake of the scourge and not receive the complete­ness of protection in that day." I believe, however, that if they "endure" in faith to the end of the tribulation period, (Mt. 24:13), God will save or preserve their lives from the vials of His wrath, and they along with the 60-fold, will inherit the earthly phase of the kingdom. But, unlike the 60-fold, they will not be immediate candidates for immortality for their physi­cal bodies, but will have to first prove themselves and move up to 60-fold status before their change can come. I believe that some time after the millennium (1000 years of peace) that those who are living in immortal physical bodies will be translated and receive their glorified bodies, for it is not God's purpose for any of His children to remain "clod-hoppers" and earth-bound forever. As the prophecy says, "Partakers, partakers, partakers, says the Lord. All (30-60-100-fold) shall be partak­ers. The difference is in TIME and in REALM of GLORY." All shall eventually be released from the earthly and put on the celestial and heavenly glory in God's time, each to enter that REALM God has chosen for them.

 

As we survey the past ten years since this prophetic word was first received, we can see that history has already con­firmed much of it. Many things have come on theland of America, and what we have seen is just the beginning of the judgmental "woes" that are coming. I will not presume to be able at this point to forecast all that the Lord has in mind in this prophetic message. But I will comment on a measure of fulfillment that we have seen. First, God says that out of the east would arise a plague and scourge which would bring great lamentation and woe, bringing peril on the nation.  I do not believe this "plague" refers primarily to some physical disease or scourge of epidemic proportions, although this could be a part of it in time, even as we have seen in a small measure what has been called "Asian flu "and other diseases from the east in­vade this country. But we have seen great "consternation" come on this land because of the Communist "scourge" which has increasingly raged in the east during the last 10 years, espec­ially in Viet Nam, In 1964 the Viet Nam issue affected very few Americans, but in the succeeding years it almost tore this country apart, bringing considerable "peril" to the very fabric of our nation,  I believe the agonizing Viet Nam war was a partial fulfillment of the scourge out of the east.

 

As we look to the future, it is not likely that the continuing Communist scourge can be held back in the east, even as we see countries such as Cambodia tottering on the brink of collapse, and South Viet Nam being increasingly weakened.   Inroads into other nations are also being made, such as Thailand, In­dia, etc. So that we can expect that the "cards" will be in­creasingly "stacked" against us as a nation in the far eastern countries.

 

But perhaps recent developments in the near east (or Middle East) are even more ominous for our nation than those in the Far East. Look what has happened in the last ten years since the prophetic word was given. There have been two wars between the Jews and Arabs (1967 & 1973), with the Russians increasing­ly aiding and abetting the Arab countries. Suddenly the Arabs awoke to the fact that they have the power to cut the jugular vein of the west in their great OIL reserves which the western nations (including America) need. Leaders of western nations, including our own secretary of state. Henry Kissinger, have re­cently warned of the great economic PERIL which the nations of the west are threatened with as the Arabs have chosen to use their oil weapon with astronomically increased prices. It takes little imagination to see how the Arabs (egged on, no doubt, by Russia) will increasingly try to BLACKmail the west into accep­ting their position against Israel. And without doubt the great­est "consternation "and "PERIL" are going to come to our nation out of the EAST when the final showdown comes in the Middle East. For I do not believe that America will abandon Israel to the destruction of the Russian armed and backed Arab countries,

 

The prophetic word mentions next the peril from the south. The prophecy is quite specific in stating that this relates to na­tions south of our border in central and south America rising up in revolution, increasingly espousing pro-leftist ideologies and lashing out at the USA.   The last ten years have seen the "rising tide" along this line. We have read in the papers of the increasing kidnapping of officials of American corporations in these countries and the demanding of money, food, etc. as ransom. This is the result of increased leftist guerilla activity that is threatening the tenuous stability of most South American nations.  I recently talked to missionaries of long-standing in South America, and their report is that the political situation in most S.A. nations is extremely volatile. We saw one nation (Chile) come under the domination of a communist government, only to overthrow it in bloody fighting, but it is quite evident that there is still much pro-leftist sentiment in the country and in time bloody conflict could erupt there again.  In time, the revolutionary tide of the south is going to greatly affect our na­tion and bring great consternation and fear.

 [Ed. note: this commentary was produced in 1974. The prophecy of the southern scourge indeed saw a much greater fulfillment in the 1980’s through the communist revolutions in Grenada, El Salvador and Nicaragua under the Sandinistas, all creating great consternation for the Reagan administration leading to what became known as “Contra-gate.”]

 

 

The prophecy then mentions great hope coming from the west, and specifically mentions the western-most part of the USA as being the "spring-board" for a move of the Spirit, which will bring great hope to the nation. If this prophetic word con­cerning the west had come only through me, I would hesitate to publish it, but similar prophecies have come from a number of vessels of God through the past several years. However, the message is very clear that this will be a nationwide move of the Spirit, and where it comes from and what vessels God uses to give it impetus is not of great importance. We must all be ready to be used of God in whatever way He chooses, and for His glory alone. I believe that the promised move of the Spirit and the promised revival is for the most part yet in the future. However, we have seen in the last ten years an increasing preliminary move of the Spirit which has been coined by some as the "charismatic "movement, and which has affected large num­bers in all denominations. In harmony with the pattern that God has spoken, this movement received its primary initial impetus from the west coast. But what we have seen is only small and fragmentary in comparison to the mighty out-pouring which we know is coming. Praise the Lord! May He hasten the day.

 

[Ed. note: in the 1990s-2000s, numerous prophecies also began declaring that revival in the United States would come from the east, specifically New England! This does not have to indicate contradiction, but can indicate different movements to come at different times. As Brother Earls elsewhere points out, the ways of God are manifold, i.e., “many-sided”]

 

 

The Lord states that the mighty revival He will send is to be a preparation for the final time of great consternation which shall come on this nation. The perils from the east and south bring great internal fear and no doubt some turmoil (mass unrest resulting in demonstrations and even riots and destruction as tensions increase), but the time of great destruction on our na­tion will come with the peril from the north. It seems evident that this is a reference to Russia being able to send missiles over the polar cap, descending on our large cities from the north. This will take place during the final phase of the all-out war called Armageddon, or "The battle of that great day of God Almighty" (Rev. 16:14-16).  The prophecy makes it clear that God will intervene to shorten the time of battle lest all would be destroyed, and this is in harmony with Jesus' statement in Mt. 24:22, I personally do not believe that there will be as much destruction in the United States as will take place in areas such as the Middle East and Europe. But certainly we will not escape atomic judgment, and it seems quite certain that many of our cities will suffer greatly, and great numbers killed.

 

I will make a few final comments on the thought expres­sed in the prophetic word that not all Christians will receive the same degree of protection in the tribulation days ahead; neither will all Christians enter into the same degree of glory and re­ward in the coming Kingdom.   Multitudes of Christians have been lulled into complacency by the sleep-inducing dogma that all Christians will be raptured before any great tribulation falls on the world. I won't take the time here to dispel the dark­ness of such unscriptural teaching, but simply state that the vast majority of Christians will go through the great tribulation. Since this is true, it becomes of paramount importance that we let the Lord PREPARE us for the coming days of trouble.

 

The need to prepare is clearly given by Jesus in Lk. 12:35-48. Read the whole passage and note that Jesus is dealing with conditions related to His second coming.  It is very clear that servants of His who get careless and are not making themselves ready will have different treatment than those who are keeping themselves in tune with the Lord and doing His will. Verse 47 states emphatically that the servant who knew the Lord's will but did not PREPARE himself, shall be "beaten" with many stripes. Remember, the whole passage deals with end-time con­ditions, and the "many stripes" are without doubt a symbolic description of the buffeting trials and circumstances of the tribulation without the completeness of the Lord's protection. Few­er stripes will be given those who had less understanding of the Lord's will, but they will STILL receive "stripes" in the tribula­tion conditions (vs. 48). I believe it will be primarily the 30-fold who will receive these more severe dealings of God rather than the 60 or 100 fold, as the prophecy seems to indicate.

 

In Rev. 11:1-2, we read that John was given a reed like to a rod to measure the temple and those that worship therein. The "temple" would refer to the Holy Place and Holy of Holies, which typify the 60 and 100 fold Christians respectively.  But John was told not to measure the outer court, for it would be giv­en to the Gentiles to be trodden down for forty two months (the tribulation period).  The outer court would typify the 30 fold Christian who is too far removed (spiritually) from what the Lord is doing to be measured by the rod (Word of God) and counted among those who will receive the completeness of His protec­tion.  The "treading down" by the Gentiles would symboli­cally correspond to the "many stripes" of Luke 12:47. Further indication of Christians to be "chastised" by tribulation con­ditions is found in Rev. 2:22 & 3:16. I won't take time to ex­plain in detail now, but in each of the last four of the letters to the seven churches of Asia, is a reference to either the com­ing of the Lord or to the great tribulation. This indicates that what arose within the Church during the historical periods repre­sented by these churches continues to the end. In this end time, every Christian will be partaking of or experiencing the spiritu­al conditions symbolically pictured in one of these churches: either the spiritual " idolatry "and "fornication" of the Thyatira church, the "deadness" of the Sardis church, the faithful­ness, purity and power of the Philadelphia church, or the pride, complacency and lukewarmness of the Laodicean church,

 

Look at Rev. 2:21-23, where Jesus commands those of Thyatira to repent or He will "cast them into great tribulation" (to receive "many stripes" or even to be killed by the tribulation conditions. Lest some think He is not talking about Christians here, He declares in vs. 23 that He will do these things that "all the churches shall know that I am he that searches the reins and hearts; and I will give to every one of you accord­ing to your works." In other words. He is not dealing with the question of eternal salvation, but of works (obedience or lack of it) and the necessity of "chastening" through tribulation con­ditions, because of unwillingness to repent. In the letter to the lukewarm Laodicean church Jesus emphasizes this with these words: "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore and repent" (Rev. 3:19). Remember, He is talking to the church and not to the world. To the same Laodicean church He declares: "Because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spit you out of my mouth (Rev. 3:16). Spit them out where? No doubt, into the great tribulation to receive the necessary "stripes", even as those in the outer court of Rev. 11: 2 are "cast out" (marginal reading) to be "trodden down." In light of these facts, it is no wonder that when teaching about His second coming and the related events in the world, Jesus admonished many times of the importance of "watching" and of being prepared.

 

  

[Next: A REMNANT PREPARED ]

 

TOP

RETURN TO INDEX