JOURNEY OF FAITH
Day Nine
Abba Father, I trust in You and do good! I dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture! I delight myself in You, Father, and You give me the desires of my heart! I commit my ways to You, Father! I trust in You and I know You do this: You make my righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of Your cause like the noonday sun! I am still before You and wait patiently for You, Father! I do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes! You delight in the way of the man whose steps You have made firm! Though I stumble, I will not fall, for You uphold me with Your hand! I wait for You, Father, and I keep Your ways! The salvation of the righteous comes from You! You are my stronghold in my times of trouble! You help me and You deliver me! You deliver me from the wicked and save me, because I run to You for the safety and security of Your Presence!
Revelation 9:1-21 [NIV; amplification in italics]
The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star…the leader and prince from among the fallen angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation…Satan himself, the Devil…that had fallen from the sky-regions of Heaven to the Earth. And because of the wickedness of the world, and because people rejected the Lordship of Christ for the lordship of Satan, God, in judgment, granted special powers to the lord of their choice with which to more fully exercise his evil and malignant will. The fallen star was therefore given the key to the shaft of the Abyss…that dark and horrible prison in which many of the fallen spirits are detained, and many, many strange and evil and malignant beings are shut up…to do with it as he pleased. Nor did Satan fail to use this power anymore than he failed to exert his full liberty against Job. When he opened the Abyss, unlocking the door of separation between Earth and hell, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. He invoked a plague, such as the world has never before experienced, and out of the smoke a species of supernatural, infernal, locusts came down upon the Earth and were given the power of a poisonous sting, like that of scorpions of the Earth. They were told not to harm the grass of the Earth or any plant or tree, but were only permitted freedom to horrify and torment those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. They were not given power to kill them, but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes a man, being perhaps the most intense and most painful that any living being can inflict upon the human body. During those days of unfathomable torment men will fervently seek death, but will not be permitted to find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them, and they will be forced to endure a living hell in which they will suffer with unimaginable intensity without reprieve, day and night!
The locusts of hell looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces. Their hair was like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. They are supernatural beings that had tails and stings like earthly scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people, inflicting their torment by means of stings, like the stings of scorpions, for five months. They had as king over them, one of Satan’s appointed angels…the angel of the Abyss…whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon, both meaning ” destroyer.”
The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come!
The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the horns of the golden altar that is before God, accustomed to crying out for mercy, now crying out for judgment against the crimes of despite and rejection of the atoning Blood of the Son of God committed against it. It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates”… the very locality where the powers of evil first initiated their assault against the human race! And the four angels who had been kept bound during all the preceding ages, held prisoners so as to be ready for this very hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind. They at once rushed forth for slaughter, in-breathed with the spirit of death and destruction, putting into execution their murderous and malignant will. Under their command, the number of infernal horses with riders comprising the evil horde of mounted troops dispatched in dreadful assault against mankind was two hundred million. I heard their number.
The horses and their mounted riders…the rider was not a separate being but rather part of this supernatural, infernal horse of hell…I saw in my vision looked like this: their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur. A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur…the very elements of hell itself…that came out of their mouths. The power of the horses was in the sooty, sulfurous, fiery breath that issued from their mouths to burn people alive and to suffocate, and in their tails; for their tails were serpentine, like snakes, powerful and capable of inflicting painful and disabling whip-like lashes, and having heads with which they bite and sting; and with both capacities they inflict severe injury.
The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues spanning a day and hour longer than 13 dreadful, horror-filled, months still, even then, did not repent of the work of their hands; even then they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood…idols that cannot see or hear or walk! Instead of fearing, loving and trusting in God above all things, they bestowed their loving confidence upon unclean spirits, constructing images of them to facilitate their worship, invoking them for guidance, and placing religious dependence in their impious falsities. Nor did they repent, even then, of their murders and all forms of sin against human life, their magic arts and indulgent use of drugs and other sensual stimulants, their sexual immorality and general subversion of the sacred ordinance of marriage and its laws, or their thefts, dishonesty, and abject disregard of other’s rights! [We see all of these evils unfolding even now before our very eyes in our Nation, heralding the far greater intensity of these evils yet to come!] [Revelation 9:1-21]
WHY DO I EXIST
CHAPTER 9
FAITH’S TESTIMONY
ANECDOTES
Consider the hero’s of faith mentioned in Heb 11:35-38 above. God has given us these examples of those who triumphed over extraordinary suffering that we might learn from them how to bear our ordinary and far lesser trials. They faithfully endured extreme hardships, because they were looking forward to the promised resurrection to a better life.
*************************
Friends & neighbors; brothers and sisters…
If you remember nothing else from the pages of “WHY DO I EXIST”… never forget this:
GOD LOVES YOU.
God’s Love 4 U is…
Unconditional
Unfailing
Unchanging
Unending
Beloved…I love you because of Who I am…not as a response to who you are, or what you do, or what you refrain from doing.
If only you would know in the depths of your soul, if only you would just fully embrace, the greatness of My Love I have lavished upon you…that the most intense desire of My heart is to gather you to Myself as one of My Own children, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. That is the depth of My love for you.
*************************
THE ENDURANCE OF FAITH
Others endured torture and refused to be released in exchange for denying their faith, looking forward instead to the promised resurrection to a better life. Some endured the trial of jeers and flogging, while still others endured being chained and put in prison. They endured being stoned to death; they endured being lured with tempting offers to renounce their faith; they endured being sawn in two; they endured being put to death by the sword. They endured being forced to go about wrapped in sheepskins and goatskins, utterly destitute, persecuted and mistreated…the world was not worthy of them. They endured wandering in deserts and mountains, living in caves and holes in the ground. [Heb 11:35-38]
HEROS OF FAITH
Consider the hero’s of faith mentioned in Heb 11:35-38 above. God has given us these examples of those who triumphed over extraordinary suffering that we might learn from them how to bear our ordinary and far lesser trials. They faithfully endured extreme hardships, because they were looking forward to the promised resurrection to a better life.
GENUINE FAITH
Genuine faith is triumphant both…
in its power to victoriously overcome and conquer, and
in its power to persevere and endure, even unto death.
In one case, it conquers the enemy or the difficulty by securing its removal or destruction.
In the other, although there is no deliverance from the trouble, faith conquers in the power it receives to endure, and to prove that its spirit is superior to all that men or devils can do.
RECEIVED THE PROMISE, BUT NOT THE POSSESSION
These hero’s of faith received the promises, having seen them from afar off and having embraced them…the great promise of Christ Jesus and His redemption and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. And yet, even so, they all died in faith, not having received the fulfillment of these promises.
All these people were still living by faith when they died. They had not received the tangible fulfillment of God’s promises; they only saw them and embraced them from afar off. And all the while acknowledging and confessing that they were strangers and pilgrims on the Earth. Although they won Divine approval by means of their faith, they did not receive the fulfillment of what had been promised. God had planned something better and greater in view for us, so that these heroes and heroines of faith should not come to perfection apart from us. They would have to wait until the time that we were to receive the fulfillment of these promises, so that they would be made perfect together with us, and not before. [Heb 11:13, 39-40]
Faith embraces the Divine promises, commands, instruction, etc. of God as our own, even though we don’t have the actual possession of the promise as of yet. I wait with a joyful expectation, an excited anticipation, for the certain and literal fulfillment of God’s every promise.
It does not matter if God takes 25 years to fulfill the promise, as He did with Abraham. It also does not matter if we never receive the promise during our lifetime, as the hero’s of faith did not: And these all, having had witness borne to them through their faith, received not the promise, God having provided some better thing concerning us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect. [Heb 11:40] I will hold unswervingly to the hope I profess, for He Who promised is faithful. [Heb 10:23] Actually, by faith we embrace the promise of eternal life in Heaven, but we will not have possession of the promise during our lifetime, only after our death.
FIRE-TESTED FAITH
I will never know the quality of my trust of faith until I am in the fire, beset by a fiery trial testing my faith. It’s easy to say that I trust the Lord when all is well… but when I’m in the fire, do I trust Him then? It is there where I learn, or fail, to embrace the words, “Lord, I don’t understand…but I trust.” I know that You are the Sovereign All-Ruler over all Creation, and that You Personally cause, or specifically, consciously, and deliberately allow all things…all for Your Own good purposes. All that You do is necessarily the very best, very kindest, most loving thing that can possibly be for me. And although I don’t understand, yet even so, I trust You…that You do indeed make all things work together for my good. [Rom 8:28] I will trust, and not be afraid. I will be strong and of a good courage; I will not be afraid, neither will I be dismayed. For the Lord my God is with me whithersoever I goest. [Jos 1:9]
WARNING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Beware of the false prophets and teachers who preach the so called “prosperity gospel” and/or the “name it and claim it” gospel. These are both phony gospels that presume God is obligated to give us what we want if we ask for it “in faith, not doubting.” It presumes that we are able to manipulate and control God’s actions by our so called “faith.”
As Christians these days, we are being taught by these false prophets and teachers [especially many of the TV evangelists] that we should never suffer…that God will always heal, restore, deliver. Scripture is misapplied: “By His stripes, we are healed.”
We are taught that we never need remain in the fire of affliction…that God will deliver us from the fire. All we have to do is rub our “Aladdin’s lamp” and…POOF!…God appears in a big cloud, bowing before us: “Your wish is My command.” All we need is to pray “in faith” for God’s deliverance, and claim that it is done…“in the name of Jesus.”
We are taught to go around thanking God, and praising Him, for having delivered us…but we have not been delivered! We are told to live in this fantasy world, pretending that it is done…that we are delivered! We are told to claim the victory…as done, “in the name of Jesus.” We are told not to receive the affliction…really, to deny its existence. The doctor tells us we have cancer, and we pray for healing and then say, “I don’t receive that diagnosis,” and refuse to undergo treatments. When deliverance doesn’t happen, we are told that we don’t have enough faith. Or a “faith healer” tells us to take our child off necessary medications, and our child dies as a result. We are heartlessly told that the fact our child died is proof of our lack of faith. We are told by the TV evangelists that if we had faith [the size of a mustard seed], we would be healed; that the fact of our non-deliverance is proof that we don’t have sufficient faith. When deliverance does not come, our attitude becomes “God does not hear or answer [my] prayer.” God has abandoned me. There is something wrong with me. I don’t have enough faith. Whatever faith we had, we begin to let it slip away…until we really have no faith at all. In our day, we are taught that faith and deliverance always work hand in hand. And so we never learn what God really had in mind for us…[it wasn’t healing; it wasn’t deliverance]…and then we become disillusioned.
Millions of Christians have been led astray by these false prophets and teachers, with their phony “prosperity gospel” and their “name it and claim it” gospel. Woe unto them, for in that great and terrible Day of the Lord, they will have to stand before the One Whose eyes are like blazing fire and give an account for what they have done!
Please don’t misunderstand. It is not wrong to ask God to heal, restore, deliver. God is able to do, and does, these miraculous works on our behalf when it is His will to do so. It is wrong to think He must do these things when we ask, and to think He has no other purpose but to heal, restore, and deliver. If you only memorize one verse, commit this one to memory: God has assured me that I may have this confidence in approaching Him: “If you make any request in agreement with My will, I shall hear you. And since you know that I will hear you in whatever you ask, you may be sure, beyond the shadow of any doubt, that I shall grant you the request that is in agreement with My will you have made of Me. [1 John 5:14]
PAUL’S TESTIMONY
But the Lord said to Ananias, Go, for this man [Paul] is a chosen instrument of Mine to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the descendants of Israel; For I will make clear to him how much he will be afflicted and must endure and suffer for My name’s sake.
Paul’s testimony: What anyone else dares to boast about…I am speaking as a fool…I also dare to boast about. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn? If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. [Acts 9:15-16; 2 Cor 11:21-30]
Beloved child of God! I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have perfect peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration, but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world [I have deprived it of power to harm you, and have conquered it for you]. [John 16:33]
FOUNDATIONAL PRINCIPLES OF FAITH
Following are the foundational principles for a life lived in the absolute surrender of faith. This is not a magic formula to follow…just a set of principles to keep in mind during the course of our everyday life. When we embrace these principles as our own, we are empowered to live a life of unshakable faith, responding with an unquestioning child-like obedience to every leading and prompting of the Holy Spirit, cooperating with the power of His enabling grace Who works in us both to will and to do.
GOD ALL-POWERFUL
With You, Father, all things are possible. You do what You will with the powers of Heaven and Earth. You call the things that are not just as though they were. You merely speak, and it is done. The very words You speak carry within themselves the power to effect what You have spoken…immediately, completely, continually. The mountains quake before You, and the hills melt away. The very mountains melt like wax in Your Presence. The Earth trembles at You Presence…the world, and all who live in it. Heaven and Earth flee from the Almightiness of Your Presence.
SOVEREIGN ALL-RULER
You are the Sovereign All-Ruler over all things, over all Creation…Sovereign over the heavens and all that’s in it, Sovereign over the Earth and all that’s on it, Sovereign over the spirit world and all that’s in it, Sovereign over everything that touches my life. And You exercise Your Sovereignty perfectly over all things. You exercise Your Sovereignty immediately, completely, continually over all things, such that nothing takes place on the face of this Earth, nothing takes place in the heavens above, nothing takes place in the spirit world, nothing can touch my life, apart from Your having either Personally caused it to happen, or Your having specifically, consciously, and deliberately allowed it to happen. And all to accomplish Your Own good purpose. All that You do is necessarily the very best, very kindest, most loving thing that can possibly be. And although oftentimes I may not understand, yet, even so, I trust You. For I know that You make all things work together for my good…for the good of those who love You and are called according to Your purpose.
CONFIDENCE IN PRAYER
Father…You have assured me that I may have this confidence in approaching God: “If you make any request in agreement with My will, I shall hear you. And since you know that I will hear you in whatever you ask, you may be sure, beyond the shadow of any doubt, that I shall grant you the request that is in agreement with My will you have made of Me.” [1 John 5:14]
GOD’S PLANS, PURPOSES, AND WILL
And so, Father, I’ve come in the Name of Your Divine Son Jesus before Your Throne of Grace, to bring my request [whatever the request, whether concerning yourself or on behalf of someone else] before You. Father…with You, all things are possible. if it is possible, within the framework of Your plans, Your purposes, Your will for me [him, her, them], grant me my request [state specifically what you are asking the Lord to do]. Stretch out Your hand to heal, to restore, to deliver, to save, to perform miraculous signs and wonders through the Name of Your Divine Son Jesus.
Father…show me Your glory, that I may see it and proclaim Your great Name and mighty Power in the presence of the congregation. Bring Glory to Your Name, and bring Your blessings and salvation before the souls of Men.
Ask God for things both great and small. Don’t hesitate to ask God for great and seemingly impossible things, for there is absolutely no limitation on His Power. And don’t hesitate to ask Him for small, seemingly insignificant [but not frivolous] things as well. While there is still life, God can intervene on your [his, her, their] behalf. David answered, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, ‘Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live.’” [2 Sam 12:22]
YOU HAVE NOT BECAUSE YOU ASK NOT
There are many blessing the Lord has in mind for us that can only be obtained through prayer. You do not have, because you do not ask. Or, you do ask God and yet fail to receive, because you ask with wrong purposes and evil, selfish motives. [James 4:2-3]
NOT MY WILL, BUT YOUR WILL
Father, if it is not possible, within the framework of Your plans, Your purposes, Your will, to grant me my request, then not my will, but Your will be done. Send an angel from Heaven to strengthen me [him, her, them], as You did for Your Divine Son Jesus in the Garden that night. Let Your strength be manifested in my [his, her, their] weakness, as You told Paul it would. I will then all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ may rest upon me! So for the sake of Christ, I am well pleased and take pleasure in infirmities, insults, hardships, persecutions, perplexities and distresses; for when I am weak in terms of human strength, then am I truly strong in Christ’s divine strength. [2 Cor 12:9-10]
ABSOLUTE SURRENDER OF FAITH
Are you sorely troubled and vexed by various pressures, trials and afflictions that worry and weary a human soul? Deep sadness and sorrow, intense crying and pain, overwhelming grief, loneliness, broken heartedness?
- Physical infirmities…physical disorders, diseases, and illnesses?
- Broken and strained relationships…between husband and wife, parents and children, brothers and sisters and family members; between friends and neighbors; brothers and sisters in the Family of God?
- Bondage to addictions and habits…addictions to pornography, drugs, alcohol, gambling; addictions to food, tobacco, television, spending; addictions to video games, Internet, social media?
- Various other bondages…financial, emotional, social, spiritual?
- Depression, discouragement, disappointment, disheartened, disillusioned?
- Downcast, downtrodden, distraught, dismayed, distressed?
- Discord, disharmony, disunity, dissension, division?
No matter how fierce the storms of life, God has prepared a promised rest for His children…peace in the midst of the storm, here and now, as well as for all eternity in Heaven!
No matter how deep your sadness and sorrow, no matter how intense your crying and pain, no matter how overwhelming your grief, your loneliness, your broken-heartedness…be still, and know that I AM GOD. I assure you, nothing can touch your life without My permission!
So don’t be disheartened…I will not allow tests and trials to touch your life other than what is common to all mankind. And I am faithful; I will not allow you to be tested beyond what you are able to endure. Whenever you are tested, I will also provide a way to overcome, so that you can stand up under it as more than a conqueror and with overwhelming victory!
Fear not, My child, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you! When you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you! When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze!You are precious and honored in My sight!
I shall cover you with My pinions, and under My wings shall you trust and find refuge. You will be safe in My care; My truth and My faithfulness will protect and defend you. Do not be afraid of any terror of the night, nor the dangers and sudden attacks during the day, nor of any dreaded diseases that stalk in darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.
WHY ARE YOU FRIGHTENED?
So why do you worry, why do you fret? Why are you anxious, afraid?
Let the words of My Divine Son Jesus to His disciples on their boat that afternoon…when they had lost all hope in the midst of a fierce storm, saying “Don’t you care that we are about to die,”…ring in your own heart: Why are you frightened? Do you still have no faith?
Remain undaunted by the cares, concerns, and responsibilities of life. Cast the whole of your care…all your anxieties and distress, all your fears and worries, all your concerns and burdens…once and for all upon Me, for I care for you affectionately and care about you watchfully.
Remain undaunted by results, outcomes, conclusions of the work I have given you to do. Results belong to Me; it is My work, not yours. And no one can thwart My plans, or hinder My purposes, or override My will.
Remain undaunted by circumstances, events, and things that touch your life. There are no such things as random occurrences, accidental happenings, or incidental incidences. I have either allowed them, or caused them, to touch your life…and for My Own good purposes. And beloved, I make all things work together for your good!
Remain undaunted by your sins and failures, mistakes and imperfections. I am well able to restore the years the locusts have eaten.
And do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Seek first My Kingdom and My Righteousness, and all necessary things will be provided for you as well.
As for today, My child…today is the day the Lord has made, so rejoice and be glad in it. Look forward with a joyful expectation of seeing My Glory; look forward with an excited anticipation of seeing My Hand moving in the affairs of the Earth, in the ministries I have given you, and in the things I have allowed to touch your life. Be still…and know that I AM GOD.
Remain undaunted by what people think or say or do. I, the Lord, am your helper; you needn’t be afraid. What can man do to you? Who shall separate you from the love of Christ My Son? Shall trouble or hardship, distress or persecution, famine, nakedness, danger or sword? No, in all these things you are more than a conqueror through Him Who loved you.
Why do you become impatient, or grow weary of waiting? I know the plans I have for you…plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. You are My workmanship, created in Christ Jesus My Son to do good works…works that I Myself have planned in advance for you to do. Every day of your life was recorded in My book before you were born…before you ever began to breathe! So be still, and know that I AM your Father and your God.
My beloved child…abide with Me in the Holy of Holies, in My unclouded Presence. This is your birth-right as a child of the Most High God. If you will only just abide in My promised rest, you will be continually at rest in an unruffled child-like rest, and you will enjoy being with Me with an unclouded child-like carefree joy.
Beloved child, it is unbelief that keeps you from entering into My promised rest, and unbelief prevents you from remaining in My promised rest.
No matter how great your pressures and trials, how anxious your thoughts;
no matter how hopeless your situation, how clouded your future;
no matter how deep your sadness, your sorrow, your loss;
no matter how intense your crying and pain and the agony of your soul;
no matter how overwhelming your grief, loneliness, and broken heartedness;
no matter how weary or burdened…
come to Me, you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest! Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly, gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your soul. My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
Wherefore brethren, having now boldness to enter into the Holy of Holies by the Blood of Jesus, by the way which He dedicated for us…a new and living way to God through the veil, that is to say, through the veil of His flesh…let us then without further hesitation or delay draw nigh in fullness of faith; here let us continually abide in the fullness of faith. [Heb 10:19-20, 22] Those who abide in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. [PS 91:1]Hallelujah!
*************************
Beloved…be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit. Be alertly waiting for your master’s return from the wedding feast, so you may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those whom the master finds ready when he comes. You also, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect! [Jesus…Luke 12:35-37, 40]
When our God shall come, even Christ, to set up His Kingdom on the Earth…a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. Only the redeemed will walk there, and the ransomed of the Lord will return. We will enter Zion with singing, our heads crowned with everlasting joy! Gladness and joy will overtake me, forever free from sorrow and grief! [Isa 35:8-10]
Brothers and sisters in Christ…
In that soon coming Day of the Lord…Men’s hearts will be failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the Earth: for the powers of Heaven shall be shaken. When God spoke from Mount Sinai His voice shook the Earth, but now He makes another promise: “Once again I will shake not only the Earth but the heavens also.” This means that the things on Earth will be shaken, so that only eternal things will remain. When these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. [Heb 12:26-27; Luke 21:26, 28]
The Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire. In that day, the Earth will burn as an oven. Everything in the physical, material realm will be burned up…EVERYTHING; nothing will remain.
Beloved…keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him. [Jesus…Matt 24:42-44]
Beloved…sow for yourselves righteousness and reap the fruit of My unfailing love! Break up the fallow ground within your heart! For it is time to seek Me, the Lord, until I come and shower righteousness upon you! Look off unto Me and My strength; seek My face and My Presence continually! Those who know My Name will trust in Me, for I have never forsaken those who seek Me! [Triune God…Hos 10:12; Ps 105:4; 9:10]
At that time the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and did not take extra oil with them. The wise, however, took extra oil in jars along with their lamps, and so were ready for his coming. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. [Jesus…Matt 25:1-13]
In that great and terrible Day of the Lord, Father, Your Divine Son Jesus will manifest the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God against all those upon the Earth who stand in rebellion to His Throne, and He will destroy all those upon the Earth who are enemies and usurpers of His rule and authority, until He has placed every one of His enemies under His feet. Then in that Day, Your will, Father, will be done on Earth even as it is in Heaven. [Heb 1:8-13; Isa 13:6-9; Joel 1:15; 2:11, 31; Zep 1:18; 2 Pet 3:10; 1 Cor 15:24-26; Matt 6:9-10]
Beloved…continually wash your robes in the Blood of Jesus; wash your garments that have been soiled with sin, making them clean again, dazzling and white. Wash your feet with pure water; wash the dust of sin off your feet. Continually and diligently do these things, that you may always abide with Me in the Holy of Holies, in My unclouded Presence. [Rev 19:7-9]
These are the days of the separation of the wheat from the chaff. I [John] baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come One Who is more powerful than I, Whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor, gathering His wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire. “Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the Lord Almighty.
“Not a root or a branch will be left to them.” [Matt 3:11-12; Mal 4:1-2]
But also in those days there arose false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among yourselves. They will subtly and cleverly teach their destructive heresies about God, even denying the Sovereign Lord Who bought them. Theirs will be a swift and terrible end. Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of them, Christ and His true way will be slandered. In their greed they will make up clever lies and cunning arguments to get hold of your money. With eyes full of adultery, their lust is never satisfied. They make a game of beguiling and luring unstable people into sin. They train themselves to be greedy; they are doomed and cursed. But God condemned them long ago, and their eternal misery is on the way. [2 Peter 2:1-3, 14]
And so, my brothers and sisters, first of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. Even so…The Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire. Since everything on the Earth will be destroyed in this way, you ought to live a holy and godly life as you look forward to the coming Day of the Lord! Everyone who has this hope purifies himself, just as He is pure. So, beloved, since you are expecting these things to happen, be eager to be found by Him at His coming living a pure and blameless life and at peace… in serene confidence, free from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts. Let me warn you therefore, beloved, that knowing these things beforehand, you should be on your guard, lest you be carried away by the error of lawless and wicked persons. I don’t want you to lose your own secure footing. But grow in the special favor and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as He Who called you is Holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am Holy.” [2 Peter 3:3, 10-12, 14, 17; 1 John 3:3; 1 Peter 1:14-16]
This is what the Most Holy, Most High, Triune God declares:
No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in Heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him. [Matt 24:36-39, 42-44]
“Behold”, says the Lord Jesus in His last warning for the last opportunity offered to mankind to be among His redeemed, “I come for the last time like a thief in the night to gather those who would be among the elect! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, in watchfulness, prayer and readiness for the summons when it comes, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed, eternally without remedy.”
PREPARE YOURSELF
We are in the Last Days; time is moving very quickly, and we are drawing near! And so, my brothers and sisters, first of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ He promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of Creation.”
Son of man, you’ve heard that proverb they quote in Israel: Time passes, and prophecies come to nothing. Tell the people, This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will put an end to this proverb, and you will soon stop quoting it. Now give them this new proverb to replace the old one: The time has come for every prophecy of Mine to be fulfilled! [2 Peter 3:3-4, 10-12, 14, 17; 1 John 3:3; 1 Peter 1:14-16; Ezek 12:22-23]
God is calling a holy remnant to Himself…to personal revival…a holy remnant of His children who will not bow down, who will not shrink back, who will not compromise, who will remain steadfast and immovable in their commitment to follow the Lamb whithersoever He goes. God’s holy remnant is called to a life of obedience and suffering, self-sacrifice and self-denial…to walk along the path that Christ Jesus dedicated for us, and to follow in His footsteps as our Forerunner. You cannot become part of My holy remnant without being willing to sacrifice your desire for anyone & all others, and for anything & all else this world has to offer. Obedience is what characterizes the life of My child…obedience continually and unceasingly day and night. You are called to a life of obedience. Obedience is better than sacrifice; rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as evil as worshiping idols. [1 Sam 15:22,23]
Wherefore brethren, having now boldness to enter into the Holiest by the Blood of Jesus, by the way which He dedicated for us…a new and living way to God through the veil, that is to say, through the veil of His flesh…let us then without further hesitation or delay draw nigh in fullness of faith; here let us continually abide in the fullness of faith. [Heb 10:19-20, 22] Those who abide in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. [PS 91:1]
Arise My bride, and prepare to see My Face
Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.
Then the angel said to me, “Write this down: Blessed are those summoned to the marriage banquet of the Lamb…all true believers who are members of His Universal Church. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with Power and great Glory. And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect…God’s holy people…from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.” And he said to me further, “These are the True Words of God.” [Rev 19:9]
Blessed Jesus…I rejoice and shout triumphantly for joy! I celebrate and ascribe to You glory and honor, for the marriage of the Lamb draws near, and Your bride, the Universal Church and each of her members, has been preparing herself and has made herself ready! [Rev 19:7] Hallelujah!
Hallelujah! For our Lord God, Sovereign All-Ruler, reigns! Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him Glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready. The finest linen, dazzling and white, was given her to wear. Then the angel said to me, “Write: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage banquet of the Lamb!” [John…Rev 19:6-9; Luke 14:15-23]
The washing of one’s robes and the keeping of one’s garments relates to this very attitude and habit of looking for the return of Christ as an imminent event. Brethren, as you hope to walk those golden streets, and eat of those immortal fruits, see to it that you have your garments clean and your loins girded about like unto men waiting for their Lord. [Seiss…Rev 21:9-22:5]
Then the king said to his servants, “The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.” So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding garment. “Friend,” he asked, “How did you come in here without putting on the appropriate wedding garment?” The man was speechless. Then the king told the attendants, “Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are invited and summoned, but few are chosen.” [Matt 22:8-14]
ENDURE TO THE END
Behold, I am coming quickly. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will deprive you of your crown. Everyone who overcomes by means of their faith…I will make a pillar in the Sanctuary of My God. Never again will you leave it. I will write on you the name of My God and you will be a citizen in the city of My God…the new Jerusalem…which will come down out of Heaven from My God; I will also write on you My Own new name.
Holy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcx2O9WXvn8&feature=youtu.be
Preserve Christian Family 