The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. (I Peter 5:1-3)
The elders are to serve God's flock, not because they are compelled to do so but willingly.
The elders are not to be motivated by a desire for money but by the desire to do God's will. The history of the Christian Church reveals that elders often are covetous and use their office to become rich. They have lived in finer homes than the saints under their authority, on some occasions, and have driven more expensive automobiles. They have expected to be treated as superior persons. They sometimes wear special robes and other adornments and sit in ornate chairs on the "platform." This is Babylon, not Christianity. This was not the custom of the early apostles and pastors.
The elders are not to regard themselves as the lords and masters of God's people but are to be examples of godly behavior. Again, the history of the Church indicates that elders are tempted by the desire to be elevated over their brothers.
Some elders have been dictators, insisting on governing the behavior of each person committed to their charge, requiring that the believer ask permission for every move he makes. In this instance, the Christian is kept under an unhealthy dominance by the elder.
While such close supervision may profit the new Christian for a season it rapidly becomes a detriment to the spiritual growth of the Lord's disciple. The desire for such mastery reveals an unclean ambition and desire for power in the personality of the elder.
The ministry of the elders is to feed the flock and also to oversee the believers so they are not led off course. The elders are to watch for the welfare of the saints and encourage the development of apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor-teachers in the assembly.
Also, there will be traveling ministries. The role of the elders is to insure that the members profit from the traveling ministries God has given. The elders are not to reject the traveling ministries. The temptation always is present with elders to jealously guard their little kingdoms and not allow the Holy Spirit to minister.
The Apostle John was refused entrance to at least one assembly because an elder was seeking preeminence.
I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not. (III John 1:9)
We have traveling ministries today. They are termed "evangelists." Some of them are true men of God. Numerous others are hirelings, going from church to church for profit, entertaining the saints. Traveling "concert artists" who "book performances" have no place among the remnant of warrior-saints who are desirous of following the Holy Spirit.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Ministry by the Spirit, #4
And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. (Revelation 11:1,2)
The Christian people are becoming enraged because of the increase of wickedness in their nations. But God's judgment (measurement) in the present hour is not upon the nations ("the court which is without the temple") but upon the fervent saints who are worshiping at the Altar of Incense. Those who are carrying their cross, denying themselves for the Gospel's sake, are the first to experience the Divine judgment.
The elders and assemblies that love the Lord will flow with the wisdom and power of the Spirit. The remainder will continue in blindness until finally Babylon the Great (organized Christianity) is destroyed by the secular governments of the earth.
And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. (Revelation 17:16)
The concept of ministry by the Spirit is that the several ministries and gifts in the assembly operate to build up the members of the Body into the Head. Widespread participation by the disciples requires a shift in the role of the presiding elder, the conventional pastor.
While the presiding elder still may be supported financially by the congregation and may be responsible for the administration of the business aspects of the church, he now is required, along with the other elders of the assembly, to guide the members into their roles in the Body of Christ.
The office of the elder is one of rulership. The elders govern the household of God.
Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. (I Timothy 5:17)
Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation. (Hebrews 13:7)
The importance of elders can be seen in the place they occupy before the Throne of God.
And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. (Revelation 4:4)
No apostles or prophets are seen "round about the throne" but there are elders in this place of honor.
Because the office of elder is one of rulership he must be careful not to dominate the people so their ministries and gifts are hindered.
The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. (I Peter 5:1-3)
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
The Christian people are becoming enraged because of the increase of wickedness in their nations. But God's judgment (measurement) in the present hour is not upon the nations ("the court which is without the temple") but upon the fervent saints who are worshiping at the Altar of Incense. Those who are carrying their cross, denying themselves for the Gospel's sake, are the first to experience the Divine judgment.
The elders and assemblies that love the Lord will flow with the wisdom and power of the Spirit. The remainder will continue in blindness until finally Babylon the Great (organized Christianity) is destroyed by the secular governments of the earth.
And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. (Revelation 17:16)
The concept of ministry by the Spirit is that the several ministries and gifts in the assembly operate to build up the members of the Body into the Head. Widespread participation by the disciples requires a shift in the role of the presiding elder, the conventional pastor.
While the presiding elder still may be supported financially by the congregation and may be responsible for the administration of the business aspects of the church, he now is required, along with the other elders of the assembly, to guide the members into their roles in the Body of Christ.
The office of the elder is one of rulership. The elders govern the household of God.
Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. (I Timothy 5:17)
Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation. (Hebrews 13:7)
The importance of elders can be seen in the place they occupy before the Throne of God.
And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. (Revelation 4:4)
No apostles or prophets are seen "round about the throne" but there are elders in this place of honor.
Because the office of elder is one of rulership he must be careful not to dominate the people so their ministries and gifts are hindered.
The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. (I Peter 5:1-3)
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Friday, December 10, 2010
Ministry by the Spirit, #3
How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying. (I Corinthians 14:26)
Change must take place. We who are presiding elders under the present organizational system must bring the assemblies into the required pattern of operation. We must do so slowly, carefully, prayerfully, and patiently, always following the Spirit in this effort.
Such change cannot be made overnight, but change must take place if the remnant is to be prepared for the end-time witness and for the coming of the Lord in the clouds of glory.
It is apparent that the prospect of change from the presiding elder to ministry by the Spirit may make elders apprehensive who are accustomed to ministering to the flock in all areas of Kingdom work. But the required change need not be upsetting. If the elder is walking with the Lord he will serve the Lord in this new manner with the greatest joy.
The backslidden Christian assemblies of our day may not be willing to seek the Lord and make the necessary changes. Therefore division between fervent disciples and the lukewarm churches is imminent. A militant spirit is arising among the true Christians, being manifested in music that proclaims the war of Christ against the enemy-particularly the enemy in God's people. Also, fiery persecution may be at hand.
It is not time as yet for the Church to attack the sinners of the world, attempting to force them to adopt the moral values of the Christians. Rather, it is an hour of preparation. Notice the period of preparation before the attack on Jericho:
Pass through the host, and command the people, saying, Prepare you victuals; for within three days ye shall pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which the Lord your God giveth you to possess it. (Joshua 1:11)
At that time the Lord said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time. (Joshua 5:2)
The need today is for the believers to be circumcised, to make a covenant of holiness with the Lord.
The saints of today must be made ready for the attack of Armageddon and for other onslaughts the Lord may have in mind. We are not to rush out now in the enthusiasm of the soul or because of personal irritation with the practices of the ungodly. Even if we do call on Jesus to help us change the secular world we will be defeated and bring persecution upon ourselves. The sin of the world indeed is great but the Lord is not as yet signaling the attack on the evil in the world, only on the evil in Zion, in the churches that bear His name.
Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let
all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand; (Joel 2:1)
Because we do not have a scriptural pattern of organization and government the people are apt to mill about in ignorance, not understanding the areas now undergoing judgment and the areas where judgment will come in the future.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Change must take place. We who are presiding elders under the present organizational system must bring the assemblies into the required pattern of operation. We must do so slowly, carefully, prayerfully, and patiently, always following the Spirit in this effort.
Such change cannot be made overnight, but change must take place if the remnant is to be prepared for the end-time witness and for the coming of the Lord in the clouds of glory.
It is apparent that the prospect of change from the presiding elder to ministry by the Spirit may make elders apprehensive who are accustomed to ministering to the flock in all areas of Kingdom work. But the required change need not be upsetting. If the elder is walking with the Lord he will serve the Lord in this new manner with the greatest joy.
The backslidden Christian assemblies of our day may not be willing to seek the Lord and make the necessary changes. Therefore division between fervent disciples and the lukewarm churches is imminent. A militant spirit is arising among the true Christians, being manifested in music that proclaims the war of Christ against the enemy-particularly the enemy in God's people. Also, fiery persecution may be at hand.
It is not time as yet for the Church to attack the sinners of the world, attempting to force them to adopt the moral values of the Christians. Rather, it is an hour of preparation. Notice the period of preparation before the attack on Jericho:
Pass through the host, and command the people, saying, Prepare you victuals; for within three days ye shall pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which the Lord your God giveth you to possess it. (Joshua 1:11)
At that time the Lord said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time. (Joshua 5:2)
The need today is for the believers to be circumcised, to make a covenant of holiness with the Lord.
The saints of today must be made ready for the attack of Armageddon and for other onslaughts the Lord may have in mind. We are not to rush out now in the enthusiasm of the soul or because of personal irritation with the practices of the ungodly. Even if we do call on Jesus to help us change the secular world we will be defeated and bring persecution upon ourselves. The sin of the world indeed is great but the Lord is not as yet signaling the attack on the evil in the world, only on the evil in Zion, in the churches that bear His name.
Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let
all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand; (Joel 2:1)
Because we do not have a scriptural pattern of organization and government the people are apt to mill about in ignorance, not understanding the areas now undergoing judgment and the areas where judgment will come in the future.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Thursday, December 09, 2010
Ministry by the Spirit, #2
Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. (Zechariah 4:6)
"Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit."
The Temple of God shall not be brought to completion by the efforts and talents of people but by the Spirit of God. The two olive trees signify a double (Elisha) portion of God's Spirit abiding on the witnesses. The two lampstands are Christ and His Body, according to our understanding.
It appears that God's people are ready neither for the end-time revival nor for the coming of the Lord. We must be built up in the faith of Jesus. We must grow to maturity as measured by the stature of the fullness of Christ. The maturing of the saints is the forming of the second lampstand.
There will be a remnant in the last days, we believe, that will come out of the religious institutions, leaving these organizations void of the voice of the Bridegroom and the Bride.
And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. (Revelation 18:23)
Christendom will be divided into a holy remnant, and Babylon (man-directed Christianity). We think the process of division already has begun.
The remnant of saints must be built up in the Spirit. Worldliness, sin, and self-will must be overcome and driven from the personalities of the believers. Love for the Lord Jesus must be greatly increased among us. We must grow to maturity. As we become mature, union with the Father and the Son and with one another will follow as a consequence.
The means God has given for the perfecting and unifying of the Body of Christ is the ministries and gifts of the Spirit of God.
And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. (I Corinthians 12:28)
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: (Ephesians 4:11,12)
The present-day operation of ministry must change from an organizational assignment imposed on leadership and ministry, to ministry by the wisdom and power of the Spirit of God.
The current pattern includes a presiding elder (termed "pastor") who administrates the business of the organization and preaches and teaches from a pulpit. Some of the presiding elders are administrators, not actually pastors in terms of Ephesians 4:11; but all of them are serving as elders.
The reason the members of today's churches do not grow to spiritual maturity (and it appears few of them grow appreciably in the Lord-even after many years of church attendance) is that the ministries and gifts God has given to the members of the Body of Christ are not operating.
They are not operating because they are not expected to operate. They are not expected to operate because the presiding elder, in numerous instances, is ignorant of the manner in which the churches are to function. The presiding elder of the local assembly may not only be ignorant of the mind of the Spirit but may be actively resisting what the Spirit is seeking to do.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
"Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit."
The Temple of God shall not be brought to completion by the efforts and talents of people but by the Spirit of God. The two olive trees signify a double (Elisha) portion of God's Spirit abiding on the witnesses. The two lampstands are Christ and His Body, according to our understanding.
It appears that God's people are ready neither for the end-time revival nor for the coming of the Lord. We must be built up in the faith of Jesus. We must grow to maturity as measured by the stature of the fullness of Christ. The maturing of the saints is the forming of the second lampstand.
There will be a remnant in the last days, we believe, that will come out of the religious institutions, leaving these organizations void of the voice of the Bridegroom and the Bride.
And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. (Revelation 18:23)
Christendom will be divided into a holy remnant, and Babylon (man-directed Christianity). We think the process of division already has begun.
The remnant of saints must be built up in the Spirit. Worldliness, sin, and self-will must be overcome and driven from the personalities of the believers. Love for the Lord Jesus must be greatly increased among us. We must grow to maturity. As we become mature, union with the Father and the Son and with one another will follow as a consequence.
The means God has given for the perfecting and unifying of the Body of Christ is the ministries and gifts of the Spirit of God.
And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. (I Corinthians 12:28)
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: (Ephesians 4:11,12)
The present-day operation of ministry must change from an organizational assignment imposed on leadership and ministry, to ministry by the wisdom and power of the Spirit of God.
The current pattern includes a presiding elder (termed "pastor") who administrates the business of the organization and preaches and teaches from a pulpit. Some of the presiding elders are administrators, not actually pastors in terms of Ephesians 4:11; but all of them are serving as elders.
The reason the members of today's churches do not grow to spiritual maturity (and it appears few of them grow appreciably in the Lord-even after many years of church attendance) is that the ministries and gifts God has given to the members of the Body of Christ are not operating.
They are not operating because they are not expected to operate. They are not expected to operate because the presiding elder, in numerous instances, is ignorant of the manner in which the churches are to function. The presiding elder of the local assembly may not only be ignorant of the mind of the Spirit but may be actively resisting what the Spirit is seeking to do.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Wednesday, December 08, 2010
Ministry by the Spirit
But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. (I Corinthians 12:11)
There are organizational problems in the Body of Christ, the Christian Church.
There are at least three issues that must be addressed:
The operation of ministries and gifts by the members of the Body.
The defining of the office of elder.
The imposition of organizational assignment on leadership and ministry rather than the development and operation of Spirit-chosen ministries and gifts.
The crux of the problem is the issue of the head of man versus the head of Christ, on the Body of Christ. This has been a problem throughout Church history. We have inherited two thousand years of human-directed church government.
A weight of tradition and precedent perpetuates the present system. We must in our generation make the transition from ministry by organizational assignment to ministry by the Spirit of God. We must make it possible for the Spirit to direct the churches.
The Spirit seems to be saying it is time for the saints to pray for the restoring of the ministries and gifts of the Body of Christ.
The Scriptures teach us there will be an end-time outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. (Joel 2:28,29)
The end-time refreshing is referred to in the Scriptures as the "latter rain," referring to the harvest rain that falls in Israel prior to the grain harvest.
Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. (Joel 2:23)
Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth. (Hosea 6:3)
Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. (James 5:7)
The latter rain will be the greatest of all the demonstrations of God's power, the most powerful witness ever given of the Kingdom of God. We believe the latter-rain outpouring is symbolized by the "two witnesses" of the eleventh chapter of the Book of Revelation. The lampstands and olive trees of the eleventh chapter of Revelation are taken from the fourth chapter of the Book of Zechariah.
Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord. Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. (Zechariah 4:5,6)
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
There are organizational problems in the Body of Christ, the Christian Church.
There are at least three issues that must be addressed:
The operation of ministries and gifts by the members of the Body.
The defining of the office of elder.
The imposition of organizational assignment on leadership and ministry rather than the development and operation of Spirit-chosen ministries and gifts.
The crux of the problem is the issue of the head of man versus the head of Christ, on the Body of Christ. This has been a problem throughout Church history. We have inherited two thousand years of human-directed church government.
A weight of tradition and precedent perpetuates the present system. We must in our generation make the transition from ministry by organizational assignment to ministry by the Spirit of God. We must make it possible for the Spirit to direct the churches.
The Spirit seems to be saying it is time for the saints to pray for the restoring of the ministries and gifts of the Body of Christ.
The Scriptures teach us there will be an end-time outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. (Joel 2:28,29)
The end-time refreshing is referred to in the Scriptures as the "latter rain," referring to the harvest rain that falls in Israel prior to the grain harvest.
Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. (Joel 2:23)
Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth. (Hosea 6:3)
Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. (James 5:7)
The latter rain will be the greatest of all the demonstrations of God's power, the most powerful witness ever given of the Kingdom of God. We believe the latter-rain outpouring is symbolized by the "two witnesses" of the eleventh chapter of the Book of Revelation. The lampstands and olive trees of the eleventh chapter of Revelation are taken from the fourth chapter of the Book of Zechariah.
Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord. Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. (Zechariah 4:5,6)
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Monday, December 06, 2010
The Marriage of the Lamb, #48
Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. (Isaiah 12:2,3)
Notice that the abundance of union and life is ours after the reconciliation stage has been accomplished:
And in that day thou shalt say, O Lord, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me. (Isaiah 12:1)
The material creation, including the inhabitants thereof, is dead because of the curse of God that has been placed on it. It awaits, in its corruption and futility, the living touch of the Wife of the Lamb.
For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. (Romans 8:19)
The members of the Wife of the Lamb will pass throughout the earth bringing spiritual life and freedom to all who were not destroyed in the Divine fury of Armageddon. They are the trees of life. Those who eat of their fruit will live, and their "leaves" are for the healing of the nations.
The forty-seventh chapter of the Book of Ezekiel portrays the judgment and reconciliation of the saints, their entrance into life in ever-increasing fullness, and then their ministry of life to the dead creation.
The reconciling judgment is portrayed by "the man that had the line in his hand" (verse 3).
The entrance of the members of the Wife into ever-increasing depths of eternal life is typified by the waters "to the ankles," "to the knees," "to the loins," and finally by the waters "to swim in" (verses 3-5).
As soon as the process of judgment and life has been completed, the waters of eternal life will flow from the saints into the "dead sea" of humanity, bringing the creation into the liberty of the glory of the children of God.
Now will the earth be filled with the knowledge of the Glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. Now will the Lord's trees of life bring deliverance to mankind. Now will the redemption performed on the cross of Calvary be revealed as to the full effects of its authority. Now will the Lord Jesus see the travail of His soul and be satisfied.
Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other. Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed. And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh. (Ezekiel 47:7-9)
Because the Wife of the Lamb has been called to the highest throne of the universe, her training is full of prolonged, tiring, and sometimes painful hardships. Only those Christians who are willing to give their first attention and energies to their discipleship have any hope of arriving at the first resurrection from the dead, that is, at the level of spiritual readiness that will enable them to be raised from the dead and glorified without further judgment and reconciliation.
Any individual may choose to be one of Jesus' conquerors, one of His victorious saints. Remember, the gate is small and the road is narrow and full of obstacles. Through His grace you can overcome every obstacle. Only believe.
Indescribable glory is waiting for those who endure to the end. (from The Marriage of the Lamb)
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVE
Notice that the abundance of union and life is ours after the reconciliation stage has been accomplished:
And in that day thou shalt say, O Lord, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me. (Isaiah 12:1)
The material creation, including the inhabitants thereof, is dead because of the curse of God that has been placed on it. It awaits, in its corruption and futility, the living touch of the Wife of the Lamb.
For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. (Romans 8:19)
The members of the Wife of the Lamb will pass throughout the earth bringing spiritual life and freedom to all who were not destroyed in the Divine fury of Armageddon. They are the trees of life. Those who eat of their fruit will live, and their "leaves" are for the healing of the nations.
The forty-seventh chapter of the Book of Ezekiel portrays the judgment and reconciliation of the saints, their entrance into life in ever-increasing fullness, and then their ministry of life to the dead creation.
The reconciling judgment is portrayed by "the man that had the line in his hand" (verse 3).
The entrance of the members of the Wife into ever-increasing depths of eternal life is typified by the waters "to the ankles," "to the knees," "to the loins," and finally by the waters "to swim in" (verses 3-5).
As soon as the process of judgment and life has been completed, the waters of eternal life will flow from the saints into the "dead sea" of humanity, bringing the creation into the liberty of the glory of the children of God.
Now will the earth be filled with the knowledge of the Glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. Now will the Lord's trees of life bring deliverance to mankind. Now will the redemption performed on the cross of Calvary be revealed as to the full effects of its authority. Now will the Lord Jesus see the travail of His soul and be satisfied.
Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other. Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed. And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh. (Ezekiel 47:7-9)
Because the Wife of the Lamb has been called to the highest throne of the universe, her training is full of prolonged, tiring, and sometimes painful hardships. Only those Christians who are willing to give their first attention and energies to their discipleship have any hope of arriving at the first resurrection from the dead, that is, at the level of spiritual readiness that will enable them to be raised from the dead and glorified without further judgment and reconciliation.
Any individual may choose to be one of Jesus' conquerors, one of His victorious saints. Remember, the gate is small and the road is narrow and full of obstacles. Through His grace you can overcome every obstacle. Only believe.
Indescribable glory is waiting for those who endure to the end. (from The Marriage of the Lamb)
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVE
Saturday, December 04, 2010
The Marriage of the Lamb, #47
Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness [righteous acts] of saints. (Revelation 19:7,8)
Thus far we have discussed four Divine works that are associated with the manifestation stage of the marriage of the Lamb:
The redeeming of the bodies of the members of the Bride.
Our being joined together with Jesus.
Our becoming visible to the peoples of the earth.
Our being given the authority and power of God for the purpose of cleansing all wickedness from the earth.
When we consider the awesome implications of these four aspects of redemption we can appreciate the necessity for the formation, reconciliation, and union stages of the marriage of the Lamb. Consider the present spiritual condition of the members of the Christian churches, and then imagine the chaos that would ensue if they suddenly were made immortal, joined with Jesus, made visible to the peoples of the earth, and given authority and power over the nations of the earth.
God is not foolish, neither does He place people in situations for which they are unprepared. Men do this sometimes, but God is careful to direct those who trust Him into areas of growth and service suitable to their maturity and ability. The wise placement of Christians on the earth is evident, and the Christian mystics, such as Sundar Singh, teach us that appropriate placement of people occurs in the spiritual world where we go when we die physically.
The final aspect of the manifestation stage we will mention, is the role of the members of the Bride in bringing eternal life to the dead creation.
We bring life and restoration to the material creation. The waters of eternal life flow from the personalities of the members of the Wife of the Lamb.
And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. (Revelation 22:17)
Blessed is every person who is called to the marriage supper of the Lamb because the waters of life will flow in abundance from the Wife of the Lamb.
The spiritual fulfillment of the Old Testament feast of Pentecost is characterized by the outpouring of the Spirit of God on us.
The spiritual fulfillment of the Old Testament feast of Tabernacles is characterized by the springing up of a well of water from the depths of our personality. When the Lord Jesus is crowned King on the throne of our personality, the waters of eternal life begin to flow from the throne. As this takes place we become a tree of life.
It is the "trees of life" who will sustain the seekers after God, especially the believing Jews, during the hour of trouble that soon is to fall on the earth. These same trees of life will nourish the material creation throughout eternity to come.
Eternal life springs from those who have entered the union stage of the marriage of the Lamb.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVE
Thus far we have discussed four Divine works that are associated with the manifestation stage of the marriage of the Lamb:
The redeeming of the bodies of the members of the Bride.
Our being joined together with Jesus.
Our becoming visible to the peoples of the earth.
Our being given the authority and power of God for the purpose of cleansing all wickedness from the earth.
When we consider the awesome implications of these four aspects of redemption we can appreciate the necessity for the formation, reconciliation, and union stages of the marriage of the Lamb. Consider the present spiritual condition of the members of the Christian churches, and then imagine the chaos that would ensue if they suddenly were made immortal, joined with Jesus, made visible to the peoples of the earth, and given authority and power over the nations of the earth.
God is not foolish, neither does He place people in situations for which they are unprepared. Men do this sometimes, but God is careful to direct those who trust Him into areas of growth and service suitable to their maturity and ability. The wise placement of Christians on the earth is evident, and the Christian mystics, such as Sundar Singh, teach us that appropriate placement of people occurs in the spiritual world where we go when we die physically.
The final aspect of the manifestation stage we will mention, is the role of the members of the Bride in bringing eternal life to the dead creation.
We bring life and restoration to the material creation. The waters of eternal life flow from the personalities of the members of the Wife of the Lamb.
And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. (Revelation 22:17)
Blessed is every person who is called to the marriage supper of the Lamb because the waters of life will flow in abundance from the Wife of the Lamb.
The spiritual fulfillment of the Old Testament feast of Pentecost is characterized by the outpouring of the Spirit of God on us.
The spiritual fulfillment of the Old Testament feast of Tabernacles is characterized by the springing up of a well of water from the depths of our personality. When the Lord Jesus is crowned King on the throne of our personality, the waters of eternal life begin to flow from the throne. As this takes place we become a tree of life.
It is the "trees of life" who will sustain the seekers after God, especially the believing Jews, during the hour of trouble that soon is to fall on the earth. These same trees of life will nourish the material creation throughout eternity to come.
Eternal life springs from those who have entered the union stage of the marriage of the Lamb.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVE
Friday, December 03, 2010
The Marriage of the Lamb, #46
Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners. (Song of Solomon 6:4)
The Wife of the Lamb is beautiful in holiness and ready to drive the enemy from the Lord's (and her) earth.
This is why the invasion of the earth by the armies of linen-clothed saints takes place immediately after the marriage of the Lamb (Revelation 19:7,8).
And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. (Revelation 19:14)
The decisive battle cannot be fought until the saints conquer the accuser by the blood of the Lamb, by the word of their testimony, and by loving not their lives to the death (Revelation 12:11). Those who ride with Christ in that Day are called, chosen, and faithful (Revelation 17:14). They are "a great people and a strong." They are the Lord's "troops" (Habakkuk 3:16), the army of Christ (Joel 2:11).
As we stated before, the Divine redemption is a correcting of mankind, commencing with the saints-with those who are closest to the Lord. When we present the Christian salvation as primarily the forgiving of people we miss the point. The Christian salvation indeed does include the forgiving of people but with a view to their correction, their change from the ways of Satan to the ways of God.
Imputed (assigned) righteousness is a temporary provision. God is seeking actual righteousness on the part of His saints, and also on the part of everyone on the earth. The Kingdom of God brings about actual righteousness-the doing of God's will in the earth as it is in Heaven.
The saints themselves must be purified from all sin and rebellion. When they are purified they will work with Christ in purifying the remainder of the saved creation. Unfortunately, not all men will accept Christ, or God's correction. The rebels will be cast into the lake that burns with fire and sulfur.
There is no sin that is acceptable in God's sight. All sin must be driven from the earth.
It is not possible that someone can ride with Christ in the Day of the Lord on the basis of imputed (ascribed) righteousness. Those who ride with Him are called, chosen, and faithful. They are called of the Lord. They are chosen because they have decided to turn away from all else and follow Jesus. They are faithful because they have kept their vow throughout the pressures and pains with which they have been tested.
The saints will execute vengeance on the nations and will chastise those peoples whom God is redeeming.
To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; (Psalms 149:7)
The wicked will attempt to resist the invasion of the earth by Christ and His saints, but to no avail.
For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. (Malachi 4:1)
And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts. (Malachi 4:3)
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
The Wife of the Lamb is beautiful in holiness and ready to drive the enemy from the Lord's (and her) earth.
This is why the invasion of the earth by the armies of linen-clothed saints takes place immediately after the marriage of the Lamb (Revelation 19:7,8).
And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. (Revelation 19:14)
The decisive battle cannot be fought until the saints conquer the accuser by the blood of the Lamb, by the word of their testimony, and by loving not their lives to the death (Revelation 12:11). Those who ride with Christ in that Day are called, chosen, and faithful (Revelation 17:14). They are "a great people and a strong." They are the Lord's "troops" (Habakkuk 3:16), the army of Christ (Joel 2:11).
As we stated before, the Divine redemption is a correcting of mankind, commencing with the saints-with those who are closest to the Lord. When we present the Christian salvation as primarily the forgiving of people we miss the point. The Christian salvation indeed does include the forgiving of people but with a view to their correction, their change from the ways of Satan to the ways of God.
Imputed (assigned) righteousness is a temporary provision. God is seeking actual righteousness on the part of His saints, and also on the part of everyone on the earth. The Kingdom of God brings about actual righteousness-the doing of God's will in the earth as it is in Heaven.
The saints themselves must be purified from all sin and rebellion. When they are purified they will work with Christ in purifying the remainder of the saved creation. Unfortunately, not all men will accept Christ, or God's correction. The rebels will be cast into the lake that burns with fire and sulfur.
There is no sin that is acceptable in God's sight. All sin must be driven from the earth.
It is not possible that someone can ride with Christ in the Day of the Lord on the basis of imputed (ascribed) righteousness. Those who ride with Him are called, chosen, and faithful. They are called of the Lord. They are chosen because they have decided to turn away from all else and follow Jesus. They are faithful because they have kept their vow throughout the pressures and pains with which they have been tested.
The saints will execute vengeance on the nations and will chastise those peoples whom God is redeeming.
To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; (Psalms 149:7)
The wicked will attempt to resist the invasion of the earth by Christ and His saints, but to no avail.
For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. (Malachi 4:1)
And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts. (Malachi 4:3)
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Thursday, December 02, 2010
The Marriage of the Lamb, #45
And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts. (Malachi 4:3)
We (the Lord and we) crush the forces of wickedness in the earth. War and destruction do not delight the heart of the true saint for he or she is a person of peace. War and destruction do not delight the heart of God, for He also is a Person of peace. God's preferred expression of His Son is the "Lamb," for the lamb is the meekest of animals. God much prefers meekness and gentleness.
There has been a rebellion against God and it must be crushed. There is a time for war, and when that time arrives the war must be pursued with the same vigor we apply to the pursuit of peace.
We do not enjoy the prospect of crushing the wicked, much preferring that they would repent and serve the Lord. But as we look about us in the world of today and see what the demons are doing through people, we are ready to ride with Christ in the attack of Armageddon.
The corrupting and destroying of all God has created, all that is decent, wholesome, edifying, lovely, must be stopped. It must be stopped totally. It must be crushed. The memory of Satan and all who follow Satan must be removed from the creation for eternity.
The lukewarm Christian is apathetic about removing all evil from the earth. The true saint, the member of the Wife of the Lamb, is not apathetic about removing evil from the earth. He loves righteousness and hates wickedness. He is grieved exceedingly (although not fretted) by what is taking place today.
He longs for the giving of crowns of authority and power to the saints so they may be able to govern with a rod of iron, overpowering and eliminating all resistance to the rule of God in Christ. Satan himself will be crushed beneath their feet (Romans 16:20).
But the Lord thy God shall deliver them unto thee, and shall destroy them with a mighty destruction, until they be destroyed. And he shall deliver their kings into thine hand, and thou shalt destroy their name from under heaven: there shall no man be able to stand before thee, until thou have destroyed them. (Deuteronomy 7:23,24)
We have the promise of God, the directive of God. Christ is waiting until His enemies have been made his footstool. We of the Body of Christ are being prepared for the hour when God decrees that His enemies (and ours) are to be driven from the earth.
The tribes of Israel did not exercise the diligence and courage necessary to drive the enemy from their land. They were slothful and weak in this respect. We are to learn from their example and be diligent and courageous in casting out Satan and his forces from the earth, as our heavenly Joshua leads us.
Not one sin is to remain. Not one act of rebellion or lawlessness. The believers who are not determined to destroy sin from the presence and memory of mankind are not ready to be members of the Wife of the Lamb. They still are part of the problem, part of the rebellion against God.
They are not persuaded God is right and Satan is wrong. If they are to be saved they must be taught by the sons of God. The nations themselves will be smashed and governed by a rod of iron. This is because lawlessness and rebellion are so deeply ingrained in mankind.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
We (the Lord and we) crush the forces of wickedness in the earth. War and destruction do not delight the heart of the true saint for he or she is a person of peace. War and destruction do not delight the heart of God, for He also is a Person of peace. God's preferred expression of His Son is the "Lamb," for the lamb is the meekest of animals. God much prefers meekness and gentleness.
There has been a rebellion against God and it must be crushed. There is a time for war, and when that time arrives the war must be pursued with the same vigor we apply to the pursuit of peace.
We do not enjoy the prospect of crushing the wicked, much preferring that they would repent and serve the Lord. But as we look about us in the world of today and see what the demons are doing through people, we are ready to ride with Christ in the attack of Armageddon.
The corrupting and destroying of all God has created, all that is decent, wholesome, edifying, lovely, must be stopped. It must be stopped totally. It must be crushed. The memory of Satan and all who follow Satan must be removed from the creation for eternity.
The lukewarm Christian is apathetic about removing all evil from the earth. The true saint, the member of the Wife of the Lamb, is not apathetic about removing evil from the earth. He loves righteousness and hates wickedness. He is grieved exceedingly (although not fretted) by what is taking place today.
He longs for the giving of crowns of authority and power to the saints so they may be able to govern with a rod of iron, overpowering and eliminating all resistance to the rule of God in Christ. Satan himself will be crushed beneath their feet (Romans 16:20).
But the Lord thy God shall deliver them unto thee, and shall destroy them with a mighty destruction, until they be destroyed. And he shall deliver their kings into thine hand, and thou shalt destroy their name from under heaven: there shall no man be able to stand before thee, until thou have destroyed them. (Deuteronomy 7:23,24)
We have the promise of God, the directive of God. Christ is waiting until His enemies have been made his footstool. We of the Body of Christ are being prepared for the hour when God decrees that His enemies (and ours) are to be driven from the earth.
The tribes of Israel did not exercise the diligence and courage necessary to drive the enemy from their land. They were slothful and weak in this respect. We are to learn from their example and be diligent and courageous in casting out Satan and his forces from the earth, as our heavenly Joshua leads us.
Not one sin is to remain. Not one act of rebellion or lawlessness. The believers who are not determined to destroy sin from the presence and memory of mankind are not ready to be members of the Wife of the Lamb. They still are part of the problem, part of the rebellion against God.
They are not persuaded God is right and Satan is wrong. If they are to be saved they must be taught by the sons of God. The nations themselves will be smashed and governed by a rod of iron. This is because lawlessness and rebellion are so deeply ingrained in mankind.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
The Marriage of the Lamb, #44
This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. (Zechariah 14:19)
The nations of the saved will be invited to come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Presence of the Lord in His saints, to keep the feast of Tabernacles in this spiritual sense. Those who do not come to honor the Presence of God in His saints will be punished.
When God brings His Kingdom into the world, His royal priesthood, He expects the nations to pay homage to Himself in the nation He has chosen, which is true Israel. The nations of the earth that scorn the Presence of God in His elect will perish.
For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted. (Isaiah 60:12)
It is true even today that people who assist and show mercy toward God's chosen are rewarded by the Lord. Those who, knowing an individual is a servant of Christ, do not assist but rather injure that person, will be dealt with harshly by the Lord. He who rejects the true saint rejects Christ Himself, and he who rejects Christ rejects God and will be treated accordingly.
This Kingdom principle does not apply to the self-seeking, self-aggrandizing churches. They are not God's chosen, the brothers of Christ. God will use the unsaved to cast down the self-seeking churches, for such churches are not the servants of the Lord. Babylon (man-directed Christianity) will be burned with fire by the ten kings who serve Antichrist, and the Lord's apostles and prophets will rejoice because Babylon has always murdered the true saints.
The most important work of the two thousand years that have elapsed since the birth of Jesus has been the forming of the Wife of the Lamb, the Body of Christ. Soon it will be time for the revealing of the Wife, although first must come the latter-rain revival, and then the great tribulation.
Much work remains to be done and it will be accomplished quickly. The Spirit of God will bring the Gospel of the Kingdom to the ends of the earth, the hour of tribulation will purify the Bride of the Lamb, and then it will be time for the Kingdom of God to enter the material realm.
The peoples of the nations are to repent and embrace the good news. We, the saints, as the Lord directs, are to go to every city and village under the heaven, casting out devils, healing the sick, and announcing the good news of the soon coming of the Kingdom to the earth.
The peoples who receive us will be saved in the Day of the Lord, as was true of Rahab of Jericho. The city or village that does not receive the true saints of God will be destroyed in the Day of Christ.
The Day of God Almighty is at hand and His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, will be joined together with His Wife. "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready" (Revelation 19:7).
The Wife is true Israel and her city is Jerusalem. We who were born Gentiles have been made a part of true Israel in that we have become a part of Christ. We will not permit the current Christian teaching to rob us of our inheritance in Israel, in the Wife of the Lamb.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
The nations of the saved will be invited to come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Presence of the Lord in His saints, to keep the feast of Tabernacles in this spiritual sense. Those who do not come to honor the Presence of God in His saints will be punished.
When God brings His Kingdom into the world, His royal priesthood, He expects the nations to pay homage to Himself in the nation He has chosen, which is true Israel. The nations of the earth that scorn the Presence of God in His elect will perish.
For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted. (Isaiah 60:12)
It is true even today that people who assist and show mercy toward God's chosen are rewarded by the Lord. Those who, knowing an individual is a servant of Christ, do not assist but rather injure that person, will be dealt with harshly by the Lord. He who rejects the true saint rejects Christ Himself, and he who rejects Christ rejects God and will be treated accordingly.
This Kingdom principle does not apply to the self-seeking, self-aggrandizing churches. They are not God's chosen, the brothers of Christ. God will use the unsaved to cast down the self-seeking churches, for such churches are not the servants of the Lord. Babylon (man-directed Christianity) will be burned with fire by the ten kings who serve Antichrist, and the Lord's apostles and prophets will rejoice because Babylon has always murdered the true saints.
The most important work of the two thousand years that have elapsed since the birth of Jesus has been the forming of the Wife of the Lamb, the Body of Christ. Soon it will be time for the revealing of the Wife, although first must come the latter-rain revival, and then the great tribulation.
Much work remains to be done and it will be accomplished quickly. The Spirit of God will bring the Gospel of the Kingdom to the ends of the earth, the hour of tribulation will purify the Bride of the Lamb, and then it will be time for the Kingdom of God to enter the material realm.
The peoples of the nations are to repent and embrace the good news. We, the saints, as the Lord directs, are to go to every city and village under the heaven, casting out devils, healing the sick, and announcing the good news of the soon coming of the Kingdom to the earth.
The peoples who receive us will be saved in the Day of the Lord, as was true of Rahab of Jericho. The city or village that does not receive the true saints of God will be destroyed in the Day of Christ.
The Day of God Almighty is at hand and His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, will be joined together with His Wife. "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready" (Revelation 19:7).
The Wife is true Israel and her city is Jerusalem. We who were born Gentiles have been made a part of true Israel in that we have become a part of Christ. We will not permit the current Christian teaching to rob us of our inheritance in Israel, in the Wife of the Lamb.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
The Marriage of the Lamb, #43
Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. (Revelation 1:7)
The appearing of the Lamb and His Wife will cause a division in mankind. Those who hate God will fight against Christ and His saints and will be destroyed. The man of lawlessness and the False Prophet will both be cast alive (in their bodies) into the Lake of Fire. Those who love God will receive Christ and His saints and will be blessed by the Presence of God in His saints.
There only are two kinds of people in the world, in this context: those who love God and those who hate God; the righteous and the wicked; the wheat and the tares. The Lord Jesus Christ is the point of division.
Those who are of God receive Christ and His true saints. Those who are not of God will receive neither Christ nor His true saints. They are the tares, the wicked mentioned so many times in the Scriptures. The appearing of Jesus always results in a separating of the righteous from the wicked of the earth.
The appearing of Christ with His saints will cause multitudes of the meek of the earth to come to the Glory of the Lord being revealed in His people.
Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. (Isaiah 60:1,2)
Notice that the manifestation stage of the marriage of the Lamb will take place in the hour of earth's greatest darkness. The same concept appears in the nineteenth chapter of the Book of Revelation, where we see those who are blessed being called to the marriage supper (Revelation 19:9), but at the same time the going forth of the Lord with His linen-clothed armies to destroy the wicked of the earth (Revelation 19:11).
And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. (Isaiah 60:3)
This is the appearing of the Kingdom of God in the earth, and the meek and righteous of the earth will come running to the light of God now appearing in His eternal Temple.
Notice that the people of the earth do not see the Lord or run to the Lord. Rather, they see the Glory of Christ in His saints and run to the saints. We are the Lord's inheritance. The nations are our inheritance.
Compare:
When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. (II Thessalonians 1:10)
This is the hour when the saints "take the kingdom." It is the greatest of all revivals.
Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee. (Isaiah 60:5)
The heart of the Lamb is in His Body, His Wife. It is His pleasure to fill her with His glory and to call those whom He has chosen to save to the festivities that will be celebrated in honor of the marriage.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
The appearing of the Lamb and His Wife will cause a division in mankind. Those who hate God will fight against Christ and His saints and will be destroyed. The man of lawlessness and the False Prophet will both be cast alive (in their bodies) into the Lake of Fire. Those who love God will receive Christ and His saints and will be blessed by the Presence of God in His saints.
There only are two kinds of people in the world, in this context: those who love God and those who hate God; the righteous and the wicked; the wheat and the tares. The Lord Jesus Christ is the point of division.
Those who are of God receive Christ and His true saints. Those who are not of God will receive neither Christ nor His true saints. They are the tares, the wicked mentioned so many times in the Scriptures. The appearing of Jesus always results in a separating of the righteous from the wicked of the earth.
The appearing of Christ with His saints will cause multitudes of the meek of the earth to come to the Glory of the Lord being revealed in His people.
Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. (Isaiah 60:1,2)
Notice that the manifestation stage of the marriage of the Lamb will take place in the hour of earth's greatest darkness. The same concept appears in the nineteenth chapter of the Book of Revelation, where we see those who are blessed being called to the marriage supper (Revelation 19:9), but at the same time the going forth of the Lord with His linen-clothed armies to destroy the wicked of the earth (Revelation 19:11).
And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. (Isaiah 60:3)
This is the appearing of the Kingdom of God in the earth, and the meek and righteous of the earth will come running to the light of God now appearing in His eternal Temple.
Notice that the people of the earth do not see the Lord or run to the Lord. Rather, they see the Glory of Christ in His saints and run to the saints. We are the Lord's inheritance. The nations are our inheritance.
Compare:
When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. (II Thessalonians 1:10)
This is the hour when the saints "take the kingdom." It is the greatest of all revivals.
Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee. (Isaiah 60:5)
The heart of the Lamb is in His Body, His Wife. It is His pleasure to fill her with His glory and to call those whom He has chosen to save to the festivities that will be celebrated in honor of the marriage.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
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The Marriage of the Lamb, #42
When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:4)
. . . that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. (John 17:21)
. . . that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. (John 17:23)
The Lord and we become visible in glory to the peoples of the earth.
John the Baptist, the Lord Jesus, and the Apostles preached the coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth. The Wife of the Lamb, the Body of Christ, the new Jerusalem, is the Kingdom of God.
There is an internal kingdom and then there is an external kingdom. The formation, reconciliation, and union stages result in the developing and perfecting of the inner kingdom in the members of the Wife of the Lamb.
As soon as the internal kingdom has been perfected it is time for the external kingdom to be brought forth. The external kingdom is the revealing of what has been performed in the invisible spirit realm. The material creation, including the nations of those who are saved, is awaiting the revealing, the manifestation of the sons of God.
The Kingdom of God is God in Christ in the saints. Today the Kingdom of God is invisible to the eyes of the nations. The marriage of the Lamb will result in the coming of the Kingdom of God, the doing of God's will in the earth. The glory of the Lamb and His Wife will be revealed in the sky for all people to behold.
Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. (Revelation 1:7)
Those who resist the appearing of the Lord and His Wife will be destroyed in the Battle of Armageddon. The remainder will be saved. They will be governed by the saints with love coupled with the exercise of irresistible force. All rebellion shall be crushed.
The appearing of the Kingdom of God will be good news for the meek of the earth but bad news for those who desire to do as they wish apart from the will of Christ. The meek will inherit the earth. The wicked will be destroyed out of it.
The Kingdom will appear in glory. Nothing that corrupts or rebels against God will be permitted to remain in the earth; for the whole earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Glory of the Lord.
In the following two verses from Isaiah we can observe how the marriage of the Lamb results in the bringing of righteousness and praise to the nations of the earth. First there is the joy of the Lamb and His Wife over the manifestation of their marriage. After that, the coming of glory to the nations is proclaimed.
I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. (Isaiah 61:10,11)
"Before all the nations."
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
. . . that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. (John 17:21)
. . . that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. (John 17:23)
The Lord and we become visible in glory to the peoples of the earth.
John the Baptist, the Lord Jesus, and the Apostles preached the coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth. The Wife of the Lamb, the Body of Christ, the new Jerusalem, is the Kingdom of God.
There is an internal kingdom and then there is an external kingdom. The formation, reconciliation, and union stages result in the developing and perfecting of the inner kingdom in the members of the Wife of the Lamb.
As soon as the internal kingdom has been perfected it is time for the external kingdom to be brought forth. The external kingdom is the revealing of what has been performed in the invisible spirit realm. The material creation, including the nations of those who are saved, is awaiting the revealing, the manifestation of the sons of God.
The Kingdom of God is God in Christ in the saints. Today the Kingdom of God is invisible to the eyes of the nations. The marriage of the Lamb will result in the coming of the Kingdom of God, the doing of God's will in the earth. The glory of the Lamb and His Wife will be revealed in the sky for all people to behold.
Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. (Revelation 1:7)
Those who resist the appearing of the Lord and His Wife will be destroyed in the Battle of Armageddon. The remainder will be saved. They will be governed by the saints with love coupled with the exercise of irresistible force. All rebellion shall be crushed.
The appearing of the Kingdom of God will be good news for the meek of the earth but bad news for those who desire to do as they wish apart from the will of Christ. The meek will inherit the earth. The wicked will be destroyed out of it.
The Kingdom will appear in glory. Nothing that corrupts or rebels against God will be permitted to remain in the earth; for the whole earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Glory of the Lord.
In the following two verses from Isaiah we can observe how the marriage of the Lamb results in the bringing of righteousness and praise to the nations of the earth. First there is the joy of the Lamb and His Wife over the manifestation of their marriage. After that, the coming of glory to the nations is proclaimed.
I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. (Isaiah 61:10,11)
"Before all the nations."
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Monday, November 29, 2010
The Marriage of the Lamb, #41
Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. (II Corinthians 5:16)
In the beginning Jesus is external to us. When we are unsaved we come to the external Jesus. After we believe, repent, are baptized in water, and then are filled with the Holy Spirit, the Lord begins the works of formation, reconciliation, and union. These are Divine operations that bring to perfection and union our inner, spiritual personality. The Lord is in us and we in Him.
Our body, the external part of our personality, remains dead because of the sin that abides in our flesh.
After the Lord completes His work in our spiritual personality He is ready to enter our external personality-our body. This He will do at the time of His appearing. He and we will appear at the same time. When Christ appears we also shall appear with Him in glory.
The redemption of our body and our appearing in glory with Him is the outward manifestation of the marriage of the Lamb. Now the Lord Jesus will take the greatest pleasure in presenting His Wife, His completion, His counterpart, to the host of Heaven and to the nations of the earth. It is clear that she bears His name and has received of the fullness of His Glory. Now Jesus has found pleasure and purpose in the creation and is ready to bring all Heaven and earth into line with His Person and His will.
There is no temple, no church in the new Jerusalem, in the Bride of the Lamb. All the ecclesiastical trappings we associate with "church" are gone. They have been scaffolding that has served its purpose. The organs, pews, stained glass windows, steeples, altars, so dear to the heart of the devout, are needed no longer. Now we have Him. The churches have performed their role by making possible our marriage to Him.
Christ will not permit any kind of barrier, any type of institution or priesthood, to come between Him and His Bride.
The Wife of the Lamb is the new Jerusalem. The Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the Temple of the new Jerusalem. The saints will see God's Face and serve Him as sons. We are God's eternal Tabernacle, the Body of Christ. His name, and the name of His city, have been written on us for eternity.
We have no concept of the intensity with which the Lord Jesus longs for the manifestation to take place. He yearns for the moment when we are with Him. He is upholding the creation with the operations the Father always performs through Him but His heart is thinking of something else. He thirsts. He thirsts for the hour when she is with Him. Everything lacks luster, significance, joy except as it pertains to her.
His wife is being prepared, and He is waiting at the right hand of the Father until every enemy has been made His footstool.
Let each of us do everything in his or her power to bring about the perfecting of the Bride of the Lamb so Jesus' heart may be made glad.
How wonderful will be the day when we are joined together with the Lord. Jesus!
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
In the beginning Jesus is external to us. When we are unsaved we come to the external Jesus. After we believe, repent, are baptized in water, and then are filled with the Holy Spirit, the Lord begins the works of formation, reconciliation, and union. These are Divine operations that bring to perfection and union our inner, spiritual personality. The Lord is in us and we in Him.
Our body, the external part of our personality, remains dead because of the sin that abides in our flesh.
After the Lord completes His work in our spiritual personality He is ready to enter our external personality-our body. This He will do at the time of His appearing. He and we will appear at the same time. When Christ appears we also shall appear with Him in glory.
The redemption of our body and our appearing in glory with Him is the outward manifestation of the marriage of the Lamb. Now the Lord Jesus will take the greatest pleasure in presenting His Wife, His completion, His counterpart, to the host of Heaven and to the nations of the earth. It is clear that she bears His name and has received of the fullness of His Glory. Now Jesus has found pleasure and purpose in the creation and is ready to bring all Heaven and earth into line with His Person and His will.
There is no temple, no church in the new Jerusalem, in the Bride of the Lamb. All the ecclesiastical trappings we associate with "church" are gone. They have been scaffolding that has served its purpose. The organs, pews, stained glass windows, steeples, altars, so dear to the heart of the devout, are needed no longer. Now we have Him. The churches have performed their role by making possible our marriage to Him.
Christ will not permit any kind of barrier, any type of institution or priesthood, to come between Him and His Bride.
The Wife of the Lamb is the new Jerusalem. The Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the Temple of the new Jerusalem. The saints will see God's Face and serve Him as sons. We are God's eternal Tabernacle, the Body of Christ. His name, and the name of His city, have been written on us for eternity.
We have no concept of the intensity with which the Lord Jesus longs for the manifestation to take place. He yearns for the moment when we are with Him. He is upholding the creation with the operations the Father always performs through Him but His heart is thinking of something else. He thirsts. He thirsts for the hour when she is with Him. Everything lacks luster, significance, joy except as it pertains to her.
His wife is being prepared, and He is waiting at the right hand of the Father until every enemy has been made His footstool.
Let each of us do everything in his or her power to bring about the perfecting of the Bride of the Lamb so Jesus' heart may be made glad.
How wonderful will be the day when we are joined together with the Lord. Jesus!
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
The Marriage of the Lamb, #40
There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number. My dove, my undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her. (Song of Solomon 6:8,9)
The above two verses signify that there are all sorts of people in the Lord's family; but the Bride, the Wife of the Lamb, is of special quality in the sight of the Lord.
We can observe the same distinction in the eighth chapter. We have those who are related to the Bride but are immature (Song of Solomon 8:8). The Bride herself is strong and mature and has found favor in the sight of the Lord.
The love of Christ for His Wife is extraordinarily intense:
Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned. (Song of Solomon 8:6,7)
This means the Wife of the Lamb is more precious in His eyes than the remainder of the creation.
The Lamb wants His Wife with Him:
Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon: look from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and Hermon, from the lions' dens, from the mountains of the leopards. (Song of Solomon 4:8)
Whatever else may be true of the Scriptures, they are a love story. As soon as our relationship with Christ ceases to be a love story we become part of the "daughters of Jerusalem." We grow skilled in the ways of the churches but lose that keen edge of closeness with the Person of the Lord. There are a multitude of duties to be performed in the churches, and many believers accomplish them with competence and diligence. Then there are a few people who dream of "lions' dens" and "mountains of the leopards."
There are Marthas and there are Marys. The Mary who waited for the resurrection of Jesus represents all the "Marys" who see past the things of the churches and desire to be with the Lord.
The Lord is bringing us to the place where we not only are in Him, and He in us, but we also are with Him.
. . . that where I am, there ye may be also. (John 14:3)
Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, . . . . (John 17:24)
. . . so shall we ever be with the Lord. (I Thessalonians 4:17)
The Wife of the Lamb is a firstfruits to the Lord of the harvest of the earth. She shall be with Him forever.
These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. (Revelation 14:4)
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
The above two verses signify that there are all sorts of people in the Lord's family; but the Bride, the Wife of the Lamb, is of special quality in the sight of the Lord.
We can observe the same distinction in the eighth chapter. We have those who are related to the Bride but are immature (Song of Solomon 8:8). The Bride herself is strong and mature and has found favor in the sight of the Lord.
The love of Christ for His Wife is extraordinarily intense:
Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned. (Song of Solomon 8:6,7)
This means the Wife of the Lamb is more precious in His eyes than the remainder of the creation.
The Lamb wants His Wife with Him:
Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon: look from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and Hermon, from the lions' dens, from the mountains of the leopards. (Song of Solomon 4:8)
Whatever else may be true of the Scriptures, they are a love story. As soon as our relationship with Christ ceases to be a love story we become part of the "daughters of Jerusalem." We grow skilled in the ways of the churches but lose that keen edge of closeness with the Person of the Lord. There are a multitude of duties to be performed in the churches, and many believers accomplish them with competence and diligence. Then there are a few people who dream of "lions' dens" and "mountains of the leopards."
There are Marthas and there are Marys. The Mary who waited for the resurrection of Jesus represents all the "Marys" who see past the things of the churches and desire to be with the Lord.
The Lord is bringing us to the place where we not only are in Him, and He in us, but we also are with Him.
. . . that where I am, there ye may be also. (John 14:3)
Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, . . . . (John 17:24)
. . . so shall we ever be with the Lord. (I Thessalonians 4:17)
The Wife of the Lamb is a firstfruits to the Lord of the harvest of the earth. She shall be with Him forever.
These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. (Revelation 14:4)
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
The Marriage of the Lamb, #39
Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother's children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept. (Song of Solomon 1:6)
The members of the Bride are "black," that is, they have been burned by the purifying fires of judgment (Song of Solomon 1:6). They are not "pretty" in the eyes of the church world but they are marvelously beautiful in the eyes of the Lord.
The true Wife is not in love with the house of God, as are the daughters of Jerusalem. Rather, she is in love with the Lord of the house of God. The Song of Solomon contrasts the daughters of Jerusalem, and those who do not fit well in the scheme of things because they long after the invisible Christ.
Jesus accepts the daughters of Jerusalem just as Eliezer accepted Laban and Rebecca's family. But He is seeking "Rebecca"!
The Holy Spirit has come to the Christian churches of our day with all kinds of gifts and blessings. Many of the churches receive these gifts and blessings gladly and profit from them.
All this preliminary activity is necessary. However, Christ is seeking a select group-two or three here; one there. He is looking for those who are not content to be married to the church but are striving to find Him.
When all has been completed, "Solomon," the ecclesiastical systems, will be paid off in "shekels." The shekels are for Solomon and his helpers. But the Lamb and His Wife are for each other.
My vineyard, which is mine, is before me: thou, O Solomon, must have a thousand, and those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred. (Solomon 8:12)
Christ is upholding the universe because hidden in it is a rare treasure whose price is far beyond rubies. The whole earth and its nations of people belong to the Lord Jesus, but there is one who gives it all purpose.
O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely. (Song of Solomon 2:14)
Each member of the Wife of the Lamb must climb "the secret places of the stairs." The daughters of Jerusalem may be enjoying themselves hugely in the activities of the churches, but the Wife patiently climbs one difficult step after another, her love for Jesus bringing her through the long night of prolonged tribulations and trials.
She is being created as the completion of the Lord Jesus. No aspect of her personality can remain in its original state. All must be re-created in the Lamb. All must be made new. All must be of Christ, of God.
Only her God-given love for Him, and for Him alone, keeps her plodding along day by day-many times along paths she does not understand.
Why does He deal so rigorously? Why does He bring every motive into examination? It is because He is the Lamb, the Son of God, the Creator of all that is. We are the dust of the ground. He is lifting us to the throne that governs angels and men. It is not surprising that He is seeking a Bride without spot or wrinkle, without any kind of defect.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
The members of the Bride are "black," that is, they have been burned by the purifying fires of judgment (Song of Solomon 1:6). They are not "pretty" in the eyes of the church world but they are marvelously beautiful in the eyes of the Lord.
The true Wife is not in love with the house of God, as are the daughters of Jerusalem. Rather, she is in love with the Lord of the house of God. The Song of Solomon contrasts the daughters of Jerusalem, and those who do not fit well in the scheme of things because they long after the invisible Christ.
Jesus accepts the daughters of Jerusalem just as Eliezer accepted Laban and Rebecca's family. But He is seeking "Rebecca"!
The Holy Spirit has come to the Christian churches of our day with all kinds of gifts and blessings. Many of the churches receive these gifts and blessings gladly and profit from them.
All this preliminary activity is necessary. However, Christ is seeking a select group-two or three here; one there. He is looking for those who are not content to be married to the church but are striving to find Him.
When all has been completed, "Solomon," the ecclesiastical systems, will be paid off in "shekels." The shekels are for Solomon and his helpers. But the Lamb and His Wife are for each other.
My vineyard, which is mine, is before me: thou, O Solomon, must have a thousand, and those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred. (Solomon 8:12)
Christ is upholding the universe because hidden in it is a rare treasure whose price is far beyond rubies. The whole earth and its nations of people belong to the Lord Jesus, but there is one who gives it all purpose.
O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely. (Song of Solomon 2:14)
Each member of the Wife of the Lamb must climb "the secret places of the stairs." The daughters of Jerusalem may be enjoying themselves hugely in the activities of the churches, but the Wife patiently climbs one difficult step after another, her love for Jesus bringing her through the long night of prolonged tribulations and trials.
She is being created as the completion of the Lord Jesus. No aspect of her personality can remain in its original state. All must be re-created in the Lamb. All must be made new. All must be of Christ, of God.
Only her God-given love for Him, and for Him alone, keeps her plodding along day by day-many times along paths she does not understand.
Why does He deal so rigorously? Why does He bring every motive into examination? It is because He is the Lamb, the Son of God, the Creator of all that is. We are the dust of the ground. He is lifting us to the throne that governs angels and men. It is not surprising that He is seeking a Bride without spot or wrinkle, without any kind of defect.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Monday, November 22, 2010
The Marriage of the Lamb, #38
And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. (Revelation 19:6)
We are joined together with the Lord Jesus.
Why all these powerful voices? What is the occasion for the ascribing of glory to the Lord God of Heaven?
The marriage of the Lamb has come. His Wife has prepared herself. His Wife is clothed in immortal righteousness.
As far as the Lord Jesus Christ is concerned, this is the greatest of all moments. To Him, this is a greater event than His resurrection from the dead because it gives meaning to His life. Apart from His Wife the creation is meaningless.
There are multitudes of people who will be saved and live in the new world that is coming. There is only one Wife-she who has been redeemed from among the peoples of the earth as a firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. The love of Christ for her is very intense.
The Lamb has given His flesh and blood for her forgiveness and transformation and has worked patiently, according to the wisdom and power of the Father, to create her after the desire of His heart. He lives in her and she lives in and by Him.
One day He will have her by His side where He can see her and speak to her. Jesus has given His glory to her and wants the creation to know that she is of His Life, Substance, and Nature. She reveals His Personality, being one with Him in every element of her being.
The Lamb has surrendered His individuality in favor of being one with her, and she has surrendered her individuality in favor of being one with Him.
The Lamb has never before been married and no doubt never again will be in the future. The marriage of the Lamb is a unique event in eternity and is one of the major purposes for the creation of the universe.
Human marriage is a shadow of this stupendous event. God has brought forth on the body and blood of Christ a completion, a counterpart of Christ. God loves her as He loves Christ. She shines as He shines, being covered with His glory. She is His body, His fullness.
The marriage of the Lamb is the beginning of history; for all that has gone before is perishing and soon will be discarded.
The Song of Solomon speaks of two different kings and two different sets of "Israelites."
The one king is Solomon. The daughters of Jerusalem adore and follow him. Solomon represents the pomp and finery of the Judaic-Christian religion, while the daughters of Jerusalem portray the worshipers who participate in the life and culture of the temples, synagogues, and churches.
The other king is not named but is referred to as the "beloved." The shepherdess adores and follows him. The shepherdess portrays the often-despised remnant, the members of the true Bride who attempt to pursue their beloved amid the clamor and confusion of church life and programs. Their King, their Beloved, is the Lord Jesus. They are not satisfied with "Solomon," with the elevation of men to power in the ecclesiastical systems.
They are not married to the churches, they are married to the Lord Jesus.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
We are joined together with the Lord Jesus.
Why all these powerful voices? What is the occasion for the ascribing of glory to the Lord God of Heaven?
The marriage of the Lamb has come. His Wife has prepared herself. His Wife is clothed in immortal righteousness.
As far as the Lord Jesus Christ is concerned, this is the greatest of all moments. To Him, this is a greater event than His resurrection from the dead because it gives meaning to His life. Apart from His Wife the creation is meaningless.
There are multitudes of people who will be saved and live in the new world that is coming. There is only one Wife-she who has been redeemed from among the peoples of the earth as a firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. The love of Christ for her is very intense.
The Lamb has given His flesh and blood for her forgiveness and transformation and has worked patiently, according to the wisdom and power of the Father, to create her after the desire of His heart. He lives in her and she lives in and by Him.
One day He will have her by His side where He can see her and speak to her. Jesus has given His glory to her and wants the creation to know that she is of His Life, Substance, and Nature. She reveals His Personality, being one with Him in every element of her being.
The Lamb has surrendered His individuality in favor of being one with her, and she has surrendered her individuality in favor of being one with Him.
The Lamb has never before been married and no doubt never again will be in the future. The marriage of the Lamb is a unique event in eternity and is one of the major purposes for the creation of the universe.
Human marriage is a shadow of this stupendous event. God has brought forth on the body and blood of Christ a completion, a counterpart of Christ. God loves her as He loves Christ. She shines as He shines, being covered with His glory. She is His body, His fullness.
The marriage of the Lamb is the beginning of history; for all that has gone before is perishing and soon will be discarded.
The Song of Solomon speaks of two different kings and two different sets of "Israelites."
The one king is Solomon. The daughters of Jerusalem adore and follow him. Solomon represents the pomp and finery of the Judaic-Christian religion, while the daughters of Jerusalem portray the worshipers who participate in the life and culture of the temples, synagogues, and churches.
The other king is not named but is referred to as the "beloved." The shepherdess adores and follows him. The shepherdess portrays the often-despised remnant, the members of the true Bride who attempt to pursue their beloved amid the clamor and confusion of church life and programs. Their King, their Beloved, is the Lord Jesus. They are not satisfied with "Solomon," with the elevation of men to power in the ecclesiastical systems.
They are not married to the churches, they are married to the Lord Jesus.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Friday, November 19, 2010
The Marriage of the Lamb, #37
But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance. (Acts 26:20)
The bulk of mankind suffers in the world, and no doubt most of us will continue to be instructed in the next. There are the few lashes and the many lashes, the outer darkness, Hell, and finally the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. It is the last named that is the second death and the wicked will be cast into it.
What we Christians must come to understand is that the Lord God is interested in righteousness and obedience. We do not accept Christ in order to avoid punishment for our behavior but in order to gain the opportunity to repent and begin to do the things that are pleasing to God. The salvation that is in Christ enables us to be accepted of God by turning away from our former manner of living, by embarking on the program of transformation into righteous behavior.
Sinners always are in death. The righteous always are eligible for eternal life. This is the nature of cause and effect in the spirit realm. The Lord Jesus did not come to change the immutable laws of the spirit realm but to convert sinners to righteousness so they may gain eternal life.
The Christian redemption includes the forgiveness of our sins but is characterized primarily by raising us from the death of sin into the life of righteous, holy, and obedient conduct. When we conceive of salvation as a "ticket" to Heaven, we are missing God's purpose in bringing us to Christ.
God sends tribulation, pain, suffering, on all of us. Those who receive Christ and who, through the grace of the Lord Jesus, wash their robes and make them white in the blood of the Lamb, enter the Kingdom of God. Those who reject Christ, or who continue in sin, cannot enter the Kingdom of God. This is true in the present world and also in the world to come (Revelation 22:14,15).
We are saved, and we enter the Kingdom of God, through much tribulation (I Peter 4:18,19; 5:10).
The manifestation stage is the fourth part of the marriage of the Lamb. The redeeming of the bodies of the members of the Bride is the first aspect of the manifestation stage. It is the raising of our bones and flesh from the grave and the clothing of them with the white robe of incorruptible, righteous, eternal life.
The raising and glorifying of the saints is announced in the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew, the fourth chapter of I Thessalonians, the fifteenth chapter of I Corinthians, and the nineteenth chapter of the Book of Revelation (see also Isaiah 60:1-3; 61:10,11).
Until our body has been redeemed we cannot be joined together totally with the Lord Jesus; we cannot become visible in glory to the peoples of the earth; we cannot crush the forces of wickedness in the earth; and we cannot bring life and restoration to the material creation.
The raising and glorifying of our mortal body is a major goal of the Christian life. It is an important part of our "Canaan," our land of promise. It is the hope offered by John 3:16. It is victory over the last enemy. It is the Good News of the Kingdom of God. It is the end of Satan's dominion over us. It is the beginning of life as God meant life to be lived and enjoyed. It is the recovering of what was lost in Paradise because of the original sin.
It is the final step in the marriage of the Lamb.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
The bulk of mankind suffers in the world, and no doubt most of us will continue to be instructed in the next. There are the few lashes and the many lashes, the outer darkness, Hell, and finally the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. It is the last named that is the second death and the wicked will be cast into it.
What we Christians must come to understand is that the Lord God is interested in righteousness and obedience. We do not accept Christ in order to avoid punishment for our behavior but in order to gain the opportunity to repent and begin to do the things that are pleasing to God. The salvation that is in Christ enables us to be accepted of God by turning away from our former manner of living, by embarking on the program of transformation into righteous behavior.
Sinners always are in death. The righteous always are eligible for eternal life. This is the nature of cause and effect in the spirit realm. The Lord Jesus did not come to change the immutable laws of the spirit realm but to convert sinners to righteousness so they may gain eternal life.
The Christian redemption includes the forgiveness of our sins but is characterized primarily by raising us from the death of sin into the life of righteous, holy, and obedient conduct. When we conceive of salvation as a "ticket" to Heaven, we are missing God's purpose in bringing us to Christ.
God sends tribulation, pain, suffering, on all of us. Those who receive Christ and who, through the grace of the Lord Jesus, wash their robes and make them white in the blood of the Lamb, enter the Kingdom of God. Those who reject Christ, or who continue in sin, cannot enter the Kingdom of God. This is true in the present world and also in the world to come (Revelation 22:14,15).
We are saved, and we enter the Kingdom of God, through much tribulation (I Peter 4:18,19; 5:10).
The manifestation stage is the fourth part of the marriage of the Lamb. The redeeming of the bodies of the members of the Bride is the first aspect of the manifestation stage. It is the raising of our bones and flesh from the grave and the clothing of them with the white robe of incorruptible, righteous, eternal life.
The raising and glorifying of the saints is announced in the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew, the fourth chapter of I Thessalonians, the fifteenth chapter of I Corinthians, and the nineteenth chapter of the Book of Revelation (see also Isaiah 60:1-3; 61:10,11).
Until our body has been redeemed we cannot be joined together totally with the Lord Jesus; we cannot become visible in glory to the peoples of the earth; we cannot crush the forces of wickedness in the earth; and we cannot bring life and restoration to the material creation.
The raising and glorifying of our mortal body is a major goal of the Christian life. It is an important part of our "Canaan," our land of promise. It is the hope offered by John 3:16. It is victory over the last enemy. It is the Good News of the Kingdom of God. It is the end of Satan's dominion over us. It is the beginning of life as God meant life to be lived and enjoyed. It is the recovering of what was lost in Paradise because of the original sin.
It is the final step in the marriage of the Lamb.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Thursday, November 18, 2010
The Marriage of the Lamb, #36
For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? (I Peter 4:17,18)
The atonement for past sins has been made. The task now is the chastening of the creation, beginning with the saints. Each person who refuses Christ, or who accepts Christ but refuses to be corrected, will incur the Divine anger. He may suffer greatly as God attempts to bring him to redemption.
If he continues to stubbornly refuse to obey the Lord Jesus he will be excluded from the forgiveness produced by the atonement made on the cross. He will be cast into the everlasting torment.
First, Christ Himself was perfected in obedience through suffering.
Next, the saints are chastened and corrected.
Finally, the nations of the saved will be chastened and corrected by the rod of iron in the hands of the saints.
All who believe in Christ and accept correction will be saved to eternal life in the new heaven and earth reign of Christ. All who refuse Christ, or who refuse to be corrected by Christ, will be cast into torment.
The chastening of the individual commences in this life and very well may extend into the next (Luke 12:47). The exception to this is the believer who passes through the Judgment Seat of Christ while alive in the world. Such deliverance from bondage is possible but it requires strict cooperation with the Spirit of God, stern obedience to the Father. Christ alone determines when we have passed successfully through His Judgment Seat and have been purged of rebellion and lawlessness.
It is clear in II Corinthians 5:10, Luke 12:47,48, and similar passages that our correction will continue in the spirit realm. People will receive the evil they have practiced. Some will be assigned to the Lake of Fire without hope of reprieve.
The Song of Solomon 8:8,9 suggests a growth in the "relatives" of the Bride that will take place at some undesignated time. Also, the thousand-year Kingdom Age will be one of correction and teaching, as we understand it.
The destiny of the weak Christian is not set forth in the New Testament writings. All we know from the Scriptures is that we will receive the things done in our body, whether they have been good or evil. The glorious rewards go to those who overcome through Christ, but sinners never will enter through the gates of the new Jerusalem.
The Book of Hebrews is a warning to believers to not neglect their salvation. This one book alone is sufficient to reveal the error of the current overemphasis on "grace" as meaning a device whereby we evade the Kingdom law of sowing and reaping.
There does come a time when our warfare has been accomplished, our iniquity has been pardoned (Isaiah 40:1,2).
Some human beings will share the fate of Satan and his angels, that is, they will be tormented forever without hope of being redeemed. This is a fate so terrible we are unable to grasp it. This is the maximum, sentence.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
The atonement for past sins has been made. The task now is the chastening of the creation, beginning with the saints. Each person who refuses Christ, or who accepts Christ but refuses to be corrected, will incur the Divine anger. He may suffer greatly as God attempts to bring him to redemption.
If he continues to stubbornly refuse to obey the Lord Jesus he will be excluded from the forgiveness produced by the atonement made on the cross. He will be cast into the everlasting torment.
First, Christ Himself was perfected in obedience through suffering.
Next, the saints are chastened and corrected.
Finally, the nations of the saved will be chastened and corrected by the rod of iron in the hands of the saints.
All who believe in Christ and accept correction will be saved to eternal life in the new heaven and earth reign of Christ. All who refuse Christ, or who refuse to be corrected by Christ, will be cast into torment.
The chastening of the individual commences in this life and very well may extend into the next (Luke 12:47). The exception to this is the believer who passes through the Judgment Seat of Christ while alive in the world. Such deliverance from bondage is possible but it requires strict cooperation with the Spirit of God, stern obedience to the Father. Christ alone determines when we have passed successfully through His Judgment Seat and have been purged of rebellion and lawlessness.
It is clear in II Corinthians 5:10, Luke 12:47,48, and similar passages that our correction will continue in the spirit realm. People will receive the evil they have practiced. Some will be assigned to the Lake of Fire without hope of reprieve.
The Song of Solomon 8:8,9 suggests a growth in the "relatives" of the Bride that will take place at some undesignated time. Also, the thousand-year Kingdom Age will be one of correction and teaching, as we understand it.
The destiny of the weak Christian is not set forth in the New Testament writings. All we know from the Scriptures is that we will receive the things done in our body, whether they have been good or evil. The glorious rewards go to those who overcome through Christ, but sinners never will enter through the gates of the new Jerusalem.
The Book of Hebrews is a warning to believers to not neglect their salvation. This one book alone is sufficient to reveal the error of the current overemphasis on "grace" as meaning a device whereby we evade the Kingdom law of sowing and reaping.
There does come a time when our warfare has been accomplished, our iniquity has been pardoned (Isaiah 40:1,2).
Some human beings will share the fate of Satan and his angels, that is, they will be tormented forever without hope of being redeemed. This is a fate so terrible we are unable to grasp it. This is the maximum, sentence.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
The Marriage of the Lamb, #35
And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. (I John 2:2)
Current teaching implies that the majority of earth's people will be cast into the Lake of Fire, there to be tormented forever. It is a little doily patched together from tiny pieces torn from the galactic tapestry-a tapestry woven in the mind of God before He spoke the world into existence. Yet, many saints of God have performed righteousness and served Christ even with this limited understanding.
"Knowledge will be increased," Daniel wrote, and so it may be true in our day that the Lord will help us gain a broader understanding of the Divine redemption.
An atonement has been made for the guilt of all the sins of mankind. It is an eternal atonement. There never again will be another sacrifice. The one sacrifice made by Christ on the cross of Calvary has satisfied God's sense of justice and righteousness. God has been appeased with regard to the sins of men.
Because of this total, eternal atonement, guilt, as such, is not the principal issue of redemption. Guilt indeed does remain an issue until the Divine conditions are met, but the principal issue is that of correction. God gave the Lord Jesus Christ to us so we may be saved from sin, that is, that we may be spared from the penalty of sin until He has had a chance to make us righteous, holy, and obedient to God.
Our redemption is infinitely more than forgiveness for what we are. It includes this, but its main purpose is to change what we are until we are pleasing to our Creator.
Jesus forgave the guilt of mankind so mankind may be changed from the life and works of Satan to the life and works of God.
Christ died for the sins of mankind and therefore "owns" mankind.
Christ gives eternal life to whomever He will, as the Father directs Him.
Christ is the Judge of all creatures-men and angels (John 5:22).
After Christ rose from the dead He began the work of judging the creation, beginning with His elect (I Peter 4:15,17). Christ is seated on His judgment seat. Sooner or later all creatures must pass before Him.
The term Judgment Seat of Christ does not refer to a special judgment of believers that will take place during a short period of time after the believers are raised from the dead. The Judgment Seat of Christ has to do with the judgment of every creature regardless of when the judgment takes place. It includes the so-called "white throne judgment" (Revelation 20:11).
The Judgment Seat of Christ began when Christ sat down at the right hand of the Father and will conclude with the judgment that takes place at the end of the thousand-year reign of Christ and His saints over the nations of the earth.
The judgment of God's people, His elect, is taking place now (Matthew 3:12; I Corinthians 11:32; I Peter 4:17). This judgment results in a chastening of us so we will stop sinning and find peace in God's will. All our guilt was forgiven by the atonement, provided we cooperate with the Holy Spirit in the work of putting sin and rebellion out of our life.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Current teaching implies that the majority of earth's people will be cast into the Lake of Fire, there to be tormented forever. It is a little doily patched together from tiny pieces torn from the galactic tapestry-a tapestry woven in the mind of God before He spoke the world into existence. Yet, many saints of God have performed righteousness and served Christ even with this limited understanding.
"Knowledge will be increased," Daniel wrote, and so it may be true in our day that the Lord will help us gain a broader understanding of the Divine redemption.
An atonement has been made for the guilt of all the sins of mankind. It is an eternal atonement. There never again will be another sacrifice. The one sacrifice made by Christ on the cross of Calvary has satisfied God's sense of justice and righteousness. God has been appeased with regard to the sins of men.
Because of this total, eternal atonement, guilt, as such, is not the principal issue of redemption. Guilt indeed does remain an issue until the Divine conditions are met, but the principal issue is that of correction. God gave the Lord Jesus Christ to us so we may be saved from sin, that is, that we may be spared from the penalty of sin until He has had a chance to make us righteous, holy, and obedient to God.
Our redemption is infinitely more than forgiveness for what we are. It includes this, but its main purpose is to change what we are until we are pleasing to our Creator.
Jesus forgave the guilt of mankind so mankind may be changed from the life and works of Satan to the life and works of God.
Christ died for the sins of mankind and therefore "owns" mankind.
Christ gives eternal life to whomever He will, as the Father directs Him.
Christ is the Judge of all creatures-men and angels (John 5:22).
After Christ rose from the dead He began the work of judging the creation, beginning with His elect (I Peter 4:15,17). Christ is seated on His judgment seat. Sooner or later all creatures must pass before Him.
The term Judgment Seat of Christ does not refer to a special judgment of believers that will take place during a short period of time after the believers are raised from the dead. The Judgment Seat of Christ has to do with the judgment of every creature regardless of when the judgment takes place. It includes the so-called "white throne judgment" (Revelation 20:11).
The Judgment Seat of Christ began when Christ sat down at the right hand of the Father and will conclude with the judgment that takes place at the end of the thousand-year reign of Christ and His saints over the nations of the earth.
The judgment of God's people, His elect, is taking place now (Matthew 3:12; I Corinthians 11:32; I Peter 4:17). This judgment results in a chastening of us so we will stop sinning and find peace in God's will. All our guilt was forgiven by the atonement, provided we cooperate with the Holy Spirit in the work of putting sin and rebellion out of our life.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
The Marriage of the Lamb, #34
And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness [righteous acts] of saints. (Revelation 19:8)
What can we say then concerning I Thessalonians 4:13-18-that which will take place when the Lord appears in the clouds of heaven?
Of one fact we can be certain: no Christian who walks in unrighteousness will be arrayed in fine linen, in the robe of incorruptible life, because that robe is the righteous acts of saints.
Doesn't this passage from I Thessalonians give the impression all believers in Christ will be raised from the dead, ascend to be with the Lord, and after that always be with the Lord where He is?
Yes, it does give us that impression. This is because our current practice is to see the writings of Paul in terms of our own standards of Christian behavior. We interpret "the dead in Christ" and "we which are alive and remain" to mean all who make a profession of faith in Christ.
When we read the epistles of Paul and notice his standard concerning the Christian saint, the normal believer, we find that contemporary Christian behavior is far below Paul's expectations. For example, how many believers are presenting their body a living sacrifice to God as their reasonable service of worship?
A careful study of the whole New Testament shows that those who are to be raised when the Lord comes, who then are to ascend to meet Him and be revealed in glory, are the victorious saints. They have overcome the world, sin, and their self-love. They are not the typical believer of today.
What of the multitude of nominal Christians? We do not know. We do know, however, that each individual will receive the things done in his body. Those who have sown to eternal life will reap eternal life. Those who have sown to their flesh and self-love will reap their flesh and their self-love: that is, they will reap what is perishing, that which cannot enter the life, substance, and nature of the Kingdom of God.
It is not possible, in the Kingdom of God, to sow what is worthless and reap what is priceless, to sow disobedience and sin and reap glory and fellowship with God. It is taught today that the new covenant is a means of evading this basic Kingdom law. Such is not the case.
What about those who have died before they have had an opportunity to practice righteousness? This question frequently arises when one speaks of the life of victory, of the consequences of how we live the Christian life.
Sometimes the question merely is an attempt to evade the issue: "They didn't have an opportunity to overcome and so I don't have to."
The Lord would say to this individual, "What is that to you? Follow me."
The question may be an expression of genuine concern for those who, because of conversion late in life or because they never had been taught beyond the first principles of redemption, lived what appears to us to be a nominal Christian life.
In the first place, only Jesus knows what goes on in the heart of any person.
In the second place, our whole concept of redemption is far too simplistic. Our neat little doctrinal formula has God all figured out. This will happen then. The other will take place later. There is no pain, correction, or growth after we die. The few who hear the Gospel and approve of it go to live in luxurious mansions forever, doing nothing of importance.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
What can we say then concerning I Thessalonians 4:13-18-that which will take place when the Lord appears in the clouds of heaven?
Of one fact we can be certain: no Christian who walks in unrighteousness will be arrayed in fine linen, in the robe of incorruptible life, because that robe is the righteous acts of saints.
Doesn't this passage from I Thessalonians give the impression all believers in Christ will be raised from the dead, ascend to be with the Lord, and after that always be with the Lord where He is?
Yes, it does give us that impression. This is because our current practice is to see the writings of Paul in terms of our own standards of Christian behavior. We interpret "the dead in Christ" and "we which are alive and remain" to mean all who make a profession of faith in Christ.
When we read the epistles of Paul and notice his standard concerning the Christian saint, the normal believer, we find that contemporary Christian behavior is far below Paul's expectations. For example, how many believers are presenting their body a living sacrifice to God as their reasonable service of worship?
A careful study of the whole New Testament shows that those who are to be raised when the Lord comes, who then are to ascend to meet Him and be revealed in glory, are the victorious saints. They have overcome the world, sin, and their self-love. They are not the typical believer of today.
What of the multitude of nominal Christians? We do not know. We do know, however, that each individual will receive the things done in his body. Those who have sown to eternal life will reap eternal life. Those who have sown to their flesh and self-love will reap their flesh and their self-love: that is, they will reap what is perishing, that which cannot enter the life, substance, and nature of the Kingdom of God.
It is not possible, in the Kingdom of God, to sow what is worthless and reap what is priceless, to sow disobedience and sin and reap glory and fellowship with God. It is taught today that the new covenant is a means of evading this basic Kingdom law. Such is not the case.
What about those who have died before they have had an opportunity to practice righteousness? This question frequently arises when one speaks of the life of victory, of the consequences of how we live the Christian life.
Sometimes the question merely is an attempt to evade the issue: "They didn't have an opportunity to overcome and so I don't have to."
The Lord would say to this individual, "What is that to you? Follow me."
The question may be an expression of genuine concern for those who, because of conversion late in life or because they never had been taught beyond the first principles of redemption, lived what appears to us to be a nominal Christian life.
In the first place, only Jesus knows what goes on in the heart of any person.
In the second place, our whole concept of redemption is far too simplistic. Our neat little doctrinal formula has God all figured out. This will happen then. The other will take place later. There is no pain, correction, or growth after we die. The few who hear the Gospel and approve of it go to live in luxurious mansions forever, doing nothing of importance.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Monday, November 15, 2010
The Marriage of the Lamb, #33
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. (Galatians 6:7,8)
The concept that we can sin in the flesh and reap immortality in the Day of Christ is without scriptural foundation. It has left multitudes of believers unprepared for the return of the Lord.
Here is the righteousness of God: we reap what we sow. If we sow to righteousness we will be clothed with the consequences of that righteousness, which is eternal life. If we sow to the flesh we will be clothed with the consequences of that corruption, which is the loss of all our life has produced. If we are saved at all it will be into a Lot-type barrenness. God is not mocked.
The resurrection of our body into incorruptible eternal life will take place at the last trumpet. The resurrection is an important aspect of our redemption, being the unveiling of us as sons of God and members of the Wife of the Lamb.
And not only they [the material creation], but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. (Romans 8:23)
The resurrection to victory described in the fifteenth chapter of the Book of I Corinthians is not an expected end of the passive believer, an outcome to be taken for granted. The resurrection into glory is a state that must be attained (Philippians 3:11).
The redeeming of the physical body is the result of eating of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God. It marks the restoration of what was lost originally. The resurrection into incorruptibility, into immortality, is victory over the last enemy. Victory is possible because through the Lord Jesus Christ we have overcome sin and have exercised righteous behavior. Eternal life always is the fruit of righteousness, never of unrighteousness no matter how clothed in "grace."
No individual who continues in sin will acquire a redeemed body on the basis of mercy and forgiveness. Mercy and forgiveness operate to enable the sinner to repent and turn to the way of righteousness and holiness. It is righteous and holy behavior that results in eternal life (Romans 6:22).
Death is the result of sinful behavior. The person that sins will die spiritually even though he believes in Christ.
The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. (I Corinthians 15:56)
God gives us victory over death by giving us victory over sin. When we are able to overcome sin through Christ we then are given access to the tree of life.
We reap what we sow. This may be the most neglected, most misunderstood Kingdom law in all modern Christian thinking and teaching.
The Lord Jesus Christ has come to give us victory over rebellion and lawlessness. He does this by breathing His eternal Life into us, by forming His Substance and Nature in us, by reconciling us to himself by judgment and tribulation, and by entering us through the Spirit, bringing the Father with Him.
There is enough grace here to enable us to conquer the world, Satan, and self-love. If we do so, when Christ comes He will clothe us with the righteous behavior He Himself has produced in us. This righteousness will be to us a house fashioned from the substance of eternal life.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
The concept that we can sin in the flesh and reap immortality in the Day of Christ is without scriptural foundation. It has left multitudes of believers unprepared for the return of the Lord.
Here is the righteousness of God: we reap what we sow. If we sow to righteousness we will be clothed with the consequences of that righteousness, which is eternal life. If we sow to the flesh we will be clothed with the consequences of that corruption, which is the loss of all our life has produced. If we are saved at all it will be into a Lot-type barrenness. God is not mocked.
The resurrection of our body into incorruptible eternal life will take place at the last trumpet. The resurrection is an important aspect of our redemption, being the unveiling of us as sons of God and members of the Wife of the Lamb.
And not only they [the material creation], but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. (Romans 8:23)
The resurrection to victory described in the fifteenth chapter of the Book of I Corinthians is not an expected end of the passive believer, an outcome to be taken for granted. The resurrection into glory is a state that must be attained (Philippians 3:11).
The redeeming of the physical body is the result of eating of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God. It marks the restoration of what was lost originally. The resurrection into incorruptibility, into immortality, is victory over the last enemy. Victory is possible because through the Lord Jesus Christ we have overcome sin and have exercised righteous behavior. Eternal life always is the fruit of righteousness, never of unrighteousness no matter how clothed in "grace."
No individual who continues in sin will acquire a redeemed body on the basis of mercy and forgiveness. Mercy and forgiveness operate to enable the sinner to repent and turn to the way of righteousness and holiness. It is righteous and holy behavior that results in eternal life (Romans 6:22).
Death is the result of sinful behavior. The person that sins will die spiritually even though he believes in Christ.
The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. (I Corinthians 15:56)
God gives us victory over death by giving us victory over sin. When we are able to overcome sin through Christ we then are given access to the tree of life.
We reap what we sow. This may be the most neglected, most misunderstood Kingdom law in all modern Christian thinking and teaching.
The Lord Jesus Christ has come to give us victory over rebellion and lawlessness. He does this by breathing His eternal Life into us, by forming His Substance and Nature in us, by reconciling us to himself by judgment and tribulation, and by entering us through the Spirit, bringing the Father with Him.
There is enough grace here to enable us to conquer the world, Satan, and self-love. If we do so, when Christ comes He will clothe us with the righteous behavior He Himself has produced in us. This righteousness will be to us a house fashioned from the substance of eternal life.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
The Marriage of the Lamb, #32
For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. (I Corinthians 11:31,32)
As far as we can determine, there is no scriptural basis for the occurrence of a special trial of Christians at the descent of the Lord from Heaven or when the saints are caught up to meet Him in the air.
At the Judgment Seat of Christ we shall be made manifest and we shall receive what we have practiced in the body.
The faithful saint walks in trembling, watchfulness, and readiness to repent. The Lord brings him through fire and water and he always is repenting and confessing his sins (as the Spirit of God leads him). Yet he has victory, peace, and joy. Many aspects of his life are judged-in fact, he judges himself. He asks the Lord to search him, try him, cleanse him of secret sins. The Lord answers his prayers.
Thus the Lord Jesus is able to bring forth a new creation of righteousness in his personality. The righteous deeds that are brought forth are woven into a robe of incorruptible life, a house from Heaven, with which he will be clothed when Christ appears. In this sense, the manifestation stage of the Judgment Seat of Christ is future but the necessary preparations are being made today. We are being judged and transformed now so we may be saved in the future-"saved" in the sense of entering life and glory at the appearing of the Lord.
The lukewarm believer, of which there are numerous examples today, does not walk in trembling, wariness, or readiness to repent. He is not always repenting and confessing his sins. He does not judge himself and he does not believe the Lord judges him.
Because of false teaching he believes all has been accomplished for him through "grace." He believes that when the Lord comes he will be raised into incorruptibility, will ascend to meet Christ in the air, and will go through a meaningless "judgment." At this time his good deeds will be rewarded marvelously while his wickedness and carelessness will be ignored because of "grace."
After that he will rest at his ease in a beautiful mansion of gold while the Jews, without the Holy Spirit, attempt to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom in the face of Satan and Antichrist. Such is our Christian "vision."
The fact is, the lukewarm believer is not diligent with his talents (which is enough to put him into the outer darkness). He carries on many flirtations with demons although he does not understand this is what he is doing, that his behavior is sin and is bringing death to him. He participates in the spirit of the world. His life is self-centered, not Christ-centered.
Obviously, such a careless Christian life is not creating a weight of glory at the right hand of the Father. He has sown to his flesh and will reap corruption in the Day of the Lord. He will be spit out of the Lord's mouth.
At the last trumpet he may or may not have obtained enough righteousness in Christ to clothe himself with incorruptibility. He may be found naked in that day. Whether or not he is brought forward into the Kingdom of God will be determined solely by the evaluation made by the Lord Jesus Christ; for the Father has authorized the Lord Jesus to be Judge and Lord of all men.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
As far as we can determine, there is no scriptural basis for the occurrence of a special trial of Christians at the descent of the Lord from Heaven or when the saints are caught up to meet Him in the air.
At the Judgment Seat of Christ we shall be made manifest and we shall receive what we have practiced in the body.
The faithful saint walks in trembling, watchfulness, and readiness to repent. The Lord brings him through fire and water and he always is repenting and confessing his sins (as the Spirit of God leads him). Yet he has victory, peace, and joy. Many aspects of his life are judged-in fact, he judges himself. He asks the Lord to search him, try him, cleanse him of secret sins. The Lord answers his prayers.
Thus the Lord Jesus is able to bring forth a new creation of righteousness in his personality. The righteous deeds that are brought forth are woven into a robe of incorruptible life, a house from Heaven, with which he will be clothed when Christ appears. In this sense, the manifestation stage of the Judgment Seat of Christ is future but the necessary preparations are being made today. We are being judged and transformed now so we may be saved in the future-"saved" in the sense of entering life and glory at the appearing of the Lord.
The lukewarm believer, of which there are numerous examples today, does not walk in trembling, wariness, or readiness to repent. He is not always repenting and confessing his sins. He does not judge himself and he does not believe the Lord judges him.
Because of false teaching he believes all has been accomplished for him through "grace." He believes that when the Lord comes he will be raised into incorruptibility, will ascend to meet Christ in the air, and will go through a meaningless "judgment." At this time his good deeds will be rewarded marvelously while his wickedness and carelessness will be ignored because of "grace."
After that he will rest at his ease in a beautiful mansion of gold while the Jews, without the Holy Spirit, attempt to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom in the face of Satan and Antichrist. Such is our Christian "vision."
The fact is, the lukewarm believer is not diligent with his talents (which is enough to put him into the outer darkness). He carries on many flirtations with demons although he does not understand this is what he is doing, that his behavior is sin and is bringing death to him. He participates in the spirit of the world. His life is self-centered, not Christ-centered.
Obviously, such a careless Christian life is not creating a weight of glory at the right hand of the Father. He has sown to his flesh and will reap corruption in the Day of the Lord. He will be spit out of the Lord's mouth.
At the last trumpet he may or may not have obtained enough righteousness in Christ to clothe himself with incorruptibility. He may be found naked in that day. Whether or not he is brought forward into the Kingdom of God will be determined solely by the evaluation made by the Lord Jesus Christ; for the Father has authorized the Lord Jesus to be Judge and Lord of all men.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Friday, November 12, 2010
The Marriage of the Lamb, #31
So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. (I Corinthians 15:54)
When "this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality," it will in fact be the "incorruption," the "immortality" that has been gained from following the Lord. Righteous works that are performed in, through, and by the saint, as Christ enables him to overcome the death against which he struggles continually in the world, result in eternal resurrection life.
In the fourth chapter of II Corinthians, Paul describes how the tribulations that fell on him produced a response of resurrection life from within him:
Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. (II Corinthians 4:10)
The process of victory coming forth from affliction created for Paul a "far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" (II Corinthians 4:17).
In the following chapter (II Corinthians, Chapter Five) the "weight of glory" is shown to be a "house" from Heaven, that is, a body that will clothe our present body:
For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. (II Corinthians 5:1)
The "building of God," the "house not made with hands," is the "fine linen" of Revelation 19:8, and the "garments of salvation" of Isaiah 61:10.
Paul then goes on to speak of the Judgment Seat of Christ, saying we will receive the things done in our body (II Corinthians 5:10).
If we, through the Lord Jesus Christ, bring forth deeds of righteousness and holiness, these deeds become our incorruptible body of eternal life that will redeem our mortal body at the last trumpet.
If we do not bring forth deeds of righteousness and holiness, do not enter the formation, reconciliation, and union stages of redemption, no body of life has been formed. Therefore it is impossible for us to be changed from corruption into incorruption at the last trumpet.
If we sow to our flesh we will reap corruption in the Day of the Lord.
In the preceding pages we have discussed the timing of the Judgment Seat of Christ, giving our point of view that we are going through judgment now.
There are some verses that give the impression Paul regarded the Judgment Seat of Christ as taking place in the future:
But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. (Romans 14:10)
There are other passages that suggest the Judgment Seat of Christ is taking place now:
Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick [living] and the dead. (I Peter 4:5)
For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? (I Peter 4:17)
We would suggest that the Judgment Seat of Christ is not a special trial of Christians that takes place during a (supposed) time period between the first resurrection and the appearing of Christ. The term refers, rather, to the evaluation of every person of the world and takes place at any time Christ chooses. Even the living may be judged (I Peter 4:5).
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
When "this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality," it will in fact be the "incorruption," the "immortality" that has been gained from following the Lord. Righteous works that are performed in, through, and by the saint, as Christ enables him to overcome the death against which he struggles continually in the world, result in eternal resurrection life.
In the fourth chapter of II Corinthians, Paul describes how the tribulations that fell on him produced a response of resurrection life from within him:
Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. (II Corinthians 4:10)
The process of victory coming forth from affliction created for Paul a "far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" (II Corinthians 4:17).
In the following chapter (II Corinthians, Chapter Five) the "weight of glory" is shown to be a "house" from Heaven, that is, a body that will clothe our present body:
For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. (II Corinthians 5:1)
The "building of God," the "house not made with hands," is the "fine linen" of Revelation 19:8, and the "garments of salvation" of Isaiah 61:10.
Paul then goes on to speak of the Judgment Seat of Christ, saying we will receive the things done in our body (II Corinthians 5:10).
If we, through the Lord Jesus Christ, bring forth deeds of righteousness and holiness, these deeds become our incorruptible body of eternal life that will redeem our mortal body at the last trumpet.
If we do not bring forth deeds of righteousness and holiness, do not enter the formation, reconciliation, and union stages of redemption, no body of life has been formed. Therefore it is impossible for us to be changed from corruption into incorruption at the last trumpet.
If we sow to our flesh we will reap corruption in the Day of the Lord.
In the preceding pages we have discussed the timing of the Judgment Seat of Christ, giving our point of view that we are going through judgment now.
There are some verses that give the impression Paul regarded the Judgment Seat of Christ as taking place in the future:
But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. (Romans 14:10)
There are other passages that suggest the Judgment Seat of Christ is taking place now:
Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick [living] and the dead. (I Peter 4:5)
For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? (I Peter 4:17)
We would suggest that the Judgment Seat of Christ is not a special trial of Christians that takes place during a (supposed) time period between the first resurrection and the appearing of Christ. The term refers, rather, to the evaluation of every person of the world and takes place at any time Christ chooses. Even the living may be judged (I Peter 4:5).
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
The Marriage of the Lamb, #30
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. (Isaiah 40:3)
If the believer is lacking in formation, or reconciliation, or union, he is unsuitable as a member of the unblemished Bride of the Lamb. He must ask the Lord to form him, reconcile him, and bring him into union with Himself. Christ is both able and willing to do this.
Christ will perfect us. We must desire perfection with our whole heart. The day of the divided heart is over. From this point forward the way of the Lord must be made straight. Let the holy be holy and the filthy be filthy. Let us make up our mind we are being formed for the sole purpose of being the fullness of Christ. There is no place here for the believer who still is flirting with the demons and attempting to preserve his own life and ways.
The marriage of the Lamb is near and the Bride must make herself ready. Let everyone who is thirsty come and drink; for out of the Bride will flow rivers of living water without price. Blessed is every person who is called to the marriage supper of the Lamb.
The Manifestation Stage
Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness [righteous deeds] of saints. (Revelation 19:7,8)
A parallel passage is found in the Book of Isaiah:
I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. (Isaiah 61:10,11)
There are five major aspects of the manifestation stage:
The bodies of the members of the Bride are redeemed.
We are joined together with the Lord Jesus.
The Lord and we become visible in glory to the people of the earth.
We (the Lord and we) crush the forces of wickedness in the earth.
We bring life and restoration to the material creation.
The bodies of the members of the Bride are redeemed. We find in Revelation 19:8 that the Bride is arrayed in "fine linen." A similar expression occurs in the passage from Isaiah: "He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation."
The fine linen, the garments of salvation, refers to the raising (or changing) of our physical body into a state of incorruptibility.
It is important to note that the "fine linen" is the "righteousness (actually, righteousnesses, or righteous acts) of saints." The fine linen is not that of imputed (ascribed) righteousness but of righteous works-works that have taken place because of the Life of Christ that has been formed in us and is dwelling in us. Every righteous act proceeding from the Life of Christ in our personality directly affects the body we shall receive in the day of resurrection. Every wicked act proceeding from Satan and our adamic nature also affects the body we shall receive in the day of resurrection unless through the Spirit of God we confess our sin and turn away from it.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
If the believer is lacking in formation, or reconciliation, or union, he is unsuitable as a member of the unblemished Bride of the Lamb. He must ask the Lord to form him, reconcile him, and bring him into union with Himself. Christ is both able and willing to do this.
Christ will perfect us. We must desire perfection with our whole heart. The day of the divided heart is over. From this point forward the way of the Lord must be made straight. Let the holy be holy and the filthy be filthy. Let us make up our mind we are being formed for the sole purpose of being the fullness of Christ. There is no place here for the believer who still is flirting with the demons and attempting to preserve his own life and ways.
The marriage of the Lamb is near and the Bride must make herself ready. Let everyone who is thirsty come and drink; for out of the Bride will flow rivers of living water without price. Blessed is every person who is called to the marriage supper of the Lamb.
The Manifestation Stage
Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness [righteous deeds] of saints. (Revelation 19:7,8)
A parallel passage is found in the Book of Isaiah:
I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. (Isaiah 61:10,11)
There are five major aspects of the manifestation stage:
The bodies of the members of the Bride are redeemed.
We are joined together with the Lord Jesus.
The Lord and we become visible in glory to the people of the earth.
We (the Lord and we) crush the forces of wickedness in the earth.
We bring life and restoration to the material creation.
The bodies of the members of the Bride are redeemed. We find in Revelation 19:8 that the Bride is arrayed in "fine linen." A similar expression occurs in the passage from Isaiah: "He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation."
The fine linen, the garments of salvation, refers to the raising (or changing) of our physical body into a state of incorruptibility.
It is important to note that the "fine linen" is the "righteousness (actually, righteousnesses, or righteous acts) of saints." The fine linen is not that of imputed (ascribed) righteousness but of righteous works-works that have taken place because of the Life of Christ that has been formed in us and is dwelling in us. Every righteous act proceeding from the Life of Christ in our personality directly affects the body we shall receive in the day of resurrection. Every wicked act proceeding from Satan and our adamic nature also affects the body we shall receive in the day of resurrection unless through the Spirit of God we confess our sin and turn away from it.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
The Marriage of the Lamb, #29
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (Ephesians 6:11)
The coming days will be so filled with spiritual darkness, delusion, and terrors of every description that only the believers who are filled with God will be able to stand. As the darkness becomes increasingly intense the light of God's Presence in the true saints will become increasingly bright. God will reveal His Glory in us and we shall see Him and live by Him.
The darkness and the glory will grow in power until finally, at the time of greatest darkness, the fullness of the Lord's Glory will be revealed in His people. The saints will be as lights on the earth. Then the Lord will be revealed from Heaven and the lesser lights on the earth will be gathered up to be joined with the greater Light in the air.
The formation, reconciliation, and union stages are the internal development of the Kingdom of God. The manifestation stage is the external revelation of the Kingdom of God.
The formation, reconciliation, and union stages take place in the Spirit of God. They do not operate in the physical world but in the realm of the Spirit. This is why the woman "clothed with the sun," the Bride of the Lamb, is a great sign, not on the earth but in the heaven.
The manifestation stage is the "with" stage-not only in, but also with. The "with" stage is the emergence of the Kingdom of God from the spirit realm into the material realm. Christ Himself will be seen by every eye and the sons of God will be revealed. This is the coming of the Kingdom of God spoken of by John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus.
Today we cannot see Jesus as He is. The reason we cannot see Jesus as He is, is that we are not like Him. When we are like Him in internal spiritual life, are one with Him and the Father, and have been glorified in external appearance, we shall be able to behold Him as He is. This joy is yet ahead of us.
The inner life and nature of the Kingdom of God must be perfected before we can enter the external life and nature of the Kingdom, before we can be associated with the Lord Jesus in His glory.
The Lord Jesus yearns for His Bride, that she may be with Him. For Him to take her now would be useless. She is not like Him in internal substance, nature, or life. She is filled with soulish, fleshly death, with her old ways of sin, rebellion, and lawlessness.
Christ must come to her and hurl shafts of eternal life into her, driving out the old, dead personality and ways and causing His Divine Substance to penetrate and transform every atom of her being. The Lamb is gloriously alive and He desires that His Life fill His Bride.
What pleasure can she be to Him, what can He do with her, while she is filled with the corruption and death of the soul and flesh? She is not suitable as a completion or helper while she abides in her uncleanness, spiritual sluggishness, and immaturity.
She must be transformed in spirit, soul and body.
She must be reconciled to His thinking and ways.
She must be brought into such total, complete, restful union with Himself that the two lives become one. She must become Him -bone of His bones, and flesh of His flesh. When He sees her He must be beholding Himself.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
The coming days will be so filled with spiritual darkness, delusion, and terrors of every description that only the believers who are filled with God will be able to stand. As the darkness becomes increasingly intense the light of God's Presence in the true saints will become increasingly bright. God will reveal His Glory in us and we shall see Him and live by Him.
The darkness and the glory will grow in power until finally, at the time of greatest darkness, the fullness of the Lord's Glory will be revealed in His people. The saints will be as lights on the earth. Then the Lord will be revealed from Heaven and the lesser lights on the earth will be gathered up to be joined with the greater Light in the air.
The formation, reconciliation, and union stages are the internal development of the Kingdom of God. The manifestation stage is the external revelation of the Kingdom of God.
The formation, reconciliation, and union stages take place in the Spirit of God. They do not operate in the physical world but in the realm of the Spirit. This is why the woman "clothed with the sun," the Bride of the Lamb, is a great sign, not on the earth but in the heaven.
The manifestation stage is the "with" stage-not only in, but also with. The "with" stage is the emergence of the Kingdom of God from the spirit realm into the material realm. Christ Himself will be seen by every eye and the sons of God will be revealed. This is the coming of the Kingdom of God spoken of by John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus.
Today we cannot see Jesus as He is. The reason we cannot see Jesus as He is, is that we are not like Him. When we are like Him in internal spiritual life, are one with Him and the Father, and have been glorified in external appearance, we shall be able to behold Him as He is. This joy is yet ahead of us.
The inner life and nature of the Kingdom of God must be perfected before we can enter the external life and nature of the Kingdom, before we can be associated with the Lord Jesus in His glory.
The Lord Jesus yearns for His Bride, that she may be with Him. For Him to take her now would be useless. She is not like Him in internal substance, nature, or life. She is filled with soulish, fleshly death, with her old ways of sin, rebellion, and lawlessness.
Christ must come to her and hurl shafts of eternal life into her, driving out the old, dead personality and ways and causing His Divine Substance to penetrate and transform every atom of her being. The Lamb is gloriously alive and He desires that His Life fill His Bride.
What pleasure can she be to Him, what can He do with her, while she is filled with the corruption and death of the soul and flesh? She is not suitable as a completion or helper while she abides in her uncleanness, spiritual sluggishness, and immaturity.
She must be transformed in spirit, soul and body.
She must be reconciled to His thinking and ways.
She must be brought into such total, complete, restful union with Himself that the two lives become one. She must become Him -bone of His bones, and flesh of His flesh. When He sees her He must be beholding Himself.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Tuesday, November 09, 2010
The Marriage of the Lamb, #28
Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? (John 14:22)
There is a personal coming of Christ to the faithful believer. The personal coming takes place before Christ's coming in the clouds of heaven. It cannot be witnessed by the world. It is the coming of the Lord to us in the spiritual fulfillment of the old-covenant feast of Tabernacles. This experience is as real as being born again, as real as the baptism with the Holy Spirit. It is the third work of grace and it prepares us for the worldwide coming of the Lord.
It is the rising of the Day Star, Christ, in our heart (II Peter 1:19).
As we stated before, the personal coming of the Lord is beginning now and will increase in revelation and power throughout the great tribulation. The personal coming will attain its climax in the revealing of the Lord from Heaven with His saints. The personal coming is for the purpose of building the inner kingdom of God. The inner kingdom of God will come to the Lord's firstfruits before the external Kingdom is revealed to the world.
Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. (John 14:23)
The first major work of redemption is repentance, being washed in the blood of the Lord Jesus, and being born again of the Divine Nature of Christ.
The second major work of redemption is the baptism with the Holy Spirit of God.
The third major work of redemption is the entering of the Father and the Son into us through the Spirit. It is this third work that is being emphasized in the present hour by the Spirit. Those of us who have been saved and filled with God's Spirit are to press forward until we are filled with all the Fullness of God.
The experience of Pentecost is that of the rain of the Spirit coming upon us. God pours out His Spirit on "all flesh."
The spiritual fulfillment of the Old Testament feast of Tabernacles is an individual work. It is the developing of a well of water, so to speak, in the believer who "follows on to know the Lord."
The "rain" of Pentecost and the "well of water" of Tabernacles.
Notice what Jesus declared while the Jews were celebrating the feast of Tabernacles:
He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (John 7:38)
Notice also what the priest chanted during the observance of the feast of Tabernacles:
Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. (Isaiah 12:3)
It is God's will that each of His saints become a well of the waters of eternal life so that throughout the darkness to come, whoever chooses to do so may drink and receive the Life of God. During the age of oppression that even now is beginning there will be deliverance in Mount Zion, that is, in the true Church of Christ.
The following passage characterizes the saints of the end-time:
Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools. They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God. (Psalms 84:6,7)
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
There is a personal coming of Christ to the faithful believer. The personal coming takes place before Christ's coming in the clouds of heaven. It cannot be witnessed by the world. It is the coming of the Lord to us in the spiritual fulfillment of the old-covenant feast of Tabernacles. This experience is as real as being born again, as real as the baptism with the Holy Spirit. It is the third work of grace and it prepares us for the worldwide coming of the Lord.
It is the rising of the Day Star, Christ, in our heart (II Peter 1:19).
As we stated before, the personal coming of the Lord is beginning now and will increase in revelation and power throughout the great tribulation. The personal coming will attain its climax in the revealing of the Lord from Heaven with His saints. The personal coming is for the purpose of building the inner kingdom of God. The inner kingdom of God will come to the Lord's firstfruits before the external Kingdom is revealed to the world.
Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. (John 14:23)
The first major work of redemption is repentance, being washed in the blood of the Lord Jesus, and being born again of the Divine Nature of Christ.
The second major work of redemption is the baptism with the Holy Spirit of God.
The third major work of redemption is the entering of the Father and the Son into us through the Spirit. It is this third work that is being emphasized in the present hour by the Spirit. Those of us who have been saved and filled with God's Spirit are to press forward until we are filled with all the Fullness of God.
The experience of Pentecost is that of the rain of the Spirit coming upon us. God pours out His Spirit on "all flesh."
The spiritual fulfillment of the Old Testament feast of Tabernacles is an individual work. It is the developing of a well of water, so to speak, in the believer who "follows on to know the Lord."
The "rain" of Pentecost and the "well of water" of Tabernacles.
Notice what Jesus declared while the Jews were celebrating the feast of Tabernacles:
He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (John 7:38)
Notice also what the priest chanted during the observance of the feast of Tabernacles:
Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. (Isaiah 12:3)
It is God's will that each of His saints become a well of the waters of eternal life so that throughout the darkness to come, whoever chooses to do so may drink and receive the Life of God. During the age of oppression that even now is beginning there will be deliverance in Mount Zion, that is, in the true Church of Christ.
The following passage characterizes the saints of the end-time:
Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools. They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God. (Psalms 84:6,7)
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Monday, November 08, 2010
The Marriage of the Lamb, #27
He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. (John 14:21)
All the workings of God in us are to bring us to the place where it is no longer we who are living but Christ who is living in us.
The error of the "rapture" teaching is that it seeks to gain entrance into the external kingdom before the internal kingdom has been perfected.
It is disastrous to bring people into the Presence of Christ until the Presence of Christ has been brought into them. The fleshly believers will never understand this and will fall deeper and deeper into deception. In the last days the worldly believers will persecute the true saints viciously.
It is taught commonly among Christians that if we believe in Christ we are not required to keep the commandments He gave us, as recorded in the four Gospel accounts, or that the Apostles set forth in their writings. We ought to try to observe them, but since we are saved by grace through faith there is no penalty for failing to keep Christ's commandments diligently.
What an enormous error this is! What a misunderstanding of the new covenant!
Notice the following:
And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. (I John 2:3)
And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. (Revelation 12:17)
Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. (Revelation 14:12)
Concerning the last two verses, the argument is made that these are Jewish believers in that they keep the commandments of God.
But when Paul wrote concerning the fact that we are not saved by works but by faith in Christ he was addressing Jewish believers. Therefore, claiming that it is Jewish believers who must keep the commandments of God is not logical. It was Jewish believers to whom the grace of God first came!
The truth is, those of us who have the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ are supposed to be keeping the commandments set forth in the writings of the New Testament. The division between Jewish believers in Christ and Gentile believers in Christ that is taught today is unscriptural. It has proceeded from fleshly thinking. Such a division is specifically contrary to the teachings of the Apostle Paul concerning the one Israel, the one family of God.
The evidence we love Christ is that we keep His commandments. There is no true faith in Christ that does not keep the commandments of Christ. Such a barren "faith" is not faith at all but a mental acceptance of theological truth. There is no redemption, no Kingdom of God in it.
When we, through His grace, diligently do what Jesus instructed us to do, and what Paul commanded us to do as well as the other Apostles of the Lord, then we truly love Jesus. He who loves Jesus will be loved by the Father. Jesus will love that individual and will reveal Himself to Him. This is the beginning of the union stage of the marriage of the Lamb.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
All the workings of God in us are to bring us to the place where it is no longer we who are living but Christ who is living in us.
The error of the "rapture" teaching is that it seeks to gain entrance into the external kingdom before the internal kingdom has been perfected.
It is disastrous to bring people into the Presence of Christ until the Presence of Christ has been brought into them. The fleshly believers will never understand this and will fall deeper and deeper into deception. In the last days the worldly believers will persecute the true saints viciously.
It is taught commonly among Christians that if we believe in Christ we are not required to keep the commandments He gave us, as recorded in the four Gospel accounts, or that the Apostles set forth in their writings. We ought to try to observe them, but since we are saved by grace through faith there is no penalty for failing to keep Christ's commandments diligently.
What an enormous error this is! What a misunderstanding of the new covenant!
Notice the following:
And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. (I John 2:3)
And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. (Revelation 12:17)
Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. (Revelation 14:12)
Concerning the last two verses, the argument is made that these are Jewish believers in that they keep the commandments of God.
But when Paul wrote concerning the fact that we are not saved by works but by faith in Christ he was addressing Jewish believers. Therefore, claiming that it is Jewish believers who must keep the commandments of God is not logical. It was Jewish believers to whom the grace of God first came!
The truth is, those of us who have the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ are supposed to be keeping the commandments set forth in the writings of the New Testament. The division between Jewish believers in Christ and Gentile believers in Christ that is taught today is unscriptural. It has proceeded from fleshly thinking. Such a division is specifically contrary to the teachings of the Apostle Paul concerning the one Israel, the one family of God.
The evidence we love Christ is that we keep His commandments. There is no true faith in Christ that does not keep the commandments of Christ. Such a barren "faith" is not faith at all but a mental acceptance of theological truth. There is no redemption, no Kingdom of God in it.
When we, through His grace, diligently do what Jesus instructed us to do, and what Paul commanded us to do as well as the other Apostles of the Lord, then we truly love Jesus. He who loves Jesus will be loved by the Father. Jesus will love that individual and will reveal Himself to Him. This is the beginning of the union stage of the marriage of the Lamb.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Friday, November 05, 2010
The Marriage of the Lamb, #26
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. (Matthew 5:8)
A thorough work of transformation and reconciliation must be performed in us before we are able to see Him as He is, to be with Him where He is.
There may be spirits in the heavenly realm who see the Lord Jesus from afar off, in a diminished glory. But the Wife of the Lamb is being called into that holy Fire who is Christ-the Lord of Israel. We are being created "bone of His bones and flesh of His flesh." Everything we are and do is undergoing change from mortal soul and flesh into the eternal fire of the life-giving spirits.
We shall behold the Glory of God just as He is and not be consumed. We are being created the eternal completion of Christ who Himself is the Fullness of the Glory.
This is why we are not to complain or become impatient because of our fiery trials. If Christ was required to learn obedience through the things He suffered, what will be true in our case?
Christ comes to us through the Spirit and personally supervises our transformation and purification.
I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. (John 14:18)
This is a real coming of the Lord to the believer, not merely a figure of speech. Jesus comes to us and enters us in the spiritual fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles. This experience will increase in substance throughout the great tribulation period causing us finally to be filled with Christ, and the Father in Him.
The indwelling fullness will be made manifest at the "marriage of the Lamb." Then the nations of the earth for the first time will realize it was the Father who sent Christ, and that He has glorified His saints and loves them just as He loves Christ.
Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. (John 14:19)
We see the Lord faintly now, but as the spiritual fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles increases in power we will be able to see Christ with ever-greater clarity. Also, the external tribulations and pressures will become so intense we shall have to depend on His Life to enable us to survive. We shall learn to lean on the Lord Jesus and to look to Him for every aspect of our personality and actions.
Trouble is soon to come. With it will come revelation and glory if we truly are serving the Lord and are not caught up in the "Laodicean" errors of the churches.
At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. (John 14:20)
The expression "at that day" refers to the Day of the Lord. Whenever the spiritual fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles begins to come to maturity in us, the characteristics of the Day of the Lord are revealed in our personality.
"The Lord alone shall be exalted in that day." In the Day of the Lord, Christ is All and in all and God in Him. We rest in Him. He is our Salvation. He is our Joy. He Himself is our Strength, our Peace, our Wisdom, our Sanctification, our Song.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
A thorough work of transformation and reconciliation must be performed in us before we are able to see Him as He is, to be with Him where He is.
There may be spirits in the heavenly realm who see the Lord Jesus from afar off, in a diminished glory. But the Wife of the Lamb is being called into that holy Fire who is Christ-the Lord of Israel. We are being created "bone of His bones and flesh of His flesh." Everything we are and do is undergoing change from mortal soul and flesh into the eternal fire of the life-giving spirits.
We shall behold the Glory of God just as He is and not be consumed. We are being created the eternal completion of Christ who Himself is the Fullness of the Glory.
This is why we are not to complain or become impatient because of our fiery trials. If Christ was required to learn obedience through the things He suffered, what will be true in our case?
Christ comes to us through the Spirit and personally supervises our transformation and purification.
I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. (John 14:18)
This is a real coming of the Lord to the believer, not merely a figure of speech. Jesus comes to us and enters us in the spiritual fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles. This experience will increase in substance throughout the great tribulation period causing us finally to be filled with Christ, and the Father in Him.
The indwelling fullness will be made manifest at the "marriage of the Lamb." Then the nations of the earth for the first time will realize it was the Father who sent Christ, and that He has glorified His saints and loves them just as He loves Christ.
Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. (John 14:19)
We see the Lord faintly now, but as the spiritual fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles increases in power we will be able to see Christ with ever-greater clarity. Also, the external tribulations and pressures will become so intense we shall have to depend on His Life to enable us to survive. We shall learn to lean on the Lord Jesus and to look to Him for every aspect of our personality and actions.
Trouble is soon to come. With it will come revelation and glory if we truly are serving the Lord and are not caught up in the "Laodicean" errors of the churches.
At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. (John 14:20)
The expression "at that day" refers to the Day of the Lord. Whenever the spiritual fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles begins to come to maturity in us, the characteristics of the Day of the Lord are revealed in our personality.
"The Lord alone shall be exalted in that day." In the Day of the Lord, Christ is All and in all and God in Him. We rest in Him. He is our Salvation. He is our Joy. He Himself is our Strength, our Peace, our Wisdom, our Sanctification, our Song.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright � 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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